Jupiter-Pluto oppositions occur at intervals of 12-13 years on average. The alignment is occasionally repeated three times over the course of eight months or so, due to Jupiter going retrograde shortly after opposing Pluto. This "three-peat" kind of opposition happens only a few times per century as a rule.

The 2000-2001 Jupiter-Pluto opposition from Gemini to Sagittarius is one of the "three-peat" variety, the first triple since the 1962-63 Pisces-Virgo alignments in the run-up and aftermath to the Cuban missile crisis. Historic triple alignments of the past include the 131-32 Libra-Aries set that saw the Jewish revolt against Roman rule in Palestine (Rome won, razed Jerusalem, and banished the Jews); the 617-68 Libra-Aries triad (China's T'ang dynasty embarked on a path of conquest that led to dominion over much of Asia); the 630 set (Muhammad took Mecca, also a Libra-Aries face-off of Jupiter and Pluto); the Gemini-Sagittarius oppositions of 767-68 (the rise of Charlemagne); the 1016-17 Gemini-Sagittarius set (Canute conquered England); the 1066-67 Virgo-Pisces trio, which oversaw the Battle of Hastings and the coronation of William the Conqueror; and the 1278-1279 Cancer-Capricorn triplet (Kublai Khan conquered China and established Mongol rule over the empire). The next triple won't come until 2013-2014.

With its slower apparent motion, Pluto determines the sign combination of this opposition. The 2000-2001 alignments will be the first to take place with Pluto in Sagittarius since the 1751-1752 triplet. Jupiter's typically faster apparent motion largely determines the duration of the aspect. This can range from about six weeks to as much as several months for an alignment within five degrees: the longer periods coincide with the second opposition in a three-peat series.

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer phone or fax 480-753-6261 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA on the World Wide Web at http://www.astropro.com