Saturn
for Sun Leo People
July 8, 2005
http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/july8.html
Dear Eric,
Over the years I've heard a lot about
one's Saturn return.
I'm a Leo -- does this mean that when
Saturn enters Leo next month this is my Saturn return -- or does this occur
when Saturn moves into the sign it was in when I was born?
Debra
Dear Debra
The Saturn return is when Saturn returns to
the sign it was in when you were born. In other words, it involves your Saturn
sign rather than your Sun sign. The word "return" is astrological
jargon for when a planet, any planet, orbits back around to where it was when
you were born.
We have planetary returns on a fairly
regular basis. Mars returns to its natal position every two years; Mercury
between one and three times a year; Jupiter every 12 years. The Sun and Moon
are also said to return; these are called the "solar return" (your birthday,
when the Sun is in the same position as when you were born) and the "lunar
return" (and a kind of monthly mini-birthday, when the Moon is in the same
position).
People have their Saturn return at the
time they turn around 29 years old, since it takes Saturn about 29 years to go
once around the Sun. In a recent edition of this page, I covered the basic
technical details of the Saturn in Leo phase to warm up the subject. That link
is here. And if you're curious about the Saturn return specifically, there's a Saturn
return resource for readers of this page, which is kept on my site.
But you raise a different question, which
is what's the effect of Saturn occupying your Sun sign -- that is, the sign
determined by just your date of birth, and the one you check when you read the
newspaper. And the answer is going to depend on what kind of astrologer you
ask; there are two main categories.
One looks at the exact natal chart (an
astrologer you would consult for a session) and the other (principally a
newspaper astrologer, or an astrologer writing a newspaper column) looks at the
planets in the sky now (because your date of birth is not known to them, and
not necessary for the wide-audience work they do).
Someone doing your natal chart is most
likely going to say that Saturn going over one's Sun has the most impact when
the exact transit occurs. For example, if you're born on Aug. 21 of any year,
you're not going to experience the exact transit of Saturn in Leo on your Sun
for nearly two more years. If you're born July 24, you're going to get the
transit right away. For most dates in between, we would need to check the time,
but basically, anyone born the first eight days of Leo is going to experience
the transit right away.
This is a truly important life transit;
it happens just once every three decades and it represents a major phase of
growing up, personal adjustment, getting your act together and that kind of
thing, and it is in many respects kind of like a mini Saturn return because you
really feel the effects of Saturn. I would sum this transit up as an
opportunity to work right up to the edge of your limits. Since most people work
so far from their potential, working right up to your potential can be an
extremely productive time. And it peaks at the time Saturn makes its exact
meeting or series of meetings with your Sun.
People writing newspaper horoscopes are
pretty much all going to comment on the sign change of a major planet like
Saturn as if Saturn not only affected all Leos, but affected everyone else too.
You will read in many Leo horoscopes, "Saturn, now in your birth sign,
means so and so." Or, "Saturn, now aspecting the sensitive area of
your chart where you work with security issues, is saying you need to feel
safer." (We'll track some of these comments by astrologers when the time
comes, and compare their statements and ideas. They are already starting to
appear, and they will make an interesting study.)
You may ask, as many people do, how both
methods can be true? That is, how can the exact effect of the transit be so
meaningful, as well as how can astrologers writing Sun sign columns in
newspapers make statements that apply to all Leos or all people?
Think of it like the weather report. It's
possible for the weather forecast to tell you it's raining (I personally
believe those things except when they tell you what's already happening, such
as, it's now 29 degrees.) And that fact can be accurate and meaningful for
everyone.
But that does not tell you what to wear.
You can take the information that it's 29 degrees and you can wear a parka and
big furry boots (for Americans reading, 29 degrees is pretty warm out, getting
close to human body temperature of 37 degrees). And, a meteorologist can say,
"It's looking like rain, you might want to bring an umbrella."
With astrology it's possible to make
rather accurate statements without knowing everything. Those accurate
statements are often based on the changes of planets moving in and out of
signs. And the thing about these transits is that they really do affect
everyone, on some level; some people are more or less sensitive to them, and
different astrologers are more or less intuitive when it comes to suggesting
how a large, sweeping change affects people specifically, or their readers
specifically.
Of the two, I would suggest that the
people writing for a large audience are the ones we want to get it right in the
first instance. A natal astrologer who has unimaginative, negative ideas about
Saturn can mess up individual people; but someone writing for an audience of
millions who spreads unhelpful propaganda about Saturn can perpetuate ideas in
the culture that last for generations.
The idea aspect of astrology is vitally
important, and it works on every level, whether it is your personal chart with
your time of birth, or a statement a writer makes to everyone. Astrology is all
about ideas. Watch for ideas that send you on bum trips, and make sure you
check against other writers who bring a little more spirit, imagination and
sense of humor to the work.
Let's see what people say about this.
Remember to get as many opinions as possible and make up your own mind.
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