The Celestial Wheel Vedic Commentary World societal, economic and political forecasting since 2002   October 1-- 31 , 2006     Doug Riemer VedicPredictiveAstrology.com  vedic@esedona.net  (928) 203-4347  Back to: The Celestial Wheel Archives

October 28

Mars Tuesday

     A week ago Monday, I sent out an e-mail alerting subscribers to Mars becoming strong in Libra on October 17, Tuesday, Mars' day of the week.  Subscribers from Maryland to Minnesota to New Mexico experienced computer problems that day, for Mars symbolizes machines.  Also, the plumber came to this astrologer's home and spent four hours unplugging a drain.  The job was so difficult for him, he even had to buy a longer snake to reach the blockage.  Although these planetary karmas could not be avoided, the heads-up was useful.

More Information About the Upcoming Elections

     The following sections detail further the impacts of the Shifts Of The Major Planets, The Stellium and Mercury Retrograde upon the elections.

Shifts Of The Major Planets

     The four major planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu -- have begun their transit shift into new signs. 

Jupiter shifted yesterday, October 26, into Scorpio.  Saturn in three days on October 31, Rahu and Ketu November 1 in a week and a half on November 8.  So, in just two weeks, all four change signs.

     In transit, (where the planets are in today's skies) these are the four planetary heavyweights due of their power and long duration in each sign.

     Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (contraction) are the two big planets, containing the solar system within their orbits and powering the celestial wheel of constellations (signs) with their contrasting effects.  Rahu and Ketu are (the Moon's Nodes) the eclipse points for the Sun and Moon, potent for their ability to block the luminaries.  As, head-of-the-dragon Rahu is the future, and tail-of-the-dragon Ketu is the past, these symbols add time to the planetary energetics.

     These four are also the slowest moving planetary symbols, which gives their transit effects greater weight -- like a river carves out a canyon over time.  Jupiter stays in a sign a year, Rahu and Ketu one and a half years and Saturn two and a half years.  {By comparison, the Moon stays in a sign for two and a half days, Mercury and the Sun stay in a sign for a month and Mars for two months.  Their transit effects are thereby truly transitory.)

    Adding together the powers of these four planets with their slow moving capability to bring major change, even the most astrology-challenged reader easily grasps their preeminence in the planetary lineup.  They symbolize the major karmas of the astrology universe, and thereby our own universes of experiences.

     A final factor is crucial in understanding why these transit shifts are so important.  Considering the varying time periods they take to move through a sign, the odds of Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu changing signs in a two week period are truly astronomical.  I don't have the math skills to calculate that infrequency, but once in a thousand years would seem to be conservative.

     Combine together these planets' capacities, their influence accumulating over extended time periods and the uniqueness of their almost simultaneous sign shifts -- to gain appreciation of how momentous this shift is.  These are the reasons why the Celestial Wheel has called this shift a culmination* for the U.S. and Mideast. 

     The sailboat tacking analogy described in the October 4 Celestial Wheel is apt, notably in describing the resulting instability of these four lightening transits. A descriptive term that clients have related to is shaky ground.

   Next we add to this planetary recipe for change through instability the stellium.

{* August 14 Celestial Wheel -- and the June 28, 2004 In-depth Forecast series,  The Timeless Mideast Bottleneck -- Ancient Karmas}

The Stellium

     Unfortunately, the answer is no.  Here's why.  Notice in the November 1 chart above that Mars, Sun and Venus are very tightly conjunct -- just a few degrees apart.  During this last half of October, these three planets were literally on top of each other.   Masculine and Pitta (fiery) Sun/Mars signify the warrior, and this warrior is most unkind for the Sun being fallen (weak and thereby a bully) in Libra.  Feminine Venus is overwhelmed by this aggressive burning energy, obviating its gentle compassion.

     Certainly, the election campaign has devolved into cruel warfare, and with Mars/Sun rubbing together, California wildfires are a natural result.  But what I've witnessed most is stressed clients -- and this ranges from emotional angst to surgeries. 

