Saturn in Capricorn

The astrology of the 2018 US stock market rollercoaster

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll remember that the financial collapse of 2008 coincided with the entry of Pluto, planet of destruction and regeneration, into the contracting sign of Capricorn after spending 13 expansive years in optimistic Sagittarius.

At the end of December 2017, Saturn (tests, challenges and the reality principle) moved into its own sign of Capricorn which tends to make people somewhat cautious and risk-averse.  The first big dip of the year took place between February 1st and 5th under a challenging aspect from Venus to Jupiter.  Venus and Jupiter are known as the two “benefic” planets, even when a challenging aspect between the two occurs, but in this case the overindulgence of Venus and Jupiter was countermanded by the cautious nature of Saturn in Capricorn, causing a pullback in the optimism that tends to cause stock prices to rise.

Stock prices were back up into positive territory between mid-February and mid-March but dropped back into the negative when Mars (action) entered Capricorn and Jupiter (expansion) turned retrograde in the middle of March.  Stock prices remained quite volatile but never really developed any upward traction until the 9th of July when we began to see steady improvement in the markets after Jupiter turned direct.

It’s difficult to make predictions where human nature is concerned, and the stock market is largely a reflection of human reactions to news.  When people are optimistic, they buy into markets (stock market, housing market – whatever market!) which increases prices, and when they are fearful they tend to sell.  Sometimes expansive periods of Jupiter are associated with greater optimism and higher prices, and sometimes we see a peak of prices and then profit-taking which results in lower prices.

At any rate, once Jupiter turned […]

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By |2018-12-18T17:13:36-05:00December 17th, 2018|Money and markets|2 Comments

Jupiter in Sagittarius: Prepare for adventure! November 2018 – December 2019

Jupiter in SagittariusJupiter left intense Scorpio for sunny Sagittarius on November 8, 2018, a planetary shift heralded around the world with the superlatives you would associate with a planet as big as Jupiter entering a sign as happy as Sagittarius.  Astrological headlines declare “Outgoing, lucky and limitless”; “the upgrade your life needs”; “Getting to Yes”; “taking you on a beautiful adventure.”   Everyone loves Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, luck and abundance.

Looking back to 2007

Because Jupiter rules Sagittarius its power to expand and open up new possibilities can operate unimpeded by other influences. Jupiter in Sagittarius seeks adventure, prosperity, faith and meaning in life. Jupiter generally takes a full year to go through each sign in the zodiac, and last traversed through Sagittarius in 2007.  At the time, Pluto (obsession, destruction, regeneration) was finishing its journey through Sagittarius where it had overseen an obsession with bigger houses, more money, self-help and a relentless optimism that took a dive when Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008.  It’s difficult to separate the influence of Jupiter in Sagittarius that year from the Pluto problems, but one thing we know for sure is that every aspect of astrological archetypes has a dark side and a light one.  Saturn, that devil of hardship and difficult lessons, bestows strength and the ability to master the physical universe.  And Jupiter, the light of beneficence, can encourage so much faith and confidence that we don’t see the train coming as we veer off the track.

About Jupiter

Jupiter in the birthchart or by transit provides the impulse for us to grow and evolve. It is involved in the realm of faith and the search for meaning in life, and in doing so there is a bit of restlessness […]

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By |2019-11-30T02:21:22-05:00November 9th, 2018|Planetary cycles|1 Comment

The seeds of the Capricorn stellium are blooming now

Capricorn stelliumSteven Forrest has posted a lovely video discussing the travel of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn through Capricorn in the 1980s and 1990s and you can watch it here.  Steven was my first teacher and I respect him greatly – his books The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky are required reading for beginners and really, for anyone who hasn’t read them.

In the video Steven discusses the humans that were born when Uranus and Neptune were in Capricorn during this period as being seeds of humanity that are about to flower now that Saturn and Pluto are both in Capricorn.

