There is a lot going on astronomically this month and I wanted to cover a few of the highlights. From a previous blog post you will know that Pluto is conjunct Saturn and Saturn is conjunct Jupiter, it is this latter conjunction that is creating a lot of buzz around the world. Though please never dismiss Pluto and its influence on you. Pluto is spinning in the background and once Jupiter passes through, you will be left with Saturn and Pluto continuing to teach and transform globally and individually.
So let’s firstly look at the Star of Bethlehem everyone is talking about. This is a symbolic description of a particularly bright object in the night sky said to be followed by the wise men on their way to the Jesus following his birth. Commencing on the 14th December through to the end of December Jupiter and Saturn will be in a very tight conjunction, differing by 1 minute in distance. The brightness these two create together is being likened to the Star of Bethlehem.
Going back to the position of the stars from 6BC to 3 AD, Jupiter and Saturn were never close enough to form a conjunction. Astronomy Scholars have tried to determine which combination of planets could have appeared to be the light that guided these travellers, but are not in agreeance. The planets in conjunction that would have been an extraordinarily bright light is likely to have been a Jupiter/Venus conjunction. Astronomically these two didn’t co-join anywhere near the 25th December. And we know that there is a struggle historically to determine the exact date of the birth of Christ or Jesus. It may not have been a star or planetary alignment, it could have been a comet, but even the dates of a comet is not able to be confirmed. It is more likely that the Star of Bethlehem was a Jupiter/Venus conjunction
So I am taking a wide berth on the historical data that is reported to make this event significant and leave it to you to fathom.
There will be a New Moon and Solar Eclipse on the 14th December in Sagittarius visible only in South America. This new moon solar eclipse is associated with the beginning of a new chapter. The feeling you may experience is the desire or urge to change. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter so you could expect those urges to be buoyant and possibly unrestricted. Don’t be surprised if you blurt out statements that normally you would have kept to yourself. Your vocal abilities could be heralding a time where you now wish to be heard as well as seen.
Globally this eclipse could bring a period where people are much more vocal than usual and perhaps the media will come on board and report on the expressions of humanity collectively. Be aware of what creative expressions are coming onto your TV and computer screens.
Jupiter and Saturn are already conjunct but the closest meeting between them is on the 21st December which is the Solstice 2020. This Jupiter Saturn conjunction is often heralding a new era where firstly Jupiter’s influence looks towards being more expansive and imaginative and you can see how collectively we are yearning for a more expansive view of the freedoms we need to live our lives in a way that is more unrestricted. Saturn’s role in this relationship is to trim any excessive if Jupiter gets out of control.
Jupiter and Saturn usually create a tussle because they have opposing qualities. Jupiter is expansive, generous and more happy go lucky, Jupiter can also lead to greed or delusions of grandeur. Excess becomes an issue here. Saturn refers to structures and what feel like limitations. When looking at structures take note of our economic structure, our health structure, political structures, education structures. These are often seen as the foundations on which we rely for the day to day running of our lives, our families and communities.
This conjunction is astronomically in the constellation of Capricorn. There has been a lot of romanticism about this conjunction heralding in the Age of Aquarius. If you were to phone NASA they would tell you to look up at the night sky and you will learn these planets will be at 6 degrees Capricorn on the day of the Solstice. The truth is astrologers cannot agree on the exact date and considering the cycle of one age is over 2,000 years, defining an exact date is understandably difficult.
To add to the power of the astronomical forces, on the day of the Solstice the Sun and Mercury are hovering in a conjunction at 5 degrees Sagittarius which is close to the centre of our galaxy. I can’t help feel that this is a placement not to ignore.
Whether you are tuned into the forces of the stars or not, the period of the solstice, longest day of summer and shortest day of winter, aligns with the bringing in of the harvest in the south, and a time of maximum internalisation or dormancy in the North. It is one of the sacred days noted by many spiritual traditions and is a day where practices are undertaken to help heighten states of consciousness and honour the invisible helpers among us.
If you are at a loss as to what to do on the 21st of December, I invite you to be part of a spiritual ceremony that will be conducted at Uluru by the Native Australian Elders. This is a special ceremony where the elders have requested you participate at home either by yourself or with friends and honour the earth. The request is that you place your meditation aspirations toward the planet. This ceremony is not for your individual self, but for the health and healing of our planet – for mother earth.
The Elders are requesting you not converge at Uluru with them. You are welcome to tune in and participate from where you are. Give thanks to the earth that you are walking on, on the earth which is sustaining you. Honour your own gardens, the trees, your parks, the rivers and lakes that give life to us. Collectively the honouring toward our planet will send waves of gratitude over the planet and will spread outward and upward. As a result we will all reap the benefits of our gratitude. The ceremony is in the evening of the 21st but your personal celebrations and ceremonies can take place at any time on that date.
Note: The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction is easily seen in the night sky in the southern hemisphere. Once the Sun goes down Jupiter is the visible star at approximately 10.00 o’clock as you look up and once it is dark Saturn is also easy to see next to it. Enjoy the star gazing.
2020 has become a year of learning and transformation, change and challenges which hopefully enables a transition to know your real self. For more clarity on your astral blueprint and to have a one on one session with Julie to know more of your natal chart and the current transits affecting you, use the contact page or email astraljules@yahoo.com for details.
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