The Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction
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Jupiter and Saturn form a conjunction on December 21st. While that date marks their only exact meetup, these two have been riding close enough together to be in conjunction for all of 2020.
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction happens about every 20 years. As with any outer to outer planet conjunction, it marks the end of one big cycle and the beginning of another.
The year of 2020 has been defined by an overlapping of endings and beginnings of three major planetary intra-cycles: Jupiter-Saturn, Jupiter-Pluto, and Saturn-Pluto. Jupiter and Pluto have been conjunct for most of the year and had their final exact conjunction in November. Saturn and Pluto formed a conjunction this past January, starting the beginning of a new cycle there. Now Jupiter and Saturn are the last to kick off their new cycle. Therefore, for all of 2020 we’ve been in the last dregs of the dark moon of their twenty-year cycle.
So what does it mean for us when these two very different planetary energies come together in the sky?
Jupiter reminds us that life is good. There is always enough. It is the “glass half full” planet.
Saturn reminds us to be realistic. There are limits. It is the “glass half empty” planet.
Here are some of their keywords:
Jupiter = vision, optimism, faith, confidence, generosity, opportunity
Saturn = structure, realism, commitment, endurance, devotion, discipline
Based on these short descriptions, most of us would prefer Jupiter’s influence on our lives over Saturn’s. But is it inherently better to be living in glass-half-full awareness all the time? Not if it is important to our well-being to recognize that the glass is actually half-empty. We need to be aware of limits (Saturn) as much as we are aware of infinite abundance (Jupiter). But too much Saturn, and we feel deflated, stultified. So we need them both. Ideally, these two planetary archetypes work within us in balance.
Jupiter invites us to expand our world through new endeavors. Saturn helps us to stick with those endeavors through the challenges that inevitably come. The two together provide an opportunity to build something lasting (Saturn) based upon our inspired vision (Jupiter).
But we are not quite there yet. While Jupiter and Saturn have been dancing together through 2020, they have nonetheless been at the end of a cycle. We have certainly seen important endings this past year, in the collective and in our personal lives. A job ends, or a move to a different locale happens. Maybe you’ve experienced a significant loss. Meanwhile, there is a sense of something new on the horizon. But that “something new” remains yet unrealized. 2020 has been a liminal time in which our hope (Jupiter) has not yet replenished enough to translate into practical action (Saturn).
What is upon us, as the two come together on the Winter Solstice, is fittingly a return of the light in a much greater way than we could have anticipated. It comes at a time when it is desperately needed.
Jupiter and Saturn meet at zero degrees of Aquarius on that date. Aquarius is the sign of innovation, breakthrough, and forward-thinking. For the collective, we are already beginning to see the signs of hope made real--a vaccine on its way, for example. In our individual lives, the latter part of December and first three months of 2021 mark a time where we are supported in taking first steps forward toward a calling, an idea, or a project that has been waiting on the shelf for all of 2020.
If there is something you have been considering for this entire year but have not been able to bring into reality yet, don’t be too hard on yourself. If you’ve been brewing rather than doing, you are right on time. If you’ve been trying and trying and trying to make something happen, the breakthrough energy you need is on the way.
Look for signs on the solstice and in the weeks after to show you where and how to start bringing your visions down to earth. Expect opportunities to appear that are in alignment with your goals.
Follow these steps to help you integrate the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction:
-Bring to mind something that you would like to accomplish or experience in 2021.
-On or within the week after the 21st, do this simple ritual. Create a quiet time and place. Light a candle. Ask for your inner Jupiter to bring you hope and inspiration to guide you. Ask for your Inner Saturn to bring you the devotion and discipline to sustain you.
-Then watch for signs, synchronicities, and messages regarding the next steps to take on your path.
When Jupiter and Saturn come together in Aquarius, we can achieve a breakthrough by merging our aspirations and our worldly work. This idea is expressed succinctly in the following passage from The Book of Runes on the rune Dagaz, or “breakthrough”:
“The darkness is behind you, daylight has come. Nevertheless, you are reminded not to collapse yourself into thoughts for the future or behave recklessly in your new situation. Considerable hard work can be involved in a time of transformation. Undertake to do it joyfully.”
-Ralph H. Blum
Related Posts:
The Jupiter-Pluto Conjunction of 2020
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