I
t's a grim topic, there is no end of coverage, and it seems the whole thing will never end: indeed, for America at least, some things are just getting started. We have all seen how the varying degrees to which nations around the world are being affected by the virus, to the extent that the media and the medical professions are starting to ask why some nations are faring better than others. This is where astrology really comes into its own. There are certain situations that happen in life that are so extreme, like now on planet earth, that only the esoteric and the realms of Biblical belief has the language of scale to adequately describe what's going on... and there is a LOT going on.
Readers of my blog will know that I've been writing about times like this coming for a while. In the current astrological weather, we have Saturn, Pluto, Mars and Jupiter all in the Sidereal sign of Capricorn. This is a very rare conjunction indeed... So rare that they come around once every thousand years or so. Indeed, one of the last times this happened was the fall of Rome as an empire, thousands of years ago, and looking at the world today it's hard not to see the parallels. These are seismic times so epic that few of us will ever live through a situation like it again. Covid-19 is cutting through the global population in the thousands, at this time of writing, and could just keep going for months.
Yet, within this Tsunami of loss, there are variations from nation to nation, and I wish to shed what light on this I can.
Italy: why are things so terrible in there?
Firstly the obvious: Italy has one of the highest populations of older people in all of Europe and much of the world. Secondly, Italians, by nature and national chart, are gregarious, affectionate, and mingling people. Those are perfect conditions for a virus with a long incubation/infectious period to spread amongst a very family and social-oriented population. But there is more. In my recent YouTube video on my Global Astrology Channel, I discuss the astrological factors that are influencing the fate of nation-states. In my most recent video, I go as far to state that I believe that the global pandemic is a Gemini disease. Why do I say that?
There are several factors that add weight, in astrological terms, to my theory. In medical astrology, the 12 houses of the zodiac are associated with the body. The 1st house is associated with birth and thus the top of the head, relating to Aries, as that is how most of us are born. The 2nd house is associated with the face and the neck, relating to Taurus, because that is what comes out next. Thus Gemini, in being the third sign of the zodiac, is associated with the upper body: the hands, the arms, the shoulders and most importantly - the lungs (and the upper lungs in particular). If that statement has released a thunderclap in your head then it is for good reason. Gemini is probably the most social sign of the zodiac, and it deals with all forms of communication, travel, networking, mingling, and sharing information. That is primarily how the disease spreads: social contact. This is all Gemini, and thus Mercury related issues. Mercury also rules over Virgo: the zodiac sign associated with health and sickness. Virgo, the Virgin, is essentially about a young girl that acts as a nurse to others with medicine and knowledge. The medical profession, and others, are fully engaged all around the world. I'll also mention that planet Mercury is also an androgynous planet that represents pre-pubescent children. Although there are young and healthy people that have fallen victim to the virus, the very young are said to be virtually immune. I see that, energetically, as if planet Mercury is protecting the youngest in society as they come under his stewardship. Saturn, the planet of governments, structures, restriction, duty, endurance, confinement and separation, is very powerful at the moment in his own sign of Capricorn and will continue to be so for the next five years because Aquarius, the next sign, is also ruled by him. Yes: I said five years: that's five years of significant restructuring of governments and society.
For many new readers unfamiliar with Astrology, what I've just written can seem like baloney, however, as the trends emerge, this seems to be bearing out. Another thing that I've noticed is that the nations most affected have a compromised Mercury in their national birth charts.
China, Italy, Spain, and the USA all have Mercury issues by the planet being either being retrograde and/or being closely associated with Neptune. This bears out in various ways. In China's case, Mercury is not only retrograde but very closely conjunct Neptune and Ketu, and both planets are closely associated with disease: Neptune with strange illnesses and Ketu with Pandemics. When one also considers, as stated in my other blogs, that Rahu and Ketu (the north and south nodes of the moon) are currently in the very dangerous axis of Gemini and Sagittarius, both signs associated with travel, is it any wonder that we have a global pandemic? To add yet more to these associations, China has the Mercury, Neptune, Sun, and Ketu conjunction in Virgo (making Mercury powerfully exalted) in the 9th house of international travel. That is a combination that increases the likelihood of domestic diseases becoming international ones. The way these things play out is extraordinary.
