When I look up at the sky, I like to imagine the planets and stars as a grandmotherly gaze from above. Rotating in their ever steady rhythm (even as we humans wrestle in turmoil), they wrap a starry blanket around our shoulders. The blanket is warm with encouragement, and it is weighty with lessons we must learn. That this will change— the fever will break. That all change is cyclical. That we are best equipped to build the future if we just be here now.
Because they are my elders, the planets were the first beings I looked to when the coronavirus broke. I knew 2020 would be a difficult year, but I had no idea anything like a pandemic was coming. What the astrology of the year did spell very clearly, though, was that institutions of power are breaking. That the “powers that be” and “business as usual” is headed toward a spectacular breakdown. And as they fall, they resurge with one last, iron-gripped grasp for power. This is astrologically indicated by the heavy stack in Capricorn — Saturn, Pluto, Jupiter, and the eclipse point (South Node) all hit each other here, one after the other.
But the breakdown is a prelude to the breakthrough. By the end of this year, Saturn and Jupiter will leave Capricorn, and go on to form the Great Conjunction in Aquarius. This signals the start of a new era, one that is more relational and horizontally organized. It is an event that will define the next 200 years of human history. [For more details, read The Astrology of 2020.]
Aquarius ushers in a period of rapid technological innovation, and the coronavirus is just speeding that up. Earlier in the pandemic, I saw a beautiful quote (that I can’t find anymore): “If we are smart, we will never go back to normal.” My fear is that so far, we have been taking the old normal and streaming it on Zoom— our work, our yoga class, our dance parties. Aquarius is such a tech-head in part because it has trouble staying present for uncomfortable feelings. That could also be why we’re on the internet so much. What if, instead, we felt our discomfort and loss of control? Felt our fear of loved ones dying? Felt the pain of feeling unworthy when we’re not productive? Learning to rest is one of the most important skills we need to break away from capitalism.
This virus is a sentient being broadcasting a message throughout the world. May we listen to its many messages. Among them: may the U.S., including those on the left, drop the egoic exceptionalism and learn from other countries. May we remember that we must cooperate more than isolate, if we are to survive. May we embody the connection-loving aspect of Aquarius, while healing the part of it that “logs on” to tune out. May we tune into our discomfort. May we remember that this crisis is another opportunity for awakening.
Image description: Blue tag on a brick wall reads, “Corona is the virus. Capitalism is the pandemic.” via @sunshinekarissa on instagram.
When will it be over?!
Looking at the sky, I think the virus will peak for the United States in mid-April and continue peaking until mid-May. After that, it may be on the decline until November (with a possible second spike in July). Why this timeline? I'm paying close attention to the dwarf-planet Pluto, which plays an important role for the United States right now. Note: I am not a historical astrologer, but this is how I'm reading the planets based on my experience as a counseling astrologer.
The virus hit major news in January, just after Pluto was hit by a conjunction with Saturn. For a few weeks, much of the world saw the virus as an "Asia problem" (that was the first, and frankly racist, mistake). Once other planets approached Saturn + Pluto in Capricorn, the situation began to escalate. For instance, after Mars entered the Capricorn scene in late February, it became clear the virus was spreading rapidly throughout Western nations.
The United States is particularly sensitive to Pluto transits, because it is going through its first Pluto Return. (Obviously, I'm referring to the U.S. settler state, not the actual and rightful indigenous land of Turtle Island). A Pluto Return happens every 248 years, and this is the U.S.'s first one since signing the Declaration of Independence. When faster moving planets — such as Mars, god of war — approaches Pluto in Capricorn, the U.S. feels it HARD. Pluto Return is a time when all repressed history rises to the surface. Pluto demolishes human-made structures that have kept society "in order", but that have also served to hide truth. It may have been obvious to many of us that the U.S. political infrastructure is broken, but now it is undeniable. Pluto Return purges all that has been hiding in the shadows, revealing all that is broken.
When Jupiter conjoins Pluto in mid-April, I expect to see a peak in the U.S. experience of coronavirus. The virus and the social restrictions it requires, may continue at fever pitch for another month, while Mars and Saturn are co-present in Aquarius. Mars is the planet of war and survival. Saturn is the planet of boundaries and isolation. When the two are together, survival is tested and it entails separations, restrictions, and border reinforcement. After this period, borders may lift again and restrictions may ease. In July, retrograding Jupiter hits Pluto again, and we might see a return of the virus — or an issue related to the virus that wasn't properly handled earlier. It may take until November to clean it up fully, when Jupiter passes Pluto for the final time.
April, a month for healing
In the meantime, this month brings a warrior’s strength with a healer’s wisdom. The Aries new moon was conjunct Chiron, a minor-planet known as the Wounded Healer. Chiron was a centaur, wounded at birth by his mother’s rejection and again, later, by an arrow. He was never able to recover, but living with pain taught him to be a master healer. He was the teacher behind all the Greek warriors, like Hercules and Achilles.
The sun and moon aligning with Chiron marks a new beginning — in which we become healers because we are ill. Illness has the ability to awaken the healer in each of us, and a species’ brush with death can awaken our ability to survive better together. As my friend Dawn reminded me, this is a call to learn from those who are already wounded healers. I am talking about our disabled fam, our fat liberationists, our survivors, our folks of color. Let’s lift them up. They are the Chirons of our time.