Saturn has started to go backwards again, folks! This means that our orbit has overtaken his and the visual angles between us both make Saturn appear to go backwards – like slow trains and fast trains. I’m sure all my regular readers will know by now the way it works – those of you who are confused please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information.

Before I go any further, I refer to Saturn throughout this article as “he”, because traditionally he has always been spoken of thus.

This year is the final year that Saturn is in Libra – his best position of all the signs of the Zodiac. This process began in October, 2009 and will leave in October 2012. In 2010 he spent April to July going backwards through the last degrees of Virgo before re-entering Libra. Then he will enter Scorpio for the following two and a half years – more on that next October.

The ancients knew Saturn as Chronus, the Lord of Time. Esoterically he is known as the Lord of Karma, the Gatekeeper, the Dweller on the Threshold. In Christian symbolism he equates to Saint Peter, who guards the Gates of Heaven and weighs up all our behaviour on earth before letting us in. This is why Saturn is exalted in Libra, sign of the Scales and Balance, where his finest and strongest energies come into play.

Saturn is associated with maturity and old age, with commitment and duty, morality and hard work, gravity, density and having your eyes wide open for whatever comes your way. The older we get the easier it is to deal with this process. This is the last few months that Saturn will be in Libra and will not happen again until September 2039. During this time now, we are being called to look at compassion for others; to ask if behaviour and reward are fairly distributed; to question the need for wars; to ask how fair is it if we have everything and others have nothing? It really is all about balance and living harmoniously, with ourselves as much as with others.

Libra is the sign of relating and with Saturn placed here, we are also looking at marriage, to do it or not and with whom? New rules are being written on a grand scale with this in mind – how fair is it that some can marry and others can’t? Equal marriage opportunity is a subject that is being debated here in Scotland right now, so we are reflecting the cosmic processes through human activity.

Right now Saturn is at the last gasp of Libra at 29.5 degrees of the sign – there are 30 degrees per sign – and has been for the last 3 months. He will go back to 22.75 degrees Libra in June and then steam ahead to Scorpio in October 2012. However, it is worth commenting that we do give a leeway of a number of degrees for each planet when in transit – this means that effectively those of you born right at the beginning of Scorpio and Taurus, Leo and Aquarius, will also be feeling his demands, as well. See below for more on that.

At the very end of the ‘Your Astrology pages’ you will find a link to a wonderful video talk by Joan Halifax on the subject of compassion.

Your Astrology Pages

NB – The readings below can either be read from your Sun Sign – ie your birthday – or your Ascendant sign, which is calculated form your time of birth. Try also reading it from your Moon Sign, as Hindu astrologers suggest.

Don’t know your Moon Sign? Get your FREE Sun/Moon combination reading and discover how your emotions impact with your ambitions to create your unique life path. Just email me your birth date, time and place and I’ll email it back to you FREE!!!

Please note that this year is a Leap year, which means that a day has been added to the calendar. As a result, you may notice that the beginning and end dates in some cases are a day earlier than usual.

Aries : 21st March – 20th April – 7th House Saturn this is a time of challenge for you that involves all your relationships – both individuals and organisations. You will meet Saturn through other people who drag their feet, are unavailable when you need them to be there for you and who don’t live up to their promises and treat you as you want them to. Reality for you is in admitting to yourself that some friends and associations will have to be given their marching orders. Remember, Aries is the sign of “me first” and if you’re continually taking a back seat then you can become woolly and undirected in your decisions and actions. However, on the plus side, Saturn is as far round the Zodiac as he can go i.e. 180 degrees, so this is an aspect of objectivity that encourages you to act with clarity and awareness of your own needs, without stepping on others as you do.

Taurus: 19th April – 20th May – 6th House Saturn – this is about the details of your life and how the cogs in your various wheels work together to create a life that is coherent and flowing. And the top of this list are your health and fitness levels. Taurus is notorious for refined appetites and for enjoying the good life. This can have an impact on your body, which at other times may have been fine, but not with Saturn in your 6th House of health. You would be advised to take measures to get into a routine of walking more and eating less at this time, for example. You will be amazed how much more energy becomes available to you by doing this – in fact, get a dog that demands you take it out on a routine basis, then you are both fitter and adored (by the dog). Or join a walking group. Throw out some of the “stuff” in your office that no longer serves you – become minimalist rather than cluttered – you will really feel virtuous and fit.

Gemini: 20th May – 20th June- 5th House Saturn – this is the time when you do more and talk less about your ideas. You are so full of ideas that it can seem to ease the pressure on your brain if you talk about them. However, once you’ve done that the idea has gone and someone else may pick it up instead and use it. So, buy a notebook or an iPad so that you can record your thoughts while you are on the go and later use them constructively for yourself. Creativity may seem slow – that’s the energy of Saturn making you take time to get your plans right rather than just throwing them off quickly. This is not a challenging aspect from Saturn, although anything making you sit still and consolidate can seem like a drag – it’s much more a reminder that if you put the elbow grease in, the rewards will come all in good time.

Cancer: 21st June – 22nd July – 4th House Saturn – this is about your domestic and family life and your deepest emotional expression. You are by nature someone who happily takes to nurturing others being a good parent and child to your own parents. However, with Saturn around now you may find that you are caring for people and taking responsibility for their welfare at great cost to your own welfare. This could be a good time to just do the basics and leave the rest until later. An adult child may turn up on the doorstep and wish to return to the nest for a while, or an elderly parent may do the same necessitating expensive and extensive alterations that you could well do without right now. The very foundations of your life are needing to be examined with regard to your own needs and emotional health. This is not the time to just cope – you may need to demand that you are taken care of, too.

