Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn
Rahu in Taurus – Ketu in Scorpio
Mars in Aries December 23 – February 22
Venus Transits Sagittarius January 4 – January 27
Mercury Transits Capricorn January 5 – 25
Kala Sarpa Yoga January 10 – January 22
New Moon in Sagittarius/Uttarashada January 12
Sun Transits Capricorn January 14 – February 13
Saturn in Shravana Nakshatra January 22
Venus Transits Capricorn January 28 – February 20
Full Moon in Cancer January 28
Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn January 31 – February 20

Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn

Since November 2020, Jupiter has joined Saturn in Saturn's earth sign, Capricorn. They met at 7º Capricorn on December 21, 2020, in the final pada of Uttarashada nakshatra, kicking off a decade of Jupiter separating from Saturn. They oppose during winter solstice 2029, when Saturn is in Aries and Jupiter is in Libra; they will remain in relative opposition for about a year, as they both change signs to Saturn in Taurus and Jupiter in Scorpio. We then keep an eye on the next decade when Jupiter applies to Saturn and they end up conjoined again for another Great Conjunction when they meet at 24º Virgo on October 31, 2040.

After this Great Conjunction, we see the two planets still occupy the same sign for some time and Jupiter finally pulls ahead to a new sign, which will happen when Jupiter moves to Aquarius on April 5, 2021. This is a very fast transit of Jupiter and could cause some rapid growth that is attempting to fix situations that are difficult, barren and poor.

When Jupiter reaches Aquarius and Saturn remains in Capricorn, this should feel a bit more expansive as Jupiter is free of Saturn's conjunction or aspect. It should be noted that Saturn is still the ruler of Aquarius, and will have some influence over Jupiter.

Jupiter in Aquarius:

Part 1: April 5, 2021 – September 14, 2021
Jupiter in Capricorn with Saturn: September 14, 2021 – November 20, 2021
Part 2: November 20, 2021 – April 13, 2022 (To Pisces)

Jupiter in Pisces: April 13, 2022 – April 22, 2023

Saturn will remain in Capricorn through January 17, 2023, when he moves to Aquarius. From Capricorn, Saturn puts the brakes on Pisces, Cancer and Libra. When Jupiter is in Pisces, this will be the case, with Saturn pressurizing the positive growth potential of Jupiter in its own sign. When Jupiter moves to Aries and Saturn moves to Aquarius, once again, Saturn gets the opportunity to slow the forward progress of Jupiter.

This season of Saturn pushing Jupiter will continue through 2025. By mid-2026, Jupiter will have moved far enough ahead of Saturn that Jupiter begins to aspect Saturn, which causes even Saturn to be uplifted and expanded a bit by Jupiter's buoyancy.

Jupiter will be running rapidly through Capricorn for the first quarter of 2021. After the conjunction with Saturn in the nakshatra of Uttarashada on December 21, 2020, Jupiter moves to Shravana nakshatra on January 6. Jupiter in Shravana, which is entirely contained within Capricorn, runs from January 6 – March 3, 2021. This could be a slight improvement for Jupiter, helping us to be receptive to the news of the world and finding a positive angle as we slog onward.

The further Jupiter progresses through Capricorn, the tighter the aspect between Rahu and Jupiter, who are mutually aspecting. This shows a bit of tension that is calling to be released, whether in the form of truthful revelations or graceful surrender. This aspect between Jupiter and Rahu is exact on February 24. With the amplified chaos that Rahu can broadcast, we need to put our ears closely to the ground and listen intently to the wisdom of the Earth to pull forth Jupiter's truth and wisdom.

Rahu in Taurus – Ketu in Scorpio

One of the factors that continues to amplify the dichotomy of the rigid Saturn in Capricorn pressuring the expansive nature of Jupiter is that Rahu is aspecting Capricorn and all planets therein through April 2022. Rahu and Ketu are just settling into these positions that really are fertile environments for the nodes.

Ketu is intense and firmly seated in his own sign of Scorpio, co-lorded by Mars. This entire transit is supportive of inner work, retreats, meditation practices and radical transformation of all kinds. This is a good 1.5 year period to solve puzzles and bring resolution to what has been unclear.

Rahu is happy in Taurus, which is Venus' earth sign. Venus and Rahu share passionate affinity and Taurus provides a fertile environment for Rahu's antics. The Rahu-Ketu axis changed signs at the end of September; either of those pairs of signs are quite supportive of Rahu and Ketu, so we continue to feel the strength of that unstable and unpredictable influence. While the noise of the world intensifies with Rahu, the draw toward internal anchoring with Ketu helps us find steadiness in our roots.

