“Easter Comet” MAPS could be a precursor to the Phoenix & fulfill Bledsoe’s Prophecy

A newly discovered comet called MAPS (scientific designation C/2026 A1), is creating a flurry of excitement in astronomy circles. It is likely to become visible to the naked eye after its perihelion passage on April 4 and put on a dazzling show on the western sky during the twilight hours in early April.

Comet MAPS will swing around the Sun on April 4, coming to within 160,000 km. of the solar surface. If it survives the perihelion passage intact, it will brighten up significantly, perhaps becoming as bright as Venus - or even brighter than the Full Moon as per some estimates - and develop a spectacular tail. That will be a visual treat, more impressive than any naked eye comet sighting in recent decades.

While the possibility of watching this rare celestial spectacle next month is thrilling in itself, what made me even more interested in this event is that, a number of things about Comet MAPS – such as the family of comets it belongs to, its path across the constellations, the time of its appearance, and a specific prophecy about its coming – gave me the impression that it may be a portent of powerful transformative events in the coming months. 

In other words, Comet MAPS could be a “precursor” to the Phoenix – that great “bird of light” venerated in many cultures - which makes its appearance at the end of every World Age, in order to bring about the dissolution of the old, exploitative, decaying forms and ideologies and assists in the emergence of a new earth.

Before going further, let’s learn a little bit about Comet MAPS. As per this article on Space.com published on March 11, the comet was discovered on Jan 13 by four French astronomers at the AMACS1 observatory in Chile. The name MAPS is an acronym based on the last names of the four astronomers - Alain Maury, Georges Attard, Daniel Parrott, and Florian Signoret. 

At the time of its discovery, the comet was nearly 308 million km. away in the constellation of Columba the Dove. It appeared exceedingly faint, but since then it has shattered all brightening estimates and brightened nearly 600 times, and has developed a long tail. It is continuing to brighten steadily as it races towards the Sun at blinding speeds in excess of 500 km/sec.

Figure 2: Comet MAPS appears to have a bright green coma and a long, narrow tail. Image Copyright: Gerald Rhemann and Michael Jäger. Photo Source: Starwalk

Comet MAPS belongs to a family of comets called Kreutz sungrazers, which have an uncanny knack of putting on eye-catching displays. Sungrazers, in general, are a type of comets that come perilously close to the Sun during their perihelion passage (less than 850,000 miles). As a result, some of them undergo fragmentation into smaller pieces, or even plunge into the solar surface. 

One of the largest groups of sungrazers are the Kreutz group. Astronomers believe that the Kreutz sungrazers were formed from the fragmentation of the Great Comet of 371 BCE (observed by Aristotle, Seneca and other historians), that underwent further fragmentation in 1106 CE. But, we must remember that these are estimates based on available information, and the actual origin of the Kreutz group could go much further back.

More than 5,000 members of the Kreutz family have been discovered since the launch of the SOHO satellite in 1995. Most of them are just a few meters across and do not survive their perihelion passage. But the ones that do, often turn into brilliant comets that can be seen even at daytime, such as the Great Comets of 1843 and 1882 and Comet Ikeya-Seki of 1965.

Figure 3: The Great Comet of 1843 could be seen at daytime, and had a tail covering 45° of the sky. A painting by Mary Morton Allport as seen from Australia. Public Domain Image.

Figure 4: Comet Ikeya Seki (1965) was visible at daytime, with a tail covering 25° of the sky. It broke up into 3 pieces after perihelion. Credit: Drawing by David Nicholls, CC BY-SA 3.0

There are a few reasons why Comet MAPS is quite special, and stands out from other ordinary sungrazers.

Firstly, as this article on Space.com published on Feb 5 points out, “No inbound Kreutz comet has ever been discovered so far from the sun, with such a long lead time - 11.5 weeks - before reaching its closest point to the sun (perihelion). The previous record was held by the brilliant comet C/1965 S1 (Ikeya–Seki) at only 33 days before perihelion.” 

The reason why Comet MAPS was detected so early is not solely because telescopes have become more sophisticated. The nucleus of MAPS is roughly estimated to be around 2.4 km wide, which is larger than most Kreutz comets. That makes it a mid-size sungrazer that was discovered the farthest from the Sun; and it is now shattering all brightening estimates and on course to becoming a naked eye or even a daytime comet.

The orbital period of Comet MAPS has been estimated to be around 2012 years by the Comet Observation Database (COBS). This is significantly higher than the average of 500 to 1000 year orbital periods of most Kreutz comets. This has led some astronomers to suggest that MAPS may not belong to the Kreutz group at all, and may be a part of an as-yet-undiscovered family of sungrazers.

