Is there anything special about 3 solar cycles, 33 years? Yes there is. Every 33 years the lunar calendar and solar calendar converge. A lunar month isn’t quite the same as a solar month, and so new moons and full moons gradually advance through the seasons, returning to where they began every 33 years. Most ancient calendars are luni-solar calendars incorporating lunar months plus additions to make it fit the solar year too, so societies engaged both. My detailed guide, Trading The Sun, reveals the influence of both lunar cycles and solar cycles on people, the financial markets and the economy, and the synchronisation of humans and human systems to cycles of nature. Rhythms in stocks and commodities – or more specifically human risk appetite and buy/sell patterns towards them -  have synchronised with this luni-solar cycle.

If tops and bottoms fall close to solar maxima (which are roughly 11 years apart) and solar minima (ditto), and risk assets cycle every 3 solar cycles (roughly 33 years), then we should see these cycles in spectograms of stocks and commodities. Here is one commodity, wheat, and one stock index, the Dow Jones, under spectrogram analysis, revealing actual cycles confluences around both 11 and 33 years (as well as the other interesting highlighted cycles).

Source both: Sergey Tarassov

Below is the Dow Jones (DJIA) stock index in the long term view, marked with the secular tops and bottoms in stocks and commodities listed above.

Inbetween the secular tops were interim stocks tops, one being the Nikkei peak. It’s fairly clear from this Dow chart, that the interim tops are not secular tops, but the trend continues through them, with the exception appearing to be the massive peak (and massive fall) around 1930. Most analysts consider this extreme as a secular top and a subsquent secular bottom. But the comparisons suggest the secular top was around 1937 with a wild overbuying and overselling episode effectively cancelling each other out en route to the 1937 peak. For another less extreme example, the 2007 nominal stocks top exceeded the 2000 top but by other measures (such as valuations) we can identify that 2000 was the secular top for stocks.

Using solar cycle anchoring, secular US stocks bulls need redefining as around 24 years in length, or roughly two solar cycles (1976-2000, 1944-1968 and 1913-1937, shown by black arrows) beginning at the nominal low of what we currently consider to be a secular stocks bear, which falls around the solar minimums (shown by the red circles). That means a new secular stocks bull of around 24 years began at the turn of 2009 (that should be the nominal low) and should continue to around 2032. US demographic models predict a secular stocks bull lasting to 2032-2036, which provides a compelling cross-reference:

Secular commodities bulls need redefining as around 12 years in duration, or roughly one solar cycle (1906-1918, 1938-1948, 1968-1980, 2000-2013 (expected)), with some overlap with stocks (e.g. the new secular stocks bull began at the turn of 2009 whilst the secular commodities bull that began around 2000 should last to 2013). A complete risk assets cycle, incorporating both full commodities and stocks  secular cycles, lasts 33 years, the distance marked between the blue lines on the long term DJIA chart above.

Look at the black arrows on that chart, marking out the secular stocks bulls. Note how they increase in steepness as the last century progressed. Note also that this is a log scale chart. That suggests the secular bull lasting from 2009 to 2032 is going to be jaw-dropping in nominal terms. As it happens, the nominal increases in each historic secular bull show a pattern (5-fold, 10-fold and 20-fold, in order) that suggests it may terminate around 2032 with a 40-fold increase from the low that occurred around the turn of 2009. That gives us a target of Dow 260,000.

If that seems a little far fetched, then know that it is achievable with an average 16% compound return per annum, and in the last 24 year bull of 1976-2000, the Dow averaged an annual compound return of 12%.

Inflation also plays a key role in increasing nominal returns, and if we look at the trend in undoctored inflation (Shadowstats figures), then other things being equal, higher inflation alone could drag up the average annual return from 12% to 16%.

Underlying source: Dshort

Inflation aside, the ‘opportunity’ to achieve a record return lies in exponential technological evolution, whilst the ‘threat’ lies in peak resources. The long term outperformance in real terms of equities versus commodities reflects technological evolution – the human value-add in making amazing things from raw materials and fossil fuels. Railways, electricity, computers and the internet all provided paradigm shifts in efficiency and cost reduction, enabling us to produce more and for less. The trend in technological evolution is parabolic, suggesting we should see the greatest intensity yet in paradigm shifts during the next secular stocks bull, potentially from the areas of nanotechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, space exploration, geonengineering and renewable energy.

The evolution of artificial intelligence is captured in this computing power trend chart. The next secular stocks bull should see a computer match the intelligence capability of a human.

Source: Ray Kuzweil

Think that the last secular stocks bull delivered the internet, mobile phones, DNA identification and other paradigm shifts. With parabolic technological progress, the next secular stocks bull should deliver a higher intensity of leaps. The threat is that we are heading towards peak energy and peak resources in the first half of this century. Essentially, technological evolution has to deliver paradigm shifts in resources and energy, to delay peak limits, such as nano-engineering at the molecular level to make any substance, and delivering large scale renewable energy solutions. Here is the global energy forecast out to 2030, by BP:

Source: BP

Coal and oil will flatten off as we head towards exhaustion, with more abundant gas partly covering, but with renewables, nuclear and hydro the main expected growth areas fulfilling global demand. It is feasible therefore that technological evolution delivers enough to push out total energy and resource limits to a future secular commodities bull in the 2030s/40s, and in so doing enable exponential technological advances to deliver revenues, efficiencies and cost reductions the drive a secular stocks bull to new all time average annual returns in the window through to 2032.

Let’s look another way at a likely Dow target – the Dow-Gold ratio, below. Note how there is a long term trend in the Dow growing in worth versus gold. Again, this represents technological evolution and human value-add. Continuing the trend, the next secular stocks bull may peak at a ratio of around 80 around 2032. If the Dow was at 260,000, gold would be $3250.

Is gold at $3250 a reasonable target for 2032? By historical rhymes and solar cycles, we should see a gold parabolic ascent and blow-off ahead in a secular commodities bull finale in 2013, followed by a fast retreat and then overall sideways tracking (as shown below) during the course of the next secular stocks bull. For example, a parabolic ascent to $6000 then a collapse to $3000, before overall sideways tracking into 2032.

Underlying Source: Saville/Laird

So let’s see how gold completes this secular bull, but just over $3000 by 2032 doesn’t appear too much of a stretch.

In summary, by extrapolating trends in (i) secular stocks bulls durations and magnitudes, (ii) compound returns, (iii) inflation, (iv) technological evolution and (v) the Dow-Gold ratio, I propose that the Dow index at 260,000 by 2032 - although initially appearing fanciful - is instead a realistic target.

