Download Astrological Forecasts: 1999-2000

Astrological Forecasts: 1999-2000
Edith Hathaway
An ACVA board member offers some predictions for the next few years,
with a close eye on the upcoming Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.
Vedic astrology sprang from the Vedas some 8000 years ago. The Vedas are a primarily spiritual text, with
guidance on how to live one's life as an individual and in society according to the highest spiritual principles. Vedic
astrology reflects these principles, especially on the subject of karma and rebirth: what goes around comes around.
Karma means action, and according to Hindu/Vedic thought, we are responsible for our every thought, word, and
deed —both on an individual level and on a societal level.
The planetary patterns show what is likely to evolve in the coming year, and this is usually never without some
basis of previous action on the part of earth's inhabitants.
So—even though we know for thousands of years in advance exactly where the planets will be in the heavens,
we cannot know exactly how the human race as individuals and as groups will deal with the consequences of their
karma. By not looking to the greater good of all the people and the planet, both individuals and groups are ripe for
experiencing what is called in the Vedas karma phala, or the fruit of one's karma, of one's action.
With this thought in mind, let's look at 1999 and just beyond, and see what the next period looks like, bearing
in mind that Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac—the actual positions of the planets against a backdrop of the
fixed stars. The sidereal zodiac is currently running just under 24° behind the tropical zodiac.
Planetary Patterns for 1999
As we look at the planetary patterns for 1999, we see that starting with the transit of Rahu and Ketu (the north
and south lunar nodes) into the signs of Cancer and Capricorn on December 18, 1998, bit by bit, all the pieces are
coming into place prior to the great Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of May 28, 2000. In fact, it is difficult to look at
1999 without considering this momentum towards this great conjunction and what it portends. Since Vedic
astrology classically only considers planets out to Saturn, the last planet visible to the naked eye as seen from earth,
the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are indeed major events. They forecast events for the next 20 years until their next
conjunction in 2020.
The first marker appears on December 18, 1998. The change of Rahu and Ketu into the signs of Cancer and
Capricorn, respectively, through August 31, 2000 brings added attention to the condition and stability of the nationstate (Capricorn), as well as to the food supply, and the success of crops, symbolized by the sign of Cancer. Those
countries or locations said to be ruled by Cancer will be especially prone to difficulties or intense changes. These
are Scotland, New Zealand, north and west Africa, Mauritius, Stockholm, Amsterdam, New York City, Tunis, and
Venice. The total solar eclipse August 11, 1999 also occurs in Cancer.
On January 13, 1999 two planets change signs—all of this sidereal zodiac. Jupiter re-enters the sign of Pisces,
and Mars enters the sign of Libra. Jupiter will be in Pisces for 4 1/2 months, through May 26, 1999 when it joins
Saturn in the sign of Aries for one year. Mars will spend 7 1/2 months in the sign of Libra, through August 23,
1999. In Libra, Mars will oppose Saturn in Aries, thus strengthening Saturn's power as a malefic, a planet that can
do some damage in the process of telling us some deep truths.
Mars and Saturn aspect each other again from November 19 through December 28, 1999, when Mars transits
through Capricorn. Each of these planets is then in quadrants (squares, conjunctions or oppositions by sign) to
Rahu and Ketu, the lunar nodes. All four of these planets are considered to be malefics in Vedic astrology, and able
to do more harm when they are aspecting each other, or in quadrants to each other, as they are in this case. Also,
the focus on Aries, a bearish sign financially, spells an economic downturn.
Thus all of 1999 and the first half of 2000 will be a preparation for the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
in the constellation of Krittika, at just under 29° of Aries, and a little more than 1° away from the end of the sign.
When you consider a planet at the end of a zodiacal sign, consider that it is already looking ahead to the next
sign, and somewhat exhausted by its journey through the sign it's nearly out of. In the case of Aries, this is a fire
sign driven by the need for action, with an enthusiasm for starting projects, and less of a desire to finish them. At the
end of Aries, it is looking to Taurus, a fixed sign that is more devoted to financial prosperity, the arts, and settling
down. Taurus is also more concerned with the food on the table than the battle armor lying in the front hall.
