Winter Solstice, 2020: The Great Conjunction
Dear Friends:
The Winter Solstice arrives in the Northern Hemisphere Monday, December 21. It is also the day of the Great Conjunction - Jupiter and Saturn will align in Aquarius, heralding the dawn of a new era.
According to Pam Younghans of Northpoint Astrology:
This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event – not necessarily because reality will change in the twinkling of an eye, but because it begins a new phase in human history. This Grand Conjunction is energetically equivalent to the Jupiter-Saturn alignment in Aquarius at the beginning of the 13th century, when humanity began to leave the "Dark" Middle Ages and make its way into the Renaissance.
In short, the new alignment brings the potential to manifest innovative change supporting humanitarian ideals for the betterment of all.
It involves the energies of the planets themselves (Jupiter, expansion; Saturn, structure), the elements involved (moving out of stable, grounded Earth elements and into quick, ethereal Air elements), and their new sign in visionary Aquarius, representing humanitarian ideals, intellectualism, and independence.
This could not come a moment too soon. 2020 has been a juggernaut of chaos. Its great gift is showing us with crystalline clarity the dysfunction civilization has wrought. We may fret and stress over the problems we collectively are facing, but we can ALSO breathe a sigh of relief that the cosmic energies support a much-needed shift in direction and consciousness.
Sounds hopeful, but given our starting point we could be in for a bumpy ride. Let’s take a look at how we might align with the new era in a way that supports our desired future.
The Digital Information Age is a harbinger of this shift. The human challenge in developing anything new is to harness intended benefits while being thoughtful about unintended consequences and how we might mediate them.
As one example, we know what it feels like to be overly attached to our devices - with the impacts on our time and relationships. But through this reliance we are also becoming habituated to dealing with minute, discrete data elements in this information age of ours. Might this focus come at the expense of our capacity to hold the bigger picture? Why might it matter?
If there is one thing that seems to be the unifying element behind all of the ills that are facing us of our own collective making it is the failure to recognize or acknowledge the interconnection of all things on this planet and indeed in our cosmos. It is the hubris of thinking that there are no broader consequences to our human actions. It is the impact of greed and exploitation on one another and on our Earth, our shared home. It is thinking that things can go back to normal once the vaccine is developed. It is the failure to take the systems view of life — and to take it with compassion for what is and with the long view in mind.
As integral thinking says about the developmental process: it is essential to transcend AND include. Embodying the stability and groundedness of the Earth element will bode well as we move into the ethereal Air element. We do not let go of one capacity as we reach toward another; we bring what we have learned with us to enhance, not replace; we integrate.
So as we witness the return of the light, it is a perfect moment to pause. To honor what we wish to bring forward with us as well as what we may be ready to let go of. To consciously welcome the new with not only hope but with clarity. To live our lives in alignment with the values we hold dear. To remember the greater, bigger world of which we are all a part.
Whether Northern Hemisphere or Southern, let us light a candle to the coming light of our new dawning age.
Blessings of the light to all.