The Celestial Wheel   The December 2010 Mars/Rahu Conjunction Part I   An In-depth Forecast   November 25 , 2010     Back To The Celestial Wheel

The December 2010 Mars/Rahu Conjunction

Part I

The Fifth Step Down

     The December conjunction of Mars and Rahu will be the fifth step down in the long Millennium Contraction -- the belt-tightening interval following the Second Gilded Age's ending in late 2008, which itself does not end until 2015. 

     Recall that the Vedic Planetary Cycles (Dasas) are the underlying karma, like the river of life -- and transits are secondary, like weather events on that river.  Transits are event and timing indicators.  So, with the U.S. chart beginning its destructive seven year Mars Dasa in 2008, we naturally look mostly to challenging Mars transits as signals for losses.  Stock losses and Mars/ signification for landed property are the major karmas, for Mars rules the U.S. chart's fifth house of investments and twelfth house of loss.

     The July, 2010 In-depth Forecast, Mars/Saturn Conjunction Summer 2010, summarized the four previous  transit-inspired steps down,

     The August 2010 Mars/Saturn conjunction brought the predicted harms to real estate and stocks.  See, the September 19 Commentary, the section, Predictions Check -- Mars/Saturn Conjunction.  However, there was no economic catastrophe.

     Notice that this above #2 destructive interval was also a Mars/Rahu conjunction.

     Although The Celestial Wheel is not a stock predictor, stock prices are a broad reflection of current and upcoming economic activity and confidence.  This graph of the S&P 500 Index shows how stocks responded to these transit four and shocks.  Number 5, Mars/Rahu, is ahead of us. 

Mars/Rahu In Sagittarius

     Below on the left is the Sign Chart for December 1, when the Mars/Rahu conjunction begins.  For the Vedic square chart, the signs don't move.  Sagittarius is always in the bottom left corner.  And, on any given time, the planets are in the signs -- the Moon making the fastest transit across a sign in 2 1/2 days to Saturn at the longest in 2 1/2 years.  The planets thereby don't move either within the chart graphic.  (Notice that Mercury is also in this Mar/Rahu mix.)

     To the right is the U.S. chart.  The sign (constellation) of Sagittarius is also naturally bottom left, and the planets at that time are in their signs.  Sagittarius was rising above the horizon On July 4, 1776 at 6:17 PM in Philadelphia.  Ascending is another term.  The ascending sign is labeled AS and sets the position of the first house of the self -- with all the other houses following clockwise.  Thus, it is the houses which move in this Astrology graphic.  As signs are always fixed in the same place, and the planets are fixed in the signs where they reside at that time, the Ascendant setting the houses determines which houses the signs and planets fall in. 

     To illustrate further, If the birth time were 1 1/2 hours later, Capricorn would be the rising sign.  Ketu would shift back one house (from the second house to the first), and the other planets would do the same, resulting in a completely different chart.  (Note: This is just one of the factors that makes Vedic Astrology time specific and thereby a predictive craft, for predictions are also about time.)

     While this explanation is helpful in understanding the Vedic square chart system, it is particularly pertinent to the Mars/Rahu conjunction for being in the U.S. chart's first house of the self -- the most important house in a chart.  (Note: at 9-11, Mars conjunct Ketu was in Sagittarius, the first house.) 

     Making Mars/Rahu even more impactive for the U.S. is that this chart has four planets in the seventh, which is the other (the mate, business partner...).  Since planets all throw aspects (glances) across the chart -- seven houses away -- anything that happens in the first/seventh house axis in the U.S. chart affects its most important and vital significations. 

Three Levels Of  Effects

   To puzzle out the impacts of Mars/Rahu, we consider it in three ways.

     First, understand that the sign chart with its transiting planets impacts globally.  Every person and organization -- nation, town... -- is subject to transit influences.  It's a global weather report.  The Celestial Wheel thereby often labels these World Transit Charts.  From this chart we can explain how the transiting planets impact each other -- both conjunctions, as Mars/Rahu, and also any aspects (glances) they throw to other planets.

     Second, we advance the Sign Chart day by day until the Mars/Rahu conjunction effects are largely gone.  This gives us a time-line.

     Third, overlay the Sign Chart on a birth chart, such as the subject U.S. chart.  Add the Sign Chart interpretation to the sign/houses in the chart -- considering  also the time-line.

Sign Chart

     Mars/ conjoining Rahu (the head-of-the-dragon eclipse point) intensifies -- but as a shadow, Rahu also harms psychologically.  Rahu on Mars courage thereby gives outer courage and inner fear.  This volatile combination also brings violences and often stemming from revenge with mean and nasty actions and consequences.  It is toxic -- in abrupt, unanticipated and uncontrollable events.  Rahu/Mars is the shark butting your boat, lightening hitting an airplane, a river flood under blue skies.

