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Katie Sweetman – The Saturn Sisters http://saturnsisters.com Astrology commentary, Saturn Return survival tips, and meandering miscellany from the Saturn Sisters Tue, 31 Jan 2017 09:07:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.14 Neptune in Pisces: Double Rainbow! What Does It Mean? http://saturnsisters.com/guest-posts/neptune-in-pisces/ http://saturnsisters.com/guest-posts/neptune-in-pisces/#respond Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:54:43 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=938 The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and a member of the Saturn Sisters family. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here.

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On April 4th 2011, Neptune quietly slipped into its home sign of Pisces for the first time in a century and a half. I say quietly because Neptune’s ingress didn’t pack the punch of Pluto’s entry into Capricorn nor Uranus’s into Aries. No, gossamer Neptune transitioned into Pisces like a gentle breeze announcing a shift in the direction of the weather. You’d be forgiven for not noticing. We get a part two of this energy on February 3rd 2012 as Neptune, after having retrograded back into Aquarius, re-enters Neptune for a 14-year stay in its home sign.

Don’t be fooled by Neptune’s hazy nature; this transit is a big deal not only because of the length of its transit through Pisces, but because no one alive has experienced Neptune in its home sign. The years 1847 through 1862, when Neptune was last in Pisces, correlated with photography becoming an everyday element of the then modern world, the rise of the temperance movement, wars in China over the opium trade, and the advent of spiritualism. These are all Neptunian concepts — an image snatched from the ether and fixed into form via a chemical process; the use or abstinence of alcohol and drugs; and a peering beyond the veil via mediums and seances.

So what can we expect during this transit? Well, one of the main concepts behind Neptune is a dissolving of boundaries. When Neptune was in Aquarius, we saw a dissolving of boundaries between individuals in the collective via the likes of Facebook and other social media. Now with Neptune in Pisces we can expect a dissolving of boundaries between individuals and spirit. I believe, especially as more and more people are experiencing awakenings, that psychic phenomena will become less fringe. Humanity will realize that it is not alone and will seek to communicate with others in non-traditional ways or communicate with spirits, guides, angels, animals, and plants. Neptune also rules compassion and we will be learning lessons over this period on what it truly means to open our hearts.

One can’t explore the high minded, rose colored glasses side of Neptune without acknowledging the deleterious reality of the “blue-green vapors” (to quote Marguerite Manning). Let’s be honest, Neptune rules drunks and illusions as much as it does pie-in-the-sky spiritual visions. Are we going to be singing Kumbaya into our cocktails for fourteen years? Maybe, just maybe. Think “double rainbow” as you pour yourself a drink.

Learn More about Neptune in Pisces:

Listen to evolutionary astrologer Dena DeCastro and I talk about Neptune in Pisces and other aspects in a podcast episode titled Demystifying 2012.

I also recorded a segment on Neptune in Pisces for the Astrology Show, episode no. 13. Click below to listen.

More Neptunian/Piscean Concepts:

Anesthesia • The Subconscious • Hypnosis • Altered States • Photography • Movies • Glamour • Cults • Psychics • Hospitals • Things that Literally and Figuratively Imprison Us • Mediums and Channels • Spirituality • Deception • Con Artists • Illusions • Poisons and Toxins • Alcohol and Drugs • Oil • Oceans • Divine Oneness • Compassion • Unconditional Love • Martyrs • Meditation • Selfless Service • Devotion

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Astrology’s Big Moment http://saturnsisters.com/astronomy/astrologys-big-moment/ http://saturnsisters.com/astronomy/astrologys-big-moment/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:35:55 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=873 Ophiuchus. Thanks to the power of the internet, the press release went viral and people whom I never thought would care about astrology were suddenly losing their stuff. Mainstream American news like CNN and MSNBC even devoted prime time to this allegedly new revelation. Well known astrologers like Susan Miller breathlessly went on air to refute the ill conceived press release. I fielded emails from friends and colleagues who wanted to know if it was true. The Saturn Sisters were quick to point out in their great post on LifeScript.com that this was a myth, but the damage was done. People were confused and indignant. And like the head of a hydra, more and more media outlets propagated the myth of the 13th sign despite attempts to clarify by the astrological community. “So now I’m a Pisces?” an Aries sun sign incredulously asked. [...]]]> The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and a member of the Saturn Sisters family. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here.

