Back in January of 2022, during the Venus retrograde in Capricorn, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Fiona Marques on The Vedic Astrology Podcast. We talked about pandemics and what it is like to be an astrologer that gives predictions. While both Jupiter and Venus are Brahmin planets that can make one an astrologer, it is Venus that is the planet that makes one a predictive astrologer, at least in Vedic Astrology. The Rishi Jaimini highlights Venus as the planet of “knowing prophecy” in his Upadesa Sutras. I found it interesting that I was invited to speak on this topic of predictions while Venus was retrograding over my own natal Venus in Capricorn.
I will link to the interview on Spotify below. Fiona wrote a lovely little intro about it here:
“Cast your mind back to the Solar Eclipse on 26 December 2019 – What goes on inside an Astrologer when they are making a prediction? And how can we get better at it?? It’s not often that you find an Astrologer who is public with their predictions AND one who is open and willing to share their self-reflection and learnings from the process. And this is what we have in today’s special guest, Predictive Astrologer and Teacher, Corey Dowds. In this episode, he selflessly shares his approach, tips, techniques, and understandings of predicting in Vedic Astrology. We examine a case study that you can follow along with us and consult the transcript for even more links and deeper research. We cover rashi aspects, financial astrology, pandemics, nakshatras, the bhava lagna and more. You can also learn from Corey at https://eye-of-the-veda-university.teachable.com/
Hi and welcome back to the Eye of the Veda blog. This is Kelley, an Astrology Apprentice and student of Corey’s. Today, I’ll be highlighting some of his recent predictions surrounding the eclipse cycles of 2020. They were all incredibly accurate and specific; so much so, that I wanted to do a follow-up blog post to show the benefit and power behind using Vedic Astrology correctly.
For example, in December 2019, Corey spoke about the potential for severe economic turmoil as well as inflammatory-related health issues; long before Coronavirus even hit the news in the U.S.
In fact, in a short and casual Facebook post that Corey shared with friends and family, he specifically predicted that these planetary influences will cause economic and health-related issues that will impact Asia the most (remember the Coronavirus ‘started’ in China). He also touched on the fact that the Moon rules the respiratory system, and the North Node of the Moon (Rahu), rules viruses.
He wrote this on December 28th, 2019 at 10:06 AM:
Here is the link, below is a screenshot in case this is ever deleted from Facebook.
I also remember Corey telling me how bad these eclipses could be when he was reiterating what his teacher, Ernst Wilhelm, had explained to him back in November 2017. When the virus first hit the U.S., I also remember Corey saying he had a month worth of rice and beans already stored because he had been so aware of the major changes that were on the way.
“My teacher told me and others back in 2017 how bad this (Jan 2020) eclipse was going to be, and how it was going to cause major economic and survival issues for the planet. So I knew what was coming and I already had a month worth of beans and rice on hand for this winter because I was quite certain major changes were going to take place as a result of these eclipses in the changeable signs of Cancer and Capricorn.” —Corey Dowds
So let’s circle back for anyone who doesn’t already see the connections: The Moon rules the Respiratory, Urinary, and Circulatory systems. The Moon also controls the flow of the tides on our planet in the same way it controls the flow of water within our own bodies. The Coronavirus is considered to be a “wet” virus, and is believed to primarily impact the lungs and respiratory system. As mentioned earlier, the Moon rules the lungs / respiratory system, and is coincidentally the wettest planet of all. The transit of Rahu (Viruses) over Cancer, the sign of the Moon, along with all the other bad health and disease indications of this eclipse made it very likely that some sort of widespread inflammatory respiratory issue would occur.
In the post, Corey also mentioned swelling and issues related to water retention (the primary symptoms the Coronavirus is causing ie: inflammation of the lungs). He also specifically stated that the respiratory system was targeted at this time and that “issues could occur around that system.”
“The eclipses here will bring water and flooding issues. Also in a medical sense more people may have water retention issues, swelling, constipation, or issues with the blood flow and water in the body. The Moon rules the circulatory/urinary/respiratory system, issues could occur around that system.” – Corey Dowds
The Moon is said to rule over swelling and inflammation to some degree, as it moves the tides of the earth, and appears to “swell” and grow half of the month, and then receded and wane the other half. He explained that this was known in ancient times even:
“These characteristics of the Moon were known even in ancient times when Hippocrates clearly stated that no one should conduct surgery on a part of the body that is ruled by the sign of the zodiac that the Moon is transiting. This is because wherever the Moon is transiting is likely to be more swollen because more blood flow will be circulating to that body part at that time. Going through with surgeries under these transits is likely to increase the amount of blood loss and possible complications than at another time.” -Corey Dowds
So we already have a historical precedent for the Moon and its ability to cause swelling and inflammation, especially when afflicted, or during an eclipse time. This is EXACTLY what COVID-19 causes according to WebMD: “The new coronavirus can infect the upper or lower part of your respiratory tract. It travels down your airways. The lining can become irritated and inflamed.” SOURCE: WebMD Medical Reference Reviewed by Neha Pathak, MD on March 25, 2020
As previously mentioned, it is well known how Rahu (North Node of the Moon) rules viruses…. a commonly known fact in Vedic and Medical Astrology. Cancer, being ruled by the Moon, is the zodiac sign connected to the lungs and respiratory system. So when Rahu crossed Cancer, planet earth was scheduled to have a lung / respiratory-related virus emerge.
