Openings
in the Curtain of Fate;
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“When an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate.” Carl Jung In a few months I’ll
turn sixty. I’m shocked by the word “sixty” and all its
implications, and I’m shocked by how I look before that first cup
of coffee in the morning. Being part of the “Pluto in Leo baby-boom
generation” I’m a classic of that type: I still act and feel
young and resist the undertow of aging in every way. Being an astrologer,
I’m motivated to look at the mid-life transits of aging again and
to glean what I can about these changing times. Is there life beyond the
Second Saturn Return? Something to look forward to from the astrological
perspective? What’s next?
What about that Uranus square coming up at around 63? And then the Saturn
square at 67, the opposition at 75, the square again at 82 and finally
the Uranus Return at 84? And beyond that? Is there life—or is it
the art of dying—at another Saturn opposition at 90? Of course there
are other planetary cycles, but the oscillating patterns of Saturn and
Uranus—of contraction and expansion, of constructing and deconstructing,
are intriguing—have you noticed that there’s three Saturnian
“events” to every one Uranus event? After the Uranus Opposition
at age forty, Saturn opposes and squares itself three times before Uranus
comes knocking on our door again. What’s that about? Maybe something’s
happening here that isn’t obvious. We know that Saturn
is about the urge to create form, to make a foundation, and to build slowly
and carefully a structure in which to contain a part of our life. Whether
it is the slow process of building a house, or being pregnant, or writing
a book, Saturn demands time and patience. And when something isn’t
right, there will be delays and discomfort. The good news about Saturn
is that when we do what must be done—when we do our “homework”
we are rewarded. Saturnian times often feel contractive and limiting,
but they are do-able; we can focus, make an effort, and usually see the
fruits of our efforts. Uranus is about change; often unexpected change. It’s the archetype of the inner rebel and it expresses the urge to break free from some of those Saturnian structures and self-imposed limitations that we’ve created. Although Uranian times seem to arise without warning, and feel shocking, they are ultimately liberating, and are a release of the tension which has been building up over time. Uranus breaks down and breaks through—it allows us to feel free and start afresh. It allows for radical aliveness.
So as we age, there
is a dilemma here—we sense that we are coming up to a last chance
to do something. Serious ambitions can arise. Saturnian concerns for security
and structure move in. And yet as the body loses some of its “sovereignty”
there is a natural tendency to feel depressed about what we can no longer
do as well as before. We may have to work harder during the Saturn Return
so that we can get a chance to let go and BE later on… so this dance
between Saturn and Uranus, like the tension between doing and being, can
inspire us to see that the time is soon coming to relax the needs of the
ego to prove itself. The doing, constructing, and reflecting aspects of
Saturn set the stage for the radical aliveness that Uranus ushers in.
Uranus transits draw open the curtain of fate and allow us to say, “Here
I am, this is really me, like it or not.” These interweavings
of Saturn and Uranus feels like a call of destiny and a call to action
in the real world. They feel personal and in-our-face, as well as metaphysical.
Their transits are as much a crisis of the spirit, as a crisis of aging.
We know that if we resist the constructive building and “taking out
the trash” aspects of Saturn and resist the need to rebel and liberate
ourselves in Uranus times, we’re going against the nature of the
transit. And when we resist the natural order of things, suffering happens. So it’s after
Saturn has “worked us over” through the inner squares, outer
oppositions, and the “knock you down and bring you around” conjunctions,
then we are ready for the Uranus transits. We’ve done what we could;
now Uranus gives or takes away that which is no longer needed, or creates
an unexpected twist in our life drama. Uranian transits have the “aha”
quality of synchronistic grace when they’re good, and the inevitable
mark of fate when they’re not. They’re irritating, exciting,
and life changing. What we sometimes forget is that although they can
be edgy they can also be a great adventure. So I’ve decided
that after this Saturn Return is over, I’m going to look forward
to the Uranus square at 63. I don’t know what will happen then, but
I have a feeling I won’t have to try so hard at my “doing”
or care what someone else thinks about how I’m “being”.
I can feel it coming. Perhaps it’s implicit in the work of the Saturn
Return itself, though I can’t see just how it will work out yet.
However I’m setting the stage now, creating my focus, and leaving
the curtain of possibilities open for Uranus to enter. And so at sixty-three,
I might just be ready to take things a little less seriously and have
more fun. I might even find more joy in Saturnian pursuits, whether it
be the soft pleasures of grand-parenting or writing a memoir or mentoring….and
the Uranian “aha” may be about buying or building that new house
that is finally the right size and in the right place—even if it’s
across the country. And that feels good, and very alive. © 2007 by Elizabeth
Spring (June 2007) |
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