6/15/25 Jupiter-Saturn square and the Jupiter-Saturn Cycle
This week brings us to one of the most important transits of the year (amidst a year of incredibly important transits at that): the Jupiter-Saturn square.
This Jupiter-Saturn square is the third in a series of three exact conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn that harken back to their conjunction at 0° Aquarius on December 21, 2020, that marked the beginning of a new synodic cycle between Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter-Saturn cycles are incredibly important and multi-layered, and this article will break down everything you need to know about them as we contextualize and orient ourselves towards this important moment within 2025, what it means collectively, and what it means for you.
contents:
What is the jupiter-Saturn cycle?
Jupiter and saturn in relation
the jupiter-Saturn Cycle and you
Where we are now
WHAT IS THE JUPITER-SATURN CYCLE?
About every 20 years (19.85 to be exact), Jupiter and Saturn come together for a conjunction, marking the start of a new 20 year cycle between the two. These conjunctions, called a ‘Great Conjunction’ occur in the same triplicity, or signs of the same element, over the course of 200 years before shifting into a new element, moving from fire to earth to air to water. It takes about 800 years to move through all four elements, and 2,400 years to move through the entire zodiac, creating multi-layered cycles nestled within one another like a Matryoshka doll. These triplicity shifts mark significant moments of societal transition, and are often not a neat and tidy jump from one element to the next, but rather feature a conjunction in a new element then jump back to the previous element before fully moving into the new triplicity (as we’ll see was the case with our most recent shift from earth to air. This shifting back and forth presents a transitional era where we often see the first conjunction acting as a catalyst for themes that will unfold once fully situated into the new triplicity.
Jupiter-Saturn cycles are one of the most important techniques of mundane astrology, the branch of astrology concerned with the events of a country or body of people, geographical region, or the whole world itself. Jupiter-Saturn alignments correlate with major turning points in societal structure and civilization, especially when we begin to look at the greater 200 year elemental cycles. The shift from one triplicity to another often coincides with major transitions in social and political organization, systems of belief, and power structures, these changes often serving as symbolic reflections of current element of the Great Conjunctions. Observing Jupiter-Saturn cycles through history presents correlating patterns of the rise and fall of empires, deaths and rising of rulers and leaders, and new systems of government and control.
Our most recent Great Conjunction occurred on December 21, 2020 at 0° Aquarius. This air conjunction was not the first, as there was an air conjunction in Libra in 1980 that was followed by an earth conjunction in Taurus in 2000, but it did fully situate us into our new 200 year air cycle. The recent earth cycle we’ve shifted out of ran through the 19th and 20th centuries, where we shifted full-swing into the industrial era, as well as a massive consolidation of land, power, and resources by European empires exploiting and colonizing the rest of the world. While these systems were certainly in power prior to the 19th century, this era solidified the western global empire, as well as saw the cementing of capitalism as the predominant system that, in turn, built our current hierarchical structure and class system based on material and labor exploitation and exploitation of the earth itself. The last triplicity shift from earth to air occurred in the late 1100’s to early 1200’s. In this air cycle we saw the rise of the printing press as a means of distributing information and communications, multiple empires rising and falling, holy wars, the rise of the European witch trials, and a general shift in global connectivity through trade and travel, to simply scratch the surface. The shift from earth to air prior to that took place over the 4th and 5th centuries CE, which saw the fall of the Roman Empire. (If you’re interested in diving deeper into previous Jupiter-Saturn cycles, their histories, and prominent themes, let me know in the comments because those sort of topics are absolutely my wheelhouse!)
Jupiter and Saturn in Relation
In contemporary astrology, Jupiter and Saturn act as a bridge between the inner planets that govern more personal, internal processes to the outer planets that govern more universal, collective themes, big-picture eras, and generational movements. For most of history Jupiter and Saturn were the final two planets, sitting at the outer-most reaches of the cosmos and serving as the bounds before entering the heavenly realm.
In the natal and as we experience their transits on a personal level, Jupiter and Saturn orient us into society. Our experiences with and relationships to these planets point us towards how our own ideals fit into a collective vision and system, how to participate in community and society, and how our personal growth and maturation orient us towards societal roles and contributions.
Jupiter represents the propensity for growth and constructing meaning, as well as optimism and faith. Jupiter governs beliefs, philosophy, ideals, spirituality, and higher education. Jupiter represents systems of belief, encourages faith in the future and society, as well as connection to something greater than ourselves.
Saturn governs restriction, time, boundaries, and limitations. Saturn presents us with life lessons that demand thorough understanding and mastery; commitment and discipline towards cultivating enduring results. Saturn is associated with stability, organization, control, authority, tradition, and responsibility. Saturn represents the principle of restriction and limitation through confrontation with reality, and encourages longevity and hard-earned wisdom.
