Unchained - Unconfirmed: Why Astrologer Maren Altman Believes 2023 Will Bring an Innovative 'Cyber Pandemic' - Ep.293

Starting point is 00:00:04 Hi, everyone. Welcome to Unconfirmed, the show that reveals how the marking names and crypto are reacting to the week's top headlines and gets the insights give on what they see on the horizon. I'm your host, Laura Shin, a journalist with over two decades of experience. I started covering crypto six years ago, and as a senior editor at Forbes was the first mainstream media reporter to cover cryptocurrency full-time. This is the November 26th episode of Unconfirmed. My book The Cryptopians, Idealism, Greed, lies in the making of the first big cryptocurrency craze is available for, pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or any of your other favorite bookstores. Go to Bitley slash Cryptopians. That's B-I-T-L-Y-S-C-R-Y-P-T-O-P-I-A-N-S, and pre-order today. With the Crypto.com app, you can buy, earn, and spend crypto in one place. Download and get $25 with the code, Laura, link in the description. Tired of your exchange taking 25% of your staking profits? The Avato blockchain computer allows you to stake Ethereum and other crypto at home and keep 100% of the rewards. Go to aVA.do.

Starting point is 00:01:12 Wish you could earn crypto but don't want to spend thousands on hardware? Just download the Nodalcash app on your smartphone. Visit nodle.io-unconfirmed. That's Nod-L-E.io-S-unconfirmed to start earning Nodalcash today. Just a heads up before we begin, everyone. This episode will come out the day after Thanksgiving, there will not be a news recap. However, I'm happy to announce that today's guest is a really fun one, Merrin Altman, astrologer and crypto trader. Welcome, Marin.

Starting point is 00:01:46 Thank you. Thank you, Laura. So, Marin, for listeners who don't happen to know who you are already, why don't you explain what it is that you do? So I am an astrologer and I happen to pick up the study of the correlation between planetary alignments and earthly events at a young age and never really stopped studying that throughout my life, going from studying personal astrology to preferring long-term world cycles and then finding finance when I was a philosophy student in college a few years ago. And when I found finance about a year and a half ago, yes, I'm pretty new to this in the context of other things. But I found finance about a year and a half ago and immediately found crypto when there was the March 2020 crash. I saw inefficiencies in the banking system. I saw market manipulation.

Starting point is 00:02:35 And immediately the philosophy side of me, coupled with the pattern recognition side of me that loved astrology, kind of fell into crypto trading and investing. So right now I am actively trading and investing in crypto markets. I do use astrology as part of the fundamental analysis that I do along with technical analysis to execute trades. And I share that online, mostly on TikTok. And why crypto as opposed to other asset classes? For one, it's more exciting. I get fucking bored of everything else. So if I just look at traditional stocks now, it's, it's, I like percentage, like less than

Starting point is 00:03:10 1%. Like it's, I don't know how to trade anything else. To be honest, I learned how to trade with crypto. Immediately upon trying to invest, I found TD Ameritrade very difficult to use. I feel bad. I mean, I'm sure they're not the only one, but they're the one I use in my store all the time because they're the only brokerage I've ever used. So no shade to TD Ameritrade about you're doing your best.

Starting point is 00:03:28 But it was inefficient and simple Google search trying to find other options found crypto. It fit. It shows up in my own astrology as like a really volatile interest in finance. I did not know what that meant when I was looking as a kid at that in my chart. But now I see that's how it played out. So I can see myself in like no other market basically. Oh, that's fascinating. So you see in your own natal chart how crypto and finance are,

