The End of an Era
Jupiter conjunct Saturn in Aquarius
All around us, it feels like things are crumbling.
The hospitals are full. The streets are on fire. The world is melting. It is abundantly clear that things cannot go on as they have been, that the rules we live by are in desperate need of revision. And while industrialization and global capitalism have brought about incredible advances to standards of living, they have left us with a decaying legacy of entrenched systemic inequality and climate change.
As we look to the heavens together, I imagine I will confirm what you already know: we are witnessing the end of an era in human history. In astrological terms, this is marked by the first in a new series of “great conjunctions” between the planets Jupiter and Saturn, which will meet in the forward-looking sign of Aquarius on December 21.
Jupiter and Saturn are sometimes referred to as the “social” planets, and together they speak to the ways that we organize ourselves - our political systems, our economic models, our societal norms. Jupiter looks after our higher morals, our yearning for expansion, our faith in humanity, our trust in the universe. Saturn brings us the necessary limitations of structure, commitment, discipline, and hard work.
Every twenty years, Jupiter and Saturn meet in the sky and herald profound changes in our collective human experience. For the past two hundred years, these two planets have come to find each other in the earth signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), which emphasize the tangible, material, and practical aspects of our lives. Beginning on Monday and for the next two hundred years, Jupiter and Saturn will meet in air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), which are more concerned with connection, information and ideas.
This shift will push us to reexamine our physical relationship with our planet; reevaluate our ways of generating, measuring and distributing wealth; and reconsider our thirst for stability. Air is much lighter and faster than earth, and you can expect that the winds of change will continue to blow us forward as we find new ways to disperse and assemble.
Our new chapter begins in Aquarius, a sign that asks us to look from the outside in. It is a place to reflect on our experiences, to embrace our authenticity, to draw a blueprint for the future. Aquarius is often associated with the hippie movement, which is partly but not entirely accurate. It is undoubtedly a place of idealism and community, albeit unadorned by flowers or free hugs. Rather, Aquarius encourages us to live side-by-side as unique and separate individuals, even when it seems that we are all dancing to a different tune.
As we all prepare to turn the page in the history books, I invite you to consider:
What progress have you seen in the world over the course of your life, and how can you celebrate this?
What are the challenges that now sit at our table, and what can you do to address them?
What would our world look like if ideas and information were more important than physical structures and material goods?
What do you wish for humanity for the next two hundred years?
And let me know what tune you’ll be dancing to come Monday, I’ve got mine queued up and I’ll see you there.
With love,
Patrick