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 © Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
Saturn is very much on my mind these days and I can’t help seeing life through a Saturn filter. I got to pondering transitions and how different each planet’s style of making transitions is. Uranus transitions are abrupt. One day you are living your life in one place and the next you’re packing up to move halfway across town . . . or even further. Jupiter’s transitions are usually upgrades of one kind or another because he does like the best. Pluto’s transitions always, ALWAYS, demand we completely remove something or someone from our lives before we are allowed to bring in the new. Neptune? Who knows where a Neptune transition begins or ends!
Saturn transitions usually have a definite starting point, a long middle and a clear end. We often have specific goals and tasks we need to accomplish too. When Saturn was within ten degrees of my Sun last October, I underwent a series of tests to determine my overall health and one thing I found out was my bones had started to thin. Saturn rules the skeleton and it was apparent I needed to take steps to do what I could to improve mine. However, also true to Saturn’s style, this would take time and tenacity to accomplish. Basically I need to do two things . . . make sure I take enough calcium and do exercises to stress my bones to strengthen them. Starting slowly and gradually increasing repetitions is necessary to avoid putting too much stress on tendons and ligaments. I can hear Saturn’s voice in my head telling me to do each step with care and not skip a one.
I also started very low dose estrogen therapy at the same time and here again, it’s a slow process. My doc told me it would be a year (yes, about the time Saturn enters Scorpio next fall) before I would see consistent improvement. So I will continue to revisit a variety of symptoms like hot flashes and other perimenopausal joys as those gradually taper off over the coming months.
One thing about the lessons we learn from Saturn transits is they are very effective and we often incorporate them into our lives. There are techniques I learned for maintaining health and well being I still use every day that I picked up when Saturn was in Libra and Scorpio in the 1980’s. In other words, we can build on what Saturn teaches us! Saturn is very good that way unlike Uranus and Pluto who want us to let the past go.
There are some advantages to being past my second Saturn Return and having developed a good working relationship with Saturn over the years. I know deep down if I play by his rules and acknowledge the importance of delayed gratification; I will eventually achieve my goals. I also know the importance of focusing on the next step and not looking too far ahead to avoid getting discouraged. It’s tough to do in these days of instant communication and fast forward lives but not impossible. Slow and steady . . . that’s the ticket! 
 © Annie Musse
Endings and beginnings are on my mind these days with Saturn weighing down my 29° Libra Sun with Neptune at 29° Aquarius trine it. We’re now a couple of weeks away from Neptune’s ingress into its home sign of Pisces and I, for one, see this as far more positive than not.
Shape shifter that he is, Neptune has struggled during his lengthy stay in Aquarius starting on 28 January 1998. Aquarius is fixed air and very big on coming up with “one size fits all” schemes for the collective . . . and then spends a great deal of time and energy insisting on stuffing everyone into their particular box without checking to see whether or not it’s a good fit. We’ve seen the rise of social networking via the internet spread around the globe and people “friending” people they’ve never met face to face. Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet and being able to connect with people around the world suits my North Node in Gemini to a ‘T’. However, in my opinion, the ability to discriminate what’s appropriate to share from what’s best kept private has been lost– very much Neptune in Aquarius. Aquarius is simply too cerebral and detached to understand why sensitive water sign folk are repulsed by the “too much information” crowd.
Another blessing of Neptune in Pisces for the next thirteen years is having the water element represented full time. Ever since Uranus left Pisces for Aries last March there are been long periods when only the swift moving Moon passed through the water signs, making it challenging for people to stay in touch with their feelings. Neptune in Pisces is an excellent representative for watery energy and will provide a subtle background note gently prodding us to take our emotions into account at all times.
I’m sure we will deal with too much sentimentality and maybe more than a few people suffering from savior complexes but overall I’m hoping Neptune in Pisces will open hearts and remind us of those feelings we have in common. Getting Neptune’s influence out of our heads and back into our hearts opens the door to unconditional love and acceptance. We need to renew our appreciation for genuine compassion and let go of the need to convince others our brand of ideology will serve the masses better than yours. Believe me, we’ll need every bit of help we can get to smooth the jagged edges of Uranus in Aries battling it out with Pluto in Capricorn for the next three years!
The movie, Big Fish, is a marvelous example of Neptune’s better nature. Imaginative and loving all at the same time.
 © Diane Lang
Even though Mars in Virgo won’t be stationing retrograde at 23° 05′ Virgo until 23 January (the same day as the New Moon in Aquarius), it is starting to noticeably slow down. Usually Mars takes about two days to move a degree and now it’s up to six days and will spend ten days at its station degree. When we need patience the most, it will be hardest to come by.