Aussie Scientist David Archibald warns ‘All the warming of last 150 years will be reversed…World has entered a sharp cooling period due to lower solar activity…Sea level now falling’

Update:

Weakening sunspot activity could cause a 1 degree temperature drop 2009-2020

March 15th, 2012 by Warwick Hughes

The last solar minimum of December 2008 is shown below. Note that despite the official dating, solar minima are in reality drawn-out rounded affairs lasting a couple of years. The March 2009 bottom occurred in this period.

Could that be the nominal bottom of the stocks secular bear? I have advocated that it should be, using history as our guide, but interestingly, I have found that the nominal bottoms of the last 3 secular stocks bears all occurred not only in the middle of the secular bears, but all within 2 years of the official solar minima.

Here is 1932:

Source: Sergey Tarassov

Taking this further, I have established that within 2 years of each solar minimum over the last 100 years we have experienced panics and crashes if not outright secular nominal bottoms, as shown:

First, the stock market panic of 1901 (solar minimum Feb 1902). Then the financial crisis of 1914 (solar minimum August 1913) which involved closing key global stock and commodity markets for several months. Had they not been closed, it is expected the crashes would have been worse than 1929.

We had a crash in 1921 in stocks and commodities (solar minimum August 1923), a commodities crash in 1952 (April 1954 solar minimum), the sterling crisis in 1964 (October 1964 solar minimum), Black Monday 1987 (solar minimum July 1989) and the Asian financial crisis in 1997 (solar minimum May 1996). All saw massive falls in risk assets.

We reached the nominal secular stocks bear bottoms in 1932, 1942 and 1975, corresponding to the solar minima of September 1933, February 1944 and June 1976 respectively.

Forecasting ahead, I therefore expect that the next cyclical stock market low will be higher than March 2009 and that late 2008 / early 2009 bottom will turn out to be the nominal secular bottom, falling close to the solar minimum. Also forecasting ahead, I expect another crash or panic sometime in the window 2018-2022, around the next solar minimum. Drawing solar cycle predictions together, I expect a secular commodities peak in 2013, a cyclical stocks and commodities bear 2013-2014, a new secular stocks bull to erupt 2014/5 and make a 3.5 year up cycle on to the verge of the solar minimum, at which point a crash or panic should occur as apathy and conservatism overwhelms risk appetite.

Source: Sergey Tarassov

If we bring cattle futures prices up to date in the chart below, we can see that prices have been accelerating upwards since 2010, which appears in line with historic behaviour as sunspots pick up.

Source: TradingCharts

Both the EU and the US are forecast to produce lower meat output in 2012 and 2013, as farmers rebuild herds amongst tight supply and strong demand (from countries such as Russia and Turkey). It is not expected that supply in cattle will catch up until 2014.

Therefore, by solar cycles, cattle prices should rise into next year’s solar peak, and the demand-supply situation supports this happening. Prices have been rising quite consistently and strongly already however, and may not give traders an easy entry point.

Turning to corn, we see a similar strong relationship between prices and solar maximums for the last 3 secular commodities solar peaks of 1917, 1947 and 1979. Again, this suggests corn prices should rise into next year’s anticipated secular commodities solar peak.

Source: Sergey Tarassov

Corn futures prices took a dip after their early 2011 peak and perhaps offer a better entry point currently, particularly as current droughts from Mexico to Argentina are expected to shrink corn stockpiles to a five-year low. However, whilst shrinking inventories are expected to push up prices over the next 6 months, record planted acres are expected to make for bumper harvests later in the year. The wildcard in this is the weather.

Source: TradingCharts

Now according to new NECSI research, investor speculation rather than regular demand-supply factors was instrumental in the two food price spikes of 2008 and 2011, and furthermore, they predict a third speculation-driven spike by 2013.

 Source: NECSI

This fits very well with what I have previously written regarding the influence of rising sunspots into the solar maximum inspiring human behaviours of buying, risk-taking, and money circulation. The drive to speculate makes for risk excesses in either stocks or commodities into solar peaks, and into 2013 we see evidence that speculation will peak in commodities, with the history in cattle and corn prices above adding to that.

Turning to equities, there is a historically similar route map in the 2000s so far to that of the 1850s, i.e. a historical rhyme. If we amalgamate that with other such close historical rhymes, such as 1887, 1923 and 1906, the ‘average’ route map looks like this:

Source: Sergey Tarassov

That fits very well with my own findings in how the stock market performed into previous solar commodity peaks, namely overall flat, and also that the low is likely to be around 2014, but a higher low than in 2009. It also fits with a recession 2013-2014 and stocks starting a new secular bull in 2014, as a lead indicator before the recession ends.

The next two charts are spectrograms for the Dow Jones Industrials index stretching back in time, the first being older and the second more recent. These capture all the actual cycles, based on real major turns, and layer them over each other. Where we see spikes, these represent the biggest confluences of the same time cycles.

Source both:  Sergey Tarassov

Forget theoretical cycles, here we are seeing what actual cycles are observed repeatedly in this index, and there is a notable confluence of a cycle of 3.5 years in both charts. Now the current cyclical stocks bull began in early 2009, and 3.5 years later would be late 2012, which if turned out to be the cyclical top, would again fit very well with topping out ahead of the solar peak and recession, and diverging from commodities at the end, which go on to a parabolic top at or following the solar peak.

Another notable confluence on the above two charts shows that there is a cycle at work lasting 9-12 years, which happens to be the length of a solar cycle. Based on my work, we would expect to see the solar cycle visible in such an analysis, and that is a very close fit.

Which brings me to this link, which is CXO Avisory’s piece finding no notable correlation between the sunspot cycle and stock market returns. They demonstrate different approaches to finding a consistent relationship between the two, and find none. Well, if I took a similar approach to this chart of mine below it would average out at a negligible correlation too.

But that’s because the cyclical bull from 2003 to 2007 is not related to sunspots. If I look specifically at returns from solar minimums to solar maximums then I get something more persuasive, with an average 70% return in that 3-5 year period.

And to demonstrate the difference, here are the returns for the other period, down from the solar maximum to the next solar minimum:

That’s an average 25% return in that 5-8 year falling sunspot period, compared to a 70% in the 3-5 year period of rising sunspots. Not only is that a substantial difference, but the 5-8 year period is significantly longer than the 3-5 year period, and in fact the difference in average returns per year is 18% in the rising sunspots period versus 4% in the falling sunspots period.

