Jupiter-Saturn Face Off
BY: ABHAYA MUDRA DEVI DASI
Sep 22, 2011 — BLAGOEVGRAD, BULGARIA (SUN) — On 15th Nov. 2011, when malefic Saturn enters Libra--his sign of exaltation--he comes face to face with benefic Jupiter in war-like Aries at the opposite end of the axis. Abhaya Mudra Dasi examines the possible effects on us and the world with an eye to past encounters of Saturn and Jupiter.
When Saturn enters Libra, his sign of exaltation, on the 15th of November this year, he will find himself facing off with Jupiter. By now Jupiter is already positioned on the other end of the axis from Libra in the sign of Aries. Jupiter has been patiently waiting in the sign of the warrior Aries since 9 May of this year. Undoubtedly, this forthcoming opposition of Saturn and Jupiter is a heavy omen for times ahead, whether in the near or relatively distant future.
These two planets are the titans of the zodiac. The slow Shanideva is the planet of the masses, of karma and of generations. His decision is firm and his verdict is far-reaching. Soon he will be directly glancing over to Brihaspati, the chief priest of the devatas and the greater benefic of the zodiac. What can be expected out of the mix of this coming cosmic showdown? For the answer to that question this article will explore in detail times past when this infrequent combination has taken place. We will examine how a Jupiter-Saturn face-off has played an important role in the world scene over the last century. We will also look at the innate traits and characteristics of both these great demi-gods. In this way we give our due reflection upon times that are yet to come culminating in a mini Satya Yuga to become more apparent around 2040.
Many times throughout history Saturn and Jupiter have moved into opposition when their combined strength has acted as an omen that has dramatically shifted the course of world events. When the major benefic and the chief malefic form a planetary handshake across the zodiac it is a sure sign that significant changes are upon the horizon. For ready reference, a 120-year "Table of Saturn-Jupiter Conjunctions and Oppositions" appears at the end of this article.
To understand the personalities and propensities of these two giants, the reader may study the nature of two nakshatras ruled by both Shanideva and Brihaspati. This pair is inextricably linked near the very end of the zodiac, in Aquarius and Pisces. These nakshatras are Purva Bhadra ruled by Saturn and Uttara Bhadra ruled by Jupiter. Called "the scorching pair," they are symbolized by a "death cot" with each nakshatra owning two legs at each end of the bed. They are the 25th and 26th nakshatras respectively and from them the student may understand the combined Saturn-Jupiter energy. Uttarabhadra is represented by Lord Ananta at the bottom of the Universe and Purvabhadra is represented by Lord Shiva who emanates from the forehead of Ananta.
Ruled by Jupiter, Purva Bhadra mostly lies in the sign of Saturn-ruled Aquarius. Uttara Bhadra is exactly the opposite. Positioned entirely in the sign of Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter, Uttara Bhadra is ruled by Saturn. These two heavy nakshatras are also famous for their detachment. They deal more with affairs that pertain to death and the afterlife than with worldly matters. From studying their combined influences we can draw some clues from the past about coming events. Today changes in consciousness are leading to higher understandings of the Absolute Truth or Krishna consciousness as the flood of sankirtan prepares to engulf the planet.
1900-1910
The world celebrated the beginning of the 20th Century on 1 Jan 1901. Ominously, the new century began with a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the sign of Sagittarius the archer. The shared energies of the titans were then combined through conjunction rather than through opposition. And in this case, their conjunction was not as inauspicious as the coming face-off in Nov. 2011 since Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius is also a philosophical sign. However,
Sagittarius as the wielder of the bow is also a warring sign. The 1901 Saturn-Jupiter duo therefore foreshadowed new and idealistic changes in the years ahead, though changes would be wrought through bloodshed.
