Dawning of Ages
Mary Taylor
While talking one evening with Richard about what we wanted to get done the following day—which happened to be a moon day—the question popped up, “Will the post office be open tomorrow?” Which is a sad testament as to how wrapped up in my own minuscule fraction of reality I can become. For those of us who practice ashtanga, taking a day off from asana when the moon is full or new can seem like a national holiday. It’s sometimes a huge relief for a tired body, or it can feel like an un-welcomed interruption to the flow when the body is in a smooth and supple phase. Regardless, days off are opportunities to pause, to feel connected to patterns of nature and to break out of habituated approaches to the practice. And fortunately, the post office usually isn’t closed!
For traditional Hindus, jyotiṣya or Vedic astrology, which includes attention to phases of the moon, has long been regarded as important to consider when making decisions such as when to travel, marry, open a business, as well as how to approach a yoga practice and so on. Virtually every culture has developed a form of astrology linking together events occurring in the cosmos with what’s happening in life on earth. Therefore, when there is a small or significant celestial event, from a phase of the moon to the appearance of a black hole, no matter what astrological tradition you follow, you take note.
A sundial of the Nadivalaya Yantra at Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India
Though I’ve always been intrigued by the mystery of astrology, I’ve never been able to retain, let alone make any sense of much more than my birth sign. But in 2020 there was a forced pause that yanked us out of routines and many of our conditioned ways of thinking that perpetuate habitual approaches to life were challenged. Though it’s been a tough year, the time vacuum that was 2020 has provided time to reflect and water seeds of curiosity that may have lain dormant in our subconscious for years.
Exploring the “far out” realm of astrology is one such seed that began to sprout for me recently when a trusted friend took time to patiently explain (yet again and with zero expectation that this time my eyes wouldn’t glaze over) some of the foundational concepts in astrology in words I finally comprehended. Something shifted that day and fascinating ideas that have intrigued yet eluded me began to make sense. In yoga we speak of everything being interconnected, however astrology fell outside of the whole interconnected pattern for me until I had words that translated what it meant when Mercury was retrograde (again), or my house was full of more than furniture. I’m definitely no expert on the subject, but I’m grateful for those words and the new dots I’ve been able to see and connect in this infinitely interlinking experience of life as I now gaze up at the stars.
Back in 2017, Andrea Davis, a longtime sangha member who worked as a health care provided for many years, and who also is an expert in astrology (only in Boulder is this combination of talents common if not expected) first alerted me to what she saw as signs indicating chaotic and potentially transformative times that lay ahead. We were mulling over the events of the past five months since Donald Trump had become President. Andrea had studied Trump’s natal chart. It appeared that signs she saw there in combination with bigger patterns in astrology shed light on the insanity, instability and confusion we’d all been blindsided by since he’d taken office. She said too that unfortunately, from the astrological perspective, this trend would continue through his full term but that huge positive astrological shifts that were coming in 2021 as well. At the time 2021 seemed like the far distant future, but here we are!
One of the great astrological shifts Andrea was referring to occurred on December 21, 2020 when Saturn and Jupiter became conjunct in the western sky. A conjunction is when, from the perspective of someone standing on earth, celestial bodies appear to line up closely with one another. Conjunctions are important because they are said to intensify the character and therefore the effects of the planets involved. This year’s conjunction of two of the most magnificent planets in our solar system was closer than it has been since the time of Genghis Khan and it was visible to the naked eye! Richard and I, like many others all over the globe, were out there at sunset on the 21st, waiting for the clouds to lift long enough to witness the rare event and just before the two planets dropped out of sight behind the Foothills, we got a glimpse.
Saturn represents the traditional ways of doing things (like government or rules and regulations) and it is therefore often associated with power, authority and strength. Jupiter, on the other hand, represents new ways of seeing things and is associated with spiritual and intellectual insights and boons. So, when these two important planets, which in some ways are compliments of one another, become conjunct astrologers take note because their interfacing signifies on earth the potential for balance, shifts in perception, thinking and behavior. After the past year we’ve endured together, as we heave a global sigh of relief that we dodged a nuclear war, that’s reassuring news!
The Saturn-Jupiter planetary pair has been called “the great chronocrator,” meaning “markers of time” and their conjunction, referred to as “the great conjunction” occurs every 20 years. In retrospect it has seemed historically to mark the beginning of many cultural shifts laced with transformations in attitudes, behaviors and events. Think back to the years 2000, 1980 or 1960—which saw great conjunctions—did mark the beginnings of significant phases of upheaval and change in human history.
Perhaps most noteworthy this year was that Jupiter and Saturn became conjunct in the sign of Aquarius, which is an air sign. For the past 200 years their conjunctions have occurred in earth signs. Consider the nature of earth signs, such as Taurus. They tend to be methodical, grounded, steady and stable to the point of sometimes becoming stuck. This is in contrast to air signs, such as Libra, that tend to be expansive and creative to the point sometimes of becoming ungrounded. Then think about the nature of Jupiter, the planet associated with luck that indicates philosophical and spiritual world views. When it is in an earth sign its characteristics are not complimented, so may be expressed more subtly. Contrast that with the strong and powerful character of Saturn, which resonates with earth signs and may become more dominant when in one.