     Referring again to the sailboat tacking analogy, this stellium is like a thunderstorm's shifting winds.  So, when our allegorical celestial sailboat turns October 26 on one tack (Jupiter), then quickly another November 1 (Saturn) and the final and third tack November 8 (Rahu and Ketu), the craft is also buffeted by the stellium's wind gusts.

Mercury Retrograde

     The final destabilizing planetary disposition is Mercury retrograde, familiar to everyone for being so embedded in Western Astrology.  This influence too has been previously discussed in the October 4 Celestial Wheel.  Mercury's three week backward's motion begins tomorrow, October 29, and ends November 17.  As this apparent backward motion takes Mercury out of Scorpio and into Libra On November 1 (see the above Worlds Transits November 1, 2006) on November 1.  Thereby, it is Mercury retrograde which completes the reassembly of the stellium.

     Certainly communications of all kinds will be fouled by any Mercury retrograde, and this one is amplified by being part of the high energy stellium while the major planetary energies of Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are shifting.  Expect campaigners and the media both to make all kinds of gaffs, as well as misinterpret information.  Also, as stated previously, Mercury retrograde will cause voting machine problems, though new voting rules in several states, including Arizona, will also cause problems.  Voting tallies will be corrupted, and legitimate voters will be disenfranchised.

     Referring a final time to the tacking sailboat analogy, Mercury retrograde will inhibit the tacking process, as the captain gives mixed orders and the crew misunderstand him.  Missing tacks, going off course, collisions, men overboard and groundings are all likely.  Mutiny is even possible, especially if the elections results drag out too far into November.  By then, the big planets will have gained strength in their new sign positions, and the stellium will have dissipated, which must solidify the planetary karmas to move from shaky ground to firm ground -- so that the people can take firm positions.

October 24

Coming Up On The Midterm Elections

     Tracking predictions is a valuable accuracy check and illuminates the evolution of perception.  Also, revisiting prior predictive insights is a good refresher.  Following are excerpts from previous2006 Celestial Wheel Commentaries about the November 7 Midterm election:

March Commentaries

April Commentaries

June Commentaries

August Commentaries

September Commentaries

October Commentaries (below on this page)

October 16

More On The U.S. Chart

     The U.S. charts new and long Dasa (planetary cycles) planets are Moon/Venus, from October 1 of this year to May 3,1 2008. 

     Combined with the U.S. chart's power-thirsty Moon, Venus brings potent discord and enmity in ruling the eleventh house of goals and sixth house of enemies and foreigners -- and being placed with Mars in the seventh house of relationships.*  This difficult karma has certainly already actualized, both domestically and abroad-- in scandals, the election campaigns, tell-all books at home and increasing challenges from North Korea and in Iraq...

{*Reference: the U.S. Chart Dasa Planet Shift in the October 4 Celestial Wheel, below, and the original description of this effect in the September 5 Celestial Wheel)

     However, there's more to the Moon/Venus combination than this fully weighted interpretation, for that integrates the planets' fundamental natures with effects caused by their dispositions in the chart -- what are called temporal, or temporary influences.**  For example, the feminine Moon is naturally a passive, receptive, perceptional, nurturing and life-benefits symbol.  However, this meaning is modified in the U.S. chart for the Moon (among other factors) being temporally placed in the third house of desires.  There, the Moon becomes intoxicated with power, explaining to a large extent why its 10 year cycle (1998 -- 2008) is America's Second Gilded Age.

    Yet, the Moon remains the Moon, meaning that its naturally benefic qualities continue, even though they are masked.  Thereby, the Moon's temporary chart qualities bring the power mongers of the Republican's neoconservative group, but those fascistic qualities are confronted with fundamentally lunar Democrats seeking peace and the public's welfare.

{**Reference In Vault of the Heavens, author Ernst Wilhelm offers an insightful explanation of this duality, A good thumb rule is that the natural tendency of a planet affects any area of combination it influences in the horoscope according to its natural benefic or malefic nature.  The temporal nature indicates the motivation and goal of a planet.}

     So, let's look at feminine Venus's basic nature, and then combine this with the also feminine Moon to understand this karmic current running through the U.S. chart through the Spring of 2008.

