-
On 21st December Jupiter and Saturn will conjoin in the sign of Aquarius at 0°29’ (antiscion 29°31’ Scorpio).
As Nick Champion (2020) reminds us, according to the Persians and later taken up by the Islamic world and Medieval and Renaissance Europe, this signifies an entirely new period of history, lasting around two and a half centuries. At such moments of change kingdoms rise and fall and new prophets appear, preaching new religious teachings.
The two planets move into alignment, or conjunction, every 20 years but this year they will be so close that they’ll look like a “double planet and It’ll be the closest they’ve appeared in 800 years and visible to the naked eye.
The last time Saturn and Jupiter were both this close and visible was in 1226 which was the last great mutation into Air with Jupiter & Saturn at 2° Aquarius.
The Jupiter-Saturn cycle lasts 20 years, meaning that every 20 years Jupiter will conjoin Saturn. For approximately 200 years the two planets will conjoin in the same element with 10 conjunctions occurring over that time period. For the last two centuries the two planets have been rendezvousing in the Earth signs the first of these having taken place in the early 1800’s heralding the age of materialism, industrial capitalism and the motto “the more I have, the more I’m worth”.
Now it seems like we will probably be in for another important shift as the upcoming conjunction in the Air element inaugurates a less materialistic and a more intellectual/rational approach in the era to come.
The 200-year cycle however seems to give us a chance to have a glimpse of what to expect before the new Element actually sets in in a permanent way. In 1981 there was the first Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in the Air sign of Libra, preparing those born during that 20-year period for the new era to come, perhaps putting the emphasis on relationships and finding new ways of bonding and sharing (those born in the early ‘80’s also experienced the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Libra, again focussing on relationships) the following conjunction in year 2000 returned to Taurus and the Earth element.
The chart of this Jupiter-Saturn conjunction has Neptune square the nodes on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis (information/righteousness/trickery/truth and North Node in Gemini an Air sign) indicating that the road ahead of us in still unclear. Sun and OOB Mercury, closely conjoined in Capricorn, trine retrograde Uranus in Taurus. Perhaps we will discover new incentives and novel ways of communicating to get us out of a rut. Venus is also quincunx Uranus, could it be that global finances also need to be addressed in a different way – crypto-currency? Mars is exactly square Pluto, an explosive aspect indicating power struggles and even violence.
The Sun is also parallel south Lunar Node, falling back on the past is too easy, Moon parallel Neptune, dreaming is also far too easy when instead we need our feet firmly on the ground. Saturn, Jupiter and Venus are all parallel*, will this ease the transition or make it harder?
*German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, wrote in 1614 that he believed the ‘star of Bethlehem’ in the Nativity story could have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
Others have suggested that the ‘three wise men’ could have been following a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.
While Venus won’t be visible as part of the 2020 conjunction (but will be in parallel of declination with Jupiter and Saturn), it will still be an impressive astronomical event.
The conjunction takes place on the day of Winter solstice (for the Northern hemisphere), the darkest and usually coldest period of the year. It’s a time when the Earth is resting before the Spring awakening as if taking stock of the new way of life that awaits us all. It seems appropriate for the dark moment the whole world is going through. Our movements (Jupiter) have been limited (Capricorn and Saturn) in order to decrease (Saturn) the infection rate of Covid-19 and we must do our part as responsible (Saturn) single individuals (Aquarius) by social distancing (Jupiter in Aquarius) to reach a common goal (Aquarius) that will ensure us a brighter future (Jupiter).
So, a few thoughts about what this conjunction may actually bring forth in the future:
Restriction (Saturn) of travel (Jupiter) in groups (Aquarius)
Ambitious plans (Saturn) for the education (Jupiter) of the masses (Aquarius)
Incrementation (Jupiter) of responsibility (Saturn) regarding social welfare (Aquarius)
Unbiased (Aquarius) politics (Jupiter) regulate (Saturn) gender equality (Aquarius)
Generalised (Jupiter) fear (Saturn) of fanatical (Aquarius) authority (Saturn) and nationalism (Jupiter)
New (Aquarius) fashion diktat (Saturn) with full (Jupiter) changeable colours (Aquarius)
Enthusiasm (Jupiter) for humanitarian (Aquarius) leadership (Saturn) policies (Jupiter)
New (Aquarius) discoveries (Jupiter) and rules (Saturn) in the cure and care of mental health (Aquarius)
As we can see the possibilities of interpretation are multiple however the focus for the years (and centuries) to come will be on the Air element. Looking ahead, being level-headed and rational, using and developing new technologies to better our world and our lives.
Artwork:myskypie2020
Copyright@myskypie.com2020