So whilst I do not deny CXO’s results, I suggest the issue is in what they are looking for. The relationships between sunspots and the financial markets lie in solar peaks, and not only that but alternating with commodities in pro-risk speculative peaks that correlate with solar peaks. Furthermore, the spectrogram further up the page displays evidence of a cycle in stocks around the same length as the solar cycle, supporting this peak/turn relationship, but CXO’s analysis is looking for a close relationship at all times rather than up into and around solar peak turns.

In short, if we consider that rising sunspots inspire human risk-taking, buying and speculation, but that other factors would also drive people to similar behaviour, then in periods of negligible sunspots we might get strong cyclical bull markets for other non-sunspot related reasons.

The storm:

With reports of enough creditor consent to pass the Greek debt swap, the markets may get satisfaction, but as one or two on here have suggested, the Euro debt issue may rise again. I keep my eyes on CDSs and yields and although still contained currently, the Spain CDS chart looks like it has unfinished business eventually ahead – still in a solid long term uptrend:

Source: Bloomberg

Supportive of such developments would be Spain’s peak debt rollovers this year:

Source: Bloomberg / Acting Man

Turning to the stock market, a look at the US small caps that rolled over first shows them already at rising support, whilst there remains a lower twin support of fib and horizontal s/r.

Laslo Birinyi has been in the media making analogies based on bull market internals and action that followed overall sideways years like 2011, and quotes  1982 and 1990, both very bullish years that just kept on rising.

Source: CNBC / Ticker Sense

Meanwhile, Market Anthropology make an analogy with 1994 which implies first a pullback then revisit of the highs in April for a double topping process.

Source: Market Anthropology

And turning to gold, we see it has bounced at the 38 fib and has the potential to make an inverted head and shoulder pattern.

And Goldrunner indentifies similar chart patterns from 2005 and 2006 that would be supportive of a bullish upward break from here.

Source: Goldrunnerfractalanalysis

The problem with analogies and fractals is that even the most compelling can sometimes turn out to be red herrings. Recall that stocks in the first 9 months of 2011 made a series of waves that looked very similar to the 2007 top. It was only once a higher low was printed in November that the fractal was decisively negated. That said, historic repetitions and time cycles are fundamental in my approach and I can point to many that work out. The Mammis sentiment cycle was a recent example of an analogy that played out very accurately.

This does not mean the solar cycle has peaked early, but reflects the oscillations of sunspot levels around a trend. Below is an overlay of this solar cycle (24) into the end of 2011 on top of solar cycle 14, which was a ‘spikey’ cycle. Less powerful solar cycles, such as both of these, are typically more spikey.

Source: SolarHam

It follows then, that we should expect an up-cycle of sunspots now, lasting perhaps several months, and if we zone in on a smaller timescale, we see evidence that this is perhaps now beginning, with a sudden increase in the last few days.

We can see from the above chart that sunspots rallied last year between February and November, or perhaps in two distinct upswings of February-April and September-November.

I have just produced a 26 page PDF on my new IN DEPTH GUIDE page which explains the relations between solar cycles and the financial markets in detail, so here I’ll just summarise that rising sunspots correlate with (i) earthquakes (ii) protest, revolution and war (iii) pro-risk and inflation.

The 7 most major earthquakes of 2011 all occurred in the two windows of Feb-Mar and Sept-Nov, corresponding to the upswings in sunspots. The Arab Spring revolutions main events began with the Tunisian overthrow in January and ending in the Libyan war finishing in October, again corresponding to the overall period of rising sunspots. And lastly, both significant inflation and outperformance in gold lasted between January and September, again tying in with the sunspot rally.

So, if sunspot counts begin to accelerate now and rise to new heights over the next few months (which we should expect as we are getting nearer to the solar peak), we should be alert for (i) earthquakes (ii) protest, revolution and war (e.g. Iran) and (iii) pro-risk and inflation, namely commodities rising and in turn inflation. Clearly (ii) could impact (iii) as oil could rise on supply jeopardy and gold as security.

As yet, we still do not see outperformance in commodities versus stocks, but at some point soon this should begin to occur, as by solar cycles a secular peak in commodities should occur in 2013. The chart below shows how stocks outfperformed commodies into their secular of March 2000, breaking away from their usual combined risk-on relations, and we should expect something similar from commodities into 2013.

Now turning to geomagnetism, we see a pick up in both actual and forecast geomagnetism that reflects the historic seasonality of geomagnetism, that typically is at a maximum in March and April. This negatively affects sentiment, and therefore we see in the models for stocks and commodities some short term downward pressure.

If we look at the medum term view we can see a clear flattening out and tipping over of the model:

This means headwinds for pro-risk until geomagnetism begins to ebb again, which by historic seasonality would be May-time.

This appears contradictory - rising sunspots ahead supportive of pro-risk, but significant geomagnetism ahead anti-risk. To further complicate things, rising sunspots typically lead to higher episodes of geomagnetism (though a lag can be common). A simplistic analogy would be that some alchohol (solar activity) makes for human excitability, but too much can also make for a lagged hangover (geomagnetism).

Returning to the chart above that shows stocks accelerating away from 1998-2000 in their secular mania finale, stocks actually took off from the geomagnetism model in this period, as might be expected in ‘irrational exuberance’. We should see the same therefore in commodities this time round into 2013. What I suggest could happen therefore, is that from amongst protests, revolution, war and earthquakes, we get a sunspot-inspired supply/security push on commodities, and a sunspot-inspired pro-risk/inflationary flow into commodity demand, which takes commodities above and away from the geomagnetism model, whilst stocks remain on the geomagnetism model track of sideways peformance. In other words, if a commodities secular finale is ahead, completing in 2013 (as solar cycles history predicts), then the period ahead is a window in which commodities should start to outperform.

Yes, there is. There is a close relationship between the alignment of Venus, Earth and Jupiter, and solar activity cycles. Here it is in chart form from two different studies:

Source: Ching Cheh Hung

Source: Roy Martin

Essentially, the most aligned days between these 3 planets correlate very well with solar cycles, suggesting these tidal planets are the key driver of the sun’s known 11-year cycle of activity. NOTE: only these three tidal planets are found to be infuential, not other planets. So astro traders drawing on Mars or Saturn, for instance, do not have this scientific backing.

Now here are just a couple of my own multiple charts which provide evidence of the correlation between solar activity and the financial markets.

Astro traders who forecast the financial markets by considering constellations of Jupiter, Venus and Earth potentially are one step back in the process compared to my own assessment of sunspots and geomagnetism, HOWEVER this depends on their method (whether or not they are considering most aligned days between these three planets, or other configurations or drawing in other planets).

