As Jupiter moves deeper into the sign of Capricorn, the overall experience will be a gift to us all.  But to receive that gift, it requires us to see ourselves in our root honesty.  The fundamental question of who are we in and our third-dimensional structural journey in this life is being tapped into, expanded upon by the nature of Jupiter in the sign of Capricorn.  Systems and structures, responsibilities and obligations, rules and laws, right use of knowledge and the physicality of the world are all in the area of archetype of Capricorn.

Capricorn is the roots or the seeds that provide us with a foundation from which to begin our journey (the archetype of Cancer has a similar vibe concerning the nature of nurturing and protection of family/tribe).  With Saturn and Pluto already in Capricorn, we are already deeply into the Capricorn current.  December will also feature Venus in Capricorn for much of the month as well as the South Lunar Node and the dwarf planet Ceres in Capricorn.  

On December 2, 2019, Jupiter ingressed (apparent movement) into the sign of Capricorn for the first time in 12 years (since 2007-2008).  But it is the first time that the largest planet in our solar system moved into the sign of Capricorn on the same calendric day of the second of December since 1936 (due to the 83-year synodic cycle of Jupiter).  There was another reality at that time where the high fever of nationalism (and with it, a racial identity wrapped up in national identity, especially acute in Germany where the horror of Nazism was birthed).  During that time period, Pluto was in the sign of Cancer highlighting the intense and extreme shadow expression of national identity, family and tribe.

The idea of a one’s purpose deeply entwined with nation and leader was old in humanity’s but it can be expanded upon and reach extreme levels.  Of course, the fever of nationalism did not rise with Jupiter in Capricorn, but Jupiter was key in expanding what was already there.

Humanity strives in fits and starts to understand its journey, sometimes through great violence and other times through great stillness.  The bones or structure of who we are the fabric of the Capricorn.  This Jupiter expansion will test our strengths and vulnerabilities of our created systems and the physical matter of all invested into those systems and structures.  We’ve already began experiencing quakes in our governmental, economic and social structures and systems since the last time Jupiter was in Capricorn in 2007-08, opening up opportunities to re-vision those systems (of course in the US, the choice was to keep the same systems and structures that led us into a recession). 

Pluto ingressed into Capricorn in 2008 and then Saturn did the same in December of 2017.  This is creating an emphasis for all of us that the structure and systems we have in place are due for a deep renewal and re-visioning.  As our identities are wrapped up in the cultures of our respective nations (and for some, caught between two or more nations) or even with no notion of national identity, humanity is plunging into a place of opportunity to re-define what tribe, community and culture are in relationship to the systems and structures of our respective journeys.

Here in the United States, we have reached a Crisis of the Soul as Pluto’s journey is near its place where the dwarf planet was in 1776 (this is what is called a Pluto Return cycle) beginning in 2020.  I feel since Pluto entered the sign/archetype of Capricorn, that we have been given the gift of allowing us to experience the hidden shadow of our collective systems, rules, laws and structures – and especially within ourselves in its relationship to the collective.  Saturn’s presence here is that we must face our reality, our systems and rules in order to make a collective decision about what our future is all about.  Jupiter’s entry into Capricorn expands and amplifies all of that.  During this upcoming time in 2020, Daniel Giamario calls it a “tipping point” for humanity in his talks and classes.

I don’t believe that it will be one day or event that provides the strong motivation to change our course (or at least make the hard decision about our direction), but a series of things in our collective lives and the life of national systems and structures.  The building up of events and shifts, sometimes in dramatic fashion, is certainly reaching a peak point in 2020, but there will be other peak points in this longer era of the Turning of the Ages (a period where the December Solstice point is centered with the plane of the Milky Way galaxy) from 1962 to 2034.

Capricorn is one of the four householder/culture-bearer signs in Shamanic Astrology (cardinal signs in mainstream Western Astrology).  The other signs are Cancer, Aries and Libra and each of these four signs represent Earth’s solstices and equinoxes in its seasonal “up and down” tilt as it orbits the Sun.  The signs are not the constellations of stars, which have their own archetypal images, informing the signs as they precess into a new zodiacal constellation over 2,160 years, on average (for 30 degrees), and completing about a 26,000 year-circuit for the whole 360 degrees.

