Jupiter will soon move into Scorpio on 10th October (UT13:20). This undoubtedly will unfold a year of Jupiter-in-Scorpio experience, in which our society, culture and politics will focus on Scorpion issues including crisis, fear, darkness, withering, death, transformation, reintegration of resources, reallocation of power, reorganization of affairs, and issues of safety, control and protection, etc. When considering what might come up in this upcoming year, we should never overlook those other planetary placements that happen within the same time-frame. From October 2017 onward, there will be various powerful planetary ingresses and patterns besides this Jupiter ingress – Saturn will enter Capricorn on 20th December 2017, Chiron will move into Aries on 17 April 2018, and more importantly the ingress of Uranus into Taurus on 15th May 2018. All these ingresses symbolise significant changes on economic, cultural, political and social development.
Background – Other Planetary Aspects
Before the discussion of Jupiter ingress into Scorpio, we must make sure that we understand one thing – the ingress of a single planet or a single aspect often only gives us part of the whole picture. We should take into consideration the placements and aspects of other planetary transits in order to have a clearer vision of the global situation before us. At the moment, we need to pay attention to these following transit aspects: Jupiter-Uranus opposition, Uranus-Neptune semisquare, and Saturn-Chiron square.
Jupiter-Uranus synodic cycle
The 14-year long Jupiter-Uranus synodic cycle symbolises people’s longing towards reformation and freedom, changes of global view and philosophical perspectives, and technological advancements. Also, it is often associated to entrepreneurs, economic liberalisation and financial liberalisation. The upcoming Jupiter-Uranus opposition will take place before Jupiter moves into Scorpio, which might mean that people realise what free trade, as a result of globalisation, has brought forth. This opposition may also explain why people deny others’ human rights, but at the same time insisting that such denial comes from their religious freedom of speech. Jupiter in Scorpio may be explaining the crisis originated from these attitudes, leading us to consider and contemplate such issues.
Uranus – Neptune cycle
Besides, Uranus and Neptune are also worth our consideration. Lately, Uranus and Neptune continually form semisquares, and this will keep affecting us until the end of 2018. Not only does this aspect symbolise the significant awareness of people when they chase after their “ideal” society, but also the first hard aspect of them after these two outer planets after their conjunction in Capricorn in 1993. This aspect also brings forth an important decision-making timing. Andre Barbault points out that the Uranus-Neptune synodic cycle is closely related to some important ideological progression, with the previous one (1821-1993) specifically chronicled the starting point of modernisation of human civilisation. Industrial Revolution undoubtedly has brought us a rapid economic and technological evolution, but it has also widened the rich-poor disparity.
Karl Marx was concerned about how entrepreneurs deprived labourers and criticised European right-winged regimes – these all took place between 1846-1849, the first semisquare of the previous Uranus-Neptune cycle. At the same time, in 1848, a series of revolts broke out shaking the rulership of European monarchies, and the idea of liberalism and nationalism were thus seeded in Europe. Now, let us come back to our modern time. U.S. has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Brexit has been taking place, nationalism and right-winged politicians once again gain support, all of which are more or less a revolt against liberalisation and globalisation. Barbault also agrees that the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in 1993 is closely related to globalisation. In 1993, European nations started to undertake the Maastricht Treaty, which includes an organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union (EU) for mainly security and defence, diplomacy and actions and an agreement on the citizenship of Europeans, leading to the establishment of European Union. Interestingly, during the chaos of Brexit taken place in 2016, we heard voices against how EU overpowered U.K. and how people opposed EU immigrants; nevertheless, we also heard about how the left-winged parties revolted against globalisation in these heated debates.
I am not saying that this aspect suggests us to give up on globalisation. Instead, the aspect asks us to see the merits of such process, like how people enjoy more freedom, how they undergo a closer economic and cultural interaction, and how the system of globalisation, on the other hand, is kidnapped and manipulated by multi-national corporations, the rich and businessmen, leading to a more severe rich-poor disparity or even a negligence of local culture, which awakens a stronger sense of nationalism.
