one of the overarching astrological themes in the year of 2015 is the square between saturn in sagittarius and neptune in pisces, which is not exact until november 26th but which is within orb of influence all year long. saturn just moved out of scorpio and into sagittarius on december 23rd of 2014, yet he will traverse these last degrees of scorpio and first of sadge several times over the next year due to his retrograde station in march 2015. all year long the saturn/neptune square in effect and it will culminate in november of 2015- so it is good to take note of what this aspect means as it will be a big part of the lessons we are learning this year and we may as well get clear on what is expected of us so we can get a move on!
saturn is the principle of reality. he governs boundaries, discipline, mastery, responsibility, limitations, restrictions, fears and karma. neptune is the principle of transcendence- which is about rising above reality and opening up to what lies beyond. neptune governs dissolution of boundaries, mysticism, spirituality, creativity, inspiration, delusion, deception and denial.
with saturn square neptune we have an aspect of tension between reality and dreams, formation and dissolution, pessimism and delusional idealism, practical manifestation and Divine inspiration, being in this world and not of it. conventional astrology tells us this aspect can bring confusion, lethargy, depression and dullness. and yes this is true- but that is only half of the picture. whenever planets square each other initially they face off and are not in harmony, but the whole point of tense aspects is to work with them in a way that finds a bridge between black and white, good and bad, this and that. the point is to get to a place where we can hold space for both/and- instead of polarizing in either direction.
if we polarize towards saturn we will feel heavy, depressed, limited and restricted by the realities life is throwing at us. if we polarize towards neptune we will check out, turn to addictions, avoid dealing with reality and feel like a victim. yet if we get these two seemingly opposite planets to work with each other- then we can anchor (saturn) our dreams (neptune) into reality (saturn). ultimately this aspect requires that we learn how to have one foot in both realities- material and spiritual- without disconnecting from either one in ways that are detrimental to our growth, wholeness and happiness.
another layer of the saturn/neptune square is revealed when we look at the signs both planets are inhabiting. saturn is currently in sagittarius and neptune is in pisces. these are the two signs that govern spirituality. sagittarius governs spirituality from an external perspective. sagittarius travels somewhere, takes a course and/or reads a book to mentally and spiritually expand. pisces governs spirituality from an internal perspective. pisces turns within, listens to dreams, meditates, reflects and pays attention to intuition in order to spiritually grow and expand. with the two signs of spirituality clashing with one another- another theme of the year is that of spiritual crisis with the potential for deeply grounded spiritual mastery over ourselves and our experience here on planet earth. a deep questioning of our path, direction, beliefs and what is True can arise this year. this can play out personally in our day to day lives, as well as collectively in the form of events or experiences that have us questioning what they mean. this kind of aspect reminds me of the dark night of the Soul- which sounds really scary, yet it is the only way to really shatter old beliefs and attitudes and open us up to the awareness/experience of something new. if you are interested in reading more about this topic, a great read or listen on the dark night of the Soul is ‘spiritual madness’ by carolyn myss.
all year long as these two dance close together, personal planets will trigger them both. this week mars moves into pisces and he squares saturn on wednesday the 14th and he cojoins neptune next week on monday the 19th. venus will trigger saturn and neptune from january 30th through february 1st, the sun will trigger them from february 23rd through the 25th and last but not least mercury will do so from march 16th through 18th. so one after another, the personal planets will come into the line up with saturn and neptune- bringing Light, awareness and activation to whatever saturn/neptune has in store for us this year. since mars is an activator, his connections this week and next can energize the deep split between what is real and what is ideal- and hopefully this is something that inspires us to figure out how to resolve that split. yet it is possible that mars’ trigger of saturn and neptune just unearth an inner sense of restriction, aggravation, anger and victimization about the situations or attitudes we find ourselves in. mars/saturn/neptune can also make us feel impotent and give us an excuse to do nothing or check out. the key is to USE this mars energy as motivation to deal with things, rather than deny it, stuff it and/or turn anger inwards on ourselves. that is how depression is created.
this coming summer jupiter will move into virgo and he will get involved in the dynamic with saturn and neptune. it may be that what is percolating now and unfolding in the first half of 2015 will come to a pivot point (or boiling point) in august/september when jupiter squares saturn (8/3) and opposes neptune (9/16). and then as of september 17th saturn will officially be in sagittarius for the next 2+ years! for more info on where this plays out in your chart check the weekly horoscopes (read for sun sign and rising sign). but for all of us- there is a deep questioning around what is True, what is real and what attitudes or beliefs within us (or in the collective) need to shift in order for evolution to happen.
so this week give yourself some space to feel into the saturn/neptune vibe. look to see where you might be polarizing to depression, pessimism, frustration (saturn) or to fantasies, ungrounded ideals, playing the victim or the martyr, or plain old denial and avoidance of what is true. and then look to see where the middle point is- not for everyone else- but the middle point for you. and then assess what you need to do find your way to that middle point- and set your intentions to get yourself there. and make that your resolve for 2015!
~divine harmony