In the Time of the December Solstice

Not since the year 1603 has a Saturn-Jupiter conjunction arrived near or on the December Solstice, a time of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.  2020, a year in which will live alongside 9/11, the 1960s, the WW1/1918-20 Spanish Flu and perhaps even the Great Depression among others as monumental events that changed the course of modern history we get the two largest planets in the solar system experiencing a extremely close visible conjunction on the Solar Standstill.

Learn more about the December Solstice and the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in this video here: https://youtu.be/BgfAO4hFx0I

2020 has been a Sea Change, meaning a paradigm shift in humanity, but especially in the United States.  The term,  Sea Change originated from Shakespeare’s play called The Tempest and has become in modern times a term to refer to substantial change on a large scale.  Institutions, industries, communities and governments are all experiencing this as has most individuals on the planet this year.

Astrologically, a rare event of Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto coming in close conjunction with each other was the primary theme of 2020, joined at times by Mars, Eris and Venus.   Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto stayed within about 12 degrees (in the sky) of each other since February and will continue to do so through January, 2021.  On a few occasions, they sustained a close orb of about 6 degrees on multiple occasions finally coming within 4 ½ degrees through much of November, 2020 all in the sign of Capricorn.

That triple planet conjunction is beginning to loosen up as Jupiter and Saturn move into the sign of Aquarius a few days before the December Solstice.  Then a much-anticipated conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter take place in Aquarius for the first time since 1405, when conjunctions were happening in the air signs.  The last time there were Saturn-Jupiter conjunctions in Aquarius took place in 1345, 1285 and 1226 during the Middle Ages and the end of the Crusades.

But this Saturn-Jupiter conjunction takes place on the day of the December Solstice and for almost 90% of Earth’s population, it will be winter.  It has been over 4 centuries since this conjunction took place on or near the December Solstice (in 1603, about 4 days before the Solstice).

The December Solstice is the time of solar minimum in the Northern Hemisphere where the Sun is at its most southerly point below the projected equator, which is why it the days are shorter.  In ancient times, this represented the “death” of the Sun and ceremonies were conducted to help ensure the Sun’s rebirth and the promise of another spring and summer.  The Solstice is connected and inspired many stories relating to dying and reborn gods, goddesses and other mythical figures across the Earth, including for Christianity and the story of Christ.

The December Solstice point is located spatially at the Galactic Center (currently at 27 deg Sagittarius; The December Solstice is zero deg Capricorn) between the Scorpion and Archer constellations.  The GC is connected spiritually to the Golden Gate where souls go through to be rebirthed.  For the next few centuries, the December Solstice will be at or near the GC but then it will be another 26,000 years for it happen again.  Astrologically, this is a potent point and anyone with personal planets or points within about 6 degrees of this area is more deeply connected to it and can use it as a “personal star” of sorts.

Only one sign over (Aquarius) or 33 degrees to be more precise, Saturn and Jupiter will hold court in a conjunction that will be visible to us all (depending upon cloud cover and other atmospheric conditions).  The day of this year’s December Solstice is on the 21^st, taking place only about eight hours before the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction.

Spatially, the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction takes place in between the Archer and Goat-Fish constellations, thereby in a field of all possibilities and potential constructive creativity and breakthroughs.  Later in 2021, the two middle-world planets move fully into the wedge-shaped Goat-Fish Constellation, bridging the celestial waters with the stability of the Earth plan.

What does all this mean?

The rarer the event, the more significant the event is, including in astrology.  This Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius signals a new frequency emerging from the themes and debris of 2020.

Both Saturn and Jupiter represent middle world planets and our reality.   Aquarius is an archetypal image associated with the innovator, experimenter, scientist, cosmic visionary, eagle-witness, avant-garde or leading edge of humanity, especially in cerebral thought.  Aquarius is a revolutionary energy through is consciousness-expansion activities (not so much with physical action, unless we include another sign such as Aries).

This conjunction doesn’t happen in a void, per se, but it makes a large contribution to the humanity’s direction and the field from which we are making larger decisions as a collective body.  This leads generally to an Aquarius-themed 2021 as well.  Pluto will be about 6 degrees away at the time of the conjunction and so won’t have as much influence as it had in November or other times in 2020.   We are still in a death-rebirth process, but the Aquarius conjunction may help us see beyond the dark, chaotic tunnel we’ve been in for many months.

