December 21, 2020 - Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

[TheInterocitor]

I don't actually "believe" in astrology, but last December, my astrology friend told me that 2020 would be a year of "big changes" for me.

This year, there is a grand conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter on December 21, almost on my birthday, and on the dividing line between Sagittarius and Capricorn. Theses two planets will be closer than they have been since 1623.

I thinking I will remain indoors...

Great-conjunction-Saturn-conjunct-Jupiter-in-aquarius-2020/

How can this be read? Things will start to "turn around" (well, they can't get worse can they?) after December 21...

Known as “the great conjunction,” the cyclical conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn that occurs every twenty years has been the preeminent method of demarcating historical eras in traditional astrology. When Jupiter and Saturn come together there is both the intensity of old forms dying as well as the fertility of new growth beginning to take shape. In the past century, their cycle has aligned with the transition in between decades, with the conjunctions and oppositions between Jupiter and Saturn marking the start of each decade. For example, there was a Jupiter and Saturn conjunction in 1980, an opposition in 1990, a conjunction in 2000, and an opposition in 2010. Jupiter and Saturn will form their next conjunction on December 21 of 2020 in the first degree of Aquarius, and so most of 2020 will take place during the end of their cycle. There will be an atmosphere of anticipation building during the year (2020) of being on the precipice of a new era, while simultaneously old issues will resurface in need of resolution.

You can see Jupiter in the evening sky, it is very bright "star," above Southern horizon. Only Venus is brighter, Venus is close to wherever the sun is, sunset and sunrise.
Saturn is not as bright as Jupiter, but still among among the brightest stars. On December 21, these two planets will appear to be right next to each other. And then we can kiss goodbye to 2020's travails...

[rusmeister]

If a man doesn’t believe in God, he will look for a belief to replace Him.
Thus, we have astrology and lucky rabbits’ feet. The Soviet Union had the cult of personality. (That’s why Lenin’s body hasn’t been buried like every other human being.)

If you don’t believe in God, you’ll believe in anything.

[TolkoRaz]

If you don’t believe in God, you’ll believe in anything.

Apart from latching onto and believing every conspiracy theory which is spouted by social media bores, is that a bad thing?

[Hans.KK]

If a man doesn’t believe in God, he will look for a belief to replace Him.

No, not needed at all.

If you don’t believe in God, you’ll believe in anything.

Well it may help you better than god in some case I think.

God is there for those that need him, a clever match, let it stay like that.

[TheInterocitor]

If a man doesn’t believe in God, he will look for a belief to replace Him.
Thus, we have astrology and lucky rabbits’ feet. The Soviet Union had the cult of personality. (That’s why Lenin’s body hasn’t been buried like every other human being.)

If you don’t believe in God, you’ll believe in anything.

Just because someone would find some useful information in Astrology or is superstitious does not necessarily prove/disprove the implication that he/she believes in God. I probably have a different concept of God than thee, but I am a mere mortal, who could spend his whole life trying to understand these matters, but it is way beyond my ability. I am happy, that a few times I have caught a glimpse, or was touched by something, or listened to something wonderful and inspirational, that indicates His omniscient presence.

I occasionally read the horoscope, it helps me focus on what issues I am having - money, personal relationships, etc. The information may be ambiguous, or have different, even contrary interpretations. But it also lends focus. It's similar to making a "things to do" list - organizing your day.

Besides, thinking that this Covid crap and social unrest crap will start to turn around in December gives me hope, and if everyone thinks that things will get better soon, then they probably will.

Talk about superstition, every basketball player I interviewed for my book had a "routine" for shooting free throws. "I bounce the ball 3 times, say to myself 'this one's going in,' and shoot." Or "I spin the ball in my hand once, dribble it four times and tell myself, 'You can do this.'" One coach told me, if the player did not have a "routine," then they had a bad coach.

[Benedikt]

as bad as it may sound, people seem to remember there IS something higher, call it God, Buddha, Allah,
Elfen, or whatever, when they feel bad, when -the shit hits the fan-. Then they begin to run to the Church, kissing HIM the toes or an Icon or whatever.such is life and humanity.

[rusmeister]

Apart from latching onto and believing every conspiracy theory which is spouted by social media bores, is that a bad thing?

Actually, yes. Satanism, and the religions of the Thuggees and the Aztecs are not conspiracy theories spouted by social media bores, yet are terrible things to believe.

What everyone should desire to believe is the truth. The truth, the absolute truth of the nature of the universe, should matter to each and every one of us, even if we cannot know everything about it or fully understand everything in it. If you are saying that it is unimportant why we are alive and what the point of our existence is, then I would have to say that that is very foolish and not thought-out at all. The major religions and philosophies of the world (until quite recently) have always aimed at that goal.