It’s also interesting how Corey highlighted Capricorn as being ruled by the planet Saturn, and how that connects to the muscular and lymphatic systems, both ruled by Saturn. As a result of the Coronavirus, much of the world was forced into a total lockdown/quarantine. So in relation to the Capricorn/Saturn reference, the entire planet did end up feeling rather cooped up and isolated as a result of these eclipses, just as expected. The planet Saturn rules death, disease, loss, poverty, poor health, wandering, depression, delays, despondency, and feeling stuck in life.
This was the advice that the CDC was giving to people: “Try to take a walk, try to maintain your routine and not forget to exercise while you are in the lockdown, etc.” which is the exact advice Corey gave (using Vedic Astrology), an impressive 6 months earlier.
In hindsight, another interesting point is how Saturn rules isolation, and this eclipse created a lot of isolation for people, among many other things that Saturn rules. Corey pointed out that almost all of the planets were in signs ruled by Saturn when we had the eclipse in January 2020….. as a result, many of Saturn’s significations dominated the collective world this year.
As for the economic crisis…. Corey had previously mentioned his teacher, Ernst Wilhelm, having already forecasted dire economic issues for the world in 2020. Ernst said this way back in 2017, while Corey and a few other astrologers were hanging out in Ernst’s living room enjoying a giant salad. With that in mind, look at what Corey wrote on the Eye of the Veda blog on November 25th, 2019, long before the economic crash of 2020:
(That’s a link to the previous blog post, but here is a screenshot so you can see it more clearly in your browser window, or in case it ever gets deleted.)
Literally, the first thing he said is that these upcoming eclipses are going to cause world-changing events and major economic shifts….. “There could be economic or survival threats…”
(Note: Corey chose not to elaborate on this too much as it was already predicted by so many other astrologers. Even one of his colleagues, Ganesh Jayakumar, predicted the major economic crisis down to the exact months of February and March of 2020. He forecasted this on a forum in 2017: Click here to read more about that from Ganesha’s website.)
In is blog post from November of 2019, Corey also pointed out how major long term changes are likely to occur during this time period as a result of the strong emphasis on the ‘cara’ or changeable signs. He also mentions how many of these big worldly structures and systems that rule us, will be hit with a long-overdue reality check.
Think about how much faith we have lost in our worldly structures and systems over the last several months. Faith and trust in the mainstream media continues to decline tremendously, as well as in the modern medical world as more stories of corruption and for-profit caregiving surface. Countless celebrities and elite figures have also taken a fall this year; so many that it would require an entire additional post to cover them all. A few worth mentioning though would be: Ellen Degeneres, Madonna, Prince Andrew, Harvey Weinstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Let’s focus on Ellen for example, who has had this eclipse falling in her first and seventh house axis, as a Cancer lagna. The first house is the house of the self, and the seventh is the house of other-selves, and hence the public and one’s public image. It certainly seems her public image has been “eclipsed” over the last year.
Apparently, Ellen has been called one of the “meanest people alive” and a Twitter thread about this received over 2,000 responses. I wanted to highlight this because in his eclipse prediction video, Corey explains how the sign of Capricorn rules the elite…. but even more interestingly, it is Saturn who rules Capricorn, and Saturn is the planet who rules the masses and common folk. It is always the people/common folk that actually empower and support the rulers. As current events unfold, it seems many more people are beginning to realize that the elite cannot remain in power without the support and cooperation of the masses. There is an underlying theme of using unity to overcome and take down corrupt Capricorn figures both on the entertainment and government platforms. Ellen, who had her house burglarized over the 4th of July weekend, is just one quick example of Saturn responding.
Cancer is also the sign of one’s dwelling space and home, and is Ellen’s first house, where the eclipse occurred. We had a Lunar eclipse on July 5th, one day after the fourth of July, the day Ellen’s home was robbed. (It is also worth noting that Ghislaine Maxwell was also indicted within a few days of this eclipse, but that require another article to properly address.)
The first and seventh houses are the houses of the self, (1st) and the other self (7th) aka the public. One’s overall popularity can have a lot to do with the seventh house. With the eclipses in these parts of her chart, she has lost her power to influence the public during this eclipse.
