Saturn Retrograde in Libra - January 26, 2011

They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb -- but this January trumped that! We began the year with two eclipses (in Capricorn and Cancer) that BANG BANG brought home issues around nurturing of ourselves and others through compassion and care as well as work and routine habits. Those eclipses also challenged us around relationships – what needed to grow and what needed to be pruned. We began the year with a call to put some areas of life in order. It may have felt shockingly numbing if someone left our life or we had to remove someone from our life OR if we were removed from someone’s life.

The question of putting some areas of life in order is also the thrust of Saturn’s lessons. Right now Saturn in Libra has been stationing retrograde, or sitting still before retrograding, at 17 Libra.

Jupiter has transited forward into Aries for its last sweep there for another 12 years. It will cover all of Aries by May. Uranus will enter Aries on March 11th, adding shockwaves -- shocking, surprising, and unusual or unexpected situations and events to our lives. You can expect to hear about and experience changes in communications, the Internet, and governmental leadership.

But most importantly, slowly changing the landscape behind all this is transiting Saturn in Libra, which will station retrograde on January 26th and be retrograde for 4½ months until June 14th .

Whatever took place in your life, whatever lessons you were presented with since September, it will be brought to your attention again and re-addressed so you can gain deeper understanding. In plain language, Father Saturn, the Teacher, is telling you to “get it right” this time, to “do right”, or to “make things right”. Whatever you were resisting, not committing to, running from, ignoring, and fighting is coming to sit in your living room again. For the past nearly 5 months, you have had some time to understand what is being required of you and you have been able to glimpse the future consequences of resisting, fighting, running away or refusing to commit. If you handled things immaturely, you likely have been depressed, been hearing the word “No” as others resist you, and you have found doors shutting and criticism getting louder. Things are likely not working out to be as you would like. The old ways are not working. You must take personal responsibility and create structure and substance in life. The new and mature ways are the only positive direction you can take. You have a choice, but the choice you make clearly will set you on a path that is positive and productive or negative and non-productive.

This Saturn in Libra retrograde period, as with all Saturn retrogrades also demands that we work with what is happening now, not new projects or relationships. It is not a time to “move on”. It is a time to deal fairly, rightly, with commitment, and firmly with issues from your past that have been left unresolved, unjust/unfair or imbalanced. Set firm boundaries and handle past issues rather than start or address new pursuits. You may need to admit to yourself that you acted immaturely in the past and now need to apologize to someone or see if there is anything you can do to make a past wrong right. Maybe someone else must do that in regards to you.

The situation(s) and relationship(s) Saturn in Libra wants you to address will progress after June 14th when Saturn stations direct. In the time Saturn is retrograde you will have opportunity to establish right relationships and situations, re-structure your life to accommodate the relationships and situations “just right” so that they make a perfectly fitted outcome in your life.

Saturn in Libra: Balance for a New Year

Every year in Denmark on New Year’s Eve, the monarch, Queen Margrethe, gives a message to the people. This year was no exception. While the royal family does not take political positions or interfere in the country’s governing body, the Danish Parliament, the Queen is known for some wise words in her annual message.

The planet Saturn has been transiting Libra, the sign of, among other things, relationships, commitment, balance, justice and doing the right thing. Saturn has reached its mid point, and has clearly shown the world the areas in which it needs to get itself back on tracks.

Denmark, is a country which historically built itself up from a poor agrarian country with a few very wealthy and many, many poor people who starved, were homeless or lived in squalid conditions and who had no job or education. Since the 1940’s or so, it created an economic and social model called “flexicurity” which brought a very Libran balance to society – through taxes, everyone is able to have: a place to live; a free education at whatever level they choose and receive both free tuition and additional financial support while doing so; financial assistance (welfare) if they need it; there are private unemployment insurance agencies; unions; pension and support in other ways. An early retirement system originally designed for manual laborers who needed to stop working at 60 and have some years of decent health in retirement, was extended to white-collar (office) workers when they claimed it was too stressful on them to work in an office past the age of 60 a and that they, too, deserved early retirement. The safety net in Denmark is thick and strong. A person does not need to live in a cardboard box under a bridge and eat dog food because he/she does not have money. Children and elderly are cared for – the sign of a civilized, humane and thriving society.

