On February 17th 2020, Mars began to transit Capricorn and brought the number of planets in that sign up to four. As we progress through March, Mars will be in conjunction with one of the most powerful groupings we have seen in the heavens – the Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto stellium that is currently a force to be reckoned with.
I’ve already written extensively about that stellium and the Saturn and Pluto conjunction but Mars transiting Capricorn seems to have added some momentum to events – and this is happening not just at a personal level but it’s also being seen at a global level too.
So, in this post I’m going to take a look at the implications of this in the context of some of the current events happening in the world today. I realise it’s a huge subject so I’m going to keep focused on what this stellium of some of the zodiac’s most powerful planets actually means in practice.
Chart data astro.com
I’m going to start by, briefly, reminding you of the symbolism of each of the planets concerned. What do they mean and how do they interact with each other? I’m going to begin withe the planets in the conjunction that started this whole thing. Pluto and Saturn.
Okay, Saturn. In a nutshell, Saturn is about cold, hard reality. With Saturn we have to get real and Saturn makes things real – and nothing could be more real this year than Pluto. In my astrology preview of 2020 , I noted the following about this year – and about March 2020 in particular:
I feel our existing view of the world is about to be tested to destruction. Or maybe we will have to accept now is the time to make a major shift in how we see the world. There will be no going back as this will be a tumultuous time.
This is largely what Pluto is about – events are usually tumultuous and there is no going back. I wrote that at the start of 2020, when Australia was gripped by bushfires, and Asia by floods. Since then the UK has been under a biblical deluge and there have been earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plagues of locusts and now the world is in the grip of an epidemic.
This is what Pluto truly means, cataclysmic events on a global scale – the things we cannot control. We cannot control earthquakes, volcanoes or mother nature and we seem powerless against a virus that is reminding us – all too painfully – about the frailties of the human body. Saturn is confronting us with the reality of Pluto – and maybe it’s been a long time coming.
So, I’m gong to focus on the Coronavirus epidemic because this potentially affects us all – it’s no longer a news story about stuff happening to people in a distant land. It’s affecting us all as the virus has reached so many countries in the world. This rather neatly brings Jupiter into the picture.
Jupiter entered Capricorn in December 2019 – about the time the virus broke out in Wuhan, China. As Jupiter has become part of the Saturn Pluto conjunction the spread took hold – and now with Jupiter a fully fledged member of the Capricorn gang, the spread has become global – which is so in tune with Jupiter so let’s remind ourselves of some of Jupiter’s connotations.
Jupiter rules long distance travel and religion, and the spread of this disease across the globe has, in many cases, been facilitated by long distance travel, tourism and religion. In medieval times, pilgrims often brought the plague home with them after visiting holy sites.
We see little change in the twenty first century as large congregations are an effective way of transmitting disease. We also live in a global society, we travel more for work and pleasure – and honestly? That’s not always been a good thing for the environment. The spread of disease follows our path across the globe and it’s a trail we are responsible for.
One more thing about Jupiter. He rules world view. Ideology – religious or political – falls under Jupiter’s remit. These events will be a test of our political leaders and structures – and one thing is becoming increasingly clear. Things cannot continue as they are at present. And it’s worth mentioning Capricorn at this point. Capricorn is about structure – so if we think everything is going to be ok then we’re in for a shock – no doubt when the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn falls in Aquarius at the end of this year.
So, let me get back to Mars transit in Capricorn. What Mars is potentially going to do is speed things up. And looking forward to how that could pan out is quite disturbing. We can see how the disease is spreading more quickly (Mars conjunct Jupiter) and that seems set to continue. We can see how our communities are becoming subject to increased controls in order to try and combat something our political masters cannot control (Mars conjunct Pluto). Mars will have run his course through Capricorn by the end of this month, and then where will we be?
To begin to understand that we need to look forward to some other big celestial events I’ll be commenting on soon, The Jupiter Pluto conjunction, Saturn moving into Aquarius and the Mars and Venus stations happening later this year. I had already commented in my astrology preview of 2020, that by the end of the year a new order will be in place – but getting there won’t be easy or pleasant.
I’m very aware that as I reach the end of this article, I must seem like an astrological conspiracy theorist. However, it feels like this is a seminal moment in our history and Mars is the trigger point – of that we can be certain. There is no going back.
© Sara Shipman 2020
NOTE: This article updated to include links to later articles.
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