Yearly Horoscope: Aquarius – 2020

With Uranus now ensconced in earthy Taurus until the year 2026, we can expect some resounding “earth changes” to occur, especially as they relate to climate change, land use, national borders, agricultural practices, earth conservation, livestock, currency, precious metals and jewels and fine art.

Uranus entered Taurus on May 15, 2018, and in doing so, arrived at the nadir of your solar chart: your solar fourth house, the house that concerns itself with your actual home. Its arrival may have shaken your foundation and caused upheaval in your homelife, whether with your parental relationships, with your roots and/or within your physical dwelling. Your home could have endured literal earthquakes in that time, or storms, mudslides and wildfires.

You may have changed residences more than once since then. The Taurean influence longs for “a spread.” Thus, you may have moved into a home with room for a garden and backyard chickens but, thanks to Uranus, put up a yurt instead which you now try to rent out on VRBO.

Your parents may have moved in with you or you with them. DNA testing could have introduced you to long-lost relatives. You might have unearthed startling family history at a family reunion that has altered traditions, beliefs and customs celebrated in your current home. 

If you’re remodeling, you’re drawn to making yours a Smart Home, but in any case, don’t neglect to update the electrical wiring. Also, have the foundation checked since it could have shifted or cracked since it was poured. And don’t be surprised if your upgrades carry on through 2026, when Uranus leaves the house and sign. Plan (and budget) accordingly.

Uranus moves slowly, so slowly, in fact, that it takes more than eight decades for it to complete an orbit around the sun. It spends half the year inching along in forward motion and the other half of the year moving backwards. From Jan. 11 through Aug. 15 of 2020, Uranus will move forward in the early degrees of Taurus (from 2 to 10 degrees). Thus, Aquarians born between Jan. 23 to 31 will need to  buckle up when it comes to their homelife. It could be a wild ride.

It’s not just Uranus that’s auguring change. Saturn, in the final degrees of Capricorn, is himself preparing to change signs in 2020.

Saturn has been dallying in your solar 12^th house since late 2017, where he’s probably given you a case of the low-down blues while testing your ability to not self-destruct as he probes and provokes your most private fears and anxieties.

It is said that Saturn finds his joy in the 12^th house of secret enemies and self-undoing. He’s also moving through a sign he rules, so he strong and unfettered.  And on top of all of that, he’s brought a few friends along for the ride.  

There’s Pluto, a longtime fixture of your 12^th house — since 2008 in fact — which helps fuel your obsessions and bad habits in the hopes of you transforming yourself.

And then there’s Jupiter, the planet of higher purpose, which arrived in late 2019 for a yearlong stay, helping you find a way to rise above your suffering. Aquarians never want you to see them sweat, but after a couple of years of this Saturn stuff, they’re breaking if not already broken.

Your partner is basically at a loss as to how to help. They sense you’re a desperado who’s out riding fences. And if you come to your senses, they will be there for you. But in the meantime, you need Yoda. Or Tony Robbins. Just some help, please.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Jupiter, as shaman or counselor, can help you understand the reason for a dark night of the soul. It can help you make peace with a set of circumstances that keep you stuck in one place when you want to be free — or at least elsewhere.

You’ll have a moment in early 2020 that will serve as a point of departure. First, there’s a Jan. 10 lunar eclipse opposite Saturn, hinting that things at work or with your health could be on shaky ground. Then on Jan. 11, after nearly five months of retrograde (backward) motion in Taurus, Uranus changes direction and starts moving forward (which means it’s all systems go in the “revolution” department).

The following day, on Jan. 12, Saturn meets up with Pluto in the 12^th house. Saturn’s testing nature combined with Pluto’s propensity to overwhelm is bound to usher in some changes. Maybe you’ll start attending AA meetings or decide to eliminate all sugar and dairy from your diet. Maybe you join a gym and hire a personal trainer. Maybe you’re willing to admit you need help (this is a big one) and actually seek out a therapist. (Or not. Because you can go dark with Saturn and Pluto — and just sit with it.)

Thankfully, after that, Saturn’s time in Capricorn begins to wind down, which means it is about to enter your sign of Aquarius. So, batten down the hatches, because on March 22, Saturn enters Aquarius, followed by the planet Mars on March 31. And may we just say: sorry about that!