   Venus's natural qualities include receptivity, love, beauty, sensitivity, compassion, gentleness, creativity and God's grace.  Combine these with the Moon's receptive caring, nurturing, life giving, life benefits and public significations. 

    The result is a refined, comforting, humanistic, charming, generous, tolerant, creative, romantic, women's oriented sensitivity.  (There is also overindulgence in pleasures, including food, suggesting America's weight problem will continue and become worse.)  This plays out as aversion to, and rejection of, the neoconservative's hateful, intolerant, fear-mongering endless war, their economic unfairness and social intolerance. 

    That Venus sits is five houses away from the Moon bring's in fifth house morality, good deeds, charity, virtue and sense of destiny.  These additional qualities suggest the Moon/Venus cycle has a strong undercurrent of mankind's higher values and qualities that push against the karmic current of Second Gilded Age abuses.  Most valuably, since this Dasa combination began October 1, it has been stimulating the public's return to the peaceful shared democratic values America has long held dear that will drive voters to the polls in the upcoming midterm elections.  This victory can begin a course correction for the U.S..  It is the silver lining in the dark storm clouds.

October 10

Storm Clouds

     Vedic Astrology naturally identifies, measures and evaluates change as symbolized by the planets' ever-changing positions and dispositions relative to each other.  The weather analogy below has been previously published in the Celestial Wheel (See: July 7, 2004 and May 26, 2006), but it's worthwhile reprinting it again at this juncture of historical culmination in the U.S. and Mideast:

     Since this world forecasting effort began in July of 2002, the celestial weather has been unsettling -- turbulent and destructive in many ways for most people and in some ways for the rest.  It would have been nice to initiate The Celestial Wheel during a peaceful and socially advancing period in history, but that simply didn't happen.  Instead of rosy predictions, four years ago, the planetary alarms sounded.  For example, the October 2, 2002 The Bush Presidency -- Profile And Prediction was an early and definitive analysis of the President's character, and this has proven to be (unfortunately) accurate.  Below is the listing of the Summary Statements from that analysis.

    {Note: It's at least interesting, and possibly provocative, that it took Bob Woodward three books on the Bush Presidency to finally draw the same conclusions.  However, when interviewed, Woodward speaks in such a slow and halting way, even to the extent of dividing up words into stand-alone syllables, that he must be learning disabled in some way -- even as he can write news articles and books.  As speech, learning, knowledge and the face are all second house significations, and Woodward's face is rough and aged, restrictive Saturn must be potently influencing that house.}

     Yet, even in the darkest and most gloomy period, there's reason for hope.  Clouds actually do have a silver lining, and these are most often seen in the darkest and turbulent clouds of all.  The below, from Silver Lining and Cloud Iridescence: produced through diffraction describes this actual silver lining as occurring within Cumulonimbus clouds, which extend to 40,000 feet or more and bring individual thunderstorms, squall lines and are tornado breeders.

Silver Lining

     The meteorological reality of clouds having silver linings has been used by insightful authors over the centuries. In 1634 John Milton wrote, "Was I deceiv'd, or did a sable cloud/ Turn forth her silver lining on the night?"  Two centuries later, Charles Dickens (in Bleak House) penned, "I turn my silver lining outward like Milton's cloud."  P.T. Barnun, known for his insight into the human condition, followed in 1869 stating, "'Every cloud,' says the proverb, 'has a silver lining.'"   {Source: phrases.org)

     There have been many other artistic applications of this concept borrowed from nature.  A current one that is both plaintive and hopeful is Bonnie Raitt's 2002 album, entitled Silver Lining.  Below are the lyrics to the title song,

When Will The Silver Lining Shine?

     The U.S. under G. W. Bush's neoconservative/evangelical driven administration has obviously been the driving force in its failing global war on terrorism and domestic Gilded Age dangerous excesses.  However, as excerpted from the Bush Presidency forecast (above), Bush’s rise to power and his misuse of that power cause an equivalent fall.  Bush's 19 year Saturn Dasa ended last May, and as Saturn (the servant to others) cannot be denied, one must be humble or be humbled.  Again, obviously, Bush misused Saturn's power by resorting to force and intimidation, and he is thereby now increasingly humbled.  That Summary Statement continued by stating, This is the unalterable fate in his life.  This means that Bush was fated to play the role to which the neoconservatives appointed him.

