Saturn versus Aries

You know, it is pretty amazing how things come together.

For example, two blog entries ago, I mentioned how we had a bunch of planets in Aries at that time.  [See 444 posted on 4/4/2011.]  What I didn’t tell you is that this is called a stellium.  It is when 3 or more planets are clustered together in a single sign or astrological house.  On April 4, 2011, we had the following six ‘planets’ in Aries: Uranus, Mars, Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, and the Moon.

 

If you look at the astrological chart for that day (above), you will see all of those symbols lumped together on one side of the chart, but you’ll also see Saturn, sitting across from them.  Saturn was at 13 degrees Libra that day and nearly exactly opposite the sun.  (This means that at midnight – 1:00 am if you’re in Daylight Savings – Saturn was directly overhead.)

So you could say that it’s all about Saturn versus Aries.

Well, as life would have it, this past weekend I did a reading for a man who just recently turned 30.  This means that he is an Aries and just completing his Saturn Return. [Saturn takes approximately 29 years to circle the sun, so centering around 29 years then again at 58 &  87, Saturn returns to the same place it was when that person was born. Think 30, 60, and 90 years for simplicity.]  On a birthday, we experience a Solar Return, so for this man, the Sun and Saturn are both nearly where they were when he was born.

Anyway, all of this was swimming around in my mind and, for whatever reason, I had the following visualization.  In fact, to try something new, I am going to draw a picture of what I saw:

What you see here is an alley.  There are tall buildings all around us, but once we’re in line with the alley, we can see all the way to the next block.  Let’s pretend that we are the sun and it is April 4, 2011.  Five of our friends are around us – some to the left and some to the right. Looking straight ahead down the alley, we see Saturn. All of us are moving left or right at different rates, which means that at some point, each of the six will look directly down the alley at Saturn.

Well, so what?

Well, in conjunction with the vision, I heard this, I heard Saturn described as the Internal Father.  It was a sort of play on words.  You see, I grew up Catholic and always heard God referred to as the Eternal Father.

So Saturn is our internal father and these days, a number of planets are going to stare down the alley at him.  That means, in different ways, our own internal father will stare back at us more than likely passing judgment.  [After all, that’s what the internal father does, right?]

Hmm, interesting way to think about it. And in fact, I can certainly relate.  I have definitely found myself to be especially self-critical lately.  My internal father has been working overtime, checking on my progress in all areas, and finding many things displeasing. I can see him now, down the alley, tapping his foot, and shaking his finger at me.

“My boy, why is it taking you so long?”
“What? You started another project?  But you still haven’t finished that first one!”
“Are you ever going to grow up?”
“What are you so afraid of?”
“Get over it already?  That happened a long time ago.”
“Do you think you deserve better than this?”

I started writing the above and thought I would keep going until I got to six just to prove a point.  Each of six planets passing through Aries is going to oppose Saturn sooner or later.  (Well, some already have.)  And, one or two additional planets in Pisces will oppose Saturn soon as well.  Each moves at a different rate, so it will take a while for the slowest.

The point is this – although the internal father does have a role to play, this time he is judging us from afar.  He’s all the way in Libra while most of the activity is here in Aries. He therefore doesn’t know the whole picture.  In fact, he is merely echoing old critical authority figures we’ve had in the past, appointed or not.

Keep in mind that this is not a personal transit like a Saturn Return.  The Saturn Return is supposed to kick our butt some.  In this case, we’re all invited to answer back to the internal father. We’re adults now – so when father criticizes, we can disagree and tell him so.

It could be like this: “Sorry Dad, but I disagree with you.  It is easy for you to say that about me because you’re not walking in my shoes.  This is how I see it and being that it is my life, let me decide what is best for me.”

Wow!  Look out at the world.  Do you see any of that happening?  Do you see any individuals or groups of people telling supposed authority figures that they’re taking control of their own lives?

And get ready, cause on April 18, 2011,  it’ll be Mars’ turn.  He’ll be the one looking across the alley at Saturn (and Mercury will be right at his side).  And consider this: he’s in his home sign where he is most comfortable, and most feisty!  Mars is going to be up for a fight, and if Father Saturn isn’t nice about it, he just might meet his match!

Look for interactions like the following to happen on or near that day.  One person, playing the role of Father Saturn, might make a snide and judging comment to a second.  But this time, instead of the second person taking it, they just might reach a limit and stand up for themselves.  And then that first person will get a-talking too!  And with Perfection of the Universe, they’ll both walk away having learned something – about themselves.

I’m also betting that there are a number of us that aren’t having this conversation out loud.  Maybe there is no one to have it with.  See Saturn is the archetypal father and need not show up as a real person in our lives. Again, he is the internal father, so it is just a part of us that’s passing the judgment anyway.

In fact, for me personally, this is highlighted because this year, I’m having a Saturn-Saturn opposition personal transit.  What this means is that in a few months, Saturn will be exactly opposite where it was when I was born.  That’s because I’ll be 43 (one and a half Saturn cycles).  It is like having a mini-Saturn Return and I feel it already.

So if you find yourself having internal dialogs that are like the above – now you know why.  The universe is conspiring with us and putting money on the underdog within us.  Saturn, the internal father, may be used to being in control, but this time, he is the minority.  And he’s all the way down the alley, so yelling is about the worst he can do…