So, yes, it matters very much, even whether God is One and utterly Other, requiring mainly our submission to Him, as Muslims believe, or is One and Three, a Community capable of being Love because love can exist among and between the Godhead Himself, and that He Himself should have become a Man to save all men. Theological differences produce genuinely different cultural attitudes and effects. And one religion produced the cultures that the masses of the world desire to immigrate to. It's a huge hint really, as to whether any of the religions has more truth than the others, though it's not absolute as proof. Is Karma a true teaching? is Yin/Yang? Are our individual lives to be swallowed up into a pantheistic melting of all things into an indistinguishable whole, or is our individuality to be restored and perfected, and admired as individual, as the Christians believe? Does it matter? Absolutely. Everyone obviously has at least a little bit of the truth. The closer you get to the center, the more truth you find. In that sense, truth is like a dart board, and religions and beliefs are closer to or further from the center, the bulls-eye. Atheists are on the outer rim, but at least they rightly acknowledge that there is truth and that it is possible to know it, even if it is only the non-existence of the God that made them. Only one group of people entirely misses the board, and that is the principled agnostic - who essentially says that no one can know the truth because he does not know it, who "knows" with dogmatic certainty that the truth is unknowable, unimportant, and undesirable.

"Point of view? There are a dozen points of view until you know the answer, and then there's only one."
C.S. Lewis, "That Hideous Strength"

[TheInterocitor]

Leaving aside the possibility that my astrologer friend is unaware he is in league with "Satanists," since he is a far-Left loon...

I never thought of Astrology as being a religion, or related to belief in God. It's always been about free will.

How can an expert Astrologist claim to predict the future based on the positions of the stars? (Positions of the planets, actually).

Since the planets are going to be aligned or positioned as they revolve around the sun, as they have been, are and will be, and not a lot can change this, and the Astrologer makes "predictions" based on such positioning, does this imply that all human events are already pre-determined?

If so, then what is this thing called "free will'? If everything is already pre-determined, then we have no free will, everything is going to happen as it happens. What's the point in trying to change anything, it will be as it will be.

[rusmeister]

Leaving aside the possibility that my astrologer friend is unaware he is in league with "Satanists," since he is a far-Left loon...

I never thought of Astrology as being a religion, or related to belief in God. It's always been about free will.

How can an expert Astrologist claim to predict the future based on the positions of the stars? (Positions of the planets, actually).

Since the planets are going to be aligned or positioned as they revolve around the sun, as they have been, are and will be, and not a lot can change this, and the Astrologer makes "predictions" based on such positioning, does this imply that all human events are already pre-determined?

If so, then what is this thing called "free will'? If everything is already pre-determined, then we have no free will, everything is going to happen as it happens. What's the point in trying to change anything, it will be as it will be.

Sounds like you're seeking, like a ship without a rudder or navigation charts.
My own ship is incredibly leaky, but at least I know which way I'm supposed to go.

Any claims, of "astrology" or otherwise, presuppose knowledge of the nature of the human condition, and our purpose in life, whether its adherents explicitly claim to know or not. So as a belief system, that does make it a religion, in the broad sense of the word. Atheistic Communism also essentially qualifies, in having holy days, saints on icons, relics in Mausoleums, rituals, even if only for unknown soldiers, hierarchy and organization, and answers to those fundamental questions of the nature of man and his purpose in life, even though they are poor answers indeed.

There is neither science, nor genuine religious authority behind astrology. That is why it remains a superstition, not worthy of intelligent men.

[TheInterocitor]

Tp say that Unitarians are a "religion" is a stretch. They are more like social justice warriors, they are the university elitist claim to be "Christian." However, the "church" is pro-abortion, in favor of redistribution of wealth, embraces the "values" of the Left, etc. Of course, they opened their doors to offer "safe haven" to the street mob criminals.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/127639...ylor-protests/

Breonna Taylor, pictured here as a martyr, was in reality a cash "mule" for drug dealers, many of them incarcerated, she would take calls from them, and help the gangs distribute heroin and cocaine.

OMITTED from the media's reports - when the "peaceful protesters" took over the "church" (after the mob had shot 2 police officers) the MOB KICKED OUT ALL THE PEOPLE WITH THE WRONG SKIN COLOR - WHITE PEOPLE.

The racist mob then kicked out all the "news" media, which may or not be the start of a good trend.

[TheInterocitor]

Sounds like you're seeking, like a ship without a rudder or navigation charts.
My own ship is incredibly leaky, but at least I know which way I'm supposed to go.

Rus, I do not reject the church as a source for moral guidance. Society needs an ethical structure emanating from a moral framework, in order to function as a civilized society, so we can know if any action we contemplate taking, is right or wrong. All moral frameworks are based on a religion. The people out in the streets in America trying to eliminate history and people espousing communism like Pol Pot, Mao, Karl Marx, etc. - they reject religion ("Religion is the opiate of the people"). They do not realize that without religion, society degenerates into chaos and a non-religious based government can only maintain itself with police power and through suppression of the free flow of information. Without a code of ethics, Google degenerated in a few years time, from a "benevolent dictator" of information search into a nightmare of Joseph Goebbels-type disinformation. So too, the anti-religious social media giants became ogres - Twitter, Facebook, Youtube...

