There is a conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn approximately every 20 years. The last being 21st December 2021 and it is known as a great conjunction. The last was extra special because it also coincided with the solstice but also it is the first one in 600 to be in Aquarius where it will be for roughly the next 200 years.
Jupiter, (the visionary planet and the planet of good luck) and Saturn (the way shower and the planet of wisdom, karma, control and consolidation)
1400 - 1600 they were in the water signs of Pisces, Cancer and Scorpion In the 1400s and 1500s, in Europe the Renaissance began with a new love for culture and scientific discovery with the great artists and scientists such as Michael Angelo, Leonard di Vinci, Gallileo, to name but a few. At the same time each European country struggled to increase their wealth, power and influence.
1600 - 1800 when the conjunction took place in the fire signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, the focus was on religious wars and absolutism. We also had what was known as the "Age of Enlightenment" as ideals such as freedom and equality became prominent and change in society was brought about via revolutions and revolts.
1800 - 2000 the conjunctions have been in the earth signs, of Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo, with the last one being on 28 May 2000 in Taurus. The 1800s brought about the industrial revolution and the abolition of slavery. Whilst in the 1900s we had two world wars, the cold war, the fall of the Berlin Wall as well as scientific and technological expansion. We took to the air with the Wright Brothers, Nicolas Tesler, invented so many different things which are only just beginning to be recognised, as well as the birth of the internet.
Every twenty years we see old things dying and new growth taking place. Each decade a new cycle begins, 1960 a conjunction, 1970 an opposition, 1980, a conjunction 1990 an opposition 2000 an conjunction 2010 an opposition, 2020 a conjunction and so it will go on. But if you think back over the last 60 years you can see the beginnings and endings of the decades and when we think in terms of the centuries, we can also see the endings and beginnings which have taken place.
Thus 2020 has been about the end of a two-hundred-year era of Jupiter and Saturn uniting in earth signs. Earth signs focus on material security, the consolidation of resources, and they are very resistant to change. Whereas air brings disruption to established order and dramatic change in collective ideas, as well as the way we communicate. We have seen so much of this happening with the differing views and reactions to the Covid 19 pandemic. It seems to have brought out both the best and the worst of human nature. Mind you although slavery was abolished 200 years ago there has also been a renewed focus on that as we let go of our collective past. (Hopefully over the next 200 years we will be able to abolish human trafficking which is just a new name for slavery.)
As well as this rare conjunction in Aquarius they are also forming a square with Uranus in Taurus, so the tussle between earth and air is greater still whilst Uranus the Awakener is awakening us to what is most important in our lives. As we know most of us have been reviewing our lives during lockdown. Old memories have come up to reflect upon and let go, as we have reassessed what it important to us and either have or are currently formulating plans for change in the future. If you have not already done it the as we welcome back the sun, this solstice and prepare for a new year, ask yourself what you need to leave behind and what you truly desire to carry forward.
Today the Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is moving into the air signs of Aquarius, Libra and Gemini and will remain so until 2159. So most of 2020 has been the end of the last cycle and there has been an atmosphere of anticipation of change. Look at the Brexit negotiations which says it all.
So where do we go from here?
We are shifting from Organising Capricorn with its top-down structure, rules, authority with emphasis on material gain to the Aquarian energy of unconventionality, community, innovation, freedom and above all independent thought. We are in the transition but don't expect the old system to die quietly. It will take time for the old to die back and the new to create new ways of being.
Whilst Jupiter and Saturn are in Aquarius they symbolise the flowering of science, vision and culture. Aquarius the water-bearer pours new life into earth thru kindness, care of the group, innovation, and individuality. Realistically we can already see old systems on the point of breaking up.
Jupiter and Saturn combine the imagination, expansion and vision of Jupiter with the with the structure and discipline of Saturn which is needed not only to identify and release the inessential but also manifest the positive results.
At the time of Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions we start to see new directions for our ambitions. We begin to formulate new goals for social activity and achievement. If the transiting conjunction (or other major phases of the cycle) falls in a powerful place in our natal chart, we may see specific accomplishments occurring at that time. The conjunction is the beginning of a formative process that will continue to unfold over not only the next twenty years but the next 200 years.
If you want to discover how this specific conjunction is going to affect you personally over the next 20 years, why not have an in-depth astrological reading with a master astrologer. Sasha Fenton.
Sasha Fenton became interested in the psychic sciences as a child and became an accomplished palmist. In her twenties, she longed to understand what made people tick so she studied psychology and astrology, which led to a career as a consultant astrologer and palmist. She added tarot to her skills and later developed her intuitive and psychic gifts.
Sasha has run courses and workshops and has given lectures in UK and in many countries at mind, body and spirit festivals around the world. She spent over two decades as a regular broadcaster for the BBC, five years with Talk Radio and another five years for United Artists television. Sasha has written thousands of articles and stars columns, most famously for Woman’s Own magazine and the Sunday People Newspaper. She has written 140 books, including three novels in her much loved “Tudorland” series which reflect her lifelong interest in history.
She has served as President of the British Astrological and Psychic Society, as former Chair of the Advisory Panel on Astrological Education and as a member of the Executive Council of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.
Sasha and her writer husband, Jan Budkowski, are Joint Managing Directors of Zambezi Publishing Ltd and Stellium Ltd, which deal with book publishing, and MBS Professionals Ltd which accredits and helps professionals in the mind, body and spirit arena. She has two children, two grown-up grandchildren and two small ones. She lives in the West of England.
I would like to thank the following website which I found very useful whilst research this article. If you would like more information follow the links.
Image taken from my StarTracker Lite App on 10th December. They will get closer as we get nearer the 21st December.
Mary Hykel Hunt - https://maryhykelhunt.net/about-mary/
https://www.astrology.com/article/great-conjunction-saturn-conjunct-jupiter-in-aquarius-2020/
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury