A BREATH of Fresh Air: Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction

Saturn and Jupiter over Italian Peaks

On November 14, 2020, the Scorpio New Moon provided us an opportunity to introspect profoundly and determine whether what we were thinking, feeling, or reacting to was empowering or disempowering. It allowed us to uproot and turn under those things not aligned with our highest good and deepest desires. It was an excellent time to be still, clear the emotional field, build up the strength to heal our inner landscape, create new soil, and plant anew. It cleared the way for an expansive Sagittarius change of mood.

November 22, 2020, the Sun moved into Sagittarius, creating said change. The Scorpio intense, penetratingly deep energy shifted to Sagittarius energy, light and inviting, creating a much-needed mood change. It offers us a fresh, new way to view the world. It provides us with the seeds for hope and joy. It heralds in the holiday season with warm gatherings to enjoy and good feelings to share. The planet Jupiter rules the Sagittarius Sun; it expands and elevates. It lifts us. It can also exaggerate and feel a bit too much, especially after we’ve been contracted inward and concentrated in Plutonic Scorpio, but overall, it just feels good. The year 2020 has been intense, but December brings an energy shift, and 2021 can potentially shake up the gridlock and get us moving again. We have just heard that a vaccine may be on the horizon resulting in hope for the near future. Ah, relief.

December 2020 starts with the Sun in Sagittarius, Mercury moving into Sagittarius on the 2nd, Venus on the 16th, Mars still in fiery Aries throughout the month, Jupiter and Saturn conjunct in Capricorn and moving together until they shift into Aquarius on the 20th and 17th respectively. They begin their move away from Pluto in Capricorn, whose energy has dominated 2020. Still, Capricorn Pluto will continue to be deeply felt in the United States throughout 2022, when it becomes exact by transit with the country’s natal Pluto, which I will discuss at another time. For now, we will concentrate on the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of December 2020, a different indicator of societal change and more much-needed relief.

Jupiter makes its way around the Sun once every 12 years; Saturn once every 29 years. Because of their different speeds, they conjunct (align) just under every 20 years. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions occur in the same element (presently Earth) for about 200 years; however, other elemental alignments can intersperse between cycles due to retrogradations. The current Earth signs cycle began in 1842 and is due to shift elements this year, right around the Winter Solstice.

Traditionally a Jupiter-Saturn alignment correlates with social, economic, and political changes; they are historic watershed times. When they conjoin in a new sign, they possess substantially more weight and are harbingers of epoch change in the fresh elemental energy they bear. The energetic shift from Earth element into Air occurs on December 20, 2020, when the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction moves from Capricorn to Aquarius.

Earth energy is stable, grounded, reliable, consistent, and established; it concerns itself with the material plane. Air energy is variable, breezy, changeable, and altering; it concerns itself with the mental plane. The difference between the two is palpable. Air brings a much-needed breath of freshness to Earth that has been stale for too long; 2021 will indeed feel like “a breath of fresh air.” But with every old ending comes a new beginning, and there will still be work to be done.

One can liken Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions to labor contractions, in that there is an expansion/contraction rhythm that is being used to birth something new. The Capricorn Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto Earth stellium has been necessary to break up and break free stuck, stagnant institutions and societal rules that no longer serve. The Aquarius Jupiter/Saturn conjunction will concern itself with societal equality and progression. As Capricorn releases its grip on our institutions with the help of Pluto, Aquarius will step in to dream new visions for a more egalitarian future (Jupiter’s hope) and work to make that new vision a reality (Saturn’s effort). Realistic idealism will be the energy these two planets combine to create; the glass can be half empty AND half full; we can get lucky IF we work hard at it.

Capricorn concerns itself with the status quo; Aquarius concerns itself with progressive, future-looking ideals. A palpable change indeed, destined to define the next 200-year cycle for humanity. Perhaps the Age of Aquarius (Universal Brotherhood/Sisterhood) is finally upon us. Saturn, ruler of Capricorn AND Aquarius, gives strength and depth to the mind in this placement. I suspect we will see advancements in science, technologies, energies, and visionary innovations. With all this change afoot, as individuals, what do we do?

Remembering that we are all part of the collective, we can best serve this time of change by introspection that leads to cleaning our individual systems while giving others the respect and space to do their work too. As Aquarius is concerned with individuality, it will be important that ALL support each other to express themselves honestly, without judgment. Here in the US, we will be struggling to birth a new system that is equal and just for all, a system that respects individuals within the context of a broader community. The Aquarius Moon in our country’s natal chart points to this need for individuality, as well as the need to have a free and humanitarian society.

We are entering a time that is the start of something new and something worthy for us all. We have the opportunity to create a more conscious and advanced society while valuing our specialness too. Just as our body cells all have their unique and individual purpose yet work together to create an entire system that functions efficiently and healthily, we humans must do the same as individuals within the context of a healthy society. In addition to thinking of it like a well-oiled, working human body made up of millions of functioning cells, I imagine our individuality within the context of a healthy society like one of those mosaic pictures that use photos to create a new and beautiful image.

As above, so below, as within, so without.

Let us begin with Hope, a new Vision, and JOY!

If 2020 taught us nothing else, we know that we truly are ALL in this TOGETHER!