There’s a lot to be said for approaching the new year with a sense of hope and excitement about the surprises in store. Some will be good, others bad, but the fun is in watching them unfold in unexpected ways. Right?
Well, maybe. There’s also a lot to be said for being prepared. In that spirit, The Sound turned to local psychics and astrologers for a hint at what 2015 holds for the Seacoast and the rest of the world. It looks to be a good year for parking garages, most New England sports fans, and lunch in Portsmouth, and a difficult one for municipal budgets, folks who don’t want New Hampshire to adopt any new taxes, and, possibly, the Boston Bruins.
Looking back
If 2014 seemed like a difficult year full of unrest and more downs than ups, that’s because it was — at least, astrologically speaking, according to Dorothy Morgan. She’s a professional astrologer and a member of the Seacoast Astrology Association. The source for the strife? “Uranus is in Ares, making a 90-degree angle to Pluto in the sign of Capricorn,” Morgan says. “The square aspect causes tension and stress because people are not making the changes they should.”
That configuration of planets leads to rebellion and revolution and a breaking-down of foundations. It’s why we’ve seen so many protests this year, both nationally, like in Ferguson, Mo., and internationally, like in Hong Kong, Morgan says. “The last time this (configuration) happened was during the American Revolution,” she says. “We are, especially here in America, going through some growing pains. There is too much of the old ways, and the old ways need to change.”
All that unrest is not necessarily a bad thing, according to Morgan. “We’re doing exactly what we should be doing, fighting and protesting, which are very important. And it all starts with one person … it’s a ripple in a pond.”
Looking ahead
Psychic Betty Lipton has been sharing predictions with Portsmouth residents and visitors since 1985. She was listed in the book “The 100 Top Psychics in America” in 1996 and has become something of a Seacoast institution.
Lipton’s baseline prediction for 2015? “I do believe this year is going to be a pretty good year,” Lipton says. “It’s going to be very good, actually, much better than the past year, (which) was a struggle.”
In general, Lipton says that, based on her reading of the future, 2015 will be an ideal year to start — and finish — important projects. And for those with chronic health problems, the new year should offer a little bit of relief, according to Lipton.
More specifically, Lipton offers her predictions for six categories: world weather, the U.S. economy, international affairs, medicine, sports, and Portsmouth.
Psychic Betty Lipton in her Portsmouth office
Of course, timing is the most difficult thing to predict, according to Lipton, though she says she’s usually right about major events within a three- to six-month timeframe. “But then you have situations where whatever’s written is written,” Lipton says. “Fate is fate. But people have free will to alter that fate to some degree, whether or not to lessen the degree or heighten it.” Here’s what she found:
World weather: A “ very bad typhoon” will hit Japan sometime in 2015, and there will be “very bad” tornadoes this spring in Oklahoma, Kansas, and the Southeast United States. Meanwhile, Lipton says, the country will continue to have “unusual weather.” Locally, it looks to be another cold winter, particularly in February and March, though without a lot of snow. “Of course,” Lipton adds, “The ‘Farmers’ Almanac’ also says that.”
The U.S. economy: Lipton predicts the national economy will have a good year. “The real estate market will continue to grow, better than last year,” she says. “And gas prices will stay down until the summer. … The American dollar will get stronger in the world economy. The stock market will be fine.” The federal minimum wage will go up, she says. Looking ahead to 2016, Lipton says Hillary Clinton will win the presidential election.
International affairs: Lipton’s forecast for 2015 shows an attempted terrorist attack on London that will be thwarted by authorities. And, while the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria will continue to vex the U.S. in the Middle East, Lipton says North Korea “will not be successful in any threatened attacks on the United States.”
Medicine: An effective Ebola vaccine will help stem outbreaks of the disease, Lipton says. And the year will see “the greatest medical advancements in the fight against HIV, and major breakthroughs in an effective vaccine to hinder the effects of Lyme disease.” Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act will stick around, even with a Republican majority in Congress. “(It) will prove to be more successful in the coming year and gain more favorability,” Lipton says. “I think there’ll be some changes (to it), but I don’t think it will be repealed.”
Sports: The new year will largely be positive for New England sports fans. The Patriots will make it to the Super Bowl, Lipton says, though she didn’t offer a prediction about whether they’ll win (“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” she says). After a rough year, both the Red Sox and the Celtics will have a more successful 2015. However, she says, the Bruins won’t win the Stanley Cup.
Portsmouth: This year may bring great joy to tourists and locals struggling to find parking in the Port City: “A new parking garage will begin construction” in 2015, Lipton predicts. It’s location: near Gary’s Beverages on Deer Street. “It’ll happen,” she says.
Meanwhile, crime rates will be low for the Seacoast, more tourists from Europe will come to Portsmouth, and there will be more lunch options in downtown. In New Hampshire, Lipton predicts someone from the state will win a “major” lottery jackpot, and that a large casino will either open or be approved by state lawmakers by 2016. Sometime in the next two or three years, Lipton says, New Hampshire will adopt “some kind of sales tax,” but not an income tax.
What the stars say
You’re likely wondering, “OK, but what does 2015 hold for me?” Portsmouth astrologer Dorothy Morgan provided us with a general astrological forecast for the year.
The early summer will be a good time for “positive financial situations,” Morgan says. Those months will be “wonderful opportunities to be financially secure and very creative and very happy,” because Venus will be in the sign of Leo with Jupiter.
By the end of July, though, Venus will be in retrograde for six weeks through the beginning of September, according to Morgan, and that’ll lead to some financial difficulties. “Companies and towns and cities will go into (the new fiscal year) with a deficit, trying to figure out how they’ll pay all the bills.” The same goes for individuals, according to Morgan. Her advice: save a little cash during that abundant time in early summer.
That same period will also lead to some hardships in personal relationships. Though that six-week stretch from late July to early September is the prime season for weddings,