Forging the Future: Jupiter Squares Saturn

Lizanne Hanks Author

A significant long-term transit is underway now that speaks to a period of testing and readjustment: a Jupiter-Saturn square.

Dear Starlings,

It never rains, but it pours.

So much of life is mundane and inconsequential: daily routines and minor headaches, small celebrations punctuating months and years of sameness. And then suddenly, all the bills come due at once. The car breaks down just when you need it most; your appliances stop working in tandem; the roof leaks and death comes stalking.

I lost my Father last month, just days before my daughter’s wedding. Two major rites of passage, occurring simultaneously, felt momentous. And disorienting. Like entering a portal to an alternate reality.

It’s been hard to write.

I’ve been reconsidering everything, lately - the whole direction of my life: where do I want to live? What do I want to do every day? What should I keep and what needs to go? What and whom do I care about now? What really matters?

All of this questioning is perfectly compatible with the big mirror of the sky. A significant long-term transit is underway now that speaks to a period of testing and readjustment: a Jupiter-Saturn square.

The Jupiter-Saturn cycle is a 20 year process that reflects our progress through something substantial in our lives. It’s the big-picture context of what we are doing or learning at this stage of life: student, householder, worker, retiree, parent, grandparent, business person.

This particular cycle began in December of 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn met at 0 degrees of Aquarius, marking a major new beginning both collectively and individually. At this conjunction, we moved into a new life chapter, similar to a New Moon phase.

Now, at the opening square (Aug 2024-June 2025) this new direction is being tested. Jupiter represents growth and optimism, while Saturn corresponds to contraction and sobriety. Jupiter’s vision is boundless and grandiose while Saturn insists on limits and constraints.

The opening square between these two gas giants is forcing us to change, to temper our enthusiasm with discipline, to enhance and manage growth through careful pruning and shaping.

Like the quenching and tempering of steel, the square creates change through challenge. The opposing forces of heat and cold, judiciously applied, produce steel alloys that are more malleable and enduring than raw iron. But the process is far from gentle. It relies on the blending and interaction of two extremes.

Perhaps the new life you’d imagined has now begun to show cracks. You may realize that you’ve taken on too much, or aimed too high. Perhaps you have met with resistance or criticism for your choices. There may be unintended consequences for your actions or new developments that skew your perspective. Perhaps the price of your dream is simply too high.

However this transit manifests for you, rest assured that the process will result in a stronger, more flexible you. For some, this will entail a course correction or change of perspective. For others, it may involve cutting back or even giving up. For some intrepid souls, the Jupiter-Saturn square will actually strengthen your convictions and propel you forward.

If you’re feeling tired, frustrated or confused, try to be patient and gentle. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Whatever you invest in at the square, will likely bear fruit 14 years from now.

If you’d like to learn more about this transit or any other aspects of your own personal astrology, please reach out for a private reading. I’d love to work one-on-one with you as you navigate the changing tides of life.

Peace my friends,

Lizanne

Categories: : 20 Year Cycle, archetypes, Astrology, astrology and mythology, Astrology and Psychology, Big Picture, Change, Jupiter square Saturn, Long Term transit, Tempering, Testing and Readjustment, What am I doing with my life?, what's my purpose?