Date Posted: August 31, 2024

As we enter September, Earth’s speed in its orbit around the Sun continues to rise, reaching its average speed a couple of weeks after the autumn equinox—by October 9—signaling a dynamic change in the air, energy around us, and a shift from the lethargic summer doldrums. This change is likely to be reflected in our daily activities, bringing increased vigor.

September continues to be influenced by the retrograde motions of Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn. However, due to their increased retrograde speeds, the slow pace of activities will give way to more dynamic surroundings. This shift will certainly be felt in the U.S. political landscape, especially in the context of the presidential election.

One of the most important, auspicious, and spiritual planetary combinations for this month and the next several months is the mutual aspects among Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. With Taurus Uranus and Capricorn Pluto forming an auspicious sextile (within three degrees) to Pisces Neptune, and Uranus creating a spiritual trine (within three degrees) with Pluto, a positive spiritual energy will emerge. Despite collective and personal material challenges, this energy will likely foster a deeper sense of joy in living together and caring for each other. Additionally, since all three planets are in sidereal feminine signs, female energy and dominance will become increasingly prominent in various fields in the coming months, if not years.

According to 2024 astrological predictions, Uranus’s ingress into sidereal Taurus on May 31 has been a turbulent phase for the U.S. political landscape. Recent events, such as rising concerns about President Biden’s ability to govern effectively, his withdrawal from the presidential race, the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, and the rapid rise of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee, clearly reflect Uranus’s energies of change, surprise, violence, independence, ambition, impulsivity, and unpredictability. This period of unpredictability will continue throughout the year.

On September 1, Uranus turns retrograde in sidereal Taurus. Uranus, known as the planet of sudden and unpredictable change, is likely to bring temporary, sudden shifts in the financial and political arenas, particularly in the U.S. The retrograde motion of Neptune continues to signal a prolonged and grinding phase in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, with ongoing twists, turns, deception, and confusion.

In summary, September is poised to be a month of both spiritual awakening and significant challenges, shaped by planetary retrograde motions and shifts in political and financial landscapes.

Astrological insights into US presidential election predictions

The following article is intended for astrologers or those with an interest in astrology.

What do former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump all have in common in their birth charts? The answer is a close conjunction of the planet Uranus with the lunar node Rahu, within approximately three degrees.

In U.S. presidential elections, I’ve always found the Uranus-Rahu conjunction in a natal chart to be fascinating. Time and again, the characteristics of Uranus align with the spirit of the United States as a country. Political, financial, social, and life-changing events, as well as technological advancements that have made the U.S. a world leader in the past century, are closely tied to Uranus’s transit through zodiac signs. Interestingly, Uranus was discovered in 1781, just a few years after the United States declared independence.

In Vedic astrology, the transit of the north lunar node, Rahu, is considered karmic. This means that significant events, sometimes beyond logical explanation, can be tied to Rahu’s movement through the zodiac. When Rahu comes into close conjunction with Uranus, it can symbolize karmic events for the United States, and this happens roughly every 15 years. Individuals born during such a conjunction may find their destinies intertwined with the country’s fate.

Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump all have this Uranus-Rahu conjunction within three degrees in their natal charts. This configuration can be used as a litmus test for identifying individuals with presidential potential. Of course, a thorough analysis of the entire chart is necessary to make accurate predictions.

While Clinton, Bush, and Obama served two terms, Donald Trump only served one. So why did he lose the chance for a second term, and why did Joe Biden become president? Beyond the Uranus-Rahu conjunction, it’s crucial to analyze both candidates’ charts and transits on election day, which I did in my 2020 U.S. presidential election prediction.

Looking at vice presidents who ran for president after serving, like George H.W. Bush, Al Gore, and Joe Biden, only Al Gore failed to win. However, Gore came close in the disputed 2000 election, where the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of George W. Bush. It’s interesting to note that none of these vice presidents had the Uranus-Rahu conjunction within three degrees.

In 1988, neither George H.W. Bush nor Michael Dukakis had this conjunction, but Bush’s chart was better suited for political success, and he won. However, when Bush ran for a second term, he lost to Bill Clinton, who did have the conjunction. Similarly, Clinton defeated Bob Dole in 1996, who lacked this astrological pattern.

In the 2000 election, George W. Bush had a Uranus-Rahu conjunction within less than a degree, which helped him beat Al Gore. Bush later defeated John Kerry in 2004, as Kerry also didn’t have this conjunction. Barack Obama, with the conjunction within three degrees, won against John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012—neither of whom had the conjunction in their natal charts.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump, whose Uranus-Rahu conjunction gave him a strong edge. But why did Trump lose in 2020 against Joe Biden, who doesn’t have the conjunction? If Biden weren’t a former vice president, the outcome might have been different, and Trump could have easily won.

