THE ASTROLOGY OF THE GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC + THE NEXT GREAT AWAKENING
The world has seen a great deal of panic and uncertainty throughout much of 2020. However, as many astrologers predicted that 2020 would be a year of powerful changes, the effects have just begun. The entire world—every nation and human being—will be affected by the transformation that has been many years coming. Over the coming essay, I will be breaking down piece-by-piece what has caused these forces to occur and what is still likely into the future. Making global predictions is an extremely complicated art form and I would like to give a shout out to other astrologers who are already speaking out about the pandemic, such as Susan Miller from Astrology Zone, the AstroTwins, Astrolada, and more.
There are many factors that have come together to create this “perfect storm” in the modern era, all cosmic in nature but imbued within our societies, governments, and personal lives. What we collectively are going through is a “phoenix moment” as I call it—one where we burn to the ground what isn’t working and rise again from those ashes. You, like the phoenix, will rise, as will we as a civilization.
The Cosmic Players
For newcomers to astrology, the concept I teach is that of Unus Mundus: the Universe as Unity. Everything is connected to each other. Every reaction has a consequence. Long ago, the ancients looked to the stars to understand their lives and saw themselves reflected in the movements of the planets above. While it may seem hard to believe that a planet across the solar system could have an affect on the Earth, they do—which is why everything is connected. Science and spirituality both reveal this time and time again.
Each planet rules a different aspect of life and causes affects upon our lives depending on where they are in the sky and how they are interacting with the other planets. This is the basis of how astrology can be utilized for prediction and insight into our lives. For thousands of years, humanity has documented the patterns and seen that all cycles repeat themselves. Just like the Sun sets to bring forth night but then rises again in the morning, everything in life is cyclical.
Uranus in Taurus
Since May 2018, Uranus has predominantly been residing within the zodiac sign of Taurus. This will continue until April 2026, and then it will not return here for 84 years. Uranus is the planet of transformation, radical change, crisis, and freedom. Whenever it interacts with another planet, shocks and surprises are bound to happen, for better or worse. Even when Uranus causes things to feel chaotic or cause great pain, it always is forcing us to move forward and bring better institutions into creation. Uranus pushes humanity toward its greatest good and to find newfound ways to grow and solve the problems of the collective. When it resides within Taurus for a span of years, the things that Taurus rules will vastly be affected. The things we can expect to see mostly affected are global financial institutions, global currencies, and environmentalism. This has already begun and has been seen as the world attempts to deal with the changes, which are also tied to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Digital currency is here to stay. Also, as Taurus rules the physical Earth, it shows that Uranus is “resetting” the way things have been going forward. To read more about Uranus, do so here.
Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn
Pluto, planet of death, rebirth, powerful people, large masses of people, and viruses, has been residing within the zodiac sign of Capricorn since 2008 and will continue to do so until 2024. It takes Pluto 244 years to go around the Sun. Whenever Pluto resides in a constellation, whatever that zodiac sign rules goes through a breakdown phase to make room for new growth. This is very much a “phoenix effect,” whereby what isn’t working is burnt down so that new life can emerge in that place. Structures that no longer serve us are dismantled. In a sense, the Universe is creating a “course correction” in the destiny of humanity. If we understand the process and surrender to it, we can reach empowerment and enlightenment. However, if we resist and hold onto the past, our lives will be filled with tragedy and pain during these times. Everything that Capricorn rules has been going through a period of change: our governments, political structures, those in power, big business, and global economies. This will continue for years to come.
Saturn, the planet of longevity and strength, but also hardship and obstacles, entered Capricorn, as well, in 2017. It will remain here primarily until the end of 2020. Wherever Saturn goes, he teaches us a life lesson and shows us that we must use perseverance to get what we are after. Saturn brings difficulty and challenges to us in order to make us stronger. It takes Saturn nearly three decades to circle the Sun. However, if we work hard, Saturn will give us an abundance of success and fortune because of our stamina.
