Walls & Bridges: The Grand Conjunction

Jupiter and Saturn, astrology's two traditional outermost planets, overlap in their cycles every 20 years, and mark a major cycle in politics, culture, fashion and business. Both planets are now in Capricorn and meet at the same degree between December 15th and 23rd, with the pinpoint conjunction landing on December 21st - the northern hemisphere Winter Solstice. Woo-WOO!

The so-called Great Chronocrators, markers of time, bring together opposing but complimentary tendencies, expansion and contraction, Bull and Bear, stick or twist, and their Grand Conjunction sets the tone for the coming generation. Jupiter is the planet of spirituality, expansion and good luck, while Saturn rules karma, boundaries and hard work - success in life comes by having a vision and grounding it in the real world: one without the other is a fantasy; the other without the one is make-work and drudgery. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Saturn at home in Capricorn is the stronger energy this time, which suggests executive ability and receiving good value for forethought and adulting. Serious and ambitious Capricorn favours the most professional and hardworking candidate, though its ruler Saturn's hierarchical tendency is to pull the ladder up after it, so no-one can encroach or emulate. Jupiter is out of sorts in such corporate company, and sign debilitation sees its natural innocence and sponteneity coloured by second-guessing. Resist the temptation to go with the crowd rather than your heart: there is an inevitable compromise now, but try to inject your business with a flowing, win-win attitude. Success comes by covering the downside and handling weakened Jupiter in the most effective way - namely, to keep the faith and build on your beliefs when talk and good intentions aren't enough.

Jupiter is lifted to some degree by Saturn's strength, so together these two have great promise. The conjunction is in Uttarashadha, the nakshatra symbolized by a Victory Arch and with the Shakti of 'Unopposed Success'. This brings a sense of reaping the rewards from hours of work already logged, and building on a triumph that creates a future legacy. You may be focusing on a work-life balance, and realizing not everything is about rank and status: your inner values are at least as important and feeling fulfilled goes deeper than chasing your next promotion.

The Grand Conjunction lands in the same element for approximately two centuries, then goes through a period of change - The Great Mutation - where it gradually shifts into the next element. 2020 sees Jupiter-Saturn established in Sidereal Earth until 2159 AD after transitioning from Sidereal Fire over the past hundred years. The 1940 conjunction in Aries heralded World War II and the same signature in 2000 brought the War on Terror - the astrological context makes it apparent how perilous the 9/11 era really was. Rather than overt conflict and bloodshed, the big issue now becomes politics, material resources and economic control - war is the continuation of politics by different means.

The last Grand Conjunction in Capricorn in 1961 brought The Berlin Wall as a material symbol of the Cold War and division (the Wall then came down a cyle-and-a-half later in 1991, as Jupiter and Saturn opposed each other). Today we are similarly polarized with comparisons to the former East German police in our surveillance state, and an encroachment into and commodification of our private data a nightmare George Orwell could only imagine.

The previous Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn to this was 1285, (with Pluto also in the sign), read more here: https://www.astrovedas.com/post/2020/01/02/new-decade-2020