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Saturn transits to the Moon

I first posted this back when Saturn was in Libra – hence my relationship metaphors. I’ve updated it to include my recent experience of closing Saturn squares. It’s a lengthy read – I make no apology for that.

Saturn represents structures and boundaries. We know that. The Moon represents our emotions, the way in which we unconsciously or subconsciously respond to the crap that life throws at us.

Saturn asks us to work hard and achieve, one step at a time. Saturn asks us to grow up. The Moon relies on feelings and emotional support. The Moon is high maintenance and Saturn is self-sufficient. One of the reasons we feel so unsupported during a Saturn-Moon time is because Saturn lessons are often the ones we need to undertake alone.

Saturn people understand boundaries, commitments and responsibilities and know that to achieve their goals, they need to work hard – and they are OK with that. Saturn people see a mountain and will climb it one step at a time. Saturn people know that the journey there is as important as the peak. Saturn people know how to be self-sufficient and how to be alone. Saturn people approach marathons of any description one foot after the other. Saturn people can stick to diets – ok, maybe that’s taking the analogy too far.

Those who identify more with the Lunar principle will be softer, a little more squidgy around the edges. They have their emotional support structures and dependencies, they need and need to be needed. Emotional safety and security is a big deal as is nurturing others in some way. As for mountains? They are those lovely things on the landscape or the backdrop to the family photo last year, and journeys are things that you do together. As for food? All I will say is Issues. And the “running thing”- the distance looks soooo far away!

If you haven’t done them already, check out Donna Cunninghams’ Skywriter Planetary Tests.

As an indication, my Moon test came in at 67 points and would have been more if I include Saturn as being conjunct the Moon which I choose not to because of sign boundaries (Moon at 27 Pisces, Saturn at 1 Aries). My Saturn score, on the other hand, came in at 2 points- consisting of a measly inconjunct across to Mars.  To say I have issues with Saturn is probably the understatement of the millennium.

The Moon and Saturn do badly in each other’s sign (the Moon rules Cancer and is in the sign of her detriment in Capricorn). The Moon is feminine and nurturing, relating to our inner world, Saturn is dry and relates to our outer life and worldly achievements.

When the two of these come together by transit, a crisis in security will nearly always follow.

Support structures that we have always relied upon may no longer be available and we may be forced to rely on our inner strength. When Saturn transits the Moon we’re being asked to grow up emotionally and will need to find emotional support in other areas or within ourselves.

Saturn/Moon transits will always be tough. If you do Saturn well, it will be hard, but at the end, the lesson will be integrated and the mountain conquered and your dignity and self-respect intact. If you don’t do Saturn well natally, it will be, quite frankly, a shit storm- and I make no apologies for my choice of words. The challenge is not to slip into despair and abject frustration and misery when Mr Reality pushes his way into our lives and rips our fingers away from our ears where we are pretending not to hear and singing lalalalalala very loudly.

Adam Smith, in Saturn: Fatal Attraction puts it like this:

“…it is hard to imagine ever having inner peace or feeling content ever again. The problem is not the outside world, but the way we perceive it, and there appears to be no prospect of relief. The Moon says: ‘I can’t help how I feel’, to which Saturn coolly responds: ‘we are more than our feelings’.”

The Saturn lesson, and with Saturn, there is always a lesson, is about emotional growth, self-sufficiency and understanding what and who you need emotionally. Saturn is about maturity, and we all need to grow up (even though I am convinced that they will find a cure for that) and harden up (and a cure for this one too) at some point- these transits help us do that.

A number of years ago, Saturn opposed my Moon- the last in a long train of Saturn oppositions to my Pisces planets. Because Saturn was going through the 7th house, the theatre within which the drama was being played out was in my relationships. And I can honestly say, it was an incredibly isolating and lonely time – the loneliest I’d experienced until Saturn squared my Moon early in 2017. More on that later. But I got through it. We got through it. Personally, though, I’m not sure that I learned what I was meant to. Saturn-Moon is something I can write about only with the distance of a few years.

I mentioned the other day that when Saturn was conjunct my Sun and then my Moon all those years ago, it was when we were going through fertility treatment to have our daughter. We’d been in that state for a few years, but by the time Saturn came around, we’d moved from hope and optimism to “this is never going to happen”. It was emotionally charged, painful, isolating and, well, you get the idea. In hindsight, it was almost a case of how badly do you want this? What work are you prepared to do? By the time Saturn completed his final pass on my Moon I was pregnant. The silver lining to that transit will be 20 in March.

 The thing is no one can ever really put into words exactly how a Saturn-Moon transit can make you feel – and we’ll all experience it differently… So here goes, with plenty of credit to Robert Hands’ Planets in Transit, a semi-guide to the more difficult of the Saturn-Moon transits…

Saturn Conjunct Moon

Saturn is a dry planet and tends to drain the life out of whatever else it touches…so when it joins up with the Moon it has the potential to turn a lush emotional rainforest into something which resembles the emotional Simpson Desert. On the other hand, if you are prone to emotional bloating or water retention, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

This is a time when you may feel melancholic, perhaps depressed and quite possibly isolated. Who am I kidding? Unless you have an extremely good relationship with Saturn, you will feel all of these things. You will also feel as if you are not good enough, that nobody cares about you, that nobody can possibly understand how you feel right now and that you can never quite be good enough – whatever good enough is. Having said this, if your natal Moon is conjunct Saturn, you may feel like this a lot anyway!

The real danger of this transit is looking at your support systems, and existing relationships and finding them wanting (or finding yourself wanting) and going on some sort of weird mission of self-destruction. This is a time where you may look at relationships which are actually perfectly OK but may find wanting by projection – simply because you find yourself wanting. The next step is to then look for what you think is wrong and project that onto someone new. Bad idea.

