Saturn in Libra 1980's and Now

Saturn entered Libra yesterday, October 29, 2009. The last time Saturn was in this sign was from 1980 to 1983. Back then Ronald Reagan trounced Jimmy Carter in the Presidential election. Saturn entered Libra on September 21, 1980 and the recession of the 1980’s began in December 1980. That recession ended in November of 1982, just as Saturn made its first foray into Scorpio. During the years of Saturn’s previous sojourn through Libra, Congress enacted the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions act of 1982 which went into law in July of that year. This act deregulated the banks as well as the Savings and Loan institutions and was considered a major factor in the Savings and Loan crisis of that era. As the act’s name suggests, yes, this law was sponsored by our own Fernand St. Germain. Another interesting fact is that it was co-sponsored by Charles Shumer the Democratic Senator from New York who was then Congressmen from that district. Today we are dealing with the results of the Reagan era’s deregulation of banks and other financial institutions. Astrology is the study of cycles and the Saturn cycle is one that astrologers delight in because Saturn deals with the concrete, the real, the things that you can see, feel and touch thus providing events that manifest in the physical world. Saturn is the great task master and wherever Saturn is in your horoscope is the area of life where you have to face the music. Saturn slams your face against the concrete wall of reality. Libra the sign of art, beauty, harmony, peace and justice promotes relationship, cooperation and alliances. Saturn is exalted in Libra which means that Saturn functions well here. Saturn provides structure, contraction, concentration, boundaries, and discipline. Libra’s chief function is relationship, personal as well as societal. With Saturn in Libra we can expect issues to arise involving our relationships. During this transit we examine our relationships and any note of discord that we have previously ignored increases in volume until we have to deal with it. We can no longer tolerate certain aspects of the relationship. Divorce rates usually increase during a Saturn/Libra transit, but just as many relationships survive or form during this transit. Saturn brings longevity to whatever it touches. Saturn also gets rid of anything you don’t really need, what is no longer of value to you and what no longer serves your highest good. Saturn in Libra forces us to look at both sides of the picture. Saturn in Libra is the chief negotiator, as such; this combination plays a huge role in the peace process, whether personal or global. Diplomacy, treaties and alliances with an eye to justice increase during this transit. People who have planets in the early degrees of the Cardinal signs of Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn will be feeling the heat early on in Saturn’s sojourn through Libra. The waning squares between Pluto and Saturn begin on November 15th. The waxing square between these two brought us the first attack on the World Trade Center, the opposition brought 9/11, so with these closing squares (1/31/10 and final on 8/21/10) be prepared to see incidents associated with these events. The issues that arise in a personal horoscope involving these planets are usually very complex and require a great deal of digging and hard work to resolve. It’s the old “between a rock and a hard place” scenario. We’ll end on that cheery note.

Saturn Pluto and The Dance of the Macabre

On October 29th, this Thursday, Saturn enters Libra. This shift takes the pressure off Virgo and brings it to bear on the Librans. Saturn functions well in Libra. In astrological terms, Saturn is exalted here and the Saturn principles manifest easily. Saturn represents the physical structures of our universe. When Saturn transits, moves through, an area of your chart, that area faces tension, testing and examination. Saturn moving through the tenth house of career and public life often brings great rewards if you have done your work well. If you have tried to take shortcuts and have not done your homework, Saturn exposes your shortcomings. This holds true for any other area as well, such as relationships, physical body etc. If you have ignored your health and well being, when Saturn comes to call you are forced to deal with it. If your relationships have hidden tensions or problems and you’ve been coasting along, Saturn says take a look here. On November 15th Saturn makes the first, in a series of three, aspects to Pluto. Put these two bad boys together and you’ve got trouble. They signify crisis and conflict on an international level. Throw in some organized violence and oppression, totalitarian regimes and reactionary forces and you get a pretty good picture of what the Saturn/Pluto cycle represents. They “hung around St. Petersburg”, were active during the escalation of the Vietnam War and the US ignominious exit. The rise of Fascism in the 20’s, the economic crisis of the 30’s, at both attacks on the Twin Towers, Saturn and Pluto danced the dance of the macabre. The events associated with Saturn and Pluto often signal a loss of innocence, a sense that things will never be the same, a feeling of vulnerability and victimization. On a personal level we feel like we’re dealing with circumstances beyond our control. The company closes down; your apartment building is converting to Condominiums, your best friend moves away, gets married, gets divorced, is gay, is straight, is not the friend you thought. Saturn forces you to look at things very closely, to examine them to see what they are made of. Saturn says; face the reality of the situation. Pluto changes you on a very deep level. With Pluto, you look way down deep inside yourself and pull stuff out that you didn’t know was there. Sometimes that stuff is icky. Pluto brings all the crap to the surface where hopefully, it will dry up and blow away. At any rate, the next few years are not going to be easy ones. The economy, health care reform, war in Iraq and Afghanistan are symbols of the planetary alignments occurring now and over the next year or so. As an astrologer, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Pluto’s move through Capricorn will expose the ties between Wall Street, Big Oil, Health Insurers, Big Pharma and our elected officials. It remains to be seen what those in power and those who hold power behind the scenes will do in order to maintain that power. I fear that Bush’s game of raising the terror alerts to bolster his approval ratings will seem like child’s play.

