The Saturn Neptune Conjunction and The Fate of The Federal Reserve

The last time I wrote about the Federal Reserve was in March of 2008. Pluto, planetary ruler of mortgages and other debt, had just entered Capricorn and was opposing Pluto in Cancer (ruling sign of real estate) in the chart of the Fed's founding. The real estate bubble had just collapsed, the subprime mortgage crisis was in full swing, and the Fed had just bailed out investment bank Bear Stearns.

Seventeen years later, as Donald Trump threatens the independence of the Federal Reserve, Pluto in the Fed's chart is once again being activated, this time by a square from the Saturn Neptune conjunction in Aries.

Interest Rates And The Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve was established on December 23rd, 1913 to create a central bank that would standardize US currency. The Fed is not part of any branch of the Federal Government. Run by a Board of Governors, the Fed is an independent entity for a reason, keeping it free from political influence so it can make the kinds of decisions that are in the best interest of the economy, no matter how unpopular.

In simple terms, the primary function of the Fed is to set monetary policy in order to maintain strong employment rates, keep prices stable, and promote investment. The machinations behind how this is done are complex, but the most well-known of the Fed's tools for keeping the economy stable is its ability to set interest rates.

Trump has been pressuring Chairman Jerome Powell to lower interest rates since he took office, at one point even threatening to fire him, something that is not in his power to do. During periods of high inflation the Fed is more likely to raise interest rates than cut them in order to combat rising costs and cool down the economy. Despite Trump's assertions, lowering rates can actually cause inflation to go up.

Trump's claim that lower rates will make it easier for American's to buy homes is simplistic at best. It's more likely Trump is hoping lower rates will bring down the interest payments on the national debt, currently 17% of the federal budget, making it easier for him to justify spending American citizen's tax dollars on vanity projects like a military parade, retrofit of a Qatari jet and painting the wall at the Mexican border black.

The Pressure On Pluto

Unable to gain control over the Fed by firing Powell, Trump has decided instead to try installing loyalists on its Board of Governors. That would mean firing or pressuring current board members, who normally serve a 14 year term, to resign.

On the day that Trump ordered the firing of board member Lisa Cook, Saturn and Neptune (both retrograde, by the way) were straddling the Fed's Aries Midheaven, exactly square to its Pluto at 00 degrees Cancer.

In Mundane Astrology, the astrology of countries, corporations and events, Pluto rules banking, the stock market, oil, and nuclear power. Secrets, conspiracy theories and power struggles also fall under its jurisdiction.

With Saturn currently sitting in the Fed's 9th house of courts, judges and judicial matters, it's no surprise that Cook filed a lawsuit challenging her dismissal. With this being the first time a president has tried to remove a member of the Board of Governors in the entire history of the Fed, and with the independence of the central bank ultimately at stake, there's a more than likely chance this fight will end up making its way to the Supreme Court.

Transiting Saturn wants things dealt with realistically, asking, will this survive the test of time? Neptune, on the other hand, casts a glamour, hiding facts in vagaries and deceptions. At it's worst it's associated with deceit, cults, gangsters, and those who fall into lockstep with the collective. It's currently sitting in the Fed's 10th house, which in Mundane astrology represents the government and its leader, in this case Trump.

Will Saturn with its emphasis on structures, rules, order, and tradition prevail? Or will Neptune's fantasies and delusions hold more sway?

When we consider that previous conjunctions of Saturn and Neptune have coincided with major historical restructurings like the fall of the Soviet Union, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the run-up to the American Revolution, we shouldn't be surprised if the fight for control of the Federal Reserve ends up being a tipping point for something even bigger.