Author / Jayant Kalawar

Posts by Jayant Kalawar

Coach and Strategizer II Advaita Vedanta, Sri Vidya II Systems Thinking, Antifragile Strategies II Blog: https://21banyantree.com/blog-at-21banyantree/ Author: Outsider Deconstructing European Enlightenment https://www.amazon.com/OUTSIDER-DECONSTRUCTING-EUROPEAN-ENLIGHTENMENT-Death-ebook/dp/B07RHVRV7V https://www.facebook.com/21BanyanTree/ Twitter: @21BanyanTree Contact: jayantkalawar@gmail.com
by Jayant Kalawar

Wuhan Virus USA: Jyotish Model Prediction Update April 17th

Devi Waiting for Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 180929

The Devi Waiting For Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 2019

 

By Jayant Kalawar, April 17th 2020

Positive memes have started surfacing in USA, as seen in these news items on April 16th, 2020, which I predicted in early April 2020.

In my post of April 6th I had predicted the following:

From April 8th to April 25th, Mercury transits Pisces, the 9th house of good fortune and openness to direction from advanced research. We may likely see a different set of memes arise in this period. They are, however, likely to be over all weakly positive (and especially so up to August 14th): the memes in this period will likely begin giving information about how the pandemic is being mitigated and calling to action and getting back to work.

Mercury enters Aries on April 26th 2020. It will be able to manifest positive memes especially up to May 6th. Memes calling for action to get the economy moving may get stronger in this period.

Here are two news items that surfaced in this context on April 16th, which are aligned with the above predictions:

  1. Call to action and getting back to work

Trump unveils phased approach to reopening economy

https://apnews.com/420a38ec14101eab70e07be367ee6422

  1. Direction from advanced research

Early peek at data on Gilead coronavirus drug suggests patients are responding to treatment.

The potential of Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology to play a role in planning our lives has not been tapped. There is quite a bit of research that needs to be done to make this happen, to make the heuristics developed by ancient Rishis adapt to the 21st century to make them relevant and practical. One way is to incorporate the Jyotish factor into modeling, which is what I have done here and therefore test whether and how it helps us all to navigate uncertainty in life a little bit better.

Of course, the main question on everyone’s mind right now, as I write this on April 17th, is what direction Covid-19 epidemic take, in terms of new cases and new deaths. You will see my prediction in the linked post (at the top of this post) which speaks of leveling of new cases after August 18th and leveling of new deaths somewhere between April 25th and May 6th. A new planetary configuration opens up from May 5th on wards, as Mars moves into Aquarius and Venus slows down and stations itself in late Taurus. I hope to contemplate and write about that soon in a separate post.

by Jayant Kalawar

Jyotish Model Perspective: Wuhan Virus Pandemic in USA 2020 – Updated April 15th 2020

Devi Kalaratri source Wikipedia 180808

The Destroyer of Ignorance and Confusion – Aum Namo KAlarAtreya NamAhA (Source: Wikipedia, Devi Kalratri, Sanghasri, Kalighat, Kolkata, 2010)

By Jayant Kalawar, posted April 15th 2020

I posted my Jyotish model projections of the current Wuhan Virus pandemic in USA on April 6th. These were the key summary projections:

  1. The memes in social media may begin to see some positive shoots after April 7th and a little more after April 14th, but we may have to wait until after April 25th for clarity on how and when people would be able to go back to work and school.
  2. The active Wuhan Virus cases in USA may likely peak between April 18th and 25th. Sharp declines may follow between April 25th and May 9th.
  3. Wuhan Virus related deaths in USA are likely to peak some time between April 25th and May 7th.

In this update I am posting graphics showing Jyotish Model projections for Active USA cases and total USA Deaths (first two graphics), followed by actuals up to April 13th (next two graphics). If you go back to my April 6th post and compare to what I have posted here, you will notice I have not tweaked my model projections at all. I am not looking to track levels / numbers of Active cases with my Jyotish model. What I am interested in tracking is how well this Jyotish based model is able to predict when the Active cases peak and when the declines start in Active Cases in USA. I notice a beginning of a slow down in the Active cases graph. Your constructive comments and suggestions are welcome on this post are welcome.

