How is the rest of the year going to play out? If you’re thinking that you get a two or three-week vacation and then we’ll get the virus under control, think again. If you think the stock market is going to start climbing soon, also think again. We are in for a long, difficult haul.

Here’s the briefest outline I could muster of key dates this year:

March 23 – Mars and Pluto will meet up in the sign of Capricorn (with Saturn only six degrees past this conjunction) making for an intense line-up of malefic planets.

As Mars moves past Pluto a few days later, it heads toward Saturn, leaving one intense situation for another. Mars and Pluto together mean significant power and control issues and, at its worst, possible violence. This influence will be felt about a week before March 23 and a week after.

March 31 – After Saturn enters the sign of Aquarius on March 30, Mars and Saturn meet up in that same sign.

The result is nervous, even slightly frenetic energy. Watch for increasing restlessness or even panic. Mars and Saturn together are like hitting the gas pedal (Mars) and the brake pedal (Saturn) at the same time which results in frustration at minimum, if not broken parts. This influence will take us into the first days of April.

April 4 – We get the first hit of the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn.

Watch for major global announcements and for things to blow up even more as Jupiter inflates the Plutonian crisis. This aspect is also often associated with major religious movements or global mobilizations. That said, there could be a cooperative energy with Jupiter here so there might be some coming together to strategize around the world.

April 7 – A Mars-Uranus square (in Aquarius and Taurus) occurs.

Known as an accident aspect in astrology, irrationalism, impatience and blow-outs can ensue.

Mid-April until early May we could find a small reprieve.

From May 13 until June 25, Venus will be retrograde in the sign of Gemini.

Venus goes retrograde every 18 months. During this period, Venus, the ruler of relationships and finances, is asking us to look back instead of move forward in these areas of life. Typical Venus retrograde periods are associated with relationship difficulties, separations and poor global markets. If some progress has been made mid-April, we might feel a regression during this time. The upside to Venus retrograde is reconnecting with loved ones, so there might be an opportunity for more social interaction at this time. Venus retrograde in Gemini is very focused on socializing and connecting locally as well as technologically, so these could be major themes associated with this time period. Some people will struggle more than others during this time, and I would suggest checking in more often than usual with extremely isolated friends or family members or those with existing mental health issues.

Overlapping the Venus retrograde is the second of three Mercury retrogrades of 2020, this one in the sign of Cancer from June 8 to July 12.

When Mercury is retrograde, misunderstandings often occur and communications are delayed. Glitches and breakdowns happen with phones, computers, printers, cars, buses and trains. All of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information or component has gone astray or awry.

Mercury’s retrograde period tends to bring unforeseen disruptions and delays. It’s not a good idea to start a new project/venture or to make an important decision during this time, since it’s likely that such decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. This also means that it’s a good idea to hold off signing contracts, forming partnerships and alliances. What gets put in writing at this time may turn out to need serious revising after Mercury goes direct. Depending on the level of social isolation major parts of the world are still experiencing, this could be an especially frustrating time as communications we rely on to stay connected with each other experience major issues.

June 30 sees the second of the Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions in the sign of Capricorn this year.

The first one occurred on April 4, so there could be a repeat or revisiting of some of the issues around this time.

July could be the month we start to feel a reprieve as no major planets make significant difficult aspects.

But August gets right back to the intensity.

A cardinal Mars-Pluto square (the first one of 2020) occurs on August 13 (but we will feel it about a week before and after). This is a more challenging energy of the kind we experienced on March 23. Instead of the two planets being side by side in their intensity, they are facing off against each other. Unfortunately, this is classic compulsion, obsession and even violence. There will be a sense that there is not enough. The cardinality of the signs involved in this square shows a strong push for action.

Caution is also warranted for August 24 which sees the first square of 2020 between Mars and Saturn, again in cardinal planets.

This is a more intense version of the March 31 energy.

The difficulties continue in the fall as Mars goes retrograde in the sign of Aries from September 9 to November 13.

This could be a time when global fireworks are on display (and not the pretty kind). Mars retrograde correlates with repressed anger surging to the surface. It is associated with major breakdowns of mechanical objects. Mars is our physical vitality; when retrograde, there is a feeling of vulnerability, and that vulnerability can be masked by aggression. Under normal circumstances, Mars operates well in the sign of Aries. But when feelings of personal annihilation surface, this placement won’t hold anything back. Those with planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) could be most challenged by this. Mental health concerns could be highlighted.

During this Mars retrograde period, Mars squares Saturn for the second time this year on September 29. It then squares Pluto for the second time this year on October 9 which adds further fuel to the fire. This is extreme frustration at best and massive violence and suffering at worst.

And the pile-up of difficulties continues as Mercury goes retrograde for the final time this year October 13 to November 3. This Mercury retrograde is in Scorpio which only adds to the intensity. Communications can be biting and spiteful; there is a general distrust pervasive under all these influences.

As Mars is getting close to stationing direct, Jupiter aligns with Pluto for the third conjunction of the year on November 12 on what could be the final answer for what has been started with the first two conjunctions on April 4 and June 30.

The year comes to a close with two final notable aspects: A Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on December 21 and the final Mars-Pluto square on December 23.

Jupiter and Saturn align every twenty years, and their conjunction usually signals old ways of life dying off while new ways are taking root. The last Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions were in 1980 and 2000. With this alignment coming into focus at the end of 2020, it feels like a swan song of sorts for what will have inevitably been a tremendously difficult year and a bridge into 2021. The thing that makes this particular Jupiter-Saturn conjunction special is that for the last two hundred years, these conjunctions have occurred in earth signs, and in December, this planetary meet-up shifts into the air element.

What does this mean? We are moving into an era where we will be experiencing dramatic changes in the way we communicate and socialize. This aspect becomes very important going into 2021 because it will also be forming a square with Uranus in Taurus which has been disrupting our financial and food sectors. These aspects among others are what still show some difficulties ahead for 2021.

To reinforce this point, the third square of Mars-Pluto on December 23 echoes the extreme measures some have taken around August 13 and October 9.

In the summer of 2021 there is a taste of normalcy returning but it doesn’t fully get back on track until 2022… And when it gets back on track, life will inescapably look quite different.

This brings me to the quotation courtesy of Joan Rivers that I posted at the beginning of the year: “Listen. I wish I could tell you that it gets better. But, it doesn’t get better. You get better.”

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