Life looks differently today than it did last Friday when I was sitting in the audience at Lincoln Center listening to the NY Philharmonic and Mahler's First Symphony. I was struck then by the awesome level of mastery that that composer and those musicians had achieved in order to play that complicated music with so much emotion that it brought me to my feet with tears in my eyes. Listening to their level of achievement, gained through hard effort and discipline over a long period of time, is where Saturn comes in.
Taking the time and patience to become a master at something is under planet Saturn's dominion. The area of our expertise depends on what sign our Saturn is in at birth. This hard sought expertise is pointed out to us in the beginning of our lives by a complete sense of anxiety, insecurity, fear, dread and procrastination about those very same things that in the second part of our lives we gain proficiency in, as Saturn rules time. Whatever it is we are afraid of doing is most probably the doorway that we must walk through, if we are to feel towards the end of our lives, that we lived a successful life.
Saturn, in its orbit around the Sun, moved in front of zodiacal sign Scorpio October 5th. The planet will be there for 2 1/2 years. All those born the first 5 months of 1983 and September 1983 through November 1985 are having a return of Saturn to its natal place as it takes Saturn around 29 1/2 years to orbit around the Sun. Those persons born in the previous cycle with Saturn in Scorpio have birthdays between October 1953 through January 1956 and May 1956 through mid October 1956 when the planet went into Sagittarius. There will be a repetition of events now in the next 2 1/2 years for all those persons born in the above mentioned time zones. (There will also be rebounding affects at the cross quarters, those born 7, 14 and 21 years inside this larger 29 1/2 year cycle-another topic for another time.)
The next 2 1/2 years is the time period to get crystal clear about our expertise which will: be discovered for the first time, will experience growing pains in, will have to make a deeper commitment to, will have to overcome our fear of, and end our procrastination with in order to feel a sense of achievement. Why? Because when one person makes the effort through hard work and is noticed by another it stirs that one to do the same. Achieving inner satisfaction with a sense of self worth is very satisfying, which then allows you to give back to others from a place of wholeness and completion.
So what will those with Saturn in Scorpio become proficient in? Because astrological symbolism is as complex as human nature is, the mastery will/can be on many different levels: emotional self control, or lack of it, emotional independence or dependence; crisis management; penetrating investigation; transformational experiences, whether in the mind, body, or spirit; business acumen and management; money matters, especially monies that come from everyplace else other that what we have earned, that is inheritances, insurance, investments, wills, monies that we have together with a spouse; affairs of the dead, as in psychics and mediums; mysticism and the occult; detective work on any level whether it be a researcher, scientist, inspector or doctor. Scorpio loves secrets and getting to the bottom of things. Once set on a path they have an amazing level of endurance and forbearance, overcoming obstacles that would foil others.
I am also thinking about NYC at this time as having Libra rising, Scorpio is on the cusp of the 2nd house of money, possessions, tangible objects owned, resources. (5 boroughs incorporated January 1, 1898 12:01 AM.) The city in experiencing this level of devastation is having a Scorpionic experience and will over the course of these next years become masters at moving from total destruction and annihilation to resurgence and renewal. Money will have to be spent on infrastructure and with Saturn in the house of money it feels like there is none to do it. But with Pluto moving across their Capricorn Sun at the same time there is no limit to the possibilities.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
As Promised Saturn in Scorpio
A promise given while Saturn is in Scorpio must be kept or there will be retribution to pay. Saturn symbolizes our commitments, responsibilities, duties, necessities, burdens, right and wrong, boundaries, the law, the workings of fate, our capacity for discipline and duty, consequences of past action, and what we manifest. Scorpio the fixed water sign (think deep intense emotion) coincides with Autumn and the Fall-when the natural world around us dies. Do things really die or do they just transform? Leaves turn from green to yellow, red and gold and fall off the tree, get ground down into the soil to feed the tree silently from underneath so that there can be a renewal in the Spring. Life is a continuing process of birth and death, waking and sleeping, no thing or no one of us escapes.
