2020, the year that time stood still...
2020 is a life defining year. So what’s really going on?
We are experiencing a massive world reset. Time to set the whole thing back to its factory settings… This massive reboot is taking us forward to 2021 and beyond. In many ways, 2020 is the world coming of age. And it’s time for us all to do the same in our own lives.
Time to take responsibility for our own happiness and for the world we create.
So why is 2020 so important?
Astrology is the study of cycles. And many of the regular cycles that formed the basis of our current way of life, like the Jupiter-Saturn, Saturn-Pluto and Jupiter-Pluto cycles, are now coming to a close.
Many of the cycles that formed the basis of our current way of life are now coming to a close.
The industrial revolution of the 19th century, the modern western consumerist society borne of the 1950’s, the free market capitalism ideals of the 1980’s and the hyper-materialism launched in the 2000’s - these are all summary ending, spiralling inward, eventually to give birth to new expansion. And that’s big! Because, in their place are now seeded new cycles: a new digital age, and a major social, political and financial restructure.
As the world folds back into itself in 2020, a new age is born.
This is a new era that is going to unfold over the next couple of centuries or so. The advent of the digital age has been long in coming. It got kickstarted with the electronic permeation of our every day life in the 1980’s, when Jupiter and Saturn met in air sign Libra. Next we got the internet in the 1990s and a whole cascade of both technological and intellectual breakthroughs . And, the most exciting part? This is only the beginning...
What an ironic way to start the digital age: the world has a virus and needs a reboot! If January 2020 is what kicks off the corrupted programme, then the virus spreads throughout 2020 until finally, in December 2020, brand new software is installed.
Read More About the Planetary Cycles That Define 2020!
These conjunctions lie at the heart of the current reset and the new world order that will continue to influence our world for years to come and so deserve an entire section all of their own. Check it out:
The Saturn-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn of January 2020, which will colour the next three to four decades.
The triple Jupiter-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn which takes place throughout 2020, with its most intense moments in April, June-July and November 2020, changing our society for years to come.
And finally, the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction in Aquarius of December 2020, which ushers in a whole new digital, vibrational and informational space age for the next 200 years or so!
Also stay tuned for what this all means for your seasoned slice of pie in the the sky (aka your zodiac sign) and how you can make the most of the seeds planted this year in your own life.
But that’s not all...
These important planetary cycles of Saturn-Pluto, Jupiter-Pluto and Jupiter-Saturn may form the backbone of current events but there’s more to this year, much more.
Amid all this massive restructure, we also have all a bunch of retrograde planets - the maximum number in fact - not to mention no less than six eclipses - again the maximum possible number.
Every planet that can go retrograde does this year, with Mars, Venus and Mercury being the most noteworthy, as they turn our attention inwards. Meanwhile, the eclipses transition from Cancer and Capricorn into Gemini and Sagittarius, as do the Lunar Nodes, shifting our attention to new problems and solutions. By year’s end, as Neptune crosses the Lunar Nodes, you’ll be ready to fine-tune your radio-receiver to a whole other level of experience and understanding.
With such major forces moving through the world en masse, 2020 is sure to be a life-defining year.
Jupiter sextile Neptune: Dare to Dream...
The one silver lining? Jupiter in Capricorn sextiles Neptune in Pisces all year long, creating fertile ground in which to dream. Jupiter-Neptune is the most inspirational, compassionate and spiritual influence imaginable. Jupiter and Neptune allow you to dream big and even to begin to realise your dreams, if you only take the chance.
So, dare to dream no matter what’s going on this year. For you won’t get another chance til 2022 when Jupiter and Neptune meet again.
This Jupiter sextile Neptune aspect peaks on February 20th, July 27th and October 12th 2020.
From May to September 2020, Neptune shields Jupiter from the harsh rays of Pluto for a little while. This should prove to be a less fearful period, compared to March-April and October-November this year.
