Copyright © John Michael Greer 2024. All rights reserved.

This delineation shows the astrological indications for politics, economics, and society based on the appearance of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas in the autumn of 2024. Mundane predictions based on the appearance of comets in the heavens go back very far in the history of astrology, but the techniques used in earlier times are very poorly understood at present. This set of predictions should therefore be considered tentative and experimental.  

Comets are transient presences in astrology, just as they are in astronomy.  They affect political, economic, and demographic affairs for a longer or shorter period, and then they and their influences alike swing back out into deep space. Those predictions tend to be much more precisely focused than those of ingresses, eclipses, or great conjunctions, and this delineation is therefore rather shorter than my other posts here. 

Executive Summary: Comets are traditional harbingers of trouble, and according to the old lore Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas predicts crop failures, disease, economic troubles, and political turmoil. In the United States it portends dramatic changes in legislatures and institutions; in Britain its effects will land most forcefully on the judicial system, the churches, and the executive. In both countries, and elsewhere in the world, many people currently in positions of power and influence will be driven out and will not regain what they have lost. These events are likely to unfold over the next two years. 

Period of Effect: The sources do not agree on the length of time that a comet’s influence will continue, but one common measure holds that the number of years a comet will affect the world is the same as the number of zodiacal signs the comet is seen to pass through by witnesses on Earth. Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas first appeared to the naked eye in Virgo, and current predictions hold that it will last be seen without telescopes in Libra.  If this rule holds true its effects will be apparent for two years, fading out at some point in the autumn of 2026. 

General Indications: Comets are invariably malefic indications in mundane astrology. John Merrifield’s Catastasis Mundi (1684) speaks for the entire tradition when it summarizes the effects of comets as follows:  “theſe ſigns in the Heavens, or appearance of Comets, are the aſſured forerunners of ſterility of the Earth; Famine, Peſtilence, War, Alterations of Empires, Kingdoms, Statutes, Laws and Cuſtoms; Winds, Earth-quakes, Inundations, extream Heat and Drought, with grievous Diſeaſes, and ſuch like horrid evils; also the Birth of ſome great Emperor, King, Governor, or Learned Man.”  

The intensity of the effects of any comet are shown by its apparent size at maximum visibility and the length of time it stays visible to the naked eye in Earth’s skies. Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas was clearly visible but of modest size and duration, and so its effects will tend to be on the lower end of the midrange. I have taken this into account in the national predictions given below. 

Which “horrid evils” are signaled by the arrival of any given comet are determined in large part by the sign in which the comet appears. Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas was first visible to the naked eye in Virgo, low in the eastern sky just before dawn.  A comet in Virgo predicts warfare, economic troubles, epidemics of feverish illnesses, and a decline in the birth rate. It also warns that the officials of some government will be driven out of their offices en masse; they may be imprisoned or forced to flee their country, and will not regain their positions, their influence, or their wealth. Since the comet was in the eastern sky, these will tend to happen relatively soon. 

The comet’s second appearance was in Libra, low in the western sky after sunset. A comet in Libra signals crop failures, famines, poverty, drought, and suffering through excessive cold; it warns of secret plots and treacheries, pandemic diseases, and the deaths of eminent persons. Since the comet was in the western sky, these will tend to happen later on in the period of the comet’s effects. 

Aspects:  It was once standard in mundane practice to consider the effects of any transient astrological event in the context of the quarterly ingress chart. I have done this using the Libra ingress chart of 22 September 2024. Placing the comet against this during its periods of visibility allows certain aspects to be identified and interpreted. This sequence of aspects will tend to play out, in something like the order given, in the events of the two years during which this comet will have effect. 

As the comet first appeared around the middle of September, it was in opposition to Saturn, at that time placed at 14° Pisces. This aspect warns of delays, hindrances, reversals, limitations, lack of opportunities, and other unfavorable circumstances.  It is unfavorable for nearly any imaginable activity other than hiding under the nearest bed. 

Next came a square with Jupiter, at 20° Gemini at the ingress.  This is a bad omen for all economic affairs, predicting bad judgment and misplaced confidence; speculative bubbles are common under its influence.  As this aspect passed off, the comet began to apply to a conjunction with Mercury, then at 22° Virgo. This predicts confusion, misunderstanding, misjudgment, indecision, and uncertainty. 

