The Ides of March and what follows

 

Pressure and panic are mounting with borders closed, most of Europe in lockdown, the USA starting to follow suit and no clear exit strategy in sight.

March was the first month where the Saturn Pluto Jupiter conjunction started to bite. Today Mars in Capricorn is conjunct Jupiter, normally an expansive, vibrant influence, good for starting new projects. But it’s anchored to the Mars Pluto conjunction approaching exact on Monday next, the 23^rd. That latter is frustrating, scary, restrictive and stressed. In this instance Jupiter appears merely to be amplifying the negative effects of Mars Pluto.

Saturn just outpaces Mars to make it into Aquarius from this Sunday, March the 22^nd, though Mars gets there on the 30^th of this month to form a bad-tempered, accident and setback-prone conjunction to Saturn on the 31^st.

Saturn in Aquarius until 2^nd July (moving in finally for two years plus from late December along with Jupiter) may help to lift some of the gloom. It promotes scientific advance, so good for discoveries and aids mental concentration. It tends to be level-headed, keen on fairness but can be emotionally cold.

This is the start of a gradual shift away from the earthy, materialistic obsessions of Capricorn which have been in place courtesy of Pluto since 2008. Jupiter moves through Aquarius in 2021, Saturn is there through 2021/22 and Pluto moves into Aquarius in 2023 to stay for two decades.

Aquarius is the sign of the collective, of friendship and humanitarian groups, of new knowledge which breaks old moulds, is fascinated by both the future and the distant past. In mythology Prometheus is deemed the Aquarian figure, for stealing fire from the gods to give to mankind which led to the birth of civilization. The Aquarius symbol is the water carrier, the one who gives of the water of knowledge to humanity. The ruler is Uranus – who was Prometheus’ father, the sky god married to Gaia the earth mother, until castrated by Kronos (Saturn) one of his sons.

Aquarius is a Fixed Air sign – has endurance, stands firm, can be stubborn and contrary, thinks rather than feels, communicates well, is a trickster and can be mischievous.

There’ll be a hint of economic challenges to come as Mars squares Uranus in Taurus in April, though the key indicator of financial instability, which is Saturn square Uranus, doesn’t kick in until 2021. April will hiccup along with the insecure and disruptive Mars square Uranus on the 7^th followed by the Aries Sun picking up Jupiter and Pluto mid month which might just raise spirits; though the Taurus Sun then squares Saturn and is conjunct Uranus in the final days for a dip and a jolt.

May trundles through with a cheering Taurus Sun trine Jupiter Pluto.

Gemini June has a lacklustre Neptunian/Piscean flavour with the Sun catching Mars and Neptune together in Pisces in aspect. With the zero degree Cancer Solar Eclipse on the 21^st hinting at yet more difficulties, restrictions, inhibitions, separations and illusions in the months ahead over which it casts its effect. Bernadette Brady remarks in The Eagle and the Lark that this eclipse brings blocks and ’the individual is prone to misjudging his or her strength and is best advised to wait before taking any real action.’ It was around previously in 2002, 1984, 1966, 1948, 1930 and 1912.

July sees Saturn reversing back into Capricorn to reconstitute the Saturn Pluto Jupiter conjunction which is in opposition to the Cancer Sun; and that is followed in August by Mars in Aries square the triple conjunction. So the mood of earlier in the year will be back with a vengeance.

September will have muddles from Neptune opposing the Virgo Sun; and a setback or two from Mars square Saturn. October looks tiringly and worryingly stressed with the Libra Sun in opposition to Mars in Aries square the triple conjunction of Saturn Pluto Jupiter. And that is some T Square – mind boggling. 

November has less aggro and a lift from Jupiter conjunct Pluto.

December brings the last decan Sagittarius Solar Eclipse (conjunct Trump’s Moon and opposition his Sun hinting at a major personal crisis for him). This eclipse series has a feeling of fatedness with a sense of being caught up in situations or relationships beyond individual control. There will be acute frustrations, with the advice being to avoid rash actions. It was around before in 2002, 1984, 1966, 1948, 1930, 1912. Again the effect of this eclipse will cover the early part of 2021.

The economically unstable tr Saturn square tr Uranus becomes exact in February 2021, returning off and on until the New Year into 2022. The Solar Eclipses are in a more upbeat mood from mid 2021 onwards.

For those who work with Ingress charts – when the Sun moves into one of the four Cardinal signs – the Aries Ingress on 20^th March does have the quadruple whammy of Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn in Capricorn – located to the UK sitting firmly on the Ascendant.

The previous Capricorn Ingress located to Wuhan in China which oversaw the first outbreak has the Sun on the midheaven with a prominent Jupiter as well as Saturn Pluto prominent in the chart.

2020 was always going to be a high stress year, starting under the shadow of the late December 2019 Solar Eclipse in a series which suggested traumatic transformations and significant endings. The return of challenging influences after mid 2020 doesn’t necessarily indicate the virus will continue to wreak havoc since the China experience – with suitably Draconian measures – is that it will fade. But the economic hangover and damage will be immense.

Saturn into Aquarius will – hopefully – bring breakthrough vaccines and drugs that work. Maybe even an expert-driven restructuring of national health services (faint hope). The much lower Germany death rate is in part a result of a better resourced national health set up. How the United States will fare with no safety net for many doesn’t bear thinking about.