The decade of the 2020s has begun. And in getting 2020 started, the most significant thing to know about this year ahead is that it is a Saturn+Pluto conjunction year.
It just so happens that this Saturn + Pluto conjunction occurs in Capricorn, and is exact at 8:59a PST on Sunday 12th January (22.77).
Let’s talk about what this means for all of us and each of us.
We’d be wise to start with the qualities of each of the planets.
The first thing to know is that Saturn and Pluto are both “outer planets”, residing outside our solar system’s asteroid belt. These are slower-moving planetary bodies, so their influences tend to be more generational.
In astrology, Saturn isn’t widely considered to be one of the generation-defining bodies, but it plays a significant role in revealing the areas of our collective experience which may need more focus or discipline (based on the sign it is traveling through). However, Pluto is absolutely considered to be one of the generation-defining bodies (along with Uranus and Neptune. Chiron may also play a role – I’m still researching that last one), and it plays a role in transforming certain areas of our lives based upon what is needed individually and collectively (also based upon the sign it is traveling through).
Saturn is the planet which rules Capricorn, so it’s at home and at its strongest in its current home-sign placement. Known as the “father” or “elder” of the Zodiac, Saturn is also the authoritarian and/or disciplinarian overseeing humanity and its societal structures and institutions. It creates and enforces the rules and regulations. It keeps everything and everyone in line with its stern hand and approach. Saturn is often seen as limiting, restrictive, constrictive, and/or harsh. Yet Saturn’s energy is needed if we’re ever going to focus on anything long enough to complete it or move it forward or establish boundaries in any or all areas of our lives. It represents the source of discipline and focus we need in order to get things done.
Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio. It’s known as the power point of the Zodiac – the body with the strength to either strengthen and empower, or to weaken and destroy. Pluto brings large-scale transformation through means defined by the qualities of whichever sign it is traveling through, for better or worse… and whether it’s for better or for worse depends on who’s either losing or gaining power and influence. Pluto deals in extremes, so its energy is often expressed in all-or-nothing terms – it’s not timid, and it’s not indecisive. In Capricorn, Pluto is transforming our societal structures and institutions – clearing out the ones which no longer serve the greater whole and empowering the ones which do. In this sign, Pluto tends to be very serious and goal-oriented, and anything that doesn’t align with its agenda or seem to be moving things toward the fulfillment of its goals is appropriately cut-off or abandoned. This is a statement of warning with this placement as there really is no light-heartedness whatsoever in this Pluto placement. In this sign, Pluto is as serious as it can possibly be, so don’t think people or groups are kidding when they state their intentions – they aren’t. It’s no joke. Take everything seriously, and be aware of the lengths people and groups are willing to go to in order to have their objectives met.
Combined, this Saturn + Pluto conjunction in Capricorn can show up as the empowering of the current societal institutions and structures OR it could signify the unintentional collapse or the intentional destruction of them in order to fulfill the agenda(s) of a social or societal institution.
Let’s look to history for some examples of just how impressive and impacting this conjunction is:
The last Saturn + Pluto conjunction we experienced was in 1982-1983 (in Libra). Before that, in 1947 (in Leo), and before that, 1914 (in Cancer). All of these had MAJOR world-altering events occurring during their runs.
1982-1983 (Libra):
Libra is about 1-on-1 relationships of all kinds. It is also about balance, beauty, equality, fairness, justice, and peace.These qualities were the objectives being called for during this particular Saturn + Pluto conjunction, and when they were not present, there was often a strong determination to make them present.
- The peak of the Cold War with communist nations (in particular, the USSR), giving fuel to the fear of a nuclear war possible at any given moment in time.
- The beginning of the Falklands War.
- The beginning of the Lebanon War.
- The discovery of HIV as the catalyst of AIDS virus, opening the door to the development of an effective treatment of the disease.
