15/12/2020
Further astrological movements
The small planetoid Chiron, is stationary today at 5 degrees Aries. When a planet is stationary its energy is more potent so today we are challenged to develop Chiron awareness. Chiron brings the potential to further develop awareness, however to become aware sometimes we need the experience of pain. Chiron brings awareness through pain, emotionally and/or physically.
Perhaps go a little slower today physically and emotionally and focus on your here-and-now experience and also your impact on others. Many will be more sensitive today both emotionally, physically and also psychically, as Chiron enhances our intuition. Intuition and imagination are closely linked so do not let your imagination seduce you at the expense of your intuition.
Then on 17th December Saturn enters the sign of Aquarius. The last time this happened was 21st March 2020 at the beginning of the first major lockdowns around the world. Saturn asks us to focus on what structures we need to put into place and Aquarius is the sign of humanitarian and planetary consciousness. By April this year we were all noticing the lack of pollution in the skies and also in world waterways. Many of us celebrated this and there was hope that we could maintain some of this for planetary health. Sadly the pollution mounted again as soon as human beings felt safe enough to go back to their old ways of living and working, focusing on monetary gains rather than human or planetary well-being.
This time, when Saturn enters Aquarius, it is followed on 19th December by Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturn are already conjunct, but reach the peak of that conjunction on 21st December. Jupiter enhances whatever it touches in the heavens so their is an augmentation of the Saturn lesson.
The world is at a tipping point in many ways. The world is strongly focused on this financially and politically, but the most important tipping point is the health of our climate. We need to focus on this and be prepared to take action before it is too late.
Humanity has been creating imbalance in our world for centuries. Prior to industrialization and the move towards more centralized living and more centralized production of food, we lived more locally and the world was able to maintain balance. Since the urge towards mass food production and the changes this brought in our farming practices, the animals of our world have been taken away from their natural balance and this has resulted in extinctions and also over population, not just in humans. The overpopulation and crowding of some species and humanity's close contact with these species has resulted in the crossing over of viruses from other species to humankind. HIV was the first virus which demonstrated this to us noticeably, but the origins of HIV was largely ignored.
Covid-19 is the latest virus to cross over and will not be the last.
The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction is a display that many of us will observe for its beauty and dramatic heavenly statement. The planets perform a heavenly dance and the science and art of astrology is to interpret this. Interpretation is based on historical observation and exploration of symbolism.
Jupiter and Saturn are two of the great patriarchal figures of the our solar system and when working together harmoniously they bring about balance. Saturn is the first to enter Aquarius at this time and it symbolizes containment and contraction. Jupiter is following Saturn very closely right now and it symbolizes expansion and movement outwards. Our physical existence depends on these two forces being balanced. Each time we breathe we are using these forces in a more or less balanced way as our lungs expand outwards, drawing life giving air in, then reduce back down allowing what is not needed to be expelled in the out-breath.
Modern life focuses strongly on both ends of the polarity of expansion and contraction. There is a tendency for humans to want to expand more and more in business, personal assets, new experiences and much more. At the same time there is a tendency through fear to hold on more and more to what we have. We are doing a polarized dance of contraction and expansion, rather than finding a graceful movement between these two forces. We live in an era when Saturnine contraction and control, and Jupiterian expansion and largess are both being experienced in their extreme forms.
So how will this conjunction impact on us and our planet? My examination astrologically earlier in the year, pointed to a wave of learning in December that would most likely synchronize with a very difficult surge in covid-19 infections. Sadly this has proven to be correct. However astrology is not fatalistic, it does not dictate what will happen. Astrology shows us the potential of the time and it is our choices which send us down one potential or another.
In Victoria we are fortunate that our government has been quite Saturnine about the need for lock down and Victoria has shown the world what can be done when most members of a community are willing to do what will serve the community well in the long run. It was a particularly hard road for Melbourne, but that city is now reaping the benefits as is the rest of Victoria.
This Saturnine focus in Victoria is now being balanced by careful expansion outwards again. Careful release of the lockdown combines the caution of Saturn with the urge to expand out which is Jupiter.
We have also witnessed some extreme lockdown measures in some parts of the world with some people being welded into their own homes to contain the virus. This extreme Saturnine move horrified the wider world. Such Saturnine controls are happening around the world, even in some of our own homes, with coercive control now being recognized in many parts of the world as pathological and even criminal.
Whilst in other places we are witnessing a Jupiterian refusal to contract resulting in rampant increase in covid-19 infections and deaths. Jupiter without the balance of Saturn is as bad as Saturn without the balance of Jupiter.
The current Jupiter/Saturn conjunction is happening on the solstice, Summer in the Southern Hemisphere and Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstices are the turning points of the year as Earth's movement changes its relationship to the Sun around the world, and heralds in a change of seasons.
This era of change is so complex that we cannot see the full picture whilst we are living through it. Perhaps we will never fully understand all that is happening right now and what humanity's lesson is. This time is far bigger than covid-19. Astrological aspects can be viewed as signposts that are a gift from the heavens. We would do well to reflect on what the current signposts are showing us.
What we can all do is pause at this time, celebrate the beauty of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, and reflect on whether our own thoughts and actions are using the forces of contraction and expansion in healthy and balanced ways. Your breathing pattern will tell you a lot about your personal balance. With fear we hold onto our breath more and with panic there is, at the same time. an imbalanced urge to expand the lungs more and more, to push more and more air into already inflated lungs, with no space for relaxation and exhalation. This can happen to all of us.
Try the following experiment: sit somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed; close your eyes and notice your breathing for awhile, allowing your breathing pattern to be whatever it is without trying to control it. Now place your left hand on your heart and continue to notice your breathing rhythm. After awhile, take your hand away and notice the difference in that experience, then place your hand back over your heart area and again observe. Continue to do this for awhile, just noticing. When you are ready, let go of this practice, sit quietly for a few minutes, then get on with your day. Notice if there is anything different about how you approach your day after this exercise.
There will be another astrological update in a few days,
blessings on your journey of expanding awareness,
Marg
