2020: Bringing Fear into the Light
"Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I'd rather see you in better living conditions." - HAFIZ
As an Astrologer I have long been awaiting a glimpse into what the Saturn/ Pluto conjunction in January 2020 might be about. The recent news of President Trump's impeachment certainly gives me insight… but I don’t think it stops there.
If we wish to understand what sort of decade we are collectively venturing into we must look at the themes of our current 18-month eclipse cycle in Cancer and Capricorn, as well as the looming Saturn/ Pluto conjunction in Capricorn in January.
Eclipses occur when the sun, moon and earth meet along the moon's nodal axis. They serve as energetic portals to release something keeping us from our own evolution. Over the last year, the U.S. has seen eclipses on the nodal axis of the crab, Cancer, and the mountain goat, Capricorn.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the great builder and time-keeper. The south node of the moon in Capricorn presents us with the opportunity to release something outdated in the time-tested areas of tradition, prestige, success, status, and systems such as government or finance.
Conversely, Cancer, the crab, governs self-nurturance and the success that results directly from softness, rest, and honoring our emotions. The north node in Cancer encourages us to move toward the type of rest required of a pregnant mother, which is why Cancer is feminine in nature.
We know that "covering up our emotions," makes us likelier to "get things done," and this preference toward working hard, daytime, and masculinity has governed our culture for decades, with disease of body and mind as a byproduct.
Pluto represents collective subconscious fears. When Saturn conjuncts Pluto in January, Pluto will become co-present with the south node of the moon in Capricorn, adding to the need to release something very deeply embedded in our culture that causes widespread unease.
The reason we tend not to shine light on our fears is because they are typically deeply engrained. But the problem with denying things that are too hard to face is that they don’t just go away with our dismissal. In fact, they often come roaring louder and stronger the longer they are held onto.
A basic example is man's deep rooted fear of woman. Man needs woman to fulfill his basic human instinct: procreation. A woman, on the other hand, makes the choice whether or not to become pregnant. In fact, it is the divine nature of a woman that makes the man complete, and this scares him to death! Sasha Graham posits that “this ‘mystery’ of woman man has grappled with for centuries.”
Another example lies in the form of social movements for racial justice over the last decade, and in our more recent history with Black Lives Matter. When the United States was founded in 1776, Pluto resided in Capricorn. This reflects a nation with a deeply sore wound: much of our "success" today was built upon the backs of slaves. (It will be interesting to see what sort of revolution America has in store as Pluto makes its exact return in the birth chart of America in 2022.)
No matter how repressed and hardened we have been toward our own discomfort, though, we can learn from our mistakes and choose to build something different. As Saturn conjuncts Pluto on January 12, 2020, we will be presented with an opportunity to build a new social framework around the way fear plays a role in our lives.
A great example of how to harness Pluto and Saturn energy in a positive manor is pointed out by many astrologers in the birth chart of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. She was born with a Saturn/ Pluto aspect, and through her writing she allowed the world to become comfortable with “darkness.”
In contrast, Pluto sits in Donald Trump's first house of personality, imprinting his soul with the potential for great power. Yet we have seen how he has chosen to use his power to manipulate using fear instead of transform his own fears into love, and how this has lead to his recent impeachment.
It is up to us how we choose to work the energy heading into the new year. You might consider in your own life how an outdated fear is keeping you from building your life the way you truly want. After all, it is an entirely new decade.