The comet then passed behind the sun and was no longer visible from Earth for several days. It emerged from hiding in its evening position conjunct the place of Venus in the ingress chart. A comet conjunct Venus is a very unfavorable omen for women’s affairs. It also warns of public disturbances, disappointments, and quarrels. Thereafter, as the comet picks up speed, it begins making many aspects in a hurry, but it is also fading rapidly from naked-eye visibility

The two aspects following the Venus conjunction that are certain to take place during its visible period are unexpectedly favorable, trines with Mars and Saturn, forming the grand trine aspect pattern. The Mars trine indicates that, as they fade out, the effects of the comet will favor sudden decisive action, especially but not only in the military sphere. The Saturn trine suggests that the long-term impact of the comet will lead to increased prudence, practicality, and conservatism in the nations most affected by its influence. 

Country Charts:  In my usual way, I have worked through the comet’s trajectory as traced against the US and British autumn ingress charts. Subscribers to my SubscribeStar or Patreon accounts can compare the descriptions that follow with the ingress chart delineations posted there. 

United States of America:  In the US chart the morning appearances of the comet, when mapped onto the Libra ingress chart, were in the 11th house of the national legislature and the 12th house of national institutions.  According to Jerome Cardan, a comet in the 11th house predicts a great slaughter and destruction of the aristocracy, and a comet in the 12th house predicts crop failures and pestilence. It is uncertain whether these specific assessments will turn out to be correct under modern conditions, but it is unlikely that things will go well for America’s elite classes, agricultural sector, or public health under this influence. 

While this chart has to be considered alongside the current ingress charts and the eclipses currently in effect, the morning appearances are not favorable signs for incumbents in national and state legislatures in the near term. Combined with the placement of these sightings in Virgo, it is likely that the impending election will lead to a great many officials, elected and otherwise, losing their positions. This comet also suggests that in the near future, there will also be major changes in the institutions that shape American public life. 

The evening appearances of the comet were in the 12th house of institutions and the 1st house of the nation’s population and identity. Cardan unfortunately does not give an interpretation for comets in the 1st house, but an increased death rate is one likely meaning.  The changes set in motion shortly after the comet’s sighting in the institutional sector can be expected to continue through the entire period affected by the comet. Economic troubles, high costs of living or food shortages, and difficulties with public health can be expected, and so can plots and conspiracies directed against the interests of the American people. 

Great Britain:  In Britain the morning appearances of  the comet, when mapped onto the Libra ingress chart, were in the 9th house of the judiciary and religion. According to Cardan, a comet in the 9th predicts scandal and trouble for religious institutions, and this can be applied to the judicial system as well. The 9th house also rules events at great distance, long voyages, and air travel; expect these to be sources of trouble for Britain during the period during which Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas has effect. 

The evening appearances of the comet start in the last part of the 9th house, but cross the midheaven and pass through the 10th house to the early degrees of the 11th before the comet fades from sight. The 9th house implications already suggested will continue to play out during the latter part of the comet’s period of effect, but the more important impact will be on the political system, which faces serious crisis over the next two years.  There is a significant risk of war or other political violence, as the comet will be passing through the 10th while squaring the ingress position of Mars in the 7th.  It is also far from certain that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will remain in power, and there is some risk to his life or that of King Charles due to the comet’s conjunctions with the Sun and the midheaven. 

The comet will fade from sight while in the 11th house. This suggests that some of the same legislative upset predicted for the United States is also in store for Britain. Labour is unlikely to do well in by-elections and may face serious internal conflict during this period. 

Copyright © John Michael Greer 2024. All rights reserved.

Last year around this time I attempted an experiment in mundane astrology: a solar return based on the Thema Mundi, the traditional natal chart of the world itself, as set out in the writings of Roman astrologer Julius Firmicius Maternus. Solar returns are commonly used in natal astrology as a convenient way of predicting the coming year in someone’s life: a chart is cast for the moment when the Sun returns to its natal position, and the chart interpreted in terms of the house placements of the planets and the aspects made from positions in the return chart to positions in the natal chart.  Solar returns work quite well in that context, so it seemed worth seeing if the same logic could be applied to mundane astrology. 

That earlier chart worked tolerably well as a way of predicting the trends of a troubled year. With that in mind, it’s time for another voyage into a realm of uncharted stars. I’ve cast and delineated a chart for the 2024 Thema Mundi return. As before, I cast it for Washington DC and the exact moment of the Sun’s arrival at 15° Leo. Why Washington DC? Because in classic mundane astrology, the kind I practice, you cast a chart for the national capital to find out what will happen to your country. I encourage readers who live outside the US to do the same thing with their own national capitals as the place, and see what they get. 

Executive Summary:  This is a very troubling chart, with one of the classic signals of potential war flashing a red light, and a T square aspect pattern indicating severe collective tensions rising toward an explosion. Foreign crises will absorb nearly all the attention of the political establishment, the media, and the celebrity class, while major problems domestically are allowed to spiral out of control. On the upside, economic volatility is in the cards but there are no indications of a major recession or depression, and the dollar shows no signs of losing its reserve currency status completely over the next year. That said, sudden shifts, dramatic events, and abrupt reversals can be expected during the period when this chart is effective. 

