The Astrology Blog – w/b 17 November 2014
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Just to start with some astronomy, the Sun, Mercury and Venus all take a year to travel through the twelve signs of the zodiac. This in turn means that they all catch up with the slower moving planets once a year and at the moment we’re in Saturn season. Saturn himself has a cycle of just under thirty years and therefore spends approximately two and a half years in each sign. He’s been travelling through Scorpio since October 2012.
Last week we had the Venus – Saturn conjunction at 25 degrees of Scorpio (the last one was 18 September 2013 at 8 degrees of Scorpio). In last week’s blog I wrote –
In terms of textbook astrology Venus is love, pleasure and money, whereas Saturn rules limitations and likes saying no. Venus-Saturn aspects of any kind tend to bring us up against denial – the denial of our own feelings or that which is being denied to us.
This was amply borne out by the stories I was privy to last week and I should probably have underlined more strongly the fact that Venus is in her sign of detriment in the fixed water sign of Scorpio. This sign is associated with highly charged and intense feelings, issues of abuse/control/power and rules the 8th house of the horoscope, domain of death and the taboo. Venus is also women which also really showed last week – a prolonged and totally disabling gynecological illness, a woman having to give up work for family reasons, the end of the road for a marriage, a beautiful black (Scorpio’s colour) Persian cat killed on the road – sadly these are the kind of things we expect to experience or hear about as Venus struggles past Saturn’s implacability.
On the plus side Scorpio and the 8th house are about depth psychology, experiences that promote profound self awareness and a connection with our spirituality, however that may be experienced for the individual. The most uplifting showing of the Venus – Saturn was a client of mine now training to be a medium and who has lent me books on channeling. It’s also about putting our affairs in order – such as wills or pensions – and I tracked down something of my own, a plan I had paid into for only a year when doing a job I hated about 25 years ago!
This week it’s the Sun’s turn –
Tuesday Sun conjunct Saturn at 26 degrees of Scorpio (08.51)
This particular conjunction in Scorpio won’t happen again for nearly another thirty years. The last one was 6 November 2013 at 14 degrees of Scorpio but in a year’s time Saturn will have changed sign, so the next Sun – Saturn conjunction will fall on 30 November 2015 at 7 degrees of Sagittarius.
If you have planets or angles at or within a couple of degrees of 26 Scorpio this aspect will be especially significant for you. If you have planets or angles at or close to 26 degrees of the other fixed signs then this aspect will align with those natal positions by opposition (Taurus) or square (Leo and Aquarius). Don’t forget that if you don’t know the position of your natal planets you can find them in a matter of minutes by entering your date, place and time of birth into a chart calculator, such as this one:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
As I was writing this blog I couldn’t help but think of one of my favourite teaching charts, the Queen’s horoscope. She has a Capricorn Ascendant with Saturn therefore as chart ruler, posited bang on the Midheaven (status/purpose). Her Saturn is 24.27 of Scorpio, her Midheaven is 25.37 so this is her third Saturn Return (when Saturn returns to his natal position which he does approximately every 29 and a half years, so as we approach the ages of 30, 60 and 90. These are major landmarks for all of us, but especially if Saturn is powerfully placed in the natal chart). Key astrological aspects in the charts of monarchs and leaders tend to show either as individual events or as major concerns for the nation.
At a more universal level what does the Sun – Saturn conjunction signify? The Sun is one of the Lights (the other being the Moon) and in traditional astrology Saturn is known as the enemy of the Lights – being in detriment in Leo (the Sun’s sign) and also in Cancer (the Moon’s sign). Similarly, the Sun is in detriment in Aquarius (one of Saturn’s signs) and the Moon is in detriment in Capricorn (Saturn’s other sign).
This makes symbolic sense as the Sun is the light of life, the life force and our vitality, Saturn is the Grim Reaper, so Sun – Saturn contacts are, in essence, all about life/death conflict, and the theme is heavily underlined with the conjunction happening in Scorpio. This doesn’t mean that we’ll all be dealing with bereavement. As with all astrology remember the as above/so below principle and think symbolically. What is reaching its natural end or what is a dead end? What is being denied or blocked? What is past the point of rescue? What needs the discipline of hard work? What are you prepared to give up in order to realize an ambition?
For some this will be the heart of a clear sequence of events unfolding – reflected by the Venus/Saturn last week and Mercury’s turn next week (26 November 2014, Mercury conjunct Saturn at 26 degrees of Scorpio).
This Saturn season can feel extremely heavy but, as with everything, it’s a cycle. The light at the end of the tunnel is already visible as Venus exited Scorpio last night (Sunday 16th 19.05) and is now in Sagittarius, a fire sign associated with exuberance, optimism and freedom, so at an emotional level this signals a big shift forwards. Sagittarius rules everything that expands our world and is therefore connected to learning (the expansion of the mind) and travel (the expansion of our physical horizons) so anything connected to the acquisition of wisdom/new experiences gets a huge tick. For me this has coincided with giving up on a plan to travel to the UK for Christmas and then finding that it was possible after all! I’ll be on my way on 18 December – the day of the month when the Moon is in Sagittarius as it turns out, which is also my Sun sign – for ten days. It’s the first trip away for over a year.
However, Venus has her own difficult aspect to get through this week –
Thursday Venus square Neptune (14.57)
This is an important aspect as Neptune has just turned direct (Sunday 16th, 07.07) in his own sign of Pisces. Every planet is double sided – the good and the bad! Neptune’s turnaround signals the turning of the emotional tides and transitions. Look out for issues connected to Neptunian concerns of deception/truth, grief/joy, confusion/deeper understanding, disconnection/empathy – and so on. With Venus in on this act all love issues are especially sensitized and it will take a while for the sea mists to clear.
The rest of the week has a much sharper focus with Mercury on the move –
Friday Mercury sextile Mars (14.02)
Sunday Mercury square Jupiter (04.44)
These are Mercury’s final aspects before he meets up with Saturn next week so pay special attention to anything that you are wrapping up or if you are paving the way to something new. Don’t get carried away! Some pointed conversations or discussions are on the cards, but watch out for Jupiter by square – and his big ideas! – and keep your realistic hat on. Final details and possibilities won’t be clarified until next week.
Finally, the Sun exits Scorpio at the weekend –
Saturday
Sun ingress Sagittarius (09.39) followed just a few hours later by the Moon.
New Moon at 0 degrees of Sagittarius (12.33)
This is a special New Moon, then, as it falls at 0 degrees, a symbolically powerful event for new beginnings of the very promising kind. Starting a brand new project, the arrival of a new face who will help you, meeting someone special if you’re unattached (the Moon’s next aspect is a conjunction with Venus at 8 degrees of Sagittarius on Sunday at 02.18), the beginning of a whole new journey of discovery, a travel or learning opportunity, letting go of the past and looking to the future – these are the kind of themes to look out for and with which to move forwards. Bring it on!