2020 is a spectacular year that marks the dawn of a new era. 

If in 2019 we had lots of Earth energy, 2020 will come with a breath of fresh air (literally) thanks to the Nodal shift in the Gemini/Sagittarius axis and thanks to Saturn’s ingress in Aquarius. 

If you felt stuck in 2019, that’s because in 2019 almost all slow-moving planets have been in Earth signs (Saturn, Pluto, South Node and Uranus). Earth energy is great for getting things done… but when there is too much Earth, the opposite is true.

When almost all slow-moving planets occupy one single element, this means the other elements are underrepresented, so we have an energy imbalance. 

Some 2019 themes will continue in 2020. We still have a Capricorn stellium (Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, South Node and Mars) – so 2020 is still about Capricorn. 2020 is still about order, systems, and hierarchies.

But thanks to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0° Aquarius AND thanks to the multiple conjunctions and retrogrades, 2020 is more about finding a new order, rather than clinging to outdated models of being. 2020 is when we will finally break old patterns that no longer sustain growth.  

One of the best things about 2020 is that we don’t have any hard aspects (squares, oppositions) but we have lots of conjunctions instead, plus a supporting sextile between Jupiter and Neptune. 

As a rule of thumb, planetary conjunctions always come with new beginnings. And in 2020 we have a record of 3 outer planetary conjunctions: Saturn conjunct Pluto, Jupiter conjunct Pluto, and Jupiter conjunct Saturn.

2020 starts on a dim Saturnian tone, but ends on a high Jupiter note. 2020 can end gloriously IF we pass the “Pluto” test and purify our belief system. 

In 2020 we also have 2 very important retrogrades: Venus retrograde and Mars retrograde.

Unlike slow-moving planets, which are retrograde almost half of the time, Venus is retrograde only 7% of the time, and Mars is retrograde only 9% of the time. That’s why Venus and Mars retrograde are particularly important.

Venus and Mars are relationship planets, so another theme for 2020 is “relationships” – one-on-one and in a broader sense.

When we don’t properly integrate Venus and Mars, we either stay in a bubble and expect the world to revolve around us OR we’re simply too afraid to leave the bubble and do anything.

That’s why we need Venus and Mars retrograde, for us to step out of our “comfort bubble” (the Sun, Moon and Mercury) and learn about relationships (Venus and Mars) so we can genuinely “participate” in the world.  

The most important astrological events of the year are:

• Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn
• Jupiter sextile Neptune 
• The Nodal shift into Gemini and Sagittarius
• Venus retrograde
• Mars retrograde
• Saturn ingress in Aquarius
• 6 Eclipses
• Jupiter conjunct Pluto in Capricorn
• Jupiter conjunct Saturn in Aquarius

Saturn Conjunct Pluto – January 2020

The exact Saturn-Pluto conjunction occurred on January 12, 2020 but the two planets will be in a close orb until December 2020.

Although the peak of the transit has already occurred, there’s more to the Saturn-Pluto story. There’s more to digest, and there are more changes to implement.

Take your time. With Saturn, you want to be thorough. You want to build strong foundations – foundations that stand the test of time.  

Jupiter Sextile Neptune – February, July and October 2020

Jupiter sextile Neptune is a supportive, benevolent aspect which is active throughout most of 2020.

Jupiter and Neptune naturally get along, especially so when they form a soft aspect. Jupiter sextile Neptune will give us a sense of flow and smooth sailing.

Jupiter is the Optimist and Neptune is the Idealist. Together, they will help us see the full half of the glass even when times get tough. 

The exact Jupiter sextile Neptune dates are: 

• February 20th, 2020 (Jupiter at 17° Capricorn, Neptune at 17° Pisces). Both Jupiter and Neptune are direct.
• July 28th, 2020 (Jupiter at 20° Capricorn, Neptune at 20° Pisces). Both Jupiter and Neptune are retrograde.
• October 12th, 2020 (Jupiter at 18° Capricorn, Neptune at 18° Pisces). Jupiter is direct, and Neptune is retrograde.

We will all benefit from this configuration, especially those of us who have planets between 17°-20° in feminine signs (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces). 

Saturn In Aquarius – March-June And December 2020

Although Saturn spends most of 2020 in Capricorn, Saturn moves into Aquarius on March 21st, to spend approximately 3 months there – until July 1st, when Saturn (retrograde) moves back into Capricorn.

Saturn eventually leaves Capricorn and moves into Aquarius on December 17th, 2020. Saturn will stay in Aquarius until March 2023. 