Current Cases and Total Recoveries to Date USA 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Current Active Wuhan Virus Cases in USA March – May 2020

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Wuhan Virus Deaths in USA March – May 2020

 

Actual Active Cases to April 13th 2020

Actual Active Wuhan Virus Cases USA to April 13th 2020

Actual Total Deaths To April 13th 2020

Actual Total Wuhan Virus Deaths in USA to April 13th 2020

by Jayant Kalawar

The 2020 Memetic Pandemic in USA

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

Most of us are already familiar with the genetic pandemic that is sweeping  through USA, at the time of this writing, in 2020. It is known variously as the Wuhan Virus, Covid – 19 and Corona Virus pandemic. I call it the Wuhan Virus RNA genetic pandemic, since it is driven by RNA, a basic genetic component of living cells. That way I can more clearly articulate the proposition that in parallel a memetic pandemic took place in USA in the February to April 2020 time frame. This memetic pandemic worked its way through the Global Social Mind that I began referring to in my previous post. The impact of this memetic pandemic may have been to temporarily amplify fears and cause confusion, and therefore lower the ability to effectively to respond to the genetic pandemic. From Jyotish perspective, the memetic pandemic is set to begin abating from April 7th 2020 on wards. And with that the Global Social Mind is likely to begin coming together to positively resolve the genetic pandemic.

Living in New Jersey I am currently experiencing (again at the time of this writing) the isolation and fears that arises from this Wuhan Virus pandemic. I know of people in my friends and family network who have been impacted from mild to critical to the ultimate price that this virus extracts. I write this analytical essay keeping those in mind. I hope I have nuanced it, so that it does not come across as cold and calculating. Hopefully the short term nature and order of magnitude lower numbers that this Jyotish based model projects comes true.

Viewing the 2020 USA Memetic Pandemic from the Jyotish Lens

On January 31st 2020, President Trump placed severe restrictions on airplane flights from China to USA. That was the beginning of USA memetic pandemic around the Wuhan Virus. It was the day that transit Mercury, which especially for USA governs analysis, communication, initiatives and short-term travel (Mercury thus ends up being a key significator of memes generated in USA), entered Aquarius, which happens to be the 8th House of death like experiences for USA according to SAMVA chart. This particular transit of Mercury through 30 degrees of Aquarius was longer than usual. Mercury went from 0 degrees Aquarius to almost 30 degrees, slowed down and came back to about 4 deg Aquarius and then trudged back to 30 deg by April 7th.  Mercury usually crosses a zodiac sign in 18 to 21 days. This time it stayed in Aquarius for 68 days[i]. Additionally, both natal Ketu and transit Ketu aspects were present in Aquarius at about 10 degrees and 16 degrees. Ketu gives isolation, distance and general material loss (and spiritual gain).

Thus, this transit of Mercury from January 31st to April 7th , manifested as memes of death like behavior, woven in with memes of isolation and distance. The Global Social Mind which has come into existence in the last 25 years, amplifies these memes and motivates individuals to according to the memes it propagates. We experienced the push towards social distancing and isolation after February 15th when Mercury began to slow down and retrace back from 20 deg Aquarius, in the shadow of natal Ketu. The Wuhan virus outbreak in Kirkland, Washington, had begun to unfold then and the first of the deaths in USA began to be counted.

From April 8th to April 25th, Mercury transits Pisces, the 9th house of good fortune and openness to direction from advanced research. We may likely see a different set of memes arise in this period. They are, however, likely to be over all weakly positive (and especially so up to August 14th): the memes in this period will likely begin giving information about how the pandemic is being mitigated and calling to action and getting back to work.

Mercury enters Aries on April 26th 2020. It will be able to manifest positive memes especially up to May 6th. Memes calling for action to get the economy moving may get stronger in this period. This may potentially effectively move the Global Social Mind out of the dark memetic pandemic, at least in the USA. May 8th on wards there are other Jyotish impacts seen from the political and economic frames that may not fully enable the positive memes trend to continue. We may talk about that in a later post.

Jyotish Perspective of Triggers for the RNA Pandemic in USA

In my continued attempts to make Jyotish a relevant tool in the modern world, I have used Jyotish based prediction as a driver of Covid-19 reproduction rate in US in the late March – early May time frame to forecast current cases, total deaths and total recoveries. I used actuals for March 21st as a starting point and then applied changing reproduction rates (using Excel spread sheet) as follows:

Jyotish Model Driving COVID 19 Reproduction Rate in USA March – May 2020 Using USA SAMVA CHART
Dates March 31st April 8th April 14th April 25th
Significant Astro Dates (Used as Drivers to change Reproduction Rate R in Table below) USA SAMVA tr Mars afflicted by tr Saturn Peak March 31st Gives Peak R=4.5) April 8th: tr Mars no longer afflicted. Tr 3rd L Mercury out of 8th H, but debilitated so only few openings for movement and communication opened up. Drives R down to 3.2 and then to 1.1) April 14th: Tr 2nd L Sun exalted in Aries bringing leadership and sense of well being to country. Drives R to 0.7. April 25th: Mercury moves into Aries. Movement, communication and innovation opens up. Drives R to 0.4 and lower in following weeks.