“They say when Saturn is happy with you, he makes your name remembered for a very long time. They say if Saturn is unhappy with you and the karmas you have been performing, he destroys any trace of your existence from the world. It appears that Saturn has been busy with what I refer to in this video as a changing of the guard(s).” —Corey Dowds
With this eclipse, Saturn has been busy ‘dethroning’ all of the elite figures who are not karmically meant to remain in their position for the next 30-year cycle of Saturn. We have seen this with numerous CEO resignations, and we have seen this with high-level people finally being sentenced to prison in the case of Harvey Weinstein.
I have not had too much time to study this in-depth, but it really looks like these upcoming eclipses are going to cause some world-changing events. Likely major economic shifts. I wanted to write a little about this while I have time…There could be economic or survival threats and challenges with this happening in the earth sign of Capricorn which deals with survival. Capricorn is also a movable, changeable sign, so this is a point where major long term changes can occur. This rashi also has to do with all of the big worldly structures that we humans have built. It seems like many of the powerful and elite are finally getting hit with a reality check that was long overdue. That is definitely going to continue. No rational thinker can deny that the indictments were unsealed and the Epstein arrest happened within days of the last eclipse, as well as the major earthquakes in California. There are still many more unsealed indictments. Indictments are used to prosecute organized crime at very high levels in an immediate fashion so that no evidence can be destroyed. This means that the Government knows about a lot of major crime and is ready and waiting, lurking in the dark waters of the swamp for just that right moment to strike….Remind you of a certain aquatic animal that is literally the sanskrit name of this sign? The Makara, or Crocodile, is the sanskrit name for Capricorn. This sign is known for appearing slow and dull and just trodding along, and then all of a sudden out of nowhere doing something very powerful. { Capricorn is also where we get the word “Capricious”, which means “motivated by sudden whim or fancy.” }
The Crocodile is known for being very still for long periods of time, and then taking a sudden powerful action. It is the apex predator but rules from behind the scenes.
This sign also rules the common folk, which will not let the Epstein story fade away like so many other important news stories have. There have been ongoing “Epstein didn’t kill himself” memes everywhere. There will have to be more ongoing legal actions with the Epstein case and there will likely be a lot more arrests going on of high profile figures coming up this Christmas, new years, and throughout the winter. Even the mysterious figure (that is so controversial I will just say that they go by the 17th letter of the alphabet) has been saying that there will be more arrests before the end of the year as well. This is all very interesting and does seem to be in line with the astrological trends. The amount of people who are becoming more interested in alternative views and media is increasing dramatically. Astrology has become tremendously more popular in the last year, as a result. New ways of thinking are accepted everywhere. New paradigms are not being smashed immediately every time anymore. Is it possible that we have reached a critical mass already? Is it possible that things are actually already much better than the mainstream media is telling us?
From another angle, economy experts have been talking about a downshift in the economy for some time and it is very likely that this might finally happen since every time Jupiter leaves a place of good dignity and enters a lower dignity place, there does seem to be a downtick in the world economy. This could occur in the next 2-3 weeks or it may not occur until January if the holiday season keeps the economy buffered until January.
What we might see is a record low for black friday spending. Black friday is called this because it is the day when all the departments stores go from being “in the red” that year, to being “in the black”, meaning, profitable. Perhaps that will not hold so true this year. With all this Capricorn energy running, there will be a lot of people wanting to hold tight to their wallets. (Whether that’s a great idea or not will depend on each person’s chart)
The thing about Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn with Ketu is that this is showing that old structures based on outdated religions, beliefs, cults, or just outdated worldviews are needing to be dissolved and are going to be dissolved one way or the other. Prince Andrew has stepped down from his official royal duties as a result of his obvious associations with Epstein. Faith in the white house is very low. Faith in the mainstream media is very low. All of these structures that previously held so much power and control over us are being threatened right now. They are appearing obsolete and outdated. Google’s insider Zach Vorhies has made it abundantly clear that Google wishes to control and manipulate the public for its own agenda, suppressing sites that they choose to, selling our private data to other countries, denying cold fusion exists and yet creating their own cold fusion projects so as to corner the market, the list goes on and on. Facebook has also gotten a lot of bad press lately. Its time for some new things to replace them if they cannot change and adapt to the times.
We will continue to have new advancements and rollouts in aviation and in free energy, we will move away from fossil fuels even faster. Jupiter represents energy and Saturn will force the world to change its energy structures. As I said in my previous video on Saturn in Capricorn, I predicted in April of 2018 that we would see new advancements in aviation, new types of airplanes or new ways of flying. I also said we would see the UFO controversy taken seriously. Here is the video if you want to watch it, at 8 min in I talked about how there will be crazy new advancements in aviation happening during this period. I said “Major changes in our aviation….we will go up into space more”, and “ufo disclosures may occur, and ufos will definitely be taken more seriously over the next 2.5 years”
An image of one of Boeing’s new Aircrafts
Now keep in mind that I said all that before we saw these new inventions come out in the media. Check out this new engine that will enable flights from the UK to Australia in just 4 hours!
