December ended with Jupiter moving into Pisces. This is a very different energy from Aquarius, an intellectual air sign, because Pisces is a water sign and water signs are dreamers. Jupiter will be in Pisces from January until early May and then again from the end of October until mid-December. During part of this time, Jupiter will be conjunct Neptune and the Spring will be an important time for this conjunction. Although Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces, Jupiter is its traditional ruler. This is a very good year to focus on your fondest hopes and dreams. Let your imagination loose, especially around the Spring Equinox. Nothing is outside of the realm of possibility, especially if your Sun, Moon, or Rising sign is in Pisces.
Transiting Neptune will spend most of 2022 opposing the USA’s natal Neptune. In the chart of the United States, natal Neptune squares natal Mars. So, by transit, in 2022 Neptune will also square the USA’s natal Mars. This amplifies the Neptune square Mars aspect and its qualities. It is an aspect that typically describes poor boundaries, addictive behavior, abuse or abusive behavior, victimhood or victim mentality, and oppression. Colonialism and slavery are excellent examples of Neptune square Mars in a country’s natal chart. These qualities were literally built into our country’s astrological signature and personality.
2022 will be another year in which minority citizens struggle against the country’s systemic marginalization and work to have their voices heard. This year, however, they will have to work even harder to overcome new Gerrymandering laws and rules that suppress voters’ rights. Being part of the solution will be more critical than ever. Social justice warriors, you are officially on notice. However, Neptune does carry a visionary quality with it and 2022 may be our country’s opportunity to pivot and embrace significant equal rights measures.
Saturn and Uranus will also be moving us towards social change. This is an aspect historically associated with social change. Not just in our country, but around the world. The last very close square aspect between Saturn and Uranus will occur in October at 18 degrees of Aquarius and Taurus. These two planets do not make important aspects to the USA’s natal chart. But they still push people to look at their environment differently. And they can also lead to unexpected opportunity. It is a matter of expanding one’s awareness of what is possible.
Pluto will also be making some very important aspects to the chart of the United States. I describe Pluto’s action as being like that of a commercial excavator or power shovel, digging up the things that we buried long ago so that they can be repaired or regenerated. Remember that Pluto is the furthest planet in our solar system and takes about 250 years to complete a complete orbit around the Sun. This slow movement gives us plenty of time to experience each positive and negative aspect for a sustained period of time. It gives us plenty of time to dig up what needs to be re-examined and renovated or recreated.
Pluto will be spending most of 2022 hovering between 24 and 28 degrees of Capricorn. Our country’s natal Mercury is at 24 degrees of Cancer and natal Pluto is at 27 degrees of Capricorn. So what does this mean to us? Well, transiting Pluto will be opposing the country’s natal Mercury, just as it has been doing for the last couple of years and just as it does in the country’s natal chart. The transit is amplifying the polarization of ideologies and perceptions among the citizens and describes the undercurrent of anger, frustration, distrust, and tribalism. These emotions, which were also built into the personality of the country, are being expressed more vociferously on both sides of the aisle because of the transit and, as a result, the middle ground is losing its foothold at an alarming rate.
In addition, transiting Pluto conjunct natal Pluto (also known as a Pluto return because Pluto is literally returning to its original spot in the natal chart) is an aspect that is never experienced by living human beings. We simply don’t live long enough to witness Pluto going entirely around the Sun. But countries do live long enough to experience this aspect. And revolutions and civil wars are often the outcome.
There is a Chinese curse that says, “May you live in interesting times.” We are certainly at that point in history. Indeed, the 20th and 21st centuries are the epitome of what could be regarded as “Interesting times.” But, as Robert F. Kennedy observed in 1966, “There is a Chinese curse which says, ‘May he live in interesting times.’ Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind.”
I agree wholeheartedly with Kennedy. As 21st century citizens we still have unparalleled resources and opportunities for shaping our own lives. The aspects I am discussing may be difficult for the country at large, but remember that the future is still malleable and undecided. It is also just as possible for individuals to experience great personal happiness, prosperity, and success during uneasy times. Especially if the planets I am discussing are creating positive aspects in their own personal charts, which is true for many of us. We may just need to be more flexible and creative than ever before. I encourage all of you to enter into 2022 with courage and confidence that you are protected, you can achieve your goals, and you can make a difference.