Jupiter-Saturn Opening Square (round 2)

This Christmas Eve, we are revisited by ghosts of cosmic aspects past. Jupiter and Saturn form their second (of three) opening square aspect this year. (The first was in August; the third will happen in 2025.) These are not super rare events. (They occur every 20 years.) But they do have an impact, and it’s worth noting, so pay attention, friends … this concerns you. 

Jupiter-Saturn cycles play out over 20 year intervals. The current cycle was initiated by the “great” Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at the opening degree of Aquarius that occurred on 21 December, 2020. This conjunction not only began a new 20-year Jupiter-Saturn cycle. It also  initiated the next 200-year ‘era’ of Jupiter-Saturn in Air signs. This era ushered in a more dynamic period of change, communication, and deliberation. Perspectives are likely to shift during this era; particularly when it comes to the way we order and engage with our social landscapes and our beliefs around community. 

We are now ¼ of the way through this 20-year cycle, which brings us to the opening square aspect. As mentioned, this is the second pass of this aspect. This opening square occurs thrice thanks to the retrograde phenomenon of planets that make them appear to move backwards in the sky for periods of time before redirecting themselves and moving forward yet again. It’s a “two steps forward, one step back” opportunity to make sure we’re getting all we need from these pivotal moments. It’s the same energy as the first quarter phase of the Moon. This is the time to say yes to opportunities; to take action toward your goals; to tend the seeds planted at the conjunction (the New Moon) phase. It’s also a time to course-correct, as needed, in order to ensure you’re still on track for your opposition (Full Moon) phase manifestations. 

Jupiter and Saturn, as a pair, are notable for a couple of reasons. The first is that they are the two largest planets in our solar system. The second is that they are the two ‘social’ planets, so called because they provide an energetic bridge between the personal (inner) planets and the generational (outer) planets. This means they have the potential to affect us in massive ways—they both carry a lot of mass—and their effect is likely to have a social component affecting how we relate (personally) with the rest of humanity (the collective). With the tension and potential conflict of the square aspect, it can be wise to learn what you can about this cosmic event in order to navigate it with as little painful fallout as possible. 

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, optimism, vision, and beliefs. Saturn is the planet of constriction, ambition, pragmatism, and traditions. One is joyful, the other is serious. One is happy-go-lucky, the other is regimented. One sees the forest, the other bores a laser-like focus on one particular tree. These planets are basically polar opposites of each other; two sides of the coin. The Sabian Symbols for each of their positions in the sky at this square describes this beautifully. 

Jupiter, still retrograde, sits at 14° Gemini with a Sabian Symbol of Two Dutch Children Talking And Studying Their Lessons Together. Saturn sits at 14° Pisces with a Sabian Symbol of An Officer Drilling His Men In A Simulated Attack. See what I mean? These are definitely opposing images. In one, Dutch children (a generally non-militant people) are interacting cooperatively to get things done. In the other, there is a hierarchical, regimented approach to domination and force to get things done. Still, though, both are examples of collaboration in the pursuit of a goal. Neither is inherently wrong or right in this scenario. They each hold the potential for both positive and negative consequences. The point is that they are very different approaches. This is what is coming into sharp contrast during this square aspect. 

Children are unrestrained by the harsh limitations of reality. Soldiers, however, understand those harsh realities all too well, and can sometimes forget to allow for miracles. 

The tension comes when one feels torn between the extremes of each pole. This is, at its core, an opportunity to [re]discover the rewards of learning how to integrate the expansive vision of Jupiter with the employment of Saturn’s systems and strategies that are necessary to make those visions manifest in reality. We must cut away any excess in order to focus on the essentials of the goal at hand. But we must also remain open enough to the little miracles that can support us along the way. This is how legacies are built. Through focused aligned action with an open heart and mind for something even greater to come through. 

To add a little more depth to the whole scene, Mercury is sitting at 11° Sagittarius making an opposition (in mutual reception) with Jupiter, and creating a T-Square with Saturn at the apex. T-Squares are very active aspect patterns. They create opportunities for shifts, growth, and evolution in the energetic fabric of our lives. That movement can sometimes feel very rapid and immediate, but other times can be expressed as more of a catalyst sparking something new still sitting on the horizon. 

Mercury brings the mental processes to the party. There’s tension between these two poles, and Mercury starts mulling over why that is. What can be done about it? What should be done about it? ‘Let’s talk about it’, says Mercury, ‘before we set about fighting.’ He’s looking for better, more successful, and more efficient ways to communicate His visions. Saturn suggests that boundaries are often necessary when discussing our truths and building our legacies. Boundaries for the way we choose to share our opinions and truths; and boundaries around how we are willing to accept others’ responses to them. (As well as how we will choose to engage with others presenting their own opinions and truths to us.) Saturn is also here to remind us that we don’t live in a vacuum. In order to truly succeed, we must be willing to work within the confines of what is realistically available. This T-Square has something to teach us about compromise. 

This the blessing of the second pass of the opening Jupiter-Saturn square, IMO. It’s the chance to reevaluate how you are engaging with, embodying, and communicating your beliefs and visions with the world. And then you have the chance to discern if your current ways are working for you, or if they are working against your ability to ultimately achieve your goals and dreams. This is your opportunity to make any edits needed to align your vision with reality. It’s the kind of compromise that allows you to actually get what you want. And that’s really what compromise is, despite how our culture has maligned the word: It’s the ability to pivot and make changes that feel good to all involved, and allow for win-win situations. Here’s to beautiful compromising, darlings! 🥂