Do we need to go this one step further back? Well, we can predict the sunspot cycle fairly reliably without having to calculate planetary alignment (NASA forecast this) and we know the next peak should occur around Feb/March 2013. We can also predict geomagnetism using a space weather forecast up to 3 weeks out, and we can model it further out using historic seasonal geomagnetism. It is therefore questionnable what additional predictiveness planetary calculations can offer.

In summary, there is evidence to link together the alignment of Jupiter, Venus and the Earth with the sun’s activity cycle and the financial markets. There is a lack of evidence for other planets being influential. If predicting using sunspots and geomagnetism forecasts is one stage back, then predicting using most aligned days of those three planets is one stage further back, however it is questionnable what additional benefit this offers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093264/Forget-global-warming–Cycle-25-need-worry-NASA-scientists-right-Thames-freezing-again.html

“…
The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.

The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

Based on readings from more than 30,000 measuring stations, the data was issued last week without fanfare by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. It confirms that the rising trend in world temperatures ended in 1997.
…”

and

“…
According to a paper issued last week by the Met Office, there is a 92 per cent chance that both Cycle 25 and those taking place in the following decades will be as weak as, or weaker than, the ‘Dalton minimum’ of 1790 to 1830. In this period, named after the meteorologist John Dalton, average temperatures in parts of Europe fell by 2C.

However, it is also possible that the new solar energy slump could be as deep as the ‘Maunder minimum’ (after astronomer Edward Maunder), between 1645 and 1715 in the coldest part of the ‘Little Ice Age’ when, as well as the Thames frost fairs, the canals of Holland froze solid.

…”

Introduction
Research over the past few decades has illuminated the dynamic nature of tropical palaeoclimates and the important role that the tropics played in global climate patters. Increasingly, the realization has grown that climate changes at high latitudes cannot simply be extrapolated into tropical regions. Rather, the tropics have sometimes led the changes or have responded to them differently when compared with their high latitude counterparts. Similarly, the tropics, spanning 46o of latitude in two hemispheres on three continents, do not respond uniformly to a given forcing. In this chapter we review evidence from the last glacial maximum (defined in the high latitude northern hemisphere) to modern, and consider features of environmental change ranging from climatic variability to extinction of megafauna.

COSMIC EVENTS 2012
by Soluntra King

     We have finally got here the big 2012, and it may not be anything you expect, and most probably will not be anything you dreamed of. As we are not vibrating in the world of such structured form and time anymore. We are in the spaces in between, the still point, the no breath in preparation for the return of the Suns. This is the return of ourself as a Sun and our Mother Earth as she becomes a radiant star no longer hindered by the lower density vibrations of humans and lower frequency ETs and reptilians who would use her. She is setting herself free and so are we.
Most still have some fear of Earth changes still within, but it is the changes in us that you need to be aware of, more particularity the changes in you. You are the Earth and you are changing fast, do you resist it or embrace?
I am sure we all embrace it consciously but what about the whole of you and the whole of humanity. They tell us where we are still at. There is still much fighting and ego based control dramas. Fear created to feed and much inequality for those of us on Earth, many who will never have a chance to even know what’s going on, just getting something to drink or eat takes up all their time and space. We are all the same living organism and we are all brothers and sisters from the one. Our blood is all the same but still we fight within ourselves as seen on the outer world. Those of us who live in peaceful countries can more easily be from the peace and stillness within, those in the middle of war zones and massive food shortages and disasters are not so aware of their inner peace so its up to us to see them at peace and not buy into their games. As games is all it is and for most of us we are tired of them, it takes a lot of energy to be a drama king or queen and a control junkie. It takes no energy to surrender into divine will and to allow the love from the source through our hearts to create a beautiful life and healthy body.
2012 is not the end, the Mayan calendar has actually ended, for me it really ended on the 13^th Gate November 2009, but that was on the 6^th dimension, the October 28^th ending was on the 3^rd dimension. So now we are in a no time, no space force field where our thoughts, words and actions create more powerfully than ever before so be aware of what you think say and do, you are creating your future.
2012 is a time of sorting out, the doorway is already open, and we are given this time to cleanse ourselves. Nothing major in the physical sense will happen on 21^st December 2012, but lots is happening on the subtle levels and has been for along time now and this is intensifying so that we are as light as we can be, to be with our mother as she becomes light.
This process is on going and I never realised I was so light when I became my body of light after a guy tried to kill me in the Mayan pyramid of the Sun as I moved through the stone walls and in a tunnel of light, or when I have been in no breath and light has flowed through me not needing to breath oxygen. We do not realise how Light we are already. We have never ‘not been light’ and now we are allowing our third density body to become fully light also. Notice how there is no time to even eat all the food in a day you used to, so even our food consummation is less. Many are breatherians (those who do not need food or water to live) by choice, but we are all becoming breatherians anyway. How can we exist on the Earth in harmony with every other creature when we are still killing everything to survive. That’s only in a third density planet and we are not third density anymore.

SOLAR FLARES
    As you know this year we have lots of Solar flares, we are in the cycle and its been intense since the end of the Universal Underworld and 11 11 11. The Sun has been shifting frequency since 1981, and on the first day of no time and space 29^th October 2011 after the end of the underworlds the light codes from the Sun where amazing, not long after that on the Solar Eclipse 25^th November I could look at the Sun for ages at near noon and saw sacred geometry in the Sun. We are one with the Sun and we are changing fast just like the Sun and Earth and the Central Suns. So be open to the higher frequency light that is coming to us from the Sun and in the physical sense what is called sun spots and solar flares, these always up our frequencies as we open our heart to the Sun and radiate the light that we are more fully, as we become the Light that we are.
To quote from http://www.earthchangesmedia.com ‘The Solar Cycle 24 has begun – and it has been predicted by NASA, NOAA and ESA to be up to 50% stronger than its ‘record breaking’ predecessor Cycle 23 which produced the largest solar flare ever recorded. The Sun will reach its ‘apex’ (maximum) in late 2011 into 2012.’  
THE VENUS TRANSIT
The passage of Venus across the face of the Sun happens every 104 years. A Venus transit is an astronomical event where the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun – a sort of eclipse. Venus transits lasts for 6-7 hours and come in pairs separated by exactly 8 earth years minus two days.  The more recent Venus transits occurred in the years 1761/ 1769 and 1874/ 1882 with the most recent on June 8^th 2004 and now June 6^th 2012. Venus was considered very important to the Mayans and a sister planet to Earth. One ancient Mayan prophecy says that the new world of consciousness will be born on the occasion of the Venus Passage in June, 2012.
This transit is creating an energy cone through the Sun and Venus at the spaces in between that connects into the hearts of humans and opens the doorway to the universal love that shines from the Sun within our hearts. It is accelerating the heart opening and the June 8^th 2004 transit was is a trigger point from the Solar Cross at 11 August 1999 and with the next Venus transit in 2012 it creates the dimensional shift for those who choose to be in the Heaven on Earth of their own creation through the higher levels of consciousness that we are and operate from.
In the build up to this transit there is much work going on in the inner planes assisting humanity to be receptive in their hearts to this cone of energy that is being gifted by this cosmic event.

