for the four weeks beginning JANUARY 23, 2020
If you are unfamiliar with the methods and interpretations of Sidereal mundane astrology, please see my free book Sidereal Mundane Astrology. (A link to the current edition can be found near the top of the Publications sub-forum.) For standard interpretations, see Chapter 8 of the current (16th) Edition.
LONG-TERM (Solar Ingress) PATTERNS
For the United States, the 12 months beginning January 15, 2020 are dominated by Uranus on Eastpoint and a triple Sun-Saturn-Pluto conjunction (with some Mercury) at Midheaven. It will be a difficult year with more challenges than blessings. Perhaps our best way to use this year is to prepare for the even more severe patterns coming in 2021.
URANUS gives the main flavor of the year, which will be full of surprises. Uranus forecasts sudden rupture or eruption, shock, surprise, revelation, and overflowing of normal boundaries and limitations. Some extreme destructive examples are explosions, structural collapses, earthquakes, and floods. Uranus events actively caused by people include surprise attacks, sharp changes in foreign relationships, and changes in leadership, whether through death, coup, or abdication; as well as riots, revolts, and other populist uprisings.
However, the year's main story likely will be told by the more widely foreground cluster of Sun, Saturn, and Pluto. Every four years, the U.S. enacts a ritual deposing our head of state (it's called a presidential election). For over half a century, in every election year except 1984, Pluto has been on Midheaven of the Capsolar, a perfect symbol. This year, with Pluto conjunct Saturn as the closest aspect (0°15'), within about 2° of a culminating Sun, the momentum to overthrow the seated monarch is more than ceremonial: It seems that it is the focus of the national soul. By one means or another, it seems astrologically inconceivable that Donald Trump's presidency will survive both the constitutional impeachment process and the constitutional election process.
This will be a horrible struggle, probably with great damage along the way. SATURN CONJUNCT PLUTO signifies tragedy or hardship including catastrophic disasters often laying waste to a landscape. The planets' symbolism describes feelings of irrevocable loss or separation, a seemingly apocalyptic moment. The last time the U.S. had an angular Saturn-Pluto this powerful was in 2001, for the 9/11 attacks. Historically, the aspect has marked the downfall of cities and nations (though that would be an extreme expression).
In the U.S., the Sun-Saturn-Pluto triplet is exactly angular in southern Florida, New Orleans, and coastal Mississippi. I fear there is no way these areas (and Yucatan) will make it through 2020 without a devastating (likely Category 5) hurricane after the fashion of Hurricane Andrew, just as the Mars line through the Santa Barbara region makes it seem certain this year's fires in that area will be more severe than the already-terrible ones of the recent past. You can see the impact of these lines outside of Washington, DC here.
SUN-SATURN marks primarily sad events. (Even happy events occur under arduous conditions.) Examples include the death or other restraint of national leaders; government gridlock or other lockdown involving restrictive, controlling, or failing government that causes or worsens disaster; fiscal crisis; structural collapses, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other events mandating government oversight and response. SUN-PLUTO events can be highly diverse, from natural disasters to political confrontation, but routine motifs include removing or assaulting those in power, rebelling against prevailing conventions, and disrespect for and disobeying the law.
Uniting these two themes, Uranus forms mundane squares to Sun, Saturn, and Pluto. In order of strength, SATURN-URANUS signals bubble-bursting forced confrontation with harsh reality. Expect wide swings of great tension between opposites such as freedom-restriction, liberality-conservatism, or the forces of change and status quo, with political and practical gridlock until one side gains dominance. URANUS-PLUTO is destabilizing, revolutionary, revising, remapping, anti-establishment, and often anti-government, with a spirit of revolution that dismantles current systems and tears down existing structures (metaphorically or literally). People are willing to ignore, challenge, or forcibly reject precedent, custom, convention, and authority. SUN-URANUS signals sudden, startling events that are psychologically (and sometimes physically) explosive such as surprise attacks, sudden changes in leadership, and life-altering technology breakthroughs.
