December 21 1:21 PM EST
The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is a momentous astrological event which only takes place once every 20 years. Our ancestors watched these conjunctions closely, noting that their influence would carry on for the entire upcoming 20 year period. In many ways, it is like an energetic re-set, a generational marker. Jupiter is the planet of growth and expansion. As a species we are constantly shifting our focus towards where and how we want to grow and expand. And as the planet of structure and stability, Saturn both helps us concretize our new growth AND holds us accountable for our choices and decisions. A new focus is now dawning for the next 20 year period: We are moving from one chapter into the next.
And not only are we moving from one chapter to the next but we are also moving from one PART of the series to the next as well- given that this particular Grand Conjunction also marks the “great mutation”- a shift away from the grand conjunctions taking place in Earth signs, and into them taking place in Air signs. In 1981 we had a grand conjunction in the Air sign of Libra (a taste of what was to come), but aside from that for the last 200 years each of the grand conjunctions have taken place in Earth signs. Now for the next 200 years, they will take place in Air signs.
The shift from Earth to Air is highly significant. We have been extremely focused during the Earth epoch on natural resources and thier ‘exploitation’. How will the Air phase of our collective experience play out for the next 200 years? What will that emphasis look like in our lives?
This Grand Conjunction gives us some clues. 0 Degrees of any sign is extremely potent. Not only does the conjunction itself take place at 0 degrees of Aquarius, but the sun is also at 0 degrees of another sign- Capricorn. It is no surprise to have Capricorn energy highly infused through this Grand Conjunction chart, as Capricorn energy has been dominant the past several years- and with the sun, Mercury and Pluto all in Capricorn at the time of the Grand Conjunction- it will continue to be for the upcoming 20 years. Capricorn is the sign related to Big Business, bureaucracy and government, patriarchy, and the traditional status quo. We have seen huge shifts and breakdowns in this area over the past several years, thanks in part to the Saturn Pluto conjunction in that sign. But these changes do not happen overnight and we are still very much negotiating what “the new” looks like in these areas.
And Aquarius is rather fond of “the new”, not necessarily in the sense of it being a novelty (why Gemini likes the new), or the challenge of uncharted territory (why Aries likes the new), but rather Aquarius enjoys the new as it represents PROGRESS, next steps, improved and conscious evolution- ideally supported by some some scientific facts and collective consensus to back it up. Not ‘collective consensus’ in the Capricornian sense of “because it has always been done this way”, but collective consensus of the grass-roots variety.
And there is a whole lot of “the new” on the horizon. Interestingly, the two aforementioned signs- Gemini and Aries- are also key players in this Grand Conjunction. Action-oriented Mars is in Aries, pushing the momentum forward as quickly as we can keep up with it. And the North Node of future destiny is in Gemini. Improving our methods of communication is a huge theme now. Especially for the next several years while the North Node is in Gemini, but also continuing forward for this entire 20 year period.
Equal rights will continue to be an enormous, dominant theme over the next 20 year period. Aquarius is by its very nature egalitarian. It wants to even the playing field. After all, an even playing field is a basic requirement for more advanced cultural and societal shifts. Again, Mars in Aries does not like to be held back, and Mars at 23 degrees of that sign is exactly conjunct Eris, an asteroid named for the “Goddess of Discord”. Uranus at 6 degrees of Taurus is also exactly conjunction Black Moon Lilith. Suffice to say that both Eris and Lilith represent female archetypes who do not tolerate disrespect and disenfranchisement. We can expect equal pay and equal rights to be a central narrative.
Uranus continues its steady march through Taurus disrupting all manner of topics related to finances, agriculture and our ecosystem. These disruptions, and the emergence of new technologies in these areas will also continue to be a dominant theme.
Love and harmony related Venus is in Sagittarius at the time of the conjunction, helping give us a macro-approach to situations at play. In its lowest vibrational sense, Venus in Sagittarius can become self-righteous and clannish. But in its highest vibrational sense, this is an excellent aspect for learning new strategies and approaches from other cultures, adapting “best practices” that may have been have been used successfully in other places and that we can tweak and adapt for our own needs in a wide variety of possible fields or situations.
Asteroid Chiron, which represents the healing principle, is in Aries and will stay there for many more years. This is part of a larger story of the healing of our Divine Masculine, as individuals and as a culture. We are all familiar with dominant cultural ideals instructing that masculinity is about pushing and exploiting in order to get ahead, that might makes right and to never back down. These destructive messages have created toxic imbalances and poor outcomes at every level- from our personal relationships all the way to foreign policy and environmental regulations. Re-learning that our Divine Masculine principle, rightly used, is a tool for honoring our inner wisdom and taking aligned heart-centric action in the world is a BIG shift that we are all undergoing. And it requires a LOT of healing. The emphasis on true self-care and spiritual nourishment, and the teachers who can share these messages and practices authentically, will continue to grow and are ever so necessary.
And the moon- the beautiful moon- is both an optimistic guiding light and an aligned backbone to this Grand Conjunction chart. The moon is at 27 degrees of Pisces, loosely conjunct Neptune who is still at 18 degrees of that sign. As I mentioned in my much longer piece about the significance of Saturn in Aquarius from 2020-2023, Neptune in Pisces has a very special role to play for all of us a macro level. We can only take “right action” (Mars in Aries), and contribute rightly to the collective progress of the whole (Aquarius), when we are truly listening to and hearing our own Higher Selves’ loving wisdom and guidance. What is important for us may not be important for our neighbor. Our best path of service may not be the one that is the most popular or celebrated. Only we can make the best choices for ourselves- and learning to TRUST ourselves, to hear and know what that is, is the work of Neptune in Pisces, which is being greatly amplified here by the moon’s conjunction to it. This is a romantic, creative, highly spiritually attuned moon that truly reminds us that ultimately, whatever we choose, we must lead from the heart and follow our heart.
In it’s highest vibrational sense, Aquarius is all about each of us being our own unique authentic selves, as a way to both honor ourselves AND find our right place within the community and the collective. It is not through ‘fitting in’ or doing what is ‘expected’ of us that we will thrive OR best serve others. So we are now embarking on a great journey, individually and collectively, to radical authenticity, with the innate knowing that that is how stronger communities and collectives and societies are built. That is the best way we can lean into “the new” and see what we can come together to create.
And we don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater to do so. The sun and Mercury in grounded Capricorn remind us to shed knee-jerk conservatism, but remain pragmatic. There is in fact a beautiful and highly balanced energy of this Grand Conjunction between the 4 elements, with significant planetary placements and energetics in all of them. This is another reminder that we are wise to use ALL of our resources, internal and otherwise, to make the best decisions. And that as a COLLECTIVE, we must acknowledge and incorporate all of our TRUE resources, especially those we have undervalued and marginalized, in order to build as strong and stable and authentic a new chapter as possible.
*art by @robwoodcoxphoto
If you want to find out more about what the Grand Conjunction means specifically for YOUR SIGN I created YouTube videos for each sign! Link here.
vibrational-astrology.com 