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Last week the world freaked out when a Minnesota astronomer sent out a press release stating that the zodiac signs had shifted over time and, surprise, you’re not the sign you thought you were. Even more shocking, there was now a new zodiac sign — Ophiuchus.

Thanks to the power of the internet, the press release went viral and people whom I never thought would care about astrology were suddenly losing their stuff. Mainstream American news like CNN and MSNBC even devoted prime time to this allegedly new revelation. Well known astrologers like Susan Miller breathlessly went on air to refute the ill conceived press release. I fielded emails from friends and colleagues who wanted to know if it was true.

The Saturn Sisters were quick to point out in their great post on LifeScript.com that this was a myth, but the damage was done. People were confused and indignant. And like the head of a hydra, more and more media outlets propagated the myth of the 13th sign despite attempts to clarify by the astrological community.

“So now I’m a Pisces?” an Aries sun sign incredulously asked.

First of all, it’s not true. IT’S NOT TRUE! Your sun sign has not changed. Ophiuchus is a hoax. Astrologers have known about the precession of the equinoxes since the 2nd century AD. I could explain further in detail, especially how this myth pops up every few years, but frankly I spent all my energy last week calming the panicked masses. Instead I will defer to the following excellently written rebuttals:

Attention All Astronomers — The World is Flat” by Eric Francis of Planet Waves

Ophiuchus puts his foot in it but it’s Cox who sticks the boot in” by Deborah Houlding at Skyscript

Ophiuchus – the 13th Sign of the Zodiac” by Deiter Koch at Astro.com

Second, an astronomer shouldn’t be making definite statements about astrology without understanding what it is. After all, I don’t write press releases about quantum physics and cosmology. Just sayin’.

Once the dust settled, I had a realization. More people were emotionally invested in astrology then I would have previously assumed. Curious.

It’s not that I don’t think astrology has a place in prime time discourse, but it was a telling barometer of how many people followed their sun sign. It also made for a surreal moment when really talented and erudite astrologers were on cable news to explain exactly why western astrology doesn’t follow the precession of the equinoxes.

In short, this was astrology’s biggest moment in the spotlight since former First Lady Nancy Reagan was outed in 1988 for consulting an astrologer.

Okay, the world asked, if western astrology doesn’t follow the precession of the equinoxes and doesn’t shift the signs, then what does it do? What is astrology?

Now that’s a big question to ponder. How does one distill astrology into a short soundbite?

  • Astrology is a language that conveys the human condition.
  • Astrology is the study of the heavens as an archetypal reflection of our inner selves.
  • Astrology is the understanding that we are are one with the universe.
  • Astrology is a tool used to unlock the secreted parts of the soul.
  • To study the stars is to study ourselves. To look at the stars is to pull back the curtain and see the inner workings of Source.
  • Astrology is the study of natural cycles, whether it be day to night, spring to summer, or the planets in shifting relations to each other. To study astrology is to respect the natural timing of life.

In the words of astrologer Steven Forrest in his book The Inner Sky:

“Astrology is just a finger pointing at reality. Like any other language, it only provides a way of ordering our perceptions. At its best it aids us in seeing ourselves more honestly. At its worst it drops a wall between us and the rawness of our own experience. To be of value it must not only reflect the actualities of living; it must hone the cutting edge of our growth. If astrology does not give the mind the sharpness of a laser and leave the heart an open nerve, then it has failed.”

Although the glare of the spotlight is fading, we still have a chance to be ambassadors for astrology in the face of misinformation and ill informed skepticism. This is astrology’s big moment. Let us teach the world that as above, so below. The macrocosm is the microcosm. We are the stars.

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Illuminating the 12th House: An Interview with Marguerite Manning, Karmic Astrologer http://saturnsisters.com/guest-posts/illuminating-the-12th-house-an-interview-with-marguerite-manning-karmic-astrologer/ http://saturnsisters.com/guest-posts/illuminating-the-12th-house-an-interview-with-marguerite-manning-karmic-astrologer/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:53:04 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=832 That can’t be good, my teen-aged self once thought, especially as I looked nervously to my Mercury, Neptune, and Mars conjunction hovering above my ascendant. Secret sorrows?? How does someone, especially an astrological novice, begin to wrap their minds around something so nebulous and frankly a little bit scary? Marguerite Manning, karmic astrologer, author, and radio show host, has turned the lights on in the 12th house to reveal the truth behind its dubious reputation. She recently connected with Empowering Astrology to discuss the origins of her work and how the 12th house actually speaks of our previous life, not some tortured future. [...]]]> The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and a member of the Saturn Sisters family. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here.