Venus, Mercury and Mars Retrograde 2020: Look Inside for Answers...
Mercury goes retrograde roughly three times each year but a whole year can go by without Venus or Mars ever turning retrograde. But 2020 is special!
Starting this spring, Venus, Mercury and Mars all go retrograde back to back, creating an interminable holding pattern.
Mercury Retrograde in Water 2020: An Emotional Journey
In 2020 Mercury goes retrograde in water signs for the most part - Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. There, he can delve deeply into the habitual emotional patterns that colour our thinking. And so, this year is an emotional journey, forcing us to examine our needs for security and intimacy, our bonds and all sorts of sentimental and romantic notions.
So, take a deep breath! It’s time to dive into the murky world of feelings, memories and emotional attachments be they to people, situations or attitudes stemming from the past.
Mercury dip into Air this year, if only briefly, (Aquarius in March and Libra in November), delivering a taste of the next element to be scrutinised, starting next year. Here are the dates of Mercury retrograde 2020:
Mercury Retrograde in Pisces 12 to Aquarius 28 degrees, 17th February-10 March 2020 (February-March Shadow) This is a time of inspiration, but also confusion and unclarity.
Mercury Retrograde in Cancer 14-5 degrees, 18 June-12 July 2020 (June-July Shadow). This promises to be the most magical of all retrogrades as Mercury overlaps with Venus retrograde too and the two hold sacred space for a most magical Solar Eclipse around the Summer Solstice!
Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio 11 to Libra 27 degrees, 14 October-3 November 2020 (October-November Shadow) With Mars retrograde during that same period and November 3rd being US Election Day, expect that to be a roller-coaster ride! Mercury casts a particularly heavy shadow on this last retrograde of his in 2020, a shadow firmly held in place by Saturn, demanding that all seriousness, sobriety and due diligence be observed.
Venus Retrograde 2020 in Gemini: Don’t Burst my Bubble!
Venus also goes retrograde this year in Gemini (21-5 degrees) from May 13th to June 25th. She casts a much longer shadow, however, stretching from April 8th all the way to July 25th. This period signifies a relative withdrawal from the usual ways we have of relating to each other, especially in May and June.=
Relationships always go through a period of adjustment when Venus goes retrograde. Our usual ways of relating to one another are no longer available, as we switch off and do an internal recce. It’s as if Venus retrograde puts you in a bubble.
The function of this transit is to cut you off from the real world. It always feels like a hugely significant period, when a strange experience shows you what is truly important to you.
Gemini is the star sign of daily commerce and frivolity, of short trips and communications. All that’s reduced with Venus retrograde in Gemini and it’s suddenly eerily quiet. Venus squares Neptune during her travels with the Sun, putting the world in a romantic almost self-sacrificial trance from April to June 2020. Watch out for June 3rd, when Venus and the Sun meet in Gemini, seeding an important message as to what’s of greatest value to you, which will blossom in March 2021.
Mars Retrograde 2020: Call on the Hero Within
Mars is the next planet to turn retrograde this year, in his home sign Aries, from September 9th to November 13th-14th. Mars begins his journey at the end of July, just as Venus is finally snaps out of it, creating almost a seamless transition. As he spends a whole six months in Aries, he’s sure to create lots of commotion from July onwards.
Unlike the magical period of Spring and early Summer, this second half of 2020 looks to be more contentious, raucous and exhausting, all the way to the end of the year.
Things could start getting out of hand as soon as July 25th, when Mars first begins to tread uncertain ground. By mid-August, as Sun and Mars trine, there’s great confidence, energy and enthusiasm. But it may well be misplaced. For Mars is about to turn and put a damper on the situation. Mars turns retrograde on September 9th with Saturn turning direct shortly after (on the 12th), stemming the tide.
This Mars retrograde period carries some dangers with it.
