AUGUST 2009

Of the ten "standard" planetary bodies used in astrology, eight go retrograde. Only the Sun and Moon are consistently in direct(ed) motion. If they weren’t always direct, that would give us all sorts of interesting (and possibly disastrous) opportunities to at least go back in time. If the Sun or Moon ever shifted into reverse, that would probably come with a whole warpage and turning inside out of some time constants we all actually rather rely on.

That this really can’t happen is all about how retrogrades occur. Retrogrades are bout the lining up of planets as seen from Earth, where the planet becomes hidden by the Sun. Obviously the Sun can’t hide behind itself, and the Moon being so close, there’s no chance it’s going to ever be behind the Sun either.

All this leads to the fact that science has actually proven that this "going behind the Sun" thing has an effect—which on its face proves the astrological precept of stations. You know—that moment when the planet is just about to disappear behind the Sun, where relative motion and direction of said planet as seen from Earth as it’s speeding along its orbit vis-à-vis the Sun’s position makes it appear (from Earth) that said planet "stops"? That would be the station—which astrology refers to as a "turning point"—after which, speed and position make it appear as if it’s backing up. You know, retrograde.

At the other end of this process, there’s a moment nhese factors fall back into line, but relative speed and motion now make it look as though the planet is going forward again—the station-to-direct motion moment.  

It's the fact that stations carry heightened energies which science has been so very nice as to prove. And how did they do that, you ask? Well, once upon a recent time a scientist figured out how long it should take to bounce a signal off Mercury. What this scientist was testing was part of Relativity Theory. You know, Einstein stuff. According to relativity, energy waves are distorted when they pass close enough to something of large mass.

And before you get all into making jokes about your cousin Eddie who needs to lose a few pounds (or a passing blue whale) this theory actually does work with them. Or that foxy person you pass in the hall sometimes. Your perception of them as their passage in time is not precisely consistent with your concept of time, nor is their innate concept of time probably exactly like yours.

What big object is involved here? No, not cousin Eddie—Earth.

But hold that thought. Science first, foxy folks (and cousin Eddie) later. The scientist who set this Mercury Bounce experiment up decided to use the Sun as his "local large object." And the moment when Mercury lines up with the Sun (as seen from here on Earth) with sufficient proximity to do this experiment is (yes…!) the moment of the astrological station.     
 
So was there an effect? You betcha! What science found was that there was a definite "power spike" infused as the energy wave passed by the Sun. Which is exactly what astrology says about planetary stations.

And this is why, by extension, the rest of astrology has validity. All cosmic objects have mass. All have gravitational portent. Electro-magnetic effects and tails and things like that. All create "ripples" in the fabric of space/time as they move along their orbits.   

And that’s what astrology is: we’re using known positions of cosmic objects like hands on a clock, telling us when the energetics associated with that object reach Earth, and thus reach me and you.      

For the purposes of today’s discussion, as interesting as they are we’re going to bypass the palaver on inner “personal” planets Mercury, Mars, and Venus. Their retrogrades mark times of individual internal reflection when we plan and regroup and reconnoiter on a more or less "everyday" level.

We"re also going to bypass the other end of the scale—the transpersonal planets: Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. When they go retrograde, people and groups and societies find themselves responding to, growing into and coping with unavoidable matters—things which have been (or are being) thrust upon them by forces social or natural, without anyone consulting us personally. You know, transpersonal.  

We’re also going to leave aside matters of asteroids, TNOs, dwarf planets, centaurs and the rest of all that because we’re discussing only basic symbols. So between the personal and transpersonal, what remains? Answer: Jupiter and Saturn—the generational pair.

Together, this duo symbolizes and times the general growth patterns of generations. As the planets which are farthest fromEarth that are still visible with the naked eye, Jupiter and Saturn represent the extent of our reach. They signify elements of life through which we build our "outer" or worldly life and through which we affect our world. They describe all we do to learn about our world, build our place in the world and create structures which support our efforts and provide for us in our world.