* * *

The 12th house in astrology isn’t known for being particularly transparent. It is, after all, traditionally the house of secret sorrows and self undoings. That can’t be good, my teen-aged self once thought, especially as I looked nervously to my Mercury, Neptune, and Mars conjunction hovering above my ascendant. Secret sorrows?? How does someone, especially an astrological novice, begin to wrap their minds around something so nebulous and frankly a little bit scary?

Marguerite Manning, karmic astrologer, author, and radio show host, has turned the lights on in the 12th house to reveal the truth behind its dubious reputation. She recently connected with Empowering Astrology to discuss the origins of her work and how the 12th house actually speaks of our previous life, not some tortured future.

To her, we all are spiritual beings having a mental experience in the physical world. Our birth chart reflects our “spiritual agenda” and the 12th house a rich mine of information that reveals why we are here in this lifetime and what we didn’t quite get right the last trip around.

In her book, Cosmic Karma: Understanding Your Contract with the Universe, Manning explains:

The 12th house represents the final stage of life, and, for obvious reasons, is said to be the astrological home of the soul. To most astrologers, it’s that place on the birth map that mirrors your spiritual development and karmic journey . . . This is the part of your natal chart where the inner you keeps the memory and imprint of all that you were before, all that you are below the surface, and all that is not apparent. Evidently, like still waters, the 12th house runs very deep. It’s supposed to.

When Manning looks at a natal chart, she starts with the sign on the 12th house and looks to the placement of its ruler in addition to aspects made to that ruler. Through that she is able to sketch a portrait of what she believes is our life previous to this one.

It’s more than morbid curiosity that makes this an important aspect of astrology. By knowing where we’ve come from on a spiritual level and proactively delving into 12th house unpleasantness, the “house of secret sorrows and self undoing” starts to look more like a how-to-guide for positive soul growth. If we are conscious of the aspects of ourselves that got us in trouble in our last life, then we have an evolutionary punch list.

Taking the horoscope beyond the veneer of fortune telling and utilizing it as a therapeutic tool for self development is an aspect of astrology that is very important here at Empowering Astrology. Other astrologers have successfully formulated their own unique therapeutic modality — Steven Forrest, Jeffrey Wolf Green, and Liz Greene come to mind. However Manning has claimed the 12th house as the cornerstone to her approach, using it and its ruler as the jumping off point for understanding the unconscious motivations of the soul.

I first came aware of Manning’s work back in 2008 when I caught an interview with her on an internet radio program. Since then, she’s grown to be a very popular guest with people queuing for a coveted on-air karmic reading, so much so that she’s now hosting her own bi-weekly show, Therapy for the Soul. And yet the phone lines still overflow. Her popularity is a testament at her ability to speak to deeply hidden aspects of the self that need to be integrated and healed.

“I want to validate the soul,” Manning says. And validate she does. I myself received an on-air reading and was dumbfounded by the story she told of my last life — a story both alien and familiar — that echoed aspects of my current life. Based on the affirmations of other people who have had readings, I am not alone in my experience.

I confess to Manning that the day after I received my own reading, I fell uncharacteristically ill — sudden chills, fever, energetic overload — as I processed very deep emotions associated with my last life. Manning confirms that it’s not unheard of for people to cry afterward as they consciously connect with suppressed grief in addition to other overwhelming emotions. That’s not to say getting a karmic reading is a negative experience, but her past life interpretations undoubtedly trigger something.

When you have an intense experience such as I had, the left brain begins to ask why. (Or maybe it’s my Gemini Moon at work.) I wanted to know how Manning was able to develop a way of working with the birth chart that was different than other astrologers and why the 12th house yielded the information that it did?

While Manning claims both Edgar Cayce and Carl Sagan as influences, it was astrologer Debbi Kempton Smith’s Secrets from A Stargazers’ Notebook that set her on the path of investigating the 12th house. “At the time, I was very inspired by her last paragraph in the small chapter entitled ‘Past Lives’ in which she suggests using the sign on the 12th house cusp to find out more about your last lives. That whetted my karmic appetite.”