Jupiter stays in a sign for one year and Saturn for almost three years. Both were in the earth sign Capricorn for most of 2020. This positioning has meant that Jupiter has been in its fall, not at its best, whereas Saturn has been quite happy, more dignified. Now as the two planets transition into an air sign, Jupiter has the potential to express more aspects of its positive nature such as fairness, prosperity and good fortune, while the same shift for Saturn could temper imbalanced aspects of its strong nature. Going from Capricorn to Aquarius for both planets means leaving the realm of focus on the material and mundane, the way things have always been and the desire to stay in the past. The airier and more fluid realm of Aquarius, is thought to facilitate the ability to focus on the future while trying out new and innovative ideas.
It is said that when taken together, the combined natures of planets can be balancing and profoundly beneficial, especially when neither are stuck in their “comfort zones”—Saturn in earth signs, Jupiter in air signs. So, this recent great conjunction, which for the first time since 1226 found both planets in Aquarius, is thought to be particularly significant. It sets a shift in tone for the next 200 years that will be underscored every 20 years when Jupiter and Saturn will be conjunct. Therefore, the impact of this conjunction for us, from the astrological perspective, is an increase in the potential for events and interactions that might foster an emphasis on rights rather than repression.
Moving from earth to air signs is believed to facilitate advances in technology, the arts, and all of the ways we do or do not care for the common good. This shift offers society the opportunity to rethink issues of freedom and equality, divisiveness, inequality and “me-firstness,” outsiders vs insiders, etc. The past 200 years have been dominated by logic, business, practicality, materialism, and success in a worldly sense. Getting down to earth helped move cultures in important ways, but just like any wave pattern, the tides have needed to turn in order to spark an evolution out of habitual patterns of thought behavior, perception that have been dominated by logic, business, practicality, success in a worldly sense into a broader and more creative phase.
“Society is being invited to challenge the idea that personal material gain is more important than generosity.”
Another notable astrological event that is considered to be as impactful as the great conjunction itself, is what’s happening now with Pluto. Pluto, which is associated with deep changes that can be experienced on foundational levels, is also in Capricorn. It moves slowly, has been in Capricorn since 2008 and will remain there until 2024 when it will move into Aquarius. Due to this positioning, Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter were in conjunction with each other three times during the last year, the first time they’ve met in Capricorn since 1771 (coincidentally the year of the Russian plague). Pluto’s influence on Saturn and Jupiter as they move from the earth signs to air signs has potential to play out in transformative ways, facilitating introspection and possibly supporting core level shifts toward healing and transformation.
Most traditions of astrology would agree that given the alignment of these planets and stars, this current juncture in history is an opportunity for major positive evolution to occur. There is the possibility for shifts that reflect the intensity and also the balance that this great conjunction and the interfacing of Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and Aquarius represent. Society is being invited to rethink issues of freedom and equality, to challenge the idea that personal material gain is more important than generosity, and that insiders are more valuable than outsiders.
Like any change, the impact on personal and cultural levels of those observable in astrology may not be felt overnight. We are likely to experience a period of intense polarity between the status quo and those demanding and creating future vision and innovation. Things that are likely to undergo transformation, like technology and a shift in consciousness from favoring the “haves” over the “have nots,” will evolve slowly as, individually, culturally and collectively, we release old habitual patterns of being and interfacing.
It’s interesting to note that many of the same things that were happening in the cosmos when America was formed are happening now too. This may not be “the dawning of the age of Aquarius,” but it certainly cannot hurt to imagine that this great conjunction in combination with the pause in habitual patterns of behavior that the pandemic is imposing might represent kickoff events for new perspectives to emerge and healthy shifts to occur. At the very least they serve as reminders to wake up just a little more each day. Seeing ourselves in relation to others and the cosmos might just be the impetus we need to look beyond our own comfort zones to find actions we can take that will facilitate a dawning of sorts—the emergence of healthy pathways toward harmony together.
Andrea’s balanced approach to astrology and thoughts on how any of us can incorporate it into our contemplative practices and everyday life are simple:
Trust the ability to feel into the present moment that contemplative practices afford, noticing familiar patterns of thought, behavior and perception as potentially limited by habit. From there pursue your interests.
Astrology isn’t a system of pre-destiny. It is a system that bring awareness to visible patterns of interconnectedness interfaced with a study of tracking these patterns in the cosmos in parallel to life on earth.
Astrology provides tools to help us live in uncertain times. Using those tools skillfully is helped by being grounded in practice.
When we ask the big questions that changing times and a contemplative mindset provoke, like “What am I here on earth to do?” or “How do I find ways to support my calling within the context of helping others?” astrology can help us step out of the me first, me alone, mentality to find healthy expression of our true nature in light of interconnectedness.
What is important right now, as 2021 dawns, is how we use insights from astrology to navigate the next year, knowing that it will be filled with polarities, but that bringing consciousness to our relationships, our attitudes and actions could plant long lasting seeds for healthy change.
Astrology is an important ancient practice that influences art and everyday life in India to this day.
Andrea Davis has been a longtime practitioner of contemplative arts with interests in Buddhism, meditation and yoga. She became fascinated by astrology when she was in her 20’s and over the years her interest has continued to deepen. Andrea moved to Boulder in 1980 and worked in the mental health field as a counselor for many years, bringing a genuine sense of groundedness and global perspective to those with whom she worked.
For several years Andrea also did astrological counseling and is currently looking into the new information regarding ancient forms of astrology and how they give new meaning to interpreting the Horoscope and modern times.