Through the cycles of Jupiter and Saturn, we are able to clock out the fascinating and intricate timing of physical, intellectual, emotional and social maturation. How and where they sit in your natal chart gives us a picture of your challenges in these areas—things you will be given to grow through, unless you’re so darned lazy (or selfish) that you refuse to. But more important to the greater discussion, Saturn and Jupiter describe how we grow as part of a generation and (through inference from Pluto’s position along its orbit) why some generations "grow up fast" and some linger on clinging to what must seem (to parents and society) like eternal  immaturity.

Jupiter is the knowledge and drive which allows us to expand, while Saturn signifies all the tools which allow us to structure, realize and solidify gain. Poised between the transpersonal and strictly personal, this duo images the direction in which we aim our interactions with world society. (Knowledge + Tools = Ability).

Jupiter

The nature of and challenges to the process of interacting is "lunar nodal." Where the nodes are in any chart describes both the directives through which we succeed, and of efforts that ultimately prove unproductive. This big picture/small picture link between the Moon and Saturn is seen in their orbits: that of Saturn is 29.46 years in length and that of the Moon is 29.53 days in length (this being the lunar orbi,t not month, we’re referring to).

But where lunar nodes are about linking to and operating in the world, Jupiter and Saturn describe the knowledge and structures we seek to build, those we meet up with and the tools or knowledge  we need to acquire in order to cope with that world and get our structures up and running. And yes, they’re a real cosmic pair. Jupiter is "full steam ahead!" where Saturn is "let’s think a moment as not to waste time and effort here." Saturn is ethics, where Jupiter is morality—which makes Jupiter the law in theory and Saturn the hard realities which are governed (or not) by law, as well as efforts we have to make to be lawful/legal. Jupiter is in charge of punishments which come from breaking laws or losses which come from lack of protection under the law, or by those entrusted to enforce the law. Saturn is the structuring nature of intellect, where emotion-based motivation is Jupiter.

One spends (Jupiter), the other saves (Saturn), which when taken too far is splurging versus playing miser.  One shoots for the Moon and beyond (Jupiter) and one sees no reason to explore  when we have problems we have right here on Earth (Saturn). By itself, Jupiter can be way over-optimistic and Saturn can be deadly pessimistic. Yet we need Saturn—this is the symbol of recognition of flaws, along with the will to undertake the work required to repair, preserve, conserve and rebuild things. And we need Jupiter, lest we do nothing but save—hence the warning you can’t take it with you.  

Although people tend to loathe Saturn (with a most un-Saturnine passion), without Saturn, Jupiter would just be a happy time which wouldn’t last. Or a flash in the pan which wouldn’t go anywhere. Yet without Jupiterian energetics, life would be stultifying. One big yawn. It’d be more of "more of the same," and in time, diminish—because life requires growth. Without renewal and growth all we can do is spend what we have. And when that’s all gone we’re broke and broken, leading to a slow decline of life, vitality or usefulness.  

Saturn

Ever hear someone say "it’s outlived it’s time"? That’s saying there’s too much Saturn. But overwhelming consumption (or by extension, materialism)? That’s much too much Jupiter. In pop culture parlance, a fad is all Jupiter, no Saturn. Stodgy, old fashioned, out-of-touch or decrepit is all Saturn, no Jupiter. The eternal and the classic is the balance between them—the balance. And history (that of commerce, nations, beliefs and people) is all about the Saturn/Jupiter legacy.

In short, these are the hands on the cosmic clock ofhuman history. And because they’ve so "been around," Saturn and Jupiter have been much studied. And what’s been noted is that not merely are their transits to your personal chart important, but that their transiting relationship to one another—the synodic cycle—is predictable, and predictably important.

