2021 The Year Ahead: What to Expect

By Ghanshyam Singh Birla, Vedic Palmist-Astrologer

Given the year we’ve just come through, I was a bit anxious when drawing up the astrological chart for 2021. Nevertheless, I am delighted to report that, despite a couple of striking similarities, last year’s chart and this year’s chart are extremely different—and 2021 is filled with greater promise and hope.

Let’s start with the similarities. Both charts have Virgo rising with the lord of Virgo, Mercury, sitting in the 4^th house of home, related to our security, our Mom, our homeland, our planet Mother Earth and where our heart feels most comforted. Another similarity between the 2020 and 2021 charts is the fact that both the Sun and Mercury are in Sagittarius in the 4^th house.

What makes the chart of 2021 so different from 2020 is that last year the 4^th house not only had the Sun and Mercury in it, but Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and Ketu as well. These six planets crammed into the 4^th house formed a cluster of planets that emit enormous energy known as a stellium. The energy radiating from 2020’s intense stellium spread across the entire chart, disrupting every facet of life in every corner of the globe—our home lives, our relationships with family and friends, our finances, work and careers, our creativity and our physical and mental health. Even our social structures and institutions were disrupted, from shopping, education and entertainment to healthcare, politics and policing. Indeed, the intensity exerted on the 4^th house of home in the 2020 chart helped turn our world upside down, forced us to redefine our sense of normal and to seek entirely new ways of feeling comfortable, safe and peaceful.

Thankfully, with only the Sun and Mercury in the 4^th house this year, we know that, in the 2021 chart, the house of home will not suffer the same kind of relentless stress and uncertainty inflicted upon it by last year’s stellium. So, because the 4^th house is not as bombarded this year, we can hopefully look forward to taking a collective sigh of relief.

However, one important key to realizing happiness in the 4^th house is our approach to the 12^th house. Because, you see, the Sun in the 4^th house relates to its sign Leo occupying the 12^th house, which, in astrology, is known as the house of loss or enlightenment. It was the same last year.

The 12^th house is responsible to make us stretch our boundaries, to not remain limited. It relates to everything beyond what we are familiar with, everything that seems foreign—different cultures, different languages, different nationalities, the global community, the galaxy—we have the choice to find a common ground and embrace our differences or resist one another and remain isolated, angry or fearful. We have the chance to heal or annihilate our planet, Mother Earth.

The 12^th house is the last stop in our chart. Losing our body can be the most foreign experience of all. So, how to embrace the 12^th house to experience enlightenment opposed to loss in order to realize happiness in the 4^th house? The more we are open to discovering about ourselves, for example our unseen soul nature, we will have a better time in the 4^th house. Feeling centered within ourselves, we will feel more relaxed, peaceful and flexible to go along with life's ups and downs.

Qualities of the 12^th house include broad-mindedness, inclusiveness, illumination, intuition—all of which are powerful tools we can use to break down mental boundaries that keep us isolated and unaware of the bigger picture. Developing these qualities will open us to empathy and enable us to connect to others in a heartfelt and truly meaningful manner. When we achieve this, our 4^th house of home will be a calm, cozy and inviting place that radiates love.

The best feature of the 2021 chart is the location of the Moon, which is in its own sign of Cancer, showing the potential for our emotions to be governed by true and genuine feelings. Moreover, in the constellation of Pushya, it instills within us a protective instinct to want to nurture and support others. And what is really great, the Moon is in the 11^th house of wishes fulfilled! When we open our hearts to others, we can reap the greatest benefits from the 11^th house,  the house of friends, neighbours, colleagues and the community. It is the house of gains, meaning the realization of our hopes and dreams.

This is in stark contrast to the location of the Moon in last year’s chart, which was in the 6^th house of health and enmity in the Saturn-ruled sign of Aquarius in a very difficult nakshatra known as Purvabadrapada. Indeed, according to famed astrologer Prash Trivedi, the Purvabadrapada nakshatra is “where the world loses its mind”, which it certainly did in 2020. The Moon was also conjunct the nebulous planet Neptune in the same difficult nakshatra (where Neptune remains until 2024), which added even greater confusion to the nature of things, for example the origin of the coronavirus and "fake news" in the media.

Further positive Moon tidings in 2021 include Jupiter in the 5^th house of love, aspecting the Moon in the 11^th house of gains. This tells us that by embracing a sense of goodwill for others, we will enjoy the benefits of the 11^th house, which include bonds of friendship.

But this year there is one big caution: the gentle and kind emotional Moon, offering so much promise in the 11^th house, is being aspected by the very powerful, warlike planet Mars in Aries, which can be very forceful and, at times, aggressive. Whenever there is a connection between these two planets, Mars and Moon, our blood can easily boil. Small things can set us off, creating emotional outbursts. So, instead of benefiting from the house of gains, keeping in mind the welfare of others, we create chaos, disrupting the peace so everyone feels bad. So, how do we control our Mars?

Mars is in its own sign of Aries in the 8^th house of transformation. When Mars is situated there, we have the motivation, strength and energy to completely transform our life if we choose to look inward and explore our inner self. However, if we are not rooted in our deeper self-awareness, the ego can easily be triggered and we can feel self-righteous to use our energy and strength to disrupt instead of uplifting and unifying. A better comprehension of our true nature will make the aspect to the Moon in Cancer inspiring, constructive and fruitful.

Other positive planetary positions include Rahu in the 9^th house, which will lift our spirits, rouse our higher consciousness and encourage us to seek out a greater purpose; and Saturn in Capricorn, where it is both at home and in its dignity, which will help us gain insight about our inner self and use our knowledge, gifts and expertise to express ourselves more capably in the world.

However, the benefic planet Jupiter is debilitated in the sign Capricorn, relinquishing its optimistic, hopeful and expansive characteristics to the cautionary, disciplined and hard-working sign ruled by Saturn. Additionally, Jupiter is conjunct Saturn in Capricorn. In this case, we may have to confront our own inhibitions and self-restrictions, as well as the restrictions placed upon us by circumstances, making us want to break free. However, as astrologer Robert Hand suggests, “we can choose to grow within the structure of restriction, using that very structure to enlarge our life.” So instead of feeling confined, restless and impatient with circumstances, we can use the restrictive feeling of Saturn and Jupiter joined together in the 5^th house to deepen our feelings of love, persevere in the face of any challenges, and employ the hard work and discipline necessary to express our creativity and complete any outstanding projects.

So, let’s do our best to create a healthier, calmer and more caring world by developing goodwill toward our neighbours, remembering to include them in our prayers unreservedly as we pray for ourselves. If we keep our heart charged with love, we will find peace and create happiness throughout the year to come.

The formula for happiness in 2021 is simple yet profound: Love your neighbour as yourself and you will be fine.

To watch the video of the 2021 chart analysis, click here to go to our YouTube Channel.