Blog
by Steven Forrest
The current square between Neptune and Saturn has been a weird elongated one, long-foretold but only now flowering. Technically, the aspect made first “partile” (exact) contact just a few weeks ago—on November 26, 2015. The reality is, we’ve all been living with it since December 23, 2014, when Saturn first crossed into Sagittarius. Neptune was only in about 5 degrees of Pisces then—thus, well within the orbs of a square. The aspect has gone on, stronger or weaker, since then—and it will continue through this year, as two more exact squares form on June 17 and September 10.
Saturn teaches patience. In eternal Saturn fashion, the square seems to be taking longer than it needs to.
All square aspects are about tension, but this is a particularly tense one because of the antithetical natures of these two planets. In other words, there seems to be a “natural square” between Saturn and Neptune, just in terms of their basic energies.
by Steven Forrest
Light soon returns to the world. Hallelujah, hallelujah . . . but you have heard it all before and it’s not exactly shocking news. Of course I am talking about the Winter Solstice. And you might be yawning already. You don’t have to be an astrologer to know that the season of ever-lengthening nights is now about to turn. Yet, buried beneath the veil of numbing familiarity, this yearly turning of the tide of light still holds some riddles for us.
For us in the northern hemisphere, the coldest parts of winter still lie ahead, but at least there’s a reason for hope. As the eloquent jazz pianist, Bill Evans, put it, “You must believe in Spring.” If you are in the snow-belt, there’s a lyric to tape to your refrigerator! Even here in the southern California desert where I live, I am looking forward to the days getting longer again. Who can reflect even for ten seconds on the notion of “the return of the light” without a little whisper of optimism arising? Who can think of it without hope?
by Tony Howard
The Saturn-Neptune cycle is fairly common - we experience a major aspect between the two planets (Conjunction, Square or Opposition) every 9 years. But that frequency doesn’t diminish its important role. Metaphorically, interactions between Saturn and Neptune can express on the high end as “sobering up.” And with Neptune currently in Pisces, we could probably use regular reminders to come back into balance. Because one shadow side of Neptune in Pisces is a weakness for succumbing to the pull to binge on things that give us the feeling of escape. And that doesn’t just apply to the usual suspects, like alcohol, drugs (legal or otherwise), or food.
Binge-watching TV shows became prevalent as Neptune entered Pisces, with online streaming services like Netflix and Hulu making it easier than ever to sit on the couch for hours at a stretch. We no longer talk about this week’s episode of a show over the water cooler, we talk about the entire season we watched over the weekend. Andy Samberg's pre-filmed skit for the 2015 Emmy Awards offers a hilarious take on this.
In planetary transit news this month, Venus goes direct, Mercury goes retrograde, and Saturn settles into Sagittarius. That's a lot of shifting energy, perhaps fitting for the "back to school" season.
Venus will station direct on Sunday, September 6 at 14° Leo. Check your chart for any planets close to that degree of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus or Scorpio. You folks will likely notice the station the most. Take note, and if you have any good stories to share after the station, Tony would love to hear them. Email tony@forrestastrology.com. If you track the shadow periods of retrograde cycles, Venus will remain in the shadow through October 9, when it passes the degree at which it stationed retrograde, 0° Virgo.
by Tony Howard
At this point you’re probably well aware that Saturn is now transiting Sagittarius. I know a few Scorpios who were impatiently waiting for the ingress! Now the Sagittarians get to quiver (but if you’re really quivering, keep reading). For Steven’s take on this transit through each of the 12 houses, check out the audio release from last month.
Here are the dates of Saturn’s time in Sagittarius for those who don’t have them:
- December 23, 2014 through June 14, 2015
- September 17, 2015 through December 19, 2017
But rather than wax poetic about what this transit could hold in store, I want to see what folks born with Saturn in Sagittarius can teach us via the hard-won lessons they’ve already learned.
