Tuesday 30 June 2020

JULY 2020 GLOBAL ASTROLOGICAL OVERVIEW



Saturn speaks truth to power (Pluto), but it is an inconvenient truth to those in power whose ego is significantly greater than their wisdom. The more power is abused however, the more Saturn hurts.

The current combination of Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter all more or less conjunct in Capricorn, is as rare as it gets. This conjunction started significantly in late February, which was when the virus took hold and became significant in all our consciousness.  Its virtual total global reach is the first time in human history.

Capricorn is all about the establishment and the economic system. Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) however puts a break on everything it touches and brings serious reality checks that we need to learn from. He is not called the karmic schoolteacher or benevolent despot for nothing.  Saturn always calls time on abuse of power. Hence the ruthless power of Pluto, and the growth and freedom factor of Jupiter, related to the economy, have all been drastically curtailed by the karmic power of the necessity principle of Saturn.

It is significant of course that England is a Capricorn country and the USA is Cancerian country, both especially powerfully affected by this whole crisis i.e. England by conjunction from these current Capricorn planetary placements, and the USA by opposition from them.

Climate change has also been hugely brought to our attention since Saturn entered Capricorn at the end of 2017, a real heads up to what the fallout can be for the health of our planet, resulting from our blind pursuit of eternal economic growth…Then along came the Covid crisis, a globalised pandemic.

Since late March however, when Saturn left Capricorn and moved temporarily into very early Aquarius, focus has been by necessity, turned to issues that the sign rules, i.e. research /technology relating to medical science and also the necessary limitation of our freedoms (not least in aviation, also ruled by Aquarius).

We have also however recognised since then, the limitations of science, when time for a solution is short. This virus proves very challenging to deal with in terms of the time span needed to find a vaccine and for creating efficient test, trace and track systems, not least in England. As a result, patience has been sorely tested, and a return to normality and economic rescue, is longed for and seen as urgent.

This has created a major and not so subtle conflict between these two principles, i.e. ongoing caution to secure health/safety/lives, versus the economic priorities/freedom.

 After Saturn left Capricorn in late March (temporarily), Jupiter in Capricorn (confidence, expansion, optimism,)  gradually moved to get closer to Pluto (power, determination) and they finally formed an exact conjunction, starting on June the 23rd. This combination in Capricorn, without the brake of Saturn, brought a huge and somewhat ruthless determination to restart the economy, and possibly a blind optimism and confidence to move forward. This is understandable, but caution/reality (Saturn) has simultaneously been downgraded significantly.

There has been of course, reflecting these planetary energies, an understandable powerful push by business and of course the political powers that be, to reprioritise the economy, as the truly scary economic fallout of the pandemic sets in. 

Hence lock down has quickly loosened in many places...a decision has been made and medical scientific advice is somewhat downgraded.

However on the 1st of this month, Saturn returned to Capricorn, staying till mid December. Between now and then, the massive fallout for the economy will indeed be revealed and the virus, because of our returned freedoms, will also return in significant waves and once again the conflict of choice between life or the economy will be powerful. Saturn, back in Capricorn, will once again put pressure on Pluto and Jupiter, and once again put the brakes on our freedoms in many places, and therefore on the economy. This can only of course ironically set back the economy even more. There will be a nemesis .

When the choice can be quite starkly boiled down to either protecting life or a healthy economy, something is wrong.  Some libertarians can also interpret it as authoritarian governmental control versus freedom. This whole period astrologically is however designed to show us that our socio-economic system is basically flawed, especially as this virus is anyway a bi product of our interference in and exploitation of nature and its creatures, on the sole altar of economic growth/survival.

When a catastrophic economic crisis happens as a result of more or less 3 months of economic pause, it shows us how fragile our economic system is, especially as events like epidemics and social crisis/upheaval/war are thankfully rare, but nevertheless periodic facts. For major socio/economic systems not to be properly economically prepared for such an event, is both naïve and arrogant.

 From the 18th of December however, Jupiter along with Saturn will both start their committed journey through Aquarius (again a rare combining). This will genuinely begin a lengthy period of increased enlightenment and potentially major leaps in benevolent scientific and medical advance. It will also flag up a potentially more humanitarian and planet centred value system. Out of the ashes, the sight of a beginning of a phoenix rising, is really possible then and is actually essential.

Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2025 and only ever 248 years) has basically seen a ruthless growth in global neo liberal capitalism, with all its fallout. This ultimately has the seeds of its own destruction Whatever sign that Pluto is passing through, is where there is a real potential for abuse of power in the arena of life that the sign  rules. The whole climate change issue / pollution issue and now a global health issue is a linked, combined and growing crisis, that is beyond massive. Saturn being closely involved has had the job of seriously flagging this up and tryng to force lessons..

This month there is another lunar eclipse and coincidentally, it’s on the 5th, as it was last month.  Just as last month it correlated with an eruption of global demonstrations against racism, and saw the collective frustration from lockdown emerge, so again this month’s eclipse may well signal an eruption of anger/frustrations/shock, but its focus will more likely be connected to economic matters, as it is in Capricorn. (It was in Sagittarius last month).

Mercury moves direct on the 12th having been retrograde since the 18th of June. This does signal a greater certainty of what the direction of travel really should be, after weeks of global uncertainties and confusion.

Around the 16th when the Sun opposes Pluto there is tension and crisis is in the air internationally, especially in the States and around the 27th, significant dishonesty, sleight of hand and denial of truth are likely, not least from some of our leaders.

Boris Johnson has Mars opposing his ascendant on the 17th/18th. A period for him of much confrontation from others.

Trump has Pluto opposing his Saturn all month and indeed all the first half of August.
This significant, rare (every 248 years) and powerful transit, which haunts him till next January, certainly challenges him to the core. Instability and inevitable change is forced upon him. Lack of control of his situation becomes apparent to him and his reactions will be a sort of fight or flight response. His survival urge will become primeval and desperate in manifestation. However because he has Jupiter involved in the opposition between the 1st and 10th, his compensatory confidence and over reaching ego then, will not do him any favours. The US economy from late July till December will also likely be increasingly challenged in an unprecedented way, as Saturn and Pluto haunt the economics of the US chart.

Lets not forget that Neptune is still in Pisces remaining there till April 2025 and it does indeed symbolise invisible spread of issues and events and with no boudaries, both positive and negative (an example, apart from the pandemic, was how the Black Lives Matter demonstrations reverberated so quickly around the world.) It also symbolises a very necessary increasing awareness of a global need to re think our value system and above all the need to recognise the power of nature and our need to have much greater reverence for it.