From March until June we will have a brief taste of what the Saturn in Aquarius transit will be like.

You may experience an energy shift and new developments in the area of your chart connected to the early degrees of Aquarius, but ultimately, these projects and initiatives will take shape from December 2020 onwards, when Saturn moves for good in Aquarius. 

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto – April, June And November 2020

Jupiter is conjunct Pluto in Capricorn from March 2020 until the end of the year.

This is a “power transit” that will completely transform your belief system and can grant you an incredible amount of power.

The Jupiter-Pluto conjunction is in Capricorn, the sign of structure, goals, and hierarchies.

If you own your power, if you act according to the highest good, if you pursue your goals relentlessly, you will achieve things you didn’t know you’re capable of.

2020 is the year when you should take your goals seriously. Be careful what you want, because you might get it. 

We have 3 exact Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions in 2020:

• On April 4th, 2020 (at 24° Capricorn) – both Jupiter and Pluto are direct
• On June 30th, 2020 (at 24° Capricorn) – both Jupiter and Pluto are retrograde
• On November 12th, 2020 (at 22° Capricorn) – both Jupiter and Pluto are direct

Jupiter conjunct Pluto will especially influence you if you have a Scorpio, Sagittarius or Pisces ascendant, or if you have planets or angles between 21°-25° degrees in cardinal signs (Capricorn, Cancer, Libra and Aries). 

Venus Retrograde In Gemini – May-June 2020

Venus goes retrograde on May 13th, 2020 at 21° Gemini.

Venus spends 6 weeks in retrograde motion. On June 25th, 2020 Venus finally goes direct at 5° Gemini.

Venus retrograde marks the beginning of a new Venus cycle (June 3rd, 2020, at 13° Gemini) when Venus shifts from an evening star to a morning star. 

Venus retrograde is a time to reassess our relationships, our emotions, feelings, values, our likes, and dislikes.

Because Venus retrograde is in Gemini, we will take a close look at the duality of our emotions. The goal is to reconcile our likes and dislikes, our Yin and our Yang, and pretty much whatever is antithetical – or we believe is antithetical – in our personality and in our life. 

You will be particularly influenced by Venus retrograde if you have a Taurus or Libra ascendant, or if you have planets or angles from 5° to 21° Gemini. 

North Node In Gemini, South Node In Capricorn – May 2020

On May 5th, 2020 we have a very important energetic shift. The Lunar Nodes leave Cancer and Capricorn, or the axis of structure, and move into Gemini and Sagittarius, or the axis of mindset.

The Nodal ingress also means that the Nodes of the Moon finally leave Cancer and Capricorn. Phew! Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter are still in Capricorn but because the South Node finally leaves Capricorn, at least we have some relief in the corresponding sector of our charts. 

The Nodes will spend quite a while in Gemini and Sagittarius, more exactly until January 18th, 2022. You have 20 months to master topics connected to information and knowledge (Gemini) and wisdom and truth (Sagittarius).  

Because the North Node (which is connected to our life purpose) is in Gemini, while the South Node (which is connected to our karma and past actions) is in Sagittarius, the focus is on the Gemini’s agenda.

You want to embrace the Gemini qualities, such as curiosity and objectivity, while slowly releasing outdated Sagittarius qualities, such as dogma and self-righteousness.

You want to embrace a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset and approach the world with a beginner’s mind. 

Eclipses In 2020

We have 6 eclipses in 2020:

• Lunar Eclipse in Cancer – January 10th, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at 20° Cancer and it is a Penumbral North Node Lunar Eclipse.
• Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius – June 5th, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at 15° Sagittarius and it is a Penumbral South Node Lunar Eclipse.
• Solar Eclipse in Cancer – June 21st, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at  0° Cancer and it is an annular North Node Solar Eclipse.
• Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn – July 5th, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at 13° Capricorn and it is a Penumbral South Node Lunar Eclipse.
• Lunar Eclipse in Gemini – November 30th, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at 8° Gemini and it is a Penumbral Lunar North Node Lunar Eclipse
• Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius – December 14th, 2020. The Eclipse occurs at 23° Sagittarius and it is a Total South Node Solar Eclipse.

The Solar Eclipse on June 21st and the Solar Eclipse on December 14th are the most important eclipses, because they are closer to the Nodes and therefore more intense.

When an Eclipse is close to one of the Nodes, it is either a Total Eclipse (like the Solar Eclipse on December 14th) or Annular Eclipse (like the Solar Eclipse on June 21st). 

