The Astrology of 2020 – the Grand Finale (of this bit anyway)
November to December
2020 began with a conjunction of Saturn and Pluto in mid-January, followed by three Jupiter – Pluto conjunctions in April, June and early November, together with multiple retrogrades throughout the year (see our earlier blog posts).
The major planets are now all gearing up for their grand finale at the December Solstice, in a way that appears to have been orchestrated like a Beethoven symphony!
Here is the unfolding sequence, which will be explained further below:
14th November - Mars in Aries went direct, having been retrograde since 9th September.
29th November - Neptune in Pisces goes direct, having been retrograde since 23rd June.
29th / 30th November - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Gemini
7th December – A Grand Cross pattern forms with the Moon’s Nodes, Neptune and Vesta. This will persist until the end of April 2021
14th December - Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius.
15th December - Chiron the Healer goes direct, having been retrograde since 11th July
17th December - Saturn enters Aquarius
19th December - Jupiter enters Aquarius
21st December - Jupiter and Saturn are exactly conjunct in Aquarius, on the Winter Solstice.
14th January 2021 - Uranus in Taurus goes direct, having been retrograde since 15th August 2020
For meditations and ceremonies, please scroll to the end
Mars Direct in Aries – 14th November
This means that after months of feeling like the brakes have been on with Mars retrograde since September, we can at last have the sense of being able to move forward, towards a fresh new start.
Neptune Direct in Pisces – 29th November
Neptune, having been retrograde in Pisces since June, has been dissolving our attachments to many old belief systems, mythologies and paradigms from the last 2,000 years of the Age of Pisces. As it turns direct on 29th November, Neptune completes this particular phase of the dissolution of old patterns, clearing away the debris, and enabling the process of reconstruction for the Aquarian Age to begin to take shape. For now at least, we may breathe a big sigh of relief and let the past rest in the past.
(Neptune will bring further clearing periods when it again goes retrograde in Pisces, from the end of June 2021 to the beginning of December 2021. It will retrograde in Pisces again from June to December 2022, and from July to December 2023; then in July 2024, it goes retrograde in the very last degree of Pisces, until December 2024, just as if it is squeezing out every last drop of our attachments to the old Piscean Age paradigms. Neptune will finally enter Aries at the end of March 2025, to begin a whole new 164 year cycle around the 12 Zodiac signs. Neptune’s last complete 164-year cycle began when it entered Aries on 14th Feb 1862.)
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – 29th / 30th November
Visible over E. Asia, Australasia, Pacific, Americas
Max eclipse on 29th 23:43 AHST (09:43 UT/GMT on 30th ) over Alaska & Hawaii
Moon 08° 38’ Gemini
As the Moon in Gemini moves into opposition with the Sun in Sagittarius for this Full Moon Eclipse, it briefly creates a Grand Cross pattern (big red square). This is formed by the Sun – Moon opposition, creating 90° (square) aspects with the opposition between Ceres in Pisces and Vesta in Virgo. As the Moon moves on, the Grand Cross dissolves within hours, but then another one forms on 7th December, which will persist until April 2021 (see below).
It is as if this Lunar Eclipse is giving us a brief taste of things to come, challenging us to let go of our differences and grievances, and to set our sights of new goals, based on following the inner discernment and promptings of our hearts (Vesta in Virgo) to care for our fellow human beings and all other species on this planet (Ceres in Pisces). The Lunar eclipse can provide us with a deeply felt moment of connection with our fellow beings, bringing the understanding that this is showing us the way forward. The Grand Cross gives a brief taste of the hard work that will need to follow, in order to turn that momentary awareness into an on-going reality:
A Grand Cross forms on 7th December 2020,
lasting until 28th April 2021
The Moon’s North Node in Gemini is in opposition to the Sun and Mercury conjunct the South Node, in Sagittarius. Neptune in Pisces is in opposition to Vesta conjunct the Moon, in Virgo. There are 90° (square) aspects between the ends of the two oppositions.
The Moon’s North Node reveals the spiritual purpose of any event. At 19° 56’ Gemini, it is reminding us of our common humanity with all our fellow beings. The Sabian symbol for this degree of Gemini is “a cafeteria”. When we visit a cafeteria, no matter what our status or position in the world, our origins or ethnicity, age, knowledge, wisdom or beliefs, we must all patiently stand in line to be served, we must all sit at similar tables, eat similar food and negotiate the surroundings and the comings and goings of our fellow beings, as equals. The Sun and Mercury conjunct the South Node in Sagittarius require us to become fully aware of, and to own any innate, inherited or adopted prejudices that may consciously or unconsciously underpin our current belief systems in ways that serve to set us apart, make us feel superior, inferior, privileged, under-privileged, worthy or less worthy than others.
