Quote of the week

“Hope is a waking dream.”

― Aristotle

As Mercury enters its new sign of Taurus this week, we will begin to see this planet in the evening sky just after sunset on the western horizon. This Evening Rise of Mercury is characteristic of a wise sage, teacher and philosopher.  During this week, there could be situations involving study, meeting a new teacher, coming into a body of knowledge, becoming a teacher yourself, starting a new course / book, or other similar themes that involve the transmission of knowledge and wisdom. 

Venus, who is currently exalted in Pisces, witnesses Mercury by sextile, providing support and acknowledgement in your learning and teaching endeavours. The Taurean placement of Mercury suggests a strong tendency towards embodied learning and a practical development of your skills. Make use of this time to ground yourself into a practice of learning, development and communication in whatever area you seek to gain more knowledge in. It need not be an official course; simply having a go and asking the right questions to someone who can offer some guidance will go a long way towards your personal development this week.

Saturn is the last planet to pass through the Bendings of the Nodes this week, completing a two month scrutiny of the current eclipse story through the lens of various planets. As mentioned in previous weeks, whenever planets square the nodal points, we experience a deep questioning, intensification, pressure point and erratic impulses to act upon the themes of the eclipses that are currently in Taurus and Scorpio.

When Saturn passes through this pressure point this week, you may feel a serious and sober tone descend, prompting you to work hard and play less. It will be a good time to check that you’re up-to-date with your duties and obligations, and make plans to organise your systems and procedures for greater efficiency. Hard work and productive action may be on the cards amidst the realisation of the mountain of work that lies ahead of you. You may feel called to pull away from social connections in order to focus on the tasks at hand.

But at the same time, with Venus and Jupiter in Pisces and the Full Moon in Libra by the end of the week, the temptation to pull you away from the dullness of work and into the creative flow of expansive living is extremely strong. The sociable Full Moon in Libra ruled by the exalted Venus in Pisces will challenge Saturn’s commitment to productivity as indulgences, enjoyment and frivolity is also high on the agenda. One way to balance this is to merge work with social engagements – afterall, Saturn is the exalted ruler of Libra and in his own sign of Aquarius can show a strength in organised social systems that operate under a common value system. Using the brotherhood / sisterhood experience to get your responsibilities met is one way you can integrate these two competing needs this week.

The sextile of the Sun and Saturn is a small but interesting transit this week.  Both planets are strongly placed – Sun exalted in Aries while Saturn in domicile in Aquarius. However, in each other’s signs, they are both in the fall condition (Saturn falls in Aries, Sun falls in Aquarius). It seems Sun and Saturn want to help each other but their help is not the right kind. In helping each other, they may in fact, make matters worse.

What this could translate to is somewhat of a low level warning – ie. don’t be fooled by people who offer quick results or a solution that promises future success, especially from those in a position of authority, power or leadership. Better to stick to your own resources and manage your situation through your own devices. Lead from your own inspiration and creative vision, not from someone else’s. There’s a possibility that the help you think you’re getting may not necessarily be worthwhile, so best to apply your own hard work and management behind this.

Jupiter/Neptune Conjunction in Pisces

Lastly, the Jupiter Neptune conjunction is one of the big transits for the year which occurs approximately every 12 years but in the sign of Pisces, this will be a once-in-lifetime occurrence (next conjunction in Pisces in 2188). 

Themes that are common between Jupiter and Neptune include the imagination, dreaming of a unified world, idealism, philanthropy, systems of beliefs and spirituality, lack of boundaries, limitless expansion, ungrounded thoughts and actions, and the exaggeration of truths.

There’s a lot to look forward to with the Jupiter Neptune conjunction because it can give us a strong sense of hope and inspiration about our lives. With this transit, we may actually believe that our wildest dreams are within reach; that our potential is only limited by our imagination. We may come to meet with a potential purpose that spiritually fulfills us so much that we’re willing to die for it. Redemption and martyrdom are big themes of this transit – think of the Christian symbol of Jesus on the cross.

We see examples of wild imagination with projects being launched under previous Jupiter Neptune conjunctions such as Minecraft in 2009 which continues to inspire many online builders to create personal worlds within a limitless and expansive virtual reality. In 1996, the Tamagotchi was released and took the world by storm with the concept of a virtual pet. In 1971, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released, tempting us with a chocolate utopia while in the same year Disney World opened in Florida.The movie Avatar was released at the 2009 Jupiter Neptune conjunction and the sequel to this movie is planned for release later this year within reach of the current conjunction.