I had a friend who did just that. There were cracks in her existing structures, but her self-destructive actions broke them completely for a time. These cracks had been there for some time but hadn’t been addressed. By the time she was done, they didn’t just need repairing, they needed rebuilding from the ground up.

The world is on your shoulders, everyone seems to want to make demands on you, but no one seems to be there when you need them – and why would they be? You feel like you are a dried up emotional wasteland and may have unwittingly isolated yourself. If you don’t ask for help, you won’t get it. So you continue taking on task after task until you are so freaking tired you can’t stay upright.

The support structures you seek may be outsourcing stuff around the home (if you are fortunate enough to be able to afford it), it may be as simple as asking husband or kids to help out, it may be as complex as prioritising what needs to be done, letting the rest go, and not feeling any worse about yourself for doing so.

This is a time for introspection, withdrawal, and non-judgemental soul searching. It is a time for building security in your roots and ties, not for making irrevocable decisions about your existing relationships. The work that you need to do on yourself is more important than whatever is going on in your relationships. In fact, the work that needs to be done on you is why your relationships may be in some turmoil. Wait till the dust settles and the rain comes down- you may find the garden flourishes again…so to speak.

My friend? Thankfully both were prepared for the rebuilding work. The conversations they had were honest and spoke to each other’s integrity. I hate the word journey, but they’ve embarked on one that’s huge – and they’re doing it together with new stronger structures.

Saturn in Opposition to the Moon

When I went through this, I literally could not breathe. It was as if Saturn had sucked all the air from my lungs and I had my first real asthma attack in many years – one of the proper ones I used to have as a kid when I wouldn’t turn the light out in case it meant I would forget to breathe.

The trigger point was a metaphorical kick in the guts and betrayal from someone I thought I could trust and rely on, resulting in a complete pulling apart of emotional ties. People that I loved and who supported me didn’t just move house, they moved to another country. Another two sets of close friends moved interstate.

Under this transit, your emotional balance has completely disappeared. You may have been working too hard, eating badly, getting into bad habits, stressed out of your brain. You have had no time to reflect, repair or recuperate.

You feel alienated and as if you are standing on one side of the river and everyone else is on the other side, with the bridge that used to be there having been blown up as a result of arguments, misunderstandings or isolation.

It’s that perceived chasm that can lead to break-ups. Can you really be faffed to find a way across the river or will you turn your back on it and head in a different direction. Sort of like that scene in Romancing the Stone where Joan Wilder grabs a vine and swings across the raging river below. Am I showing my age?

Anyways, that’s the concept – you build the bridge and go over it, thereby re-committing to the relationship or you decide that you can’t be faffed, the effort involved in bridge building is a waste of time so you don’t.

In many cases, this transit also represents a crisis of emotional security vs financial security. What parts of your emotional self have you compromised or given up for public achievement? Have your career successes been at the expense of your personal relationships? Have you repressed your feelings to follow your profession? Have the demands of your job dried you up emotionally? Do you have the inner strength to go it alone? Has this in effect, built a great big Berlin Wall with barbed wire and guards patrolling with machine guns, between you and those who really love and support you?

This transit is asking for you to find a way home and a way of belonging again, a way of bringing order into what has become chaotic.

Saturn opposing the Moon – been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, not high on my list of places to re-visit.

Saturn Square the Moon

Oh man, I’ve just finished with this one. Another difficult transit, is there anything but when we are talking about Saturn-Moon? Actually yes, the trine and the sextiles allow a certain amount of emotional maturing and growth without the stress, but that is not the case with this one.

When we’re talking squares, there are two in any cycle – something that’s particularly important when it comes to Saturn. The first, or opening square, is around 7 years after Saturn was conjunct, in this case, the Moon. The closing square will come around 7 years before Saturn is back there.

The square aspect is always one where decisions and choices need to be made.

During the opening square, I was travelling a lot for work, something which given the time and the circumstances – our daughter was in the early years of her schooling – put more than a reasonable amount of stress on my home life.

This is pretty normal. Under this transit there may be guilt – guilt that you are not living up to your own expectations, the expectations others have of you, you may be asked to neglect one part of your life in favour of another. The conflict here is how you can be everything to everyone and still find the emotional energy to be true to yourself and what it is that you need.

A good hard look at priorities, structures and boundaries is needed here. If there is a relationship at work that is impacting the one at home, that needs to be examined honestly…whatever it takes to re-establish the balance which has gone so far off kilter. I pulled back on the work travel and also negotiated a deal whereby I could work more often from home.

In our bridge analogy, the relationship has come to the bridge (which hasn’t yet been blown up, I actually got that out of order). One party wants to cross the bridge, the other wants to continue on this side of the river. At the completion of this transit, you will decide whether to cross the river together or whether to go on separate paths.

Given that Saturn squares are a 7-year cycle, it could perhaps explain the whole 7-year itch thing….just saying….

As for the closing square? Saturn has just finished a series of closing squares to my Sun and Moon. The peak of that for me this time around was while we were moving. Aside from the fact that we moved 1000kms to the north of where all our friends and family lived, my husband and daughter left 6 weeks before I did so she could start University up here. That left me to pack up 18 years of house and memories, and say an awful lot of goodbyes on my own – while juggling a full-time corporate gig. To say it was hard, isolating and lonely was an understatement.

Of course, I had some support, my friends were always there if I needed them to be, and my mother helped me clean after the removalists had taken everything away. I didn’t like to ask for the help though – because we were the ones making the move and it was a move not many people were supportive of. My perception of being alone was stronger than the reality which was that I wasn’t really alone.

