The below diagram and article is from EarthSky.org Mars and Saturn conjunction, April 4 and 5 mornings

If you've been up early, checking to make sure the world didn't end during the night, this is a wonderful way to start your day. Actually, it's pretty easy to see the difference in these planets, for Mars is definitely red and Saturn is yellow.

Regarding the March 26 Capricorn Collision Is Upon Us, that event was Venus and the Moon sandwiched between Mars and Saturn. This EarthSky article is about the Mars/Saturn conjunction -- a different planetary lineup. That forecast stated,

Major predictions remain unclear or unrealized -- Trump falling off his perch, COVID returning and the Ukraine invasion continuing to worsen.  In that regard, the March 26 forecast also stated, It's also important to note that despite a 24 hour news cycle, information is not always current, comprehensive nor entirely reliable. Further, with Mercury, the calculating mind, so weak, it will be difficult to understand, digest and integrate information.

Here's the chart for today, showing Mars and Saturn almost exactly in the same space.  The below drawing from EarthSky corresponds.  This is another good example of how Vedic Astrology is sidereal -- based upon the actual positions of the planets and stars, compared with Western Astrology's tropical zodiac being 24 degrees advanced beyond these positions.

April 4, 2022

The Celestial Wheel 2002-2022©
Doug Riemer

The (above) April 4 Mars & Saturn Conjoined reiterated three predictions made for this most notable Mars/Saturn joining -- the Capricorn Collision.  Recall, Mars and Saturn are the two great malefics, and they are both very strong in Capricorn, which makes their collision much more destructive.  Think of two freight trains smashing into each other, hurling destruction and debris for hundreds of feet.

It is this potency of that planetary karma that inspired these predictions for major events that must have enduring results.

These three predictions are -- Trump falling off his perch, COVID returning and the Ukraine invasion continuing to worsen.

Trump falling off his perch
Trump has taken a lot of legal hits the past few weeks.  Most impactive was A Federal Judge Just Told the Truth About Trump. That both carries heavy legal weight on its own and also gives sustenance to others going after Trump.  Perhaps this is less like Trump falling off his perch and more like he's flown too close to the Sun, like Icarus.

COVID returning
After mask rules were largely rescinded last month in response to COVID infections rapidly falling, nobody expected the virus to hit hard again.  Well, it has, just as predicted, Covid cases rise in Northeast as BA.2 omicron subvariant takes hold.

The Ukraine invasion continuing to worsen. As for this prediction, it was right around the March 28 peak that the Russian's genocide by literally flattening cities occurred and was beginning to be revealed.  It has taken a while, however, for the world to grasp how horrific this has been, Biden calls atrocities in Ukdrained a 'genocide' for the first time.

As stated above, It is this potency of that planetary karma that inspired these predictions for major events that must have enduring results.  We don't know yet how these shock-wave planetary karmas will spread, jarring loose other major changes in society, just as pandemics have in the past.  Yes, events and trends now are responding to COVID, the primary driving force toward the Second Progressive Age.  The black death of the mid 1300s feudal Europe, for example, killed so many serfs that the nobles in the castles couldn't find enough workers to grow food, build buildings, repair farm equipment...... In response the serfs decided then was the time to assert their independence and value to society by organizing the tradesmen and merchant guilds -- the first labor unions --  In Medieval Europe, a Pandemic Changed Work Forever. Can It Happen Again?  Also see Five Advances that Followed Pandemics.

The Celestial Wheel 2002-2022©
Doug Riemer

There are lots and lots of ways to understand the planets.  Each has literally hundreds of denotations and connotations.  Add in the cultural gulf between India's eastern society and that of the West's, and the task of understanding a planet's symbolism becomes even more challenging.  (Flying dragons were only part of the western lexicon before recorded history and are truly not included in modern mythology.  But in India, Rahu lives and breathes as a planetary deity throughout the culture.)  Finally, as the current Rahu Dasa (18 year planetary cycle) is operating in the U.S. chart, understanding this weird shadow-planet adds further complexity -- especially since Rahu resides in the mysterious, deep and dangerous eighth house of the occult, mysticism, scandals and calamity. That mental Mercury is also placed in the eighth heightens nervous stress, which combination The Celestial Wheel has termed mystical paranoia in the U.S. chart.

Yet, sometimes just one English word holds the essence of the planet's symbolism, in this case Rahu, the head-of-the-dragon eclipse point -- vermin.

Rahu's rapacious, never-satisfied needs and complete lack of morality combine in the U.S. chart's eighth house to bring vermin into society, and our individual lives as well.  Here's a definition from Dictionary.com

To understand the idea little better, this astrologer's Rahu is in Aries, ruled by Mars, which planet is animals.  Thus, whenever I run Rahu in my Dasas, rats come into my home environment, where I've become very good at trapping them!