Scorpio rules serpents and scorpions, all that crawls along the ground and hides in dark places. A scorpion is the only animal that can kill itself with its own tail. Our common human creation story has the serpent tempting Eve with an apple and the subsequent "fall" of humankind. Yet the eagle is also the totem for Scorpio-the eagle that flies so high and has such keen vision but is also capable of taking its prey quickly and fatally. Scorpios are represented by the two extremes of the scorpion and the eagle. They often do battle with different sides of themselves as their ruler is Mars, who wants passionate movement and action, and in Scorpio, control and power.
No preparation can be more helpful for the next 2 1/2 years than a re-reading of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The book is about a journey and when Saturn enters a sign a new journey starts for each of us; we have to walk through a threshold when Saturn enters a new sign. The trilogy begins at Bilbo and Frodo's shared birthday party September 22nd, as the Sun moves into Libra the sign of relationships and companionship. As the Hobbits meet the rest of their traveling companions in the first book, one of the themes is what it means to be part of an inclusive fellowship, with its compromises. A common goal binds them together. This is all very Libran.
But with the death of Boromir, the fellowship breaks up and 4 separate factions trudge on, each meeting intense trials and dangers, facing their greatest fears, having to endure beyond what can seem to be humanely (or Hobbitly) possible to achieve the goal of destroying the ring. No character is the same at the end of the story as they were in the beginning, or where they came in. This most certainly was their and is our Scorpio time, when intense focused effort, whether for good or ill, is in our control. We, like the fellowship, must draw on the hidden depths of reserve energy to endure and press on-never giving up no matter where it takes us. It is the passionate commitment to a goal that counts, with countless life and death struggles along the way.
As Scorpio rules the mysteries of life, death, sex, goods of the dead, taxes, inheritances, wills, monies owed, debt, loans, business monies, insurances, the procreative act, passions, things hidden either in our minds or bodies, spiritual and psychological release, jealousy, revenge, undercover work and Saturn becomes a "reality check", we will see the effects of what we have done (or not done) in all the above affairs. Saturn demands accountability and in Scorpio this is not a superficial glance, but a deeply probing intense look at any area of your life that perhaps you wanted to keep a secret. Scorpio loves secrets and if you are hiding something that needs to be brought out to the light, the next 2 1/2 years will bring it to the surface. Or if you are controlling someone or something that does not belong to you the consequences of that fixation will be manifest. It is in the letting go of the obsession that the redemption is found.
Because Scorpio has the most range of any sign (remember the serpent and the eagle) they have the capacity to dwell in a dark, depressing solitary place for a time but when the pain expiates, they can recover, come above ground, heal the wound by exposing it and soar above the earth gaining a wider perspective. There is embodied in Scorpio the need to journey down into the underworld, to uncover a buried burden or secret that is waiting to get exposed to the light, purified, transformed and released. This could bring an intense relationship into your life if it is passing into your 7th house, or a thorough cleaning out of the basement or project to uncover your family genealogy if it is going into your 4th house of the home and family. We all have Scorpio governing some area of our life. The thorough house cleaning will be true for you in the area of your life where you have Scorpio on the cusp.
The last time Saturn was in Scorpio was December 1982-May 1983, then again August 1983 until mid November 1985. The time we are in now corresponds to December 1982 and August/ September 1983, just at the beginning of the transit. Looking back on that time and reflecting what your outer world looked like, will give you a hint of where Saturn will be focusing this time. If something significant started for you in your life, then you know that Scorpio is on an angle in your chart and Saturn crossing an angle means home affairs, partnership concerns, career endings or beginnings, or to a new round of personal growth is in store for you the next few years (and sometimes all 4 areas at the same time).
Planets cycle around the Sun; every 29 1/2 years Saturn makes a complete cycle. If there were lessons from 1982-85 that we did not completely catch, personal growth that we did not complete we now get another chance to finish. Living until 90 gives us only 3 times Saturn will be in Scorpio in our lives. Saturn rules old age, time and the harvest. Saturn is hard on youth because often we do not take ourselves seriously,or act responsibly. For a successful life, as we age, we grow into accepting who we are; Saturn brings a sense of security.
