Prelude to a New Era: Saturn and Jupiter Set the Stage for Pluto's Entry into Capricorn by Shelley Jordan

December 18 Jupiter enters Capricorn
December 19 Saturn goes retrograde in Virgo

This upcoming week the cosmos is preparing the celestial canvas for Pluto's imminent entrance into Capricorn on January 25, 2008. This momentous turning point is underscored by Jupiter's arrival in Capricorn on December 18 and Saturn's self-reflective retrograde period, which begins the following day, December 19.

It’s always exciting to contemplate the possibilities that might develop when one of the outer planets enters a new sign. Especially when the slowest and most distant planets, Neptune and Pluto change signs, we experience significant cultural developments and trends that last for years. Pluto and Neptune represent the deepest layers of the collective consciousness and the compulsive evolutionary drives that propel and shape social phenomena and the collective focus.

The signs Neptune and Pluto occupy define the disposition of an era that can last from 12 to over 30 years. Pluto's sign indicates where some of the deepest impulses for purification and transformation will take place, where obsolete, lifeless constructs might give way to renewal. Capricorn and Saturn symbolize the structure and boundaries of consensus reality, the principles of responsibility, authority, the father archetype, maturity and leadership, government and laws - both spiritual and man-made. Pluto in Capricorn may indicate a regeneration and rebirth of humanity's symbols of authority and law. The American Revolution took place the last time Pluto was in Capricorn, giving birth to a new form of government and leadership.

Neptune represents humanity's reservoirs of images, myths, and symbols that define and inspire the slowly evolving mass consciousness. The dreamlike image-forming function of Neptune is seen in the cultural icons, fashions and trends of the era - society's waking dreams. The sign that Neptune occupies will describe the consensus ideals of the time - what is considered desirable, chic and glamorized by the media and the intelligentsia, the collectively idealized values and cultural standards, even fashion.

For instance, Neptune has been in Aquarius since 1998. The electronic age of information, technology and gadgetry (cell phones, personal computers, etc.) and the idea of the global village/community have ubiquitously dominated the cultural landscape. The iPod is the emblem of this current digital age, in which information has replaced material goods as the most valuable commodity. We're riding the crest of the Digital Revolution as Neptune passes through the final decan of Aquarius.

Neptune creates the inspiring vision/ideal of the time and Pluto eliminates and reforms everything that gets in the way of realizing Neptune's ideals. Pluto has been in doctrinal Sagittarius since 1995, and will enter practical Capricorn on January 25, 2008. The pragmatism and realism of Saturn-ruled Capricorn may place limits on much of the doctrinal, religious and ethical conflicts of Pluto in Sagittarius that are currently so widespread.

As if to support and emphasize the realism and utilitarian functionality of the upcoming Capricornian era, this week Saturn goes stationary retrograde in Virgo (December 19) and Jupiter enters Capricorn (December 18). This will give us all an opportunity to begin to identify and solve our own practical concerns, and to begin to create a philosophy of economy and safety. The Saturnian emphasis on frugality, responsibility and conservation may contribute to a more realistic set of expectations and goals for ourselves and others, hopefully bringing to closure this era of extravagance, waste and ethical bombast. This next week begins the prelude to the upcoming passage of Pluto into Capricorn as the collective archetypes of authority and responsibility prepare for purification and renewal.

Amplified Transformation: Jupiter Conjuncts Pluto on December 11, 2007 by Shelley Jordan

Pluto, the Cosmic Recycler, has been in Sagittarius since 1995. Pluto's action is purifying and transformational; it brings outmoded constructs to the surface to be purged from consciousness, allowing new, healthier and more appropriate thought forms to replace what is toxic to the system, whether it's personal, or at the level of the collective. The compost from past, obsolete materials provides the nutritive substance for new growth and systemic health, for the individual and for society. This churning process of cleansing and transforming the patterns of the past into revitalized impulses and thought forms is the essence of the evolutionary cosmic force, and is the very reason for our being.

Since Sagittarius represents higher learning, philosophy, religion, nature, expansion and all forms of doctrine, we've witnessed many typically Plutonian power struggles in these arenas. Religious wars, moral conflicts and the vast waste of natural resources have stood side by side with growing awareness of nature, the environment, and an unprecedented spread of knowledge and information, thanks to the internet, which blossomed unexpectedly during Pluto's transit of Sagittarius. Never before has so much information been available to so many. The empowering transformations that will come as a consequence of this vast availability of learning can only be imagined.

With Pluto, we usually see a polarization of energies that eventually reach some kind of critical mass right before the archetypally Plutonian metamorphosis takes place. One example of this collision of principles lies in the contemporary drama of Darwin versus the Bible. Modern, scientific knowledge is facing down the traditional views held by society for millennia. We can only guess which side will win; the conflict will no doubt reach some kind of resolution after Pluto enters Capricorn in 2008, when the needs of sheer practicality will probably eclipse the luxury of philosophical debate.

On December 11, Jupiter will join Pluto in the final degrees of
Sagittarius, bringing these current dramas of excess to a climactic
finale. Historically, Jupiter has the reputation of being the Greater
Benefic, and is supposed to grant arbitrary boons as it passes through
people's charts. This is really a myth: Jupiter has no better vibes
than any other planet. It represents one's beliefs, the principle of
expansion and magnification. It will enlarge anything it comes into
contact with, and we know from experience that more isn't necessarily
better, as in the case of plant fertilizer.

Another Jupiter Pluto conjunction in Sagittarius will not occur for at least another 250 years. So what
can we expect when the planet of ethics and amplification meets the
planet of transformation and rebirth? Perhaps an acceleration of the
transformational imperatives mandated by Pluto's journey through
Sagittarius. It's a quick transit, lasting only a few days. So it
might be a good time for a personal moral inventory as the New Year
approaches, a time to reflect on your goals and aspirations for the
upcoming year. Sagittarius is the goal setting sign. Thinking about
your future direction, with Sagittarian optimism and perspicacity, may
help lay the groundwork for the upcoming transitions that will occur
when Pluto enters the practical, conservative and empirical sign of
Capricorn. Flush out the darkness and welcome the light - with
conscious intent. Download as much optimism and hope as you can from
the celestial internet on December 11. The effects could result in a
long-lasting and spiritually nutritious catalyst for your own
transformation. Transformation is, after all, the driving propellant
of life on Earth.