I’ve been a lifelong student of astrology. It’s my Scorpio Rising. I started young, reading Sydney Omarr in the newspaper. I’ve progressed and now hold a level 2 certification from the CAAE. Astrology isn’t predictive, you have free will and can do as you please, thank goodness for all of us! But it can be used to target auspicious times for different undertakings. It can also describe a person uncannily well. On a social level, it can, by looking at similar past cycles, offer an indication of what is to come. Note: For ease, I’ve put numeric values as opposed to writing out the numbers.
The Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction of December 21st
The big news in astrology is the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction on December 21st, the winter solstice, in the very 1st degree of Aquarius. In fact, Jupiter and Saturn will be so close that they’ll appear as a one star. Already, if you look to the west after sunset, Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky. Saturn right next to it, but paler. They’ll be to the east if you’re up early. Pluto, invisible, sits in between. EarthSky is my favorite astronomy site for what’s going on in the heavens. And their photos are stunning.
20 Year and 200 Year Cycles
Here’s the interesting thing about this conjunction: it happens once every 20-years. This one will take place just as the planets have moved into a new sign. It’s on winter solstice and it marks the start of a bigger, 200-year cycle of Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions in air signs. That’s a lot of changing energy!
Jupiter moves faster than Saturn, staying in each sign about 1 year, while Saturn stays almost 3. So slowly, over the course of the next decade, they will become further and further apart and we’ll be talking about the Saturn-Jupiter opposition. Since this happens every 20 years, we can think back to 2000 and before, 1980, for clues.
This is a 20-year cycle within a 200 year cycle. The 200 year period of conjunctions in earth signs is over and a 200-year cycle of conjunctions in air signs is beginning. Remember astrology is all about cycles and looking back. The start of earth sign conjunctions began in the 1800s. On Sunday, July 18th 1802, give or take a day for time zones, Jupiter and Saturn met in Virgo.
Who were Jupiter and Saturn and what do they mean in astrology?
In Roman mythology, Saturn and Jupiter were father and son, but they didn’t get along. In fact, Jupiter eventually triumphed over Saturn. Jupiter moves faster and is closer to earth than Saturn. It is also brighter.
Jupiter, in astrology, is expansive, beneficial and joyful. It bestows knowledge. Saturn is about boundaries, limits and toiling away to reach a goal. We gain experience with Saturn. Jupiter hands it to you, Saturn makes you work for it. I go into more detail in this post here.
The Earth Cycle Ends
Saturn and Jupiter will be leaving Capricorn, an earth sign, and entering Aquarius, an air sign. Earth signs function on the physical plane. They are related to what is tangible. When the earth cycle conjunctions started in 1802, the Industrial Revolution was underway. This first meeting was in Virgo an earth sign. Virgo is associated with routines and bettering them, attention to detail and perfectionism. Think of industrialization and automation: a series of actions, precisely timed to perfection; whether mechanized or using physical labor in the form of repetitive tasks. The theory of the division of labor puts forth that if tasks were broken down into a series of simple, repetitive movements, each one assigned to a worker, the worker could perform faster and to near perfection.
This earth cycle also saw the rise of physical, tangible growth. Factories were built for industries in textiles, coal and metal, earth elements to be sure. Cities became bigger and new ones appeared. Buildings grew in number and size. There was marked increase in tangible goods. Wealth increased, at least collectively.
The Air Cycle Begins
Jupiter and Saturn will move into Aquarius. A planet changing signs already creates an energy shift. So does a conjunction. Now they do it at the same time, together, in an air sign. Air signs are related to the mind and thought. They like to explore ideas and are curious and forward thinking. These are Geminis, Librans and Aquarians.
Aquarius, has an energy that is intellectual, based on rational thought and fact and science. Aquarians are said to be 20 years ahead of their time. This is also a sign concerned with social equality. Aquarians will rebel and fight for equality, even if they have to make a sacrifice for the greater good. Aquarius is associated with the 11th house of friendship (as in brotherhood of man type friendships, not your pals coming over for coffee or a drink-that’s 5th house) and groups reunited under a common cause or ‘official’ theme. Organizations like Greenpeace fall here.
Look for a rise of new organizations with new boundaries. Alliances based on like thinking (an air sign attribute) and shared goals. Online communications, using air waves has put an end to the physical limits of the earth plane, frontiers, lines on a map and distance travel over land.
Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius
Capricorn is where we build structure in the physical world. Think governments and institutions. Aquarius will be the place where we will fine-tune our structures make sure they are equal and inclusive. Aquarius energy will base this is on science and rational.
The upside is equality. The downside is a system that is so focused the group, it forgets the individual and individual liberties. Aquarius doesn’t do one-on-one. It’s not a hand holder (look to a water sign for that). It’s too logical and fact-based. In its extreme, it’s a Big Brother system sacrificing the individual for the greater good.
This conjunction brings expectations of a new era of social equality. I agree, but here’s my prediction: it’s not going look like what any of us expects. Each of us thinks it will answer our idea of fairness for all. Aquarius is going to be unpredictable and futuristic in its solution. It will rebel against old ideas ideas and ideas that belong only to one group or point of view.
Saturn Rules but Jupiter Wins
Saturn is the ruler of both Capricorn and, traditionally, Aquarius. Although Saturn is at home, thus at ease in both signs, Jupiter’s benevolent energy will prevent Saturn from going overboard with his desire to restrain and limit. Jupiter wants us to be happy. Not bound by rules that restrain and deaden us. Jupiter’s jovial and generous nature will be like a wave that carries us to the next level, to that better world so associated with the age of Aquarius. Aquarius will create equality optimistically, thorough goodwill rather than under more constraints and structure. When a system becomes too heavy do you add more rules or do you simply redo it? Jupiter in Aquarius will bring a redo. Saturn will cooperate and provide new structure.
When?
The Grand Conjunction is exact on December 21 2020, at 5:30 a.m. in LA, 8:30 a.m. in NY and 1:30 p.m. in the UK, when Jupiter will be at 0 degrees 19 seconds and Saturn at 0 degrees, 24 seconds. Factoid: it is thought that a similar conjunction, so close it makes the planets appear as one very bright star, was the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to Jesus. The Magi were reputed to be astrologers.
May Saturn and Jupiter grace you with their excellent combined energies and take us into 2021 with optimism and a new outlook. Use this energy to go for what you want in 2021.
Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash
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