Written December 2014 and published in the Scorpio Moon Newsletter.
How are you anticipating Saturn’s arrival into Sagittarius?
I’ve personally been giving this a lot of thought as Saturn moves closer to conjoining Jupiter in my own chart. (Jupiter rules Sagittarius). I have found myself deeply pondering my vision for the future and watching what Sagittarian kinds of experiences are coming into my life. Jupiter rules foreign cultures and countries; interestingly, a book has come into my life which to me reflects Saturn and Jupiter and the upcoming Saturn in Sagittarius transit, which lasts roughly two and a half years. The book is called Belonging. The Paradox of Citizenship. It is written by Adrienne Clarkson, who served as Canada’s 26th Governor General. She was a Chinese refugee/immigrant to Canada as a child.
This July 2014 I became a Canadian citizen after seven years of living in Canada, and remain a U.S. citizen. Even though I did not think about the depth and length of the process at the time, it is weighing (Saturn) on me now. It feels important (Saturn) to reflect on this commitment and the greater meaning of “belonging.” Especially since most of my life, I have considered myself a citizen of the planet and beyond and come from a heritage of immigration, this is a different kind of investigation for me. It feels important to consider what “to do”, now that I have been officially accepted fully by this “foreign” country, in fact, accepted by most of the North American continent with full privilege to vote. (This morning I received a survey from a Canadian organization, asking me on my opinion, as a new Canadian, on various issues with a focus on voting— how easy it is to get on the voter’s list, become informed on issues, and so on. More encouragement to reflect.)
Saturn and Earth
It occurs to me that this feeling also reflects the up-coming Saturn in Sagittarius cycle. Sagittarius is the energy which holds expansion, vision, reaching for the larger viewpoint, intellectual and intuitive thinking, examinations that are philosophical and metaphysical. Sagittarius and Jupiter, resonate with culture, foreign cultures more specifically, countries, religions, freedom fighters, zealots, educators, and let’s not forget show folk and sales people. Interpreting Jupiter in our chart, is another way to become aware of how we express ourselves, conditioned by our familial and cultural beliefs, out in the world; while Saturn is our “structured” consciousness and the foundation of what our responsibility is in the world. It is where we may feel initially weakest and through discipline and time are strongest.
Perhaps part of this next Saturn sign transition is that we collectively ponder the responsibility of our place in the bigger picture on the planet and in the Universe. How is our sense of belonging experienced compared with someone else’s? Someone who is from another country or culture, speaks a different language, celebrates other holidays, holds different beliefs. How are we the same, how are we different, how can we expand our vision by interacting with those who appear to be different and yet are human. How are we interconnected? With other humans, with other species, with other energies?
We can extend this idea to the relationship and philosophies between countries, which naturally leads to considering, once more, the Uranus/Pluto Square. How will we continue to experience the energies of Uranus and Pluto which are transpersonal in nature? I think that looking at Saturn is helpful, because its symbolism reflects a much more concrete experience. Saturn holds up a mirror asking us to check in (or tests us) with our own sense of personal responsibility within a cultural framework. With every Saturn transit we become ready to take our evolution further; we are ready for the challenge on some level.
For the last few years, we’ve been working with Saturn in Scorpio, which links us to Pluto in Capricorn (planets in mutual reception) and a more inward investigation of shadows, power and psychology, resources (financial or otherwise), value systems and how these work in contractual or deep intimate relationships.
Now the energy is changing and Saturn moves into a fire sign. Uranus is in a fire sign, in Aries. Rather than inward, the focus becomes one of outward expansion (slow to be sure with Saturn) and visionary. What does that mean for each of us? When considering a Saturn sign change, I’m reminded of Marc Robertson’s book Critical Ages in Adult Life; the transit of Saturn where he says one must look at the last conjunction of Saturn to the planet which rules the sign Saturn is moving into.
Simply, that means, find the last time Saturn conjuncted Jupiter in your chart and consider what was initiated in terms of slow foundational growth that involved future expansion of your place in your world. Consider the house Jupiter rules. Did belief systems begin to change or mature? Did experiences with others out in the world begin to build a new perspective. Did you take a college, religious, spiritual class that shifted or expanded your viewpoint. Were political biases altered? Now watch how those slow (Saturn) initial steps of expansion will come to fullness or fruition over the next two years. Observe if there is a connection to then and now. This is the way we learn and live astrology— evolutionary or otherwise. Observe.
Some of this may be clear as mud or too technical, so if you are interested in finding out more, of course, we could look at this in great detail during a session; however, if you just want to know the date that Saturn made the most recent conjunction to Jupiter in your chart, I am happy to look that up for you. Free. Just ask. If I have your birth data, then I can also tell you what houses Saturn will transit while in Sagittarius.
Here’s more to ponder about Saturn in Sagittarius:
Canada’s Jupiter is in Pisces and was conjuncted by Saturn three times in 1994. The first Liberal budget slashed spending in social programs including unemployment insurance and provincial transfer payments, which is a way to spread the wealth between all provinces by the federal government. This way provinces which would not otherwise have the resources to fund social programs are assisted. Spread the wealth. Interesting that this was restricted as Saturn was conjuncting the most generous planet, Jupiter. Now, Saturn will be traveling through the 8th and 9th house. Will the matters of immigration, education, foreign policies be constricted or reviewed more deeply when Saturn moves through the 9th?
The U.S.’s Jupiter is in Cancer. which Saturn conjuncted once in the summer of 2003. Unemployment was very high at 6.3%. Wouldn’t that constrict the feeling of security? There was an Census announcement that Hispanics have became the largest minority group in the States by a million people compared to African Americans. The make-up of the homeland’s population described in a consensus census. There is controversy on the actual birth time of the U.S. chart. The Sibley chart is commonly used and has Sagittarius Rising, meaning that Saturn will be still traveling through the hidden waters of the twelfth house and in a year will move across the Ascendant (First House) to reestablish or restructure its identity.
If we are looking at tight orbs, the U.S.’s eighth house Sun is particularly under the influence of the Uranus/Pluto square this month. One ponders the financial effects and the underlying evolution of financial structures and awakening to innovations in resource development. I am getting sidetracked… once again. Way too big topic for this newsletter. Get it? Sagittarius, expansion… too big of a topic.
Written December 2014.
