Article, Saturn in Libra, 30th October 2009 till 6th October 2012

Saturn’s role in the family of planetary forces of our solar system is pivotal to say the least, because as every system needs different components to create a ‘balanced whole’ Saturn’s job is to ‘father’ the system, to provide the authority and structure that holds ‘anything’ together and from which we can build new foundations. Whereas his counterpart Jupiter opens new territory and brings progress, meaning and purpose to motivate the system, Saturn stablises new levels of growth in the affairs of the sign he is passing through and anchors into society the necessary development required every 2.1 years in the overall cycle of 28 years.

In terms of our psychological solar system his job is exactly the same, with a few extra duties thrown in…namely the Karmic factor in each of our stories as we learn to deal with the tests and limitations needed to ‘test our metal’ and forge our growth path, sometimes through adversity and pain and always with challenge. There is a very strong link between the personal and the societal factors in the Saturn Cycle, as our personal karma around themes of duty and responsibility directly affect the collective karma on our planet, and in these times of acceleration through the collective karmic process, quite what we all do with the karma about to be experienced over this next 2 years will have massive impact for all our futures.

The period of Saturn in Libra takes us up to the month before the 21st December 2012 Mayan Calendar date. Saturn will have just entered Scorpio by then, so this lead up period is underpinned by Saturn’s task of social and economic re-building and re-structuring. And in the sign is Libra, this takes us into fields of arbitration, negotiation, diplomacy and ‘peace talks’, social justice and the law and legislation and of commercial business systems. By the way I do not ascribe to the fear based end of the world scenarios offered by the doomsday gang. What this date offers concerns the end of the old ways of thinking and being as we all have the opportunity to step up into a new level of collective consciousness.

The Saturn Cycle For both societal and personal context in any cycle we need to begin at the beginning, which is always the sign of Aries where the Sun’s arrival each year starts the true seasonal year. So let’s have a look at Saturn’s journey over the last 14 years. Look at the dates and think about what you were doing in each phase, and think about the sequential development of your own goals and life stage, and also what was happening globally at these times.

Saturn in Aries March 1996 – until June 1998
The 1st stage (fire) or beginning of new 28 year phase in individual and societal expression. We are meant to use our ‘safe will’ to initiate new goals and aspiration for the future. Collectively huge new areas of commercial venture were opened through the tech revolution that was just really getting underway and the arrival of China and India into the global production machine.

Saturn in Taurus June 1998 – until August 2000
The 2nd stage (earth) we must add the correct values to underpin our efforts and a healthy sense of self worth must is needed for the process to ground itself within. Jupiter joined Saturn for their once in 20 year new cycle together and many global financial areas were expanded at this time. Without due diligence from our Saturn authority figures the stage was set for the financial meltdown by 2008.

Saturn in Gemini August 2000 – he just touched 0 degrees and then went back into Taurus until April 2001 – then passed through until June 2003
The 3rd stage (air) we need to add the correct use of our intellect to gather information, create networks and direct our ‘clear and focused mind’ toward goals. Collectively this stage brought us September 11th and the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. Saturn opposed Pluto in Sagittarius on this exact date. The 33 year Saturn Pluto cycle underpins societal transformation through the breakdown of existing structures.

Saturn in Cancer              June 2003 – until July 2005
          The 4th stage (water) we are challenged to emotionally anchor any project or phase, hence the relationship to the need for ‘safe home and family’ as the primary force in our lives…both internally and externally. Collectively the new war mobilised global emotional fear and security issues, and many people were encouraged to mortgage existing homes to invest in their financial futures, or bought homes they could not afford with unsecured mortgages, once again setting the stage for the sub-prime global meltdown.

Saturn in Leo                   July 2005 – until September 2007
          The 5th stage (fire) offers the release of the creativity, passion and motivation required from our ‘safe Ego’ so our process and projects can grow. During this time Saturn was opposing Neptune in Aquarius in their 36 year cycle and the deceptive illusion of the power and economic systems began to be revealed. For those with eyes to see things were not well on planet earth with the arrogance of global leaders forcing upwards the huge financial scam about to be revealed.

Saturn in Virgo September 2007 – until October 2009
The 6th stage (earth) requires adding the organisation and systems we need to have in place before our project can move forward further. The ‘intention’ of service to the greater whole is meant to be our inspiration during this stage. Saturn opposed Uranus in Pisces in their 45 year cycle during this period offering both the sudden revelation of the rot in current organisations and systems, and new presidents and leaders to supposedly bring through the needed changes to our social and economic order.

