The aspect of the week is one of those heavy ones, as the bright light of the Sun squares off to sombre Saturn.
(Updated for March 2017)
This aspect occurs between the Sun at 27 Pisces and Saturn at 27 Sagittarius and peaks on Friday, March 17, 2017. It’s already in play and I am sure you can feel it!
I recently read ‘Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination’ by J. K. Rowling.
In light of the oh so grounding Sun/Saturn square, this passage struck a chord:
‘So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I believed I truly belonged. I was set free because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.’
I see so many Saturn themes in this passage. Since you too may deal with some of them this week, here are a few ideas to keep you on track.
‘….the stripping away of the inessential….’
The Sun is a symbol for authenticity, your core self. As it bumps up against Saturn, any false or inaccurate aspect of your identity must be rubbed away. Saturn is firm, so firm that under this touch, your truest essence, the most essential you, can be revealed. This may be scary or confronting as Saturn can arouse fear. But to live more authentically, you will need to let go of any false props you have clung to. Being more you means letting go of the inessential. It means coming back to your core, to the centre, to the very heart of who you are and who you always wanted to be. Don’t buy into the desires and dreams of others, instead, hold firmly to the vision in your own heart.
‘…finishing the only work that mattered to me…’
Under Saturn there is work to be done. A mountain to climb, a project to complete or an unrealistic commitment to renegotiate. Relish rather than shy away from this work. Move towards work that matters. Say yes to work that both sets your heart on fire and at the same time scares you because it makes you feel alive like nothing else does.
Finish something. Saturn respects completion. He recognises and rewards a job well done, knowing intimately the effort and hurdles, both internal and external, required to finish. Narrow your focus and finish what matters to you. Find the strength and resilience to say no to or walk away from work that no longer engages you.
‘….I was set free because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive..’
Face a fear so you know it has no power over you. Fear is a mental thing, a game of the mind. It feels so real but it is only your thoughts. Reclaim power over what runs through your mind. When you risk facing a fear, it instantly loses its hold over you. Rarely does the Very Bad Thing you thought would happen actually happen. It’s never as bad in real life as it is in your mind at 2am. Bring a fear (Saturn) into the light (Sun) and see it for what it is. Examine it. Know it. Really see what it is that so scares you, know what you’re afraid to lose and then move forward anyway. You will still be alive.
‘….rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.’
Start from where you are. An inch of movement will take you in the right direction. Be honest about the limits of your current situation. Rather than rile against reality, make some kind of peace with it. Then you can move forward from there.
So you don’t have the job, relationship or finances you thought you would. Most of us don’t. Some of us have one or another, but EVERYBODY and I really mean everybody has major things they want to improve, change or wish weren’t the way they are.
If you took even a small percentage of the energy spent being upset or frustrated about a limitation or perceived lack of opportunity, and instead channelled that force into action, making a decision or trying something new, you would be amazed at how life starts to unfold.
Under this week’s intense Sun square Saturn angle, a baby step might be all you can manage, but take it anyway.
This rock/hard place feeling can be paralysing but it will help you crystallise your choices. Under pressure, what really matters is clarified.
As the Sun and Saturn duke it out, first priorities must come first.
So….. how is this aspect showing up in your life. Do you have any planets at 27 degrees of the mutable signs? What houses of your chart are being activated? Can you feel the fear and do it anyway?