Today: the meeting point
Where the end
Kisses the beginning.

Waving farewell to the Virgin,
Saturn opens the door
To the Scales.

Shifts yield opportunities
To intention
Desired restructuring.

On agenda:
The way we partner,
Create order, refine grace.

For topics under microscope
Weak links found,
Integrity solutions revealed.

The secret formula:
Honoring Saturn, father time,
Doing the work.

Walking path diligently
Eyes open
To see jewels of achievement.

Note: For more on Saturn in Libra, including potential health trends that may be ushered in as well as related wellness suggestions, see this article.

Saturn is the making-it-real planet, as well as the one that reflects the establishment of systems within culture. Therefore, in addition to how it may impact us personally depending upon our natal chart, Saturn transiting into and through a new sign—something it does about every two and one-half years—can have very clear effects upon collective trends and social consciousness.

Saturn is a taskmaster whose aim is to help us create structures of lasting value, those that are reality-based and purposeful. As such, Saturn tests limits, finds the weakest link, and applies pressure—all for the sake of showing us how to forge a creation that has integrity and meaning. Given that Saturn is about doing the work, and not about the quick-and-easy, many people struggle with the energies of this planet. Yet, if we listen as Saturn provides us with guidance, following its one-foot-in-front-of-the-other reality-based tactics, we will be rewarded tangibly since Saturn represents the material and the mundane.

When Saturn transits through a sign, those areas of life ruled by that sign are what the planet of structure focuses its attention upon. What does and doesn’t work is brought to light in a way that we often become very aware of; you can see a lot of it if you focus on themes in the “news.” Hopefully, once faced with knowledge of what doesn’t work, we—both individually and collectively—take this awareness and responsibly work to refine and recreate the broken pieces so that the whole better serves our needs.

Saturn took a break from its recent residence in Virgo (where it had been since September 2007) to do a several month stint in Libra (October 29, 2009 through April 7, 2010). Now, on July 21, it returns to the fairness- and beauty-oriented sign for an extended tenancy, ushering in a new mini-era of collective zeitgeist and cultural trends.  Saturn will remain in Libra through October 5, 2012.

Looking Back to Look Forward

Looking back to the past two-plus years that Saturn has been in Virgo can serve as a great way to see how this planet works when it transits through a sign, giving us a foreshadow of what Saturn in Libra may offer. Read More…

The structure maker
Bids farewell
To the farm.
A place of revisit
In a Saturn’s return.

The time keeper’s
Finishing its cleaning house stay
In the sign of food systems,
Purity and craft.

Local, organic, sustainable.
Victory gardens, canning, sharing.
Regulations to avoid contamination.
Evidenced, harvested.

As the shift occurs
We analyze analysis
Critique mode of criticism.
Reflect on approach to refining
Workings of
Self interconnectedness.

Note: In September 2007, Saturn entered Virgo. Today is its last full day in the sign of the harvest until 2037. On July 22, it enters the sign of Libra

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

January 14, 2010: Capricorn New Moon Solar Eclipse (exact at 11:11 pm PST)

New Moons are auspicious monthly celestial events that usher in fresh cycles of creation and becoming. When they are also a Solar Eclipse–as today’s is–they hold additional power for manifestation.

This Capricorn New Moon Solar Eclipse provides a great opportunity to inventory how we spend our resources. It’s a great time to balance a checkbook, survey investments, or consider an aspect of financial planning we’ve yet to fully explore. Remember, though, our personal economy of resources is not just limited to our money but also includes our time, energy, and skills/talents, all of which comprise the capital that we can use to create a richer life. Whether we are allocating these efficiently–and whether they are generating additional assets or incurring liabilities for us–can be very prudent topics to survey during this eclipse. The answers can help us to create a stronger foundation upon which we can build our future.

Loyalty and commitment may also be important themes during this eclipse. What we may find ourselves looking at isn’t so much the concept of being dutiful but rather whether the people and institutions to which we have granted our allegiance are those that are worthy of it. Readjustments in relationships—involving how much we give and how much we allow ourselves to expect in return—may occur. This is especially emphasized today given that Capricorn’s planetary ruler, Saturn, just went retrograde yesterday in the striving-for-fair-and-balanced sign of Libra.

When there is heightened Capricorn energy circulating—as there is these days—it’s important to watch the tendency to become too rigid in our thinking or expectations. Maintaining a sense of flexibility while focusing on achieving practical outcomes can be a great path to follow during this time.

