Jupiter Saturn Tango, Dec 21, 2020

Dateline: December 21, 2020. The world is fascinated by the pas-de-deux (or is it a tango?) between and Jupiter and Saturn today, after 400 or 800 years of waiting.

Humanity is a species not known for its patience, yet here we are. It helps that most people didn’t even know this was in the offing until the voraciously hungry media got a hold of this news and blared it at us for a few months. Of course, Astrologers and Astronomers (so Jupiterian and Saturnian themselves… guess which is which) love counting down the eons, so we knew it was en route. We’ll start counting tomorrow again, looking ahead to the next conjunction, already teasing us 80 years from now and beyond.

. . .

What do these two planets have in common, or not; and why do we care so much?

For starters, they each really like being in charge.

The name Jupiter signifies the old Greek deity who ruled over the gods of Olympus, his fist both iron and capricious, and as tales of his exploits ballooned, he was a mighty big presence.

Saturn rules the sign of Capricorn, most associated with worldly power, precision and a pretty serious parental/authoritarian vibe: “I’m in charge here!”

Also forgotten, is that Saturn was originally both father and mother energy back before patriarchies quashed matriarchies leading to recent eons of imbalance. It even ruled wildly uncontrollable Aquarius until Uranus got visible, a better fit for the rebelliously inventive Aquarian spirit.

And just to add to the intensity of this conjunction’s slam-dancing energy, more tango-fied than sweet, today is the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere on Earth. On this darkest, shortest day of the year, the Sun snuck into Capricorn to lend its own burning fire to whatever cosmic lessons we’ve lost permission to ignore. Sound familiar?

Oh, and just in case you though that was more than enough: Pluto is in the last 2 years (until January 2024) of messing with us from its prickly temporary throne room in— you guessed it— Capricorn, where it’s been driving Faustian bargains aplenty, toying with reprobates who think they’ve gotten richly sweet deals that will give them lazy immortality, guar-an-teed! Oh my.

. . .

2020 has been one cosmic lesson after another, with aggressors not burying their heads in the sand, but literally swinging weapons instead of words, wildly indulging tempers and violent impulses. Too many “in charge” have not quietly lost their way, but are bellowing at broken sound-barrier pitch, while hoarding whatever they can stuff into the depths of their wounded psyche pockets.

. . .

Well, Diane, you sound pretty dystopian— is there any relief in sight? Any breakthroughs in consciousness en route? Any way to drive our little cosmic scooters without getting stuck forever in an imploding back hole, as our solar system strains and spins into some cosmic wormhole of a ditch?

Yes, I say, yes! Relief is ours to create and to have.

Today’s beautiful conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn is just one more dazzling reminder of the power of human curiosity and imagination, as we look up, up and away, into the heavenly skies above.

It’s all we need to be inspired by a view of existence we barely comprehend, never mind measure accurately or easily. Yet we can instantly draw inspiration and intuition whenever we gaze upward; especially in the darkness of night, even without a telescope.

After all, Saturn was the furthest planet that we could see with the naked eye in ancient days. And so we gave it the parental role in a skyward cosmology, ascribing to it the power to watch over us and protect us, as long as we did our part and behaved responsibly, and growing up to become our own Saturn, internalizing authority for constructive purposes.

We can even begin to reclaim a Saturnian power of BOTH masculine and feminine energy, to dance in our personal rhythms, dance with each other, celebrate our communities, and reach out to other communities to find our common good, if we want that enough and value it truly.

Jupiter is no slouch in the opportunity department, and has gifts for us, too. It loves to play. In play, we create from nothing; we grow, and strengthen our spirits. We discover and learn to travel new pathways to mastery, and we find ways to share blessings with others— to give them gifts that enrich their lives with appreciation, ease, or satisfaction. Riches are conjured out of a desire to give. Sharing makes us richer by far.

The true wealth of Jupiter and the true power of Saturn are more than worthy of exploration.

. . .

And so, December 21, 2020 is a day overflowing with choices. The choice to dance with generosity, trust, invention, and the joy of day-to-day life.

We have all the time in the world, in whatever disguise it presents itself to us. When it starts to spin us dizzy, we can always pause our dancing. Breathe more consciously, for just a few moments, and feel the relaxation well up from the small stillness within. Then you’ll naturally be open to the next discovery.

We have all the time in the world; and now Jupiter and Saturn have stepped in to invite us to a dance at their level.

With good humor, you can say yes! We can say yes indeed!!

— Diane A. Curran

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Links to love:

NASA: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

The Guardian: Jupiter and Saturn’s Great Conjunction in Pictures