What interesting times are these?! Those of us with astrological leanings have looked towards this period of time as one of great turmoil, change and transition and so far, we haven’t been disappointed. While I have already written an overview about the many conjunctions or new births occurring this year, this article will focus on the Jupiter Pluto cycle that will begin anew on Saturday evening 4 April 2020 in the United States.
Santa Fe astrologer Tom Brady told me a great phrase for Pluto many years ago: The Great and Terrible Simplification. For those of us who have experienced a Pluto transit or have a pronounced natal Pluto, we know and respect the nuclear power of this dwarf planet! Pluto has an unfaltering capacity to eradicate our attachments in the most particularly personal and seemingly painful ways. The ironic part is when we look back, we realize that whatever it was that was “taken” from us –whether job, relationship, home, car, family member, or insert whatever it is to which we are attached– it was exactly what we needed to surrender. Pluto helps us realize that our personal survival requires us to release all that is toxic and that which keeps us small, unsafe and fearful in life. Pluto teaches us lessons of surrender, while also teaching us not to give our power away.
Power is a keyword for Pluto, whereas for Jupiter it is expansion. Jupiter is the second biggest object in our solar system and the largest planet -more 1,300 earths could fit inside it! This helps us to remember Jupiter as big, grand, expansive, and it multiplies whatever it touches. Our western world is one based in the Jupiterian ideology/philosophy of never-ending expansion, but when we put together the key words for these two planets, all attachments and bets are off. Jupiter is the planet of our beliefs of something larger than our individual selves and transcendent Pluto is about quarter century processes.
We have been experiencing the energies of the Jupiter Pluto reunion for the past few months, but the exact three meetings dates are (depending upon where you are on the planet): 4 or 5 April 2020, 29 or 30 June 2020, 12 or 13 November 2020. The points being specifically hit are 22 and 24 Capricorn. If you have planets from 17-29 degrees of any of the Cardinal signs, but especially Capricorn, you are going to experience this energy more personally (depending, of course, upon aspects and combination of planets involved). If you have planets in these degrees in earth or water signs, you can expect some intense changes in the ways you go about doing things, they will be supportive even though they may not feel that way – hello Pluto!
The archetypes we have been describing can easily be seen in the COVID-19 virus. This most (Jupiter) powerful (Pluto) Trojan horse is having its way with the world population in a way we haven’t seen in over a century. The unstoppable brothers Jupiter (Zeus) and Pluto (Hades), god of the heavens and of the underworld, respectively, bring the necessary devastation for greater evolutionary change. Jupiter and Pluto work towards transpersonal issues of race, culture and the globe, rather than the needs, concerns or desires of an individual. Their father, Saturn, is in Aquarius helping us to mitigate the damage his boys will do by instituting Social distancing. What will happen when Saturn dips back, by retrograde, into his other ruling sign of Capricorn from 2 July through 17 December? A CEO is a good example of Saturn in Capricorn, so we can look to see how corporations and business will transform to align with the new paradigm. Citizens United is something that needs to be revisited and reversed. A corporation is not an individual. This theme will likely be up for review as Saturn returns to altruistic Aquarius and away from profit focused Capricorn. Saturn represents the consequences of our actions. Will the corporate structures remember that people are needed to make business possible? They are needed to do the work (until AI takes it over!) and especially needed to buy their products. Ensuring consumer, employee and citizen are both paid and protected are good goals for Saturn while going through Aquarius.
The Jupiter Pluto cycle occurs about every 11-13 years. When we look back to their past reunions in 2007, 1994 and 1981, we see periods of great change. These are the energies that support consolidations of power, amassing assets/money, large corporations merging with other large corporations to create something that is “too big to fail” – which means it inevitably must, right? Politicians and some businesses are likely to act in ways that may appear sound today, but further ransom our future. Jupiter can support and expand idealism, but can also blind us to anything that doesn’t fit the vision, especially when he is hanging with his obsessive and devastatingly-focused brother Pluto.
We also have to see that this is a phenomenal opportunity for power to grab more power. We are already seeing governments and leaders enacting emergency laws that, on the surface, make sense given the situation in which we find ourselves, but when one reads more deeply, the truth of these crises addressing legislations reveal themselves. Many of these laws are being placed with no oversight by other branches of the government and with no expiration date. Within the First Judiciary Act of 1789, the United States Congress explicitly authorized the federal courts to grant habeas corpus relief to federal prisoners. Habeas corpus goes all the way back to the Magna Carta in England and has long been considered a cornerstone of humanitarian governance. This very important right ensures that every individual is given due legal process before being incarcerated. This means that everyone has the right to an attorney and the review of a judge before being put in jail. The Miranda Rights are based upon this law. Well, Trump’s administration is already considering a suspension of habeas corpus. This means a never-ending stay for the immigrants already held in U.S. detention centers and an ability for law enforcement to simply lock people up for whatever reason they wish. Our for-profit prison system is likely to expand during this time fed by this Jupiter Pluto reunion. Prisons are ruled by punishing and confining Pluto and “fed” by judicial Jupiter. The sardine-like packing of individuals in jails will be truly challenged by social distancing requirements to prevent transmission and infection that could wipe out a whole segment of income. Will see an interesting shift in the ways we incarcerate individuals, maybe even a move away from privatization? As the planets make their way into Aquarius, we will hopefully see this poor model upgraded to something more humanitarian.
From the balsamic to the new phase, we let go of all that has come before so there is room for the new to return once again. We have been living the balsamic phase of the Jupiter Pluto cycle, but starting on Saturday, we will be starting anew. It is time to say goodbye to who we have been and say hello to who we are about to become.
The extensive “wiring” necessary for the Aquarian Age with all of its electronically abstract connection, is being fully tested during this period. In a way this is a bit of a practice run of things to come on so many levels. Many of the changes we are experiencing now will remain after the threat of the virus has gone. As I have been saying, the reason why the revolution will not be televised is because we will be doing it from home. These are times of great change.
Our effect on the planet seen as climate change is hard to deny as we see the welcome return of life to places that seemed dead. The world and its inhabitants are in a powerful liminal state of becoming. Like being caught in the birth canal, we are all being squeezed in just the right way to make way for something we have hitherto only imagined. A caterpillar has no idea what it is to be a butterfly until it becomes one. Just as we see the earth reset itself as we are almost globally doing shelter in place, this is a time for us to remember we are a part of mother earth’s ecosystem. We can no longer live under the falsehood that we are separate from it.
As you can, take a deep breath and allow a long exhale as often as you can. This is a very soothing and relaxing practice if you are unable to go out for a walk, which is good, too if you can. Tune into what you need and take care of yourself and please do. Here is a YouTube video on this topic
Blessings to you and yours during these impressive times,
Michael
Thank you Michael for this most insightful and informative article. Your way of explaining the planetary movements and their influence is full of wisdom and clarity.
I am happy you enjoyed it, Christy! Thanks for your feedback. I will be talking more about this on my vblog tomorrow.