Welcome to the Grand Conjunction/Winter Solstice of 2020... a  powerful ending to an absolutely unbelievable year!  Although things are still chaotic and challenging ~ for now ~ we can pause and celebrate.  The light is returning - days will start to lengthen, bringing the reminder that shifts and endings can also lead to new beginnings.

On the evening of Dec. 21, the planets Jupiter and Saturn (sitting at 0 degrees Aquarius) will appear closer together than in almost 800 years, only a tenth of a degree apart.  What appears to be a great star will appear  in the night sky - they won’t be this close again until March 2080. Some say this was the bright star that shone in Bethlehem when a great master was born. What we do know is the last Saturn Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius happened in 1405. That was the year Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the printing press was invented, and the middle ages gave way to the Renaissance. Change was afoot! Society was progressing to a new stage and level of consciousness. 

 And here we are again ~  on the cusp of a new era. 

 

The transition from  old to new is never without difficulty. We are in the midst of far reaching changes - and one thing is for sure- nothing and no one will ever be the same. I am pretty sure I wrote about this at the beginning of the year, having no real  idea of what was coming! A karmic reckoning indeed! We humans generally do not change  unless forced to, so something was going to come and shake us up - because we do in fact, seem to need a little shaking. 

The Grand Conjunction in Aquarius heralds the start of something new in terms of our collective identity. Jupiter is the planet of joy and expansion, while Saturn is the planet of contraction, restriction and structure. With Jupiter conjunct Saturn, the energy is one of delicate balance. We have the potential to build something concrete from our goals and ideals.  This is the  beginning of a new social era.

We are are also still in the ripple effect of recent eclipses -   on Dec 14th,  the Sun (conscious) was eclipsed by the Moon (unconscious) at the Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Sagittarius, indicating that we will need to feel (Moon) our way through the coming changes. Spiritual guidance is on offer ~ we only have to ask.

Neptune at right angles (square) to the eclipses (nodes of moon) remains the wild card; amplified now by the Moon hanging out with Neptune, this influence means we never know what we are going to get ~ everything is being filtered through a misty veil.  This  deeply spiritual energy  can blur our sense of reality - bringing creativity and inspiration and also causing great chaos and confusion. Neptune dissolves what needs dissolving - it puts us in touch with  the non-linear world of the in-between.  What remains  clear is that what was once solid is  shifting and morphing at an increasing rate,  and it can be tricky to know exactly what is true and what is false. Hence ~  the need to feel our way,  by  taking time to tune into that still inner voice. The spiritual task of Neptune is to move us beyond our ego drives, and sometimes that takes a little  unraveling!

The status quo will continue to get turned upside down by Pluto in Capricorn over the next four years, with another Mars Pluto square again increasing aggression and volatility. May the light and peace of Christmas be upon us all....

The powerful energy of Mars Pluto can  help propel us forward if properly harnessed and directed in a conscious way. Don't waste your time in arguments and trying to prove you are right... there is work to be done! The Sun has moved into the serious, driven world of Capricorn just as the ruler of Capricorn (Saturn) begins its new journey through Aquarius.  This indicates a change of plans, a shift in authourity, a new way of doing things. Groups and ideals are in the forefront. 

 Eclipses indicate majour shifts and endings - in this case it is around our conditioned and collective beliefs ~ wherever it landed in your natal chart will show where some sort of change of thinking is required. This is an opportunity to jettison outworn belief systems and find new ways of viewing the world.

"I am a collection of Beliefs, most of which I take for granted or do not question. Change the beliefs passed on to me and I begin to transform my world into infinite possibilities."

-Tru Guy Starhorse

 

So here we are at the Winter Solstice  ~  a key turning point in the year ~ with a rare and majour conjunction as well. Did you know that the Sun appears to stand still for four days at the Solstices? Then on Dec 25th , it will start shifting forward and the days will get longer. Hurray!  Cultures all over the world celebrate the return of the light.

Interesting that we celebrate Christmas on the 25th!  Christ/Christos - means  Light;  Yeshua was a mystic and a magician: a Light-bearer.  Mass means celebration. As we  celebrate the return of the light ~  after a year that has felt very dark ~ the significance is even more poignant.

 And as Saturn and Jupiter meet up in Aquarius, we are not only turning a page , we are entering a new chapter, or even a new story! This has been called the darkest age, the Kali Yuga, when humans get so caught up in materialism that we forget our true nature. There are various interpretations; according to Rudolf Steiner the Kali-Yuga ended around 1900.  I've heard all sorts of dates thrown around but according to Steiner the Age of Aquarius is a transitional period that covers approx 200 years.  He says we started entering into  it around 1900 and the entry phase should be complete by around 2100

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Saturn Jupiter conjoining at the zero degree of Aquarius  is being heralded as a key marker of the new age. They meet at a critical degree,  at a critical time. If we don't get it right, we may not survive as a species. This shift from old (Saturn) to New (Jupiter) will be focused on the Aquarian themes  of collective responsibility, personal freedom, ingenuity, and diversity.  We are being called to use our personal freedom, autonomy, individualism to  work together as a community to fix whats broken and create a better world.  There may be battles ahead. Saturn may try to clamp down and put in more rules and controls.  Uranus will have none of it. We must focus on our common unity (community). As we open up to a greater vision of how we can contribute to the future of humanity,  each in our unique way,  we will naturally join with others in a global effort. Think globally, act locally. This is it folks. We came here for this. It really is the dawning of the age of Aquarius!

 

The road will be bumpy at first (of course) with Saturn's first challenge the square to Uranus in February. (More on that later).  You didn't think this was going to be easy did you? I have heard all sorts of dire warnings- contrasted by glowing predictions of a coming golden age. Wouldn't that be wonderful!  The revolution that started in the 60's, then went underground, has now come full circle. And even though the old order is fighting to maintain position and control, it cannot win. We must not let it. But to be clear, we will continue to remain in its grasp as long as we do not know who we are.  Any true change must begin with a revolution from within. 

 

"As within -so without"   

 

And from there ~ Peace on Earth and good will toward men. And women. And all those in between. 

Happy Solstice! Happy Hanukkah!  Happy Christmas!