Saturn Return: You Will Survive

Revolution 2.0: Brought to You by Pluto in Capricorn

2009-07-04T18:08:00.005-05:00

We've talked about the implications of the Pluto in Capricorn era since 2008, when it began by gutting our economy and altering our cultural landscape. The important piece to remember between now and the early 2020's is that Pluto, planet of total transformation, is moving through a constellatory space it hasn't occupied since the 1770s. That's right: we are now revisiting themes, emotions, and challenges reminiscent of the American Revolution. Unless you're a history buff, you may not know that the original revolution was eerily similar to what we're going through at this moment, down to the roots. According Gordon S. Wood, a professor at Brown University, it was the economy, stupid. Adding astrological intrigue is the fact that it wasn't just the economy, but SPECIFICALLY A HOUSING BUBBLE that made the American Revolution unfold the way that it did.

From a recent piece in the New York Times:

For the colonists, as for us, first came the boom. During the height of the French and Indian War, which lasted from 1754 until 1763, money flooded into the colonies, especially New York, where the British Army was headquartered. At the same time, the New York Legislature issued large numbers of bills of credit.

All that cash sloshing around resulted in lavish displays of wealth — notably by British officers, whose opulent living was emulated by the locals, especially in New York.

Housing prices soared during the war. But when credit tightened afterward — thanks in no small part to a prohibition on the issuance of paper money by the colonies under the Currency Act of 1764 — real estate owners who could not pay their debts lost their land.

Pluto lives in the second house of the natal chart of the USA -- the house ruling money, income, and material possessions. Our obsession with stuff was written into the DNA of our country. But Pluto is now taking us to task for overvaluing what we own, and not recognizing how much we have in our hearts and minds. It started with the obscene materialism of banks and corporations and then moved into our homes, forcing tens of thousands into foreclosure. We can't know what comes next, but we do know that it's time to get serious about what we value, or Pluto will force a reckoning. In the next fifteen years, denial is just another word for disaster.

Happy Birthday, America. It seems that bootstraps are the new black.

Why Michael Jackson Hated the Man in the Mirror

2009-06-28T09:33:00.003-05:00

Michael Jackson was a classic Virgo. His life, from the very start, was dedicated to serving up a constant source of catharsis for those of us that watched him dance and sing. He gave every single ounce of his energy to perfecting his art and then sending it out for public consumption. Over the last few days everyone has been talking about his precision, his work-ethic, his drive, his perfectionism. Barry Gordy, the head of Motown, remarked on Larry King that of all the Jackson Five, Michael was the most focused -- even as the youngest, he was always "studying" everything around him, trying to get it right. With his sun (life force) conjunct Pluto (fear, darkness) in his fourth house of home, his father Joseph was the demon patriarch who drove Michael to work as hard as he did, or face a beating. He literally had to dance for his dinner, or he'd be blamed for his father's failings. The immense guilt and responsibility Michael felt as an innocent child was transmuted into his relentless drive to get it right, and his drive to be the King of Pop. You don't manifest what Michael did without wanting it more than anything else in the world. The truth behind Michael's Plutonian, Virgoan striving is that he probably did it all to please his father. The unconscious is a powerful force and Michael, with his Plutonian signature, was completely driven by its longings. If it is indeed true that MJ sexually abused young boys, one can lay the blame directly at his father's feet.

