The Capricorn ingress 2020 and the Great Conjunction

We are in for a rare treat at Christmastime this year, starting with the Capricorn ingress of the Sun at the solstice. It will precede by a couple of hours an event that takes place every 20 years. What’s so rare about it, then, you might ask? The 20 year bit refers to the Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions, which happen at that interval of time. But this one happens to be at the solstice on the first degree of Aquarius, and it will be the closest one such since 1623, appearing almost as a Christmas star. Nice! No doubt you have heard about it by now, and no doubt quite a bit of woo-factor in relation to it. We will have a look first at what the ingress holds for the next quarter, and then an in-depth look at what this Great Conjunction will actually produce.

The figure for the ingress is below (bigger):

It is a bowl pattern, with all the planets on one side of the chart – which side depending upon where one lives. Bowl patterns in horoscopes indicate an unusual ability to focus on issues, challenges, conundrums and the like. And there are plenty of those sorts of topics to address. This type of chart indicates a person (or nation) on a mission, or as one with a cross to bear. The ‘cutting planet’ in this case is Venus (the planet at the extreme clockwise position of the bowl), symbolizing issues around justice, monetary affairs, women in general, relationships and diplomacy. And in fact, diplomacy and cooperative effort will become increasingly important in the years ahead, and not just this coming quarter.

The general aspects and midpoints by the Sun in any solar ingress figure are of the greatest importance. As far as aspects, the Sun is partile Mercury and in an approaching trine with Uranus. It is also in a separating trine with Mars and an approaching square with the Moon. Lastly, it is conjunct Quaoar, suggesting this quarter will be about creating something new. We can see that possibility with the United States, but it has application across the world. The general indicators from this set of combinations is for technical advancement, a more humanitarian, even progressive view (again, across the world), a more objective outlook and the ability to ‘think on one’s feet’, or to live by one’s wits. In one sense, it is a drier presentation emotionally that what we have seen recently, yet it brings in a greater ability to analyse and to see a bigger picture, as well as to introduce new ideas.

As to the solar midpoints, we have the following:

• Sun=Venus/Pluto: great creativity, peculiar opportunities in one’s destiny and depth in appreciation of form and aesthetics
• Sun=Mars/Ceres: Ceres is somewhat Pluto-like, in that it can indicate increase in supply as well as moments of crucial decisions under emotional stress. Mercury is also part of both midpoints. In all this latter one represents a desire to solve difficult relationship matters, the triumph of reason over passion, or the resolution of matters involving the care and feeding of the public.

All told, this quarter will bring a strong focus to bear upon resolving past differences, dealing with the consequences of the pandemic, physical and emotional healing and possible unusual opportunities opening for dialog and diplomacy between nations and people. In a sense, this Capricorn ingress in particular will instigate an examination of the old (status quo) order with a mind toward improving the lot of the average citizen. The latter will be a rising tide among the general populace of each nation, whereas the status quo will staunchly resist such efforts. It is a very Capricornian theme – the struggle between the best and highest in human achievement and thought and the worst traits of human selfishness. And that brings us to the Great Conjunction.

The chart for the Great Conjunction is below (bigger):

We won’t go into an analysis of it, because it is basically the same as that of the ingress figure. So, before we even start on this aspect of the Capricorn ingress for this year, a few points are worth considering regarding the Great Conjunction. Firstly, these conjunctions happen every twenty years, give or take a few months. As such, we are well familiar with them. They are quasi-generational and produce specific results in successive generations and in society. However much we are told this particular one is rare, on the first degree of Aquarius and particularly close, that is basically where the ‘specialness’ of this conjunction ends. It is not going to change the world overnight.

We can track these conjunctions, no matter the sign in which they occur, by the effects they bring over years. And here is a major point about Jupiter and Saturn working together in general – the results they produce happen slowly over time. The results of their combined action are not immediate, because in effect what we observe with that combination is a type of controlled rollout (Saturn) of Jupiterian expansiveness.

In the positive, combinations of Jupiter and Saturn produce great wealth over time. We saw this particularly with the Great Conjunctions in earth signs. Jupiter/Saturn sextiles and trines in natal charts are one of the ‘wealth aspects’, leading to great wealth if other significant factors are present. In the negative, their combined effect is to limit (Saturn) imagination (Jupiter) and thus stifle progress, though efforts are usually careful and conscientious. We see the latter in the squares and octal series of aspects. The conjunction itself is a ‘law (Jupiter) and order’ (Saturn) aspect and produces pillars of the community when found in a natal chart. And with this latter consideration, we come to what this Great Conjunction will mean: It will gradually establish a new order, the kind of order indicated by the sign in which is found.