I recall sitting on the carpet of the old house after the movers had left and Mum had gone home. I had a couple of hours to kill until I could get a lift to the hotel I was spending the night in before flying to the Sunshine Coast to meet my family and go through the whole thing in reverse. I had a coffee cup and a bottle of red wine, so that’s what I did – sat on the carpet with my laptop drinking red wine out of a coffee cup.

The outcome of those squares is a new set of structures up here in Queensland. We’re almost at the point where we can thank the events that led to this decision being made. We’re well and truly at the point where we can say how much we love our new lives up here. We still have support structures and friendships to build, but that’s underway.

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December 20, 2017: Saturn in Capricorn

Saturn moves into Capricorn today. As @AuntyAlias said on Twitter the other day, this is like the landlord moving into the condo. Saturn is coming home.

I had a few things to say about it the other day – you can read that here – but I also really liked what Diane from Libra Seeking Balance had to say. It was something that I’d completely overlooked:

“During Saturn’s stay in Capricorn, we all will benefit from the fact this Saturn works well with Jupiter in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn. Since Uranus will be leaving Aries for earthy Taurus, Saturn in Capricorn will not be clashing with Uranus either. Earth and water signs are going to be in charge of the Outer Planets for the next couple of years, and it would be a good idea to get used to putting the practicalities first.”

As I mentioned last time, people tend to get awfully worried about Saturn – and with some good reason. But when you stop and think about it, and really track your Saturn transits back, you’ll also see the rewards as well – particularly if you’ve done the work, played by the rules, and listened to the lessons…and I suspect Saturn in Capricorn will be more about structures and rules than it has been since, well, since he was here last time.

To help you work out what this means for you, I’ve posted a few thoughts on Saturn in Capricorn, a few thoughts on Saturn transits, a few more thoughts on Saturn transits, and a few also on Saturn Sun transits.

Remembering that this is a DIY site, I’ve also given you some tools to try and work it out for yourself. In true Saturn task-mistress style, you will need to do the work.

So, if Saturn is going through, say, the 7th house, I’ll refer you to the Toolbox editions on houses. Here’s a hint though:

  • If Capricorn is about rules, structure, integrity, experience, ethics, respect
  • If the 7th house is about relating, relationships and partnerships

Saturn in Capricorn in the 7th house will probably have something to do with structures and rules of relating and relationships and maintaining ethics and integrity in the process.

If Saturn is going through the 10th house, apply the same analogy eg it will probably have something to do with the structures and rules and bureaucracy in the workplace, it could have something to do with people being promoted beyond their capability being found out, it might even be something about the karma that goes along with unscrupulous or unethical behaviour previously tolerated under the banner of “it’s business.” Don’t worry, I’m putting my soapbox away now, but you get the idea.

In the 11th? It could be about maintaining the rules and structures of friendships, the right and wrong way to behave as a friend, the integrity of your goals.

Of course, these are just a few ideas for you to be getting on with.

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More thoughts on Saturn Transits

Last week I posted something about what I knew about Saturn transits. As it turns out, I knew a bit more than what I wrote in that post. When revamping my website over the weekend, I found another post – written back in 2010 – about Saturn transits.

My first thought was “Oh My God, I’ve been writing about this stuff for that long?” and my second was, “I’d better re-post this…” so re-posting it I am – with very few amendments…

Saturn transits are about getting real. That’s pretty much the whole deal. Oh, and mountain climbing – Saturn transits are also about climbing mountains.

Where he is travelling in your chart will tell you where you need to get real. The sign through which he is travelling will give you a flavour of that transit, and the planets and chart points he touches will be key pressure points.  The more planets being aspected, the more important the lesson you need to learn. As an example, with Saturn currently in Libra, wherever he transits in your chart will currently raise issues about trust and relating- whether that is in relation to primary relationships, family, home, children or possessions. Get the idea?

On top of all of that, the nature of your natal Saturn will determine how easily (or otherwise) you deal with Saturn transits. If you have a strong or prominent Saturn, commitment, responsibility and boundaries will not be unfamiliar concepts to you, but if like me, your Saturn is weak, you will struggle with the message – especially since the message often involves asking you to limit something, build something, put structure around something, commit to something or get rid of something. Ouch.

So what do I mean by a strong Saturn?

If you have Saturn natally in Capricorn, Aquarius or Libra he is what astrologers call “dignified”. In these signs, he feels at home. If you have Saturn in the 1st, 7th, 4th or 10th house he will also have the ability to act in your chart.

If you really want to know how strong (or otherwise) your Saturn is, check out this article by Donna Cunningham. Essentially, if:

  • Saturn aspects the Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven (conjunction, square, trine or opposition)
  • Saturn forms tight aspects to other planets
  • Sun, Moon or Ascendant is in Capricorn
  • If Saturn is in Capricorn or in the 10thhouse
  • If you have other planets in the 10thhouse

…you will score highly. There are other criteria, so for a full score-sheet check out the article. Given that my Saturn is in the first degree of Aries (where he is in the sign of his fall) and doesn’t aspect any other planet (I am of the traditional bent and don’t count out of sign conjunctions), I scored a big fat zero.

According to Donnas’ article, a really high score could mean that you are “rigid, stodgy, perfectionistic, conservative, hypercritical, authoritarian, fearful, depressed and probably workaholic”. You will also stoically accept what Saturn has to tell you.

On the other hand, with a low score, “you’d lack discipline, structure and planning; you might be irresponsible, immature and give up easily and have no solid long-term goals.” You will also, like me, be hit for six when Saturn aspects a sensitive part of your chart.