Any given pair of planets will eventually be in transiting conjunction. How often this happens is called the synodic cycle. With Saturn and Jupiter, the synodic cycle is 19.86 years long, and the last time they came into transiting conjunction was back in May of 2000. For you mental note-takers, yes, this means that the Saturn/Jupiter synodic cycle isn’t all that different from the 19-year Metonic cycle of eclipse fame (see previous article). Given this, we can deduce that the Saturn/Jupiter synodic cycle is a factor inmatters having to do with the eclipse cycle (and vice-versa). And since Solar Eclipses work to eliminate that which stops us from being truly genuine in the human sense, that makes the  Saturn/Jupiter cycle about building up and the Eclipse about pruning and further refining.

That means that whenever an eclipse smacks your chart with any degree of acuity, it’s actually part of your overall Saturn/Jupiter development. What the eclipse takes away is something you’ve gotten into relying on, but which is stopping you from being the "real you." Something has been marginalized. Or under-utilized. Or avoided. Or de-prioritized when it deserves to be center stage.

But! (You knew there had to be a "but" here, right?) Remembering that eclipses evolve over a three-year  period which reveals its true purpose at the end of the transit, it isn’t shocking that the Saturn/Jupiter synodic conjunction is a process as well. Those born with such a conjunction in their chart generally become highly driven individuals who tend to "come of age" promptly (around 20) and start grappling with the world. 

And nevermind custom and society here—this "age 20" thing is governed by brain development, which trumps all laws and customs. Though the human brain is thought to continue "rewiring" out of childhood to adulthood until about age 26-27 (thus meaning we "come of human age" just as we move into the Saturn return at twenty-nine), it’s about at age 20 that the frontal cortex which governs consequence (and therefore planning) really comes on line.

Which says a lot about teenagers, right? And why militaries around the world enlist youngsters before this age of consequence sets in? And why so many people who enter totally enveloping lines of work (medicine being one very good example) feel "molded" by what they do and thus more comfortable with people from their "world"? What we’re doing as the first synodic-metonic cycle ends apparently imprints our mentality very deeply. Not always successfully, or to our betterment, but deeply.

Those who allow themselves to balkanize or isolate by “what I know” or “what I feel comfortable with” (which is arguably very South Node, speaking of eclipses) limit their tools. The "hard stuff," (whether symbolized by Saturn, North Node—or Chiron, for that matter) is the road to eventual achievement, stability, integrity and (ultimately,) satisfaction. But many—admittedly—opt for the path of least resistance, marrying themselves to some career (or person) only to realize (as Saturn and Jupiter learning continues) that their choice was based on weak points they wanted to "protect" (or humor) rather than in support of their truest values, goals and integral sense of person-hood. And when that happens, the undoing of the error, or recognizing how it has compromised you, may feel like the undoing of your life. 

So with all this said and duly mused over, the Saturn/Jupiter cycle we’re in right now—that of May 2000—occurred at 22 Taurus, a degree all about the cause/effect of social appreciation for personal excellence, and how that both inspires and daunts our sense of self worth. Being a 3rd decan (degree 20-29) degree, we know all 22 Taurus concepts must be completed and put out there to operate. Through the feedback, we learn what we then must do. We learn more (Jupiter) and realize what we have yet to do (Saturn). But also where we hit the nail square on the head—which would work very well in the world of Saturn/Jupiter!

But to this cycle there was a poignant and potent modification in the form of Uranus. At the moment of the conjunction, Uranus stood in a near-exact square and just finishing a stationat 20 Aquarius, going retrograde.

In positive personal form Uranus equals change, innovation, acceptance (of self and others), productivity and freedom of the personality. In negative personal form Uranus equals elitism, anarchy, wishing (instead of doing), avoidance, escapism and the sort of arrogant entitlement (read: selfishness) which supports your whim and freedom without caring about who foots the bill or suffers for your pleasure. 

