This morning, the moon made an exact conjunction with Saturn, which I caught a picture of:
A number of words or phrases one might associate with Saturn are: responsibility, restriction, onus, work, structure, father, boss, and task-master. My favorite ways to think of Saturn are: manifestation and making real.
Real is subjective…as is reality. I used to think that our perception of reality was the subjective part. I am seriously contemplating the idea that reality itself is subjective. If that concept is true, then it means each of us has a completely unique reality. What is real for me might not be real for you and vice versa.
This actually makes perfect sense to me. Many see Astrology as nonsense. Some see it as cause. I see it as co-incident, meaning what I observe in charts reflects and informs what is happening in my reality. Since interpretation is always subjective, it matches that bigger view.
The best part is this: when I read for you, my perspective doesn’t need to be true (for you) in order to be helpful. I can feel when what I say is right (from my perspective) and you can tell, by how it feels, if it’s right for you. And when it isn’t, it can still be helpful by reinforcing your own view of things!
Saturn rules two adjacent signs. It is the only planet that does this! Since I think of Saturn relating to manifestation and making real, there are naturally two aspects to it. Saturn, as ruler of Capricorn, covers the manifestation of the physical. Saturn, as ruler of Aquarius, covers the manifestation of experience.
Creating something physical seems to require more focus. Focus is a process of reduction…or restriction. One starts with a big picture filled with possibilities and options, then zooms in and narrows the field down. The creation of physical objects seems to require more focus because it seems to create something that is more permanent. Even if that is an illusion, it is what we consider the most real aspect of life. We can see and touch physical objects. It seems to take strong forces to destroy them (wanted or unwanted). And many things last a long, long time.
Experience, the Aquarian part, seems to require MUCH less focus. Every day you have fleeting experiences that float on by. A song comes on and you reminisce. You pop a cookie in your mouth and enjoy the flavors. You watch something on TV that pulls at your heart strings. You witness the beauty of a moonrise, a sunset, a cloud passing by. You feel the warmth of the sun; you hear the singing of a songbird.
Saturn entered Aquarius on March 21st. It will station retrograde on May 10th and reenter Capricorn on July 1st. On September 28th, it will station direct and reenter Aquarius on December 16th, where it will remain until March 2023.
Astrologers associate this whole coronavirus experience with the triple conjunction between Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto, which is a dance that lasts all year.
Up to now, I have been more focused on the Pluto part. Through Pluto, we are transforming reality. You can think the transformation is driven from the outside (via this virus perhaps) but I prefer to think of it in first person. Said by each of us: I am transforming my reality by allowing contrast to inspire or motivate me.
Right now, as I consider the Saturn part, the role of virus takes center stage. In theory, a virus is physical. However, to the vast majority of us, this is not something we experience directly. We must rely on what we are told from others. Not one of us can see a virus with our naked eyes. We cannot touch them, taste them, or smell them. Some people can observe them through a device. They can snap pictures or create drawings. I am sure just about all of you have seen one of these by now.
So, in my way of thinking, a virus is simultaneously physical and not physical (more of a thought-form than an object). You can’t prove to me that it is real, but you can cite evidence that it exists.
A virus thus seems to sit on the exact cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius…or maybe on one side of the cusp depending on who you are.
Saturn crossed into Aquarius, but will return to Capricorn for a bit. Mars charged on past the cusp recently and will continue on to Pisces. Jupiter approaches the cusp, but will not cross it until around the December solstice.
Through this experience, we can explore the cusp between physical reality and pure experience. No two of us hold the same beliefs in toto because no two of us have the same experiences to draw from. So each of us, in our own way, will explore the boundary between what is physical and what is not exactly or precisely physical.
And even though that line might be blurred, even if I or anyone else throws in the word illusion, it doesn’t mean any of it is not real. We can all agree that a particular house or car in front of us is real. We can both see it and touch it. Experience is just as real, there’s just a lot less consensus about it.
What you think is real (to you). What you feel is real (to you). Your opinions are real (to you). Your beliefs are real (to you). And with many things that are real, they shift and change and evolve. You don’t see life the same as you did when you were a child. You don’t think the same things or feel the same ways (about all subjects). Some of your ideas change regularly. Some are steadfast.
I am sure many of you think and feel and view life quite differently today than you did in…say…December.
You are living your life in first person. That is possibly the. Most. Important. Part.
Whatever you read…whatever you see…whatever you hear…whatever anyone tries to convince you of… I recommend reminding yourself that you see through YOUR eyes and think through YOUR mind—whatever that means to you.
Your experiences are real (to you).
Lee Harris mentioned recently that this time is asking each of us to trust in what we each think is true. I think that has been going on for decades now…certainly since 2001.
However, real (or true) does not equate to physical. Pure experience is just as real, it is simply purely personal. I can hand you a mug and we would both agree that it is real. But if I describe to you an experience I had, I cannot prove to you that it was real.
As Saturn bounces over the cusp between Capricorn and Aquarius, this aspect of life may be highlighted; it certainly has for me!
To speak like an Astrologer, I am inclined to say: let Saturn show you what he wants to show you. Let him show you through your specific first person experience and the material objects you can see with your own eyes and touch with your own fingers. This needn’t have anything to do with Saturn (the planet, the god, the archetype or the words or ideas of others).
I am sure I am moving into a new reality, a reality which is very personal and possibly more so than ever before!
A Fool's Inclination 