by Lynn Hayes
Saturn will be entering the sign of Libra on October 29, leaving the sign of Virgo where it has spent the last two years and some months challenging all of our conventional ideas about health and healing and ensuring that we embrace the Virgoan virtues of modesty, thrift and caution.
Libra is the sign of relationships and balance between two polarities. In Libra we understand the yin and the yang, the plus and the minus, the inner and the outer, and recognize that both ends of the polarities are valid.
Saturn is said to be exalted in Libra, but this does NOT mean that everything Saturn touches while in Libra is hunky-dory. Saturn’s crochety penchant for discipline and commitment is best expressed through the harmony of relationships, and the desire of Libra for balance and harmony helps to bring out the best of Saturn. However, Saturn has a tendency to create tests and challenges in any sign that he passes through, and he particularly dislikes an over-romanticized and impractical view of the world. In any area of life or the political spectrum where strange bedfellows have been made, Saturn is likely to shine his microscope and reveal the chinks in the construction of our sandcastles.
Saturn in Libra also brings a desire for charm and a harmonious approach to life as we saw when Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter in the 1980 elections just after Saturn had entered Libra. Saturn desires to build structures, and in Libra Saturn wants structures that will build relationships and alliances. But Libra can also sometimes be superficial, with its love of beauty and an appearance of harmony. A president like Reagan was made for Saturn in Libra and his charm and good looks gave the impression that John Wayne was in the White House. It was arguably a presidency that was more style than substance. (Reagan had Libra on the Midheaven, in case you were wondering).
Saturn rules diamonds, the brilliant jewel that is created when a lump of coal is put under tremendous pressure. This is the perfect metaphor for the way that Saturn works in our lives, and whether we end up with coal or a diamond really depends on us and how well we manage the tests that Saturn puts in our path. Saturn cycles can be depressing and burdensome, or they can be times of material success and wealth.
As I mentioned recently, Saturn’s passage through Libra coincided with one of the worst recessions in the 20th century in 1982. Saturn conjoined Pluto at the time, and during Saturn’s passage through Libra we will see Saturn forming a square to Pluto. Libra is ruled by Venus, and Venus is involved in the attraction and creation of wealth so Saturn’s passage through Libra can create tests and challenges in the realm of prosperity and force us to evaluate (Saturn) what we value (Libra).
While Saturn is passing through Libra it will be evaluating our progress in all Venus-related issues. Much attention is given to Libra and Venus’s rulership over relationships, and all kinds of alliances will be both forged and tested under the influence of Saturn in Libra. Other aspects of Libra include beauty, and with Saturn (aging) in Libra (beauty), we may find ourselves faced with some difficult facts about the processes that we use to stave off the aging process. We could also embrace the aging process and discover the beauty that lies in the growing strength and stability that we experience with age, a true Saturn in Libra achievement!
The forging of alliances requires the kind of balance and integration for which Libra is well-known, and Saturn’s travel through Libra will bring with it a requirement that we consider all sides of a question in order to bring about a truly harmonious result. Libra is the consummate diplomat and negotiator, and during this period great things are possible in the realm of peace negotiations. Saturn in Libra also tests our ability to make commitments. The generation with Saturn in Libra has exemplified this challenge as Saturn in any sign shows where we feel insecure and where we need to compensate.
Saturn in Libra is best described by the Justice card in the Rider-Waite Tarot deck: Armed with the scales of justice in one hand and the sword of power in the other. With Saturn in Libra, justice and balance are required and they may come with a price.
In any matter with which Saturn becomes involved, he does not give success easily. It must be earned, and the Saturnian qualities of discipline, hard work and achievement must be utilized. This will be particularly important when Saturn and Pluto face off in a square formation. The first phase of that cycle occurs in November of this year and will be in range through February of 2010 . As I have said often in these pages, this will likely instigate another crisis of confidence that challenge the recovery of the global economic systems.
Saturn then retrogrades back into Virgo in March where it will clean up the last of its Virgo business, such as health care reform and completing the process of instilling the values of thrift and economic conservatism.
We are likely to see a resurgence of optimism next spring when Jupiter (abundance and expansion) conjoins Uranus (radical change from the status quo) and I’ll be writing more about that phase of the cycle as we get closer to the time.
posted October 20, 2009 at 11:34 am
Other aspects of Libra include beauty, and with Saturn (aging) in Libra (beauty), we may find ourselves faced with some difficult facts about the processes that we use to stave off the aging process. We could also embrace the aging process and discover the beauty that lies in the growing strength and stability that we experience with age, a true Saturn in Libra achievement!