We are already in a new American civil war, at least with respect to culture. This chart portrays a nation hurled more deeply into that divided reality in 2020, perhaps closer to the spirit of a new American revolution. With Pluto at the end of Sagittarius, every solar or lunar cardinal ingress of the next two or three years, for every part of the world, will have Sun or Moon closely conjunct, opposite, or square Pluto.
Mercury is 3° from Midheaven. Sun and Mercury are conjunct, their midpoint half a degree from MC. Compared to the above, the usual Mercury themes seem trivial. Beyond the obvious, one would hope that trade wars are over and the flow of international commerce resumes at its old pace. We can anticipate a year of technology altering everyday life at even a faster rate than currently anticipated (not limited to 5G and IOT). Mercury is 0°10' from square Uranus in RA, so these developments are well within its purview: We have a year of discovery and amazement ahead, even as we endure a persistent sense of emergency and alarm.
MEDIUM-TERM PATTERNS (The Bridge)
- Uranus conjoins Capsolar Eastpoint all month for sudden explosions (literal or metaphorical), rupture, eruption, shock, surprise, and overflowing normal bounds and limits.
- Saturn conjunct Capsolar Midheaven begins February 1, the day Saturn enters Capricorn, and becomes exact the last day of this lunar month. This is a singularly important not to be under-estimated. Great tragedies have occurred under Saturn's exact transit to Capsolar MC of a place and, in the most benign interpretation, still signifies a great tragedy for the United States or, perhaps, for its head of state. Loss (whether of life, property, or hope) is in the air. With Uranus, expect brutal, rigid polarization in the political spectrum, especially those representing changes vs. the status quo. (The Iowa caucuses may decide whether the Democratic party swings far left or more centrist this year.) Consider freedom vs. restriction.
- Mars crosses one or another Cansolar angle February 9-16. This raises Saturn-Uranus to a serious threat, psychologically marked by a forced bubble-bursting confrontation with harsh reality.
- Mars squares Capsolar or CapQ Moon beginning the next day and continuing to the end of the lunar month. Whereas the prior Mars transit is distinctive to the United States, this one affects the whole world. For most of a week, expect a heightened state of emergency worldwide, pulses pounding harder, and one news story after another focused on violence, blood, fire, bombs, warring, earthquakes, accidents, and other destruction and death. (I really want more opportunities to forecast nice stuff, but this is what we've got to work with.)
- Jan 23-31. Uranus.
- Feb 1-8. Uranus Saturn.
- Feb 9-20. Uranus Saturn Mars.
SHORT-TERM (Lunar Ingress) PATTERNS
Caplunar (Jan 23)
The Caplunar covers January 23 to February 20. It has unusual importance this month because every other lunar ingress is dormant or nearly dormant. This Caplunar is truly "Chart of the Month."
It is also unusually difficult to interpret. On the one hand, Jupiter in Sagittarius is only half a degree from IC - the only angular planet - the simplest interpretation of which is that this will be a good month when people are happier and doing better in their lives. On the other hand, Moon conjoins Saturn and Pluto, the simplest interpretation of which is that this will be a bad month when people experience loss, burden, and hardship. Somehow, both Jupiter and Saturn-Pluto need to find expression.
Research into historic events has uncovered three categories of events for which these two symbol sets coexist: (1) Significant turning points (primarily difficulties and losses) for members of the British royal family. (2) Massacres with acute bigotry and especially ethnic division. (3) Severe weather such as hurricanes and floods, where rain coexists with tragedy.
Generalizing these, aside from the weather (winter storm) conditions (especially along the Eastern seaboard where Jupiter is most angular), these events center around people of unusual prominence and social standing, especially if that comes with wealth. Charges of elitism and special treatment fly (as they always do lately; but here we expect it to be the primary story). Events look like a "big win," but it isn't clear for whom; and it comes at a heart-breaking price. "Purity tests," favoritism, and "good ol' boy" connections dominate politics. Class-division, cultural separation, and ethnic hatred run strong.
