By Jayant Kalawar[1]

We are at the beginning of a new year and a new decade. In this post, I cover what 2020 may look like.

For those who may have missed it, I posted my 2019 retrospective a few weeks ago. So the context is set for jumping into forecasting for the decade of the 20s! In this Part 1 of a two part post, I will cover the year 2020 may bring for US politics, presidential election, economy, culture war, technology. In the next (Part 2) post, a few weeks from now in about mid-January 2020, I will (bravely) speculate on the decade.

For those who read my posts, you already know of this, so skip to the next paragraph, if you would like. I post on a range of topics, from strategy in the modern world using the lens of science and technology, to spiritual quest using the lens of India traditions. Jyotish is one technique from Indian traditions that is reviled by most educated modern people and, on the other hand, is used extensively by many people who include the ways of Indian traditions in their day to day life. In this and other posts I apply Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology[2] to the dense information, analysis and forecasts that are already available to us through corporate, government and social media. I find Jyotish gives me a way of examining the world and making a somewhat better practical sense of it, than what the modern media pundits would have us believe. Over the years, I have found it is helpful in managing the ups and downs in life. Jyotish indeed shines a beam of light, which can be used to bridge between the material and the spiritual. Those of you who have made (or would like to make) the cognitive shift to experience the Devas as real and active in this world are best able to make use of the Jyotish lens. I think 2020 has the hallmark of being a positive year, compared to 2019, which may have been stressful in different ways for most of us. Let’s talk politics, economics and culture, to see whether we can get a sense of what to expect in 2020, so that we may have some sense of how to navigate it.

US Politics 2020

First, lets cover politics (as many of you may know already, I cover mostly US and sometimes India and then, once in a while, the ageing original colonizer country, the UK).

In the US, 2020 is an election year.

As I write this in mid to late December 2019, the US politicians in the capital are embroiled in the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. At the same time, the Democrats are playing out the 2020 primary drama. So, the three questions for US politics in 2020 are set: will President Trump be acquitted or removed by the US Senate in the early months of the year? Who is likely to be the Democratic candidate to win the primaries and contest the presidential elections? Who will be sworn in as president of the US in 2021?

US Politics up to June 2020

Let’s look at the first six months of 2020. With Republicans controlling the US Senate, will there be an acquittal or removal of the sitting president? In this post I assume President Trump will be acquitted of the impeachment charges. The rest of the post reflects that impeachment acquittal scenario. However, his birth chart indicates that he may be in conflict with quite a few close advisors soon after such an acquittal. The major indicator here is Saturn, which moves into Capricorn in the last week of January 2020 and remains in his 6^th house of conflict, Capricorn, for the next 3 years. President Trump’s birth chart has a very weak natal 7^th L Saturn placed in his 12th of losses in his natal chart, which implies he has not had much support from his advisors and partners in his life, in any case. That in turn implies that President Trump is used to working things through major crises in his life without much guidance or help from his advisors or partners. So the three year post January 2020 phase of his 7^th L Saturn transiting in his 6^th house of conflict, while it may give rise to conflicts, may not have much of a negative impact on his career track. But there is something else that might: transit Jupiter will be in his 6^th house for 3 months from April to June of 2020. He is likely to have some losses potentially driven by actions by his close family involved in his career: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.  At this time, they appear to be leading the trade talks with China. At the same time, the nodal (Rahu-Ketu) axis will be slowing and afflicting his 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th and 9^th houses in June – and that may contribute to potential set-backs in the trade-talks area and also increase tensions with foreign powers. To sum an answer to the first question: yes, President Trump may likely be acquitted of the impeachment charges, but his ability to maneuver may be weakened in the first six months of 2020.

Democratic Nominee?

On to the second question: who will be the Democratic nominee? There are so many factors that are likely to play out in the crowded Democratic primaries, at the time of this writing in mid- December.  So what I write here is speculative, more directional than a pinpoint prediction. Based on available birth charts and estimate of their accuracy, I am giving a low to high probability for who may be the democratic nominee as things stand in late 2019:

Mr. Michael Bloomberg (MB): high quality birth chart based on birth certificate (February 14, 1942, 3:40 pm, Brighton, MA). Cancer rising at 3 deg. Currently in Ketu/Sun from December 21^st 2019 to April 27^th 2020 and then followed by Ketu/Moon up to Nov 26^th 2020, with natal Sun at 2 deg in 8^thand natal Ketu at 20 deg also in 8^th. MB may get a boost in the primary race between now and mid-April and then may not make much headway, as 1^st L Moon (combust and slightly afflicted by 10^th aspect of natal 8^th L Saturn does not enable very positive projection of self-image required for a winning presidential candidate) bhukti sets in, while in Ketu mahadasha. I give MB a low probability of being nominee.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (EW): low quality birth chart (date, without time. June 22, 1949, Oklahoma City). Based on EW’s key life events as described in her Wikipedia bio, I have estimated a 2 deg Leo rising chart, with Ascendant lord Sun at 7 deg in the 11th. This chart shows Saturn / Venus period running up to November 25^th 2021. Natal Saturn is at 8 deg in the 1^st and Venus at 25 deg in the 11^th. Both natal Saturn and Venus may be seen to be weak due to their mooltrikona houses being weakened by the natal Rahu-Ketu nodal axis. EW has a strong 2^nd L Mercury, the prime determinant of her career, in the 10^th house, alongside Mars the 9^th L of good fortune (which is weak due to 9^th H being afflicted by natal nodal axis). Her Jupiter, planet of creative intelligence, is badly placed in the 6^th and its mooltrikona house is afflicted making it weak. Overall, the chart shows a strong career with keen analytical abilities, marred by not having good fortune. If I come across a better rectification of EW’s chart, I will revisit EW’s chances. With the estimated chart that I currently have, I give EW a moderate chance of being the nominee.

