Our discussion of this major planetary alignment begins with a note concerning its relative rarity - because Pluto has such an elliptical orbit where it spends longer in some signs & shorter in others, there is no set interval at which this duo meets up. But suffice to say such tête-à-têtes are quite infrequent spend at least decades in the making - our last was 38 years ago and the next won't be for another 33. This isn't an alignment to be feared, but it is to be taken seriously because the stakes are simply too high to be fooling around - Saturn is known as the Lord of Karma in astrology and in his Capricorn stronghold he's all business indeed; meaning he's dead-serious, far less tolerant of shenanigans, & will be looking to call into account all kinds of jacked-up status quos. Get caught messing around under this vibe and it could be a reputation-ruiner, a career-ender, or a goal-killer. Honor this energy with the gravitas it warrants, however, and it can breathe renewed life & purpose into our existence as an agent of Reconstruction. So which end of this spectrum do we want to be on? I think that answer is self-evident and it's my goal to arm you with the tools required to manifest the latter.

 

One of the biggest keynotes about this conjunction regards how it tends to represent something that has been in a long, slow, steady state of deterioration for some time. It could be anything; a job, a relationship, a home, or even - on a more transpersonal level - a government or a country. In this astrological pairing, we have the fundamental failure of something on a deep-seated foundational level; it's as if we've built upon the wrong footings or the timbers we're framing with have been eaten away by termites. The silver lining: We've had warnings about the problem for a long time & know the deal - it's nothing that's going to sneak up on us; unless we've been totally out of touch with Reality. The "Caution" and "Stop" signs have been there all along, but if we have been ignoring them or trying to avoid a total overhaul by metaphorically attempting to patch up a bullet wound with a flimsy band-aid these warnings will continue to get more dire until we're forced to level with ourselves/the situation going into 2020.

 

Our #1 to-do heading into the back end of the year, then, is to acknowledge any ugly realities; both within and without. Once we're real about the situation and what it requires, we choose to cooperate with the process and align with this necessary "demolition & rebuild" mojo instead of continuing to prop up a defunct "normal". There's nothing radical about it, but this does require us to get down to business look at that which must be excised/exorcised/purged because survival depends on it. This conjunction has the feel of a Reckoning; if we've sown ill-gotten seeds we'll reap rotten, poisonous fruit. If on the other hand we've taken our time to slowly, carefully, & fully deconstruct the issue(s), take responsibility for our failures, and seek to make right, this can instead be an energy of Reconstruction where a tangible Rebirthing materializes; a personal Renaissance ensues. And when I say " take responsibility for our failures", this means ownership of our character defects/dysfunction/Shadow as well - dropping our internal defenses to be real with ourselves about the necessity for healing isn't a shortcoming; it's a mark of maturity to want to be accountable for our own pathologies...even those that may have been inherited from our parents. Unless and until we acknowledge something as broken, how can we possibly work to restore it?  Consider this an invitation to hold space for that which may be fractured in our individual and collective lives with a spirit of renewal; in full acknowledgement that we will likely have to labor to strip things back/tear them down before we can build back up. This will take time; be patient. But the transformation that ensues will be real and permanent if we're committed to doing it right. 

 

Many of us will indeed be acknowledging - and thus working to heal - the burdens/baggage of our ancestors and perhaps our parents in particular heading into the back end of the year. With that said, in order to carve out space & energy for maximum healing I am advising my readers to simplify their lives as much as possible and pare down time & energy commitments well ahead of the holiday season. Don't kill yourself with overtime at work. Shave down ( perceived?) responsibilities to the bare minimum. With so many of us working to clear out this dense, heavy ancestral energy at the back end of 2019, Nov/Dec/Jan may also warrant taking a "time-out" from family holiday traditions & the duties that come with them. This is especially so in cases where there may be old resentments, deeply ingrained power/control dramas, or old-school entrenched dysfunctional "norms" where family is concerned, because with this energy underpinning the holiday season these kinds of issues are likely to hit a peak and remind us of "the bad old days". If any of this resonates, better to protect ourselves and shield our sanity than allow a misplaced sense of duty/obligation to rear up & bite us - trying to have healthy relationships/healthy boundaries with unhealthy people can be challenging enough even when the skies are more cooperative, let alone while this conjunction is in play. This astro can have the feeling of a boundary being violated; a line in the sand being defiled.