Starting point is 00:03:54 are kind of like an interest of yours, basically? Yes. I grew up as an actor doing like theater and film for the first 18 years of my life. And I went to NYU Tisch for acting. Then I transferred into philosophy. But I always thought I'd be an actor. I didn't know you could be a professional astrologer until I was like 14, 15. And then it was in the back of my mind all that time is like, maybe you do want to do that. But I saw, based on my astrology at a young age, hyperfocus on money and finance, and especially in an area of the chart that deals with debt, taxes, investing, like the transmission or exchange of money, not just holding goods. So that made no sense to me. I mean, I did never think I would marry well or something along those lines. Like, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:04:38 I did which is very confused about how that would show up. And then find crypto, find Bitcoin. And immediately it's like, oh, this is why there's such an emphasis on this in your chart. Okay. So that you're talking about your eighth house. I am. I have an eighth house, Leo Stelium, all opposite Uranus, and the second house. So, yeah. Oh, okay. Okay. So listeners probably have heard me talk about how I used to be yoga instructor. And yes, when you are in that world, you get very steeped in astrology very quickly. So I know probably a little bit more of what Marin's talking about maybe than the average listener. So something that fascinates me is I have always wondered if there are long-term planetary transits that explain the general rise of crypto,

Starting point is 00:05:19 over the last 13 years. And if so, what are they? And what do they say about the role that crypto will play in the history of civilization? The major one that astrologers often point to, and then I corroborate, is Uranus entering Taurus. Uranus is in Taurus from 2017 until about 2024. It's a seven-year transit because Uranus is a slow-moving planet and compared to other things. And Uranus is a planet that was literally discovered by a guy being struck by lightning at the time. So it emphasizes revolutions, great innovation, the breakdown or destabilization of structures in a genius or innovative way. It's not like psychological crisis. It's not really, it's more of like sudden genius and innovation is what Uranus is. It's rebellious and it's innovative.

Starting point is 00:06:08 And tourists is a fixed earth sign. It corresponds to the time of year of literal spring, middle of spring. It is a very fertile, natural resources, grounded energy. So when we think of the planet of revolution, rebellion, innovation in a tangible earth sign that deals with the sheer value of existence, personally, I think of agriculture and the food industry, I think of property and real estate, and I think of financing currency. And even before understanding crypto, I knew that Uranus and tourists would probably bring a lot of des civilization to supply chains and the way in which we like just transport goods and services. I didn't have the words for it, but that is essentially that crypto is, is the decentralization of the transmission of value. So that transit is until about

Starting point is 00:06:54 2024. And the high point, like the really big climax of this is starting in January 2022, but the peak of the peak will be spring 2023 when the north node, which is the eclipse point that represents ambition and obsession and a lot of drive towards will be in the sign as well, as will Jupiter in 2023, which is a planet of growth and expansion and wisdom. So frankly, 2023, when Uranus, which is like revolution, the North Node, which is exacerbating or ambition, and Jupiter, which is wisdom and adventure, kind of an export of energy, when those three are all together in 2023, I see just a metaverse, like maybe cyberpandemic, internet of things, like government. I see all those things, kind of this like,

Starting point is 00:07:44 what did we just wish for when it's like this budding asset class of tech that I see really, really coming to a high point in 20, 23 of things that I'm, I hate to say unpredictable because that is a cop-out. What I do is predicting, I just struggle to find the words for something that is by its nature, unsubstantiated and ever having happened before, but something extremely, extremely innovative with the supply of things in regards to like government structures and frankly with the World Economic Forum recently talking about cyber pandemics and how blockchain and CBDCs, will likely be related to interconnectivity of crises, I think that sounds a lot like what will come in 2020,

Starting point is 00:08:21 along with the really awesome stuff in Defi and gaming and whatever. So another thing I'm so curious about what you do is that in astrology for a person, typically what we'll look at is what's called the natal chart, which is based off the birth time and place for that person, right? So, you know, the city they were born in and then the time of day on their birthday. For a crypto asset, how do you determine what the birth time in place is? Is it like when the white paper is published or is it when the person who uploaded the white paper where they were based in the world? Or like, is it when the network goes live or like, how are you figuring that out? Yeah. For Bitcoin, we have Bitcoin's Genesis block because that is the first initiation of Bitcoin into the world. And for any particular entity or asset, it can differ depending on the way that. that it's launched and the nature of the project. But it's the most, the most initiatory or

