Back in August 2017, in the midst of a very important phase of my life, I took part to one of the summer events organized by the Faculty of London. I spent an eye-opening week in Oxford, together with a unique international audience. I do consider that time as a pivotal stage of my intense journey towards metaphysics and spirituality. Embedded in the timeless setting of Exeter College, I felt I had just become part of an interestingly like-minded community, whose members I could easily understand, simply because we were all able to speak the same language: that of the skies. I can’t forget the moment when Michael Lutin, a renowned guest, gave his evening lecture in the college’s refined and old-fashioned auditorium. The American astrologer, with unique directness and pleasurable informality, expressed his valuable insight about 2020, which was at that time two and a half years away from us. He spoke of ‘survival’, and how the strongest individuals would soon need to carry the world towards a whole new age. Consequently he went on explaining the deeper side of Capricornian energy. His words sent chills down my spine, but that was nothing compared to what I feel nowadays every single time that lecture comes back to my mind. Amazingly, during that one-week event I was surrounded by people who shared my interest and concerns about a year (2020) which was after all not that far from us. As someone said at some point during those days, astrology is a calling and, once you’re in, life is seen from a different perspective. I am sure many astrologers very well understand how meaningful these words are, especially considering all that has been occurring around us over the last year or so.
Now, as the world visibly enters a new evolutionary phase, society struggles to adapt to a whole new way of living. The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered our foundations, undermining aspects of collective life which seemed to be as solid as rock, hurling the whole of humanity into a transitional period of historic importance.
A lot has been written about the myriad of astrological influences which have accompanied us through the last 15 months. Nevertheless, I deem it extremely important to primarily focus on how the awakening of deep Capricornian energy in 2020 determined an unprecedented impasse, characterized by extraordinary waves of fear and restrictions. The beauty of astrological thought reemerges at times like these, during which we realize how modernity and progress do not ‘immunize’ society from the archetypal storms which symbolically and periodically appear around the zodiac.
To gain a clear picture amidst the ongoing confusion, it is very important to ‘zoom out’ and look at the long-term unfolding of planetary patterns.
Three majorly important conjunctions of year 2020 are to be noted:
- Saturn-Pluto (Capricorn)
- Jupiter-Pluto (Capricorn)
- Saturn-Jupiter (Aquarius)
Since the occurrence of the single Saturn-Pluto conjunction at 22Capricorn46 in early January 2020, the world has been spiraling into a close fight with the invisible enemy we all know about. The three consequent Jupiter-Pluto exact conjunctions were undoubtedly linked with times of ‘expansion and acceleration’ of this global wave of fear, sickness and legislative oppression. Under this aspect, protracted throughout the whole of last year, the enactment of tough legislation became necessary for many governments. At the same time, though lots of concerns were legitimately raised, it is interesting to note how the new Jupiter-Pluto ‘moral code’ became a painful but unavoidable experience. By the time the third and final Jupiter-Pluto conjunction occurred in November 2020, another wave of lockdowns started, obviously raising all sorts of mixed opinions, painfully deepening the social and ideological split which is still plaguing this world.
Back in October 2020 I wrote:
‘the last of these three Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions may well represent the ultimate shock which will finally start propelling the world towards a new direction.‘
Obviously, nobody knew which direction this world was set to follow from there onward. When we look back at those intense weeks of November and December, not only do we see the beginning of a raging political battle in the USA, but also the arrival of the first COVID vaccine. The official remedy to an unsustainable problem had finally arrived, together with another major spike in cases. There was great awareness of society’s desperate need to decisively turn the page, due to the lack of sustainability of such a prolonged nightmare.
However, the archetypal struggle we lived through during last year’s Capricornian buildup determined a massive impasse which is very difficult to erase, and which still carries all the characteristics of this Earthy sign. The Saturnian boundaries therefore erected have been acting so powerfully on us all. Human heritage and historical facts have also been profoundly challenged under the action of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. This phenomenon has manifested all around the globe, as an essential part of the ongoing process of social dismantlement and widespread metamorphosis.