As we begin this on-going process of self-examination (until next April), we also need to be honing the inner discernment of the heart (Moon and Vesta in Virgo), so that we can maintain the insight and vigilance needed to see through the various webs of illusion that have been, and continue to be, spun around us. This will no doubt require us to let go of some cherished attachments, particularly our attachments to either yearning for, or fearing, specific outcomes about various cherished issues. We need to become aware just how much both yearnings and fears about outcomes feed into the conflicting elements of each situation.
The vast energy of Neptune (now going direct) in Pisces is literally washing away such attachments. We need to remain centred in our hearts and trust that, even though the individuals purporting to be our leaders actually may not have a clue about what is really going on, the Universe is unfolding its bigger picture in ways that are currently beyond our capacity to fully comprehend. Whilst we may catch glimpses in our peripheral vision of where we are headed, it would be wrong to assume that we, or indeed anyone else, has a sound grasp of the full picture of what is unfolding. Whilst we might wish it to be the case, if we invest others, particularly those in power, with such a level of understanding then we should be aware that we are merely projecting our own hopes, dreams or fears onto that individual, and they will surely, inevitably disappoint us. Neptune is concerned with disillusionment – which actually means seeing through the illusion. In reality, everything is in a state of flux, but filled with countless potentials and possibilities. What is really important here are both the individual decisions that we each take from a heart-centred place on a daily basis, and how we plan for the long-term, with the proviso that we need to be flexible enough to adapt our decisions and plans as circumstances change, all the while remaining true to our innermost hearts.
Total Solar Eclipse over South America - 14th December
Max Eclipse at 16:16 UT/GMT - 23° 08’ Sagittarius
At maximum eclipse, the Moon & Sun are within ½° of conjunction with the star Ras Alhague in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Healer. Ophiuchus is sometimes referred to as the 13th sign of the zodiac, its constellation being sandwiched in between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Ophiuchus is identified with the healer Aesculapius, the ship’s surgeon with the Argonauts. He was reputedly able to restore the dead to life, having learnt his healing arts from Chiron. Ophiuchus holds a serpent in each of his hands, hence he is known as the serpent-charmer. The alpha star, Ras Alhague at the head of the serpent-charmer, has a natural gift for teaching, healing and repairing that which is damaged.
With Mercury and the Moon’s South Node also conjunct the Sun and the Moon, this eclipse will bring full awareness of what needs to be released and healed, both in our personal lives and in the larger world around us. The opposition between Neptune and Vesta shows that unconditional love and compassion are what’s needed for such healing to occur. The Grand Cross will require a commitment to hard work, focus and attention, in order to manifest these qualities in our lives and in the world around us.
Mars and Pluto are the other planets with direct links to the Sun and Moon at this Eclipse.
Mars in Aries is (90°) square to Pluto in Capricorn, which is (30°) semi-sextile to the Sun and Moon in Sagittarius, which are (120°) trine back to Mars.
With Mars now moving direct in Aries, this means that we can more effectively challenge those who have been misusing or abusing their power (Pluto in Capricorn), forcing them to either change tack or, in some cases, withdraw from the public arena altogether. With each small victory achieved in this way, the more will the grass-roots momentum grow and escalate to become an irresistible force for positive change.
Chiron goes Direct – 15th December – 22:16 UT/GMT
The day after the Solar Eclipse, Chiron turns direct. Being still retrograde during the Solar Eclipse means that Chiron will bring up to the surface what needs to heal. With it turning direct next day, the healing process can immediately kick in. The Sabian symbol for Chiron’s degree in Aries is “a triangle with wings”, suggesting the ability to release and transcend the pain of the past. This can now happen quickly, helped along by both Saturn and Jupiter entering Aquarius.
Saturn enters Aquarius 17th December - 05:04 UT/GMT
Saturn begins its 2¼ - year transit through the zodiac sign of Aquarius, when it will be to anchor into the third dimension the new structures that are necessary for the establishment of the Aquarian Age.
Jupiter enters Aquarius 19th December - 13:07 UT/GMT
Just 2 days later, along comes Jupiter, infusing the vision for the future into the structures that Saturn is creating, thereby guiding and animating the establishment of Aquarian Age ideals. Jupiter will have until the end of December 2021 to achieve its part in this, when it will leave Aquarius. Meanwhile Saturn will have until the beginning of March 2023 to continue establishing the structures and institutions that can become the vehicles to manifest the true ideals of the Aquarian Age (see below).
Winter Solstice - 21st December - 10:02 UT/GMT
Jupiter conjunct Saturn - 21st December - 16:14 UT/GMT
The Winter Solstice always marks that moment in the year, when the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, symbolically withdrawing to plant its seed of light into the depths of the Earth, in readiness for the rebirth that will inevitably follow in the Spring.