“Flights to Australia from the UK could become just a four-hour journey in the near future, thanks to a new engine that’s currently being developed. Meanwhile, a flight between the UK and New York could become a one-hour journey. UK-based firm Reaction Engines has been working on a Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), which could propel an aircraft to Mach 5.4. Basically, that’s the equivalent of five times the speed of sound. The idea is that a SABRE engine will be able to deliver the fuel efficiency of a jet engine, with the power and high-speed abilities of a rocket.
That is quite an advancement in aviation, and it was long overdue really. But even more shocking is the fact that on September 16th, 2019, the United States Navy officially disclosed UFOs. They did it. They finally did. They officially stated that some leaked footage of pilots following a UFO was indeed an unidentified object and was genuine footage, that the public was not supposed to see.
“Joseph Gradisher, the Navy’s spokesman for the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, confirmed that the Navy considered the objects in the videos to be unidentified...
“The Navy designates the objects contained in these videos as unidentified aerial phenomena,” he said in a statement to The Black Vault, a civilian-run archive of government documents. The term UFOs, which stands for “unidentified flying objects,” is now used less frequently by officials, who have instead adopted the term “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAP.”
“…Navy pilots reported to their superiors that the objects had no visible engine or infrared exhaust plumes, but that they could reach 30,000 feet and hypersonic speeds,” the Times report said. Hypersonic speed is more than about 3,800 mph — five times the speed of sound.
The thing everyone has been talking about is how little of an impact this has made, since most people already believe this was the case. I think we will continue to see more important UFO disclosures coming forth now with Jupiter about to enter Capricorn as well.
One more thought…If I had to guess where we might see some other major negative news events, I would guess the Catholic Church and the Vatican might come up a bit more in the news. Or other major religious institutions, due to Jupiter and Venus crossing Capricorn, the two planets of the priest class.
The Jaimini system is a solar, and rasi based system, emphasizing rasi aspects over planetary aspects, and rasi dasas over planetary dasas. As such it is useful for more objective data such as the career a person will have. The Parashara system works beautifully alongside it, but is for different things. It is more Lunar and Nakshatra based and is therefore more subjective. We could then see how one feels about their career and how satisfied they are from this system.
We now begin where we left off in describing the different effects of the Atmakaraka falling in each of the twelve signs of the navamsa chart. This is called the “Swamsha” and has a large bearing on the nature and dharma of a person as described in part 1.
Libra: With a Libra Swamsha, the native has a life marked by trade and relationships. Libra is the sign of trade, it is symbolized as a balancing scale, which implies balancing as well as decision making and “weighing the options”. Libras can make some of the best businessmen if that is what the rest of the chart is pointing towards. Libra is also the sign of relationships, (which involve a lot of trading) as well as the public. Libra has a keen understanding of society and the social side of life. A strong and healthy Libra swamsha is able to relate to the world in such a way that it may not have much itself, but it trades what it does have so wisely and appropriately that it ends up with much more than most. Afflicted Libra swamshas may have to work harder at this, and diplomacy in general. They may have to work on making better decisions and seeing what others have to offer. Prince, the musician, has Saturn as the Atmakaraka and falling in Libra in the navamsa chart, and is a great example of a strong Libra swamsha. He ended up with a very fulfilled life. (His chart is really strong overall though as well, to be fair, and this is not the only reason for his success.)
Scorpio: Scorpio swamsha is a very fascinating one. They can be very extreme individuals, with whatever they do in life. Scorpio is a fixed rasi after all, so it can be very devoted and fixed on what it focuses on as being worthwhile. Scorpio swamsha is a person who is working on their vulnerabilities essentially. They are without a doubt going to face more emotional issues that bring up their vulnerable places because they are meant to battle through those issues. They often have difficult issues come up in the early family life, or a separation from the mother of some sort is also common. Or the Mother of the native may be there but less comforting than the average mother, etc. They have to learn to fight so much harder for everything that they get than the average individual, and this can lead to both positive and negative extremes. Paramahansa Yogananda is a very positive example of taking this energy and the death of his Mother in his early life to galvanize him to seek the Divine Mother with great ardor. Adolf Hitler is another example of a swamsha in scorpio, on the other more negative end of the spectrum. He suffered in a household where his Father abused his Mother and there was nothing he was able to do about it, likely leading him to have a hateful approach towards life in general. If the rest of the chart also supports it, these swamshas can make great spiritual progress in life, or can have a life that involves the occult or hidden side of life somehow. I have noted that two of the greatest Astrologers I have found in my life are Scorpio Swamshas. They seem to have learned to better deal with the troubles of life from their understanding of the somewhat hidden forces in life, such as the planets.