But something has taken a turn for the worst and the scales have become imbalanced. Globalization, which is an inevitable fact even in small countries like Denmark, and the global financial crisis, have hit at the same time that Denmark now has adult citizens who have never experienced anything but prosperity. The divorce rate is 50% and the birth rate has dropped in the last three decades as Danes are increasingly focused on making their homes and themselves look beautiful (Libra!) and that often does not include forming committed marriages (note: people do also live together commonly in Denmark) and working through the problems nor spending money and time on raising a child. As a Danish friend of mine said to me recently, there is an entire generation, born from 1980-1990,who have known such wealth, personally and through their parents, that they think (money grows on trees) and they feel entitled to have anything they want, and lots of it, without having to contribute through working, paying taxes or giving back. They feel a sense of entitlement and a sense of resentment, he explained to me. Egos have gotten out of control.

These two elements have come together in the perfect storm, creating an atmosphere where wealthy politicians (earning approximately $15-18K/month, tax free) with angry, inhumane, arrogant, extremist and discriminatory viewpoints are blaming the poorest in Danish society (welfare recipients, the unemployed, university students, 1st and 2nd generation immigrants, families with children, and the poor who are infertile) for any deficit in Denmark’s finances. Wealthy political conservatives in Denmark have gone to the extreme, making nationalistic cultural demands and calling for more and more financial benefits to be taken away from the poor in the above listed groups because they think it will prevent any higher taxes on those with high incomes. In their actions and veiled words, they accuse the unemployed of being lazy bums who refuse to work and are living an easy life, the infertile poor of wasting money (over 6,000 Danish children were born each year through free fertility services, which ended December 31, 2010) and immigrants from certain countries of tainting Danish society with crime and totalitarianism. At the same time a generation of inward-looking, overly individualistic men and women are reaching the age of 30 and many of them are prolonging their time in university, taking their free university education fleeing to other countries (brain drain and tax drain), not having children, not getting married nor committing to an adult relationship, and do not feel the same sense of obligation to contribute financially to the system that gave them a comfortable life for the first third of their life, assuming they will live to be approximately 90. The scales of Denmark are imbalanced and the war is on!

Against the background of these events, Queen Margrethe gave her annual new years speech on December 31, 2010. Some of the highlights:

We need each other

”Fællesskabet er en stærk kvalitet, som vi skal skønne på, og som vi har brug for, når tiderne er mindre gunstige. Vi skal sammen bruge vores idérigdom, vores flid og skaberkraft. Det er egenskaber vi kan trække på, når vi nu søger at vriste os helt ud af krisens greb. ”(Community is a strong quality that we must appreciate and which we need when times are less favorable. Together we must use our ingenuity, our hard work and creative power. These are characteristics we can draw on when we seek to pry ourselves out of the grips of crisis.)

”Når vi ser, hvordan andre bliver stadig dygtigere, skal vi ikke lade os skræmme af det, men lade det være en spore for os. Vi må ikke stille os tilfreds med det, vi engang var dygtige til, men fortsat bruge den blanding af individualisme og sammenhold, som har bragt os langt.” (When we see how others are improving, we must not let ourselves be intimidated by it, but let it be a spur for us. We must not content ourselves with what we once were proficient in, but still use the mix of individualism and unity that has brought us this far.)

”Kriser og vanskelige tider har Danmark kendt mange af i tidens løb, men vi er sammen kommet igennem dem, og alle har været med. ” (Crises and difficult times, Denmark has known many of over the years, but we got through them together, and all have been involved.)