The last time this comet had approached the Sun was nearly 2000 years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Pisces, and now it is returning at the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, at a time when we have just entered the period of transition out of the Kali Yuga in 2025. This is the time when you would expect powerful transformative events to occur on a planetary scale, and for celestial messengers to light the way for a humanity struggling to emerge from ignorance and spiritual darkness. 

All of these factors led me to think, “Could this comet could be a portent of great changes?”

A Phoenix Precursor?

One of the first thoughts that struck me was that, Comet MAPS could be a precursor to the Phoenix, since the Phoenix is also a sungrazing comet, as I have argued in my book Yuga Shift, and also discussed in an article on my website, titled, The Phoenix: Is it a Bird or a Many-tailed, Sungrazing, Jupiter Family Comet?

The Phoenix is an archetypal bird known by different names in different cultures. In India, it was the Garuda bird of Vishnu or the Peacock mount of Kartikeya; the Native Americans called it the Thunderbird; it was the Benu Bird of Egypt (which gave rise to the legend of the Phoenix related by Herodotus) and the Aetos Dios or Aquila of the Greco-Romans; The Persians knew it as the Simurgh or Homa Bird while Mesopotamian legends refer to it as the Anzu bird. 

Figure 5: An artist’s depiction of the Phoenix, the bird of fire. Source: Adobe Stock

The range of incredible abilities that were ascribed to this archetypal bird deity makes it obvious that it was envisioned as a powerful cosmic entity; and only a comet fits the bill. The Phoenix was said to be a “bird of fire” or “bird of light” with many colorful tails that seeded life on earth, and brought water and fertility. It had a flaming aureole around its head, fire flashed from its eyes and it struck the earth with thunderbolts that could shatter mountain tops. It could raise hurricanes with its wings, block out the sun, and stop the rotation of the earth. The Phoenix has a very long lifespan and has witnessed the passing of the ages. It appears periodically – every 500 or 1700 or 2700 or 12,900 years, depending on the legend – specifically at the end of a World Age, to act as the herald of a new cycle of civilization. 

These are obvious allusions to an effulgent, many-tailed, periodic comet. In fact, nothing other than a comet will answer to these descriptions.

Figure 6: Comet Hale-Bopp, April 1997. A two-tailed comet looks like a “bird of light”. Credit: E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria; CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

I have proposed in Yuga Shift, with sufficient evidence in my opinion, that the birds and animals – such as eagle, peacock, horse, elephant, dragon, serpent etc. - that serve as the stars or emblems or vahanas (mounts) of the various gods of the ancient cultures, were, in reality, specific comets that resembled these birds and animals, and were remotely guided by higher dimensional beings to carry out their will.

Coming back to the Phoenix, Herodotus had recorded a story in which, the Phoenix, upon its appearance, goes to Heliopolis (City of the Sun) and buries the “egg of myrrh” containing the ashes of its parent. This story, in all likelihood, encodes the information that the Phoenix is a sungrazing comet that gets fragmented into two pieces during its perihelion passage around the sun, and one of the fragments plunges onto the solar surface and gets buried there. 

My research indicated that the Phoenix is probably a Jupiter family comet, due to its strong association with Zeus/Jupiter, and it could be hidden as a dormant comet in the dense swarm of comets and meteors in the core of the Taurid meteor stream, known as the Taurid Resonant Swarm.

Astronomers have calculated that the earth will pass through the dead center of this swarm twice in the next decade – once in 2032 and again the 2036. As I have indicated in my book Yuga Shift, and prior articles, I believe it is sometime before the second passage of the earth through the swarm in 2036 that this dormant comet could get reactivated as a brilliant “bird of light” to purify and cleanse our planet, and restore health and fertility. 

While there are many reasons why I think 2036 is the year for the return of the Phoenix, one of the important ones is a prediction made by Edgar Cayce. He had said that that return of the Messiah will take place in ’36, when “His star will appear”, and it is very likely that he meant 2036. Cayce also said that the earth changes in ‘36 will be initiated by “outside forces”, which will “disturb the equilibrium of the earth itself in space”, and, as a result, “the sun will be darkened and the earth shall be broken up in diverse places”. It can’t be missed that these are apt descriptions of a comet impact.

This led me to start wondering if Comet MAPS - a sungrazing comet that last appeared at the beginning of the Age of Pisces - may be a precursor to the Phoenix, a decade before its eventual arrival in 2036.

The Orion Connection

The trajectory of Comet MAPS across the constellations is also very interesting. The comet, on its return journey away from the sun, will pass very close to the belt stars of Orion around May 20. By this time, Comet MAPS would have lost brightness significantly, and almost faded away from view, thereby giving the impression that it is returning back to Orion.

