Saturn Retro – Karmic Timelord

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Saturn the lord of karma and time will go direct on the day of the New Moon July 8. It will remain in the shadow zone until October 13 this year. Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius and Taurus decans 1 will have felt and continue to feel this karmic time-travelling the most.

Saturn has been retrograde since February 18 2013, things that may have got stuck in that time can slowly begin to move forward now. Jamie Partridge wrote about this period in Saturn Retrograde – Double Karma. Both karma and Saturn teach us lessons about paying our dues and balancing the books. Whatever was seeded between mid November 2012 and mid February is about to slowly bloom between now and October. The full consequences of our actions should be apparent by the November 3 Solar Eclipse.

Saturn has a bad reputation because he makes us face the consequences of our actions. So if we have been slacking then he will make us work twice as hard to catch up. If you have been a workaholic he may actually give you an illness in order to get you to slow down. It’s not all bad however. Once you have passed Saturn’s endurance test, he will be there to support your aching back and deliver your rewards. You can at least rely on him to come up with the goods, even if he doesn’t make such a big song or dance about it (Like Jupiter would…) What Saturn does present you with, is something solid and classic. Something that will last way after Jupiters champagne bubbles have burst.

Saturn Retrograde Scorpio

Saturn Retrograde Dates

15 November 2012 Saturn enters the retrograde zone at 4 Scorpio.
18 February 2013 Saturn stations retrograde at 11 Scorpio.
8 July 2013 Saturn stations direct at 4 Scorpio.
14 October 2013 Saturn leaves the retrograde zone at 11 Scorpio.

Unlike Mercury Retrograde, an outer planet retrograde covers a much more concentrated area of ones chart. This Saturn retrograde cycle is notable because it stations over TWO eclipse degrees. So Saturn links the recent April Lunar eclipse on Gacrux (in the constellation of the Southern cross.) with the coming November Solar Eclipse on Mimosa another star in this Crucifix. As I said in my 2013 Astrology Forecast, the degrees of 5º – 13º Scorpio are a real hot-spot.

As you can see, it’s quite amazing that Saturn commences it’s journey on the April eclipse degree in Scorpio decan 1 and ends it on the November eclipse degree. There is definitely something karmic afoot.. If we look back at the April 25 Lunar Eclipse we can see how relevant it is to the whole story of this Saturn retrograde. I wrote “The Moon is conjunct Saturn, which to me signifies mother as matter. Maat was the Egyptian goddess who regulated the seasons, universal law and the actions of humans by weighing their good deeds against their bad. The cross represents her balancing scales and also the horizon point on the horoscope, the Ascendant/descendant axis. Here equilibrium is attained twice a year at the sacred spring and autumn equinoxes when we have equal day and night hours.” This is the balancing of karma, and eye for an eye…It’s payback time folks.

Grand Water Trine

Saturn Grand Trine

Saturn has also been very active in all the major aspect patterns this year so far. We have already had Saturn sextile Pluto and just recently Saturn trine Neptune as part of that “Dreams-come-true” Grand Water Trine on June 11. It was between the Sun, Saturn and Neptune. This was a healing, internalised trine as it occurred during Mercury Retrograde and Saturn was still retrograde. Some said it was a bit of a dud, but it was just waiting…

We get a super-charged trine from July 17 – 22. Lilith, Mars and Jupiter will take the place of the Sun in the June trine and on July 22 Mars conjunct Jupiter will be exact. This should put a rocket up the arse of any languid Fomalhaut poets floating around the Neptune corner of the trine. Saturn nails these two arms together on our crucifix star Gacrux. Just to remind us of the significance of this constellation “Crux is said to give perseverance, but many burdens, trials and responsibilities, together with much suffering and many hardships.” The determination to see things through until the bitter end is what shines through here. Mars conjunct Jupiter gives this trine the muscle to bring something worthwhile into form.

Saturn & Constellation Crux

Saturn conjunct North Node

It seems we have to suffer for our art here. But by the end of our voyage on October 13 Saturn will have moved onto star Mimosa in Crux, which has a more positive interpretation “Inventive mind, intuition and wisdom, a grasp for the inner nature of one’s fellow man. The gift of successful investigation of the hidden side of things. A deeply religious nature connected with mystical and theosophical interests.” This star is said to give psychic ability. Shamans do not qualify until they have had some sort of near death experience, being crucified by Saturn may feel like that for some of us this year. Only those who are willing to put their head on the block then, will get this trines booty.

Saturn Retrograde

For the Egyptians, the sun died on September 23, the Autumn (or Spring in the Southern hemisphere) Equinox. The two hemispheres of the brain are also equal and balanced as day and night are of equal length. Then the nights start to get longer as the Sun “dies” for us in the Northern hemisphere. On September 23 Saturn is conjunct the North Node sextile Pluto square Uranus. In order for humanity to move forward and evolve a part of us must die. Pluto is resurrection. We are also approaching the end of the May Solar Eclipse cycle too where we may get what I call the “mop up” effect. The eclipse’s dilemma was “that it is easily seduced by finery and status. Saturn Rx all on it’s own in Scorpio assists in making sure this eclipse does the right and decent thing rather than becoming self-righteous, snobbish and fixated on achieving high status just to “keep up with the Jones’s.”

Time Lord

Saturn comes to the end of the shadow period still holding onto that learning triangle with Uranus square Pluto. After that it is free from karmic ties and treading fresh ground. This is exciting for Saturn. The Timelord is free to hop back into his Tardis and move independently. He has returned his karmic baggage back to the past, leaving him free to travel light into the future. On November 1 we have the final Uranus square Pluto for 2013, not to return until April 2014. We can recharge our batteries and rest on our laurels for a while at least. Saturn is still within orb of a potent aspect pattern known as the Model in Ecoteric astrology [1], which is in effect for the November 3 Solar Eclipse too. The aspect pattern comprises both a Yod and a minor grand trine, bonded by a square. This is a prototype of things to come. The Model is a great example of the hermetic rule “As in the great, so in the small”

November 1 2013

Between 1 – 3 November Saturn shows us a glimpse of something much larger brewing in the collective. This Model aspect will give us a greater understanding of the finished product when it does arrive. We shall see what this might be when I have written the post on the November Solar Eclipse, so stay tuned. In the meantime look to your birthcharts to see where Saturn has been teaching you some hard lessons in getting real, but also where you have been getting some of his support and status. Jupiter usually comes to mind when we think of awards and distinction, but Saturn gives us lasting gravitas, respect and the ability to support ourselves. By the end of this Saturn retrograde cycle we may feel like we have aged 10 years… But we will have gained great wisdom and for the more adolescent among us, finally grown up!

1. Aspect pattern Astrology. Bruno and Louise Huber. Pg 241
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