The Jupiter & Saturn Conjunction in Aquarius and the Rebel Archetype

by Rosana Cueto Merayo

2020 is coming to an end and Saturn and Jupiter are just about to delight us with the first and last exact conjunction they are making in this year, and that will remain in orb through January and February 2021. It is such a beautiful synchronic event that both social planets should ingress into the sign of Aquarius hand in hand - Saturn´s ingress will occur on December 17th and Jupiter only 2 days later, on the 19th - that we cannot but pay close attention to the symbolic implications of this happy (?) “co-incidence”. We have been talking extensively about their amalgamatio with Pluto in Capricorn over these two years. But never got they as close as they are going be over the next few weeks, a period full of opportunities and, yes, challenges. We are indeed being summoned to figure out the pile of karma, i.e. the results of our actions, that we have on both the individual and the collective level.

One of the most effective ways to start engaging in the potential of any zodiacal sign is by getting in the know of what sub-archetypes the archetypal sign is activating. Happening in Aquarius, a fixed sign which wants us to elaborate on the themes that emerged in the preceding cardinal sign, the Jupiter and Saturn conjunction is going to require of us that we be experimental and implement our revolutions, whether small or bigger, in order to be the catalysts of greater global change. Since they are respectively the Seed Planter and the Reaper, I love describing any Jupiter-Saturn conjunction as a merging of wave and particle. On a microcosmic level, those of us in particular who have natal Jupiter and Saturn in hard aspect are likely to have a pretty psycho-dynamic time, not only over the next months, but I would say that during the whole period that Saturn stays in Aquarius, until March 2023.

The last 3 times that Jupiter and Saturn were so closely together, first it happened in Capricorn in February 1961, then in Libra from December 1980 through May 1981, and lastly in Taurus during May-June 2000, with Saturn and then Venus twice ruling the conjunction, not by happenstance. And this is where myth comes so handy and useful to get a full sense of the tectonics in play back then and now:

If we take a look at the mythical birth of Aphrodite/Venus, we see that she was born from Ouranos/Uranus when he was castrated by his son Kronos/Saturn, a Titan and an Earth god, who was also the son of Gea/Gaia. Venus emerged as the byproduct of Ouranos´, the god of Heaven´s, semen spilling over the ocean, to symbolize the marriage of the starry heavens and the fertile earth. This powerful image of Aphrodite emerging is so rich in potential, because it represents the alchemical en-souling of matter and the embodiment of the Higher Mind, with Heaven and Earth as equal participants of the same, indissoluble, Whole.

If we get an intuitive sense of the ruling planetary principles involved in the mentioned last three Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions and we add on the present one, in which the uranian energy has gained momentum, it seems as if we have all the characters in the mythic picture symmetrically paired up to fit the current astrological weather. What is even more important, we also have the cutting-edge device that sacrificed Uranus´ parts so active in the psychic field, since Mars is transiting Eris at 23º Aries on the very exact days that the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction ingresses into Aquarius! The synchronicity of this concurrence and its implications is truly fascinating.

At a first glance, the Jupiter-Saturn fusion of wave and particle, that is, the merging of that which is atemporal and in potentia with the limitations imposed by time and earthly, bounded existence, we should expect a new balance, a new divine terrestrial order that is more Holistic and is born to un-conditionally serve all citizens in the world. But how can we do that? Can we do that without any real sacrifice and by going back to what we know, in the case that we get the chance to do that? Can we get to any “new normal”, if all what we long for is getting back to our old ways?

The emphasis of both social planets on the powerful zero degree of Aquarius is a statement that it is time for venturing into unknown territory. After having interfaced all through 2020 with a global karma that has been more than 200 years in the making, and which has already translated into some seriously dramatic climate change effects alongside a severe socioeconomic crisis, the astrological weather is summoning us to step into our more visionary, progressive qualities so that new human potential and creativity can be liberated. Our individual genius is waiting to come out of the bottle, stepping out of the box of our “normal” restrictions and, yes, a revolution of sorts is expected from us.

What could a 21st century revolution look like? Again, in our logical, rational mind we do not know - if we did, it would not be such a revolution, but just a remake. We can only get an intuitive feel of it because any revolution now cannot but take us back to our Holism as human beings. Most of us know in our hearts that to be the truth, even if we do not know how that could look like. But the wish, the hope, the longing and the dream is there...

And to this effect we have the sacred, precious energy of the Rebel archetype, which is triggered by presence and immediacy and is pushing us to consciously align to its luminous, mystical potential. With Pluto supervising from the last degrees of Capricorn, the whole alchemy of this turning point we are in the midst of, such a task reveals itself not as an option, but as a peremptory necessity.

