The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on 21 December 2020.

 

 

Jupiter and Saturn come into conjunction about every 20 years.  The weather is unpredictable in the UK today, but if the sky clears up, take the opportunity to look south-west just after sunset and you should see the two planets almost looking like one body.

If you are in the southern hemisphere, look north west just after sunset.

This is a sight not to be missed, but if you cannot see it by going outside, or by looking out of the window, there will probably be plenty of satellites or aircraft taking photos of it, so check the media.

Why is this conjunction so important?

This conjunction is called the Great Conjunction or the Great Mutation.  Why?  Because the conjunction has finally moved out of the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) into the Air signs.  Today the conjunction has just entered the sign of Aquarius.   The conjunctions from 2020 to 2199 will be in the Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius).

The conjunction and the December Solstice

Today, it is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.  This is a significant time to have these two planets in conjunction on the day of the solstice – quite magical!

With the Great Mutation happening in the sign of Aquarius, it can be easy to associate it with the coming of the Age of Aquarius.  However, there is much debate about when this will occur, and it is not yet by probably at least 300 years.

On the positive side, it can mean that we have a chance to become more humane, logical and rational in thinking.  Aquarius, as the Water Bearer, also is concerned with feelings and emotions – emotional intelligence?   We can accept and appreciate the differences between each other on many levels in terms of culture and life-style.  Hopefully, there will be a desire to treat each other with respect and try and give everyone an equal chance in life.

Aquarius is concerned with the wider social environment.  This relates to how we manage and organise ourselves in groups and communities.  Naturally that can lead to an interest in politics as we strive to make life better for everyone.  We are living in a mad, crazy world at the moment.

Climate change is causing a serious threat to life on Earth.  We are gradually moving away from fossil fuels, but there many climate change deniers.  We are in the middle of a pandemic, and to what extent this has been exaggerated is open to question.  At the time of writing, the British government is locking down the UK in ever higher tiers.  Concern about the spread of the disease, the threat to public health services, worries us all – globally.

Farming and Agri-business

This is not to say that the Jupiter, Saturn conjunction relates to pandemics, but it is interesting, or rather concerning,  to note that the last conjunction in 2000 was in Taurus.  During that year, there was another outbreak of disease affecting cattle – Mad Cow Disease.  Thousands, if not millions, of cattle were slaughtered in order to stop the spread of the disease into humans.

Taurus relates to farming and cattle in particular.  Big agribusiness is of huge concern as far as our welfare, and that of animals, is concerned.  We can be hopeful about this conjunction in Aquarius, as long as we are aware of major pitfalls.  The modern ruler of Aquarius is Uranus, which is now in Taurus.  The traditional ruler is Saturn which is at home in Aquarius.

In 2021, Saturn will come into conflict with Uranus (square).  There are likely to be tensions between agribusiness and older, traditional methods of farming.  Technological developments from medicine to computers, mobile/cell phones, social media and artificial intelligence,  are also likely to see conflict and tensions, such as the development of 5G. History has shown us that technological developments and advances in science can give us huge benefits as well as doing dreadful harm.  Look at the arms trade.

The downside of Aquarius energy

Developments have led many to believe that we are being controlled by unanswerable ‘elites’ who are  turning us into zombies who can be manipulated and controlled en masse.  To what extent this is likely or true, will no doubt eventually be revealed.  One case in point is the argument about vaccinations.  Vaccinations build up herd immunity against disease, but due to the rush to get a vaccine out to protect us against Covid 19, it has not gone through the usual tests which could take years.  Anyone who doesn’t agree with vaccines, for one reason or another, is labelled as a conspiracy theorist or a believer in fake news.

Aquarius energy can work for the good of the whole, but fail to take into account individual needs.  It is opposite the Zodiac sign of Leo, and Leo is about expression of individuality and creativity.  With Aquarius, it is easy to encourage sameness.  We must all think the same thoughts, or wear similar clothes.  That is the worst scenario.

Tension between tradition and development

With Saturn in Aquarius in conflict with Uranus in Taurus during part of next year, it is easy to throw the baby out with the bath water.  Try and keep a balanced view.  Technological advances can be a huge bonus as well as having appalling negative results.  Do your own research and investigations.   Vaccinations, for instance, have almost certainly prevented millions, if not billions of people getting serious illnesses.  The trouble is that when some individuals or companies become too large, such as Big Pharma, we need to be wary that they are not abusing their powers.   Also note that it is easy to get caught up in ‘conspiracy theories’ believing that the ‘powers that be’ are out to get us,  This is disempowering, when we need to empower ourselves.

Keep positive, we can make changes for the better if there is the will to do so.

The pattern of the Jupiter, Saturn conjunctions

Jupiter and Saturn form conjunctions in the same element or triplicity over many years.  For instance, between 1663 and 1782, they occurred in the Fire signs (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius).  The conjunctions during 1802 and 1821, were in Virgo and Aries respectively.  This represented a changeover from Fire to the Earth signs.

Then the conjunctions between 1842 and 1961 were all in Earth, the last of these being in 1961 – well not quite the last one.  As in 1980 and 1981, the conjunction moved into Libra (an Air sign), followed by the next one in Taurus in 2000.  This really was the last of the Earth ones, which may have reflected humanity’s obsession with materialism.  Now, these conjunctions are finally entering the Air signs for a long time to come.

The order of the conjunctions in the elements is Fire, Earth, Air, Water.

We wish all our readers, students and tutors a Happy Solstice, Christmas and hope that 2021 will be a much better year than 2020.

 

Astro-Diary 

Astrid Fallon, has been producing Astro-Diaries for many years.  They show charts for major astrological events during the year (aspects and major aspect patterns)  and can be carried around easily in your bag.

 

See http://fallonastro.com/astrodiary.html. For order form:  http://fallonastro.com/images/afile/fallon-Astro-2021-eu,pdf