Capricorn’s role is keeping civilization together by having a strong foundation that is long-lasting.  This includes an abundance of knowledge and wisdom to share with the collective (generally not for Capricorn to keep for themselves).  In fact, it is necessary for Capricorn to fully express its role a manager/administrator, knowledge-bearer, director, teacher, etc. as its contribution to the collective as a whole.  But in order to “get things done”, there does, at times, need to be checkup as to the health of the system/structure.  This requires the input of all of the signs/archetypes to fully realize the direction(s) that are necessary to take or are otherwise called to take.

A few days before Jupiter ingressed into Capricorn, I went up to an area to see the Crescent Moon with Venus (just after its conjunction with Jupiter) and also spotted Jupiter and Saturn in the waning twilight of the evening.  Venus had, itself, just ingressed into the sign of Capricorn (with the Moon) and was situated between Saturn and Jupiter.  Jupiter was very close to entering the sign of Capricorn and I got a measure of “seeing” the area of the sky that Capricorn currently occupies: namely the Archer Constellation.

As mentioned before, the sign of Capricorn (as a seasonal or temporal archetype) always begins on the December Solstice.   That solstice point sits close to the arrow tip of the Archer and hence is the beginning of Capricorn.  The night of November 28^th, Jupiter was slightly to the right of that point while Venus and the Moon (there is a deeper level here with the Venus synodic cycle and the Venus-Moon conjunctions, which are considered to be “gates” and Venus is gating itself out of the underworld and getting her vestments in an entirely renewed way) were a couple of degrees to the left of it. 

Shortly after Saturn became visible, higher and to the left of Venus, the first few stars of the Archer became visible starting with the star Nunki (shoulder of the Archer).  That was when the cold began to chase me back to my car, but I was experiencing a special moment as the sign of Capricorn, in this age, is representing the construction of a new operating manual us as a collective of nations, tribes and cultures.  I believe there will be more than one operating manual created, perhaps dozens or hundreds of them interacting in hopes for the health and harmony of humanity.

Capricorn for the Individual  

When a person has Capricorn on their natal (astrology) chart, how it is expressed is greatly dependent upon where it is on the chart and what planet or point is “in” the sign of Capricorn.  For most people with Capricorn Moons, this will be expressed strongly in their lives and generally more strongly experienced than for people with only their natal Sun or Venus or Mercury or Mars in the sign of Capricorn.  But if a person has a combination of personal planets/points (2 or more) in the sign of Capricorn, for example the Sun and Mars or Sun and Venus, then this could be expressed relatively strongly in that person’s life depending upon soul’s expression of gender/sex.

A person with a strong identification with Capricorn will have qualities of desiring a measure of stability and predictability in their lives.  There will be a desire to have a certain level of control and long-term sustainability but also how whatever issue or item that comes up can benefit those they manage, support or contribute to in the long-term.

Folks with an abundance of Capricorn within have a tendency to devote a lot of time to work.  As a “giver-sign”, Capricorn gives through its work in the world, its sharing of knowledge and expertise in whatever field(s) they happen to be in.   The sign of Capricorn is the framework of the system, vehicle, organization or building holding it together.

For people with born when the Moon was in the sign of Capricorn, holding it together and the work itself can become so familiar that it turns into an addiction.  In Shamanic Astrology, the Moon represents the lineage of the soul and the archetype they carry into this lifetime.  They can have their Moon’s shadow show up as the judge and the one who holds the knowledge and therefore knows what is right.  However, while the Moon itself is a foundation for the person, the sign the Moon is in when a person is born is that the archetype where they will receive rewards in life (exceptions include having the Moon and Ascendant in the same sign). 

The Ascendant is the most prominent point on the chart that symbolizes where the greatest rewards come from in a person’s life and the archetypal identity they are working on in this lifetime, with the planet Jupiter (sign and house position) describing one’s vision quest and path toward their Ascendant.  If Capricorn is involved in those areas of one’s life, then that sign becomes vital in their soul’s education.

