Saturn conjunct Pluto at 22° Capricorn—In the past, when The Lord of Karma (Saturn) has met with The Lord of the Underworld (Pluto), we’ve been in the process of clearing outgrown societal structures and flushing out collective shadow material. Saturn conjoining, squaring or opposing Pluto has acted as a catalyst for societal decay, breakdown, and regeneration. The world witnessed the beginning of WWI at their conjunction in 1914, the outbreak of WWII during their square in 1939, and the Vietnam War at their opposition in 1965. Most recently, the opposition of Saturn & Pluto coincided with 9/11 in 2001.
Where are we now in 2020? Air strikes and rumors of #WW3; a teenager calls out world leaders for falling asleep at the wheel in terms of environmental crisis and starts a global movement; thousands of women rise up to voice the sexual trauma they’ve endured at the hands of men in power; likewise, indigenous people call to protect their lands, animals and rivers from destructive exploitation; inequality-borders-cages; fake news, nefarious data lords, and social media influencing elections around the world; Baby Men leading countries. The Zeitgeist we’re living in clamors the old way of doing things is no longer acceptable. Things have to change.
Perhaps hard aspects of Saturn to Pluto apex in a shit show. But shit creates valuable compost for new forms to seed in. During the mid-60’s when S&P were in opposition, the USA underwent the Civil Rights movement with demonstrations, sit-ins and protests against brutality and injustice. Women demanded equal pay and opportunities in the work place. Gay rights followed later in their wake. A counterculture grew that no longer tolerated the privileged powers that be, and slowly, things began to change.
Obviously, we still have a ways to go when we live in a world with child brides, the richest 1% own 45% of the world’s wealth, and the 6th leading cause for African American males between the ages of 20-35 is police violence. But our collective shadow and putrified power structures that are being called out now are the very fertilizer we will use to seed a world that we want to live in. Saturn-Pluto also signifies profound resolve, courageous endurance, and absolute commitment.
An image that comes to mind is the tenacious salmon returning to its spawning grounds, bloodied and bruised, 100% determined to reach its goal: Do or Die. Transformative times like 2020 are loaded not only with cathartic impulses and cosmic contractions, but with the heroic ability to endure the trek to a parabolic spawning ground. Along the way, imaginal cells—the cells within the caterpillar soup that carry the blueprint for the emerging butterfly—appear to guide us into what we will become. Oftentimes, these “imaginal cells” are the people who carry the very same energies in their cosmic architecture, like Greta Thunberg who is living out her natal Saturn-Pluto opposition, encouraging the rest of us to do our part. If a 15 year old can start a global movement by skipping school every Friday to go on a climate strike, how much more can we do together? In the end, that’s what Saturn-Pluto compels us to find out.
Art :: “The Repentant Magdalen” by Georges de La Tour