Jupiter Conjunct Pluto, Round Two: The Return of the Coronavirus That Never Left

Jupiter and Pluto posing in a sea of Covid-19
Collage by T. C. Gardstein

As I predicted in a post from this spring, Mars transiting Pisces unleashed a whole lot of trouble concerning action (Mars), the emotions (Pisces), and public health (the domain of the opposite sign of Virgo). Around the time that Mars entered the final sign of the zodiac in mid-May, many countries and states within the US began opening up, in many cases not meeting the US government's own guidelines. Unemployment (represented by Pisces, since the opposite sign of Virgo represents employment) continued to climb (a key factor in the premature reopening of the US). The death of George Floyd on Memorial Day brought a few weeks' worth of emotional yet largely peaceful social justice (Pisces, the sign where Jupiter is exalted) protests all over the world, peaking in early June, when Mars formed a difficult square to Venus retrograde in Gemini (itself a placement that would seem to encourage backing away from social distancing). After a spate of looting and problems with the police, NYC was placed under curfew for about a week for the first time ever, just prior to its first phase of officially emerging from the lock down. This city is now midway through the much-vaunted Phase 2, when it is possible to dine at restaurants with outdoor seating, get elective medical procedures, get your teeth cleaned, go back to the office (though many companies are moving slowly on that), and either mask up or not, depending on how and where you roll (in my neighborhood, not so much).

From my perspective as an astrologer in New York City, mid-May through June was (and still is) a perfect storm for what many are calling the second wave of Covid-19 (epidemiologists beg to differ, as the virus has not receded enough to end the first wave, but it's clear that many people have stopped listening to scientists). The storm broke shortly after Mercury turned retrograde in Cancer (6/18), with the Solar Eclipse on the heels of the 6/21 Summer Solstice (which was the Winter Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere). It is inevitable that Mercury retrograde must backpedal, creating delays and second thoughts; countries that had apparently gotten the virus under control, including Australia and Germany, were dealing with new outbreaks, while many cities of the US that had escaped the initial onslaught in March and April, such as Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles, were at risk of becoming the next New York City. As of yesterday, recently reopened bars (represented by Pisces), acknowledged to encourage the spread of the virus among relatively young, healthy people who would then infect others, closed down again in the new hot spots.

Considering that the first Jupiter-Pluto conjunction occurred on April 4, right around the peak of the horror show in NYC, it does not take an astrological genius to see that the second Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, exact on June 30, is bringing more of the same to other cities. The US is in particular trouble, however. On July 1, as borders reopen in the European Union with Saturn about to retrograde back into Capricorn, it is almost certain that the EU will put the US on its no-fly list. Just a few days later, on July 4, the US has its Solar Return, which features a Lunar Eclipse and an approaching square between Mercury retrograde in Cancer and Mars in its ruling sign of Aries (a classic aspect of arguments that can turn violent).

I will write in more detail about the US's 244nd birthday, but with transiting Saturn in the Solar Return retrograding back over the US natal Pluto this summer, it is conceivable that there will be localized (if not nationwide) lock downs and walk-backs, as well more restrictions and separations from first world countries that view the US with a mixture of pity, concern, frustration, and revulsion. Fortunately, Saturn will turn direct before it forms another conjunction with transiting Pluto (as we had on January 12 of this year -- the day that the genome of Covid-19 was made public), but we will experience a third Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in mid-November, which would seem to indicate a second wave as well as turmoil in the US concerning the presidential election.

In case reading this post is tempting you to stick your head in a toaster oven, I am still optimistic that the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0 degrees of Aquarius in mid-December will bring positive new developments, since it is clear to me that Saturn at 0 degrees of Aquarius (where it was in late March and early April of this year, and where it is currently) is a crucial factor for this particular pandemic. Aquarius rules groups of people, revolution, science, and technology. With Jupiter joining Saturn there at the end of this year, perhaps humanity will step up to the plate and evolve in a, well, humanitarian way instead of dying out or handing the keys over to robots whose AI tops our collective IQ.

From Pandemic to Protests: Is Truth a Virus?

I have been wanting to post about George Floyd and the protests and riots, but keep second-guessing myself. After all, I am not out there protesting in my home city of New York. I have to admit that I am afraid to do so. Under the best of circumstances I do not do well in crowds, and despite so many people behaving as if the pandemic is over, it is still very much with us. There is also no guarantee that even as a peaceful protester, I would make it home without being tear-gassed, pushed around, arrested, or stranded on a bridge for two hours with thousands of other pedestrians.

These fears, however well founded, also make me fear that I am totally missing the point: that this is the time for every person (or at least every seemingly healthy person under the age of 60 or 65), to throw caution to the wind for the opportunity to help change the world, to finally put an end to racism or, as assistant professor Dr. Kihana Miraya Ross terms it in today's op-ed piece in the New York Times: "anti-blackness," meaning "the inability to recognize black humanity." Dr. Ross offers up some real food for thought, writing that "George Floyd was killed because anti-blackness is endemic to, and is central to how all of us make sense of the the social, economic, historical and cultural dimensions of human life."

I can say that I am with the protesters in spirit. In less than an hour, there will be a memorial for George Floyd taking place in Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn. His brother is scheduled to speak. I can watch the memorial live-streamed, maybe even catch a glimpse of a friend or two who are still recognizable in their masks because I can identify their eyes. But I am choosing not to put myself in harm's way, either from Covid-19 (which I could then pass on to others, especially if I am an asymptomatic carrier) or from a cop who decides to take a middle-aged white woman down a notch or two. I can say that there are other ways to protest: write about the need for justice and an entire overhaul of the system; donate to the cause. I can say that I chose not to take part in #blackouttuesday because I decided it would be more helpful to repost information that included various phone numbers and names of organizations, as well as questions to ask yourself if you are not black and truly want to help.

I can say all of these things and also that I predicted riots and looting this summer, with Mars in Aries, possibly resulting in martial law. They came about a month early: Mars is still in Pisces. However, we are also coming up on the Sun-Mars square on Saturday, and just had the Venus-Mars square with Venus retrograde in Gemini. I also did not predict that the catalyst would be police brutality, with its victim, a man in his forties just a few years younger than me, crying out for his deceased mother, his last words that he couldn't breathe. However, I told my astrology students back in April that something had to give in the United States, that months of being locked down in a country that threw $1,200 at each person and could not deal with the millions of people who were suddenly unemployed would result in many people taking to the streets who feel they have nothing left to lose.

I am hoping against hope that the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0 degrees of Aquarius, exact on December 20, will manifest as laws being changed and true justice being served. Aquarius symbolizes social reform, revolution, sudden changes, and large groups of people. I sincerely hope that all the action we are seeing now will result in Republicans being voted out of office at every level in the United States, and positive change for the human race, so that we can truly say that we are all in this--whatever this is--together.

Peace.