As I write this (12:13 pm Pacific time on Saturday, August 13, 2022), the Sun in Leo is exactly opposite Saturn retrograde in Aquarius (and my natal Sun/Mercury) at 21 degrees. I want to talk about the cycle that these two planets share and how the hands of the celestial clock show what time of life we are in. February 1-7 of this year, the Sun and Saturn were conjunct (right next to one another). When two planets come together, it indicates the beginning of a cycle. This, much like when the Moon meets with the Sun every 28-29 days, is a seeding period. We are now in the fruiting phase of the cycle.
The Sun represents ‘solar figures’ such as fathers, leaders, those in positions of authority/power, as well as our own daemon or spiritual path (I like to think of this as the story line that our lives follow… or even the wormholes in Donny Darko for a more visual representation). It is also associated with the ‘ego’ and the ‘higher self’. Some say that it is the highest aspiration of the self, the absolute height of what one might achieve in this material life. It is considered to be that which is constant— as opposed to the Moon, whose face changes daily throughout its cycle. It is hot and dry, but life-giving. Without the light and warmth of the Sun there would be a much different class of plant and animal on this planet than we know. It rules the sign of Leo, where it is situated at present (in the northern hemisphere– this is all relative).
Saturn, on the other hand, rules Capricorn and Aquarius. It’s position, at this moment, is in the sign of Aquarius. Considering the dominions of these two bodies, we can understand the theme of opposition that is part of Saturn’s inherent nature. Before astronomers perceived the existence of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, Saturn was the farthest planet. It was the edge of our known universe for a very long time. This is why Saturn is often equated with boundaries… but in this sense it is also a rebel, an outsider. Saturn represents winter, age, death, and darkness. It represents sickness, dis-ease, and that which slows pace. Saturn can be found in the dank, wet stinking places. It will forever be clad in black. This is what I have found to be true, and I won’t dig into the historical/mythical roots of Saturn’s significations because they are often convoluted and fancified like a public school history book, but there is much more to be said of this planet’s contrarieties. I think that some of the beauty and mysticality of Saturn can be found in what is left when something is taken away. The lesson of having to repeat a process because something was not done ‘right’, the value that we find in commitment, duty, responsibility to ourselves and the world around us are all learned in Saturn’s classroom. It asks us to thoroughly consider our intentions and approach so that we may move forward in greater integrity and alignment.
Often in transit, the Sun can effectively ‘light up’ whatever planet it comes in contact with, showing the struggles or achievements of its present placement through a variety of lenses. When the Sun and Saturn interact, their polarity will always be apparent– because that is the nature of their relationship. One at the center of our solar system, and one at the farthest periphery. Renn Butler (who wrote literally the only astrological reference that I use regularly, The Archetypal Universe) outlines the themes of Saturn-Sun aspects as follows:
(‘Harmonious’)
“Defined self-consciousness, fully developed ego, qualities of self-assurance and poise, conservative virtues and values, caution and self-restraint, realism and practicality, patience and self-discipline, reliability and self-sufficiency, responsibility and commitment, stern individualism, somber dignity… a capacity for hard work… increased confidence with work achieved, disciplined creativity, clarity of expression… qualities of sincerity and integrity, authenticity and centeredness, an ability to sacrifice one’s pride for the good of others, modest and balanced aspirations…
(‘Challenging’)
Feelings of inhibited vitality, shyness and lack of confidence, pessimism and fear of judgment, self-denial and self-effacement, rigidity and constriction, stiffness and stuffiness, self-sabotage… a sense of being exploited or taken advantage of, unrewarding work for others, oppression by unsympathetic authority figures, restrictive bosses, unsupportive [masculine types], external standards which are impossible to live up to… lack of fathering… repressive or tyrannical fathers… tendency to cling to positions of security, a sense of lost opportunities, patterns of… selfishness as a compensation for insecurity.”
So, now let’s put all of this together in application.
- In the beginning of February 2022, the Sun completed a 365 day cycle with Saturn and then began a new one in the Sign of Aquarius. The themes of Aquarius (knowledge, communication, technology, science, invention, idealism, equality, humanitarianism, progress, hubris, alienation/otherness…) will be present in the collective, but for the individual, whatever house Aquarius occupies in your chart will describe what areas of life will be the focus as well as any natal planets that are being lit up bu this aspect. This is the beginning of something.
- During the second week of April, the Sun in Aries opened its first sextile (a ‘harmonious’ 60 degree aspect) from Saturn in Aquarius. This is an incubatory phase. Something sweet but subdued and perhaps a bit stifled appears here.
- Around the third week of May, the opening square (a ‘challenging’ 90 degree aspect) from Saturn in Aquarius to the Sun in Taurus came about. In this phase we are confronted by an obstacle that must be broken through in order for us to continue.
- The third week of June brought the Sun in Gemini’s opening trine (a ‘harmonious’ 120 degree aspect) from Saturn (now retrograde) in Aquarius. Here we feel expansive and open in places where we had felt closed or oppressed before, yet cautious and intentional regarding our actions. We were also beginning to review the areas of our lives that Saturn has been playing in the past six months… going over what details still need to be set straight.
- August 11-17 the Sun in Leo is opposite (a ‘challenging’ 180 degree aspect) Saturn retrograde in Aquarius. This is where we currently stand. Whatever was initiated six months ago is reaching full illumination, but the oppositional tension is also strong. There is a balance that we need to strike. It feels as though we can see what the final thing we must release is. At this point the clock is still being rewound to make sure the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, but on the other side of this week, we might allow our hearts to open and the fragmented pieces of what has been to fall from where they have been collecting.
This is Saturn’s school, and it is subtractive in nature. The lessons that stick most deeply in our mind’s are the ones where we find beauty in the space that is left by the thing that was taken from us— or more intentionally, we let go because we recognise that we have grown into shapes in which the thing no longer fits.
stars in the salad 