Astrology of Now: Turmoil
Detail of fresco on the dome of Hall of Giants, by Giulio Romano, Palazzo Te, Mantua,
There’s an awful lot of churn right now. You can see it on the streets of Santiago, Hong Kong, La Paz and Barcelona; in the British Parliament and American Congress. And in Kurdistan where “confusion now hath made his masterpiece.”
People are in a froth. There’s shouting. And the way forward is not clear.
You may find this is also true in your own life. Even if you yourself have the utmost clarity; people around you may be in a flap, a flurry, a fritz — or very stuck.
I am finding that a lot of people are confused and/or depressed. This widespread depression is partly a function of Saturn in Capricorn (December 2017-2020), where the planet of gloom is at his gloomiest. Like the Groke in Moominland, his frostiness fans out from where he’s sitting, and from his own sign it gets an extra push.
The confusion seems to be coming from a combination of Jupiter in Sagittarius squaring Neptune in Pisces. These two planets are both in their rulership too, so like Saturn they are unusually strong. Sagittarius and Pisces are, of course, two of the signs with the widest horizons, the biggest ideas, and the least ability to focus.
These three planets have been in these signs all year, creating a three-way struggle — or three-pronged attack depending on your point of view. You see this on the streets around the world. Neptune in Pisces has profoundly stirred our collective emotions for a decade now, and when Jupiter’s in Sagittarius that spills out into the streets. Is there any more Neptunian weapon than teargas?
This will change though when Jupiter leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricorn in December, lending even more energy to that sign for the following 12 months — and taking some of the fiery spark out of things. With Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter in the sign of the Sea-Goat for much of 2020, things Capricorn will dominate. The question of who is in charge — of the world — will be key. What’s clear now is that for many people on the planet, Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2025) brought a void in leadership. Perhaps Saturn and now Jupiter will begin to fill that vacuum.
Demeter visits Zeus. Antoine Francois Callet
Another important feature of 2019 has been the presence of Ceres, goddess of the agriculture, in the sign of Sagittarius for much of the year (25 January-16 November). She’s been chasing Jupiter all year, but she’s only caught him this week for a once-in-a-generation meeting in his own sign.
At last, these two great Olympians get to sit down at the table together. And what a table that might be! Imagine the nectar overflowing from crystal goblets, the shimmering grapes, the succulent sweetmeats, the ambrosia. Surely these two gods of plenty know a thing or two about good food and abundance. And Sagittarius is the most hospitable of signs.
What will they be discussing? The petty adventures of we mortals? Ceres may well have something to say about the wildfires that have been ravaging Mother Earth this Sagittarian year, under this conjunction of the Lord of Ultra with the Goddess of the Land in the sign of wildfire itself. Interestingly, Ceres is often depicted carrying a burning torch or two, and on her feast days foxes tails were set alight (poor things). She used those torches to search for Persephone, and perhaps to bring a cleansing fire or enlightenment.
It’s worth looking at where this conjunction falls in your own chart (22° Sagittarius). If you’re a Pisces, your career may be on fire, if you’re a Gemini, your friendships may be ablaze, if you’re a Sagittarian, you yourself may be burning up or burning out. Look at at it both from the point of view of your own Sun, and from your Ascendant in the actual chart. This may be about too much of something, but it’s also potentially a very lucky moment for some of us. Consider that these are both gods of abundance.
Right now we are also between the Aries Full Moon of October 13, which had a dangerous, break out energy to it. And the Scorpio New Moon of October 28, which encounters an electric jolt, a spark, which could set something else ablaze. I’d be watching the financial markets on this one too.
Mercury is soon to retrograde — on October 31. You can read this as an underworld journey, one that Mercury makes fairly frequently, but this one is darker and deeper because it’s through Scorpio. It was he who fetched Ceres’ daughter Proserpine from the Underworld to rejoin her mother in the light.
This November, Mercury’s journey in the Underworld will be a good time for all of us to stop and take a moment to think more deeply: about ourselves, and perhaps also about the message that Ceres brings to Jupiter.
Thanks for the post. Looking forward for pisces on career on fire. Love the thoughts.
Me too!
Thank you!
Fascinating post. Hope you’re right – I have Sun in Pisces and ASC at 23º Sag
I was going to say, nothing is happening for me, but then I got to the bit about Sagittarius, ‘burning up or burning out’. Yep. That’s me. Hit my t-square. Last week, I couldn’t sleep, it was like I’d had too much coffee. And now I’m sleeping too much catching up. :/
It’s my solar return this weekend, so I’ve got uranus opposite my sun and then it’s the new moon as well. The last new moon, in Libra, was on my AC. I don’t know what they could bring? No signs of anything yet. I’m letting go of things more easily, I find, maybe it’s that? Decluttering isn’t so painful. 🙂
Happy Birthday, Vesta!
Thank you! 🙂 I had an idea for a writing project today, moon in Libra, must have crossed my AC. That’s encouraging. Maybe the new moon on my sun opposite uranus isn’t so bad after all! I have to roll my sleeves up and actually put the effort in though… 😀
Someone just posted this and noted that it happened the last time Saturn and Pluto were conjunct in Cap. Was it a case of ‘Let’s face the music and… dance’?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518?fbclid=IwAR0QEV01TIIGii1mp2hf9mw9TMjrG6mkp-dpyi4nXSGuUhkJvL2hvp5BbWM
Extraordinary!
The conjunction is at the end of my 9th house and I have been running a tarot correspondence course for my coven. Being trained by them too!
Just exhausted. Cap sun 24 5H pisces moon 8H. Major collapse of my writing career thanks to publisher problems. (and that of some fellow authors).
Sorry to hear that, Angelena.
While reading your post, I paused to consider my Venus return next month, in the light of transiting Ceres and Jupiter. On 3/11, tr. Ceres conjuncts n. Venus in the 12th; on 11/11 tr. Jupiter also conjuncts n. Venus; on 17/11 is my Ceres Return, and on 22/11 my Venus return. And I’m in a profected Venus year. This line up must be as rare as hens’ teeth. Maybe I’ll buy a lottery ticket. Or maybe expect a chorus of hallelujahs from fiery seraphim on high (12th house)? More prosaically, I’ll think I’ll just avoid playing with matches.
It also looks extremely fertile to me.
“Another important feature of 2019 has been the presence of Ceres, goddess of the agriculture, in the sign of Sagittarius for much of the year (25 January-16 November). She’s been chasing Jupiter all year, but she’s only caught him this week for a once-in-a-generation meeting in his own sign.
At last, these two great Olympians get to sit down at the table together. And what a table that might be!”
Well, the Jupiter (Pope Francis), indeed welcomed Ceres (Pachamama) in his own, quite jupiterian house (Vatican) and showed her respect.
However, as Ceres was leaving Sagittarius, the christian-extremist and bolivian oppositional leader, Camacho, took over the power and brought a bible and a pastor into the presidental palace, the latter stating that “Pachamama will never return to the palace”.
Oh she will. The most important thing that astrology teaches us is, that everything will return one day. Sadly, it also rings true for fascism.
Yes! That is perfect symbolism — Pachamama and the Pope, Jupiter and Ceres.