To get an idea of how this works, we need only look to what the recent Great Conjunctions have signalled. We have the following, with their end results, 20 years after the conjunction:

• 1940: Taurus – Pax Americana, with Washington exerting control over a majority of the world’s resources via financial means, enforced by its military. The Cold War. Control of the atom. Beginnings of decolonization in Africa and Asia, the space race.
• 1961: Capricorn – The rise of reactionary and religious politics across the West, the establishment of fiat currencies instead of a gold standard, the use of derivatives in trading (widespread), the end of Keynesian economics. The first oil shocks.
• 1980: Libra – Neoliberalism, the US as the world hegemon, the beginning of the rise of China, Russia struggling to raise itself from its collapse, the PNAC and ultimately, 9/11 with all that led on to. The internet, multiculturalism, extreme advances in technologies.
• 2000: Taurus – The end of American and Western hegemony (Pax Americana). The rise of socioeconomic crises, reaction against multiculturalism, the increase in global climate disasters, the rise of populism along with widespread distrust of governments.

What we see with each of these periods is that there was an initial struggle in some area that was successfully resolved eventually, followed by a period of building and adjustment and climaxing at the end of the period in an expression related to the sign in which the conjunction initially took place. Taurus has shown the efforts to control material resources. Capricorn manifests typically in the firm establishment of conservative politics. Libra is related to monetary systems, international relations and technologies (being an air sign).

The struggles and challenges at the start of each of these periods have been well documented. In 1940 it was the battle between the free world and fascism, but in reality, a war over resources and control of wealth. In 1961 we had the countercultural movement and reaction against conservatism, as well as the fight between capitalism and communism. In 1980 the struggle was between industrial and financial forms of capitalism, a reaction against the counterculture of the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as the struggle between conservative and social progressive policies. In 2000 the fight was to finally deal an end to communist and socialist states, exert ‘full spectrum dominance’ by the West over the rest of the world and to establish financial capitalism as the world’s financial order. We see the end results of these struggles above. That brings us to these Aquarian Great Conjunctions. They have been as follows:

• 303 BCE: The Romans dominate central and norther Italy. Ptolemy II enlarges the library at Alexandria. A canal between the Nile and the Red Sea is put into service. This was the period of the expansion of the Roman Republic outside of Italy’s borders. The Republic was one of the earliest examples of representative democracy.
• 244 BCE: The expansion of the Roman Republic
• 184 BCE: Further expansion of the Roman Republic
• 491 CE: This was just after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The Merovingian Dynasty was the major power in Western Europe for a time. There were no major developments at this period.
• 551: This period ended with the birth of Muhammed. Again, there were no major developments.
• 610: The rise of Islam. Guangzhou becomes a major international seaport. The Arab-Byzantine wars begin.
• 670: Buddhism begins to gain influence politically in China
• 1226: The period starting the greatest expansion of the Mongol Empire, beginning with the death of Genghis Khan in 1227.
• 1285: Establishment of the Ottoman Empire (1299), the height of Marco Polo’s travels, greatly expanding European knowledge of Oriental cultures
• 1345: The Black Death, which killed around half of Europe’s population and brought sweeping changes to European society as a result. It affected every aspect of European life, most notably economics, and is said to have been one of the catalysts for the Renaissance, as well as increasing piety – a twofold effect.
• 1405: The Ming treasure voyages, which established China as the dominant naval power of the time. This was the main period of the naval power of the Ming dynasty in China.

And starting this year, there will be four such conjunctions in Aquarius, in 2020, 2080, 2140 and 2199. Looking at the listing above, it has to be read in the context of the times. That was the period of the Piscean Age for the most part, characterized by the expansion of large empires, the spread of various religions, ideals and growing toward an era of discovery, science and the modern era we have now. The difference in the various Aquarian periods of the Great Conjunctions is marked and is divided into three – the period BCE, the Dark Ages and the Late Middle Ages. Each period had its own characteristics.

The Aquarian periods BCE were dominated in the West by the Roman Republic and early experiments in democracy. The Dark Ages were characterized by the birth of Islam, the development of Mahayana Buddhism which was largely localized in the trans-Himalayan region and the consolidation of China’s power in the East. The Late Middle period was marked by exploration and outreach, with a definite blending of West and East via the Mongol Empire, Marco Polo’s travels and China’s projection of power. That brings us to the present era.

What we saw with the earlier periods of the Aquarian Great Conjunctions were the more Saturnian expressions of Aquarius. Uranus was not to be discovered until the 19^th century. Now, in our current times, we can expect the development of the more Uranian aspects of Aquarius – humanistic, technological, advances in astrology, astronomy and space exploration. Major advances in the areas of power generation, automation, transport and the electrification of the planet are to be expected. This will be over the period from now through 2199.

