I’ve been receiving many questions about what will happen as we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic. By viewing the history and broader context in which this event is happening, we can gain a better understanding through the lens of Vedic Astrology.

Recap

Since the end of March, Jupiter has conjoined the Yama Yoga of Mars & Saturn in Capricorn, forming Vasundhara Yoga. Vasundhara is one of the names given to Mother Earth. The world has been struggling with the most dangerous period of this pandemic ever since.

In Capricorn, the sign of Kali Yuga (the age of darkness or ignorance), Jupiter is debilitated. This condition of Jupiter is called Brahmanahatya Dosha, an affliction acquired by performing actions akin to harming or taking the lives of creatures that may be considered sacred. Humanity created this situation for itself and is bearing the consequences of its actions. With Sun transiting its exaltation sign of Aries, we are seeing some much needed optimism as we venture through this most difficult time.

Looking to the past

The last time Jupiter was placed with Saturn & Mars in Capricorn was 1226, 793 years ago! Looking back at this period of time (1226-1227), we can see that the world lost some prominent religious and political leaders; Saint Francis of Assisi, King Louis VIII of France and Genghis Khan to name a few.

In 1226, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars were in the same position and the Kala Sarpa Yoga was in effect with all the planets between Rahu & Ketu. However, this was not enough to indicate a major global conflict, natural disaster or pandemic. There has to be a very severe culmination of planetary influences and time periods (transits, mahadashas etc) to trigger such events.

Rahu & Ketu’s transit of the dual signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces are pivotal in bringing disturbance to the worlds financial systems. For example, The Black Monday stock market crash occurred with Rahu and Ketu in Dual signs. Again Vasundhara Yoga was created with Jupiter coming under affliction from Saturn and Mars, although only by aspect.

While this caused a great deal of economic damage, the world recovered and continued with business as usual. Whenever the nakshatras Ardra or Mula are involved with an eclipse, an affliction to Jupiter and/or a kala sarpa yoga; events of disruption, death, shock and fear on a global scale take place.

These nakshatras are associated with the constellations Betelgeuse and Ophiuchus respectively. Ardra’s deity is Rudra, the fierce and destructive form of Shiva. Mula’s deity is Nirriti, the Goddess of death.

Throughout history, whenever Rahu & Ketu transit these asterisms, the world is shaken. Here are some examples: The first total solar eclipse of the 21st century took place in Ardra on the 21st of June 2001. Just a few months later, the world trade center terrorist attack in New York City occurred, with Rahu in Ardra and Ketu conjunct Mars in Mula.

Again, Jupiter was afflicted by multiple malefic planets and unable to protect the world. Although this didn’t manifest in the same way as the COVID-19 pandemic, we can see how the world is impacted by these planetary combinations.

This event triggered long lasting impacts on the world, along with the effects of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in 2000 (more on that later). The US government further implemented authoritarian acts and initiated an 8 year war with Iraq, bringing with it an increase in fear across the globe.

But perhaps most similar to our current situation, a solar eclipse took place on the 19th of July 1917, only months before the Spanish Flu outbreak, with Ketu in Ardra and Rahu in Punarvasu.

The protection of Jupiter was positioned more favourably at this time, but once Rahu transited into Mula at end of September 1917, the seeds of destruction were activated. Similar to how COVID-19 unfolded in early 2020, Jupiter remained relatively unscathed in early 1918 with the influenza spreading relatively silently.

But once Jupiter conjoined multiple malefics from June 1918, he became severely afflicted, triggering an increase in the spread and death rate of the virus, reportedly due to a mutation. Jupiter entered Ardra nakshatra in July 1918, where the eclipse initially took place with Ketu & Saturn positioned in the 12th & 2nd houses respectively, trapping and further exacerbating the affliction.

This also began a kala sarpa yoga with all planets positioned between Ketu & Rahu. From September through November 1918, the death rate from Spanish Flu skyrocketed. October 1918 was one of the USA's deadliest months in recorded history.

In the city of Philadelphia, for example, nearly 5000 people died in the course of just one week. But once Mars broke the kala sarpa yoga in November 1918 by transiting outside of the Rahu/Ketu axis, the cases began to drop dramatically, signifying the break of the curse.

