2020 marks the opening of a new world era signified by rare outer planetary alignments. It is a significant year that requires a new set of rules and assumptions about time and reality along with new approaches to leadership, governance, care for the environment and serious visions for the future. 2020 presents a turning point where the implications of ‘modern living’ have become very real and personal. On a socio-political level, it signifies the peak of autocratic rule while a shift to movements that support the common good will increasingly gain importance by the end of 2020.

During January until December 2020 we will experience the very rare triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto (first time since 1284!). On January 12, 2020 Saturn and Pluto will make their exact conjunction in Capricorn, while Jupiter and Pluto will meet three times during April and November in the ambitious and conservative sign of the Mountain Goat. However, Jupiter and Saturn will move into innovative Aquarius before they make their conjunction on December 21st 2020, the time of our summer solstice.

The Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn: a turning point in power structures and wealth distribution

The meeting of Saturn and Pluto signifies a key turning point in the journey of transition and fundamental changes to the world as we know it. It correlates with a period of intensified tension and restrictions, a deep anxiety within the collective and a shared discontent with those in power and their rule making. Saturn in Capricorn signifies the rule of authority while Pluto in Capricorn destroys any structure or form that has outworn its purpose. However, while our social, political and ecological reality deteriorates, there is room to begin building something new in their place. Voices are getting louder and winning momentum demanding an end to corruption and reforms that lead us from the past into the future. On January 12, the Saturn-Pluto conjunction will perfect at 23 degrees of Capricorn. The Saturn/Pluto cycle of ’Restructuring’ occurs about every 33-36 years, but hasn’t happened in Capricorn since 1518, the year of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a Catholic monk and professor of theology attempted to stop the church’s practice of selling ‘Indulgences’ for ‘the absolution of sins’. The Protestant Reformation that followed split the western church permanently and facilitated an environment of democratic free thinking. In other words, the courageous effort of an individual, rebelling against the corruption of the ruling elite, their power and money practices changed the course of history, despite the risk of being burnt at the stake!

Pluto’s transformative energies affect everybody. Each of us has to review, reflect, make contact with our ‘personal underworld’ and do our best by clearing and purging our own debris. By taking responsibility we gain access to our own strength and feel empowered to act. 2020 is an incredibly potent period in which to plant the seeds of what we want to develop over the next years. On a collective and personal level, we can start a fresh cycle, shift our emphasis on building new forms and persist with purposeful goals even if we have to face opposition and resistance.

The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction: Ideology or Vision?

Jupiter, planet of expansion and growth, entered Capricorn on December 3 and will remain until December 19, 2020. Jupiter will conjoin with Plutoexactly on April 5th, June 30th and November 13th to start a new 13-year Jupiter-Pluto cycle. Two strong energies meet, with one wanting to go to the heights (Jupiter) while the other draws to the depths (Pluto). The god of the underworld meets with the god of the heavens. This combination signifies the strength that underlies our beliefs and how they can ‘move mountains’; of course, they also can strengthen dogmas and ideologies! The last time Jupiter and Pluto met was in December 2007 in Sagittarius, just before the start of the Global Financial Crisis. The danger with Jupiter-Pluto aspects as they relate to politics is that they tend to correlate with either great successes, or conversely, extreme downfalls. When triggered by these energies, we have to remember that “bigger is not necessarily better!”. Jupiter is the planet of expansion and opportunity. In Capricorn, it is a signature for structural brilliance and wise judgement. We have to get serious about the work that needs to be done and put extra effort towards purposeful goals. We can expect favourable outcomes when applying discipline, commitment and leadership. 2020 is a year where big energies need to be handled in a constructive and responsible way.

Saturn in Aquarius: Change is in the Air!
(March 22, 2020 – March 7, 2023):

Saturn will briefly enter Aquarius on March 22 just hours after the equinox but will return to Capricorn on July 1. Saturn will complete its cycle in Capricorn on December 18 and will travel through Aquarius until March 2023. Saturn was last in Aquarius during Feb 1991 – Jan 1994 correlating with the birth of the World Wide Web as an innovative form of global communication. This is also the time when the USSR dissolved and a new united Europe was formed. Saturn in Aquarius is in a strong position since it rules this sign together with Uranus. In the airy climate of Aquarius, Saturn works hard at forming a bridge between ideas of the past that have proven their usefulness and the unfolding concepts for the future. The emphasis is on reordering structures and boundaries, making connections, distributing information, and developing innovations to achieve a better future for humankind, which of course has also its shadow expressions (5G and microwaves; artificial intelligence and surveillance etc). As the co-ruler of Aquarius Saturn is the “planetary Gatekeeper for the New Age” preparing the planet and all its inhabitants for the new consciousness. Aquarius seeks equality and fairness, dislikes authority and attempts to give the power back to the people. Saturn’s entry opens the door for an entire new era!

