Saturn Direct

4.5.06


Today (Wed Apr 5), Saturn briefly stood still (otherwise known as stationing, for you astro-fiends) before heading back to direct motion, to retread all its recent ground.

Typically, I wouldn't find this super-exciting news, since Saturn spends about a third of each year in retrograde. (This current phase began back on Nov 22 05.) During these retrograde periods, the Saturnine work of structuring our energies (so they'll amount to something later) and facing our limitations (so we don't 'overdo' life) adopts a more inward focus. Once Saturn returns direct, though, we return to a more active engagement with the business of the outside world… wanting to work harder, achieve more, and gain added wisdom along the road.

This particular Saturn station, however, makes me prick my ears like a dog who hears the rattle of his food bowl being filled and comes running. Saturn's current transit through Leo thus far has delivered some humbling blows—including to key figures on the American political scene. And with Saturn facing forward again, further newsworthy developments can be expected.

As Saturn first entered Leo back in Jul 05, I reported on its constrictive effect on bloated egos and indulgent attention-grabbing tactics. Whenever the Leo spirit motivates us to express our genuine love and a creatively vital zest for life, Saturn has helped us along by fortifying our sense of who we are. We naturally exude an enhanced self-confidence—which we've legitimately procured, through sustained good deeds and measures—and others bestow their respect on us accordingly.

But if we're all talk and no action… if we like the attention, but don't give enough of ourselves to warrant it… if we opt for what makes us look good over what authentically suits our souls… well, then, Saturn in Leo bears all the makings of a rude awakening. We either lose what we haven't earned, or the threat of its departure looms large. We simply can't hold onto it, if it doesn't really belong to us.

With Saturn direct once again, the process of due deflations proceeds. And for the proudest among us, it could hurt like a mo-fo.

Over these next three months, as Saturn retraces the shadow of its retrograde, we'll witness some startlingly hasty resolutions to what's been set in motion since last summer. For a while there (from Nov 05 to Feb 06), outward progress seemed stalled, as the quadruple-decker 'grand cross'—Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune at right angles to each other—cornered us into submission. We had nowhere to look but in the mirror… and it wasn't always a pretty sight. But stuck in place, at least we (hopefully) found the time to work on ourselves. That inner work held the only real promise for moving forward at that time.

Now, the internal pressure-cooker has popped its lid, to give way to significant external movement. Opportunities ahead are chock full of chances to test out what we've learned about ourselves—through how boldly, though responsibly, we put it out there. (Remember: Not too vain or self-absorbed. Not too easily swayed by compliments or kudos. No falling victims to svengali-esque promises that Mr. Big will 'make you a star!')

This also means we should soon spy headline-making events in the lives of our Leo-influenced public figures. In California, Gov. Schwarzenegger, who faced an embarrassing political defeat at Saturn's last pass over his natal Leo Sun in Nov 05, will prove if he's learned the lesson of humility. (I'm not holding my breath.) Considering he's also in the midst of his second Saturn return—and with natal Pluto wrapped up in the mix—it's do or die. He has between now and the next gubernatorial election in Nov 06 to recreate his image as someone who cares about voters… and actually mean it this time.

On the national level, President Bush must contend with Saturn's repeat conjunction to his natal Leo Ascendent and Mercury-Pluto conjunction, which has already resulted in his lowest approval ratings ever. He's going to have to find a better approach to woo public opinion than down-home charm and autocratic self-importance. The wisest 'difficult decisions' he could make will involve distancing himself from some of the cronies who've gotten him into this mess—especially Dick Cheney, who must deal with his own Saturn challenges, as it continues to gratingly oppose his Sun. And within the next few months, we'll undoubtedly see renewed interest—and additional consequences—to both the Valerie Plame/CIA leak case and the domestic spying scandal. These are two picture-perfect examples of Saturn-in-Leo's lowering the boom on royal authority that has gone too far.

It's not too late to save what matters most dearly to you, if Saturn's pressure has been crunching down on it—with an open mind, a modest mouth, and true generosity up the wazoo. (Are you listening Bush?) If you're just saving face, however, the rest of us will sniff it out… and think even less of you for trying to pull one over on us.

That's the funny thing about Saturn in Leo: Without investing your honest-to-God true self into your efforts, they'll fall short and ring hollow. You just can't fake a love for what you do, no matter how bright-white your smile or sprayed-in-place your hair.

You folks with planetary placements in early Leo (or the early parts of Aquarius, Taurus or Scorpio) are going through the worst part of it now. If your birthday is in the last week of July, I'm sorry about how frustrating life may currently seem. You're being toughened up, to see how serious you are with your present goals—and if you're hitting a wall, it's for a good reason.

Saturn is now angling straight toward an opposition with Neptune, which hits its first peak in August and continues into '07. This Saturn-Neptune opposition is arguably the most potent aspect of the next year-and-a-half. (You'll hear plenty on this later.) Let's just say we're setting the framework for finally seeing where idealism is falling short of reality.

Only in the presence of disillusion will we find the emotional spark to switch things up.