Sagittarius: Sagittarius swamsha, when aspected by malefics, is actually a sign of accidents and falls from heights. This was surprising to me, when I learned this. Most people paint Sag as this really lucky and joyful sign, and if not blemished than that often is the case. Sagittarius is the sign of the bowman, the archer. It symbolizes seeing the goal and pursuing it. But if there are malefics aspecting (rasi aspecting, we are talking about here) then the Bowman misses his mark, essentially. If all benefic planets are associated with Sagittarius then the person is likely to find grace from accidents and such, but this is rarely the case. In that case, the person may even work around accidents but still end up being okay for the most part, such as being a fireman or something of that sort. If cruel planets are aspecting, these people need to be cautioned to be more realistic with their goals and not expect things to work out easily on the first try. This can often be the case too, because Sagittarius is a sign of being overly optimistic; overconfident.
Capricorn: Capricorn is a very fascinating swamsha. It can make one involved in aquatic animals, particularly crocodiles and alligators. Capricorn itself is the sign of crocodiles and all aquatic beasts. Capricorn swamsha also makes “villages”, as Jaimini puts it, an important karmic factor. Sometimes these people always feel like they have to leave the home town or village that they grew up in to make it in the world and be successful. Often they are right as well. This is because Capricorn is about as far away as it gets from the signs of royalty and success, the prime real estate of the zodiac. That would be Cancer and Leo, the signs of the King and Queen; the summertime when all is plentiful. Capricorn is opposite of those signs and rasi drishtis them (dhristi is the word for aspect in Jyotish, literally meaning “sight” or “glance”. This means that Capricorn literally “sees” the Leo rasi), wishing it could have what they seem to have. This is also part of why Capricorn is a very driven and ambitious sign. They often dont feel very supported in their home towns and therefore move away. Capricorn is also a sign of tumors, and cancer is more likely to be the thing to take out this person, so they need to get themselves checked out more regularly for that sort of thing as they age. Capricorn is also a sign of Kapha, and stagnation, like the swamps and alligators and crocs that it also rules. Jaimini also states for capricorn swamsha, “Things flying in the air”, which is very mysterious and intriguing. One interesting thing is I have noticed people who are pilots or involved in flying to often be having planets in the 10th house of their chart, like the 10th sign Capricorn. I also find Gemini coming up a lot for pilots, but havent done enough research on this to be sure. We may speculate and say that Capricorn would be the sign of flying in planes, and perhaps even UFOs would fall under this sign.
Aquarius: Aquarius is the swamsha of the “maker of tanks and ponds” according to Jaimini. Which is to say that one is involved in providing resources that make life more bearable for everyone. Everyone needs water and to help provide a source of water is to be a real humanitarian, which is what Aquarius is, essentially. This water is also symbolic of psychological wholeness, which is the true goal of Aquarius, to become whole in oneself, and accept and make peace with all of one’s weaknesses and shortcomings, and just be okay with them and love oneself anyway. This is why Aquarius may seem so odd or weird. It is because they are learning to stop doing things to compensate for their inner lack, and instead to just be there with the lack…..and eventually it goes away, but it might seem weird to other people passing by in the meantime. This probably has to do with why they get stereotyped in western astrology as being without charm and aloof. Sometimes Aquarius people will be social workers or people who do a lot of service of some kind, other times they may do more of a pyschological service for people, and sometimes they may actually work around water and provide it in a literal way as well.
Pisces: Pisces swamsha, as the last sign of the zodiac, is the most spiritual sign and the sign of “Kaivalya” or liberation of consciousness, according to Jaimini. He also says of it, “perpetual dharma”, and seems to convey that Pisces is a sign of steady spiritual progress throughout the life of the native. As long as the rest of the chart points mostly in that direction I do find this to be true, but you will also find many cases of Pisces swamshas that live a very negative life and are most definitely not progressing spiritually as well so that is not always the case. Edgar Cayce is an interesting example of a Pisces swamsha, and I hope to do an article on his chart soon. Robin Williams is another example, someone who is most definitely a sensitive soul with spiritual inclinations, but the rest of his chart had many difficult karmas indicated, and so he often could not bear the pain of life on earth and needed to escape or find liberation through more immediate means such as drugs. That is a more mixed example, which is often the case. We could say that this placement makes the person more sattvic and naturally inspired, within the context of the rest of the chart. Roy Eugene Davis, the last living direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, is another example of a positive pisces swamsha. He has written many books and lectured on Self Realization for over 50 years and in countless countries, and is noticeably more realized than the average spiritual author/public figure.
These twelve swamshas are very important signs for the individual, and one will also note that the sign the atmakaraka goes to in the rashi chart will also have some of these significations as well, but not as much as the navamsa chart. For example, Robin Williams is a pisces swamsha, but has scorpio as a rising sign, so this reinforces more of the difficult emotional struggles and battles that he would face on his path in life. Say it was a cancer rising, and no tough aspects from Sun, Saturn, or Rahu, then he may not have had such a painful life and perhaps could have enjoyed more of the positive Pisces qualities in life.
The planet that is falling in the swamsha determines a great more of it, but this is one important part of the puzzle of what ones dharma will involve in this life. With some careful study and application on charts, one should begin to see some clear correlations of the charts examined and the associations described above.
This is the second part of an interview I did with Ryan Kurczak of Asheville Vedic Astrology. We talk about the conjunctions of Saturn and the Moon. Take a look if you are curious about the implications of this conjunction.
Also, just for fun, here is a picture of the Alligator that was in my back yard on the day that we did this interview. The Gator and Crocodile are perfect symbols of Saturn.
The word for the sign of Capricorn in Vedic Astrology has always been “Makara”, which translated, literally means “crocodile”. The crocodile is possibly the only animal we know of that has not changed or evolved in any way over hundreds of thousands of years, when we look at it in the fossil records. You can see a skeleton of a crocodile or alligator that lived during the time of the dinosaurs, and it will be the same as a modern skeleton of a crocodile. This perfectly symbolizes the nature of the sign Capricorn, which is the sign of Karma, and action. The best actions we can do are those that are done so right and so effectively to begin with, that they stand the test of time and do not need to be redone or improved upon. This is the nature of Capricorn, and Saturn as well. To do something right the first time, to be patient, to be methodical, and when the right time comes, to execute the appropriate action. Saturn takes 30 years to go around the zodiac, not like the Moon who makes the same course in a Month. We can think of it like this: We want to do work and karmas that are so well done, that Saturn doesn’t have to go back and revisit that work for 30 more years. Observing Alligators and Crocodiles in nature gives us a window into this type of consciousness, and this type of activity. This is also why Mars, the planet of all kinds of action, is exalted in Capricorn. The highest action is that which can stand the test of time.
There is an astrological meaning behind the Christmas holiday that even many Astrologers are not aware of. It is actually a very important day and time of year for a wide array of civilizations and cultures on this planet, and the reason for this is completely astrological in nature. In this post the focus will be mainly on comparing the Christian holiday with the Vedic/Yogic perspective, but it should be noted that this time is incredibly important for almost every culture on this planet and has been for thousands of years.
From the standpoint of Yogic and Vedic philosophy, Christmas day just so happens to be the first day in six months that can at least generally be considered each year to be an auspicious day. This is because it is the first day in six months that the Sun begins to noticeably move north, and the present day lasts longer than the day before. This is not popularly recognized, so don’t be surprised if you are a Hindu/Sanatan Dharma adherent reading this and you do not understand what I am talking about or how Christmas is relating to the Vedic traditions. Please bear with me, as there is a lot to explain to make this point clear. And remember, the aim of this post is only to add more spiritual significance to this day as a Christian holiday and also as a special day for all people on Earth, because of the astronomical activity that occurs on this day. There is no intention to take anything away from the Christian religion or any religion. I have the utmost respect for all religions and enlightenment traditions.
The Sun Moves North on the Winter Solstice
First we need to know why the Solstice matters in the first place. The reason the solstice and equinox times matter is because these are the places where the Sun noticeably changes its course, and where there is a change in the light of the world. This in turn creates the seasons, the natural cycles, the sense of time, and the balance and harmony that makes life on Earth so beautiful. At the Winter Solstice (Dec 21-25th) the Sun reaches its lowest point on the ecliptic (The path that it appears to make around the Earth each day), and stays at that lowest point for three more days. Then on the next day it finally begins to noticeably rise at a more northern place. This day (Dec 25th) is the first day since late June that the daylight, the light of this world, lingers longer than the day before. That is a very big deal, though it may not seem like it in this modern age, with the common person being so divorced from nature. But take away the smart phones and electricity and this knowledge becomes the difference between surviving winter or a painful death. Now we can see why this date has been so important to cultures and civilizations since timeimmemorial. This may be even more appropriate in very northern parts of the world such as Siberia and Russia, where Christmas may have originated. Here the Sun can hardly even be seen at this three day period where it is at its lowest point. Then on the 25th, it rises and continues to do so for six months until the Summer Solstice point, on June 22nd. At the midway point, we find the Spring Equinox, the place where there begins to be more daylight than night and thus, the beginning of Aries, as all of nature cyclically charges forth into being at that time. The Summer Solstice point is where the Sun appears to stall for a moment, and then begins backing down or moving south for six months, thus this space has the qualities of the sign of Cancer, the crab. Crabs appear to go forward and then stall, and start moving sideways back in the opposite direction, which is exactly what the Sun can be observed to do here. Cancer is also the most Yin sign, the sign of the divine feminine, and in many ways it is like the Sun is relaxing and being more Yin at this point, after six months of charging north. (Read more about that here). Then at the Fall equinox in late September marks the point where there begins to be more night than day, and thus the Sun “falls” in the sign of Libra. At this point the Sun is starting to move south quickly and the days are noticeably shorter. Then we get back to the Winter Solstice point and the cycle repeats. Notice that these four points mark the “cardinal” (or moveable) signs in both Western and Vedic Astrology. This is the rough logic behind that, but if you want to read more details on how this relates to the nature of the cardinal signs, read this older blog post.
