At the beginning of the New Year, we published astrologist Tatiana Borsch's outlook for 2020. She predicted an economic crisis, which has unfortunately turned out to be correct, and discussed political movements across the globe. We decided to interview Tatiana to learn more about her work, the impact of COVID, and what we can expect for the second half of the year. While Tatiana does not deny that 2020 has been a difficult year, she does not want us to think we are facing Armageddon, but rather a transitional year that will lead to the birth of a new world Read on to hear her predictions on the economy, and the question many of us are asking ourselves: who will win the presidential election this coming November?

A lot of clients just want me to give them a prediction — that is the most popular option. But my regular clients know that astrology is much more than predictions. In fact, it can give us much more, like the reasons for the events taking place around us, and an understanding of their innermost essence. In the end, that understanding is a solution to any problems we may encounter. In this sense, astrology gives us much more than psychology. An astrologist does not need to question his or her client – if he or she is skilled enough, the birth chart tells us everything we need to know.

What's more, astrology will always tell us about what kind of life period a person is experiencing, and whether or not it is a time of success. More important still – it tells us when that period will end. This way, a person can be sure that any difficult situations they may face are never permanent, and this is extremely important for anyone's mental state. Divorce is one very clear and easy example of this. Often, divorce is a traumatic experience. But if a person is aware that they will meet a more suitable partner in the future, things begin to get a lot easier.

This goes for business-related predictions as well. An astrologist can aid in clarifying whether someone you are inviting on as a business partner is reliable or not.

Regarding the general predictions I print in my "Complete Horoscope" book series — readers frequently send reviews saying that difficulties I predict in my general forecasts help them prepare themselves for what is coming. Of course, an individual prediction is always much more specific, but general Zodiac sign predictions can also contain a lot of specific and useful information, if the astrologist is skilled in their work. I have been writing my books on general predictions for over 25 years, and can now say that with confidence.

The book "An Astrologer's Notes" contains real-life situations, which happened to my clients. I share about the relationship that an astrologer develops with very different people. After all, people from all walks of life and social classes see astrologists, with different problems and worldviews. The astrologist must be very careful when relating to all of them, with the sole objective of providing each client with the maximum benefit.

I hope that this book will shed light on an astrologist's work, which might seem shrouded in mystery to many. Really though, it's a job like any other — like being a doctor, lawyer, or anyone else. The only difference is that we are working with someone's fate, and how the astrologist can help them choose the best path to take. I give you an astrologist's perspective of this work, and I think it will be fascinating to anyone interested in astrology. This is a story about what it is like when your job is predicting the future.

The book is not so much about me as it is about the people brought to me by fate. It is more their story than mine, and I could have kept it going infinitely — perhaps someday I will release a sequel of the book. Of course, I change everyone's names, and I always ask consent before publishing anyone's story in my books.

The book was published quite some time ago, but it remains very relevant. For example, there is a chapter entitled "The other side of Victory", where I use examples to illustrate that success is the fruit of hard work, first and foremost on one's self.

Right now, a lot of people are finding themselves in self-isolation, unable to communicate with their loved ones they way they are used to, and naturally, they are reacting to that negatively. However, we can also leverage this time to our advantage, and I will give you a great example of that. Great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin was also quarantined during a cholera outbreak in the 19th century. He was able to use his time being shut in to escape hectic everyday life, and it became the most productive periods for his creativity.

As Laurence Sterne stated, "In solitude, the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself". We can also use this time to do the same — no time periods are ever 100% bad. We can take the time to prepare for future breakthroughs!

When I started publishing my annual astrological prediction book series in 1993, there was no platform for self-published books. I had to negotiate with publishers to shoulder all the risks that go along with publishing a new author. Things are so much easier, now — there are many platforms available to help new writers publish their work, and SWAAY is one of them, and is focused on assisting modern women starting out on their journey.

Circulation of my books in the Russian-language market, where I am most widely known, now numbers hundreds of thousands of books, and I am now independently releasing my third English-language edition of "Complete Horoscope". This book has also found its readers. In the Age of Aquarius, astrology will become more popular and respected, and taken more seriously. This is why I am very optimistic about the future!

I embarked on my journey as an astrologer quite some time ago – I was a professional pianist, and I taught music to gifted children. I adored my job. But somehow, I came upon a book about astrology and fell in love with it. Remember, astrology was forbidden in the USSR, and a lot of books were printed unofficially, on ordinary typewriters. Astrology was something people engaged in informally, in private circles. In time, my love for astrology grew into a profession, and now I have over 30 years of experience as an astrologist. Astrology is not always the easiest field for earning money, and working with people is always complicated, especially when total strangers come to you and ask you to tell them about both the past and future.

Each day, I work with clients who come to me. I have regulars who have been coming for years. I also have clients who only come once, or rarely. If someone sees a benefit from coming, he or she is certain to return. Sometimes people just call to get insight on one specific issue.

At one point, I had an astrology school, where I trained many astrologists. Some of them have gone on to become real professionals themselves, and others were simply studying for their own interest, in order to better understand the makeup of our world, and their own characteristics, or those of their loved ones. Unfortunately, I no longer have time for teaching.

It is also worth mentioning that professional astrologists have to constantly stay on top of things. Astrology is such a multifaceted science, that even after years of experience, I am always learning new things, which probably goes for any creative job.

Over the last several years, I have grown very interested in documentary films, and founded a documentary production company. Today, I have released over 140 documentaries – I stopped counting after 100. They are played on many television stations in Russia and abroad – some of my films in English have been broadcast on Russia Today. I love history, and feel I have a good understanding of it.