Being also in a 3rd decanate degree and moving into retrograde off its station, this Uranus would have been all about internal change—the "me, not them" thing. And this was a really big issue seeing that Uranus’ strength was Sun-spiked by the station and stronger yet because Uranus was in its own home sign (Aquarius). But! Because Saturn is the primary ruler of Aquarius (Uranus comes second) that means the whole of the cycle unfolding from that May 2000 would be about an innately Aquarian struggle of a most internal kind. The work has to come first in Aquarius, but here Uranus longs, urges, tempts and in many cases, rules the day—only to lead to terrible breakdowns in situations, relationships…and yes, social systems.

That says a lot about what’s gone down in the world of global finance. And about the terrible selfishness, greed and arrogant sense of righteousness we’ve all seen on the world (and personal) stage.

So why is this an all-fired big deal right now? Because this month we’re going to experience an interesting (and probably highly evocative, maybe even incendiary) piece of cosmic timekeeping as Jupiter in Aquarius inconjuncts Saturn in Virgo on August 19, with Saturn exactly conjunct TNO Logos (new information). Because of this, expect echoes of the original synodic conjunction  through new facts coming to light.

Want more clues? Well, there was a transiting sextile (growth through effort) which occurred on November 1, 2003 when Jupiter was in a somewhat weakened position in Virgo, with Saturn  retrograde in Cancer. This is a sign in which Saturn tends to manifest through uncomfortable confrontations and feelings of confinement. Decisions dating from this time either felt forced or fell short of expectations, with one side not holding up to the spirit of the deal.  

Things then got challenged when along came a transiting square on December 17, 2005. Here,  Jupiter was in Scorpio, and Saturn was (again retrograde) in Leo. The Saturn part of this would have manifested as challenges to one’s sense of risk, ego or pride, with the likely question being whether something was "worth it." The Jupiter side of this square asked if we were able to handle either emotional risks, or risks in areas which might affect us emotionally. Honesty, commitments and reputation, set against questions of deception or revelation shaped challenges: to the extent they were met with courage, advances have been made. To the extent they weren’t, now come the repercussions.    

Also: because this inconjunct occurs almost exactly as Saturn exits the shadow of the retrograde it went into last December 31, it resurrects all tensions of that time—which among other things was when war broke out in Gaza.

With Saturn now in Virgo but in direct motion, we can expect testing through external forces and through what we are willing to do—remembering that the December 2008 message carried with it the polarities of conflict versus creation. There is an element of "workability" here, and practicality counts, but the real necessity is about getting clear on what the long run of your life is really about. Willingness (to work, to admit mistakes, to take on challenges, to confront yourself or others) is imperative: we cannot cure or fix anything that we cannot admit to or diagnose as a problem. Being that Virgo is involved, there are many details involved, but to get lost in/obsess about them is truly merely avoiding the point of the issue. Excuses, finger-pointing and attacking weaknesses of others, however real in content, should not be used as a diversionary tactic since Saturn in Virgo is not about how we got here but what do we do FROM here. This sign/symbol requires difficult choices and what some call “tough love.” And that toughness may be something you need to get within yourself. To ignore real need is malfeasance. The easy way isn’t generally the right way with Saturn in Virgo. This passage is all about testing methods, goals and choices so that you sort necessity from want and through tolerance of discomfort make the course corrections essential to ultimately achieving your truest life goals.

Not those thrust upon you, but yours, which would be why societal forces (among other things) are forcing us to take a hard look at ourselves now. The whole concept of what’s okay/not okay here is about the human proclivity to abuse or honor trust—in self and others. With Saturn in Virgo, one cannot simply "trust" things will be all right—we have to make them right. Whether and where they don’t work for you or aren’t working for you, you have to deal with it.

With Jupiter in retrograde here, this is also about inner knowledge. What you know deep inside really counts. Jupiter is retrograde every year for about four months, and during its retrograde we ask what have I done? Or not done. What have I learned? What do I still need to learn—and how does that apply to what I need to do?