How this relates to Christianity
So what better of a time of year to celebrate the birth of the “Son of God” then the exact astronomical time when the physical “Sun of God” has just been noticeably reborn? It’s even more interesting when we consider that in the Northern regions of the Earth the Sun can literally not be seen for three days, because it is so far south, hence a perfect symbol for death and resurrection. The northern areas of Russia and Siberia seem to have the oldest connections to the reindeer and other symbols associated with Christmas. It is well known and well documented that the Christian tradition wisely co-opted these symbols to strengthen their own relevance at the time. And it certainly seems to fit nicely….But we really don’t know when Christ was born, so he may have been born at that time or not; we really just don’t know. But it certainly does make sense to celebrate the birth of Jesus at this time though, due to the astrological synchronization explained above.
How this relates to Hinduism
In the Hindu/Yogic perspective, the time of the winter solstice, and the Sun’s change of direction to move north is incredibly important. This same time is called the Makara Sankranti, which can be translated to “The ingress into Capricorn”. Sankranti is Sanskrit for ingress, basically. Makara is sanskrit for crocodile, which is what Capricorn is the symbol of in Vedic Astrology, and most likely in the original western astrology as well, but that will have to be explained in another post. So this is an important time and it traditionally is celebrated as such by flying kites and other activities as it is said to be an auspicious date. It is currently celebrated about three weeks late by most in India due to calculation errors that put the Capricorn ingress around January 14th. The Solar ingress celebrations are meant to be calculated with the seasonal Tropical zodiac and this is something that Sri Yukteswar was very adamant about. To explain this fully would also take another post, but understand that this same celebration is actually supposed to coincide with Christmas, for the exact same reasons as Christmas does; because the Sun moves north.
This Northern change of the Solar energy is also called the Uttarayana, in Vedic philosophy. Uttara means “North” in Sanskrit, and Ayana means “movement”, or “time pass” in Sanskrit. The Uttarayana has been mentioned in ancient Vedic texts as being extremely important from the spiritual perspective, and this basis is astrological. Any auspicious deed or project we want to accomplish, we want to start it when the Sun is moving north. This way we start the project in rhythm with nature and all of the elements, as all of nature is growing with each new day as the Sun is moving north. In the same way, whatever projects we start at this time will “coincide” and therefore be more likely to grow stronger each day along with the Sun, the Soul of the Universe. We want to do things in harmony with the Universal Soul whenever possible.
So Christmas day marks the first generally great day to do auspicious deeds in six months! This is not to say that for six months of the year one should avoid doing good deeds, not at all. In the six months that the Sun moves south one can find many other shorter windows of time when the muhurta/electional astrology factors are all lining up in a fortunate way for the goal in mind…. But if the goal in mind is very important and it can wait, it should wait for this time, the Uttarayana. And then if possible, one should have an astrologer find the exact day and hour and minute that one should implement this action, if it is a truly important undertaking and one wants to make the best of it. This way whatever negative karma one has from birth that may prevent the full realization of the goal can be minimized and negated by choosing the most auspicious date to begin that would neutralize those negative factors. This is much of the basis behind Electional Astrology, or Muhurta as it is called in India.
Now it makes sense why we all give gifts on this day
Snow Queen by Charles Robinson
Now we can see why it is so astronomically perfect to give gifts to each other on December 25th. It is the first auspicious day in six months, and what better way to make use of that than by giving gifts to all of your loved ones! Its also very interesting because this date was mentioned in the ancient Indian text, the Mahabarata, and one character refuses to die until the Sun starts moving north, because he knows how much more auspicious it is to die when the Sun starts moving north, then when it is moving south. There are spiritual reasons for this significance as well, and one will notice that generally more saintly and spiritually evolved beings tend to leave their bodies as the Sun moves north. Likewise more people tend to commit suicide as the Sun moves south and particularly around November and December, when the Sun is very low and weak in strength. The Sun is our self-esteem, and a weak Sun leads to depression more easily. It is likely that people who have difficult depression placements in their charts get more heavily impacted by this weak Sun transit than the average person, but most people will agree that November and December can be times when depression seems to set in more easily.