Starting point is 00:09:19 launch-based event that literally allowed it to live in the world. So for Bitcoin, that is, it's Genesis Block for some 2017 projects. It's their ICO date. And for other things, it can be as well when like literally if a company was founded and didn't have a token, it's when the token was like literally created, you know, and I don't know how you create tokens. Like I said, I trade these things. I don't know, I don't know anything about tech. So generally, if I'm unsure about it because it's not listed as like ICO date and time here, I do consult people who are developers who can go back on GitHub and look at when that began. But it's whatever the most initiatory event was, which for Bitcoin is the Genesis Block and for other things might be an

Starting point is 00:09:57 ICO can also be the white paper if that was literally the first thing out and there was going to be a token and this allowed people to start being aware of that. That's what I look for. And then what about because, you know, like I said, for a person, it's also where you were born on the planet. Do you not use location or do you use location or do you use? use it? If so, how do you determine what that is? If there is a location, I'll use it. There is a challenge of like Bitcoin. We don't know who exactly or where exactly they were in the world. I have a UTC time, but that, I mean, the rising sign, which is very relative to minutes will change drastically, depending on if they're East Coast, West Coast, Europe, Asia. So we don't have a location for something

Starting point is 00:10:36 like Bitcoin, which does play into the specificity of what we can say because there are some charts like salinas, which I keep private and proprietary for now, that I do have an exact date, time, and location because of where the developers and founders were in the world, that I can be more specific. Other projects like Phantom, for example, had validators and nodes around the world go live at the same time. So that also doesn't have a location. So if we have it, we use it. If not, you can make do just without some of the specificity. Okay. So in a moment, we're going to talk a little bit more about how you do what you do and then go into some projections, but first, a quick word from the sponsors who make this show possible. Did you know that exchanges take up to a 25% cut

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Starting point is 00:12:47 So once you have this chart, then just explain for readers what you're doing when you do give projections for what will happen to a crypto asset. I like to say that astrology, I like to say that astrology is TA for all of reality because we're looking at patterns, certain alignments and certain sequences and seeing the correlation between those. So instead of candlesticks, we're looking at the angle between planets. And in astrology, generally, there's different kinds of charts. But as a Western tropical astrologer, I actually emphasize Hellenistic Greek astrology. I don't only practice modern and psychological. I do a lot of Greek techniques. But we're using a circle chart where all the planets are positioned around the Earth. And as you move the time forward or back, the planets will all move at different speeds. And the planets,

Starting point is 00:13:38 repeatedly go in and out of angles with one another. Sometimes a planet here will make a 90 degree angle of the planet here. Sometimes they'll be opposite making 180 degree angle. And you can have two natal charts where it multiplies that by two, where you're looking at the angles of the moving planets with the stagnant chart on the inside and seeing how this might score this. It's essentially looking at the angles between planets and how that changes as planets move relative to a stagnant chart. So we're looking at a whole lot of angles. And it's very, it reminds you of logic class or logical equations where this, in this relation to this equals this. And over time, when you multiply all of that data that gives us a really good indicator of what is to come. This is fascinating. All right. So now let's talk about what is to come. We'll go through projections, I guess, for the end of the year and then maybe into early 2022. Let's start with Bickick. Bitcoin, obviously the biggest and the original crypto asset.

Starting point is 00:14:40 Yeah. Most of my work just center around Bitcoin because even though other coins can have charts, they will always fall under the context of Bitcoin. I'd like to say that you can look at the chart of a baby, but to know if it's going to have a great life or not at that point, you probably want to look at the parents' charts and see if they're, you know, doing well. So there's context and hierarchy there. But for Bitcoin, I know that we recently just had a correction around November 19th, 20th, and that was expected as there was a lunar eclipse. and I have some really great traders that are having a lot of a bearish bias and think that we will get a complacency balance and then go back down. I myself do not think that we are done yet, or I myself do not think that November into December is going to be bearish.

