Got a feelin’ ’21 is gonna be a good year? With last year in mind, we would probably have good reason not to be over-optimistic. But we start with a song:
“You didn’t hear it. You didn’t see it. You won’t say nothin’ to no one ever in your life. You never heard it, How absurd it, all seems without any proof… You won’t say nothin’ to no one. Never tell a soul, what you know is the truth” Apt lyrics, because 2021 will be the year of the great gaslighting across the West, along with a big dose of censorship. Je suis Tommy.
Following on the Saturn/Pluto conjunction at the start of last year, signaling the pandemic and the end of the old order (that can mean different things in different cultures), and then rounding out the year with the Great Conjunction, we now move into a period that will be both restive and ultimately, restorative. The latter will take several years to realize, as what we are witnessing now is a process instead of an end result. It is a process which will take at least five years to realize, and even then it will take years after that to stabilize. What interests us at this precise moment is what 2021 holds in store for us.
The pandemic will recede over this year, eventually becoming one of those viruses which we will have to live with, resurfacing periodically as we see with colds and flu. The overriding theme this year will be economic, instead, with all the domestic challenges and unrest that will engender in nations, mostly across the West. The US and UK in particular, followed by the EU, will have some very pointed issues to address in their domestic situations, all the while the media will seek to distract us with tales of foreign mischief afar.
The year begins with Mercury out-of-bounds (OOB), to go back in bounds on the day of the Georgia Senate election on 5th January. Rhetoric and wild statements will quickly subside after that. The Senate in the US decides Trump’s fate the next day (6th). There will be disruptions, but the consensus view is that Biden will be confirmed. Mercury going back in bounds will deflate much of the promised hyperbole of the call for a march on Washington to protest Biden’s election.
The year also starts with one of the more violent midpoints, Mars=Saturn/Pluto, which also ceases on the 5th of January. That midpoint speaks of ruthlessness and the necessity to fight for one’s existence, as we see with Trump and Netanyahu, for instance. Hence, we have seen all the military posturing around Iran, talk of martial law, etc., which in reality is solely for domestic consumption, an attempt to rally voter bases. That midpoint came into effect on the 28th of December. In that period, for instance, we saw the 2020 Petrinja earthquake in Croatia, speaking of violent events and the UK leaving the EU (finally). We felt that earthquake here in Italy, which produced tremors all the way over here.
The prevailing undercurrent for the year is marked by two midpoint structures. The more important midpoint to note, which will be in effect throughout the year off and on, is Saturn=Jupiter/Pluto, bearing a full disclosure: “Inhibitions in one’s own development. The inability to progress, difficulties, separation.” This will apply primarily to the nations who handled the pandemic badly and crashed their economies. Uranus also features in the same midpoint, off and on: “Fanatical striving for improvements, the quick exploitation of every situation. – A sudden reform, a quick development, an adjustment to new circumstances.” Clearly enough, it will be the nations who kept their economies going throughout 2020 who will bear the better interpretations which mark this latter midpoint. That said, when these periods coincide, which is often (too many to outline), we have the situation: Sat/Ura=Jup/Plu, denoting provocative conduct, probable violence due to large levels of frustration, arrested development and the tendency to try to crash out of inhibiting situations. In all, this structure marks a very stressful year, underlying all the other factors in this post. It will be most pronounced in the Aries to Cancer quarter, with Mars OOB.
The preceding paragraph brings up something about which speculation has been rife: Will there be a war with Iran or China, or even Russia? We can probably strike off the latter two. But Iran warrants a little attention. The door is closing quickly on any hopes by the Western think tanks for any measure of control in Asia. The keystone nation is Iran. Washington may try to form a coalition to ‘counter’ Iran, which in reality would be an attempt to prevent the greater Eurasian integration, which is happening rapidly. If so, we should expect to see any conflict to evolve there in the Aries to Cancer quarter. America generally likes to go to war in the spring, and the astrology for this year would confirm that. However, given recent developments, war is probably not an option, as described in the Capricorn letter. This would speak to ‘the inability to progress’, bolded above.
There are four eclipses this year, two total, one annular and one partial, listed under the active eclipses in bold. Those cover a span from 20° Gem/Sag to 27° Tau/Sco. They will be covered individually as they come due, starting in May and then rounding out the year. The eclipses still active (generally 4 – 5 years) cover a span from 6° Gem/Sag to 30° Leo/Aqu.
