The Sun will shift into harmonizing Libra at 7:49 A.M. PST on September 22nd, but this cycle’s main event will take place on October 5th. That’s when lesson-baring Saturn will move from graceful Libra, where it has been since October 29, 2009, into passionate, purifying Scorpio. The transit will last until December 23, 2014 with a retrograde revisit scheduled from June 14th to September 16th of 2015. Before that celestial changing of the guard, we have some ideal aspects for brainstorming and another Cardinal portal of bright beginnings to travel through. Also during the upcoming Libra cycle, active Mars will move into adventurous Sagittarius, mental Mercury will delve into intense Scorpio and artistic Venus will beautify service-oriented Virgo. Joining Jupiter in Gemini and Neptune in Pisces, Mars and Venus will form more Mutable squares and oppositions, further encouraging release and renewal.
The Libra cycles gets off to a lively start when the moon moves into Cardinal Capricorn on September 22nd. In alliance with powerful Pluto, the moon will square Uranus, the Sun, Mercury and Saturn through the 24th. These energies are bound to stir us up and spur us into action. Aligning our thoughts, words and deeds with high frequencies of awareness, the moon will next head into lofty Aquarius. There, with the Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Jupiter in fellow air signs, it will beam rays of sheer brilliance to us through the 26th. The last of Saturn’s transit through balanced, deliberating Libra will lend soundness to the ingenuity coming during these days. October 8th, with its exact Sun Jupiter trine, is another five-star day for bright ideas. Putting the wind beneath our wings, or lighting the fire under our arses, a full Aries moon is set for September 29th. Rambunctious, pioneering and ever provocative, Ram’s irrepressible spirit will inform and infuse us until October 1st. Much more than the mere turning of a calendar page, October 1st marks a turning of the celestial tide. That week Venus, Mercury, Mars and Saturn will change signs and generous Jupiter will turn retrograde. The most significant planetary shift is that of Saturn.
We are in the midst of a fifteen-year Pluto journey through reforming Capricorn and a three-year series of Uranus Pluto squares. Their propulsion will be strengthened in 2014 when Jupiter traverses Cancer and forms more major planet Cardinal crosses. And recently, on August 29th, the moon’s nodes shifted to the Taurus Scorpio axis. It is into this eventful context that Saturn’s transit of Scorpio occurs. I’ll be writing more about the implications of the lunar node shift in the Sun Into Scorpio edition of the newsletter next month. For now, understanding more about the Saturn Scorpio transit is what’s important. Because it has as many implications as it has interpretations, I highly recommend reading the work of many astrologers about this transit.
Its icy rings have been visible since 1610, and they’ve reinforced Saturn’s reputation as the planet symbolic of boundaries, discipline and limitations. Saturn is astrology’s authority figure, and it teaches us to earn life’s rewards. Scorpio, represented by the scorpion, snake and phoenix, is the sign of metamorphosis. Amongst its many gifts are honestly, intimacy and death. This is a call to truthfully examine ourselves, and to change. For the next three years, each time an emotional button is pushed or a psychological issue is triggered, resolute Saturn will offer Scorpion medicine. Blocks to intimacy can be revealed and healed. Mortality is another Scorpion awakener. In the gifted hands of the planet governing time, respect for death’s inevitability can help us live on purpose. Sober, abiding Saturn will help us face and overcome the fears preventing us from living our most cherished dreams. Immensely connected with the Neptune and Chiron transits of Pisces, this is cosmic transformation of the deepest magnitude. Indifference is not an option. For the resistant, this transit will be harsh. Saturn is as inflexible and it is relentless, and in emotional Scorpio it will be intent on getting to the heart of matters. For the hearts and minds bravely committed to personal and planetary evolution, this transit is alchemist’s gold. We can release all heart chakra blockages and experience new levels of awareness and intimacy. Our first treatment is scheduled on Oct 10th when Saturn trines Neptune. The challenge for us will be to not deny that we care, but to fully acknowledge how dearly and deeply we do.
15 October 2012 New Moon
To gently usher in the beginning of this great change, the cleansing energies of the Mutable signs will be in evidence for the reminder of the Libra cycle. With Jupiter in Gemini, Venus in Virgo, Mars in Sagittarius and Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, each Mutable point of the zodiac’s wheel will be occupied. Strong messages about what to let go of will be reinforced by Mercury’s presence in detecting Scorpio. Dates to watch for these invitations to reflect and release include October 7th, 12th, 16th and 17th. Saturn’s presence is Scorpio will add resonance to the clarity coming through far beyond this Sun cycle.
On the whole, the sweeping shift we are all experiencing is unfolding over many years, and the Saturn transit through Scorpio is poised to play a major role in it. For now, the Sun is entering diplomatic, instigating Libra to initiate us for the life-altering sojourn. It arrives here each autumn to start the new season and to remind us of our relationships. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and Libra shows us where and how we can evolve through the people in our lives. Often reprinted at this time of year, the Prayer of St. Francis, elegantly expresses the wisdom and grace of this evocative sign. This prayer also reminds us to get outside of ourselves long enough to support those we are blessed to have in our lives. Its essence activates a deep internal shift that moves our Light and love outward. At a point of such tremendous planetary change, its transformational simplicity is well worth practicing. Happy Birthday Libra!
The prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood as to understand
to be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life
