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The closing astrological bookend of 2020 dawned on Monday, December 21 (the winter solstice), at 1:20 p.m., ET, when Jupiter and Saturn formed the Great Conjunction in the humanitarian focused sign of Aquarius. Every 20 years, faith-based Jupiter and master builder Saturn form a conjunction, meaning they conjoin powerfully and amplify each other’s values, which absolutely includes politics.
When Saturn re-entered Aquarius on December 17th, it wanted us to prioritize progressive policies that benefit the collective. Then, Jupiter entered the sign of the water bearer on December 19th, asking us to imagine a civilization ordered on humanitarian principles for the greater population rather than one on short-term economic gain for the corporate class. The closeness between these crucial outer planets entering the same sign within days of each other is significant: Jupiter and Saturn formed a conjunction with such proximity not seen in the skies since 1623.
The super-rare Great Conjunction in Aquarius is opening up the potential for the progressive policies we crucially need and have long awaited.
So, the super-rare Great Conjunction in Aquarius is opening up the potential for the progressive policies we crucially need and have long awaited. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), which is tracking the pandemic’s impact on marginalized communities, notes that negative economic effects are widespread “but are particularly prevalent among Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant households. These disproportionate impacts reflect harsh, longstanding inequities—often stemming from structural racism—in education, employment, housing, and health care that the current crisis is exacerbating.”
Given that faith-based Jupiter is aligning with structural Saturn, we want to ask ourselves as spiritually engaged citizens, “Do we have faith that we can transform these systems?” I think history is instructive here. The imperfect First New Deal began in 1933—and sought major structural and institutional changes, like reform on Wall Street in service to Main Street, the creation of social security, economic relief for farmers and unemployed people, and more—while Saturn was in Aquarius.
Given that these crucial institutional changes were born from the economic downturn of the Great Depression, the causal relationship between collective hardship and structural reform is notable now. In the case of the two lethal pandemics of 2020—COVID-19 and white supremacy—it seems Americans are being invited to understand the timeline of how we got here, what’s happening now, and how to make things right.
Astrologers have named this specific conjunction the “Great Awakening,” which leads me to ask what exactly we are we awakening to? Personally, I hope and I have faith that we are awakening to the truth that the vast majority of Americans are trained to expect too little from our government. The Great Awakening in Aquarius ought to inspire a dialogue in the United States, which asks “and why not us?” Consider that in many other countries, government aid has extended via jobs, financial relief, and corporate breaks to help businesses and workers—people and their families—survive this difficult time.
The questions of how we got here, what’s happening now, and how to make things right ought to be answered from multiple perspectives under the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, but I recommend economist Stephanie Kelton’s The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory, and the Birth of the People’s Economy. “We don’t need to tighten our belts with shared sacrifice and fiscal restraint,” she writes. “Citizens should never be forced to suffer harsh austerity on the grounds that the government lacks the ability to pay for health care or pay benefits to retirees or the disabled.”
And herein lies the sensibility of Aquarius’ people’s economy. Given the indefensible handling of the pandemic by the government and its disproportionate hazards to households and communities populated by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), the Great Awakening ought to arm us with historical instruction and economic education so that we can recognize when politicians are diverting, denying, or flat-out lying to us. We deserve to expect more.
“A just and more prosperous world—one that combines ecological sustainability with full employment, human well-being, a lower degree of inequality, and excellent public services that meet the needs of all—is within reach,” writes Kelton. She might not have been specifically talking about Aquarian energy or the Great Awakening, but I hope with the astrological assist, so much can be true.
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