Old father time, yes that’s the real face of Saturn, the Lord of Karma and the one planet that never, ever lets you off the hook. If you are doing well he rewards you, if you are trying to cut some corners, he will punish you. Saturn is ultimate judge and jury rolled into one. I will bet that almost all Astrologers when they first look at any astrological chart will focus in on Saturn almost immediately. On my Astro charts I color Saturn in blue, the coldest and most conservative color I could think of. Now in three day’s time, the focus will be back on “Big Blue” again, as he stations at 11:32 degrees Scorpio and then turns tail into retrograde motion.
Saturn retrograde begins at 17:02 hrs in London on 18th February 2013 and it will last for approximately 4 and a half months. Saturn direct allows slow and steady progress, however on any long journey, you have to stop for a bite to eat, take some rest and to work out where you will head to next. Saturn retrograde represents that moment when you pause, look back where you have been, work out if you have gone about things well or not and plan your route for the next part of your journey. As such, this is a time of careful reflection and assessment.
Saturn retrograde is really a time of adjustment rather than revolution and dealing with the things we failed to address in the past few months. Yes, you may think that you’ve made some wrong decisions, but now you can sort these out. Remember, you are already on your journey and it would be rather silly walking all the way back to the start to go in a different direction, wouldn’t it? As such now and in the next 4 months is not really the time to crash and burn in your life, unless that is you are forced to do so. In the long run, it will be a lot of hard work and there will be no guarantee that any new direction you take will be any more successful than the one that you are already on. Saturn retrograde urges you to take your time in the next section of the quest, to walk the longer but safer path. Stick to the right one and when Saturn goes direct again you will be able to motor on a little faster. Those of you who think you can cut some corners may find out in the long run that you get more than you bargained for. Try to take the shorter or quicker route and you may find your way blocked by a raging river or a sheer cliff face, in essence you may find that people or those in authority over you may put up conditions that you have to adhere to or they even they stop you completely from doing what you want to do. The lesson now is to get organised, prepare for all eventualities, and not to rush.
Saturn as it turns sits on two fixed stars, Acrux and Alphecca both of which I have covered in previous posts. It is also sextile it’s partner in crime for the moment Pluto in Capricorn. Acrux represents the building blocks of our life and Saturn connecting with this star with Pluto in tow urges reconstruction and strengthening in the in the area of the chart that Saturn sits in. You may have to endure losses or shortages in this particular part of your chart (12 degrees Scorpio), but through these experiences you will get wiser and stronger for the future. Saturn on Alphecca comes briefly at the start of this retrograde period and issues a set of rules saying that you may advance, but there will be strict conditions attached to any changes that you do wish to make. Bear this in mind if you freely of your own choice change direction in the next few months. You will have a cross to bare and there will be a heavy price to pay if you do so.
Saturn’s sextile to Pluto brings the opportunity for vital transformation and adjustment but there will be pain and some hardship along the way. This retrograde period is one of those times when some of those changes will come clearly into effect, especially early on in this retrograde period as Pluto will be moving direct until mid April, and thus he will be taking the lead in the partnership that they are forming in the skies.
In summary, this retrograde period between the 18th February and 8th July is a time for internal growth, and to fix and repair any matters that you failed to deal with during the direct motion phase that is ending. Only when Saturn thinks that you have made a correct and worthy effort to sort out these issues will he allow you to move onwards and upwards. It a time for patience, a time to hold your nerve, a time to realize to accept your limitations and a time to plan ahead.