No matter how strong (or otherwise) Saturn is in your chart, transits by the Time Lord (personally, I am picturing more a Jon Pertwee than a Tom Baker with really cool striped scarf) will put a mountain there for you to climb. Whether you choose to go the long way around, blast through, take the scenic route or just trudge resignedly one foot in front of the other, rest assured, there will be a mountain…and then another. Generally speaking you get a few attempts – first when Saturn aspects a planet whilst direct, a chance to review it when retrograde, and an opportunity to solidify the change when he is direct again.

Along the way, you will be asked to check what is in the backpack that you’re carrying and get rid of the crap you no longer need. If Saturn is in the 10thth, you may need to get rid of a job to start a new career…or even get rid of your status as a single woman to greet the world with a new surname – or the opposite. If he is transiting the 11the, expect to change friends, groups and even rationalise or put structure around your dreams. Naturally, none of this will be easy – if it was you wouldn’t learn anything or grow through the process… and Saturn demands that you grow and mature.

Structures that you thought were secure will need to be rebuilt if they don’t stand the concrete test. Happily married? When Saturn travels through your 7th you will question that commitment and your relationship with others. You may test the relationship and find it is solid. Once re-committed, it can only grow stronger. You may, however, test it and find stress cracks in the building. Is it still structurally sound or is your relationship ready for a knockdown/rebuild? Or, perhaps, a complete demolition?

A couple of years ago I read a book by Adam Smith titled “Saturn- Fatal Attraction”. In that, he suggested listening to what your friends are complaining about, or where their attention is focused – this is where Saturn is transiting in their charts. Listen to your own conversations and complaints… and be honest.

The nature of Saturn is to constrict, to bind, to restrict and to contract. He represents the process of ageing and, when it comes to medical astrology, is associated with chronic conditions and disease. Saturn rules everything that provides a structure or a boundary in the body – skin, hair, fingernails, teeth, skeleton, ligaments. When Saturn comes to call, things can either start to wear out and age or underperform…some sort of restriction usually results. This may be a restrictive diet, restriction of movement, restriction of freedom.

I’ve had some serious stinky stuff go down under Saturn transits, I’ve also had some seriously good stuff happen under Saturn conjunctions:

  • When Saturn was conjunct Mercury I was standing in church saying wedding vows.
  • When Saturn was conjunct my Ascendant/Sun (and square my Midheaven) I was promoted to a senior and very responsible position – one normally given to men much older than me. It was a role that tested me and a role that nearly broke me. It was a role that I had to grow up in order to do.
  • When Saturn was conjunct my Venus, there was a reason for me to take relationships very seriously – I gave birth to my daughter. Her natal Mercury and Saturn are conjunct my Venus. And yes, we have a lot of laughs together – she has the quick, dry sense of humour that Saturn is known for.

When Saturn was conjunct my Moon though, the situation was very different.

I was going through one of the most emotionally isolating experiences of my life – dealing with infertility and what happens when babies don’t come to order (and yes, I’ve been told that with Jupiter in the 5th house in Cancer and trine my Moon I should have had a houseful of kids…go figure).  Sure hubby and I were dealing with it together, but as anyone who has gone through this knows, you feel as if you are in it alone. That’s a very Saturn way of feeling.

The point is, Saturn transits can be shit, but they can also be rewarding…from a distance and with a lot of hindsight. The thing is, you can’t see the light until you’ve seen the dark. Yes, that is profound, but you get through it. We got through it.

At the time I wasn’t sure there would ever be any light. I wasn’t sure I would get through it. I couldn’t understand why something so simple had to be so hard and hurt so much. But there was a light – and she’s now nearly 20. With her Sun at 2 Aries, just 1-degree past mine, she is my Saturn Return.

Next time: Saturn transits to the Moon

 

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Saturn transits to the Sun

 

I have an interest in medical astrology and find it fascinating how the nature of planets and their transits correspond with what that planet does or represents in the body.

Take the Sun, for instance. In Medical Astrology, the Sun represents life force. Its energy is fortifying, vitalising and radiant.

As the Sun moves through your chart over the course of a year, it brings this warmth and light with it – radiating and vitalising a different part of your chart each month.

When the Sun moves through your second house, it energises all things around money, possessions and values. When it moves through your fourth house, it brings your home and history to life.

It’s the same when the Sun aspects your natal planets. When the Sun joins hands with Venus, it could bring radiance – or at least a little more attention – to your relationships. Who knows, it could even bring a good hair day….ok, that could be pushing the analogy a tad far.

As the Sun moves relatively quickly, however, the effects of its transit are fleeting, lasting usually a day, no more.

In Medical Astrology, Saturn represents the process of ageing. Its energy is restrictive, binding, contracting and chronic in nature.

As Saturn moves through your chart in it’s 28 (or so) year transit, it crystallises efforts, it slows, it inhibits, it devitalises and it lingers. Small issues that you’ve attempted to ignore can become chronic, chaos can be slowed and controlled, boundaries can be erected where none previously existed.

When the Sun transits Saturn, there may be a day or so when you feel off your game, overburdened, unable to see the silver lining. You may have a couple of days where you feel older, with the responsibility of the world on your shoulders. And then, you wake up and it’s all over. That wrinkle you thought you saw isn’t quite as deep as it appeared yesterday when you felt extra tired and put upon.

Saturn transits of the Sun last much longer – as does the impact. Below are some thoughts I originally published back in 2012, but have updated. Remember, though, your experience of Saturn transits might be different to mine. For more on what to expect from Saturn transits see last weeks post. As for Saturn transits to other planets? You’ll have to watch this space.

 Saturn conjunct the Sun

Last time Saturn joined my Sun I was promoted. It wasn’t just a little promotion, it was a huge promotion to a job that lots of other people wanted. It was the sort of promotion that makes you dance around singing crappy songs like “moving on up.”