Returning to Italy one sees that they have a Gemini ascendant, making Mercury the ruling planet of the whole nation of Italy, but they also have Mercury retrograde, conjunct Neptune and the Sun in the 10th house: a house of reputation that is visible to everyone. The Sun represents the soul and in a national chart the soul of the nation. In Spain, natal Mercury is conjunct Neptune within 4 degrees in the 4th house of homeland and heart. So we see the pattern emerging. Adding to the pain of these nations is where the transit of the grand conjunction is happening in these nation's charts. It's all happening in Capricorn but the house varies upon the ascendant. For China the grand conjunction is happening in the 1st house, being a Capricorn nation, so they got it first (head first). The first house represents the way we are seen by others and what physically pans out in life, so we see clearly that the virus started in China. China is going to have a rebirth of epic proportions, and the virus will be seen as a turning point in the nation's history.
For Italy, the grand conjunction is happening in their 8th house, ouch! This is one of the most difficult places to have such a conjunction as the 8th house is literally a house of death and transformation. Adding to this their natal Mercury is in the nakshatra (lunar mansion) of Purva Bhadrapada (the front legs of the funeral cot). To have natal Mercury in the luna mansion associated with death is grim indeed, this just adds to the losses for the nation which are huge, over 10,000 people at the time of writing this article on 1/04/2020. The losses will decrease with time, and Italy, like China, will experience a rebirth. With natal Pluto in Bharani (labour pains) I suspect that the birth rate of Italy will increase significantly, as many families either through grief, wanting a fresh start, and simply by being in constant confinement with loved ones will lead to many children being born, and more youth in the nation: Mercury is the ruler of the nation - unless the nation's birthday changes via some unforeseen drama - and Mercury loves youth.
For Germany, by contrast, many are asking why, at the time of writing, Germany's death toll is so low in comparison to other European nations. I immediately thought to myself that Germany would likely have Mercury in good working condition. So upon studying the chart of Germany using October 3rd 1990 at Midnight when the nation officially reunified to great fanfare, low and behold one finds Mercury in excellent condition. For not only is Mercury good by being in the 3rd house, a natural house of rulership for Mercury, but it is also exalted in Virgo and conjunct his best friend Venus, with the Sun. Mercury sits at 01:32 degrees, Venus at 08:04, and the Sun at 15:45 which mean means Mercury is not combust and is operating at full exaltation, with a useful and mild aspect from Saturn, who is a friend.
As an astrologer, I'm not surprised in the slightest that Germany has one of the best and well-organised healthcare systems in the world. This is a superb combination for medical competence and all-round organisation. Venus is also known as the nurse of the zodiac, so by being in Virgo with Mercury, although technically a debilitation, Venus is uplifted by the exaltation of Mercury by a neecha bhanga yoga, which virtually cancels the debilitation.
Things could play out differently come a few weeks time, but Germany has already been praised for its swift response to the virus, and huge levels of testing, that we in the UK can only look upon with admiration. This, for me, is yet further evidence of the role planet Mercury is playing in the spread or containment of Covid-19. As for the UK, our Mercury is so, so in the sign of Sagittarius. It is not combust the Sun but is afflicted by an aspect from Mars. We will get through it, and may come out somewhere in the middle compared to other European countries, but should still fair well overall. The grand conjunction is happening in the 4th house of the UK chart where the Sun resides. The Sun also represents the government, but also the Royalty, so it's not surprising that we see that the Royal Family and a good proportion of the Cabinet, including Boris Johnson and other key persons, like the health secretary, have been affected. Fortunately, Neptune is in the 2nd house next door to Mercury, but cannot do major harm from there, especially as the public are observing social distancing: which is a latent talent of the British public in any case. Neptune causes problems for the UK via drink and drugs, but details of that are in my upcoming book about the UK.
