On 21 December 2020 the planets Saturn and Jupiter will be in their closest conjunction since the year 1623. What this will mean for those of us here and now remains to be seen, but a look back in history may help us understand the effects of the chaos.
In the year 1345 scholars at the University of Paris declare that the Black Death was created by what they referred to as “a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius, occurring on the 20th of March 1345”.
Following from the Black Death where vast numbers of people perished, there was a time of significant social and economic change. There were no longer enough “serfs” to support the feudal system and land was available for those who had the will to work it. Social mobility increased, wages increased and serfdom all but disappeared. It was possible to move about and rise higher in life.
Saturn and Jupiter are known as the rulers of the ages and their cycle is considered the ground base of human development marked by the interaction between the perception of ideas, potentialities, possibilities (Jupiter) and their manifestation in the material world (Saturn). In ancient times the cycles of Saturn and Jupiter were used to predict momentous collective events.
Considering the 1623 conjunction, a brief look at the history of the 17th Century which falls in the Early Modern period, provides an impression of great scientific advancement, cultural achievement and economic structure. Yes, it was a time where many various wars were fought, but it was also the time of Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Johann Christoph Bach, Rembrandt van Rijn and John Law to name but a few. By the end of the 17th Century Europeans were aware of logarithms, electricity, the telescope and microscope, calculus, universal gravitation, Newton’s Laws of Motion, air pressure and calculating machines. It was a period of development of culture in general but especially in theater, music, visual arts and philosophy.
Saturn and Jupiter relate to the formation of our sense of social purpose and direction and the pursuit of concrete manifestation in the world. They are the planets of positive, constructive social activity. The twenty year cycles of their ongoing relationship mark major phases in our developing life’s work with the conjunction being a time when we can form a new sense of social purpose or direction.
In our understanding of the cycles in human experience, the awareness that everything has a beginning, a developmental period, a culmination moment, re-evaluation and growth of consciousness which is often accompanied by the breakdown of structures, and finally the time of expectancy in preparation for a new cycle of growth. The cycle of Saturn and Jupiter defines the story of our efforts and as a pair represent a positive, focused attitude in defining our ambitions in whatever we want to achieve. At the time of their conjunctions we begin to see new directions that will unfold over the next twenty years. We form a new commitment and begin putting our energy into a project that we are confident we will be doing with our lives and that this is what we want to achieve.
The December 2020 conjunction takes place in Aquarius which is an air sign ruled by Saturn. Aquarius is associated with collective life, intellectual property, technology and innovation. In terms of the Zodiac, Aquarius are the visionaries, inventors, genius and humanitarians who are always one step ahead of the herd. Their soul lesson is to get in touch with their emotions and shine their light of love.
The world we live in today has been structured to create separation. The worldwide COVID pandemic has ramped up this separation through social distancing, no gatherings and masking. These regulations spotlight just how separated we are. Cultural, social, economic and religious division is still very much a way of life in this current time.
The 21 December 2020 Saturn and Jupiter conjunction following the arrival of COVID may provide the energies needed to put an end to the outdated, separatist structure of the world we have created. This will be a time of chaos, a time where many will resist the inevitable change and many will actively seek to create change. Those who are aware and have an understanding of the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, who can embrace the changes that bring all mankind together as a collective, will need to hold their light as a beacon in a calm harbor. The stormy seas are needed to clear the debris that does not serve this planet Earth as a whole and the collective of all life here.
As the bus conductor in a Harry Potter film says “Hang on. It’s gonna be a boompy ride!” Those passengers who remain calm and peaceful, please assist those who are not.