The role was as branch manager for the bank that I worked for. Traditionally these roles were given to men, and usually to men much older than I was.

I was relatively young – in my late 20s, newly married, and ambitious. Jupiter was on my Midheaven, so rather than being a tad scared of the responsibility, I gave the only answer that I could: ‘Sure, how hard can it be?’

It was hard. I was dealing with traditions, expectations and responsibility beyond anything I had dealt with before. I thought I was all grown up, but this job made me mature. In a hurry.

It was also the fulfilment of a lot that I had been working towards.

In the process, I felt chronically tired and isolated. There was no time for anything else.

As a transit, it did what it said it would on the box – it was both difficult and satisfying.

When Saturn joins the Sun, things that you have been working towards will either come to a successful fruition or they will fail.

If it’s the former, with success will come responsibility and burdens- you might feel bound and restricted. Patience is essential – as is concentration on the task at hand.

If it’s the latter, the challenge is to objectively complete a root cause analysis and identify what can be salvaged in order to move forward.

The thing is because Saturn restricts the vitality of the Sun, you have a limited amount of energy and vitality available to you, so make sure that you focus only on those activities that are already underway and important.

Anything else is a distraction – and that may include relationships.

Saturn square the Sun

Ever wonder why we talk about the seven-year itch? It’s no coincidence that this period of time is aligned to the Saturn square. With squares, the challenges are generally provided by external factors.

As with all Saturn/Sun contacts, your vitality is low – things might seem all too hard.

With the opening square, think about what happened 7 years ago when Saturn was conjunct the Sun.

At that time did you concentrate on the things that needed your attention or did you allow your energy to be scattered?

Did you hang onto something that had failed? Rather than salvaging what you could, did you try and make it happen?

If you’re on the right track, the challenges that you deal with now, the roadblocks (often in human form) have been sent to test your resolve, your patience.

If you’re on a lost cause that should have been laid to rest 7 years ago, the crises that you face now are a reminder of that – and another opportunity to close it down. Completely this time.

With the closing square, think about the choices you made 7 years ago when Saturn was opposite the Sun and apply the same rationality. I’ve just been through the closing square in the last few years.

You now have the opportunity to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to see something through to a successful conclusion…or end it.

Interestingly, I’ve been through the closing square in the last 12 months – it was exact on Christmas Day last year. As many of you know, I was still struggling with the decision to place our house on the market at that point and move to Queensland. My husband had just been unceremoniously pushed to end a 37-year career and I was now responsible for all income that was coming into the house – and all the outgoings too.

The interesting thing is that similar themes had come up 7 years before – when Saturn was opposite my Sun. Not the same – we got through that particular crisis, but similar. This one came with an ending – an ending we otherwise wouldn’t have prompted, but which left the way open for a beginning.

Speaking of which…

Saturn opposite the Sun

At the time that I originally published this post (back in October 2012), this one was so recent that I could remember so clearly it was like my breath had been taken away again.

And, when Saturn opposed my Sun (between December 2008 and August 2009 – yep, I got 3 passes) it literally was.

The first indication of trouble came earlier that year when Saturn opposed Mercury. I had some devastating news – the type of news that felt like the guts had been ripped out of me, the type of news that knocked the wind out of me and left me gasping for breath. I had my first asthma attack in nearly 14 years – the one previous to that was when Saturn was conjunct the Sun.

Things were at rock-bottom – in many areas. I knew what wasn’t working, but was still hanging on. I felt like the weight of way too much was sitting on my shoulders. And then my shoulder literally went.

Uranus was also conjunct my Sun at this point so the initial injury to an unpronounceable muscle was acute. Saturn’s influence meant that it was chronic.

I felt old, I felt incapable, and I felt chronically tired.

All of my self-confidence had gone, I no longer believed in anything and I felt that the relationships around me were limiting me. This was magnified somewhat as Saturn was also conjunct my Descendant.

No matter how I tried to crawl out and over it, I was being blocked at every point. The effects of the transit were textbook perfect.

Saturn opposite the Sun marks an ending. It can be a catastrophic ending if whatever is ending now should have ended 7 years ago or 14 years ago. Saturn doesn’t like his messages to be ignored.

The thing is, endings – if you allow them to happen – leave the way open for beginnings. And yes, I know how hard it is to look for the light when dark is all around. Wallow a little if you need to, but only as long as the transit is in effect. That particular ending – as painful as it was – was the ending I had to have.

Whatever you begin (once this transit is through – now is not the time to start anything fresh – you simply don’t have the energy for it) will be tested in 7 years and then come to fruition in 14 years when Saturn once again joins up with your Sun.

The message? As with all Saturn transits, what is required most is patience.

Saturn trine the Sun

As far as Saturn transits go, this one is relatively smooth. This is Saturn’s version of a gentle nudge, a hint.

It’s a good time to achieve stuff, accomplish stuff and generally get stuff done. Opportunities could come up to take on extra skills, bolster your health, build your strength, create your structures.

Whatever you do now will set you up for success later and make it a little easier for you to overcome obstacles later. Oh, and if you’ve put in the hard yards, whatever you achieve now should be recognised – and doesn’t that make a nice change?

Of course, it’s up to you to choose to do what Saturn is suggesting you do. As with all things Saturn though, there are consequences, and the consequence for not listening to Saturn’s hints during the “easier” transits is a much tougher time when the squares and oppositions come around.

Saturn sextile the Sun

Sextiles present opportunities.

With Saturn involved, these are opportunities for achievement and opportunities for those achievements to be recognised by the people who should be recognising them. They’re also usually opportunities for more work or an invitation for you to work harder.

