The Hope of Saturn in Libra

Saturn has a reputation in the world of Astrology and that reputation is generally negative.  It is not as if the energy and nature of Saturn isn’t somewhat deserving of the feelings of dread that the mere mention of Saturn elicits in people.  However, it is also true that Saturn can be much more than simply a planet that brings suffering and tribulation into the lives of human beings.

I had been interested in Astrology since I was a young eighteen-year old girl fresh out of Catholic high school.  Astrology first caught my interest when I read a book that mentioned that someone born under my sun sign was considered to be courageous by nature until she could be observed running away from a bee - that caught my attention because at that time in my life,  bees were actually one of my fears.  I lived and worked in an urban environment so this fear was not something that would be evident to many. 

That the author of this book was able to hone in on this one quality gave me a reason to explore astrology a bit more.  Eventually I found a book that taught me how to calculate a natal chart, and once I had my natal chart done the dreaded planet Saturn showed up as an indicator of my childhood which had been fraught with problems and pain.  Growing up in such a chaotic home had left me seeking something that resembled an order to the universe.  I did not want to believe that my childhood suffering was nothing more than losing some sort of divinely inspired lottery of birth game.  Saturn’s placement gave me a sense that there was a reasonable cosmic order to what could appear as random disorder.

At the time,  most of what I read about Saturn was rather hopeless in nature given his reputation as being prone to handing out poverty, delays, illness, denial of dreams and impossible obstacles.  I was studying the more well-known western system of astrology at the time and most of those teachings had little good to say about Saturn.  Most of the advice offered as to how to deal with one’s chart seemed to involve waiting for Saturn to move,  so that one’s life could improve.  It was a rather futile and disempowering approach.  Eventually, I turned to other subjects and put away the astrology books.

The quest for peace and answers never stopped for me and the day would come when I was fortunate enough to walk into the right yoga class which would change my life completely. I stayed with one teacher for eight years and received a very thorough understanding of both the philosophy and tools of yoga.  During those years,  I was introduced to a different system of astrology.  This system is technically known as “Jyotish” which translates as “Science of Light” but is better known to the world as Vedic or Eastern Astrology.  In addition to the fact that Jyotish used the sidereal zodiac,  which filled in many of the perceived holes from my earlier days of astrological study,  I would learn that this system of astrology was proactive - I learned that I no longer had to wait for Saturn to move in order for my chart to work better.

Vedic Astrology is an ancient science that is connected to both Yoga and Ayurveda.  The connection gives a system of remedials which helps anyone work with the energetics of the planetary energy.  In fact, each planet is attributed to not only our physical bodies but to our energetic bodies as well,  and each planet has an influence over our chakras.  If a planet is poorly placed,  it is possible to work with the energy of the planet and find both understanding of the karma of the planet as well as peace with the karmic actions.

Through these teachings I came to a deeper understanding of the nature of Saturn.  I began to understand that Saturn doesn’t deny as much has he delays,  and the delays often give us time to not only understand the karma connected to Saturn but quite often,  if one is peaceful and humble throughout the delays,  the mundane result is very often more beneficial than the original goal that was delayed.  Saturn began to appear not so much as this awful influence of obstacles and grief,  but more as a stern but truthful teacher.  Truth is one of the most important qualities of Saturn because his primary teaching is that the world around us is of a mundane nature while the reality is that we as human beings are much more than physical beings.  It is this planet more than any other which brings us to the truth of our soul’s existence.  Through this truth comes a peacefulness that, even if lost momentarily through frustration or fear, will come back to us once we have discovered the truth.

Saturn is not known for easy luck in life and does deserve his reputation as a hard task-master, however,  he will never lie to you - he will never tell you to spend your paycheck at a casino or that the charming man or woman you just met will take care of all of your problems.  Saturn knows that despite all of the earthly joys around us,  the true and lasting joy comes from the truth of being.  Unfortunately, as human beings, we seem to have to learn through suffering,  and Saturn is known for darkening our personal skies so that we can see the light of ourselves.  Therefore, depression, disappointment and loss are all fairly attributed to this slow-moving planet.  Fortunately, through the system of Jyotish there are ways to lessen the pain and move towards the goal of truth a bit faster.