At this Winter Solstice, there will also be the rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Whilst they become conjunct roughly every 20 years, I have not found any instances of them becoming conjunct on the actual day of the December Solstice. The nearest they came to this was at the Winter Solstice on 23rd December in 7 BCE, when they were within 1° of conjunction in Pisces. On that occasion, their conjunction heralded the inauguration of the Piscean Age, at the birth of Jeshua / Jesus of Nazareth. Many believe that that Jupiter – Saturn conjunction was the “star” that the three wise men (Zoroastrian astrologer-priests) had followed from ancient Persia.
In a similar way, this upcoming Jupiter – Saturn conjunction in Aquarius at the Winter Solstice marks the moment of birthing the Aquarian Age. The Sabian symbol for 0° Aquarius is “an old abode mission”, suggesting the humble beginnings of the understanding, teaching and sharing the true energies of the Aquarian Age. To date, there have been literally overwhelming amounts of Piscean Age interpretations and “information” about what the Aquarian Age will mean for us. Whilst there may be many glimpses of Aquarian Age truths woven into this information, it has inevitably been interpreted from the perspective of a Piscean Age psycho-spiritual paradigm.
Everyone alive up until this moment will have been imprinted with the spiritual, mythological and psychological archetypes of the Piscean Age; it is like the energetic “ocean” that we have all been immersed in for the last 2,000 or so years. The Piscean Age paradigm is fundamentally based on duality and a deep sense of separation between matter and spirit – the two fishes swimming in opposite directions. We can see this old paradigm still manifesting through the emerging scientific fundamentalist view that “technology is the solution to everything”, on the one hand; on the other hand, we have many “spiritual” people talking about a separation occurring between those with “3D consciousness” and those waking up to their “5D consciousness”, thus furthering yet more separation!
Perhaps the principal shadow energy of the Aquarian Age will be the problem of elitism, be that political elitism, scientific elitism, or spiritual elitism. If we, in any way believe that we are superior or more evolved than others (eg: the “woke” and the “sheeple”), then we are falling into the trap of that Aquarian Age shadow, before we are even off the starting blocks. The key to understanding the true energy of the Aquarian Age lies in the Aquarius glyph Š which depicts the resonant movement of energy above (in the realms of spirit) with the movements of energy below (in the realms of matter). It illustrates how these two realms need to perfectly mirror and resonate with one another, as above, so below, bringing the marriage of Heaven and Earth, spirit and matter, spiritual knowing and scientific knowledge.
So, we should be cautiously optimistic about how quickly this new birth is likely to become reflected in world events. We should remember how, at the beginning of the Piscean Age, King Herod got wind of what was happening and ordered the slaughter of all the new-born in Bethlehem, the three wise men had to find a secret route home, and Joseph and Mary fled with the infant Jesus into Egypt. Once again, as the 5D seed for the New Age is firmly planted into the 3D, there is likely to be a backlash from those still heavily invested in the power structures of the dying Piscean Age. It would be naïve to believe that with this new birth, everything is suddenly going to be just hunky dory, overnight.
We should remember that, if we are alive at this time, we signed up to be the midwives - here to assist with the new birth and also to ensure that what is about to be born will be able to grow and thrive into the future - for the benefit of “all our relations”.
After the Solstice, change may well begin to accelerate faster that we might expect, especially after Uranus turns direct on January 14th. That will be the subject of the next Astrology Blog…
Meditations and Ceremonies
PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE - 29TH/30TH NOVEMBER
VISIBLE OVER E. ASIA, AUSTRALASIA, PACIFIC, AMERICAS
MAX ECLIPSE ON 29TH 23:43 AHST (09:43 UT/GMT ON 30TH ) OVER ALASKA & HAWAII
MOON 08° 38’ GEMINI
Since the Lunar Eclipse acts more on a personal level, we are suggesting that you work with this individually
The key time is between 09:30 to 09:45 UT/GMT
Take time for reflection. Focus on stillness, compassion and unconditional love towards all Beings.
Total Solar Eclipse over South America - 14th December
Max Eclipse at 16:16 UT/GMT - 23° 08’ Sagittarius
Online meditation on Sunday 13th December at 7:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89207513138 - Meeting ID: 892 0751 3138
We will be at the Hurlers Stone Circles, with drums, on Monday 14th December at 15:30pm
for a ceremony to work with the energies of the Solar Eclipse
Winter Solstice - 21st December - 10:02 UT/GMT
Jupiter conjunct Saturn - 21st December - 16:14 UT/GMT
We will again hold an online meditation on 20th December and a ceremony at the Hurlers Stone Circles on 21st December
More information and links to follow.