‘Your coronavirus predictions were spot on back in May! Opening up in July and August and then second wave in Sep/Oct/Nov’
Saturn/Pluto Conjunction
Back in January, we knew that the rare alignment of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn would require a reset.
Saturn and Pluto’s challenging aspects often coincide with a time of endings & hardship. The Grim Reaper (Saturn) meets God of the Underworld (Pluto) in Capricorn, the star sign ruling the establishment – it was never going to be a happy marriage between the two and it smacked of a global recession.
What we weren’t aware of at the start of 2020 was the major impact of the coronavirus globally, although it had already kicked in. Reading back through my Saturn/Pluto article from January, the following words now make more sense:
‘The key themes of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction are endings, super powers, death & loss, the passing of time and the dark side of life’. Some of my tips on the Saturn/Pluto conjunction were; ‘Get real and deal with the facts’, ‘Flex your survival instinct’, ‘Ditch the fear’. All worth holding on to at this peak moment in history.
What I want to do in this article is consider the astrology for the onset of the virus to see if that can help us work out the timing of events and where we need to pay close attention.
As always, I’ve tried to keep the astrology simple to help make sense of things. I will also continue to update the article as the year progresses.
Quarantine & Lockdown
When I was thinking about the Saturn/Pluto conjunction back in January, the image of a prison came to mind. Saturn rules walls, boundaries, confinement; Pluto rules caves, the Underworld, dark places.
The ‘lockdown symbolism’ is evident. Which brings me to cruise ships, the monolithic vessels surging through our seas. I’ve never been a fan of cruise ships.
Yes, you travel to amazing places but you can’t get off them in the middle of the ocean which is my personal idea of hell. They’re not great for the environment and they have exploded in popularity in recent years.
The quarantine on the cruise ships which turned out to be a fertile breeding ground for the virus is a shuddering reminder of the Saturn/Pluto ‘lockdown’ symbolism.
If Saturn/Pluto is the equivalent of a reset button, we are being forced to consider the way we travel around the globe. One of the good things that could come out of our current crisis is that the planet’s getting a clean up!
South Node In Capricorn
There is another key planetary factor involved. The definitive date for the corona virus was December 31, 2019, when China alerted the WHO (World Health Organisation) to the spread of the disease.
On this day, the Sun was exactly conjunct the South Node, both at 8 degrees Capricorn. The South Node is a point in astrology that’s often associated with ‘bad fortune’. Traditionally, this is a point linked to release and letting go, especially when you slip into bad habits, your comfort zone.
Normally, a virus would be represented by Neptune in astrology, the mysterious, intangible planetary influence which often shows in personal illness, especially any condition which is hard to diagnose. And, the virus did spread greatly during Pisces season – Pisces is ruled by Neptune (see below).
Yet, the coronavirus took hold as the planets moved through Capricorn, affecting the structure and foundations of our lives.
Jupiter In Capricorn
Looking at the coronavirus timeline, one of the first cases was on December 1, 2019. What’s interesting about this date is that Jupiter was at 29 Sagittarius on the verge of joining Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn the following day, December 2, 2019.
Jupiter is the global planet, linked to foreign connections, travel and study, also religion, hope & faith, broadcasting and the Law. Its most significant planetary aspect in 2020 is a conjunction with Pluto which happens three times on the following dates: April 5, June 30 and November 12, 2020.
These major planetary aspects act as a backdrop to the year – they can be specific date-wise but more often they bring a theme to the year’s events. We are already seeing how this is playing out as severe travel restrictions are being put in place. Jupiter rules travel and Pluto is the wipe-out planet.
Therefore, it’s super important to consider your travel plans in the year ahead, limit unnecessary travel and ensure that you have good insurance as soon as you book. The impact of the coronavirus is already hitting the airline business and limiting our freedom, another key feature of Jupiter.
Another area to note are schools and places of study, again ruled by Jupiter, which again are being closed when there’s a case of coronavirus confirmed. Here too, you need to be ready for significant changes or cancellations.
Jupiter and Pluto are planets that are about big money – Jupiter rules abundance and Pluto rules hidden riches. These two planets are often key when it comes to finances. We already know that this is going to be a wild year financially.
