*Updated March 2020* Last time we looked at the archetypes and history of the Saturn Pluto Cycle. The current alignment is a conjunction, marking the start of a new cycle and a turning point in world history. Things are likely to be very different by the end of the 2020s, so in this post we’ll explore current events and future possibilities.

The orb of influence for this alignment is 2018 to 2021 while the exact conjunction will happen at 22° Capricorn on 12th January 2020. Saturn is conjunct Pluto at that degree from 6th to 14th so that whole period is likely to feel heavy, but we can expect tensions to ratchet up from December 2019. The conjunction falls on the nodal axis of both planets and this intensifies the effect.

There’s also a bit of a pile up of other planets, with the Sun, Mercury and Ceres all plugging into the conjunction in Capricorn. In March, Mars also joins the party and conjuncts Jupiter at 22° Capricorn, and then Pluto at 24° Capricorn, and finally Saturn in Aquarius. Then Jupiter conjuncts Pluto in April, but doesn’t catch up with Saturn until December 2020. Here it is in bullets:

• Saturn conjunct Pluto – 12 January 2020
• Mercury conjunct Saturn and Pluto – 12 January
• Ceres conjunct Saturn and Pluto – 12 January
• Sun conjunct Saturn and Pluto and Ceres – 13 January
• Mars enters Capricorn – 16 February
• Mars conjunct Jupiter – 20 March
• Mars conjunct Pluto – 23 March
• Mars conjunct Saturn (in Aquarius) – 31 March
• Jupiter conjunct Pluto – 5 April

Mars continues to bimble along and will form a series of squares to the Saturn Pluto conjunction because it goes retrograde in September 2020. These squares start in August 2020 and could indicate a tense time of severe conflicts around the world. Mars has a reputation for starting fights and made hard angles to Saturn and Pluto at the beginning of both World Wars. Let’s hope we can resist this time.

Thankfully, Jupiter’s presence in Capricorn might help to elevate the mood and encourage a more optimistic approach. However, the downside of Jupiter is a tendency to believe you can’t lose. It can boost greed and arrogance and make you feel invincible. This isn’t a good combination when plugged into Saturn Pluto with Mars spoiling for a punch up.

**UPDATE** (13th March): We’re currently seeing massive hype over the corona virus which is being used as an excuse to crash the global economy and cause panic. As we approach the series of Mars conjunctions and the Jupiter Pluto alignment, we can expect things to get worse. Hopefully it’ll peak in early April and then disappear once spring arrives. However, Mars makes a bunch of squares to Saturn and Pluto later in the year, so it could ramp up again as winter approaches.

An example of the danger involved in these transits happened while I was writing this post. Mars and Mercury were opposing Saturn and Pluto and the US started sabre-rattling at Iran to provoke a reaction. This doesn’t bode well for next year considering how the last Iraq war started.

So aside from the weird shenanigans in the Gulf of Oman, what else has been going on? At this point, it’s not clear how many of the events happening now will turn out to be significant – or even true – but here are some highlights (there’s even a couple of positive ones!):

• Ongoing conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Gaza.
• Violent protests in Sudan following a massacre in Khartoum.
• Presidential crisis in Venezuela.
• Civil unrest in France with the Yellow Vest movement and the violent crackdown against it.
• Massive protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill with China.
• Issues over border controls in the US and the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe.
• Flood of propaganda about Russia, including the Skripal incident in Salisbury.
• Rise of authoritarian and right-wing leaders in Europe and around the world.
• Journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
• Julian Assange arrested and taken to Belmarsh prison to await an extradition hearing to the US – set for February 2020, right in the eye of the storm.
• Increase in surveillance, online censorship and control of free speech.
• Rollout of the 5G network without proper research into the health effects.
• Multiple volcanoes kicking off around the world, including Indonesia and Mexico.
• Fire destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
• Huge team effort to rescue 12 boys and their football coach from a cave in Thailand after they were trapped for 17 days.
• Kim Jong-un met the South Korean president to sign the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, and shook hands over the demarcation line.
• Longest sea-crossing bridge opened between Hong Kong and China.

As we saw in the last post, Saturn Pluto alignments represent the need for deep changes in the structure of society and how we use power. The old order is destroyed and a new one is born, and that means we have to accept the death of the old system.

The current power structure of the world was put in place after the second World War during the conjunction of 1947. This allowed countries devastated by two world wars to rebuild and it created a lot of wealth. We’re now at the end of the cycle that started in 1982 which began the process of funnelling that wealth into the hands of a tiny minority using neoliberal economics and globalisation.

This system is based on debt and dependent on growth. It’s having a devastating effect on people and the planet and is obviously unsustainable. And since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, it’s been shaking itself apart. It’s not a case of redistributing the wealth – that just postpones the problem. We need systemic reform (with a little help from Uranus in Taurus).

We’re at the end of the era of Anglo-American dominance as the power centre shifts towards a multi-polar world. It’s not clear exactly how this will play out but there are many who want to maintain the current system, unable to give up their position at the top of the global totem pole. This conjunction marks the start of a period of transition between systems so it could feel chaotic for some time.