By mid November the influenza in Philadelphia had almost disappeared completely. There’s reason to expect significant improvement when Mercury breaks the Kala Sarpa Yoga from May 29th 2020, and again when Sun breaks the yoga on the 16th of July 2020.

These events through history give a glimpse into the correlation between specific astronomical phenomena and the global impacts. But what is coming after May 2020 and beyond?

Saptarishi Dasha

The Saptarishi Nakshatra Dasha is a lesser known timing system used for determining the future of the world and global trends.

The rise and fall of civilisations, break through advancements and calamities are very much connected to these Saptarishi periods.

Each Saptarishi star rules over a major period which determines the collective consciousness of the world for 960 year cycles. Since 1699 we have been under the influence of Mrigashira, the star of searching, symbolised by the deer.

This brings a constant and unrelenting search. In a negative sense this leads to a lot of mental unrest and dissatisfaction. While so many scientific discoveries have come and continue to be made, if they are misused to fulfil humanity's greed and desires, there will be no end in sight.

Mrigashira gives Prinana Shakti, the power to give fulfilment. If used wisely, this search will lead to true fulfilment and resolve the worlds unrest and conflict. Unfortunately the negative tendencies have largely been dominating for some time.

Until 2659, the world will be underpinned by this driving force of seeking fulfilment.

The finer sub-periods of this system give a more detailed insight into events in the world. In March 1999 we entered a new hundred year cycle starting with the decade of Bharani, the star of forbearance, carrying the burden of humanity.

The deity of this star is Yama, the God of death, who keeps check of all our karmas. Not long after entering this period did we see 9/11, the war on terror, unprecedented fear in the media and natural disasters like the Boxing Day tsunami.

This star will continue to influence the world until 2099, but its effects vary according to the stars that rule the subsequent decades.

The 2009 - 2019 decade of Ashwini brought more interest in medicine and healing, for better or worse. The Ashwini Kumars are the deities connected to this star who are the divine physicians, they have the power to give youth back to the old. Perhaps this is why since this time we’ve seen more of a mainstream focus on various diets, exercise programs and cosmetic surgeries.

Being ruled by Ketu, this star gives a tendency towards risk taking and mistakes, but the leadership that arose during this time was largely dictated by its aspirations for health care and medicine, take Obamacare for example.

In 2020, we are in the decade of Revati, where we are crossing the gandanta point between Aries and Pisces. The gandanta points are a meeting of fire and water, naturally these elements create a turbulent transformation as the water begins to boil.

This spells a very difficult transition period, causing severe destruction and renewal, especially for the first few years of this decade.

From a spiritual perspective this is very positive, but the beginning of a transformation is always difficult. Revati is an auspicious star for spiritual growth and indicates a time for awakening in the world.

It’s considered to be the star of Saraswati, the Goddess of creation, signifying new beginnings. The deity of Revati is Pushan who gives the power of nourishment. The animal kingdom is protected by this asterism. Pushan brings healing to the world on a deeper level, as opposed to the interests in superficial and cosmetic health seen in the past decade.

From now until 2029, we can expect a global effort towards political and societal change, rehabilitating and protecting the natural environment.

Reformations in the religious and spiritual orders are likely. Corruption and harmful ideologies will be challenged, which will bring conflict in the process.

The leadership should reflect this, although there will be a battle between the old and new ways, in the long term we can see a bright future.

We will also see a lot of innovation in various art forms such as music, dance, photography and film due to the creative and artistic nature of Revati, which is where Venus becomes exalted.

A unified movement of youth, arts and activism for change will gradually form and gain momentum. Not since the counter culture of the 1960’s have we seen a unified movement of arts and activism with a common goal like this.

You can learn more about the Saptarishi Dasha and Nakshatras in Pandit Sanjay Rath’s book, titled Brihat Nakshatra.

Jupiter / Saturn Conjunction

Jupiter and Saturn become conjunct approximately every 20 years. The nature of the sign and other planetary combinations at the time of this conjunction gives us an insight into the global trends for the following years.

