The financial markets rallied today despite a growing sense of fear that there are risks unknown and unspoken ahead. The Fed's panic-stricken slashing of the discount rate yesterday suggests that fear is taking hold in high places.

There are supposedly $500 trillion in derivitives lurking out there, and bond underwriters are sweating the possibility of insolvency as more information comes to light. Eventually, cries of anquish will sweep over the land as investors discover that many supposedly high-grade holdings are virtually worthless.

That loud hissing sound is the value continuing to drain out of Real Estate. You cannot burst a bubble of that magnitude without a huge effect on the economy and people's standard of living. Trillions in ephemeral equity has evaporated, and this represents a great deal of what was accounted to be wealth. The experts seem to agree that the bottom is still nowhere in sight.

I can't shake an intuitive feeling that this marks the beginning of a major shift in our society. Those attuned to the ongoing spiritual & energy shifts already know something is changing; now is the time to begin speculation on just how this might play out in the material world.

Despite the fear and angst, there is a bright side: The system is toppling of its own weight because greed and corruption have run rampant. Before something better rises from the ashes, we must endure turmoil and trauma. The present system simply is not sustainable, no way, no how.

The economy is like a gigantic Ponzi scheme, with incessant "growth" required to keep the base expanding. Consumers are brainswashed to "need" more McMansions, SUVs, and all the latest toys. It will seem quite fearful to watch it collapse, until people realize that existence can be quite pleasant given a more reasonable, sustainable share of resources.

What is happening to the economy is quite inevitable, given the changing 4th dimensional energy emerging in our universe, and this is only the start. The United States drift toward Evil Empire status will surely see challenges in the days ahead.