 

The next crucial thing to be aware of is the conjunction of Saturn & Pluto in Capricorn will tend to bring out all kinds of tests as to how we use our power/authority. If we have any kind of position as an "authority figure" - whether that's as a boss, landlord, industry leader, teacher, mentor, as someone in law enforcement or government, or even - more commonly - as a parent, it will be important to be nuclear conscious of how we're using our power heading toward January. Make it a point to know what *is* your role/business and what *isn't*; don't overreach. Do the right thing, even if it's to your own detriment and you have to take a loss/fear you might lose face for admitting wrongdoing. The Karma Police aren't playing under this alignment and although some will attempt to dig in their heels and defend messed-up things tooth & nail as if their very survival depends upon it, it's going to get harder and harder over the next couple of months to prevent exposure of that which is corrupt. Sure, on a more transpersonal level we certainly have low people in high places who are very much invested in keeping the current power structure the way it is and circling the wagons around their own, but ultimately there is no honor among thieves & it takes a lot of energy to try & maintain this defensive posture. Evidence of wrongdoing will become overpowering and eventually the bottom will drop out. Avoiding ethically funky behavior is always a good decision, but it's especially wise when the astrology cautions us that it's more likely the chickens will come home to roost. Beware also the dark hooks of ambition and how striving for authority/clout/status/achievement can corrupt.

 

In a more positive light, the last two months of the year & 1st month of 2020 are best spent consolidating our efforts and putting a focus toward one very important goal heading into the New Year - giving something our "all" and developing a laser-like focus befits the energy of the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction because it does favor embracing an intense sense of purpose. Think about one - and only ONE - thing you'd like to see concretize/materialize and put all your energy and effort in that direction. Everything else should be subordinate to that goal. It should be a totally realistic and achievable objective but challenging enough that it's worthwhile investment of your work; something that will take planning to execute. But if we're passionate in our purpose & determined to persevere, this amazing mojo can help us consecrate something lasting. The key to being able to pull this off is, again, simplifying our lives as much as possible heading into this alignment. Don't spread time & energy too thin because deficits of either show up in huge ways with this energy incoming, and try to adopt the mantra that less truly is more when it comes to anything that's not mission-critical. Get down to basics so you can run lean & mean.

 

As challenging as this alignment can be, it can also facilitate intense heavy lifting and mastery on an internal level. We may require solitude in order to work through our inner process, but any type of privation or loss we might endure can leave profound marks of character-building strength in its wake. There is a subterranean wellspring of wisdom hidden in this energy that can level up our psychological maturity decades, if we work with it.   If you fall, dive - let that difficulty or loss teach you all it can until your rise above all previous internal limitations. If you can, consider working with a psychological professional to this end; someone you respect with training & experience who can guide you through the hills and valleys of your inner terrain and help you focus your energies where the work is most crucial.

 

Be aware that as we step into 2020 old support structures are slowly falling away. Things or people we once relied upon as permanent fixtures in our life have been gradually declining, and the conjunction of Saturn & Pluto is asking us to release situations that once gave us a feeling of safety or normalcy with the full realization they have actually been stunting or crippling our development on a psychological level. Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn is a controlled collapse, though; a careful brick-by-brick demolition/deconstruction we're prepared for. When the underlying support structure is bad, we then need to have a sober leveling with ourselves about what needs to go. It is this mature realization about the fundamental lack, deficiency, or void we've been building upon that will help us consecrate the ground on which we rebuild. Through this difficult transformation process we'll become stronger than ever before from the inside out - we're replacing rotten wooden beams with steel girders now.

 

Before I conclude I must leave you with an additional thought: The world is always watching. Nothing is really private anymore so before we go getting get sucked into any kind of mess that could reflect badly upon our reputation, career, social standing, etc, let's pause to consider how things might look to the outside world. Stains tend to show up very publicly now, so an ounce of prevention is worth its weight in gold. Minding our own business and staying firmly within the bounds of our own lane/"authority" can help us avoid many unpleasant repercussions under this vibe - step out of line or out of integrity and it could be trouble, though.

 

Although I cannot cover every single facet of this energy in my newsletter alone, hopefully this article has equipped you with enough tools to squeeze the most out of this challenging alignment. Remember, the highest use of this energy is for intense reconstruction somewhere in our lives. Serious work and serious insight will be necessarily, but if undertaken with the requisite gravitas warranted this labor is guaranteed to have a restorative effect - Saturn never promises what it can't deliver. "Si delapsa ero resurgam"