- The compact disc (CD) was introduced in Germany, eventually making its way to North America, bringing a huge shift to the technology in both the computer and music industries.
1947 (Leo):
Leo is about individual creative self-expression, and acknowledgment of that individual expression. It is also about shining and sharing one’s Light with others as a matter of bringing positive and creative energy to one’s own life and the lives of others. Again, these qualities were the objectives being called for during the Leo Saturn + Pluto conjunction, and when not present, there was a very diligent effort to make them present… and in Leo’s case, to get credit for making them present.
- The Truman Doctrine essentially initiates the Cold War in earnest with its intention of preventing the spread of communism around the world.
- In the U.S., this was the beginning of the era of “McCarthyism” – the push by the U.S. Senator to weed out the “communists” among the government officials.
- Pan America Airlines schedules the first series of flights around the world.
- The United States Congress is televised for the first time.
1914 (Cancer):
Cancer is about individual emotional needs being met. It’s often associated with being the maternal or “mothering” energy of the Zodiac, but this is only because we tend to nurture or support others emotionally from our best point of reference for those needs – ourselves. Therefore, these are often emotion-driven actions (and reactions) to events. When emotional care and nurturing were not present under the influence of this particular Saturn + Pluto conjunction, there was a push to make them present – to make people care.
- The assassination of Franz Ferdinand is the catalyst for a series of events which quickly result in the beginning of World War I.
- The Panama Canal opens, forever altering the routes and the course of international trade, and initiating some interesting geopolitical dilemmas to be dealt with in the following years.
Of course, many more events occurred during these years (with significance varying depending on where you reside in the world), but hopefully, the few I listed give you an idea of what can happen during a Saturn + Pluto conjunction.
But this conjunction does not stand alone.
As if the simple conjunction wasn’t epic enough on its own accord, Saturn and Pluto are actually two bodies of a FIVE-body stellium (multiple conjunction)! Saturn and Pluto join the Capricorn 5 Sun, Ceres, and Mercury; and all five of these bodies will be within 1.28° of each other at the time the Saturn + Pluto conjunction is exact at 8:59a PST on 12th January (21.94°, 22.58°, 22.77°, 22.77°, and 23.22° respectively)!
This is unbelievably rare… and extremely potent!
- The Capricorn 5 Sun implies that the “goalposts are going to be moved”, or rather, those in power are going to (try to) change the rules in order to keep themselves in position. This may include the empowerment of some institutions and the elimination of some others. If you notice an institutional change being made, or if you notice a rule or law being ignored or violated, acknowledge it! Also pay attention to what is being communicated through “official channels”, and to your intuitive reaction to what you hear or read. If you’re in tune with it, your intuition will be more accurate than your beliefs. If something feels right or wrong about it, trust that, even if you’re hearing something that affirms your personal beliefs or sounds like what you want to hear. Many of us are very good at going along with what we want to be true, even if we know it isn’t. Notice those who don’t change their intentions or objectives – they’ll be the ones who will make the effort to manifest their goals, even if they fail.
- Ceres represents our personal lifestyle values. This is what we individually and collectively choose to place as priorities when it comes to our “survival needs” – what is most important to us in our lives. What do we individually and/or collectively deem as “the essentials” for living? With Ceres in Capricorn, these values are focused on our societal rules and regulations and the institutions which enforce them. We will each and all be confronted with having to determine what we value most in how our society operates, and we may find we have to stand up with or against those in power to make sure our institutions do, indeed, align with our values. Of course, those choices will have be made by each of us as individuals first in order to reveal the collective will. It’s this individuality part which may be a challenge for many as society has conditioned us to think en masse. Some of us may be afraid to stand in our individual value truths for fear of being alienated or punished by our societal institutions or those in the positions of power. Now will be a good time to, again, pay attention to who is saying what in our societal leadership – listen for the leaders who have values who align with yours and who don’t seem to be changing their stories or positions on matters in order to tell you what they think you want to hear.