Although his birth time is disputed, the Gemini rising chart seems the most accurate. Gemini is the sign of youth, the Puer Aeternus, of ambiguous sexuality, of never wanting to grow up, Peter Pan complexes, media savvy, trends, and a wiry, flexible body type. His ascendant is most evident in the videos that he made for the 1979 record Off the Wall. Check out "Rock with You", where his costume of silver sequins, with vertical stripes on his pants looks almost court jesterish, perfectly fitting the Gemini rising persona. In "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" he wears a tux, floating over a moving background of stars like a sprite. MJ bought the Neverland Ranch during his Saturn return -- an overt admission that he never wanted to grow up. This was also around the time that things started to shift for Michael after his career apotheosis with Thriller in 1983. (Note the lyrics to "Thriller" - "It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark." This is a deeply Plutonian line.) During his Saturn return he let his freak flag fly, practically giving the finger to the media while at the same time courting it. He was rumored to attempt to buy the bones of the Elephant Man, and his addiction to plastic surgery began. When his SR was almost exact, Bad was released. People found it rather hilarious that this gentle-voiced shy singer would be compelled to tell the world that he was "Bad" as if he was trying to compete with gangsta rappers. But what he was really saying was that inside, he felt like he was a bad boy -- probably because that's what his father told him over and over again, no matter how hard he tried. "Man in the Mirror", one of the most popular tracks on that record, is in many ways an acknowledgement that Michael understood what the universe wanted for him.

The lyrics include these lines:

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

Everyone in their Saturn return needs to heed these words if he or she wants to survive the transition and thrive. For Michael, the Saturn return was the beginning of a downward spiral that ended in his death. Because he could not find any kind of real, personal one-to-one love in his life due to a warped sexuality and damaged trust, Michael turned to the love of his fans for succor. In the months before his death, transiting Saturn was opposing his moon, squaring his natal Saturn and opposing his ascendant. These on their own are not signatures for death, but most certainly signs of exhaustion, depression, alienation, and desperation. And in the end, as he prepared for a comeback, Michael finally succumbed to all those challenges. The quintessential Virgo can finally rest; may he do so in peace.

Neda's Saturn Return -- Meet Iran's Joan of Arc

2009-06-22T14:43:00.002-05:00

By now we've all heard about Neda and watched the graphic, wrenching images of her death by Baseej snipers over the weekend. She has become the face of the new revolution in Iran, her bloodied image affixed to flags waving in protest all over the world. Neda was 27, born in 1982. Although her actual birthdate is still unknown, her Saturn Return would have begun this fall. The country of Iran is in the midst of a collective transformation. As Ahmadinejad's violent rhetoric increased, so did the intensity of Iran's Saturn return. Now, as the exact return of Saturn separates, the anger and hunger spills out into the streets. Neda, whose name literally translates to "the call", is no cosmic accident. If she'd lived her life would have been about justice, as her Saturn was in the sign of Libra. When Saturn moves into Libra this October, the calls for democracy will only get louder and more vehement. Neda didn't have a political candidate in mind -- she just wanted freedom for her fellow Iranians.

Father's Day Musings: Big Daddy Saturn

2009-06-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

Saturn is symbolic of the Father -- capital F intended. That's why we call him "Big Daddy Saturn". The actual men that play the role of our fathers -- whether they are our biological fathers, adoptive fathers, or stepfathers, stand in for Saturn in our lives. In an ideal world, "good" fathers teach us about responsibility, gentle strength, and the healthy use of power. Yet many of us are damaged by "bad" father syndrome: when the men who are supposed to protect us abuse their power. Usually this is because these men are still damaged themselves, and no one taught them any other way to be. During the Saturn return women often come to grips with their father's failings. This can cause a lot of rage to bubble up, and often the urge to throw off any and all chains of authority -- boyfriends, husbands, bosses, anyone that stands in for Saturn in your life. This can be incredibly healthy -- especially if you've spent your entire life up to the age of 28 trying to please everyone in a vain attempt to get your dad to notice and love you.

Yet -- the healing balm for all of this is forgiveness. Once you move through that Saturnian rage and find out what's beneath it, you can do almost anything. No matter what your father has done, try to forgive him and see him as a human being, not a failed archetypal hero figure. The Saturn Return teaches you to be your own hero, rather than looking for someone else to save you. So honor your father, forgive his sins, and then forgive yourself.

