Jupiter and Mars Conjunction January 6th

The planets have a rhythm all of their own, moving into regular patterns we can sense if we open to them with more than our five senses.  This holds true for the upcoming conjunction of Jupiter and Mars.  On January 6th, at 4:30 pm Pacific time and just before sunset here in northwest Oregon, the symbol of the masculine principle and the planet that symbolizes expansion and vision questing come together in the sign of Scorpio (but in the Scales Constellation).

The exact conjunction will not be visible in North America, but from a shamanic perspective it is more than just those fleeting moments when they are exact.  This whole week and next week we can see in the early morning sky before sunrise the bright planet Jupiter and the dim, red-orange Mars close together.  Here on the west coast, the two planets will rise at 3:27 am on, over 4 hours before the Sun graces our lives with its light.

Also: Look up on the mornings of January 10^th and 11^th as the waning Crescent Moon joins Mars and Jupiter in the Scales Constellation.

This conjunction in Scorpio highlights the intensity and passion of the sign of Scorpio.  The 8^th sign of the zodiac is an edgewalker between life and death and since Jupiter’s movement (ingress) into Scorpio (on October 9^th), we have experienced that intensity, expansion of passions and deeply felt, soul-empowering tremors in the world.

Scorpio is considered a “feminine” energy (not to be confused with gender) and its release into our lives can give us all opportunities to stand up to fear within ourselves and projected by others.  We can see it, face it and own who we are.  Jupiter can help bring Scorpio into the visible realm, where the mysteries that may have lain dormant for years are able to reach our conscious selves.

The timing of Jupiter in Scorpio has come at a perfect time as we are quickly reaching the final years of the patriarchal hold on societies across the globe.  Transformation is an inevitability with Jupiter in Scorpio.  Being also in the Scales constellation symbolizes balance and we can see the empowerment of feminine in recent months more than ready to balance with the masculine power.

Mars’ conjunction with Jupiter here act as an activator for Jupiter, Scorpio and the Scales.  In addition, the hidden realms/mysteries of the masculine will also be drawn inward with an opportunity to be seen in full.  In combination with Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, the machinations of the patriarchy will continue to become more and more transparent and we will be empowered to change what has been in long need of change.

Pattern of Jupiter and Mars

As I continue my research into the patterns / relationships of the planets with each other, I have found the Mars-Jupiter relationship profound, standing out on its own. Looking from Earth, Mars and Jupiter come together about every 2 ¼ years and 5 such conjunctions every 11 years, which is nearly one full Jupiter orbit around the Sun and just happens to roughly correspond with the Sun’s sunspot cycles (for more technical info on the sunspots and Jupiter, check out Gary Stevens’ website Jupiter’s Dance)

5 conjunctions in 11 years makes for a 5-pointed star in time and space (typically in 5 different signs) similar to Venus’ 5-pointed star over an 8-year period of time.  The Mars-Jupiter pattern is another way the ancient cultures may have been inspired to create the 5-pointed star.

Mars and Jupiter have been in conjunction with each other in the sign of Scorpio 16 times in the last 500 years, with 5 of those 16 times in the month of January.  The next time Mars and Jupiter will be in conjunction in the sign of Scorpio will be on December 18, 2064.  The previous time in Scorpio was August 8, 1982.  Part of the pattern is also seeing where and when the next conjunction will be (under any sign).  That happens to be in March of 2020 in Capricorn, making a short-lived, but potent, 4-planet conjunction (Jupiter, Mars, Pluto and Saturn) all within an 8-9 degree orb (that would measure out about a “fist’s width” in the sky with arm extended).  Of course, Pluto would not be visible but the other three will be visible.

From an astrological-esoteric perspective, this pattern can be seen portals or gates over long periods of time, focusing in on a specific sign and constellation.

For the Scorpio pattern, here are the dates from the last two centuries:

January 6, 2018 (18 Deg Scorpio)

August 8, 1982

August 26, 1935

October 10, 1899

September 10, 1888

November 21, 1863

October 26, 1852

January 4, 1828 (10 Deg Scorpio)

We can see that the last time Jupiter and Mars were together in the same phase of the season (within a 3-4 weeks of post December Solstice) and in Scorpio was in 1828, which was almost exactly 190 years.   This is 81 Jupiter-Mars conjunctions in 190.01 years.  The next 190-year period ends with the January 11, 2208 Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio (25 degree).  This is as near exact as one can get between the orbits of these two planets.

It does shift a little bit “ahead” at each 190-year period. So on January 14, 2398, the pattern shifts “ahead” to Sagittarius.

Mars is an activator (symbolizing the masculine principle) and Jupiter the expander and vision questor.  Each of these conjunctions creates a bolt of charged color to the tapestry of planetary alignments already taking place (Jupiter for a 12-13 month period of time, while Mars for a few weeks in the vicinity of Jupiter). I encourage anyone interested to see the ebbs and flows of this relationship as I will be looking deeper into it as time allows.

But it is interesting and meaningful to point out we are looking at a closing and beginning point bridging two 190-year time spans concerning the Scorpio mystery school and its relationship to the masculine expansion.  Not all 190-year spans are the same in the number of Scorpio conjunctions, but they all have the common theme of Scorpio.

For those who have personal Scorpio planets on their chart (Mars, Venus, Moon, Ascendant / Descendant, Midheaven / Home & Roots, Jupiter, Sun, Lunar Nodes, Mercury, Vesta), this is vital point in your initiation (planetary cycle).  The kundalini is at a high water mark this week and next as the energy release of the Mars-Jupiter conjunction really begins and carries over for months.  Most of us who know others with Scorpio energy will also be involved in one way or another.

The table of our time is being set, but it is always going through alterations and flux.  However, we can see the intensity of Jupiter in Scorpio has been since November in patriarchal relations with the feminine and all others not part of the power structure.  Mars can be a helpful pressure-valve, helping us tap into the expanded vision of Scorpio and releasing the life force in order to take action through the right use of will in our lives.

The planets have their patterns over long periods of time and this can inspire us to look closely at our own life patterns.  Collectively, we will be involved in this major conjunction and seeing the patterns in our lives can assist us in empowering our lives so that it is in more harmony with what our souls want.

Erik Roth

Recources:

Jupiter’s Dance website – Gary Stevens

Solar Fire Gold astrology software

Mars Quest Webinar Series co-hosted by Erik Roth and Daniel Giamario

The Shamanic Astrology Handbook by Daniel Giamario