In my 2020 astrological forecasts, I have often mentioned the possibility of a Black Swan “X” event or events in 2020, and specifically in February, and also especially in the first and last quarters of 2020. Many people are writing to ask me if the rapidly accelerating 2019 Novel Coronavirus is one of the Black Swan events I was talking about. If it is, which it may well be, I don’t believe it will be the devastating plague that many fear, whereby I specifically mean it shouldn’t have a large fatality rate (it may be more like a bad flu season in terms of the fatality rate). This is based on my mundane astrology research into current planetary cycles as well as a look back to the worst pandemics in history, which were, as follows:
- Antonine Plague of Galen 156 AD (possibly smallpox or measles, killed 5 million people and decimated the Roman army)
- Plague of Justinian (Bubonic Plague) of 541-542 (killed 25 million)
- Black Death (Bubonic Plague) of 1346-53 (killed 75-200 million people)
- Asiatic or Russian Flu Pandemic of 1889-90 (killed 1 million people)
- Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-20 (killed 20-50 million people)
- Asian Flu of 1956-58 (killed 2 million people)
- Hong Kong Flu of 1968 (killed 1 million people)
In my research, I used specific astrological significators for viral and bacterial infections and outbreaks. Note that when any of these influence each other by a challenging aspect (square, opposition, conjunction, or quincunx), the implications become very strong for X events related to infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics. The more of these aspects there are, the more intense the outbreak. The quincunx or inconjunct aspect, also known as shasta-ashtakam or “6/8” in Vedic astrology, involves planets that are simultaneously six and eight houses from each other. Six houses apart represents a 150-degree aspect, and eight houses apart represents a 210-degree aspect. The quincunx is among the most important aspects for health matters as it specifically represents physical illness. The following are the most important astrological significators for viral and bacterial infections and outbreaks:
- The Moon’s South Node (known as Ketu in Vedic astrology), rules febrile illness, bacteria and viruses, and epidemics/pandemics
- The Moon’s North Node (known as Rahu in Vedic astrology), represents imbalances of the air humor including respiratory diseases, also epidemics/pandemics
- Cancer is the astrological sign that represents respiratory illness that includes coughs
- Aries is the astrological sign for contagious disease
- Neptune is the main planet for microorganisms (viruses and bacteria) and the immune system, and is always implicated in global epidemics
- Chiron is a comet/asteroid/minor planet that can indicate high mortality rates
- Uranus is the planet that points to traumatic and shocking events that proceed quickly
- Pluto represents contagions and also viral mutations and replications
- Jupiter is often connected to epidemics
- Saturn is a planet of chronic health issues that will last a long time
- Mars is often a trigger for epidemics but I am not looking at that so much in this research
- Mercury represents respiratory issues
- Hades is an asteroid which represents sorrow, suffering, and death
(Please note that in my work and research as a Neo-Vedic astrologer, I always use the sidereal zodiac, not the tropical system used by many western astrologers, and I use fairly close orbs for the outer planets, around 3-5 zodiacal degrees)
In most of the astrological charts for the events listed above, Ketu was either in Gemini or Virgo which are ruled by Mercury (Hong Kong Flu, Spanish Flu, Black Death, Plague of Justinian, and Antonine Plague). In the Novel Coronavirus chart, Ketu is in Sagittarius as it was in the Russian Flu pandemic of 1889. In several of the previous events, Mercury was in its retrograde cycle in air signs as it is in 2020. This is concerning and suggests at the very least that it will be a year with higher than usual respiratory ailments, as with both Influenza and the Novel Coronavirus.
In the previous cases, Neptune was always involved in challenging aspects. It was:
- Conjunct Pluto (Russian Flu)
- Opposed Pluto (Antonine)
- Square Hades (Russian Flu)
- Opposed Hades (Asian 56 Flu)
- Square the lunar nodes (Justinian)
- Square Jupiter/Chiron (Black Death)
- Conjunct Saturn (Russian and Spanish Flu)
- Square Uranus (Asian 56 Flu)
- Quincunx Saturn (Honk Kong Flu)
Here below are the astrological charts for December 8, 2019 when the first patient cases were reported, and for December 31, 2019 when the outbreak was first revealed to the World Health Organization (WHO):
Note that in these charts, Neptune is not involved in any important aspects to the other significators mentioned above, other than a brief square with Mars in late January and early February, which I mention further on. This suggests to me that this will not be a catastrophic global pandemic, meaning it will not have high a fatality rate, relatively speaking.
The lunar nodes are always afflicted by (afflicting) the above-mentioned significators in pandemics. The Asian Flu of 1956-58 started out with a conjunction between Mars and Rahu in Scorpio, and Saturn and Rahu eventually conjoined in that pandemic. Other aspects with the nodes in these events include:
- Rahu conjunct Uranus (Antonine)
- Ketu inconjunct Pluto (Justinian)
- Rahu conjunct Hades (Black Death)
- Rahu conjunct Chiron (Russian)
- Rahu-Ketu square Uranus (Russian)
- Ketu conjunct Pluto (Spanish Flu)
- Ketu inconjunct Hades (Hong Kong Flu)
In the 2019 Novel Coronavirus chart, Rahu is conjunct Hades as it was in the time of the Black Death. This could be troubling as many lives were lost during the Black Death. However, in the December 31 chart, both the divine planets of good fortune Venus and Jupiter are conjoined the nodal axis (with Ketu), which will mitigate much of the potential danger especially in terms of death rates. In the past pandemics, Jupiter was conjunct Chiron (Black Death); quincunx Saturn and Pluto (Russian Flu); and conjunct Pluto and square Saturn in the Asian Flu of 1956-58. In the Novel Coronavirus charts, Jupiter is well placed in its own sign of Sagittarius which also suggests mitigation of the death rate.