     Now in his terrible 16 year Mercury Dasa, Bush fails at everything he attempts.  This means that he loses power domestically -- the midterm elections are a turning point.   It also means that his efforts to democratize the Mideast (to gain control over the oil) backfire into national, ethnic and religious inspired movements for liberation from the West.  This is the dual result of the culmination which The Celestial Wheel has predicted for this fall.  It's the silver lining of Bush's dark cloud, and the world will be immensely better for it. Consider:

     Afghanistan is driving out invaders yet again (as it has for millennia).

     Iraq is a complete failure, moving toward the independence its 3 ethnic groups had before England unified the country after World War I.

     Iran is regaining influence as the largest and most powerful country, and key oil producer, in the region.

     Israel is stuck in its Sadi Sati -- Saturn crossing the Moon -- which renders its efforts fruitless travels and removes its ability to secure sympathy and support from the West.

     Saudi Arabia is at risk of an Islamic uprising against the royal family.

Equanimity

     Equanimity is the detached state of consciousness to which we all aspire.  It maintains a peaceful consciousness, protects us from external disruptions and gives the objectivity necessary to perceive the truth.  Equanimity is indispensable now as the world races toward this culmination of karma, which can cleanse the U.S. of its misuse of power and and free the Mideast of its western oil overlords. 

     Even as there is indeed a silver lining, cumulonimbus are the clouds powerful storms.  We should all, therefore, maintain our equanimity to best ride out discomforts and losses arising from the storm -- and keep our belief fixed upon the silver lining. 

     This fall's culmination is a historical process, and while it's already beginning, it's ending will take some time.

October 4

Subscriber Comments

     Interest levels must be picking up.  There's been a surge in subscriber comments about Celestial Wheel information.  Some of these are posted on the Celestial Wheel page of the main website -- VedicPredictiveAstrology.com. Take a look.  A reply is included, for that service is included Celestial Wheel subscriptions.

Tough Mars Transit In U.S. Chart

     During the next two days, there's a very tough Mars transit across the United States chart's Saturn, which planet is placed in the tenth house of career and government officials.  Too, Saturn in this chart represents industrial production and income. That the nearly full Moon will be conjunct Rahu tomorrow adds emotional turbulence to this heavy karma. Although this chart is not running any Mars in its Dasa (planetary cycles) lineup, still expect another spike in governmental discord, even more scandals.  However, there's always an upside to karmic challenge, for yesterday, H.P. e-mailed, Red Tag Sale - Save up to 50% on HP Closeout, Overstocked and Refurbished Products -- obviously to prop up falling revenues in the wake of its scandal.

The Sedona waxing Moon over the Airport Mesa October 3

U.S. Chart Dasa Planets Shift

     In addition, the U.S. chart's Dasa planets have recently shifted -- on October 1 from Moon/Ketu to Moon/Venus.  Moon/Ketu ran from March 1 to October 1 of this year and stimulated the Counter-culture movement described in the January 31 In-depth Celestial Wheel, #65c Planetary Karmas For 2006 -- Part 3 United States Chart. 

     The new Moon/Venus cycle is a long one, continuing until the end of May, 2008.  As described in the September 5 Celestial Wheel, Venus brings potent discord and enmity in ruling the eleventh house of goals and sixth house of enemies and foreigners -- and being placed with Mars in the seventh house of relationships.  Since this information was published a month ago, here are two more refresher excerpts from that Celestial Wheel.

More On The Major Planets' Transits

Another area of concern is the upcoming literally simultaneous shift of the four major planets -- Jupiter October 26, Saturn October 31, Rahu and Ketu November 8.      This U.S. chart graphic is from the September 26 Celestial Wheel.       That discussion focused upon these transits negative impacts upon the U.S. economy -- showing their new positions.      As these sign changes of the major planetary players occur at the midterm election, they'll certainly impact an already heated and and vitriolic campaign finale.