Figure 7: The path of comet C/2026 A1 through the constellations in March-April 2026. ©Vito Technology

The association of the comet with Orion has esoteric implications. Sometime back, I had undertaken a detailed exploration of the symbolism of Orion facing the charge of Taurus the bull (with Pleiades located on the shoulder of the bull), from the perspective of multiple cultures, and published my findings in an articles titled, “Orion, Taurus, Pleiades and the Legends of Kartikeya, Horus, Nergal and Apollo.”

My research led me to conclude that, in the context of the Indian tradition, Orion represents the war-god Kartikeya or Skanda, who symbolized kingship and martial prowess, and slayed the buffalo-demon Mahisha with the aid of the Pleiades (Krittikas). An indefatigable force against the powers of darkness, Kartikeya has the unique ability to alchemize evil into good. In theosophical circles he was known as “Sanat Kumara” (the "child god" or the "eternally youthful one"), the “Lord of the Spiritual Hierarchy”, who will return at the end of this age to eradicate the barbarians and inaugurate a new World Age. Kartikeya’s vahana or animal mount is a peacock, while his emblem is a rooster. The peacock was used as a representation of the archetypal Phoenix in India, Persia and adjoining cultures, in addition to the eagle (Garuda bird).

I had also identified that, from the perspective of Egyptian legends, Orion was not Osiris as is popularly believed, but his son Horus, who symbolized kingship and victory over the forces of anarchy, and the upholder of truth and the cosmic laws. Greek biographer Plutarch wrote that the Egyptians regarded the Orion constellation to be sacred to Horus, while a relief carving in the temple of Dendera depicts Horus as Orion spearing the Bull, aided by the Pleiades and Isis. The emblem of Horus is the falcon, which is how the Phoenix was visualized in some cultures around the Mediterranean. On the Metternich Stele, Isis explicitly refers to Horus as the Benu Bird (Phoenix).   

Figure 8: Orion facing the charge of Taurus, followed by his hunting dog Canis Major. Stellarium software.

Figure 9: A Sketch of the Dendera Zodiac, pointing out the constellations associated with Orion. Image adapted from a Picture from Popular Bible Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nicephorus 1891. Source: Public Domain Image, Wikimedia Commons.

Figure 10: Horus spearing the bull, held in chains by Isis-Djamet in the form of a hippopotamus. The seven stars of the Pleiades encircle the bull. This is the sky map of Orion facing the charge of Taurus. Dendera Temple, Egypt. Photo Credit: Mick Palarczyk. Link.

The fact that Comet MAPS passes through Orion on its return journey, is imbued with symbolic significance. The comet seems to be telling us that it is related to Orion and to the Phoenix, which is the symbol of Orion. It could be acting as the “messenger” of the Phoenix, informing us that the return of the bird of light, and the dawn of a new age is not very far away.

Chris Bledsoe’s Prophecy

The timing of the comet’s perihelion passage around the Sun is extremely intriguing. MAPS will swing around the Sun on April 4, and if all goes well, it will brighten up significantly on April 5, Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection of Christ. Astronomers are already referring to Comet MAPS as the “Easter Comet”.

Let us not forget that, sungrazers can brighten up so much just before and after perihelion that they can be seen even at daytime. This has happened earlier, for instance, in the case of the Great Come of 1843 and Comet Ikeya Seki (1965). COBS estimates indicate that Comet MAPS can reach a peak brightness magnitude of -20 at perihelion, which will make it visible at daytime.

If that happens, then the comet will be seen at sunrise – and throughout the day, in fact – sitting near the Sun disk, on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, thereby fulfilling the prophecy received by Chris Bledsoe from the Lady!

For those who are not aware, Chris Bledsoe is a former airline pilot and a contracting company owner who lives in North Carolina, US. He has a long history of interacting with otherworldly entities and glowing orbs, which he has written about in the book UFO of God. I haven’t read his book, but I came to know of his experiences after I received an email from Larry Burk, MD, CEHP, who knows Chris Bledsoe personally, and had published an article on Medium about Bledsoe’s life and the prophecies he had received. Larry was interested to know what I thought of Bledsoe’s prophecies in the context of the Kali Yuga ending in 2025.

In brief, Bledsoe’s interactions with otherworldly entities began in 2007, when he was cured of a longstanding Crohn’s disease by three angels who appeared to him in the form of bright, spinning orbs. In 2012, the orbs led him out into his backyard where he saw a large spectral cow charging toward him. It knocked him over with great power and transformed into a shining Lady dressed in white, barefoot, and hovering 3 feet off the ground. She told him to start sharing her messages. 

