The quarter Moon rides high in the nighttime sky besides Jupiter these nights. The first strong, cold winds of autumn are finally shoving the long hot summer out of the Valley. The time has come for the Dark to enter the Cosmic Story. The Celtic celebration of Samhain, All Hallow's Eve is the doorway to Wintertime, to death and cold and darkness. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the darkness will grow quickly now, just as for those of you in the South, the Light will begin to come back for the year.
This festival of the Dead bids us to make peace with our dead as well as with those inner habits, beliefs and objectives that have outlived their purpose. We need to let go. That's the hard part. What comes next? It seems we need to go into the darkness to re-discover the Light.
Carl Jung said, "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." This encounter with the Unconscious is our call to the Hero/ine's Journey. Each of us who answers the call brings back unique gifts -- magical gifts to transform our lives and share with the world.
It is no mistake that the dark and cold of late autumn take shape during the Sun's journey through Scorpio. Each sign of the zodiac shows us a different way to grow, to change, to evolve. When the Sun reaches Scorpio, we are challenged to face the dark, which includes our death, and look for our truth. In the cycle of the seasons, it is the time of year when the veils between the worlds open and the Dead make their peace with Life and Life makes its peace with Death. It's a time to honor your dead, to remember their life and love. And a time to make peace with the idea that one day, you too will die. As don Juan told Carlos, "Take death as your advisor." It makes life passionate and intense, rather than boring and repetitive and full of fear.
I think our tradition of Hallow'een opens us to different views of death and dying. On Hallow'een, we give food and nurturing to the Dead. (So I guess they're still around?) We dress up and take on new personas. We allow for all sorts of beings -- demons, angels, hobbits, dragons, knights, princesses, vampires, werewolves. We step into an alter-ego and allow ourselves to become someone or something else. The dark is alive with mystery and magic. That's a good way to see Death. Rather than something to be feared, we might see it as a mystery to be explored.
If you'd like to read a Samhain story, go to: All Hallow's Eve
Saturn Moves into Libra
On Thursday, October 29th, Saturn, the "reality' energy that teaches us self-disciple, that tests us by forcing us to confront "collective reality', will enter the sign of Libra at 10:09am Pacific and 1:09 Eastern time. Saturn will occupy the sign of Libra from October 29, 2009 to April 7, 2010; and then from July 21, 2010 to October 5, 2012. Saturn retrogrades at 4-5 degrees Libra mid-January 2010, re-entering Virgo on April 7, 2010. Saturn then turns direct near the end of May, 2010, and returns to Libra on July 21, 2010.
The Sabian Symbol for 1* Libra: Pierced by a dart of light a butterfly is "made perfect'.
Dane Rudhyar says that this image indicates the formation of an archetypal pattern. The perfection of the butterfly, which is symbolic of the soul, is preserved. The archetypal patterns of life lead us to the sacred, to the holy, to the Light of consciousness. This degree opens the season of autumn, when humans begin the collective journey out of self and into relationship with others. As Saturn begins his journey through Libra, let the archetypal energies of the soul guide your transformation as you step beyond yourself.
Hopefully, Saturn's 2 year-journey through Virgo has confronted us with the lessons of self-ownership. Saturn in Virgo has been a long, hard journey into ourselves, making us face our health, work and Self issues. Hopefully, we've gained valuable self-knowledge that will serve us well during Saturn's stay in Libra. Take time during the day to feel the shift in energy from Virgo's mutable earth to Libra's cardinal air.
The last two times Saturn was in Libra was from November 1950 to October 1953, when it occupied Libra along with Neptune, and from September 1980 to August 1983, when it occupied Libra along with Pluto. Many of my contemporaries from the 50s will be experiencing their second Saturn return, as well as having Saturn go over their natal Neptune position. The Neptune in Libra generation were disillusioned with relationships, exalted relationships, infused spirit into relationships. We wanted soul-mates. We ended up divorcing a lot. Some of our children were born with Pluto in Libra, and while they will be experiencing their first Saturn return, they experienced the pain of divorce and now will want to establish new forms of relationship that work. No divorce for them! I can see it happening already. Perhaps this time around, we'll all get it right.
Saturn in any sign forces us to confront the reality of that sign. Through constriction, fear, pain and limitations, Saturn forces us to focus our will and get what we really want. Saturn in Libra will make us more aware of our partnerships and one-on-one relationships. Where are we limited or limit ourselves in our relationships? Where are we in pain or fear over our needs and desires? Whether you are in a personal relationship or you want to be in one, you will be working on this aspect of your life for the next 2 years. Take advantage of Saturn's responsibility, self-discipline and authority to shape up your sense of fair-play and justice and dump the blame-game. Saturn will try to trap you in that one!
Saturn in Libra sharpens our focus on maintaining balance, integrity and fairness in all our relationships. We can only do that if we have a good relationship with ourselves first! Have you balanced your masculine and feminine energies? Do you listen to your feelings and intuitions and then balance them with your thinking and sensing? If so, you will go into relationship as a whole person. And that's what's needed.
A true partnership of equals is not about need. It is about two wholes coming together and discovering that they fit together perfectly. All the nooks and crannies, the dark and the light, both bring delight and a new sense of self-discovery. Partners can do that -- make two wholes into a new whole. During Saturn's stay in Libra's paradigm, we get to practice how to be ourselves with another. That can only happen if we are truthful with ourselves and truthful with each other. Saturn will bring on the pain and constriction if we lie about our needs or deny another's needs. The balancing act is delicate and requires concentration and grace.
