As a citizen, I’ve been horrified, saddened, and shocked by the recent events, both nationally and internationally. We had the tragic deaths at the Boston marathon, earthquakes, a building collapse in Bangladesh, tornadoes in New Orleans, a crater in Texas, a car bomb in Libya, and other horrific events.
Yet, as a Vedic astrologer, I am aware of the astrological perspective on current events. Many astrologers knew to expect the unexpected, but we did not know the specificity, intensity or duration of the events. Some of my esteemed colleagues have previously blogged about the astrological perspective on current events and shared the corresponding astrological charts.
My intention is not to replicate anyone’s work. While astrology can not be used to alter the tragic events which have unfolded, it may provide one explanation for what has happened. This is not to take free will out of the equation or to give a prognostication of gloom and doom. What is intended is to provide a broad astrological framework for the events, perhaps allowing us to make better sense of our world.
In Vedic astrology, or Jyotish, we classify events as being self-initiated, other-initiated, or as acts of nature. The natural disasters certainly fall into the third category and are not always visible from the natal chart. However, we can see them from worldwide planetary transits. The astrology for current events will be examined for many planets.
My Vedic astrology teacher uses the term “exaggerated” to describe planets that are in extreme conditions of strength or weakness. What we have now is multiple exaggerated planets. In Vedic astrology, we utilize nine planets: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the nodes Rahu & Ketu.
Mars, the warrior planet, has added more fire to its own aggressive sign of Aries since inhabiting it on April 12. The Sun turned up the heat by entering its sign of exaltation (greatest strength) in Aries the subsequent day. Aries is a fire sign, which promotes intense activity. Both Sun and Mars are classified as Pitta planets in Ayurveda, or those which are fiery and sharp by nature.
The heat has become scorching with this duo as Mars has been astronomically combust since March 8. . A combust planet is blinded in the rays of the brilliant Sun and thus unable to fully express the qualities which it signifies. Mars is the planet of action and feels the most stifled when combust; thus it acts out even more aggressively and rashly. We have seen plenty of fiery activity worldwide and,unfortunately, more is likely to continue. Mars remains combust until May 29, but things should calm down a little when Mars and Sun separate by more than 3 degrees on May 1. The Sun leaves Aries in mid May and Mars exits on May 24, when it enters Taurus.
Saturn is doubly strong by being exalted in Libra as well as retrograde. Saturn teaches us our greatest lessons, often through adversity. Being the slowest moving planet, it leaves the longest lasting results. Saturn is currently in the constellation of Svati. The deity of Svati is Vayu, the wind god. There is a great deal of physical restlessness in Svati, which is associated with scattering objects as the wind does. We have had 12 earthquakes measuring over 4.0 this month alone in the world. And there have been many devastating tornadoes.
Both Mars and Saturn represent bhumy, or the earth. Consequently, with their exaggerated conditions, they are leaving a dramatic impact. Adding to the unpredictability of these events are the nodes. Rahu, the North node, is in Libra with Saturn. Ketu, the South node, is in Aries with Mars. The invisible nodes are connoted with sudden events, changes of fate, and relentless pursuits.
Venus, the planet of desire and love, is also combust from February 16 to May 5. It is also currently in the midst of the heated activity in Aries. With the Sun’s overpowering glare, Venus’s qualities of love and romance are not easily expressed. An individual in a Venus cycle may feel too irritated or overwhelmed to choose love as a priority.
Mercury, the planet of communication, is debilitated in Pisces until April 28. It’s best to be mindful of how we communicate orally and in writing during this time. Mercury is the buddhi, or the intellect. We may be trying extra hard intellectually to make sense of that which defies logic. In Ayurveda, Mercury governs our nervous system. We can say that we are literally frazzled just by hearing the news. Those of us who have been personally impacted by the tragedies have felt it on a much deeper level.
Which planetary states sway you and how so is contingent on your planetary cycles. Knowing which planets are primarily influencing you provides greater insight on where to best focus your attention and harness your energies during these impactful times. This full Moon provides us a perfect opportunity to re-prioritize and ground ourselves for the future. The more that we are able to live in harmony with the inner and outer influences, the better we will be able to impact our world in a positive fashion.