In their most distilled form, these two planets present a polarity of expansion and contraction, with their cycles signifying the relationship between the two—the ability to grow and envision, contrasted with physical limitations, such as time and death, and whether or not our foundations can support the growth and future we believe it. Together the two bring our attention to systems of power and societal structures as entities that are constantly in the process of confronting their own abilities, beliefs, limitations, and realities.
The jupiter-Saturn Cycle and you
The Jupiter-Saturn synodic cycle is unique in that it simultaneously provides us with a potent, traceable timeline on both personal and collective levels. The 20 year synodic cycle is, of course, the most applicable and trackable on a personal level, and within that cycle there are three significant milestones—the opening square, the opposition, and the closing square—before coming back together again for a conjunction that starts a new 20 year period. This cyclical rhythm presents the same basic checkpoints that a cycle between any two planets moves through. The closing of one chapter and beginning of a new one with the conjunction, an opening square that brings a moment of friction that manifests meaning and potential of endeavors that begin with the conjunction, the opposition that presents a culmination of the story at hand where we reap the fruits of our endeavors, and then a closing square that presents a frictional moment of integrating what we’ve learned and making adjustments as we begin to close out the chapter we’ve been moving through. Because Jupiter and Saturn are both slower-moving planets with each of these checkpoints occurring at about five year intervals, we can look to the months leading up to and moving away from these aspects perfecting to observe how the cycle is rippling out into our lives.
The cycle we currently find ourselves in began in 2020 with the Great Conjunction at 0° Aquarius. It doesn’t take much to provoke vivid thoughts around what we had going on in the year 2020. It was a pretty major, paradigm-shifting year, and odds are you had some major life shifts happening around that time, both internally and externally. There’s a few important things we can reflect on to help us understand how what we experienced then relates to the Jupiter-Saturn cycle:
What limitations in my life was I bumping up against and how did that inspire and set a new trajectory in my life? (this might look like realizing you didn’t have a future at your job of the time, seeing that your current relationship wasn’t serving your own bigger picture, disillusionment with your beliefs and worldviews, that you didn’t see a future for yourself in the town you were living, etc.)
What systems and life structures were shifting, evolving, and being put into place?
What in my life was being tested and refined? (bumping up against edges doesn’t always result in tossing what’s there and restarting—sometimes it looks like questioning and affirming what’s there then clarifying, fortifying, and bringing more focus to that thing)
What did my involvement in society, social activity, and organizations look like at this time and how was it shifting? (LOL)
so where are we now?
So all of this brings us to where we are right now: moving towards the third in a series of three opening squares that present us with the first significant checkpoint within our current Jupiter-Saturn cycle. The first time this square perfected was August 19, 2024, with Jupiter at 17° Gemini and Saturn at 17° Pisces, and the second was December 25, 2024, with each at 13° of the same signs. Think back to what you had going on around these dates by looking at your calendar or planner, your camera roll, any social media posts, journals, or any other time-keeping methods you utilize. As we head towards this third and final installment of this series of squares, there’s a few characteristics that make it stand out from the previous two (IMHO, for the better).
The first two squares perfected in mutable signs, the signs that fall at the end of a season, are focused on the process of transition, prompting us to reflect and digest. Mutable signs are characterized by their adaptability, flexibility, and ability to embrace multiple perspectives. These signs are all about making peace and letting go.
Another characteristic of the first two squares was the unfavorable sign positioning for both planets. Jupiter was positioned in its detriment in Gemini, an uncomfortable positioning where Jupiter isn’t very well resourced. Saturn was in Pisces, and Saturn is neither dignified nor debilitated in Pisces, it is a Jupiter-ruled sign, which means that Saturn was under the influence and direction of a planet that was struggling, itself. All of this together results in two planets kind of flailing amidst the process of trying to let go of old narratives and embrace adaptability while trying to find the value and meaning on things up to that point.
This final square is COMPLETELY different, delivering entirely new circumstances to work with. Jupiter, previously weakened by its positioning in its sign of detriment, is now exalted in Cancer, while Saturn, now in Aries, is in its sign of fall. We now have a Jupiter that is not only well-resourced to express itself, but a Jupiter that is in a sign where it absolutely thrives. While a fallen Saturn is a bit unpredictable, it grants much more space to feel more into the Jupiterian nature of this square. This time around also situates Jupiter and Saturn in cardinal signs, the signs that initiate new seasons, and are focused on the process of starting new beginnings. Cardinal signs are characterized by their visionary nature, their leadership capabilities, and ability to take initiative.
conclusion
Overall, this square is presenting us with a much more optimistic perspective towards starting new things and actually pushing forward into the next step or phase of something, especially as it pertains to endeavors initiated under the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2020. Whereas the previous two squares might have felt a bit disorienting, confusing, or overwhelming, this square carries an energy of picking up momentum after that discouragement or uncertainty, of course-correcting and starting anew, and doing it all with a MUCH bigger sense of optimism towards what’s possible and what you’re capable of. All the while, letting the wisdom of what did and didn’t work inform a new vision to move forward with.