Dark Echoes of Pluto in Capricorn

2009-06-18T14:28:00.002-05:00

The impulse toward fear and blame of the "other" is a sure sign that Pluto in Capricorn is firmly in place. Conspiracy theory is taking over parts of our society, aided and abetted by the right wing chorus on cable news. In Toxic to Democracy: Conspiracy Theories, Demonization, & Scapegoating, Chip Berlet analyses what we're up against.

Mourning in Iran

2009-06-18T09:37:00.003-05:00

Still following the brilliant Huffpo blogger Nico Pitney, who wrote last night (italics mine):

1:28 AM ET -- The mourning rally. Thursday is gearing up to be a hugely significant day for the Green Uprising. Reza Aslan appeared on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show tonight, and laid out the importance of what is going to happen:

What's really fascinating about what's happening right now in 2009 is that it looks a lot like what was happening in 1979. And there's a very simple reason for that. The same people are in charge -- I mean, Mousavi, Rafsanjani, Khatami, Medhi Karroubi, the other reformist candidate -- these were all the original revolutionaries who brought down the Shah to begin with, so they know how to do this right.

And so what you're going to see tomorrow is something that was pulled exactly out of the playbook of 1979, which is that you have these massive mourning rallies, where you mourn the deaths of those who were martyred in the cause of freedom. And these things tend to get a little bit out of control, they often result in even more violence by the security forces and even more deaths, which then requires another mourning rally which is even larger, which then requires more violence from the government, and this just becomes an ongoing snowball that can't be stopped.

That's how the Shah was removed from power, was these mourning ceremonies. And so Mousavi very smartly calling for an official -- not a rally -- but an official day of mourning tomorrow. I think we're going to see crowds that we haven't even begun to see yet, and then follow that, on Friday, which is sort of the Muslim sabbath, the day of prayer, which is a traditionally a day of gathering anyway. This is just beginning, Rachel, this is just the beginning.

Change is the keyword during a Saturn return, and if if doesn't come, there is often metaphorical blood spilled. Let us hope that in the case of Iran, it does not become too literal. There are so many ways in which we're experiencing 1979 all over again. We've got to get it right this time. Pluto returning to Capricorn play a role in this massive upheaval and revolutionary tenor as well. More on that soon...

The Revolution Will Be Digitized

2009-06-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

I've been following the tireless and brilliant Huffington Post blog tended to by one Nico Pitney all weekend. Of all the raw sources (Twitter, Youtube) I have found that Pitney's edits are spot-on, always gripping, and full of empathy.

Tonight he posted a photograph from AP of protestors during the 1979 Revolution, again evoking the wildly uncanny astrology of this unfolding event. (Scroll down to 6 PM ET on June 16th). Saturn forces us to face our demons by shoving them into our face thirty years after our birth (and again thirty years later, if we didn't get the message the first time). Watching Iranian youth spill into the streets of Tehran, screaming, shouting, pumping their fists, using their voices, demanding to be heard -- I think of you who are now between 27 and 30 and how much you wish you could do the same. These brave souls are expressing and manifesting the absolute truth of the Saturn Return.

In Surviving Saturn's Return, we quoted Carl Jung: "That which we do not bring to consciousness appears in our lives as fate." Right now that quote, writ large, is resonating on every corner of the globe. Even though the tyrannical regime in Iran is doing everything in their power to stop the revolution, they simply can't win. They may have silenced all international media, but they have not been able to stop the protestors thus far.

What scares me most is that they'll be tempted to bring down the black boot of Saturn (a planet not unfamiliar with fascism) in order to end this breakthrough moment during which the voiceless have found their collective voice. One video on Youtube showed masked soldiers in black uniforms beating protestors. We know at least seven have been shot. Hopefully that number will not grow larger. Eerily, seven is Saturn's number.

Saturn's most important lesson for all of us, at any age, is to be in the moment. It's striking to see a nation under the influence of an intense Saturn return experiencing this phenomenon en masse. May their journey be safe and may their transformation be powerful.