This being a year when Jupiter is in Aquarius, all the questions are framed in the Aquarian manner, meaning this is about functioning and functionality, freedom and entitlement, wishes versus actuality. Remember—Saturn is the primary ruler of Aquarius, so reality wins. Effort wins. Aquarian success only comes through realism and dedicated effort which understands how the world works and which is willing to contribute to the world in return for what one gets from the world. What we risk or win in matters Aquarian is feeling rewarded—emotionally, financially, intellectually and in terms of opportunity.

With Jupiter in Aquarius, there’s no sitting on the sidelines. With Jupiter retrograde, the issue is not what you’re being given, its what you’re giving out which is being responded to well—or not so well! Saturn in Virgo here adds the question of responsible effort, giving the whole of the moment a flavor of investment versus consolidation versus elimination. Saturn bringsto the table the need to "get right" about where you’re going.  Jupiter says you know deep inside needs doing. Yes, a risk is required—breaking out now may "look" or "feel" messy. But when considering the lines you’re scared to step outside of—ask if they’re your lines or the world’s lines? Do others really care all that much? Are you trying to avoid being a whole and mature  individual?

Once Jupiter goes direct come October, attitudes will shift and become more open. Maybe receptive or lenient. But don’t bet on anything going in your favor if you don’t make the changes you know in your heart need changing. 

Another point to be aware of: as this synodic inconjunct occurs, not only is Jupiter going to inconjunct Saturn, but Jupiter will also be one degree off the position Uranus was in when this synodic cycle began. The degree Uranus was positioned in then (20 Aquarius) is about facing and overcoming emotionally difficult situations with resolve, courage and determination (in other words, you don’t have to like it, you just have to deal with it). Here it is activated by Jupiter (the knowing and growing through). Jupiter being at 21 Aquarius adds a whole quality of seeing things which are yet possible—that old glass half full, not half empty thing. At the moment, evidently there are several choices here: you can be changed by circumstances, you can make a change or you can innovate, modernize and totally reinvent life—the radical, but possible option.

Being that this whole 20-year cycle is founded in Taurus tells us that dynamics throughout this time are about the values which through their utilization, create security. That’s why Taurus is so often thought of as "my money" and luxury goods and yummy food: people associate these with personal security. But the truth is that these are just symptoms—real security is about the state of your vales, otherwise known as self worth. If your self worth is in truly good shape, money is useful, but not a point of pride. Or reason to strive. Money, as Donald Trump put it so excellently, is a scorecard. When you know who you are and are okay with who you are, what you do produces a return—which in a worldly sense is money.

Self worth and appreciation of who you are (Taurus) is tested through your ability to apply your talents (Leo) which you then test (risk) in an interactive setting (Scorpio), earning appreciation, acceptance and rewards therefrom (Aquarius) which support your sense of (Taurus) satisfaction.

This is the fixed sign rondo, every step of which requires risk, with the most "scary" risks being those encountered through the two fixed signs positioned in the upper/public half of the zodiac wheel: Scorpio and Aquarius. Fixed sign planets/houses always require risk. Where we refuse risk, we manifest all of the sign, house’s and symbol’s negatives…which is why generations (and the challenges faced by each generation) are ultimately described by Pluto, secondary ruler of Scorpio. Through the Pluto/Scorpio thing and our Saturn/Uranus (Aquarian) ability to risk and be  innovated by, renovate through, and have our contributions tested, we achieve success, satisfaction, appreciation, income and ultimately, security. Or not.   

So to have this synodic cycle based in fixed sign Taurus with the square from Uranus in fixed sign Aquarius presented us with quintessential questions about how we view security. Strict astrological rules about speeds of transiting planets aside, this invited us to see the problem anew through interacting with (y)our world, be it defined by your social circle, local PTA, the  economy, your company, nation, a marketplace or some other way. 

That here Jupiter creates this inconjunct with Saturn from Aquarius adds a message about appreciation of the basics. Or a realization that we haven’t appreciated something basic that we now have to deal with. Inconjuncts are always about adjustments and with this one in  departing/6th house form, there’s a bit of discomfiture in the air. So try to remember the "glass half full" thing without going all Jupiter-overload in the optimism department.

