Midlife Transits

You should be happy in October, Libra, because this month marks the beginning of a reprieve from Saturn in your solar 12th house. Saturn in your solar 12th has been opposing Uranus in Pisces and just generally doing its best to create nervous upsets for Librans around the world.

Okay, now I know that Saturn will be moving from Virgo into your own sign, and that as soon as it does it will pick a fight with Pluto in Capricorn. And I also know that it won’t actually leave your solar 12th house until the very end of the month. But still… Saturn in your own sign will not be trying to make you nervous, and that’s a big relief.

Saturn in your sign will, of course, be trying to change your life. Or perhaps, more accurately, change you on a mental and emotional level. You will probably embark upon some sort of self-improvement program before the transit of Saturn through your sign ends in about three years. You’ll also be working on an issue that’s dear to your Libran heart–partnership issues and issues of your relationships with others.  This will be work, but there’ll also be some nice things about it because soon the planets will be shifting toward a greater emphasis on fire and air signs that suit your own sign better.

In fact, if you want to think about your 12 months ahead, you will probably be less isolated and even have more energy because, for one thing, work issues will be less problematic when Uranus enters Aries next year.

As for this month, there is still a lot of emphasis on work and career for the first half of October, and people are not necessarily going to be all polite and full of good manners, as contentious Mars is still in your career house until the 16th. There is energy in your sign all month long, though, to smooth things out. Plus, you’ve got your birthday wish new moon on the 18th to celebrate.

October is one of those big deal astrological months, because Saturn will leave Virgo for the first time since September 2007. It will move into Libra, the sign opposite yours, on October 29, where it will put a lot of emphasis on the word ‘and‘ in your life. Any time you’ve got a major planet in the sign opposite yours, you’re being asked to figure out how to get around the either/or thinking we all love so much so that you can scooch over toward ‘this and that’ thinking. Saturn in Libra will give you a real workout (a challenging workout) in that department, as it encourages your normally decisive sign to weigh alternatives and nuances.

Example: it may seem perfectly reasonable to you as an Aries to prefer pens to pencils or vice versa or one pen over another or to have an deep fondness for or dislike of Sharpies. Saturn in Libra will do its determined best to frustrate this by introducing you to the world of working with both pens and pencils, your favorite brand and someone else’s, with Sharpies and their alternatives. It will most likely do this through the medium of a significant other that you will be motivated to cooperate with even when you think it’s going to kill you. But you may also find this theme surfacing in other areas over the next 3 years.

As if that’s not enough, Saturn will also be trying to teach you good manners! Libra’s natural instinct is to find your enthusiastic blunt straightforwardness to be not quite tactful and indirect enough for its tastes. So it will try to teach you the benefits of diplomacy. This is going to be really interesting because, come June 2010, Uranus will enter your own sign (yay!) for a few months, where it will turn up the volume on your inner voice, and it’s going to want to shout Saturn down. Plus, you’ll get a nice, warm dose of Jupiter to give you self-assurance. A lot to look forward to in the next 12 months.

In the meantime, rest up. September was a brutal month astrologically, and October is not nearly as bad. You could use the break, and you’ll get one. So take advantage of it.

Saturn moves out of Virgo on October 29, going from your solar house of love life and children into your solar house of work and health. Until then, you’ll still need to balance the competing demands of lovers and children with friendships and long-term goals. After the 29th, the children in your life should need less of your assistance and resources and you can turn more attention to your own social life.

Jupiter also stations at the highest point in your solar chart this month, hopefully giving a boost to your career or reputation, and maybe even rewarding you economically (via a promotion at work or some other means). Can’t guarantee that will happen, but it would certainly be pleasant if it does!

Jupiter here has been traveling with Neptune in an effort to expand your professional opportunities, so make hay while the sun shines. At the beginning of next year, Jupiter leaves this spot, not to return for another 12 years. Furthermore, the sun and other inner planets in Libra this month transit your sector of job stuff, meaning you should definitely do your best to impress. The week of the 11th sees some of your best job/career aspects of the year.

Last and maybe least, Pluto is also moving direct through your solar 9th house in a relatively brisk fashion now, giving you a chance perhaps to do some serious and enlightening reading on topics of interest to you.