Whenever two planets become conjunct in the same degree, a planetary war ensues. The planet that loses the war is completely destroyed and its significations suffer greatly.

In 2000, the last time Jupiter and Saturn became conjunct, Jupiter won. This caused a general trend towards authoritarianism in the world and a neglect of the peoples needs. Jupiter is the signifier for wealth and will favour the establishment, Saturn signifies the public and particularly the needs of the working class.

The opportunities created by 9/11 and the subsequent wars during the decade of Bharani were used to empower the elite and degrade social liberties and support systems. This further increased social inequality and promoted disregard for nature in the pursuit of economic welfare.

Jupiter and Saturn become conjunct exactly in December 2020, but this time Saturn will win the war, by a fraction. So while there will be attempts for governments to move more towards authoritarian rule, they won’t succeed. Again this is an indication for a change in direction for the world, with power moving back to the desires and needs of the people.

During this conjunction in December 2020, we will also see Tapasvi Yoga being formed by Venus/Ketu, aspected by Saturn. These are further indications for a spiritual awakening for the world and the birth of some special souls who will be catalysts for great societal reform. Slowly people will begin to transform their lifestyles and turn away from the systems and philosophies that have dominated recent history. The last time Jupiter and Saturn were conjunct with Tapasvi Yoga was in 1166, when Saint Francis of Assisi was born.

Jupiter in Capricorn is like the new moon, a reset. This is the zero hour and things will gradually start to improve as Jupiter starts his 12 year cycle around the zodiac. Jupiter will enter its position of internal exaltation in Aquarius on the 6th of April 2021.

Some International Observations

USA

The eclipse that took place on the 26th of December 2019 occurred over the ascendent of the US independence chart. As a result, the country has come under a great deal of trouble which will continue as a ripple effect for years to come.

The Sun being the natural signifier for the leader of a nation, becoming eclipsed does not bode well for Trump in 2020. From January 2020 the US began Sade Sati (the transit of Saturn over 12th, 1st and 2nd from natal Moon) while continuing its Rahu/Jupiter period.

With the pandemic being the first of many hurdles, more troubles in international and diplomatic relations are to come. Issues dealing with resources and the economy will be even more challenging, which we'll see manifesting later in the year.

On the 1st of June the US will enter Rahu/Saturn which will run until April 2023. With Rahu placed in the 8th house of nija dosha (faults from past actions) and Saturn in the Arudha Lagna (reputation in the world), it looks like the US is at the beginning of a very tough road for its status, as the world loses confidence in the nation.

The US will need to take very tough and long lasting measures as there’s the risk of a second wave of COVID-19 between June and September. If the restrictive measures are removed too soon, June will become extremely dangerous.

There's the possibility of a war as the economic troubles mount. The government will act in desperation, looking for an opportunity to divert attention. Sanctions and cyber attacks are likely and the US government will have a predominantly destructive and desperate agenda before November 2020.

Trump is going through a very rough Jupiter/Saturn period. He doesn’t look well positioned to be re-elected but with the lack of a strong opposition he remains on top. In September an opportunity will come for him to bolster his position of power as he looks for some form of conflict to distract from his failures, although this could backfire massively.

As the leader of the country, Trump’s Jupiter/Saturn period affects the economy severely. While a change in leadership looks very possible in the US, Joe Biden’s chart doesn’t seem to hold up against Trump. We will have to wait to see who becomes Biden's running mate as they will have an impact.

It is also possible an alternative candidate could unexpectedly come into the running or there could be a disruption/delay to the election.

For now, however, in the absence of a strong opposition and the uncertainty that the pandemic brings, the Republican Party looks to win a second term despite this unfavourable period. I’ll comment on this situation at a later date, but unexpected change is due for this years general election.

Taking into consideration the impact from the gandanta point of Revati in the Saptarishi Dasha, the Rahu/Saturn antaradasha in the US chart and the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in December 2020; We will look back at this time as the beginning of the US’s fall from the most dominant country in the world.

China

After a long and successful 19 year Saturn period, the Peoples Republic of China started its 17 year Mercury period in October 2019. The first hospital record of COVID-19 was found in November 2019.