Of course, there are a variety of variables in defining how a sign is expressed in a chart and having a complete picture of the chart and sky at the time of birth is critical in fully understanding it.  For example, an interpreter of an astrology chart should be able to understand if there is any influence (hard/dynamic aspects) of Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, Chiron or Uranus on a person’s Moon, Sun or other personal point on the chart.  It’s also important to understand where in the synodic stories a person entered this world, especially important in the cases of Venus, Mars and Mercury (in their relationship with each other, the Sun, Moon and other planets).

In this current time period we live in, those who have Capricorn represented in some way on their natal chart, the 2018-2020 time period is a great crossroads in their life.  I could also say the same for the other householder/cardinal signs of Cancer, Libra and Aries are on those front lines of education from Jupiter (2019-2020), Saturn (2017-2020) and Pluto (since 2008).  

Cycles within Cycles and December 2019

Jupiter’s entry into the sign of Capricorn is part of the greater cyclical nature of the Solar System and the cosmos.  We are living from moment to moment and those moments are generally fleeting but a few can leave a deep imprint upon us both personally and in the collective of humanity.

The collection of planets in Capricorn in 2019 and 2020 is highly rare due to Pluto being a part of the timing with Saturn and Jupiter hanging around each other.  Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto will stay within 15 degrees (half a sign) of each other for all of 2020 and early 2021 with the majority of that time period in the sign of Capricorn and small amount in Aquarius (Saturn, late March through June 2020) until the exact conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at zero degrees Aquarius at the solstice on December 21, 2020.

Jupiter and Saturn repeat their meeting with each other about every 20 years and this meeting took place with Pluto in 1981-82 in the sign of Libra, but prior to that the three planets were last together in 1583-84 in the sign of Pisces/Aries.  However, the last time all three got together in the sign of Capricorn (with Aquarius) was during the end of the Crusades in 1284-85.

Feel free to watch a video with more details about the triple planets in Capricorn/Aquarius here: https://youtu.be/oWLYy8MLjfQ

On December 26^th (Christmas Day in North America), the Middle East and Southern Asia are experiencing an annular solar eclipse at 4 degrees of Capricorn, which is the Metonic Return of the Moon from December 25, 2000 in the form of a partial solar eclipse (at the same exact degree of Capricorn!), which was visible in North America.  Shortly after that, the Moon’s post eclipse period involves conjunctions with Jupiter on the same day at as the eclipse (as Jupiter is only one degree from the Sun/Moon at the time of the annular eclipse), then the Moon and Saturn in conjunction on the 27^th, and the Moon and Pluto on the 27^th as well.  The next Venus-Moon gate (conjunction) takes place on the 28^th in the sign of Aquarius.    It is a spectacular and intense astrological time to end the calendar year of 2019!

On the last day of the year, Saturn, after teasing a conjunction with Pluto by getting within 3 degrees of it in the spring, finally arrives at a one-degree orb with the dwarf planet.  Saturn has been gradually nearing Pluto since it went direct a few months ago.  On December 6^th, Saturn got back within 3 degrees of Pluto, then 2 degrees of Pluto on the 19/20, then only 11 days later to close in within a degree.  All of this happens between 18-22 degrees of Capricorn. 

All that Capricorn energy is here for a while.  This is a powerful challenge for humanity and many of us on a personal level, this alignment in Capricorn can become a gift for us if we allow it to be.  Our perception of how we experience the world and this opportunity will help determine our reactions to it all.  With Capricorn, we can take a moment or two in the measure of what we hear, see and experience before sharing our thoughts/reaction to the original action.  Our words, thoughts and actions have long-lasting effects, as Capricorn reminds us. 

Jupiter’s ingress in Capricorn magnifies and supercharges the sign and what Saturn and Pluto add to it all.  As this moment, Jupiter’s light is fading into the glare of the Sun but when it re-appears after the first week of January, it will leading the parade of planets in the morning light as the winter (or summer in the Southern Hemisphere) deepens and the seeds of Capricorn take root for a new beginning.