In Mundane astrology (Medini Jyotish) the changing sign of major planets, retrograde motion, direction motion, combustion of planets is studied for meteorological disturbances, political changes and for forecasting rise-fall of commodities prices. The ancient astrology text like Bhavishya Phala Bhaskar, Varsha Prabodh, Bhriat Samhita etc. are full of such astrological combinations. I had given a forecast for a very cold and rainy winter season ahead in my article “Jupiter in Scorpio and forecasting winter season 2018-2019” published on this blog on 8 November. My astrological predictions about an extremely cold winter season ahead were also published in the December 2018 issue of Express Start Teller Magazine and also in an article on the Hindi News Paper website Navbharat Times. As per the news reports the winter season in December 2018 is the coldest since 2015 as per the IMD (Indian Meteorological Department). Astrologically some winter rains in the next few days is likely to bring down the temperature and also the hazard of air pollution in the North Indian cities specially in the Delhi-NCR.

The entry of Mars in watery sign Pisces on the 23rd of December will bring rains in the Northern states of India and extremely heavy snowfall in the hilly areas of Northern Himalayas. Mars will remain in the watery sign Pisces from the 23rd of December 2018 to 5 February 2019.  This period will give more than normal snow falls in the hilly region of North India and some good rains in the plains. Jupiter is in Scorpio in the sign of Mars so there is a good Rashi exchange between the two planets.

Full Moon horoscope

22 December 2018 , 23:19 hours at Delhi

See the full Moon horoscope for 22nd of December; Mars here is about the come into Pisces sign. As per the classics of Mundane astrology Mars gives its results in the first Dreshkkan of the sign. So in the next 10-12 days we can expect good winter rains and snowfall. Rahu in watery sign Cancer, Jupiter-Mercury conjoined in Scorpio and Mars in another watery trine Pisces is excellent yoga for rainfall. In the last winter season the month of  January 2018 was the driest in terms of snowfall in the Himalayan states like Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. But this year there will be good  will be amount of snow fall  in the Himalayan states resulting high flow of tourist and good harvest of apple which is crucial for the economy of this region. In the Northern states of Punjab, Harayana, Madhya Pradesh and some parts of Vidarbh in Maharashatra there will be loss of crops due to hailstorms and rains in the last week of December and first week of January. The transit of Mars in Pisces will give unusually high winter rains which can damage the crops of wheat which is ready for the harvest in North and Central parts of country. Venus behind Jupiter in transit is a yoga for winter rains and hailstorms as per ‘Shukar-Chaar-Adhayaa’ of Bhriat Samhita. Now when the Jupiter is transiting in Scorpio behind Sun in Sagittarius this also going to effect much in giving unusual rains in winter season. 

The transit of Mars in Pisces is consider to bring down the prices of commodities. Pisces is the 11^th house of the foundation chart of India which is of Taurus ascendant. The exchange between the Jupiter and Mars is an exchange of 11^th and 7^th lords in the Taurus lagna foundation chart of India. The Jupiter in Scorpio and Mars in Pisces is also good for Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi as from his Scorpio lagna this is an exchange of lagna and 5^th houses lords. So in next 40 days the government of India will take some important steps to curb the inflation and there will be good rise in the stock market due to the purchases of domestic investors.

Delhi’s polluted air akin to ‘Death sentence’ is what doctors are telling us but our politicians are hardly bothered. It is not only in Delhi-NCR but the entire North-India is suffocated due to poor air quality which is 30 times more polluted than the safer limits prescribed by WHO (World Health Organization). The meteorological department has warned that Delhi-NCR may plunged into ticker smog like it was last year after Diwali festival. But astrologically the planetary positions are indicating that on the  17th of November,  when Mercury will come into retrograde motion in the watery sign Scorpio, some rains in the plains of North and snowfall in the hilly areas will give great relief from the air pollution. The Jupiter is in Scorpio in transit at the 2nd house from Venus which is in Libra. It is a classical combination for ‘rain and hailstorm’ which will bring an early onset of the winter season this year in North and Central India. Although the untimely rainfall and hailstorms will destroy many crops of the farmers which would be a big loss for them this year. This year there will be more snowfall and rains in the winters as compare to the previous years.

In our neighboring country Pakistan an ambitious effort to plant 10 billion trees has been started by its Imran Khan who sworn-in in August month after victory of his party in general elections. Imran’s party Tehreek-e-Insaf had earlier planted  millions of trees in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the period of 5 years they were in power in the state government. Imran Khan had then launched a program dubbed as ‘billion tree tsunami’ in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province which helped to put a check on timber smuggling and encouraged the cottage industry of backyard nursery. Now as the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to plan 10 billion trees. I wish Modi government could perhaps taken an inspiration from it. Indian need  billions of trees to recover from the environmental losses that it has suffered in last few decades to support its growing population needs. We must take emergency steps in moving towards organic farming for soil conversion and water replenishment otherwise our coming generations will curse us for giving unhealthy living conditions.

