It’s impossible to sum up an entire year of astrological energies in a few pages, so in this edition of AstroUpdate I’m going to focus on three of the most important astrological events of 2015.
1) Saturn’s shift from Scorpio to Sagittarius
2) Jupiter’s transit of Leo and Virgo
3) The final Pluto - Uranus square
Saturn in Sagittarius – Walking Your Talk
Saturn the great karmic teacher spends approximately two and half years in each zodiac sign highlighting the benefits and flaws of that sign and teaching us how to better integrate this energy into our lives. When Saturn entered Scorpio in late 2012, Australia reeled from the shock of Jill Meagher’s murder. As Saturn transited the final degrees of Scorpio in December, Australians mourned the victims of the Sydney café siege and Pakistanis mourned the victims of the Peshawar army school shooting orchestrated by the Taliban. The theme for Saturn in Scorpio was loss of innocence.A beautiful young woman assaulted and murdered on her way home from a night out by a total stranger.
A professional woman and mother of three gunned down while drinking her morning coffee. A successful café owner held siege and killed in his own premises on a Monday morning. 148 children and teachers brutally murdered in their classrooms. Saturn in Scorpio has also laid bare the sexual antics of popular and trusted entertainers such as Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris and Bill Cosby.But the gift of Saturn in Scorpio has been the opportunity to look deep within and to face and accept our shadow selves.The joy of being real and experiencing a whole new way of relating to ourselves and to others.A richer, deeper and more authentic way of being not based on external validation. On Christmas Eve 2014, Saturn left Scorpio and glided into fire sign Sagittarius.
Whatever we have learned or discovered with Saturn in Scorpio, whatever we now know about ourselves, about others, about how life really works (rather than how we think it should), our challenge with Saturn in Sagittarius is to live and breathe that truth on a daily basis. To walk our talk. To put our hearts and souls on the line and to become even more authentic. Saturn is all about boundaries and restrictions, rules and regulations. Sagittarius is all about travel, freedom, nature, adventure, study, breaking new ground and bursting through boundaries. So what can we expect over the next 2-3 years?
Relationships
A love of commitment and a more realistic approach to matters of the heart.More marriages and promises of exclusivity and fidelity.
Religion
Fundamentalist religious beliefs and religious fanaticism tend to rear their head with Saturn in Sagittarius. People are prepared to die for a cause noble or otherwise - both Che Guevara and Gandhi were born with Saturn in Sagittarius. The Salem witch trials of 1692-93 and the dismantling of the Knights Templar order 1309-11 also occurred when Saturn was in Sagittarius. The fight against Muslim extremists is bound to escalate in the aftermath of the recent Sydney siege and Pakistan massacre with the Pakistani and Australian governments taking a new hard stand to protect their citizens.On the positive side, Saturn in Sagittarius will make people examine their core beliefs paving the way for positive change and acceptance of difference. The Church of England has just elected its first ever female bishop and one of the fallouts from the Sydney siege has been the hashtag #illridewithyou with commuters volunteering to travel on buses and trains with Muslims worried they will be targets of racism.
Politics
I believe we will see significant shifts in attitudes to gay relationships. Scotland has just legalised gay marriage and I don’t think Australia is far behind, especially since we now have our first openly gay head of Government in Andrew Barr.Sagittarius is all about equality, so any unfair legislation will be challenged. Tony Abbott is a Scorpio and I believe it unlikely that he will be reelected with Saturn in Sagittarius.
His unsellable budget, intransigence on global warming and s tring of broken promises are all anathema to Sagittarian energy which champions truth, equality, freedom and an international approach.President Obama has vowed to lift economic sanctions on Cuba after 53 years, but it will be interesting to see how events unfold in Russia with the crash of the rouble as a result of US economic sanctions in the aftermath of the MH17 bombing.Current news reports allege that the Ukrainian government (rather than Ukrainian rebels) fired the fatal missile.Undoubtedly the truth will come out with Saturn in Sagittarius.
Stock Market & Investment
Sagittarius rules gambling and excess and Saturn rules reality.It is interesting that the Wall Street crash of October 1929 and the more recent stock market crash of October 1987 both occurred under Saturn in Sagittarius.The advice is to pay down debt, don’t overextend yourself and keep a close eye on your investments and superannuation. There could be a tightening of laws on gambling and speculation.
