For a few hours early this morning, we have four objects occupying the very first degree of a sign. The sun and Mercury are in the first degree of Capricorn (Happy Solstice!), and Jupiter and Saturn are in the first degree of Aquarius (Happy Great Conjunction!). Not long after Mercury moves into the 2nd degree of Capricorn, the moon will cross the Aries point and move into the first degree of Aries.
Adjacent signs are the most contrasting. The imagery I received this morning was this: remember times driving along a road with a consistent surface and then crossing over a boundary to one of a completely different surface. The ride changes. The sound of the tires against the road changes. Sometimes it gets very quiet and smooth. Sometimes, for example when traveling across a bridge common on the east coast, the tires start to hum and clap.
When a planet crosses a cusp, it is similar to that. The ambient tune quickly shifts to a different note.
When an outer planet crosses a cusp, it is not unusual for some event to occur that matches the change in vibration. It can happen on the day or within a week or so. With two planets crossing the same cusp within days and then conjoining, I would only think the chances of (an) event(s) would only increase.
I am not the kind of astrologer that does readings every day, but I do enough readings to form my own theories about certain configurations. For example, when a planet is about to cross a person’s Ascendant and occupies that last degree above it, there often occurs a challenge of some kind. It needn’t be an event per se; it could simply be some old thought or emotion coming up…or even getting sick for a few days.
I have come to call this point of the chart a place of garbage collection. Before the planet can begin a new cycle, it needs to unload the waste from the previous cycle. When it does this, it hands it to you! If nothing else, you need to process the data in one way or the other.
When a planet crosses a cusp, maybe we have the same sort of thing going on. Saturn, for example, has been traveling through Capricorn since December 19, 2017. If you remember, the sun crossed that cusp two days later. Saturn did dip into Aquarius for a time earlier this year and then backed out of it. As of December 16, 2020, it is in Aquarius for the long haul…until early March 2023.
Saturn’s time in Capricorn, one of two signs that it rules, was a doozie, given all of the influence of Pluto and Jupiter. I personally don’t think we have been handed that bag of waste just yet. I don’t think we are fully conscious of or yet know the extent of how much has already changed.
Saturn is a unique planet. It is the only one that rules adjacent signs. Capricorn is the earthy, structural, foundational aspect of Saturn. Aquarius is the airy, electric aspect of Saturn. Capricorn, though dynamic, is rules-based and desirous of structure. Aquarius, though a fixed sign and thus drawn toward stability, is simultaneous rebellious, albeit unintentionally. What I mean is this: Aquarius does not set out to be contrarian. Aquarius (and many Aquarians) are here to be unique, firmly and even rigidly. Since it is “baked in” to the archetype, it comes across as rebellious. The fact is, Aquarius simply want to be his or her true self and will not settle for anything less.
Here is where you can see the stark contrast with Capricorn. Capricorn wants structure, which means it wants everyone to fall in line. It wants consensus and agreement. It wants everyone to do his or her part…out of a sense of duty. Aquarius knows its part. The problem arises when the part assigned by a supposed authority does not match what Aquarius knows about itself.
We are moving into the Aquarian Age, which some will tell you starts today; others will tell you started 8 years ago on 12/21/2012, and still others will tell you it has not yet officially started until Pluto enters the sign in a few years.
The Aquarian Age will consist of two very different things at the same time.
1: Aquarius, being innately tied to uniqueness and thus sovereignty, will inspire every individual to choose who they are and who they want to be, which will also inspire many of us to reject the roles assigned to us from the outside by any form of so called authority.
2: Aquarius also elevates focus toward humanity at large.
But notice that there is a way for these two very different perspectives to live together and in harmony. It simply requires each person to choose her or his role (and let everyone else choose too). Peer-pressure, obligation, shaming, commanding, controlling, coercing, requiring, forcing, and mandating will not work in the Aquarius Age.
Capricorn creates rules (laws). Aquarius pushes them aside. Again, it is not about anarchy, it is simply because the elevated aspect of Aquarius knows its purpose so well, it cannot be talked out of it, cannot be forced out of it, cannot be manipulated out of it.
The last three signs of the Zodiac, which together from the 4th quadrant, all relate to the collective in some way. Capricorn wants to arrange everyone into a structure, which has layers. This model does function…for a while, but it simultaneously rewards those who make it to the upper layers at the expense of those in the lower layers. To be happy in Capricorn, one must be the goat and continually climb the mountain. As long as you’re climbing, it is not a bad life. But climbing is not for everyone.
Aquarius elevates the individual while also inspiring humanitarianism. The basic idea is, for everyone to be free, every one must be free. You cannot promote humanitarianism and condemn individualism. True humanitarianism must have individualism within it. The stronger the Aquarius within you (regardless of your sign), the more drawn toward being who you really are you will be. This won’t be selfish per se. You won’t be you at the expense of others, but you will be you regardless of the pressure of others.
Pisces then furthers that experience of oneness through the emotional aspect. Aquarius, as an air sign, is more aware of the ideas and concepts of both individualism and humanitarianism. With Pisces, empathy brings it to a whole new level. Empathy is a tangible experience which begins to reveal the invisible connections among us. When we feel what others feel, we begin to understand their perspective in ways we cannot otherwise.
The Ages, like the nodes of the moon, move through the Zodiac in reverse order. That certainly keeps things interesting.
For the next 3-4 years, Pluto is going to continue to do its bidding in Capricorn, further inspiring us to evolve the collective structures that are no longer serving humanity adequately. That means some of them will crumble; some will be transformed; and some will rise up out of aether. During this same time, Saturn will be re-acquainting us with the Aquarian archetype preparing us for the next phase…and the next…and the next.
A Fool's Inclination 