Guess Who's Having a Saturn Return? Welcome to the New Iran.

2009-06-14T15:59:00.006-05:00

As we mentioned back in 2007, the Saturn in Virgo years promised interesting times indeed, especially for the nation of Iran. That's because Iran's Islamic Republic was born in 1979 -- when Saturn was last in Virgo. Well, kiddies, can you figure out what that means? Iran is having its very first Saturn Return, and going through some major growing pains. Expect major upheaval in the months ahead, especially this coming fall. Will the Islamic Republic hold? In 1979 the opposition didn't have the Internet to bring their point of view to the rest of the world. Now they do.

With Saturn and Uranus in opposition, Barack Obama ushered in the "Yes We Can" revolution. Perhaps the Iranian youth can use this energy for similar purposes. It will be exact again in September, so watch this space for developments. If you were born in 1978 or 1979, you totally understand what they're feeling -- an overwhelming need for change in a world grown stagnant and oppressive. You don't just want change, you NEED it, and you need it now. If you don't address the stirrings of your soul right now, you'll likely repress them for another 29.5 years. Listen to your inner calling and live life the way you were meant to.

Saturn in Your Soup Part Deux

2009-06-10T09:35:00.002-05:00

The buzz about the new film by Eric Schlosser, author of the acclaimed Fast Food Nation, is pretty intense right now. How appropriate for Saturn to provide a real in your face look at what's in your plate during the last few months of his sojourn through Virgo, ruler of the body and the digestive system. We have blogged about this regularly in the last few years.

From the "Hungry for Change" site:

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

It's a must-watch:

Saturn in Virgo: Embodiment

2009-05-23T18:58:00.004-05:00

Virgo rules our bodies. The last time that Saturn was in this sign, psychotherapist Susie Orbach published her book Fat is a Feminist Issue. Now that Saturn has returned to Virgo, Orbach has published a new book called Bodies. As usual with all things Virgo, this is perfectly timed.

Will Saturn Give Michael Vick a Second Chance?

2009-05-19T19:50:00.003-05:00

With Virgo's rulership of domestic animals, it's interesting to see the return of Michael Vick to the news in the week after Saturn turned direct. Even more interesting is Vick's chart -- with Saturn at 21 degrees of Virgo. His Saturn return was exact last winter and will be again in August. Often people born with Saturn in Virgo have a special compassion for animals, but that was clearly not the case here. Saturn gives second chances only to those that have truly done their inner work. If Vick really does feel honest remorse for the horrible things he did, should he get that second chance? Could he become a major voice against animal abuse?

At the same time, far less publicized has been the arrest, indictment and conviction of members of the SHAC 7 -- a group of animal rights activists who have spent some of the Saturn in Virgo years in jail because of their compassion for animals. In their attempt to bring to light the horrible injustice and cruelty of a corporation called Huntington Life Sciences, they've endured trials during which they were maligned as terrorists. Watch a trailer from an upcoming documentary about the Shac 7 here.

The Story of Stuff

2009-05-15T20:45:00.002-05:00

This simple, amazing and extremely viral video has now had more than 5 million views. The message here is exactly where Saturn in Virgo meets Pluto in Capricorn -- it explains how the environment continues to be exploited by corporations, and how we all contribute to this cycle of destruction with our rabid (and needless) consumption. Watch and share!

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Empowerment: Pluto in Capricorn Style

2009-05-13T16:57:00.002-05:00

Naomi Klein and William Greider envision a higher octave of the Pluto in Capricorn era. They were on Charlie Rose a few nights ago. This is a must watch. We may be in a mess of historic proportions, but there are ways to positively transform ourselves and thus, create a better world.

