“Like it or not, these are times of radical change. But . . . what is truly radical in these days of flame is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing.” – David Ritter, CEO Greenpeace Australia
I found in my inbox the other day a newsletter that had wonderful stories about wildlife survivors of our bushfires being rescued and cared for at ground zero. “There’s hope among the fires” reports Louse Bonomi of Animals Australia.
Hope.
How does ‘hope’ help us in a difficult time? Not only to keep our heads above water, but to envision a pathway through challenges.
Hope in 2020
Let’s continue to explore the momentous astrology of 2020, but this time with a focus upon the ways that Jupiter will have an impact as it combines with Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn.
Among other things, Jupiter is the archetype of hope. And embracing hope is part of the journey for this year.
Saturn/Pluto . . ..
In ‘Reality Bites!’ I explore how resilience and determination can grow from great suffering, as many people have shown during Australia’s fire disaster. These are qualities we need to do the heavy lifting in a tough Saturn/Pluto year. Even when the fires have stopped burning.
There are so many problems to face in the fallout of what has happened. Rebuilding homes for example. Saving the lives of animals that continue to perish in destroyed habitats because of injury and lack of food and water. Galvanizing social movements to pressure for a helpful political response to climate change.
Phew! In true Saturn/Pluto style becoming responsible for the transformation we need to happen can feel downright heavy. Even as it inspires within us true grit.
. . . . . Meets Jupiter!
Yet Saturn and Pluto are not alone in Capricorn as they end one era and begin another. The giant planet Jupiter joined the party in December 2019 and will remain there throughout 2020.
This is the first time these 3 planets have joined in a conjunction since the early 1980’s. But what makes this occasion such a spectacular opportunity to deeply transform our lives is how close together they remain for the rest of the year. It will be more than a thousand years until they meet again in such a tight and long lasting formation.
Let’s discover what Jupiter will add to the Saturn/Pluto brew.
The story of Jupiter
Jupiter, known as Zeus by the ancient Greeks, is king of the gods. He rules over all he sees from the heights of Mt Olympus, and gods and humans alike defer to him.
The planet that is his namesake aptly fits this metaphor because Jupiter is a giant planet, monumentally bigger than any other planet in the solar system.
Stephen Fry describes the young Zeus in the wonderful book Mythos as radiant, confident, quick to laugh and destined to lead. Fry tells us that Zeus “exhibited a blend of zest for life and strength of will that filled even his mother with awe.”
The beneficial nature of his remarkable powers is revealed in the tale of the Horn of Plenty, where the child Zeus, chastened after breaking off the horn of his beloved nanny goat in rough play, magically filled the horn with a never-ending supply of delicious food.
The Jupiter Archetype
For astrologers, the Jupiter archetype is therefore the part of us and the side of life that brings:
- Joy
- Hope
- Optimism
- Inspiration
- Confidence
- Positive outcomes
- And the wisdom of being able to see the ‘big picture’.
Jupiter is for sure a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy. And he pushes us to keep growing; to expand, explore and progress no matter what.
What might we expect when the expansive and uplifting Jupiter archetype meets the dark challenges of Saturn/Pluto in 2020?
Let’s begin by exploring the kind of energy produced when Jupiter combines with Pluto.
Jupiter/Pluto
At the time of writing Jupiter is at 16 degrees Capricorn and will first join up with Pluto at the beginning of April. They meet again in exact conjunction at the end of June, and once more in early November.
This combined energy of Jupiter/Pluto is already available to us and will continue to be strong for the rest of the year.
What kind of energy is this? Here are some ideas.
- a giant sized drive for power, hopefully expressed for the higher good
- ambition and passion
- high drama on the big stage
- raw and vital energy for success and expansion
- helpful energies for any kind of transformation or evolution process
- a regeneration of Nature and wildlife
How Jupiter is what we need
I believe that the Jupiter life force is just what we need for tapping into an ability to do our best on the journey into the shadow that Saturn/Pluto demands in 2020. (See Reality Bites!)
The positive nature of Jupiter can help us discover light in the dark, make meaning of our difficulties and rise to respond to them with hope and vision.
Plenty of astrologers agree, including writer and mystical warrior Jessica Davidson, for whom the optimism and confidence of Jupiter helps “to rebuild and reform the area of your life affected by the Saturn Pluto wrecking ball”. I love that image!
Some astrologers are not so sure. After all, if Pluto/Saturn makes for an intense confrontation with the dark, perhaps Jupiter just makes it bigger?
The Shadow Potential of Jupiter
Jupiter/Pluto is called ‘the Emperor’ archetype because it speaks to an intense drive toward expansion and a grand sense of what is possible. It combines an animal drive that lives in the gut (Pluto) with the kind of uplifting view seen from a mountain top (Jupiter).
Great power and vision can be used for good or ill.
Gandhi, for example, had Jupiter/Pluto in his birth chart and it was expressed lifelong as a forceful yet peaceful protest against India’s British rulers. Gandhi had the ‘moral power’ of Jupiter/Pluto and was a force for good in the evolution of his country.
Yet Jupiter/Pluto has a darker face once the drive to do good tilts over into righteousness.
Other negative expressions of this archetype include arrogance, narcissism and an unwavering belief that the ends justify the means. The drive to seek more and more can become ruthless and selfish (as in the worst of Jupiter’s behaviour, with rapes and promiscuity part and parcel of his story).
Donald Trump experienced a powerful personal transit of Jupiter/Pluto throughout his elevation to the US presidency and much of his current term in power. Many would see in him a theatrical display of the Emperor’s shadow side.
As always, we get to choose which of the many possibilities of an archetype we live out. Whether the Emperor within is light or dark depends on you.
Jupiter/Saturn – foundations of a new era
Unlike the extensive dance between Jupiter and Pluto this year, Jupiter and Saturn only meet once in an exact conjunction, on the summer solstice of 21st December. These events remarkably coincide in a way that sets the stage for 2021, and long thereafter.
Prior to this, Jupiter and Saturn get as close as 4 degrees apart in April and May, when both appear stationary in the sky and their energies intensify. Jupiter/Pluto will also be intense then, and Saturn/Pluto will continue to prevail. It should be an interesting time that offers us each a good feel for how all these energies are encouraging a turning point in our lives.
Jupiter/Saturn lays down the groundwork for an important new beginning at the end of 2020, when the challenges of Saturn/Pluto are in their final throes. Astrologers have been very much looking forward to this event, and it deserves to be more fully explored in a dedicated post. So, stay tuned for more on that.
And now?
Meanwhile, now is the time to open to the archetypal energy of Jupiter/Pluto and positive potential within your own being and your circumstances. What lights you up? What is rewarding to do? What are you passionate about? In your answers lie clues to a path forward.
By looking for the positive you just might find that within any Saturn/Pluto trials you might experience there is hope and meaning and the vision of a new dawn.
“If there’s a silver lining in the clouds of smoke, it’s that this could be a tipping point. Australia’s bushfires could be the catalyst that pushes the world to mass recognition that it’s time to act.” – Michael Mann, The Guardian 3.2.20
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