Astro Update - Issue #8

Welcome to Llewellyn's Astro e-newsletter. We experienced our first spring thunderstorm here in Minnesota last week. Of course, I didn't have my umbrella anywhere nearby, and couldn't even remember where it was. When seasonal change comes, we have to make personal adjustments, too. Clothing, shoes, schedules, activities - everything can change, and usually does.

On the second day of spring, March 21, Saturn turned direct after being retrograde in Cancer since November 8, 2004. What kind of change will Saturn's direct motion initiate in our lives? That depends on how responsive we are. In my most recent Saturn period, I cleaned house in a BIG way. We remodeled and built an addition on our home. It truly was a period of "out with the old, worn out, and no longer useful stuff." It was a lot of hard work (and money), but we're happy with the changes.

Astrologer Rob Hand says Saturn represents "the way you program your universe at the deepest and most fundamental level." Our personal universe is found within. It is a constellation of people (family, friends, coworkers, etc.) and events (church and school learning, weddings, births, deaths, etc.) we have experienced throughout our lives. Those people, organizations, and events helped us form our core beliefs about life, and what we want or expect from life.

We seldom experience Saturn's energy as all "warm and fuzzy." In fact, Saturn's transit to a personal planet - especially if it's to your natal Moon - can be a sad, fear-filled time. Transiting Saturn can initiate a time when we experience the loss of a job, home, family member, or money, too. Not a lot of fun. But sadness and fear are normal responses that may be showing us things or beliefs we need to let go of. If we pay attention, Saturn's energy can help us identify and pare away the fat from a bloated budget, or learn better time management, for example. And it will help us to take on new responsibilities.

Saturn turned direct at 20 degrees Cancer, which happens to be exactly square my Aries Ascendant. I feel the responsibility of additional house payments, and a family member is preparing to transition to the spirit life after an extended illness. I also feel that some things I've believed for a long time are no longer useful. I need to leave them behind.

Saturn can be a lean, mean, fighting machine that will work either with or against us. The choice is always ours to make. If we work with the energy of limitation and restructuring, we'll experience growth and change, and be able to move toward new people and experiences - jobs, homes, relationships, etc.

Take a few minutes to assess your mood, your concerns, and the events occurring in your life. Where are Cancer and transiting Saturn in your birth chart? Do you feel Saturn's energy at work there? Are you cooperating with it, or resisting? Are you truly in touch with your current needs? Or are you making decisions and planning your life according to an outdated set of beliefs and values?

Most of us resist making personal changes unless we're really miserable. But, Saturn is the ruler of time, too, and what is ignored now - bad habits, broken or hurtful relationships, extra weight, whatever - will stick around until you get even more tired or damaged by it. If we don't make progress when given the opportunity (Saturn direct), we can rest assured that when Saturn is retrograde again November 22, 2005 to April 4, 2006, we will have more time to reconsider what or who we choose to include in our inner universe.

Saturn is headed toward Leo (arriving there in mid-July 2005). We'll have other things to learn about ourselves then. Romance may make a u-turn, children may get more challenging (not good timing, considering they're out of school for the summer), or, if you've been taking risks or speculating, you may have to make changes related to those endeavors. Perhaps you'll need to make decisions about your creative life . . . the cycle continues . . .!