The U.S. chart's planetary cycles are Rahu major (2015 to 2033) and Saturn minor (January 5, 2021 to November 12, 2023).   This is a nasty combination.  The November 5, 2021 The Winters Of Our Discontent detailed this Dasa planet combination.
Here are some cogent excerpts,

Considering all this, is it truly any wonder that we're now in the midst of a culture war that began in mid 2021 and keeps getting more and more toxic?  Note that this assault upon our multicultural democracy has two centers -- racism and sex.  The Black Lives Matter movement lit the racial flame and critical race theory ignited the sexual one.  The latter, of course, includes an assault on LGBT people, abortion and any other behavior the Christian right believes is deviant.  A good current comparison is the Russians brutal city-flattening genocide in Ukraine.

Now consider this Rahu/Saturn Dasas combination is nearly three years long, and we've only experienced a little over one year of that.  So, there's much, much more to come.  Crazy as it sounds that some locales are burning books, and we can understand insanity is another Rahu meaning, with Saturn being the planet of retribution.

We've just gone through the Saturn/Mars conjunction in Capricorn -- the Capricorn Collision -- which harmful karma did reveal cracks in Trump's armor, the wide ranging investigations into him, the January 6 insurrection and other calamities.  It also, of course, also escalated the culture wars by attacking just about everyone of pedophilia -- even Mickey Mouse!

At some point, of course, this collective insanity, which is what a cult is, collapses on its weight, or legitimate authority brings it down as criminal.  However, with nearly two more years to go of Rahu/Saturn Dasa planets, this abusive behavior will continue, like a tapeworm boring into the intestines.  During this interval, the tremendous stresses will likely blow the cult up, but when and how are currently not predicted.  It's extremely difficult to catch a wild horse, but it's also true a wild horse can run himself to death, drown in a river or otherwise die.

Basically, the celestial logic of Vedic Astrology falls short when dealing with Rahu's for, as stated previously many times, Rahu's effects are both unanticipated and uncontrollable.  And with cold-hearted Saturn also influencing, Rahu's planetary karmas are supercharged.

At this time, then, we know:  (1) there remains nearly two more years of Rahu/Saturn Dasa planets (until November 2023),  (2) the cult will thereby continue and become more intense/aggressive,  (3) that under this pressure, the cult can end by imploding and/or taken down by legitimate democratic institutions.

In the meantime, below is a drawing from EarthSky.org of morning planets this month, featuring the Venus/Jupiter conjunction.  The drawing is for April 20, but the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter won't be closest until April 30.

Venus/Jupiter is a truly beautiful conjunction.  Venus is the brightest of planets and white in color.  Jupiter is also white but perhaps more of a pearly white.  In Vedic Astrology, Venus's love and compassion  are enhanced by expansive Jupiter, the planet of abundance, luck, fortune and wisdom.  They combine for a potent humanitarian karma.  Perhaps that will help in the Ukraine war and also even in tilting America away from the takers' hate, fear and racism in this U.S. chart's Rahu Dasa -- toward the givers of peace and love.  Simply being nicer to each other would be great, and it's amazing when I talk to others, they all agree! -- even the Trumpies, or at least some of them.

Below is today's transit chart, where the planets are in current skies.  Notice that while the planets in the above EarthSky.org drawing are shown in a line going down to the left, that the Vedic chart shows the opposite.  In fact, the planets move in opposing directions in these graphics.  It's confusing, of course, but the different vantage points are also informative.

One combination in the Vedic chart is of great interest.  Notice the Sun is in Aries with Rahu.  Rahu brings a partial solar eclipse on April 30, the same day Venus and Jupiter conjoin.  And certainly Rahu the dragon is on the loose spitting fire for the U.S.  There's no specific prediction here, but certainly the Sun being blocked by a toxic Rahu eclipse destabilizes and can shake something loose. That humanitarian Venus/Jupiter are so potent then suggests that energy expresses itself in this eclipse void.

Actually, with Venus/Jupiter already close together, and eclipse effects beginning a couple of weeks before the astronomical event, we're already under these energies.

Let's see what happens.

The Celestial Wheel 2002-2022©
Doug Riemer

It seems there is just lots and lots of bizarre behavior going on.

Here's the lineup of Jupiter/Venus and Mars and Saturn. Ignore Neptune.

And to complete this two act event, here's tomorrow's partial solar eclipse.  It's not visible in the northern hemisphere, but we still receive the energy, or energy void.

Again, hopefully Venus/Jupiter will fill the eclipse void. Just a thought.

The Celestial Wheel 2002-2022©
Doug Riemer