The aftermath: an Aquarian tale
The cosmic event most awaited by astrologers seems to have been the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in early Aquarius. Back in October 2020 I wrote:
‘all that can be said is that it will surely set the tone for the years to come, determining an upsurge of ‘Airy’ energy, possibly at the dawn of a very dynamic period for humanity. With both planets shifting into an Air sign after all that has occurred, we may expect significant changes to affect the global scenario. This will likely influence the political, social, financial and ideological balance. Aquarius’ progressive approach will most likely create initial confusion in a world which still finds it so hard to gain the momentum it has so violently lost. As it is the case with every conjunction, oblivion will dominate at first, though the awareness of a new beginning will gradually emerge in the collective mind.’
One does not need to be an astrologer to see that a wave of egalitarian, progressive and groundbreaking ideas was powerfully initiated right after Jupiter and Saturn moved into Aquarius. Major corporations and governments are now beginning to set new rules, establishing deep changes in law, finance, fashion and technology. I find it quite interesting to look at how the concept of ‘leadership’ is set to radically evolve. In my opinion, all this is going to lead towards an important revision of old-fashioned patterns that have become unsustainable during this highly-digitalized and ideologically fervent era. It has obviously been necessary and beneficial to maintain solid foundations, yet during the pandemic all sorts of long-standing issues eventually became exposed. Simply enough, the times are drastically changing, and the leadership styles so far broadly enacted and accepted across different sectors may not be considered beneficial or appropriate by future generations. Open-mindedness lies in accepting and constructively understanding the current Aquarian wave which is rapidly and irreversibly sweeping all over the world. This is one example of how the pandemic will eventually be seen as a powerful trigger of profound social changes.
Going back to my astrological analysis, the period across 2021 and 2022 is going to be characterized by a forceful square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. This aspect is currently sweeping through 7 to 13 degrees of Fixed signs, interestingly stimulating to a greater or lesser extent the Leonine Pluto placements of all nations and institutions established during the second half of the 1940s, right after WWII. Within this group we can find India, China, Israel, North and South Korea, the UN and NATO. It seems obvious that the ideological foundations upon which they were based are set to be drastically reviewed, possibly initiating an important reinvention of the post-WWII world. In broader terms, the current Saturn-Uranus waning square will represent the onset of another reorientation phase for the world at large. Affecting Fixed signs, the configuration will be accompanied by widespread resistance to change. The main challenge of the next few years will be that of finding ways to ‘let go’ of the past and embrace an early view of the future. The square is already reawakening buried humanitarian issues, challenging the ‘status quo’ of big nations and questioning the foundations of important organizations such as the UN and EU. The last quarter of the current Saturn-Uranus cycle will create the typical planetary crisis which initiates a redirection towards the next astrological cycle. By 2032, when the next Saturn-Uranus conjunction arrives, the geo-political scene may have changed a lot, and new treaties or alliances may have been discussed or established.
Piscean fluidity
Year 2022 will be accompanied by a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. This event may foster renewed diplomacy around the world, yet humanity may risk allowing for new utopianism and devotional fanaticism to rise. Given the Piscean emphasis of this socially-oriented new cycle, I do expect major developments to affect pharmaceutics, oil production and distribution, the maritime industry and the global religious balance. These themes may already gain some prominence during Jupiter’s brief passage in early Pisces around mid-2021, and then at its final ingress into this Water sign at the very end of 2021.
Leaving the ‘old world’ behind
The next few years will provide us with a cascade of important astrological occurrences. Considering both the upcoming ingress of Pluto into Aquarius and the progressive development of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle, it seems clear that the current social opening towards inclusion and renovation is just the beginning of a very long phase of ideological rebirth. Perhaps the main event will be the shift of Pluto into Aquarius in 2023/2024, with three consecutive ingresses (due to its retrogradation). We should not forget that the dismantlement of societal structures we perceived in 2020 was just the apex of Pluto’s action in Capricorn, where it had been residing since 2008. The long war to the Establishment, under its countless forms, has become uncontainable during the pandemic. However, it won’t be before Pluto finally moves to the next sign that we leave certain outdated values and structures behind, to fully embrace a long battle for social renewal.
