Grand Conjunction

Upon a New Path – Day 816

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Deer on Path – Photo: L. Weikel

Upon a New Path

I’ve been receiving intriguing new messages and following a variety of signs recently that encourage embarking upon a new path.

This happens every once in a while. In my life, specifically, the cycle seems to be around every 20 years or so. There are other patterns that come and go within those twenty year cycles, and they seem to repeat in shorter waves, weaving in and out, announcing perhaps more subtle changes that perhaps aren’t quite as big as the double decade.

Perhaps this shift of path I’m sensing is related to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction that takes place every twenty years. Yes, we went through that back at the end of December (the Winter Solstice – December 21st, to be exact), when we witnessed the Grand Conjunction that I wrote about (and documented pictorially) so often. But let’s remember: it’s a twenty-year cycle. So if I or you or any of us is only just now starting to get a sense of how our lives may be changing as a result of this ‘spark,’ I think such lag time is understandable – and forgivable – particularly given the rather momentous distractions that have been playing out all around us.

Take a Look

When you think about all we’ve been through, collectively, since December 21st, I think it only stands to reason that we might not have had a chance to give ourselves the time and space to actually reflect upon what was going on in our lives during the last Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.

So maybe now that we’ve had a chance to breathe a little and settle ourselves down into a slightly lower sense of anxiety, it’s time to consider where things may be holding some change for us. We can start by looking at what area of our life, if any, experienced a major shift around the time of the most recent conjunction (before this past December), which occurred on 5/28/2000.

And for those of you who, like me, can reflect even further back, the other dates of this specific planetary conjunction were:

  • 1/1/81, 3/6/81, and 7/25/81 (clearly they conjuncted, then Jupiter scooted forward for a bit then went retrograde, causing it to come back and conjunct Saturn again, kept going retrograde, then went direct again and conjuncted with Saturn one last time before continuing onward in its orbit);
  • 2/18/61; and
  • 8/6/40, 10/21/40, and 2/14/41.

As I say, personally, I can see how specific major changes in my life happened in close proximity to these conjunctions. As I engage in this reflection, it’s helping me understand and interpret the signs, messages, and signals I’m receiving now.

Perhaps you’ll find this to be true for you as well.

A New Path – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-295)

Grand Conjunction – Day 771

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Grand Conjunction – Photo: L. Weikel

Grand Conjunction

I received the most amazing of gifts today. Seriously. It felt surreal when it all unfolded and almost feels more so as I sit here looking at the photographs I took documenting it. Right before our very eyes, Karl and I witnessed the Grand Conjunction reveal itself from behind a thin layer of clouds, Saturn and Jupiter beaming their conjoined brilliance toward us within the span of two thrilling minutes, and then disappear once again.

We decided to time our walk to take place just as the sun slipped below the horizon. I’d had my eye on the Weather Channel since this morning and knew a cloud cover was moving in, with rain predicted in the early evening. The likelihood of personally witnessing this cosmic event in our area was viewed with increasingly universal pessimism. As you can imagine, given the way I’ve been rather zealously documenting Jupiter’s approach to Saturn over the past few months, I was disappointed, but not surprised. The weather seems to do this to us humans a lot.

Turkey

Even though I’ve not mentioned it lately, Karl and I still choose Medicine Cards* every morning. My pick today was Rabbit/Turkey, which means my ‘main’ choice for the day was Rabbit, while ‘underneath’ (on the bottom of the deck) was Turkey.

The keyword for Rabbit is Fear. There’s a whole medicine story of how Rabbit became associated with fear in some Native American traditions, but that didn’t seem particularly applicable, at least not today. I joked to Karl when I read it that maybe it was a reflection of my fear that all the unfortunate weather predictions would come to pass and we wouldn’t get to see the Grand Conjunction.

“But look!” I exclaimed, flashing the bottom of the deck in Karl’s direction. “I got Turkey underneath! Maybe the clouds will part and we’ll experience something magical.” I said that because Turkey’s keyword is “Giveaway.” And amongst its many messages, probably the most foundational inference of Turkey is that a gift will be received.

As the day wore on, we noticed how one instant the sky would be remarkably clear and then half an hour later a cloud cover would move through. This changeability persisted all day, and the hourly forecast on my Weather Channel app did not bode well.

Timing Our Walk

As I said, we timed our walk to hopefully snag a glimpse of the celestial event within a random gap in the clouds. Just after setting out, on the first leg of our usual journey, I stopped and took a photo of the southwestern sky. The prospects looked grim, with only a small band of clear golden light encased between layers of thick looking cloud cover.

Outset of our Walk 12/21/2020- Photo: L. Weikel

We walked all the way around our usual two mile jaunt. As we breached the final hill where I take almost all of my best photos of the night sky (and where I’ve taken virtually all of the incremental shots of Saturn and Jupiter that I’ve included in my posts), we lingered. I felt like we might see them. The cloud cover looked like it was thinning a bit and I yearned to just wait there as long as we could.