Friendlier skies for Gemini in October than in September. Gemini is a pretty darn adaptable sign but even so, there may have been a bit too much to adapt to here recently. October puts much more of an emphasis on simply having a good time, whatever that may mean to you, whether it’s indulging in a good book or doing a little entertaining.

Admittedly, money may be a bit of a stressor in the first half of the month, as Mars in Cancer wants to spend it, while Pluto in Capricorn wants to keep a tight-fisted and wary eye on your budget and investments. Pluto in Cap is anticipating tough times down the road, and perhaps he is wise to do so. He may be overly pessimistic about your personal prospects, but give him props for being prudent. As a heads up, Pluto’s scheduled to be even more financially annoyed in mid-November (by Saturn in Libra), so plan ahead.

On a related note, if you are worried about your financial future and feel the lack of marketable job skills, October’s an excellent month to invest in some education. It could be formal or informal, depending on your needs. Even some on-the-job training from colleagues could be helpful.

Finally, Saturn’s move into Libra at the very end of this month is a plus for you, and it puts the planet in a much easier position for you. Saturn is scheduled to stop bugging you about your family and start stabilizing your sometimes naturally volatile energy levels. That’s kind of nice.

Mars is still in your sign until the middle of the month. Mars is the planet of desire; while in your own sign, his desire is usually to encourage you to be yourself and stand up for yourself rather than accommodate yourself to the plans of others. He tries add strength to your personality too.

You also have Pluto in the sign opposite yours, and he puts the focus squarely on others. If this all works out exceptionally well, you’ll have plenty of contact with others while maintaining your own integrity and some moxie. If it doesn’t work out well (or if you were born on the first day or so of your sign), then conflicts could ensue until Mars leaves your sign on the 16th. By the way, Pluto has the most effect on marriages or other committed relationships, so those who are merely dating are less likely to be affected.

Mars’s next stop will be your second house of possessions and property. Mars here will be in opposition to Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron in your solar 8th house of stuff like insurance and estates, wills and legacies.  The second half of the month is a good time to get your stuff organized and documented for insurance purposes.

Saturn will also enter Libra at the end of the month, where he’ll turn his eagle eye toward your family life.  But we’ll deal with that later. It’s unlikely to have much of an effect on you until next month, so we’ll leave that aside for the time being.

At the end of the month, Saturn moves into your solar 3rd house of short trips, errands, and daily goings out and about. For some this will mean that they’ll be busy when they wish they could have some peace and quiet, and for others it will mean that they’ll be bored and stuck at home when they wish they could be going somewhere. Either way, it’s a small price to pay for getting Saturn out of a financial house where he tends cause a lot of stress.

But let’s not think about Saturn too much right yet, because we’ve got Mars moving into your own sign on the 16th, plus Jupiter stationing in your 7th house on the 12th. Translation: for once, you may be able to get other people to adapt to your needs and your desires. That hasn’t happened in awhile. You’ve been having to do all the adjusting for quite a long time, and your partner’s needs and quirks may have been a bit strange, courtesy of Neptune in your house of committed relationships.

Maybe it’s all been good, all this adapting and accommodating you’ve had to do; maybe there’s been a lesson in there somewhere or a gift. Still, it’s nice to get a break, and I urge you to take advantage. Do something for yourself for a change.

There’s still energy in your sign in October, but the focus is switching to the sign of Libra and your second house of income, possessions, and property. Libra is a social sign, and the emphasis indicates that your financial gains come through interacting with others and staying in contact with them. You’ll need to be adaptable and accommodating, most likely, for best results, although it’s possible that the upcoming switch of Saturn in Libra will make you feel like being a bit less accommodating than usual when it comes to finances. Your financial new moon occurs on the 18th, though, so make a wish then (or set an intention) if you have issues in that area.

The Libra sun is also in good angle to Jupiter stationing in your health sector. The week of October 11 is a superb week to get a health issue addressed. If you’ve been praying and hoping for a breakthrough, you may finally get it.

The sun moves into Scorpio on the 23rd of October. There it’s in your third house of being on the go. Accept invitations, get your errands done, take a short trip. Bottom line: you’re starting to get a nice break from some of the pressure your sign’s been under, a development that should ultimately make your life simpler. Good show!