There is a lot more to this cycle and how it affects us psychologically, but this will have to wait for another post, as this one is long enough for now. In the next post we will go into how this relates to Yogic philosophy and the esoteric meaning of the Sun.
Each house in the astrological nativity at birth is said to signify a certain area of life. The first house, which is also the first sign in the birth chart, the rising sign, represents the body of the thing that was born at that moment. It also represents the path which that body is on in this life. So a Capricorn ascendant (AKA Capricorn first house) has a body and path in life that is connected to the qualities of the sign of Capricorn. What does Capricorn relate to in Astrology? Capricorn is the 10th sign, and from the natural 1st sign Aries, Capricorn is the place in space that is directly overhead, directly above us in the sky, the 10th place in the 12 stage journey of the zodiac. It is the highest point in the sky, and from there the 11th and 12th are descending points in between that highest point and the eastern horizon.
Knowing this, we can now have an idea as to why Capricorn represents what it represents as a sign, or as the 10th house. The house is the same idea and feel of the sign of the same number, but on a different level of viewpoint we could say. Capricorn is the sign of a crocodile in the Vedic tradition of Astrology. It is the sign of lasting accomplishments, doing something that is done so well, that it never needs to be refined or improved upon, it simply stands the test of time as some say. That is the nature of Capricorn and the crocodile. You can look at crocodiles in the fossil record from millions of years ago and they are essentially the exact same, and have not evolved or changed to any noticeable degree… This is not the case with many other animals. This is why Capricorn is the sign of doing something so right the first time that it cannot be done any better and will thus endure through time. Its ruling planet is Saturn, which according to the Upadesa Sutras, deals with “Accomplished Deeds”. Saturn is associated with long term things and things that last longer than the rest and so we can see the connection. You may recall from Greek mythology that Saturn was known as Chronos, the God of time and agriculture. Chronos is still the root of many words that relate to time, such as “chronology”, “chronic”, “anachronistic” etc….
So the 10th house in the birth chart relates to these similar themes of the 10th sign Capricorn, but in a more specific way that relates to that ascendant which we are viewing it from. Moreover, each ascendant is naturally geared towards a certain type of karma or action in the world which the 10th house from that ascendant gives us clues to. And this same logic applies to each of the other astrological houses that are the same in number as the astrological sign that they relate to, and when analyzed all help to add a more nuanced perspective of chart interpretation. (For example: 7th sign libra is about relationships, 7th house is the house of relationships and your partner in your own chart)
With this understanding, we can now see why the 10th house is so important for career, because our career is usually connected with the type of actions or work we do in the world which we hope to cause a lasting change or effect. For example having Venus in the 10th house from the rising sign at birth can make it more likely that someone will try to have a work or type of action in the world that creates harmony, beauty, entertainment, pleasure, or some type of luxury for others. These are all Venusian types of work. How good they are at these types of karmic work will depend on all the more particular factors such as the dignity of Venus, any yogas that are connected to Venus, the lajjitaadi avasthas on Venus, how the strength of those avasthas on Venus weigh out in each of the varga charts that relate to specific areas of life, what dasas (timing systems) are triggering Venus and when, the transiting place of Venus, and many, many more factors. This is where it gets more complicated, but is still very fun and worthwhile to do. But from just seeing Venus in the 10th, most jyotishis can know this person may have a career that is more about bringing pleasure to the senses, or harmony to a person, and that alone is a pretty amazing thing to be able to predict… And it will be correct most of the time. To get the finer details takes time and skill on the part of the jyotishi, but even just to understand the basic connection of Venus to work is worthwhile information for most to have.
One more note about the 10th house: Not all of us do make a big difference or change in the world, and not all of us are meant to do this as our dharma… Still others are meant to be on this Earth for a very important reason. If they were not here then the world just would not be the same. But then others are just meant to be here and enjoy life with more of an internal focus, not so much about external karmas. That is more of a 4th house factor, the opposite house/sign. The 4th house is related to enlightenment and liberation, and retiring from the world. There is a Jaimini Yoga that relates to the 10th house in certain vargas, and whether one will be “resolute, and important”. This technique is very useful and very accurate when you look at the charts of people who have made a profound impact on the world, without which Earth would just not be the same. I cover these issues in readings when requested, but if you are curious about learning the Jaimini technique yourself I would strongly recommend taking the first of 3 audio courses on Jaimini by Ernst Wilhelm. All three of the classes together total 62 hours of instruction, and it is my sentiment that just the first course could be studied and contemplated and re-studied for years, as that is what I have been doing myself… Its that good. These courses can be purchased on his website, found Here.
