December 31, 2015
Wishing you a very Happy and Prosperous 2016
The biggest story of 2016 is the play of Mars and Saturn in (sidereal) Scorpio. In addition, Leo/Virgo Jupiter (Jupiter transits through Leo till August and then through Virgo) and the modern planets Pluto, Neptune and Uranus will play a role in further advancing our collective spiritual growth. While worldwide spiritual growth will continue to expand, the ongoing political, economic and social crisis will remain unabated.
The Planet Mars enters the sidereal zodiac sign Scorpio on February 20. While in Scorpio, it turns retrograde on April 18. With its retrograde motion it goes back in Libra on June 18. It becomes direct in Libra on June 30 and then re-enters Scorpio on June 30. It then remains in Scorpio until September 18. Thus, except for June 18-30, Mars occupies Scorpio from February 20 through September 18. Saturn, being in Scorpio all through 2016, conjuncts Mars with one degree orb during August 20-28.
Scorpio being a water and fixed sign ruled by Mars, it becomes extremely challenging for Scorpio resident Saturn when Mars is in Scorpio. Because by nature, Mars and Saturn do not complement each other, when Mars dominates (being the ruler of Scorpio) Saturn is naturally going to feel totally out of place in Scorpio. Furthermore, because Scorpio is a water (emotional) sign, Saturn in Scorpio feels suffocated, withdrawn and paralyzed. Due to the presence of Mars, Saturn is very likely to go off track and potentially become self-destructive.
As a result of this challenging combination of Saturn and Mars in Scorpio, February 20 through September 18 will be filled with undesirable activities that will affect not only the Middle-East but the entire world. Some of the manifestations of this conjunction are: terrorism, ongoing barbaric activities, senseless killings, persecutions, pain and suffering, violence, wars and intolerable and tragic situations for those who cannot defend themselves. In the United States, the Republican Party will go through a dramatic and painful experience since Saturn represents conservative principles. Financial markets, especially oil and energy-related markets will exhibit tremendous volatility. Natural calamities, including extreme weather conditions, abnormal weather patterns, earthquakes of significant magnitude, wildfires, hurricanes, snow storms etc., are likely to occur more frequently. Those who are born with the Scorpio as ascendant or with Moon in Scorpio are likely to experience difficult period filled with challenges; but the very same experience will likely to provide them with the opportunity to transform their lives in a positive way (self-discovery).
The good news is that while these chaotic events dominate the news, the worldwide spiritual expansion will continue to provide the light for transformation of humanity as a whole. In a very subtle way the ongoing spiritual expansion is likely to eventually transcend the world beyond the normal norms such as religion, race and perhaps nations.
It all started in January 2005 when Pluto entered sidereal Sagittarius and marked the beginning of an accelerated process of spiritual growth. This spiritual expansion has been marked by globalization, with technological and social developments that have enabled humans to become more closely connected.
During 2016, all the modern planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) will continue to reside in spiritual (sidereal) zodiac signs: Pluto in Sagittarius, a fire and mutable sign ruled by Jupiter; Neptune in Aquarius, an air and fixed sign ruled by Saturn; and Uranus in Pisces, a water and mutable sign ruled by Jupiter. Those who are born with (sidereal) Sagittarius, Aquarius or Pisces as ascendant or Moon in Sagittarius, Aquarius or Pisces are likely to feel the intensity of the modern planets in a significant and transformational way. Because both Saturn and Jupiter are planets of spiritual forces (as they rule the last four signs of the zodiac), in 2016, our subtle spiritual human evolution will continue at a phenomenal speed.
Jupiter transits in sidereal Leo until August 2016. Since Leo is a fixed and fire sign, (a favorable sign for Jupiter to reside in since it is ruled by friendly Sun) Jupiter’s transit will likely be responsible for increased growth in righteousness and compassionate activities. Advances in technology and sciences will absolutely be phenomenal due to the favorable placement of the modern planets: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The major scientific and technological breakthroughs in fields of medicine, biotechnology, information technology and space science will therefore be remarkable.
The lunar nodes Rahu (the north node) and Ketu (the south node) will transit the sidereal Leo and Aquarius respectively. The influence of the lunar nodes will create challenges (Rahu-Jupiter conjunction and the squares of Mars and Saturn with the lunar nodes). As a result, additional effort will be necessary to begin and maintain new humanitarian projects. Those who have well placed lunar nodes in their charts and have Gemini, Pisces or Libra as their ninefold (Navamansa) ascendant are likely to experience a very positive year.
Thus, while the chaotic and painful manifestations of the Saturn-Mars conjunction in Scorpio will dominate the events in 2016, simultaneously in a very subtle way the year 2016 will continue to transform the world to a new level, a necessary step as a part of our collective spiritual growth that began in 2005.