Spiritual Astrology in November-December 2008 Pt. 1 - Jupiter's Group Performance Trine Saturn's Social Education

by Robert Wilkinson

Jupiter and Saturn transform energies of the Transpersonal Invisible Triad into widespread social influences within which our personalities operate in local conditions, whatever our field of influence. They show the pulses of inner and outer progress in a larger field of interactive experiences on social, cultural, and global levels. These months continue the long term stabilizing Earth trine and continue to bring us understanding and rewards from the work, service, and/or discipleship practices we've embraced since September 2007.

Jupiter and Saturn have made their Earth trine for many months, beginning in late December 2007 lasting through mid-February 2008, then moved through a quadraelftile into a sesquisquare in March and April. Jupiter then went stationary retrograde at 23 Capricorn and Saturn went stationary direct at 2 Virgo in May, moving back through these aspects in late June and early July before settling into the long term trine since then that lasts through the end of 2008.

Since Jupiter and Saturn will again form a quadraelftile and sesquisquare in January and February 2009 due to Jupiter's forward motion and Saturn going retrograde at 22 Virgo the last day of December, a brief note on the meaning of these aspects is in order.

The quadraelftile is a nonrational aspect of 130+ degrees that is part of the 11th harmonic series where we learn various types of "leaps of faith" in order to master and/or transcend some form of duality. As Jupiter and Saturn were first in quadraelftile late February-early March 2008 and again in July, we can get a sense of what is to come by checking out those time spans.

As noted in past Spiritual Astrology articles, look at late February and early March as the first test of learning a form of mature, organized, and practical "leaps of faith" to resolve a duality by releasing potential in dynamic ways within a greater harmonization of the Earth areas in our life. We had another opportunity to show forms of these types of duality-transcending abilities in late early July.

We've now been able to practice this "leap of faith" power twice, and we will finalize these lessons and skills in January 2009, when they should be solidified as a personality skill. As noted, after that Jupiter moves into a sesquisquare at the end of January into early February 2009 on its way to the biquintile in late February and early March 2009.

The sesquisquare agitates friction that can spur us forward creatively and/or regeneratively. We first experienced this in March, where we began to focus on the practical needs of the future helping us get over preconceptions. We got the RX version of this aspect in June, and as just noted, we will experience it a final time in this long cycle in January-February 2009 when it begins to give way to the aspects greater than 144 degrees.

A look ahead finds the Sun and other inner planets all making aspects to Jupiter and Saturn that will yield a very productive time, even if it spells work, work, and more work. Numerous quintiles, sextiles, and septiles predominate in November, waning to Jupiter and waxing to Saturn.

This indicates that the varying Jupiter cycles are ending over the next 15 weeks while the Saturn cycles are opening up new responsibilities, duties, and for many, a whole new sense of purpose that should be much clearer by January when numerous Earth trines from Capricorn transits solidify the understandings Venus heralds in late November and early December.

Since Jupiter and Saturn continue to make a solid trine from Earth signs, expect practical affairs and detailed work to predominate in the Social-Cultural realms of life. This is stabilizing and harmonizing for any Earth or Water planets or points we may have in the middle to late degrees of Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces, and Taurus.

Except for October, since July 2008 we've had the most Earth energy in years, so it's been a good time to get organized, ensure material well-being, make plans for future effectiveness, and consolidate the gains to be gathered. While the inner planets again move through Fire and Air these months, once we get to late December we'll again have a preponderance of planets in Earth lasting well into January 2009.

On a separate note, during the first part of November we have Sun, Mercury, and Mars square Neptune with Venus square Uranus and conjunct Pluto at the Galactic Center. Late November is much more fortunate, with numerous quintiles and a trine to Saturn along with a Venus quintile then sextile Uranus as the other planets make tredeciles to Uranus,

In December, we'll see many T-squares to Saturn opposition Uranus. Again, these will be waxing squares to Saturn and waning squares to Uranus throwing voids into 20, 21, and 22 Gemini. This will most impact people born in the second week of March, June, September, and December. These squares immediately give way to numerous conjunctions to Pluto in the first two degrees of Capricorn at the Galactic Center, giving a new burst of energy to these long range galactic influences expanded and set into motion since Jupiter conjuncted Pluto on the Galactic Center in late 2007.

Given these are the first inner planet conjunctions with Pluto since then, we should see much that Jupiter promised set into motion over these two months. Based in what we've learned and how we mobilized in practical ways the past year, we will see clear manifestations of our future path of accomplishment during these months and experience a renewal based in that larger vision. Galactic consciousness has given us visions and promises which are about to be set into motion in multiple ways in multiple areas of our lives. I'll compose more on these very important influences in December.

