2020 promises to be a dramatic year astrologically. It will begin with a Lunar Eclipse and a Saturn-Pluto conjunction. It will end with a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, also known as a Great Conjunction, which will mark the beginning of a new 200-year era. This conjunction will occur on the same day as the Winter Solstice.
In between, there will a Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, a Solar Eclipse on the Summer Solstice, and a six-month-long sojourn of Mars in her own sign of Aries.
Any one of these astrological events in and of themselves would be enough to set 2020 apart as an important year. All of them together signals a year of great changes.
Capricorn and its ruler, Saturn will be emphasized this year.
For more information about Capricorn and Saturn, see the articles linked below:
From Earth to Air
Of all of these astrological events, the one that is the most important is the Great Conjunction, and it can be argued that all of the other events lead to this one.
Great Conjunctions
Jupiter and Saturn are the two outermost traditional planets, and they have a cycle of about 20 years. In some ways, this cycle functions like the Lunar Phase Cycle, but on a much grander scale. This cycle operates on a worldwide level. While many modern astrologers analyze generations using Pluto signs, traditionally they were marked by Great Conjunctions.
For more information concerning this, see:
Generational Astrology, Great Conjunctions, and Pluto
One interesting feature of Great Conjunctions is that they occur in signs of the same element for about 200 years, give or take a decade or two. As there are four elements, this creates an 800 year larger cycle of these conjunctions.
This cycle is not as neat or clean as other cycles. There is often overlap at the beginning and the end of the 200 year periods. Since 1842, we have been in a period that has been marked by Great Conjunctions that have fallen in the element of Earth.
In 1980 and 1981, there was a triple Great Conjunction that fell in the Air Sign of Libra, but then the Great Conjunction of 2000 fell in the Earth Sign of Taurus.
The coming Great Conjunction will occur in the Air Sign of Aquarius, and for the next 200 years or so, all Great Conjunctions will fall in Air Signs.
For more information about Aquarius, see the article linked below:
Elemental Shift
When the Great Conjunctions shift elements, there is usually an accompanying shift in focus and world power structures. During the time that the Great Conjunctions have occurred in Earth Signs, we have seen the rise of an increasing focus on the material world, and the center of world power shifted to the West.
The last Earth period was between about 1047 C.E. to about 1226 C.E. This was during the High Middle Ages in the West and the Song Dynasty in China. The Byzantine Empire was still intact and was a major world power. This was also the time of Crusades.
When Earth shifted to Air in the 13th Century, the Mongols, who started as a nomadic people, rose to power and threatened all of the existing power structures. They established the largest contiguous empire in known world history, covering 9.15 million square miles. Their influence spread from China all the way into Eastern Europe.
The legacy of this Empire was to break up existing power structures and to spread trade goods and ideas between the East and the West.
What will happen in the next era?
It is probably impossible to know at this time. We are already seeing a rapid growth of technology and communication, which interestingly enough began in earnest during the period of the Air Great Conjunction between 1980 and 2000.
It is safe to say, however, that the world will change in unexpected and unpredictable ways over the next couple of decades.
For more information about the elements of Earth and Air, see the articles linked below:
Out with the Old
In light of this, what we will be seeing this year is that the power structures and establishments of an Earth-based nature will be breaking down.
It is quite possible, and even likely, that there will be turmoil on the world stage as this is happening. How difficult this will be will depend on the choices that people make collectively and on an individual level.
Change is a part of life, and the change that is happening is within the harmony that is woven into the fabric of the cosmos. The shift to Air will mark a time in which cultures interact freely with each other and spread ideas.
In order for this to happen, some of the solid structures and boundaries of Earth will need to come down. As we look at astrological events for the next year, it will help to step back and see the larger perspective. This is all a part of the pattern and rhythm of Cycle of the Ages.
With that in mind, let us look at the astrological highlights of 2020 by month.
January
We start the year in an Eclipse Season. There was a Solar Eclipse on December 25, 2019, and there will be a Lunar Eclipse on January 10, 2020. The Lunar Eclipse will be visible in the entire Eastern Hemisphere, as well as in Alaska, the eastern tip of Brazil, parts of Northeast and Northwest Canada. It will be a small eclipse, barely noticeable in the sky.
In most cases, this Lunar Eclipse would not be all that significant, but within a couple of days, on January 12, there will be a Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, and Mercury and the Sun will join with these two giant planets.
This conjunction is taking place right on the nodal axis, emphasizing an already dramatic transit. While I do believe that we can avoid the impact of Pluto if we want to, modern society has embraced this troublesome planet.