Also: be careful about too much rah-rah cheer-leader stuff. At the moment that’s likely to just sound really dismissive, arrogant, out-of-touch or insensitive. Far better that you should share your understanding that times are testing us all and share your discomfiture as well as what you’ve learned. Being human allows others to be human, allowing us all to be inspired by each other’s efforts. That an ultimate challenge poised by the whole of this synodic cycle is that things will not remain as they have been applies across all societal strata, all scientific disciplines and across all world systems. And none of us are immune to it. Far from it—we’re part of it.

And what we do—or don’t do—will ultimately govern how life treats us in kind. There is no retreating from this; it’s as prevalent within your family as within world society. Thus to the extent that as individuals our precepts are based on malformed, undeveloped or simply outmoded ideas, this cycle is all about moving us into a new paradigm. So think big. This isn’t just about social or societal conditions except as symptoms of a far greater cycle—that of time and growth…in other words, existence. Our world is provided to us as part of a contiguous fabric of existence, through which we experience and fulfill our essential being.

Everything happens for a reason. Unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should.

With all this in mind, let’s look more in an everyday/personal direction, where it’s useful to consider a couple of parameters. First is that the synodic cycle is not only worldly but also personal, and that it does relate to the Metonic/eclipse cycle. So every 19 (to 20) years or so, we should reconsider what we’re doing and modernize. Upgrade. Or maybe just change our aim or focus.

Every year brings eclipses. Those which end up being associated with Jupiter-Saturn synodic foundations mark the beginning of a new phase of life—no matter our age. This is why we think of twenty, forty, sixty and eighty as "passages" in human life. Yet being that only some of us are born with Jupiter conjunct Saturn in our natal chart, the worldly (aka "mundane," in astrological terms) event may be far different than the Jupiter/Saturn relationship in our personal natal chart.

Bottom line, both are worth keeping track of. How your Jupiter and Saturn are laid out in your chart tells you the overall nature or shape challenges will take. And when transiting Jupiter meets up with Saturn, those challenges take on a new "flavor" as imaged by the synodic conjunction, replete with modifying factors like the Uranus we’ve discussed. So though you will hit all those traditional passages, your personal transitions from one stage to the next may be timed out a bit differently—and represent different things. Whatever your natal chart says about Saturn and Jupiter, once May 2000 rolled around, wherever 22 Taurus and 20 Aquarius fall in your in your chart (or that of any entity, product, pet, nation, etc.) became important.

Which brings us back to that relativity thing. There are few objects in our solar system which come close to the Sun’s mass except when you add Saturn to Jupiter, which is applicable as these planets hit conjunction. This is because except for a tiny percent of astrology which pretends that we’re standing on the Sun (ouch!) or Pluto (brrr!) all astrology is geocentric: Earth-centered. So it’s how things look from earth which count—as in the original experiment where the scientist bounced the signal off Mercury. 

Granted, Saturn and Jupiter are not one object. Nor are either of them stars. So they don’t create the same kind of energy "spike" which the Sun infuses passing wave transmissions with. Which is  fine—from Saturn and Jupiter we get the two part message that it’s not only the growing but the structuring which counts. Knowledge and boundaries, ethics and morals, intellect and emotion are both valuable. 

But valuable to what? If we remember the original setup where the planet moves behind the Sun, the implication is that the body which "affects" the energy by relativity is in the middle, meaning that those precepts most affected in our lives through the Saturn/Jupiter synodic cycle are symbolized by cosmic objects which lie beyond them.

Which would be…what? Uranus, Neptune and Pluto would top this list, which would also include KBO’s (Kuiper Belt Objects) TNO’s (Trans Neptunian Objects), dwarf planets, SDO’s (Scattered Disc Objects), Plutinos, Cubewanos, Trojans, Centaurs and Damocloid objects. The last two groups here (which include Chiron) are not a 100% deal since a smattering of their orbits—including that of Chiron—periodically come inside that of Saturn.