Trump’s natal chart holds further answers. In his natal chart Uranus-Rahu conjunction exists within three degrees in his 10th house, the house of profession. However, Rahu also closely conjuncts the Sun within two degrees, and Trump was born just before a total lunar eclipse. His sidereal Scorpio Moon directly opposes Rahu, and in Vedic astrology, the luminaries (Sun and Moon) are considered adversaries of the lunar nodes. This combination, especially with the ruler of Trump’s first house conjunct Rahu, indicates an inflated ego, self-destructive tendencies, and a “know-it-all” attitude. If the Sun weren’t so closely conjunct Rahu, the 2020 election might have had a different outcome in Trump’s favor.

Stay tuned for the upcoming presidential election prediction analysis next month.

Uranus Ingress Sidereal Taurus

An era of Material World Transformation and Female Dominance

After entering sidereal Taurus on May 31, Uranus stays in Taurus till Dec 16, 2024. However, with its retrograde motion Uranus returns to sidereal Aries. Then after transiting through Aries until March 16, 2024, Uranus finally reenters Taurus and will stay in Taurus for next seven years or so.  

Uranus being the planet of a sudden and uninvited change will certainly affect the matters related to Taurus in a big way. Taurus being the earth and fixed sign, the energy of extremely independent, ambitious, energetic, impulsive and capricious Uranus will be reflected in drastic changes in the material world (banking, stock brokers, financial institutes, the US Federal reserve and reserve banks all over the world) in next seven years.  World Financial markets would likely to be extremely volatile possibly dipping into a short term but severe depression. But the good news is we may not experience this severity at least until May of 2025, as it will be offset by Jupiter’s materially favorable transit through Taurus.

Business leaders, the wealthy, real estate magnates, and influential figures in the entertainment industry will feel the impact of Uranus’s transit most significantly. The period will witness innovations and breakthroughs in science and technology, driving rapid advancements and discoveries. A new wave of spiritually inclined leaders in politics and corporations will emerge, integrating compassion and human values into their approach.

In scientific and technological world expect a lot of positive changes as the emerging new ideas will find their way into innovations and discoveries.  The scientific and technological growth will continue to rise at a phenomenal rate.  A new wave of spiritually inclined world political and corporation leaders with their human and compassion laced perspectives will certainly transform our world in next 6-7 years to a new world that balances the material world with spiritual or non-material world.

The challenging aspect of the Uranus’s transit in Taurus is the painful transformation of the material world. The material norms that we are used to would likely to be altered and transformed to a set of new norms that will certainly reflect the direction of our spiritual growth and human evolution in line with and as outlined in past annual predictions by the energies of Capricorn Pluto and Piscean Neptune.

Other manifestations of Uranus’s transit in the earth sign Taurus are: economic wars that include cyber wars, currency manipulation, economic persecutions, agriculture wars, real estate meltdowns and intolerable and tragic situations for those who are economically deprived. In addition, natural calamities, especially wildfires, abnormal weather patterns, earthquakes of significant magnitude, unbearable summer and winter months, etc., will continue to occur more frequently. 

Another important aspect of Uranus’s transit in Taurus is the prominence of female dominance in leadership roles. Taurus being the female sign, more females will be replacing their male counterparts for leadership positions in both political and financial world. 

The timing of Uranus’s transit coincides with the next US presidential election, potentially leading to the election of a female president. However, the brief return of Uranus to Aries from December 16, 2024, to March 16, 2025, may introduce political chaos and instability, delaying the inauguration process and potentially impacting the outcome.

For those who have a reasonably well placed Uranus in their birth charts and have Pisces, Sagittarius, Leo or Cancer as a ninefold (Navamansa) ascendant will likely to experience a very positive period, especially during the time Uranus is active in their transit charts.

Neptune in sidereal Pisces

Pisces being a water and mutable sign ruled by Jupiter some of its significant characteristics are: Divine, fruitful, fertile, emotional, honest, outspoken, religious, spiritual, nonviolent, polite, modest, moody, affectionate, hermit, psychic, water, compassion, love, heart connection, non-verbal communication and introvert. These qualities complement very well with qualities of Neptune that include: spiritual, intuitive, divine, psychic, magical, highly emotional, moody, clairvoyant, inspiration, imaginative, love, compassionate and mystical. 