In the next 20 years, as is becoming apparent, there will be a splintering of the world order, with more of an emphasis on win-win agreements rather than a zero-sum game. This is to be expected as the Piscean Age ends and the subjective influences shift – the 6^th ray rapidly passing out, transmitted by Mars and Neptune, and with newer influences coming in via the 4^th ray (Mercury) and the 7^th ray (Uranus). These Aquarian periods will also span the completion of the transition between the two ages, Piscean and Aquarian. Those periods will also be particularly important for nations like the US and Russia, who both seek to express Aquarian souls and will increasingly see those events occur which will draw those souls out. The same will be true for the Netherlands.

This Great Conjunction also begins the period of this cycle of Great Conjunctions in air signs in earnest. The last such period ushered in the Renaissance about halfway through. So, now we get to the reality of what this Aquarian conjunction is likely to mean in our present timeline, as well as what it will not.

It is clear that the West is seeing significant difficulties at the moment, attendant with the COVID crisis. The Eastern nations have beaten it and are moving on. We remember the Black Death that came in the period of one of these conjunctions and what that meant for European societies. We are probably not going to see another ‘black death’ but our financial situation will definitely have to change. The Eastern nations function under different financial models and have not been so heavily influenced by the pandemic. Then, there is the geopolitical militaristic side to what is evolving.

The West can no longer mount a successful military campaign against any Asian nation now. Advances in weaponry by Russia, China and Iran prevent it, along with the security agreements they are enacting. There has been a fundamental shift in military supremacy away from the West. Washington, for instance, would have to take their war to one of the strong regional powers in Asia. They refuse to respond to our provocations. Such a war would ruin the US, not to mention the world economy. And that brings us to the main economic theme preventing a war and leading more to win-win considerations: We are simply too interconnected internationally in so many areas now that overt militarism has lost its appeal as a way of influencing nations. And the financial situation is changing rapidly, too. Hegemony and domination are no longer viable in this day and age. It may sound fantastic to say so, but a bit of earnest research shows it to be the case.

Over the next 20 years we will see a shift away from the control of resources as the primary focus of nations over the past two centuries and onto a more group-centered cooperation. We are already seeing it in the Asian initiatives taking shape – the SCO, ASEAN, RCEP, EAEU, etc. Russia and Iran are turning away from the West, at least for the moment. The Middle East is about to see some quite profound changes, especially in their modes of government, referring here to the Gulf monarchies. And the power of the atom will probably see its use turned finally to the safe production of energy (fusion) rather than its destructive power. As well, we will see increasing use of artificial intelligence, advances in transport and a gradual weaning off our dependence on oil. The latter will be both as a matter of necessity and as a matter of technological advancement.

On a personal level, we go back to the struggles in evidence at the start of each of these 20 year cycles. The struggle in the West now is the increasing distrust of people with their governments across many Western nations. The multiculturalism that was advanced earlier on has turned into a kind of selfish individualism, with its emphasis on ‘my’ group – gender, race, class, political persuasion, etc. – to the exclusion of other groups rather than a focus on the way all groups contribute to a viable whole. A re-examination of our group and individual priorities will take place in the next two decades ahead.

The world is not going to change overnight because of what happens on the solstice at the 21^st. Nor will the Aquarian age suddenly dawn upon us. We are seeing the end of a centuries-long era, symbolized for us in the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn earlier this year. And we are moving into a new centuries-long era of human development, symbolized both by Saturn/Pluto and this present conjunction. What Saturn/Pluto takes away, Jupiter/Saturn begins to build anew. And lest anyone think the so-called Great Reset is going to be a part of a new era, think again: The Great Reset is just another face of the system that is presently dying out, an effort to save financial capitalism, more on the order of a great deception.

In closing, here is the main takeaway from this conjunction: It manifests its best results through steady, planned and maintained effort over time – our own efforts. People don’t make fortunes by sitting on street corners with hat-in-hand, waiting for opportunity to come knocking. Saturn demands we make the effort to manifest the material and spiritual wealth Jupiter has on offer. And given this conjunction is in Aquarius, we must make our way forward together, in concert.

Aside from all this, I have seen many posts about this conjunction stating it will appear to be like a star. Well, it will actually appear more like a double planet, with Jupiter just below a fainter Saturn. But it will be quite a welcoming sight. And a once in a lifetime event it will surely be, a great promise for Christmas and beyond. The Sabian symbol for the degree of the conjunction is, “An old adobe mission in California” (0 – 1 Aquarius) The symbol suggests group effort in difficult circumstances, building something of value in new territory, a place of gathering, solace and worship – a place where higher values are addressed and where communion with one’s spirit is encouraged. That is the attitude we should take with us into this quarter and over the next 20 years, really. We are all in this together and we all must rise in concert.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Featured pic from Deviantart