New Moon Time Again

The Libra New Moon perfected at 1:33 AM Sunday morning. A Libra New Moon promotes harmony and balance, which is what Libra is all about. This Lunar cycle supports smooth relationships, the arts and artists, and diplomacy. This New Moon calls for an appreciation of the beauty around us. The harmony found in architecture, in nature, in the perfect relationship delight the soul. The perfect relationship is an ideal that we seldom experience but during this cycle we strive for that perfection and in the striving we improve on what we have. We’re looking for balance and in that process we see both sides of the picture. This ability to see both sides can make decision making difficult. The horoscope for this New Moon places the emphasis on the media, public transportation, border nations, and for you and me, the neighborhood, the daily commute and our siblings. The diplomatic nature of Libra indicates treaties, agreements and ambassadorial messages. While diplomacy takes a front seat there’s a hint of covert military action that will not be revealed until the Full Moon on November 2nd. In the run up to this Full Moon the issues of money, lending, the banks and Wall Street may or may not make the headlines but they are definitely on the table at closed door meetings of government officials. The cost of health care reform will make the headlines. Begin your discussions now before the Sun moves into Scorpio on Friday, when things become more complex. The Full Moon is on the Scorpio/Taurus axis with Mercury in Scorpio as well. Venus will be at the tail end of Libra, so there is still time for diplomacy, despite the Scorpio tongue. By the Last Quarter Moon of November 9th all bets are off. It’s full blown Scorpio time, with Sun, Mercury and Venus in Scorpio. Mars in Leo joins the Last Quarter Moon and he’s pissed off at Venus for invading his home turf. It all hits the fan. Expect some real high drama. The President, Heads of State and the boss are all on the hot seat and the working people want answers. It’s all about money, personal debt, public debt and joint finances and resources. When Scorpio’s in town things get intense. Remember to breathe.

Counting on You Rally for the Public Option

Yesterday I went to the “We’re counting on you” rally in downtown Providence at Burnside Park on Kennedy Plaza. The rally was sponsored by Moveon.org and was designed to thank Rhode Island Senator’s Whitehouse and Reed for supporting the Public Option. About 52 attended, which isn’t bad considering it was noon on a weekday in downtown. Speakers related some health care horror stories. It is hard to find someone who doesn’t have a health care horror story, isn’t it. One woman, a lawyer in a small firm which consisted of herself and one other spoke of the 17 percent increase in cost for the firm's health plan that Blue Cross and Blue Shield intends to initiate at the first of the year. Because of this they are unable to hire another lawyer. If the lawyers are suffering, you know things are bad. She also related the story of her aunt, a successful business woman who is down to 3 full time employees from 10 because of the high cost of health care. This woman is contemplating closing her business rather than have her loyal employees go without health care, which she can no longer provide because of the cost. The high cost of health care is killing the small business person as well as preventing all US businesses from remaining competitive on the world market. The small business is one of the factors that have made this country a leader in the world. It is the small business that is innovative, creative and has the capability of growing. Growth fuels the economy. It bugs me that people can’t see this and get outraged with government interfering in health care but remain complacent when government gets involved in the banking, insurance and automotive industry which has only benefited the corporate fat cats as far as I can see. Another thing that bugs me is this. Many years ago, Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft took on the giants of industry like Rockefeller and created anti-trust laws so that these industries could not price fix and gouge the American people. The health insurance industry has had a waiver from the United States Government since 1945 that excludes them from these anti-trust laws. Now Congress has been under the control of the Democrats, the Republicans, and back again over and over since 1945 and none of them jokers has seen fit to take that privilege away from the health care industry. So get over your partisan politics and realize that they are all guilty. One more bug, I don’t see what the big deal is about Olympia Snowe’s vote to get a health care bill out of the finance committee. It wasn’t the deciding vote. The vote was 14-9, (thanks to John Stewart, a comedian, for the info). What is wrong with these Democrats? When the Republican’s control Congress, they shove their legislation down your throat whether you want it or not. The Democrats should do the same. If a bill passes Congress that does not have a public option it is bound to fail. Then the insurance industry can say I told you so and things will go back to the status quo. If you want real health care reform you need to call your Senator and Representatives and voice your support for the public option. The public option is the only way to get the Health Insurance industry to stop gouging the American people. They are not going to give up their billions in profits out of the goodness of their hearts. End of rant.

