Aren’t all conjunctions equal?

The information on Great vs lesser conjunctions are wild on the ‘Net, and a lot of articles are not much better, so we are trying to sort them out and post out findings. It’s amazing how few sites actually document the exact time or even day of the 1782 conjunction, many just give it the 1782 Conjunction and be done with it. That is rather misleading because not all Jupiter Saturn conjunctions are the same: 1782 is not a Great but a Lesser Conjunction.

What’s a Lesser Conjunction?

The 1782 Conjunction was a Lesser Conjunction because as the chart shows, Jupiter and Saturn were close, but not exact. Astronomically, an exact conjunction between two planets is when they are less than 00.02 degrees of arc apart. Instead, in 1782 chart above, the two planets are almost 2.00 degrees apart, so applying the definition of a Great Conjunction to this map, the 1782 Conjunction does not fit.

The rule of thumb is lesser conjunctions are close, but Great Conjunctions are so close as to be almost exact, making the two planets look like one big orb in the sky. That is what we should see on December 21, if we are lucky enough to have clear skies.

Do Lesser Conjunctions matter?

Well in this case it would seem so on both accounts, for almost a year and half earlier, Uranus was the first planet to be discovered ending the reign of the sacred seven; now there were eight. But to find Uranus William and Caroline Herschel had to employ a telescope, which explains why it was not done earlier: the telescope had to be invented as the naked eye alone would not see it. Interestingly, the telescope was created in 1608 Netherlands by Hans Lipperhey, but it took almost 200 years to perfect for the Herschels to find the icy planet. Hence, Uranus is the planet of invention, individuality — the Herschel’s were working on their own and not part of some collective or scientific group, and as the higher octave of Mercury, perfected refinement.

Looking at the chart, Uranus shows up next to the dreams of the Moon in the second house. Both are are opposite the Lesser Conjunction in the eighth house that are found in Capricorn. Weather must have been frosty that winter based on this chart, though perhaps it is also talking about the Ice Giant himself, Uranus.

But most likely, because of Moon is in parallel, hopes of work coming to fruition were first and foremost in people’s minds, while the sun, the only angular planet on the map, shows that personal hard work and endeavour was trying to make those dreams come true.

The dreams of 1782

While Pluto did not get discovered for another 160 years, using all the modern ten planets, this planetary pattern is a Bucket with a Pluto handle showing the importance of democracy in this age; Plutonian Buckets are strongly defined by the just triumph of the individual over the oppressive collective, or at least ensuring that they are not trampled. This spirit was heavily at play during the year surrounding the 1782 Lesser Conjunction.

First there were two major revolts were happening: one in America which started over taxation without representation and the other in France over the debate of the divine right of the Kings. Second, right at this conjunction, on November 30 1782, the Preliminary Articles of Peace were submitted to London for the British King and Parliament to review, so at least for the Americans, the revolt was ending. About nine months later, Treaty of Paris was signed, and the Revolutionary War was over, paying off the hard efforts and longed-for dreams of John Jay and Benjamin Franklin, the treaties main signatories.

If we remove Pluto at 06 Aquarius 19 in the ninth house from the chart though, now the chart becomes a Bowl with a Rim Opposition. This pattern highlights the stress between other people’s (Jupiter) lordly demands in the eighth against the individual (Moon) dreams in the second ,which was really at the heart of both the French and American revolutions. The next irony is the T-Square ends at Neptune in the creative generation of the fifth house , which just happened to be discovered next, and is also an Ice Giant.

Perhaps Albert Einstein is right and God does not play dice with the Universe.