“On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” – Unnamed narrator, “Fight Club”
It’s been a while since our last discussion of the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction; a major incoming astrological alignment coming to a theater near you in January 2020. But I think it’s about time we resumed coverage seeing as it’s only about a year away now. In understanding the essence of this energy and its many manifestations, the above soundbite seems to so perfectly set the tone for this vibe. And make no mistake; this *is* – by definition – some dark and heavy energy we’re dealing with here, so this post will not be a light read.
Before I proceed, let me clearly state the above quote most certainly isn’t in any way alluding to the Saturn/Pluto conjunction signifying some kind of mass extinction event; rather, it’s a statement meant merely to be illustrative of this conjunction’s ability to 1) acknowledge ugly – or perhaps even grim – realities and 2) crunch the numbers in these sorts of scenarios. Ideally, the latter leads to the formulation of some kind of “plan”. Prevention, of course, is the best plan; focusing time & energy how to stop things from ever getting to that “worst-case” scenario. But sometimes we don’t always have control over the outcome – such as the inevitability of time marching on regardless of our finite lifespans – which can lend itself to the adoption of a nihilistic slant.
Setting that angle aside for just a moment, speaking of what we *do* have control over, an important keynote of upcoming Saturn/Pluto conjunction regards how this energy is a qualified expert at crisis management – Saturn in Capricorn is the quintessential “Executive” archetype for a reason (able to respond well under pressure, architects plans, pragmatically lines things up & puts them in order, and is superb at controlling/managing/delegating). Pluto energy, however, catastrophizes. Pluto is where the proverbial crap hits the fan – it represents powerful and often destructive forces over which we have no control; save our response to those circumstances. Merge those two energies and you have someone who reliably and consistently keeps it together when things are going to pot; just ask the kids born circa 1982/83 (preferably the Scorpio or Capricorn Suns/Risings) how they do “crisis management” – they were born with a Saturn/Pluto conjunction in their natal chart.
Now regarding the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction’s potential nihilistic slant, this combo is very Nietzsche-esque in a sense for a number of reasons. For one, the “will to power” that so much of his philosophy was founded upon – the psychological drive for ambition, achievement, and reaching the highest possible position in life – is so very Saturn/Pluto mashup. Saturn in Capricorn is ambition & achievement in spades while Pluto symbolizes power & the compulsion of unconscious drives. For two, Nietzche’s own thoughts on nihilism (coming to us from “Will to Power”) were as follows:
“Nihilism is…not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one’s shoulder to the plough; one destroys”
Putting the shoulder to the plow and doing the work is very Saturn in Capricorn, while the destructive principle is once again symbolized by Pluto. When we think of true nihilism, we commonly think of it within the context of a destroyed sense of purposefulness; unless that sense of purpose is to destroy. (Are we seeing shades of Tyler Durden here yet?) Nietzsche’s views on the subject of nihilism were intriguing – he saw it as both inevitable and as a means to and end: The “Ubermensch”.
“I praise, I do not reproach, [nihilism’s] arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible….”
This statement is incredibly resonant when contemplating the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction; a “great crisis” (Pluto), deep self-reflection (Pluto again; it loves to make us look at our own Shadow), the mastery (Saturn) of crisis (Pluto) being a question of his strength (Saturn). What I find hopeful about this, though, is Nietzsche does seem to think it possible. It is my astrological opinion – at least as we simultaneously face down the barrel our Pluto Return in government-oriented Capricorn here in the USA – that as this conjunction perfects there might just be a place for some degree of political nihilism; the notion that we have to scrap and rebuild the very framework of a broken, compromised democracy and construct an “Ubergovernment” upon superior, more functional foundations. Along a similar vein, collectively we’ve seemed to hit peak Dysfunctional Patriarchy; patriarchy of course being closely tied to paternal Saturn and Pluto symbolizing the corrupting principle. I truly hope the current socio-political nightmare is enough to provoke deep and lasting collective self-reflection upon what got us to this point and that it is – as Nietzsche postulated – a catalyst for serious and lasting transformation for the better. One can certainly hope, anyway.
12/28/2018
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