Lunar Gestation Cycle |
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The week that began at yesterday's Solar Eclipse and extending through Mercury's direct station next week is, in 2005, an even more significant time period than the beginning of the year's eclipse season would normally be. Typically, when the Sun is in its semiannual eclipse season, life becomes more complicated and global events compete with personal dramas for our attention. We would expect yesterday's inspiration- and action-oriented Aries Solar Eclipse (and the upcoming Scorpio Lunar Eclipse on April 24th) to offer the dramatic activity we equate with historic headlines, and this is certainly the case. We have already witnessed some historic changes in hierarchy - literally -and the passing of other high-profile people who, intentionally or not, left behind substantial legacies. But 2005's first Solar Eclipse just so happens to coincide with another noteworthy semiannual event - a Sun-Saturn square - that was embedded in and applying toward exact in the Solar Eclipse chart itself. This creates a very different story from the one an Aries Eclipse might tell. Saturn square the Sun at the time of the Eclipse has had the effect of holding back that Aries energy, keeping it in suspended (and no doubt impatient) animation until the square is exact, and then over, on Sunday, April 10th. What is it that makes this Solar Eclipse plus Sun-square-Saturn event so powerful? There are a number of factors. One is the fact that that separately, the Solar Eclipse and the Sun-Saturn square are compelling events in their own right, so, occurring at the same time, they pack quite a punch. Two, at a fundamental level, Aries energy and Saturn energy are diametrically opposed. Aries says, “Go, go, go!” and Saturn says “Slow, wait, slow!” There’s a third reason why this weekend’s Eclipse/Square event is super-dramatic, but to fully appreciate it, we first need to back up a few steps and revisit the semiannual Sun-square-Saturn cycle on its own. As you know, Saturn, planet of commerce and funding, stations twice a year—once Retrograde and once Direct. Saturn also squares the Sun twice a year, and you will probably not be surprised to hear that these two separate Saturn cycles—its stations and its squares to the Sun—coincide quite neatly in a predictable pattern: One Sun-Saturn square occurs three weeks before Saturn’s Retrograde station, and the other Sun-Saturn square occurs three weeks after Saturn’s Direct station. In the past, you have often heard me refer to Saturn as a “faucet” controlling the flow of business and money, and its retrograde and direct stations as events when the faucet is turned on (Saturn traveling direct) or turned off (Saturn traveling retrograde). But Saturn’s stations aren’t the only events controlling the flow of commerce and capital. The Sun-Saturn squares, occurring so neatly before or after Saturn’s stations, act as additional timers. At the Sun-Saturn square preceding the Retrograde station, we often begin to see signs that business, whether public or private, is slowing down. Business deals hit a snag, projects get stalled, layoffs are announced, and money seems to become less available or accessible. So I see the Sun-Saturn square preceding the Retrograde station as the signal to turn the “faucet” off, the period between the Sun-Saturn square and the Saturn Retrograde station three weeks later as the time when the tap is slowly being closed, and finally, the Retrograde station as the time when the faucet is officially turned off for the next four-and-a-half to five months. After that passage of time, Saturn once again stations Direct (for which we are all grateful!)—but at this end of the semiannual Saturn cycle, the second of the two semiannual Sun-Saturn squares happens three weeks after Saturn’s station, rather than before it. Employing my plumbing analogy again, I see the Direct station as the timer for the “faucet” to be opened again—and it is. There’s just one problem: the tap may be turned on, but after several months of disuse, it’s frozen, and nothing can flow out. Think of the period from Saturn’s Direct Station to the Sun-Saturn square three weeks later as the time when the tap is slowly warming up and working off its rust. Then, once the Sun passes its second square to Saturn, commerce, funding, and structural changes should finally begin to flow more easily again, relative to all other economic indicators. Let's return now to including the April 8, 2005, Solar Eclipse in our discussion. When you understand the semiannual, double-event Saturn cycle, it's easy to see why the annual Sun-Saturn square after Saturn's Direct station is usually a welcome occasion, even if it is difficult while in process. It means that for seven or eight months, projects under Saturn's rule have his forward travel aiding their progress. But for many people (and families, countries, and governments!), this weekend's Sun-Saturn aspect is critical because of the powerful Aries Solar Eclipse that accompanies it. In fact, right within the Eclipse, the square was close enough to exact to exert powerful Saturnian restraint and seriousness on the release of normally forceful Aries energy, and in turn, to extend a period of anxiety, worry, and concern regarding issues of authority, money, and parents or parental figures. (We certainly see the father theme in the passing of the pope.) Traditionally, this faucet-opening aspect between the Sun and Saturn eases hard times-and as soon as this weekend's prolonged standoff between Saturn and the Solar Eclipse is over, some relief should indeed be on the way. To support this forward-moving energy, Mercury stations Direct on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, at 1°45’ Aries. Mercury’s flip is another welcome and well-timed event that can perhaps in this forecast be described as providing the final coat of “Liquid Plummer” to Saturn’s rusty faucet! With Mercury running forward again, our own way is likewise eased and we can go ahead with our decisions and projects. The challenges, obstacles, and delays of the last several months are behind us, and we can make both informed decisions and progress with confidence that we’ll find the resources we need to support our goals… at least until Saturn begins his cycle anew next November. Now that you’re aware of this semiannual collaboration between Saturn’s stations and his square to the Sun, you’ll be able to anticipate for yourself the periods when withholding and releasing can be expected (and might be the wiser personal strategy). Resources are scarcer and funds are shorter in the months when the faucet is off, and the Sun-Saturn square at that time will alert you to its approach. Long-term commitments are more manageable, growth more likely, and resources more available when the faucet is on, and that Sun-Saturn square will tell you when the tap is finally warmed-up and unobstructed. This year, after Tuesday, April 12th, the faucet is open and your Aries Eclipse energy will be ready to roll! |