The only catch? You have to identify the opportunity and take active steps to go after it. Doors will not open simply because you will them to do so – there will be some effort required on your part to turn the opportunities into something that might end up (after you’ve done the work) into being something quite fortunate.

That’s how Saturn gets lucky – because he puts the work in.

Thanks and credit to Robert Hand’s “Planets in Transit” and Adam Smith’s Saturn: Fatal Attraction”

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What I know about Saturn transits…

It’s true to say that Saturn and I are not friends. He’s always the reminder that I’ve been slack with my health and my habits and haven’t thought through and committed to my goals. As tough as the transits are though, they are the transits that I absolutely have to have. If it wasn’t for Saturn, I’d accomplish very little indeed.

Relatively speaking, with an emphasis on the word relatively, the better that integrated Saturn is in your chart, the less likely you are to fight the message he brings. The less you resist, the easier the transit will be. Relatively speaking.

If you want to know how Saturnian you are, have a go at Donna Cunningham’s Saturn test. I scored about as low as it’s possible to score. Not only is Saturn in Aries in my chart – a sign where he is absolutely not comfortable – but the only aspect Saturn makes to anything else in my chart is an inconjunct to Mars – and that contact isn’t an amicable one. Other than that he’s pretty much left to his own devices.

While most of the other planets in my chart talk to each other, Saturn stands alone, his energy activated only by transit. Because Saturn’s energy is quite unfamiliar to me, every transit is a shock to my system.

If on the other hand, you have a busy 10th house, other planets in Capricorn, or other planets in easy aspect to Saturn, you might find Saturn transits tough but doable. A tad like the training session you don’t want to do, but end up nailing.

Saturn transits often bring with them hard stuff, tough stuff. It bears down on you, pushing you lower, making you feel as though you’ve got the entire world and their families plus luggage on your shoulders. Whatever it is that is happening is to you. It seems this way because often we’re looking to blame someone or something for doing whatever it is to us. That’s one perspective. The other is that whatever it is that is going on is an outcome or a consequence of another action or inaction on our own behalf. This is the whole there’s a consequence for every action theory.

In short, while Saturn transits might feel as though they are external, in reality, they’re far from that. We’re being taught a lesson of some type – and we’re being taught it because we need to learn it.

Saturn doesn’t teach in the way that Jupiter does. Jupiter educates and expands your knowledge of the world, of life. Jupiter is what you learn through experience. Saturn lessons are what you learn because you have to. Saturn teaches that every action brings with it consequences – some good, some bad, but consequences nevertheless.

Where Jupiter doesn’t particularly care what you do with the opportunities he presents to you – if you miss out on them, that’s your loss; failure to learn Saturn lessons is an entirely different matter.

 

We were talking about this the other day in the astro group that I’m a member of. The question was what to expect from a transit to the IC, or to the very bottom of the chart. I pointed out that John Howard, Australia’s ex-Prime Minister, lost the election around the time Saturn transited his IC. It was a literal case of being at the lowest point in his career. For him, it was about going home and putting on the slippers to sit beside the fire. Not that I know if he did that, but you get the idea.

When Saturn was last on my IC, Miss T was starting school and difficult decisions and changes were made to work/life balance. I started working from home a lot more and travelling for work a lot less. We also committed to an investment property.

When tracking back through the dates for another friend, we found that it was under a Saturn 4th house transit that she signed up for her first mortgage and moved out of the home she grew up in. Someone else I spoke with related how she had to provide home care for an elderly relative at this time.

My point is, each of us will have a different perspective on a Saturn transit. Some of these experiences will be ultimately positive, some will be difficult, but all will be designed to make us better, or more adult, or…you get the idea. What I know about Saturn transits, my experiences of them will most likely be very different to yours.

Even if every Saturn transit you’ve ever had has been, to put it mildly, uncomfortable, it’s still best to treat these with intention rather than biting your lips and wondering what will happen to you during it.

In 2016, Saturn squared my Ascendant and my Sun. It was a year I’d like never to repeat. As tough as it was, knowing what Saturn wanted me to learn provided some perspective – even though there were times over that period where I just wanted to yell and scream and make it stop already. I’ll tell you a bit about that next time.

In March and April this year Saturn stationed square my Moon – right at the time that I was packing up our house of 18 years and leaving friends, family and structures behind. Emotionally it was a wrench and it drained me completely. While it seemed like madness at the time, I was glad that I’d read the intent of the transit and booked a holiday to coincide with the easing off of the Saturn/Moon square. I needed it.

He’s finally moved past the degree of my Moon for the third and final time. This final pass brought with it some realisations about self-care that I’ll talk about another time. It was a lesson that I’d neglected listening to for a long time.

So yes, Saturn transits can be tough, but we’ve all been through numerous ones in our lifetime and although we might have scars, we’re still here to tell the tale.

As for how Saturn transits will impact you? Have a look back at last week’s post on Saturn in Capricorn. Check out also the Saturn page on the website for hints on interpreting Saturn transits and timing them while Saturn is in Capricorn.

Next time, something on Saturn transits to the Sun.

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Saturn in Capricorn

Saturn is just a smidgeon away from moving into Capricorn. Usually, when Saturn changes signs my email inbox starts to fill up with concerns and fears. This was especially the case in the few weeks before Saturn moved into Scorpio. Then there was the person who feared that with Saturn in Sagittarius whe’d fail her exams, and another who said she’d never fly again. True stories.

The thing is, Saturn doesn’t necessarily stop us from doing anything. If anything, he can tempt us to do that which we know we shouldn’t do. ‘Go ahead,’ he says, ‘do what you will, but just be aware  of the consequences.’