It’s no accident that the Saturn Pluto conjunction is happening so close to the Pluto return in the horoscope of the United States. The US has Pluto at 27° Capricorn in the 2nd house of resources and finances, so whatever happens over the next few years will have a profound effect on its power structures. And that, in turn, will impact the rest of the world.

At best, this period of collapse is an opportunity to build new systems that work better for everyone. It’s time to hold power to account and demand integrity from those who hold positions of authority and leadership. It’s also time to face the consequences of old behaviour and heal the wounds of the past – wounds that were caused by the old system.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many leaders who appear capable of handling the pressure. Most seem more interested in their own careers and legacies, and cling to power for its own sake. Some are crazy enough to ignite another war, but whatever the scenario, it can only end in their destruction.

It is possible to transform systems without destroying everything, but for that you have to be a grown up. And that’s what Saturn in Capricorn demands.

As the power structures of the world transform and new alliances are forged, we’ll see a gradual shift away from the West towards the rising BRIC nations, including China, India and Russia. The Chinese have been busy building the Belt and Road Initiative with infrastructure linking China to Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond. Hong Kong is on the frontline of this shift which is why we’re seeing such massive protests to protect its independence.

While the new world order takes shape, we’ll see the collapse of the old order. This might involve the breakup of long-standing unions such as the United States, Europe, and the UK. None of this will happen overnight and the slow decline will probably take decades – possibly until the end of this Saturn Pluto cycle. But we’re already seeing the early stages of rot take hold.

The Conservative party in the UK is imploding – which is fun to watch – but the whole political spectrum is tearing itself apart as people lose faith in the old way of doing politics. Perhaps Brexit will have been sorted out by January, one way or another – or perhaps we’ll have all gone mad. Some already have, but most of them are politicians. Whatever happens, it’s likely to have an impact on trade arrangements and the economy, not just in the UK, but the rest of the world.

There could be some sort of economic recession or meltdown that provides an excuse to reform the system and rollout a digital currency, with the ultimate intention of eliminating cash altogether. The beginning of the end could come with a collapse of the Euro. Italy has been developing plans for an alternative currency to free themselves from the grip of the EU – it’s not just us crazy Brits.

If the economic bubble bursts, like it did during the last square, they may try to re-inflate it again using something like ‘green tech’ or the new Green Deal. On the surface, that may seem a good idea, but it’s just moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic. Nothing would change on a deep level, setting us up for an even worse crash next time around.

It would be nice to see the economic vampire squid and corrupt bankers being brought to justice, but I’m not holding my breath. The system has a way of protecting itself by making superficial changes while the exploitation and corruption continues on its merry way. That opinion could be the Saturn Pluto mood getting to me and making me feel gloomy, but it’s also realistic if you look at history. I would love to be proved wrong.

The worst case scenario would be a doubling down on the current system in an attempt to hang on to power. This would quickly turn toxic and we would reap the whirlwind of catabolic capitalism. We’re already heading in that direction – which is bad news. But the consequences are waking people up – which is good news.

Unfortunately the system doesn’t want its citizens to wake up so we’re seeing an unprecedented clampdown on press freedom and freedom of speech. The news and mass media has become ‘entertainment’ and no longer holds power to account. Audiences are turning away in their droves and searching for the truth elsewhere.

But with real journalism under threat, it’s getting harder to find the truth. Alternative sources of information online are suffering a rash of censorship, shadow banning, demonetising and de-platforming. Add to that the EU Copyright Directive (due 2021) and the UK Online Harms White Paper that seeks to regulate harmful speech, and the internet, as we know it, will end.

The long-term danger is that we sleepwalk into technocracy. We’re already under surveillance and the so-called smart grid will leave no place to hide. People are allowing spy technology into their homes in the name of convenience. The data from our phones and online activity is used to sell advertising and track our location. Plug in a few regulations aimed at ‘protecting’ people and you’ve got a great way to force conformity and control behaviour through social credits.

Many of these technological things will come to a head when Pluto enters Aquarius in 2023-24. So what happens in the next 18 months, and how we choose to respond, is pivotal to all our futures. This conjunction starts a new cycle that will end in 2053 – imagine the changes that will have happened by then!

Here are the dates for your diary – add a year or so either side for the lead in and out:

• Saturn conjunct Pluto: 2020
• Saturn square Pluto: 2028 – 29
• Saturn opposite Pluto: 2035 – 36
• Saturn square Pluto: 2044
• Saturn conjunct Pluto: 2053 – 54

If the financial capital of the world is due to move to China by the 2030s, we can expect whatever happens in January 2020 to kick start the process. It might not be obvious right now because there’s so much distrust of China at the moment, but a lot can change in a decade.

The next Saturn Pluto square could represent some sort of tipping point. Then at the peak of the cycle with the opposition in 2035 we could expect the baton to be passed, if it hasn’t already. We can be sure that the power structure of the world will look very different by 2035. Better start learning Mandarin…

Next up: How to survive the Saturn Pluto conjunction without going mad!

More on Saturn Pluto:

• Saturn in Capricorn
• Pluto in Capricorn
• Saturn Pluto: Archetypes and History
• For more information about censorship and the threat to press freedom, check out this episode of the Sunday Wire about the extradition of Julian Assange.
• A perspective on the corona virus and social control from William Engdahl

Images: Notre Dame; Korea; Boris

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