Yesterday I gave my “Predictions for 2020” presentation at the Arizona Society of Astrologers meeting. Because there’s so much material, I promised the group who came yesterday that I would post these notes on the talk here at the Aquarius Papers today, tomorrow, and Tuesday.

2020 is totally future oriented and will prepare the way for the Grand Mutation of December at 1 Aquarius, ushering in a new 200 year period in human history. This is the last year of a 200 year Earth era, where all the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions except one have been in Earth signs. And does Earth dominate this year, with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto all in Earth signs!

The Great Compressions

January through April we have 2 major planetary compressions with multiple conjunctions activating numerous short and long wave cycles in the Earth sign of Capricorn. All the planets are now bundled within a very short area of the zodiac, showing a lot of action where we have late Capricorn and early Aquarius. Right now all the planets (except the Moon for the past 2 weeks) are inside a 143 degree span; by March, they’ll all occupy a 110 degree span between mid-Capricorn and early Taurus.

This Capricorn “grand reorganization” in our lives involves individual, mental, and spiritual levels of Group Performance, preparing us for a greater ability to contribute on a larger level. This is actually the second of 4 major compressions happening at this time in history. The 2019 and 2020 compressions are in Capricorn; the 2021 and 2022 compressions will feature a lot more planets in Aquarius.

The first compression this year began in January 2020 with the Sup Conjunction at 20 Capricorn followed by the game changing Sun, Mercury, and Saturn all conjuncting Pluto at 23 Capricorn, promising us all “rewards for bravery in battle,” or diligently discharging our duties under abnormal conditions. March will bring us all confirmation of this in some way, as will July and November, since those are the times Jupiter will conjunct Pluto in late Capricorn. November will be the final conjunction which will occur at 23 Capricorn, so something launches then as a result of what is set into motion now.

Of note is that incredibly important conjunction of the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn with Pluto occurred on the same day as Uranus went stationary direct, which always brings major sea changes for humanity, as well as chaos and revolutionary conditions. Add that we also had a Lunar Eclipse on the same day, and it’s clear we have some pretty intense, compressed, and portentous times ahead!

Speaking of Saturn Conjunct Pluto

The recent Saturn conjunction with Pluto began a long wave cycle lasting decades, and brought the last cycle to an end, which I’m really glad is over! The last Saturn conjunct Pluto happened in November 1982 at 28 Libra. That symbol fits what humanity’s been through since 1982, as it became very gloomy since Reagan’s rule.

As per the theme of the Sabian Symbol for that degree, humanity has collectively become isolated from each other and life itself. We have been learning to tune into the life and love that’s all around us, and certainly we’ve been “paying dues” since the early 80s as per the karmic implications of the last decan of Libra.

Now that cycle has ended and a new 33 year theme just began related to themes of 23 Capricorn and the rewards promised by that degree. This will hold until the next conjunction between these two spiritual heavyweights in 2053, when they conjunct three times in mid-Pisces.

The Second Compression

In March, we’ll have more conjunctions in Capricorn. We’ll have Mars conjunct Jupiter at 23 Capricorn and Pluto at 25 Capricorn, the same degree Jupiter will conjunct Pluto in early April. Jupiter will then retrograde back to another conjunction with Pluto at 25 Capricorn at the end of June, and then go direct, making yet another conjunction with Pluto at 23 Capricorn in November as it quickly approaches its conjunction with Saturn at 1 Aquarius, which sets a new 20 year Aquarian and 200 year Air era into motion!

So this year and for a long time to come, 23 Capricorn is the primary energy of this long cycle, with 25 Capricorn equally important for the coming 12 years. These imply we can find a transcendent security in relatively comfortable settings as a reward for our spiritual diligence up to now. However, because Jupiter conjunct Pluto expands the seeds of purification and extreme conditions, we will also experience a heightened Plutonic influence throughout the year.

This “expansion of the Lord of the Underworld” can have many different implications. It could mean an expansion of the forces of chaos and anarchy, or an expansion of the forces of purification and transformation. How non-spiritual beings respond to the extreme potential of Jupiter conjunct Pluto is different from how spiritual Beings respond to the same potential. Observe how Jupiter expands the Plutonic seeds at each conjunction wherever it falls in your charts, and you’ll see where your long term transformational potential is.

The 2020 compressions end with Mars conjunct Saturn at 1 Aquarius on March 31, setting initiatives into action which will take shape as the new 20 and 200 year era to come via the Grand Mutation of Jupiter and Saturn conjuncting in Air signs for 200 years into the future! However, the initial pulse may be distressing, and because of where Saturn is throughout April, May, and June, going stationary retrograde in May, we’ll all definitely confront some type of challenge or “cosmic visitation” which will galvanize us to action and “liberate us from old conditions.”

Take note of any types of violence in the public arena which become more pronounced in early April with Mars conjunct Saturn square Uranus, since it points the way to what could return in December and next January. I’ll discuss the implications in a little while.