Larry Burk wrote in his article that, Bledsoe’s description of the Lady reminded him “of both the Egyptian mother cow goddess Hathor and the Native American White Buffalo Calf Woman”. I found that interesting, since the exact same thought went through my mind as I was reading his article. Incidentally, the Sioux prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman was fulfilled in 2024. I had written about this special event in a previous article. 

The Lady gave Bledsoe a specific prophecy for the world, which she said will occur in 2026. Bledsoe has talked about this prophecy on a number of podcasts, and this is what he essentially said in those interviews:

“When the star of Regulus, appears red on the horizon, at dawn before sunrise, in the gaze of the Sphinx (on the Giza plateau) it will usher in a new knowledge to humanity.”

The Lady did not give Bledsoe any specific date for this prophecy and only mentioned the year 2026. Initially, Bledsoe thought that the prophecy was for the autumnal equinox date, since it is around September 5-8 that the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo rises just before sunrise. But later Bledsoe changed the date to Easter 2026, since most of his visitations from the Lady happens on Easter.

Figure 11: Great Sphinx on the Giza plateau gazes towards the east. Credit: Rados?aw Botev CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Needless to say, this has created a lot of confusion in the minds of those who have heard this prophecy. Not only is the star Regulus in the Leo constellation a blue star and not a red star, it simply cannot rise at dawn on Easter 2026. But, Bledsoe maintains that this is what he has been told by the Lady.

The prophecy begins to make sense, however, when we consider that “Regulus” is simply the name by which the Lady referred to Comet MAPS. Throughout history, comets have been referred to as “stars” by many cultures, and the term “comet” itself originates from the Greek word “kometes” which means “hairy star”. Even though Comet MAPS is currently emitting a green glow, we know that comets can change colors very quickly, and by the time of its perihelion passage it could emit a reddish-golden glow – which is also the color of the Phoenix. I won’t be surprised if Comet MAPS also develops multiple colorful tails like the Phoenix. 

In other words, Comet MAPS is the red star Regulus! The reason why the Lady used the name “Regulus” for this comet – and not any other name - can be understood intuitively. Regulus is Latin for “prince” or “little king”; and Comet MAPS appears to be the precursor to the Phoenix, and the Phoenix was known in India as Garuda, the “King of the Birds.” So it all ties together. The prince is coming as a herald of the king.

From the perspective of ancient Indian symbolism, Comet MAPS seems to be the “Rooster” - the emblem of Kartikeya - acting as a precursor to the arrival of the “Peacock” mount of Kartikeya i.e. the Phoenix. You can see both the Rooster and the Horus-falcon (Phoenix) behind the figure of Orion/Sah on the Dendera Zodiac (Fig. 9) 

Figure 12: An artist’s rendition of the child-god Kartikeya holding his spear (Shakti), and flanked by his peacock mount and his rooster emblem. Copyright: ramesstudios

The Rooster represents regal power, princely nature, courage, fighting spirit, spiritual wisdom and guidance, and the victory of good over evil. Its crowing heralds the dawn, and drives away the darkness. It’s, as though, the Rooster has been sent now to proclaim a new dawn, with the promise that the darkness shall be vanquished and the primordial truth will be reinstated; and that, this outcome is beyond doubt.

There is another thing to remember: As per the 8th century English monk and scholar, Bede, Easter was originally associated with the celebration of the Anglo-Saxon dawn-goddess Eostre (corresponding to the Germanic Ostara, Greek Eos, Vedic Ushas, and Mesopotamian Ishtar) after whom the month of April was named Eosturmonath (Eostre’s month). 

Thus, we are facing an unusual situation in which a comet, which potentially symbolizes the dawn, will rise at dawn along with the Sun, on a day that was historically associated with the goddess of dawn, and later with the resurrection of Christ. The symbolism around the event is too persuasive to ignore. 

I was also reminded of the prophecy recorded by Alice Bailey in the book, The Externalisation Of The Hierarchy (1957). Bailey, who claimed that she was channeling information from the Ascended Tibetan Master Djwal Khul (DK), wrote that, “In 2025, the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalization of the Hierarchy.” 

The year 2025 was well and truly over on March 20th, 2026, the day of the Spring Equinox. So, the appearance of Comet MAPS / Regulus / Rooster in our skies in the coming days could signify the first stage of the externalization of the Hierarchy of gods and angels who watch over humanity. 

If all goes well, an effulgent, reddish-golden Comet MAPS will rise on the eastern horizon at the time of sunrise on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2006, in the gaze of the Great Sphinx at Giza, and the prophecy received by Chris Bledsoe from the Lady will come true. Certainly a celestial spectacle worth looking forward to!