The Impact of Krittika
The constellation of Krittika runs in the sidereal zodiac from 26° 40’ Aries up to 10° Taurus. It becomes
activated especially when major outer planets transit through its territory. The symbol for Krittika is the razor, and
that which burns. It is capable of cutting off what was previously considered normal or accepted through the action
of burning or cutting. Krittika is ruled over by the deity Agni, the god of fire. It is considered a destructive
asterism—sharp, cutting, and penetrating. It rules over sharp writing and sewing implements, and sharp tools like
drills. It rules over war, battles, armies and disputes, also armor and gold. In one of the myths related to this
constellation, the warlike figure Karttikeya kills the mighty demon Taraka, thereby delivering the gods from the
demons who had previously defeated them. Thus the result of war in this story has a positive outcome for the gods,
or what we often call "the good guys." Do remember this story in the upcoming several years.
Remember too the emphasis on fiery and cutting energy, which on the positive side includes solar and laserpowered energy. We should see a resurgence in the use of solar energy to fuel our homes and other buildings, as
well as vehicles. As Krittika is closely associated with the metal gold, watch also for the price of gold to go up in
the years following May 28, 2000. This also includes gold mining stocks. Both of these would be a good hedge
against the potential for deflation in many economies of the world, starting in 1999.
When major outer planets enter the constellation of Krittika, we will see the power of this area of the heavens,
which also contains the stars known as the Pleiades. The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in late May 2000 occurs in
Krittika, and prior to that Saturn enters Krittika June 27, 1999, stays there through November 4, 1999, then re-enters
Krittika mid-March 2000 for almost exactly one year.
So, summarizing some of these planetary positions, we see some extra intensity building from the time Jupiter
enters Aries, joining Saturn in the same sign, on May 26, 1999. A month later, Saturn enters Krittika, on June 27. A
few days after this, on July 1, transiting planet Uranus enters a 2° wide orb square to transiting Saturn which
continues though December 5th, 1999, and carries on for several months in the year 2000. This includes a close
square to the great Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of May 28, 2000, thus affecting the next 20 year period economically,
politically, socially, and on all levels.
Now Uranus is not classically considered as a planetary factor in Vedic astrology, but being trained in both
Western and Vedic astrology, I cannot help but notice that Uranus in sidereal Capricorn is adding a particularly
electric and unpredictable element to Saturn's passage through late Aries. It is a test of wills between conservative
and liberal voices on all fronts, and we may see some unusually strong demagoguery while both sides battle it out to
gain control. This is most likely to erupt in the area of international or inter-tribal warfare.
Possibility of Famine
I mentioned earlier that in addition to the Aries-Libra axis, there is an emphasis on the signs of Cancer and
Capricorn in 1999, since Rahu and Ketu (the north and south lunar nodes) will be transiting there through August
31, 2000, and most of the eclipses in 1999 and 2000 occur there. Notice that everyone is talking about a Y2K crisis,
but the planets instead appear to be emphasizing a crisis with the food supply, notably via extreme weather patterns
which could radically affect many crops in the summer and fall of 1999. There is an odd mixture of indications,
which I can only describe as I read them.
The planet Jupiter is in perihelion on May 20, 1999. Perihelion is the planet's closest point to the Sun while it
orbits around the Sun. For Jupiter, this happens every 12 years. In the Brihat Samhita, a classic Vedic astrological
text on weather patterns and other earthly phenomena, it is stated that when Jupiter is in perihelion there is great
drought. Of course we would have to examine other maps and charts to see which parts of the world this applies to,
although I have already listed some vulnerable countries and cities of the world.
In addition, the Brihat Samhita says the following, "In the Bhadrapada year of Jupiter, the produce of creepers
like green grams and the first crop of the year will be quite satisfactory. There will be no second crop in the year.
Food grains will be in plenty only in some places, and there will be panic or danger in other parts." These
astrological conditions apply in 1999, starting in April. Given the intense planetary patterns over the summer,
especially in August with the eclipses, and the total solar eclipse in the water sign of Cancer, we could have a
drought in some areas earlier in the year followed by excessive rains. This period of weather intensity should focus
around August 10 through September 30, 1999, but perhaps also include portions of July and October 1999 as well.