It took Manning a couple of years to perfect her precise system of karmic astrology and “crack the code of the birth chart,” drawing on Edgar Cayce’s library of channeled information to create a hybrid of astrology and metaphysical teachings. She has come to see the birth chart as our “contract with the Universe.” And if it’s a contract drawn up before incarnating, then each planet represents a lesson, a gift, and a balance to redress. Neptune, for instance, is your karmic debt, the area of your chart where you promised to pay back. Uranus is your karmic gift of genius and the courage to go against the tide. Saturn, however, shows where we’re getting schooled in some serious life lessons.

“Saturn [in the birth chart] brings boundaries into conscious. It’s where we come into this world feeling incredibly inadequate. We’re given 29 years, until the Saturn Return, because we need that time to learn the lessons and do the homework.”

Cosmic Karma, published in 2007 by Llewellyn, is now in its third printing and a potential follow-up book focusing on the inner planets is in the works. Recent show topics on Jupiter and the Moon hint at possible book material. In the meantime, Manning utilizes her radio show, Therapy for the Soul, in addition to doing readings, as a workshop for teaching karmic astrology.

While there are many aspects to astrology beyond our karmic closet, it’s truly the 12th house where we find sleeping aspects of our soul. It is a place of empowerment, not disillusionment. Armed with a flashlight, Manning dares us to see beyond its terrible reputation and find true understanding of ourselves.

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The Missing Cardinal Leg: Reconnecting to Our Cancer Roots http://saturnsisters.com/cardinal-climax/the-missing-cardinal-leg-reconnecting-to-our-cancer-roots/ http://saturnsisters.com/cardinal-climax/the-missing-cardinal-leg-reconnecting-to-our-cancer-roots/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:22:39 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=761 Cardinal Climax are root related. Cancer, after all, is the missing cardinal element. It's as if the t-square is pointing towards Cancer as an area of intense yet subtle focus, demanding we tend to our families, our ancestors, and what really nurtures our souls. Take a tip from Saturn in Libra: the key to the Cardinal Climax is isn't the power struggles of Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus. No, it's all about balancing out these astral heavyweights and getting in touch with our past. [...]]]>

The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and a member of the Saturn Sisters family. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here.

* * *

During this time of great cardinal initiation, as we reach peak energies, I’ve noticed a theme subtly running though the last few weeks. While all of us have been distracted by planets in the signs of Aries, Libra, and Capricorn, we’ve been missing quiet Cancer poking and prodding at our deeper core.

Personally, the issues coming up since the peak of the Cardinal Climax are root related. Cancer, after all, is the missing cardinal element. It’s as if the t-square is pointing towards Cancer as an area of intense yet subtle focus, demanding we tend to our families, our ancestors, and what really nurtures our souls. Take a tip from Saturn in Libra: the key to the Cardinal Climax is isn’t the power struggles of Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus. No, it’s all about balancing out these astral heavyweights and getting in touch with our past.

To recap, the Cardinal Climax is a era in time that spans from 2008 until 2012, with the peak concentration happening right now. We are in the midst of an epoch of change, to say the least, triggered by Pluto, Uranus, and Saturn in the early degrees of the Cardinal signs of Capricorn, Aries, and Libra respectively. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a master astrologer to know that our world since 2008 has definitely been turned on its head. Why all this change, you ask? Because the cardinal signs correspond with the change of seasons and when slow moving outer planets enter those signs, it’s like we’re moving from winter to spring.

So how have the last few months been for you? Have any Cancerian themes suddenly come up? To refresh your memory, let’s take a look at what Cancer encompasses:

• Home
• The mother
• Family
• Lineage
• Tribe
• The root chakra
• The element of water
• The past
• Nurturing
• Instincts

What I think this Cardinal Climax is really all about, apart from working through karmic blockages, is tending to our roots. I myself have had a lot of Cancerian themes arise over the summer, especially in the last few weeks. An informal poll of other people I know, including astrologers, reveals that many are suddenly spending more time with family, researching genealogy, and tending to the home, for example. A lot of my client charts have been emphasizing 4th house baggage too. It’s like there’s this push towards reconnection. And, full disclosure, I’m about as lunar challenged as they come, so 4th House/Moon stuff isn’t normally on my radar.

As we round out the peak of these cardinal energies, the message here is to really think about our roots and whatever family healing needs to be done. How do we nurture ourselves if at all? What tribe to we belong to? What is sacred and feminine in our lives? Certainly these are more productive questions to answer instead of focusing on the doom and gloom of Saturn and Pluto. Cancer, the missing leg, is the real gold behind the Cardinal Climax.