Saturn – Chiron Cycle
At the same time, we should also pay attention to Saturn and Chiron. Saturn and Chiron, which are now at the end of Sagittarius and Pisces respectively, form a square, implying those wounds brought by regime, control, protection and hierarchy. Both planets will soon move into cardinal signs. Saturn symbolises the protectionism which prevails globally, and the careful consideration regarding sharing of resources among economic and cultural exchanges. Socially, such protectionist features would be manifested through the act of xenophobia and communitarianism. This Saturn-Chiron square will be most influential from the end of October 2017 to November, and it will resurface again in the summer of 2018.
The previous Saturn-Chiron waning square happened at the end of World War II. They started to form an applying aspect in 1945, and continually formed 14 exact squares in 10 years until 1953 when they no longer formed any exact aspect but still had a square of 1-degree orb. It was the time when the western Europe started to reconstruct after the war and people also started to reflect on what authority was about. Communism also rose rapidly in eastern Europe and Asia at that time. What we are undergoing now is related to the Saturn-Chiron conjunction in Pisces in 1966, an era when Vietnam War, Arab-Israeli Conflict and Chinese Cultural Revolution took place. The hippies which were anti-war and promoted peace, together with African-American Civil Rights Movement, also happened at this time. European Economic Community, European Coal and Steel Community and European Atomic Energy Community, the three communities established after World War II, integrated and became an important structure for the latter European Union.
From these backgrounds, we understand that the social changes we are undergoing through right now – Brexit, the rise of extreme right-wing parties, the threats from Russia, China and North Korean in Asia – they are all closely related to the 171-year Uranus-Neptune cycle and the Saturn-Chiron cycle. The yearly Jupiter ingress is also related to these happenings. Jupiter serves as the symbol of social norm and ideology whereas Scorpio symbolises the memory of wounds. We can observe if large-scale war, which countries have been trying to avoid since World War II, will be triggered again. Will people be reminded of their longing for peace and humanity and face the upcoming upheavals hand-in-hand or will we succumb to the fear of Scorpio, showing our claws to defend and fight for resources to guarantee our own survival?
Jupiter in Scorpio
In mundane astrology, Jupiter is the index of social, economic and cultural norm. Its ingress is often associated with noticeable social issues. I still remember 11 years ago, last time when Jupiter moved into Scorpio, a Finnish band Lordi performed “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in demon costumes in the Eurovision Song Contest and won. Next day, I saw an old gentleman in the Tube compartment holding a sign which read “The End of World is Coming – The Demons Won Eurovision”. Demons, Death, Apocalypse and the sense of danger are all closely related to Scorpio. When Jupiter moves into Scorpio again, we should expect to observe news related to these issues in the media once again: the several North Korean missiles tests which have shocked the world and caused quite an international turmoil; people’s prediction on when the financial markets will collapse, not to mention the late earthquakes; hurricanes and volcanic eruptions that worry us. When Jupiter finally moves into Scorpio, such situations will only get worsen.
Let us review what happened in the previous Jupiter in Scorpio period so as to have a better expectation for the upcoming one. The previous Jupiter in Scorpio era happened from 26 Oct 2005 to 23 Nov 2006. An outrage occurred in the suburb of Paris at that time due to an incident in which the police shot dead two unarmed Muslim teenagers. Similar riots also happened in Europe and the US in the same year. In Australia, the Cronulla riots that year, a conflict between Australians and Lebanese immigrants, caused a subsequent ethnic attack. In addition, if you still remember, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy also happened during that period, an incident in which the Danish newspaper published 12 editorial cartoons that mostly depicted Muhammad and triggered Muslims’ anger and protests.
Interestingly, Jupiter in Scorpio may also manifest through political figures and acts. Angela Merkel was elected as the Chancellor of Germany for the first time in Nov 2005, and, as the first female Chancellor of the country, she has been in this position for 4 consecutive elections. At the same time, Liberia has also just elected Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as their first female President in 2006. The feminine Scorpio symbolises a determined nurturing power and a strong protective strength, which is closely associated with these important female political figures. No matter whether you agree with Angela Merkel’s right-winged conservative political views, she gained much applause on her handling of EU economic crisis and her immense concern on refugee issue. In Spain, ETA declared to ceasefire in April 2006, but they attacked Madrid-Barajas Airport in December in the same year (Jupiter had already moved into Sagittarius). The Catalan autonomy referendum was also held at this period, and its result showed that most Catalonian residents approved of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia Bill. Now, in 2017, Catalonia is under vigorous conflicts against the Spanish government because of its independence referendum. Perhaps it is time for us to pay more attention on how this referendum unfolds. Moreover, in France in March 2006, students, labour unions and workers went on protests because of government’s proposed First Employment Contract law. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron has just signed a new labour law which led to an outcry by the workers. In addition, Russia has long been the focus of eastern and northern European countries. In the previous Jupiter-Scorpio period, Russia and Ukraine came into conflict because of natural gas pipelines, which led to an energy crisis in Europe at that time.
