This past year has had a chaotic quality to it, a sense that tomorrow might be as impossible to predict as a day 20 years from now. We braced ourselves for shock after shock.

And yet, if anyone saw this bedlam coming, it was the astrologers among us, who looked ahead at the stars and warned, “Brace yourself.” After all, they could see planetary patterns emerging that had not been seen since periods of historic upheaval from the Spanish flu to World War II.

Change did indeed push its way in—and, with it, some challenging times. But why now? And what is to come?

We were lucky enough to get the scoop from astrologer and spiritual counselor Rose Theodora, who sees this difficulty as a kind of opportunity. Here, she explains the importance of fostering both the divine feminine and masculine as we look towards this evolving future: 

LIVE THE PROCESS: What's happening astrologically currently and for the rest of 2020? Can we expect more of the same tumultuousness?

ROSE THEODORA: I attribute the much-needed upheaval and idyll nature of 2020 to several astrological shifts and alignments of which we are but a reflection. Suppose that the planets are states of consciousness without a dualistic agenda. We can then assume that we are reflecting the cosmic shifts overhead according to our perspective and conscious understanding. We would then not consider 2020 as a merely horrific year, but rather, as a year of tremendous confrontation, growth and opportunity to look at ourselves and the world we are participating in more objectively.

I see 2020 as an opening for an evolutionary rise in consciousness and a re-emerging of the divine feminine. 

Three planets have been huddled in one sign for all of 2020. I'm calling them the trifecta: Saturn (structure, responsibility, self-mastery and arduous building), Pluto (magnification, deconstruction, resurrection and rebirth in favor of empowerment) and Jupiter (growth and expansion) have been dancing together in Capricorn for the majority of 2020. This is the sign associated with time, karmic patterning, structures, accountability and authority (this includes becoming more of an authority in our own lives).

This is paired with the collective nodes of destiny (or eclipses related to world themes) which also changed signs this year in Sagittarius and Gemini—related to media, truth, knowledge, fact-checking, travel, curiosity and self-investigation. And, lastly, Uranus—the planet of liberation, transformation, reinvention, shock and awakening—was in Taurus, the sign attributed to quality, security, financial stability and self-worth. 

For historical reference, the last time Uranus was in Taurus, we experienced WWII and its unfathomable devastation. Yet, one positive fact worth mentioning was that women fought for more pay and received a significant increase, a tiny yet pivotal moment where the feminine was reawakening. The last time Pluto and Jupiter sat side-by-side in the same sign in 1918 (Cancer, the Sun sign of the United States), a pandemic, the Spanish Flu, happened. 

A year later, in 1919-1920, as an after-effect of that alignment, women’s suffrage passed in the U.S. Another noteworthy alignment was on November 8, 1982, when Saturn and Pluto came together in the sign of Libra: divorce started to become socially acceptable as the “role” and rights of women shifted subtly yet again. The same alignment of Saturn/Pluto occurred this year, on January 12, 2020, which closed a 37-year cycle related to balance, justice, and equal rights and allowed us to experience how societal systems of hierarchy—economically and systemically—have supported some, while impeding others. (Side note: this is a process, yet astrology can be a marker for when these winds of change begin and end.) The Saturn/Pluto alignment initiated a new 33+ year process attributed to Capricorn—changes in our foundational (family, country, banking, financial institutions, healthcare, food and farming and housing) structures, greed, suppression and control and correct use of power. Fortunately, these are themes that become evident throughout the planetary cycles and allow us to evolve as a collective and as individual souls, to participate, learn and reflect these growth opportunities.

There are several planetary alignments that we haven't seen paired up together for awhile that are magnifying polarity themes related to governments vs. the people, freedom vs. control, economic co-dependency vs. financial freedom, excess vs. necessity, to name a few. Specifically, the United States is currently in the process of experiencing its Pluto return, which only happens once in a great while—for instance, 243 years ago, when the U.S. became a nation when our constitution was written. We are now revisiting the very basis on which the country was founded. 

We can and should expect more tumultuous events to unfold. Still, when you look at the historical facts about how out of balance we've been as a planet—socially, financially, ethically, environmentally—you see that we need this. It's been a long time coming. I would go so far as to say that human beings somehow feel invincible. We take our privileges for granted, and this is a wakeup call to live more in balance with each other and with the planet. 

The rest of 2020 is eventful and colored by two eclipses: a lunar on November 30 in Gemini and a solar on December 14 in Sagittarius. Plus, Saturn and Jupiter join forces in the Great conjunction on December 21, newly in Aquarius, the sign attributed to humanity (the people), social change, liberation, rebellion, the future and technology (which will start a new 19-year trend).

LTP: What about 2021? What are the prospects for next year?