THE GALACTIC ALIGNMENT AND THE SUNS
We are coming to the end of a 26.000 year cycle and we have been feeling the effects of this for some time now, it’s not just a big thing happening on December 21^st. Our Sun is aligning with Alycone the Central Sun as the Mayans showed in their pyramids with the Central Sun aligned to the temple at the top of the pyramid for the time we are entering now. The Ball Court had the Sun going through the hoop and where that happens is in the interstellar dust cloud and centre of our Galaxy. 

      The Galactic Centre is the cross over point, black hole where we move through as we complete duality and unify. Our Solar System is moving through the Galactic Plane 21^st December 2012 according to lots of sources. Just remember everything is in the Now and in the Greater Reality we are already Light and Gods and Goddesses and the Source itself. In a smaller picture we are back from our future to heal our past, but it’s all Now. Enjoy the Now.

The old empires are falling away and the rule by fear and control is ending. Mother Earth will clear any resistance with earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes and storms to sweep away and cleanse the old attitudes and programmes. We are coming into the world of the Fifth Sun and birthing the New Earth.
We have moved back into the photon belt of light from the Central Sun and aligning to the Greater Central Sun completing great cycles and for the first time doing this in a body. 2012 is a pivotal year where the old makes way for the new as in the heavens the Suns, Stars and Planets are aligning in sacred geometric patterns of synchronistic harmonics that support the shift right at the cellular level and what many of us have been preparing for.

     We are coming back into Divine Will and the bigger picture, the Golden Cycle, but this time in the physical as we transcend the limitations of density through our love and acceptance, by being the Light being we truly are. We need to learn the difference between divine will and my will, from service to others to service to self, and now we are back into unity consciousness and the awareness of the inter-connectiveness of all life. The beauty of creation is here for us to enjoy, it’s abundant and for everyone who so desires. Enjoy the wonderful transformations and opportunities of this amazing year.
Please see www.endofprecession.com  and http://www.viewzone.com/endtime.html and www.mayanmajix.com/art312.html
and http://the2012scenario.com/the-2012-scenario/

TIMES NOW ADJUSTED FOR DAYLIGHT SAVING,  NEW ZEALAND FROM 25th SEPTEMBER
AUSTRALIAN DAYLIGHT SAVING FROM 2nd OCTOBER…..TAS, VIC, NSW, ACT & SA
GMT is always the same.
I have listed time zones for NZ, Australia and GMT/UT
For other times zones here is a conversion link to work out the time where you live. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
NEW YEARS EVE 31st DECEMBER 20111 MIDNIGHT LINK UP
Planetary Meditation link up world-wide for Peace. There are many times of the day that have been set aside for meditation and connecting around the planet for Peace. This particular link-up has been going for almost 20 years. As we all connect at midnight our time and link to everyone around the Earth we see and know everyone is already whole, healed, divine and at peace. In the Greater Reality all is in the Now and we create it, so how do we see it. If enough of us see it as it really is, divine, then it is. When we are at peace within, then so too does our world, the inner and the outer are One.
MAYAN CALENDAR DAY; 12 (stability in expansion, union of polarities) YELLOW (South – ripens, allows) LIZARD – KAN (seed, creation, flowering awareness)

http://www.evenstarcreations.com/i

I had noticed the odd light in the terminal – the sunlight coming in at what I thought was a really weirdly low angle for mid-afternoon – but had dismissed it as some architectural oddity in the airport (don’t ask me how my underslept travel-brain came to this conclusion) until she mentioned that the sun was actually setting. There it was, 2:30 pm, and the sun was floating eerily just above the horizon.

Of course, December 20th is pretty close to the shortest day of the year, and Warsaw is about 800 miles north of New York (and Tbilisi) which is what I’m accustomed to in terms of solar cycles. Being in Warsaw – flat, cold, hazy Warsaw with its short winter days – I could imagine life in the Arctic Circle. It was a haunting thought – so little light and so much darkness.

The plane taxied across one of Chopin’s two intersecting runways, and paused as another plane touched down on the runway we had just crossed. As our plane came around, the sun came into view – now a distant red ball ducking behind some low-lying clouds way off to the southwest. By the time we took off, it had half set, but as our plane gained altitude we could see the entire sun again.

And that was where the sunset remained – just off the port bow – for the next seven hours.

Most sunsets don’t last seven hours – unless maybe you live in the Arctic Circle, where for that part of the year you live in perpetual sunset, sunset for days. I wonder how beautiful it would be to have sunset for days.

As for my sunset – I think it was prettiest just over the UK, when the cloud cover resting over Europe broke and the golden-red light became pure and almost liquid.

By the time we hit the east coast of North America, the sky was pitch black. We could see lights on the ground coming from small Canadian villages. When we finally reached New York, the city seemed almost unimaginably vast – so many lights, all spread out over an area much larger than Tbilisi – lights which never really struck me as unusual until I witnessed how dark the rest of the world can be – lights arranged in grids and lines that are deeply comforting to a mathematical mind like mine. In New York City, the sky was dark by the time we showed up, at 6:30 pm – but New York City is never truly dark.

Today is the shortest day of the year, and in New York City, it’s raining. That means no sunset today, but that’s okay – I got more than my fair share last night.

Video: Gordon Lightfoot, Sundown

Something about this article that doesn’t feel as reassuring as it was probably intended to be. They start with a picture of an asteroid almost large enough to be a dwarf planet (ok, maybe not that large but definitely one of the largest asteroids in our system) but never mention it in the article (unless I missed it).  Then they give impact statistics that may be based on good science but anyone who keeps track of newly discovered asteroids already know how many 2011 named asteroids have already passed between the earth-moon system.

