On the 29th day of March 2017, at 12:30 pm, the United Kingdom, following the will of the people of Britain, handed the European Union a letter signalling their wish to be divorced from the rest of Europe.

Why Does This Matter?

The Treaty of Rome was intended to create a super-state equivalent to the United States of America. In its original concept, it meant to prevent further war among the nations of Europe, something that the world was tired of after two global conflicts.

However, the populations of those original member countries of the European Economic Community were not asked if they wanted this free-trade zone. Note that the Treaty was signed on 25 March 1957 (60 years ago this past week).

In 1973, the United Kingdom joined the EEC, along with Denmark and Ireland. Norway, which was to join at the same time, held a referendum, and the voters rejected membership. (That’s what would have happened in other countries if a referendum was held.)

Some Perspective

Courtesy of bbc.com

To the rest of the world, the reaction to Brexit is lukewarm. “So what?” is mostly the response  Well, let’s give it a North American spin, shall we?

Britain leaving the EU is equivalent to New York state leaving the USA.

Can you imagine Wall Street being run by a different country? In much the same way the London Stock Exchange is a very important business entity. But after 29 March 2019, it will be totally free of European control. What?!

The closing of the UK’s open borders will also bring with it stricter controls over the movement of money, goods and migrants. In the minds of the British public this will “Make Britain Great Again”. Now, where have we heard that idea lately?

Closing the Doors

Courtesy of Pinterest

My wife, Susan, and I were in Waterford, Ireland when the referendum was held in the UK. The Irish press were very concerned that their favourite trading partner would choose to leave the Euro-zone. In fact, they were predicting that Brexit would be a disaster for them.

The Irish Independent newspaper spoke of a potential loss of one billion Euros. That’s quite a loss! But the opportunity to ink a new trade agreement between these two trading partners is still ahead of them. All it takes is the will to do it.

Astrological Hints

“You need to be encouraged to believe in yourself and to recognize your personal strength. You have to be helped to realize that you as an individual are worth a lot and that you need to get some satisfaction from life as much as the next person does.” (Saturn Inconjunct Ascendant)

“Ideas are very important to you, but you must learn to keep them in perspective. It is fine to believe in something very deeply, but you tend to let your beliefs gain control over you and run your life…You must always be careful that your beliefs serve you and reinforce the quality of your life. Do not become a slave to them.” (Jupiter Square Pluto)

“How well you think depends very much upon your feelings. If you are at all emotionally involved in a situation, as you often are, you can’t think about it clearly.” (Moon Conjunct Mercury)

“You are not terribly self-assertive, and you tend to shy away from direct confrontations with others…You believe that if you wait patiently and help people along, you will get whatever you deserve.” (Mars Sextile Neptune)

“People with any Moon-Saturn combination have a practical turn of mind. You are not interested in fantasies, dreams or abstract ideas that don’t seem to have any use in your life…You prefer to do things the same old safe way that has always worked for you. But thinking this way could limit you too much and cut out a part of life that might be very interesting.” (Moon Trine Saturn)

“Your view of life is practical…You are a good organizer who knows how to arrange elements efficiently. Usually you are able to see the project as a whole, although sometimes you get too bogged down in little details. Be careful of this tendency.” (Mercury Trine Saturn)

Conclusion

Black Wednesday, 16 September 1992, was the day that the European Union began to fall apart. At the time, no one else saw the writing on the wall, as it were, but I remember distinctly thinking, ‘This is the beginning of the end.’

Now we are at the End of the Beginning of this chapter in the history of the United Kingdom. Watch this space.