 

There’s no coincidence that the Devil, or Temptation, card in Tarot is associated with Capricorn and Saturn. Look at the card. The devil is half goat and the temptations can result in a bondage of some description – whether that’s the ties that bind through responsibility, or the chains of fear. Even when we’ve attached those chains ourselves, the Devil is who we blame for our troubles – much like we often blame Saturn…not that I ever would…of course.

The thing is, I haven’t so far received any of the usual ‘Saturn is about to move into Capricorn and will conjunct my Sun and that means that life will be miserable for the next 2 1/2 years.’  Saturn in Capricorn is an entirely different scenario. Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn. He’s comfortable in Capricorn. He’s coming home. Their natures are similar. Saturn in Capricorn is acting from a position of power – but it’s also born from experience, wisdom, practicality, integrity, and resourcefulness.

At the risk of sounding lazy – something that Saturn absolutely has no time for – I’d direct you to this fabulous article by Capricornian Steven Forrest. With a number of planets in Capricorn, Forrest gets this sign – and Saturn.

In the article, he speaks a lot about collective morality and integrity and how that changes definition over the years. But when it comes to Saturn and your chart, we can also talk about personal morality and integrity – whatever that happens to be or mean for you. Wherever Saturn is transiting your chart is where those concepts are being examined.

If, like me, Saturn is transiting your 11th house, not only do you have an opportunity to put plans and structures under your dreams to turn them into goals, but you’ll also be asked to consider whether these goals are morally right for you. Are you compromising your own standards in order to achieve something that’s personally rewarding but has an entirely different cost? Are you using your networks and contacts in a way that gets what you want, but possibly infringes on their goals?

What about if Saturn is in the 10th? Are you getting ahead at the expense of someone else? Are you acting contrary to your own morals for the sake of the “business”? We’ve all heard that excuse before – ‘it was a business decision…and even if it’s wrong that makes it right’. No, it doesn’t, and when Saturn is in Capricorn, issues like this could come up. Actually, issues like this might always come up, but while Saturn is in Capricorn there could be a price to pay for them.

I’d urge you to read the whole article, but if you don’t Forrest made seven comments about areas of individual focus for each of us:

  • Admit it: you are bored with yourself. Where transiting Saturn-in-Capricorn hits your personal chart defines an area of your life which you have simply outgrown. What is the next stage of life for you in terms of work, love, money, education – whatever houses or planets Saturn is contacting?
  • Deep down inside, you are hungry to really get your teeth into something, to do your best. Saturn-in-Capricorn is challenging you. It is saying, “All right, show me what you’ve got. Give me your best shot. It’s time to write your masterpiece.
  • To succeed, you will need focus, persistence, patience, and self-discipline. You can’t fake this one. You cannot cut corners.
  • There are likely to be moral or ethical issues underlying these efforts. Do the right thing – but make sure that the definition of “the right thing” is your own, with no taint of anyone else’s sermons about “sin” or “duty.”
  • You have a right to define your own responsibilities. You have a right to refuse responsibilities that do not fit you.
  • If you get this right, you will be tired! But if you turn away from the effort, you will be stuck in a deadening past. Inevitably, you will then be depressed. Which do you prefer, exhaustion or depression?
  • Whatever happens, understand that it is your own karma ripening.

Have a think about this.

Doing it for yourself

Every transit by Saturn will have something to do with your personal Saturn story. Go back to the Saturn lesson in the Toolbox for some hints regarding this.

Another thing is, every single transit by Saturn to key points in your chart will not only be felt in that part of your chart but also have an outcome in the area of life ruled by Saturn. This will be the part of your chart containing Capricorn and Aquarius – remembering that Saturn is the traditional ruler of Aquarius. Every single time.

For this reason, it’s worth going back to see if there are any common themes in, say, previous transits of your Sun (or Moon or Ascendant or other points or personal planets) by Saturn.

I’ll be back next week with something about Saturn – Sun transits, but if you want to get a start on what Saturn could mean for you, jump over and have a look at the Saturn page. I’ve updated it with step-by-step guides on how to intentionally approach your Saturn transits – including a solar guide as to where this might be happening for you. Remember, I use whole houses, so if you don’t and you know the house that Saturn is transiting, feel free to ignore this part of the page.

There’s also a timing guide there to give you an idea as to when Saturn in Capricorn could be impacting your chart. This will be especially important if you’re a Capricorn Sun and have already started worrying about what could happen when Saturn meets up with your Sun – although as a Capricorn Sun I’m sure that you’d know better than to worry needlessly. Just saying.

Depending on the degree, some of you will get 3 chances at the transit – when Saturn first goes across the planet being transited, when it retrogrades back across that point, and when it turns direct. Check out this post for more information regarding that.

Finally, pay special attention to the stationing degrees. If Saturn stations direct or retrograde at a degree which aspects something important in your chart, make a note of it. As an example, Saturn will station retrograde at 20 Capricorn, this is an exact sextile to my Sun. In 2020 the station retrograde is at 25 Capricorn, exactly sextile my Chiron, and less than a degree from an exact opposition to my Jupiter. I’ll be absolutely paying attention.

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Saturn Retrograde 2017

Saturn retrograde until 24/8/17

It is often said that planets become more emphasised when they are retrograde ie appear to be going backwards from the perspective of us here on Earth. Personally, I find that simply terrifying when it comes to Saturn- although many of you won’t share that fear.

The reason their action is emphasised is because it is internalised. We therefore feel it more. And if you have planets or chart points at 27 Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces or Virgo- you will feel this one even more as Saturn has stationed retrograde at 27 Sagittarius for what has seemed like forever, but in reality has only been a few weeks. His energy focused on this point for longer than usual…and Saturn never does anything by chance.

