THE WORLD STAGE
On Mar. 21st, 2020, at 11:58 pm EDT, Saturn entered Aquarius. Whenever outer planets change signs, astrologers often mark these moments as note-worthy times in history. As we speak, the whole world is currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturn, the planet signifying limits, restrictions and boundaries, are apt descriptive words of the current reality everyone is dealing with. Social distancing became the buzz word, while Saturn spent its last moments in Capricorn. Saturn will retrograde back into Capricorn on Jul. 1st, 2020. It will return to Aquarius on Dec. 17th, 2020 and will stay there until Mar. 8th, 2023.
When Saturn was in Capricorn since Dec. 2017 until just recently, it's most crucial transits were its co-presence and conjunction with Pluto and the South Node eclipses. On Jan. 12th, 2020, Saturn and Pluto conjoined at 22º Capricorn, starting a new cycle between these two outer planets. When Mars, the planet of action, entered Capricorn on Feb. 16th, 2020, we watched the world bent over and grappled with the quickly spreading COVID-19 infection. Authorities had to impose border and travel restrictions to contain the virus. The economic recession appears inevitable as most industries come to a halt.
Nonetheless, it has been impressive to watch how some governments provided fundamental and economic human rights in light of the current global emergency. Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn in many ways, exposed old power structures that can no longer hold and support itself. Necessitating all levels of reform with COVID-19 as a catalyst.
Now with Saturn in Aquarius, the world is adjusting to what may potentially be a new reality. A new world order. In a capitalist paradigm, profit and consumption are its primary mechanism of function. Now, people are having to adapt to what appears to be a rationing of scarce resources - money, bodies, time and space. Communities are called to strengthen their connections to survive isolation during physical distancing. Front line health care workers are fighting in desperation to support the gravely ill. Some countries' health care systems are unable to give them appropriate protection. The amount of people dying at a short amount of time seems unprecedented for most of us who have not lived through and survived wars. Saturn's entry into Aquarius is urgently and promptly compelling us to change the ways we live. If we are to survive this moment in history.
JUPITER AND SATURN IN AQUARIUS
Saturn dips into Aquarius from Mar. 21st to Jul. 1st. It gives us a glimpse into what the future will be like with an elemental shift from earth to air. Saturn will be joined by Jupiter on Dec. 19th, 2020, for a year, which marks a new 200-year cycle of an Air Elemental Era (read this) and finishing off the last 200 years of the Earth Elemental Era. The last 2 centuries, or Earth Era, have seen the rise of industrialization of all kinds of trades.
The Air Era is perhaps about moving towards more intellectual and technological breakthroughs. At a much faster pace than the Earth Era. As well, the air element is concerned with making and maintaining social connections. Now more than ever, the internet is serving to be a thread that facilitates instant contact and communication. It is important to mention that Aquarius is an air sign that is about the conception of equality and freedom. It is most concerned with moving humanity forward. Aquarius does this through the tools that Saturn provides, which are about stable rules and rooted ideals. It is concerned with macro-level and big picture perspectives. Points of view that affect the collective more than the individual. This is the kind of world we need to nurture now.
SATURN AND URANUS WANING SQUARES IN 2021
Saturn in Aquarius' immediate conundrum is its squares to Uranus in Taurus in 2021. Saturn will square Uranus three times in 2021 in February, June and December.
Uranus is the great liberator and disruptor. Its transits can be a catalyst for innovation and change. A move away from tradition. Exposures and review of authority figures are common. As well, technological breakthroughs, natural disasters and accidents are usually linked with Uranus. Chaos is essentially Uranus' nature.
Saturn, on the other hand, is about limits, rules and authority. Saturn is tradition. The old and the time-tested. Saturn's myths are often linked to the god of time and death. It rules the end and the boundary of all things. The maker, we humans, will all have to meet one day. Crushing our ego's delusion of eternal youth and immortality.