Saturn in Libra October 2009 – until October 2012 – once again he goes back into Virgo for the early part of 2010 hence what appears to be a longer stay than normal in Libra. Which brings us up to date…

The 7th stage (air) is half way through the cycle which completes in May 2025. The half point is the full moon phase in any cycle so what was initiated in 1996 is ready for ‘release out into the world’. Thus the independent individual from stage 1 must invite the co-operation and interaction with ‘others’…Libra… to advance the project or process toward its’ realization in stage 10…Capricorn… between 2018 and 2020.

Collectively we will witness the forming of new affiliations and relationships on the global stage and with the understanding that our world is collectively united as never before, these summit groups and legislative bodies are about to get to work on decisions that are literally life and death for all the kingdoms of nature.

The Cardinal Signs O degrees Aries on March 21st is the beginning of the true natural year when the Sun is directly over the Equator…known as the “Solstice” point. This is also known as the “World Degree” or the Cardinal Point.
Aries and its opposite sign Libra… plus Cancer and its opposite sign Capricorn are known as “Cardinal Signs”, and as the name implies worldly activity and authority are the feature these signs fulfil in the 12 fold system of the Zodiac. #1

These four signs ‘make things happen’ and are the primary essence of the social order of our planet and in our personal lives. Aries initiates, motivates and opens new territory – Cancer nurtures and cultivates so firm foundations can be laid – Libra brings about the social interaction and relationships to further the process – and Capricorn is the result of the process.

So when a planet enters any of these four signs all features of the personal + society are triggered as the synthetic feedback system of…
self - Aries
family - Cancer
relationships - Libra …and
goals/results – Capricorn
… all come into focus and interaction.

The fact that Saturn is also classed as a Cardinal Planet because of his natural rulership of Capricorn adds weight to the incoming forces of this next phase in our Earth’s process. So Cardinal Saturn in a Cardinal sign…Libra…will be very forceful indeed.

There are 3 other significant planets either already in a cardinal sign or about to enter one over these next few years. So let’s start with Pluto…planet of death and renewal who has been in Capricorn… the sign of social and corporate governance since January 2008 for 16 years until 2024, and it was almost to the day he stepped through this major threshold point that the wheels started falling off the global financial carriage. Pluto only comes calling once every 250 years to any sign, and the last time he did his thing in Capricorn was during the decades leading up to the French Revolution, American War of Independence, founding of Australia and the prelude to the Industrial Revolution. So one cycle later that which was founded in the late 1700s has to be transformed and re-generated this time. But destruction often comes before transformation and renewal, especially if the system is basically broken…which it is.

So as Saturn enters Libra from early November 2009 he smacks bang into relationship with Pluto in Capricorn, This is known as a square… or challenging aspect between these two dudes in their 33 year cycle to each other. The last time this happened in Cardinal signs was in 1973/4, and they were opposing in Cancer and Capricorn throughout 1931…deep in the midst of the Great Depression.

A few interesting coincidences here are the release of social commentator Michael Moore’s new movie “Capitalism – A Love Story”, an expose of the profoundly unconscious machinery that runs our planet and her resources where greed rules. I like to think that as Saturn brings his karmic force to bear on Libra… the sign of social conscience and “right human relations” we will all be forced to examine this territory and please God let some conscious leaders finally stand up to the Corporate Conspiracy and their profoundly negative control. Hilary Clinton was on her diplomatic mission to Pakistan over the days of Saturn’s opening “hit” in Libra and of course this is the current hotbed of ‘control issues’ in the War on Terror, which I see as our current version of the early 1930s when the fascist leaders began to control Europe. Libra is the sign of peace, harmony and co-operation. We must all direct our thoughts and intention toward ‘peaceful solutions’, diplomacy and seeing other people’s views and needs if we are to support our own lives and goals, and this in turn will contribute to ‘uplifting the collective’.

Saturn squares Pluto twice more in February 2010 and August 2010. Both of these dates hold possible outcomes of a highly unpleasant nature in terms of economic systems, possibly the reality that the supposed ‘bail-out’ measures implemented during 2008/9 have not worked and another major crash may completely bankrupt major governments including America. It could then finally be time for a whole new system to be legislated and implemented as “Capitalism” as we have known it must change form…which could have been the goal all along. Bring on the “Amero” the new North American currency. Meanwhile the Federal Banks on all continents have been making a fortune from the interest charged on the loans they have given their various Governments…what a corrupt system!

Next comes Mr Revolution himself… Uranus as he enters Aries from June 2010 till 2017 for his 7 year stint in the sign of new beginnings. His last jaunt through Aries was from 1927 until 1934, once again during the depression era and the gathering of the Fascist forces in Europe and the Pacific who would unleash WWII. As Uranus enters Aries he is joined by Mr Expansion…Jupiter also commencing his new 12 year cycle in Aries. So we can expect all sorts of big new developments of a highly ‘unexpected’ nature to blast onto the scene from June 2010. In fact we could say that this will mark the true ‘new beginning’ of the new systems that will begin to redesign our geo-political and corporate governance.

