Life as we know it has changed, and it’s scary.

The virus epidemic upgraded to a pandemic, on March 10th, under the Virgo full moon of 19 degrees, `a caravan of cars’ , suggesting the insidious contagion ravaging the planet.

Astrologers know that the Saturn Pluto conjunction of January 12th 2020 is the originating impulse of what we now are facing because it’s a standout and rare alignment. On January 12th 2020,  Saturn, ( limits, boundaries, and isolation) blended with Pluto ( regeneration, fear and death) AND the asteroid Ceres ( food, nurturing, sustenance). The solution is in the symbol. By putting up boundaries ( home quarantine, `social distancing’) we can curb the contagion of this virus which can kill. The collective has responded, often in panic buying, as Ceres is apart of the line-up,” I need MY supplies!”

Yes, this is a `new virus’  just as the January conjunction was a one-of-a-kind alignment.

We astrologers knew something big was going to unfold in 2020 related to the meaning of Capricorn. Capricorn symbolizes all social structures; banking, governments, and big business. The `big daddy’ archetype represented by Capricorn is failing us. We rail against the power brokers who aren’t doing enough; testing, curing, organizing, doing, protecting. It’s as if time ( a Saturn trait) has stopped. Our daily routine is impacted, our  routines, our comfort, our habits. Life as we know it has come to a frightening halt.

Without the comfort of our routines what are we to do? Because each of us are at risk, most of us are holed in our homes. But the irony is that this international crisis has created a matrix of unity. We are alone but connected via our shared vulnerability. Thanks to the virus we all are having a collective experience. We are each alone, (Saturn) going through a collective ( Pluto) regeneration.

We are all in this together. Political vitriol (a word which resembles VIRUS) is collapsing. Our political leaders must cooperate for the good of all. This moment is reflected by the Juno return in the USA chart. Unlikely partnerships bond to fight the `common enemy’; the virus.

Capricorn represents responsibility. Each of us need to respond to this crisis with the best of our ability. Because this is a world-wide experience it is imperative to not collapse into the shadow side of Capricorn; fear, resentment, judgement, and control. We are all vulnerable to the collective fear. As a reminder, it’s human to `want to know what’s going on’ and yet this world-wide experience is bigger than the latest death stats and contagion models.

Turn off your media as you are burrowing at home, or, at least take a break from connecting with the rampant matrix of fear. Consider focusing on what is going on within; the world of the invisible; your consciousness, your heart, your soul, your individual integrity.

President Trump calls the virus an `invisible enemy’. What is this thing that has captured the world and brought it to it’s knees? What exactly is a virus?  It is a set of genetic material, coated with protein which are so tiny that they can barely be seen with an electron microscope. Outside of a host cell, viruses cannot function. For this reason, viruses tread the fine line that separates living things from nonliving things.

This `thing’, the virus, represents an entity which is only alive through a parasitic process. The virus has forced us collectively and individually to consider the essence of the Capricorn/Saturn archetype; boundaries.

Time, another Capricorn theme, seems skewed. Perhaps our forced `time out’ can offer us a truly Plutonian opportunity of regeneration. Pluto represents secrets, power and what lies beneath. Perhaps this shared global experience will inspire us individually to navigate what’s deep within through meditation and prayer. Perhaps we can take a cue from the symbol of the invisible enemy and research whats real and not real, what’s important and what’s not important. What truly matters is not matter at all.

Capricorn’s meaning includes the elements of patience, endurance, constancy. If the present world’s crisis is a call for individual’s to be responsible to others by  setting boundaries, then another solution is to contemplate how to approach the challenge at hand.

“You have to think of this in a wartime world view,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. “You have to think of this as something where you’re going to see a massive mobilization to save lives, to help people through their suffering with this disease.”

It would seem as if we are indeed fighting a war, within and without. Amazingly, the sabian symbol of that January 12th line-up, at 22 degrees Capricorn reflects this duality; ” a soldier receives two awards for bravery.”

As we fight the virus, remember to fight the fear. The positive traits of the Saturn-Pluto-Ceres line up will see us through; personal responsibility, patience, regeneration, reflection and tapping into the power within,