But honestly? It felt like a fool’s errand. A wish that held precious little likelihood of manifesting. So we walked home, bummed knowing that we’d never get to actually see this Grand Conjunction, as the next time these planets will be this close and in this conducive a position to be seen won’t be until 2080.

Nevertheless, I didn’t want to give up so easily – and to my delight, neither did Karl. We walked home and took Spartacus’s coat off, and said I was going to drive back to the top of the hill to sit there for a bit and see if the clouds parted like I felt they might. He agreed.

We drove around the circuit three times. Breaching the hill the final time, I decided to take a photo of the cloud cover. The least I could do would be to jokingly post a photo of the spot in the sky where I knew it was taking place.

The Gift

The following photos were taken as follows: #s 1-2 at 5:38, #s 3-4 at 5:39, #5 at 5:40, and #6 at 5:41. As I’ve said many times before: YCMTSU. We saw it. We really truly actually had the Grand Conjunction reveal itself over a span of two minutes…and then disappear once more.

It started to rain less than ten minutes later.

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(T-340)

2020 Solstice – Day 770

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Saturn & Jupiter two nights ago – Photo: L.Weikel

2020 Solstice

I’m writing this on the eve of the final 2020 solstice, but it’ll likely be read on the day itself. Thus, in keeping with the significance of this celestial event, I invite you to sit with me for a moment and embrace the darkness.

This is the day in the Northern Hemisphere when we have the fewest minutes of actual daylight. With the sun rising at 7:20 a.m. and setting at 4:37 p.m. ET, we will have a total of 8 hours and 17 minutes of ‘sunshine’ today: Monday, December 21st, 2020 (at the latitude where I live, anyway).

Yet for many of us, our skies may be enveloped by cloud cover. Sadly, this will obscure our view of the Grand Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter tomorrow evening, which happens only once every 20 years, but has not happened in this particular part of the sky for 200 years. And not to put too fine a point on it, but this conjunction hasn’t taken place in an Air sign in 800 years. (We’ve been collectively experiencing this conjunction in Earth signs over the past 200 years.)

Meanings and Mythologies

There are reams being written lately about the configuration of the planets and the meanings or significance we might ascribe to those positions. I urge you to employ a healthy dose of discernment with respect to anything you read or hear. Use your brain and your heart. Find that middle ground where intellectual curiosity and intuitive resonance meet and create a spark of knowing within. This podcast by Rick Levine explaining the significance of the Grand Conjunction is fascinating, far less ‘sensationalized’ than what many people are claiming, and explains a lot.

As far as how the solstice and Grand Conjunction might impact us astrologically (according to our personal sun and rising (ascendant) signs), Chani gives a quick analysis that’s thought provoking and fascinatingly applicable.

Darkest Before the Dawn

This time of year can be equated to that moment in our daily 24 hour cycle when the sun has been gone from us for the longest sustained period. It’s akin to that moment in time that immediately precedes the dawn – that darkest of moments when the night grows coldest and our ancestors had to hold on to the belief that the sky would soon begin to lighten ever so perceptibly on the horizon.

Literally and metaphorically, that’s where we are now. Times are dark. As stated above, we will only enjoy a total of 8 hours and 17 minutes during which the sun will be above the horizon (here at 40.4 degrees latitude). If the weather is overcast, which is likely, the day may feel even shorter; possibly more dismal. And depending upon the circumstances that unfold as the day progresses, potentially teetering toward hopeless.

Create the Spark

The precise moment of the solstice will occur at 5:02 a.m. ET. So perhaps you early birds can sit a moment in conscious awareness of that precise moment of stillness. In that moment, if you are awake, you might consider lighting a candle, or a hearth fire, and celebrate together with our sisters and brothers across the globe (in the Northern Hemisphere) the return of the light.

But first, before lighting that candle, it feels important to sit with and fully appreciate the darkness, even if only for a minute or two. It’s when we sit in the darkest of darkness that the light of a match or a candle, the spark of insight, wisdom, or compassion, can be most fully and deeply appreciated. And when we share that light with others, the possibilities suddenly seem limitless and, somehow, attainable.

Let’s share our light with each other. Embrace the darkness that’s overtaken us, see it for what it is and has been, and the consciously and affirmatively call in the light. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and the cloud cover may part, allowing us to catch a glimpse of that long awaited Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

(T-341)

Closer and closer – Day 768

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Saturn & Jupiter 12/18/2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Closer and Closer

If you haven’t taken a walk at sunset lately, I implore you to do so soon. Like tomorrow. And Sunday. Better yet, walk at sunset on Monday to celebrate the Winter Solstice and behold the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the western sky. As I’ve been documenting with photos and the occasional post, these two planets are inching closer and closer to each other, culminating on the same day as winter officially begins here in the Northern Hemisphere.