Would that say something spectacularly special if it were to happen at the moment of a synodic Saturn/Jupiter confluence? Yes. But that isn’t/wasn’t the case here.

Bottom line, the important concept to recognize is that Saturn-Jupiter growth, synodic and probably personal are all about the "big picture"—the reaching out. The building of our life in the world. They speak to how we tackle life, how we deal with opportunities and if we are willing to work to achieve goals. What motivates us—and why. What discourages us in such testy, touchy, testing ways. And why.

Beyond that, in the Saturn and Jupiter symbolism of our chartslie significant clues as to what "the passage of time" means to us—personally. Call this "Personal Relativity." Through synodic cycle experiences—maturation—our psyches and attitudes get grown, tested and honed. Within this are the seeds of our personal relativity, the shaping of our individual perception of time. And time’s passage and time’s passing. So though the clock may tick-tock, we may well each experience thatdifferently, reflecting our internal wiring (our internal Saturn/Jupiter alignments) and the growth or limitation (the Jupiter or Saturn) of our attitudes and our ability to experienceage and aging, physically and psychologically.

Children think each day is forever, and that next week will never come. They treasure every gain: I’m not five, I’m five and a HALF! Then we reach the end of our first Jupiter cycle (at 11.86 years) and Saturn hits its opposition (at about 14) and we turn into malcontent, restless teens who want more. The childhood "today is forever" thing vanishes as our bodies morph into adulthood and we experience emotion-driven desires to do more; the urgency necessity and sense of entitlement to own our own life. We’ve individuated.

By the end of our first Saturn cycle (at 29.46 years), we realize we’re not going to live forever. And by the time we reach our forties, people are saying "where does time go?" Time itself hasn’t changed, but our perception of it has. We’re in a rush. There’s too much to do. There’s never  enough time. As our bodies and psyches have matured into adulthood, our sense of life has accelerated.

Where did that childhood perception of "today is forever" go? And how is that linked to the maturation of our bodies, minds and drives? Is it purely biological—an expression of time’s body  clock? Or is part of it emotional? That medical, religious, psychological and esoteric teachings all  suggest that meditation, yoga or hobbies—things which relax us through reconnecting us with the vastness of nature and unknowable limits of the unknown…that these seem to improve our life physically and psychologically says much.

All such things relate to our perception of time and ability to accept life as it is, not needing to outrun time like a bunch of scurrying White Rabbits muttering I’m late! I’m late! I’m late! or control what goes on at every step. Both are sure Saturn/Jupiter problems related to the essential cause…effect. What we do creates what we receive, have, or achieve. Others (or situations) don’t stress us—we get stressed when life doesn’t follow our plan, foiling our attempts at control.

In essence, the quintessential Saturn/Jupiter question is whether we will try and own cause and effect or through putting our best in the cause, earn the desired effect. Thus all the variations on this theme would seem to be about getting perspective on perception.

In other words, at some very real level, our relationship totimeactually ages us. Or doesn’t. This suggests it’s thus not our chronological age which ages us, but how our experience and perception of same. How we perceive and utilize time, how we perceive and utilize our humanity, how willing we are to accept that its our internal securitywhich governs our ability to learn and ultimately to be accepted and in releasing our fears, achieve security…

…is this the way to recapture some of that childhood innocence? And what happens when people don’t emotionally or intellectually mature? What does severe deprivation—particularly in the early years—really do to a person?

To recognize that we exist and that we’re manifesting in every moment is critical, for in that recognition lies our ability to grasp and utilize choice. That our existing continues is all about our continuing to grow.

We exist in time. But do we exist for all time? And are we children, childlike or childish? In this—as in other such Saturn/Jupiter questions lie keys to understanding whether time ages us—or whether we age ourselves.

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