Mr. Andrew Yang (AY): We have a date and time from memory for AY’s birth chart (January 13, 1975, 6:20 am, Schenectady, NY).  Rising at 11 deg in Sagittarius, it has natal Jupiter strong and un-afflicted at 22 deg in 3^rd H, with dispositor Saturn at 25 deg in 1^st H. The chart is currently running Jupiter / Venus until Feb 8^th 2020 and thereafter Jupiter / Sun up to Nov 26^th 2020. Natal Venus at 15 deg in 2^nd H is directly afflicted by debilitated natal Ketu from the 6^th, with its 9^th aspect.  Natal Sun is very weak in 1^st H at 29 deg.  Jupiter dasha gives AY push in his new endeavors (he is stepping into politics at a presidential level without any political experience is an entirely new endeavor). However, bhuktis of afflicted Venus and then weak Sun are likely not allow fruition of AY’s endeavors in 2020. I give AY a low probability of being a nominee.

Vice President Joseph Biden (JB): We have a date and time from memory of JB’s birth chart (November 20, 1942, 8:30 am, Scranton, PA). Rising at 10 deg in Scorpio, it has 10^th L natal Sun in 1^st and directly afflicted by natal 12^th L Venus.  Natal 9^th L Moon is directly afflicted by 9^th aspect of natal Rahu.  Natal 2^nd L Jupiter at 2 deg in 9^th is rendered weak due to dispositor natal Moon being weak and afflicted. Natal 11^th L Mercury is weak in the 12^th at 28 deg. All these natal positions indicate that JB may have communication challenges especially in the context of Global Social Mind (which I have described in my 2019 retrospective post).  JB is currently running Jupiter/Mars until April 30^th and thereafter Jupiter / Rahu until September 30^th 2023. This combination of dasha and bhuktis and an overall weak chart lead me to give JB a low probability of being a Democratic Party nominee for the November 2020 elections.

I do not have enough birth details and life events to construct rectified charts for Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Peter Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Of the four candidates in the Democratic primaries I have analyzed above, only Senator Elizabeth Warren rises above low probability level in my view. Additionally let’s say Senator Bernie Sanders (I do not have enough information to have a view) may be her top competitor, based on current surveys. However, politics at the ground level may favor Senator Warren over Senator Sanders as a better bet as Democratic nominee to attract centrist independents and therefore to have a close contest with President Trump in November 2020.  So overall, EW rises to the top as potential Democratic Party nominee.

US Politics in November 2020

So, let’s say President Trump gets past the impeachment trial in the US Senate with an acquittal. The first six to seven months of the year are not likely to be favorable for him, with his advisors distancing themselves for a range of reasons. However, there is a shift in September 2020. The nodal axis moves into Taurus-Scorpio where it is exalted. The transit nodal axis will now aspect President Trump’s natal Sun and natal nodal axis, especially in October-November at between 29 deg and 25 deg Taurus-Scorpio. This transit nodal axis configuration may further enable President Trump to be even more effective than usual in influencing the Global Social Mind and therefore the elections.

During the last two months leading to the elections on November 3^rd 2020, President Trump appears to have the following pluses on his side:

Jupiter, his planet of creative intelligence will be strong in its own house especially from August through to mid-November,

Mercury will be in its own sign Virgo most of September giving him keen analytical ability post Labor day as the election campaign gathers momentum,

Mars, his planet of good fortune, will be in Aries from mid-August to beginning of October and

Exalted Rahu will be aspecting his natal Sun from September 20^th through to December, enabling his ability to accomplish his goals in the material world.

At the same time for the USA SAMVA chart, transit 6^th L Jupiter will be hovering around natal Venus in Sagittarius from August through to end of October 2020. This is likely to show in intense divisiveness of the US polity as it heads into the November 3^rd presidential election.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (my assumed Democratic nominee) does have a strong 2^nd L natal Mercury, which reflects in her strong communication and analytical ability. But a weak, debilitated 5^th L Jupiter in 6^th may not enable the strong influencer role that this age of the Global Social Mind seems to require as a key success factor for winning US presidential elections.