Hopefully the gains you have made as Saturn was in Libra, the sign previously, can be solidified into personal financial gains now, maybe starting a new business, or at least a reckoning that allows the truth of your financial situation to come to light. These past few years Saturn was in Venus sign, we learned what we did and did not like in relationships, we learned balance and fairness, what we loved to do, we beautified our lives. Now that Saturn is in Mars' sign our actions will be the focus. Is our work truly and deeply meaningful to us? What do we really desire? Can we let go of any obstacles that are getting in the way of the realization of our dream? Can we cut out of our life that which has finished its useful life?
Fearlessly acknowledging the facts is what Saturn wants. He ruled the "Golden Age"in Greek mythology when all was right with the world. Peace, prosperity, harmony and stability prevailed. No one worked and all was provided by the abundance of the earth. No sickness, suffering or aging occurred. Everybody was responsible and acted in accord with the common good, not their own selfish interests. We could do with a bit more of that these days.
Scorpio rules serpents and scorpions, all that crawls along the ground and hides in dark places. A scorpion is the only animal that can kill itself with its own tail. Our common human creation story has the serpent tempting Eve with an apple and the subsequent "fall" of humankind. Yet the eagle is also the totem for Scorpio-the eagle that flies so high and has such keen vision but is also capable of taking its prey quickly and fatally. Scorpios are represented by the two extremes of the scorpion and the eagle. They often do battle with different sides of themselves as their ruler is Mars, who wants passionate movement and action, and in Scorpio, control and power.
No preparation can be more helpful for the next 2 1/2 years than a re-reading of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The book is about a journey and when Saturn enters a sign a new journey starts for each of us; we have to walk through a threshold when Saturn enters a new sign. The trilogy begins at Bilbo and Frodo's shared birthday party September 22nd, as the Sun moves into Libra the sign of relationships and companionship. As the Hobbits meet the rest of their traveling companions in the first book, one of the themes is what it means to be part of an inclusive fellowship, with its compromises. A common goal binds them together. This is all very Libran.
But with the death of Boromir, the fellowship breaks up and 4 separate factions trudge on, each meeting intense trials and dangers, facing their greatest fears, having to endure beyond what can seem to be humanely (or Hobbitly) possible to achieve the goal of destroying the ring. No character is the same at the end of the story as they were in the beginning, or where they came in. This most certainly was their and is our Scorpio time, when intense focused effort, whether for good or ill, is in our control. We, like the fellowship, must draw on the hidden depths of reserve energy to endure and press on-never giving up no matter where it takes us. It is the passionate commitment to a goal that counts, with countless life and death struggles along the way.
As Scorpio rules the mysteries of life, death, sex, goods of the dead, taxes, inheritances, wills, monies owed, debt, loans, business monies, insurances, the procreative act, passions, things hidden either in our minds or bodies, spiritual and psychological release, jealousy, revenge, undercover work and Saturn becomes a "reality check", we will see the effects of what we have done (or not done) in all the above affairs. Saturn demands accountability and in Scorpio this is not a superficial glance, but a deeply probing intense look at any area of your life that perhaps you wanted to keep a secret. Scorpio loves secrets and if you are hiding something that needs to be brought out to the light, the next 2 1/2 years will bring it to the surface. Or if you are controlling someone or something that does not belong to you the consequences of that fixation will be manifest. It is in the letting go of the obsession that the redemption is found.
Because Scorpio has the most range of any sign (remember the serpent and the eagle) they have the capacity to dwell in a dark, depressing solitary place for a time but when the pain expiates, they can recover, come above ground, heal the wound by exposing it and soar above the earth gaining a wider perspective. There is embodied in Scorpio the need to journey down into the underworld, to uncover a buried burden or secret that is waiting to get exposed to the light, purified, transformed and released. This could bring an intense relationship into your life if it is passing into your 7th house, or a thorough cleaning out of the basement or project to uncover your family genealogy if it is going into your 4th house of the home and family. We all have Scorpio governing some area of our life. The thorough house cleaning will be true for you in the area of your life where you have Scorpio on the cusp.