     Mars throws an aspect across the chart to transit Ketu -- the otherworldly tail-of-the-dragon eclipse point.  As both Pitta (fire planets) and being inimicable influences, this brings the seething rage experienced at 9-11, when Mars/Ketu were in Sagittarius. It is because the Moon's Nodes (eclipse points) are always 180 degrees opposite that a planet conjoining one directly aspects the other.  This feature makes these conjunctions even more influential than those of the other planets.

     Mars also throws special aspects, four and eight houses away.  However, for the Mars/Rahu conjunction, we're fortunate that none of the other planets are thus targeted. ( It is true that during December, Jupiter will move into Pisces, but Mars will be at a much higher degree and thereby not much harm Jupiter.)

Advancing The Sign Chart

This is where it gets really interesting.  This drawing is a blow up of Sagittarius.      Recall I stated above, that Mercury is also in this Mar/Rahu mix.  As Mars and Rahu draw closer together to reach exact conjunction December 11, Mercury passes Rahu and then goes retrograde on December 9 -- bringing him right into the midst of the battle.       Then, the Sun comes into Sagittarius December 15, and on December 21, there's a total lunar eclipse in Gemini with Ketu.

Sagittarius

     Mercury is communications and in the U.S. chart is a double indicator for commerce in ruling the seventh house of relationships and the tenth house of career. 

     It is when Mercury has been involved with challenging Mars (stocks and landed property) transits that economic turmoil  in the U.S. has occurred.  While it was the August 1, 2008 solar eclipse on the U.S. chart's Rahu that brought the market collapse in mid September, Mercury was in the midst of that eclipse.  Mercury conjoined Mars during the second week of September; Lehman Brothers busted September 15, dragging the markets down and threatening other banks.  This resulted in the TARP bailout.

     Similarly, during the Big Blizzard of 2009, when Mars last collided with Rahu, Mercury conjoined with these planets in late February.  So, the first two steps down in the Millennium contraction were economic catastrophes involving both Mars and Mercury.  Beyond Mercury being the prime commerce planet in the U.S. chart, Mercury's nervous system was attacked.   The resulting fears and anxieties inflamed the mind, causing panic.

     The third and fourth steps down in the Millennium Contraction -- the spring 2010 BP oil spill and the August 2010 Mars/Saturn conjunction --  were also Mars transits, but these did not crash the stock markets and the economy.  April and May of this year also brought major storms and flooding.  This past August was one of gradual but continuous suffering and decline.

     Since the December Mars/Rahu conjunction also involves Mercury, we can expect again major economic losses in stocks and real estate -- and likely widespread panic.

     This doesn't mean, however, that Mars/Rahu won't signal other woes, particularly those relating to their conjunctive nature for violences often stemming from revenge with mean and nasty actions and consequences.

Impacts Upon The U.S. Chart

Here again is the U.S. chart, with Rahu/Mars located in Sagittarius in the first house.      Note the Ascendant (self/body) 5:53 degrees and the Mars/Rahu conjunction at 8:50 degrees on December 11.  While close, this is not devastating.       Yet, December 5 to 7 could be, for then Mars will be approaching that Ascendant degree, the all-important Moon will also be in Sagittarius, and the seventh is a Mars Tuesday.       Dasas from December 5 to 7 will be Mars/Jupiter/Venus/Jupiter/Mars and then Rahu will replace Mars.       With Mars and Rahu in the Dasas, those days will be the most sensitive.

    Mars' aspects to the seventh house of relationships and eighth house of catastrophe are also shown.  Fortunately, these are not close by degree.  However, they still operate.  And as the Mars/Rahu continue in Sagittarius through the New Year, Mars will advance by degree.  Mars' aspects to Venus, Jupiter and the Sun will thereby become exact, as will its aspect to Rahu in the eighth house.   These dates will highly sensitive -- repercussions from events earlier in the month.

     The December 21 total lunar eclipse was mentioned above, and this occurs when the Moon is at 5:19 Gemini.  That point is not close to any of the U.S. chart's four planets in Gemini, but the Sun's opposing position in Sagittarius at also 5:19 degrees is almost on top of the Ascendant point at 5:53.  This being also a Mars Tuesday is challenging.

Conclusions

     At this point, we can conclude that stock and real estate will be hit hard in Mars/Rahu, especially during the early part of December and notably from December 5 to 7.  The lunar eclipse on December 21 is another sensitive date.

    Second, as Mars will hit the U.S. ascendant, and the Sun at the lunar eclipse does the same, physical violences are also likely -- again, December 5 to 7 and 21.

     Generalized anxiety and fears of financial loss and physical safety and anger will arise throughout the month.

     Part 2 of this In-depth Forecast will further examine sensitive dates in December and look into January as well.  A calender of sensitive dates will be included.  Also to be analyzed are the impacts upon charts of other nations.

Part 2