(22 August 2021)  It all looked so promising.  The US was the first country to manufacture an effective Covid vaccine and then successfully administer it to more than half of its population.  By late spring, the economy was re-opening as life showed more signs of returning to normal with restaurants doing a booming business, baseball and hockey stadiums enjoying full attendance and family and friends reuniting after the long, difficult lockdowns of 2020.  But then along came the Delta variant.

The fourth wave of Covid infections are forcing some jurisdictions to impose new restrictions.  Schools are generally open for in-person learning but most students must wear a mask.  No new lockdowns have been announced but more states are now seriously considering the possibility, much to the chagrin of many fed up citizens.  More worrying are the breakthrough infections. While unvaccinated people are more likely to get sick from the Delta variant, many fully vaccinated people are also testing positive and some are falling ill.  New data show that the protective effect of the vaccines is waning so that a third booster dose will be necessary.

The surprising spread of the Delta variant is the last thing President Joe Biden needs right now.  The current Covid setback is another rolling crisis for the White House to juggle alongside the Afghanistan fiasco.   As I noted in last week’s post, Biden’s chart is heavily afflicted right now on multiple fronts.  But my interest this week is how the afflictions to his horoscope may shed light on the future course of the pandemic in the US.

According to common astrological practice, the president’s chart reflects the fortunes of the entire nation, above and beyond any personal twists of fate.   Since we are concerned about the the course of the pandemic, we should focus on health-related significations the chart.  These are: the first house (the population/body), the first house ruler, the 6th house (health) and the 6th house ruler, as well as the Sun as the general significator for vitality and well-being.

In Biden’s chart Scorpio rises in the 1st house thus Mars is the 1st house ruler.  Aries is placed in the 6th house of health and thus it is also ruled by Mars.  We can therefore hypothesize that the pandemic is more likely to diminish in importance when these chart factors are no longer subject to planetary affliction.  Let’s see how that could play out.

Transiting Ketu (12 Scorpio) is in a close conjunction with the Ascendant (1st house cusp) and is one reason why the US is prone to suffering from the virus at this time.  Ketu symbolizes disruption and dissolution so its transits to the 1st house can indicate an instability in the country that could have several causes, including health.  By October (see chart), Ketu (8 Scorpio) will remain in a close conjunction with the Ascendant and thus could indicate ongoing pandemic-related troubles.

Health is more directly implicated by the affliction of Mars, the 1st and 6th house ruler.  Mars has been afflicted by the square aspect of Saturn for most of 2021 through its retrograde cycle and is the main reason why the pandemic remains a source of concern in the US.  Saturn is due to finally end its retrogradation and station direct on October 10 at 12 Capricorn.  The affliction will remain in place well after that date as Saturn will begin forward motion and will again exactly square Biden’s Mars in January 2022.  Therefore, it is very possible the pandemic will remain a significant problem in the US at at least until that date.

October could be a significant moment in the pandemic as Saturn stations direct while in a close 45-degree alignment with Neptune.  The 45-degree aspect is equivalent to a conjunction in the Ashtamsa D-8 divisional chart, representing serious troubles.   Saturn-Neptune alignments are classic indicators of suffering (Saturn) from illness (Neptune).  The timing of this aspect with the powerful Saturn station suggests that the pandemic could actually worsen in late September and early October.

Therefore, it is possible that the virus could continue to wreak havoc on daily life until early next year.  We should also note that Ketu will conjoin Biden’s Sun-Venus conjunction in January 2022 and this could coincide with further weakening of national vitality since the Sun signifies health in a general sense.  The bottom line is there may be several more chapters left to be written in this pandemic before we can truly put it behind us.

Weekly Market Forecast

Stocks were more volatile last week as the Fed minutes revealed the increased likelihood of a Fed taper later this year.  Stocks dipped in the first half of the week before buyers stepped in in the second half of the week.  This outcome was more or less in keeping with last week’s forecast which suggested downside was more likely around the Mercury-Mars conjunction before giving way to the more optimistic Sun-Jupiter conjunction in the second half of the week.

This week again hints at a mixed market.  With Mercury opposing Neptune in the first half of the week, there is some risk of declines in the coming days.  However, the entry of Mercury into sidereal Virgo late on Wednesday and early on Thursday looks more positive, especially since it aligns with bullish Jupiter and Pluto.    The Mercury’s entry into Virgo could also reduce the potential negative effects of the ongoing debilitation of Venus in Virgo since Virgo is ruled by Mercury.  Interestingly, this positive planetary set up occurs around the same time as the much-anticipated Jackson Hole speech by Fed Chair Powell Friday morning.  A positive reaction to the Powell speech seems more likely than not.

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