Jupiter in Capricorn
In December 2019, Jupiter also moved into Capricorn. This means there is an immense amount of planetary energy within the zodiac sign of Capricorn throughout 2020. This is what astrologers call a “stellium” (when many planets are aligned in one area of the sky). Jupiter is the planet of miracles, luck, and opportunity, and anywhere that it goes, it brings us fortune and blessings. It takes roughly 12 years for Jupiter to circle the Sun, and usually Jupiter stays in one zodiac sign for roughly 12-13 months at a time. Jupiter will leave Capricorn in December 2020. Jupiter is the great expander—anything it touches (for good or worse), it brings more of it. Typically this is always a good thing. However, each planet “likes” being within certain zodiac signs more than others. This is because their energy flows more easily. For instance, Jupiter rules expansion, luck, and optimism, which is very much the opposite of the zodiac sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is more constricting, structured, and practical. By nature, this means that Jupiter (as a planet) feels less comfortable here and is what astrologers call “in its Fall.” When Jupiter is in its Fall, it’s energy of luck and opportunity are slightly weaker than if it were in another zodiac sign. This plays a significant affect in the analysis later in this essay.
Mercury in Pisces
Mercury is the planet of the mind, communication, and the media. This planet spent a great deal of time in early 2020 in the zodiac sign of Pisces. This is not a comfortable position for Mercury because this is a planet all about logic, facts, and clarity. Pisces, as a zodiac sign, is the opposite of that. Pisces is all about intuition, emotion, and sensitivity. If you think of Mercury trying to fit into a Pisces “pair of clothes,” they’re naturally very different styles and can’t really feel comfortable. Mercury entered Pisces in February 2020 and remains here primarily until April 2020. Pisces is also a zodiac sign that rules the collective unconsciousness, our dreams, nightmares, fears, and “hidden things.” A Mercury Retrograde took place from mid-February until mid-March, which is what has elicited an extreme outcry of fear worldwide, panic within the media, and everyone’s minds lost in a fog of logic vs. intuition/feelings. From the end of March until mid-April, we will have new information emerge about the pandemic. Finally when Mercury moves out of Pisces in mid-April, we will feel like our heads are less chaotic and prone to fear. We will be focusing on how we can take action—even if that action is “inaction” through isolation. Our courage will also increase because we have had a little bit of time to acclimate to some of the changes in the world around us.
The Cosmic Battle and the Perfect Storm
The First Case of Coronavirus
The first noted case of coronavirus (COVID-19) took place in Wuhan, China in early December 2019. As mentioned before, Saturn and Pluto have been in close connection in Capricorn for quite some time—festering something dark that will ultimately be used to transform the world for the better. Due to the alignments of Pluto (ruling death, corruption, and viruses) and Saturn (ruling big business, authority) in the zodiac sign of Capricorn (ruling governments, political structures, and world economies), many astrologers and psychics have noted that they believe the coronavirus (COVID-19) was created by in a lab by a government or for a political agenda. Is this an act of bioterrorism? This is obviously not proven at this time, but is possible due to the planetary alignments. On December 2nd, 2019, Jupiter, the planet of expansion, entered Capricorn, as well. While this is usually a blessing, Jupiter is now acting as a spreading agent to exacerbate the situation that Saturn and Pluto have been creating. Remember: Jupiter expands whatever it touches and finds.
The Meeting of Saturn and Pluto
On January 12th, 2020, Saturn (ruling governments and big business) met Pluto (ruling masses of people, transformation, death, and rebirth) in the exact same place in the sky. Saturn and Pluto only meet once every three decades and haven’t met in Capricorn since the 1500s. When two planets meet, they create a powerful “new beginning” in our lives here on Earth. This shows that moving forward, the way that our governments, health-care systems, and day-to-day lives existed will be shifting and be reborn in powerful new ways. In the past, Saturn and Pluto have met during extremely monumental times: the beginning of World War I, the end of World War II, and the shake-up of major stock exchanges.
Also, at this point in time, a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse had just taken place on January 10th in the zodiac sign of Cancer. This Lunar Eclipse fell almost exactly across the sky from the meeting of Saturn and Pluto, further bringing light and adding power to the situation. Any time astrological events take place almost exactly across the sky from each other (astrologers call this an “opposition”), it means there is a very real conflict and crisis moment that is created. Lunar Eclipses are always extremely emotional and bring powerful and irreversible information into our awareness. This was when the coronavirus (COVID-19) began growing in the news worldwide.