RT: In 2021, we can expect a continuation and evolution of what was. A rise of the divine feminine, more global citizenship, less nationalism, a continued rebellion of human rights vs. the systems, more LGTBQ support, continued social change, causes, new policies, a significant jump in technology and financial currencies, radical ideas that breathe new solutions into the fabric of our everyday existence—mostly related to the internet, apps, healthcare, housing, farming, necessity, travel, consumption, a shift in what “celebrity” means, media and the use of information, truth, more curiosity of how data can be purposed, less self-obsession and less materialism. 

In 2020, the concept of work-life as separate from family life has been normalized, almost as an excuse or escape to neglect our emotions. The paradigm shift in consciousness right now has an emphasis on home, the quality of our lives, our purpose as a means to support others and to show up in the world (rather than selfishly indulging privately in financial gains, security for some). Our hierarchal societal structures are dismantling, and we are in the process of creating, quite literally, a new world that is more in alignment with our evolving consciousness.

LTP: We know that astrology gives us a roadmap, but that ultimately we have to make choices based on the information it provides us. What can we do to realize our best possible futures with the aspects that are coming?

RT: We can step up and continue to rise. We can be more diligent in working through our fears, or the need to control the hows and whens, and stop putting our fate in the hands of others. We can stop seeking validation outside of ourselves. Much of our Western culture and conditioning has been to practice shame and guilt, to conform, to seek acceptance outside of ourselves. Historically speaking, conforming meant survival, mainly due to the patriarchal (even matriarchal), hierarchal shaping of our society.

Everyone is genuinely so unique, and our birth chart and natal promise can attest to that. When we try to be like anyone else—appease, or gain approval—we fail ourselves. We need to start internally by connecting with who we are, be seeking balance within so that we can add light to this world. That’s how we change it, that's how we surf the astrological tide. That's how we show up in the world and inspire and uplift others. That's how we find lasting security, and that is what these planetary shifts are ultimately nudging us to do.

LTP: What does the "divine feminine" mean to you, and why is that type of energy so important in the world right now?

RT: The divine feminine is the sacred balance to the divine masculine. Both have been grievously suppressed and, as we awake in consciousness collectively, we will realize more and more that the two are inseparable. When we ostracize, isolate, worship or shun one or the other, we collectively suffer as a result. Both need to be in balance, in harmony, in flow, ignited, actualized and practiced. 

To me, the divine feminine is not courteous, soft, gentle or a mother; instead, she is the dark yin to the light yang, she is the right brain to the masculine left brain, she is the Earth and water, while the divine masculine is fire and air. She bends inward, he bends outward; she leans right, he leans left. Both are fierce; both are sensitive, empathic, caring and in divine union. We cannot have one without the other. Sadly, we have been practicing suppression of both the divine masculine (substituted for patriarchy) and divine feminine (replaced by matriarchy)—forms of hierarchy and order and, therefore, suppression. 

The more we acknowledge duality and separation, the closer we move towards reclaiming wholeness.

LTP: What can we do to bring more of the "Divine Feminine" into our lives/experiences?

RT: We can stop centering our perception on one or the other and instead nourish both. We are literally made of "star stuff" and, unfortunately, have become too conditioned by the world we live in. We feel jaded and, instead of remedying that within, we blame, punish, disassociate and neglect; we evade the root of our suffering and give our power away in doing so. 

Cultivate the divine feminine and masculine, through accepting both the dark and light within you, realizing that by being proactive, communicative, curious, honest and straightforward about your needs, you realize that you have every right to live a quality, fulfilling life. Also, you can bring in this divine energy by being receptive and listening, honoring your feelings, body and nourishing your thoughts with more love than you can handle. Then, you are practicing the perfect balance of both. Historically, as a collective, most of us have neglected our emotions. We've suppressed them, we have worshiped gods and people outside of ourselves and dismissed our power by giving it away to others. One way to honor the divine feminine and masculine is to take responsibility for your beauty, strengths, wisdom, to nurture your gifts and make space to foster creativity and receptivity. 

As an astrologer, I like to honor and recommend awakening the divine feminine more by communing with the water and earth elements. Water as emotion; earth as the food you eat—the tangible, material sustenance that you put into your body. Practices can include taking a bath, indulging in sensual healthy pleasures, eating nourishing foods, crying whenever you feel like it, welcoming the vastness and power of your emotions as they move through your body, dancing, making a daily effort to commune with nature and honoring the cycles of the moon—with rosewater, crystals (moonstone), whatever calls to you—through a ceremony, monthly. 

Part of reawakening the divine feminine means deconstructing gender roles, bringing back our sacred Earth ceremonies, aligning to the planetary cycles— especially to that of Earth (body) and our sun (spirit) and moon (soul). It means honoring our intuition and feelings, embracing our healing abilities, restructuring our communities and stepping into our fierce power both as individuals and as a collective. 

Take a moment to learn more about astrologer Rose Theodora’s path to healing and personal FIX here.