Excellent point, Lynn. As we boomers enter our sixties with many having limited financial resources, we may have no choice but to embrace the aging process without resorting to expensive cosmetic options. I know I am! But I already made the decision years ago to pass on HRT, cosmetic surgery or any of that. No “frozen” faces around here.
posted October 20, 2009 at 1:10 pm
An excellent overview! I’d like to add what I learned from my Astrology teacher about the concept of Saturn transits for the Librans
out there. She described Saturn transitting your Sun sign as the cosmic “garbage collector”. It will take something away from you, but what you face losing has outlived it’s usefulness. If you don’t let go of the trash, you won’t open up to accepting the gift available in something new. I believe this challenge can be particularly challenging for Librans who have such difficulty making decisions.
As Saturn approaches their natal Suns, it’s time to clean house and move onto something new. The rewards will be great for those with the discipline to accept the challenge. And for those who hold onto there
garbage, it can get pretty stinky!
posted October 20, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Great in-depth look at Saturn in Libra, Lynn. If I can share something I’ve been thinking about, I’ll add that when Saturn takes on the guise of necessary limitations, Saturn in Libra could easily reveal the power of choosing to “divorce” a relationship that no longer serves our growth. I bet we see a rise in divorce cases (literal and figurative) in the next couple of years with this transit.
posted October 20, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Neith, I heard that Angie Dickinson said: You have two choices, you can look bad with surgery or without it. The more actresses I see who have had “work done,” the more I look forward to my naturally aging face.
posted October 20, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Thanks for your comment K9, and with all due respect to your teacher, I would say that it’s really more Pluto that’s the “garbage collector” of the zodiac. Pluto irules the process of elimination, removing the outmoded debris from our lives that no longer suits us. Saturn generally instead creates a test or a challenge for us to work through an obstacle, gaining strength and power in the process.
posted October 20, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Great point Shane. My age group with Saturn in Libra (1951-1953) had a very difficult time forging real relationships, and so do the folks with Pluto in Libra (1971-1983). The divorce rate soared when Pluto entered Libra, which probably has something to do with the fear (Pluto) of marriage in the Pluto/Libra folks. Interesting that many of them had Saturn in Libra parents!
posted October 21, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I also have Saturn in Libra. Oi vey! Soon to be like getting a gift basket from Himmler.
posted October 27, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I do have Saturn in Pisces but it has been transiting my 12th house. Now he will be moving through my ascendant. I wonder when it will and what can I expect during the next 2 + years with it moving through my rising sign and 1st house. Thank you Lynn!
posted November 3, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Hi, Lynn.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on Saturn in Libra for my blog, Astro4Business Intersections. I am focusing on the impact of the astrological cycles on business and business owners.
Your paragraph on Saturn in Libra pertaining to forging alliances sparked an insight for me – thank you. I believe the “Libra phase” of business corresponds to the Expansion phase – From my post: “At the Libra point the business begins to establish partnerships to aid in its expansion and deals with responsibilities to investors. There will be a focus on networking to expand the customer/client base as well as a further shift in management to a more broad-based model. As the employee base expands as well, effort goes into recruiting the right people and dealing with human resources complexities.”
I think Saturn transiting Libra will help business owners be more circumspect and make more mature judgments about this important phase of business – a sort of counterbalance to the Libra tendency to think everyone is as fair-minded and rational as they tend to be.
And thank you for clarifying for K9 that the energy his teacher is describing is Plutonian – it struck me that way too.
Ellen
posted November 12, 2009 at 2:28 am
a kind of eighties back!!!!!!!!
snob attitude, intelectual awareness, cold looking, charming faces,
uaaaaaaaaaa
ive born 1982 sat plut 0.07 app
wooaaa damn fashion comment!
how ive so long awaited for that thursday after midday… i was lunching with my girlfriend…
then sat ingressed balance…
i must marriage now… and finish my new order of thought 3d portal soon … well my return is at 27
anyway i love the time
charming looks from Brazil/sp
see u all in da future
posted November 12, 2009 at 2:30 am
Oh yes i was forgetting…
i love the sat plut con…
but
i must say too that i love too uranus in sag
1981-1988
the best 7 years of the earth
haha
posted November 19, 2009 at 7:10 am
oh where did i store those parachute pants?
posted June 17, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Hi Lynn,
I was wondering if Libra in Saturn would apply to me as powerfully as a beginign Libra.My birthday is October 18 1971 4:18 pm Timmins Ontario/Canada. I am almost a scorpio, but still a Libra.
thanks
jess