Your sign finally gets a little personal attention this month when the sun moves into your sign on the 23rd. That should hopefully make you quite happy. Jupiter also stations this month in the part of your solar chart that governs your home. That should make you happy too, especially if you stay home when you want to stay home.

This little vibe also works quite well with the new moon in Libra on the 18th in your solitude-loving 12th house. Those of you who don’t love solitude all that much could take advantage of the nice vibes to do some entertaining, invite a few people over. Another possibility is to go with a friend (or lover) to some sort of spa or retreat. FYI, the whole happy home life/spa &retreat vibes begin in late September (around the 20th).

For those of you who must think about work instead of fun, there are a couple of things going on. One’s a full moon in your job sector on October 3. There’s a small possibility that a job-related matter will wrap up around then. In bigger news, Mars enters your career sector for an astonishing 8 month stay on the 16th. This is when you either start to receive the applause you’re due for career efforts or you start making efforts to earn that same applause. If you’re not that visible in your field, it’s time to start getting more so. Volunteer for highly attention-grabbing activities like public speaking or otherwise take action. This kind of a long stretch of career help from Mars comes along only very rarely.

Nice full moon for you on October 3rd, Sagittarius. Normally, full moons aren’t too big a deal, but this one’s in your house of fun and recreation, giving you a great excuse to socialize. Speaking of your social life–changes are afoot in that area. Saturn is moving into your solar 11th house of friendships at the very end of this month.

Sagittarians theoretically prefer friends who are accommodating and compromise-prone anyway, and Saturn in Libra may very well further accentuate that trait. Saturn in Libra is generally of the opinion that other people should do all the compromising in a relationship because he doesn’t like to. He thinks that other people should correct their behavior, because he can’t imagine that his own would ever need adjustment. Saturn in the 11th house therefore tends to put stress on friendships and a person’s social life.

This could be a good thing because it puts your friendships up for examination. On the other hand, it’s probably wise, if you value your social relationships, not to let Saturn talk you out of showing your touchy-feely side. A little touchy-feely can go a long way toward alleviating Saturn’s instinctively stern approach. Your friendship and social life new moon takes place on October 18, so you can make your wishes and resolutions then.

Career month for Capricorn, which also means be on your best behavior month. Your career new moon is on the 18th. This is the time to formally present any career initiatives you have in the works. At the end of October Saturn will move into Libra, putting an emphasis on your career for approximately 3 years, although there’ll be a bit of a break next year.

A full moon in Aries could also help you wrap up a domestic matter around the 3rd. Marital and committed relationships continue to be bombarded with some rather contentious energy via Mars in Cancer until the 16th. Capricorns involved in lawsuits or legal cases may see a lessening of tensions when Mars moves out of Cancer. As Mars moves into Leo, your solar 8th house will see more emphasis. The 8th house covers a variety of matters, including surgery and other procedures to eliminate toxins, etc. from the body. The 8th house also covers items such wills, estates, and other matters relating to inheritances.

Mars will be in Leo for a very long time, so if either of these areas need your attention, plan to handle things over the next 8 months or so.

October sees just a little bit more of that Virgo money energy you’ve been dealing with for awhile, but fortunately it’s more positive than what you’ve been used to. If you need more money (and so many of you do as your chart has just been pounded financially), Mercury and Virgo could help a little bit, and Saturn moving out of Virgo at the end of the month could help even more. Mercury’s in Virgo until the 10th and Venus until the 14th. You’re not completely out of the woods yet, as Uranus is still in your other money house, cooking up shocks and surprises, but at least you’re getting some positive astrological reinforcement now. Make your money wishes or say your prayers early and often.

The month also sees a lot of Libra energy in your solar 9th house of Big Truths. This is the house that Saturn will be moving into at the end of this month. This influence could well make you more certain than normal of your own particular version of Big Truth, or it could make you tear down everything you think you believe and start over in a reflective state of mind.

On a more lighthearted note, Venus in Libra after the 14th could see someone call you up and offer you a chance to take a nice vacation. If that doesn’t happen, call someone up yourself and make plans to get the heck out of town and relax for awhile.

