GRATITUDE for the Essentials

Since Covid-19 has us on lockdown, we have been discussing the Astrological triggers that occurred back in January which had most Astrologers on high alert, namely the Capricorn Saturn/Pluto conjunction that happened on January 12th, 2020. Another important player we have yet to mention who also took the stage around that same time is Jupiter. Jupiter moved out of its home sign of Sagittarius on December 3rd, 2019 and transited into Capricorn, where it is out of its element and will struggle to find its natural expression due to being in its fall.

Remember, Jupiter is the planet of expansion, higher wisdom and consciousness. It represents freedom and travel and is the influencer of scientific research and the search for truth; Jupiter is the planet of religion and devotion. It is the great benefic that brings luck, hope, optimism and gifts. It is JOY. It is comfortable in Sagittarius, as Sagittarius is home to the gateway of our vast Universe, the galactic center. How much more expansion can one possibly imagine than that which lies outside of our own Milky Way? Beam me up!

However, Jupiter is in its fall in Capricorn, which means it is not functioning at its best – on the contrary – it is operating at its worst. So that beautifully expansive and eternally optimistic nature of Jupiter in Sagittarius screeches to a loud and jarring halt when it shifts itself into Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn, the planet of restriction. If you can imagine Jupiter in Sagittarius as the downhill portion of a great roller coaster ride with all its squeals, screams, excitement and joy and Jupiter in Capricorn as the jerky re-entry into the coaster station once the ride is over, you will get the picture. But alas, all good things must come to an end, the good time ride is over, and the cycle must continue.

In January 2020 Saturn and Pluto boarded, then took over, the fun train and we started to hear rumblings about problems in the station; at that time Jupiter was still in the early degrees of Capricorn not quite adding to the problem, just yet. By the beginning of March 2020 Jupiter was starting to have some influence and joined the dance of Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn. It is no coincidence that travel bans started going into place and lockdowns began across this country and the world (Jupiter ruling those things under Capricorn’s restrictive nature). Life as we knew it before coronavirus stopped, abruptly. Governments (represented by Capricorn) across the globe (represented by expansive Jupiter) enforced actions that ground day to day life to a jarring halt. The only things allowed to stay in place were “essentials”, how very practical of Capricorn and how very uncomfortable for Jupiter.

As we discussed last month, Saturn pulled into a different station (Aquarius) on the 22nd of March. At that time, Jupiter was conjunct Pluto (in Capricorn) and the idea of hope that Jupiter normally brings was getting stretched very thin as the Plutonian grim reality and serious nature of the coronavirus sank in. There were more restrictions put into place as the toll on humanity kept growing. The hope that this would all resolve before Easter lost traction and we were forced to bow even further to this new reality. And even though we still are not through to the other side just yet, we do know ultimately “this too shall pass”; a very Jupiter in Capricorn practical, somber hope.

In the meantime, we must remember Capricorn is the sign of slow and steady perseverance, hard work with eventual reward; and we must remember that the Cosmic cycles continuously turn, moving us eternally forward. The lessons for this “time-out of time” will be learnt concerning what is important, what is not, what we want to keep and carry forward, and what we want to release for good. It is the necessary work to be done that has been placed before us. What really is ESSENTIAL for us all?

On the 26th of April Pluto in Capricorn retrogrades, maybe easing up its unrelenting grind and allowing Jupiter some breathing room? There is talk of “opening up” for business again by May 1st, we will see how that goes. Needless to say, a society on lock-down is unsustainable; it is foreign to its nature and natures must express themselves healthily. However, if the lessons remain unlearnt or the ones learned are disregarded, Jupiter too goes retrograde mid-May and we may find ourselves forced backward right alongside it, reclaiming what little hope it may have given.

Capricorn is slow, steady and cautious, reserved and calculating; we would be wise to heed its nature, asking ourselves with every step we take as we move forward and get out and about, “Is this essential”?

AND, while we are waiting to see where all this waiting to see will lead us, let us not forget that Jupiter is the planet of FAITH, abundance, and praise. And while it cannot easily get itself going under the heavy burden of Capricorn, it is teaching us a very important lesson, GRATITUDE for the essentials. At this time, we have been asked to slow down, scale back, assist those who are working to keep this from getting too far out of control and to have FAITH in something bigger than ourselves, our stubborn willfulness and our governments. We are being asked to remember that too much of a good thing can feel bad, too much expansion can bring an abrupt and jarring contraction, and too much too soon can set us all back.

We have free will and choice and, of course, we can willfully resist and come out too gung-ho or we can be too afraid to come out and reengage at all; either way, fear appears to be the driving force and that is never in our best interest, as it goes against our true spiritual nature. It is important to remember at this time that fear, while legitimate, is the simpler nature of being human. FAITH, on the other hand, requires more contemplation and is less knee jerk. FAITH over FEAR, the choice is ours.

IF we surrender to the Universe and choose to cooperate with the powers that BE, we are in a much better position and can move forward faster. After all, FAITH is belief in things unseen; whether that be a virus or a Deity, we all know the unseen exists…let us be wise and grateful, as well as humble and cautious moving forward. This is not an either/or situation. It is an AND/BOTH time.

We can proceed with caution while keeping the FAITH. How very Jupiter in Capricorn!

Please continue to social distance…Stay safe and healthy!