What Can We Expect?

Chris Bledsoe said that, as per the Lady, this event will bring in a new knowledge to the world. He is not sure what this new knowledge might be, but he said that, “the darkness will be exposed and the truth will be revealed.” 

Historically, comets have been feared and been looked upon as the portents of imminent changes and impending disasters such as wars, revolutions, death of kings, famine, disease, pestilence, fire, and even earthquakes and tsunamis. However, some comets are associated with positive effects, and they portend the birth of great rulers and prophets, increase rain, fertility and prosperity, and bring good health and mental happiness. 

What kind of effect can we expect from Comet MAPS? As I pondered over that question, a number of possibilities drifted through my mind.

1) The first and most obvious thing that the fulfilment of Bledsoe’s prophecy will indicate that it is possible for humans to have interactions with otherworldly entities who are capable of predicting these kinds of rare astronomical events, many years before our astronomers can spot them. That realization can provide the impetus needed for more disclosures related to UFOs and humanoid encounters, and the acknowledgement that conscious intelligent beings exist throughout the cosmos. We could also witness an increase in UFO sightings and interactions.

2) Since Comet MAPS is arriving at a time of epochal shift between the ages, the powerful energetic emissions of the comet may affect us deeply at a psychological level. It may cut through our illusions and egoic blockages, allowing us to feel our connection to our soul selves more strongly, and act as a trigger for global awakening.  

3) If a portion of Comet MAPS fragments and falls into the Sun – just like the Phoenix fragments during its perihelion passage - it could enhance solar activity and solar flares, which, in turn, could affect us at an energetic level, and maybe, even cause damage to power grids and satellite communication systems. 

4) Since Comet MAPS appears to be a precursor to the Phoenix, it could set in motion events that eventually lead to the destruction of tyrants. Those who do not resonate with the energies of the comet and are caught up in the Kali Yuga paradigm of greed, lies and hatred, may find themselves becoming more agitated and violent. This can escalate the spiral of violence in the world leading to the death of leaders and their blind followers. We could also witness more disclosures, revolutions, social unrest and the toppling of governments.

5) Since we are living in a time of transition, when our planet has initiated the process of cleansing and renewing herself, we could see an uptick in natural catastrophes, famines and diseases. After all, comets have been historically associated with such events. 

6) I will hope that the event also leads to the realization that comets are conscious beings which behave in a manner very similar to the microscopic organisms on our planet such as algae and bacteria. I have written a detailed article on this topic earlier, and will not go into the details now, but I hope that the way Comet MAPS behaves will make it obvious to more people that it is a conscious entity. 

Note that, there is very little chance of the earth getting hit by the debris of Comet MAPS, since the comet approaches the Sun from below the orbital plane and its orbit is inclined at 144° to the ecliptic. So, it will not get close to the orbit of any planet. If you need more information about when and how to watch this comet, watch this YouTube video on Ray’ Astrophotography channel.

Figure 13: Comet MAPS orbit brings it towards the Sun from below the ecliptic plane. Source: Ray’s Astrophotography YouTube Channel

It looks like April 2026, is going to be an energetically powerful month. I hope that Comet MAPS will put on a celestial display for the ages and accelerate the process of awakening to our true origins, peel off the layers of illusion that obscure our understanding of reality and take us forward on our collective journey of the evolution of consciousness.

Update on 16 April, 2026: 

Comet MAPS broke up during its perihelion passage and plunged into the Sun. Unfortunately, it did not put up the celestial display that I was hoping for.

I admit I was a bit disappointed with this outcome. I was hoping that it would be a herald for the coming changes, since Bledsoe's prophecy appeared to be tied up with it.

I was wondering if my interpretation of Bledsoe's prophecy was incorrect, or if Bledsoe had not articulated the prophecy correctly. I do believe, though, he had received it from the Lady as he has claimed.

But then, I remembered something. The Lady had given the prophecy for 2026, without mentioning a date. Bledsoe himself was confused about the date, having first proposed the autumnal equinox of 2026 and later changing it to Easter of 2026.

So, the prophecy, as dictated to Bledsoe, is still valid. It could occur anytime in 2026. We just don't know the date. I guess we have to live with that uncertainty.

I still believe that the rising of the red star Regulus at dawn pertains to the appearance of a red comet in the dawn sky, because of the reasons I have given in the article. I can't see how the blue star Regulus in Leo can turn into a red star. 

Let's wait and watch what happens in course of this year. There has been a spurt in comet activity since 2025, and I expect it will continue to increase going forward.