Starting point is 00:15:25 I do see us having a run up again into November 26th to 30th is a pretty bullish time. So I do think that there's a possibility to get back into the high 60s to mid-70s, K all-time high, early December especially. By December 4th, around December 4th, there is a solar eclipse, which is a new moon. And Bitcoin tends to have pivots on the new moon where it goes from an uptrend to a local downtrend. So I see a local downtrend starting on December 4th until the 18th, likely, then an uptrend from the 18th to the 30th. And on the 30th, we have the exact same planetary alignment happening that we did in May that

Starting point is 00:16:06 corresponded with the really severe crash. And I do see the argument that we're probably going to have intermittent cycles of Bitcoin rather than a blow off top. That the, it literally looks like an equity style curve. And I think that capital is too all over the place to validate a blow off top at this point anymore. So I'm not too concerned with these massive corrections leading to multi-year bear markets anymore. It's possible. And if so, great, I can accumulate. Like, if it's volatility, I'll trade it either way. But I do see a major correction. And I mean, a preckistosis. I'm like, okay, we'll short this shit. Like, great. So I do see a pretty major correction end of year. I'm cautious around the 24th. There's something starting around then

Starting point is 00:16:50 that was unfavorable. Really, really cautious from the 30th into the new year. I think the early 22. I don't doubt that Bitcoin will reach 100K. I just think it's going to have a massive correction before that in the early part of next year. Oh, okay. Yeah, because I'm sure you're aware that Plan B did have some projections that for November it was like minimum 98K and I think for December it was 135. But so you don't see us kind of getting there. No, and I follow him and like really respect his calls. I don't even see he's getting to 98K by end of year. I think 7580K is reasonable. I've said 80 to 100k is where I think was possible. And as we get closer, it gets closer to about 80K just by time. I hope he proves me wrong. Like my bad,

Starting point is 00:17:34 my huddle staff would like it, but I can't pretend that I see that happening based on what I, what I see. Yeah. Okay. And let's talk about Ethereum, which during this time frame that we're kind of discussing will be, you know, in the lead up to Ethereum too. So it's kind of going to be an interesting time. So what do you see there? Funny enough, and I guess the universe works in very obvious yet mysterious ways. Ethereum's chart is almost the exact inverse of Bitcoins. The placements are literally often 180 degrees across the sky, which means that because of the way that 180 degree angles work, if something is an aspect to Bitcoin, it's in

Starting point is 00:18:12 the same literal aspect flip to the other side with Ethereum. So I think that go, like, it's super easy to do astrology on one and the other. I mean, some days will be better for one or the other, but if something is squaring something in Bitcoin's chart, it is squaring something in Ethereum's. This is more technical, but if something is at 120 degree angle of favorable one to Bitcoin, it's in a 60 degree angle to Ethereum, which is also favorable. So I see the exact same trend. In fact, I see the end of year. The end of year difficulties will involve a Venus retrograde as well, conjunct Pluto directly on top of Ethereum's moon, which is pretty pretty like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. So I do see naturally that

Starting point is 00:18:51 Ethereum would correct harder if we do have a match of correction. And it does look like that. Okay. Yeah. And just to explain for people, a square is kind of like a tension point or it's yes. Yeah, it's not it's not like it's kind of a more negative energy. So obviously those are the two biggest coins, but are there any other coins that you would want to talk about? I personally off the top of my head will not really ever be able to remember any other coins astrology because I do look at it before I enter trades. But because I day trade so often, similar to clients that I have ongoing, it's kind of just like the, I'm not going to be able to remember any other coins charts. So if I pull it up, like sometimes I do YouTube live streams,

Starting point is 00:19:34 and I'll take a look at it there. But besides those two, because they're so context dependent, I don't feel the need to really, you know, I have my hottle coins that I'm like, you know, this is over there. And then for day trades, if it's a project with enough confidence behind it, I'll look at the chart. But not off the top of my head, anything I can. can say, respectively. If I try to recall, I'll probably say the opposite sign. So, yeah. Okay. So what's your projection for how regulation will affect the development of crypto over the next year or so? I think that in a way, regulation is always bullish because it means more adoption and more eyes on the space. I do think that CBDCs, central bank digital

