Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Saturn enters Cancer September 6

As we begin September, we experience the transition of the two slowest moving visible planets into new signs: Jupiter now occupies the early degrees of Mercury's sign, Virgo, and Saturn officially enters Cancer on September 6. Saturn will then remain in a position of aspecting Jupiter, meaning that Saturn's qualities of slowness and restraint will continue to affect the positive, expansive qualities of Jupiter until Jupiter moves into Libra in early October 2005. So while the archetype of contraction continues to press on the archetype of expansion for the second year of a two year period, we may feel a slight difference in the arena in which this planetary relationship manifests. Unfortunately, this second year may have the quality of slowed growth, as well as a feeling of displacement. While Jupiter was in Leo and Saturn was in Gemini (August 2003-August 2004) those planets occupied friendly territory, now with Jupiter in Virgo and Saturn in Cancer, both are transiting signs in which they don't necessarily perform optimally. Jupiter in Virgo is like a teacher doing bookkeeping work, while Saturn in Cancer is like a wise old man running a household and caring for children. Of course, either of those situations can be workable and can provide opportunities for exploring different avenues, but there is also grounds for discomfort and frustration.

Based on the new positions of Jupiter and Saturn, the next year will manifest differently for each of us, of course, based on our own personal orientation. Collectively, however, I don't see it as a great time for economic growth nor for political stability. It could be a great time to continue to clean up the messes in which we may find ourselves mired, and to attempt to strike a balance in the midst of instability. It doesn't seem like it will be a propitious time to scrap everything and start over: Saturn's aspect on Jupiter during these times behooves us to work responsibly with what exists already. Escape is not an option.

Saturn will occupy the Moon's sign, Cancer from now through July 2007, with two periods of exception. Saturn retrogrades back into Gemini from mid-January 2005 to late May 2005 and noses into early Leo and then retrogrades back to Cancer from November 2006-January 2007. So, if you absolutely do want to escape, scrap it all, and go in a new direction, I recommend trying to fit that in when Saturn backs into Gemini: January-May 2005, during which time Saturn will not be leaning so much on Jupiter.

So, what will Saturn in Cancer look like? I first love to blend the archetypes to generate a poetic vision. Saturn is age, wisdom, slowness, restraint, decay, illness, forbearance, responsibility, detachment, service, fear, insecurity. Saturn is hard, cold, dry and slow. Cancer, being the domain of the Moon, is home, mother, land, property, nurturing, intuition, devotion, family love. The Moon and Cancer are watery, changeable, and soft. Putting these two together, using Saturn as the player and Cancer as the stage, I come up with phrases like: fear and insecurity in the homeland, wisdom and responsibility through intuition, detachment from family love and nurturance.

Saturn's last transit of Cancer occurred August 1975 - September 1977. Gerald Ford was president of the US during that time, the only president of the US who was not elected (he replaced Spirow Agnew as vice-president and succeeded to president when Nixon was impeached.) In a Saturn in Cancer kind of way, he was the nurturing family man, set to the task of healing a nation torn apart. The Vietnam "Conflict" came to an end during that time, but the US backed the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and supported the "Dirty War" in Argentina as well. Perhaps Saturn in Cancer gives us the tendency for insecurity in both our own and other nations' homelands. Other cool stuff that happened the last time Saturn was in Cancer was one of the two major oil shortages of the 1970s (I remember waiting in line at the gas station for several hours on a family vacation in 1976), as well as a renewed effort to seek alternative energy sources in the form of restructuring coal usage and exploring electromagnetic power. Finding ways to more efficiently utilize a major US resource, coal, reminds me a lot of cleaning up our mess and working with what we have.

Saturn's next to last Cancer transit occurred July 1946 - July 1948. There was some serious post-WWII homeland trauma to deal with all over the world during that time. Two countries were born during that transit that still experience major conflict and are coming into their second Saturn returns: Pakistan and Israel. I predict that cleaning up messes in those two locations will be much on the agenda in the next few years.

New Moon in Leo September 14

The new Moon occurs in Leo early in the morning of September 14 and waxes to full in the sign of Pisces on September 28, which should brighten things a bit. Actually, the Moon's aspect upon all of the planets in Virgo at that time carries a bit more weight than that of Saturn's, which brings up the point that while Saturn resides in Cancer, he will be under the changeable influence of the Moon as she waxes and wanes, traveling quickly and steadily through the zodiac each month. This will lend variety and the sense of rapid evolution to anything associated with Saturn in Cancer in the next few years, while at the same time allowing each of us the opportunity to apply our own lunar influences of loving, nurturing, and caring to whatever situations oppress, hold back, or cause fear to arise in us or our loved ones.

The greatest lesson of astrology is that of exercising will and personal freedom. No matter where the planets are, no matter what the combination of cosmic forces create, we always have the choice to rise above it all, to be heroic in our own lives, and to evolve beyond the confines of worldly existence.

Conjunct Sun and Mars Enter Virgo September 17

All this heaviness leads me to mention that I promised some election 2004 forecasting, but it's not going to happen in this forecast, because we haven't even gotten to what the other planets are up to in September yet. Jupiter and Saturn are pretty big news, but the Sun still rises and sets. Right now, the Sun and Mars are conjunct and will remain so through the end of September. They are currently in the Sun's sign of Leo and will move into Virgo on September 17. When planets are conjunct the Sun, they are referred to as "combust" and often their individual energy gets swallowed up in the awesome energy of the Sun. This configuration, when considering Mars, makes for a good stretch of lending Mars' capacity for work, drive, and power to any soul (Sol) driven projects you may be involved in at this time. As the Sun and Mars, who are friendly toward one another, move into Virgo, they will conjunct with Jupiter during the period of September 22-27, which means that they will also fall under the aspect of Saturn. Things may begin to feel a bit sluggish toward the end of the month because of this; feelings of depression about the end of the glory days of summer as we begin to descend into the decay of fall and the dark of winter may be prominent. Try to make the best of it: Mercury's tendency toward finding the humor in any situation could be a good bet as he enters Virgo as well on September 25. Mercury is exalted in in his own sign of Virgo, so wield the lightness of communication, exchange, and humor if situations become oppressive and/or muddled.