2020:THE YEAR OUR REALITY CHANGED UTTERLY, AN ASTROLOGICAL DIARY Blogs 1 and 2

Blog 1  March 12th

The full moon in Virgo three days ago occurring opposite Sun conjunct Neptune describes our present collective and personal state of mind very well. Concerns about health and hygiene (Virgo) arise from the threat of the corona virus in the face of which we feel confused and helpless (Pisces and Neptune). As it's also unstoppable - boundless and invisible - it freaks us out!

I see this scenario as occurring in the wider context of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of last December-January, which saw the first reports of the virus. It's giving the tone to the whole of 2020 as it dominated the winter solstice chart. In brief Saturn-Pluto symbolises exceptional hardship, materially and economically, and on the psychological level deep irrational fear and dread. Although Mercury in Pisces is now no longer retrograde, and more clarity leading to decisive action should be available, in the prevalent Piscean energy the heightened collective imagination can produce illusions and fantasies that panic us and undermine the potentially firm resolve offered by Mars, now also in Capricorn.

More drama looms as Jupiter moves into a rare conjunction with Pluto, exact on 5th April and already in orb. Occurring in the sign Capricorn, it would suggest governments and administrators become more level-headed, and more able to make informed, sensible plans to deal with the crisis. But the intense, passionate convergence of these two planets is known to symbolise distorted perspectives out of which desperate, exaggerated promises and directives could result .Under this conjunction, measures can be extreme, emotionally driven and also affected by hidden political agendas. As always with Pluto, there can be a lot of dark stuff - vested interests -going on behind the scenes that the public are unaware of.

So my advice to myself and you is to stay calm and carry on. Don't let the Neptunian nightmares freak you out. Deal with the fear and dread by taking sensible grounding measures, like consciously and carefully caring for your body, and imbibing strength and inner peace by being alone as much as possible in Nature. Enjoy the Spring, and look forward to easier times later this year.

BLOG 2, March 18^th  

Now Jupiter, in orb with Pluto since 10th March, is being felt more strongly and is approaching its first exact conjunction with Pluto on 5th April. This must be seen in the context of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, and the fear and dread it symbolises is becoming horribly and extensively visible. There will now be a rapid and uncontrollable global acceleration of cases and deaths from the corona virus.

The Sun is still in Pisces and conjuncting Neptune as I write, and Mercury, though direct in Aquarius, will remain in the shadow phase of its retrograde until the end of the month before re-entering Pisces. Confused and fearful thinking, illusions and ambiguity, fake news, conflicting advice and directives, creating helplessness and panic are likely to dominate into April when Mercury has passed its conjunction with Neptune.

However, Mars has joined Jupiter and Pluto now, in orb from 14th March, and this triple conjunction, coming up to exactitude on 20th March will bring conflagration - fiery Mars driving the number of virus cases steeply upwards. However the sun enters Aries on 20th which is positive, as a phase of intense, powerful but exhausting action will take hold to try to slow down the momentum of the infection rate.

Saturn enters Aquarius on 22^nd March, and we can expect draconian measures politically to get a grip on the situation. It is joined by Mars on 31st. Then, although we're likely to see a more communal, powerful and effective action spreading to stem the virus, there will also be also an increase in the limitation of our freedom - shut-downs and lock-downs. However, with Saturn’s shift into Aquarius we will have the chance to profit from the experience of Aquarian oneness with community and humanity, and there can be more altruism, focus on the general good and what's really important in life for a change.

Looking ahead from this point – as the second exact conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto will be in July, we can expect echoes of the Jupiter-Pluto themes of March to re-echo then – the same energies but hopefully with a more positive expression. Saturn also goes retrograde and is in a wide orb of a conjunction with Pluto again in the summer, finally clearing it in October. Thus it's possible that the danger of infection will still be with us in spite of the warmer weather, and we will certainly still be dealing with the dire economlc effects of the events of March - the same energies but hopefully not the same actions if we have learned to be more positive and have found alternatives.

Finally, when Jupiter enters Aquarius in December 2020, where he joins Saturn to form what's called in astrology a 'grand conjunction'- an epoch-ending configuration - I predict the close of this phase of turmoil and collapse and the glimmerings of the start of a new Aquarian age.