On the other hand, in Asia in 2006, we had two political crises. One of which happened in Thailand in which the army took control of Bangkok when Thaksin visited New York to attend a UN summit. The other one involved the missile test of North Korea that took place in July the same year, and its nuclear test in end-2006 caught global attention. After a Jupiter cycle, now we are observing if North Korea will become one of the nuclear countries. In Japan, Shizo Abe, who first became Prime Minister of Japan when Jupiter was in Scorpio last time, has just announced a new election. Also, in 2006 the alleged Livedoor Scandal sparked panic selling at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In China, that was the time when the media was under strict supervision and a lot of web sites were forced to shut down.
There were also a series of incidents which resonate with Scorpion issues. Pluto was also reclassified by IUA and became a dwarf planet in 2006, and NASA announced the discovery of evidence that proves the existence of dark matter at the same year. A former Russian spy was poisoned and killed in a sushi bar in London. The bird flu virus caused widespread terror. Temperatures in Europe reached unprecedented lows. There was an energy crisis as a result of the natural gas issue between Russia and Ukraine. Financially, the real estate bubble started to appear in U.S. in 2006, which eventually became the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007-2008 that led to the global financial tsunami.
When crisis happens, people will ensure personal safety in their own way. Some will shut the door to reduce the crashes coming from outside, and others will pull out their weapons to show their self-defensive ability. What is of utmost importance is to protect the abundance of resources and one’s own properties and to kick out those who take your food when a crisis takes place.
Jupiter in Scorpio will lead the society to confront crises. How one responds to crises relies on Scorpio’s insight, and such insight allows one to comprehend the complex political manipulation and power struggles. This Jupiter in Scorpio also reminds us to learn from experience and to gain experience from pain. The water element of Scorpio is compassion, reflection, feelings, memories, recollections, moisturising and nurturing – these could be what we can best utilise when Jupiter is in Scorpio. Scorpio, as a water sign, is moist and cold in nature whereas Jupiter’s nature is moist and hot. Though their natures are not exactly the same, their similar attribute, moisture, may imply that this year could be one for people to learn to “moisten” and nurture each other.
Jupiter-Saturn Semisquare
When considering the influence of Jupiter in Scorpio in the upcoming year, we should not overlook the fact that we are also in the ending phase of Jupiter-Saturn synodic cycle. This cycle started in 2000 with a conjunction, and we experienced its waxing square in 2005, its opposition in 2010, and now its ending phase after the waning square in 2016. This not only signifies that the present development cycle that has been running since 2000 is coming to an end, but also reminds us that we have to abandon some out-of-date ideas and structures in order to embrace the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle. From December 2017 onward, Jupiter and Saturn will start to form a semisquare, and this aspect will repeat in March and September 2018. This semisquare could be seen as one of the important patterns of outer planets in 2018. From his observation on planetary cycles, Dane Rudhyar told us that this waning semisquare chronicles the end of this cycle, and is a period of darkness, withering and letting go. The Jupiter-Saturn square in 2016 implies that we manage to realise what ideas and social structure we should keep and what structures we should protect or revise after encountering all those conflicts. Now it is time for us to pack up things. We have to let go of those intense issues that we are not capable of protecting, regulating or revising. If it is our mind which caused all these insoluble issues, then perhaps it is time for us to let go of these mindsets. This waning semisquare, which pretty much symbolises balsamic moon, an almost invisible moon, and Jupiter in Scorpio more or less narrate a similar social atmosphere.
