Jupiter Conjunct Pluto 2020: A Transit in Three Parts

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I first wrote about the Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 transit back in March this year when I was writing about the huge transiting stellium in Capricorn. Coronavirus was starting to become a big issue – and just after I published that article much of the world started to move into lockdown. The Jupiter Pluto conjunction became exact in early April, and around this time the full-scale of what the world was dealing with was becoming clear. During April, many places in the world experienced the peak time for this infection. However, what was also becoming apparent was the far reaching change this would have on all of our lives.

I wrote my first article about Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 from a personal perspective. I wanted to see how the Jupiter conjunct Pluto transit would affect all of us as it transited through the houses in our birth charts. In spite of everything the world has been through, I’m still happy with those delineations so, in this post, I’m going to take a closer look at how this transit is unfolding from a broader perspective – one that’s specifically to do with the pandemic. There’s a brilliant article on this which I recommend you read, but for my take on this? Let’s take a look and see how Jupiter conjunct Pluto is going to play out for the rest of this year.

Like all transits, Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 has three phases. The first conjunction as Jupiter meets Pluto for the first time, a second retrograde pass and the final forward move as Jupiter passes over Pluto for the final time. I’ve looked at the charts for each phase together with the aspects to the Jupiter Pluto conjunction to see what they reveal.

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto 2020: The First Pass

First of all, I want to stress that the Jupiter Pluto conjunction is only one part of a much bigger and more complex stellium that’s been moving through Capricorn this year. The stellium comprises not only Jupiter conjunct Pluto, but Jupiter conjunct Saturn too. However, Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 is the part of the stellium that has to do with illness and death on a grand scale. Historically this is the plague conjunction – and what we are going through now is the plague of our times.

The Jupiter Saturn conjunction part of the stellium is about change too but, historically, Jupiter conjunct Saturn, ‘The Great Conjunction’, usually indicates a shift in political fortunes – and I’ll be posting an article on this soon. However, what the combination suggests is that it’s likely that the fortunes of our political leaders are going to be allied to the way the pandemic affects our societies. We can see that already every day in our news bulletins. However, lets get back to Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020.

On April 4th, Jupiter and Pluto aligned in Capricorn as members of the stellium which also contained Mars and Saturn in Aquarius. If Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 is the pandemic indicator, Mars is often the planet that signifies a beginning. Now we know the virus was around before then, however, it was around April we really began to realise how big a problem it was and how important it was to our societies to restrict movement to try and limit the disease. All of this is very Saturn (limitation) in Aquarius (society), the final member of the stellium.

You’ll notice from the chart, (Aries = 0˚/first house to keep things neutral), that the aspects to the Jupiter Pluto conjunction are a sextile to the Neptune Mercury Conjunction in Pisces and a trine to Venus in Gemini. There is also a square to the Sun. The chart sets the tone for the first transit of Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 and I’m going to take a look at the aspects below.

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto trine Neptune conjunct Mercury

If Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 is the signifier of pandemic, then Mercury conjunct Neptune in Pisces is surely the signifier of blissful ignorance. When Neptune and Mercury align, we tend to see what we want to see. That may be true for our leaders in many instances, and for members of our communities too. However, it also signifies the sadness we feel as we hear the latest news. And more worryingly, it also shows that we need to listen very carefully to what is being said. Is it all that it seems?

Jupiter conjunct Pluto trine Venus in Gemini

Jupiter, Pluto and Venus share a connection with money. Lots of it. The wide trine to Venus in Gemini shows one thing very clearly – and thats how rapidly the pandemic has affected the economy. The money markets are following the pandemic like the dustcart after the Mayor’s parade, as this article from The Financial Times shows. Closer to home, we have all seen our incomes affected and we have no idea how things will work out for us financially when this is over. We have also had to find new ways of interacting with those we love. Venus in Gemini can be very inventive!

Jupiter conjunct Pluto Square Sun in Aries

The Sun in Aries is always a signifier of beginnings and for Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 to kick off with a square to an Aries Sun is a red Aries flag that this is the beginning of massive change and, with the Sun as a marker for health and energy, we can see where that is going. Though Jupiter conjunct Pluto is the marker of plague, it always carries a bigger and more profound change within. The message here is that nothing will be the same after this and this is the moment I think many of us woke up to that realisation.

So, the first pass of the Jupiter Pluto transit has left many of us uncertain about our financial future, has changed our contacts with those we love and, for many of us, has broken our trust in our leaders and exposed the lies and corruption that seem to have taken over the heart of public life. However, our systems and checks and balances no longer seem to work so what can we expect as the transit makes it’s progress? Read on.

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto 2020: The Retrograde Pass

Pluto turned retrograde on April 26th at 25˚ 0″ Capricorn and Jupiter will also be in retrograde motion from May 15th at 27˚ 14″ Capricorn. However, the retrograde conjunction becomes exact on July 1st and it’s important to note, this is the middle of the crisis. We’re a long way from the end. So, what can we anticipate happening around that time?