As noted, since Venus is the first of the inner planets to transit Sag, Capricorn, and Aquarius in these months, it acts as a herald for what will happen when Mercury, Sun, and then Mars also move through these signs. By what we experience connected to changes in our view of the Taurus and Libra areas of our charts through direct events in the Sag, Cap, and Aquarius sectors, we'll know what we can expect between now and the end of February.

Significant points of shift the next two months will come when Mercury moves through the Scorpio zone of the Grand Irrationality between November 8-11. Since Venus is also in the Sagittarius zone at this time, it marks a recognition and continuance of the choices and changes set into motion when Venus, Mars, and the Sun moved through the Scorpio zone at various points in October.

This of course shows 4 points of the 7 pointed Star are highly active at present, and the action continues in a big way in beginning the second week of December, with major forks in the road to come through the end of the year as Mercury, Sun, and Mars all conjunct Pluto biseptile Saturn and septile Neptune. Venus joins the party when it conjuncts Neptune at the end of December just as Mars is locked in tight in the Capricorn zone. I'll write more on this soon, but for now I'll state it's going to be a time of major importance in the lives of people and nations.

This is because it resets the energies of the decades-long foundational Neptune septile Pluto for another year, cutting across all sectors involving Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Aquarius in our charts. Depending on where the Moon and Ascendant fall in the active zones in time, there will be anywhere 4 or 5 points of the 7-pointed Star, or Great Septile, directly activated.

As always, I'll give you specific periods in part two of this series. You can bet it will be a period of major choices and changes, with decisions made that could change a life forever. December will begin a whole new era of all of us due to the conjunctions, and as noted, Venus will herald the larger long-wave Neptune cycles about to be set into motion in the 13 week period between mid-February and early May 2009.

This will affect the collective consciousness for years to come and marks an expansion of the front edge cuspal energies of the approaching Age of Aquarius. A quick look shows March to be very important, with Venus in the Aries zone as Mars conjuncts Neptune in the Aquarius zone, promising glimpses of what's to come after Venus goes retrograde. Expect May to be another very important time of new developments with both Venus and Mars in the Aries zone as Jupiter conjuncts Pluto and Saturn goes stationary direct.

And now, some background material. Due to Saturn's stationary direct degree in May, we all now have been experiencing multiple liberations the past several months that condition what we will review when Saturn goes retrograde at the end of December. As I've written in past articles,

Besides the usual Astrological Mandala interpretation of ego crucifixions and the need for compassion and understanding, a deeper look reveals it's a degree of conscious stewardship of and uncompromising allegiance to enduring values. We find that the demonstration of moral courage is a foundation to transcendental achievement.

Furthermore, we are told that fearlessness is "a corrective for the maladjustments of both individual and society," and promised that the resulting satisfactions derive from "a sense of spiritual belonging." This degree challenges us to enlist selflessly in a form of service for the welfare of others. This degree is sustaining, practical, efficient, specializing, physical, and sensitive.

Practically speaking, it seems as though it's time to screw our courage to the sticking point, defend what we know to be true, good, and beautiful, and embrace a sense of spiritual belonging to a greater community, whether visible or invisible, near or far. It would imply that we all are enlisting in forms of selfless service to correct some maladjustments in our lives and/or the lives of others in our spiritual community.

By December, Saturn will have advanced as far as it will this year to 22 degrees Virgo. At the New Year it will begin its retrograde back to 15 Virgo, helping us retrace lessons learned from late September through late December. Expect karmic returns during the first part of 2009 that involve venerable collective values we will preserve into the future, thus certifying our merit and status within our larger social milieu.

I'll compose more on this in the future, but for now, imagine what in your heritage you venerate and are willing to demonstrate to others in the future. We all have an inherited wisdom from the cultural matrix we were born and raised within, as well as cultural values we have embraced in our adulthood. In early 2009, we will be challenged to bring these forth in our lives and world so that by May we will be firmly enthroned in values that blend the material and spiritual in a cultural form.

Moving in a different direction, at this point we need to take a new look at another set of important factors that led us to where we're at right now. Since past is prologue to the future, past aspects between Jupiter and Saturn show how what has happened in 2008 came to be. Though I've published this in previous articles, new readers as well as those who need a refresher will profit by examining these very important turning points in time that set up what we've been moving through the past year.

Before the stabilizing trine, Jupiter and Saturn made several important biseptiles (102+ degrees) with each other throughout 2007, and set major changes into motion globally on every possible level. That's why things seemed crazier than usual with a constant "hard edge." to things. Radical decisions were made at crucial and often irrational "forks in the road" shaping our long term "destiny" for years to come.

