(16 December 2020) As 2020 winds down, there is a sense that we are collectively turning the page.  The vaccine rollout has begun and promises to put the pandemic behind us in 2021.  Also, the new Biden administration will mark a clear break with the Trump presidency and suggests a new direction for the US.  Throughout the world, there are some voices now calling for a “Great Reset” — a fundamental reshaping of the economy and society in wake of the Covid experience. The Great Reset has been championed by international agencies such as the UN and the World Economic Forum to create a more equitable world that shifts the focus away from capitalism towards a more socialist vision.

It is interesting to note that all this talk of a new era coincides with two fairly rare astronomical alignments.  As many have noted, Jupiter is due to conjoin Saturn on December 21 in the sign of sidereal Capricorn.  Jupiter conjoins Saturn every twenty years and often marks a period of new beginnings in society.  The Kennedy era and the 1960s was ushered in with the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 1961.  The Reagan era of a less-regulated capitalism began the same year as another Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in 1981.  The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2000 can also be seen as an planetary signature for the Bush era and its focus on terrorism and the rise of the national security state.

So it is not surprising that next week’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction should coincide with a major change in direction for the US and the rest of the world.  With the left-leaning Biden, it seems likely that there will be a significant shift in policy away from unrestrained capitalism towards a greater emphasis on environmental protection and social justice.  As the pandemic has opened the door to the notion of direct government support to its most vulnerable citizens, it is quite possible we could see more direct payments as a way of redressing some of the inequities in the current system.  Instead of the Fed’s QE that disproportionately helps banks, corporations and the wealthy, it is possible we could see something like a “People’s QE” (or Modern Monetary Theory) that seeks to stimulate the economy through direct payments to individuals.

Pluto enters Capricorn: A time of revolution 

However, there is another important development in the sky in December: Pluto will enter sidereal Capricorn.  Using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, Pluto will leave Sagittarius and enter Capricorn on December 28, 2020.  It will then transit through Capricorn until 2040.  Distant Pluto is a very slow-moving planet and makes its full journey around the zodiac every 250 years.  The last time it transited Capricorn was from 1773 until 1792.

The transit of Pluto into Capricorn puts the notion of government front and center.  Pluto symbolizes power, control and coercion and is the planet most associated with the exercising of human will upon the world.  In the horoscopes of individuals, a strong Pluto can represent a person who is ambitious and pursues their goals above all else.  On a mundane level in the charts of nations, Pluto is associated with dominance and hegemony.

The entry of Pluto into Capricorn amplifies the theme of power.  As the 10th sign in the zodiac, Capricorn symbolizes government and rulers.  Therefore, the entry of Pluto into Capricorn combines these two significators of power and politics.  The 20-year transit of Pluto in Capricorn therefore highlights an era when power and politics undergo fundamental transformation.

The previous transit of Pluto through Capricorn (1773-1792) coincided with two singular events in human history: the American Revolution (1776) and the French Revolution (1789).  In many ways, this period could be seen as the original “Great Reset” which defeated absolutist monarchic rule and ushered in the modern, rational form of government which still prevails today.  The American Revolution occurred over a period of several years during the 1770s and culminated in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

While it is difficult to specify one starting date for the revolution against the British, the Boston Tea Party (pictured above) is one key event that would eventually lead to the overthrow of British colonial rule.   As a revolt against unfair taxation, the Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773 — exactly 247 years ago today.  This was just two months after Pluto stationed direct in the first degree of Capricorn at 00Cp03 on October 2, 1773.  Due to its retrograde cycle, it first entered Capricorn in December 1772, but then retraced most of its initial transit before stationing on the near-exact cusp of Capricorn in October 1773.

Although it is only a single data point, it may well be a telling one, not least because the entry of Pluto into Capricorn in 2020 will coincide with a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.  This doubling of the significators of change may amplify the developments that are destined to come over the next twenty years.  Another period of reform and revolution may well be in store during 2020-2040 and it seems likely to have a more socialist direction.

This is perhaps not surprising since the political pendulum usually swings one way and then the other.  The post-war period tended towards a statist Keynesian compromise, while the Reagan revolution focused on the free market which has prevailed over the past 40 years or so.  Now the pendulum may swing to the left once again.  Given the powerful Pluto in Capricorn influence, this particular swing of the pendulum could bring about many fundamental changes to government and society.  After the Great Reset of the last quarter of the 18th century, we may be on the cusp of the Great Reset of the 21st century.

Weekly Market Forecast

Stocks suffered only a very modest pullback in recent days as Mercury aligned with the Mars-Ketu aspect early this week.  I thought we might have seen more downside, but vaccine optimism and Fed largesse won out yet again as US stocks retested last week’s highs after Wednesday’s FOMC meeting.

Typically, stocks are bullish during late December as the Santa Claus rally often takes prices higher as we head into the New Year.  However, next week’s planets do not offer strong support for Santa’s usual arrival.  Monday’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is somewhat bearish and the midweek Mars-Pluto square is definitely more negative than positive.  Perhaps Santa will be delayed this year.

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