A planet going Retrograde or Direct is an optical illusion, caused by the planets’ perceived orbital speed. The astrological metaphor implied is relative to the planet that appears to turn in either direction. Saturn which has been Retrograde since June 4^th pauses now, to turn direct on October 22^nd at 18 degrees of Aquarius – the sign that rules group activity, networking, long-range goals, hopes and wishes. Any personal planets in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) between 10-20 degrees are especially sensitized. As this station direct occurs Saturn receives an auspicious trine from Mercury in Libra. Mental processes and decisions are clarified.

With Saturn moving forward, important allies, answers and solutions surrounding major goals begin to make themselves known. With both Sun and Venus ingressing into Scorpio on the 23^rd all of our senses are alerted to the coming changes. Obstacles in work and health lose some of their effects, or may disappear altogether within the weeks ahead. Nagging issues and complaints dealing with the connective tissues, spinal alignment, and joints may have been temporarily heightened in the past couple of weeks but may ease up by the end of the month. Problems with authority figures may resolve or dissolve due to circumstances. At least the better course of action to be taken in this regard becomes more evident. This could be a time of closure in certain relationships or of going one’s separate way because that is the best thing for those involved. If working together within a certain relationship or group proves to be appropriate and worthwhile, then a greater sense of organization and commitment is likely to emerge, indicating the roles to be taken in a given endeavor.

Saturn rules the kind of wisdom that is gained through applied effort, hard work or bitter experience. Other miscellaneous things that it governs include the skeletal system, the elderly, old buildings, old nations and old establishments. Saturn is the influence behind the wrinkles of aging skin, but also the Stoicism that enables one to see beyond the surface of things, and of trends. There are not nearly as many Saturnian types as there once were who made up the human population. They currently appear to be a dying breed. The older some of us get, the wiser we become, and the less tolerance we have for that which is petty, stupid, or wasteful. Saturn is the stern yet successful father figure, who encourages self-discipline and a thorough education. In his evil manifestation he is the calculating and cold-blooded murderer. Saturn is the original Goth, the architect, the mortician, or in some cases the greedy banker (but of course there are still plenty of those exerting their power in world affairs). Saturn is also that finite strip of life experience perceived as time.

As Saturn stations Direct, the stationing of Mars is simultaneously making itself known before it turns Retrograde at 25 degree of Gemini on the 30^th. There is something strange and a bit stressful about this combination, as one pushes us forward and other pulls back. With the Solar Eclipse 2 degrees of Scorpio that is due on the 25^th, there is a strong purge occurring in some area, whether that is physical, emotional, or spiritual. The natal house it falls in reveals the area undergoing this great purification while awaiting profound renewal.