Venus and Mars Are Retrograde This Year

Venus and Mars go retrograde about every other year. We had them both retrograde in 2018, neither was retrograde in 2019, and both will go retrograde in 2020! In May and June, Venus will retrograde in Gemini, bringing returns and renewals, whether of people who come back from the past, or memories of how they influenced us in the past may be seen in a new light. It can also bring insights into how our past interactions forged our unconscious responses so we can find a new understanding of how we really want to express ourselves in the future. As per the Sabian Symbols for the stationary degrees, use May through July to balance your body, feelings, and mind, and get ready to find new information which could bring you wealth in the future.

Mars will slow in late August about to go retrograde in September and stay very slow until December. As the retrograde span is the entire second half of Aries, expect many things to slow down during that time. Mars retrograde requires us to redirect our energies, either reworking how we do something, or reconsidering our methods regarding that which is slowing down. Mars retrograde often shows us that we need to “put something on the shelf” and do something else which will support our efforts when it’s time to pick back up on whatever got slowed or redirected. So use delays wisely.

As Mars goes retrograde at 29 Aries, the theme will involve reconsidering how we have been “singing our song” in the Cosmic Choir. Uranus awakened all of us to a new way to express our unique part to play in the larger harmony of existence during 2018 and 2019 when it went SRX and SD on that degree. As Mars initiates new activity, and this one slows to look back on how well we’ve expressed our uniqueness, it should be a great time to make adjustments in how we “sing our song” in the Cosmic Choir. This Autumn is basically a last minute adjustment which prepares us for the extreme tensions of 2021!

Mars Brings Volatility the Last 5 Months of 2020.

Expect heightened volatile times between August through October when Mars is square Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. We can anticipate what’s coming by paying attention to the signs and signals we see the last 3 days of Feb, the first 5 days of March, April 12-17, and April 23-27. These squares from Aries to Capricorn will show us issues dominating the second half of the year.

If something creates agitation at those times, it is directly related to what you’ll need to be able to do the second half of the year to play your part in the bigger picture. The squares in early 2020 from Aries to Capricorn anticipate the squares from Mars to Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in the Autumn, as the early squares give us chances to learn to use Cancer and Libra energies skillfully in Summer and Autumn to turn the friction into integrative power.

As the Cancer transits in mid-July, early August, and the end of August through September 6 will make challenging oppositions to the Capricorn stellium, use the Summer to balance something out, adjust the perspective, and if needed, do repair or reconstruction work so the Libra oppositions to Mars in September, October, and November can be used to mobilize in your enlightened self-interest. You could say that because the entire year we’ll be dealing with various tension points with the combined energy of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto all in the same space, the basic lesson to remember will be if you can’t make it better don’t make it worse!

Mercury Retrograde Periods and Themes

This year Mercury again bookends the year with a specific theme, as it has the past two years. It went stationary direct SD) at 14 Sagittarius in December 2017, and went stationary retrograde (SRX) on the same degree in November 2018. That means throughout 2018 we got signs and signals related to our "ancestral wisdom" or “genetic wisdom.” I certainly found my ancestral wisdom in many ways related to that degree falling in my 5th house. This spiritual power was expanded in 2019 by Jupiter as it transited that degree and set those themes into expanding mode.

Then in December 2018 it went SD at 28 Scorpio, and in late 2019 Mercury went SRX on the same degree. That means throughout 2019 we were dealing with the themes of how connected we were with the magnetic force of the Earth, and how connected we were internally. The late year retrograde gave us all a review about those issues, and opportunities to identify with our connectedness rather than our separateness. Noting it fell at the end of the old Saturn/Pluto era or separateness and gloominess, it would seem “the Guide of Souls” helped us get a new perceptual feel for our connectedness with the One Life.

In November 2019 Mercury went SD at 12 Scorpio, which is the exact degree it will go SRX in October 2020. The theme is one of learning how to interact with others at a higher and more refined or spiritual approach. Throughout this year, we can learn a lot through our interactive magnetism and why we may need a less casual approach to some people. This year is a good time to be a “good will ambassador” or “high level diplomat” in our interactions.

In 2020, Mercury will go retrograde three times. The first period is in February when Mercury goes RX at 13 Pisces, showing us the need for courage as we focus our spiritual will. It goes SD in March at 29 Aquarius, promising us all a “graduation into a new realm of being,” and some sort of metamorphosis which will change the way we live our lives. This metamorphosis will activate with Mars’ transit through that sector between May 8-13.

Mercury will again go RX in June at 15 Cancer, giving us all a new look at how to make our spiritual ideal grounded in reality. It goes SD in mid-July at 6 Cancer, allowing our past to feed our future from that point on. Its final RX for the year is 12 Scorpio, giving us reflections about how we’ve evolved in our social relationships.

Mercury goes SD at 26 Libra in early November, launching us into a period of learning how to alternate between soft power and hard power, heart and mind, love and will. That direct station was where Venus went SD in late 2018, so in some way the themes of alternating power introduced by Venus in late 2018 will be moved forward via Mercury’s coordinating, guiding, and integrating energies in late 2020. What has been a Venusian way of expressing alternating power will become a Mercurial way of understanding and expressing that power.

See you soon with part 2, covering the phenomenal conflicts coming later this year and 2021. We are on the threshold of some major friction across multiple areas of life!