Recently, a new buzzword has made its way around economic circles as the end of summer 2015 approaches. Some in the financial world call it “The 7-year cycle” while others call it by its religious name, “The Shemitah.” Popularized by the New York Times’ best-seller “The Harbinger” and “The Mystery of The Shemitah” by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, as well as viral videos like Jeff Berwick’s “Shemitah Exposed,” this cyclical phenomenon takes place every seventh September.
Let’s look a deeper into The Shemitah, and what it could mean for the global economy.
Coincidence?
Is the world making arrangements to accommodate ‘’The Shemitah” to prepare for it, or to capitalize upon it? Consider this to be the pieces of a puzzle to solve. I’ll share with you the pieces that I know, relating to the economic results that consistently occur at certain times. Feel free to use your mind’s eye to fill in the rest of the picture’s missing pieces, as you see fit. This certainly is not the entire story, and here we’ll just focus on the economics of it all.
The Shemitah, also spelled Shemittah, and Shmita, is of a Jewish observance that goes back thousands of years. Once the Jewish people settled in “The Holy Land,” they observed seven-year cycles, culminating in a Sabbatical year, or a year of rest. This year was known as Shemitah, who’s literal meaning is “to release” and to forgive all debts, which is very important here and now, as we live in a heavily debt based economic society, worldwide.
Following the destruction of the second Holy Temple would usher in Year One of The Shemitah Cycle. In the Jewish calendar, this was the year 3829, or 68–69 CE on the secular calendar. Taking every seven years from that year, the next Shemittah year will be the year 5775 (after “Creation”), which would bring us to the end of the current Shemitah Year, which ran from Sept. 25, 2014, through Sept. 13, 2015.
“At the end of seven years you will make a release. And this is the manner of the release: to release the hand of every creditor from what he lent his friend; he shall not exact from his friend or his brother, because the time of the release for the Lord has arrived.”
Deuteronomy 15:1–2
The Shemittah year waives all outstanding debts between Jewish debtors and creditors. This aspect of Shemittah observance is known as shemittat kesafim, “release of money [debts].”
Leaving the religious and personal machinations out of it, how does that affect us economically? Well, the current economic structure has been heavily Western-based over the last century, when economic turmoil in the West can have a global impact in many major industries.
The U.S. Stock Market in New York is the largest embodiment of this global economic trade and financial system. This may include the bond market, stock trading on the floors of Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, the world’s largest global exchange, NASDAQ, the Dow Jones, and structures and related institutions. This is where we’ll focus our attention and review the history relating to The Shemitah.
A walk down a dark economic memory lane
Going back over a century in the annals of Western economic history, economic turmoil, or a washing away of debts seems to consistently occur at the end of a Shemitah year. The final day of the Shemitah year is set to fall anywhere from around September 10 to the end of September, every seventh year.
Economic turmoil may still cause economic effects after September, like in 1987, when “Black Monday” struck on October 19. Now keep in mind, in Western Society, the economic “fiscal year” commonly ends at the end of September, beginning a new on October 1st, which also ties in nicely with this three-week window of economic resetting, if you will. Coincidence?
Let’s take some time to review the Shemitah Year history. Also, keep in mind that every seventh year of the 7-year Shemitah Cycle is called a Super Shemitah Year. This just happens to fall on Sunday, September 13, 2015. Now some hard facts on how Shemitah Years have ended in recent history.
- 1901-1902 Year of Shemitah - Stock market drops almost 50%.
- 1916-1917 Year of Shemitah (*Super Shemitah Year) - Stock market drops 40%. United States enters WWI. Germany, Russia, Austria, Turkey and Great Britain suffer economic collapse.
- 1930-1931 Year of Shemitah - The Great Depression. The worst financial crisis in modern history.
- 1937-1938 Year of Shemitah - Half of the stock market collapses sparking a global recession.
- 1944-1945 Year of Shemitah - End of German Reich and Britain's hold on territories. Establishment of America as the world's superpower. Bretton Woods Conference giving the U.S. Dollar Global Reserve Currency status; and diminishing of gold’s influence.
- 1965-1966 Year of Shemitah (*Super Shemitah Year) - Stock market drops almost 25%
- 1972-1973 Year of Shemitah - Stock market crashes almost 50%. Global recession; US oil crisis.
- 1979-1980 Year of Shemitah - Global recession.
- 1986-1987 Year of Shemitah - “Black Tuesday”; stock market crashes by 1/3.
- 1993-1994 Year of Shemitah - Bond market crash.
- 2000-2001 Year of Shemitah - 9/11. Markets open on final day of Shemitah, September 17; stock market falls 700 points.
- 2007-2008 Year of Shemitah - On the last day of The Shemitah Tear, September 29, the stock market drops a record 777 points.
- 2014-2015 Year of Shemitah (*Super Shemitah Year) …
Lucky number 7
Now some of you may have noticed that there are a lot of sevens being used with this. A seven year Shemitah cycle, with a Super Shemitah Year every seven Shemitahs, or 49 years, with a stock market index drop of 700 points and 777 points. Well, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, related how numerology is very important to the financial elite last year at the National Press Club, in a cryptic speech relating everything to the number 7.
“Think about The Magic 7. Most of you will know that 7 is quite a number in all sorts of themes and religions. The Year 2014, drop the 0, 14, two times 7, just as an example. 2014 will be a milestone and magic year in many respects. It will mark the 70th, note the 7, drop the zero, of the Bretton Woods Conference that gave birth to the IMF.”
