‘Change is the only constant in life.’ – Heraclitus
The astrology of 2021 offers a fresh start, a new year, better times. It is alive with stirrings of what needs to change. It urges us to reset the status quo, to be made different by the difficulties and painful contractions of 2020.
Though if you’re hoping for a simple rebirth into a brand-new world, you may need to align yourself with the value of struggle. And lots of ups and downs.
The Astrology of 2021
For the astrological archetypes of 2021 paint a picture of volatility. Of a rollercoaster ride. And to make the most of the journey ahead we will need to stabilise change at the same time as we lean into instability and uncertainty.
This juggling act is the learning for 2021.
Here is the dominant astrology pattern in this tricky year. Jupiter and Saturn both journey through Aquarius, causing a clash with Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, now in Taurus.
What is the potential here, and how can you get on board for the ride?
Your pathway through 2021
Your personal pathway through these developments is best guided by how this astrology pattern triggers your birth chart. And I’d love to explore that with you in a Heart’s Plan session should you feel called.
More generally though, let’s consider how you might make 2021 work for you.
We begin by exploring the new Jupiter/Saturn cycle.
On December 21st, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn reunited in the sky for the first time in 20 years. This event, historically known as The Great Chronocrator, signals a brand-new beginning in our personal lives and in world affairs.
Take note, however, that in both January and February 2020 The Great Chronocrator is aggressively activated by other planets in the sky. This is when the real action begins.
To understand how we might use this opportunity for a fresh start, let’s first explore what the archetypes of Jupiter and Saturn mean.
Jupiter and Saturn archetypes
The Jupiter archetype channels an urge to explore new possibilities, to grow, and expand. It helps us see the big picture and to follow what inspires us.
Jupiter is the archetype of the adventurer and the traveller, but it also has a moral nature and drives us toward religion and philosophy. It is the part of us that strives to make meaning of what we discover on our journey through life. (see Jupiter Lights up the Dark with Hope).
Saturn on the other hand, helps us to crystallise in the real world what we find. To make it real, to give it structure and discipline and commitment. It is our drive to survive through the hard times, and to do more than that, to achieve (see Climb a Mountain with Saturn).
Saturn can be a harsh task master but is also just the ticket for trimming the fat off an expansive vision of what could be and making something useful of it.
Jupiter/Saturn says, ‘Get a Plan!’
Although different in nature, these two archetypes make a great pairing. They moderate each other’s least helpful characteristics and balance each other out.
When Jupiter gets too inflated, Saturn clips its wings and brings it back to earth. When Saturn gets too negative or stuck, Jupiter lifts its spirits.
Whether on a personal or collective level, a year of Jupiter/Saturn in partnership is the time to “make something of ourselves and our lives”, according to therapist/astrologer Greg Bogart in ‘Astrology and Meditation.’
It’s time to envision and to plan long term goals and strategies, for better lives and a better world. These are the first steps on the long slog to the mountain top.
Get a plan, folks. But don’t get fussed when you have to change it. As I will now explore more fully.
The Clash with Uranus
The attention-grabbing headline of the news about 2021’s astrology, is that the Jupiter/Saturn urge to grow and build a new vision could be shaken to bits as both planets go through a 90-degree square to Uranus, slowly making its way through Taurus.
This square is acutely activated in January and February, and though Jupiter moves on quite quickly, Saturn and Uranus clash again in June and then December. In fact, they have a fractious relationship all year.
The archetype of Uranus is that of ‘the rebel’. It is the urge to push against the boundaries of the old while seeking the new. Inspired by Uranus energy, you might walk to the beat of a different drummer or join with collective efforts at social reform.
Above all, Uranus functions to ignite change, and its nature is highly volatile.
So be prepared for the best laid plans of mice and men, as the saying goes, to sometimes go awry, as we change course in the flux of 2021.
Whether change be forced or chosen.
The Lightning Strike
It’s the nature of Uranus energy to act suddenly. Like a lightning strike. So it’s not easy to anticipate or plan for the kind of things that happen when Uranus is so activated.
But let’s explore some possibilities.
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Jupiter/Uranus – Thank the Lord!
The brief encounter Uranus has with Jupiter in the early part of 2021 is likely to coincide with welcome change, because it typically signals a positive breakthrough. It feels lucky, excitable, and electric.
Teachers in the archetypal astrology tradition describe it as a peak emancipating experience, as if we break free of the chains of some long-term difficulty. Thank the Lord! At last!
A collective example of this can be seen in the sense of liberation triggered for many by recent election results in the United States. Relief, at last, from the Trump years.
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Saturn/Uranus – The Tower
But the bigger part of the dance with Uranus this year, is its tango with Saturn.
The sudden nature of Saturn/Uranus events typically feels more like crisis. Things go wrong. Often unexpectedly. As if the rug is pulled out from under you. The old collapses. You fall from grace.
Fear, anxiety, and insecurity can be triggered by unwelcome change.
Whenever I work with this energy, I always introduce a tarot card that perfectly makes sense of it to me. The Tower.
The Tower card shows us a king and queen, once safely defended in their stone tower, probably stuck in old habits, cramped yet complacent in their ways, now blasted out of their security by a lightning strike. Hurled out of their comfort zone, and about to land badly.
Exposed, undefended, shocked.
The Upside
Yet also now unencumbered by the old and outdated, the too narrow life. What may have been a limiting situation, has come tumbling down.
The king and queen are now woken from their slumber, and are free to start again. To build anew from the rubble.
And here is the teaching of The Tower. You are now free to build a new life, a life that better fits you. A life less rigid, less stuck, more spacious.
Providing, however, that you can surrender to change. Even if it’s painful.
Easier said than done, you may say. Too true. But perhaps it’s something we can get better at. So here are a couple of resources that might help your thinking.
Build a Bridge
Therapist/astrologer Jessica di Ruzza teaches what she believes to be key to healing a Saturn/Uranus ending. Build a bridge. Build a bridge between the old life container and the new reality.
In my experience, there are a few steps to this process.
First, cultivate calm. Try to pat yourself on the back for how you are managing, as you also seek support for where you need it. Professional counselling can be a great option if difficult feelings arise and to help process what has happened.
Immediate crisis over, then it’s time to explore the resources you have for rebuilding your life. Be open here to all that you bring to the table. Your skills, your character, your support network, your talents, your hobbies, your life experience, your dreams. Take stock.
Then lay first bricks. Take baby steps. And keep going.
Evolutionary astrologer Steven Forrest has one more tip for coping with the sudden upsets of a Saturn/Uranus ending. Improvise like a genius! Play it by ear. Make change your ally.
Embracing Change
The key to a Saturn/Uranus transition is accepting change. Even if it hurts.
But we can do more. 2021 may be the perfect year to willingly embrace some change that you’ve long wanted.
If that’s you, you might like to check out a new podcast by psychologist Dr Rick Hanson.
‘How to Make 2021 Your Best Year’ intelligently explores how to make lasting change, get in touch with what’s holding you back, and make clear commitments to new goals that you want to achieve.
A Rollercoaster Ride
The archetypes and astrological patterns of 2021 speak to volatility, a rollercoaster ride. A year where change becomes the norm.
Both flying high and crashing down to earth are on the cards. Either way, learning to work with change is our lesson.
We may do well to heed the words of father to son in the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘If.’
“If you can meet with triumph or disaster, And treat those two imposters just the same. . .. Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it”
Social Change in 2021
There are many strands to the web of complex social issues we now face. My next post gives special focus to the collective outlook for 2021 and how the astrology points to continued civil unrest.
Some historical parallels will fascinate you. Coming soon.
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