The more restive quarter of the year will begin at the Aries ingress (20 March), with Mars going OOB on March 22nd, returning in-bounds on 25th of May. During that period it will make midpoints with Uranus/Pluto at 17° Gem from April Fools’ to 6th April, signifying a breaking point, with possible destruction, accidents, injuries and fanatical actions. That will be a particular period to watch, because if nations are threatening war, that would likely be when they would start. That midpoint can also signal revolutions. The combination can also signal unrest within nations. Mars also completes another midpoint, Mars=Saturn/Uranus, on the 14th of April at 25° Gemini, signifying “the stage of challenging others for a decisive contest or fight”. That can work out politically in legislative battles or in real battles. It can exhibit as another violent combination. That midpoint will be in effect until the 18th of April. Finally, Mars will make the midpoint, Mars=Uranus/Neptune from the 19th of May to the end of its OOB period, marking a period of instability, misdirected energies, a state of lameness but also possible inspirations arising.
A final note on the Mars OOB period is that the second half of that period Mars slips in and out of a midpoint, Mars=Mercury/Saturn, denoting quarrels, unrest, separations resulting from arguments and changes from the force of circumstances. It will be a period, starting from May 1st, when one would be well advised to watch one’s reactions and speech carefully, as well as avoiding arguments with others, if possible. I won’t speculate on what these Mars activations might mean. The points of tension in the world are well known. We will note as well, though, that throughout the Mars OOB period, it will activate all the eclipses from 11° Gem/Sag through 20° Can/Cap. It will be quite an interesting period.
Following on from Mars, Mercury goes OOB again from the 7th of May to the end of that month, adding to the quarrelsomeness and rhetoric of the period. It will parallel Mars on the 10th and 11th of May. At the end of the Mars OOB period, Venus also goes OOB. That will introduce a quirky note in relationships, as Venus will be in Gemini during that period. That will highlight one’s desires and ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. It will be probably the best period of the year for examining one’s attachments and aversions, since Mercury, Venus and Mars will all be OOB on the 23rd and 24th of May, with Venus and Mars maybe not alright tonight, but definitely in parallel.
As to the eclipses, all of the active eclipses for this year will be activated by Mars, the median dates starting from 27 February through to the end of July, then starting the cycle again from the 9th of December and into 2022. Jupiter will activate all of the eclipses in the Leo/Aquarius axis from the first of this year through to 13th of May, whereupon it will retrograde back through to the 11 Feb 2017 eclipse point toward the end of this year, at which point it will make its direct station. Then, by the end of this year Jupiter will have made its way to the first degrees of Virgo. Jupiter will effectively finish the eclipses from 23 Leo/Aqu onwards.
From here, we note only the main factors to watch throughout the year. On the whole, if we thought 2020 was a difficult year – and it was – this year will be just as challenging, albeit in different ways, and primarily along the lines of economics. Shops are shuttered all over, many never to return. People need to find work again, with millions having lost their livelihoods and probably many of those having lost their homes, too. That will also cause big headaches for the politicians who didn’t look after their constituents. The seeds of revolution have been planted over the last twelve months. The vested interests in the nations who have done poorly in the last year, who have crashed their economies, have little idea what they have set in motion by ignoring Main Street. Their day of reckoning is coming. Look after yourselves and your family and communities this year. These times should serve to unite us.
So, we have put 2020 behind us and have jumped into 2021. It has to be better than last year, right? It can be, depending on where you live and the circumstances of your birth. Spiritually, it was a year full of opportunity for soul expression, for drawing out the soul in service to those in need and for deep self-examination. For people who did it tough last year and see little change in the year to come, though, spiritual platitudes and holy tofu-speak hold little solace. Finding the next crust will be first and foremost. For those who have been OK and simply inconvenienced by the pandemic, it should be a better year pandemic-wise. But as for being ‘better’ within our home nations, as to 2021 being a better year than last year? – I have no reason to be over-optimistic. So long as we can stay united we will get through this and go on to prosper. Another lyric from the song at the start comes to mind: “But somehow in your smile we can brave bad weather.”
The General Indicators
Active eclipse axes The dates of these eclipses go from latest to oldest in general. New eclipses bolded. Median activation dates are listed after the colon, bolded.