With this conjunction of Shani and Jupiter in the sign of the Centaur, the horsemen of wide-scale war would soon gallop onto the world scene. The dawn of the 20th century started with many battles, especially in Europe. America had just emerged victoriously from the Spanish-American War and the stage had just been set for Uncle Sam to emerge as a world power. Queen Victoria's death in January marked the end of the longest monarchial reign in British era and the end of the "Victorian Era." The Sultan of Turkey posted 50,000 troops to Bulgaria to quell unrest against the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia. The Boxer Rebellion was raging in China. Heavenly omens had been scribed and soon the gathering clouds would lead to the winds of the First World War. In 1903 Jupiter and Saturn were conjunct again, this time in the movable, earthy sign of Saturn, Capricorn.
In 1910 the faster moving Jupiter moved into an historical opposition with Saturn. Jupiter was now positioned in Mercury-ruled Virgo, while Saturn was positioned in the sign of Jupiter, Pisces. Along with the appearance of Halley's Comet, which appeared in May of 2010, this opposition foretold the drawing together of forces in preparation for the First World War (1914-1918). Historians debate whether the ensuing WW II and the others that followed that up till today are but mere continuations of WW I. That these many wars are not actually separate conflicts but are in truth the ongoing aggressions of the same powers receives heavenly affirmations from the titans in the sky.
As foretold by the Saturn-Jupiter opposition of 1910, massive offensives would be organized both on water (Pisces) as well as on earth (Virgo) on a scale never before witnessed. Now for the first time, airplanes would soon drop bombs on whole armies causing unprecedented numbers of infantry deaths.
In 1911 Jupiter aspected Saturn from Libra while debilitated Saturn returned the glance from Aries. Debilitated Saturn in the Mars-ruled sign of conflict Aries is particularly significant in the case of ruthless wars. Then in 1914 just prior to the advent of WW I, Jupiter was debilitated in Capricorn and aspecting Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn. In turn, Saturn was positioned in the sign of Taurus, another earth sign. The war "ended" in 1918 with Jupiter moving into the stable sign of Taurus, the same position where Saturn had been at the beginning of the war.
1920-1940's
In 1920 Jupiter and Saturn joined one another in Leo, the fiery sign of the king. Just as at the beginning of the century, there seemed to be a promise for a better world tomorrow. But the prosperity of the "Roaring Twenties" would prove to be short-lived.
In 1922 Saturn and Jupiter re-joined in the next consecutive sign of Virgo, an earthy rashi. Both titans have a liking for Virgo but the pressure within this sign of nourishment and the patterns of the heavens appeared to foreshadow the coming Great Depression still a few years down the road. In 1929 the stock market crashed forcing millions into poverty.
In 1931 Jupiter and Saturn again found themselves in opposition. Now Jupiter was in airy Gemini while Saturn was in fiery Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter. Two years after this opposition, Hitler arose as the Chancellor of Germany and paved the way for the Second World War. Opposing forces of fire and air soon would serve to create swift incendiary repercussions. As hostilities once again surfaced, Allied saturation bombing from above and German guided missiles would verify the prophecy.
In 1932 there was a repeat of the opposition of Jupiter and Saturn, except that now it occurred in the signs following the earlier opposition. Saturn was now stationed in his own sign of Capricorn while Jupiter was exalted in Cancer, strong positions for both titans. This opposition foretold Hitler's concentration camps and the use of other unfair means by which the Second World War would be fought. The strong position of the two giants created an unfavorable aspect to each opposing sign because Jupiter was debilitated in Capricorn and Saturn was helpless in the fast moving sign of watery Cancer. And whenever an opposition of Saturn and Jupiter occurs in two consecutive signs, disasters of enormous proportions can be expected.
In 1939 Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in Pisces and the fated movement of history could not be halted by this restless and watery sign. Like an angry torrent, the WW II raged on for six years, exactly half a Jupiter cycle. In 1941 Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in Aries, the sign before Pisces. As Saturn entered into debility in Aries, Germany appeared to be gaining an upper hand. Germany is ruled by Aries. This debility of Saturn demonstrated how the power of Germany, though apparently provoked by the stars, had no real substance to achieve Der Fuehrer's imagined glory. Saturn's movement from debility into the fixed earth sign of Taurus was a sign that the war would be winding down and a new stability would arise. With the end of WW II prosperity soon returned as Saturn and Jupiter were then moving through the two signs owned by Mercury, the planet of commerce: Jupiter was now in Virgo and Saturn was in Gemini.