Ideally, you want to ditch debt and know that the stock markets are going to be in for a rocky ride. This also fits Uranus in Taurus’ symbolism; Uranus brings change and Taurus rules money.
It’s been discovered that Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions are often prevalent at times of virus or plague. Pluto is God of the Underworld, with its theme of invisibility. Jupiter is linked to global events and spreads or expands what it touches.
The third & final Jupiter/Pluto conjunction took place on November 12th and as predicted, there was a second wave of the virus. Yet, also the first breakthroughs were occurring around vaccines – Jupiter is knowledge & education.
Writing now in November 2020, both Jupiter & Saturn have finally managed to move away from Pluto and are completing their transits through Capricorn.
Then, on December 17th, Saturn enters Aquarius and two days later December 19th, Jupiter enters Aquarius. Their epic conjunction takes place on December 21st at 0 degrees Aquarius, the start of a new 20 year chapter.
I’m hoping that governments will then start to ease their lockdown policies although we already know that Saturn in Aquarius from March 22nd to July 1st coincided with lockdown and social (Aquarius) distancing (Saturn) for many people/countries.
What we don’t yet know is what Jupiter will bring to the Aquarius party – will it promise freedom? If it doesn’t, the other freedom planet Uranus kicks in during January/February 2021.
This is when we’re likely to see more protests/unrest around the lockdowns and the possibility of mandatory vaccinations. 2021 promises to be an interesting year.
Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto Retrograde
The three major planets in Capricorn that have been the striking symbols of the virus turned retrograde in April & May 2020 on the following dates: Pluto – April 25th, Saturn – May 11th, Jupiter – May 14th.
What we’re currently seeing is that the brakes are being taken off the lockdown situation in many countries and travel (Jupiter) is slowly starting to take off again.
However, all three planets turned direct in September/October 2020 on the following dates: Jupiter – September 13th, Saturn – September 29th, Pluto – October 4th. The astrology suggested a second wave and it arrived.
Mars In Capricorn
Which brings me to another important point astrologically and the reason why March 2020 was pivotal. This is the fact that Mars, the planet representing speed and ferocity, was also in Capricorn. It moved there on February 16th and remained in Capricorn until March 30th.
We immediately saw Mars’ impact as the virus accelerated. For example, the first international sports match to be was postponed was the Ireland-Italy rugby game and the announcement came on February 26, 2020.
On this date, the South Node in Capricorn was conjunct Mars, the planet which rules sport and physical activities, both at 6 degrees Capricorn.
Mars conjunct Jupiter on March 20th and Pluto in Capricorn on March 23rd also turned out to be pivotal turning points. In fact, the UK went into lockdown on March 23rd.
Then, in the second half of the year Mars entered Aries and took on some epic clashes with the trio of planets in Capricorn. More importantly, Mars was retrograde from September 9th to November 14th, a symbol of frustration, feeling held back, plans thwarted. Writing this in mid-November, there’s a more positive feel moving forward and Mars wants to move, wants action.
0 Degrees Aquarius
Mars joined Saturn in Aquarius on March 30th and they met at 0 Aquarius on March 31st. When I drew up the chart for December 1, 2019, the first coronavirus case, I chose a sunrise chart and the Moon was at 0 Aquarius.
The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction which heralds a New Age also takes place at 0 Aquarius on December 21, 2020. These dates and planetary alignments will herald a new chapter within history and our society.
Saturn in Aquarius turned out to be a classic symbol for social (Aquarius) distancing (Saturn). The next time, Saturn enters Aquarius on December 17th, it will be joined by Jupiter on December 19th, the expansive planet, which feels very different.
This is a 2020 virus insomuch as we have to wait for the slower-moving planets, Jupiter & Saturn, to complete their journeys through Capricorn before we know where we stand.
I’m hoping that next year’s Aquarius theme will bring a vaccine – Aquarius rules technologies – and a new way of living with/handling the viruses prominent in our world. n.b. Aquarius is one of the air signs and viruses are air-borne – therefore, we are going to have find new ways to adapt moving forwards.
Neptune’s Role
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the virus a global pandemic. This was an interesting date astrologically. Mercury turned direct on March 10th, a move that often brings news to light.