The last time Saturn was in Scorpio was December 1982-May 1983, then again August 1983 until mid November 1985. The time we are in now corresponds to December 1982 and August/ September 1983, just at the beginning of the transit. Looking back on that time and reflecting what your outer world looked like, will give you a hint of where Saturn will be focusing this time. If something significant started for you in your life, then you know that Scorpio is on an angle in your chart and Saturn crossing an angle means home affairs, partnership concerns, career endings or beginnings, or to a new round of personal growth is in store for you the next few years (and sometimes all 4 areas at the same time).
Planets cycle around the Sun; every 29 1/2 years Saturn makes a complete cycle. If there were lessons from 1982-85 that we did not completely catch, personal growth that we did not complete we now get another chance to finish. Living until 90 gives us only 3 times Saturn will be in Scorpio in our lives. Saturn rules old age, time and the harvest. Saturn is hard on youth because often we do not take ourselves seriously,or act responsibly. For a successful life, as we age, we grow into accepting who we are; Saturn brings a sense of security.
Hopefully the gains you have made as Saturn was in Libra, the sign previously, can be solidified into personal financial gains now, maybe starting a new business, or at least a reckoning that allows the truth of your financial situation to come to light. These past few years Saturn was in Venus sign, we learned what we did and did not like in relationships, we learned balance and fairness, what we loved to do, we beautified our lives. Now that Saturn is in Mars' sign our actions will be the focus. Is our work truly and deeply meaningful to us? What do we really desire? Can we let go of any obstacles that are getting in the way of the realization of our dream? Can we cut out of our life that which has finished its useful life?
Fearlessly acknowledging the facts is what Saturn wants. He ruled the "Golden Age"in Greek mythology when all was right with the world. Peace, prosperity, harmony and stability prevailed. No one worked and all was provided by the abundance of the earth. No sickness, suffering or aging occurred. Everybody was responsible and acted in accord with the common good, not their own selfish interests. We could do with a bit more of that these days.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
About a Jittery Equinox
Since the Equinox Saturday September 22nd, I don't know about you, but I have been very nervous. The Sun changed signs at 10:49 AM EDT into Libra as we officially moved into Autumn. This was just 3 days after the 2nd of 7 Uranus /Pluto squares that all astrologers are talking about. Uranus is sudden and Pluto is power-so shifts are occurring everywhere. Someone sent me photos of rebellions and demonstrations happening that week in: Egypt, Syria, Barcelona and Madrid Spain, England, Germany, Turkey, Mexico, Italy, the US, Athens Greece, Canada, Moscow, Palestine, Porto Portugal and Israel. That is quite a line up.
But no worries it has happened before. Between 1845-56, as Uranus and Pluto were also in aspect there were upheavals in almost every capital in Europe (specifically 1848-9): Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Dresden, Baden, Rome, and Milan. Literature was revolutionary as well. Marx and Engels wrote "The Communist Manifesto"; David Thoreau wrote "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience". Social justice issues arose with Frederick Douglas and Harriet Taubman leading anti-slavery efforts and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony with the beginnings of the women's movement. (read Richard Tarnas' "Cosmos and Psyche" for more details.)
We are not living through the most important or most significant of revolutionary upheavals as we sometimes think. (Or if we are who can call it?) An argument can be made, however, that with the ending of the Mayan calendar and the threat of our extinction due to environmental factors there is an overlay on top of the periodic rearrangement of the social order, which makes it appear and feel like we are in uniquely desperate circumstances. There is much that seems out of order and out of balance, almost everywhere you look. It is more important than ever to find and maintain an inner personal calm and tranquility.
It came to me this week that being an astrologer and knowing where the planets are is both a boon and a curse. Astrologers are aware that as planets change signs they change houses or areas in our life that get affected with the transition. My nervousness comes in part as a result of this heightened expectancy; then too I can assign a reason for my jittery nerves, which duty tells me I need to share.
My nervousness these past few weeks as we have passed through the time of the Harvest Full Moon last Saturday as the Sun and Moon connected with those 2 outer planets that shake things up (especially for those of us that have planets at 7-8 degrees of the cardinal signs -those signs that initiate the seasons), is palatable. Now we arrive to this week and a long lineup of planetary changes.
