Saturn finally stationed direct this past Saturday after its 5 month retrograde phase. That means it’s moving forward again in fire sign Sagittarius, heading toward its third and final square to watery Neptune in Pisces on September 10. Other planets will activate this square during the next few weeks, increasing the potential for friction and change– and some confusion as to whether that change moves us forward or back.
The Saturn/Neptune square has created an obvious tension between belief systems and the parameters of opinion versus acceptance and inclusion. Saturn is the planet of boundaries– it teaches us to work within the limits of reality to survive, take responsibility, and grow. While in the philosophical and broad-minded sign Sagittarius, Saturn is chipping at the wall of our worldview, undermining perceptions we took for granted. Unfortunately, the flip side of this coin is the possibility of dogmatic tunnel-vision, where what we believe is all we see as reality for everyone. The transgender bathroom controversy, the institutional racism in some police forces, and this absurd  presidential campaign are just a few American examples of how a distorted opinion takes on an almost religious fervor.
Neptune in Pisces can fuel that fervor because it represents our faith that we can transcend these tensions. It’s where the delusion comes in, confusing us with false values, which makes it easy for lots of people to stand behind a big bully with orange hair. It makes it easy for straight folks to say the transgender community is a threat to children. It makes it frighteningly easy for people to judge someone on the basis of skin color, sexuality, and religion. Because in those situations, we’re taking the low road and keeping humanity down, rather than riding the waves of peace they started splashing in the 60’s.
One of the differences is that now the absurd is the norm. We have grown so callous about headline news, mass shootings, and reality television that the more outspoken, brazen, or irreverent we can be, the better. When ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern ran for governor of New York 12 years ago, even he knew it was nuts, saying in a New York Times article, “It doesn’t matter if you find me offensive. I’ll get out of office before I can really screw anything up.” Fast forward to 2016, and a large portion of our country believe Donald Trump can make it great again.
Mars will get involved in the Saturn/Neptune square during the last week of August as it charges up next to Saturn, and then the  New Moon on September 1st brings the Sun and Moon in Virgo into a T-square. The Virgo ethic of simplifying and streamlining urges us to clarify what we think and say, but it’s likely that we will have difficulty seeing the actuality of the situation. Try to remember to be discerning with peace in mind– the world is filled with loud and divisive opinions that build more walls than they break down.
Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.
Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We’re all worth the same
When we turn off the light.
Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the sameÂ
When we turn off the light.
So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!
–Shel Silverstein, “No Difference”
1 Comment
Maureen Winslow · August 16, 2016 at 7:42 pm
Nice!Sent from my Veriz