Saturn and Swine Flu: Making Us Sick to Make Us Well

2009-04-29T10:36:00.005-05:00

Any student of Saturn knows that he brings down his big black boot in order to whip us into shape. If he tries a few times and we don't get the message, he'll pull out the big guns. It's not fun or pretty, but it gets the job done in most cases. The savagery of the global agribusiness industry is something that has long needed exposure. Not since Upton Sinclair's The Jungle have we seen a well-publicized take-down of this industry. Since he called for reforms of the meat-packing industry, it's gotten far worse. He was in his Saturn Return when he wrote the book, and Saturn was in Pisces, the sign opposite Virgo, where it is right now. This is how astrological cycles work -- we face the same issues when the planets go over these critical points. Virgo rules animals, health, and hygiene. Maybe a new Upton Sinclair will rise from the ashes of the Swine Flu fury. We're getting sick, but perhaps it's just a wake-up call to treat our animals (and our bodies) the way we should.

It's the perfect moment to review what we predicted when Saturn first entered Virgo in 2007. Saturn is just doing what he does best -- now we have to live up to his wise counsel.

Side note: Pluto, as we've mentioned, is now in Capricorn, exactly opposite (to the degree) of where it was in 1918, when the so-called Spanish flu killed millions. In March of that year the flu was first discovered when Pluto hit 3 degrees of Cancer, but it wasn't a deadly scourge in the first round. What is truly alarming is that when it came back the following fall, the real damage was done. Don't get panicked by the media's hype-machine, but do heed the wisdom of the stars.

Tea Bagging with Pluto in Capricorn

2009-04-16T18:49:00.004-05:00

The "tea party" movement currently being promoted by Fox News and Co. is mildly hilarious. Rachel Maddow, The Daily Show and Keith Olbermann have skewered the Republicans for being too square to know how to use Google and thus avoid making total fools of themselves. What no one has talked about is the eerie connection it all has to the Pluto in Capricorn era. As we've discussed in this space previously, the years between 2008 and 2023 are sure to be trying for all of us. The collapse of the economy is just the beginning of a long process of degeneration, breakthrough, and rebuilding. This "tax revolt" (even if it is a thinly veiled attempt to rally the base) comes 273 years after the Boston Tea party, the signature event of the last Pluto in Capricorn era. These issues are coming back to haunt us now.

It may great fodder for comedy, but it's important to be aware of the implications. All the talk from the right about second amendment rights, and the rise of right wing militias is a rather alarming indication that in more ways than one, we truly are revisiting the American Revolution. The governor of Texas is even talking about secession. There is a right way and a wrong way to get through the years ahead. In this particular moment, Obama is leading us in the right direction. The question is, will the lunatic fringe follow? Or will they go their own way, dragging the rest of us into a Pluto in Capricorn morass that we can't escape? It's up to all of us to not just follow the leader, but to get in touch with our own inner power and wield it with an eye toward sustainability and compassion.

Saturn in Virgo and The New Food Revolution

2009-03-22T15:06:00.002-05:00

We promised, and Saturn in Virgo has delivered.

Surviving Saturn's Return back in stock on Amazon

2009-03-15T10:51:00.002-05:00

Hello Book Seekers.

Our first book, Surviving Saturn's Return: Overcoming the Most Tumultuous Time of Your Life, is back in stock at Amazon after a brief hiatus.

Buy yours here.

Pluto in Capricorn Eviscerates Conspicuous Consumption

2009-03-09T16:25:00.002-05:00

Everyone wants to be Ms. Practical Pants since Pluto entered Capricorn. It's all about thrift and pragmatism right now.

This theme also resonates with tomorrow's full moon in Virgo, but the long term trend belongs to the Capricorn energy pervading the atmosphere. "Less is more" will be the new black for many years to come.

Must See TV for the Pluto in Capricorn Era

2009-02-15T17:55:00.001-05:00

This Frontline special looks brilliant.

Saturn Sisters on Twitter!

2009-02-04T11:00:00.005-05:00

Come follow us on Twitter! You can find us here! And for a special bonus, if you give us a tweet, we'll send you some love. Sign up to "follow" us on Twitter and we'll give you ten percent off your next private reading. How Tweet it is!