 

Following Charts present the Jyotish Model Forecasts and Actuals to Date (March 28th 2020)

Current Cases and Total Recoveries to Date USA 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Current Wuhan Virus Cases

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths

Actual Total Cases 200406

Actual Total Cases

Actual Total Deaths 200406

Actual Total Deaths

 

 

I expect the numbers predicted will differ from actuals. My predictions are for total current cases net recoveries. Actuals are for total cases to date (not netted for recoveries). More important is when the actual cases and actual deaths peak and decelerate (and at what rate). So, what I would be looking for is whether the actuals begin to slope downwards as per prediction based on my Jyotish based model, between April 18th and April 25th and then slope downwards even further after between April 25th – May 2nd and accelerate downwards between May 2nd – May 9th. And whether total number of deaths stabilize around April 25th on wards. Lets see.

I use the Systems Approach To Vedic Astrology (SATVA) as propounded by Professor V. K. Chaudhry in the 1990s. Current SATVA practice is led by esteemed astrologer Mr. Rajesh K. Chaudhary. The USA chart that I refer to in this post was formulated after over a decade of detailed of historical research by Cosmologer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[i] I hasten to add, that this description of Mercury’s travel through Aquarius is from a Earth positional astronomy perspective i.e. this is how we see Mercury’s motion in the sky from the Earth. Helio (Sun) centric astronomy teaches us that is not actually happens in space. Jyotish uses sidereal positional astronomy, with positions of planets and stars as they are seen from a point on Earth to cast sky maps (charts) and then interpret them using heuristics developed over millennia of observations.

by Jayant Kalawar

Letting Go, Building Anew: On Becoming a Somewhat Better Person in 2020

Sri Gayatri MAtA by Raja Ravi Verma Source Wikipedia

ॐ श्री मात्रे नमः Source: Illustration by Raja Ravi Verma as published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri

By Jayant Kalawar, January 2, 2020

Like clockwork, 2019 has passed us by.

Left us memories of pleasures,

accomplishments and excitements.

Of moments of joy and peace

and exhilaration.

Of disappointments and sorrows,

frustrations and anger.

Deepening some connections,

Beginning new ones.

Weakening some, severing others.

 

What do I want to keep? What to let go? What do I want to build anew?

Well, actually if I could, I would like to keep just a few specific positive memories from 2019 and let go of the rest, both positive and negative.

I don’t think it is possible to let go of memories. But maybe be they can be moved to some faraway distant storage?! That way they are not lurking around to trigger us every day into doing or saying things that we then regret.

So I begin by thinking backwards from December to January of 2019. Month by month.

For each month I try to remember things that happened that gave me a feeling of well-being and of unease. I think of my health and in my late 60s I have some aches and pains that routinely spring to life. Remembering specific things helps to contemplate on what I should have done differently to manage these little friends that keep springing up. This way I begin to make a ‘lessons learned’ list! I have been able to add a new 3 minute daily exercise for my knees, for example. So I can move my memories of knee pain and weakness away into deep storage and instead add this new exercise segment into my daily activity.

I do the same, to remember the times I may have been upset with my dear and near ones, as I go back in the year, month by month. What could I have done differently so that I would not get so upset? And repeatedly so. The pattern becomes more obvious when I go through such a contemplative exercise for each of the 12 months. Beginning of a new year is a good time to do this, quietly by one self. I learn from it. It is one thing to say I should be more patient. Another to learn for one self how to say something differently, not jump to conclusions for example. Or come up with solutions. Asking more open ended questions in a way that would be less irritating, perhaps. So again, to let go of the memories of the pattern of upsets and hopefully to learn how not to repeat that pattern in 2020.

And then there is problem-solving we all do every day. Whether at home or at work or at play. This is something I particularly like to contemplate on. To see what problem solving was difficult for me. What caused anxiety and how was it resolved. How could I have done that problem solving differently. Much of the problem solving we do is collaborative. Going to buy or sell a car for example. To solve that problem requires many different players and many different factors coming into play. I have to come up to speed on who does what and so on in the car buying or selling process. Lots of prep work needs to be done before going in and engaging to solve the problem of buying or selling a car. Same thing with investing: buying or selling stocks or bonds for example. Or buying or selling a house. Same rules apply: contemplate on specific problem solving events backwards month by month in 2019. What could I have done differently to have better outcomes? What can I learn from that and how can I change how I solve problems in 2020? More research, patience, asking questions, being pro-active are some general things. All this take more time. So giving more time up front in how I plan the problem solving process is something that I hope to build in to the way I solve complex problems in 2020.

