(22 December 2024) The transits for the final full week of the year suggest a cautious ending to 2024. As we have noted previously, the approaching Jupiter-Saturn square hinted at uneasy tension between the opposing energy of Jupiter’s faithful optimism and Saturn’s defensive pessimism. This tension may be manifesting in various ways now including the rising anxiety about the policies of the incoming Trump administration. Trump is upending the mainstream consensus on a number of key issues including globalization vs American First tariffs, mass immigration vs deportations, DEI vs merit-based hiring, a catch-and-release legal system vs stricter law and order.
While the second iteration of the Jupiter-Saturn square will be exact on Tuesday this week (Dec 24), we should note that the third and final square will not occur until June. This ongoing square into mid-2025 could reflect a deep ideological conflict that will be in evidence in the US as the Trump presidency follows through on its campaign promises.
With the Jupiter-Saturn square exact this week, this may not be a great time to start new ventures or for working collaboratively. The early week could be somewhat better, however, as Venus aligns nicely with Chiron and the Moon forms a Grand Trine with Venus and Jupiter. Monday could therefore be the best day of the week and this positive energy could also spillover into financial markets. This auspicious three-planet Jupiter alignment will continue into Tuesday, the 24th. However, the 6/8th house alignment between the Sun and Mars will also be exact on Tuesday and could signal conflict and violence involving government and leaders. This may therefore be a more challenging time for dealing with authority/bosses/govt.
The late week looks a bit difficult as Mercury forms a T-square with Jupiter and Saturn. The Mercury opposition to Jupiter may not be that bad at all, although communications and analysis are vulnerable to disappointments and misunderstandings. But with Saturn in the picture here, there is a risk of larger setbacks. Organizations are more likely to suffer losses on this alignment as efforts may be thwarted by mistaken perceptions. The late week Mercury-Jupiter-Saturn alignment also carries some risk for financial markets, although it is hard to know the strength of this negative sentiment.
Next weekend will continue to be unsettled as Saturday’s Moon-Mercury conjunction will highlight the Mercury-Jupiter-Saturn T-square once again. Sunday’s Moon-Venus-Neptune alignment may be more hopeful, however, and could be a better time for get-togethers and appointments.
Looking ahead to the first week of 2025, we could see further troubles emerge with the Mars-Rahu-Pluto alignment. The Mars-Pluto opposition looks particularly tense and may coincide with a sharp and sudden rise in conflict. Interestingly, it will coincide with swearing-in of the new Congress. This may be a sign of things to come over the next four years.