For Mars squares Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn as he goes forth and back. Watch out for explosive and challenging situations on the 4th, 13th and less so on the 24th August in particular, with some of these themes revisited in a more subdued manner, September 29th to October 9th-10th. October 14th brings the Mars opposition at 21 Aries, a time of stark contrasts. Mars turns direct November 13th-14th, ten days after the US election.
That intervening period - between Mercury turning direct on Election Day and Mars turning ten days later - could well be a nail biter.
Mars resumes his squares to Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn in December 2020 and January 2021. December 23rd could be particularly fierce as Mars squares Pluto. But he’s well out of his retrograde phase when he picks up his conversation with Saturn and Jupiter. Mars enters Taurus on January 6th 2021 then squares Saturn freshly in Aquarius (13/1) and Jupiter freshly in Aquarius too (23/1), bringing Uranus in Taurus to the mix (20/1). January 2021 is sure to light the fuse for the challenges that define 2021!
This current Mars retrograde cycle started on the 19th September at 9 degrees Virgo with the previous Sun-Mars conjunction. It will end on the next one, October 8th 2021.
Eclipses, the Moon and the Lunar Nodes...
We enter 2020 already under the influence of the eclipses! That’s because we’ve just come from a solar eclipse at 4 Capricorn - the last solar eclipse in that sign - conjunct the South Node and freshly minted Jupiter in Capricorn on Boxing Day, December 26th 2019.
Even so we have six instead of the usual four eclipses this year, matching the super-intensity we find elsewhere in 2020: the universe must really be hell bent for us to change.
This year, the eclipses are shifting from Capricorn and Cancer into Sagittarius and Gemini. And so do the Lunar Nodes, the Great Dragon or the points of ‘destiny’, where the eclipses happen. In spring this year, the Lunar Nodes enter Gemini and Sagittarius (North Node (NN) in Gemini and South Node (SN) in Sagittarius). Just in time for the eclipses to also shift in those same signs. Find out where growth lies this year and the next by checking the position of the Lunar Nodes for 2020-2021.
The 2020 Eclipses:
10 January: PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: 20 Cancer, NN (opposite Saturn-Pluto).
5 June: PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE 15 Sagittarius, SN.
21 June: SUMMER SOLSTICE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE 0 Cancer, NN
5 July: PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE 13 Capricorn, SN
30 November: PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE 8 Gemini (on ALDEBARAN-ANTARES), NN
14 December TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 23 Sagittarius, SN
Lunar Peculiarities 2020
There are no total lunar eclipses in 2020. Lunar eclipses represent a dramatic decision, a radical cut off point away from something and toward something new.
This suggests that as dramatic as the outer circumstances are, we are going to be making small and gradual adjustments to them all year long.
The last total lunar eclipse was in January 2019, a most dramatic decision point, creating conditions for something new. The next one arrives on May 26th 2021!
Also, in 2020, each month seems to begin with a full moon, before a new moon arrives.
It’s as if each month we come to a full realisation of something then get a chance to put our best foot forward once more before the month is out.
That’s until Halloween, that is, which falls on a Blue Moon (the second full moon in a single month) and there’s a switch, the whole pattern changes. During the last couple of months of the year, we have a fresh beginning at the middle of each month with a sense of culmination at the end, leading us right on the brink of a brand new year.
Postscript December 2020
When my wristwatch broke and fell to the ground shortly after the London fireworks or New Year’s Eve 2020, little did I know that this year when I wouldn’t need it.
This year has had some beautiful synchronicities. Mars conjoined Jupiter on the Spring Equinox; a solar eclipse, deep in mystical retrograde territory arrived on the Summer Solstice. And now, the Great Conjunction & Great Mutation bang on the Winter Solstice, December 21st, ushering in a new era. A naive glance would surmise that everything has been prepared just right, embalming us in 2020 and preparing us to switch to a whole other level of being. Well, the seed has been sown this Christmas. Happy 2021!
Don’t forget to check out the dedicated articles on the major conjunctions of this year and stay tuned for horoscopes and updates!
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