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The Cardinal Climax: A “Karmic Quickening”? http://saturnsisters.com/cardinal-climax/the-cardinal-climax-a-karmic-quickening/ http://saturnsisters.com/cardinal-climax/the-cardinal-climax-a-karmic-quickening/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:51:03 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=744 The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and an astrologer in her own right. Now that Saturn has entered Libra, we're in the heart of what is known as the "Cardinal Climax" -- a time that will surely speak of big changes for everyone on this planet. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here. Ladies and gentlemen, we're in the Cardinal Climax. You don't have to be hip to astrology or a total wonk to know that something is going on with our world. Earthquakes. Unparalleled man made disasters. Awakenings. Major shifts for which there is no return. The show has only started and the headliner -- August's cardinal grand cross -- is about to take stage. Are you ready? For the past decade, if not longer, astrologers have been speculating about this summer's Cardinal Climax because it is and truly will be a once in a lifetime event. Financial astrologer Ray Merriman first coined this term back in 1999, recognizing that the outer planets aligning in the early cardinal degrees would signal some sort of upheaval and not just for the markets. While we astrologers might nerd out on aspects and modalities, trading theories about what this time might mean for the world, it's one thing to write about it and another to experience it. [...]]]> The following guest post was originally published on the blog Empowering Astrology and is written by Katie Sweetman, manager of SaturnSisters.com and an astrologer in her own right. Now that Saturn has entered Libra, we’re in the heart of what is known as the “Cardinal Climax” — a time that will surely speak of big changes for everyone on this planet. To learn more about Katie and Empowering Astrology, click here.

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, we’re in the Cardinal Climax. You don’t have to be hip to astrology or a total wonk to know that something is going on with our world. Earthquakes. Unparalleled man made disasters. Awakenings. Major shifts for which there is no return. The show has only started and the headliner — August’s cardinal grand cross — is about to take stage. Are you ready?

For the past decade, if not longer, astrologers have been speculating about this summer’s Cardinal Climax because it is and truly will be a once in a lifetime event. Financial astrologer Ray Merriman first coined this term back in 1999, recognizing that the outer planets aligning in the early cardinal degrees would signal some sort of upheaval and not just for the markets. While we astrologers might nerd out on aspects and modalities, trading theories about what this time might mean for the world, it’s one thing to write about it and another to experience it.

So now that we’re here, what does the Cardinal Climax feel like?

Uranus’s entry into the sign of Aries was like getting plugged into a wall socket. Never has an ingress from one sign to another felt so palpable, my muscles tensing up and arching against Uranus’s current. Restless and uncharacteristically angry, I struggled to find a channel for this power, discovering in the process a new found appreciation for those born with Mars/Uranus contacts. I’m not the only one who has been feeling this blast of amped up Uranian energy. Green Summit has a great post on other astrologers’ reactions and Donna Cunningham wrote about her thoughts, echoing my own.

However, beyond the physical reactions that some of us are feeling, there seems to be something brewing on the psychic level. InHarmony Astrology describes this crucial time as a “karmic quickening.” I couldn’t have said it better as I’ve been getting a message intuitively about why this time is so important for our souls’ development. On an energetic level, the Cardinal Climax is a rare opportunity to blast through karmic blockages and get big results fast, harnessing Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto towards positive evolution. How do I know? Well for me there’s been a relentless push from spirit to clear out — clear out any of my baggage stemming from early childhood and adolescence, clear old wounds, and heal. In fact I’ve had some incredible healing opportunities arrive in the last couple of months as I push deep into blockages stemming from past life traumas.

This goes to the root of why I do what I do and why it is so important for me to remind you all of the opportunities of empowerment that the Universe is giving us right now — an opportunity that we all signed up for having chose to be born at this potent axis in history. The Cardinal Climax may strike fear in the less enlightened, but right now there is no changing that we’re plugged into a source of rare power. The question is whether we’ll choose to harness it for our karmic good or burn out?

I choose the former.

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THE SATURN RETURN http://saturnsisters.com/uncategorized/the-saturn-return/ Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:26:26 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=572 Click here for the tools you'll need to ace your Saturn lesson.]]> A tunnel of transformation

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Daily Horoscopes on ElleUK.com http://saturnsisters.com/uncategorized/daily-horoscopes-on-elleuk-com/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:34:13 +0000 http://saturnsisters.com/?p=652 Click here to choose from daily, weekly, and monthly horoscopes.]]> Astro Daily on elleuk.com

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You Can't Take It With You http://saturnsisters.com/saturn-return/you-cant-take-it-with-you/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:09:17 +0000 http://stefanieiris.fatcow.com/saturnreturn/?p=242 Those who have been following my previous entries chronicling my Saturn Return will know that my Return was exact on September 10th. For a while, especially since I started learning more about the Return, I’ve wondered how that exact moment would feel. A sense of completion? A satisfying view from the top after a long climb? If only.