Saturn takes about two and half years to move through one sign of the zodiac, which gives this planet a strong hold on the timing of karma for both individuals and the world.  One of the important positions of Saturn is what is known as the “Saturn Return.”  This occurs approximately every twenty-eight years and indicates that Saturn has returned to the same place it was in a natal chart at the time of birth.  On a personal level it is a time when a person can experience the loss of the elders in one’s life.  The “Saturn Return” is also a time period in which the karmas one is scheduled to work on during this lifetime will become prominent in one’s life.

Saturn is also one of the primary transits that will affect the entire world.  This slow-moving planet is one of the cosmic energies that ties us all together on planet earth.  Nations also have a “Saturn Return” and can indicate times of challenge and truth for the society that lives in the country which is experiencing a “Saturn Return.”  When Saturn moves into Libra on November 15, 2011 America will be finished with its first 21st century “Saturn Return.”

The fact that we are finishing up with a “Saturn Return” is a reason for us to drop our fear and despair and to look forward with a sense of hope.  Of course, I am not saying that our problems are over because there is quite obviously a major world-wide shift happening,  and our hope should be tempered with non-attachment to the expectations.  However, it is possible that some of the worst of the events are behind us and that we, as a nation, will be able to move forward now.

History can be a wonderful tool in assessing the future and, on a certain level,  that is the message of a “Saturn Return.”  We all know that without understanding the past,  we are destined to repeat it - that applies to both personal charts as well as national charts.  If Saturn points out to us our darker places of ignorance,  it appears that in the chart of America the “Saturn Return” appears to bring to the forefront the darker aspects of America.

To my mind one of the biggest blots on America is the history of “official” slavery and the continued “unofficial” bigotry that often leads to the enslavement of poverty.  It appears that Saturn agrees with this assessment and during times of “Saturn Return” the country gets embroiled in issues related to racism, poverty and ignorance.  In 1861 during Saturn in Leo,  this country entered into the Civil War.  This war continued throughout the entire time period of the “Saturn Return” and to this day,  the only war that has cost more American lives than the Civil War is World War 2. Approximately 618.000 lives were lost during the Civil War according to estimates. 

In America during the time period of 1889-1891 with Saturn in Leo,  the country experienced a “gilded age” and it was estimated that during that time period over 80% of the population lived in dire poverty.  On September 21, 1891 America once again entered into a “Saturn Return,”  and it was during this return that the “Panic of 1893” occurred.  Interestingly enough,  the panic was caused by the bank’s actions of over-leverage of the railroad industry which is very similar to the root cause of the recession we are currently experiencing.  The recession was deep and would last throughout the entire time period of the Saturn Return.

The benefit of having a Saturn Return in Virgo is the fact that the sign after Virgo is Libra and Libra is what is known as “Saturn’s exaltation sign.”  In other words,  this is one of the best placements for the planet Saturn.  Saturn is considered to be the planet of the “common man,” and Libra is considered to be the sign of balance and harmony.  History shows that,  in America,  quite often the travails and ignorance that Saturn brings to the forefront often gets corrected once Saturn goes into Libra.  If Saturn is the “truth bringer” it appears that Saturn plays a role in forcing America through a slow journey towards the truth of the words of liberty and rights upon which this country was founded.  Saturn does this by forcing the consequences of our nation’s failure to live up to its founding principles through the painful events of Saturn in Virgo and giving us an opportunity to move closer to the truth of these principles when he moves into Libra.

History once again shows the nature of Saturn’s role in our country’s chart.  The Civil War came to an end on April 9,1965 when Saturn was in Libra.  The Panic of 1893 finally ended in 1896 when Saturn was in Libra.  Additionally, the November election of 1896 would prove to be the first election in which the common man’s vote became important which is appropriate given that Saturn is the planet of the common man. 

The two time periods that have been discussed in this article are just two of the Saturn in Libra periods that had a profound effect on this country. There are many more and I list a few below:

1804 - New Jersey abolishes slavery
1924 - Scopes Trial gives credence to the science of evolution through legal (Libra) action in the state of Tennessee.
1953 - Joseph McCarthy, one of the most ignorant law-makers in history was discredited.
1953 - Brown vs. the Board of Education is won by those looking to integrate our schools.

The past few years in America have been very difficult and all around us we can observe people feeling angry, fearful and, for some,  experiencing life without hope.  No matter how events appear there is a cosmic order,  and this November when Saturn moves into the sign of Libra,  the wheel seems to be turning in the direction of solutions and fairness.  This movement gives us every reason to feel hope for our future and to choose to stay in tune with the truth of the cosmic teacher Saturn.