The current economic boom is the longest in United States history. The question is not if it will end, but when.

How bad will the economy become during the next cyclical downturn? Will we have another recession? Is there the possibility of another great depression? Let's look at history astrologically to find out.

Saturn in Capricorn and Great Depressions

Every time the U.S. suffered through a great depression, Saturn was found in mid-Capricorn, square (90 degrees from) one of the "heavy" planets in mid-Aries. These heavies have been Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Mars. When Saturn has arrived in mid-Capricorn without Pluto, Neptune, Uranus or Mars being in mid-Aries at the same time, no great depression has occurred.

There have been four great depressions in U.S. history: the 1780s, 1840s, 1870s and 1930s. These are not to be confused with periods of less hardship over shorter time spans, often called depressions or recessions.

Anyone with a history book and a computer can inspect this pattern by acquiring astrological software and erecting two charts. One chart is for July 4, 1776,the United States, and the other for a date when a past great depression was at or near its most severe point. The two charts are then superimposed, the depression chart over the United States chart, creating a biwheel or synastry chart.

The Saturn Cycle

Until the 1990s, America experienced great depressions in roughly 30 and/or 60-year cycles. It takes Saturn 28 to 30 years to circle the zodiac. Whenever Saturn arrives in mid-Capricorn without squaring Pluto, Neptune, Uranus or Mars in mid-Aries (for instance, the 1910s and 1960s), the country has experienced economic or social problems, but not great depressions.

The United States was born on July 4, 1776, with the Sun at 13 degrees Cancer square Saturn at 14 Libra. Cancer is opposite Capricorn and Libra is opposite Aries, so by superimposing a chart for each great depression over the U.S. birth chart, a grand cross pattern becomes evident.

One way to visualize this is to imagine the U.S. birth chart as a clock face, and the twelve planets as the hands of a solar system clock. The clock face remains stationary while the twelve planetary "hands" endlessly circle the clock's outer rim, the zodiac. Great depression time has arrived when the grand cross pattern is formed by Saturn moving opposite the U.S. Sun, and another heavy planet moving through Aries opposite the U.S. Saturn in Libra.

Visualize mid-Capricorn as being at the 12:00 position, and mid-Cancer (the U.S. Sun) being at 6:00. Mid-Aries is at 9:00 and mid-Libra (the U.S. Saturn) at 3:00. All four great depressions in U.S. history have occurred when Saturn is at 12:00 and Uranus, Neptune, Pluto or Mars is at 9:00.

The Depression of 1783

The first great depression in the new nation's history became an undeniable fact around December of 1783, when this grand cross pattern was formed by Saturn at 12 degrees Capricorn square Mars at 13 Aries, with both simultaneously opposite and/or square the U.S. Sun and natal Saturn. Also involved in this grand cross were Uranus conjunct the U.S. Sun in Cancer, and Neptune conjunct the U.S. Saturn in Libra.

With Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Mars all involved in the 1783 grand cross, this first great depression is viewed by economic historians as being equally severe as the one that hit in the 1930s.

The Depression of the 1840s

The second great depression held the nation in its grip about 60 years later (during the 1840s) when Saturn in mid-Capricorn squared Pluto in mid-Aries to form the grand cross pattern with the U.S. Sun and Saturn. Mars added to the grim times by being at 14 degrees of Libra conjunct the U.S. Saturn.

Other Historic Depressions

It's interesting to note that while Saturn has anchored all four great depressions from mid-Capricorn, the planets occupying mid-Aries have been Mars (the 1780s), Pluto (the 1840s), Neptune (the 1870s) and Uranus (the 1930s). Uranus and Neptune were also involved during the 1780s, "fortifying" the grand cross.

As we shall see when we look at the 1870s and then the twentieth century, the grand cross pattern anchored by Saturn consistently correlates with great depressions. Yet when Saturn opposes the U.S. Sun without forming a grand cross with Uranus, Neptune, Pluto or Mars, no great depression happens.

In part two, we'll see that this grand cross pattern repeats with the great depressions of the 1870s and 1930s, but when there is no grand cross (the 1990s) no great depression occurs.

We'll also look at an ominous pattern due to become exact in 2014, a grand cross formed by Pluto in mid-Capricorn square Uranus in mid-Aries, and we'll look back in history for indications of what this one will bring.