Without a doubt, 2020 is a difficult year. We will have 6 eclipses, and many planets will be in retrograde, which has the effect of passing each other a negative baton, as it were. We cannot change our future, but we can prepare for what awaits, and this is very important. 2020 and 2021 are a transition period, when all problems will come to a head. This applies to both political events and each person's individual life.

I expect that the fall and winter will also be difficult times, and we will see more instability. Many countries around the world will continue to see shocks, along with more outbreaks of disease, demonstrations, and revolutionary sentiments.

We are living in an unusual time, when everything that seemed stable before no longer is. The transition to the Age of Aquarius, which will begin following the first conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the air sign, in Aquarius, on December 25, 2020. As we see, this is reflected not only in the coronavirus pandemic. Our world is changing before our very eyes – in technology, the growth of civil social activism worldwide, and conflict on the international stage, and even in nature itself!

The Age of Aquarius is extremely long, lasting 2,160 years. It is defined by a transition of the Earth's axis from one Zodiac sign or another. Preparing for this new age takes several decades, but 2020 is the last year of the outgoing Age of Pisces, and 2021 is the first year of the Age of Aquarius.

A new era always involves global shocks, crises of civilizations, economic and cultural revolutions, and a new perspective on religious teachings. The climate also undergoes significant changes worldwide.

During the second half of 2020 and 2021, we will bear witness to changes in all of these areas.

We will see more international confrontations, worsening trade wars, and maybe even the use of force deployed in global hotspots.

Overall, I predict relations will become marginalized, and people will be divided into friends or foes. This will affect international relations, as well as families, where we can expect eternal generational conflict to play out. In dysfunctional families, this may translate into breakdowns and divorce.

In business and at work, steel yourself for conflicts with partners and colleagues. You may see old legal problems rear their heads again, or difficulties when it comes to auditing agencies.

Nature will not be showing its best side, either. Draughts and fires are highly likely, as is flooding damage in coastal areas.

I don't want to leave you with the impression that we are facing Armageddon – quite the contrary. This year and next we will see the birth of a new world. The process of birth is always a difficult and painful one. A mother's body undergoes significant changes, but once it is over, there is no greater joy! This is what is happening, now. I am certain that once this difficult transition period is over, we can expect a wonderful future ahead!

Unfortunately, I can say that we have not yet seen the worst of the economic crisis – it will get much worse in the fall of 2020 and into 2021. Right now, governments are supporting those who have lost their jobs. But closer to the fall, that support may not be enough. It is hard to say exactly what will trigger the crisis taking a new turn – perhaps the virus and problems related to it, or political turmoil and restrictions on global trade markets. Perhaps it will be a combination of the above. In any case, the stars tell us that the economic and political crises will peak in the fall of this year, and continue into 2021. Right now, I would advise people to tread carefully when it comes to finances, not take on additional financial burdens, or take any risks, as the consequences may be long and hard.

I expect the US dollar to plummet compared to other currencies, so I would suggest diversifying your currency. The best strategy may be investing in gold or real estate.

Recently, I finished writing Complete Horoscope 2021, and I can see that hardly anyone will escape these challenges.

The motto of the Age of Aquarius – EQUALITY, BROTHERHOOD, HAPPINESS FOR ALL is independent of one's nationality or the color of one's skin. That is not to say that these rules are not being respected right now. For some time now, the world has seen how some nations, believing they have been chosen, have destroyed other people.

The history of our civilization is one of enslavement and imposing one's will on others, who were less technologically advanced. We might think of the Opium Wars between Great Britain and China, when we know that Britain monopolized the opium trade and was making huge profits from it. Or the colonization of India, where Sir Winston Churchill ordered that all food be removed from the Indian state of Bengal, and the state then closed. Bengal became a huge death camp, when over four million people died of hunger within a year.

During the Second World War, Germany destroyed tens of millions of civilian lives in Europe (as Japan did in China and Korea). Can that go on? Should it not finally be put to a stop?

We are now watching that period of history come to an end. We should understand that the old system, often based on violence, is starting to crumble. But it was in place for centuries and decades, and changing paradigms may be a painful process.

I believe that astrologically speaking, the protests following the death of George Floyd fit into global societal development, because, after all, excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies is not only a problem in America.

Saturn carries the energy of limitations, and will create conflict with Uranus (the planet of sudden, revolutionary changes) throughout 2021. In 2019 and 2020, we saw police officers clash with protesters in Europe, Hong Kong, Russia, and Latin America. I believe that this suggests that the various protest movements may continue to develop and become more combative.

I think that Donald Trump might be re-elected for a second term, if he is only running against Joe Biden. Compromising information about Biden will be released late in September or in October 2020. This will also be a difficult time or Biden's health. Overall, his horoscope is much weaker than Trump's.

Regardless of who becomes president of the US, in 2021, he will have to face many problems, beginning with the opposition of many people in his inner circle.

On Election Day, and the entire period leading up to it, both Mercury and Mars will move backwards in relation to the movement of the Sun across the horizon (known as being in retrograde). This means that we can expect a lot of unreliable or intentionally twisted information, large-scale protests, and this will peak the last week before Election Day, which is planned for November 3, and the entire month that follows. Planets in retrograde also suggest that the opposition party is likely to attempt to contest the election results, and all of this will go hand in hand with major scandals. We are all used to American elections becoming scenes of political conflict, but I am afraid that this year, things will take a new shape and outdo previous years in terms of political upheaval.