For Spain, the grand conjunction is happening in the 6th house of health, and on top of that, Saturn, acting as the grim reaper, is aspecting Spain's 3rd, 8th and 12th houses. Such an aspect creates huge losses because the 12th house of loss is being directly affected and triggered. Spain has outstripped China's losses of loved ones weeks ago and could end up having the most losses in all of Europe. This will be difficult for the Spanish to recover in the next months and years as the scale of it all is traumatising.
So, I come to the United States. I have written about such things already, but for America, the losses will be off the charts. Why?
Planet Mercury in the natal chart of the USA (July 4th 1776 18:30 Philadelphia) is not only retrograde, but it's conjunct Rahu (a major intensifier who explodes things out of all proportion) but is also the grand dispositor (the planet that influences the most planets in a natal chart) for the WHOLE chart of the United States, AND it sits in the 8th house aspected by Pluto via opposition in the 2nd house. If that were not enough, America is also having a Pluto returns (which takes 248 years to happen and will become exact in 2024) in the 2nd house of finances, security, family, values, cash flow and savings. The grand conjunction is currently happening IN the USA's 2nd house right now, which is in Capricorn, and this also triggers Sadi Sati (7 years of trials) because Saturn, by being in Capricorn is only one sign away from the USA's natal Moon in Aquarius. This is an extraordinary amount for a nation to deal with, and we see, writ large, how all of this is playing out upon the world stage.
When I visited the USA in August 2019 for five weeks and did my epic trip around America visiting eleven states, and passing through twenty-two: I knew in my bones it would be the last time I would see America as it was. The changes coming to the USA are profound. Already, at the time of writing this, almost 5 million Americans have registered as unemployed, and some speculate that almost 50% of the nation could be without any kind of regular work by the end of the virus. There are current estimates that the death toll could be anywhere between 100,000-200,000 people, and some say more. As I've written in my earlier blogs, such energies in the 2nd house are very difficult to deal with. The Governor of New York candidly admitted that America was flat-footed in its response to the breakout, and many have implied that he was referring to the Trump administration: which has not covered itself in glory.
With this much pressure already building up, just when America is just about to pay its bills TODAY... Many are wondering when the rescue package will arrive for small businesses and individuals and are asking if the 2 Trillion pledged monies are even enough. I suspect it is not, and collectively, we, humanity, will see some shocking and extraordinary things happen in the USA that has not been seen on earth and in history before: it's that profound.
So, what is the answer to all this? When will it end?
My reply is that we will see significant progress when the Sun breaks the Kala Sarpa Yoga, created by the nodes of the moon, on July 16th 2020 at 06:46 UK time. More progress will be made when Mercury breaks the yoga on August 1st 2020 at 23:07 UK time, and by the time Venus breaks the Yoga on August 31st 2020 at 21:47 UK time we could see a return to shopping, restaurants, leisure, and marriage. There will be a slew of back-to-back weddings come September, and it could well be a joyful time for many nations when they can return to normal. But much more in the pipeline of surprises
to come. As for us as individuals, let us take this time to ponder and reflect on life, and not be so keen for things to: 'get back to normal' because they will not. That which will unfold in America is going to change things forever. I've already written in an earlier blog, that by the summer China will be announced as the premier economy of the world, and it will embrace the mantle. The United States will be changed forever and will enter deep transformation and upheaval. It will not only have to deal with the deaths brought about by Covid-19, but the economic fall-out will be yet more significant and could lead to more loss of life and well-being than the virus itself, as inequalities and double standards are ruthlessly exposed.
The time has come for all of humanity to reflect and turn inwards to imagine the new world that we wish to create because this IS a new world that we're collectively emerging into. The old ways must go, and they are leaving us so that new ways can come in. We must continue to celebrate the everyday people that really make the world go around, as we have all seen. We must also protect the environment, and not just jump on a plane as soon as we can... Let's pause for a bit and help nature continue her evident rebirth that is happening in front of our eyes. Ultimately, as history marches into the future, we should see this as an opportunity to be more compassionate, as we have seen, and just to be better all round. We can do it, we are doing it, and we can all make it continue.
Love and light.