'Saturn Devouring His Son' - Francisco De Goya
There are lots of things that we go through in life that I feel people would understand better if they knew a little about astrology.
Like cycles. Cycles that include things like challenges. And depression.
No-No-Words for Bliss Ninnies and Secret-Pushers.
But these are things that happen to us nonetheless.
And why do they?
Is there a way, as many New Agers believe, that we can change these realities?
Can we really 'manifest' or perception-change our way out of these times in life? Can we really find a way to always master complete abandon and joy in the face of horrible difficulties?
Personally, as an astrologer, I don't think so.
For a few reasons.
We're human beings. And being human means that we experience a full spectrum and range of life that offers us a full spectrum and range of development. To jettison any part of this human experience from ourselves, especially harshness, depression, and difficulty, is a disservice to our development. Instead, I think that these times of challenge offer us a lot. Especially if we meet the challenges at their depths and don't avoid their powerful messages.
What? Embrace negativity?
Well, maybe not embrace it. But pull back and look at the big picture: in the full scope of what these natural cycles bring to our lives, a natural and short-term product of their effect is negativity. A negativity which, when fully experienced and transcended, brings us to a new maturity in life. Negativity is often a short-term condition that we are experiencing that is actually able to offer us a fuller perspective of life if we move through it and don't get stuck in it. Its gift is greater understanding. It may have come from a difficult situation.. but it is ultimately leading us, through tension, to a greater unfolding of understanding.
We're usually experiencing negativity because of challenges to our structures. To what we feel we deserve, how we go about getting it, and why.
Astrologically speaking, I think the planet to talk about here is Saturn.
Seeing where Saturn is transiting in your chart can give you great insight into the kind of negativity, difficulty, and challenge that is showing up in your life right now.
Saturn transits are some of the strongest transits (for good or for bad) that we can go through.
You were born with Saturn somewhere in your natal chart.. but it's been moving in relationship to the planets of your chart ever since then. The relationship of a planet that's moving to a planet in your natal chart is called a "Transit". We're all going through them. All the time.
So why does Saturn control this particular part of life experience?
Saturn is basically.. Dad. The traditional archetype of Dad. Saturn is here to give us a sense of discipline. We know that there is a structure, a path, and a security in following that path because of Saturn. That’s Saturn's kingdom: the way. Saturn rules the part of life that’s all about structured routes. Like when you're having coffee with a friend, sighing, and talking about how many more years you've got in school before you can get your internship and your certification. Saturn says “You’ve got to do things consistently this long and in this way in order to get here”.
Saturn is necessary in order to achieve the means to an end. But it’s also interested in showing us what harsh consequences await us when we don’t follow the structures that life is asking us to. Other outer planets are more concerned in getting us to break from tradition (Like Uranus. And don't worry, he gets a turn behind the wheel from time to time as well), but when Saturn is in control.. it wants us to prove that we have follow-through. That we can stay the course. And sometimes, it will create very harsh circumstances so that we can prove to ourselves and others that we can stay the course.
So, when Saturn moves into a new aspect with one of your natal planets in your chart.. you will go through a new cycle involving structures in your life.
Of course, these don’t always have to be bad. If transiting Saturn trines your natal Mars, you may go through a period in life of having incredible staying power. You may train for and complete a marathon with an amount of strength that you wouldn’t have had at another period of your life. If transiting Saturn trines your Midheaven.. you may go through a period of incredible career gains based on all of the hard work you’ve put in to build towards success. All of these (and more) can be good.
But what about when things fall apart? When depression hits? When harsh life circumstances pile up and drown you? These are the times when you are likely going through a harsh Saturn transit.. and this is where I believe that understanding the energies that are happening can really help you.
When Saturn is Squaring or Opposing a major planet in your chart.. it can feel like one of the most challenging times of your life. Deaths, divorce, layoffs, audits, unforeseen accidents and unforeseen expenses. You just feel weighed down.. like nothing you do is making a difference, or that everything you're doing is being challenged from all sides. During these times, it can feel so discouraging to even go on that you wonder why you even try. Why it even makes a difference to keep going. And frankly.. that’s exactly what these transits are for; for you to learn what making a difference actually is. And you know what it is? Saturn will tell you:
It’s showing up every day anyway.
I know. Not glamorous.. but Saturn isn’t about glamour. Saturn Squared or Opposed wants you to evolve to the point of acting out of true conviction for your goals. It wants you to know your truth and your plan so well, that you can act out of patience and persistence in the face of adversity. If you are in one of these transits.. it can be tempting to fall into a depression fueled by imagining better days; days where things were easier. Of course things were once easier! That’s not what this is about right now. That’s not what your reality is now. Saturn says, “The rewards will come if you do your work.”, and if you don’t, the pressures will feel a whole lot harder and the pain will be much more painful until you do. Saturn does not care how you feel about this. It doesn't take your emotions about these matters into consideration. That's the territory of other planets.. but not of Structure himself.
During these harsh Saturn transits we are also likely to feel overly self-critical. In fact, when I went through a Saturn-Sun Opposition about 7 years ago, I went through an eating disorder. (Of course Saturn was opposing my Sun from the 6th House - the house of health, daily habits, and service).
The harshness I felt about myself through this transit fueled the dysfunctionally-structured habits of my disorder. And naturally so. When we are wearing Saturn-colored glasses through a Transit, we’re naturally going to be comparing ourselves to structures that we decide are important to us. Wether they're good or bad ones. In the case of my eating disorder.. the arbitrary structure of physical perfection given to me by mass media appraisal and misread messages of old body image wounds.
I lived out a year in the eating disorder before I came to the end of it.. and then I was completely over it. I had to come out of the mentality that was fueling it. If you’re able to see it this way.. this process can actually be one of the rewards of Saturn’s process. It will let you play out the complete harshness of a (wrong) structure so that you can arrive at a better, more healthy structure. It doesn’t care about how you feel. It’s not sensitive. It says, “You’ll do what you need to do in order to get here”. And so it is.
But what if I'd known about the astrological implications of the transit I was going through? Could I have responded to those energies in a healthier way?
Perhaps so.
But then again.. was the challenge and disorder I went through necessary for the full experiential understanding?
Perhaps so.
What happened .. happened. And through whatever means, I learned what I needed to learn. But I do believe that if we can see where Saturn is, or is heading, in relation to our natal charts, we can prepare ourselves mentally with whatever foresight and wisdom we are able to access. Of course, since the very nature of these transits is to structure us in new ways, including our blind spots, some of their harshness may feel inevitable. But we can prepare a support system for ourselves. We can find a way to work productively with the energy. We can educate ourselves, spiritually expand ourselves, and integrate our energies in such a way that we respond, not react, to the discipline of Saturn.
But even if we don't.. Saturn will happen anyway.
This planet will always be somewhere in our charts. We will always be struggling with its harshness somehow. And I don't believe that that needs to be a bad thing. In fact, it leads me to believe that it is a very natural part of the tensions of life. Tensions that cause us to grow up, show up, and prove something. That's what Saturn does.. and that's what it wants.
So how can you see what Saturn is doing in your transit chart right now?
Well. You could get a transit reading from me...
Or... if you have a little astrological knowledge..
You can access various websites (Such as www.astro.com - 'Extended Chart Section - Transits'), or astrology programs, and have a look at where Saturn is in your own chart.
I find it to be useful information.
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