The global pandemic known as Covid-19 developed when Rahu was extremely strong, exalted and placed in his own nakshatra of Ardra. When Rahu shifted to Mrigashira nakshatra in May, the feeling of mayhem relaxed a bit into aggressive management accompanied by a high-speed chase toward vaccinations, treatments and cures.

Rahu will switch nakshatras again at the end of January, while still remaining in the sign of Taurus. The mean node of Rahu shifts from Mrigashira to Rohini on January 27, which may modify the nature of the ingenious use of chaos and noise that comes along with Rahu. It takes about eight months for the nodes to move through a nakshatra, or lunar mansion. Rahu naturally reverses through Rohini through early October, 2020.

During this time, all of the visible planets except Jupiter and Saturn will move past Rahu in Taurus. Mars leads the way, followed by Venus, Mercury and Sun, who all clear Rahu by July. The Moon will do this monthly through its sign of exaltation, Taurus, and through its own nakshatra, Rohini. This is a sensitive, caring, emotional and artistic environment. When the Moon moves through Rohini each month, passing by Rahu, we could feel an excited state of emotion that may tip toward instability.

Mars in Aries December 23 – February 22

With the outer planets placed in Capricorn, Taurus and Scorpio, the earth and water elements of these signs are forming an energetic foundation that is striving toward stability. Our collective tendency at the moment may be to dig in and not stir the pot too much as we attempt to rebuild.

The problem with this strategy is that not much will change if we don't make any moves. Enter Mars into Aries for a two month transit. He's got his fuel, his spark and his well-planned attack in mind. For better or worse, we may feel the fire of Mars lift us toward actions that will initiate needed change.

During this transit, Mars is strongly in the driver's seat without much supervision. Aries is currently out of reach by aspect of Saturn, Jupiter and the nodal axis, considering planetary aspects. The only monitor is a sign aspect that exists permanently between Aries and Scorpio. Scorpio currently is strongly anchored by Ketu. This indicates that the gut feelings and intuition that we all have access to may be the one guiding force for Mars. The problem with this is that not everyone has a clear channel to their inner guiding light and we can confuse paranoia with intuition.

This is a very strong, courageous and fiery position that Mars will have for a solid two months between December 23, 2020 – February 22, 2021. The bold actions that this energy could foster could fall on either side of the line of wisdom, however. One will have to ponder deeply before making these actions in order to ensure that the fire we are applying is going to have the intended consequences.

Mars will be kindling his power in Aries and will also aspect the signs of Cancer, Libra and Scorpio via his glance (aspects.) For those with strong placements in these signs, this may be a rather dynamic couple of months. Generally, Mars is concerned with power, resources and safety and can tend to focus strongly on the self and the insular group surrounding the self. While there may be appropriate reasons to trend toward this "selfish" stance at the moment, we may also want to be careful not to burn bridges as we attempt to find our balance.

Especially the Aries-Libra axis may be highlighted during this time. This represents the passionate exchange that humans desire so strongly between the male (Mars) and female (Venus) principles. Venus rules the air sign, Libra, that sits opposite Aries. This tango between Mars and Venus may become especially dramatic during this transit, pushing us individually and collectively toward building, repairing or destroying our relationships, depending on the appropriate individual requirements.

Venus Transits Sagittarius January 4 – January 27

Did someone say tango? Venus moves from the cold, quiet and intense environment of Scorpio on January 4 for a quick transit through Sagittarius which lands her in Capricorn on January 27. This is a short window where, like Mars, Venus will be free of aspects from all planets, especially when the Sun exits Sagittarius on January 14.

Most importantly, Venus moving to Sagittarius takes Venus out of range of Mars' aspect. This levels the dancing field a bit, allowing Mars and Venus the space to both figure out next moves and how to interact without either party winning or losing all.

While Mars is ready to rumble at any cost, Venus in Sagittarius could be the voice of reason and wisdom. We can fall back on this gentler approach as we find our way forward. This is still a fiery environment, but Venus carries the water element with her, so this could be a balance that we all need as we make negotiations. Counterbalance the courageous moves pushed by Mars in Aries with the grace and wisdom inspired by Venus in Sagittarius.

Mercury Transits Capricorn January 5 – 25

Mercury, our intrepid journalist, sticks close to the Sun, which is where most of the action usually is. Mercury leads the way into Saturn's sign on January 5 and passes through Capricorn rapidly, moving past Saturn and then Jupiter. By January 25, Mercury has blasted into Aquarius.

It should be understood that Mercury does well in Saturn's signs due to their natural friendship. This brief transit may actually be quite helpful as Mercury has well-defined relationships with Saturn, Jupiter and Rahu, who is really creating some big wind in all of the earth signs. Mercury's presence here could help us sort out and manage what seem like conflicting stories and unstable financial situations.

