The Astrology of the Devil Comet

Why There's No Need to Fear This Rare and Remarkable Celestial Messenger

The so-called “Devil Comet” is here! Better known as Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, this short-period comet enters our inner solar system every 71 or so years. Despite its ominous name, there's no need to be afraid of this celestial visitor.

In this new article, I'll explain the astrology behind the Devil Comet and discuss some of the lessons it could be trying to teach us.  

The History of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

Comet 12P is so-named because it is the twelfth in a long list of periodic comets. It was first recorded by Chinese observers in 1385 and 1457. Jean-Louis Pons also identified the comet in 1812, and it was independently rediscovered again in 1883 by William Robert Brooks. Hence, it was named Pons-Brooks.

After Comet 12P was seen in 1883, it returned again in 1954. It was then observed in June of 2020 with the Lowell Discovery Telescope. Since then, it has had several bright outbursts that represent an increase in its activity. These occurred in July, October, and November of 2023. The comet will swing back around for its next pass in April 2024. The next time it will appear after this round will be in 2095.

The periodic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks won't come to perihelion until April 2024, but it's already out the gate. On July 19.8 UT, the magnitude-16.6 comet had few visitors. One night later, amateur astronomer Elek Tamás, of Harsona Observatory in Hungary, spotted it at magnitude 11.6 — five magnitudes brighter! Thanks to SkyandTelescope.org for this image.

The Devil Horns of Comet 12P

Comet 12P is a city-sized comet approximately 20 miles across. As it comes close to the Sun, the comet’s core of ice, gas, and dust heats up and creates cryo-volcanic eruptions. These explosions cause the comet to brighten and increase in magnitude.

As astronomers noticed two large icy horns coming out of the back of Comet 12P, they assigned it the “Devil Comet” moniker. Others have said that the comet looks like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, Han Solo’s famous horseshoe-shaped starship.

It’s also interesting as the symbols of the lunar nodes are horseshoe shaped, and Ketu (which is open at the top) is also the name for a comet in Vedic astrology, as mentioned in the classic text on Mundane Astrology called the Brhat Samhita. The lunar nodes are representatives of fate and destiny, which comets also signify.

The Devil horns are thought to be a result of Comet 12P’s unusual shape, which blocks its flow of gas and dust, causing it to break into two streams. Although the horns have disappeared now, they will probably come back as the comet reaches perihelion. Perihelion is the moment when the Devil Comet will be closest to the Sun. 

When the Devil Comet Could Become Visible to the Naked Eye

Before the end of March, the comet will be visible in dark locations in the northern hemisphere with a telescope or binoculars, and then in late March, it may become visible with the naked eye near the constellation of Aries. It will arrive at its closest distance to the Sun on April 21 (perihelion) before fading from sight in the northern hemisphere in May, and then will be visible from the southern hemisphere before disappearing from view from Earth until 2095. Check out Space.com for specific comet viewing details and instructions.

We will also have a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Many sky watchers are hoping to be able to observe the comet next to the Sun during the eclipse.

The Meaning of Comets in Astrology

According to astrology, comets are messengers and powerful harbingers of change. Historically, comets have been seen in a negative light, as evil portents of war, the death of kings (leaders), epidemics, difficult weather patterns, seismic events, disasters, public unrest (like riots), and various other human miseries.

Comet of 1812 [Comet 12P] by Charles Henry Granger

According to Vedic astrology lore, comets often portend some kind of upheaval in the regular order of the world, including either auspicious or inauspicious events. Sage Varahamahira categorized comets (known as Ketus) in great detail in his Brhat Samhita. The effects of comets are delineated according to their various colors, shapes, and directions.

One of the Ketus (comets) described as contrary to the norm is known as “Dhumaketu—a portentous comet—that is disastrous in its effects, all the more so when it is possessed of two or three crests." (Sage Varahamihira. “Chapter XI On Comets.” Brhat Samhita, edited by M Ramakrishna Bhat, vol. 1, Motil Banarsidass, Delhi, India, 1986, p. 125). The crests that Varahamahira describes may be akin to the Devil horns on Comet 12P.

Rod Chang describes the symbolic meaning of comets in his excellent article titled Comets in Astrology: Possible Meanings of These Celestial Events:

Comets are frozen issues that ignite and grab attention, releasing from the abyss of our consciousness such suppressed emotions as fear and horror.

In other words, comets are symbolic of an astral purification energy that is needed in order to release something dark and unhealthy in the collective consciousness, in order to help pave the way for a new path ahead.

The Astrological and Metaphysical Meaning of the Devil Comet 

In March, the Devil Comet will fly by the Andromeda constellation (and galaxy) and then down into Pisces. From April 2024 on, it will appear in Aries and then Taurus. The symbolism of these areas of the zodiac could signify intense conflicts or disasters (especially from April into June). The comet’s appearance here also punctuates humanity’s endless battle between good and evil, the existential and real battle for sovereignty and freedom from oppression, and the need to create more peace, balance, and harmony within ourselves in order to create a better world.

IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The comet's  journey by Andromeda and Pisces suggests that it may be sending us a message about the crisis and danger of polarization in our world. When the comet enters Aries, the message will evolve toward the importance of liberating the soul from ignorance and bondage. Across the world, hardened ideological fault lines have become the main features of political and social discourse. Perhaps one of the comet’s messages is a reminder that we need to move away from black and white thinking and develop a more nuanced and compassionate world view.

(If you want to track the celestial position of the comet, I recommend the Sky Tonight app).

Previous Visitations of the Devil Comet Show Its Connection to Natural Disasters

Understanding the past impact of the Devil Comet can help us interpret its current effect on the world. As I researched historical events that coincided with its previous visits, I saw a clear connection between the Devil Comet and wars, civil disorder, seismic events, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. 

The Devil Comet visited in 1811-1812. At that time it was called Napoleon’ Comet in reference to the ongoing Napoleonic Wars, and also was referred to as Tecumseh’s Comet, which was named because of certain related prophecies made by the mystic Shawnee warrior Tecumseh. At this time, the War of 1812 was being fought by the United States and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its own indigenous allies in British North America. This was also a big year for protests and riots.

A catastrophic series of earthquakes, known as the New Madrid earthquakes, shook the Mississippi Valley in 1811-1812. The force of these earthquakes caused extensive damage to the topography of the region, creating the 18-milelong Reelfoot Lake, and drowning the inhabitants of an Indian village; forming two temporary waterfalls in the Mississippi and turning the river against itself; and destroying thousands of acres of virgin forest. In response, Congress allocated $50,000 for recovery in the first United States Disaster Relief Act.

This past development may shed light on the future impact of the comet because its upcoming visitation will also be connected to this area of the United States. In fact, there will also be a powerful total solar eclipse over the area of the New Madrid seismic zone on April 8, 2024.

Astro-map of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 (the red line marks the exact path of totality).

Comet 12P previously appeared in 1883. At this time, the massive eruption of the Krakatoa caldera in the Sunda Strait occured. The Krakatoa eruption had the explosive force of a 200-megatonne bomb, killing more than 36,000 people and cooling the entire Earth by an average of 0.6°C for months to come. Its effects were felt all over the globe and even seemed to reach far into the stratosphere, making the Moon appear blue at night for an extended period of time.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa.

The last visitation of Comet 12P was in 1954. This was the year of the catastrophic Yangtze floods in China, mostly in Hubei Province, which were caused by heavy precipitation anomalies. Also in 1954, there was an above-average Atlantic hurricane season in terms of the number of named storms. There were 16 all together, and they caused up to 752 million dollars in damages.

As these events show, there may be natural disasters like seismic events or severe floods while the Devil Comet is nearby. With the comet's appearance in warlike Aries, there is also the possibility for ongoing worldwide conflicts to continue.

Learning the Lessons of the Devil Comet

Although the Devil Comet has a threatening name and a connection to natural disasters, we do not need to be afraid of it. That said, its very name and appearance are an important omen or divine message for humanity.

Various religious and cultural traditions conceive the Devil as an embodiment of evil, a dangerous and annihilative force. Carl Jung, the late Swiss psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and analytical psychologist, described the devil as “the grotesque and sinister side of the unconscious; for we have never really come to grips with it and consequently it has remained in its original savage state.”

In the major arcana of the Tarot, the Devil is the 15th trump which constitutes the human condition trapped in materialism and living in a state of spiritual slumber, fear, and enslavement. This card shows up when we need to be reminded of our individual responsibility to seek higher knowledge and healing in order to achieve harmony, well-being, and self-actualization. The message is that if we are to make the world a better place, it is up to each of us to heal and integrate our shadow issues represented by the Devil.

The Devil (XV) from the Rider–Waite tarot deck derived in part from Eliphas Levi's famous illustration "Baphomet" in his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1855)

As the energy of the Devil Comet moves closer and eventually washes over our Earth, I urge you to be courageous and take its lessons to heart. This is a fantastic time to question materialism, fear, and whatever else is holding you back from living in peace and harmony. For instance, you might simplify your life and clear your mind by giving unnecessary possessions away.

You can also offer charity to those less fortunate. Focus on time with family members and shared experiences. You might confront a fear that's been bothering you for a long time, or address unresolved emotional issues by going to therapy or doing spiritual work.

In sum, the Devil Comet is not an omen of unmitigated apocalyptic horror and death. Although the comet has been associated with upheaval in the past, it is also a powerful messenger of the potential for new awareness and transformation. The Devil Comet may help awaken more hope, joy, and benevolence in each of us if we choose to listen.

Comets importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars. (William Shakespeare)

Thanks to Unistellar.com for this comet image