Saturn in a stressful contact with Uranus can often incite instability, political unrest and violence in the world stage. In our individual lives, it can manifest as sudden and dramatic shifts. As well as discomfort and resistance against change. Their squares in 2021 will be a waning aspect, bringing to awareness of outdated structures that require reorientation and revision.
Let's look back at the last waxing square and opposition between these two outer planets in the past. To help us make sense of what may come up. There are a lot of significant cycles you can look at when it comes to astrological cycles. You can go as macroscopic or microscopic as you'd like. For my purposes, I'd like to look at the more recent and smaller period of Saturn & Uranus in the 20th and 21st centuries.
*Please note, I am not versed in mundane astrology - the study of nations, world politics and global events. The dates stated below are correlations I find interesting, especially around the themes of natural disasters, radical change, pushing against norms, power, and government rule. I want to be clear that such events would have a more complicated confluence of astrological factors. And therefore am not saying that solely Saturn & Uranus are the cause. That would be reductive and oversimplistic.
Image source: “Tickets issued to former President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty”
SATURN AND URANUS WAXING SQUARES IN 1999-2000
Saturn was in Taurus and Uranus in Aquarius back in 1999-2000 when they aspected each other. They squared each other in July and November 1999 and May 2000. Back then, Saturn was in a waxing square aspect to Uranus. Waxing squares signify a time that is about constructing, building and taking action. As opposed to what's coming up in 2021, where it will be a waning square which is about deconstructing, breaking down and turning away.
Interesting that they were in the signs they're in now, back then. Taurus, an earth sign, highlighting issues about resources and Aquarius, an air sign, focusing on themes about equality. Some notable events in 1999-2000 are:
1999 (copied from source):
Jan. 1st, 1999 The Euro currency is introduced
Jan. 7th, 1999 President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial begins in the US Senate after the House voted to impeach him for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. He was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial on Feb. 12th, 1999
Jan. 20th, 1999 The China News Service announces new government restrictions on Internet use aimed especially at Internet cafés
Feb. 12th, 1999 Scientists warn about harmful impacts on health of genetically modified (GM) food
Mar 29th, 1999 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 10006.78 - above the 10,000 mark for the first time ever
Apr. 20th, 1999 Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School, Colorado
May 27th, 1999 The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo
Jul 16th, 1999 John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy. (Saturn exactly squared Uranus on Jul 17th, 1999)
Aug 1st, 1999 Petronas Towers officially opened in Kuala Lumpur as the world's tallest building by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at 451.9 m (1483 ft)
Nov 27th, 1999 New Zealand's Labour Party defeats the National-led government after 9 years in power, Helen Clark becomes the first elected female Prime Minister in New Zealand's history
Dec 17th, 19999 The United Nations General Assembly passes resolution 54/134 designating November 25 as the annual International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women
Dec 20th, 1999 Portugal returns Macau to China
2000 (copied from source):
Jan 13th, 2000 Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and promotes company president Steve Ballmer to the position
Feb 14th, 2000 The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
Mar 10th, 2000 The NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signalling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom
May 2nd, 2000 President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military
May 3rd, 2000 The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
May 24th, 2000 Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation.
Jun 13th, 2000 South Korean President Kim Dae Jung meets the leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il, for the beginning of the first-ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang
Jun 16th, 2000 Israel complies with UN Security Council Resolution 425 after 22 years, which calls on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon. Israel withdraws from all of Lebanon, except the disputed Sheba Farms
Jun 21st, 2000 Section 28 (outlawing the 'promotion' of homosexuality in the United Kingdom) is repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote
Aug 1st, 2000 First patient to receive the Jarvik 2000, the first total artificial heart that can maintain blood flow in addition to generating a pulse
Sep 12th, 2000 Holland (the Netherlands) passes law allowing same-gender marriage, adoption and divorce.
Sep 26th, 2000 Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 20,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
Nov 2nd, 2000 The first crew arrives at the International Space Station.
