The Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction in Aquarius & Tecumseh’s 20-Year Curse
December 21, 2020; 12:21 pm CST; Houston, TX
“Let yourself become the space that welcomes any experience without judgment.”
(Tsoknyi Rinpoche)
On December 16, 2020 Saturn will enter Aquarius, where it will remain until March of 2023. She will be joined two days later by Jupiter, which will also remain in Aquarius leading Saturn’s way, until 2021. The joining of Jupiter and Saturn at 0 degrees of Aquarius, is an extremely significant symbol that the New Age of Aquarius is here.
As the “definer of reality”, the Saturn cycle describes a lifelong process of re-establishing that definition in the honest process of experiencing life. It is also our capacity to take responsibility for a personal definition of reality (internal understanding), rather than try to live according to external “rules of society”, and to gracefully navigate in situations when the two conflict. Saturn also rules the life structures we create (career, lifestyle, social affiliations, etc.) to support our personal definition of reality. Transiting Saturn always lays the groundwork for a redefinition of reality relating to the sign, and personally, to the house, through which it is transiting.
Coinciding with the 20-year cycle of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, this particular Saturn transit through Aquarius will have even greater impact on the collective experience of reality than usual. Aquarius rules technology and the global network experience, individuality, freedom and egalitarianism, and humanitarianism. All of these areas, and our experience of them, are subject to redefinition in big and dramatic ways. Emphasis is on group collaboration rather than individual accomplishment. For Aquarius, “thinking outside the box” is the norm, and letting your “freak flag fly” is commendable. Aquarius teaches us that we can’t solve problems in traditional ways, but must approach them in completely new and original ways. The creative inventors who are capable of this way of thinking will become our new “heroes”. We can expect dramatic technological advances in all fields, from medicine to spyware, as well as greater concern about the negative consequences of our growing dependence on technology and what it’s doing to our brains and the brains of our children, as well as the environment. Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are likely to occur at a rapid pace. One of the darker sides of Aquarius is the tendency to place a higher value on science and scientific progress than the Human component and its consequences for Humanity. Historically, much devastation has occurred in the name of “progress”. The potential abuse of technology will be a topic of much greater concern, and a major theme of the science fiction genre of storytelling.
Every 20 years, the transiting cycle of Jupiter and Saturn forms a conjunction of these two socially influential forces, serving to redefine social consciousness and our collective perception of reality. As the new awareness and vision of Jupiter collides with the current social structures of Saturn adopted to support it, dramatic social change is inevitable. Just as individuals must grow and evolve according to the times, so must the societies that they have created. This cycle has taken on a somewhat mystical meaning since 1840 when the first of several presidents elected during these years coincidentally died in office. This phenomena has become known as “Tecumseh’s Curse”, based on the historical account of the 1811 confrontation between Native Americans, lead by Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, and then Governor William H. Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Tecumseh died in battle in 1813, his body mutilated and buried in a mass grave, and his dream of a Native American Confederacy died with him. Years later, in Harrison’s campaign for the presidency, the battle was popularized in the song turned slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”. Although Harrison was elected in 1840, he died in 1841 shortly after his inaugural speech in March, and Tecumseh’s Curse began.
1840 – (Capricorn conjunction) William H. Harrison elected, died in office of pneumonia 4/4/41.
1860 – (Virgo conjunction) Abraham Lincoln elected, assassinated while in office. Also coincides with The Civil War.
1880 – (Taurus conjunction) James Garfield elected, assassinated while in office.
1900 – (Capricorn conjunction) McKinley elected, assassinated while in office.
1920 – (Virgo conjunction) Warren Harding elected, died in office of heart attack and/or possibly ptomaine poisoning.
1940 – (Taurus conjunction) Franklin D. Roosevelt elected, died in office of a cerebral hemorrhage.
1960 – (Capricorn conjunction) John F. Kennedy elected, assassinated while in office (1963).
Note that all Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions, from 1840 – 1960, occurred in the Earth signs. In 1980, the conjunction occurred in an air sign (at 9 Libra) for the first time in over 120 years. Reagan survived and it appeared to many that the “curse” was finally broken. However, some argue that the Curse continued, albeit in a different form.
1980 – (Libra conjunction) Ronald Reagan elected, survived an attempted assassination to serve 2 terms in office. However, it is now well-documented that he was not a functioning president for his last two years in office, suffering from dementia and severe mental decline.
2000 – (Taurus conjunction) George Bush elected, survived to serve 2 terms, although many questioned the legitimacy of his second term due to the uncertainty of the final count of votes. Also, some argue that the terrorist attack of 9-11-01, which shattered the nation to the core and took the lives of thousands, indicated that Tecumseh’s Curse was still in effect.
2020 – (Aquarius conjunction) The infamous conjunction occurs once again on December 21, 2020, a few hours following the Winter Solstice, at 0 degrees of Aquarius. If the curse is, in fact, still in play, the catastrophic consequences may play out in any number of ways, from technological catastrophe to the death, mentally or physically, of the sitting president. With our growing dependence on technology, any number of events, natural and/or engineered by human beings, could occur to cripple our nation and/or the world on a global scale.
This Saturn transit, and the powerful Jupiter/Saturn conjunction of December, will manifest as a “quantum leap” into the New Age, and history will record this time as the turning point of collective transformation. The events of 2020, which have been big, unexpected, dramatic, and beyond anyone’s ability to predict, have forced us to relinquish any illusions of control, and have lead us to this point to facilitate such a leap. A new perspective of reality is being born, and we will be refining it and “tweaking” its defining principles for several years to come. This birth has been a challenging and painful process for many, but that is the nature of such an intense level of transformation as this is. Human Beings rarely surrender their “sacred cows” (deeply ingrained beliefs and perspectives) willingly. Once we get to the point where holding on to the past is more painful than our fear of the unknown future, with little left to lose, the leap is just easier to make. And there is no sign of things slowing down any time soon, so looking back is not likely to be an option. In true Aquarian style, we are about to embark on the “Grand Experiment”. We know almost everything we need to know about what doesn’t work. If we can approach the next few years with the curiosity of a child, willing to explore new, previously untried possibilities, and open to new ideas that seem to work for others, we will ultimately establish a new version of reality, that really works, as well as the systems to support it. It will take the collaborative effort of the entire village, but we’ll be okay.
On the personal level, each of us must examine our own relationship to the sign of Aquarius, our feelings about the obvious signs of Aquarian ways of thinking and principles now taking hold on the collective level, and the New Age Avatars already appearing among us. We can all try a little harder to move beyond the tendency to judge life from our own limited perspective and experience the world with greater curiosity and objectivity. We can all try a little harder to live the mantra: “This isn’t good, this isn’t bad, this is just energy to which I will respond with all the intelligence and wisdom I have accrued thus far in this lifetime.” Finally, we can all work consciously on our personal relationship with “The Force”, which is with us in all things and at all times. May it be strong and fully engaged with you and yours throughout this holiday season, and beyond!
“How do I know all this? Because I’m crazy.
You can always trust the information given you by people who are crazy:
They have access to truth not available through regular channels.”
(Sheila Ballantyne, Norma Jean, the Termite Queen)
By Kimberly McSherry
