Saturn moves into Sagittarius in a couple of weeks- just a day or so before Christmas. I find this ironic. Why? Sagittarius says party to me- fun, indulgence, exaggeration, abundance. Santa is also a jovial figure- Jupiterian. And in walks Saturn. Hi guys, the fun cop is here.

Seriously though, this is one planetary movement that I’ve been putting off writing about.

Saturn in Scorpio was always going to be about fear- about getting to the core, the base of what holds you back…and getting real about it. It sounds simple, but nothing Scorpio ever is. In Scorpio we’re dealing with themes that scare the crap out of us. And, because Scorpio is so incredibly fixed, we’re hanging on to whatever it is that we’re hanging on to harder and longer than we should be.

The signs have been there, the doors have presented themselves, but the change required has been just too much to contemplate.

My mother has a saying about how some people would bite their nose off to spite their face. It’s about how they’d do the thing that they know is not right for them just to prove that they have control, power, are winning. Dig their heels into the sand and refuse to budge- even though they know that they need to. I’ve seen a lot of that while Saturn has been in Scorpio.

And not just from Scorpios- although having lived with Scorps my entire life, I know first hand just how prone to this behaviour they can be- especially if threatened, scared or pushed into a corner.

An entire generation of us have had to get real about our dreams and the fears that stop us from achieving them. We’re the ones with Neptune in Scorpio- and there are a lot of us born between 1957 and 1970.

An entire generation born between the mid 80s and the mid 90s with Pluto in Scorpio have had to get real about ambition and power and the fears or self destroying behaviours associated with those themes.

For those born between the mid 70s and 1981 with Uranus in Scorpio, Saturn in Scorpio has triggered those fears that keep you shackled to someone elses idea of who you are.

And that’s before we even start to look at the personal planets that Saturn may have triggered as he’s moved through the part of your chart that’s governed by Scorpio. (If you don’t know where this is, the DIY guide to casting your own chart is here…Look for Scorpio- he’s the one that looks like an M with an arrow coming up…)

Change within fixed signs is always tough and long- tougher and longer than it needs to be. The effects, though, are lasting and the breakthroughs- breakdowns and breakdowns leading to breakthroughs- can change your life.

Personally, the transit of Saturn through Scorpio has activated the key patterns in my chart and exposed a lot that I’d previously kept underground (and would have preferred to keep there), and forced me to come to terms with what scares me the most. Being married to a Scorpio Sun, I’ve also had his transits by synastry. That’s the thing about relationships.

Although I struggle with Saturn, my chart is mostly flexible, so I tend to adopt and adapt to change quicker than he does. To a certain extent, I’ve gone actively looking to confront some of my fears- found them and stared them down. Walking the Routeburn Track in New Zealand in February was completely transformational. Doing that has given me the courage to do other things I’ve needed to do. Others I’ve attempted to bury deeper- they’re the ones that will come back to bite me.

He, on the other hand, will wait until there’s no choice but to deal with whatever it is that needs to be dealt with. Some of the issues that we’re dealing with now, some of the seemingly random shit that’s happening around us, are a result of things that we didn’t deal with appropriately seven years ago when Saturn was square his Sun.

That’s probably one of the biggest lessons about Saturn- the things that you don’t deal maturely and responsibly with now, will come back…the lesson isn’t over until it’s over.

So what can we expect from Saturn in Sagittarius?

I’m thinking it will be something about what keeps us in our comfort zones, what stops us from pushing our boundaries, heading for the horizon and taking that leap of faith…and yes, that’s an awful lot of clichés in one sentence.

Saturn and Jupiter (the ruler of Sagittarius) at first glance appear to be contradictory in nature. Jupiter is expansionary, Saturn is constrictive. Yet, there are similarities. Both are teachers- although employ different methods. Both are ultimately about personal growth- although in different ways.

I’ll write more about it as we get closer, but for now check out the Saturn page for some of the technical details regarding timing.

And finally? Saturn will shift briefly back into Scorpio in June 2015…just in case you haven’t been paying attention…