In technical terms, the Rebel is a living force in our psyche that falls under the zodiacal umbrella of both the signs of Aries and Aquarius, the domains of Mars and Uranus co-ruling with Saturn, respectively. The Rebel pattern has this intuitive, visionary quality about it, so active in the potential of the Ram and the Water-Bearer. Let me illustrate this whole astrological point with the magnificent description that Caroline Myss offers of the Rebel archetype in her book, Sacred Contracts:

Our images of the Rebel may be too closely aligned with clichés of youth culture to let us see the deeper significance of this valuable archetype. Whether politically inclined like Martin Luther King Jr., Betty Friedan, or Lech Walesa, or an artistic innovator such as Van Gogh, Joyce or Coltrane, the Rebel is a key component of all human growth and development. The Rebel in a support group can be a powerful aid in helping the group break out of tribal patterns. It can also help you see past tired preconceptions in your field of professional or creative endeavour. The Rebel can also lead you to reject spiritual systems that do not serve your inner need for direct union with the Divine and to seek out more appropriate paths. The shadow Rebel, conversely, may compel you to rebel out of peer pressure or for the sake of fashion, and so become mired in another manifestation of conformity. The shadow Rebel may also reject legitimate authority simply because it is asking you to do something that you find difficult or unpleasant.

Similar in its frequency to the patterns of the Anarchist, the Revolutionary, or the Nonconformist, the Rebel activates in our psyche with the sacred function of urging us set more authentic, intuitive boundaries that are in a new holistic alignment in us both as individuals (Aries), as in the collective (Aquarius). However, we need first to understand, and wholeheartedly embrace, the more compulsive Rebel pattern buried in our Shadow, if we are to get to the luminous potential available in this archetypal energy, so decisive for us now. And that is something that we cannot do without staging a soul rebellion: A rebellion that defends and vindicates our Holism, rather than placating the urges of our wounded ego and victim consciousness. Soul rebellions being staged from our presence and awareness, rebelling to defend and hold the greater good, including those who have been considered of less value in the past as a dear common cause, will take us to something really new. From this instinctive, courageous standpoint, we will be able to establish a true revolution, so that a new planetary global balance can emerge.

In symbolic terms, the castration of Uranus in the myth through the agency of the earthly team, with Gea saying “Enough is enough!” and delegating on her son to carry out the deed, was a pretty aggressive demarcation of new boundaries and declaration of principles. Through a seemingly revengeful, eruptive bloody act of vindictiveness, much as rebellious Eris in the myth would have it, the limitlessness of what was yet an ideal and unborn in the archetypal realm of potential was forced to embody itself. Thus Aphrodite, most unexpectedly, emerged from the depths of the ocean - i.e. the collective unconscious. The midwifing agency of the intuitive, instinctive self that takes action to stand up to what it feels to be true at a given moment, obeying the call of the soul´s relentless desire to change, albeit uncomfortably and convulsively, that which will not work any longer... is what birthed Aphrodite into matter, and what makes it all possible today. Therein lies the magic of the sacrifice.

Jupiter and Saturn´s conjunct ingress into Aquarius is the harbinger of our new capacity to see ourselves and the world through symbolic, archetypal sight. A more neutral, intuitive, all-encompassing perspective becomes accessible to us, in which we can be up to our evolutionary potential, being present as conscious, less compulsively driven, witnesses to the energies in play, both the luminous and the darker ones, seeing wholeheartedly through what needs to be changed for the sake of holistic planetary progress. In Aquarius we go beyond the status quo of our old perceptual filters and become the very catalysts that we were waiting for, so that some X factor space reveals itself. We are now being given the chance to experience ourselves as the true Miracle that we are...

Whether one is up to the challenge of living by the truth that We Are All a miracle, with no distinction or condition whatsoever, is a radically individuated, liberating choice. Practicing the art of conscious choice can feel enormously challenging and uncomfortable because it involves letting go of any unconscious elitism and shadow tribalism that we may tend to resort to if our relationship with the unknown is not fluid enough. But we should not be dissuaded of our cosmic agenda out of any lack of faith in our individual and collective potential.

This is actually a time to surprise ourselves, first and foremost, by venturing to take action within the confines of the strictly personal labs of our free will. Then, an authentic Revolution that will take the pains to improve the life of every individual and species on this planet, has really started.  

About the author:
Rosana Cueto Merayo is a professional astrologer currently based in Spain, where she is an Intuitive Coach and Life Strategist. Holding a Bachelor´s degree in English Language and Literature by the Universitat de Barcelona, Spain, she studied in the Faculty of Astrological Studies, London, then took an Internship program in karmic astrology with Linda Brady (Florida, USA), to name but a few. C.G.Jung, Caroline Myss and Liz Greene are the main pillars of her intuitive coaching and astrological practice.

Image sources:
Jupiter/Saturn: Rosana Cueto Merayo, Astrología y Arquetipos
Fists: Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay

© Rosana Cueto Merayo 2020