We are likely to see troubling news on the world stage.
On a personal level, the people who will feel the greatest impact will be those with planets and important chart points in the late degrees of Cardinal Signs, which are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Indeed, these signs will be the ones that will feel the most disruption throughout 2020.
February
After the turmoil of January, February will be a very calm and quiet month. It may actually be one of the quietest months of the entire year. The main event of February will be a Mercury retrograde that begins on February 16.
While Mercury retrogrades have a bad reputation because of their tendency to disrupt communication, this is an ordinary transit that happens on a regular basis. There are about three every year.
On February 16, Mars will also enter into the sign of Capricorn. This will be important in that Capricorn is where the major action is happening throughout the year. Mars entering the fray will bring a bit more stress and combativeness to what is already happening.
March
Mercury will go direct on March 9, and the first couple of weeks of March will remain relatively quiet.
Yet, right after the Equinox, things will liven up again. Jupiter is starting to close in on Pluto, and Mars will be joining them. On March 20, Mars will conjunct Jupiter, and on March 23, she will conjunct Pluto.
While this is happening, Saturn will enter into the sign of Aquarius for the first time on March 21. She will not stay in Aquarius for long, as she will go retrograde back into Capricorn in July. Still, for a few months, we will get a sneak preview into what the next era will look like.
On March 30, Mars will move on to Aquarius as well, leaving the slower-moving planets behind.
April
On April 4, the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction will become exact in Capricorn. In many cases, this would be an important transit in its own right, but this year, it can be seen as a part of the other events that have happened and will happen in 2020. We are likely to see a flare-up of what started in January on the world stage.
At the end of the month, on April 25, Pluto will go retrograde, meaning it will go back and touch all of the areas that have been hit recently.
May
The main events of May will be a series of retrogrades that will begin in the middle of the month. Saturn will go retrograde on May 10, Venus will go retrograde on May 13, and Jupiter will go retrograde on May 14.
By this time, a lot will have already happened this year. These retrogrades will give us the chance to slow down and reflect upon these events. Aside from the retrogrades, May will be relatively quiet.
This is a good time to rest and catch your breath before the next set of heavy transits that will begin in June.
June
June will be another intense month. On June 3, Eclipse Season will begin, with the first Lunar Eclipse occurring on June 5.
Mercury will go retrograde on June 17, leaving Mars as the only traditional planet still going direct. The Solstice will occur on June 20, and there will be a major Solar Eclipse on June 21. Neptune will go retrograde on June 22.
On June 25, Venus will go direct, and Mars will enter her own sign of Aries on June 27. Mars’ entry into Aries will have great significance in that she will stay in Aries until the end of the year. Usually, Mars only stays in one sign for a couple of months, but this year, she will be in Aries for almost six months.
For more information about Mars and about Aries, see the following two articles:
On top of all of this, retrograde Jupiter will come back and join retrograde Pluto.
This month is likely to see a great deal of turmoil on the world stage. On a personal level, some people will be impacted more than others. Try your best to stay as calm as possible. This is all a part of the preparation for the change that is to come.
July
On the first day of July, Saturn returns to Capricorn. Saturn had dipped her toes into the new era but then retreated back into the current one. A few days after this, there will be a small Lunar Eclipse, and Eclipse Season will end on July 8. The Sun will oppose Pluto on July 15 and then oppose Saturn on July 20 before moving into the sign of Leo on July 22.
In between these events, Mercury will go direct on July 12. Prior to that, while still going retrograde, Mercury squared Mars on July 8. After she goes direct, she will square Mars again on July 27.
This month will see a slowdown of activity, and some people may experience feelings of discouragement or even depression. If you do experience such feelings during this month, try not to take them too seriously. It is natural for periods of heightened activity to be followed by periods of low energy. This is all part of the natural rhythm of life.
Some people may also experience irritability, and communication may become more volatile. It will be important to hold your temper as much as you can. The best way to channel Mars energy is through physical activity, so if you are thinking about getting serious about exercise, this will be a good time to do so.
August
August will be a month of heightened volatility as Mars in Aries activates the major planets in Capricorn with a tense aspect known as a square. Mercury will also oppose these planets from Cancer, meaning that communication will continue to be difficult.
Do your best to stay calm and try not to get caught up in pointless arguments. Channel your aggressive feelings into work or physical activity. Below are the dates of the major aspects:
August 1 – Mercury opposes Pluto
August 2 – Sun squares Uranus
August 3 – Mercury opposes Saturn
August 4 – Mercury goes into Leo, and Mars squares Jupiter
August 7 – Venus will enter Cancer, meaning that she will be entering into the fray as well. This could either soften the atmosphere or embroil personal relationships in the mix depending on the choices people make.