Hope you get some idea from these examples of my own step by step attempts to learn from 2019, so I can move most of the memories into far away distant storage while keeping most of the lessons learned. And so, hopefully, become a somewhat better person in 2020 (my new year’s resolution). Perhaps you may try some of this for yourself. Especially if you believe there is room for you to be a somewhat better person in 2020.

by Jayant Kalawar

2020 Prospective: The Year in the Decade – Part 1

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

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 6th house of conflict, Capricorn, for the next 3 years. President Trump’s birth chart has a very weak natal 7th 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 7th L Saturn transiting in his 6th 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 6th 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 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th 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 21st 2019 to April 27th 2020 and then followed by Ketu/Moon up to Nov 26th 2020, with natal Sun at 2 deg in 8thand natal Ketu at 20 deg also in 8th. MB may get a boost in the primary race between now and mid-April and then may not make much headway, as 1st L Moon (combust and slightly afflicted by 10th aspect of natal 8th 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 25th 2021. Natal Saturn is at 8 deg in the 1st and Venus at 25 deg in the 11th. 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 2nd L Mercury, the prime determinant of her career, in the 10th house, alongside Mars the 9th L of good fortune (which is weak due to 9th H being afflicted by natal nodal axis). Her Jupiter, planet of creative intelligence, is badly placed in the 6th 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 3rd H, with dispositor Saturn at 25 deg in 1st H. The chart is currently running Jupiter / Venus until Feb 8th 2020 and thereafter Jupiter / Sun up to Nov 26th 2020. Natal Venus at 15 deg in 2nd H is directly afflicted by debilitated natal Ketu from the 6th, with its 9th aspect.  Natal Sun is very weak in 1st 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 10th L natal Sun in 1st and directly afflicted by natal 12th L Venus.  Natal 9th L Moon is directly afflicted by 9th aspect of natal Rahu.  Natal 2nd L Jupiter at 2 deg in 9th is rendered weak due to dispositor natal Moon being weak and afflicted. Natal 11th L Mercury is weak in the 12th 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 30th and thereafter Jupiter / Rahu until September 30th 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 3rd 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 20th through to December, enabling his ability to accomplish his goals in the material world.

At the same time for the USA SAMVA chart, transit 6th 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 3rd presidential election.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (my assumed Democratic nominee) does have a strong 2nd L natal Mercury, which reflects in her strong communication and analytical ability. But a weak, debilitated 5th L Jupiter in 6th 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 4th Lord natal Venus in 6th, 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 8th L Saturn. While the nodal axis affliction abated after September, the 8th L Saturn transit affliction of natal Venus continues until January 14th 2020 (given that the 4th Lord Venus of communal harmony is in the 6th 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 6th 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 8th L Saturn moves to 7th 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 10th 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 10th H L Mars is also giving positive signals for 2020. Mars transits in Aries and Pisces (10th 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 10th L strongly placed in the creative 5th 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 9th house of academia and research from June 18th to August 15th and then again from October 4th to December 23rd. 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 16th to October 3rd . 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.

by Jayant Kalawar

2019 Retrospective: Jyotish In the Age of the Global Social Mind (GSM)

Devi Waiting for Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 180929

The Devi Waiting For Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 2019

by Jayant Kalawar

Most areas of the globe seem to have gone through the ups and downs of 2019 quite nicely.  The planets in 2019 were aligned to provide a theater for quite some fire and light show this year, but collectively we were able to hold back from the brink. What changed the direction? I speculate on a new dynamic that has arisen that may be helping balance negative global patterns triggered by planetary forces.

In the USA, the year started with the Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives. That laid the ground for a year-long theater of conflict between the President and the Speaker of the House.  The Mueller report proved to be much milder than anticipated by the Democrats in implicating President Trump in any wrong doing. The report did point to key role of foreign powers, such as Russia, and of global digital platforms, such Facebook and Twitter, in the 2016 presidential election. This was seen by President Trump as an assault on the credibility of his victory in that election, adding fuel to the fire in the Trump-Pelosi script. The result is the impeachment process, which is continuing at the time of this writing, in early December 2019.

The trade war with China did not escalate to a physical war. And while negotiations with North Korea may be seen to have had a setback, they may have bought time in the potential escalation to war in the Korean peninsula. With Iran, the escalation of economic sanctions almost seemed to be on the brink of an all-out war mid-September 2019. But President Trump seems to have called it off at the last minute – and we may be all the better for it.

