The weeks ahead offer a complex and fascinating array of Ingresses and aspects between planets.
Jupiter conjunct Saturn
21st December 2020;
18.21 GMT at 0º46′ Aquarius
A brief consideration of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, which ‘sets the tone’ for the next 20 years, until its next conjunction. For the last 200 years, these conjunctions have been in Earth signs (with some overlaps at the beginning and end of this sequence) and this conjunction in Aquarius heralds a period of 200 years when all the Jupter-Saturn conjunctions will occur in Air signs. The entire sequence through the elements takes 800 years to complete (200 x 4).
The last time Jupiter-Saturn were conjunct in Aquarius was between 1226 AD and 1405 AD, a period which included several major outbreaks of the Plague. Like now? In European history, that period marks the ending of the medieval ‘Dark Ages’ and the ushering in of the ‘Renaissance’. A time of cultural and political turmoil, giving birth to much ‘newness’.
It is well to remember that both those periods have their glories and also their inequities. i.e. in spite of their ‘labels’ it would be false to make one ‘good’ and the other ‘bad’!
Which brings us neatly to the theme of ‘opposites’. Jupiter and Saturn are the outermost of the visible planets, both signalling our relationship with ‘the world’. Saturn is sometimes called ‘Father Time’, a ‘boundary’ which divides the ‘inner’ (visible) planets from the ‘outer’ (invisible).
In this sense, Jupiter is always straining against the limits of Saturn, tending to project the energy of hope, optimism and vision into The Future. While Saturn strains against the future, favouring The Past. Here the thing to note is that both of them, therefore, can drag us out of simply being Present. This open space enables us process painful feelings of disappointment which inevitably arise when either Jupiter or Saturn dominate. The glass is neither half-empty (Saturn) nor half-full (Jupiter), but simply a transparent vessel in which we are reminded of The Opposites! (Note the reference here to the ‘Waterbearer’ -:)
The above picture shows how the symbols for Jupiter and Saturn, when rotated and reversed (as a mirror-image) are exactly the same! Much to ponder on there. As if when one takes over, the other is not far behind. Or acts as a concurrent ‘shadow figure’ awaiting its time. How would it be to consider them as ‘two sides of the same coin’?
In general, ‘malefic’ Saturn gets ‘bad press’, while Jupiter is welcomed as the ‘Great Benefic’. This obviously lends itself to the judgement that the former is ‘bad’ while the latter is ‘good’! To get beyond this polarisation, you’re invited to explore the ‘other side’ of each one, finding the blessings of Saturn and the hazards of Jupiter, both in general and in your own horoscope.
For example, try making a list of ‘keywords’ for each one, avoiding words which carry the implication of good/bad or desirable/undesirable. Not so easy, is it?! And what is their secret ‘similarity’ as represented by the symbols above? Try composing a sentence which encapsulates this …. like your own personal ‘motto’ for the incoming new Jupiter-Saturn period of 20 years.
From my own reflections … “Together, and in their alternation, Jupiter-Saturn speak to the formulation of inner core values, beliefs and morality, helping us relate to others and to find our way in ‘the world’ in a way which feels congruent and harmonising. May they offer us practical and philosophical Guidance.”
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