Jupiter Saturn Conjunction

By Arno Roelofs

 2021 is initiated with the much discussed Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. This conjunction fell exactly on the midwinter solstice on December 21 at 0 degrees Aquarius. As with many of the planetary giants, there is also quite a fuss about them. They are heralded as bringing a major shift, but in fact the changes are not usually that big at all. They do indicate a tendency or trend over a period of 20 years. Such an conjunction occurs every 20 years.

Jung refers in “Aion” to the fact that the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction always points to important historical events. He has discussed in Aion a number of writings in which this conjunction is discussed. We sometimes forget that, before the 17th century, astrology was part of science and that planetary positions were always viewed from perspective of how they affect us.

The Star of Bethlehem

There are 4 types of Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions. The Conjunctio Minor, which takes place every 20 years, the Conjunctio Magna which takes place every 60 years, the Conjunctio Mayor which takes place once every 240 years and finally the Conjunctio Maxima which occurs once every 800 years. Jung talks about the latter in Aion.[1]

This current conjunction is a Conjunctio Mayor, indicating the beginning of a 240-year cycle. The fact that it is referred to as a "great conjunction" has nothing to do with the preceding terminology, but rather has an astronomical meaning. The two gas giants are literally close together, making them look like one bright star to the naked eye.[2] Because they form this conjunction on December 21, there is a comparison made to "the star of Bethlehem". The star of Bethlehem is also said to be a J-S conjunction that fell in Pisces in the year 7 BC.[3]

The mythological battle of Jupiter and Saturn

This is about the astronomical context, but what do these conjunctions actually indicate astrologically? In mythology, Kronos or Saturn is a Titan who swallows his children one by one at birth, for fear of being knocked off his throne by one of his offspring. It is Zeus, or Jupiter, that escapes being eaten and later kills Saturn and frees his brothers and sisters from Kronos’ belly, thus creating the Kingdom of the Gods on the Olympus. This is about the time-honored, patriarchal father-son struggle.

In astrology, Saturn, the old father, stands for time that rules and regulates and oversees compliance Jupiter is a much more curious planet in astrology. He looks to the future, dares to take risks and wants to develop himself and others. We see two opposing principles here. A conservative and a progressive direction. Saturn is conservative, Jupiter is innovative. The J-S conjunction can therefore be seen as a collision rather than a collaboration.

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction thus indicates that the father must make way for the son. That old habits (Saturn) need to be revised- to be replaced by new ideas (Jupiter). Therefore, this conjunction was always seen as important, announcing a new order (Jupiter), however small in scale it usually is. An order that initially encounters resistance (Saturn). What this new order looks like has to do with the sign in which the conjunction takes place. This time it is in Aquarius.

Aquarius era

Jung's book "Aion" is an investigation of the so-called Piscean era, in which we have been situated for about 2400 years. Figures such as Buddha, Christ and Muhammad, but also Plato and Pythagoras are seen as the preparers of this Aion (era). We also know that this Piscean era is moving into the Aquarius era. [4] These two eras have an overlap of a few hundred years which indicates a period in which the old must make way for the new.

In the Bible this is called the “end time", but it is a transitional time that can be experienced by those desiring to hang on to old structures, as the end. Maybe that’s also the reason that people are scared at this moment in time and that is also understandable because it is a time of a great deal of struggle. After all, two Aions or eras collide and it is as if we are pulled in a different directions, in a relatively short space of time.

In Pisces, the herd that followed the shepherd, the king who had his docile subjects, was important. God had his faithful believers who uncritically did what they were told by the Church. This is not just the tendency in Christianity or Islam, but we see this trend all over the world. A country has a leader and it is determined by a small number of people what needs to be done.

Aquarius, on the other hand, has a very different energy. This sign represents the importance of the group, not the herd, but of a group in which each individual has their own function. Aquarius sees everyone as equal but not as the same. In the sign Aquarius everyone has their own responsibility, in this way everyone can contribute to the goal of the group. This is anything other than a herd that doesn't think for itself and blindly follows a leader, whether it's God, a politician or a guru. In Aquarius we must find our own "God" or "Ego". That must have appealed to Jung, because that's what he writes in his "Red Book." We should not imitate but find, and commit to, our own way. Only then we will discover our destiny.[5] The whole understanding of the Self is collective and no longer speaks of individuals. It is also for good reason that the first image of Jung in the Red Book shows a big star on the transition of Pisces Aquarius (see image ).

