CALL FOR SCHOLARS!

MONDAY DECEMBER 21, 2020

THE GREAT CONJUNCTION OF JUPITER / TZEDEK & SATURN / SHABBTAI

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS DISCUSSION?

ONLINE CONFERENCE - YOU'RE INVITED!

 

The periodic conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn hold a special place in the history of Jewish astrological thought. The three conjunction cycles of approximately 20, 240, and 960 years which take place within elemental triplicities were viewed as cosmological portents of political and social change, such as the emergence of a new dynasty, nation, or the revelation of a great prophet. 

 

This “Great Conjunction” was the focus of Jewish messianic speculation from its origins in Third Century Sassanian Persia through Abu Ma’ashar, the medieval commentators such as Abraham Bar Hiyya, Abraham Ibn Ezra, and others.

Illustration of the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, 15th Century, Johannes Lichtenberger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jupiter and Saturn make a conjunction in the zodiac sign of Aquarius in December 2020. This marks the first time the conjunction has been in Aquarius since the year 1405. This is significant because of the relationship of Saturn to the Jews, and the historical association of the constellation Aquarius with Corporate Israel, the Jewish people.

 

The Institute for Jewish Esoterica’s 2020 Conference desires to bring together thinkers from both the scholarly and mystical traditions to examine the implications of this celestial event in light of current terrestrial realities, and how this might be understood in terms of the Jewish esoteric tradition, Jewish history, and messianic thought. 

 

This conference takes place on Zoom December 21, 2020, the day of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius, and one week after a Total Solar Eclipse.

 

The Institute for Jewish Esoterica invites academic, scholarly, and qualified lay mystic participation around this subject. The hope is to bring scholars and mystics together on common ground to explore a subject with multiple layers of historical, symbolic, existential, and prophetic meaning.

 

Contact us here at this page or email to: lorelaikude@yahoo.com for further details.

 

Proposed Conference Round-Table Discussions Include:

 

Saturn and the Jews: Evolving Archetypes and Anti-Semitic Symbolism

The Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction in Historical and Messianic Thought

 

Possible Presentation Subjects (examples):

 

Walter Benjamin and Carl Jung: Archaic vs. Dialectical Perceptions of Saturn in Myth and Jewish Archetype.

 

Walter Benjamin, who viewed himself as being “born under the sign of Saturn”, challenged Carl Jung on the matter of “Archaic” vs. “Dialectical” images. How do perception categories such as “Archaic” vs. “Dialectical” work with esoteric symbols and images? How may those influence our self-perception, both corporately and as individuals? 

 

Saturn, Contagion and Antisemitism in the Time of Coronavirus

 

Saturn has long been associated with images of illness, contagion, and death. The Black Plague was thought to be the result of a malefic Saturn transit. As 2020 sees the rise in global pandemic fears because of Corona Virus, is it inevitable Jews will bear the brunt of antisemitic fears based on historical archetypal associations of Saturn with the Jewish people? 

 

Saturn, Melancholy and the Jews: Personifying Galut or Preventing Geula? 

 

Depression, which is a form of melancholia, has become a global pandemic throughout the developed world. Saturn’s traditional association with the trait of melancholia as well as its status as planetary ruler of the Jewish people asks: is there not in fact actual reasons to be depressed? “Situational Depression” is 180 degrees removed from the messianic elation promised to accompany a return to our ancestral homeland. Is the “Galut” Jewish personification of Saturnine melancholia preventing a more mature, developed Saturn archetype – that of maturity and wisdom – from developing? 

 

Other Possible Topics include:

• Astral-Magical Understandings of Torah

• Historical Astrology on “The Great Conjunction” from Abu Ma’ashar through modern times

• Binah and Saturn in the Zohar: A Kabbalistic Approach

• Ibn Ezra and Appropriations of Saturn

• Messianism in the Age of Aquarius