Mercury’s three week retrograde phase through Pisces, Neptune’s star sign, starting on February 17th coincided with the spread of the virus. During Mercury retrograde, events remain hidden.
Mercury turned direct and suddenly everyone knew what was happening. Plus, this fell at a peak time astrologically as it was during the Full Moon in Virgo, a symbol of illumination, on March 9th.
Full Moons bring culmination – perfect timing for the announcement. Here too, Neptune was playing a pivotal role as it was exactly conjunct the Sun in Pisces during the Virgo (health) Full Moon.
The ‘Eyes’ Of The Universe
The symbolism of the Sun/South Node conjunction in Capricorn which coincided with the announcement of the corona virus is intriguing. In traditional astrology, the Sun and Moon represent the eyes; the Sun is the right eye, the Moon the left eye.
The astrologer Maggie Hyde discovered that the corona-virus was named because the spikes on the virus reminded the scientist, June Almeida, of the spikes you see on the corona of the Sun.
The Sun’s ‘corona’ is invisible to the human eye except during an eclipse. Then, it’s brought to light. The eyes of the world – the Sun & Moon – look down upon us as we stand and fall, make mistakes, abuse the earth we live on and, hopefully, try to make amends.
As always with astrology, there’s a sense that the steps we take in life as human beings are closely connected to the cosmic order, the movements of the stars & planets. We are seeing that in what’s happening now as we’re being forced to consider how we lead our lives on our beautiful planet.
If you would like to receive regular weekly astrology updates so you know what’s happening when and how you can work with your astrology cycles, you can join my subscription service, Sally’s Stars, here: Weekly.
Here’s the link to another article you may find helpful: Saturn in Aquarius: The New Age written on March 22nd 2020
Thanks for the article.
My wedding took place on 9 Sep 2001 on Saturn Pluto opposition. My husband left me on the 2nd day night alone at the honey moon hotel. He has a habit of going out with his friends drink and gamble. Blame that I was not what he expected, to win his heart I became a.door mat. 18 years later after violent incidents I separated. I was clinging on to something that didn’t work.
I got names like violent, abusive, mental and controlling etc. I don’t know the date is picked. On Hindu Vedic they don’t include Pluto.
I have sun Pluto conjunction in 3 Libra. He has Jupiter uranus conjunction at the same degree.
I always wonder how the elders checked the horoscope matching.
Regards
I’m sorry things have been tough for you. Pluto is often the planet that shows in abuse cases and not a great start to your marriage to begin under the Saturn-Pluto opposition. I wish you all the best moving forwards.
Great summation, thank you.
🙂
Hi Sally.
I hope you are well.
How long will this going to go on for? When will things get back to normal?
Thank you
Impossible to say with any accuracy, Trina. I’ve tried to pinpoint what’s going on astrologically when the virus started and it seems to coincide with the planets moving through Capricorn and accelerating this month while Mars is in Capricorn. The Jupiter/Pluto Capricorn theme limiting movement of travel and freedom continues until the end of 2020 – last transit November. Therefore, that’s one possible timeline to follow.
Interesting you say that Sally as I have only left one of my 2020 travel bookings active and that is the one towards the end of November.
Yes, it will be interesting to see if this is a Jupiter/Pluto Capricorn phenomenon – it fits the loss (Pluto) of freedom (Jupiter) theme for sure. Take care of yourself.
If I may throw in my twopenneth Sally … this is the first meeting of Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn. They narrowly missed during the Global Financial Crash of 2007-08 as they met in very late Sag in Dec 2007.
Without trying to doom monger, this is the worst threat to how we live that I’ve seen in my lifetime. I’m not talking about the death and illness, but from the perspective of how we go about our day to day lives … what entertains us, where we go on holiday, who we interact with, how we get educated etc, etc. America’s banning travel from Europe. School closing all over Europe. Panic-buying of toilet rolls. Sporting events being cancelled.
You didn’t attibute any of this to Uranus in Taurus but I suspect it’s relevant. It’s getting us to look at what we actually value. The “economy” and “making money” which now dominate all political decisions are grinding to a halt because there is no other choice. The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is moving into Aquarius this year, twenty years after it met in Taurus.