Ok, so a lot of economic cleansing has happened in lockstep with Shemitah years. It hasn’t been 100% accurate, but certainly close enough to notice a solid pattern of turmoil. What about this year, 2015? Isn’t this a “Super Shemitah Year” (Every 7th Shemitah)? Is something extra bad happening this month?
Who knows? I have no crystal ball, but what I can say is a lot of things are happening this month that may coalesce into something, or hopefully, nothing.
These occurrences have a lot of potentials to change the world, economically and otherwise.
Now let’s review the things that are out of the ordinary that we do know to be happening or ending this September:
- Jade Helm, the unprecedented domestic military exercise in America that started July 15 and has a media blackout from the United States Government; ends September 15.
- The Pope will travel to the U.S. and make several important stops. Pope Francis will visit Washington D.C. arriving Tuesday, September 22, 2015. He will meet with President Barack Obama on Wednesday morning. On Thursday, he will give a speech to the Senate and House of Representatives (Joint Session of Congress), among other stops in the northeastern U.S.
- “The Blood Moon” is set to occur on the 28. This is a red moon signifying a Lunar Eclipse. A Lunar Eclipse happens fairly regularly, but during this Super Shemitah year there have been a Tetrad of four Blood Moons all occurring on Jewish feast days, all since the Shemitah year began last September. This is the first time this has happened in 2,000 years.
- “The Jubilee Year” - Following the Super Shemitah year is The Jubilee year, which occurs every 50 years. This can be a time of God's blessings for Jews and the state of Israel when they are in accord with God. It is said that any nations that oppose Israel will have God against them.
- September 11, 2015 marks two Shemitahs, or 14 years, since the attacks of 9/11. This may spark interest in terrorist attacks by the Islamic Jihad.
- Some of you have heard of “Agenda 21” from the United Nations. Well, the U.N. is going to launch a super-sized edition of an upcoming agenda that ties in perfectly with The Pope’s visit to New York City on September 25. He will be attending what is called the Sustainable Development Summit, running from the 25 to the 27. Some say this is a massive power grab towards a global, or one world governance initiative. With provisions regarding economics, agriculture, education, and gender equality, a full agenda of international control for many countries and sectors may become public at or around that Papal visit.
- The Federal Reserve will hold meetings throughout September to decide an action on raising Interest rates in 2015. It has been almost a decade since rates have changed from zero or near zero, and any change may destroy the U.S. economy, which may have grave consequences worldwide.
- The French Prime Minister, Laurent Fabius, made another cryptic speech in 2014 speech that said “We are on the edge of a climatic abyss. In fact, we have 500 days to about a climate chaos.” Why would he make a public speech proclaiming such a thing? 500 days from that speech would be September 23, 2015.
- And in April, it was announced that The Federal Reserve, which has been based in New York for decades, will suddenly move to Chicago due to fears of “a natural disaster”? What are they expecting to happen so severe that they have to move 1000 miles away? What are they expecting to happen in New York that will not affect the country’s interior?”
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command map, depicting the US military plans during the Jade Helm 15 exercise (source)
What could this all mean?
Again, hopefully, it just ends up as a pile of coincidences that mean nothing sorted or destructive happens in the near future. Personally, I think the recent stock market drop was the small heart attack before the huge heart attack that may prove deadly to many, economically.
The stock market has been inflated and on an artificial “bull run” for several years now, whereas a “bull-run” typically last around two years. It is due for a massive correction, and The Shemitah seems to be the time these things occur. There is more than enough circumstantial evidence to at least take September off, and not tempt fate, if you believe in such things.
What does this mean for bitcoin owners? Well, bitcoin did take a hit along with the markets, several days ago. Bitcoin’s dollar value is really not that important in the big picture, but I would expect a corresponding drop if you are among the many bitcoin price speculators.
History tells me there probably will be a “Market reset” month, and honestly, it is long overdue. Anyone in the United States who has their ear to the ground will tell you there is no real economic growth or investment that doesn’t work through the government and money printing methods. Taking the next few weeks off from market speculation wouldn’t be a bad idea. Rich people sell high and buy low. These next few weeks may test that level of savvy for many. The market may look very different two months from now. We’ll see.
The unprecedented level of military involved in Jade Helm is a “red flag” or a “black swan” and a half. That it can’t be covered by the mainstream media tells you more than you need to know. Somebody definitely knows something they don’t want you to know, until it’s too late. That it ends right in the Shemitah is something to watch. That would worry me the most, if I’m an American. Stock markets crash every few years, or every Shemitah it seems, but domestic military exercises on this scale have never been done before in secret. That’s a solution waiting for a huge problem, and that’s never good.
Is the U.S. Dollar going to collapse? No, because the rest of the world will decide that fate. The dollar’s Day of Reckoning” will come, but it still has a couple of years before its comeuppance. China and Russia are working day and night on that, but now may not be the time, given the state of their economies. They aren’t exactly paragons of strength right now, either. Hopefully, a stock market crash is the worst of it. Nobody should be caught flat-footed by one after last week.
My advice: Drop your stocks, buy low, and go long on BTC. You may be able to get in under US$200 or even around US$150 later this month after any “washing away of debts” occurs. Bitcoin has spent 2015 solidly between the US$200-300 range. Volatility is becoming a part of Bitcoin’s history and becoming a bigger part of the mainstream’s current state of affairs. It’s almost like a baton is getting passed, from one economic paradigm that’s just about out of its debt-based gas, to one that has a much brighter, supply-and-demand, sound money based future.