Mercury is exalted but also retrograde and involved in a curse from Sun, Ketu and Rahu. Although, it does have the saving grace of Jupiter’s aspect. Virgo is the sign for health and medicine, Ketu’s influence shows infectious diseases, epidemics and accidents, while Mercury is lord of the 6th house of acute diseases.

The heavy involvement of Ketu, in both China’s chart and the various mundane/global charts, indicates that this virus is the result of either a natural mutation and spread (most likely), or an accidental leak of a natural virus from a lab.

Taking into account the multiple factors, there’s no doubt this is the result of a natural phenomenon. There’s no indications of a malevolent plot, be it biochemical warfare or a global 5G roll out etc. In the short term, the charts are pretty severe but with some indications of improvement in May / June for China.

Like the US, China is also going through the Sade Sati transit, causing a transformation in the country. Moving towards the later part of the year, China’s problems will shift from public health to economic.

More importantly, diplomatic relations will become increasingly aggressive, particularly with the US. Many countries will passively provoke China economically.

With an aggressive foreign policy, China's support wanes domestically. Again, war tactics are likely as Mercury is 6th lord causing conflicts and Ketu’s affliction will cause China to commit some serious mistakes, especially from 2022 - 2023. It's at this time that the fracturing really starts to manifest.

Long term there will be a lot of civil unrest in China. Either the government will undergo a radical change, or more likely, there will be a schism and the country will be fractured, reducing its status and power significantly. China doesn’t look like it will become the next economic superpower after the US.

India

2020 is a troubled and controversial year for India, but things will improve significantly from August onwards. India will be relatively better off in facing the pandemic compared to the rest of the world. The government will start to take a very progressive lead in the world from November 2020 and we will see a lot of economic and social progress in India throughout 2021.

Narendra Modi has an extremely powerful chart. As he runs through the remainder of his Moon dasha, there will be a big increase in production and export, with the world turning away from China and relying on India more and more.

With the world becoming more unstable over the next few years, India will make a lot of progress and remain relatively stable. As Modi moves into his Mars period in 2023, it looks very probable that he could win a 3rd term.

From September 2025, India enters Mars mahadasha giving the potential to pave the way for a more balanced and conscious leadership in the world. This will bring a manifestation of sustainability and environmental priorities in the country. 2030-2032 looks set for India to become a leading light in the world in technology and sustainability as it prepares for its 18 year long exalted Rahu period. This Rahu brings new direction, a new future and possibilities.

UK

Currently running Rahu/Saturn period until December 2020, this is a very difficult time for the UK.

Rahu is strong in the 7th house but brings changes, as it is the 6th house lord of conflict and enemies. It will be very difficult for the UK to form good partnerships and trade deals, a sense of betrayal will be felt.

Saturn is in the 12th house proving to be quite problematic. Similar to the situation in the US, the health scare in the UK will linger for some time, and the case numbers will be worse than reported.

Unfortunately it will trail behind the rest of the world in recovery. Boris Johnson’s health issues look to be quite severe. After being elected during his Ketu sub-period, he entered Venus at the end of January 2020. Venus is in the 10th house and is heavily afflicted as it's conjunct Rahu, lord of the 6th and combust.

His illness is the beginning of many misfortunes. For the country as a whole, the Rahu/Mercury period starts from December 2020 which will see a turn in the positive direction. Major structural changes are due and a hard road lays ahead in 2024.

Conclusion

On the 25th of March 2020, the Solar-Lunar New Year called Sharvari Nama Samvatsara, began. Sharvari means 'night' and implies the transformation from night into dawn.

The situation with COVID-19 will only just begin to improve from May 2020, starting with Mars’s transit away from Jupiter in Capricorn on the 4th of May. Then, perhaps more significantly, Mercury begins his transit past Rahu, breaking the Kala Sarpa Yoga on the 29th. After this date some countries will start to relieve restrictions gradually. On a global level as things start to improve from May, Jupiter will again be under a papa katari yoga when Mars leaves Capricorn, bringing with it a new set of issues.