 Wonder if an early warning would actually be issued if a newly discovered 2km asteroid was on track to cross our orbit. Probably not cause the threat of total chaos would be a bigger fear than the impact. If NASA discovers an asteroid is headed toward collision with Earth would we be told? I doubt it…  Greed will be part of our self destruction.

 Jewish   &   Space weather forecasting

Yeshua said in Lk 12:54–57: When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 
    

You may see a sign that says—THE BRIDGE IS OUT, and say, “Oh, someone is just trying to scare us.” Certain signs were meant to warn people of impending danger. God wants you to know, WHEN YOU SEE (the prophecies from the Bible), COME TO PASS, KNOW YE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NIGH AT HAND–ref Lk 21:31.

Environment & Technology

The Death of Space

The cover reminds us of our past

“Where masculine creativity tends to always move forward, feminine creativity tends to turn round on itself, not circularly so much as spirally.” — Sheila Moon in “Changing Woman and Her Sisters.”

In Navajo mythology, Changing Woman represented the cycles of nature and their practical and spiritual linkage with human life throughout a year, an incarnation and multiple incarnations. Life and work as we see them through the seasonal pastoral tasks associated with germination, leafing, flowering, and fruiting are deeply engrained in our collective psyche through almanacs, farming, natural religion and spiritual literature.

Even though many of us in the United States have moved away from the family farm and ranch in recent generations, we are still familiar with the age-old symbolism that compares the solar and lunar cycles associated with crops with similar cycles in the spiritual journey of an individual. Sadly, this symbolism may fade as lifestyles become farther and farther removed from nature in the wild and nature on the farm.

Initiatory Cycle

In his book Dedication to the Light, Peter Dawkins, refers to the spiritual changes that occur within each of us as “soul initiations.” While that term has become formalized via the lessons and paths of seekers in the mystery school tradition, it can also be applied to the inner growth and change as we experience life and contemplate its meaning.

“The easiest way to learn about these inner psychological or metaphysical processes that are continually going on is to follow the yearly pattern,” writes Dawkins, “because nature demonstrates and can teach us these things.”

Alciato's Four Seasons

In becoming whole, the heroine on her journey experiences and takes within herself the changes that occur with the seasons and the phases of the moon. She learns that there is a great difference between the logic and expediency of planting, tending and harvesting at certain times of the year and the month and internalizing these wheels within wheels.

The Andrea Alciato (1492-1550) emblem called “On the Four Seasons of the Year” is one of many traditional drawings emphasizing that each season has its signs. In this case, robins speak of winter, swallows of spring, cukoos of summer, and fig-pecker warblers of autumn.

Whether the heroine uses the terminology of the Navajo in the Changing Woman mythology or the blend of Celtic natural religion and esoteric Christianity in Dedication to the Light, she knows the links between germination and winter, leafing and spring, flowering and summer, and fruiting and autumn.

The Spiral Path

The masculine approach at its worst has, I believe, increasingly dominated our view of nature. That is, we see nature as it is as unacceptable. So, we take steps to “develop” wilderness into cities, well lit and safe, and also to make farming/herding a technology of “food production” that is tantamount to forcing nature into unnatural patterns.

Maureen Murdock, in The Heroine’s Journey, writes that where men often want to force (engineer, manage, hurry), the feminine seeker who has internalized the wheels within wheels “allows things to happen in the natural cycle of things.”

Murdock adds that “One cannot force birth. Trusting the mystery of manifestation is one of the deep teachings of the feminine mystery.” I hope my readers will find wheels within wheels in Sarabande, my novel in progress which is moving toward publication later this year.

Resources for the Journey

Changing Woman and Her Sisters by Sheila Moon

Dedication to the Light by Peter Dawkins

–Malcolm

The Solar Journey

The current consensus of the scientific community is that orgone theory is pseudoscience.

Authors Note *

*It’s perfectly acceptable for the consensus scientific community to allow unobserved (stuff which doesn’t measure against the scientific method) entities such as black holes, dark energy, gravitational singularities, god particles, neutron stars, multiple dimensions etc but Orgone energy, which is most likely another term for the aether or what science now refers to as dark matter is strictly taboo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone

Reich, originally part of Sigmund Freud’s Vienna circle, believed that Freud’s concept of libido had an actual biological basis, and developed a therapeutic practice that was ostensibly designed to open up this bodily energy in the belief – following Freud – that healthy psychological state derived from uninhibited libidinal flow. This biophysical theory eventually developed into the concept of orgone (a word coined from the same root as “organism” and “orgasm”) which Reich saw as a massless, omnipresent substance, similar to luminiferous aether, but more closely associated with vital, living energy than inert matter. Orgone would coalesce and create organization on all scales, from the smallest microscopic units called bions in orgone theory to macroscopic structures like organisms, clouds, or even galaxies. Reich’s follower Charles R. Kelley went so far as to claim that orgone was the creative substratum in all of nature, comparable to Mesmer’s animal magnetism, the Odic force of Carl Reichenbach and Henri Bergson’s élan vital. Reich believed that many diseases, and particularly cancer, were caused by deficits or constrictions in the flow of orgone in the body, and developed specially designed “orgone accumulators” which supposedly charged the body with orgone collected from the atmosphere. These devices were distributed as devices to improve general health and increase sexual potency, and later were adopted into tools such as cloudbusters, devices intended to stimulate rainfall.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1343470/Have-scientists-discovered-create-downpours-desert.html

Reich created the Orgone Institute after immigrating to the US and pursued research into orgone energy for more than a decade, publishing his own work through the institute and producing orgone accumulators and related devices for distribution. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eventually obtained a federal injunction barring the interstate distribution of orgone-related materials, on the charge that Reich and his associates were making false and misleading claims. When Reich violated the injunction he was jailed, and all orgone-related equipment and literature owned by Reich and his associates were destroyed.

Doesn’t the above paragraph speak volumes about the importance of Reich’s research. A federal injunction and jail – not to mention all orgone-related equipment and literature destroyed. Wow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminiferous_aether

In the late 19th century, luminiferous aether or ether, meaning light-bearing aether, was the term used to describe a medium for the propagation of light. The word aether stems via Latin from the Greek αιθήρ, from a root meaning to kindle, burn, or shine. It signifies the substance which was thought in ancient times to contain the manipulative forces beyond control. (Underlined highlights content which has been deleted by Wikipedia since I posted this article).