- 27 Sco/Tau (19 Nov 2021) Partial lunar: 8/9 Dec, Mars
- 6 Gem/Sag (26 May 2021) Total lunar: 21 Dec, Mars
- 9 Ge/Sa: 19 Mar, Mars
- 13 Sag (4 Dec 2021) Total solar: 31 Dec, Mars
- 15 Sa/Ge: 29 Mar, Mars
- 20 Gem (10 Jun 2021) Solar annular: 7 Apr, Mars
- 23 Sa/Ge: 12 Apr, Mars
- 0 Can/Cap: 23 Apr, Mars. This will bear careful watching, since Mars is OOB and this eclipse is on an Aries point. This activation should precipitate a large event. Mars is OOB for the next four eclipses.
- 4 Cap/Can: 30 Apr, Mars
- 11 Can/Cap: 11 May, Mars
- 14 Cap/Can: 16 May, Mars
- 15 Cap/Can: 17 May, Mars
- 20 Cap/Can: 26 May, Mars
- 21 Can/Cap (This eclipse is the dividing line. There are only Mars and solar activations of the eclipses listed above. This eclipse and the next have been ‘finished’ by Saturn and Pluto.): 28 May, Mars
- 24 Cap/Can: 1 Jun, Mars
- 1 Le/Aq (21 Jan 2019) This was ‘finished’ by the Great Conjunction and is no longer active. Mars will transit that point on 13 June.
- 4 Aq/Le: 6 Jan, Jupiter / 21 Jan, Saturn. The Saturn transit will ‘finish’ this eclipse. Mars will transit on 18 June.
- 12 Le/Aq: 9 Feb, Jupiter / 10 April, Saturn. The retrograde station of Saturn is near this eclipse, which will ‘finish’ the eclipse. The retrograde pass over that point is the first week of July. Mars will transit on 1 July.
- 19 Le/Aq: 11 Mar, Jupiter / 12 Jul, Mars
- 23 Le/Aq (11 Feb 2017) 21 Mar, Jupiter / Jupiter will make its direct station on this eclipse on 18 October. 18 Jul, Mars
- 24 Le/Aq: 4 Apr, Jupiter / 15 Sep, Jupiter retrograde pass / 19 Nov, Jupiter final pass. 20 Jul, Mars
- 27 Aq/Le: 22 Apr, Jupiter / 21 Aug, Jupiter retrograde pass / 12 Dec, Jupiter final pass. 25 Jul, Mars
- 30 Le/Aq: 13 May, Jupiter / 28 Jul, Jupiter retrograde pass / 28 Dec, Jupiter final pass. 29 Jul, Mars
Out-of-bounds planets
- Mercury starts the year OOB, north declination, until 5 Jan. The rhetoric will tone down after that. Again 7 May – parallel Mars OOB 10, 11 – parallel Venus OOB on 28 May – ending 31 May. Mercury is OOB again, south declination, from 3 Dec – parallel with Venus OOB on 5 Dec – to 29 Dec.
- Venus is OOB, north declination, from 22 May to 19 Jun. Parallel with Mars OOB on 24 May. Venus is OOB again, south declination, from 10 Oct to 8 Dec.
- Mars goes OOB, north declination, 22 Mar, just after the Aries ingress, until 25 May.
Retrograde periods
- Mercury: RS 31 Jan (27 Aq) – [conjunct Sun 8 Feb] – DS 21 Feb (11 Aq) / RS 30 May (25 Ge) [conjunct new moon 10 Jun] – DS 23 Jun (16 Ge) / RS 27 Sep (25 Li) [conjunct Sun 9 Oct] – DS 19 Oct (10 Li)
- Venus: RS 20 Dec (27 Cp) – EOY
- Mars: direct all year
- Jupiter: RS 21 Jun (2 Pi) – DS 18 Oct (22 Aq)
- Saturn: RS 24 May – DS 11 Oct (7 Aq)
- Uranus: Jan 1 – 15 Jan DS / 28 Aug RS (15 Ta) – EOY
- Neptune: RS 26 Jun (23 Pi) – DS 2 Dec (20 Pi)
- Pluto: RS 29 Apr – DS 7 Oct (24 Cp)
- Chiron: RS 16 Jul (13 Ar) – DS 20 Dec (9 Ar)
Moon wobbles
- 5 March (square from Pisces)
- 1 Jun, north node (conjunct 11° Gemini)
- 29 Aug (square from 6 Virgo)
- 23 Nov, south node (conjunct 2 Sagittarius)
Supermoons
- Full pink moon: 26 April, 15:33 UT
- Full flower moon: 26 May, 11:14 UT This is also a total eclipse and the closest supermoon of the year.
