I think what Walter have in mind has something to do with the practical application of planetary positions (astrology), which he may have observed to be working. Mercury retrograde for example have already been discussed in the media and is no longer the sole concern of the experts. Among its most observable effects is problem with computers and machines- this will (Aug 3-27, 2011). I don't want to call it negativity, it's like a weather forecast, if you know its going to rain and your planning an outdoor wedding event, you better think otherwise and adjust your plans accordingly. Maybe Walter have seen a lot of times that its working, hence the concern. He does observe and see connection between events and the planet.
I myself have been observing it year after year. I have seen it's effect on the failure of WTO talks at Doha and Cancun. Even the president of the USA had to do this swearing in ceremony twice because of this bad timing associated with Mercury retrograde. The (HK) Hostage Crisis got bigger due to miscommunication, which is precisely what the Mercury retrograde warning is all about. It's actually like night and day, a natural phenomena with observable effects on our day-to-day activities whether we realize it or not.
On the other hand, August 21 can be commemorated on its own merit. Astrological timing in an entirely different thing. Following the same logic I advised (unsolicited) Sen. Raul Roco not to time his proclamation on Bonifacio Day.
Veteran journalist (and poet) Serafin Lanot was also known to respect the warnings from the "heavens." His bread and butter was also writing and he inspired and may have even directly nurtured several known writers and journalists (and artists). A National Artist for Literature owed him a lot. When our beloved Tita Cory became the President, she felt obliged to officially thank Lanot for the warnings he gave to her (based on astrology) when she was still an uknown housewife.
Sorry for the long reply, I know that 99.9% of Filipinos are not aware that there is more to astrology than the sun-sign daily horoscopes. With the likes of Lanot (and Nick Joaquin - but I still have to verify this) as pioneers, Filipino writers should be more open-minded to the science of the stars.
From an fb conversation