First, a note about the nature of the second, retrograde conjunction in a transit. Briefly, when transits occur, the first conjunction tells us the nature of the issue in question, the second conjunction shows the issue reaching it’s peak and the final conjunction points the way to resolution – how the matter ends. That’s a general rule that holds good for all transits so we can assume it will apply to this one too.

So, let’s take a look at the aspects to the second, retrograde transit of this series:

Jupiter conjunct Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Aquarius

As you can see from the chart, the stellium (big conjunction of more than two planets) is getting tighter as Saturn, though still just in Aquarius, is also retrograde, about to slip back into Capricorn. This hints at the possibility of big decisions being made around this time by those in power (Saturn) that could affect the way we engage with society (Aquarius) and even big announcements about what we understand to be the structure (Capricorn) of our societies. And there could be some confusion – things may not go as planned.

Jupiter conjunct Pluto sextile Neptune in Pisces

With the sextile from Neptune (also retrograde) we can see where the confusion is coming from. There’s the distinct feeling at this time that we don’t have all the facts – and even if we do, there will be some suspicion that the truth isn’t what it seems. There’s the possibility that some of the restrictions we currently have will be eased but also the possibility that this could backfire – will the pandemic resurface as we open the door? We will see.

What we can also see from the chart is a couple of aspects from Saturn entering the mix. It’s the sextile from Mars in Aries that’s the most noticeable to me. Mars enters Aries this summer for a long stay in it’s own sign. This sextile signals anger and frustration and this could be a real issue in the summer. This is so connected to the pandemic and social restriction and I feel things will be explosive around the time of this conjunction. The square from Saturn to the Moon in Scorpio also shows there are some heavy and tense feelings in play.

It’s a combination that’s not easy and if we follow the aspects we can see the second meeting of Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 also takes place during a Mercury retrograde. There’s huge potential for misunderstandings here on a grand scale, with the Sun conjunct Mercury in Cancer also making a square aspect to Mars in Aries. Emotions are going to be volatile and they are likely to be whipped up by what some people are saying. The Mercury Mars square looks dangerous to me. In my 2020 forecast, I said it was going to be a hot summer in more ways than one. I’ll stick with that.

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto 2020: The Final Pass

So, the final showdown takes place on Friday November 13th – an auspicious date if ever there was one. What you can see from the chart is the whole stellium, that includes Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020, has become much tighter. It’s now in a ‘tee-square’ aspect with the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars as well as sextile aspects to both ends of the Sun/Neptune trine. This is a truly tense chart so what can we unpick from the aspects to the Jupiter Pluto conjunction?

Jupiter conjunct Pluto sextile Sun in Scorpio

I’ll deal with the sextiles/trine under this heading. What we have is Sun in Scorpio trine Neptune in Pisces, with the stellium in Capricorn at the midpoint. The stellium is showing us the potential for big political change. Saturn indicates matters of importance, public figures and old age, and the Jupiter Pluto conjunction is not only the pandemic indicator, it shows we are at a moment where our world view (Jupiter) is being tested to destruction (Pluto). However, Saturn in Capricorn may also be a steadying influence. Let’s hope the door opens to that later this year.

The Sun Neptune trine combines a powerful figure and deceit. I always think of these ‘softer’ aspects as showing an ongoing situation – so no surprises there – however there seems to be a lot of things coming to light here, maybe even in a legal sense with the judges lined up in Capricorn. Something may have been a long time coming.

Jupiter conjunct Pluto square Moon, Mercury and Venus

It’s the ‘tee-square’ that is the driver though. There will be a need to get the world back to a state of equilibrium as shown by the square to planets in Libra. It’s possible we will need to make significant changes to the way we structure our economy, trade, welfare, agriculture, health systems and so on. The Moon, Mercury and Venus rule these sectors – and our deficiencies in these areas have been laid bare. The chart shows a need for realism – yet also that there are difficult choices to be made.

Jupiter conjunct Pluto square Mars (r) in Aries

Those difficult choices are shown by the square aspect of Jupiter conjunct Pluto 2020 to Mars. Mars is opposing the Moon, Mercury and Venus. There is a real tug of war here – quite literally as this is Mars in it’s big retrograde period. However, this is happening close to Mars’s declination – but when Mars moves forward what can we expect? Well, there’s a real divide between ‘us and them’. One side wants change and the other side is angry. I don’t think this chart shows resolution in the sense we like to think of it. Instead it shows a stand off. Maybe a final showdown is what we can expect towards the end of the year.

Showdown or not, the tension shows we need to move this situation on – and it’s more than just the pandemic by the way. 2020 isn’t done with us yet.

© Sara Shipman 2020

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