Venezuela went through some of the roughest times this year. Again the US held back from direct intervention and let Russia and China play into it as well.

I made two major macro level predictions in early 2019 based on a very rare long lasting conjunction of transit Saturn with transit Ketu in Sagittarius between April and October 2019.

One was that the US stock market may make a sharp downturn over 6 months between May and October 2019, before beginning to rise again. Well, it did not make a sharp down turn, instead it stagnated around DJI 26000. And then resumed its upward move in November 2019. The reason it held steady was intervention by the Fed, which began decreasing interest rates and increasing money supply beginning June, in anticipation of a downturn in the economy.  The Fed had been increasing rates in the previous year and the expectation, based on past cycles, was that it would continue to do so in 2019 or at least hold it steady. It may have been due to President Trump’s direct and public call for the Fed to begin decreasing interest rates that the Fed responded.

The other major prediction was about general elections in India, earlier this year. The prediction was that the BJP government may lose their majority unless they moved rapidly to correct the negative impact of demonetization and GST implementations. BJP did move to overcome the impact of demonetization by providing welfare benefits directly to those who needed them, through electronic transfers.  The GST implementation was also modified to decrease impact on small and medium sized businesses. The BJP returned to form a government with a bigger majority in the Lok Sabha, independent of any coalition partners.

What I notice, from the deviation of actual from the predicted, is that large public institutions in USA and India appear to be showing capacity to respond much faster to rapid feedback, when compared to the past. So what has changed? My guess is that it is the Internet: very deep and broad data with interactive capability of social media apps. With billions of people the world over interacting to continually refresh intelligence (=meaning making connected data), the Internet has become an active and very influential Global Social Mind (GSM). Each one of us who is active on the Internet influences the GSM in perhaps a very small way and is influenced by GSM greatly. The pulses, of tangled interweaving web of global connections between ever refreshing data, zaps us on the mental plane each time we interact on the Internet. World leaders, such as President Trump and PM Modi, are able to not only monitor these signals, but also respond to them and many times influence them.  Some narratives and predictions made on the Internet gain traction. That gives an opportunity to these leaders to respond and try to influence the signals, coming out of GSM, to be in their favor.

So how do I see the impact of the GSM in terms of Jyotish[1] framework of Karma and PurushArtha? Let me take up a standard example first, to set the context. A birth chart gives us insight into Karma from past lives that we are born with: it points to different sets of potential actions that are most likely to be triggered through us at different times in our life cycle. This is described by Dashas and Bhuktis and the prevailing astral energies, at any given time, due to planetary configurations (aka transits in technical Astrologese).  For example, if the astrologer notices that for an individual the transit ascendant lord is going to be stationary in 8th house while conjunct with stationary transit Rahu-Ketu, she / he may point out that the chances of an accident may increase during that time (= actions triggered by Karma). If the individual is in a city such as New Delhi, the recommendation may be to minimize being on the road as much as possible (= PurushArtha, action based on awareness of self in the environment of action, Karma Bhumi) to reduce chances of an accident.

While a busy city with challenging traffic patterns may pose risk to humans on a physical plane, GSM is likely to impact humans on the mental plane. General significations of Mercury, as well as the lords of the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th houses would need to be considered, while assessing the impact of GSM. In President Trump’s chart for example, 2nd L Mercury is strong, as is his 5th house Lord Jupiter. His native Sun and Moon are strongly influenced by exalted Rahu and Ketu respectively (he was born during a Lunar eclipse). This gives him sharp mental capability and hence an ability to navigate GSM (as well on TV, with shows such as the Apprentice) to his advantage. I do not have PM Modi’s chart (it is not publicly known). However his ability to perform well both on social media and on radio (Man Ki Baat), makes me believe that his chart may have a strong Mercury (which is not a du-sthAnA lord) and have at least one of 3rd, 5th, 11th H Ls strong.

Learnings from 2019

Making predictions and then reviewing them enables a learning loop. Reviewing my 2019 predictions point me to some interesting learnings, which I will continue to test through future predictions.

Global Social Mind is real and an integral part of our lives now. We are greatly influenced by it each time we touch it and in return we influence it a just a very tiny little bit. So if a prediction of dire straits is channeled to you through the GSM, you begin positioning and taking actions to remedy that potential situation. The GSM accelerates and amplifies PurushArtha potential so as to minimize Karma impact. Such PurushArtha acceleration and amplification potential may be strongly positive during those times when transit Mercury is strong and un-afflicted. The GSM may trigger strongly negative results when transit Mercury is very weak and directly afflicted (for example the Christchurch mosque massacre took place in New Zealand, on March 15th 2019, when tr Mercury was very weak at 29 deg in Aquarius, while being combust by tr Sun at 1 deg Pisces and directly afflicted by 5th aspect of tr Rahu at 0:44 deg Cancer).

