Saturn Retrograde in Scorpio: Bringing the Darkness to Light

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“And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter -- they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long. Yes, there is joy, fulfillment and companionship -- but the loneliness of the soul in its appalling self-consciousness is horrible and overpowering."

-- Sylvia Plath

Are you ready to turn your dark matter into gold? Saturn began his sojourn in Scorpio on October 5, 2012, and from now through July 9, the Cosmic Taskmaster is retrograde in this fixed Water constellation.

Scorpio runs deep, so there will be layers upon layers to contemplate during the next four months. As with any planetary retrograde, the message is to go within and integrate the lessons of the past five months. There has been an awful lot of shedding, stripping and relinquishing of dead skin.

With Saturn moving in the same constellation as the North Node and in mutual reception (swapped signs) with Pluto, the Scorpio themes of death and rebirth on a daily basis apply times 10. Don’t be afraid to spend considerable time in your very own underworld. If you prefer the shallow end, this transit will create a considerable amount of stress and pressure to have you look into the bottom of your own fears and insecurities. If you’re doing your Saturn work, you will find you are not even close to the same person you were last October. Saturn represents the real world lessons of the world of time and space. Look to where Scorpio and Saturn fall in your natal horoscope to see where you are being tested and stretched the most to achieve your greatest potential.

When you honor Saturn by doing the work to become more conscious of where your limits, boundaries, and lines in the sand lie there is always a great and tangible reward. There is the expression that we give time to that which we love and this is Saturn in his essence. If you do not devote intention and time to the task on a daily and consistent basis, there can be no growth and integration. Saturn is about building in the long term, and in the sign of Scorpio it’s about building emotional strength and integrity. This requires coming face to face with your own shadow (all that you have pretty much rejected since age seven).

Saturn requires great patience and endurance to see lasting results. If you’re not doing your Saturn work often depression, fear and anxiety creep in. Think of how you feel after prolonged procrastination. This is the essence of the Saturn squeeze on your psyche. There is no time to waste. Attend immediately and painstakingly to the depth of your own wounded inner child, mother wounds, loss and any other emotional disappointments still lurking in your own psychic underground. Now is the time. Just say no to anyone or anything that takes you away from this utter necessity.