Having two malefics on your ascendant – entering your solar first house – is not likely to be a stroll in the park, especially after your 12^th house travails. However, it’s good to remember that Saturn has your back. As an Aquarian, you are also Saturn’s child. He’s rooting for you, even if he has a strange way of showing it. And as for Mars, Saturn will keep an eye on the passionate god of war, directing him to work on things that are in your best interest. 

The first house rules your image, your way of showing up in the world. With Saturn here, you might feel reluctant to be seen or inexplicably wary of the spotlight. Your appearance — especially as it relates to your head, face and even teeth — may be showing its age or beset with challenges. But fear not: Saturn wants you to look your best so, whatever needs updating or repair, this is the time to get ‘er done. Just be patient with the process, and you’ll come out with a striking look.

Saturn will also test your identity and how you like to be known. There might be some difficulties with your name (so take care with name changes and beware of identity theft). If you have a new career focus, make sure that your business cards, website and social media identity reflect that brand. Does your “ad campaign” match the real you? Saturn here detests phoniness or pretense.

Mercifully, this transit is but a dry run. Thanks to a retrograde, Saturn will slow down and begin to move backward starting May 11. The ringed planet will cross back into Capricorn on July 2, where it will stay for the rest of the summer and fall.

That also means Saturn is returning to the fear factory of your 12^th house. But by now, you’re an old hand when it comes to facing down your sorrows. That doesn’t mean there won’t be a few final tests. In other words, take care not to slip on a banana peel and fall back into some bad habits.

Meanwhile, there’s another retrograde to pay heed to. From May 13 to June 25, Venus, the planet of love and attraction, will travel backward in the sign of Gemini. Venus rules Taurus and, by extension, Uranus, which, as you know, is transiting her sign.

When Venus goes retrograde, she has a bad-hair day that lasts for about six weeks! As such, there could be misunderstandings and disappointments on the home front. Perhaps a parent or child moves in or out of the home. Or maybe the interior design work you paid for didn’t achieve the results you envisioned. It’s also crucial to keep an eye out for your valuables and works of art so that they don’t wander off.

Children and creativity will likely factor into your summer experience and perhaps beyond. Not only does your north node (your path of destiny) move into your solar fifth house of children in early May, but Venus goes retrograde in the same sign a week later. After spending most of the summer in Gemini, Venus conjoins your north node there on Aug. 6, capping off a summer is filled with creativity, childlike fun, wordplay, sibling rivalry, lemonade stands and more, with much of it taking place in your own home.

After Aug. 16, things settle down when Uranus goes retrograde. You might notice a sense of calm at home that extends to other areas of your life, including partnerships, career and your identity. This is a time to let the newly wrought changes sink in, to say goodbye to and release the past and to prepare (mentally, at least) for future changes coming your way.

When Saturn ends its retrograde on Sept. 29, it spends a final couple of months in Capricorn. You can’t help but feel the end is in sight. If you’ve dealt with the skeletons in your closet and the bats in your belfry, this Halloween is likely to be a welcome and fun release.

On Dec. 17, Saturn re-enters Aquarius for the long haul. Saturn will remain in your sign until March 2023. Most people dread the idea of having Saturn on their ascendant. Except for maybe an Aquarius or a Capricorn, because they know that once they learn work to Saturn, their ruling planet will give them a type of superpower.

Remember when we said there were some perks to being a Child of Uranus? How about having the Great Conjunction take place in your sign? Three days after Saturn enters Aquarius — on Dec. 21 — Jupiter arrives and conjoins Saturn at just 29 minutes of Aquarius. If you live on the West Coast of the U.S., the conjunction will take place with Aquarius rising. Talk about a grand entrance!

As one of the most anticipated transits of the year and perhaps decade, this cyclical conjunction occurs every 20 years and is the first one of a series that will take place in air signs, where it highlights communication and mental connectivity between groups of people – something that’s been overshadowed for centuries by a focus on money and power (aka the earth element).

With the two planets uniting in Aquarius — Saturn symbolizing old forms that are on their way out and Jupiter promising new growth — they will soon square your co-ruler, Uranus in Taurus. Adding Uranus’s disruption to the mix, it would seem that Children of Uranus play a vital role in the dawning of the age of Aquarius.

You’ll want to check back here to see what’s in store for you in 2021.