As a result, a subtle and slow change in our collective moral and spiritual perceptions has certainly been going to be manifested in the way we never experienced before. This era (next 13 years or so) will be remembered as the period of spiritual inspiration and transformation. Interestingly, this era also complements well with the era of Pluto’s transit in sidereal Capricorn (a sign ruled by spiritual Saturn) that runs in parallel during the same time. The way we have been used to deal with religions will no longer be our norms.  Our moral codes will be greatly influenced by our collective spiritual experiences. And in that sense a subtle but most effective transformation of world morality during this unique era of the next 13 years is likely to take us to a level where the norms solely based on spiritual experiences will dictate and guide our lives with new level of understanding.  

Pisces, being the sign for poets, musicians, singers, monks, religious leaders, spiritual leaders, nurses, nuns, social workers, caregivers, saints, psychics, actors, sailors and ship captains, these respective fields will go through significant transformations. And these transformations will be reflected in the new norms of morality and ethics, expansion of our collective psychic abilities and mystical experiences keeping in line with steady progress in our ability to directly perceive truth. Also, creativity in areas of music will likely complement our spiritual progress. 

In scientific and technological areas, a lot of drastic changes and emerging new ideas coupled with mystical experiences will find their way into innovations and discoveries.  However, it will be the first time the scientific and technological research will be more focused in areas that will bridge the gap between the science and morality. The likely areas of research will be in spiritual healing, and life-force related activities, looking for ways to tap new sources of energy without disturbing global climate (recent news about the possibility of harnessing energy from nuclear fission and minimizing the usage of fossil fuels will very likely be materialized in next 13 years). The return to the holistic and Ayurvedic practices and alternate medicines are also very likely. The availability of inexpensive generic drugs for those who cannot afford the expensive brand name drugs is becoming reality. A new wave of philosophers and philanthropist with their new perspectives on living, in general, will certainly transform our world in next 13 years with a new level of understanding of life.

However with Rahu’s (the north lunar node) transit in sidereal Pisces, for next 15 months, the Neptune’s positive energy is going to be countered by Rahu and gets stalled as new challenges emerge that must be dealt.  In that sense, for a short term Neptune’s downside is likely to become more significant than normal. As a result, the religious leaders and social reformers may tend to form cults and spread cult like activities, rise in organized religion scandals, deceptive activities under the disguise of promise of spiritual experiences are likely to be on rise in certain parts of the world.  The scandals of the secretive collaboration between the medical doctors and pharmaceutical industries will continue to be exposed.  The increase usage of mind altering drugs, disregard for social and to some extent moral responsibility, rise in mental disorders, and losing the touch with reality are some of the likely symptoms of the negative side of Neptune. One of the prominent fall-outs of the Piscean Neptune will be a significant decline of authoritarian regime’s influence around the world.  However, with Rahu’s transit in Pisces, Russia, China and other authoritarian regimes may temporarily get upper hand for next 15 months or so as Rahu’s energy counters Neptune’s energy creating a favorable period for authoritarian regime.

On individual level for those who have water sign (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) as their ascendant in their natal ninefold (Navamansh) chart should get ready for a brand new and long lasting (13 years) cycle of change, especially a very pronounced cycle for those who have Neptune as a dominant planet in their birth charts. The changes that might occur would be very subtle and would deal with new or renewed interest in spirituality, openness, psychic abilities to perceive truth, divine experiences, transformed perceptions and beliefs, and the way of living.  

Russian-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas war and senseless killings

With billions of dollars in aid from the United States, Ukraine has been poised to gain an upper hand in its conflict against Russia, reclaiming some territories in western Russia. The intensity of the war has remained constant and is expected to continue for a while, leading to significant human casualties and economic devastation.

The ongoing retrograde transit of Neptune in Pisces suggests that Russia may face profound internal changes, with power struggles and political unrest becoming more pronounced. This could signal the gradual weakening of Putin’s hold on Russia as an autocrat. Despite the devastation, Ukraine is likely to continue gaining ground in the conflict.

However, the transit of Rahu in Pisces, which began roughly twelve months ago, creates challenges for Neptune in Pisces. This influence may allow President Putin to retain some advantage in the war for the next seven months. He is expected to manage internal dissent within Russia while maintaining his position. Until Putin’s influence weakens and his control diminishes, the war and civilian casualties are unlikely to subside.

Regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, although its intensity may be declining, violence continues, particularly in Gaza, where severe shortages of essential supplies are worsening the humanitarian crisis. While short-term developments may bring temporary relief, this ongoing conflict is expected to persist unless a profound spiritual awakening in the region leads to reconciliation beyond religious divisions.

President Biden’s challenges in September

Note:  President Biden (as forecasted last in July, as a make or break month for him) dropped out of 2025 presidential race. However, he will still be governing the country till the end of his term by the end of this year.  And therefore this column will continue until the next President takes over.

September continues to be a challenging month for President Biden as he navigates the complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war.