1950-1960's
In 1950 Jupiter and Saturn were again in opposition from two fixed signs: Jupiter in Aquarius and Saturn in Leo. This opposition put both planets in relatively strong but compromised positions heralding the coming cold war. Now Saturn, a cold planet, was in the hot sign of his father the Sun (Leo). Jupiter, a hot planet, was in the cold but technologically evolved sign of Saturn (Aquarius).
By 1952 Jupiter and Saturn were once again opposing one another, this time from the signs of Pisces and Virgo which follow the duo of signs that saw them in opposition in 1950. The opposition was similar to the one that occurred at the dawn of the century, though now the positions were reversed. Jupiter was in Pisces and Saturn was in Virgo. This opposition created the illusion of world stability and peace which gave mankind a chance to reinvent itself through new technologies, sporting events, mass traveling and consumerism.
Amazingly, 1953 found Jupiter and Saturn in opposition for the third time since 1950. This was a rare event since Saturn stays in a sign for 2½ years and Jupiter generally stays in a sign for about a year. Saturn was now exalted in Libra, and Jupiter had moved into Aries (the formation which will be repeated in Nov. 2011). Three successive oppositions gave the world the feeling that in the wake of new science and technology an abiding faith in God was no longer needed. An atheistic independence overtook the post-war generation and it became fashionable for people to do whatever came to mind. Though an illusion of unshakable peace had been created, many secret wars were orchestrated in various parts of the world notably by the CIA. Meanwhile, this warring mentality became slowly imbedded into the public psyche through the subtle Maya created by television and other devices. The powers-that-be were making sure that the masses could now consider war to be normal and even entertaining.
In 1961, in a scene resembling the beginning of the century, Saturn and Jupiter joined together in Sagittarius. And in the following year they met once again in Capricorn. These historic conjunctions further promised a change in consciousness by the means of philosophy. The Vietnam War was now in full swing. To oppose this cruel war, the hippy movement arose upon the horizon as well.
In 1969 Jupiter and Saturn again moved into opposition with one another from Pisces and Virgo, as they had back in 1952 and earlier in 1910. The next year Saturn went into Aries and Jupiter into Libra. The world stage was a play with global powers playing cat and mouse. The Viet Nam War raged on and threatened to spread into a world war. Eventually when the war ended with the fall of Hanoi in 1975 Shrila Prabhupada would credit the sankirtan movement and his tireless book distributors for the cessation of hostilities.
1980-1990's
1979 witnessed Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in Leo, heralding happy-go-lucky times when everything seemed to be good in the world. While a consumer-oriented society in the West appeared to have unlimited resources, the computer appeared and would eventually change everything. In the East the Communist regimes began awakening to free markets and were doing well. The next year Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in Virgo and abundance seemed to be everywhere.
In 1990 the two titans again moved into opposition in the Sagittarius-Gemini axis. Saturn was now in the bow-wielder's rashi and Jupiter was in the airy sign. Just as this particular combination foretold the Second World War's airborne offensives, so the Persian Gulf War with its Operation Desert Storm witnessed saturation air strikes. America had effectively created an enemy in Iraq and now the self-appointed World's Cop was playing that enemy to its full advantage. This opposition foretold a large number of reactions that still haunt the world with the USA leading the pack under the guise of so-called NATO forces or United Nations "peacekeepers."
Meanwhile the Eastern Bloc in Europe began to disintegrate when USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev instituted Perestroika or a "restructuring" of the Communist Party. The next opposition of Jupiter and Saturn was formed in 1991. Their respective strongholds of Capricorn and Cancer mirrored the yoga of 1932 and set a scene that was all too familiar. Just as Hitler had arisen in 1932, now the rise of a totalitarian corporate New World Order became evident. The ensuing persecution to which innocent Muslim people became subjected can be compared to the suffering of Jews (and others including Gypsies, Communists and the mentally ill) in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War.
(To be continued…)
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