Today Wednesday, planet Venus moved into Virgo-all you Libras and Taurus take note-no more free time- time now to put nose to the grindstone; tomorrow planet Jupiter makes a station in Gemini going retrograde until the end of January-expansion now comes from the inner work on your thinking; Friday the 5th is a biggie both Mercury and Saturn move into Scorpio. Mercury routinely stays in a sign for a month-but Father Saturn for 2 1/2 years. So the pressure of the last 2 1/2 years is off all you Libras-having done the relationship work and taken on more responsibility you get a break; now Scorpios are in for the wringer-Sun sign Scorpios or rising sign people-get a grip and come out with integrity. ( I will write about that very significant change in the next blog.)
The week is not over either as Mars moves into Sagittarius at 11:21 PM EDT Saturday the 6th. If you have Sagittarius rising you need to be careful of getting into arguments or exerting yourself too much. This might well be the week that "was". As a planet enters a new sign and new residency in your natal chart for their particular cycle, be it a month or 2 1/2 years, there is often an event that puts you on alert that affairs of that house are going to be shaken up. Hence my nervousness-with so many planetary sign changes in so many different areas of life it feels like everything in our lives is breaking open/up. More to follow...
But no worries it has happened before. Between 1845-56, as Uranus and Pluto were also in aspect there were upheavals in almost every capital in Europe (specifically 1848-9): Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Dresden, Baden, Rome, and Milan. Literature was revolutionary as well. Marx and Engels wrote "The Communist Manifesto"; David Thoreau wrote "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience". Social justice issues arose with Frederick Douglas and Harriet Taubman leading anti-slavery efforts and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony with the beginnings of the women's movement. (read Richard Tarnas' "Cosmos and Psyche" for more details.)
We are not living through the most important or most significant of revolutionary upheavals as we sometimes think. (Or if we are who can call it?) An argument can be made, however, that with the ending of the Mayan calendar and the threat of our extinction due to environmental factors there is an overlay on top of the periodic rearrangement of the social order, which makes it appear and feel like we are in uniquely desperate circumstances. There is much that seems out of order and out of balance, almost everywhere you look. It is more important than ever to find and maintain an inner personal calm and tranquility.
It came to me this week that being an astrologer and knowing where the planets are is both a boon and a curse. Astrologers are aware that as planets change signs they change houses or areas in our life that get affected with the transition. My nervousness comes in part as a result of this heightened expectancy; then too I can assign a reason for my jittery nerves, which duty tells me I need to share.
My nervousness these past few weeks as we have passed through the time of the Harvest Full Moon last Saturday as the Sun and Moon connected with those 2 outer planets that shake things up (especially for those of us that have planets at 7-8 degrees of the cardinal signs -those signs that initiate the seasons), is palatable. Now we arrive to this week and a long lineup of planetary changes.
Today Wednesday, planet Venus moved into Virgo-all you Libras and Taurus take note-no more free time- time now to put nose to the grindstone; tomorrow planet Jupiter makes a station in Gemini going retrograde until the end of January-expansion now comes from the inner work on your thinking; Friday the 5th is a biggie both Mercury and Saturn move into Scorpio. Mercury routinely stays in a sign for a month-but Father Saturn for 2 1/2 years. So the pressure of the last 2 1/2 years is off all you Libras-having done the relationship work and taken on more responsibility you get a break; now Scorpios are in for the wringer-Sun sign Scorpios or rising sign people-get a grip and come out with integrity. ( I will write about that very significant change in the next blog.)
The week is not over either as Mars moves into Sagittarius at 11:21 PM EDT Saturday the 6th. If you have Sagittarius rising you need to be careful of getting into arguments or exerting yourself too much. This might well be the week that "was". As a planet enters a new sign and new residency in your natal chart for their particular cycle, be it a month or 2 1/2 years, there is often an event that puts you on alert that affairs of that house are going to be shaken up. Hence my nervousness-with so many planetary sign changes in so many different areas of life it feels like everything in our lives is breaking open/up. More to follow...
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