Saturn enters Capricorn: A look at the astrology of the week of December 18, 2017 - December 25, 2017
The big news this week is Saturn’s ingress into Capricorn. Saturn has spent the last 2 ½ years in the sign of Sagittarius, which wraps up this week on Dec. 19, 2017 at 11:48pm US/Eastern when Saturn eases into its home sign of Capricorn. This change of sign comes close on the heels of the Sagittarius New Moon of Dec. 17, and also in the midst of Mercury’s retrograde through Sagittarius. This presents a grand opportunity to reflect on the last 2 ½ years, particularly concerning the material structures which support our lives, as well as the foundational relationships (with people, institutions, ideals, beliefs) which make those function well—or not. A more thorough and hopefully honest review will be possible now, as you consider what may need to be pruned to allow vital new growth to occur. (See last week’s forecast on Real Imaginal for a more detailed look at best ways to use Mercury retrograde plus Sagittarius New Moon to harvest the gifts of the last 2 ½ years.)
Saturn is said to be “happy” in Capricorn, as this is its ground. It is very compatible with the Capricornian qualities of leadership, strong work ethic, responsibility, and a desire both for social approval and successful contributions to the world. Saturn’s influence may therefore be more noticeable while in Capricorn (Dec. 2017 - Dec. 2020). Casting our gaze forward to the potentials of the next three years, the late 18th - early 19th century English poet and mystic William Blake offers us the perspective: “Joys impregnate, sorrows bring forth.” The things we appreciate in our lives—which must inevitably come to an end or change in some way, so says Saturn—find greater context, greater meaning, and a kind of fulfillment as well, in their loss. “Joys impregnate, sorrows bring forth” can be a sometimes bitter contemplation, but not without reward. The grief, fear, anger and despair that can be associated with loss—all Saturn’s territory—are certainly unpleasant, but given their rightful place, they play an important role in our total health. Fully encountering the powerful emotions that surround change is a part of Saturn’s function to guide us to our deeper values. Even these generally negative experiences serve to help us learn how to be good to each other, to be compassionate and more understanding of others, to help each other and ourselves. They form a critical part of learning how to be related to each other.
Reclaiming the full round of life could be a major feature of Saturn’s travels through Capricorn. Digging into a deeper source of our humanity to find an ability to say YES to this life - this life, as it is, with its unadorned messy contradictions and demands that we recognize our relationship to things we may find distasteful. This life, just as it is, with all the hardships, difficulties, true sufferings and all the incredible joys, pleasures, meaningful connections and the giving and receiving of love. Saturn wants us to be present with what is actually happening. Not what we wish were happening. Not our fantasy about what should happen. But what is going down in the here and now.
The theme of inclusion figures prominently during this time period. Saturn seems to have a function of making wholes by excluding things not up to standard, piecing things together by setting boundaries—determining who is to be excluded and who makes the cut. By contrast, the planetary archetype of Jupiter has a function of making greater wholes by deciding what to include, how to forgive or negotiate differences, and to see larger connections, a near opposite style. Both modes are needed, of course, but it won’t be until Jupiter reaches its home sign of Sagittarius in Nov. 2018 that its strength and voice in the conversation will be nearly as loud. For now, in many parts of the world we’re witnessing how badly Saturn and its boundaries have been handled in the realm of sex and power dynamics, which is Scorpio’s province and Jupiter’s home until Nov. 2018.
And so perhaps a fitting and useful invocation of Saturn in Capricorn is “learning to do Saturn well.” Boundaries serve to create connections and foster reciprocity and exchange. Boundaries and limits are about honoring and respecting and fostering good health that’s necessary to life itself. Boundaries are what connect us, not exactly what separates us. We could all use the pressures of Saturn in Capricorn to locate deeper resources in our humanity to celebrate necessary endings, to make it a harvest of what is valuable as well as a funeral for what served as a vehicle for that value, but which is no longer necessary or in fact corrupt.
Wishing everyone a blessed Summer or Winter Solstice, and whether the light be increasing or decreasing in your part of the world, may your heart be energized by its generous, life-giving luminosity. Saturn is said to be “happy” in Capricorn, as this is its ground. It is very compatible with the Capricornian qualities of leadership, strong work ethic, responsibility, and a desire both for social approval and successful contributions to the world. Saturn’s influence may therefore be more noticeable while in Capricorn (Dec. 2017 - Dec. 2020). Casting our gaze forward to the potentials of the next three years, the late 18th - early 19th century English poet and mystic William Blake offers us the perspective: “Joys impregnate, sorrows bring forth.” The things we appreciate in our lives—which must inevitably come to an end or change in some way, so says Saturn—find greater context, greater meaning, and a kind of fulfillment as well, in their loss. “Joys impregnate, sorrows bring forth” can be a sometimes bitter contemplation, but not without reward. The grief, fear, anger and despair that can be associated with loss—all Saturn’s territory—are certainly unpleasant, but given their rightful place, they play an important role in our total health. Fully encountering the powerful emotions that surround change is a part of Saturn’s function to guide us to our deeper values. Even these generally negative experiences serve to help us learn how to be good to each other, to be compassionate and more understanding of others, to help each other and ourselves. They form a critical part of learning how to be related to each other.
Reclaiming the full round of life could be a major feature of Saturn’s travels through Capricorn. Digging into a deeper source of our humanity to find an ability to say YES to this life - this life, as it is, with its unadorned messy contradictions and demands that we recognize our relationship to things we may find distasteful. This life, just as it is, with all the hardships, difficulties, true sufferings and all the incredible joys, pleasures, meaningful connections and the giving and receiving of love. Saturn wants us to be present with what is actually happening. Not what we wish were happening. Not our fantasy about what should happen. But what is going down in the here and now.
The theme of inclusion figures prominently during this time period. Saturn seems to have a function of making wholes by excluding things not up to standard, piecing things together by setting boundaries—determining who is to be excluded and who makes the cut. By contrast, the planetary archetype of Jupiter has a function of making greater wholes by deciding what to include, how to forgive or negotiate differences, and to see larger connections, a near opposite style. Both modes are needed, of course, but it won’t be until Jupiter reaches its home sign of Sagittarius in Nov. 2018 that its strength and voice in the conversation will be nearly as loud. For now, in many parts of the world we’re witnessing how badly Saturn and its boundaries have been handled in the realm of sex and power dynamics, which is Scorpio’s province and Jupiter’s home until Nov. 2018.
And so perhaps a fitting and useful invocation of Saturn in Capricorn is “learning to do Saturn well.” Boundaries serve to create connections and foster reciprocity and exchange. Boundaries and limits are about honoring and respecting and fostering good health that’s necessary to life itself. Boundaries are what connect us, not exactly what separates us. We could all use the pressures of Saturn in Capricorn to locate deeper resources in our humanity to celebrate necessary endings, to make it a harvest of what is valuable as well as a funeral for what served as a vehicle for that value, but which is no longer necessary or in fact corrupt.
Cosmic Sightings by our dear astrologer Erica Jones
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