Hurry Up and Wait...
Mars in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn
I just wanted to write a few lines, both to help you to understand the energetic feeling of our time and to let you know that I see you. Does the image at the top of the page feel all too familiar?
Ok, so I know how you feel. We all are feeling it. Mars in Pisces has felt like being drunk, inside a fugue state, for six weeks, after spending twelve weeks in Saturn-ruled signs and with Saturn co-presence, and now, just as Mars has moved into Aries, which it rules, and we all feel like we can start to get something done, Saturn has plowed its way back into Capricorn and dropped a boulder on forward movement, warmth, excitement, delusion...
This will be the state of things for the next six months as these two malefics are in elemental square throughout the rest of the year. I think the next six months can best be described as "hurry up and wait". That's not going to make Mars happy, and Saturn doesn't care.
All dressed up with no place to go?
This entire year has already felt like we have been totally restricted, and then the last six weeks have seen a lot of delusional and ill-advised breaks from confinement, but now with Saturn moving back into Capricorn through retrograde motion, we are going to be moving back to the sense of total confinement, and as this is our second trip into the underworld, this time will likely feel even more restrictive. You will probably feel under extreme pressure and like you could blow at any minute, because this time, Mars will be hot and raring to go. The elemental square of Mars and Saturn will feel like a tug-of-war. We will want to be at a dead run, getting things done, doing things, going places...but between these two planets, Saturn is the heavy-weight and will win. Refuse to listen to Saturn at your own peril!
So how do we deal with these antagonizing and agonizing aspects? Well, first, know that you can get things done. You just can't do them at your regular Mars-speed, whatever that is for you. You will need to moderate and modulate the speed at which you proceed with anything you do. You will need to schedule more time, move slower, give more thought, be more patient and take more care in all things you do. If you follow those Saturnian dictates, then you will be able to proceed.
If you take any other tact, then you will be giving Saturn an opportunity to teach you a lesson about haste. And that is the point of everything we have been going through for the entire year of 2020 - the recognition and acknowledgement of Saturnian energy and its careful application to our lives. We, as individuals and as a culture, tend to want to move at light-speed. We want it all, and we want it yesterday. We are in a constant rush and constantly rushing. We are adrenal addicts of the highest order. And when an addict can't get their fix, they get depressed.
Saturn is telling you to deal with your addiction. Saturn is telling our culture to slow down, take stock and figure out where and how we can do things better. The next six months will be a series of lessons, for individuals and the world at large, in the price we pay for impatience, reckless behavior, selfishness and short-sightedness. But you don't have to be a victim or a statistic. You can see the Saturnian lesson and begin to apply it in your life. The alternative is less desirable, and in even the best case may result in a lot of mental and emotional anguish. The worst case scenario is worse...
So how do we apply the lessons of Saturn? The key word is discipline. Mars has little to none, while Saturn is the master. Our culture isn't a fan of Saturn. We think Jupiter and Mars have got it all going on, but Saturn, as Lord of Time, will still be around when those two have turned to dust and been forgotten. Here are some tips.
1.) Learn how to dance with death. Yes, Saturn as Lord of Death can teach you about the naturalness and appropriateness of endings. No matter whether it is a literal or metaphoric death, we must grieve for what has passed and find the space to process our feelings about the loss. Loss can destroy us or it can strengthen us. All things end, and all things must die, even the universe itself. Knowing that is half the battle, experiencing it is the doorway to new understanding and a greater depth of empathy.
2.) Talk to your friends with 12th house planets. They have been living in 'quarantine' throughout their entire lives, and they can help you to understand how to live in isolation from the flashy excitement of social interactions.
3.) Stillness is the doorway to the inner, and the inner, your personal underworld, is where all the riches are buried within your psyche, inaccessible by your adrenal-soaked, social, conscious mind.
4.) Get in nature. Take a serious look at nature and learn her mysteries. Her secret is that in nature, nothing rushes, and yet everything gets done. Even if 'getting in nature' means standing on your balcony and taking care of a plant in a pot, just touch some earth. Watch a nature series on Netflix, if nothing else.
5.) MEDITATE already!... The world seems like it is passing you by, but if you step outside of linear time and find the timeless now, you will see that belief is not true. Meditation doesn't have to be sitting in lotus position and chanting mantras. Meditation is anything that focuses your mind, brings you more mindfulness, and on the deeper level, it is anything that turns off your chatty, internal dialog and allows you to encounter inner silence and inner calm.
6.) CREATE! Whatever that means to you, just create. Don't create like you're trying to break the boredom of a couple of inconvenient weeks of quarantine. Create like your life depends on it, like your sanity is at stake, like your soul is standing at the precipice. There is a well of creativity in each of us. It can manifest as anything. It doesn't have to be classical creative ventures like painting or sculpting. It can be anything. It can even be a passive thing like reading for pleasure or educating yourself. It can be working on car engines. It can be activism. It can be absolutely anything that brings you fulfillment, gives you focus and gets you up in the morning. Find yours. Do it to the hilt!
7.) Get some rest! I hear you complaining about being so busy you can't get any rest. I know, I know! You never get any rest, but guess what, here is your time. Get some rest. Maybe the Universe is just giving you six months to catch up on everything you never have time to do. Just because you got rest between March and May doesn't mean you are caught up. Based on the level of bitching I have heard over the years about 'never getting any rest' or 'never having any time', you need at least six more months of serious rest!
8.) Slow Down! Why you moving so fast? Where you trying to get to? There's only one place we are all definitely heading, and no one should be in a rush to get there. Remember, it is not the destination, but rather the journey. If you can slow down a little, you can start to realize that there are real changes that need to happen in your own life, and in the world at large.
9.) And finally, remember that the next six months are just going to feel really stressful because Mars is going to want to move quickly and set fires, while Saturn is going to want to sit still and review the slow formation of glaciers. Somewhere in between these two extremes, you have to find a place to stand. The key will be to do things, but do them slowly, well and patiently. Make all the plans, but accept the reality that it all won't get done. Understand that your plans will hit snags and delays. You want to get rest? Meet insomnia or a construction crew outside your bedroom window. You want want to finish a project? Meet problems and delays. Figure out how to work around the issues that arise, and work with what you are presented with - what you have available to you. Bow to the energy of Saturn, which will cause delay and frustration, by remembering that all delay is not a bad thing and obstacles can at times be a blessing.
So hurry up and wait. Six months isn't really that long, in the big picture. You have an opportunity here to learn new things, learn new skills, find a deep well of inner resources and learn new levels of patience, and these skills will be of benefit to you in the future. For every Saturn test you pass, you are rewarded with new levels of Saturnian skills. As Saint Augustine said, "The reward of patience is patience". The Saturn gifts may not seem glamorous, but trust me, as you get older, you will come to realize that they are the most valuable and useful gifts of all. And just remember, it all doesn't have to get done yet, and you may not get to do it all. The point is to value what you do have, what you do get to do and the experience you are offered, for all any of us have is now.
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