As 2016 sprints into infinity, precise enlightenment about what to expect is hard to find.
If we could foresee the future, would we really want to know? Although I suppose worrying what will happen could be more practical than worrying about what won't.
Astrologically, the planet Mercury (ruler of communications, travel and technology) is retrograde from January 5 until January 25, popularly playing havoc with messages, computers and vehicles. Apparently, stuff will go missing and airline schedules will shred in the fierce winds of circumstance; much like business as usual.
Conceivably though Mercury retro could have influenced the mysterious recent flat battery in the ute, the Dick Smith retail chain's receivership, Iran severing diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia (incidentally shedding light on complex tribal and sectarian divisions within Islam), and global outrage over the latest alleged execution video from the creative film-making department of the Isis propaganda wing. Incidentally, this somehow manages to achieve the kind of maximum audience on a minimum budget the New Zealand Film Commission could only dream of. Although, the most recent example did showcase some unlikely work from the costume department, suggesting these might be the cleanest most colour co-ordinated terrorists on the planet.
The omens behind the collapse of China's stock market and currency, dairy prices dropping again and North Korea's alleged hydrogen bomb test remain obscure. But the good news is the Chinese Year of the Monkey arrives on February 8 and, since monkeys are cheeky, curious, fast-moving, smart, naughty, ingenious, vigilant, unscrupulous and conscience-free, full of bravado, bluff and creative risks, it's unlikely lumbering totalitarian power groups will gather much sway. Indeed, old orders may topple.
