On December 21, we have a major astrological event occurring. It’s called the Grand Conjunction, and it only happens every 20 years, charting our collective astrological path for the next two decades. Astrology-heads are keying into this date because it could be a bumpy ride when Saturn and Jupiter move into airy Aquarius and out of earthy Capricorn.

Before we get into what this all might mean in detail, first a few notes on terms. A conjunction means the lining up of two or more planets in a sign. When this occurs, their vibrations blend and work together--either for enhanced good or ill depending on the combination. For example, a conjunction of Saturn (Planet of Time) and Pluto (Darkness) tends to be rough and malefic, while Venus (Love) and Jupiter (Expansion) tends to be auspicious.

A Grand Conjunction is what happens when the planets of Jupiter and Saturn in particular meet up. Together they are known as the Great Chronocrator, meaning the Markers of Time, and they have always been associated with epochal social change when they coincide on their orbital perambulations.

Part of the reason for the “social change” aspect of this conjunction is that the energies of Saturn and Jupiter are a massive case study in tensions. Saturn is the task-masker and father-figure who taps us on the hand and wants us to play by the rules. Jupiter is our expansive, charming, slightly intoxicated uncle at family dinner who inspires us to be more, do more and share more.

Depending on where these two planets conjunct, Saturn can buzzkill Jupiter’s generosity or it can work to channel it, like a good money-manager controlling a decadent rock star’s finances. Likewise Jupiter can amplify Saturn’s anality, making things feel uptight and oppressive, or it can expand and soften Saturn’s orderliness to make us feel more secure, like we are reading a book of poems around a nice trim hearth.

What can we expect when Saturn and Jupiter enter Aquarius this December?

Will strict dad Saturn take the lead and make us do cosmic chores? Or will cool uncle Jupiter take over and buy us some beers for Friday night out on the tiles? Sadly Saturn is the ruling planet of Aquarius, which is the sign associated with things like air travel, intellectual property, technology, innovation, and collective life. That means expansive Jupiter will be playing second fiddle to Saturn this winter, intensifying and harmonising on the Saturnal dirge.

To get a sense of what the Grand Conjunction will look like, we need only hearken back a few months to around March 21st of this year. It was on this date that Saturn dipped into the Aquarius - right around peak Covid hysteria, during which we saw and continue to see Saturnal restrictions around air-related issues.

Air travel was completely shut down due to airborne viruses, while our breathing itself became restricted (pandemic respiratory illness, masks, etc.). In a sense, the world has been holding its collective breath since March. And we are now only waiting on amplifying Jupiter to join the Aquarius/Saturn crew and intensify all this stuff. Gulp.

Another theme to be aware of, as well: Aquarius rules the 11th House which stands for friendships, collective life, social togetherness. We see the impact of Saturn here in the most literal way - social distancing.

As we move into the Grand Conjunction, we will see Jupiter entering more into the fray and expanding on themes already laid out in March. Technologies that keep us socially distant could become even more prevalent and normalised with online learning and work. Restrictions on air travel could remain and perhaps intensify with Jupiter and COVID.

Regarding our online life, we might also see restrictions (Saturn) expanding (Jupiter) in the ether of internet activity (Aquarius). Look for new laws to control what is allowed to be said or published online and new authorities to police online content. If there is a silver lining in any of this, maybe there will be some restrictions on Google and other Conquistadors of our privacy.

All of this intense Saturn/Jupiter/Aquarius will dissipate somewhat when Jupiter leaves the Grand Conjunction in December 2021. But Saturn will still be restricting Aquarius until 2023. All in all, a time of reckoning awaits.

The HBO fantasy lark, “Game of Thrones,” used to haunt us with the mantra: “Winter is coming.” Unlike the fair-weather ending to that show, however, things are going to get real this December, with White Walker Saturn, icy Aquarius, and Giant Jupiter marching in lock-step toward us.

Author, Clarisse Monahan is an astrologer. Find out more about her here.