We have become too egoistic

"Men er der i disse år tegn på, at vi er blevet mere egoistiske, at vi er blevet tilbøjelige til først og fremmest at kræve ind og sikre os, at vi hver især får det vi selv mener at have krav på? Er vi ved at blive mistroiske overfor hinanden og tillægge hinanden mindre pæne motiver? (But is there in these years indication that we have become more selfish, that we have been prone to first and foremost to withdraw and make sure that we each get what we ourselves believe we are entitled to? Are we becoming distrustful towards each other and ascribing to each other less pure motives?)

The moral crisis is more serious than the economic crisis

”Så er det ikke alene en økonomisk krise vi befinder os i, så er det vore holdninger, der er ved at komme i skred. Det er en krise, der kommer snigende og som kan forgifte vort forhold til hinanden. Så er vi ved at sætte noget over styr, som kan være uopretteligt.” (So it is not only an economic crisis we find ourselves, then it is our attitudes that is slipping. It is a crisis that is insidious and can poison our relationships with each other. In this way, we are putting something at risk, which may be irreparable.)

”Den krise, der så at sige kan måles og vejes, som man kan sætte tal på og tegne kurver over, er ikke nær så alvorlig, som hvis det er vore værdier og holdninger, der vakler. Den økonomiske krise vi nu står i, skal vi nok finde vej ud af på kortere eller længere sigt; men vi skal ud af den med anstændigheden i behold og uden at sætte fællesskabet over styr.” (The [economic] crisis, which, so to speak, can be measured and weighed, as one can quantify and graph curves, is not nearly as serious as if it is our values and attitudes that falters. The economic crisis we now face, we will find our way out of in the short or longer term, but we must find our way out of it with our decency intact and without putting the community at risk.)

We have forgotten the basics

”I løbet af det seneste par generationer har samfundet udviklet sig sådan, at vi kan leve mere og mere trygt, både økonomisk og socialt. Vi har vænnet os til frit at kunne vælge og vrage i stort som i småt. Vi har fået det så godt, at vi næsten har glemt, at vore valg også har konsekvenser, og at ikke alle livets vilkår kan vælges til eller fra." (Over the past few generations, [Danish] society has evolved such that we can live more safely, economically and socially. We have become accustomed to freely picking and choosing the size of the fine print. We have had it so well that we almost have forgotten that our choices also have consequences and that not all of life's conditions can be turned on or off).

Committed interdependence is necessary

”Vi mennesker lever i gensidige afhængighedsforhold. Det gælder i dag, som i går og til alle tider. Tidligere stod det måske mere klart, dengang man levede i de små landsbysamfund, hvor mange opgaver måtte løses i fællesskab, og da flere generationer ofte levede under samme tag, og enhver havde sine opgaver at varetage over for hinanden. Det var et afhængighedsforhold, der var tydeligt for enhver. I dag har vi overladt til samfundet at klare mange af de forpligtelser, som engang var hver enkeltes opgave. Ofte går det så vidt, at vi helt glemmer eller overser, at samfundet jo egentlig er os selv, og at det slet ikke kan fungere, hvis vi ikke hver især gør en indsats og føler en forpligtelse over for såvel vore nærmeste, som for dem vi ikke lige løber på i det daglige.” (We human beings live in mutual dependence. It is true today, as yesterday, and at all times. Earlier, it was perhaps more evident when people lived in small villages, where many tasks had to be solved jointly, and when several generations often lived under the same roof, and all had their tasks to perform for each other. It was a relationship that was obvious to everyone. Today we entrust it to society to handle many of the obligations that were once each individual’s task. Often it goes so far that we completely forget or overlook the fact that the society is really ourselves, and that it does not work if we do not each make an effort and feel a commitment to both our loved ones, as well as those we do not have contact with on a daily basis.)

Freedom and prosperity = compassion

“Vi har opnået en frihed til at forme vort eget liv, som tidligere generationer aldrig har kendt magen til, og det skal vi skønne på. Men vi bør også huske, at ingen kan klare sig selv helt alene. Derfor skal vi også passe på det samfund, som vi kender som en tryg ramme om den enkeltes udfoldelse, og have øjne og ører og hjerte åbne for vore medmennesker.” (We have achieved a freedom to shape our own life that previous generations have never known the likes of, and we appreciate. But we should also remember that no one can fend for themselves alone. Therefore, we must also take good care of the society which we know as a safe setting for personal development, and have eyes and ears and hearts open to our fellow man.)