Now coming back to astrology, this year during the winter Jupiter will be transiting through the watery sign Scorpio. Mars will also be transiting from watery rashi Pisces during 23^rd of December 2018 to 5^th of February 2018. Venus will join Jupiter in the Scorpio sign from 2^nd of January 2019 to 29^th of January 2019. This will give lots of rain in the month of January 2019. The winter season in 2019 is likely to be wet and rainy which will be good for the crops like wheat. This could be a very good news for farmers in India who had to face lots of stress due to an erratic south-west monsoon season damaging their crops at many places across the country, somewhere due to flood and at many places because of droughts. The south-west monsoon had only given 91% of rainfall during the period from June to September this year. The good winter rains are likely to coverup this loss and will give some relief in some drought stricken areas specially in Maharashatra.

Mercury will bring rain on the 17th of November to give relief from Air pollution

The transit of watery planets Venus and Mercury is very important in forecasting rain and snowfall in winter season. Venus becoming direct on the 16th of November in Libra and Mercury getting into retrograde motion on the 17th of November in Scorpio will bring rain and hailstorms in many parts of North and Central India. This will bring much needed improvements in the air quality index specially in Delhi-NCR which is ruled by Scorpio sign.

Vrischik Samkrani horoscope and Rabi Crops forecast 

The astrological study of weather conditions in winter season also gives indication about the Rabi crops which are sown in winter and harvested in the spring season in India. A good spell of rains in the December-January months is generally very conducive for the harvest of wheat, barley, mustard, sesame and peas.

The Acharya Varahamihira in his monumental work Bhriat Samhita has discuss about the use of Vrischik Samkranti chart for forecasting summer harvest (Rabi crops). The Rabi crops are sown after the mid of November and harvested around April-May at the start of summer season. As per Varahamihira the planetary position at the time of Sun’s entry into Scorpio gives indication about summer crops or Rabi crops. The benefic planets (Jupiter, Venus and Mercury) in Kendra from Sun at the time of Vrischik Samkranti is consider vey auspicious for summer crops. Similarly Sun receiving the aspect of benefic planets or benefic planets posited in the 2^nd and 12^th house from the Sun are also taken as a positive factor for summer harvest.

Horoscope of Sun’s entry into Scorpio

16 November 2018, 18:33 hours at Delhi

At the time of Sun’s entry into Scorpio (Vrischik) this year the Sun will be joined by Jupiter and Mercury two benefic and watery planets. Moon is also in the Kendra from Sun which is consider good by Varahamihira in his Bhriat Samhita for summer crops. The Venus is in the 12^th from Sun and the Saturn is in the 2^nd house. So one benefic behind and one malefic ahead of Sun is quite decent. The harvest of wheat, barley, mustard, sesame and peas sown around November 2018 will give good production in April-May 2019. As per the ‘Shukra Chaar Adhayaa’ of Bhriat Samhita Chapter 9 the Jupiter ahead of Venus gives good harvest but there is lot of hailstorm in the season and people suffer from throat infection  related diseases. In the Vrischik Samkrani chart given here the same combination is present as Jupiter in Scorpio is ahead of Venus in Libra sign. So in the winter season this year there will be lots of hailstorms, disease like cough and cold will trouble more to the people But the weather will be very pleasant and there will not be much smog like it was during November-December 2017 when the whole Delhi-NCR region had become a gas chamber. The problem of smog will be under control this year due to some light showers of rain after 16^th of November and good wind speed after retrograde motion of Mercury.

The weather during the winter season will also be conducive for the crops.

At the time of Sun’s entry into Sagittarius the Moon will be in watery sign Pisces under the aspect of its lord Jupiter which is in Scorpio with another watery planet Mercury. This combination will give very good snowfall on the hills of Himalayas. It will bring chilling winds in the Northern plains of both India and Pakistan specially in the state of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The Mars will be about to enter Pisces a watery sign. It is a principal of Bhavishya Phala Bhaskar, a text on astro-meteorology, that Mars bring major changes in weather at the time when it change Rashi. There is will lots of rain and snow fall in the hilly areas of North India around 22^nd of December. This will bring down the temperature considerably in the plains of North India. The chilling wind and cloudy sky will bring shivering cold and some rain on the 25^th of December in many parts of North and Central India.

The transit of Mars in Pisces sign in the month of January will give above average winter rain and hailstorms in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashatra and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Jupiter and Venus in Scorpio and Mars in the Pisces will also bring heavy hailstorms damaging crops at many places of these areas.

The state of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh will also get good snowfall from 25^th of December 2018 to 30^th of January 2019 attracting lots of tourist there. Around the New Moon of the 6^th house January 2019 the conjunction of four planets Sun, Moon, Saturn and Mercury will bring chilling wind and good snowfall. The weather in the month of February will be pleasant.

In the Europe and North America there will be very good snow fall during the January-February 2019. In Australia the summer season will give less than normal temperature and there will be relief from scorching heat due to light showers in January 2019 when Mars will be in Pisces sign.