In the Asian Flu of 1956-58, Hades was in Aries (contagious disease) squaring Uranus in Cancer (sign of respiratory illness). Hades was also in Aries during the Antonine Plague and the Hong Kong Flu Pandemic. In the Justinian Plague, Jupiter was in Aries. During the Black Death, Uranus was conjoined Jupiter and Chiron in Aries. In the Spanish Flu pandemic, Hades was conjoined Chiron in Aries. During the Black Death, Uranus was in Aries as it is now in the Novel Coronavirus chart. The latter does suggest that we may have a pandemic in the current period. It also looks most difficult in the first wave in China, especially as Uranus is triggering natal Hades in the fourth house (the homeland) of the 1949 China birth chart, and when it was first announced on December 8, the Moon also triggered natal Hades:
The China birth chart has recently entered the 17-year Mercury mahadasha last October 2019 (see above as noted in the North and South Indian chart image). Mercury is retrograde (indicating respiratory, immune, and nervous system health issues). Mercury is combust the Sun (attacks health and vitality), and is also closely conjoined both Neptune and Ketu (viruses) in Virgo (health matters). This quadruple conjunction suggests the ongoing likelihood for infectious respiratory disease outbreaks coming out of China, like the current one, through the Mercury mahadasha and especially in the first three years of the Mercury great cycle. I also foresee another one that could arise and have a much higher global fatality rate coming in 9-10 years.
Some mundane astrologers have suggested that the 2019-20 Pluto-Saturn conjunction is implicated in this viral outbreak. This conjunction does bring socio-economic and political upheaval, but is not a significator for a pandemic, per se. Out of the seven most severe pandemics that I have shared above, Pluto and Saturn were in an unfavorable aspect only once, and that was during the Asian Flu pandemic of 1956-58 when they were in a challenging square.
The United States chart is not receiving a lot of difficult transiting aspects as it did for example, during the Spanish Flu epidemic that killed at least 675,000 people in the U.S. alone, and 50-100 million in the world, at least 1/3 of the world’s total population. Here below is the Kelleher U.S. chart showing transits for the Spanish Flu on a biwheel chart. Note that the U.S. was in the Jupiter-Mercury dasha cycle at the time, and the significant transiting aspects include:
- Rahu transiting the U.S. chart ascendant
- Jupiter chart lord and mahadasha lord transiting in the sixth house of disease in a quincunx with Hades
- Neptune and Saturn transiting in the eighth house (which rules health crises and socio-economic chaos) in conjunction with natal Rahu and Mercury, and in square to natal Hades
- Pluto transiting in a quincunx with natal Ketu
- Transiting Uranus in a quincunx with natal Neptune and Mars triggering Neptune
In the U.S. Kelleher chart, Rahu-Jupiter dasha is currently in effect (and Jupiter is well placed in its transit in the first house in Sagittarius), and there are fewer close difficult aspects than we saw during the Spanish Flu, and I doubt these would add up to suggest a catastrophic global pandemic, again meaning in terms of mortality rates, relatively speaking (see bulleted list of transits and chart below):
- Transiting Neptune is in a quincunx with natal Saturn in Virgo (could suggest a public health crisis and more than the usual number of respiratory infections including the flu and the novel coronavirus this year)
- Ketu is now in range and moving toward a conjunction with the ascendant. This will be exact on April 6 (mean node calculation) but is in effect for several months on either side, and is a trigger for a public health scare as well as fear or threat of terrorism and economic and political upheaval and societal disruption
- Transiting Uranus is opposite natal Hades (collective fear and all kinds of unrest and disturbances)
The novel coronavirus chart for December 31, 2019 does have a square between Chiron and Mercury as well as a quincunx between Mars and Uranus, and in the December 8 chart, Mars and Uranus are opposed. These aspects reflect the confusing, emotional, and fearful reactions among politicians, medical personnel, and the public, and great deal of disinformation and misinformation around it.
Currently, we have a very troubling square aspect between Mars and Neptune which has been within an effective orb for the past few weeks and will continue through early February, though the exact square will perfect on January 28. This is a combination that points to an infectious disease outbreak and also a tremendous sense of confusion, deception, and paranoia, and generally just so much FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) in the atmosphere.
Based on my research shared in this article, this viral outbreak will not compare with the worst plagues in history, in terms of sickness and mortality rates, but the response to it will lead to mass panic and confusion, and a great deal of misinformation, disinformation, and political propaganda that will wreak social and economic havoc around the world.
May all beings be safe, happy, healthy, and live joyously…
May all breathing beings be safe, happy, healthy, and live joyously…
May all individuals be safe, happy, healthy, and live joyously…
May all beings in existence be safe, happy, healthy, and live joyously…