****************

This message reflects the meaning of Saturn in Libra. Denmark is not the only country facing the same issues. Other European countries, the USA etc are dealing with economic and moral (attitude) crisis. The theology of scarcity is running rampant and the haves are blatantly and rapaciously taking from the poor, the unemployed, children, elderly, the uneducated, and the sick. However, the fight is a hard one because the universe is determined to break down and break what does not work and restructure society (Saturn) to bring balanced relationships.

As more people seek to take from those who should not be taken from, more imbalances and shortages will come and society will not function well. It is an absurd pipe-dream to think that you can achieve financial balance and prosperity in any society by depriving some people of educations, healthcare, housing, and quite simply, the same human dignity you desire for yourself. It is only in restructuring societies in a balanced manner that there will be peace and prosperity.

The scales must be balanced.

In the USA, in every state, there is a department responsible for weights and measures. It ensures that scales are telling their true weights and containers are holding the volumes they say claim. Sometimes some people cheat and things are not fairly measured, weighed or distributed. That means sometimes adjustments must be made, and those who are stacking things in favour of themselves must be corrected. Saturn has that responsibility, showing us where we must bring balance to relationships on a large-scale (country, community etc) and small scale (marriage, neighbors etc).

How long will it before certain people in our world admit that our global economic crisis is only worsened by an attitude crisis or what some would call our collective moral bankruptcy?

Saturn Return in Libra - Betty White

The first Saturn Return (adulthood) is generally a very challenging time at approximately age 29, the second Saturn Return (maturity) at approximately 58 is a little more relaxed and reflective, and the third Saturn Return at approximately 88, if you live to experience it,  is a time when we transition around the issue of life and death, either on the physical plane or through clarity and embracing of the passage of time. All Saturn Returns bring the promise of great rewards and achievements if we are willing to do the growth work required of us.

Betty White, an entertainer with one of the longest-running careers in history, is experiencing her third Saturn Return (natally retrograde in Libra) right now and it appears she is having a glorious time with life. The rewards are pouring in professionally as she is in fierce demand by people young enough to be her great-grandchildren.

A hardworking Capricorn, her career began immediately after her high school graduation, singing on her own radio show before she was 20. She was also a model and began small acting roles at that time. She hosted a talk show "The Betty White Show" on NBC in 1954. She later played many memorable characters in sitcoms such as "Life with Elizabeth", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (for which she won six Emmys), "The Betty White Show", "Golden Girls", and "Boston Legal", in addition to many supporting actor roles in television and film. A ground-breaking hardworker, "Life With Elizabeth" was nationally syndicated by the mid-1950s, thus making Betty White one of the only women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera 30 years before Oprah Winfrey.

In 2009 she began the transition of Progressed Venus (love, attraction, affection) over her Midheaven (career). Once that happened, her career exploded into a new life -- she recently appeared in three films, and also recently became the oldest living person to host Saturday Night Live in May 2010 after a Facebook group demanding she be host exceeded 500,000 members. She now has her own television program, a calendar (donating the proceeds), and a clothing line. She appeared in a Super Bowl ad as hard-playing football player, not afraid to get dirty tackling in the mud.

In Betty White's Natal Chart, with a Leo Ascendant ruled her Sun in Capricorn and her Sun conjunct Venus in Capricorn, she has a very jovial nature and is well-liked and lucky. But with Jupiter squaring her Sun/Venus she may have been a bit careless with that luck -- or at least might seem to be  casual about her luck. Her Capricorn work ethic and dedication is strong and it would not be surprising if she views things not as luck but as the result of hard work she has done (but you would never know it from her sunny demeanor). She has appeared to moved upwards in her life and career with a joyful laugh and a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

While little is known her childhood, it was likely challenging with a natal Saturn retrograde in a challenging square with Pluto (you could speculate about divorce, loss or problems with her parent's marriage and perhaps an absentee father for some reason). But the Capricorn energy, and Mars in Scorpio trine Pluto (power) gives her mighty strength to tackle life's challenges and be a success.