- Mercury represents the energy around our information and communications. In Capricorn, it too is focused on authority and the enforcement of discipline in regard to rules and laws. You may notice that the messages coming out of various institutional outlets will have plenty to say about what we should be listening to, what we should be thinking, and how we should be doing whatever it is we want to do. Be wary of any institutional voices right now, and focus on how your own personal goals and intentions – which sources of information affirm your inner truth right now? And when I say inner truth, I’m not talking your mind. I’m talking your heart, your gut. Your real knowing. Honor that while Mercury is in Capricorn (until 16th/17th January), and especially during this stellium.
Add these energies to Saturn’s heightened sense of self-importance in regard to legal and societal enforcement of rules and laws, and Pluto’s inclination to utilize its power to strengthen or destroy Saturn’s institutions and structures, and you’ve got one heck of a combo! The key is to listen for what is trying to keep us on a course of factual truth and honoring the spirit of the rules and laws which keep our society in functioning order, and what is trying to change the way our societal institutions are supposed to function.
The energies of these five celestial bodies combine to bring us to a point of awakening – awakening to the fact that due to the fundamental and transformational/catastrophic shifts in our societal structures, we’re now being forced into a massive shift in our societal values system(s) as well. What we could depend on as stable and secure a few years ago is no longer assured. What was important to us only 4 or 5 years ago may be finding its material, financial, social and/or societal value decreased if not eliminated by more pressing and basic needs in regard to our individual and collective standards and actual conditions of living. People’s lifestyles are beginning to be impacted by the determination of those desperately trying to maintain the status quo and sustain their positions in power; and once people’s lifestyles and livelihoods are actually in jeopardy – once they understand that a ‘potential’ threat to their survival may actually be real by the hand(s) of those in power – they may no longer sit quietly and allow their lifestyles and livelihoods to be compromised further. They will stand up and demand change.
The tipping point here is in taking the risk to stand.
Most people will not act on behalf of their own well-being due to fears of being punished or alienated by the societal institutions which have conditioned them to have those fears – the very same institutions which, in some cases, have been compromising and continue to compromise their livelihoods. If people believe that their lifestyles or their lives are in jeopardy or that they’ll lose what they have if they step away from what has become familiar and comfortable, they won’t step away. They’ll be too afraid to.
But when people feel they have nothing to lose, they often stop being afraid or are willing to move through their fear. And in this case, as our societal institutions and those leading them continue to restrict and deny tenets of our societal wealth and well-being from the masses, eventually it gets to a point where the basics are stripped down and/or the consequences of certain life events are so severe, the fear of having nothing becomes near if not equal to actually having nothing. They get to that point of having nothing left to lose but their fear… and for those in power, that’s a very dangerous point for people to reach because they will stand up to and possibly against their power. They will take the risks in order to eliminate the structures and institutions which no longer serve them well, and will begin making moves to create and develop new societal structures and institutions which will serve their values and needs.
That said, events which occur under the influence of this Capricorn Stellium – and especially under the influence of the Saturn + Pluto component of this Stellium – will force people to a point of choice. They will no longer be able to avoid “picking a side” in the conflicts at hand. They will no longer be able to live in ignorance of the certain issues which we each and all must ultimately face because the changes will be affecting all of us. Things get real under this influence, and people will no longer be able to feign ignorance or play dumb to avoid accountability or responsibility for their words and/or deeds.
The factual truth and the costs of it will emerge and it is time to pay the price for the choices we have and haven’t made before now. But it will also be a time to invest in ourselves in ways we may never have considered before now.
For those aware of the dynamics in place, this could be an amazing time to make changes in your personal life circumstances. As the institutions and structures of our societies are changing, how can you use the current events to your advantage – to help you seek, find, and apply resources which align with your personal lifestyle values and goals? How can you navigate the changes being made to rules and regulations, and will those navigational steps require that you break with traditions and/or break the existing rules altogether? And do you need to set personal boundaries in order to maintain your personal power, focus, and discipline in order to fulfill your personal intentions and achieve your personal goals?