Education & Freedom of Speech
On the positive side there will be new ways of spreading information, bypassing the traditional media outlets but we can also expect crackdowns on freedom of speech and use of the internet. Sagittarius loves to spread information and Saturn likes to set boundaries – it’s easy to join the dots!The same applies to media ownership – don’t believe everything you read. As education becomes more expensive, less people will opt to do undergraduate degrees, Masters and PhDs. We are likely to see more cuts to student grants and university and school funding.More people will choose to learn on line or on the job. More value will be placed on wisdom, age and experience rather than paper qualifications.
Travel
More and more people will make their own travel arrangements using services like airbnb and house swapping putting pressure on hotels and travel agents.More people will stay closer to home and enjoy outdoor and adventure holidays. Working holidays will increase in popularity as will the desire to learn foreign languages.The week that Saturn (restriction) entered Sagittarius (travel/overseas issues)(24th December - 31st December) has seen an AirAsia plane crash with all passengers lost due to bad weather; a fire on an overcrowded Greek ferry that left h undreds stranded and many dead; the first case of Ebola in the UK contracted by a nurse returning from Sierra Leone and an emergency landing of a passenger jet with faulty landing gear travelling from London to Las Vegas. The responses to these Saturn in Sagittarius crises have been calls for greater security and screening, better training and stricter regulations and accountability. Hello Saturn!
Animal Rights
Sagittarius is a sign of the outdoors and animals.Expect better legislation to protect animals, both domestic and livestock. This could also apply to the racing industry with more care taken of the wellbeing of horses.
Jupiter in Leo and Virgo – Making the Vision a Reality
Giant Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius and the largest planet in our solar system has been in fire sign Leo since July last year. Leo in art and mythology is a symbol of strength, supremacy, glory and brilliance. Jupiter will remain in Leo until August 2015 offering those with planets in the fire signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius special opportunities to achieve their potential. Jupiter represents our yearning for meaning in life and our desire for expansion and growth.
This larger - than -life planet is very much at home in ebullient Leo and will encourage growth through fun, self - expression, travel, creativity and the performing arts. Jupiter represents success but also excess - the phrase 'over the top', readily springs to mind. But Jupiter’s true purpose is to inspire us to embrace a belief system that gives meaning to life. Jupiter turned retrograde in early December and began a four month backward journey which together with Saturn’s entry into Sagittarius (the sign ruled by Jupiter) marks the beginning of a formative period, especially for Sagittarians. Jupiter retrograde in Leo brings us face to face with our ego and forces us to examine how we treat others, our motives and behaviour and whether we use our charm and charisma to forward our own interests or to lift and encourage others. Ideally we do both. Jupiter is the sign of royalty and the true king or queen knows their job is to serve. This retrograde period of Jupiter will allow us to deal with the consequences of any excessive or careless behaviour in recent months – e.g. over - confidence, overspending, taking too many risks or taking others for granted. Seeds planted in the latter half of 2014 will begin to germinate and projects can be revised and perfected. The energy of Jupiter revs up again in early April, so proper planning and preparation in the early months of 2015 should produce a healthy and abundant harvest. In August 2015, Jupiter shifts into humble earth sign Virgo, a dramatically different energy from the creative ebullience of Leo. After twelve months of glitz, glamour and exciting possibilities, it’s time to come back to earth, take a reality check and work on making at least some of your dreams come true.The second half of 2015 will be marked by budgeting, planning, organising and attending to the finer details, rather than the big picture. Think of Leo and Virgo as a dynamic and creative team.
Leo comes up with the ideas and Virgo helps manifest them in concrete form. Build your castles in the air and then put foundations under them!
Uranus - Pluto Square – Out with the Old, In with the New
Saturn’s transit of Scorpio has run parallel to the long running Uranus - Pluto square. We have discussed this planetary alignment several times in previous columns – Pluto the planet of death and rebirth clashes with Uranus the planet of rebellion and revolution a full seven times between mid-2012 and mid-2015. The final Uranus-Pluto square occurs in March 2015 providing some relief from the upheaval of the past 2-3 years. Over this period we have seen a lot of shifting and changing in our world both on a personal and a collective level. Many peoples’ lives have changed beyond recognition. In the first half of 2015, the Uranus-Pluto square will continue to push us to break down the old and make room for the new. Those who have the courage to let go and trust, to embrace the changes and face their inner demons and shadow self will receive the gifts of wisdom, truth and authenticity as Saturn enters Sagittarius.
New doors will open as old ones close.
Finally, I hope your year is full of authenticity and healing and as always, remember that it is your attitude to life that really makes a difference!