As I noted previously, we had two qualities of Jupiter-Saturn biseptiles the last half of 2007 precipitating changes that were stabilized in 2008. One was from Jupiter in Sagittarius to Saturn in Leo in July-August 2007. The second was during September-October with Saturn in Virgo, setting the tone for the "liberating ordeal" from April through June 2008.

This element shift created a very different energetic manifestation of this sometimes obsessive-compulsive, always irrational "destiny-producing" aspect examined in the article, Astrology of Destiny in August-September 2007 - Jupiter Biseptile Saturn Offering Giant Changes in a Crazy Process. When you're done here, please check out the article to get a sense of what was occurring in 2007. At the bottom of this article you can find links to other articles on how this long term biseptile affected us off and on throughout 2006 and 2007.

Coupled with Neptune and Pluto anchoring The Grand Irrationality involving separate degree zones, Jupiter and Saturn indicated some very weird times forcing major choices in multiple life areas. Any time the septile series aspects are active, obsessive-compulsive tendencies run high and we collectively and individually confront major forks in the road in many life areas.

Beginning September 2008, Saturn joined the irrationality party where it will hang out through March 2009. This is prelude to its re-entry into the Virgo zone in July 2009 where it'll join Jupiter in the Aquarius zone, indicating a time of major global events determining "destiny" for years to come. We got the front end the past few months, and will get a new perspective in the next few months. Pay attention and learn what you must, since by July the die is cast for ALL of us!

Given that Saturn is our timekeeper and the measure of our limits, duties, and responsibilities, we have some major changes coming that won't be settled until Summer 2009. We are in a major training period, working and getting ready to do our Dharma as we move into the extreme changes promised by the oppositions and squares already upon us for years to come. Expect major developments in your life areas where the Grand Irrationality planets occupy to occur the 2nd and 4th weeks of December, late February and early March 2009, and early April. I'll elaborate on these and others in future articles on the Grand Irrationality.

Back to the setup for what we're going through these next two months. New choices, visions, futures, and truths were opened and set into motion December 2007 as Jupiter moved through the Sag zone of the Grand Irrationality. This transit definitely set forces into motion that has already begun to shape our "destiny" for a long time to come. As noted earlier, Mars will activate this when it moves through Sagittarius in late December 2008, which I'll elaborate on in the next few weeks.

Getting back to the major choices and changes in 2007 that we're dealing with now, I'll give you something I wrote in the Jan-Feb 2008 Spiritual Astrology article,

At times it probably seemed to get too weird for words since it was happening on an almost constant basis due to the Moon activating one of the two patterns 14 times a month during those periods. For four solid months everyone (was) on the edge of ...major changes, making character choices and decisions about duty and responsibility that shaped future opportunities and larger understandings. This is "the intersection of fate and free will," and our choices will show as progress or regress.

Between mid-November and mid-December we were blessed with Jupiter tredecile Saturn, and by the Winter Solstice we began a trine that (was) exact all of January... through mid-February. This will stabilize the new futures and truths we confronted throughout 2006-2007’s Jupiter’s squares and biseptiles to Saturn that specialized during the tredeciles.

The tredeciles were times of unique interactivity that manifested as "serendipity" in the areas Jupiter and Saturn transited in our charts.... This brought unique gifts perfect for our circumstances, or our unique or specialized ways of relating the Jupiter to Saturn in our lives found situations perfect for these gifts to manifest.

In part 2, we'll take a look at what's happening in the next few weeks concerning the Grand Irrationality, when it will be strongest, and the long term implications for what's coming. If I can find time to compose more, other parts will explore what's going on with the Outer Invisible Triad relative to degree spans and how the present shows us the seeds of the long range future.

(As I promised earlier, here's more on the Jupiter biseptile Saturn we all dealt with over 22 months in 2006-2007)

To recap what I've previously written, the process was directly related in bringing forth our higher truth of Being. The first point of choice and change was early 2006 and the second period from mid-December 2006 through early January 2007. I originally noted this aspect in the March-April 2006 Spiritual Astrology article, mainly in terms of when it would be activated. I addressed the second biseptile, along with the inner planets also making Sag biseptiles to Saturn with Jupiter, in this article.

This put our Sag and Pisces energies at a point of decision and change, an "intersection of fate and free will" relative to our Capricorn and Aquarius planets and houses. Obviously this affects at least a third of our reality, and as these 4 signs constitute the "Harvest sector" of the zodiac, no doubt our "harvests" have been and will be greatly affected by our choices around vision and duty.

The last of the three Jupiter biseptile Saturn periods happened between mid-July and mid-November 2007. The edges of our larger social change originated February 2006 with Jupiter in mid-Scorpio and Saturn in early Leo, then moved back into range mid-December 2006 through early January 2007 with Jupiter in early Sag and Saturn in late Leo.

