2021 Astrology’s hopes unfounded? Covid and Pluto’s Station

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The hopeful view I and most astrologers put across at the end of 2020 was for the pandemic situation to definitely improve in 2021. The main reason for optimism was the December 2020 Jupiter and Saturn’s splendid conjunction on the threshold of Aquarius. That rare transit ended in fact their passage through Capricorn where their alignment to Pluto had proven so disastrous for the world. But the hoped for positive impact on the pandemic didn’t eventuate the way many expected.

The world’s economically leading countries have seen undeniable changes for the better in 2021. After imposing strict and often controversial borders closure, lock downs, social distancing, masking mandates and vaccinating a great number of their citizens these countries seem to be on their way out of the wood. It is a different story globally though, with infections on the raise and the death toll actually worse than in 2020.

So what happened? Why is it taking so long for things to really improve? To better understand the situation astrologically I had another look at Pluto, because it was after all Pluto, ancient god of the underworld, of dire losses and deep transformations who mainly contributed to paint this period in such dark hues.

One of the most important tenets of astrology is that degrees highlighted by significant transits remain sensitive for much longer than the actual period when the transit makes an exact hit. Because of this the area affected by the significant alignments of Jupiter-Saturn to Pluto will remain sensitized for a long time, easily brought back to life by any challenging transit from fast moving celestial bodies (conjunctions, 45, 90°, 135° and 180°) or by any stations of planets. The latter are the degrees when a planet seems to stand still before it turns retrograde or direct. These degrees become always a strong focus for the expression of that planet’s energy. 

For example Pluto was Stationary Direct on the 24^th degree of Capricorn (the same degree where the conjunction with Jupiter occurred between March and July 2020) at the end of April 2020 (one of the pandemic peak period in Europe) and will be again Stationary Direct on the same degree on October 7 2021! At the end of this year Pluto will move for good from that fated degree; hopefully good news for our tired world.   In the mean time however Mars, the catalyst in chief, will activate that degree again on June 6 (opposing Pluto from Cancer), and on October 22 (squaring Pluto from Libra), as it did three times in August, October and December 2020 (squaring Pluto from Aries during a long retro period), with dire effect on the world.

At this point, despite everyone’s understandable wishes for a rapid recovery, I don’t think the brutal effect of the Covid pandemic could really end until Pluto will move out of Capricorn. And that will happen only between March 2023 and November 2024. Mine may seem like a very pessimistic outlook, after my hopeful early outlook, but what I am talking about is a global recovery not just confined to some ‘lucky’ countries.

On a more positive note and despite serious setbacks (not just regarding the pandemic), the alignment of Jupiter-Saturn in Aquarius has already began to deliver some of its promises for a more just and inclusive mindset in the world. It seems to be unavoidable that this should prevail in the course of the next twenty years. We are still however only at the inception of this progressive trend and a long way from fulfilling it.