This conjunction and the longer planetary transits of these planets in Aquarius may plant the seeds in the utilization of forward-thinking tools and developments to help us navigate the jagged maze of crises piled on top of one another.  The old ways of doing things and the roots of those things are due for a refresh or perhaps even a great reset.  It doesn’t mean that there is a coming civil war or all-encompassing violent revolution, but it could be a larger grass-roots movement from a multitude of places/directions to create change, which I can already see happening.

The Saturn-Jupiter conjunction at the time of rebirth of the Sun has at least a 20-30 year intent (20 years due to the regular 20-year conjunction cycle of Saturn and Jupiter together; 30 years due to the nearly 30 years is takes for Saturn to complete its orbit of the Sun and back to the same position it was in three decades prior).  This is a shorter term than the even rarer Saturn-Jupiter-Pluto alignment that has been the theme in 2020 as it will be many centuries before the three of them line up again in conjunction (and in the sign of Capricorn, almost 700 years).

In the United States and other parts of the world, such as the Philippines, there was a deep flavor of nationalism that came back with aggressive and violent postures to assert control.  In the face of a global crisis, we saw the limits of that type of toxic posturing and it cost lives, especially here in the United States.  A Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter conjunction provided an opportunity for a political counter-revolution to the prior political revolution from 4 years prior when Saturn was in Sagittarius.

With Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn for the majority of 2020 and mingling together within much social-distancing, we were facing a powerfully deep and intense reality (i.e. social justice, extreme political divisiveness/strife, the worst pandemic since 1918-20 and a continually more intense and rapidly shifting environmental crisis).

Stress, anxiety, anger and depression were rampant across communities.  Regardless of how the pandemic erupted, there is an intent here for us all to face the reality of it.  It isn’t fake news or some other pretend fantasy.  Systems and industries have been overwhelmed by it, especially hospitals.  And due to the effects of the pandemic, most are unable to get together to fully grieve the devastating loss of life and perhaps process and heal from those losses. Pluto helps us, in an unbiased way, to truly and honestly face our deepest fears.

That provides us with an opportunity, to cleanse and detoxify but also to plant the seeds for remodeled systems, industries and structures.  And with Aquarius on the horizon, it could very well be the innovation and visionary insights that actually create what we may really need to move into the future in a healthy way.  All it requires is a collective free will to see and manifest that future.

While many astrologers and those tuned into astrology even in a cursory way see this rare conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius on the December Solstice as a powerful event, let’s not forget how the Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter conjunction (with ample assistance from Mars and Eris) helped humanity come into this potent crossroads of humanity in 2020.  Being in such intense times, it can be difficult to view the broader scope of what other Sea Changes we’ve been through. 

It’s important not to just isolate one specific conjunction, albeit a rare one, but to see the whole range of important and rare cycles taking place as part of that conjunction.  Saturn and Jupiter are slowly “social-distancing” themselves from Pluto and it is this that will be one of the major contributing factors in the experience of 2021 and beyond.  It is already happening now, though at a snail’s pace.

As always, we each have the power to utilize our own free will to choose what we want and our life direction.  Guided by Creation, Earth and the sky, we can see, feel and experience our authentic truth and reality and align with our soul’s intent.  The Sea Change opens up opportunities that were not present in 2019 or before.  Reaching into our soul’s fire and its profoundly intimate connection to Creation itself is always a key to navigating this crisis and any future crises.

A Note about the “Age of Aquarius”

The Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius does not by itself, signify the so-called, “Age of Aquarius”, but is part of several major planetary aspects that have taken place in the decades prior to show us we are beginning a long transition period from one 26,000 Great Year to another 26,000 Great Year.  To clarify, the sign of Aquarius is not exactly the same as the constellation of “Aquarius”, at least in a seasonal/tropical/temporal zodiac.  The current equinox point is still at the edge of the Fish Constellation (known popularly as Pisces) and is still centuries away from “precessing” to the Water-Bearer Constellation (known popularly as Aquarius).

But if we take the experiential feeling and symbolism of the “Age of Aquarius”, it could be called something else and still carry the same vibration we are experiencing.  Perhaps the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction on the December Solstice in the seasonal sign of Aquarius may deepen the evolving understanding of what Aquarius as a sign/archetype can contribute to humanity.  And this in turn may give us a preview or flavor of the upcoming Great Year.

Erik M Roth

Shamanic Astrologer