Saturn Vs. Uranus: The Smackdown II

2009-02-02T19:15:00.002-05:00

Saturn and Uranus are squaring off once again, and this time it's frighteningly serious. Protest is rising all over Europe, the likes of which we haven't seen in many, many years. There are strikes in the UK, riots in Greece, Latvia, Iceland, and major problems elsewhere. The urgent need for change is taking root in city after city. Pluto in Capricorn is the cause of this winter of discontent, but Saturn in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces is bringing everyone's blood to the boiling point.

The last time these two planetary heavyweights clashed in a similar fashion was 1968, when Saturn was in Pisces and Uranus was in Virgo; exactly opposite their current positions. Anti-war protestors took to the streets and shook things up, sometimes clashing violently with police. Not so different from France, right here, and right now.

Saturn in Virgo: Sacrifice and Seclusion

2009-01-31T10:17:00.002-05:00

Currently on exhibit at MOMA is the work of Teching Hsieh, a NYC-based performance artist who is now in his second Saturn Return. On September 30th, 1978, when he was 28 and at the beginning of his first SR, he embarked on the first of what would become known as his "One Year Performances". He sealed himself into a cage in his Tribeca art studio, literally creating a space of solitary confinement. A friend brought him food and removed his refuse. He released a statement that said, in part:

"I shall NOT converse, read, write, listen to the radio or watch television, until I unseal myself on September 29, 1979."

Talk about doing the work of your natal Saturn placement. Saturn in Virgo natives are always engaged in a quest to understand the difference between solitude and loneliness. Hsieh's work embodies the ultimate hermitage. As we say in Surviving Saturn's Return: now may be the time to head for your "cave of choice", especially if you were born near the time of this performance art experiment. Hopefully your hideaway has a few more amenities than Hsieh's -- and perhaps you don't have to sequester yourself there for an entire year.

2009 Forecast

2009-01-01T10:41:00.001-05:00

2009 forecasts are here!

Read them at Lifescript.com.

Dispatch from the Pluto in Capricorn Era

2008-12-15T20:08:00.004-05:00

As we experience the early birth pangs of Pluto in Saturn's restrictive territory, the message is getting through: no more excess. Sagittarius, the sign that Pluto lived in for the last decade-plus, was all about over-the-top, insane, can't-get-enough indulgence. Sagittarius can't stand rules or boundaries, and it doesn't mind a private jet or two. The legacy of years of deregulation is showing its face starkly, only a few weeks into Pluto's transit into Capricorn. As we predicted over the past year, the Wall Street fat-cats are finally getting what they deserve; the chickens of their bad behavior have come home to roost. It's terribly sad that they're taking down so many innocent people with them, but Pluto must purge what it touches. Both the Madoff and Drier scandals of the past few days, along with the blatant excesses of Rod Blagojevich (a Sagittarian who celebrated his birthday the day after he was arrested) suggest that the party's over. As for Blago, maybe he was always crazy, or maybe Pluto's transit over his sun during the last thirteen years drove him to it.

Transformational Financial Forecast

2008-11-26T12:25:00.012-05:00

What do Pluto and Saturn have to do with your money? A lot! Astrologers have known that the next few years will be full of hard work and saving as Pluto, the planet of transformation, moves into Saturn's home turf until 2024. In honor of this planetary shift, we've created a new report to help you through this transformative time. We're offering a temporary doorbuster special on this report. For only 25 USD, you'll discover your lucky transits, showing you the best times to splurge, invest, or save over the next year. The price will go back to 35 USD after Christmas. This report includes a natal report in addition to Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus transits for the next year, putting you one step ahead. (Sample PDF Reading for Oprah Winfrey)

[ Click here to order ]

And for a free look at your general sun sign financial forecast, see out latest Lifescript article.