Period of Ingress:  This chart is effective from August 6, 2024 until August 7, 2025, when the Sun again returns to 15° Leo. (Next year’s Thema Mundi return will be a wowser, by the way; it takes place when the epochal conjunction between Saturn and Neptune is just a few minutes of arc from perfection in 0° Aries, marking the end of one world-age and the beginning of another, and Mars at 0° Libra is in exact opposition to both. When that arrives, hang onto your hats.) 

Ruling Planet:  Aquarius rises in this chart, and so its ruling planet Uranus is the chart ruler. Uranus has been an abundant source of problems and crises during his transit of Taurus, the sign of his fall, and as ruler of this chart he predicts a rough road ahead for the world, and especially for the United States. While strongly debilitated by his zodiacal placement, and weakened further by placement in the cadent 3rd house, Uranus’s only aspect in this chart is a sextile with Neptune; in mundane astrology this is an indication of reforms in the political sphere, and is also favorable for occultism, astrology, and alternative spiritualities. It is therefore likely that the drastic changes in wait in the year ahead will encourage political reforms, and that occult traditions and minority religions will receive more positive attention in the year ahead. 

Sun and Moon: The Sun represents the head of government. As of this writing, at least in theory, this is still Joe Biden, but since he has announced that he will not seek reelection—and it is by no means certain that he is actually participating in the process of governing the country at this point—it is probably safest to take the Sun as a label for the office of the presidency rather than for any one person. The Sun’s zodiacal position is not interpreted in this chart, since it is defined by the type of chart itself, but his house and aspects are relevant, and in this chart they are remarkable.  

The Sun is twelve minutes of arc from perfecting a conjunction with the 7th house cusp, so—although he is on the 6th house side of the line—he is very nearly as angular as a planet can be, and receives great strength from this. This also indicates that during the year that began on August 6, the one great concern of the US executive will be foreign policy. With three other planets located in the 7th house of foreign affairs, and one of them involved in a potent and difficult aspect pattern we’ll discuss in due time, there will be very good reason for this fixation.

The Sun’s aspects in this chart are a sextile with Jupiter in the 4th, a very important source of strength, and a sesquisquare with Neptune in the 1st, a minor but significant debility.  Sun sextile Jupiter is favorable for prosperity and wealth, and coming from the 4th—the house of agiculture and resource industries—it suggests that increased prosperity in the rural hinterlands and the resource sector may help the presidency with its current popularity problems. Sun sesquisquare Neptune in the 1st, by contrast, warns of waning popularity with the general public, and a cascade of problems, none of them necessarily major, but all of them adding to the difficulties faced by the government. 

The Moon represents the general public, and more particularly that sector of the public that has the capacity to make its voice heard in political and cultural affairs.  In this chart the Moon receives minor dignity from her placement in her night triplicity in Virgo, and rather more strength from her place in the angular 7th house, but her aspects are best described as grim. In particular, she is in a square with Mars in the 4th. Since both planets are angular in this chart this traditionally indicates a serious risk of war.  With the Moon intercepted in Virgo, any fighting that does break out will be limited, but that same interception warns that the capacity of the US to intervene militarily overseas may be more limited than most people realize. Given the other aspects in play, it is not impossible that armed intervention will result in an American defeat. 

Even more explosive than the Moon-Mars square is a T square aspect pattern: a Moon-Saturn opposition with both sides of the opposition in square with Jupiter in the 4th. T squares in mundane astrology are reliable harbingers of troubled times, indicating a crescendo of tensions that will eventually seek explosive release.  The particular troubles they bring can be anticipated from the planets involved in them and the houses in which the three points of the T square are placed; the release of the tension will go toward the missing fourth point of the cross. 

In this case we have the Moon, significator of the political class, intercepted in Virgo in the 7th house of foreign policy, while conservative Saturn is similarly intercepted in Pisces in the 1st house. Hostile aspects between the Moon and Saturn warn of economic trouble, unemployment, poverty, and disorder and disruption in the normal working of government. Back of these is one of the enduring strains of American public life, the struggle between a coastal political class obsessed with events abroad and the bulk of the population, which insists on putting domestic issues first and refusing foreign entanglements. 