No, on September 10th I was finishing up one of the most tumultuous transitions of my life — a major move. I was hoping the exact Return would go smoothly, but Saturn threw limitations and road blocks at every turn. And keeping with the whole joint property theme of Saturn in the 8th House, I spent the exact moment of my Return surrounded by boxes bound for the new place my partner and I were moving in together.

I also spent my Return surrounded by the detritus of my life. Stuff from old roommates. Stuff from old lovers. Stuff from college. Stuff from childhood. Stuff from my parents. Where did all this stuff come from?? There was no room for it in the new apartment and Saturn in Virgo forced me to purge as I threw one thing after another into black garbage bags. No, dear, you can’t take it with you. So I shed my old skin and out it went to the curb for trash pick up.

Here I am on the other side of my Return and it feels a little scary I have to admit. A new life, a cleared landscape, increased responsibilities, and shared resources. My partner even spotted my first gray hair the other day! Then again if I made it through the hell of the last two years without a gray hair it would have been a miracle.

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The Scythe http://saturnsisters.com/saturn-in-virgo/the-scythe/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:09:45 +0000 http://stefanieiris.fatcow.com/saturnreturn/?p=248 Before the discovery of Uranus in the 18th century, Saturn was the last of the seven planets known to ancient astrologers. Being the furthest out and the slowest in movement, the planet was feared and came to represent a number of archetypes — the Grim Reaper and Father Time. It’s no accident that the symbol that represents Saturn is a scythe and it’s no accident that when Saturn returns its position at the time of birth people feel the planet’s swift and exacting blade.

You reap what you sow and Saturn is there to remind you that.

Everyone has their own personal Saturn lesson determined by birth. According to Liz Greene in her 1976 book, Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, there is no fast and easy way to make a friend of Saturn. The planet is there, with a strong dose of tough love, to tell you that the party is over. Get your act in gear and start getting serious about life. It’s little wonder that Saturn is representative of the father archetype.

When I was talking to a friend the other day, who is also 29, we both remarked how our lives fell apart around our 28th birthdays. She has Saturn in the 11th house and last summer she saw each and every friendship of hers tested. In many cases she had dramatic falling outs with friends that she had known for years. As Saturn moved through my 8th house, I saw someone take power from me and I saw my debt grow to enormous levels. No, there is no fast and easy way to make a friend of Saturn.

Now that I’m about to hit my exact Saturn Return on September 10th, I have the luxury of hindsight to understand the full grasp of Saturn’s lesson for me and that despite the severity, it was a lesson that my soul needed. Saturn in Virgo says clean up your act and don’t overwork yourself. Saturn in the 8th house says get your finances in order and don’t cede power to anyone. Those were tough lessons, but Saturn has bestowed maturity via my Return to appreciate them.

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Saturn Returns http://saturnsisters.com/saturn-return/saturn-returns/ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:26:15 +0000 http://stefanieiris.fatcow.com/saturnreturn/?p=253 On my 28th birthday, surrounded by an apartment full of friends, I celebrated the day with the usual fanfare and healthy dose of hedonism. I was feeling good! I was looking good! But one of the things I remember most about that birthday was a conversation with a guest brought by a friend of mine. She was a very nice woman who is a few years older than I am — wise enough that when she found out how old I was turning, she immediately grimaced, “Oh, watch out. You’re about to hit your Saturn Return.”

Now I had studied astrology on and off since I was a teenager and was familiar enough with the Saturn Return that her comment wasn’t met with a blank stare. In fact, I think I laughed it off at the time. But nothing could have prepared me for the wild ride in store — the life altering and earth shattering havoc that was about to ensue. My party guest had unknowingly channeled Saturn with her words Watch out. Call it Saturn’s opening salvo.

I’m going to be talking about my Saturn Return in this blog, personally recounting the planet’s transit through my 8th House on his way to meet up with my natal Saturn at 12 degrees Virgo in the 9th House. Saturn’s movement through the 8th House, like a scythe sweeping across my life, hasn’t been an easy placement, but it has made for some interesting stories.

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