These examples demonstrate the merging of other-worldly realities that seem to be possible under a Jupiter Neptune transit.

Michael Jackson was born with a Jupiter Neptune conjunction and nothing is more archetypal of this configuration than his Neverland ‘backyard’. But his video clips also became renowned for their farfetched and creative concepts, including Thriller which also aired for the first time under a Jupiter Neptune conjunction. Interestingly, his first son Prince Michael Jackson I was also born under this transit.

Another positive for the Jupiter Neptune transit is that they share a strong need to unify and find peace and compassion. Greenpeace was founded on a Jupiter Neptune conjunction, and Aung San Suu Kyi, known for peaceful resistance under the face of oppression, also has this transit in her birth chart. Most famously, the end of World War II and the Nuclear Disarmament happened on Jupiter Neptune conjunctions. Would this transit be enough to end the current war in Ukraine / Russia? This is possibly wishful thinking as there are also shadow expressions to this pair of planets.

Ebertin’s (The Combination of Stellar Influences) research summarises that Jupiter Neptune combinations at worst, point to political conflicts. He writes that this can manifest as “poor speculation, seduction, a scandal which is caused through one’s own instability, and losses.” 

On its own, Neptune can show us where we’re most gullible, impressionable and prone to deception or fraud. When Jupiter joins, it will only expand these repressed states of Neptune. Therefore, one of the shadow aspects of this conjunction can be the inability to separate our idealist or imaginative realities, with that of practical reality. It can warp our perception, get us caught up in scandals or deceptive situations and cause great confusion, instability and ungroundedness. 

Julian Assange has a Jupiter Neptune conjunction in his natal chart, and is an example of the more problematic manifestation of this aspect. Despite his noble intentions, his visions for greater transparency have created great suffering for him through the blurring of political protocols and security measures for stability. He is seen as a hero by some, and the world’s most dangerous criminal by others. The Neptunian themes of secrecy, deception and invisibility have been a key vehicle driving his noble visions to expose the truths. 

Like Aung San Suu Kyi, the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Julian Assange’s chart makes for visionaries with big ideas about the world, fueled by an endless hope for a better, more unified future which they are willing to put their personal lives at risk for. In these cases, both are martyrs for their visions, which is also another possibility when Jupiter expands the qualities of Neptune, which can symbolise victims and scapegoats. Edward Snowden, another US whistle-blower, was also born within 6 months of a Jupiter Neptune conjunction. We can make similar parallels with Julian Assange’s life themes.

The potential for overwhelm is also easily provoked by the Jupiter Neptune conjunction. The over-abundance of Jupiter and the unrestrained nature of Neptune can easily lead one to feel swamped and inundated with whatever it is that the planets are bringing in. The lack of boundaries is the key culprit. And, when I see Neptune active in charts pertaining to health topics, I commonly see infections as a manifestation of this lack of boundaries. There’s a possibility that this Jupiter Neptune conjunction could see a spike in covid numbers, for example.

So….what can you do with the Jupiter Neptune conjunction in your personal life? Firstly, look at where 23 degrees of Pisces is in your chart. This house will show you where you may feel a surge in hope, happiness and a hint of speculative impulses and gullibility. If you have Pisces at any of the angles (ie. Ascendant, Midheaven, IC or Descendant), you’ll feel this strongly, along with anyone with Jupiter as an activated timelord this year.

Use this transit to dream big, create your vision and consider how you can unify aspects of your life into your own unique and sovereign package. For example, if you’re looking for a purpose or vision to call your own, think about how you can combine all the random things you’ve done in the past – the skills you have, experiences in different industries, special interests – into your own ‘utopian’ reality.

However, just be mindful that with this transit, there’s a fine line between utopia and dystopia. Stay grounded – Saturn at the bendings will help you with this – and don’t get too carried away by poor speculation, gullibility, deception or the potential for overwhelm. Instead, use the merging of worlds to have your prayers heard and answered, engage in the magic of life and create a space to play in the imaginal. Use the boundary forming qualities of Saturn to create a container for you to dream your dreams. And, listen carefully to your dreams this week

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See you next Sunday for the next installment of planetary news.

Shu xx