THE GREAT CONJUNCTION
December 21, 2020 10:20am PST
On the Solstice at 0°Aq26’
We are living in significant times. 2020 is a year of the Great Conjunction. A new era is upon us!
Every 19-20 years Jupiter and Saturn meet in the sky, referred to as the Great Conjunction. However, this year is particularly significant as the meeting of these giants is happening right on the solstice, and it marks the start of a 200 year cycle, shifting these meetings from the materialistic earth signs to intellectual air signs. (It is also the closest one since 1623)
So what does this all mean? Let’s break it down, then sum it up.
2020
As I am sure we all appreciate, 2020 has been quite the year. Viewed through the lens of astrology, three major meet-ups help to shed some light on things.
Jan 12
Saturn/Pluto conjunction = transformation of major societal structures
Apr 4, June 30, and Nov 12
Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions = spreading death = plague/pandemic
Dec 21
Jupiter/Saturn conjunction = opening the door on a new era
Planetary Energies
Jupiter and Saturn are called the social planets because their influence is felt in the realm of society. Together they govern law, order, structure, productivity, culture, philosophy, and religion. They are also the bridge between the personal and transpersonal planets, making them the doorway through which individuals take personal experiences into the collective – society. Just as a door has two sides, these planets represent the two sides to a balanced life. Where Jupiter offers expansion, growth, optimism, and luck; Saturn brings boundaries, structure, lessons, and destiny.
Mythology
The mythology of Saturn and Jupiter is multilayered.
On one level, Saturn and Jupiter are father and son (Greek Kronos and Zeus), where Saturn devours his children, fearful their youth and power will overthrow him. Jupiter escapes this fate and does indeed defeat and overthrow his father. Their meeting marked the shift from the old gods (the Titans) to the new gods (the Olympians), bringing in a new era.
On another level, these giants are brothers representing the two sides of life generally. Jupiter – as the Oak King – represents the half that grows, spreading life and abundance. Saturn – as the Holly King – represents the half that surrenders to time, accepting age and death as necessities that ensure the continuance of the cycle. (The King is dead, long live the King!)
Finally, on the elemental level, Jupiter and Saturn, represent polar extremes. Saturn’s Earth being the most dense and substantial element; Jupiter’s Fire being the lightest and most ethereal element. Fiery Jupiter brings consciousness and energy; Earthy Saturn gives that energy form and structure.
From Earth to Air
For the past 200 years, these Great Conjunctions have been happening in possession-based, wealth-focused, and physically supportive earth signs. While each meeting opened the door into a new era, the overall energies were still focused on the material world (money, food, shelter, security, stability, etc…). With the conjunction this year, the energies of the new cycle shift to the mind-focused air energies: knowledge, communication, movement, connection, and exchange. For some this will be a welcome shift, but others will experience this as destabilizing.
Over the next 200 years, these Great Conjunctions will move through all three of the air signs (Aquarius, Libra, Gemini) but we start most appropriately in Aquarius, the sign of innovation, reformation, technology, humanitarianism, and hope. It will begin with status and public recognition giving way to community revolution and diversity. However, it is important to note that while Aquarian energy is humanitarian in theme, the focus is community as a whole. It is all about what individuals offer the community, not what the community can offer individuals. Diversity and eccentricity are welcome as long as they feed the betterment of the community; those whose personal need outweighs their social value. In fact, anything that advances the community will be encouraged, but Aquarius has no time for those who are a drain on the community. This isn’t out of any malice, but simply because Aquarius is intellectually concerned with sustaining collective growth and unconcerned with the individual emotional experience.
As I write this, JFK’s inaugural speech comes to mind as a perfect example of this airy Aquarian energy (“ask not what your country can do for you…”). JFK was a Gemini (air) with a Libra (air) ascendant, and the speech was given on the first day of Aquarius (air), which is the exact position of 2020’s Great Conjunction! Interestingly, 1961 was also a year of a Great Conjunction. However, that meeting happened in earthy Capricorn, the sign of status, socio-political power, and business. Society was not prepared to accept JFK’s Aquarian revolution, and he paid the price.
Sabian Symbol
Speaking of the exact position of this meeting, in addition to the overall energies of Aquarius, we can also look at the very specific degree where this Great Conjunction of 2020 is happening: 0°Aq26’. This particular degree describes an old adobe mission, and asks:
As we shift out of earth energies, what lasting forms do we want to leave behind as a legacy?
What do we value in the context of society and lifestyle?
How do we engender a sense of belonging, without entitlement?
How do we manifest an ideal?
At the Solstice
The fact that this door opens at the solstice suggests we need to begin the process by sitting in stillness, opening our minds to the possibilities of this shift, and reflecting on what we have to offer within our community. The growth of Jupiter along with the birth of the Sun’s light in Saturn-ruled Capricorn combine to manifest something new. Plant your seed and watch it grow.
Conclusion
In summary, this Great Conjunction of 2020 marks a turning point, opening the door to a new era where old structures will give way to new growth and ideology. It won’t happen immediately, and there will be resistance from those who feel individual rights trump the greater good of the community (i.e. anti-maskers), but over the next two decades we should feel the shift. In fact, a good example of this shift already starting is the public demand for more detailed COVID information, despite the alleged individual privacy issues.
The Great Conjunction of 2020 facilitates a collective reorientation towards intellectual growth as a community, social consciousness, and people building a future for the greater whole, not for personal gain or individual need. And, perhaps most importantly, offering the hope that we can do it.
See you in 2040 (Oct 31 to be exact) when the shift will happen in Libra, bringing the communication and connection back into the realm of the personal relationship.