Her 7th house of marriage, cusped by Aquarius and containing Uranus, is indicative of the story of her marital life -- three husbands. The first two marriages ended in divorce and she stayed unmarried for nearly 20 years until she met and married Allen Ludden ("Candid Camera") when she was 41. They met in a work situation while she was doing regular stints on the game show "Password", which he hosted. They were married nearly 20 years, until he died of cancer.

Working hard on her new entrepreneurial ventures and a new sitcom call "Hot in Cleveland", Betty White is riding high and steady on her third Saturn Return and he rewards of her hard work are all around her and left as a legacy that will remain into the future.

Who's Your Daddy? (Saturn in Libra for Aries)

The news is out that Saturn has ingressed the sign of Libra. We had a small taste of it for six months from the end of October 2009 until mid-April 2010. The sign of The Scales will be its temporary home for a 25 month journey.


We know it will affect people with Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Saturn in Libra very strongly and specifically in some area(s) of life. But what about people with Sun in Aries, the sign opposite Libra? Will they escape the maturing, structure-breaking and rebuilding lessons of Saturn? To answer that question with a question:

“Who’s your Daddy?”

Saturn. Saturn is your Daddy. In fact, Saturn is your Big Daddy.

Saturn will be dealing in great part with people who have Sun in Saturn, focusing shaping their identity, and with people who have Saturn in Libra, focusing on restructuring and balancing their relationships and partnerships in life. BUT, Saturn, like any parent with multiple children, will be hard at work teaching people with Sun in Aries about themselves.

When Saturn transits opposite your Sun, you are likely to find yourself disillusioned and disgusted with some aspect of your personality, with an important person in our life and/or authority figures, or with your personal plans and achievements. If you have not been managing your life effectively, the ego boosts that previously came your way are no longer forthcoming and confidence can be hard to find, which will be very frustrating for an Aries.

You may feel isolated socially. You must learn to rely on yourself and not resent it.

You may feel but more likely be blocked from advancing in the way you envisioned in your chosen career or life path. It is time to create and consider a Plan B and perhaps also a Plan C and trust that the benefits will one day be visible, even if it is several years later.

While Big Daddy Saturn in Libra opposes your Sun in Aries, ego boosts will not seem to be forthcoming, or if they are, you will likely not perceive them in that manner. You may be forced to tighten your financial, social or emotional belt, limiting your expression. Your physical energy is likely to be low. Even mechanical things around you (your car, your household appliances) may breakdown unexpectedly and more often than normal. Problems with skin, bones and teeth are likely to arise.

Your work income or business may be cut or disappear – or expenses may increase – and you must learn to make changes to adapt, whether it is to find a new source of (additional?) income, to make changes so as not to end up without enough savings for lean times, to change your loaning and borrowing practices or to learn to live on less and spend less.

If things or people leave your life, it is likely because the connection between you was weak, or they somehow no longer serve a healthy purpose in your life. Are you disgusted to the point of no wanting to associate anymore with your brother or your friend? Do you finally realize your marriage is a sham but you have been going through the motions? Now is the time to take slow, deliberate steps to deal with these relationships and make a decision, which could be to break ties. Taking a slow and steady approach to life is necessary now.

Big Daddy Saturn is expecting you to take the time to examine your previous commitments in relationships, work and other areas, to make improvements, to make hard but mature decisions and to be more efficient. It could mean big, significant changes or simply fine-tuning of processes you have already begun. Pushing too hard will likely lead to frustration and setbacks. You may feel drained, discourage and most commonly, depressed.