In general, individuals with strong un-afflicted Mercury as a benefic and at least one of the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th house lords as un-afflicted and strong, in their chart, may be best positioned to be influencers on GSM. Those with weak and afflicted Mercury in their chart, with weak and / or afflicted 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th Lords may be prone to be triggered to act negatively due to their interaction with GSM.

To sum up, the rise of the GSM in the last two decades now has a presence in our world in which it plays a significant role in all our lives. On the positive side, it may be helping us to stabilize global society on the physical plane through rapid feedback loops which enable better strategic positioning and thus curb the need for large scale, mass physical aggression. On the mental plane, some may say the ability of individual human mind to think and act autonomously may be more circumscribed as the presence of GSM keeps growing and we become very tiny players in that amorphous every refreshing, ever present, intelligence. Jyotish may be in the unique position to provide tools to be able to step back and become aware of the larger dynamics that are playing in our lives in the age of the Global Social Mind. Perhaps more individuals may wish to take advantage of this powerful traditional framework as one of the tools to view and chart out their course in the world in the 2020s. Especially when the practicing Jyotishis are aware of the powerful tangled intelligent web that now girds the globe and are at least attempt to contextualize their readings and guidance.

[1] In my life coaching practice, I use Jyotish as only one of many modalities to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a client as they go about attempting to achieve life goals that they have set for themselves. Specifically, I follow Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology as propounded by Professor V.K. Choudhry.

by Jayant Kalawar

Book Review – Sabarimala and Women: Giving Voice to the Wisdom of the Practitioners

Lord Sastha for Sinu Book Review 191121

At the MuldhArA: Lord Sastha with Purnakala and Pushkala, at Sori Muthaiyan Kovil (Image Courtesy: V. Aravind Subramanyam), Pp 56 of Digital Copy of the Book.

by Jayant Kalawar, November 21, 2019

Women and Sabarimala: The Science behind Restrictions. Sinu Joseph, Notion Press. First Published by Notion Press 2019, ISBN 978-1-64733-633-2 (The book is available directly from publisher at Notion Press and at Amazon India . It is also available on Kindle atAmazon.com. My review is based on a digital copy provided for review purposes).

The author, Sinu Joseph, opens up for us the amazingly beautiful complex weave of Sastha tradition (of which Sabarimala is an integral part) by taking us on a journey of six Sastha temples, across a geography of many hundreds of miles in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. When we go along with her on this pilgrimage, we get to sense of the process of subtle human connections with the Deities of each of the temples. Along the way, Sinu describes what that connection experience is like for those who identify themselves as female and how it is different from those who identify themselves as male.

Before embarking on the journey, the book gives us an orientation in the first two chapters. This may be especially helpful for those who, while born into Hindu families, may not have had the opportunity to understand the deeply thoughtful subtle framework of chakras, and their connections to the endocrinal system of the human body, that have been used to design this pilgrimage through these six temples, each with a uniquely powerful Deity residing in a specific temple architecture. The connection to the human endocrinal system lays open for us to see how the pilgrimage process generates different experiences in female and male bodies. Those who are already deep practitioners in the chakra based traditions may find the first chapter of the book to be a quick refresher (given there are multiple views of chakra framework within Hindu tradition, the one described in this book may be considered by some to be a beginners version). The second chapter (along with the preface) sets up the problem that arose when Sabarimala temple was viewed through the lens of modernity – the rest of the book being a response to the question: why are women between the ages of 10 and 50 not allowed to enter Sabarimala temple.

The pilgrimage of the six Sastha temples is described as journey from the muldhArA chakrA through swadisthAnA, maNipurA, anAhatA and vishuddhi chakrAs to the AjnA chakrA.  Reading the first two chapters makes the descriptions of each of the temple Deities and the experiences easy to grasp. Each description is helpfully divided into sections describing the journey of the author’s travel party to the temple, their experiences in the temple, the Deity, the Chaitanyam, the ChakrA significance.

As the pilgrimage gains momentum, the descriptions of experiences build upon themselves and one becomes more and more curious about what comes next. That is a hallmark of an accomplished story teller. To show us this particular complex weave of Hindu tradition with such story telling prowess wants me to read more of Sinu Joseph’s writings in the future, as she deepens her insights by continuing her sAdhanA.

