On Wednesday December 16th, Saturn, a cold and wintry planet, entered Aquarius, a cold and wintry sign. Saturn was last here earlier this year between March 23rd - July 1st, in the early days of Covid-19 and during the most intense period of quarantine. Saturn is a planet about rules, boundaries, and restraint. Saturn tests us through trials and tribulations. During this time period, quarantine was enforced for the sake of the group and the community at large, an Aquarian value, which was challenging to say the least.
When Saturn was in Aquarius earlier this year, it was with Mars, a planet of energy and action, restricting our ability to do much. It was like being stuck between a rock and a hot place, with nowhere to go but up. Aquarius is high-minded, intellectual, and ideological. Aquarius strives for the perfection of society. Simultaneously at this time, Saturn was beginning to square Uranus, planet of rebellion, revolution, freedom from constraints, and volatility. This matched up with a number of protests at the time that were striving for various ideals regarding what a “free” society looks like. This ranged from protests for Black Lives Matter to protests against wearing masks and quarantining.
This time, Saturn is entering Aquarius alongside Jupiter, a planet of hope, possibility, and faith. The two conjoin on December 21st, 2020. Sure enough, things are looking brighter now that we’ve got a vaccine. However, we are still in the thick of it and our actions will still have heavy consequences for others for some time to come. Saturn and Jupiter will be in Aquarius together for about a year. These two planets conjoin once every 20 years or so and for the past 200 years, they’ve conjoined in the element of earth, which is about health, money, land, security and material reality. This conjunction in Aquarius marks the first meeting of these two, the great Benefic and the great Malefic, in Air signs since 800 years ago, which begins a new cycle of joining in Air over the next 200 years. Our attention shifts from the tangible to the more relational and intellectual.
Jupiter conjoined with Saturn says to proceed towards hope with caution as there are still rules to play by. There will be costs if we act with too much enthusiasm and too little forethought and planning. There are consequences if we trust blindly. In Aquarius, Jupiter asks that we question our faith - that instead of blind faith, we experiment and gather data in order to come to a meaningful conclusion. Saturn demands that we do this with integrity and precision. It’s okay to believe in something, but what’s important is to recognize that our beliefs may not reflect what’s logically true. In fact, oftentimes our beliefs are blatantly false and can cause us much suffering. “I’m worthless” is a common belief a lot of us share unknowingly. But is it really true? The power of inquiry and logic can help to disentangle us from the false beliefs that harm us. This is one gift of Jupiter and Saturn together in Aquarius over the next year.
Jupiter wants emancipation and boundlessness. Saturn says that our work needs to be done first. We can’t truly be free without first doing our work. Although we can’t change what has happened to us, we are responsible for our own healing. This means learning about our triggers, validating our emotions, and grieving the past so that we can write a new story. 2020 has largely been a year about seeking freedom in the mundane, finding adventure in the routine, and discovering meaning in solitude. Carry water, chop wood. Carry water, chop wood. It’s also just been heavy, hard, and traumatizing for many, maybe with no lessons attached at all. I find it frustrating when there always needs to be a moral to the story. Sometimes there’s not. Sometimes things suck and that’s okay. Conversely, 2021 is about seeking Truth with careful questioning, detachment, and observation. It’s about working hard (Saturn) for a vision (Jupiter) that is for the group as a whole (Aquarius). New opportunities for society (and you personally) are becoming available, but they aren’t free.
As Saturn and Jupiter enter Aquarius, they’ll form a harsh aspect to Uranus again at various points throughout 2021, namely around February 17th, June 14th, and December 24th. Saturn demands a certain structure and Uranus refuses to comply. There is a better way, afterall. Uranus tells Saturn to upgrade its ways. The meeting of these two planets suggest that protests are not over and the will to break free from perceived or real chains is still there. They’ve been in hibernation, but will be back in full force next year, likely with more vigor and determination than before. While some calls for revolution are liberating, some may want to maintain the status quo. Not all revolutions are for the betterment of all. Some could be motivated by illusion or misinformation. Some, by maintaining power and prestige.
Aquarius can be overly ideological and set in its way regarding “what’s best for the group”. For instance, Saturn was in Aquarius during Hitler’s reign over Germany. He led the way with the ideological notion that purifying the human race was what was “best for the group”. This is an extreme example reflective of what Saturn in Aquarius can be about (although there were other planetary conditions at that time that are very different from today). Radical ideas can be taken too far and what may seem like liberating or progressive ideas may be even more oppressive and horrid.
This goes to show that we must maintain flexibility in our ideals and ideas as much as possible throughout the next couple of years and recognize that we have blindspots. Careful observation and honest reflection of our impact is imperative. Commitment to our vision of what the world should be isn’t worth it if we can’t forgive mistakes. Integrity is important as long as we are able to be soft, empathetic, and understanding.
Ideally, we use this energy collectively to truly work towards a better world for everyone - and it will require committed work with Saturn in the mix. Aquarius is especially sensitive to the outsider - to those who are perceived as not belonging; those who are on the outskirts of society. But what’s ideal? What does a more equitable society look like? How do we bring in the underdog and care for our most vulnerable? This is where we must come to agreements through Air values: communication, consensus, and bridge building.