Vedic Predictive Astrology

#39
Into the New Year
Published December 30, 2003

(Note:  Titles in maroon and underlined are links to previous Forecasts)

Approaching The New Year
     As the final days of tumultuous 2003 tick by, we can see in current events harbingers for 2004.  Weak holidays sales, recent earthquakes and even President Bush's bum knee reflect current planetary disposi- tions and their impending results during the first half of 2004.
     The below Washington DC chart for 1 minute into the new year is illustrative and will be referenced throughout this Forecast.

Holiday Sales And The Economy
     Holiday season sales have not met the government's rosy forecasting and contradict its heralding a vigorous economic recovery begun in the 3rd quarter..  As stated in the December 13, 2003 Forecast, Vedic Vignettes,

     The media reports modest gains at discount stores nationally but big sales increases at upscale retailers, indicating that the middle class and poor remain economically stressed, while the rich luxuriate in their tax cuts and stock market gains. 
    As shown in the above chart, Saturn is currently retrograde.  This weakening of Saturn's restrictions, which began October 26, 2003 and will end March 8, 2004, coincides with stock market gains this fall that followed corporate profit growth.  The rising stock markets supported the continued illusion of a growing economy, which the poor holiday season convincingly refutes with consumer voting at cash registers.
     Expansive Jupiter will be retrograde January 4 to May 5, 2004, indicating the one-sided economic recovery will run out of steam, and given the continued employment and wage tribulations for middle and poor America, the best we can hope for (again from Vedic Vignettes) is "a slow, even sluggish and spotty recovery" during the first half of 2004.

Recent Earthquakes
     Mars' transit into Pisces at strength on December 9 brought an earthquake in the Washington DC area.  This was the first of 3 earthquakes, and they reflect the ongoing build-up of violent Mars energy held in check since June by Saturn's restrictions.  Recall that during Mars' 6 month stay in Aquarius this summer and fall until December, its energy was held back due to its retrograde and also by Mars sitting in a Saturn ruled sign.  Now in Pisces (as shown in the above New Years chart), Mars' aggression continues to be bottled-up, as stated in the October 15, 2003 Forecast, Gandhi, Martin Luther King & Today's Democracy Dilemma, 

     The second earthquake was a major one December 22 in California.  The horrific December 26 Iran earthquake completed the trio of advance warnings for major Mideast violence -- when Mars' long pent-up energy will finally be released during its transit through Aries January 25 to March 11.  (Note: that these earthquakes were on 3 separate tectonic fault lines, suggests widespread instability in the earth's crust.)
     The astrological influences indicating Mars' energy was incrementally released in earthquakes are: Mars aspects Saturn (ruler earthy Capricorn), Saturn aspects retrograde Mercury (ruler of earthy Virgo) and Mars as pects Virgo.
     
President Bush's Bum Knee
     When Bush visited Colin Powell in the hospital last week, the media mentioned he also had his bum knee checked.  The New Years chart above shows Saturn in Gemini, which is Bush's 12th house of loss, where his Sun is positioned.  As the Sun symbolizes the skeleton and Saturn chronic illness in the bones and joints, Bush would tend to have joint problems now.  
     The New Years chart also shows that toxic Rahu is in Aries, which is Bush's 10th house of the knees, as well as career and status.  The suggestion here is that his knee joint problem is a harbinger of Bush encountering severe career problems when Mars transits into Aries in late January.  The cause, of course, would be the above explained Mideast violence, which could take the form of Jihad.

New Years Eve
     A close look at the New Years chart shows some disturbing planetary dispositions which suggest care and conservative activities during the day and evening.  As shown, Mars and Saturn are in the same de- gree, which means they exactly aspect each other.  This maximizes their dissonant energies, which brings anger, frustration and an overall tension.  Concurrently, Saturn will also be exactly opposite the Sun, dampening the ego, confidence, will and power.  Finally, the Moon will be conjunct intense Rahu, riling up emotions further.
     Tomorrow, then, one should be conservative in all ways during the day and evening to avoid confrontations, danger and tribulations.  While the terrorism warnings this holiday season have not in the past had an astrological trigger, these triplicate adverse planetary dispositions suggest that if violence will occur, tomorrow and New Years day is the period of risk.