Nov 7th, 2000 Controversial US presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is inconclusive; the result, in Bush's favour, is eventually resolved by the Supreme Court
Nov 7th, 2000 Hillary Clinton is elected to the US Senate, becoming first US First Lady to win public office and while still the First Lady
Nov 13th, 2000 Philippine House Speaker Manuel B. Villar, Jr. passes the articles of impeachment against Philippine President Joseph Estrada
Dec 12th, 2000 US Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore, settling the recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election in George W. Bush's favour and thus handing him the presidency
Image source: “President Barack Obama receives his flu jab during the 2009 swine flu pandemic”
SATURN AND URANUS OPPOSITION IN 2008-2010
Saturn was in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces back in 2008-2010 when they aspected each other. Saturn was in and out of Virgo and Libra in 2009-2010 and Uranus entered Aries in 2010. They opposed each other in November 2008, February and September 2009, and April 2010 with Saturn in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces. In May 2010, they opposed each other with Saturn in Libra and Uranus in Aries. Back then, Saturn was opposing Uranus. Oppositions signify a time of culmination. It is the halfway point since Saturn and Uranus' conjunction in 1988.
The Virgo and Pisces axis noted the tension between the granular details in the physical world against the overwhelming vastness of our shared collective circumstances. The Libra and Aries axis, on the other hand, looked at the tension between our shared realities and our unique individualities.
Some notable events in 2008, 2009 and 2010 are:
2008 (copied from source):
Jan 21st, 2008 Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.
Jan 22nd, 2008 Heath Ledger, Australian-American Actor (Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight), dies of a drug overdose at 28
Feb 24th, 2008 Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba due to ill health after nearly fifty years
May 2nd, 2008 Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless
May 10th, 2008 Philippine court acquits Imelda Marcos in a 17-year-old case of 32 counts of illegal transfer of wealth totalling $863 million in Swiss bank accounts
May 12th, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people
Sep 29th, 2008 Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, its largest single-day point loss, following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual
Oct 24th, 2008 "Bloody Friday" saw many of the world's stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices.
Nov 4th, 2008 Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate John McCain
Nov 13th, 2008 Germany's economy, Europe's largest, contracts by 0.5% in the third quarter after GDP fell 0.4% in the second quarter, putting it in recession for the first time in five years
Nov 14th, 2008 Italy plunges into recession, it's first since the start of 2005, after GDP contracts a steeper-than-expected 0.5% in the third quarter
Nov 14th, 2008 Hong Kong becomes the second Asian economy to tip into recession, its exports hit by weakening global demand
Nov 14th, 2008 Eurozone officially slips into recession for the first time since its creation in 1999, pushed down by recessions in Germany and Italy
Nov 17th, 2008 Japan, the world's second-biggest economy, slides into its first recession in seven years
Nov 20th, 2008 After critical failures in the US financial system began to build up after mid-September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level since 1997.
Nov 23rd, 2008 Economists at the University of Hawaii report that the state entered recession in the previous quarter based on the drop in tourist figures and growing unemployment, with 8,800 jobs expected to be cut in 2009
Nov 28th, 2008 Sweden technically enters the recession after experiencing a contraction of 0.1% in the second and third quarter
Dec 1st, 2008 The US economy has been in recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research announces today
2009 (copied from source):
Jan 3rd, 2009, Israeli ground forces invade Gaza.
Jan 3rd, 2009 The Bitcoin network is created as the first block of the digital currency is mined by a person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto
Jan 6th, 2009 Israel begins an assault on the Gaza Strip
Jan 15th, 2009 Chesley Sullenberger lands US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in NYC. All passengers and crew members survive in what becomes known as the "Miracle on the Hudson."
Jan 20th, 2009 Barack Obama, inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becomes the United States' first African-American president and Joe Biden assumes the office of the Vice President of the United States
Jan 23rd, 2009 UK officially enters recession as GDP falls by 1.5% in the last quarter of 2008 following a 0.6% drop in the third quarter, with unemployment growing by 131,000 to 1.92 million (6.1%)
Feb 2nd, 2009 "RuPaul's Drag Race" hosted by RuPaul premieres on Logo TV
Feb 8th, 2009 Singer Rihanna cancels appearance at the Grammys after being assaulted by boyfriend, Chris Brown
Feb 13th, 2009 The Dutch Statistics agency confirms the Netherlands are in a recession
Feb 18th, 2009 The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics announced that the Taiwanese economy has contracted an unprecedented 8.36% in the fourth quarter of 2008; thus placing the country in a technical recession
In March 2009, a new strain of the H1N1 influenza virus began circulating in Mexico. From there, the virus rapidly spread around the world.
