Where do you stand with any power imbalances in your life? What about questions of competition versus cooperation, or your sense of responsibility and discipline versus constriction?
Outlet channel carving the sand at Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.
These questions are emerging because we’re under the influence of a fair number of aspects to Saturn in Scorpio right now.
People often dread Saturn, because it can feel heavy, authoritative or limiting in some way. But Saturn, when you embody it yourself, can actually motivate you to work toward tangible goals – the kind of motivation that comes from within, rather than something that’s imposed on you.
When you take the helm like that (even in small ways), navigating the waters of your life feels damn empowering. Notice that word “empowering”: it has the word “power” in it. Power can be wielded fairly and for the highest good of all concerned; it can also be used to push others down as you maneuver yourself up.
This is all to say that the astrology now and heading into the weekend is a little cloudy – and the implications for cloudy weather (astrological or meteorological) will vary from person to person. But just as clouds in the sky are made from water vapor, so too does this astrological cloudiness involve water – in the form of planets in Scorpio.
Planets in a water sign emphasize how you feel about matters at hand. Emotions can be important barometers; they can also run amok (or run the show) in ways that don’t actually help you in the long run.
So what exactly is aspecting Saturn to bring these themes to the fore? First up is Venus, which is conjunct Saturn in Scorpio today. Venus is named after the goddess of love; Scorpio, ruled by Mars, also relates to relational themes. The goddess of love hooking up with the planet of limits is not necessarily an image of open arms.
You might need to remind yourself today (and for a few days) that you can afford to be more generous. Whether that relates to generosity with money, erotic energy, time, possessions or some other area of life, you’ll have to figure out for yourself.
Withholding, grasping and clinging are not the same as receiving; one often has to offer what one most wants to possess. If you’re feeling hesitant about sharing, like you don’t have enough, question whether that feeling actually reflects reality.
The Sun is also moving into a conjunction with Saturn (exact Tuesday). So this is a chance to get acquainted with these themes before they’re fully in the spotlight.
Right now, the Scorpio Sun is in a square to Jupiter in Leo. Sun square Jupiter tends toward exaggeration and excess. In combination with the Venus-Saturn aspect, this is an indication not to make a big deal out of it – whatever “it” may be. That might mean not making a big deal out of any feelings of stinginess, for example.
More positively, Sun square Jupiter also indicates the energy to get ahead in some area of your life (and might help with that generosity piece). The trick is not to swerve into arrogance or self-righteousness; at that point, you could tip the balance from “cooperation” to “competitiveness.”
It really comes down to empathy, or being willing to see things from another’s point of view, to avoid abusing power. Come Sunday, Venus will help with that as it leaves Scorpio and enters Sagittarius.
Where Venus in Scorpio is deep, dark, intense and secretive, Venus in Sagittarius opens things up again. It could take the form of playfulness, a desire for adventure and affection, or an embracing of your spiritual side. Knowing that’s where you’re heading anyway, why not start practicing now?
Amanda: Thank you once again for helping us to take it all in so as to make sense and make use of how the astrology can simultaneously and harmoniously be put to work for each of us individually and all of us together at the same time. Absolutely inspirational how you do that, from concept to execution!
Thanks for this great piece Amanda! And the photo is, as usual, out of this world. Yesterday I had confirmation of my contract being renewed for another 11 months – but I also got a letter from the bank, revealing that I’m in far greater debt than I realized (had been a bit of an ostrich about that one). Has totally freaked me out – at the same time can’t help but think how my past (survival fears, not making it) is colliding with my present – which is still precarious but much brighter. Think there’s a lot of karmic stuff here and will try to face those fears head on, which nvolves a little trip to the bank…
Thank you, Amanda
Amanda – great questions to ask… I have been struggling with this one lately: “What about questions of… your sense of responsibility and discipline versus constriction?” An occasional feeling of defensiveness defines this for me, which I am very aware of because I know this limits trust and connection, and some difficulty with discipline for very valid reasons.
I frequently give my time away, but it is seldom reciprocated and often not appreciated, though I continue to offer this commodity which feels like one of the few I have. I never have funds to give away, coming from a deficit since a childhood of never having enough to eat and hand me downs (and student loans from college), but I have been trying to find a way to release a sense of loss and lack from past generations. Two examples are giving everything up to come to America, and losing the house and everything in the depression. In both instances hard work was involved and working with the land, the earthy side of Saturn. While the impending loss was not foreseen, the structure, hard work, and using acquired skills, prevailed and catapulted them into a different place. But the feelings of the regret and pain from these losses lingers on through the ages. Saturn did help them rebound, but the watery emotions haven’t stopped flowing. I’d like to dam up this river and let the negativity sink to the bottom of the new and beautiful lake that is formed, and hopefully get out of the money hole I have known for so long. It is difficult to see how to release this energy that seems attached to me like a tick. I use thoughts of abundance and being grateful for what I have, but can’t seem to get out of the money quagmire. Perhaps this is partly from constriction and learning how best to use boundaries in each new situation. I have plans to use some of the historical documents creatively, and hope this redirects the energy and allows me to climb out of the mud.
Beths, thank you for sharing. I hope that you are not feeling too drained. The problem you describe of giving away too much and not feeling appreciated for what you do is one I’ve heard of frequently among the more helpful, altruistic people in my life. It often seems like an all-or-nothing situation.
One of Saturn’s more benevolent attributes is the ability to set objective limits. How much time do you need to give to yourself? What do you need from yourself and others to sustain your health and sanity? That’s your line in the sand. If you maintain it to begin with, you’re less likely to burn out and feel overwhelmed or resentful, and others will in time learn to respect that in fact, you have to live too.
Amanda, your photo is beautiful. (Now I’ll go back and read the post).
…which is also lovely, and edifying. In the face of a loaded situation this week that’s definitely not in my favor, I’ve been feeling and reacting much calmer than I normally would. Not quite serene, but steady, and handling the situation with kindness. Saturn at work, and Venus, I see. Their conjunction is in my 1st house, and making an exact trine to natal Venus at 25 Cancer. (Also to Nessus in Taurus and Jupiter in Libra, all at 25 degrees). Frankly if this were my nature all the time, I’d be delighted.