Leo: 22nd July – 22nd August – 3rd House Saturn – this is the time to use your naturally creative and outgoing skills but thanks to Saturn you and may find that you are struggling to connect up with people. Maybe you are new to your area, or have joined a new group, and haven’t yet bedded in with them. You could put your communication skills to good use by offering to write a newsletter, for example – especially for your community, church, charities or however you make local connections. The third house is associated with siblings and family members of the same generation as yourself and with Saturn here, one or more of them may be demanding your attention – and while you are a generous soul – they may be asking for too much from you. You could be needing to learn a foreign language – Saturn will help here as the planet of structure and form. And you could finally get that book out that you’ve been thinking about for any number of years.

Virgo: 22nd August – 22nd September – 2nd House Saturn – this is the time when you learn what your true values really, what is important to you and where your innate talents and gifts lie. The second house is also associated with earnings, and while Saturn may appear to slow them down, you will find that you are building a strong and firm foundation for your future income. Little by little you are making something strong and reliable – just not very quickly. This is a time of economy and of taking care of the small things in your life – they will grow later. Saturn will ensure that you understand the difference between wanting and having – so that what you do achieve will be based in reality not in imagination. It is a time of organising your finances so that they can take care of themselves and you can stop worrying about them. Worrying does you no good at all – although you are a past master of the art!

Libra: 22nd September – 23rd October – 1st House Saturn – this will be a period of finding yourself challenged by reality checks and personal relationship issues – particularly with those closest to you, in fact through your interactions with others. Over the last couple of years you will have been through some challenges that make you look at your life differently now, due to Saturn’s demands that you “Get Real”. Saturn transits always bring delays and frustration – not out of planetary malice, but as an attempt to get you to look at what you really came here to do and focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. If you don’t do that voluntarily, Saturn will block all the other things you’ve got going on in order that you do. Emotionally it can be a depressing time, especially if whatever you try doesn’t seem to be working for you, and patience is required. Keep your head down and you will be rewarded.

Scorpio 23rd October – 21st November – 12th House Saturn – this is the end of a 30 year cycle and a time for clearing out the attic of all the things that you have held on to for far too long. De-cluttering is your key so that when Saturn goes into your first house you will be ready to make your new beginnings with lightness of mind. Get rid of “stuff” and even friendships that will no longer serve you in your next step. Scorpio is a fixed sign and can resist change so discernment is the key. You may find that some of the ways that helped you get by over the last 28 years or so are no longer serving you as they once did. This can be a stressful time if you are holding onto the old with both hands, feet and desperation. Maybe a course in meditation that brings equilibrium in the face of these changes could be the answer.

Sagittarius 21st November – 21st December- 11th House Saturn – this is a time of looking at friendships, associations and your strongest held beliefs. You may find that some of your social ideas are being challenged by what’s happening in the outside world now. You could be looking for a group to answer your spiritual/religious needs – you gravitate naturally towards belief groups anyway. This is not necessarily a tough time as the aspect flows with you rather than blocks you – however, Saturn is still slowing the unfolding of some of your objectives in order that you are absolutely clear about all the details. This can be a rewarding time for your work with groups – even though you may feel that they make lots of demands on your time and energy – however, this can also be a testing time as you are not by nature someone who stays the course. Obviously this is a lesson that Saturn is helping you to get to grips with.

Capricorn 21st December -19th January 10th House Saturn – this is a period of learning about your individual contribution to your society through your career. Saturn is happy in this house, and you will naturally take on board all that he teaches you, as your sign is ruled by Saturn anyway. You may find that you are being asked to do a great deal of work without much reward – just hang on in there until the end of the summer when you will find that you will be seen by the powers that be. It is important that you do pay attention on the emotional aspects of your life – home, relationships and even your own need for some fun sometime – otherwise you could find that although you have achieved success, you may lose out elsewhere. Balance and harmony are the essence of Saturn’s sojourn through Libra and it is important for you to take these on board. This is the time when you can make a huge contribution to the world through your own efforts.

Aquarius 20th January – 19th February 9th House Saturn – this is point where ideals, humanitarian movements and politics come together. However, the 9th house is also about spirituality and beliefs in something transcendent. With Saturn working his magic for you in this house you may find that you may have to let go of your once cherished ideals and look at belief as well. This is a flowing aspect so things will move more quickly in this regard – you could find yourself being taken by surprise by what comes into you mind – or by meeting people who embody these ideas for you. You may find that you wish to go back into higher education or travel to broaden you mind. It is an exciting time for you, and while you wish to move quickly on your new thoughts, Saturn will ensure that you examine the details and your heart closely so as to do what is right for your longer term future.

Pisces 19th February – 20th March – 8th House Saturn. This is a long period of getting real with regards to your shared financial commitments and resources – such as mortgages, loans and taxes. You may have left them to others to deal with for you, trusting that they had your best interests at heart. In these straitened times you would be advised to take more of a driving seat position. Pisces is so sympathetic and compassionate towards others that you can get taken for a ride by them – time to learn compassion for yourself! The challenge for you comes through a clash with the deepest values of those that you are closest to – as you find that they are probably completely at odds with your own values. The task is to find a middle way in order to live in harmony with both yourself and them emerging strengthened by the process. This can be a time of profound transformation through intense encounters with others, and can help you to become a more worldly wise person as a result.

And finally here is the link to the video on compassion i referred to at the beginning of this post.  Joan Halifax talk.

Print or Email