The Astrology of the Coronavirus: Rise and Development (Part 1)
There is general consensus among the astrology community that the outbreak of the virus was a reflection of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn in mid-January 2020. I totally agree that the virus became epidemic and made way to international headlines just when Saturn was exactly conjunct Pluto (here in Hong Kong, we already began hearing news of the outbreak in Wuhan in mid-December), but that does not mean the conjunction itself stands for the virus or its spread.
(Image by Olga Lionart from Pixabay)
This is because an infectious disease is undisputedly the domain of Neptune, especially now that Neptune has been in Pisces since February 2012 (and will stay there until 2025). To me, the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, particularly in Capricorn, invariably refers to “collapses, breakdowns” of existing systems, practices, structures, traditions, etc which haven’t kept up with the times. This in itself doesn’t represent the virus or its spread, but it certainly reflects its effects, i.e. how the epidemic has been pushing systems, healthcare, economic, fiscal or even political, to breaking point.
Scientists believe bats are the host for coronaviruses which could jump to humans via another animal species. Experts are still uncertain which animal has acted as the intermediate host for this novel coronavirus. But we can trace the spread of the virus by tracking how Jupiter (which expands, magnifies or spreads whatever it touches) has interacted with Neptune recently.
I think the rise, evolution and spread of this virus has at least been over two years in the making. As Neptune has been in Pisces for so many years, it’s worth noting that Jupiter has been making exact sextiles or squares to Neptune, on and off, since late 2017, just after Jupiter had entered Scorpio. But I think the most critical developments happened throughout 2019 when Jupiter was in its home sign Sagittarius.
The Case of Jupiter
Jupiter in Sagittarius made three exact squares to Neptune in 2019: January 13, June 16 and September 21 (all Hong Kong time). If a virus makes jumps from the intermediate animal host to humans, astrologically it would likely be represented by Jupiter in Sagittarius. Not only because Jupiter is in its strongest here, signifying the strength of the transmission, but also because this placement itself means "exploring new, unchartered territories" and "roaming free" - and humans are definitely a brand-new territory for this virus to roam free in!
The Case of Saturn
However, major outbreaks didn't occur early last year. It didn't happen until late-2019 and early 2020. Why? My view is because Saturn in Capricorn also made three exact sextiles to Neptune in 2019: January 31, June 18 and November 9, basically covering the entire period that Jupiter squared Neptune.
Saturn is in its home sign in Capricorn, therefore extremely strong here. Saturn in sextile to Neptune stands for "containment, suppression of the virus", like having it walled off, confining it to a limited space without killing it. This is highly significant in explaining why the virus didn't just break out right away even though Jupiter made three exact squares to Neptune in 2019. But as to what that "containment" was, we could only speculate. I guess it was an external factor (environmental, for example) to the virus, rather than due to the virus' own structural limitations (like genetics).
The Astrology Just Before Full-blown Outbreak
Saturn made its last exact sextile to Neptune on November 9, 2019 and the Full Moon in Taurus on November 12 triggered that sextile because the Sun (and Moon, depending on the orb you use) was in soft aspect with Neptune:
(Full Moon in Taurus on Nov 12, 2019 in Wuhan)
As it was the Full Moon, it showed last-ditch efforts to contain and suppress the virus (Saturn's last sextile with Neptune) had reached the peak. Whether it worked or not was already palpable. Because from then on, it was downward spiral for Saturn, as it edged ever closer to Pluto. Also note in this Full Moon chart for Wuhan, Pluto fell right on the Descendant and the Sun and Moon were also in soft aspects with the upcoming Saturn-Pluto exact conjunction, suggesting an imminent breakdown.
Actually, dating back to October 2019, a number of faster-moving planets had also made major aspects with Neptune: Mercury on October 16 and November 14, with the Sun on November 9.
But I think the most important ones were made by Venus: First in Scorpio, Venus was in an exact trine with Neptune on October 22, then in Sagittarius, it squared Neptune on November 15. In fact, it was later reported that the first known case of the virus appeared on November 17, though the "Patient Zero" (the first person ever to contract the virus) is still unknown. Probably "Patient Zero" got infected around October 22 when Venus in Scorpio was in a trine with Neptune (Venus in Scorpio in itself could stand for a "mysterious female carrier of the virus")?
Venus, moving from Scorpio into Sagittarius, is particularly significant. It indicates the start of human-to-human transmissions through social interactions. Furthermore, the planet also conjoined Jupiter in Sagittarius on November 24, indicating transmissions on an even wider scale.
Meanwhile, Neptune, after having been retrograde since June 21, also turned direct on November 27. The virus had ended its "summer hibernation”!
Last but not least, the Solar Eclipse in Capricorn on December 26 fell right on Jupiter, which at that time was still in a trine with Uranus in Taurus. Astrologically, this is the landmark moment in which the number of infections rose exponentially, spinning out of control:
(Solar Eclipse in Capricorn on Dec 26, 2019 in Wuhan)
After this Boxing Day Solar Eclipse came the Lunar Eclipse on January 11, 2020 which formally unleashed the infamous Saturn-Pluto exact conjunction. That marked the complete breakdown of the previous containment and suppression mechanism of the virus, for when Saturn meets up with Pluto, it's like setting a fortress on fire, burning it down totally. It was why at this point that the virus outbreak became full-blown and global news.
This article has more or less traced the rise and spread of the virus. In the next article, we would look at the prognosis of the pandemic "The Astrology of the Coronavirus: What Next? (Part 2)". Check it out!
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Based in Hong Kong, Belinda has got over 10 years of chart-reading experience and holds four university degrees, including Psychology and Counselling. Before becoming a professional astrologer, she was doing a highly stable and well-paid job. She switched careers because astrology had simply changed her life… Read on