In the new testament, Christ literally refers to Aquarius, as the water bearer. He tells his disciples that he wishes to have dinner together, and that in order to find the place, when they see a man who is carrying a water jug they must follow him. There, a little later, the last supper will take place. The last supper of the 12 disciples around Christ, in which they drink his blood like wine and eat his body as bread is a beautiful symbol for the Self, the collective in which we all have our own place. Jung never made this link, but in Aion he elaborates on the symbol of Christ as the Self.

We could say that we are arriving at the beginning of Aquarius. The globalization through the Internet, the whole technology, with the formation of the United Nations, a united Europe and you name it are signs of the new era. The whole rise of technology over the last 150 years refers to Aquarius, because Aquarius is a thinking sign. Contrary to what we might imagine, it is not associated with water, but with the air element. Aquarius belongs to Thinking as opposed to Pisces which belongs to the Feeling type.

The rise of technology comes with a dark side that we immediately face: The environment. Thinking, with all the theory and technology, comes at the expense of nature. We can see this is also an important theme of the Aquarian era, that although we get a society that can achieve a great deal technically and scientifically, this will only work if we keep in touch with nature outside of us, but also within us. Because Aquarius is so concerned with equality, this is also a time in which we strive for equality. The symbol of Pisces consists of two fishes, each swimming in a opposite direction. It thus represents the duality that man experiences within himself, which has been expressed over the past 2000 years through the separation between good and evil, man and woman, or should we say between light and dark: conscious and unconscious. So by recognizing our unconscious nature and taking care of it, we will also have to take care of our planet. That may be the task for the next 2000 years, which would be a good development.

That we have many struggles during such transition is clear and explains the problems of today. As illustrated earlier, the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction indicates a collision between two currents - an old and a new one. So Saturn will respond more to the Pisces era, because this is the ancient energy with which we have lived for 2,000 years and Jupiter to the Aquarius energy of equality and responsibility.

In my opinion, the emergence of so many populists at the moment is a consequence of this. They may represent the voice of the conservative part of humanity who wants to keep what they have. A safe country in which everything is under the direction of the authorities, no interference of new races, the preservation of your own culture and national identity as much as possible, you name it. This is also called the need for safety and it is about preserving familiarity. And that is of course also important to feel safe, but the zeitgeist wants something different. It forces us to contemplate it with another gaze. To make new choices and take responsibility for them. We cannot stop globalisation, with all the consequences of immigration and the mixing of people, religions and cultures. It just happens and we try to do something about it, but it doesn't work. The energy of the Aquarius era cannot be reversed, and in these labors we must try to keep our heads above water. That goes for a lot of people, they are afraid of what awaits them.

So Saturn represents the voice of the man who wants to keep the old, but we can also say that this conservative planet expresses the need to slow down. Saturn is also often seen as the shadow, the part that is oppressed and you could say that the so-called populists represent this shadow. I think it is very important to listen to this voice and not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is important to know where the changes come from. So there is nothing wrong with questioning innovation and not immediately rejecting the old ways. Brexit is certainly an example of that. Back to the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction in Aquarius. It is also on zero degree of Aquarius, which thus indicates the beginning of Aquarius.[6] 

The Jupiter Saturn conjunctions of the past two centuries

Apart from having a Jupiter-Saturn conjunctie every 20 years; the so-called Conjunctio Minor, we also know a cycle of about 200 years (the Conjunctio Mayor). During this cycle, the smaller conjunctions fall into one element. That's been in an Earth element for the past 200 years. Let’s list the different conjunctions here. (see table below)

Here we see that, as early as 1842 the Jupiter Saturn conjunctions fell in the element Earth and that in 1980 it flirted briefly with the Air element, then fell back into Earth in 2000 and from now on falls in Air for the next 200 years. This makes this conjunction more important than the previous Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions.

The Earth element is focused on form and structure and these eight conjunctions have therefore expressed themselves particularly in the field of political and material structures . When the conjunction fell in Capricorn in the 1960’s and -70’s, there was a build-up of political power in the west, with an emphasis on the balance of power between east and west, the so-called Cold War. Structural power and the pursuit of economic structures belong to Capricorn. This came to an end when the conjunction in 1980 in Libra, an Air sign, came around.

The 80-90’s, the first conjunction in Air

The Air element is closest to man and so to our interpersonal relationships. Air is part of thinking. Thinking distinguishes man from animal and that makes this element also the closest to man.