The Personal Implications of Saturn in Libra for the next few years… are of course all about relationships… both intimate and business partnerships. During this time we are all challenged to release those that are no longer serving us, as we also recognize the value of the necessity of forging alliances and bonds with significant others who can advance our cause or join with us to realise our longer term goals. As one of Saturn’s favourite keywords is restriction, it will be very immediate that we each begin to feel any restrictive force that may be operating either openly or beneath the surface in our current partnerships, and many a marriage of all types will be forced to re-align itself with a new set of values during this time.

As Libra is the sign of the balance between polarised people and ideas, herein lies the clue for our objectives during this next 2 years. We need others for support and alliance but the time has come for old style unhealthy co-dependant situations to go. The feminine planet Venus rules Libra and her male counterpart Mars rules the opposite sign Aries. So its time for Venus and Mars to dance a new dance, as we begin the process of balancing and stabilising the masculine and feminine energies for the first time in thousands of years.

The new relationships on offer require 2 autonomous individuals loving and working toward their own goals, supporting each other, and being self responsible. There will no longer be room to project blame onto others for what is not working in our lives. This is called living consciously.

Historically there is an impressive list of major political and royal shifts occur every 28 years as Saturn regulates and redefines our political and social landscape. Of note between 1921-3 Hitler’s first attempt at seizing power was defeated…(he came to power in 1933 as Chancellor of Germany), and Mussolini became Prime Minister in Italy as modern Turkey was founded. Shah Pahlavi founded a new monarchy in Persia (Iran), Faisal became King of Iraq and the Irish Free State was proclaimed. The founding of the US Bureau of the Budget in 1921 placed restrictions of Government spending for the first time. In the 1951-53 period King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated and his son Hussein then ruled until 1999, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, uprising against Britain begins in Kenya, King Farouk of Egypt is replaced by Nasser in a coup, Stalin dies and is replaced with Khrushchev in USSR, Laos gains independence from France, and revolution in Bolivia. Then between 1981-83 strikes in Poland are the first step toward break down of USSR by 1989, the “Gang of Four” were tried in China, Libya captured Chad, Iraq-Iran war begins, Pope John Paul II shot, socialist Mitterrand elected president in France, Israel destroys Iran nuclear reactor, Anwar Sadat assassinated in Egypt, John Lennon assassinated, Brezhnev dies in USSR and replaced by Andropov. Israel invades Lebanon and takes Beirut leading to PLO being ejected, Falkland’s war between England and Argentina.

Then there is the interesting air component of Libra that brings forth new designs and alliances involving aeronautics and armed forces when Saturn comes calling such as big defence contracts. Between 1951-53 H-Bomb by US in Pacific, new B-52 bomber, peace treaty between Japan and Allies forces Japan to give up o/s territory, Korean war ends and Korea is divided, Super Sabre breaks sound barrier and becomes new jet for US Air Force, DC-7 commercial airliner flies non-stop across Atlantic. Between 1981-3 President Reagan gains $180Bill military expansion and also fires air traffic controllers and then survives assassination attempt, first woman Supreme Court Judge. The US deployed Pershing Missiles in Germany amidst huge peace rallies, Korean airliner mistakenly shot down by Soviets, US Peace keepers killed in Lebanon and the US invaded Grenada to remove communists.

Things that went on to change society in the 1921-3 phase include the exposure of the Klu Klux Klan and membership drops from 5 million to 9,000 by 1930, and the destruction of Tokyo by earthquake. In 1951-53 the first Electronic computer, colour TV, polio vaccine invented, severe regulation of immigration in the US for the first time.

As Libra rules style in fashion and design it is no surprise that in the 1921-23 period the “roaring 20s” ushered in the birth of the art-deco movement and a complete revamp in clothing and social norms. The Edwardian era was over. In the 1951-3 phase the “Haute Couture” designer movement gave us Givenchy, Yves St Laurent and others who went on to become fashion icons, while the movie industry brought us Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and other ‘stylish’ icons. The of course we have the 1980s padded shoulders and perms as the business look arrived for women for the first time. So we can expect a major re-modelling on the fashion and architecture scene with a conservative stylish look becoming desirable. Many fashion/cosmetic companies will go belly up if they do not re-structure whilst other new ones will emerge.

Obviously all forms of social networking will take big strides forward under this influence so Twitter and Facebook will be joined by a host of business related means for promoting individuals and groups.

There are a number of countries that will feature over this next few years notably the USA, Australia, and England. I have included charts on the article as it appears on my website at www.universalastrology.com.au for those who would like to see the horoscopes. Read on for a short review of Saturn in Libra for the 12 signs.