See the correlation between the Solar Cycles and human behaviour throughout history in my previous post.

http://urbanshakedowns.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/the-sun-human-behaviour/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odic_force

The Odic force (also called Od [õd], Odyle, Önd, Odes, Odylic, Odyllic, or Odems) is the name given in the mid-19th century to a hypothetical vital energy or life force by Baron Carl von Reichenbach. Von Reichenbach coined the name from that of the Norse god Odin in 1845.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_magnetism

Animal magnetism (French: magnétisme animal; Latin: magnetismus animalis), in modern usage, refers to a person’s sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. Originally the term referred to a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium that resided in the bodies of animate beings (i.e., those who breathe), as postulated by Franz Mesmer. The term translates Mesmer’s magnétisme animal. Mesmer chose the word “animal” to distinguish his supposed vital magnetic force from those referred to at that time as mineral magnetism, cosmic magnetism and planetary magnetism.

A tendency emerged amongst British magnetizers to call their clinical techniques mesmerism in order to distance themselves from the magnetic-fluid-centered theoretical orientation of animal magnetism. Some mesmerists attempted to channel what they thought was a magnetic “fluid”; and, sometimes, they attempted this with the laying of hands. Reported effects included various feelings: intense heat, trembling, trances, and seizures.

However, many scientific practitioners—such as French physician, anatomist, gynecologist, and pupil of Joseph Philippe François Deleuze (1753–1835), Théodore Léger (1799–1853), who had moved to Texas around 1836 – found the label “mesmerism” to be “most improper”.

Noting that, by 1846, the term Galvanism had been replaced by electricity, Léger argued that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_magnetism#.22Mesmerism.22

MESMERISM, of all the names proposed [to replace the term animal magnetism], is decidedly the most improper; for, in the first place, no true science has ever been designated by the name of a man, whatever be the claims he could urge in his favor; and secondly, what are the claims of Mesmer for such an honor? He is not the inventor of the practical part of the science, since we can trace the practice of it through the most remote ages; and in that respect, the part which he introduced has been completely abandoned. He proposed for it a theory which is now [viz., 1846] exploded, and which, on account of his errors, has been fatal to our progress. He never spoke of the phenomena which have rehabilitated our cause among scientific men; and since nothing remains to be attributed to Mesmer, either in the practice and theory, or the discoveries that constitute our science, why should it be called MESMERISM?

Royal Commission

The existence of Mesmer’s magnetic fluid was examined by a French Royal Commission set up by Louis XVI in 1784. The Commission included Majault, Benjamin Franklin, Jean Sylvain Bailly, J. B. Le Roy, Sallin, Jean Darcet, de Borey, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, Antoine Lavoisier, Poissonnier, Caille, Mauduyt de la Varenne, Andry, and de Jussieu.

Whilst the Commission agreed that the cures claimed by Mesmer were indeed cures, the commission also concluded there was no evidence of the existence of his magnetic fluid and that its effects derived from either the imaginations of its subjects or through charlatanry.

Note* The Royal Commission agreed that the effects claimed by Mesmer were indeed cures but because they couldn’t see or measure the force that was resposnible for the cures it was dismissed and consigned to the rubbish heap. This is not to different from the more modern story of Royal Raymond Rife who claimed to use electromagnetism to heal cancers and illnesses.

Mesmerism and hypnosis

Advertisement poster of 1857: Instant sleep. Miscalenous effects of paralysis, partial and complete catalepsy, partial or complete attraction. Phreno-magnetic effects – Musical extasis - Insensitivity to physical pain and instant awakening - transfusion of magnetic power to others

Abbé Faria was one of the disciples of Franz Anton Mesmer who continued with Mesmer’s work following the disapproval of the Royal Commission. In the early 19th century, Abbé Faria introduced oriental hypnosis to Paris. Faria conducted experiments to prove that “no special force was necessary for the production of the mesmeric phenomena such as the trance, but that the determining cause lay within the subject himself;” in other words, that it worked purely by the power of suggestion.

Hypnosis originates from the practice of Mesmerism, being an attempt at what the surgeon James Braid described as “rational mesmerism”. Braid based his methods of hypnotism directly on the practice of Mesmerism, but applied a more rational explanation for how the process worked. The term “hypnotism” was coined and introduced by Braid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_magnetism

The vital fluid and the practice of animal magnetism

A 1791 London publication explains the Mesmer’s theory of the vital fluid :

“Modern philosophy has admitted a plenum or universal principle of fluid matter, which occupies all space; and that as all bodies moving in the world, abound with pores, this fluid matter introduces itself through the interstices and returns backwards and forwards, flowing through one body by the currents which issue therefrom to another, as in a magnet, which produces that phenomenon which we call Animal Magnetism. This fluid consists of fire, air and spirit, and like all other fluids tends to an equilibrium, therefore it is easy to conceive how the efforts which the bodies make towards each other produce animal electricity, which in fact is no more than the effect produced between two bodies, one of which has more motion than the other; a phenomenon serving to prove that the body which has most motion communicates it to the other, until the medium of motion becomes an equilibrium between the two bodies, and then this equality of motion produces animal electricity.”

According to an anonymous writer of a series of letters published by the editor John Pearson in 1790, Animal magnetism can cause a wide range of effects ranging from vomiting to what is termed the “crisis.” The purpose of this treatment (the crisis) was to shock the whole body into convulsion in order to remove obstructions in the circulatory system that was causing sicknesses.

Furthermore, the anonymous supporter of animal magnetism purported that the crisis created two effects on the patient including a hypnotic state in which the patient was “possessed of his senses, yet cease to be an accountable creature” and the patient would have “unobstructed vision” being able to see through objects. A patient under crisis was believed to be able to see through the body and find the cause of illness in themselves or in other patients.

The Marques of Puységur’s miraculous healing of a young man named Victor in 1784 supports this treatment of the crisis. The Marques was able to hypnotize Victor and while hypnotized, Victor was said to have been able to speak articulately and even diagnose his own sickness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a mental state (according to “state theory”) or imaginative role-enactment (according to “non-state theory”). It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be self-administered (“self-suggestion” or “autosuggestion”). The use of hypnotism for therapeutic purposes is referred to as “hypnotherapy”, while its use as a form of entertainment for an audience is known as “stage hypnosis”.

The words hypnosis and hypnotism both derive from the term neuro-hypnotism (nervous sleep) coined by the Scottish surgeon James Braid around 1841. Braid based his practice on that developed by Franz Mesmer and his followers (“Mesmerism” or “animal magnetism”), but differed in his theory as to how the procedure worked.