One thing I’ve come to realize from writing this 1111 Devotion is that I’m an astronomy nerd. I never realized just how much I cherish my ability to look up. I’ve also discovered how much joy it gives me to share the awe I feel whenever we have the chance to witness the many mysteries that surround and visit us here on Earth.

I also realize that when I want to deliberately refrain from writing about the comings and goings and doings and undoings of our fellow human beings, it helps for me to focus on the stars and the planets and the luminaries.

Tomorrow Night

Perhaps tomorrow night I’ll write a little more about the significance of the practically simultaneous occurrence of the Winter Solstice and the so-called Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. I suspect you’ve noticed that occurrences here on Earth have rather reliably been tracking the influences the movement of the largest (and furthest away from us) planets in our solar system, specifically Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

These planets are much more slow moving and have a distinctively different ‘flavor’ of impact upon us humans than the more rapidly moving planets. The movements of those outer planets is definitely more profound.

In the meantime, look up, my friends. Appreciate the wonder that surrounds us and unfolds in amazing ways, right above our heads, every single day.

 

Jupiter and Saturn getting very cozy – 12/18/2020; Photo: L. Weikel

(T-343)

Eyes on the Sky – Day 757

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Saturn (left) and Jupiter (7 Dec 2020) – Photo: L. Weikel

Eyes On the Sky

As many of you may know, eight hours after the precise moment of the Winter Solstice this year, on December 21st, 2020, we’ll have the opportunity to witness a pretty cool astronomical (and astrological) phenomenon: the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. But since these planets move so slowly, we won’t need to train our eyes on the sky at the precise moment of 1:20 p.m. ET. In fact, we won’t be able to see them then anyway. But we will be able to see them (weather permitting) just after dusk. And they should be quite a cool sighting.

Technically these two massive planets meet up with each other in a phenomenon known as a Grand Conjunction or a Great Conjunction (lining up in space from our perspective on Earth) every twenty years or so. But this year what we observe will be especially dramatic because the planets will be separated by only 0.1 degree. The last time these two met each other in the sky this closely was in 1623, but that took place so close to the sun that our ancestors may not have noticed. Indeed, it’s thought that the last time these two planets achieved this close of a conjunction that we could see from Earth was in 1226. Think of it! And the next time they’ll be almost as close will be in 2080 – a mere blip on the cosmic calendar to Jupiter and Saturn. But for us?

What About the Moon?

Luckily for us, the grand conjunction on December 21, 2020 will be taking place at a primo location in the sky for all of us to be able to witness the phenomenon. We’ll actually be able to see what appears to be a single, much brighter ‘star’ in the southwestern sky (if we’re in the Northern Hemisphere), which is actually just the two snuggling up very close to each other. There is conjecture that such a very close or tight conjunction of these two planets may have been the Christmas Star of Bethlehem.

Making this event extra special is the fact that it will be occurring at a time and place in the sky where the planets’ light won’t be drowned out by either the sun or the moon. Beyond the degree of closeness the planets achieve to each other, the presence (or absence) of the luminaries in the sky also determine how dramatic a conjunction appears to us – or if we can see it at all.

Yet another gift of 2020 (this time ‘for reals’ – an actual gift!), only a few days before Jupiter and Saturn technically conjunct, a waxing fingernail crescent of the moon will appear just below the two planets. We’ll be able to observe the three of them conversing in the southwestern sky just after sunset on the evenings of December 16th and 17th.

Perspective

While Karl and I were walking this evening, I managed to get a decent photo of Saturn and Jupiter, which I included at the top of this post. (It’s actually much more obvious and clear when observing with our naked eyes.) I’ll try to provide a few more shots of them over the course of the next two weeks as Jupiter really starts picking up speed, documenting their positions in the sky as they approach this grand conjunction.

Just to make things interesting, I’m including a photo (above) that I included with a post I wrote back in July, when I first started noticing and paying attention to their flirtations with each other. As you may recall, astrologically, we’ve been reaping the effects of Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto all hanging out together in Capricorn since January of 2020 (heralding the arrival of Covid-19, among other things).

Tonight I’m focusing upon the astronomical aspect of the conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter. I’ll save a discussion of the astrological implications for another evening.

In the meantime, I can’t recommend highly enough the invigorating exhilaration you’ll feel by bundling up and taking a just-past-sunset stroll over the next several evenings. Watching the planets approach each other and realizing that it will be another 60 years before anyone gets to witness what we are now is just…cool.

It’s the little things in life. Or maybe it’s the cosmic things. Either way, I love sharing them with Karl and with all of you.

Sunset – 7 Dec 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

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