2009 October : Big Sky AstroBlog

Oct

22

saturn After spending just a little over two years in Virgo (since September 2, 2007), Saturn enters Libra on October 29. If Saturn is the demanding father or boss who pushes you mercilessly toward some standard of excellence and achievement, his transit through signs describes his management style. While Saturn transited Leo, authority figures – both external and internal – were dramatic, swaggering, hollering orders like a bellicose child. In Virgo, they’ve savaged you about the small stuff – the uncrossed t’s, the misfiled papers, the citations incorrectly formatted. In Libra, they will pulverize you with a smile.

The best/worst boss I ever had was a Capricorn, but she had to have had significant planets or the Ascendant in Libra. Blond and refined, she carried herself with elegance and dignity. She was diplomatic, tactful, and charming – but underneath it all, she was Saturn/Capricorn to the core, pitiless in her demand for perfection and intolerant of excuses. As far as she was concerned, when something went wrong on my desk, it didn’t make the least bit of difference whether or not I’d caused the problem – it was my fault. From her, I internalized Truman’s famous edict that “the buck stops here.” Each day I came home from work feeling bloodied and bruised, wanting to weep. In fact, on a couple of occasions I did seek refuge in the office of a sympathetic friend, crying and threatening to quit.

I lasted just about a year and a half on that job, and while I was delighted to move on, I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned there. They come in especially handy during Saturn transits. Because Saturn, much like my Capricorn boss, does not want to hear excuses. All that matters to Saturn is results. I suppose that’s why I’ve always thought of her as my best boss: she made me miserable, but she also made me a better, more responsible worker.

Saturn’s sign is not just about style, but about the nature of the work he has assigned to us. While Saturn was in Leo, he insisted that we express ourselves creatively despite indifference, criticism, and staggering obstacles; and while Saturn has been in Virgo, we and our lives were meant to become better, fitter instruments through which creativity can flow. So for two years, Saturn has slapped us – hard – every time we complained that doing our Virgo duty was impossible. “But how am I going to find time to exercise?” Slap! “Surely no one expects me to do that much research before I write this article.” Slap!slap!slap! “What does it matter if I keep my files in order and my checking account balanced?” Ssssss…lap!!

Libra is the sign of the marketplace, and as Saturn moves into that sign it will be time to sell yourself. If you haven’t done your Virgo homework, the market will find you wanting – and you’ll have a much harder time fetching the price you think you’re worth. Time to organize your files, balance the checkbook, and buy a new pair of Reeboks.

We have one week left to crash for Virgo’s final exam. Let’s get to work.

October 22, 2009 | 5 Comments

Oct

15

Comparisons are Odious

There is a popular expression that warns, ‘Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides,’ and it’s particularly good advice for this Libra New Moon season. Libra, as the relationship sign, symbolizes a keen awareness of others that can work to our advantage in relationships and in certain careers, too. But that same awareness can become a liability when it leads us to draw comparisons between ourselves and others – comparisons that can damage self-esteem and breed envy…. (read the full article)

Also available as a podcast here.

October 15, 2009 | Comments Off

Oct

1

Read the article, thrill to the podcast…

Aries Full Moon: The Sweet Spot

Are you hiding your true self from your spouse, lover, best friend, or business partner – in an attempt to keep the peace? And take the question one step further: If you are in a relationship with someone who doesn’t know who you really are, are you actually in a relationship? Sometimes it feels safer and easier to hide your true self from others, because if you are rejected for who you really are, it hurts a lot worse. On the other hand, you might be rejected for your faux self anyway, left not only without a relationship — but also without a self…. read the full article

October 1, 2009 | Comments Off