When the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction came in Libra in 1980, there was a transition from a materialistic orientation (Earth) to a more human (Air) orientation. Libra is about interpersonal relationships, especially one-on-one relationships; me and the other. This relationship is characterised by equality. We see in politics in the 1980’s that the Cold War was at its height. The J-S conjunction thus lasts 20 years, but the first decade is the construction phase, the second part is an elaboration phase. Then what has been built up in the first 10 years will be further implemented and more balanced. When the Berlin-Wall fell in 1989, the split power front east and west came to an end and Germany became united again. This allowed the European union to grow further with countries from the former Eastern Bloc. The EU took shape even more in the late 90s by introducing the Euro. In doing so, the Libra energy had been manifested in cooperation and unification.

In the 80s, we also see a change in the field of individual relationships. The divorce rate dropped significantly in comparison with the 70‘s but marriage was no longer the only way people could live together. This was accompanied by changes in women’s- and gay rights. At that time, there was a call for equality; more equality between men and women on the work floor, for example.

The terrible HIV epidemic that killed thousands of mostly young gay men in the 80’s contributed, exactly because of the prejudices that initially prevailed, to the atmosphere of tolerance of a sexually different nature. That didn’t happens without a struggle, but there we see the battle between Saturn's judgment in Libra: "HIV is a punishment of God for being gay", and the more tolerant Jupiter that sees new possibilities of relationships. The first gay marriage took place after these two decennia in Amsterdam on 1 April 2001.

The first 2 decades of 2000, the conjunction in Earth

This was a first flirtation with the Air element, the change in interpersonal relationships. As shown in the table, the J-S conjunction falls for the last time on May 28, 2000 in an Earth sign; in Taurus.

It seems that everything that was conceived (Air) at that time had to take shape in the Earth element of Taurus. Taurus as a form sign is ideally suited for this. It's a quietly consolidating sign. It is also a sign that is related to money and matter and we see that the economy is growing significantly in the new millennium. The material sign, Taurus loves enjoyment and convenience and we also see that technology (which has to do with the rise of the energy of the Aquarius era) is producing more and more gadgets. Computers and mobile phones are constantly in need of innovation, there is always something more fun and faster on the market. The last 20 years have been characterised by an increasingly materialistic attitude. Money played an important role, as was the introduction of the new currency, and not to mention the financial crises in 2009. The purchasing power rose considerably, so a lot was bought. In addition, there was great need for experiencing things; to party, to go out for dinner, to visit other countries. Experience, enjoyment and desire belongs to the characteristics of the constellation Taurus. The corona pandemic has put a stop to this at the end of this Jupiter-Saturn cycle in Taurus. The need for cooperation and sharing still plays a role, but material security much more. In the 80s and 90s, there was a lot of attention for inequality between the poor and the richer countries because of Libra, but this has subsided over the past 20 years. This issue is apparently no longer at the top of our agenda, despite the fact that millions of people are still living below the poverty line.

Now we have come to the end of the last material 20 years and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction sequence is leaving the material element and for the next 200 years we are entering the Air element, now starting with Aquarius.

The current conjunction in Aquarius

Aquarius will continue what was already deployed in the 80s-90s. Interpersonal relationships are also important in Aquarius, only more at a group level. Because we are increasingly entering the so-called Aquarius era, this will only strengthen.

Planning, mapping and foresight make Aquarius a political sign. Major reforms are therefore likely to take place in the political sphere, particularly in terms of unification and coexistence. Dealing with discrimination and immigration policy will play an even bigger role. As we saw, Saturn represents the group that wants to preserve everything as it is. This group will strongly oppose and try to stop globalisation. Brexit is a good example of this. I believe that this will change the structure of the European Parliament. The still unwieldy apparatus, which decides everything in Brussels, is likely to become much more transparent and closer to the people, so that decisions can be made at a local level more quickly, when necessary.

It's not for nothing that the era of the materialist "bully" Trump [7] is now moving on to a multicultural Biden . The whole "Black Lives Matter" from the USA is already a precursor of a more tolerant relationship with each other.

Another view on different orientations already started more and more. Not only by accepting a different sexual orientation but also that we do not specifically belong to one gender and that there can be all kinds of forms in it. This really is Aquarius who thinks off the beaten track. One of our students said about this conjunction: "Welcome to the age of A-queer-ius".

