The story of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto, all conjunct in Capricorn, continues to dominate the forecast, as they have done for all of 2020. Retrograde Mercury in Libra—sign of balance, harmony and justice—forms a cardinal square with this power trio, demanding expression of deeply held ideals through our thoughts, words and deeds. The week begins with Mercury in exact square with Saturn, creating a particular tension between our mental process and our ideas, and the hard, cold realities of the world. What we think about relationships, beauty, justice and fairness (Mercury in Libra) must find concrete expression (Saturn), otherwise we risk it being suppressed or repressed by our social conditioning (as represented by Capricorn).
Monday’s energy will be balanced with Venus in Libra trine the Moon in Gemini. This harmonious blending highlights the mental element of air, and adds depth to our desire to share our most deeply held values and express them with genuine emotional intelligence. Communication within your close relationships gets a boost here, and it’s a great day to express your feelings and articulate your shared values with your loved ones. So if you have something you’ve been wanting to “get off your chest” … this may be a good time.
On Election Day, our emotions will certainly be in flux, as the Moon moves through ambiguous Gemini and squares dreamy Neptune in Pisces, a time when our mental processes can be clouded by illusions, deceptions and fantasies. The Moon will also conjunct the future-oriented North Node in Gemini (as well as President Trump’s natal Sun, interestingly enough). And we will all certainly be expressing our emotions (Moon in Gemini) and articulating our vision for the future of our country (North Node in Gemini) through the collective voice of our vote. Hopeful our judgements won’t be clouded by the diffusion of political deceptions (Neptune in Pisces) that have rolled across the nation like a blanket of fog. For it seems like it’s never been harder to parse fact from fiction than it is today.
We also have Jupiter and Pluto tightly joined in Capricorn, which is signaling the huge spike in coronavirus cases we’re seeing. This is their third and final conjunction this year, and hopefully it will be the last big surge of COVID19. But this conjunction also highlights the gathering momentum for massive changes to our society that have been building for the better part of a decade, and have been thrust onto center stage by the recent effects of the pandemic and persistent issues around social justice. Jupiter wants to expand Pluto’s energy to transform the structure of society, to hasten reform and rebuild a better tomorrow. Jupiter is always focused on the future. And in many ways this election is a referendum on the call for broad and sweeping changes (Jupiter and Pluto) versus clinging to the old ways and the security of tradition (Capricorn). And with Saturn also in this mix, it adds this element of fear, insecurity and doubt, and it tends to throw its weight behind the forces of inertia and the pull of conservastive instincts. And this struggle, this conflict, has become the theme of 2020.
And now this titanic battle is taking place while in a difficult and uncomfortable inconjunct aspect with both the Moon and the North Node in Gemini. So as we struggle to articulate our collective vision of the future, we are finding it difficult to reconcile with the weight of our past.
Another factor here is Neptune in Pisces, which remains in close square with the lunar nodes. This can represent a collective desire to escape—either into the past or the future. There is a tendency to deny or distort the current reality, dreaming of days gone by or fantasizing about a promised utopia. And who can blame anyone for wanting to escape the reality of 2020. But if we channel the highest expression of Neptune in Pisces, we begin to tap into our collective compassion and find true empathy for one another. We realize that we are all in this together. The question: ”What would Jesus do?” comes to mind with this configuration.
It’s also interesting to note that retrograde Mercury just so happens to station direct… smack dab in the middle of Election Day! Really? The planet that rules information and communication will just stop and stand still in the sky, on a day when the media coverage of the election will be at a fever pitch. This seems to portend the indecision that might result from a narrow election that is “too close to call.” The country, and the world, literally at a stand still.
By early Wednesday, the Moon will move into a trine aspect with this stationary Mercury, hopefully giving us all some peaceful and easy outlets for our emotional expressions. But later in the day, the Moon leaves talkative Gemini and moves into emotional Cancer, eventually squaring Chiron in Aries—the wounded healer in the sign of the warrior. Emotional wounds will be keenly felt and the instinct to “protect your own” will be strong. Expect calls for patriotism (Moon in Cancer) as the nation deals with a difficult challenge. But we might expect some arguments or disagreements about what it means to be a patriot in these uncertain times. Stay tuned.
On Thursday, the Moon in Cancer forms a cardinal square with Venus in Libra as emotional needs come into conflict with the needs for balance, harmony and justice. We might see the values of our legal system being put to the test. At the same time, the Moon will also sextile Uranus in Taurus, opening the door for unexpected values or unconventional resources that could come into play. Later in the day, the Moon joins in a grand water trine with the Sun in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces. With all three of the water signs being activated, our deepest emotions will find their easiest expression, and our feelings flow freely.
As we move into the weekend, Venus in Libra comes into powerful opposition with retrograde Mars in Aries, which will create a push-pull dynamic between our desire for personal freedom and independence and our need for relationship and partnership and connection with others. And as both planets are in the signs they are said to rule, this may be a particularly strong influence for the next week or so. And we’ve been dealing with retrograde Mars in Aries for the last few months, learning to work more productively with our instinctual urges and finding new and alternative outlets for our creative energies, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing efforts. But this weekend we may feel compelled to pour that energy into our close personal relationships, as the attraction to the other, the allure of the beloved—will be felt quite strongly. It’s also a great time to reflect on our relationship with ourselves—what do we value? What do we want to attract more of into our lives? And what actions can we take as a means to achieving those desires?
And lastly, over the course of the weekend, the Moon in Cancer will move to oppose the power trio of Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn—the start and end to so many conversations this year. But it is indeed one of those “once-in-a-lifetime” type of configurations. And while many of us have become all too weary of the rather heavy challenges that this powerful constellation of energies has presented to us in this intense year of 2020, we are being asked to continue to reflect on the significance of this “call to overhaul” as I’ve come to refer to it. And I’ve been using this as a mantra in my own life. Because we are being challenged to restructure the parts of ourselves and our lives that are no longer of service to ourselves or to our lives or others. This is the Great Capricorn Challenge of 2020—forcing us to rethink how we show up in the world, what we really wanna do, how we wanna be, what we are being called to achieve. What is our deeper soul purpose? And while this Cancer Moon will be supporting our need for protection and self-preservation, the Capricorn planets will continue to encourage us to create a new foundation for our lives, so that we are more stable in ourselves, and better prepared to meet these new challenges so that we can move forward into the next phase of our evolution, both as individuals and as a collective.
The world is changing, and we need to change with it. It’s just that simple. And resistance is futile. Resistance will only cause us more pain and suffering. We have to roll with the changes. Now hopefully some of the outcomes of our political process this week will provide some much needed change, but we must realize that we are being forced to recognize the aspects of that system that are completely broken, and must be reformed. This is being made glaringly obvious, so much so that we can’t ignore it any more. Because under this Capricorn configuration, all the systems of our society are being thoroughly stress-tested at this time, so as to determine what works and what doesn’t, what must be reformed and what must be released and let go. And not just our political system, but the financial system, the medical system, the educational system, the legal system—we are in this midst of a great systemic change. And astrology serves to remind us of this cyclical need for such changes. This is the nature of things. The old ways no longer serve. We are being called into new ways of being. And as we each answer the call as individuals, we become part of a greater change that ripples through the entire society. So there’s never been a better time to take Gandhi’s famous phrase to heart: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
OK, as always I hope this has been helpful and insightful. I hope it helps you prepare for what should prove to be an event-filled week. I wish everyone a happy and healthy and hopeful week ahead. So, until next time, Sat Nam!