     These transits will also impact the Mideast, bringing a Karmic Clash as described in the August 14 Celestial Wheel -- and referencing back to the June 28, 2004 In-depth Forecast series,  The Timeless Mideast Bottleneck -- Ancient Karmas,

One way to begin to understand what these transits mean is to compare them to a sailboat, tacking -- changing course by heading into the wind to then taking the wind on the other side of the boat.      Considering this graphic, when a sailboat tacks, the crew moves from the right side of the boat to the left side -- to put their weight opposite the sales and thereby keep the boat upright.      At this time, two more things happen.  First, the sails lose the wind.  Second, the boat slows.  Without these steadying factors, the boat becomes unstable -- just as the crew is moving to the other side of the boat!

     Lightening tacks occur in sailboat races, when the boats are maneuvering for position, often to reach first one of the buoys marking the corners of the course.  Then, the boats first tack one way, then the other repeatedly, and very quickly -- sometimes in less than a minute.  Well, if each tack is dangerously unstable, think how harrowing several quick tacks in a row would be.  Sometimes crew members injure themselves, even fall overboard.  During other lightening tack duels, boats often crash into each other, and sometimes, these are even on the same team.

     If a major planet transiting is one tack, then all four planets transiting signs in less than a week is like four lightening tacks.  Add to this the blustering weather of a major midterm election, and pandemonium must result.  Finally bring in Mercury retrograde fouling up communications and the electronic voting machines, and the democratic process is threatened.  Similarly, the Mideast will be buffeted by these karmic currents, stimulating a real and historic karmic clash -- in which the U.S.'s karmic is bound up.

     However, when all the results are in, the progressive boat team will likely persevere, and just maybe, the West will cease with its hopeless intervening in Mideast affairs.

     Actually, lightening tack duels have already begun, because when planets get close to changing signs, they become weak and unstable. 

October 2

New Celestial Wheel Commentary Page

     Today begins a new monthly Commentary page.  Recall that you can click the Archives link, conveniently placed in the above Celestial Wheel masthead.

Celestial Wheel Renewals

   This month's renewals initiate use of Mastercard/VISA Address Verification.  Renewal invitations for expiring subscriptions thereby include a revised Celestial Wheel Subscription Order Form, as well as the accompanying Mastercard/VISA Privacy Policy.  I'll be sending out these renewal invitations later today.   Thank you Suzan at Saltwater Systems for the terrific job in this complex update, which also includes encrypted forms for Personal Consultations and and Business Consultations, on the main website, VedicPredictiveAstrology.com

Subscribers

     Thank you to all the loyal subscribers.  Although the subscription base dropped after the disappointing 2004 presidential election, at this juncture 3/4 of all subscribers have chosen the $70 annual option over the $20 quarterly subscription.  This may result from subscribers being limited to those few concerned with social, political and economic trends -- who appreciate effective broad-brush forecasting and useful specific predictions. 

     However,  I've noticed that Truthout and other donation-based alternative news websites have been fervently begging for support these last two years.  Yet, those organizations have barraged me with so many e-mails promoting a progressive and truly democratic agenda, I stopped reading them all sometime in 2005.  In their doggedness, they've overwhelmed a public increasingly focused upon personal financial and cultural survival.  It's hard to take time to read incessant warnings when the grim reality of those alarms threatens daily the quality of ones life and prospects for the future.  I'm sure that even the most dedicated Celestial Wheelers have skipped some In-depths and Commentaries.  I also realize the extent of life's distractions -- even I can't always recall and put into perspective these writings.

     I would like to offer subscribers an incentive to refer friends and acquaintances to The Celestial Wheel. Yet, with most of you on an annual subscription, and almost all already Vedic Astrology clients, I don't know of an effective discount.  Any ideas would be appreciated, as well, of course, as any referrals. The Celestial Wheel requires a tremendous amount of time and effort, which subscription fees continue underwrite in only a minor way.  Yet, as The Celestial Wheel represents this astrologer's Dharma (both life purpose and spiritual path), it's the journey, not the destination, that's important.