I agree that this year is going to require a huge reset of much of life that we considered normal. It’s going to be devastating for some in different ways and bring disappointment and fear for many. Yet, we knew that something radical had to happen because we can’t sustain our life on this earth for ever – it’s impossible without change. Hopefully, there will be positive changes that come out of the ‘reset’. This was the theme of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction which is the main reason why 2020 is turning into such a huge year of drastic measures.
All the major planetary activity involved is in earth signs – Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto Capricorn & yes, as you mention Uranus in Taurus – this is about our earth and how we live on it, how we source our food, what we produce, how we trade, do business, all earth-related activities.
I don’t see Uranus as being a significator for the virus and the lockdowns involved – I think that shows more strongly in the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto conjunctions in Capricorn. Uranus doesn’t play a part in any of the major astrology this year but it will kick in again next year as the new order and necessary changes kick in. Testing times and even more important to appreciate all we do have, the simple things like nature, love, friendship, kindness, community.
Thank you for your comment.
We have changed nature and now this is part of it. I feel the reset is to give us the opportunity to think again and reestablish the holy respect for the natural world which has been desecrated by industrialisation and wonder what role Ceres is playing in this? If we come out of this without learning and changing then the next pandemic will be worse.
I agree, Lesley. We’ve been talking about needing to change the way we live on this earth more urgently for some years now and even though there have been innovative moves, it’s not been radical enough. Hopefully, there will be good things that come out of the current global crisis and society will be restructured in a way that benefits the earth we live on and allows us to keep on living here for years to come. You’re right about Ceres, the asteroid that represents ‘mother earth’. On January 12, 2020, the day of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, the Sun was at 21 Capricorn conjunct Mercury, Ceres, Saturn & Pluto all at 22 Capricorn. This is about our earth – we haven’t paid her enough respect for a long time.
Totally agree Sally and glad my hunch about Ceres was right. I hadn’t realised it was part of the great conjunction but think it all makes more sense with her there. She will be the light in the Plutonic moments.
Born with Saturn conj Pluto. For me it’s been the masses as well as the hidden, or what Jung called the Collective Unconscious. I was off on this one – expected a war, trade war, economic failure but not as a result of something like Covid-19.
The ending: I’m pretty sure this is a very good example of the mass of humanity and how it affects everyone. We’re spreading this collectively and the larger (ignorant) masses can too easily overrun the science and medical groups. In spite of all the information available, I still see way too many people acting as if life is ‘normal,’ when it isn’t. I don’t think we’re going to see a ‘normal’ for a long time; many things have been shifting, will continue to shift. Possibly, collectively we’re too used to the so called ‘trickle down’ effect – it’s someone else’s job. Collectively, at least a lot of us have to start thinking and acting as if it is now our job, individually and collectively to turn this around.
We’re all connected to returning to ‘normal’ but it has to be in significant numbers where the masses can have a positive effect. Don’t forget, we’re all connected to what’s considered the 6th Mass Extinction and collectively the cause of it.
Sally: Thanks again for the update.
Thanks John – helpful. I think very few people thought that the 2020 reset (Saturn/Pluto) would come via a virus. Viruses are associated with Neptune in astrology. I was about to call my article on Saturn in Aquarius – The New Normal – I might still do so 🙂 Take good care. Stay safe, stay sane.
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First case of COVID 19 is now known to be Nov 17, 2019
https://www.livescience.com/first-case-coronavirus-found.html
Thank you Christina. I also heard of a case in October 2019 but I don’t know how authentic that information is. We may discover that this virus was brewing as far back as April 2019 when Saturn and Pluto were both conjunct the south node in Capricorn. Certainly, the key date for us all to consider as astrologers is December 31, 2019 when the virus went ‘official’. The virus is an obvious symbol of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction and the Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions – the reset (Saturn/Pluto) followed by the major financial shifts – the last recession came on the back of the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius (2007/2008) – overblown spending leading to the subsequent crash. This time around the Gods of money/wealth – Jupiter/Pluto are in Capricorn. I don’t think many of us thought it would be such a devastating virus bringing the lockdown situations and deaths – sad times when we have to dig deep and find the good that will eventually come out of this.
I love how the name “Coronavirus” says it all. Corona, or crown in English, refers to a virus on our rulers, the “crown”, the establishment, Capricorn. We will never be the same after the purge (from where I write in Brooklyn, New York completely avoidable one, as we had months to prepare while our “leadership” did nothing).
Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius is also highlighted, as we are forced to come together by self-isolating and are connecting with one another, by necessity, electronically.
Here in New York City, with our zero testing (more Saturn in Aquarius, our leaders massively botched the technology for a simple test), high density, and failed leadership (support your favorite bar while you still can! to paraphrase the mayor just a few days ago),we are awaiting a holocaust. City council is trying to authorize the convention center and Madison Square Garden as overflow hospital space, but currently no equipment exists (paper masks selling for $80 each because our supply chains come from China).
Holocaust literally means “whole burn” (think fire, ace of wands). Personally, I keep thinking about Bern(burn)ie Sanders in this week’s debate, speaking about how we must “make Americans whole” throughout.
Another thing to remember that’s useful: when people die, it’s a soul agreement and part of the purpose of the dying is to take no longer useful energies with them so that those who remain on earth are freed from past restrictions.
Sending y’all love (where is Venus again?) as well as forever blessings.
Stay well and be love.
Thank you, Esme. Some really useful thoughts here, especially around the symbolism of the virus. Venus is still here – strong in Taurus until April 3rd and I think we’ll see more and more of her goodness in the coming weeks – connections, caring, nature, simple pleasures – in the midst of the crazier picture.
Yes, we’re afraid, but so very very thankful the 👑🦠 spares the children. We are so very lucky on that count.
Thank you for such an insightful post.
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Hello Sally,
Love your articles and a fan of the sports astrology. What are your thoughts of the eclipse that happened on 26 Dec 2019 and how these recent events are being pushed by that? I read you picked 31 Dec 2019 as may be an offshoot of 26th.
There is another eclipse coming over in June .. what do you see of them?
Eclipses always fall in pairs, so the one on December 26, 2019 was linked to the one on January 10, 2020, two days before the Saturn/Pluto conjunction. Both hugely important in the major shifts within the foundations of our society, especially falling across the Cancer (home) Capricorn (work) axis. The two eclipses on June 21st and July 5th complete the cycle – I would suspect those dates are going to be important with regard to the development of this year’s crisis. Hopefully, some kind of ending. Also, another date to note is May 5th when the nodes (destiny points) leave Cancer and Capricorn and change star signs. That too could free things up with regard to our current lockdown situation.
Thanks for the reply Sally.
It will be interesting to see how the power structure transforms after this terrible pandemic cycle ends. Saturn still conjuncts Jupiter later this year, as per my basic knowledge.
Yes, Saturn and Jupiter make a conjunction at 0 degrees Aquarius on December 21 2020.
I read your post with great interest some while ago. As these events are all a lead-up to the Great Conjunction in December, I thought I would check out the chart for the last Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2000, and immediately noted some fascinating features. Your article picked up on the moon nodes…in the 2000 chart, the node is at 25.47 Capricorn. Transiting Pluto is only a degree away from this point now, and the Jupiter conjunct Pluto event of mid-April appears to have marked the peak of the epidemic.
I also noted that Uranus turned direct at 2.39 Taurus in January, and this was quintile Uranus in the 2000 chart, exact to the degree.
The above seems to be suggestive of methods by which the Great Conjunction cycle can be used to elaborate on mundane astrology.
Hi Trevor, thank you for your comment. Really interesting to hear about the nodes at 25 Capricorn in the 2000 chart and the Pluto transit there right now. Personally, I think we may see the virus go in waves until the Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions are complete – so I see it as at least a 2020 event rather than just the first conjunction. That would be more in line with the astrology. The middle conjunction of three is often the most powerful or the turning point – and the second Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is on June 30th – that date suggests a significant shift. In which direction, we’ll know more then. I suspect there may be a major relaxing of the lockdown situation then but we still need to see what happens in September through to November.
I hope movie theaters will be allowed to reopen pretty soon.
I am tired of watching films only at home.
I am so, so tired. I just hope things will be recovering soon.
I hear you. It is exhausting to wonder what to do and nowhere to go. I feel for the kids who have not gotten to play with any other kids for so long now. I hope things get better too. Bless you.
I completely agree. Sending best wishes to you both.