Mar 25th, 2009 Gay dating site Grindr launched by Joel Simkhai, first-ever dating application to combine dating information and location
Mar 28th, 2009 The first cases of H1N1 swine flu in the United States occur in two people in California
Apr 15th, 2009 Even though official government sources state that Argentina's GDP will actually grow this year, private consulting firms state that the Argentine economy has actually been in recession since October 2008
May 20th, 2009 Mexico is the first Latin American country to officially enter recession
May 25th, 2009 Thailand’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter of 2009, contracting the most in a decade and plunging the nation into recession
Jun 2nd, 2009 Switzerland officially enters the global recession
Jun 5th, 2009 Chile officially enters recession; it is the first South American country to enter the global recession
Jun 11th, 2009 The World Health Organization declares H1N1 swine flu to be a global pandemic, the first such incident in over forty years and making it the first pandemic of the 21st century.
Jun 25th, 2009 Michael Jackson, American recording artist, entertainer and King of Pop music (The Jackson 5, Thriller, Dangerous) dies of cardiac arrest at 50
Jun 25th, 2009 Farrah Fawcett, American actress (Charlie's Angels, The Burning Bed), dies of anal cancer at 62
Jun 30th, 2009 Turkey records its fastest contraction of 13.8% in the first quarter of 2009 compared to 2008, leading the country into recession; this is Turkey's biggest economic slump since 1945
Jul 4th, 2009 The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after 8 years, due to security reasons following the World Trade Center attacks
Sep 26th, 2009 Typhoon Ketsana (2009) hit the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, causing 700 fatalities.
Oct 7th, 2009 A digital version of psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung's 'Red Book' is published 48 years after his death and contains personal notes on his subconscious during the period in which he developed his principal theories
Oct 24th, 2009 First International Day of Climate Action, organized with 350.org, a global campaign to address a claimed global warming crisis.
Nov 22nd, 2009 President Hugo Chávez states that Venezuela is in recession as the economy contracted 4.5% in the third quarter
Dec 20th, 2009 US President Barack Obama receives his vaccine jab against H1N1 flu
Dec 27th, 2009 The World Health Organization says 208 countries, territories and communities have reported H1N1 cases, including at least 12,220 deaths
2010 (copied from source):
Jan 4th, 2010 The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed HIV infection from its list of communicable diseases of public health significance.
Jan 4th, 2010 The Burj Khalifa, world's tallest building at 829.8 m (2,722 ft), officially opens in Dubai
Jan 12th, 2010 Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
Apr 14th, 2010 Icelandic Volcano Eyjafjallajökull begins erupting from the top crater in the centre of the glacier
Apr 15th, 2010 Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.
Apr 20th, 2010 The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes, killing 11 and causing the rig to sink, causing a massive oil discharge into the Gulf of Mexico and an environmental disaster
Aug 4th, 2010 California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative prohibiting same-sex marriage passed by the state's voters in 2008, is overturned by Judge Vaughn Walker in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger
Sep 9th, 2010 A court in the Philippines orders Imelda Marcos to repay the government almost $280,000 for funds taken from the National Food Authority by Ferdinand Marcos in 1983
Dec 22nd, 2010 Repeal of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell policy", a 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the US military, signed into law by President Barack Obama
Dec 31st, 2010 Post-apocalyptic zombie TV series "The Walking Dead" premieres, starring Andrew Lincoln and Jon Bernthal on AMC
To bring it all back to the present moment, I foretell that Saturn in Aquarius in 2020-2023 will be about facing a new reality and adjusting to the changes that are happening around us. Governments are tasked to adapt and evolve to the fast-changing landscape of human life. The use of technology will advance and will be a more rooted part of our daily lives. There will be more ethical considerations about our use of technology and robotics. Inquiries about our ecological crisis will arise, and long-term solutions must be found urgently. Economic rights will always be an issue, especially in the context of a potential recession due to COVID-19. I find it interesting that in the last Saturn and Uranus opposition in 2009, WHO announced the H1N1 flu as the first pandemic of the 21st century. Look at where we are now. How we allocate resources and the global wealth disparity will become more prominent for the years to come. The year 2020, as I mentioned in my overview, is liminal. We are transitioning into a new era. And we must change our fundamental ideas of human governance to move forward.