Having Mercury hover around Saturn's signs for a few months may be positive, as he can make sense of the chaotic energy from Rahu while leveraging the determination of Saturn and the positivity of Jupiter. Due to the upcoming retrograde cycle, Mercury will be hanging around the region of Capricorn-Aquarius through March 2021.

Generally, this is a good time to organize business plans, gather materials, build networking platforms and exercise discipline in all of Mercury's pursuits: communication, health regimes and educational programs.

Kala Sarpa Yoga January 10 – January 22

As we recover from 2020, we will be experiencing two pulses of full Kala Sarpa Yoga, which is perfectly formed when all of the "weekday" planets are hemmed in the five signs on either side of the nodal axis. When a planet enters into the sign occupied by either of the nodes, this weakens the combination and allows that joining planet to overcome the Kala Sarpa Yoga.

This combination has two forms that are defined by the node that is being approached by the group of planets. In this case, the planets are heading toward Rahu and will be defined as Kala Sarpa Yoga.

The idea behind these periods that will be triggered by the Moon passing by Ketu and then emerging past Rahu is that our ability to remedy situations becomes reduced. This can make us feel confined, pinned down and unable to fix the problems that arise, forced to surrender to outer or inner circumstances that are beyond our control.

This pattern will end once Mars moves into Taurus joining Rahu on February 22 and is extremely weakened when the Moon is moving through the signs starting at Taurus and ending at Scorpio.

New Moon in Sagittarius/Uttarashada January 12

After the full Moon in Gemini on December 29, we see the Moon waning as the calendar year turns. On New Year's day, the Moon will be strongly placed in its own sign of Cancer, opposite the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. Perhaps an indication that looking at our situations with plenty of light and from a different angle is needed to understand what needs to change.

The Moon continues to wane, moving past Ketu and into Sagittarius, joining with the Sun for the new Moon at 30º Sagittarius, in Uttarashada nakshatra, which bridges the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn. Two things to note about this new Moon are that Moon moving to Sagittarius kicks off the short pulse of total Kala Sarpa Yoga mentioned above and also that Uttarashada is still strongly activated by the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, which will still be occupied by Saturn.

Mars in Aries is the strong planet in the sky at this moment, giving us the initiative to step out and act. However, as we look through the arrow slits of our castle, at this vulnerable time for the Moon, our mental perceptions may urge caution and protection as we gather our forces. While the Moon and Sun meet in Sagittarius, within a couple of hours, the Moon moves into Capricorn, joining Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter.

Starting on January 10 as the Moon is deeply waning, it may be wise to indulge in some retreat and self care for a couple of days if possible. As January 13 dawns, the Moon will begin to wax past the planets in Capricorn. The second half of January sees us moving cautiously and with a practical mindset as we make deliberate moves. This means we are consciously managing the firepower of Mars in Aries so as not to jump ahead and spoil the larger picture.

The Jupiter (expansion) – Saturn (contraction) theme continues with the cautionary hopefulness of this new Moon. We choose carefully from here where to push and where to release.

Sun Transits Capricorn January 14 – February 13

As the Sun moves closer to the Saturn – Jupiter pairing in Capricorn, we lose sight of them in the evening sky after sunset. By mid-February, we should again begin to see Jupiter and Saturn but in the pre-dawn eastern sky. As Venus accelerates and catches up to the Sun through the winter months, we will lose sight of her in the morning as she gets into combustion.

Combustion is when a planet comes close the Sun's position in the zodiac. From our Earth perspective, we can no longer discern that planet who gets lost in the strong orb of the Sun. It is said that the planet loses its unique expression due to the overpowering light of the Sun. In some cases, perhaps it is a relief that the combust planet loses expression, for example, when that planet is a strongly dignified and highly pressurized and restrictive Saturn.

As the Sun moves through Capricorn, he completely combusts Saturn on January 24 and then moves on to combust Jupiter on January 29. This gamut has mixed implications, as the Sun is relatively weak while in Capricorn, an enemy sign. At any rate, this could be a rather notable Sun in Capricorn year due to the excitement caused by having both Saturn and Jupiter present while being tightly aspected by Rahu from Taurus.

The Sun-Saturn struggle has much to do with the individual agenda (Sun) vs the collective requirements (Saturn). The Sun teaches that "I am." Saturn teaches that "I am nothing." Both are true, and striking the healthy balance between those two concepts is what leads us into navigating life on Earth with a healthy and unassuming sense of self-definition and regard. This month from mid-January to mid-February will be a good period for establishing our stance in order to express our individuality without causing harm to others.