Are The Planets Ever Going To Get Any Better?

     In early summer, subscriber and client M.M. in California, whose Dasa planets and transits brought her a tremendous (and well earned) career rise, e-mailed in her charmingly sweet M&M way (Venus and Mercury in the second house of speech brings this quality) -- Are planets ever going to get any better?  Gosh, I truly felt like The Astrologer Of Doom moniker fellow subscriber V.F. in Arizona likes to tease me with.

     Since The Celestial Wheel was first published in July, 2002, there have been many difficulties and challenges, and those karmic currents are so pervasive and powerful, humanity has been affected on global, national, state, community and personal levels.  Even M.M has been buffeted around in the process of her recent rapid career rise, and this in part due to repressive Second Gilded Age policies by her greedy corporate employer.

     However, spring 2006 Celestial Wheel Commentaries explained these planetary stresses are both a natural part of life and how they stimulate personal growth.   The Benefic And Malefic Conceptual Simplicity section of the May 26 Celestial Wheel Commentary discussed how we need, and benefit from, benefic and malefic planets alike.  Here's an excerpt,

     Next, the June 9 Celestial Wheel Commentary included a section, Hindu Philosophy And Evangelicals, explaining how the U.S. chart's mystical 10 year Moon cycle stimulates this exclusive and attached fundamentalism -- at odds with Hinduism's inclusivity and belief in detachment. 

     Also in June, on the 12th's Commentary's section, The Goal In Life, discussed karma and personal growth more fully,

     Finally, and again in June, there's a section on the 14th entitled, Hindu Philosophy -- Malefic Benefits.  This brought forward the concept of equanimity as another way of understanding spiritual growth -- and how malefic planets can support that process,

Major Planetary Karmas

     The intense stellium (grouping of four planets) in Virgo beginning September 16 (and continuing still) was enflamed by the September 22 full solar eclipse.  This was described in the August 27 In-depth Celestial Wheel, #67 The September Eclipse Season & Osama Bin Laden , and detailed in the September 12 Celestial Wheel Commentary. 

     There have been plenty of disruptions in world affairs resulting from these concomitant planetary challenges -- but it's also true that individuals have also suffered, some most seriously.  From just the small subscriber and client base, I've learned of personal injury, major equipment breakage, loss of home, serious depression... One always well balanced client, after dealing with a disruptive child, said it best, He's better, but I am a ******* mess. Please tell me that its just the eclipse.

Look At The Enemy You Have, Not The Enemy You Wish You had

     Yet, its important to stay focused upon the next several weeks leading up to (and following) the the fall midterm elections.  These will be critical in stopping the flood of neoconservative inequities, wars and fiscal disasters. 

     In addition to the continuing stellium, there's the upcoming concurrent sign changes of the four major planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu), plus another confusing three week Mercury retrograde -- beginning October 29 and ending November 18. 

     The Celestial Wheel has repeatedly predicted this fall November bring some type of culmination -- both in the U.S. and in the Mideast.  This can be very good news, but it won't be without some strife.  Just the election process itself promises to be flawed, occurring as it does when the four major planets are shifting, resulting in an energy void, and Mercury is simultaneously retrograde. 

     The title of this section, Look At The Enemy You Have, Not The Enemy You Wish You had, twists around Donald Rumsfeld's insensitive December 2004 answer to questioning by U.S. troops in Iraq, ...you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want.  However, if it grabs the attention, it encourages your understanding the importance of knowing the neoconservatives in this Second Gilded Age are the real enemy.  If you get sidetracked by conspiracy theories or terrorist fears the neoconseratives use to prey on you, you may fail to encourage others to vote, or even fail to vote yourself -- and a large voter turnout is the weapon of mass destruction the neoconservatives fear the most.

     In closing, the answer to M.M's query, Are The Planets Ever Going To Get Any Better? can be answered in the affirmative -- as long as we utilize the stressful karmic currents to regain democracy.