- Strawberry moon: 24 Jun, 18:39 UT
The other full moons
- Wolf moon: 28 Jan, 18:16 UT
- Snow moon: 27 Feb, 8:17 UT
- Worm moon: 28 Mar, 19:48 UT
- Buck moon/thunder moon: 24 Jul, 2:36 UT
- Sturgeon moon: 22 Aug, 12:01 UT, seasonal blue moon
- Harvest moon/corn moon: 20 Sep, 23:54 UT
- Hunter’s moon: 20 Oct, 14:56 UT
- Beaver moon/frost moon: 19 Nov, 8:57 UT (partial lunar eclipse)
- Cold moon: 19 Dec, 4:35 UT
Important midpoints (all 90° modulus)
- Mars/Saturn (death, destruction, indefatigability): Uranus (29 Jun – 10 Jul) / Pluto (6 May – 16 May) / Neptune 12 Jan – 19 Jan) / Neptune (31 Oct – 8 Nov)
- Mars/Uranus (sudden interventions, violent upheaval): Saturn (1 Jan – 12 Jan) / Saturn (28 Oct – 8 Nov) / Pluto (15 Sep – 25 Sep) / Neptune (11 Jun – 20 Jun)
- Mars/Pluto (surgery, superhuman power, brutality): Saturn (21 Jul – 28 Jul) / Uranus (31 Jul – 12 Aug) / Neptune (27 Jan – 10 Feb) / Neptune (17 Nov – 28 Nov)
- Mars/Neptune (weakness, infections): Saturn (22 Apr – 3 May) / Uranus (15 Apr – 25 Apr) / Pluto (28 Feb – 14 Mar)
- Jupiter/Saturn: (patient realization of plans, upsets, frustrations) Mars (14 Jan – 23 Jan) / Mars (13 Jul – 17 Jul) / Mars (24 Nov – 27 Nov)
- Saturn/Uranus (tension, violence): Mars (13 Apr – 21 Apr) / Mars (6 Sep – 12 Sep) / Neptune (1 Jan – 18 Jan) / Neptune (5 Feb – 10 Feb)
- Saturn/Neptune (illness, renunciation): Mars (28 Feb – 5 Mar) / Mars (30 Jul – 2 Aug) / Mars (10 Dec – 15 Dec)
- Saturn/Pluto (reactionaries, violence): Mars (16 Jun – 22 Jun) / Mars (28 Oct – 4 Nov)
- Uranus/Neptune (loss of consciousness, weakness, spiritual insight): Mars (17 Feb – 23 Feb) / Mars (18 May – 25 May) / Mars (18 Jul – 21 Jul) / Mars (10 Oct – 14 Oct)
- Uranus/Pluto (revolution, transformation): Mars (31 Mar – 6 Apr) / Mars (27 Aug – 1 Sep) / Neptune (10 Nov – 13 Nov) / Neptune (23 Nov – 30 Nov)
- Neptune/Pluto (unusual problems, psychic phenomena, losses): Mars (30 Nov – 6 Dec)
Notable aspects
- Mars square Jupiter/Saturn: through January, conjunct Uranus 20 Jan
- Mars opposition Saturn: 1 July
- Mars opposition Uranus: 17 Nov
- Mars opposition Pluto: 5 June
- Saturn at opposition: 2 Aug. This will be the vest day of the year to view Saturn.
- Neptune square nodal axis: throughout January
- Saturn square Uranus: last week of January through first half of the year. Exact squares 17 Feb and 14 June (retro), then out of orb in July. Square begins to approach again in November.
Special patterns
- Quintile triangle: Mars/Jupiter=Uranus (10 May – 5 Jun)
- Quintile triangle: Venus/Jupiter=Uranus (21 Jun – 25 Jun)
- Quintile trapezoid: Mercury, Pluto, Jupiter, Uranus (30 Jun – 4 Jul)
- Quintile scalene triangle: Uranus/Pluto tredecile, Jupiter apex, quintile Uranus (3 Jun – 21 Jul)
- Quintile triangle: Mars/Uranus=Pluto (23 Sep – 26 Sep)
Featured pic from The Motley Fool