With both these planets intercepted, these viewpoints will be even narrower and more intransigent than usual, and they will also likely be held primarily by small but loud sectors of the public. Nonetheless their conflict will be an inescapable part of American public life over the next year, and it will be resolved by dramatic changes in American political life.  Jupiter, who holds the balance between the two ends of the T square, is placed in the 4th house of the hinterlands and the political opposition; the point of discharge for the T square’s energy is opposite Jupiter in the 10th house of the executive branch; and Jupiter rules both the 10th and 11th house cusps. Stay tuned for dramatic political events. 

The Economic Hemisphere: 

1st House: the house of the ordinary people of the nation, and in particular those whose voices aren’t normally heard in the collective discourse of the time has Aquarius on its cusp and Uranus is its ruler.  Uranus has been a reliable source of crises and troubles for several years now as he transits Taurus, the sign of his fall, and this particular tiger has not yet changed his stripes; he is in the 3rd house of communications and technology, bringing his disruptive influence to bear on that part of American public life. An afflicted Uranus ruling the 1st warns of popular discontent, turbulence, lawlessness, and rebellion, and it brings misfortune to government.

Saturn and Neptune, both strong malefics in mundane astrology, are also placed in this house. Saturn is in very nearly the worst possible condition he can be: peregrine in Pisces, retrograde, intercepted, and afflicted by the other two planets forming the T square; he has no favorable factors whatsoever. Expect economic trouble, poverty, discontent, lawlessness, and crime, as well as widespread opposition to government regulations and legislation.  Neptune is in less ghastly shape, being in his rulership in Pisces and supported by a sextile with Uranus, but he is also retrograde and afflicted by a sesquisquare with the Sun; in this condition he makes popular interests and the condition of ordinary Americans central to the national conversation, and drives fluctuation and uncertainty in political affairs. 

2nd House: the house of the national economy, trade, and banking has Aries on its cusp and Mars for its ruler. Mars in this chart is in mixed but mostly favorable condition, conjunct Jupiter, in an angular house, and receiving a minor dignity from his place in the second face of Gemini, though he is also on the receiving end of a square with the Moon.  Mars is always an awkward fit as the 2nd house ruler; government expenditures will be excessive, taxes are likely to increase, and volatility in markets and economic statistics generally can be expected. Defense industries are likely to prosper, however, and important changes can be expected. 

3rd House: the house of transport, communication, and the media has Taurus on its cusp and Venus therefore rules it. Venus in this chart is in decidedly mixed condition; she is in her fall in Virgo, and intercepted in that sign as well, but angular and in a close applying conjunction with Mercury, who is the natural ruler of the 3rd house. Industries in 3rd house sectors can expect a mixed time of it this year, with core weaknesses balanced against favorable circumstances. Since Venus also rules the 8th house of foreign investment and trade, expect money from overseas to strengthen this part of the US economy among others. 

Uranus is placed in this house, in his fall in Taurus but not otherwise afflicted, and strengthened by the sextile with Neptune mentioned earlier. Expect to see at least one major media company change direction suddenly to produce content more in line with the interests of the general public (Neptune in the 1st), and particularly the religious sector of the public (Neptune intercepted in Pisces, the natural sign of Christianity). 

4th House: the house of agriculture, mining, and other resource extraction industries, as well as the rural regions of the nation, has Gemini on its cusp and Mercury for its ruler. Mercury is in an interesting and rather complex condition in this chart; he is exalted in Virgo, placed in an angular sign, and strengthened by a close applying conjunction with the benefic planet Venus, but retrograde and intercepted. All this promises improved conditions in 4th house matters, but restricted in scope—for example, fossil fuel industries might boom while the agricultural sector remains in the doldrums, or vice versa. With Mercury retrograde, a return to earlier conditions or procedures may also be involved. 

Mars and Jupiter are in conjunction in this house. Mars in the 4th indicates unrest and discontent in the hinterlands, with violence a serious possibility; it also warns of drought and poor harvests. Jupiter is normally an extremely favorable indication in this house, but in this chart he is badly afflicted; he is the middle factor in the T-square that dominates this chart, and he is also in his detriment in Gemini and afflicted by an applying conjunction with Mars, though he receives help from a sextile with the Sun. Extravagant government support in response to troubled conditions in the farm belt is one way that this could play out. 

The 4th house is also the house of the party out of power. With Mercury well dignified but retrograde and intercepted ruling this house, Mars and Jupiter placed in it, and the T square centered in it and discharging into the 10th house of politics, this suggests significant but not overwhelming gains by the Republicans this year, setting the stage for a major sea change in US politics in the years immediately ahead. That said, this is only one of several charts that apply to the upcoming election and all of them need to be correlated in order to get a sense of the trends at work as this highly contentious election season moves toward its end. 