A word about depression: It is vital you take precautions to STAY AWAY FROM THE DARK SIDE!! There are so many things you can do: get an energy lamp and use it daily, start talking regularly with a coach or therapist, exercise at least 30 minutes per day (even if only a brisk walk), lower or eliminate your consumption of nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.

Aries is symbolized by The Ram and The Warrior. Aries people want to courageously take the lead and go head-first into challenges, pushing through solutions. But when Big Daddy Saturn is opposing your Sun sign it will hardly be possible to do so – and can at times be absolutely impossible. Saturn is one competitor you have no hope of defeating. You will recognize the wisdom, do the right thing and win OR fight, resist and do what you want to do and lose. The key is to remain in the reality of the situation or relationship, not attempt any shortcuts, and do the work. Do the right thing. Pay attention to the details, go slowly and accept that you cannot “beat” these lessons with sheer brute strength. You will end up bloodied and will lose confidence in your strength. The next two years are when Sun in Aries people must practice being lovers, not fighters.

Because this is a Saturn in Libra transit opposing your Sun, it is highly likely the loudest message you Mr./Ms. Aries are getting from Big Daddy Saturn is about the need to BALANCE your life. If you have been singularly focused on work or sports or self – and especially if you are single – it is important to examine your life and see in which area of life you are overcompensating for lack in another area(s) of life. Are you single and a workaholic or workaholic/sportsaholic who has no permanent partnership? If so, life will suddenly be quite lonely, no matter what you do to try to fill it with late nights at the office and sports games with friends. Being the Lone Ranger many no longer work well for you and

In short, yes, just as Big Daddy Saturn will be telling many people experiencing their Saturn Return at about age 29, he will be telling many Sun in Aries people it is time to commit to marriage!

Take it easy on yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically while working on self-improvement. Big Daddy Saturn will be proud of you and you path to being a stronger you and you will know it because the evidence in your general life, relationships and work will show it. The results of your changes will not always be immediate, but eventually they will be visible and produce solid, measureable, lasting rewards.


Barrett

Saturn in Libra has arrived!

Greetings friends!


On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Saturn, the Cosmic Parent and Lord of Karma, left the constellation of Virgo and transited into Libra.

The planet Saturn concerns karmic issues (what have you done or not done, because it is coming back to you?!), restrictions, losses, responsibilities, , structures and challenges. The constellation of Libra is about relationships, egalitarianism and equality (two separate things), love, marriage, legal matters, balance, working with others, partnership and sharing. You must build relationships, teams and partnerships which allow both parties to benefit and which bring growth to your life. If you have a relationship which is not calling and challenging you to grow, it will come apart by the end of the transit. We must learn to work together and our approach to projects must reflect that spirit of sharing. Saturn will work hard on those with Asc, Sun, Moon, Venus or Saturn in Libra until October 6, 2012.

If you have any selfish habits where Libran areas are concerned, Saturn is the planet that will break you down and force you to change and do the right thing OR you will have to choose to suffer losses, pains, and worse. What will YOUR choice be? Saturn does not play games -- you WILL do the right thing or spiral into some negative things. It is time for people with the above-listed Libra placements to get real and get busy with the realities of their life situations. You can drink alcohol, take drugs, and procrastinate if you like, but Saturn will not release you until you have gotten the message and you WILL not be the same after it is done with you. WHat you do or do not learn, how you do or do not grow, between now and Ocotber 2012 will deterimine your next 30 years in that area of life. If it is a Saturn Return for you -- whoaa! All I can say is get it right NOW. Don't end up on the other side of 30 messed up, depressed and suffering because things will just go downhill from there.

If you need a specific consultation on how Saturn in Libra is likely to affect you, or a Saturn Return consultation, send me a email.

To all you Virgos (and people with significant personal Virgo placements) who came through the last five years of eclipses in Virgo, coupled with Saturn in Virgo -- congratulations on making it through!! Now you can rejoice, assess what you learned and use it well over the next decade before 2036 when Saturn returns to that sign.

Blessings

Barrett