My Moon is at 27 Pisces…need I say more?

So, what can we expect from a Saturn retrograde? Well, more Saturn stuff of course, but with the prefix “re” inserted in front of the word eg re-structure, re-commit, re-focus, re-calibrate, re-trench.

Saturn rules the supports, structures, rules and responsibilities in our life. In theory, Saturn is the fun cop who says “no, it is time you went home young lady,” when every part of you is crying out to say yes. When Saturn is retrograde, he is sending you back to your room to think very carefully about what you are doing, goals you have started working towards and the commitments you have made. It is sort of like a planetary cooling off period when it is OK to re-assess and change direction or re-assess and say “no”. This is not the time to make new commitments or start new projects, but great to sort out just what you want out of existing goals. Re-prioritise.

Saturn retrogrades give you time to sort your shit out, get rid of any frustrations and re-think the viability of any promises you have already made. It’s a little like having a building inspector come through and checks your foundations and support structures.

The area of life Saturn is retrograde in is emphasised and needs defining. If it is the 7th, relationships will need to be defined. If it’s the 1st, you will be wanting to define yourself- this is generally a nice skinny transit- if Saturn transits can ever be described as being nice, that is. If it is the 2nd, money issues and values will come to the forefront. With Saturn in Sagittarius in 2017, issues of faith and boundaries will be looked at intensely. Saturn will demand that you look with maturity at this part of your life.

Regardless of where this is happening in your chart, Saturn, with a natural association with the 10th house and the ruler of Capricorn, will see most of us trying to define, or re-define career goals.

The structures that are built during a Saturn retrograde will stand you in good stead once he starts to move forward again.

Check out what is in your chart on or around 27 Sagittarius and 21 Sagittarius- this is your area of focus. This is 10h house for me so my focus is around career, profile, work. During this retrograde, Saturn has stationed square my Moon, and station direct square my Sun…I have a pretty good idea of what it is that Saturn wants me to get real about.

In terms of aspects:

If you have a planet or chart point (such as Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant or IC) at 21 Sagittarius-27 Sagittarius, Saturn will conjunct this planet/point during the retrograde period.

If you have a planet or chart point at 21-27 Gemini, Saturn will oppose this point during the retrograde period

If you have a planet or chart point at 21-27 Pisces or Virgo, Saturn will square this point during the retrograde

If you have a planet or chart point at 21-27 Leo or Aries, Saturn will trine this point during the retrograde

If you have a planet or chart point at 21-27 Aquarius or Libra, Saturn will sextile this point during the retrograde.

Saturn will station retrograde from 6 April 2016 (depending on where you are) at 27 Sagittarius 47′

Saturn will station direct at 21 Sagittarius on 24/8/17

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Jupiter sextile Saturn: providing opportunities to prepare for opportunities…

Continuing my mini-series of key planetary aspects for 2017…

You know that saying – ok, there are heaps of them along the same lines – about how good luck is really just hard work mixed with an opportunity.

It’s about being prepared sufficiently that when opportunity comes knocking, you’ve got a better chance than others to take it and run with it. It might look like you got lucky, but really, you gave the likelihood of luck a helping hand. And that’s what Jupiter sextile Saturn is about – providing you with an opportunity to prepare for the opportunities to come.

Let’s break it down:

  • Jupiter is about faith, expansion, trust, abundance. Jupiter wants you to be “bigger” than you are – to expand past your existing boundaries.
  • Saturn is about reality, commitment, boundaries, discipline, structures, protective barriers. Saturn is the teacher that wants you to mature and become wiser, and be well prepared for when Jupiter opportunities come your way.
  • Sextiles often bring opportunities. When the sextile is between 2 masculine signs ie Libra and Sagittarius, the opportunity could just drop into your lap.

Ok, so putting it all together, what does it mean?

Just like the Saturn and Uranus trine (see yesterday’s post) allows the blending of two very different energies, so too does this. The influence of Saturn on Jupiter moderates and disciplines the urge for growth and expansion. It removes some of Jupiter’s inclination to take inappropriate or poorly thought out risks. Most importantly, it can provide the commitment you need to finish what you started.

The Timing?

This aspect will be exact on August 27, 2017 at 21 Libra/ Sagittarius.

Who is impacted?

While Jupiter sextile Saturn will form part of the astro weather forecast for all of us during August, the people most impacted will be:

  • Anyone whose Ascendant or Sun is ruled by Jupiter or Saturn – that means Pisces, Sagittarius, Capricorn or Aquarius. More specifically:
  • Anyone with planets (especially personal planets) or chart points at between 19/23 Libra or Sagittarius. Other Air and Fire signs might also be able to feel these energies.

Not sure if this is you?

Duck back and check out the toolkit I published the other day for all the links you need.

The advice?

There’s no denying that while Saturn takes a relatively narrow view, Jupiter’s perspective is wide open – and that’s often what you need in order to seek the help you require to overcome whatever it is that is blocking your progress. Just as with Saturn trine Uranus, the advice is to proceed carefully, moderately.

Also during this period, you could have an opportunity to look at your existing goals with eyes wide open and more objectivity than you normally have. Don’t be afraid to get rid of any old dreams that no longer apply.

Check out what’s in your bucket list – now could be the time to take out an item or two and put some achievable actions around it.

Just be sure to do something with this energy. While sextiles can often be quite benign, the opportunities they create could be as a result of a dramatic event that effectively clears space in your life for the possibility to drop into. Just saying.

Tomorrow: Jupiter trine Neptune

Don’t forget, if you want to stay on top of your daily forecasts, you can pick up a copy of the astro diary that I collaborated on, or you can bag yourself a copy of Sally Kirkman’s 2017 Horoscope