5th House: the house of speculative ventures, the rich and famous, and the entertainment industry, this also has Gemini on its cusp and Mercury for its ruler.  With Mercury in the state already discussed, speculative markets will be challenging, with some ventures (especially but not only) in the tech sector outperforming others, and entertainment companies that break with the status quo likely to do well. 

6th house: the house of public health, the work force, and the military has Cancer on the cusp and the Moon for its ruler. With the Moon afflicted by powerful aspects and insufficiently strengthened by night triplicity and angular house placement to overcome this, expect a very rough time for all 6th house interests. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn all afflicting the Moon suggest a cascade of troubles for public health in particular, and for the condition of the laboring classes in general. The Sun, placed very late in this house in sextile with Jupiter, suggests new funding for the military and defense industries toward the end of the year, but the sesquisquare between the Sun and Neptune suggests that this may not be as popular a move as politicians think. 

The Political Hemisphere: 

7th house: the house of foreign affairs and the activities of other countries has Leo on the cusp and the Sun, who is also conjunct the cusp, for its ruler. Expect dramatic events and significant policy challenges in foreign affairs, with a leading role going to whoever occupies the White House in Joe Biden’s impending absence.  This placement, however, tends to strengthen the people against the political class, and given the other indications of public dissatisfaction with politicians and the government, the president in question may have to spend quite a bit of time looking nervously back over his or her shoulder to see if the people are following. 

With the Moon, Mercury, and Venus all in this house, and all intercepted in Virgo, it seems likely that one central theme of that dissatisfaction will be the obsessive concern of the political establishment, the media, and the celebrity class with one subset of international affairs, to the neglect of increasingly serious domestic concerns. The three hostile aspects afflicting the Moon leave the political class in particular seriously vulnerable on this front. If the Moon-Mars square does result in a war, as suggested earlier, and if the United States suffers defeat, as the Moon’s other aspects suggest it might, the political class will suffer a body blow from which it may not be able to recover. 

8th house: the house of foreign trade and other nations’ money and resources has Libra on the cusp and Venus for its ruler. Venus ruling this house is a favorable indication, though her intercepted status suggests that foreign trade and investment will be coming from a restricted number of nations—not exactly a surprise at this point, since US sanctions against a growing list of other nations are serving mostly to divide the world into two hostile economic camps. During the year governed by this chart, however, the US will continue to benefit from inflows of foreign money; thus the decline of the dollar as the currency of global exchange will not accelerate into a complete collapse quite yet. 

9th house: the house of the judiciary and of organized religion, this has Scorpio on its cusp and Mars therefore rules it. Despite his square with the Moon, as noted earlier, Mars is tolerably well dignified in this chart, and so the judicial branch and the religious sphere can both be expected to do well. The placement of Mars in the 4th house has two obvious lessons to teach: first, the court cases that matter most will be fought out in state courts rather than in the federal court system; second, the religious denominations that thrive most over the year to come will be traditional in their orientation, and likely well represented in the flyover states. 

10th house: the house of government and the executive branch has Sagittarius on its cusp and Jupiter for its ruler. As noted earlier, Jupiter is in poor condition in this chart; despite angular placement and a sextile with the Sun, he is in his detriment and afflicted by hostile aspects from the Moon, Mars, and Saturn—not an easy burden for any planet to bear. Expect extravagant spending from the federal bureaucracy as its more privileged inmates try to buy the loyalty of populist insurgents while continuing to feather their own nests. With the Moon and Mars both applying hard to their aspects with Jupiter, and Jupiter himself moving step by step closer to his aspect with unyielding Saturn, this is unlikely to work out well for them. 

11th house: the house of the legislative branch, and more specifically of the lower house of the legislature, this also has Sagittarius on its cusp and Jupiter for its lord. The indications here are identical to those affecting the 10th house, not surprisingly; these days, within the Washington DC Beltway, cozily corrupt relationships among members of Congress, senior bureaucrats, and corporate and foreign lobbyists are the norm.  Such arrangements are likely to be the main target when the tensions indicated by the T square resolve. 

12th house: the house of institutions has Capricorn on its cusp and old, cold Saturn rules it. Saturn, as noted earlier in this delineation, is nearly as badly off as a planet can be, and so the nonprofit and nongovernmental organization sector is likely to be kicked in the teeth in the year ahead.  Supported by an increasingly narrow wedge of the general public (Saturn intercepted in the 1st house), hated and despised by the rising populist movement (Saturn square Jupiter in the 4th), and increasingly seen as a disposable commodity by a political class facing serious threats to its own survival (Saturn opposite the Moon in the 7th), the institutional sector is facing a very difficult year with no simple solutions in sight.