Starting point is 00:20:12 currencies of countries is not only inevitable, but like literally in progress. I know people working on chains that are in talks, not even in talks, like working with governments. And I know that protocols are literally being launched both in TBDC context and Internet of Things context. And government regulation, I mean, I wouldn't say I'm anti-regulation, but a lot of it is arbitrary and meant to just, I'm not like a fan of generally of the arbitrariness of it, but I do see it likely happening, especially in the United States. I do see a really significant financial upheaval from 2022 to 2023, starting in February of next year, but really having hits in July and October, that do look like they will incorporate crypto, given the nature of the transformative quality of how I see the

Starting point is 00:20:57 crisis happening, that likely there is a great, like, there has to be like, the SMP cannot go forever. Like, literally we need, there will be a time when things, the music stops. And I see that crypto will probably have a role of prominence during that as more and more people wake up to like not wanting to be subject to like the, I don't know, Theat's Instabilities. So I do see regulation as inevitable. Long term, I like the sentiment behind any government comment on crypto and any attempt to do anything with it is a good sign in the context of like wanting adoption. And I think that likely we'll hear about CBDCs and I mean, they're being built and we'll hear about, I mean, obviously more attempts at like taxation and trying to regulate that as best

Starting point is 00:21:38 they can. Okay. So out of curiosity, do you feel that giving away your insights will change people's behavior and thus kind of like remove your alpha when it comes to your own trades? I have a lot of people wondering this and asking this. And astrology, I like to describe as the clock on the wall that is telling you that it's 3 p.m. but not making it 3 p.m. So it's not really a causal force that we can ever work with or against. And it's not really something that is like one factor of many. It's more of a mirror that we can try to like dust off. often see ourselves and what's happening best in. And that's why I'm not really concerned at all about sharing these things, because, for example, I could say there's a really unfavorable day

Starting point is 00:22:26 for Bitcoin coming up. I think the price is really going to take a downturn. I'm preparing for a short entry. I could have a lot of people being like, oh, I'm going to counter-trader and have a long entry. Then all of a sudden, there's like China Fudd or some bullshit that is not related to like active traders that will represent this like bad news in the market. So in more ways than one, there's like not really a way to try to get around the fact that not every market condition can just be described by like retail bias. And for one, I don't even have a large enough audience, even if it was a causal force to technically influence the market. I have some friends that work at like, I don't know, Sigdev like platforms where they do sentiment analysis for influencers and see what they influence. I've never been able to do that with Bitcoin.

Starting point is 00:23:11 For some other coins I have seen, I mean coins and shit that I like doge or whatever. But with Bitcoin, I don't like my even one really amazing trader with millions of followers probably doesn't have the size or the accumulated size of an audience to change the market. So I'm actually not too concerned. People get worried about moon phases all the time because moon phases are the easiest swing trade ever every two weeks. And I myself, you know, I've shared that a lot. And the 85% hit rate that I back tested is like, okay.

Starting point is 00:23:41 So I'm not actually concerned. All right. Well, this has been so interesting. And just last question out of curiosity, do you offer special services to like crypto traders or whatever where you will do a reading for them on, you know, kind of their trades or I don't know. I just feel like that could be its own business. I used to. I used to see so many clients and that's how I got the capital to start trading in the first place. Now I do keep up some like, like I literally used to when I joined TikTok summer 2020, it was like, three to five hour long clients a day for astrology consultations. That was the only capital I really had because social media doesn't really make you anything. So I did used to like work my ass off and see so many clients and now that capital got me into doing trades. And I still do like ongoing advising and consultancy to if like companies or professionals want ongoing timing and work around when to do things. I do do that. But I no longer see one off clients just given the, um, the delivery and like how to

Starting point is 00:24:43 categorize my time. Okay. All right. Well, this has been so fascinating. I love it that you were able to come on the show finally because I've been wanting to have you on for a while. Thank you so much for coming on Unconfirmed. Thank you. I appreciate your knowledge in astrology. Thanks for tuning in to learn more about Marin. Be sure to check out the links in the show notes. Unconfirmed is produced by me, Laura Shin, without from Anthony Yun, Mark Murdoch, and Daniel Ness. Thanks for listening. Thank you.

Unchained - Unconfirmed: Why Astrologer Maren Altman Believes 2023 Will Bring an Innovative 'Cyber Pandemic' - Ep.293

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