In the last but one chapter Sinu brings the mystery to a close by making a compelling case, which she has been building all along.  We see how by the time we get to Sabarimala our endocrine systems may be activated through the pilgrimage and how this begins to impact male and female bodies differently. And especially how this may impact menstruating women differently.

The book ends with a conversation with women to begin exploring the answer to the question ‘but so, what should women who also want mukti do?”. I think such exploration is much needed to rejuvenate a knowledge base that would help us move towards a socially and culturally more balanced life.

The blessings of Lord Sastha flow into this book and upon its readers through the blessings of Shri V. Aravind Subramanyam, President, Shri Maha Sasthru Seva Sangam, Coimbatore, in his foreword to the book. I read it at the beginning and once again at the end of my reading. I highly recommend reading this book. May you be blessed by Lord Sastha.

Jayant Kalawar is the author of An Outsider Deconstructing European Enlightenment, in which he uses the Devi / ChakrA lens to describe Europe’s interaction with the world over the last 400 plus years.

 

by Jayant Kalawar

To be human is to be….A view from the Devi Lens

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

By Jayant Kalawar

When I wrote the essay Outsider Deconstructing European Enlightenment it was a way of describing what it means to be human, by telling a story of how some humans have done things with each other and with nature around them. Many of us call such descriptions history.

So these humans I describe have a quite a bit of potential to act in different ways. However, much of it has not been switched on (yet).  Most of these humans seem to be very good at utilizing some of their potential, for example: to survive, reproduce, acquire material things and consume them.

That leaves out the potential for courage to be compassionate, to connect with all species on Earth and the Earth itself and to explore and connect with cosmic spiritual vibrations. Such potentials, in most humans, remain untapped. In my essay I talk about how each of these seven potentials (yes, if you go back and count you will see there are seven) are channeled through seven chakrAs.  which I posit makes for being human, when you see humans through the Devi Lens (all that in the essay).

What switches on these potentials? The culture you live in and how you are nurtured plays a big role in throwing these switches on and off. It’s this cultural driver that I focus on in my Outsider essay, to show how it switches on some of our potentials and lets others remain dormant.

In current usage in our digital world, we all live in now, I think it is better to call this driver memetic complex, rather than culture. New memes are produced and old ones are morphed or die every day now in this relatively new digital age. So unlike the past, we have a real chance to develop many memetic complexes (is that the right plural? – but you get the point) that may switch on the entire range of potentials in humans.

I think there are two more drivers for switching on potentials in humans.

One of those drivers I think is the natural environment we interact with, including through breathing, consuming and generally our physical living conditions. I want to explore how this driver actually works within us at the cellular level, through gene expressions and protein pathways. I have barely begun learning about this. But at the moment, my sankalpA is to write my next essay on how natural environment and genetics drive the switching of human potentials on and off. It took me about 3 years to write and self-publish the Outsider essay, after almost 15 years of reading and research (not knowing where it would take me, if at all). So, I have no sense of what may emerge and when that may end up being an essay about this cellular / endocrine driver and how it is tied to the chakrAs. But the general broad intention is present.

The other driver is personal practices, sAdhanA leading to upAsanA. You will notice I am not translating when I drop Sanskrit words into what I write here. It is easy to find meanings with Google search these days. If you are really interested you will do so and in the process perhaps get more and more comfortable with living in a global memetic complex! That one is so personal that I am not sure it could even be an essay. Perhaps a short memoir, some distant time in the future, when some sense emerges that there is something worthwhile to share.

Notice the use of emerging. Rather than aspiring.

If you do download and read my Outsider essay on Kindle, I hope you write and post your comment here. Especially how it made you think differently about what it is to be human and how we go about doing things in this world.

by Jayant Kalawar

An Outsider Deconstructing European Enlightenment

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

I recently published this essay on Amazon Kindle. Here is a brief summary:

From an outsider’s perspective, European Enlightenment was a brilliant social innovation, which emerged in the 17th century, as a response to the brutally destructive intra-religious wars in Europe. It led to the formation of national governments, financial markets and rapid growth of a certain kind of science and technology. However by the 21st century, that innovation, through its runaway success, has had unintended global consequences of ecocide, fratricide and suicide, particularly impacting those outside of the European sphere. This 60 page essay takes you briefly through the 3000 year history of monotheism in the West, before focusing on the 17th century and the path that has led to the current global systemic crises. The outsider, using the framework of his Devi traditions, offers a compass of hope, to navigate out of the global dystopian scenario charted by European Enlightenment, towards compassion, connection and immersion.

