2017: A Quick Cosmic Preview

Here is an astrological glimpse of the year ahead based on a planetary chart calculated at precisely one minute past midnight on January 1^st, 2017 in Cheneville, Quebec.

In short, 2017 promises to be challenging both personally and globally—but the challenges we will face, if properly managed, can present us with great opportunities for growth and prosperity.

The most significant aspect of the New Year chart is that planets are aligned in a Kala Sarpa yoga, which means they are clustered together on one side of the chart between the shadow planets of Rahu and Ketu. (Although Mars is located slightly outside of the planetary cluster in the New Year chart, it is separated by only five degrees, so all in all the Kala Sarpa yoga effect is maintained.)

The Kala Sarpa yoga is often considered a negative alignment—but it doesn’t have to be. When we are aware of the challenges this planetary combination can produce, we can take steps to avoid its undesirable influences and turn its collective energy to our advantage.

The difficulties associated with Kala Sarpa stem from its lopsided nature. There are twelve houses in a chart. Having all the planets on one side of the chart focuses a kind of hyper-cosmic energy onto the occupied houses that, while directing great energy and momentum to those areas, which can result in undreamed-of success, leaves the other houses empty and neglected. This dichotomy can result in a tunnel vision that can upset our equilibrium, potentially isolating us from others and leaving us feeling alone and alienated.

In a balanced chart, the planets are distributed evenly above and below the horizon, indicating a balance in all areas of our lives. But in this unbalanced, Kala Sarpa New Year chart, nearly all the planets (with the exception for Rahu in the 12^th house) are below the horizon, occupying houses one through six. These houses reflect deeply personal aspects of our existence—our sense of self and self-dignity, our finances, our interpersonal relationships with our siblings and our community, how we feel for our home life, our homeland and our mother, our romantic life, our individual health, the manner in which we respond to opposition and competition and our ability to deal with the consequences of our past actions. Having all the planets placed in these houses denotes a strong tendency to be preoccupied with our personal problems, doubts, worries and insecurities. This can push us into ourselves and pull us away from other people—even the people we care for the most. And because the first six houses represent areas of our lives established during our formative years, they are more difficult for us to control or change than the six other houses, which are above the horizon and more readily conquered using freewill and discernment.

Therefore, it is imperative for us to be calm and reflective in our personal life over the next 12 months, to resist the urge to isolate and to be proactive instead of reactive in our dealings with others, particularly in the way we treat ourselves and those we love. Don’t beat yourself up for missteps made during 2016—it was a difficult year for everyone and will have lingering effects we can properly address in the coming weeks and months. Use the struggles of the past year as a lesson in how to best overcome the new hurdles in the year ahead.

A Kala Sarpa yoga can also cause us to cast a fretful eye on the national and international scene, pushing us to internalize the growing unrest and uncertainty in world affairs—this can intensify our emotional and psychological stress and threaten our overall health and peace of mind. It is therefore imperative to keep our equilibrium by maintaining a philosophical long-view when it comes to current events. For example, don’t allow an upswing in global political anger and fear-mongering to arouse internal feelings of anger, bias or bitterness. Try to raise the level of discussion through positive debate and dialogue—this will raise your own consciousness as well as the consciousness of those around you, which ultimately create a better world.

The best news offered to us in the New Year chart is that while planets, although not situated in a sign in which they are at home, are directly connected by aspect to their home signs. So while we may face some initial struggle in knowing the right course of action to follow, or expressing our feelings, we still have access to an intuitive sense of what to do to ensure success at every level. We can tune into this intuition most effectively by using our discernment, wisdom and the deep-rooted insight derived through regular meditation.

If we follow this simple remedy, 2017 is sure to be a happy, harmonious and prosperous year for ourselves, our loved ones and all of humankind.

Want to know how to make the planets work best for you in 2017? Give us a call or book a consultation by clicking here. We are here to help.