A look at the week ahead

Moon starts the week in fun loving Leo, a tough energy to fight when you have to return to the weekday grind. People feel proud, need praise and long for romance under Leo Moon. If you have to make a presentation this Moon is for you. If straight talk is what you need to do or hear, this is the shoot from the hip Moon. Leo Moon rouses our ambitious and independent streak. There is a lot of warmth with this Moon but also the danger of becoming self-centered and arrogant. Confidence is good, conceit not so good. The Moon is here until early Wednesday morning when she enters Virgo, a totally different kettle of fish. Center stage Leo gives way to shy Virgo. Virgo Moon is great when you have to pay attention to detail, use critical thinking and analyze data or situations. Not a good time for seeing the big picture. People are fastidious and concerned about diet and health when Moon is in Virgo. This is a great time to clean out that kitchen drawer, you know the one that seems to grow “stuff” and is getting hard to close. Virgo likes to serve others. You don’t have to be a doormat to provide a sympathetic ear. Virgo Moon takes us through to early Friday morning when she moves into social butterfly territory, Libra. People are friendly, sociable and talkative under this Moon. Relationships become friendlier and everyone‘s oh so nice. Give a party this weekend, as everyone wants to and is ready to have a nice time with no arguments. While the Moon rules our emotions, it moves fast and usually doesn’t indicate major changes in our lives. If other factors indicate change, the Moon may trigger the change but by itself it is not the catalyst for change. This week a number of things are happening in the sky that point to a shift in the wind. First, as the day rolls over into Tuesday, just after midnight, Jupiter stops and turns in direct motion. In Mundane Astrology, the astrology of events, Jupiter rules many things. Such as, the Senate, the Vice-President, borders, treaties, foreign aid, judges, courts, credit, banks, the clergy and religion. When a planet turns and goes direct things connected to that planet that have been on hold, so to speak, generally move forward. Jupiter is the greater benefic and can bring honors and awards. Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize last week with Jupiter set to make it’s station at 17 Aquarius, right on Obama’s Ascendant. The Ascendant in a horoscope is the sign that was on the horizon at the moment of one’s birth. It is how the world sees you, your personality and your physical body. Not everyone that has an Aquarius Ascendant will receive the Nobel Prize but at the very least they will be feeling good about themselves. Action and events related to Jupiter come to pass. Early Wednesday evening, just before 7PM, Venus moves into Libra, one of the signs she rules. Venus loves to be in Libra. This is great for lovers, for decorating, the arts and on a more serious side, for negotiations and diplomacy. Venus also rules culture and cultural events and has a say in treaties and peace talks. On Thursday Venus will butt heads with Pluto, which could be interesting. Pluto symbolizes extreme power, covert activities, and fun things like espionage and terrorism. It is hard to blend these two but Venus can be a tough chick when she needs to be. Friday morning, just before noon, Mars moves out of crabby Cancer into fiery Leo. Mars rules the armed forces, males, and those engaged in any form of dispute. War is Mars’ playing field. Mars in Leo shifts the energy to one of optimism and self confidence. Taken to the extreme those attributes can slip into “big ego” and arrogance. Sounds like Washington and Wall Street.