About Capricorn

Capricorn is the tenth sign of the zodiac, and associated with the tenth house of achievement in the material world.  Under the influence of Capricorn we tend to be more serious, perhaps more introverted.  Life can seem like a hard slog as we do The Things Which Must Be Done, and we might sometimes forget why we’re even doing them.  But the symbol for Capricorn, as well as its ruling planet Saturn, is the sure-footed mountain goat which climbs ridiculous peaks without stumbling or falling, always achieving its goals.

The conjunction of Uranus and Neptune

The Uranus/Neptune conjunction of the 1990s was an extremely significant period.  Outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are transformational forces and they generally apply a great deal of pressure on the human experience when they are in alignment with each other.  Uranus inspires us to revolt and rebel against a stale and outmoded status quo and Neptune inspires us to transcend the material world to find bliss and an experience of the divine.  When these two aligned in the early 1990s there was […]

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By |2019-11-10T19:22:37-05:00October 15th, 2018|Featured posts, Planetary cycles|97 Comments

The Astrology of 2018 – What can we expect?

Astrology of 2018Over the past ten years the people of planet Earth have experienced a cataclysmic shift that has affected virtually every area of human life.  Pluto (planet of deep transformational forces) changed signs in 2008, moving from expansive Sagittarius which embraced migration and “one world” culture as well as celebrity and theology into the contracting sign of Capricorn which insists on being practical and creating strong foundations that can’t be buffeted around by the whims of the world.  Pluto then was drawn into a protracted conflict with Uranus, planet of rebellion and revolution, in the individualistic sign of Aries and predictably, revolutions occurred around the world.  The Arab Spring, the Trump revolution in the US, Brexit in the UK, revolutions in the UK, and a dismantling of governments in Africa and elsewhere (Pluto in Capricorn) by revolutionary forces (Uranus in Aries).

Here is a list of the major planetary events in 2018. 

I believe that 2018 will be the year of renewed stability.  That is not to say that peace will rule the planet, but new foundations are being built to replace the old ones which have been destroyed and the transformations of the past ten years will now be accepted as the new normal.  When our old reality has crumbled into the mists of history, there is nothing to do but to move forward and the planetary influences this year will help with that.

There are no outer planet alignments.  The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are the big movers and shakers. I think of them as transformational forces that inspire us to evolve and change, and when they interact with each other they stimulate powerful changes in the world around us as well as in […]

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By |2019-02-03T08:43:42-05:00December 30th, 2017|Planetary cycles|8 Comments

Saturn in Capricorn: The pinnacle of achievement (and some practical advice)

Saturn in Capricorn The view from the top of the mountain

Saturn will be in Capricorn between December 19th, 2017 and December 17, 2020

The perception from earth of the movement of the planets through the symbolic constellations in the sky is one of the great tools that astrologers use to forecast the energies through which we live our life.  These energies operate on the macrocosmic level – everyone on the planet is affected to one degree or another by the movement of the Moon, or any of the planets, through the zodiacal signs.  On the microcosmic personal level, we are especially affected if the transiting planets in the sky trigger something in our own astrological chart.

About Saturn

Saturn is the outermost of the personal planets – the planets that are visible to the naked eye and which represent an aspect of our personality.  Saturn represents the impulse to achieve: to master the material world.  He imposes restrictions and places limitations on the goals and dreams that Jupiter has planted in the psyche. He has the tendency to engender feelings of insecurity, self-doubt and unworthiness.  Traditionally Saturn was known as the Greater Malefic (the Lesser Malefic being Mars) because of the tendency towards negativism and melancholy.  And probably because he ate his children in order to preserve his power which certainly didn’t help his image.

Still, while we can’t deny Saturn’s challenging qualities, his gifts are also great.  In ancient Greece Saturn was known as Kronos, Lord of Time, and under Saturn’s watchful eye we cannot deny that time is fleeting and death is before us making each moment more precious and not to be wasted.  The tests and crises that Saturn often brings with him give us the strength and […]

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By |2021-11-28T12:33:06-05:00December 17th, 2017|Planetary cycles|13 Comments