Mercury Retrograde Created A Media Frenzy
Mercury, planet of communication, began to slow down at the very beginning of February 2020, although it officially went direct in mid-February. During this time more news was coming out that had been hidden and uncertain from recent weeks about the coronavirus (COVID-19). By the time Mercury went direct on March 9th, 2020, the United States rapidly had begun a lockdown of the country and began instituting changes. The press and media also began to spur tremendous information everywhere—but also creating global panic and anxiety at the exact same time. By March 29th, 2020, Mercury regains full speed but remains in the foggy, emotional, and fear-prone seas of Pisces until mid-April.
Mars Enters the Storm
Mars, the planet of passion and drive, acts like a match that detonates something that needs to be shown. Nothing can hide from the power of Mars. Think of Mars like a match that is dragged along a road. If there is no gasoline on the road, then Mars will not explode. But if there is a large patch of it, Mars will cause the gasoline to erupt. Mars entered the zodiac sign of Capricorn in mid-February 2020, as well, and will continue to stir difficulty rapidly into April 2020 because it is crossing the same piece of the sky.
Uranus in Taurus Continues To Shake The Economies
As mentioned before, Uranus in Taurus has begun to radically shake up global economies. The movement toward digital currency is extremely likely and will begin to gain momentum as governments attempt to grasp control of the pandemic situation.
The Many Meetings of Jupiter and Pluto in 2020
Jupiter and Pluto have been working rapidly to spread the virus because they have been in close proximity in the sky and will continue to be throughout most of 2020. Jupiter and Pluto only meet once exactly every 13 years, but this is the year that it has come. They do not always bring forth great difficulty—they tend to bring forth tremendous prosperity—which is why many astrologers predict that from this hardship, a time of abundance will arrive. However, the first time they will truly combine power is April 4th, which means there is likely to be an even greater outbreak (or union of their energy) at that time. In the “recent” past, Jupiter and Pluto meeting exactly in the sky can be traced to the Spanish Influenza of 1918.
The next time they will fuse their power is on June 29th, 2020. However, at this point in time, both Jupiter and Pluto will be retrograde, meaning their energies are weak. Jupiter retrogrades from May 13th until September 12th, 2020. Pluto retrogrades from April 25th until October 4th, 2020. When a planet retrogrades, a karmic lesson is brought to us and we must reflect on what has happened. Because of this, astrologers are predicting that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will rage intensely in March, April, and early May 2020, but will slowly start to fade over the Summer. However, by Autumn once again, the outbreak could strike in certain places and claim more victims.
The last time that Jupiter and Pluto will meet for quite some time is November 12th, 2020. This means that it could bring another flare-up of the pandemic for nations to control before it likely subsides by the end of the year. Ultimately, what the stars are showing is that there are periods of flaring up and down throughout 2020, which will absolutely effect our day-to-day lives.
Saturn in Aquarius
For a brief period of time, from March 21st until July 1st, 2020, Saturn, planet of hardship and perseverance, will leave the zodiac sign of Capricorn and move into Aquarius. This means that there will be increased regulations on communities, social gatherings, events, and governments further controlling technology, the Internet, and the distribution of information. These themes may become slightly less of a focus from July until December when Saturn retrogrades (falls back) into Capricorn to end its stay. Then, when Saturn returns to Aquarius in December, we can expect important changes to our social systems to take place then for the coming three years. Uprisings are likely to occur in the years ahead because of the clash between Uranus in Taurus and Saturn in Aquarius. The new systems will be crying for freedom from the controlling authorities requiring obedience. I made graphics for Saturn in Aquarius here, detailing how each zodiac sign could find themselves working harder and see results in the years ahead.
