Loom of the Possible

The next four to five years will  be transformative, tumultuous, and be remembered for centuries as a major crossroads in history particularly for the United States. Not one, but all the core problems of the nation will rise up and require action. The astrology is very clear on the inevitability of profound change, the end of one book and the beginning of another. For some this may suggest doom and gloom, but that is fear talking. Times such as these are when the loom of the possible becomes visible and accessible. The astrological conditions may be likened to the warp, the strands in the loom that form the grid, but individual and collective actions and choices are the weft. Much of what manifests and endures is made of those actions and choices.

There are a number of differences between reading astrological charts for individuals versus nations or large collectives. At the scale of nations, the length of time it takes for a celestial influence to manifest through the actions or inactions of agencies, governments, or for populations to respond means that the actual impact of the event is extended over a longer time. What takes a week at the scale of the individual could well be months or years at the scale of the nation. In more average years an individual’s chart takes precedence in offering guidance on what might be expected. In extraordinary years such as these, the global and regional influences equal or exceed the impact of an individual chart in a reading. Whether looking at individuals or nations, it is good to be mindful that celestial influences manifest at all levels from the concrete and physical to the thematic and spiritual.

Dates Of Interest

There are many more significant astrological events going on in the next several years. This is a sampling for the purposes of this article. This article is meant for novice astrologers and interested non-astrologers, so I am keeping the technical aspects to the bare minimum.

2020

June 20-21, 2020

Around the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere, there will be a loose Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto conjunction that sextiles a loose conjunction of Mars and Neptune. There is also an annular solar eclipse at 0° Cancer, the solstice point. FYI the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction becomes exact on June 30^th.

Whatever occurs in the second half of June will be predictive of what we will be coping and contending with for the remainder of the year both politically and with the pandemic. Look closely at what is going on in the world to make plans. Dan Zadra said that worry is a misuse of imagination. Use your imagination as a compass to find a better way.

September 11, 2020

There is an asteroid named Wuhan and it goes direct on the 11^th. I believe this is the timing for the second peak of the pandemic. This asteroid was square to Chiron in January when the Saturn-Pluto conjunction indicated that it would be a global pandemic.

November 12, 2020

The third and final of this series of Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions occurs at 22° Capricorn which is the same degree as the Saturn-Pluto conjunction from January 12, 2020.

There will be additional dramatic revelations of corruption, intense power struggles, but also some discoveries and actions that will be effective against COVID-19. Asteroid Wuhan will also have conjoined Saturn in July and Pluto in August prior to this. Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions can incite aspirations and ambitions in the full range from selfish to altruistic. What was hidden beneath churns to the surface and is made visible. The election in the United States will reveal the worst and the best of us.

December 21, 2020

Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0° Aquarius on the Winter Solstice. This is the start of a new 200 year trigonalis cycle of Jupiter-Saturn aspects in the Element of Air. Each Jupiter-Saturn cycle is about 20 years, but they occur in the same Element for about 200 years. This December is the Great Mutation when it shifts from Earth to Air. The whole cycle through the Elements is roughly 800 years. The last Earth to Air Great Mutation was in 1226 and heralded the implementation of a revised Magna Carta, the rise of Genghis Khan, and the circumstances that led Pope Gregory IX to begin what would grow into the Inquisition.

Ideology and systems of governance of people and information can lead to liberation or oppression. Astrology is neutral on which direction will be taken and what outcomes will come to pass but it does delineate the container and parameters in which the action will take place. All though paid for in the physical world, the core of the struggle is in ideas and ideals with a conjunction in Aquarius. The Ursid meteor shower will peak during the conjunction so you may want to wish upon the falling stars. 

Important Aspects To The Birth Chart Of The United States

The following aspects are based on the Sibly chart for the Declaration of Independence which is functionally the birth chart for the United States of America.

Pluto Return

April 27, 2021 • February 21, 2022 • July 11, 2022

Pluto is returning to the same place in the heavens as it was at the birth of the United States. Pluto promotes radical change such as death and rebirth experiences, neither of which are easy but are necessary. This is a time for a deep appraisal of what matters and what does not serve. In the chart of a nation that came into being through a revolution, it suggests we will have the equivalent of a revolution or a civil war. The three dates listed above are when the Pluto Return is exact, but Pluto moves slowly and will retrograde and then direct during this period so all of 2021-2023 will be affected. Truly we are already feeling it. There is no easy way through this. Think well on what you need for yourself and what change you are willing to work for. What happens during these few years sets the course for decades if not centuries.

Chiron Return

April 20, 2024 • November 8, 2024 • February 17, 2025

The three dates listed above are when the Chiron Return is exact, but Chiron will retrograde and then direct during this period so all of 2024-2025 will be affected. On April 8, 2024 there will be a total solar eclipse at 19° Aries that will be visible in much of the US. Chiron in the United States’ chart is at 20° Aries so the eclipse is strongly resonant.

The Chiron Return for a nation reopens old wounds so that they can be cleansed and healed. There is potential for integration and deep shadow work or for fragmentation. If the United States is to be united in any way the progress must be made in this period.

Note: Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction Election Years

US presidential elections that take place under the auspices of a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction are fraught with danger. Most presidents elected or inaugurated under that aspect die in office, have assassination attempts, or exceptional challenges that weaken them. Regardless of who wins the election, we should be prepared for transitions. Two presidents (Jefferson and FDR) who did not have the worst-case version of this conjunction, had Jupiter-Saturn conjunct in their birth charts. None of the current candidates for president have mitigating aspects in their birth charts.

What Can You Do?

Building your personal strength, stability and resilience is essential and don’t skimp on the self-care. Delve deep and test your beliefs and what you think are facts. Reach out to people and groups to work with on the things that you hold dear. Progress provokes pushback so expect setbacks, so you don’t lose heart. Be practical and prudent in managing whatever physical and monetary resources you can access. Stop pretending that things will be on an even keel any time soon, and you’ll make better plans. Also, don’t forget that we are in the midst of an ecological crisis because the social crisis is so prominent. Step up, stand up, and test your mettle.