So how will this potentially affect you in your own lives?
IN YOUR PERSONAL LIVES
SATURN RETURNS
Saturn completes a full cycle around your birth charts at roughly every 29 years. Saturn in the sky returns to the same zodiacal position as it was during your birth. The pivotal and cyclical returns of Saturn often mark periods of immense growth. People often describe these periods as a kind of crisis. If you’re 28-30, 56-58 and 87-89 years old, then you are experiencing a Saturn return.
Similar to a New Moon Phase, Saturn Returns is all about NEW BEGINNINGS, EMERGENCE AND CREATION. It is also about maturing and acquiring wisdom through life experiences. The changes often include loss, grief and growing pains. Saturn requires us to nurture what we want to build for the long term. If it’s not worth our time and effort, often we are faced with a harsh reality check of letting these situations go.
Think of the house(s) and life topics implicated in your chart. This can point to clues as to how you might experience the upcoming challenges and what kinds of events may take place. Day charts will tend to experience this as a challenging but constructive time. While night charts may have a harder go at it. As always, the whole chart and the current and symbolic moment in time have to be considered to get more details and nuance. Either way, growth is inevitable. If you want a detailed conversation about your Saturn Return, I offer a Saturn Return focused reading.
SATURN SQUARES & OPPOSITIONS
People who were born with Saturn in the other fixed signs - Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio, will be experiencing challenging Saturn aspects while Saturn is in Aquarius. You will be undergoing pivotal transits that mark a turning point since your Saturn Return.
If you were born with Saturn in Scorpio, you would be encountering a waxing square aspect from Saturn in Aquarius. Similar to a First Quarter Moon Phase, this is a Crisis in Action. Considering the themes of your Saturn Return, this is the moment to DECIDE, ACT, and BUILD. Saturn in Scorpio natives will start to experience the tension building up since your Saturn Return. You're called to come up with concrete and definite plans to carry out your goals. Like there’s a chip on your shoulder, and you've got something to prove. This is also a time where you feel the need to be more determined and ambitious. It's time to take risks and take action!
If you were born with Saturn in Leo, you would be experiencing an opposition aspect from Saturn in Aquarius. Similar to a Full Moon Phase, this is a culmination of your Saturn Return cycle. This is the moment to FULFILL, REALIZE and CLARIFY. This can be a very idealistic but also uncomfortable time for Saturn in Leo natives. Where you become acutely aware of the tensions and need for balance regarding the houses/areas of life that are affected. A compromise has to be reached for you to move forward.
Finally, If you were born with Saturn in Taurus, you would be experiencing a waning square aspect from Saturn in Aquarius. Similar to a Last Quarter Moon Phase, this is a Crisis in Consciousness. Considering the themes of your Saturn Return, this is the moment to REORIENT and REVISE. Saturn in Taurus natives will be confronted with the need to re-evaluate and re-align with who they are now. And to abolish outdated structures and old core beliefs. Considering your Saturn Return themes long ago, there can be a dramatic shift and alteration of your path.
And so to end, I send wishes of good luck to all of the folks with Saturn in fixed signs (Aquarius especially, Taurus, Leo and Scorpio). We are at a crossing. And humans are made to persist and survive. I wish us all the best and may we have the gracefulness to accept what we cannot change.