What is arresting about this prediction is that major solar flares have also been predicted for July and August of
1999. We have been mainly considering their effects on our travel and telecommunications, and indeed they may
have some effect there. But I am seeing the area of communications technology, especially the Internet, as being
affected not so much by Y2K, but by the battles being fought in a more invisible way by major corporations
attempting to gain control of public opinion, and private information. For example, we now have the real possibility
of banks and financial institutions creating profiles of so-called "normal" deposit and withdrawal activity, and
reporting to authorities if you veer from your normal banking behavior pattern.
The Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction
Lastly, I will bring us up-to-date with a quick comparison to the previous three Jupiter-Saturn conjunction
charts, 1940, 1960, and 1980, each of which set the stage for the major thrust of the economic/social/political
climate for the next 20 years.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of August 1940 occurred at just under 22° Aries, in the constellation of Bharani,
ruled by Yama, the god of death, with its function of removing what is not wanted in society. The military influence
was in full swing during this period, and notice how—though we seem never to be without wars in some region of
the world—this 20 year period from 1940 to 1960 was fuelled first by World War II and its global impact, then later
by the so-called Cold War of the 1950s, and the unprecedented military buildup which was the beginning of what
even General Eisenhower warned would be a military-industrial state, that is, a nation-state driven by its need to
justify huge military expenditures as a necessity for survival as a nation.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of February 1961 at just under 2° Capricorn has very apt descriptions for the
period 1960 to 1980. Saturn rules Capricorn, and so is extremely comfortable building up capitalist materialism in
this period, with almost no opposition and no fight from the usual wisdom of Jupiter, which is debilitated in
Capricorn, and completely over-ruled by Saturn's concern for the almighty "bottom line." Interesting too, that this
conjunction occurred in the constellation of Uttarashada, which means "the later victor."
This is a constellation associated with victory and the warrior class. During this time the U.S. economy did
extremely well, but so too did that of Germany and Japan. We financed their comeback, and prohibited them from
spending their rapidly burgeoning coffers on military defense, while we continued to do so ourselves, big-time. So it
could be said that in the period of 1960 to 1980, Japan and Germany were indeed the later victors of World War II.
The most recent Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in December 1980 occurred at just under 16° of Virgo in the
constellation of Hasta. This is a constellation associated with gaining and with the merchant class. The craftsperson
excels in Hasta. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communications in all forms. In this chart, Mercury is
located in Sagittarius, and so tightly combust the Sun that the intelligence of Mercury is considered to be at a genius
level. In addition, there is an exchange of signs between Mercury in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Virgo, giving the
intellectual and inventive power of Mercury full-reign at a global level in the field of communications. This was of
course the period in which the personal computer and related inventions such as the Internet first came into
widespread use. This period alone has made the computer software craftsman Bill Gates into a communications
merchant of unparalleled personal wealth and business power.
But is this theme likely to continue in the next 20 years? The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of May 28, 2000 does
not give Mercury the same kind of emphasis it had in the previous 20 years. Although Mercury is still strong here
in its own sign of Gemini, it does not have major driving force over the conjunction chart, as it did in 1980. Thus, in
terms of fuelling the next 20 years, we'd have to say that there are other developments which will be more central to
the spotlight. Those seem to be related to solar energy, and to whatever technology can do its job through the
process of burning and cutting, such as laser technologies, and related fields. These are obviously the more positive
aspects of Krittika, and through concerted efforts individually and communally, we can try to make this side of
Krittika in late Aries the upside of the disenfranchised warrior who has seen all the horrors of war, and wants to
move from disenfranchised warrior to enlightened warrior.
___________
Edith Hathaway has been a full-time professional astrologer since 1980. She is author of Navigating by the Stars,
and is lead panelist for the Vedic astrology website located at http://thenewage.com/astrology/act.htm. Edith was
awarded the title of Jyotish Kovid by ICAS and is an ACVA board member. She can be reached at P.O. Box 9609,
Santa Fe, NM 87504, 505/466-8465, [email protected].