Looking at faster planetary movements, we may expect any ‘new ideas’ born in early 2021 to visibly challenge the status quo when Jupiter and Saturn reach their waxing semi-square in 2022/2023. By the time they form a square in 2024/2025, the world will probably need to face challenges related to the ‘edification’ of a new collective morality. The major turning point will be represented by the long Jupiter-Saturn opposition of December 2029 / October 2031, which is analyzed below.
2026: so unique!
A pivotal moment seems to be represented by the strikingly unique Saturn-Neptune conjunction of 2026. It will be harmoniously connected with Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus/Gemini. Such a Minor Grand Trine between slow-moving planets is a rare occurrence and, given its harmonic nature, we shall probably be quite optimistic about it. By mid-year, the whole configuration will have developed into a trapezoid figure, with Jupiter in early Leo. We may start looking at the middle part of this decade as a time of widespread expansion and constructive opportunities. By then, the Planetary Index between slow planets will have reached another high. After last year’s minimum, which coincided with extreme social contraction, we have to wait until the opening phase of 2026 to see the full extent of our new social potential.
Two major nations
The Saturn-Neptune conjunction of February 2026 will fall on the first degree of Aries, a mundanely sensitive point. Studies have shown how the Saturn-Neptune cycle has been closely connected with the rise and fall of socialism over the last two centuries. The latest conjunction occurred in Capricorn, and it was also accompanied by Uranus; this happened during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Perhaps the next conjunction, prominently placed on a very influential point, could herald a rebirth or revision of the same utopian socialist dream of a leveled society. Also, messianic (often controversial) figures tend to rise under such planetary influences, during times in which society seeks to turn vision into reality and vice versa.
By the second half of the decade, in the wake of both their Pluto return and second Neptune opposition, the USA will probably emerge deeply transformed. In 2027/2028 the USA will go through their 3rd Uranus return. The transit will be accompanied by an unusual Minor Grand Trine with Neptune in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius. Such planetary pattern may actually suggest a period of great advancements for society, and the USA may benefit directly from it. The nation may experience extreme dynamism when Jupiter will square Uranus across 9 degrees of Virgo-Gemini in the second part of 2027. This reactive configuration will strongly act upon the American Independence chart’s Uranus. Generally speaking, previous transits of Uranus across 8-10 degrees of Mutable signs have coincided with ideological polarization, popular divisions or military action, such as in 1860/61 and 1944. The next return will be accompanied by the passage of Jupiter through Virgo, which will likely intensify the country’s quest for renewal.
During the same period, Saturn will square national Pluto from late Aries. From a mundane point of view, such transit will precede the waxing square of the newborn Saturn-Pluto cycle. Therefore, it may be argued that the rise of deep changes within the global business, which started at the dawn of the pandemic during the recent Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, will reach a critical stage around 2027. Under the influence of the waxing square, that will be a time which Dane Rudhyar would have defined as the ‘edification phase’ along this cycle of global dismantlement.
It is quite important to remember that the 1991 Russian national chart portrays Saturn at 3 degrees of Aquarius. Both placements will be powerfully triggered by the transits of 2027/2028. The waxing Jupiter-Uranus Mutable square will align with the Russian Mars, while the waxing Saturn-Pluto square will exert pressure on national Saturn, placed at 3 degrees of Aquarius. It also has to be said that modern Russia is currently facing its first Saturn return, soon followed by the transit of Pluto across the same part of the zodiac. This simply indicates a massive act of ‘reassessment’ and possibly ‘reconstruction’ for the whole nation and its international influence.
The 2030s: a new world?
As mentioned, the start of the next decade will be accompanied by another major cosmic event. The next Saturn-Uranus conjunction will occur in Gemini in 2032. Jupiter will be opposing the autocratic duo from visionary Sagittarius the year before, when Saturn and Uranus will have already reached a reasonable orb of conjunction. This means that two major cycles will reach pivotal phases around the turn of the decade. Undoubtedly, a major reshuffle of forces is due to occur during those years. After a turbulent second half of the decade, humanity may get an opportunity to generate a new framework of political, financial and ideological forces worldwide. Considering the signs involved, and with Jupiter participating to such a highly charged configuration, ideological or religious matters may dominate the global scene. We will perhaps end up seeing the next Saturn-Uranus-Jupiter configuration as the dawn of yet another social, economic, political and cultural phase. The current Saturn-Uranus cycle started in 1988, during the fall of the Eastern Block. Since then, the USA has practically exercised its hegemony on world affairs. The next conjunction may therefore coincide with another cyclical swing of the worldly economic focus towards a different area of the globe.