So, my bet would be that if Senator Elizabeth Warren is the Democratic nominee (which seems most likely among the slate of Democratic candidates at the moment), then the chances are that President Trump is likely to be re-elected on November 3, 2020. On the other hand, perhaps the Democratic Party may come up with a nominee that is not one of the four I have discussed in some detail above, who may stand a better chance to win the November elections. I will re-visit the November 2020 election possibilities in June-July 2020, if that is the case.

US Culture and Society in 2020

I did not talk about the topic of US culture and society in my 2019 retrospective. It was a divisive year in the US, a culmination some may say of a divisive decade. There were divisions in politics for sure, with the House being controlled by Democrats after their win in November 2018 and Senate remaining in firm Republican control with an increased majority.  The gender divisiveness seemed to widen with the #MeToo movement, bringing down multiple media and corporate personalities in its wake. The culture wars took to the streets, with Neo Nazis and Confederate supporters going head to head with Anti-Fa supporters. There were many reports of divide even within families driven by such culture war factors. All this divisiveness was in line with the SMAVA USA 4^th Lord natal Venus in 6^th, the planet signifying communal harmony for the US[3], being almost continually being afflicted from April onwards by the transit nodal axis and by the transit 8^th L Saturn. While the nodal axis affliction abated after September, the 8^th L Saturn transit affliction of natal Venus continues until January 14^th 2020 (given that the 4^th Lord Venus of communal harmony is in the 6^th house of conflict in the USA chart indicates that there is always an underlying tension within and among US communities. It is a question of higher degree of such conflicts and their outcomes at times of malefic afflictions that become interesting to note from year to year).

In most of 2020, transit Venus will coast through without major afflictions, except for a brief time in August. Natal Venus will be afflicted by transit 6^th L Jupiter in the August-October 2020 time frame, which we already noted above.

Compared to 2019, however, the divisiveness in the US may wind down when transit 8^th L Saturn moves to 7^th H in the last week of January, followed by US SAMVA chart running the Sun / Mercury period beginning first week of February 2020, which lasts all the way to December 10^th 2020.  There is a chance that this a period when communication and media interests (signified by Mercury) may be less provocative in their reporting, than in the recent past.

US Economy 2020

The US economy seems to have been well managed and stabilized by the US Federal Reserve, through a difficult period in 2019. Some say the Fed has achieved a soft landing and steered the US economy away from a recession. Potential for growth in 2020 appears to depend on how the trade war with China is resolved. There appears to be no clear map charted out at this stage (in late 2019) in the negotiations between US and China.

The SAMVA USA chart, however, provides clearer guidance for the US economy. Currently running the Sun dasha giving general economic well-being (from 2016), with the Mercury bhukti giving positive interactions with Canada and Mexico, from February to December 2020, the SAMVA USA chart is signaling a positive time for US economy. Foreign trade signified by its 10^th H L Mars is also giving positive signals for 2020. Mars transits in Aries and Pisces (10^th and 9 th houses) most of the second half of 2020. August through October may see positive movement in trade agreements.

US Tech 2020

Technology has been the great disruptive change agent in the US over the last 30 years. It has brought about rapid productivity gains and growth on one hand. At the same time digital technology has increased inequality both in terms of income and wealth distribution.

The current Sun dasha running in the USA SAMVA chart since 2016 has begun changing that direction, providing more attention to raising employment and income for the masses. That will continue in 2020. There may be more moves towards regulating the large tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple.

Mars plays a key role as the 10^th L strongly placed in the creative 5^th house in the USA SAMVA chart. This gives US the creative tech drive that ends up leading the world. In 2020 Mars will be in 9^th house of academia and research from June 18^th to August 15th and then again from October 4^th to December 23^rd. News of research breakthroughs from Universities and research labs may be expected during these periods. Mars will be in its own house Aries (and therefore stronger) from August 16^th to October 3^rd . News about new tech initiatives launched in commercial and defense arena may be likely during this time period. Second half of 2020 may see a few major new tech announcements in the US, after a 2019 that had raised doubts about whether tech world had reached a plateau with the big tech monopolies and non-transparency no longer enabling innovation.

Summing Up

The probability of Senator Elizabeth Warren being the Democratic Party nominee is high.

The probability of President Trump being re-elected, with Senator Elizabeth Warren as his competitor in November 2020, is high.

Social-cultural divisiveness / tensions in the US may tone down (relative to 2019) in 2020, except for the August-November time frame.

US economy is likely to do better in 2020 than in 2019, which is saying a lot.

US Tech is likely to make new breakthroughs in research as well as commercial and defense applications in the second half of 2020.

Have an enjoyable 2020 and may you achieve whatever you set out to achieve during the course of the year!!

That’s it for now. As you may have noted, in these posts I write about the general world we interact with. If you would like to have a personal reading for 2020, connect with me at jayantkalawar@gmail.com . I also give one on one tutorials on set up and interpret your own birth chart, so that you may begin to use it as one more ongoing tool to help you navigate your life’s journey.

[1] Jayant Kalawar is author of Deconstructing European Enlightenment and The Advaita Life Practice.

[2] Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology as propounded by Professor V.K. Choudhry.

[3] I use the USA SAMVA chart developed by Cosmologer for my analysis.