The Changing Landscape: Saturn in Libra

Some events may be beyond your control, but you have the power to change the picture if you don't like what you see.

After months of being in retrograde motion, Saturn has finally turned direct again, as of June 12. That’s great news if you’ve felt as though you were working away but perceiving little tangible proof that it would add up to something. And, as Saturday is ruled by Saturn, and Saturn is in a beneficial angle with Venus – the planet that rules Libra, where Saturn is currently housed – today seems especially fitting to consider some of the consequences (now there’s a Saturn word) of Saturn’s tour through relationship-oriented Libra.

There are still about sixteen months to capitalize on this transit, so let’s see how we can benefit from it. Because Saturn is exalted in the sign of Libra, one of its most beneficial lessons for us is that of how to capitalize on any or all relationships, whether they be familial, personal or professional. Relationships of all kinds have the potential to confound, even when they’re operating from a strong and honest foundation. Who are your allies, and who are your obstacles? While Saturn maintains its long-term opposition with the Great Awakener Uranus, the two planets seem to say, “Give me a reason to align with you; make me an ally.” This may be particularly easy today, and for the next few days while Venus in Gemini makes a flowing trine (that’s an angle of 120 degrees) to Saturn. This aspect (or alignment) makes it a snap to build strong and equal partnerships that can withstand the test of time. Meanwhile the sextile (a sixty degree angle) between gracious Venus and electrifying Uranus points to unexpected company or a new person entering your scene with an unusual opportunity. It may also augur the sudden change in a relationship status.

Would that all planetary angles could be this easy. But Saturn in Libra continues to endure considerable pressure from its opposition with Uranus in Aries and tense squares from Mercury in Cancer as well as Pluto retrograde in Saturn’s home domain of Capricorn. Considering his precarious position as the handle to the celestial bucket pattern, what might come of all of this pressure on Saturn?

Culturally, one way this ongoing cardinal t-square (and occasional grand square) may play out is the gradual collapse of most of the cultural infrastructures we have taken for granted. Consider education, for instance: educators will likely no longer be guaranteed tenure. The resources tied up in keeping the tenure balloon afloat in Uranus in Aries’ hot air will be re-allocated by Saturn, as director of the skies. Not that it will be easy or an overnight process. One thing we can count is that Uranus and Pluto will force the issue of birthing a new structure for Saturn.

This will likely apply across working culture in general. The idea is that Big Corporatism will eventually give way to Co-op Culture, whether it’s housing co-ops, grocery co-ops (both of which have helped provide a template for future co-ops), or work co-ops. In this model, people will work as equals who contribute to the overall workplace in roles that go beyond their job title, per se. This is a more commune-ist style.

We see the evidence of collaborative projects in various places, not the least of which is on-line learning communities. But also take the Dr. Oz television show. It seems to be a relatively new way for lay people to collectively explore health and wellness, including topics that are generally deemed taboo (Pluto).

We’re in the death throes of the  American Dream. Some of its relics are thankfully of great benefit to the collective, such as museums, art galleries (Saturn), public parks. These are still (as in stille or peaceful, tranquil) spaces that provide a container (Saturn) for people to appreciate what remains of masterpieces (Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra) in a communal (Uranus) but separate and individual (Aries) kind of way. May we continue to enjoy these testaments to humanity’s potential, whilst the crumbling plutocracy becomes a thing of the past.