A New Moon Solar Eclipse signifies a time for beginnings. While something may inherently be coming to a close, there is great focus on the initiation of the new that it brings. Given that Capricorn is connected to the creation of structures of lasting value, we can use this auspicious time to consider what it is that we may want to build or accomplish in the coming year.

Eclipses are often accompanied by identifiable life-changing events that manifest around the time of these celestial happenings. Even if we can’t see an eclipse in the sky where we live, these events are renowned for being very powerful in the way in which they can impact our lives.

This month’s New Moon falls at 25 degrees of Capricorn (Sun and Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of a New Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Capricorn or the other cardinal signs—Aries, Cancer, Libra—it may impact you more intensely.

New Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Capricorn is associated with the skeletal system, joints, and skin. Pay attention to these parts of the body and areas of health around the time of this New Moon.

Moisturize: This Capricorn New Moon provides a great opportunity to pay special attention to the skin. As this sign carries a relatively drying energetic, taking the time to do a moisturizing treatment is a worthwile wellness activity. If you rarely moisturize your skin, consider even just making an intention to apply body lotion or oil two times today (given that it’s a New Moon, doing so may help to plant the seeds for incorporating body moisturizing as a daily routine). If you already have a good moisturizing ritual, consider applying a moisturizing mask; you can either find them in apothecaries or beauty stores or consider making your own from nourishing ingredients such as avocados, honey, aloe vera, yogurt, and other nurturing food-based ingredients.

Turmeric: Capricorn is associated with the joints, body parts that often express inflammation, which can lead to pain and reduced mobility. One of the best anti-inflammatory compounds, and therefore a great item to promote rheumatic health, is the spice turmeric. While turmeric supplements are available, you can readily include this healing spice into your lifestyle by adding it to your recipes. Traditionally used as a foundation ingredient in curries and other Indian dishes, its earthy flavor can complement many dishes. You can purchase powdered turmeric in the spice section of the grocery store; fresh turmeric rhizome is available in Asian food markets.

January 15, 2010: Mercury Goes Direct

Mercury ends its current retrograde period today, January 15, at 8:52 am PST. The retrograde period was a great time for harnessing insights gained from inner reflection rather than external focus. Did new ideas spring forth from inward contemplation? Did you discover novel ways to communicate ideas? Did you realize better ways to utilize technological equipment/systems to transfer information to others? (Provided, of course, that they didn’t completely break down during this time, which in this case means you’re still likely to have gleaned the characteristics of those that may better suit your needs.) If you want a refresher on what Mercury retrograde is about, click here.

Now that Mercury is direct, you can transform your insights into actions. Please remember, though, that we are still under the transit’s “shadow period”—which lasts until February 4—where the energy of the retrograde still exists, although in a much more diluted and subtle fashion.

January 29, 2010: Aquarius/Leo Full Moon (exact at 10:18 pm)

During an Aquarius/Leo Full Moon, issues involving individuals and their relationship to the collective assume center stage. If you are involved in any groups or associations, you may perceive a heightened sense of tension as the organization strives to accommodate the needs of its members along with its own overarching identity and goals. Yet, if outstanding issues are worked upon, there can be great breakthroughs in group dynamics and team building.

An important strategy for attaining and maintaining group alignment today can be to infuse activities with a sense of playfulness and fun. Levity can help to release rigidity and enhance a sense of coalescence. It can also catalyze a creative process of thinking that can inventively spark the clarity needed to identify the group’s shared vision and the path that can be forged to bring it into manifestation.

There’s a complementary yin/yang energy polarity expressed in this Full Moon. That’s because the Moon, a planet of feminine energy, is connected to masculine Mars (in Leo) while the Sun, a planet of masculine energy is connected feminine Venus (in Aquarius). This alignment emphasizes the need to integrate both the active and passive—and the giving and receiving—parts of ourselves. Additionally, it may bring to the forefront the need to make accommodations in our personal relationships.

Given the involvement of Mars in this Full Moon alignment, it is also especially important to express any desires that may be burning within. Even if you can’t act upon them, articulate them using words, movements, colors, or sounds (either just to yourself or also to others). That’s because if we let the flames of fervor lie dormant within and crystallize, we may get swept up in their fire and either emotionally or physically burn out. Creatively channeling the energy of that which may swirl within can be a heart-healing cathartic exercise.

This month’s Full Moon falls at 11 degrees of Aquarius (Sun) and Leo (Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of a Full Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Aquarius, Leo, or the other fixed signs—Taurus and Scorpio—it may impact you more intensely.

Full Moon Apothecary Suggestions

Aquarius is associated with the calves, ankles, peripheral circulatory system, and the body’s bionergetics while Leo is associated with the heart, spine, and hair. Pay extra attention to these areas of the body around the time of this Full Moon.