What happened in-between their waning semisquares and conjunctions in the last two Jupiter-Saturn cycles is worth our notice, especially those events which somehow brought an end to a certain era. For instance, in 1998 when Jupiter in Pisces formed a waning semisquare to Saturn in Aries, the British government, Irish government and most Northern Ireland political parties signed the Good Friday Agreement, a major political development related to the sovereignty of Northern Ireland. Moreover, in 1978 under Jupiter in Leo and Saturn in Virgo, Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords following a secret negotiation witnessed by Jimmy Carter, the then U.S. president. All these agreements chronicle the end of conflicts. Perhaps waning squares remind us that it is time to send old conflicts away in order to welcome a new historic era. Interestingly, 1998 is also the time that Europe started to use euro and a lot of currencies hence became history. On 31 December 1998, the nations who joined EU fixed their currency rates with euro. The development of euro has long had a close relationship to Jupiter-Saturn cycle. Thus, we may witness some major policy or adjustment on euro in the upcoming days.
From what we have discussed in the above Jupiter in Scorpio section, we understand that this Jupiter-Saturn semisquare has been closely related to racial conflicts or even massacres. In the 1998 semisquare, we saw how the situation in Kosovo became intense – a racial massacre broke out on 28 February, and a war soon followed. In May 1998, a riot against Chinese broke out in Indonesia, causing a 1200 people fatality.
There were no Jupiter-Saturn waning squares in Scorpio and Capricorn in modern history, but we can put an eye on the last one which was in 1283. If we try to consider the history around this time, we can find similar patterns of what we are now undergoing in international conflicts. In 1283, Mongolians invaded Burma, and the Burmese King chose to buy peace with money, and in 2017, Burma is under the spotlight because of the Rohingya prosecution.
Similar pattern can be found in Europe at that time. In 1283, King Edward I of England executed Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last ruler of the independent Wales, by hanging, drawing and quartering. This not only was the first time this cruel method of execution was used in England, but also an event which ended the sovereignty of Wales as an independent country. Around this time, the parliament of Catalonia, a name which is frequently mentioned in news and media lately, was one of the first in Europe that banned the royal power to create legislation unilaterally. Now, with the same aspect formed again, the autonomy of Catalonia is once again challenged. Also in 1283, King Philip III of France outlawed Jews in villages and rural localities. The invasions of the great powers into their neighbouring countries, and the subsequent merging and independence of countries is nothing new in history. These events took place again and again. However, with Jupiter in Scorpio, or we would say a semisquare of Jupiter in Scorpio and Saturn in Capricorn, we can actually observe a special pattern in these events.
Faith, Courage and The Will to Survive
In this upcoming Jupiter in Scorpio period, Jupiter will be stationary on 8 to 11 March 2018 and start to retrograde at 23 Scorpio. It will move directly again on 9 July at 13 Scorpio. Jupiter retrograde often makes us reflect on the current social development – What kind of society and culture do we want? When Jupiter is in Scorpio, its rulers, Mars and Pluto, ask us to find strength for survival. Pluto, which is in Capricorn, and Jupiter will form sextiles 3 times in January, April and September 2018 respectively. No matter how challenging and difficult it looks, a strong faith and survival instinct are going to keep us going. Mars will meet Jupiter in Scorpio in early January. When Mars returns to its home Scorpio, it will grant us courage and make sure our determination is strong enough so that our will cannot be shaken, allowing us to fulfil our hopes with such passion and initiative. In late June and early July 2018 when Jupiter is about to go stationary and go back to direct motion, Mars in Aquarius will also start to retrograde. Challenges and frustrations in such times will ask us to go inward for faith, willpower, religious devotion, survival instinct and the energy to live on. In these two months when Mars goes retrograde, it could be hope and faith, symbolised by Jupiter, that grant us the willpower so that we can guarantee our own survival.
Similarly, when Jupiter is in Scorpio, we might encounter something which leads to self-doubts, doubts on religions, the world, and our very own existence. It could be time for us to go back to our own natal charts to explore Jupiter and Mars. Natal Jupiter describes our world view and our faith, which bring us positive thoughts and allows us to look forward to the future, whereas natal Mars gives us courage, determination and the survival instinct, which are our main driving forces when facing uncertainties and doubts.
Finally I would like to share a quote from Pericles which keeps appearing in my mind during my studies of Jupiter in Scorpio and Saturn in Capricorn.
Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.
-Pericles
Thanks, very complete!
thank you