The Sun, combined with Saturn and Rahu's influence, will challenge the integrity of Jupiter through the end of January and into the first week of February. Have faith that the truth shall always prevail.

Saturn in Shravana Nakshatra January 22

Just as Rahu shifting nakshatras within the same sign can provide different influences, the same can be said for any planet in any sign. With the slower-moving planets, these nakshatra transits may be more evident.

Saturn is the ruler of his own earth sign, Capricorn, which is spanned by three nakshatras. Uttarashada begins at 26°40' Sagittarius and spans to 10°00 Capricorn. This nakshatra is associated with rising success after sustained effort. As stated above, Jupiter will be moving from Uttarashada to Shravana on January 6, 2021.

On January 22, Saturn moves into Shravana nakshatra until February 2022. Shravana is ruled by the Moon and is associated with receptivity and public approval. Saturn in Shravana and Rahu in Rohini from February – October 2021, enliven these two nakshatras of the Moon. All nakshatras ruled by the same planet fall into exact trine with one another. This creates a special focus on the mind, the feminine principle, the public and what we all consider "home." With Saturn and Rahu occupying these nakshatras, this may show continued challenges for food supply chains and all of the "caring" professions.

Jupiter will be joining this dynamic in Shravana with Saturn and Rahu via Rohini from January 6 – March 3.

Venus Transits Capricorn January 28 – February 20

Venus moves out of her relatively safe place in Sagittarius and into the crowded environment of Capricorn on January 28. Venus has been visible in the eastern sky before dawn in her "morning star" phase, but as 2021 gets rolling, so does Venus. Her speed increases, sending her through Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius with some force. She catches and overtakes the Sun on March 25 in the early degrees of Pisces. This implies that we are going to see a shift of Venus from morning to evening appearance that takes Venus to the "underworld," which is really combustion with the Sun, meaning that she is lost to our sight.

For the few weeks that Venus is moving through Capricorn, this may be a soothing and compassionate energy that helps us to adjust to new paradigms and finds beauty and comfort within what can be perceived as a harsh environment. Traversing Capricorn is like a long, uphill trek; having the good cheer and sustenance that comes with Venus inspires one to keep going.

Beyond the Capricorn transit, Venus will be combust the Sun from February 23 – April 10. By end of April, we will again be seeing Venus, but this time in the western sky after sunset, the "evening star." Since Venus is the main ruler of appearances, this is combustion period will be a good time for back stage costume changes. As we all engineer a new way forward, we may need to alter the way we present, relate and connect.

Full Moon in Cancer January 28

The Moon moves past Rahu on January 25, fully removing the hold of Kala Sarpa Yoga until the next pulse in February. As the first month of 2021 closes up, the Moon becomes strong and bright, getting into exact opposition with the Sun on January 28. The Moon will be at 15° Cancer, its own sign, in the nakshatra Pushya, which is ruled by Saturn. The Sun at 15° Capricorn will be strongly combusting both Saturn and Jupiter.

With the many other astrological influences swirling at this time, this bright Moon at January's end may bring a collective moment of peace and universal understanding. With the strong Sun obscuring Jupiter and Saturn, its light reflected by the full Moon, we can get back to the root reasons that push us into action.

Powerful Mars will tightly aspect this full Moon, which could bring in the hot energy of anger or frustration. Rather than running away from or toward this fire, perhaps the answer is to stop and stay, calmly facing whatever emotions may be arising.

Pushya nakshatra is considered auspicious for most actions excluding marriage. It carries the energy of spiritual creation and nourishment. Cancer is ruled by the Moon while Pushya has Saturn as its planetary ruler. The combination makes this environment both emotionally rich and mature. From this vantage, we can make decisions that are aimed at fulfilling the requirements of both the individual and the collective.

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn January 31 – February 20

We will discuss this upcoming Mercury retrograde cycle more in the February forecast, but for now, a heads up about our dear Mercury taking us for a spin.

Mercury moves from Capricorn to Aquarius on January 25. Since both of these signs have Saturn's lordship, in a way they are not so radically different to Mercury, a friend to Saturn and also the ruler of both an earth and an air sign, just like Saturn.

Mercury begins this retrograde cycle at 3° Aquarius on January 31 and will dip back into Capricorn on February 5, putting him solidly back into the Sun's combustion range with both Jupiter and Saturn. Mercury moves all the way back to 17° Capricorn and resumes direct motion there on February 20.

As always, we can assume that our lines of communication and transportation become vulnerable during the retrograde phases of Mercury. It's good to double check things and to really slow down in order to avoid mishaps.