October is Libra month, and that’s good news for you because it moves the inner planets away from Virgo, where they put pressure on your sun. Libra is also a sign concerned with other people, and because it represents your solar 8th house of sex, activity here helps intimate relationships. Even better, one of the remaining bits of Virgo energy is represented by loving Venus (until the 14th). Perhaps you can grease the wheels of intimacy by establishing date night with your spouse. Take the time to do it up right and splurge by going somewhere really nice. If you don’t have a spouse and want one, get busy looking. Mars in Cancer is supporting all this relationship stuff until the 16th.

Of course, the 8th house is also rather a heavy house, concerned with cosmic topics like death, trauma, regeneration, abuse, and healing. Saturn will be moving into this sector of your chart at the very end of the month, and he may bring a dose of heaviosity with him when he comes.  If you’ve got heavy issues from the past that Saturn will be interested in exploring, you may find yourself turning to self-help books and other resources. The best resources will come in the form of other people, so if you’ve ever considered therapy, the next few years would be the time to make the commitment.

They converged on Washington awhile back. A whole bunch of people, exact number unknown, protesting Obama and various other things, some of which may not seem like they go together. On the YouTube video I watched, targets of wrath appeared to include gays, taxes, government spending, change of any sort, immorality, all politicians, health care, Cash for Clunkers, socialism, and various unspecified threats to the US Constitution, the future, and liberty in general.

Since nothing has actually happened to these marchers, so far as I can tell, that actually interferes with their liberty and since the Constitution has not been changed–it would be easy for a non-participant or a non-sympathizer to wonder what the heck they’re talking about. Especially since some of it doesn’t seem to make sense.

What they’re talking about is Pluto in Capricorn.

The protesters may seem to be all over the place in terms of identifying the exact nature of the threat, but they can feel it, and they can sense its vibe. And they’re right.

Pluto in Capricorn is scary. It does have a tendency to increase government power. And it doesn’t much care for liberty. Pluto in Cap is more of a control freak, and the protesters are rebelling already. Pluto’s barely gotten started in this sign, but he’s already stirred up all sorts of stiff resistance.

By November, Pluto will be duking it out with Saturn, and that’s rarely fun. Later he’ll be clashing with Uranus and that’s perhaps even less fun. Maybe the clashes will be scarier than Pluto by himself would be. But the clashes, difficult as they may be, also act to put something of a brake on what would otherwise be perhaps even worse in the long run, a world in which nobody (or no planet) ever challenged Pluto.

That doesn’t happen, though, because reliable old Saturn keeps chugging around the sky, periodically squaring and  opposing powerful Pluto, tipping off clashes that very few have any reason to like, but that periodically remind us that no power is limitless.

It’s become kind of routine for celebrities and even regular folks to fall victim to the prevalence of cell phone cameras and YouTube videos. Just about anything embarrassing can end up on the Internet somehow or another these days.

And it’s become more than routine for surveillance cameras to be installed all over the place: convenience stores, workplaces, Las Vegas hotels, traffic intersections, etc. In the UK, I’m told, they have a camera just about everywhere.

But we probably ain’t seen nothing yet. Cameras and photography  in general have undergone quite the change during Uranus in Pisces (the sign associated with photography). Polaroids and Kodachrome have basically bitten the dust. Photos have gone digital and they’re all over popular applications like Facebook.

But just wait til Neptune gets into Pisces. Neptune in the sign of photography will be in sextile with Pluto in the sign of government. That essentially means they’ll be in league with each other. Neptune has a tendency to universalize, and Pluto has a tendency to get excessive.

One way or another these two planets will probably work their way around to having the government (and big corporations, another thing Capricorn symbolizes) taking pictures of everyone all the time, just in case. Just in case you do something wrong, just in case they want to market to you, just in case. This will probably seem fine at first until it isn’t anymore. That’s how Pluto tends to work.

It takes Neptune a good 14 years to go through a  sign and Pluto even longer. So it isn’t like this will all happen overnight. It’ll creep up bit by bit, until it seems inevitable. That’s how Pluto likes to work.

In other words, so far, surveillance cameras have been all well and good. They’ve been darn helpful in solving crimes. They’ll undoubtedly continue to be so for a long time. Until mission creep gradually forces the disadvantages into the open. Because that’s what Pluto eventually does. He forces things into the open, reveals the disadvantages of long-term trends.

Of course, maybe there won’t be any disadvantages to Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn (scheduled to start in a couple of years)–as long as you’re smiling for the camera.