There are quite a few pages open to browse here:

An Outsider Deconstructing European Enlightenment

You may decide to download after browsing.

I am opening this page to comments and discussions. The comments posted on this page so far are quite insightful. You may want to browse through them as well. And please consider posting your comment here as well.

 

 

by Jayant Kalawar

7 month Planetary Storm April-Oct 2019, Comparing 2019 to 1930 And what to do about it.

Devi Kalaratri source Wikipedia 180808

The Destroyer of Ignorance and Confusion – Aum Namo KAlarAtreya NamAhA (Source: Wikipedia, Devi Kalratri, Sanghasri, Kalighat, Kolkata, 2010)

By Jayant Kalawar March 23rd 2019

For those who have not followed my predictions for 2019, made back in September 2018, please consider going back and taking a look here and then the follow up post here . The rest of the post may make more sense with that background. Those who are not interested in the astrology analysis that I go through in this post, I have bolded out sections that may be more relevant.

As Ketu began afflicting Saturn transiting in Sagittarius at a little over 25 deg a few days ago (today at the time of this writing is March 23, 2019, Ketu transited into Sagittarius), warning signs of the economy suddenly began flashing in the USA and political turmoil was on the horizon with the submission of the Special Counsel report and President Trump verbally attacking the Late Senator John McCain. Before that the Dow Jones Index was merrily going along posting gains in early 2019. Many investors seemed to be like frogs in a slowly heating pot of water, unable to heed the signs of the approaching planetary storm. Now they ask, is 2019 going to be similar to the 1930s for the USA, when the Dow lost 90% of its value in a little over two and a half years (from October 1929 to June 1932)?

The short answer is no: the depression of the 1930s was a prolonged event, beginning with onset of Ketu Bhukti on October 16th 1929 during RAhu MAhAdashA in the USA SAMVA Chart.[1] Dow Jones Index peaked at 343 in September 1929, was at 286 in March 1930, down to 183 in October 1930 and then bottomed out at 42 in June 1932. RAhu MAhAdashA was followed by the 6th L Jupiter MahAdashA from 1937 to 1953, during which the USA was in two major conflicts (6th L signification): WW II and the Korean War. It was only after 1953 that the Dow recovered back to its peak of 342 in September 1929. While the 8th L Saturn MAhAdashA gave death like experiences (Cuban missile crisis for example and continual threat of nuclear war with Americans preparing for nuclear threat) from 1953 to 1972, it also gave relatively easy gains (another signification of the 8th L) to the USA in economic terms with the Dow crossing the 1000 mark in November 1972

To sum up: In 1930, transit Saturn was in 6th H Sagittarius of the USA SAMVA chart. However, it was not afflicted by transit Ketu which was in Libra at that time. Ketu affliction of Saturn was not the driver of the 1930s economic turmoil.

In 2019, the USA is in Sun MAhAdashA and Saturn Bhukti. The protection of the Sun will be cushion for the effect of the prolonged 7 month (April to October) conjunction of transit Ketu with transit Saturn in Sagittarius, the 6th house of conflict in the USA SAMVA chart. The transits of 8th L turn and Ketu will be in turn giving long periods of affliction to natal Venus, the 4th L of domestic prosperity and communal harmony.

What USA may experience in this particular planetary storm from April to October 2019 is 7 months of sharp economic down turn, physical losses through disasters whether natural or manmade and also communal disharmony. A slow recovery may begin in February 2020 when 3rd L Mercury Bhukti comes into play. The pace of such a recovery is likely to be contingent upon the degree of physical losses to infrastructure and life experienced in 2019.

So how to position to get through this 7 month long planetary storm? Those invested in the financial markets may consider moving to as much cash position as one can. Do not start any new initiatives. Slow down as much as you can and be careful and watchful on a daily basis. And most importantly, if you are culturally blessed to have access to your IshTa DevatA and to Sri GaneshA, connect with them daily through your practices. They can and do provide protection and blessings. Many more individuals practicing such connections may likely result in lowering the level of losses that this planetary storm can leave behind.

[1] Please note: I follow Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology propounded by the Late Professor V.K. Choudhry (www.yournetastrologer.com). In this article, I have used chart for USA developed using Systems Approach to Mundane Vedic Astrology (see http://yournetastrologer.com/mundane_astrology.htm ). I also follow the work done by Cosmologer, who discovered the SAMVA USA chart in 2006 with the help of J.T.W. Battalana. He developed the chart based on extensive historical research and predictions for over a decade based on the Systems’ Approach and with guidance from the late Professor Choudhry (see http://cosmologer.blogspot.com/2007/12/samva-usa-chart.html