Religious reformation
The Neptune-Pluto cycle, which started in 1891, will stay on its waxing sextile from 2026 to 2032. This extremely slow outer cycle determines fluctuations in the collective balance of faith and devotion. The Gemini 1891/1892 conjunction stands as the second one of the current series in Air signs. The series began in 1398/1399 at the time of the Catholic Western Schism, with three exact conjunctions in Gemini. Throughout the first half of the 16th century, during the waxing first quarter, the Protestant Reformation ignited Europe, eventually leading to the Counter-Reformation launched by the Catholics under the mid-1500s waxing square. The whole process reached its culmination during the opposition of 1644-1648, at the end of the Thirty Years’ War.
We are now living through a very long transition from the Piscean to the Aquarian age (totally unrelated to the conjunction of December 2020), a fact which further explains the visible mutation of general awareness towards ‘broad spirituality’. Today’s world is gradually leaving ‘blind dogmatism’ behind. As mentioned, a unique Minor Grand Trine between Pluto, Uranus and focal Neptune will characterize the middle part of the current decade. We may even expect to witness the grounding of ‘new-age spirituality’ into tangible form by then. Though still in its primitive development phase, the current Neptune-Pluto cycle is already manifesting profound challenges against the ‘old religious order’, and it will probably reach a critical point in the 2060s, during the waxing square in Mutable signs.
URANUS AND PLUTO IN DECLINATION
In order to understand where, along its evolutionary path, the current society seems to be, it is worth looking at the declination cycles of Uranus and Pluto across the last three centuries. Both planets reached maximum northern declination in the late 1600s. This coincided with the height of absolutism in Europe, under the French monarchy of Louis XIV. During the following decades, the Age of Enlightenment started challenging totalitarianism. That phase ended with the contra-parallel between Uranus and Pluto in the late 1700s, when major shakeups occurred in society. The French and American revolutions determined the ultimate collapse of power centralization. In a cyclic fashion, the decades that followed determined a fresh rise of totalitarianism, with Napoleon’s dictatorship and the rise of nationalism across Europe. The northward movement of Pluto continued for a very long time, and it reached culmination in the late 1940s, during WWII. Another phase of power centralization had completed. It was followed by the Cold War and widespread democratization in the West. This trend will eventually shift in the early 2030s, when Pluto reaches maximum southern declination and Uranus reaches maximum northern declination. The last contra-parallel occurred in the late 1700s. We may expect the next decade to be another moment of great realization for humanity at large. This confirms the ideas suggested earlier on in this article.
If seen from such perspective, the current turmoil caused by the pandemic seems no more than a specific episode which stands along a series of historic changes in a constantly mutating world.
References
NO TIMES AND ANGLES HAVE BEEN USED IN THIS ANALYSIS
United States Independence Declaration – July 4th 1776
Nick Campion – Book of World Horoscopes, Wessex Astrologer – astro.com
United Nations – Oct 24th 1945
Celeste teal, Eclipses, Llewellyn Publications
Indian Independence Aug 15th 1947
astro.com
Israel – May 14th 1948
Nick Campion – Book of World Horoscopes, Wessex Astrologer
NATO – Apr 4th 1949
Date from Wikipedia
China (Zedong’s PRC Proclamation) – Oct 1st 1949
Nick Campion, Book of World Horoscopes – Celeste Teal, Eclipses – astro.com – Wikipedia.org
Modern Russia – Dec 8th 1991
Nick Campion – Book of World Horoscopes, Wessex Astrologer
Regarding the Jupiter square Uranus in 2027, have a look at astrologer Mark Lerner’s work concerning the “Nuclear Axis.” This concerns the 1st decan of the mutable signs, especially.
http://greatbear.mcn.org/nuke.html