Saturn Opposite Neptune Exact

This aspect has been building for some time and the two planets are now exactly 180 degrees from each other at opposite sides of the zodiac - Leo and Aquarius respectively.
It’s the first of 3 oppositions that these two make over the next 10 months. The second is the end of Feb 2007, with a final hit at the end of June next year; during that whole time both planets are weaving to and fro in around each other.

Because this aspect takes place over a long period of time it’s going to be an important pattern of energy expressing through events, so how to recognise its expression on both a personal and collective level? An easy place to start is by identifying some keywords for each piece of the aspect, and see they how they mix and match with relevant themes in situations and events.


Some keywords to mix and match for Saturn in Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius...

Saturn = limits and boundaries, structure and formation, permission and approval, denial and resistance, time and tradition, law, government, authority, responsibility, maturity, adulthood, blocks and obstacles, outcome, conclusion

In

Leo = individual, self-awareness, creativity, artist, performer, the heart of the matter, focus of attention, warmth, play, enjoyment, recreation, free child, recognition, acknowledgement.

Opposite = confrontation, conflict, seeking balance, seeking resolution.

Neptune = non-physical, imagination, illusion, deception, smokescreen, impressionability, passivity, surrendering to greater power (whether through spirituality or substance abuse, addictions, etc), blurred edges, lack of clarity, sleep and dreaminess.

In

Aquarius = lifestyle, freedom and liberty, human rights, collective consciousness, group purpose, networking and circulating thought and ideas, support structure and friendship, current trends and vision for the future.



So keeping the keywords in mind, we can now see this pattern at work in last weeks news about Pluto’s reclassification - Saturn, the planet of authority, boundaries, and conclusions, was embodied through the collective boffin debate that restructured our vision of solar system, by drawing the line at Pluto, concluding that Neptune is now the final member of the traditional group line-up.

There have also been a couple of stories peppered with the keywords, involving the smoking ban (Saturn/Neptune) recently introduced in Scotland. Both stories involve the Leo/Aquarius axis of individual/collective, through the associated theme of performer/crowd. The first involving time-served legend Keith Richards, who apparently smoked through the entire set of a stadium concert in Glasgow. The ripple of disapproval was only quelled when it was discovered the stadium was classified as open-air, and Richards escaped the 50 quid fine (phew!)

The second story involved actor Mel Smith, who was appearing as part of the Edinburgh festival, in a production about the life of Winston Churchill. Smith threatened to smoke the necessary cigar that Churchill was famous for, happy to risk arrest and a fine for the sake of his art. He was threatened right back with an overblown response by the powers that be, who said he wouldn’t be arrested, they would close the theatre down instead; rather sneakily relying on their rebel's social conscience to win their battle for them.

Follow this story through the thread of astrology symbols, and you reach down to a deeper dynamic, more relevant than the smoking issue. I am neither for or against smoking, I believe in individual choice, so I see this particular expression of Saturn in Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius as being another manifestation of a law that denies the authority of the individual (Saturn in Leo) and their right to make a choice.

The issue of passive smoking (Neptune in Aquarius) is a perfect smokescreen to lose this deeper issue behind, because no- one disputes the effects on health. It’s a non-issue on the surface, something you can’t complain about and expect to be taken seriously. However, take the heat out of the issue, and look at the structure of that law. The introduction of the compliance officers to enforce the ban might be the anti-smokers best friend, but like the proposed UK ID card, it’s a reminder we're just another shiver down the spine away from Big Brother.

You see, as much as I would have liked to have called in the fashion police to swoop down and stop the madness I saw around me in the 1980’s, if I’m honest I’d prefer to see shoulder pads of Dynasty proportions any day than suffer a regiment of compliance officers enforcing fines for those indulging in legwarmer and lycra abuse. I just don’t want to collude with or condone a landscape of limited choice, whatever the price.

Surely there's room for both smoking and non-smoking buildings in the world? But more importantly surely it should be down to the individual to assess the risk of visiting a theatre where their health might be endangered by a cigar on the stage? I mentioned previously that I see Saturn in Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius as describing a collective craving to reconnect with our true spiritual identity. But the more our power for individual choice is taken away, the further away from our unique selves we will end up.

As the scientists proved last week, it only takes 300 votes to reshape the vision of consensus reality, so let’s take a leaf from their new textbook and make it our responsibility to draw the line somewhere. It's time to reclaim the right to choose - our spiritual health requires it...


astrology, freedom, choice, free-will