Or, so it seems from these mixed symbols. I lean these interpretations negative because the recurring Moon-Saturn and Moon-Pluto aspects in all four lunar ingresses set the emotional tone. The expected "big win" could be in any area at all, especially areas like diplomacy, military conflict, high court decisions, or economic or class-distinctive advantage.
Or it just may rain - a lot! Torrential rain and snow bring flooding: Jupiter squares Uranus (PVP) and is the strongest planet in the new Capsolar.
Mars-Neptune drape angles through the Rockies, from Montana to New Mexico, exactly crossing in Wyoming.
Jan 23-25 CanQ angles cross Plutos, with transiting Saturn (opposite Sun) crossing 1/26, likely the harshest day. 1/29 CapQ Asc squares Venus and CanQ MC squares Jupiter, one spot of celebration in an otherwise hard week.
Arilunar (Jan 31)
The Arilunar covers January 31 to February 20, especially the first week that includes the Iowa Caucuses. It is borderline dormant, since the most angular planet is Venus 3°05' above Ascendant. I think, though, that this is close enough for us to rely on it.
Passionate emotion flows through this chart. Venus rises about 3° and Neptune more widely. They are conjunct (2° in mundo). Both square a non-foreground Mars (which is 0°08' from their midpoint). The Moon-Saturn square is only 0°01' wide as Saturn passes through the last minute of Sagittarius. In addition to this and Moon-Pluto, Moon conjoins Uranus (0°22' in mundo).
Regrettably, the easiest thing to forecast is a high-casualty mass shooting, something that cuts the nation to its emotional quick. Beyond that, so close a Moon-Saturn highlights sacrifice, loss, and sadness in events focused on death, deprivation, alienation, and divisiveness.
More generally, Venus conjunct Neptune speaks of intense devotion, passionate belief, compelling fantasy, disillusionment, betrayed alliances, perceived offenses, and diplomatic embarrassment or loss of esteem. These are weaponized by Mars. Moon-Uranus adds surprise and overturned apple carts, often with civil instability, populist arousal, riots, and reversals. (This could pertain especially to Iowa, of course.)
Venus and Neptune exactly rise from Ohio to Florida, including Atlanta (where Mars also is angular) and other areas. Mars culminates from Wisconsin straight south to Mississippi. Saturn-Pluto rises in San Francisco.
2/3 CapQ Asc opposes ingress Mars and CanQ MC squares ingress Saturn. This, with the usual 2° orb, is the center of violence, fires, open conflict, and loss. (Iowa Caucuses are 2/3, the State of the Union is 2/4.)
Canlunar (Feb 7)
The Canlunar covers February 7-13. It is dormant. Moon opposes Saturn (0°26' in mundo) and Pluto (1°24').
Mars-Neptune is angular along a Wisconsin-to-Louisiana stretch with Memphis and New Orleans exactly touched. Saturn-Pluto rises in the Portland-Seattle area. Moon-Saturn-Pluto squares Ascendant through Maine.
2/7 CanQ MC squares Pluto. 2/10 Cansolar Moon-Uranus comes to angles: Things shift rapidly. Feb 11-12 CapQ Asc squares Neptunes and CanQ MC squares Saturn: deep grief marks loss and requires renunciation.
Liblunar (Feb 13)
The Liblunar covers February 13-20. It is dormant. For Washington, Moon opposes Uranus (0°30' in mundo), squares Pluto (1°12') and squares Saturn (1°27').
Saturn culminates in New Orleans and all spots due north; Pluto somewhat west of this, at the longitude of Little Rock. Both are draped along the Mississippi River (and square Asc along the east side of the Rockies). Mars slices through California, including Santa Barbara (and due north).
2/15 CanQ Asc crosses ingress Mars: Significant fires, violence, and conflict will center on that day. 2/18 CanQ MC crosses transiting Uranus.