PLANETARY ENERGIES

Saturn and Uranus are exactly opposite in the sky on US election day, November 4 2008. The opposition occurs at 19 degrees of Virgo/Pisces, especially affecting people with birthdays around September 11 and March 9, and anyone who has significant points in their chart on or aspecting these degrees.

The opposition repeats at later degrees of Virgo/Pisces on February 5 and September 15 2009, and on April 26 and July 26 2010 (0 degree Libra/Aries). Given that the orbs of influence with slow-moving planets mean we feel them before and after the aspects are exact, we have a two year plus window of time in which these two planets oppose each other. This happens every 45.4 years, and the last time was 1965-67 and before that, 1918-1920.

Both of these periods saw big cultural changes: the aftermath of World War 1 brought the demise of the certainty of class privilege in the West, and Spanish flu laid tragedy upon the already traumatized by killing more people than had died in the war itself. In the mid-’60s the counterculture emerged as an articulate alternative to the blind pursuit of the American dream and automatic support for the overt hegemony of the military-industrial complex. For the first time in history, young people all over the world voiced their social criticism en masse. This time, so far, we’re seeing sweeping changes to our financial systems and sense of material security. Will Saturn/Uranus sound the death knell to calcified, spiritually-defunct concepts of materialism? 

What do Saturn and Uranus signify? The conventional take on these planets is that Saturn represents the tough, conservative Big Daddy, while Uranus represents the wild, unconventional Boy. Typically Saturn is seen as restrictive while Uranus is exciting. This is a big simplification: Uranus can be destructive and cynical, and Saturn can bring calm by being containing, realistic, and stable.  

The US election is an oppositional situation in itself with its structure of two parties and two candidates. Strongly influenced this year by these two planets, we can play this as either Obama (new kid, younger) as Uranus with McCain (older, established) as Saturn. But we can also turn it around and say McCain (self-styled maverick, erratic with hot temper) is Uranus, and Obama (calm demeanor, lawyer) = Saturn. 

If we look at the classical symbolism of these two archetypes, a complex story emerges. In Greek mythology Ouranos (Uranus) was the father of the Titans, one of whom was Cronos (Saturn). Egged on by his mother, Gaia, Cronos castrated his father, and from the spilled blood the Fates (the Erinyes) were born. Aphrodite (Venus/Love) also emerged from this tragedy. Cronos then ruled the world during what was called the Golden Age, as everyone played by the rules and there was no need for war or punishment. However, all good things come to an end, and in his turn, Cronos was also killed by his son, Zeus, despite having killed his previous children in order to avoid his fate.

The moral of the story is, what goes up must come down. He who has power will in the end be killed by time and by the natural order of life. The son supplants the father. It’s important to note that the archetype of Saturn presided over a time of peace, because the limits of society were clear and people abided by them. As Jupiter and Pluto (from Nov 27) are in Capricorn, the home sign of Saturn, we may be entering into a time that eventually shows itself to have been preparatory for greater peace. 

In terms of the election, the aspect being exact on this day suggests the outcome of this election is tied into this cultural shift. Saturn is stronger because it is moving forward and is also supported by Jupiter and Pluto (almost) in Capricorn. Let’s hope this manifests as common sense winning the day, and Obama being elected.

Astrologically Obama has both Saturn and Uranus strong in his chart: Uranus is angular in his seventh and conjunct his North Node making him a veritable embodiment of cultural change, (first black President, maybe). Saturn is dignified in Capricorn and trine Mars, giving him good fix-it abilities. At best, his Aquarian ascendant means he knows the energies of both Saturn and Uranus and can handle the polarizing energy of the opposition. But the two planets are in an exact inconjunction in his chart, suggesting that the myth of Ouranos and Cronos is embedded in his psyche in a not altogether comfortable way. To survive the election dramas, he needs to be very aware of his shadow, of his own totalitarian and iconoclastic tendency, and to transform this into open, unafraid, and vigorous leadership.

For all of us, the acute phases of the opposition (when it is closest to exact, see top of this post) give us the chance to observe deep-seated patterns and change them. Then the opposition works to heighten our awareness and allow us to move forward into a new way of being. The Saturn Uranus opposition is all about renewing our relationship with authority. This can manifest in many ways depending on our disposition, such as growing out of childish fears, accepting life has limits, finding the courage to stand up to injustice, and coming more fully into our own authority.