Saturn is now in the sign of Scorpio and, for all of us, the focus of our opportunities and challenges changes. This shift follows the July movement of the nodal points into the signs of Virgo and Pisces.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the movement of the nodal points into Virgo, the sign of health, signals a time when health-related issues will be brought to the forefront. Rahu, which is known for media, misinformation and generalized anxiety, played his role perfectly in the recent Ebola scare. Rahu does not generally have great staying power, and it is easy to see that the panic has now left the media airwaves. Hopefully, people noticed that there has been no outbreak here in America and that, on a positive note, the media hysteria did result in more assistance to those areas actually dealing with a major Ebola crisis. There will continue to be other health-related news for approximately the next fifteen months.

Events which can be attributed to Rahu and Ketu tend to be surprising and can be either positive or negative, but the events will generally be done quickly and can sometimes appear to have no rhyme or reason. The same cannot be said for the planet Saturn. When Saturn is influencing a situation, the action moves slowly and the effects can be long-lasting.

As an astrologer ,I was thoroughly frustrated by the fact that most of the two and half years that Saturn spent in his exalted sign of Libra was marred by Rahu being in Libra and the influence of the Mars retrograde. Saturn in a good sign often brings in stability and common sense to most situations – this aspect of Saturn in Libra was greatly lessened by the Nodal points and Mars.

Libra is the sign of relationships and is opposite the head-strong Aries which prefers individuality and impulsive actions as compared to the cooperation and communication preferred by the sign Libra. Many people experienced great challenges in their interpersonal relationships as the nature of individual needs versus relationship cooperation came into conflict. I’ve noticed some relationships ended, but many improved during the long transit of Saturn in Libra especially with regard to hearing what others had to say and for mutual patience within relationships.

Saturn has a bad reputation because of the delays generally experienced whenever Saturn is in charge. He is also known for obstacles as well as taking the fun out of life. Many people can experience a lack of hope in the areas of life which Saturn signifies in a person’s chart. People who tend to view life through a negative point of view can have a more difficult time with Saturn’s energy. Saturn will absolutely give the lazy and immature state of mind a hard run of it.

Saturn is also the planet of peace and truth. His influence may seem to be harsh – –  especially for the impatient among us. However, the path of Saturn is fairly straight forward – be honest, be mature and take care of your responsibilities without looking for quick solutions or instant gratification. The ability to be neutral, honest, and hardworking brings “inevitable” success and eventually one sees that what may have appeared as denial of one’s desires was most often a delay and the reward greater than what was originally the goal.

Now that Saturn is in the sign of Scorpio, the focus is not so much on relationship except for the sexual energy that is a feature of specific relationships. Scorpio is ruled by Mars just as Aries is ruled by Mars so the worldwide conflicts and individualized anger issues will continue to play a role in our lives. However, the Scorpio energy is different from Aries and certainly from Libra. Scorpio is known to be a mystical sign filled with secrets, perception, and –  far too often –  an inability to flow with the ever-changing nature of life on planet earth. Scorpio is one of the rulers of the subconscious mind and is also a water sign which indicates an emotional approach to life.

Saturn’s goal is always to bring us to truth and, now that he is in the sign of Scorpio, he will be busy bringing up the deeper-seated emotions we all store within our subconscious mind. This subconscious stuff accompanies us throughout our lives and is often the root cause for fear, anger, jealously, domination, and depression. We all can expect to be dealing (throughout this time period) with old emotional issues. On some level we will be moving from being able to focus on how relationships (Libra) are the cause of our discomfort or problems to having to force ourselves to face our own individual blocks to full awareness and inner peace. The goal of Saturn is ultimately to bring us to recognition of the fact that we and we alone are responsible for our ability to live a peaceful life. Saturn works to bring us to a state of mind in which the mundane has its place but is not our complete reality and existence.

During the times when Saturn is strong in our charts there are usually not many diversions or light-hearted solutions for a respite from our problems. Under the Scorpio influence, the nature of the energy is to bring us to a fuller understanding of ourselves and the nature of life. No sign or planet holds the potential for healing and awareness like Scorpio or Saturn. Fearlessness is to live life without fear while courage is to be able to function despite the fear. Saturn in Scorpio is not the time to give into fear of our shadows;  instead,  it is a time to have the courage to face our own shadows along with the trust that within the truth, a light will be there to dispel those shadows once and for all.

The positive aspect of Saturn energy is that he is a planet who responds well to thoughtful and conscious activity. For those who have not completely healed old wounds, Saturn in Scorpio is a once-in-a- twenty-eight-year opportunity to get into good therapeutic modalities. Talk therapy, acupuncture, healing massage, yoga, meditation are greatly favored. This is a good time for physical check-ups with an eye toward wellness and changing of lifestyle habits. Saturn is the planet of yoga and, for many, this is an opportunity to find a really good yoga class since Saturn will give energy to discipline which will aid in a good yoga practice and the potential for self-transformation that yoga brings.

Saturn responds well to physical activity which is a good boost to the lower physical energy of Saturn. This is not a time to ignore responsibilities or to continually put off till tomorrow what can be done today. Productivity is greatly favored by Saturn and this is the time to set career goals as well as to take care of chores that have been ignored. It is productive activity that allows us to lose sight of emotional victimization, anger, resentment, and the yearning  for a life of  ease. This is the time to “willingly” take on responsibilities or to welcome maturity and all of the benefits that come from hard work and self-discipline.

Those who have strong Scorpio or Taurus in their charts will feel the glance of the teacher Saturn strongly,and some may already be feeling burdened as Saturn does not come to visit with a box of chocolates in hand. For those who are under the Saturn energy, it is an opportunity to redefine life and experience some real growth; all that is required is discipline, courage and the willingness to do the work. The rewards will be well worth the effort because, unlike the rewards of the Nodal points or Jupiter, the rewards of Saturn will stay with one for a lifetime and beyond.