Last Quarter Moon

Last Quarter Moon occurred on Sunday morning at 4:56 AM with the Moon in Cancer and the Sun in Libra at a 90 degree angle from one another. In the Sun/Moon cycle these angles indicate a crisis of sorts. In the waxing phase, action is taken or decisions are made. In the waning phase the crisis is one of consciousness. We’re assimilating the knowledge or activities begun at the beginning of the cycle, the previous New Moon and preparing ourselves for the next phase, the upcoming New Moon. This is a time for reflection, meditation and introspection. Get all your ducks in a row before you begin something new. This is the “thinking it over time” leading up to the New Moon on The 18th when we begin another cycle.

Moon in Cancer

The Moon is all about our emotions, the subconscious and our instincts. In Cancer, the Moon is at home and expresses these lunar attributes easily and well. You could say she wallows in it. The Moon enters the sign she rules on Friday night at 9:48 PM and remains there until the 1:02 AM on Monday the 12th. We’re sensitive, vulnerable and sentimental under Cancer Moon. Step lightly as people are easily hurt. The maternal instinct kicks in and we either provide or receive the nurturing that characterizes Moon in Cancer. Overeating becomes an issue now as many equate food with love or eat when emotions get the better of them. Intimate gatherings in the home do well now with talk of home and family and yes, plenty of food. Remember to breathe between gulps while stuffing yourself. The first contact Moon makes after entering Cancer is a faceoff with Pluto. Pluto, the planet of extremes, either plunges us into the depths and we enter the emotional abyss or puts a tight lid on our emotions. Either way, we’re off the deep end. Jealousy and secrets revealed disturb us. After the blowout, just before midnight, Mercury enters Libra. The energy shifts, this is great Mercury for hashing things out. Mercury in Libra loves harmonious communication. People are more diplomatic and tactful in their speech. With Moon in Cancer and Mercury in Libra, this is a great weekend to talk about your feelings. Not everyone’s a mind reader. Often we think the other guy knows how we feel. He/she doesn’t. Talk about it!

Gemini Moon

Moon skips into Gemini today, Wednesday, Oct. 7th at 5:46 PM. People are curious, changeable and seek mental stimulation while Moon passes through Gemini. The pace picks up under the influence of this Moon, short trips, meetings, emails and phone calls keep everyone hopping. Writers thrive under this Moon. Schedule meetings where you need to plan and bat around ideas while Moon is in Gemini. The early morning hours of Thursday, the 8th, Mercury melds with Saturn and our thinking becomes logical and focused. This combination brings serious and sober news. In the evening, harmony reigns and our talk is expansive while Moon makes congenial contacts with Sun and Jupiter. This is good for business but beware of talking too much. Friday morning money, love and romance take a hit when Moon squares off with Venus. In quick succession Moon bounces off Uranus and Neptune. Freedom calls and creativity thrives. At the evening commute, it’s reality time when Moon connects with Saturn. Venus opposed to Uranus speaks to the unconventional in the arts and romance. Once again freedom beckons. Before you throw the baby out with the bath water, remember, under Gemini Moon we often change our mind, find it difficult to make a decision and are restless, inquisitive and inquiring. This Moon is great for the air signs Aquarius and Libra. Pisces and Virgo hit a few snags here and there while Sagittarius has got to reach for it, whatever it is.

Monday back to work, Moon in Taurus

In the wee hours of Monday morning Moon makes a final aspect (to Mars) before leaving the sign of Aries. Once this happens the Moon is in a condition called “Void of Course”. A Void of Course Moon can last a few minutes are a few days. Moon is void until 12:33PM on Monday the 5th when it enters Taurus. When the Moon is void of course it is best to avoid starting projects or making decisions as snags, delays and other frustrating events take place. Our reasoning is off and our expectations are unrealistic. Try to remain centered and forget the material, focusing on the spiritual. This is a great time to just go with the flow until the Moon moves into Taurus. When the Moon is in Taurus the energy is very different from fiery Aries. We get stubborn and dig our heels in when Moon is in the fixed earth sign of Taurus. Feelings of security come from counting our money and inventorying our goods. We just love our “stuff”. We have a greater appreciation for the arts and the finer things in life. We get very touchy, feely when Moon is in Taurus. This Moon favors tasks that require patience, perseverance and endurance. When Moon aspects Pluto on Monday afternoon, expect some strong emotional outbursts. Tuesday evening, Moon with Jupiter, encourages overspending and overeating. Wednesday the Moon makes a slew of aspects making for an interesting commute and a busy day. The final aspect while in Taurus is to the planet Saturn on Wednesday afternoon. Here you may be painfully reminded of the overindulgences of the night before.