Both the June and December eclipses are Solar, meaning they are associated with new beginnings.

But while the first eclipse (on June 21st) is a North Node eclipse – meaning it comes with ‘free will’ and the possibility to ‘alter’ our destiny – the 2nd eclipse (on December 14th) is a South Node eclipse, meaning that the new beginnings are connected to past actions’ resolutions.  

Mars Retrograde – September-November 2020

Mars goes retrograde on September 10th, 2020 at 28° Aries. Mars goes direct 2 months later, on November 14th at 15° Aries. 

Although Mars is retrograde for 2 months only, in 2020 Mars spends a record of 6 months in Aries, the sign of its rulership.

That’s an unusually long amount of time. Mars spends on average only 6 weeks in a sign!

Because it spends so much time in one sign, that particular area of our chart ruled by Aries will be especially emphasized in the 2nd part of the year. If you also have planets or angles (ascendant, IC, descendant, or midheaven) in Aries, even more so. 

Mars retrograde is a good time to assess our actions, how we take initiative (or don’t), how we assert our will (or don’t) and in general, to understand what really drives and motivates us.

From September to November, take your time to reflect on the fine line between action and reaction, and discover what’s really worth doing and what not. 

Jupiter Conjunct Saturn – December 2020

Jupiter is conjunct Saturn at 0° Aquarius on December 21st, 2020. 

This is the most important astrological transit of the year because it marks the beginning of a new 200-year cycle.

The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is 20 years long but the Jupiter-Saturn elemental cycle (Fire, Earth, Air or Water) is approximately 200 years long.

The current Jupiter-Saturn cycle started in 1802 and it is an Earth cycle. This Earth cycle has been connected to the industrial revolution, consumerism, and capitalism.

The current Earth cycle will end on December 20th, and a new elemental cycle will begin on December 21st, 2020, this time in the Air element.

This is BIG.

The energy will shift from Earth (consumerism, material values, money) to Air (intellect, information, collaboration).

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in December 2020 can really be the dawn of the Age of Aquarius.

And that’s just the beginning. Pluto will also enter the sign of Aquarius in 2023, so in the coming years we will witness a profound transformation of the world and society.

Network and collaboration will become more important than top-down hierarchies.

A new age of enlightenment and freedom is around the corner. This doesn’t mean the Air element or Aquarius is in any way “superior” to the Earth or to the Capricorn energy. In fact, elemental energy shifts always come with disruption initially.

But this is a change we all need, because change is part of life. We learned everything we needed to learn about the “Earth” element of our existence. Now it’s time to move on and learn about “Air”, with its goods and its bads. 

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction concludes the overview of the most important transits of 2020.

Make sure you mark your calendar with these important dates. 

How The Astrology Of 2020 Will Influence You

Firstly – don’t read the “horoscope” for your Sun sign (if you’re still a fan of horoscopes, at least read the horoscope for your Ascendant sign). Your horoscope alone will not give you an accurate picture of what to expect.

Instead:

1.) Note in which house in your natal chart a particular transit will occur.

EXAMPLE: to find out how Mars retrograde will influence you, note the sign and the degrees of Mars retrograde, e.g. 15°-28° Aries. Which house in your natal chart contains 15° to 28° of Aries? 

EXAMPLE: to find out how the December Eclipse will influence you, note the degree of the Eclipse. The Eclipse is at 23° Sagittarius. And then note where (in which house) this Eclipse falls in your natal chart.

Here you can find step-by-step instructions on how to track transits in your natal chart: 

How To Read Transits In Your Natal Chart

If you are not familiar with the astrological houses, here are some articles about the significance of the 12 houses:

The Houses

2.) Generate your natal chart and note the sign and degrees of your planets and angles (for example, your Sun is at 17° Aries, your Moon at 22° Sagittarius etc). And then note if any of the 2020 transits will trigger the degree of these natal planets.

EXAMPLE: If your Sun is at 17° Aries, then you know that Mars retrograde will trigger your Sun, since Mars is retrograde from 15° to 28° Aries (including 17° Aries, the degree of your Sun).

EXAMPLE: If your Moon is at 22° Sagittarius, then you know that the Total Solar Eclipse on December 14th will influence you directly, since the Eclipse occurs at 23° Sagittarius. You want to allow a 3° orb for transits.

Here is the ephemeris with the position of each planet for each month and day in 2020: 2020 Ephemeris

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