August 13 – Mars squares Pluto.
August 15 – Uranus goes retrograde
August 24 – Mars squares Saturn
August 30 – Venus opposes Pluto
September
September will be another hectic month according to the transits. On September 2, which is also the time of the Full Moon, Venus will oppose Saturn. This could put a strain on relationships, or it could soothe and warm the harshness of Saturn. In many cases, this transit will do a little of both.
Mars will go retrograde on September 9, which means it will go back over the territory it just covered.
Between September 21 and September 24, Mercury will square Pluto, square Mars, and then oppose Mars. This could be a tense week with respect to communication.
Mars will square Saturn, and then Saturn will go direct on September 29. Spurred on by the conflict with Mars, Saturn will resume its march into the new sign.
October
Pluto will go direct on October 4, perhaps taking the hint from Saturn that it is time to move forward again. Mars will square Pluto on September 9, resuming former tensions.
As the Sun makes her way through Libra, she will square all of the major planets in Capricorn. She will square Jupiter on October 11, Pluto on October 15, and Saturn on October 18. She will move on into Scorpio on October 22, which will provide relief from the tension.
In the meantime, Mercury will go retrograde on October 13, and the Sun will oppose Mars on the same day. Mercury will reenter Libra on October 27, and on that same day, Venus will enter that sign for the first time.
Libra is the domain of Venus, so hopefully, she will be able to bring balance and diplomacy to us all.
November
November will start with a retrograde Mercury square Saturn on the 1st. Two days later, on November 3, Mercury will go direct. Interestingly enough, this will be Election Day in the United States.
On November 12, Jupiter will join Pluto for the third and final time. This should bring a resolution to at least some of the issues that have been plaguing us throughout the year. The next day, Mars will go direct further relieving the pressure and tension in the air.
We will get about a week and a half of relative calm before the next Eclipse Season, which will begin on November 26. Neptune will go direct on November 28, and we will end the month with a Lunar Eclipse.
December
The accompanying Solar Eclipse will occur on December 14. Luckily the time between the eclipses will be relatively quiet with respect to transits. Two days after the Solar Eclipse, on December 16, Saturn will enter the sign of Aquarius. Jupiter will follow Saturn, entering Aquarius on December 19. On the day of the Solstice, these planets will join together, ringing in the new Aquarius generation, and the new era of Air.
After this Mars will square Pluto for the third and final time on December 23 and Eclipse Season will end on December 30. This year of transition will end, and the new era will begin just in time for 2021.
Conclusion and Recommendations
This year promises to be quite a hectic and turbulent year. Yet, these changes will be necessary to prepare us to enter the new era. Much of the turbulence will happen on the world stage, and we have a choice as to how much we allow ourselves to get caught up in it.
The key is to accept that life is change. Avoid holding on to the familiar structures of the past, because they are falling apart. This is a time for letting go, not for building. There will be plenty of time to build once the new era starts in 2021.
In conclusion, I will leave you with these words from The Pillar of Light in The Gospel of Our Mother God:
Hold thou fast to the Truth, for the Truth is a pillar; a steadifast pillar that all the world cannot shake. Not by the breadth of an hair has it moved since time’s dawning, neither yet by the breadth of an hair until time have its end. From the uttermost height of the Heaven descendeth the pillar; descendeth it down as a glorious pillar of Light. To the nethermost depths of the hells it descendeth; nor the might of the demons can move it by the breadth of an hair.
Like to a mist is this world that surroundeth the pillar; to a mist that is swiftly dispelled by the cold wind of death. Hold you fast to the Truth, for the Truth is thy shelter; sure refuge ‘gainst which neither death nor the storm shall prevail. The world shall be scattered like straw, and an hundred shall follow; and each in its turn shall be scattered like chaff on the wind. The empires are born and decay, the stars live and perish, but the pillar of Truth moveth not by the breadth of an hair.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Thanks, Cynthia, for such a reasonable & considered analysis of the year. I’ll be keeping a copy of this near my calendar for 2020!
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad that your find it useful.
Reblogged this on dreamweaver333.
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal.
Well didn’t you get it spot on.
Thank you for the comment! When I wrote this article, I worried that I was being a bit overdramatic. The astrological markers of an extremely difficult year were very clear, though.
As it turns out, it seems like I was not dramatic enough.