With Ketu, Mars and Rahu afflicting Jupiter from May, a rise in crime and unlawful behaviour will lead to some governments taking harsher measures, creating a more volatile period socially. Because of this unrest, there is still a chance for there to be some setbacks in controlling the virus over June and July.

On the 18th of June, Mercury turns retrograde, bringing him back towards Rahu. With the Sun conjoining the two planets, a solar eclipse occurs shortly after on the 21st. This time is most vulnerable for a second wave of outbreaks, with confusion and social unrest to come, it will be a disruptive period but short lived.

Finally on the 16th of July Sun enters Cancer, the natural sign of cures, fully breaking the Kala Sarpa Yoga and signifying a breakthrough in controlling the pandemic.

From around August/September onwards we can expect the globe to start opening up, but still implementing strong preventative measures from time to time that many in the public will dislike. We'll start to see a lot of media attention on accountability, causing even more friction between US and China.

Venus enters Cancer on the 1st of September, around this time we should see the discovery of a successful vaccine and/or medications for treatment of the virus. The governments are going to try and take this as an opportunity to impose more restrictive laws.

During this same period from September 2020, unusual weather patterns will become more of a danger, particularly impacting resources. Disruptions to oil, food and water supplies will result in conflicts during the following 18 months from this time.

South Asia and Africa will especially be impacted by this. More on this later. Violence towards spiritual/religious institutions and their leadership will come into focus from September 2020 and continuing through 2021 to 2022. Social unrest and protests will come.

This chaotic period will peak around the solar eclipse on the 14th of December followed by the exact conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on the winter solstice.

Later in the decade towards 2029, we will see transformations through economic and social reforms. More energy will be invested into education, academic works, universities and arts. Changes in leadership around the world will reflect the needs of the people and the planet, but this won’t happen without a fight.

Countries that have lead the way in recent history such as the US will under go major restructuring, with developing nations set to rise in the near future.

Narrated in the Samudra Manthana, the devas and asuras used a snake called Vasuki to churn the ocean, in search of Amrita, the nectar of immortality. The 54 asuras took the head of the snake (Rahu) while the 54 devas took the tale (Ketu).

These two sides represent our negative and positive tendencies. As both sides churned back and forth, amongst numerous substances arose a lethal poison known as Halahala, which had the power to destroy the world. Luckily for them, Lord Shiva took it upon himself to consume the poison, turning his throat blue.

While the asuras were distracted by their lust for the beautiful Goddess Mohini, the Devas rejuvenated themselves with the Amrita. Like our current situation, with the world moving further into a destructive state, we have to choose which tendencies to follow.

If we change, then just like Shiva, the Earth will recover and save us from our own destruction. But if we continue to be distracted by our infatuations, we will never get to share and partake in the joy of life. It’s time for the world to change and this is a Divine opportunity for us to avert a much more severe disaster in the future. We must do what we can to ease the suffering during this difficult time, but we can’t ignore the problems that brought us here.

For protection of health, longevity, peace and harmony for the planet, listening and chanting of the Mrtyunjaya Mantra from the Rigveda and Shanti Mantras from the Upanishads are traditionally recommended:

ॐ त्र्य॑म्बकं यजामहे सु॒गन्धिं॑ पुष्टि॒वर्ध॑नम् ।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्ध॑नान् मृ॒त्योर्मुक्षीय॒ मा ऽमृता॑त् I

om tryambakam yajaamahe sugandhim pushti-vardhanam

urvaarukam iva bandhanaan mrtyor muksheeya maa 'mrtaat

- RV 7.59

ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।

मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमय ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

om asato maa sadgamaya

tamaso maa jyotirgamaya

mrtyormaa'mrtam gamaya

om shaantih shaantih shaantih

ॐ सर्वेशां स्वस्तिर्भवतु ।

सर्वेशां शान्तिर्भवतु ।

सर्वेशां पुर्णंभवतु ।

सर्वेशां मङ्गलंभवतु ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

om sarveshaam svastir-bhavatu

sarveshaam shaantir-bhavatu

sarveshaam purnnam-bhavatu

sarveshaam manggalam-bhavatu

om shaantih shaantih shaantih