The next biseptile was Jupiter direct in July-August from mid-Sag to late Leo, with the final biseptile from Jupiter in mid-Sag to Saturn in early Virgo from September through early November. Advanced astrologers should take note of the decan and degree placements as well as other planetary aspects to each of these to get greater insight into how the Jupiter-Saturn effects worked out on every level.

Each biseptile was in two different signs, as well as two decans in one sign. In one way to apply this, on a national level Saturn in Virgo will manifest differently than Saturn in Leo, as will national sectors ruled by Jupiter. Education, imagination, vision, and law have hit a turning point relative to the power structure and "leadership" sectors of our world.

If nothing else, people everywhere who have endured the "child leaders" of our past (Saturn in Leo) are now recognizing the necessity for greater practical accountability and workable solutions to practical problems. (Saturn in Virgo). There are many other applications, so ask your imagination to show you ways to view this "turning point at Eternity Boulevard."

Copyright © 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Henry]

Hi Robert.

I've read in your post that right now there's -will be- a strong conflict between planets in Scorpio and Neptune in Aquarius.

Due to my 13th degree Scorpio Ascendant, I'm watching at this (Neptune is always a scary tension element for it is not obvious or "material"), and right now my personal planets involved are leaving 12th to enter -or have entered yet- my 1st house.

Is this influence of note on an individual level -or not-, and how to "navigate" through this?. Risk of deception, hidden things?.

Thanks.
(I know it's difficult to answer, just a quick overview of this particular state of things).

[donna]

with sun at Cap 6, MC at Cap 23, merc at Cap 24 and moon at Cap 29 along with Saturn at Aqu 9 - I'm all ears Robert.

Detachment. Dispassion. Balance. And patient explanations of truth to those around me who would like to offer false alternatives and sometimes blatent lies to fit their agendas.
Add to that the Grand Irrationality approaching my sun and I'd better add a daily portion of Wheaties.
:)

[SB]

Hi Robert,

My second house is ruled 2/3rd by Sag and 1/3 by Cap. So, I was thinking that Pluto's waves will be on my second house for 3 yrs (or so) and then would affect my third house. While seeing the effects of "Pluto in Capricorn" for Libra (sun sign), many sites are saying that my fourth house will get affected. So, how should this be interpreted - as per my chart ? or, as per my sun sign ? Or, is it both ? Please give your thoughts.

Thanks a lot !!!!!

[spiritshigh]

hello -
I've been reading about all kinds of chaos in mid-december, especially to those born mid december. Can you shed some light on what is happening during that time, especially to someone not as astrology savvy as others? Birth info: 12/12/1966 born at 8:10pm

[Robert]

Hi Henry - Squares are squares. Neptune went SRX biseptile your Asc, and the Pluto septile is coming soon. While it's nothing personal, it will affect you directly, since the Asc is your body and self image. Especially with Saturn where it is, it's a major shift in your view, grounding, direction, and magnetism. Mars already activated you, and over time Saturn has been and will continue to offer productive practical adjustments helping you become stable in your public self representation. Sextile your Sun for quite a long time will also help, since Uranus will also be favorable. But for now, your Sun/Asc are heavily aspected pushing into integration.

Hi Donna - You have a major renewal coming soon. Look to expanded work and purpose beginning middle late February. It would seem to be a season of harvest for you. If you could be what would you be?

Hi SB - Pluto is simply occupying that sector (self subjective resource) of your reality. If it's in your 2nd house, while you may anticipate long range influences when the sign shifts, it's still a second house influence. For many months to come, it only influences the solar 4th for Libras born the fourth week of September. It works out in both areas. Right now it's probably in your Solar 3rd, as well as your natal 2nd. Both are true.

Hi spiritahigh - You will end a major cycle and begin a new one. Get mobilized in something creative, close out old scattering influences, and you should see the growth of some idea or promise that came to you in November 2007. You have ended a long cycle, and are about to begin a new one. Spring 2009 should be productive if you get the right larger vision and don't run the wrong direction. May and June will be particularly good.

[SB]

Thank you so much for clarifying me. It takes a great person to consider everyone's queries !!!!

[Kristina]

Hi Robert,

Thanks much, as always, for this article. Can you please define what you mean by "nonrational aspect?" You referenced it above with regard to the quadraeftile. . .

xx

[Robert]

Hi SB - Well, I keep up as best I can. Not easy given everything else on my plate!

Hi Kristina - Any aspect series that doesn't yield whole number values is a "nonrational" aspect. The Elftile series is derived by dividing the circle by 11. That yields the Elftile (32.7 degrees), Bielftile (65.4), Trielftile (98.1), Quadraelftile (130.8), and Pentelftile (163.5). Like the septile series aspects, none of these are whole number values, thus making them non-rational numbers.