Not to mention, how can we forget that right now, the Covid Pandemic. How will this work out in this new conjunction in Aquarius? Let's hope we're all get vaccinated in a not too long time. The question is, what sort of traces has the pandemic left in our relationships and how will they work out? We've already seen that the pandemic is bringing things to a head.

Different groups face each other. The countries ruled by populists are primarily concerned with the importance of the economy against other countries that put public health more first. We can say that the influence of Taurus and Aquarius collide here. Saturn represents the group reacting to the previous conjunction in the material Bull, and Jupiter the human-facing Aquarius group.

Aquarius ensures that every person in the group relates exactly to one another that he can make optimal use of his talents for the sake of the group. This is of course an ideal image. We are dealing here with Saturn, which is conservative and harks back to the individual, our own culture and our roots. This is opposite to Jupiter who wants to reach further and work together.

Saturn in Aquarius has, we could say, a dogmatic image of the human being; the other is acceptable as long as they have the same background. This is a different feeling of group bonding. Jupiter brings out the new vision is for a group alliance that transcends borders, cultures, religions and the like.

For example, the zeitgeist of Aquarius will force breakaway groups to adapt to a larger whole. The Church could lose its constitutional protection. The Israeli question, for example, will also be more acute in the Aquarius. What we will see is that borders are becoming more and more open, whether idealistic, cultural or national. The zeitgeist forces us into globalization, but we do maintain our own roots, customs and land nature (Saturn).

This conjunction will also have a positive impact on the progress of technology and science. In addition, I think that the Aquarius influence also have a positive effect on the climate policy. This, too, is something we can only do when all countries join together. The health of our planet is closely linked to the health of humanity and to the fair distribution of raw materials and nutrition. There are plenty of them, but they need to be better distributed and shared. This can only be achieved if we put aside our own interests and put the interests of the planet and all life upon it first. This has everything to do with achieving inter-human contact on a large scale, but while preserving our own nature. Welcome to "the age of Aquarius".

NOTES:

[1] Conjunctio Minor is the ordinary Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, which occurs every 20 years, regardless of the sign in which the planets are in. Conjunctio Magna is the J-S conjunction that falls back into the same sign after 60 years. For example, the current conjunction is now falling 0 degrees Aquarius and in 60 years (2080) it falls again in Aquarius, at 11 degrees. The Conjunctio Mayor is about the element in which the J-S falls. These conjunctions fall during about 240 years in the same element. We call it a Conjunctio Mayor when, after 240 years, it moves from one element to another, as is now more or less the case. Conjunctio Maxima is the conjunction in the first degrees of Aries, which occurs about 794 years, the last was in 1702 .For interested parties see the table with the J-S conjunctions of 3000 years https://www.astropro.com/features/tables/geo/ju-sa/ju000sa.html

[2] If we look from earth at the planets, they form a conjunction in a certain zodiac sign every 20 years, yet the planets can be at different distances from each other. For example, we see the conjunction of the Sun and Moon taking place every month and that is what we call the new Moon phase, but when these two celestial bodies are very close together they form an eclipse, because then the Moon is right in front of the Sun. In this light we should also see this Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. They're very close together.

[3] Astronomical is this year seen as -6, because in our calendar the year 0 does not exist. In Aion, Jung cites this date as the actual year of Christ's birth.

[4] This has to do with the so-called "precision of the equinox", moving the spring point, 0 degrees Aries. This point moves very slowly through the zodiac. The original spring point; 0 degrees Aries is the point where the sun stands in early spring which is no longer the original 0 degree Aries, which moves slowly.

[5] Jung was born under the sigh of Leo, with  Aquarius as his ascending sign. The ascending sign is also seen in esoteric astrology as the goal of one's Soul.

[6] Technically, the first degree of the Aquarius era is the 30ste degree of Aquarius because the spring point declines by the zodiac and thus goes from the end of Pisces to Aquarius, but the first degree is generally seen as the beginning of a sign.

[7] In his birth horoscope the previous conjunction in Taurus stood on his M.C., which reflects the persona, the face outward in society. In doing so, he was the right person to represent the materialistic Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.

With special thanks to Zelda Hall for helping me with this translation

Literature used:

Aion - Carl G. Jung

Planetary Symbolism In The Horoscope – Karen M. Hamaker-Zondag

Esoteric Astrology - A.A. Bailey

The Jupiter/Saturn Conference Lectures (Lectures on Modern Astrology) – Stephen Arroyo and Liz Greene

Saturn, a new look at an old devil – Liz Greene