Pluto’s influence suggests slow but steady progress, particularly on deeper, transformative issues, although the pace remains frustratingly sluggish. Venus offers a more favorable outlook, indicating that the President may find comfort and happiness in his personal life and family matters throughout the month.

The Sun’s energy supports Biden until September 16, making this period favorable for leadership and governance. However, after mid-September, the stress begins to mount, potentially bringing health concerns and increased friction with his adversaries. There’s also a likelihood of overseas travel during this more stressful phase.

Mars’s energy, on the other hand, doesn’t provide much relief, adding to the strain. Increased worries, likely tied to health and oppositions, may weigh heavily on him during this time.

In summary, like August, September presents mixed results for President Biden. While he continues to face global challenges, his personal and family life may offer some respite, though health issues and adversarial pressures could become more prominent as the month progresses.

Global Insights……..

The important challenging planetary configurations for September include:  Pluto-Jupiter (Sept 6-11) ninefold opposition; Pluto-Mars (Sept 3-5) quincunx; Uranus-Jupiter (Sept 13-20) and Saturn-Jupiter (Sept 26 – Oct 1) ninefold quincunxes; Neptune-Mars (Sept 2-4) and Rahu/Ketu-Mars (Sept 15-18) squares; Uranus-Rahu/Ketu (Sept 8-24) ninefold squares.

The energy of the Pluto-Jupiter (Sept 6-11) ninefold opposition is likely to be responsible for changes in religious, academic and to some extent social fields. Initial reaction to the change might appear to be a bit confusing and perhaps chaotic, but a majority of us are going to embrace this new wave of change and are very likely to enjoy it.

The energy of the Pluto-Mars (Sept 3-5) quincunx may be reflected in a sudden outbreak of undesirable happening in Middle East and Ukraine-Russia regions, and possibilities of both natural and man-made calamities all around the world are also likely. 

The manifestation of the Uranus-Jupiter (Sept 13-20) ninefold quincunx may become apparent in challenges world religions likely to face with earthshaking ideas that they must attend to. The religious leaders, who are willing to be open minded and ready to listen and act on new and fresh ideas are the ones that going to be responsible to transform our religious world to a new level. Others are going to fade away with time.

The energy of the Saturn-Jupiter (Sept 26 – Oct 1) ninefold quincunx may become responsible for difficulties religions around the world might deal with in carrying out their routine activities. More controversies are likely to occur to test traditional moral values, and in general, religious authorities will have difficulty in having people keep their faith.

The energy of the Neptune-Mars (Sept 2-4) square is likely to be reflected in a possible outbreak of undesirable happening and greater possibility of both natural and man-made calamities. The countries that are most likely to be affected during these three days would be Russia, China and Middle-East region.

The energy of the Rahu/Ketu-Mars (Sept 15-18) squares may become responsible for both natural and man-made calamities causing destruction and loss of lives during these days.

The manifestation of energy of the Uranus-Rahu/Ketu (Sept 8-24) ninefold squares may be reflected in violence and possible terrorism especially in the United States. In addition, Terrorist activities are likely to occur in the volatile region of the Middle-East (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Palestine region). 

The important auspicious planetary configurations for September include Neptune-Saturn (Sept 11-25) and Pluto-Rahu (Sept 24 – Oct 7) ninefold trines.

The energy of the Neptune-Saturn (Sept 11-25) ninefold trine may turn out to be potentially a favorable period for Russia and China. In addition, most of the technological areas, especially in medical field, are likely to make significant progress via inventions and discoveries. Spiritual and religious activities are likely to impart positive energy, creating a very healthy atmosphere around us.

The energy of the Pluto-Rahu (Sept 24 – Oct 7) ninefold trine may be reflected in a good period for economy around the world. This period is also good for progress in technical fields (new innovations and discoveries) and religious reconciliation.

The countries that are more likely to be affected during this month are:  the United States, Ukraine, Russia, China, and Middle-East–especially Iran, Iraq and the Palestinian-Israel region.    

Natural and Man-made Calamities……..

The natural calamities like extreme weather conditions, wildfires, hurricanes, heavy rains, snow storms, air crashes as well as manmade accidents are likely to occur during Sept 2-5 and Sept 8-24.

Earthquakes:Based on a new Earthquake prediction model (the work is still in progress), the earthquake(s) of magnitude 6.9 or higher, if occur, are likely to occur on following dates and Times and possible locations: Earthquake Predictions 2024.  Please note that these hourly predictions refer to the Universal time (GMT).

While man-made calamities may manifest themselves in terrorism, unrest, violence, accidents, and air crashes, the natural calamities are likely to include extreme weather conditions such as severe cold winters, and equally intensive droughts, hurricanes or typhoons, thunderstorms, earthquakes and fires