Mars is currently transiting my tenth and is in the process of making the first of three passes sextile my natal Mars-Mercury conjunction in Scorpio. By the weekend I will be experiencing the first of three passes of Mars squaring my natal Uranus . . . triggering my natal Uranus inconjunct Mars-Mercury. The “twitches” have already commenced and I need to take extra care to move with deliberation thus avoiding accidents. I foresee a few bumps and bruises in the days ahead. **sigh**
The sextile is great! It keeps things moving without going completely overboard and sharpens my mind wonderfully. The catch is Uranus and its need to push the envelope. What can happen is my mind runs way ahead of my tongue and my speech can be a bit garbled. Writing is not so bad because it can be edited though mistakes may slip by unnoticed because I get in too big a hurry.
If you have planets and Angles around 21 to 23 degrees in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces), this Mars station will get your attention. You could be flooded with urgent communications or need to deal with mountains of nitpicky paperwork, have the urge to fly the country or just want to strangle your overly amped partner. Whatever comes your way, please do your best to be patient and kind in dealing with your own feelings of exasperation or other people’s foibles. Here’s wishing us all luck with that!
 © Misterbeautiful | Dreamstime.com
The New Year starts out with all planets direct and moving forward for a change. The tone for the upcoming year as indicated by the New Year’s Day chart is a continuation of the Solstice with cardinal earth dominating. We need to stick with practical, balanced and equitable solutions for best results.
Best remember Mars in Virgo is slowing down to station retrograde on 23 January 2012! When Mars is stationing, getting projects up and running may take much longer than planned for, and since we’re dealing with Virgo we need to make darn good and sure all the picky bits are in place. Aries folks in particular often are frustrated during those times when Mars is traveling at a crawl and most Aries loathe dealing with paperwork and details. My Aries insists on doing the books himself to prepare for tax season even though Virgo Midheaven me has offered to help out . . . fun!
I’m going on record supporting those astrologers who say the world won’t end when the Mayan Calendar does. A couple of my favorites, Jeff Jawer and the inimitable Mikey Lutin, have come out with great articles stating their opinion. Jeff writes about 2012: A Beginning, Not the End and Mikey offers this article on Huff Post – 2012: Keep Paying Your Bills, It’s Not the End of the World. One of my readers brought up the planet, Nibiru. Besides, if the world does come to end at least we won’t have to listen/watch all the half-truths and outright lies the politicians will be broadcasting this election year . . . how’s that for a bright spot?
We have the first two exact squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn to look forward to – one on 24 June at 8º and the other on 19 September at 6º. Check to your chart to see if you have planets or Angles at either of those degrees. If you do, you may find yourself caught up in a rush of rebellion against the Powers That Be in some way.
Remember the snarly Mercury Retch we just concluded? Both my Gemini step-daughters failed to read the suggestions their dad had sent them for Xmas gifts closely and both gift items are set to be exchanged. It will probably mean a couple of weeks or more added on before delivery. Ah, Mercury, you little devil you!! Speaking of Mercury in Sagittarius, I am MORE than ready for it to leave my first house and move into Capricorn in about a week! My mind keeps jumping around all over the place.
May this year bring prosperity, joy and peace to all around the globe. Listen to other with an open heart and mind. Above all, continue to practice tolerance, patience and kindness.
 © Bloody Baby Blue
In October 2012 Saturn will enter Scorpio and spend the next two plus years in Mutual Reception with Pluto in Capricorn. Mutual Reception exists when the ruler of one sign is in the sign the other planet rules, i.e. Pluto rules Scorpio and Saturn rules Capricorn. The most recent example of two outer planets in this relationship was when Uranus, Aquarius’s ruler, was in Pisces and Neptune, Pisces’s ruler, was/is in Aquarius. The latter case was supposed to usher in a delightful period of harmony and spiritual development. Yeah, right! Looked much more like everyone running around in an idealistic fog to me, says cynical Scorp Rising.
This particular example of Mutual Reception has a lot going for it. First of Scorpio and Capricorn are a pair of signs who understand each other. They are both extremely pragmatic and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and if ruthlessness is needed, than that’s the way it will be. Since both signs also prefer to work quietly with little fanfare, we will see far more instances where most of the negotiations are complete before the results are announced publicly.
Budgeting will continue to be a way of life for families and institutions alike. All the fancy extras will be up for review and cut out if necessary. Food, shelter, clothing and transportation to work will take top priority with entertainment, vacations and “toys” getting short shrift. I can see unfunded mandates for all levels of government getting thrown out. In Washington State where I live there is serious discussion already about changing the law for submitting initiatives and demanding funding sources be clearly defined.
Death and dying with dignity are both subjects Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn will demand be addressed. We may see a resurgence of information about sexually transmitted diseases and how to manage those better. It wouldn’t surprise me to see population control also return to the front page along with a more practical approach to birth control for all peoples.
The bottom line as I see it is we will all benefit greatly from these two planets working together. They will be exactly sextile for the first time on 26 December 2012 . . . just a few days after the end of the Mayan calendar. This seems to me more like a new beginning than everything coming to an end, doesn’t it?
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I have my natal Sun in Libra, the sign of relationship, conjunct Chiron in Libra and have spent many years analyzing what makes us tick when it comes to relating to others.