Mineral bath: While not a water sign per se, Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, a figure that delivers the offering of this aquatic elixir in service of humanity. During this Full Moon, why not offer yourself a healing service by taking a relaxing bath. Adding mineral salts—such as Epsom Salts—to the water can enhance your body’s bioenergetic field while including essential oils into your bathing ritual can add a fragrant therapeutic to this nurturing experience. Use your favorite scent or consider ones such as neroli, lemon, and cypress that are especially good for circulation, a wellness focus of this Full Moon. (Rather than putting a few drops of oil directly into the bath, mix it first with some of the mineral salts as this helps enhance the oil’s dispersion in the bath water.)

Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani): This gentle, restorative pose inspires calm and relaxation. It can provide benefit for the Aquarius-ruled calves and peripheral circulatory system as it helps to bring the blood flow from the lower legs back to the torso. To practice, sit on the floor with the right side of your body next to a wall and your legs bent and feet on the floor. Lie on your left side (perpendicular to the wall) and roll onto your back, bringing your legs straight up to rest against the wall. Scoot your buttocks forward so that they are as close to the wall as possible. Close your eyes and relax for at least five minutes.

January 31, 2010: Saturn Square Pluto

Today is the second of the three Saturn/Pluto squares that are coloring these times. (The first took place on November 13, 2009 while the third will occur on August 21, 2010.) While these dates signal the exact 90-degree relationship between these planets, the energetic pattern that this alignment reflects extends from the autumn of 2009 through mid-year 2011.

Saturn is the creator of structure. It instills a honoring of the natural laws necessary for crystallizing form to make things “come to life.” Its focus, on some level, is continuity.

Pluto is the master of transformation. It requires us to let go in order that we may uncover the depths and powerful resourcefulness of who we are.

These two planets seem, on the surface, to be at odds. After all, Saturn likes the as-is while Pluto cherishes the that-which-will-become. Saturn is known for holding on and appreciating a sense of certainty. Pluto, on the other hand, inspires us to give in and release control, having faith that the Phoenix will rise from the ashes.

This alignment can evoke tension. Saturn may exert its rigidity and hold back Pluto’s natural process while Pluto may cause a breakdown in the structure that Saturn worked so hard to create.

Yet, Saturn and Pluto can work gracefully as well. Saturn can provide a container that can help to give true form to Plutonian transformation. Pluto can breakdown some of the Saturnian rigidity that may have restrained the expression of joy and individual authenticity.

During this Saturn/Pluto alignment, consider, for example, whether there are any aspects of your life—situations, relationships, attitudes, habits, et al.—that you are tightly holding on to but which you know, in your heart of hearts, don’t really serve you. You may be holding on to them because of comfort, because of fear, and/or because you identify yourself with them. Whatever the reason, assess whether they truly align with your inner joy and sense of being. If they don’t, see how you may release them so that you can make space in your life for things that better match your authentic self. This Plutonian change need not be quick nor rash. In fact, it’s important to honor Saturn here and be thoughtful and diligent in your approach. This will help assure that the changes you make are lasting ones that help to inspire your sense of personal empowerment.

During today’s planetary alignment, Saturn is at 4 degrees Libra while Pluto is at 4 degrees Capricorn. While the energies of this celestial event can be felt collectively, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around these degrees of Libra or Capricorn or the other cardinal signs—Aries and Cancer—it may impact you more intensely.

Saturn Square Pluto Apothecary Suggestions

While these suggestions may be especially beneficial around the time of the exact squares—such as today—they may also prove helpful throughout the whole time that we are exposed to this planetary pattern.

Jatamansi essential oil: A relative of valerian, jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) is also known as Himalayan spikenard. It is an amazing essential oil for instilling calm, reducing anxiety, and promoting sleep. Jatamansi is also prized for its use in alleviating the grief associated with loss as well as releasing subconscious trauma. To use, place a few drops on your palms, rub them together, and then inhale the fragrance. Massaging jatamansi mixed with plain massage oil into the soles of the feet promotes nighttime relaxation and is said to quell insomnia.

Deep tissue massage: This type of bodywork focuses on the unwinding of the fascia connective tissue as well as the release of deep muscles. It allows for the break up (Pluto) of crystallized tension (Saturn) and lactic acid reservoirs that may be caused by stress and/or physiological patterns of misalignment. Deep tissue work can reduce chronic pain and lead to freer motion and greater structural integration. If this type of bodywork isn’t available or of interest, even getting a traditional Swedish massage can be of great healing benefit.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

The TV show Mad Men reflects so many elements of beauty-admiring Libra: the stylish fashions, artful mid-century modern furnishings, and handsome hair styles (including the half-moon beehive Betty sported in Rome).