Aries Saturn is about to spend 2 years completely re-defining and revising partnerships in your life so get ready for some big shifts in business and love as you head out into a new phase for selling and promoting your projects. Take note of what and where you feel restricted or limited and own your own ‘stuff’ before throwing out the baby with the bathwater…perhaps its you whose self interest need to change. Remember your life lesson is co-operation and now it’s time to learn it as you welcome highly unusual people and ideas into the mix.

Taurus Bull people have a much easier time with Saturn’s process ‘cause you are the steady reliable types in the first place, so when the big dude says let’s get on with a once in 28 year phase for developing new daily work and health areas, you say...OK let’s go. Re-defining your core values and service path is a necessary ingredient now with a call to increased responsibility and authority through new work alliances. Think applying yourself to wealth creation!

Gemini Saturn’s offering for your next 2 years develops new levels of your brand of creativity, and as you are an information/ communication person you’ll be working hard in these and associated areas. Your test will be to really apply yourself consistently and not distract and scatter as is also your natural tendency. You’ll also find increased responsibility around children and close friendships with a keynote of reconnecting with your own passion, joy and fun.

Cancer Well dear home loving crabs you’re in for a major re-structuring on the home front with real estate shifts, babies arriving and flying the coop, as you also anchor in existing projects begun about 7 years ago. By mid 2010 expect sudden career/vocational shifts with a theme of re-inventing old paths and integrating a highly original level of your potential. Try to stay away from feeling burdened or becoming grumpy by realising how great your life is!

Leo Lion creative focus now shifts to getting your message out into the world through writing, publishing, teaching and networking…and remember to get that old controlling ego out of the way to allow the important ‘others’ to support and guide you on your journey. By June 2010 huge goodies fly into action to advance your outcomes through international developments, so pack your bags and/or step into the multimedia outcomes awaiting you.

Virgo Defining or redefining your values and how they underpin your dollar value will occupy you dear “systems people”…yes that’s your best and most useful quality…and now that the old global systems have to be completely re-designed you’ll have plenty to occupy you. Sometimes $ get tight with Saturn in the money sector, but this is to test your commitment to your life’s work and challenge you to create a whole new inner and outer wealth system. Be cool!

Libra So you’re the lucky kids who get to invite the Lord of Karma right into your core self for this once in 28 year new beginning in your complete world. Think like a new baby just beginning the journey of life and give yourself permission to be brave and courageous as you tackle new areas. All your relationships will be tested and some will change enormously from mid 2010, so be patient but strong as you learn to say no to what you no longer need.

Scorpio Saturn now takes you into your Karmic Heartland for a few years of behind the scenes time…i.e. your own psyche and the inner and higher realms from which we fund ourselves. Releasing the past and winding down from the last 26 year cycle, allows gestation of new life seeds growing in the dark in preparation for your new 28 years in 2 years time. So hermit time is great, along with art, psychology, Spirituality and compassionate service to others.

Sagittarius You guys now move into a highly social phase where networks, groups, team alliances and all sorts of serious fun hold the key to realisation of projects that have been in the making for a very long time. This is not very frivolous energy but may indeed demand you step into an authority position or anchor and hold large groups of people, so keep your humility and tolerance and curb the big-noting or need to preach… and you’ll be a winner.

Capricorn Not for the feint hearted this next 2 years, so its’ lucky you’re not dear Goats as you’re about to either reap the results of the last 21 years or let go of old ways if this is not the case…i.e. you need to loose things that aren’t working if you don’t give them up voluntarily! Meanwhile fab new changes are immanent once you get the message, with sudden shifts on home and career fronts from mid 2010. Your power lies in partner areas so learn a few gentle arts.

Aquarius Pouring out your cornucopia of knowledge is what life is all about for the next few years as you charge forward with meaning and purpose to infuse the world with your progressive info…which has after all been ahead of its time for a very long time. Teaching and/or bizz travel may become demanding but this is your chance to shine your light and set the stage for 2 years time when your star reaches its zenith…just in time for the ‘shift’ in 2012…perfect!

Pisces The deeper realms of your own unconscious calls you now to experience a transformational process to release old fears limiting your power. You are the visionaries who heal and inspire the world but often have trouble defining quite what you are and how to do this. It’s time to get stronger, create good boundaries and ally with other people’s resources, as you let go of victim consciousness and find new ways of supporting and empowering others as well.

#1The Fixed Signs are Taurus opposite Scorpio + Leo opposite Aquarius – these signs develop and hold things together. The Mutable Signs are Gemini opposite Sagittarius + Virgo opposite Pisces – these signs gather, organise and share ideas and information.

Saturn in Libra – 30th October 2009 till 6th October 2012 – Maggie Kerr AAT