“Transfiguration” copyright by Gery Mews

The Jupiter/Saturn cycle in Air (2020 – 2159)

The 20-year Jupiter-Saturn cycle represents the process of defining and pursuing our most important goals and intentions. Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn reoccur in the same element every 20 years for about two centuries. On December 21/22 the Jupiter/Saturn cycle will finally shift from Earth to Air opening an astrological era of Jupiter and Saturn uniting in air signs that will continue until 2159.Grand conjunctions occurred in Earth signs from 1802 until 2000 correlating with a 200 year period of industrialisation, heightened materialism and accelerated exploitation of the Earth’s resources. It brought us all the advantages of civilisation and modern living but also created headaches such as never-ending mountains of rubbish, pollution, overpopulation and the extinction of many species. The next conjunction at zero degree Aquarius on the December solstice symbolises a major turning point, the potential beginning of a rebuilding process that creates a fairer, more technologically advanced world. The time is ripe for visionary leaders who work for the future of humanity, rather than simply their own profits or personal ideology.

Grand Conjunctions in the air element historically correspond with enhanced social progress, significant intellectual development, and new concepts entering human consciousness. Edward de Bono, who coined the term ’lateral thinking’, had Saturn in Aquarius in his natal chart. According to him creative thinking is not a talent; it’s a skill that can be learned. While we make the transition to the ‘age of knowledge’, innovation, new technologies, clean and free energy as well as global collaboration will play the leading role. This shift has already been mirrored by the values of the Millennials, the generation born between the years 1982 and 2000. (We had an early Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Libra in 1980 as a precursor for this incoming cycle of grand conjunctions in air!)

Venus Retrograde: Revision & Adjustment of Values
May 14 – June 26

Venus will be in Gemini from April 4 until August 8 and forms her retrograde cycle during May 14 until June 26. Venus turns retrograde every 18 months, when she shifts from evening star to morning star. While Venus is retrograde, we will revise and re-evaluate our relationships, reflect on what we value and how to spend our resources best. Saturn will be in Aquarius from March 23 – July 1, supporting this process of re-ordering and rethinking. Altogether, we can expect deep-seated changes in our underlying principles and the way they manifest into aspirations. The strength of Saturn in Aquarius lies in his capacity to detach from overwhelming emotions and analyse the next steps that are necessary to take for our collective evolution. Venus was retrograde in Gemini last in 2012, the end time of the Mayan Calendar. Hasn’t our world changed significantly since then?? The Mayan calendar counted the moment when our solar system had fully entered ‘the photon belt’, a high frequency region in the Milky Way. The journey through the photon belt is said to change the atmospheres on all the planets in our solar system and accelerates the rate of change in human consciousness. The global computer/Internet revolution has actually been in resonance with this development.

The Mars Retrograde in Aries: Walking with the Inner Warrior
Sept 9 – Nov 14

Mars will journey through the fiery sign Aries from June 28 until January 7, 2021. Normally, Mars spends about 6 weeks in a sign, not 6 months! Mars will move through the sign of the warrior, direct and then retrograde, squaring the ongoing conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. This is why the period from August through to the end of October can be highly volatile where political and social conflicts could escalate. Mars in Aries drives on action and is very physical. We are dealing with a wild energy that can go out of control. However, this energy can be harnessed for positive change! This is a time when frustration and anger within society can ignite a revolution while our approach to conflict, assertiveness and taking action requires rethinking, regrouping and reintegrating. Alignment with the ‘Inner Warrior’ is required so that we can draw on our strengths, assert ourselves and find new ways to be empowered. Our ‘Inner Warrior’ doesn’t allow others – including ruling authorities – to determine our lives as we remain loyal to our own ethics and ideals. Similar to Mercury retrograde, it is a period for reviewing and correcting directions and objectives.

This cycle peaks October 14.
Lunar Nodes and Eclipses: Portals of Rapid Change

We have 6 eclipses during 2020 instead of the normal 4, so 2 extra Lunar eclipses! The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer on January 10 opposes the Saturn-Pluto conjunction (read above). Lunar eclipses work on our emotions. We might find ourselves holding onto old security patterns that need to be made conscious because fear hinders us from growing and facing challenges directly. On a different level, the oppressive energies of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction will be confronted by an eclipsed Cancer Moon which demands a rebirth of feminine values, of caring and sharing.

The next New Moon Solar Eclipse will be on zero degree Cancer on July 5. This is the last eclipse on this axis for the next 9 years and on the zero degree it symbolises the birth of a new consciousness as the masses are awakening due to increasing pressure and environmental concerns.

The Lunar Nodes shift from Cancer/Capricorn to Gemini/Sagittarius on May 5, 2020 – Jan 19, 2022. This shift highlights the need for everyone being informed of the facts, knowing how the system works, our rights and the laws that rule us. Being armed with knowledge gives us confidence and power and allows us to see through the mechanisms of brainwashing and mind control. This leads to questions about who owns the airwaves, what rights listeners and watchers have, and what responsibility the government has to keep the airwaves fair, accurate, and accountable