Mercury, Sun, Saturn and Pluto all Conjunct in Capricorn

We are now entering the tightest compression of planets since the 1980s! Between January 10 and 13, we’ll have Mercury conjunct the Sun, immediately followed by Mercury and then the Sun conjunct Saturn and Pluto at the same time as Saturn conjuncts Pluto! This has far reaching effects!

Any conjunction re-sets the planetary cycle for how those planets express in the future. I’ll be giving you two articles on the Superior Conjunction this week, but the bigger news is Mercury and the Sun both conjunct Saturn and Pluto at 23 Capricorn, a degree of “rewards for bravery in battle,” or at the very least, for the diligent discharge of our duties under abnormal conditions.

This Saturn conjunct Pluto kicks off another long wave cycle lasting decades! The last Saturn conjunct Pluto happened in November 1982 at 28 Libra. Though Saturn came close to making another conjunction the following Summer when it went SD at 28 Libra, Pluto was at 27 Libra so they got VERY close (within 1 degree!) but didn’t exactly conjunct. If you want to understand the themes of the past 37 years, 28 Libra factors heavily in the mix.

I’d say the Sabian Symbol for 28 Libra fits what humanity’s been through since 1982, as it has been very gloomy since Reagan’s rule, and humanity has collectively become isolated from each other and life itself. We have been learning to tune into the life and love that’s all around us, and certainly we’ve been “paying dues” as per the karmic implications of the last decan of Libra. Now that ends and a new theme begins related to 23 Capricorn on January 12. We’ll explore more about this important degree in a few days when I post on the Sun conjunct Saturn and Pluto!

The next conjunction between these two spiritual heavyweights will be in 2053, when they conjunct three times, twice at 15 Pisces and once at 14 Pisces. That era will last until 2086 when they’ll conjunct at 20 Aries. So it would seem we must discharge our duties with diligence between now and 2053, after which we’ll be in a “rehearsal for battle” where appearances must give way to “real necessities.”

This Great Compression of planets in Capricorn sets the stage for the next level of compression in late March when Mars and Jupiter join the compression in late Capricorn. At that time Mars will conjunct Jupiter at 23 Capricorn, and then Pluto at 25 Capricorn, the same degree Jupiter will conjunct Pluto in early April. Jupiter will then retrograde back to another conjunction with Pluto at 25 Capricorn at the end of June, and then go direct, making another conjunction with Pluto at 23 Capricorn in November as it quickly approaches its conjunction with Saturn at 1 Aquarius, setting a new 200 year into motion!

All of these conjunctions in late Capricorn promise rewards and forms of “comfortable transcendent security” for those who do what has to be done in the way of diligent spiritual service, as per the qualities of the Virgo decan of Capricorn. As that decan is co-ruled by the Sun, it contains qualities of leadership, enlightenment, and creativity expressed in practical forms.

While all of us with planets in late Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn are under stress due to the hard aspects from Saturn and Pluto, these challenges and releases can also help us turn the corner on things we no longer need to deal with in our lives. These also are bringing stress to those with planets in early Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini, and Virgo due to semisquares and sesquisquares. You can find out more about how to deal with squares and oppositions constructively by consulting chapters 6 and 7 in Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend.

Specifically related to challenging aspects from Capricorn, if you have squares to planets in Aries, maintain balance and perspective while taking care of yourself and not allowing others to get under your skin. Be patient with presumptuous or cold people. For those with oppositions to planets in Cancer, see how outer blockages are offering you a chance to realign your expression in a more mature and effective way, and don’t be so quick to oppose those in authority. Cultivate self-confidence through concentration and self-discipline. For those with squares to planets in Libra, accept your emergent responsibilities, take the initiative, and don’t equivocate when confronted with structures you may not like but which you need for effective self-expression.

Of course these are generalizations which must be adapted based on which planets are being aspected, as well as mitigating aspects also being made to those planets. For example, any planets we have in late Taurus, late Virgo, late Scorpio, or late Pisces are being favorably aspected by the late Capricorn conjunctions. One way this can work is that the Capricorn conjunctions can make trines to late Virgo planets which can be released productively through simplifying our expression of late Aries or Libra traits. Or if the conjunctions make a sextile to planets in late Pisces, we can demonstrate that Pisces productivity through expressing Aries or Libra planetary traits in life areas where these signs fall.

While Saturn-Pluto conjunctions do end long wave eras and introduce new long wave themes for the future, they give structure to all the seeds planted by Pluto before that conjunction. Saturn has actually made conjunctions to the Pluto of everyone on Earth between 2003 and now, which is also covered in a chapter in my book on Saturn. This has restructured the Transpersonal Transformational spiritual energies in each of us when it happened, giving us hints about how we fit into the larger spiritual cycles made by Saturn and Pluto.

So take a look at where you have late Capricorn, since that will be an area of a lot of activity for you in the future. Harmonious aspects to your planets will help those parts of you grow according to the requirements of the larger energy shift going on. Frictional aspects will help you turn corners in your expression, or sense of purpose in the larger cycles of change now happening.

And of course, because Uranus is biseptile Pluto, the Grand Irrationality is in full swing right now, with future developments to come as the inner planet transits biseptile Uranus and septile Neptune, to be followed by the March compression which will involve septiles to and from Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto! We have a wild ride coming these next few weeks, so buckle your Cosmic seat belt and get ready to move into the future which is approaching at full speed!