In the case where you’ve been making choices in your best interests, the energies of this Capricorn Stellium may prove very lucrative and life-affirming for you. You may find yourself progressing forward and upward as result of making the choice(s) to focus and discipline yourself in alignment with what you actually want in and for your life – when you let go of what no longer serves you, when you make choices to allow certain areas of your life to transform or to die off in order for new opportunities and experiences to be born into the spaces. After all, it’s natural law – nature abhors a vacuum. If a space is cleared, something must fill it. Now is a time for you to be intentional and instrumental in making sure any spaces you clear are filled with what helps you build the life and lifestyle you want to live…
… and right now, that means taking a role in the destruction and creation of the society you belong to – a society that thanks to technology and the global unification it creates, is now a world society. How do you want to experience the world? And what role are you willing to play, what action(s) are you willing to take, what are you willing to let go of in order to bring that world into manifestation?
That is what this 2020 Saturn + Pluto conjunction and this epic 2020 Capricorn Stellium are all about.
A couple other transits of importance during this major astrological event:
- Sagittarius Pallas Athena square Pisces Black Moon Lilith (27-28°) – The continuing emergence of factual Truth thwarts those who attempt to play the victim or martyr card in the matters of the day. The Truth is confronting, and very uncomfortable and possibly upsetting for those trying to deceive others.
However, it can also represent the effort to deceive those who are uncovering and revealing factual Truth, with those trying to bring Truth to Light finding themselves stymied at every turn. This will be a test for their resolve – how committed are they to making the Truth known? Will they keep up their efforts or surrender to the lies and façades that are trying to silence them?
- Sagittarius Pallas Athena sextile Aquarius Venus (27-28°) – This reveals support from others in bringing factual Truth to light; partnerships with other communities or societies to shine a Light on the popular Truth.
This Pallas and Venus transit is one of the things which makes this 2020 Saturn + Pluto conjunction year unlike the others. Even though it doesn’t aspect the stellium, it does bring needed attention to the fact that today’s technology will play a critical role in how this all plays out unlike anything prior.
The fact that we can now easily learn about events on the opposite side of the globe by the pressing of a button; that we can actually travel to where we received that information within 24 hours (with minimal planning and effort); the fact that money can be transacted in a matter of seconds – NONE of this existed 106 years ago! The world is far more connected than it ever has been before, and this gives humanity a collective voice we have never have before. This transit reveals that the people will use these technological resources for peaceful and truth-promoting purposes…
…yet we would be wise to remember that those trying to control and manipulate the outcomes to their desired result also have access to these resources, and can use them for their purposes as well. They may not have the majority’s interests at heart, and that is why it is important for “the people” to question traditional information sources (as they will not be reliable – there are too many conflicts of interest now) and to effectively and intelligently use these advanced technologies as more reliable sources of direct communication and financial liquidity. Thinking through calm and clear strategies for action will be far more effective than using them haphazardly in a panic.
This 2020 five-body Capricorn Stellium is undeniably the most significant astrological event of this year, if not this decade, and yes – I know that’s a bold statement considering we’re just starting the decade. But I really wouldn’t underestimate the power of this potent combination. It is not under any circumstance to be taken lightly. It will set the tone for the 10 years to follow.
Keep in mind that in going against the status quo, you may find yourself still at odds with or subjected to the rules, regulations, and discipline of the societal institutions trying to sustain their power. These institutions will usually become worse (more controlling, more authoritarian) before they finally collapse – think of it as their last throes of life before death.
But the challenge here is that we don’t know how long it will take before they breakdown. And the tricky part about that is that their collapse is, ultimately, up to those subject to the institutions.
Yes, it’s up to the general population. It’s up to the people. It’s up to you.
Thank you for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,
Grace