Contrary to a popular misconception – that hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness resembling sleep – contemporary research suggests that hypnotic subjects are fully awake and are focusing attention, with a corresponding decrease in their peripheral awareness. Subjects also show an increased response to suggestions. In the first book on the subject, Neurypnology (1843), Braid described “hypnotism” as a state of physical relaxation accompanied and induced by mental concentration (“abstraction”)

We find a starting time of May 2008 with minimum occurring in December 2008 and maximum of about 59 in June/July of 2013.

NASA SC24 forecast - January 2011: image NASA

At these levels the current Landscheidt minimum is comparable to SC5 and SC6 – the Dalton Minimum of 1790 to 1830 – where peak sunspot numbers were just over 50. (The earlier Maunder Minimum – 1645 to 1715- was before the modern period of sunspot number measurement and nominally was a period with no significant sunspots – presumably at sunspot numbers of less than 20 in today’s measurement values).

From my previous post:

It is not inconceivable that the SC24 will not peak till early 2014 and will only achieve peak sunspot numbers around 55. Solar cycle 24 could well have a length of 150+ months instead of the nominal 132 months.

The development of the NASA predictions are in the table below:

NASA Forecasts for SC24

Related:

http://ktwop.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/is-the-landscheidt-minimum-a-precursor-for-a-grand-minimum/

I have superimposed the development of the forecast peak and time of the peak on the base forecast. This is not any criticism of the forecast. It only emphasises that the forecasts are about something which is not very well understood. So far the forecast development is only in the direction of reducing sunspot numbers and delays in the time of attaining the peak. As the peak actually approaches the forecasts should stabilise but there is still some room for further reduction. It is not inconceivable that the SC24 will not peak till early 2014 and will only achieve peak sunspot numbers around 55. Solar cycle 24 could well have a length of 150+ months instead of the nominal 132 months.

SC24 forecast development superimposed on NASA forecast (http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/images/ssn_predict_l.gif)

That SC24 represents a very quiet sun and that taken together with SC23 this Landscheidt minimum represents a behaviour similar to the period leading up to the Dalton minimum is quite clear insofar as sunspot number is concerned. But the length of Solar Cycle 23 and its extended quiet period also has precedence.

Further similarities to SC4 and 5 were reported in

from http://sc25.com/index.php?id=268&linkbox=true&position=10

I hope all those global warmists are bundled up during this ‘warmer’ winter.

SMH.com reports:

…Allow me to introduce readers to Piers Corbyn, meteorologist and brother of my old chum, bearded leftie MP Jeremy. Piers Corbyn works in an undistinguished office in Borough High Street. He has no telescope or supercomputer. Armed only with a laptop, huge quantities of publicly available data and a first-class degree in astrophysics, he gets it right again and again.

Back in November, when the Met Office was still doing its “mild winter” schtick, Corbyn said it would be the coldest for 100 years. Indeed, it was back in May that he first predicted a snowy December, and he put his own money on a white Christmas about a month before the Met Office made any such forecast. He said that the Met Office would be wrong about last year’s mythical “barbecue summer”, and he was vindicated. He was closer to the truth about last winter, too.

He seems to get it right about 85 per cent of the time and serious business people – notably in farming – are starting to invest in his forecasts. In the eyes of many punters, he puts the taxpayer-funded Met Office to shame. How on earth does he do it? He studies the Sun.

He looks at the flow of particles from the Sun, and how they interact with the upper atmosphere, especially air currents such as the jet stream, and he looks at how the Moon and other factors influence those streaming particles.

He takes a snapshot of what the Sun is doing at any given moment, and then he looks back at the record to see when it last did something similar. Then he checks what the weather was like on Earth at the time – and he makes a prophecy.

I have not a clue whether his methods are sound or not. But when so many of his forecasts seem to come true, and when he seems to be so consistently ahead of the Met Office, I feel I want to know more. Piers Corbyn believes that the last three winters could be the harbinger of a mini ice age that could be upon us by 2035, and that it could start to be colder than at any time in the last 200 years. He goes on to speculate that a genuine ice age might then settle in, since an ice age is now cyclically overdue.

Is he barmy? Of course he may be just a fluke-artist. It may be just luck that he has apparently predicted recent weather patterns more accurately than government-sponsored scientists. Nothing he says, to my mind, disproves the view of the overwhelming majority of scientists, that our species is putting so much extra CO? into the atmosphere that we must expect global warming.

The question is whether anthropogenic global warming is the exclusive or dominant fact that determines our climate, or whether Corbyn is also right to insist on the role of the Sun. Is it possible that everything we do is dwarfed by the moods of the star that gives life to the world? The Sun is incomparably vaster and more powerful than any work of man. We are forged from a few clods of solar dust. The Sun powers every plant and form of life, and one day the Sun will turn into a red giant and engulf us all. Then it will burn out. Then it will get very nippy indeed.

New studies suggest that periods of high solar activity may cool parts of the Pacific Ocean, perhaps by influencing large-scale ocean circulation.

Sun’s cycles may influence El Niño-La Niña cycles

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Swedish scientists say they’ve been able to establish a connection between solar cycles and regional climate changes on Earth.

By reconstructing surface water temperatures from plankton stored in a sediment core taken from the seabed off the west coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, the researchers showed how the surface water temperature in the tropical parts of the eastern Pacific varied with the sun’s activity between 7,000 and 11,000 years ago. Their research shows that high solar activity had a cooling effect in this region.

“It is perhaps a similar phenomenon that we are seeing here today”, said Raimund Muscheler a researcher at the Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at Lund University in Sweden. “Last year’s cold winter in Sweden could intuitively be seen to refute global warming. But the winter in Greenland was exceptionally mild. Both phenomena coincide with low solar activity and the sun’s activity probably influences the local climate variations.”

The research is important because there is currently much debate about how the sun influences current climate trends.

“The key processes in this influence are still mostly unclear. This is why the present climate models probably do not include the full effect of solar activity”, Muscheler said. It may be that solar activity influences the El Niño – La Niña cycle.

“We know that El Niño brings a warmer climate, while El Niña brings a cooler climate in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean”, says Raimund Muscheler. “If we presume that this connection existed during the early Holocene, this means that there could be a link between solar activity and El Niño/El Niña on long time scales.”

In his research, Raimund Muscheler works to reconstruct previous changes in solar activity by studying how cosmogenic isotopes, for example of beryllium-10 and carbon-14, have been stored in both ice cores and annual rings in trees. Cosmogenic isotopes are formed in the atmosphere as a result of cosmic radiation from space. When solar activity is high, a small amount of the cosmic radiation reaches the atmosphere and thus a small number of cosmogenic isotopes are formed and stored.

“This is the best and most reliable method we have to reconstruct solar activity.” he said.