Maybe they are confused about the purpose of a church, versus the actual practices. I attend church once a year, but I believe that the moral framework provided by the church is absolutely necessary for the functioning of a free society. That moral framework I learned a long time ago, but it's with me 24 hours a day.

The social scientists have no replacement for the church, they really believe after all this time, after a mountain of evidence to the contrary - Red China, Soviet Union, Pol Pot's Cambodia, the Third Reich, etc. - they can once again topple statues and build some "Brave New World" by rejecting religion and its accompanying morality. Replacing the past with the promise of a future, this time based on transitory and meaningless "values."

There is neither science, nor genuine religious authority behind astrology.

This is true. Personally, I have never treated it as science nor as religion.

Any claims, of "astrology" or otherwise, presuppose knowledge of the nature of the human condition, and our purpose in life, whether its adherents explicitly claim to know or not. So as a belief system, that does make it a religion, in the broad sense of the word. Atheistic Communism also essentially qualifies, in having holy days, saints on icons, relics in Mausoleums, rituals, even if only for unknown soldiers, hierarchy and organization, and answers to those fundamental questions of the nature of man and his purpose in life, even though they are poor answers indeed.

Looks like the only disagreement we have is on the definition of the word "religion." I would not classify astrology as a "religion"- there is no moral or ethical structure implicit in astrology, well, maybe there is, I don't know too much about it.

[Uncle Wally]

Sounds like you're seeking, like a ship without a rudder or navigation charts.
My own ship is incredibly leaky, but at least I know which way I'm supposed to go.

Any claims, of "astrology" or otherwise, presuppose knowledge of the nature of the human condition, and our purpose in life, whether its adherents explicitly claim to know or not. So as a belief system, that does make it a religion, in the broad sense of the word. Atheistic Communism also essentially qualifies, in having holy days, saints on icons, relics in Mausoleums, rituals, even if only for unknown soldiers, hierarchy and organization, and answers to those fundamental questions of the nature of man and his purpose in life, even though they are poor answers indeed.

There is neither science, nor genuine religious authority behind astrology. That is why it remains a superstition, not worthy of intelligent men.

The only one here saying Astrology is a "religion" is you Rus. Did God make the clouds? Yes he did, God made everything right? He also made the stars. So if I look up and try to interpret the clouds to say if it will rain or not that is not a religion but a reading of what God gave us. Astrology is a science, it's reading the stars that God gave us to maybe predict the weather. Everything in our world is connected and we are connected to it even the stars. Astrology won't tell you which way in life to go but it can tell you what might be coming our way. Astrology is like a map, it can't tell you which way to go only show you a possible route. Jupiter is a giver of gifts and rules money, finances and luck. It comes around every 12 years to each sign of the Zodiac and effects people of that sign to different degrees depending on where it was in relationship to us when we were born and what sign it was in. When it falls in or close to the same place as when you were born the more luck you will have. Rus all Astrologist I have ever read believe in God and understand Astrology is not a replacement for faith in God, it can only show you the trials we may go through good or bad. Your post Rus shows you have a total lack of understanding about Astrology be it is not a religion nor a superstition but a map to read much just like the clouds that were given to us by God.

[Uncle Wally]

Rus if I look up in the sky and I see big black clouds I know it's not a good day to have a picnic, that's not superstition. If I look up in the sky and I see Jupiter is retrograde I know it's not a good time to sign a contract, that's not superstition.

[TheInterocitor]

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronom.../russia/moscow

Jupiter and Saturn are getting closer and closer. On December 16, the moon will join in a spectacular display, right after sunset. Then on December 21st, in the Southwestern sky, the two planets will be very close, almost as one, the closest since 1200's.

https://www.fairbrothers.com/astro.jpg

[rusmeister]

The only one here saying Astrology is a "religion" is you Rus.

Jupiter is a giver of gifts and rules money, finances and luck. It comes around every 12 years to each sign of the Zodiac and effects people of that sign to different degrees depending on where it was in relationship to us when we were born and what sign it was in. When it falls in or close to the same place as when you were born the more luck you will have.

Sounds like a religion to me.

In all seriousness, it is a pseudo-religion. It is used as a replacement for what would otherwise be rational philosophical attitudes found in the major world religions. They don't have to say This is God, a god, or the gods. But they do say, as you just did, that this planet "gives", and "rules", anthropomorphising it, as the pagan religions did, and treating them as small "g" gods, and speaking of getting "more luck", a form of gnosticism. I think there could even be a grain, mind you, only a grain, of truth in it. You could read CS Lewis's "Space Trilogy" to see how close rational Christian thought comes to consideration of astrological and pagan claims.