Yet, it also provides us with insights into relationships, another Libran arena. In addition to giving us a lens into the partnership culture and role that women played in the early 60s, there are oftentimes great kernels of wisdom included.

“You’re not good at relationships because you don’t value them,” Roger Sterling says to Don Draper in the Season 3 finale.

In this simple statement, Sterling captures an important essence of the lessons that we can collectively learn in the next three years as Saturn transits through Libra. After all, Libra upholds the importance of the partnership, and Saturn helps us to do things right, to do the work that helps us make the lemonade from the lemons. What’s inherently important to being skillful at something, as Sterling points out, is to hold it with value, a stance for which both Libra and Saturn have high regard. If we are looking to be better at something in our lives—for example, our relationships—than cherishing and honoring them is the route that Sterling–and Saturn in Libra–would encourage.

Why is this relevant for today? Early in the day the Moon moves into Libra, the first time it has resided in the sign of the Scales since Saturn moved into Libra two weeks ago. The Libra Moon will be conjunct Saturn (as well as square Pluto), bringing our relationships to the forefront. Therefore, it seems that Sterling’s pithy statement may serve as relevant encouragement and insight for the day.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Have you seen the movie Valentino: The Last Emperor, the documentary about Valentino Garavani, the legendary haute couture designer famous for dressing Jackie O, elevating the color red to iconic, and having six M-named pug dogs? There’s an essence captured in that movie that reflects the astrological energy of today, as we stand at a Saturnian crossroads.

Beginning today, for the next ten months, Saturn–the planet of structure, of testing limits to ensure integrity–will journey between Virgo and Libra. It moves into Libra today, dips back to Virgo on April 7 and then re-enters Libra on July 21, remaining there until October 5, 2012.

Usually, subsequent signs are thought to not be synergistic. Yet, given that Saturn will be transitioning between these two signs for the next ten months, I have been thinking a lot about the ways that Virgoan and Libran energies can co-exist and even be constructive partners.

Which is where Valentino comes in.

The movie shows an exaltation of Virgoan craftsmanship (and craftswomanship): the nips, the tucks, the thousands of sequins, the fact that every dress is constructed by hand.  Valentino–as well as his head seamstress, Antonietta de Angelis–are models of dedicated perfectionism, which inherently supports his persistent commitment to creating beauty and elevating fashion into art. When asked “What do women want?” Valentino’s reply echoes the archetype of Libra’s planetary ruler, Venus: “They want to be beautiful.” Surveying how the eminence of beauty rests upon painstaking dedication to the details and how art is a reflection of craft, Valentino reflects one example of how Virgo and Libra can work together gracefully. This is, of course, just one manner in which these two signs can sync and benefit one another, and, in turn, us.

Today, as we stand in a microcosm of the next nine months–as Saturn is in Virgo until 10:09 am PDT, at which time it progresses into Libra—consider where, in your life, you can apply the complementary teachings of these two signs. For example, how can you be both methodical (Virgo) and diplomatic (Libra)? What social activities (Libra) can you participate in that will be of benefit to your health (Virgo)? Are there ways in which you can be of greater service (Virgo) to your partner and/or friends (Libra)? Or, like Valentino, how can you use your critical eye (Virgo) to create more beauty (Libra) in your life?

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Each day of the week is classically linked to gods/goddesses and the planets named after them.

Wednesday is Mercury’s day.  Although this connection is not apparent in the English word we use for the third day of the week (which does, though, reflects the day’s connection to the Anglo-Saxon deity Woden), in other languages we can readily see the link. For example, the word for Wednesday in French is mercredi, in Italian it’s mercoledi, and in Spanish it’s miércoles.

And today, this Wednesday, the planetary energies of the day’s namesake are definitely in focus as early in the morning Mercury delves into Scorpio where it will remain until November 15 (a day you may have already marked on your calendar given that’s the first square aspect between Saturn and Pluto). As the planet of communication dives through stir-the-pot Scorpio, words and expressions become vehicles for getting to the bottom of things and discovering truths that exist below the surface. The planet of communication’s foray into probing Scorpio today is further emboldened by its making a harmonious connection to Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, later in the evening.