The Retrogrades of 2020
After April 25th, 2020, the entire year is filled with planetary retrogrades. All retrogrades carry an important karmic lesson teaching us about how we have approached projects, plans, and relationships from the past. With the government lockdowns and isolations taking place in Spring 2020, many people worldwide will be pushed to focus on themselves and their true, authentic needs. Unable to distract themselves with the outside world, they will be forced to face the stability within their lives and within their souls. Because of this, people will have powerful realizations about what is no longer working for them and how they wish to move forward in their future. Also, during times of hardship and trouble, the world brings a crisis to our life to help us learn more about humanity and our function within the greater collective. Venus Retrograde takes place from May 13th until June 25th, but will already begin to be felt as early as April 9th, 2020. Venus Retrograde brings back exes, old flames, karmic lovers, past life connections, and old friends in order for us to reunite, reconcile, and begin again—or to find peace and release them forever. This energy lingers on until the end of July, so expect that you will be greatly debating your relationships and how you have approached love and intimacy in the past. Mars Retrograde takes place this year, as well, and Mars rules drive, activity, and passion. Mars Retrograde officially takes place from September 9th until November 13th, 2020. During this time, people will be facing the work they have done, their ambitions, and what is important enough to them that they would fight for it. Past karma related to conflict, aggression, and selfishness will also come up and need to be atoned for.
The Future Is Now: The Next Great Awakening
But that is not all. In December 2020, Jupiter (ruling luck and fortune) will stand side-by-side with Saturn (ruling structure and perseverance) and leave Capricorn behind and move into the zodiac sign of Aquarius together. This is called the “Great Conjunction” by astrologers. This is immensely significant for a few different reasons. For the last two hundred years, Jupiter and Saturn have met every twenty years in the Earth Signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). When they are meeting in December 2020, they will be uniting in the zodiac sign of Aquarius—an Air Sign. This marks a profound evolution from Earth Sign energy toward Air Sign energy for humanity at large. For the last two hundred years, mankind has abused our Earth and used up her resources. There has been a tremendous focus on materialism and consumerism. Going forward, Jupiter and Saturn will continue to meet in Air Signs until 2159! This means that for the years ahead, humanity will begin to shake out of the societal norms and personal dreams that are limiting us and no longer serving us to embrace a more humanitarian view of the world. We will make tremendous breakthroughs in science, technology, medicine, spirituality, and travel (including space travel).
Hope In the Face of Fear
While many people feel anxiety about the global events, astrology shows that everything in life is a cycle and a pattern. We may at times feel powerless or at the mercy of the “planets” or Universe, but we must realize that we still have the power to control ourselves and our reactions to challenges.
In times of fear, it is best we rely on hope. We must support one another and realize that we are stronger as one collective. Everything does happen for a reason. The sunrise will always come after darkness: the same as how we will all rise like a phoenix when this has passed. The stars above never lie. We are emerging into the next Great Awakening, which will take place more fully in the coming years ahead. Read your zodiac sign’s Greatest Strength and Mantra for Hope here.
I also think it is important to realize that in your life during this time, the coronavirus is happening because it is teaching you something very important over the coming months that will affect your future forever. It is showing you what is truly important to you and what you must shed in order to emerge into your highest and best version of yourself. You will need to face yourself and these challenges and sacrifice in order to attain something greater. Astrologers can certainly help you find out what that is, but inside of your soul, you already likely know what your heart, spirit, and mind are telling you. It is time to let go and change because that life and those ways aren’t serving you any longer. Release. Let go. Atone. Forgive. Cleanse. And move forward toward what your heart truly wants rather than holding yourself back from it.
I hope this essay has granted you more insight into the cosmic workings of our Universe. Please share it widely with anyone who may need light in the darkness. May the stars ever be in your favor.
Want a personal reading? Contact Kyle Thomas here.
Kyle Thomas is a globally recognized pop culture astrologer who has been featured on Access Hollywood, E! Entertainment, NBC & ABC television, Cosmopolitan Magazine, the New York Post, Page Six, Hulu, Seventeen Magazine, Bustle, Elite Daily, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more. He is known for his cosmic guidance for celebrities, business executives, and prominent influencers. His work harnesses the power of the stars in regards to entertainment lifestyle and trends affecting people worldwide. His writing and horoscopes have been translated into multiple languages. Kyle has been astrologically gifted naturally from a very young age and teaches how to use the Universe to manifest the life you've always dreamt of. With over a decade of professional experience and clients all over the world, he currently resides in Los Angeles where he works as a professional astrologer, celebrity life coach, and author. Currently, he is the official astrologer for @Horoscopes + @Horo.ScopesDaily. Kyle received two Bachelor of Arts for Psychology and English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and integrates these degrees into his growing research of psychology, personality, and the human condition.