Like the god Mercury, this Wednesday is a very active one; in addition to the eponymous planet’s energetic shift as its changes signs, there’s are many other currents in which we’ll swim. The Moon is in dreamy Pisces, pulling us to connect in a compassionate way with others. Combined with the Sun being in Libra and there being a Venus/Jupiter trine this evening, we may be instilled with a yearning for grace, a desire to swathe ourselves in a touch of beauty, glamour, or luxury.

Tomorrow, Saturn will move out of Virgo, where it has sown its seeds since September 2007, and enter Libra (it will reenter Virgo for a spell from April through July of 2010 before it takes up residence in Libra again for another two-plus years). Therefore, with today being its last day in Virgo for a while, it seems like an auspicious time to reflect upon and honor the essence of this sign and its contributions to our lives (you can do this even if you don’t have planets or pivotal chart points in Virgo since everyone connects on some level to the energies of all twelve signs). Consider how being attuned to details, being of service to others, and being connected to the nourishment you get from the earth’s bounty enriches and fortifies your life.

Happy Wednesday!

Saturn is the making-it-real planet, as well as the one that reflects the establishment of systems within culture. Therefore, in addition to how it may impact us personally depending upon our natal chart, Saturn transiting into and through a new sign—something it does about every two and one-half years—can have very clear effects upon collective trends and social consciousness.

Saturn is a taskmaster whose aim is to help us create structures of lasting value, those that are reality-based and purposeful. As such, Saturn tests limits, finds the weakest link, and applies pressure—all for the sake of showing us how to forge a creation that has integrity and meaning. Given that Saturn is about doing the work, and not about the quick-and-easy, many people struggle with the energies of this planet. Yet, if we listen as Saturn provides us with guidance, following its one-foot-in-front-of-the-other reality-based tactics, we will be rewarded tangibly since Saturn represents the material and the mundane.

When Saturn transits through a sign, those areas of life ruled by that sign are what the planet of structure focuses its attention upon. What does and doesn’t work is brought to light in a way that we often become very aware of; you can see a lot of it if you focus on themes in the “news.” Hopefully, once faced with knowledge of what doesn’t work, we—both individually and collectively—take this awareness and responsibly work to refine and recreate the broken pieces so that the whole better serves our needs.

A new Saturn mini-era is upon us since on October 29, 2009 Saturn will move into Libra where it will stay until April 7, 2010. After a three-month retreat back into Virgo, Saturn will again take up residence in Libra on July 21, 2010, where it will remain until October 5, 2012.

Looking Back to Look Forward

Looking back to the past two-plus years that Saturn has been in Virgo can serve as a great way to see how this planet works when it transits through a sign, giving us a foreshadow of what Saturn in Libra may offer. Known as the sign of the harvest, Virgo rules agriculture and our food supply as well as healthcare, crafts, labor, and pets. These are among the areas that have caught our collective attention during this time.

For example, questions about the integrity of our food—Where and how is grown?…Is it safe?…Is it genetically modified?—are now on the minds of a much broader audience than in the recent past. As we’ve seen the fallibility of the commercial food industry in such instances as salmonella-contaminated peanut butter and e. coli-tainted hamburgers, we’ve also see the rise of farmers’ markets and the grow-your-own-food movement as well as an increased scrutiny about the way our food is grown, processed, transported, and sold. Another example of Saturn making its way through Virgo is our focus on healthcare, a premier Virgoan arena, something that has taken center stage during this time in the United States.

Saturn in Libra Trends

Saturn in Libra will have impacts upon varied aspects of our culture. Under this sign’s purview are law, femininity, relationships, art, fashion, cosmetics, weights and measures, and other areas related to the Libran ideals of fairness and grace. These sectors of society are likely to face scrutiny and go through litmus tests as we also turn our eyes to focus on questions related to equality and justice. That which has integrity will likely flourish while transience is uncovered. Saturn through Libra will potentially expose areas where fairness may be a concept or ideal but is not being practiced as a reality.

This period of Saturn in Libra is certain to be evocative. That’s because while Saturn’s cleaning house in Libra-related areas of our lives, it will be doing so with assistance from other planets with whom it’s in relationship: transformative Pluto (Saturn/Pluto square: 2009-10), unconventional Uranus (Saturn/Uranus opposition: 2010), and expansive Jupiter (Saturn/Jupiter opposition: 2010).

As I find Saturn transits fascinating, it’s tempting for me to write more here about a wide array of potential trends. But, I want to honor Saturn and create a narrow framework for this article, one more in sync with Planetary Apothecary. Therefore, I’m going to hone in on how its residence in Libra may affect some of our perspectives on health as well as the wellness trends it may usher in, while offering suggestions on self-care practices that may be especially beneficial during this time. Read More…