Uranus is about breakthroughs. In a house, you’d be breaking down the wall between the reception room and kitchen to make a new space – and that would lead to a new way of life. With the accompanying dust and disruption. And the discovery of new, and better, ways of doing things.

So when Uranus’ move into a new sign means things get a bit chaotic in the world, in the lives of others and in your own life, recognise these events not as an annoying disruption but as leading to something that, quite simply, you have never before experienced.

Every sign responds to a cycle of this nature, and the accompanying events, differently. Some welcome them instinctively, others worry, yet others regard them as a nuisance. The reaction can range from excitement to anger at that old and reassuring elements of life are being swept away. There notes for each sign below.

Bear in mind also that with the planet of growth and opportunity, Jupiter, joining Uranus on Sunday the 6^th, some of what’s on its way out now could be replaced by yet more unexpected developments – but this time in the form of amazing new ideas or offers. And with these two planets in close proximity for three months, there’ll be lots to choose from, and plenty of time to explore these.

While this won’t be the calmest or easiest period of your life, when you look back on it you’ll recognise it has having been the turning point you were waiting for – the moment when you left restrictive elements of the past behind and embraced a future that, when those events first arose – you wouldn’t have believed possible.

Aries: With both Uranus and Jupiter in your sign, events may be disruptive. But you’ve the courage to deal with them, and also rather enjoy the challenge.

Taurus: Initially, you mistake developments as problems to be resolved. Once you realise they’re about breakthroughs, you’re far more relaxed and optimistic.

Gemini: You thrive on anything new and exciting, so you’re intrigued at first. Then, until you recognise how things will come together, could get a bit grumpy about changes in your own life.

Cancer: The challenge is recognising that you’re stepping into the future. Efforts to stick with the familiar and reassuring only hamper progress. The solution: take chances.

Leo: You’re both impatient and loathe change. So your initial reaction to being “forced” to alter elements of your life is unlikely to be positive. Looking back, you’ll wonder why you caused such a fuss.

Virgo: Try to analyse what’s coming and you’ll only exhaust yourself. Regard this as a voyage of discovery and you’ll enjoy what each day’s events bring your way.

Libra: Being an air sign you’ll try to anticipate the impact of events on your own life and on others. Which only confuses things. The answer is to go with the flow.

Scorpio: You must, quite simply, let go. Instead, trust your instincts and you’ll recognise even seriously unsettling shake-ups as the end of the old and beginning of something new and better.

Sagittarius: In many ways this is what you’ve been waiting for, although developments may be more far-reaching than you’d anticipated.

Capricorn: Recognise that events could mean acquiring new skills or broadening your horizons and you’ll exchange anxieties about the unknown for the joy of learning.

Aquarius: You’d prefer to observe the impact of events in others’ lives, then decide which you’ll embrace. But it doesn’t work that way. Certain developments will arrive, custom- designed for you.

Pisces: When you’re in your adaptable mode, you’ll simply know why some things must end while other rather disruptive events are vital. Allow yourself to get caught up in others’ dramas, however, and you’ll lose that clarity.

The first time I saw anybody meditating, I was in my late teens. It was at the Vedanta Society Temple in Hollywood, a lovely if tiny refuge from the excesses of that city located, bizarrely, by the Hollywood Freeway, on which eight lanes of cars zipped by, day and night. Yet inside there was a profound stillness. There resident monks would meditate before evening talks or Sunday morning lectures. Although I had no concept what they were doing, I tried to emulate that stillness – outer and inner.

Since then, I’ve not only become somebody who meditates regularly, I often recommend it to friends and private clients. While there is no zodiac sign that could be said to favour meditation, the individual chart reveals an inclination for it. Doing meditation is by no means a requirement for an astrologer. For this one, however, it’s both a need, especially when life is trying or deadlines are pressing, and it is a source of increasing pleasure.

Yet frequently, the mere mention of meditation triggers a response that’s the reverse of the calm centredness it’s meant to engender. The most frequent remark is a concerned, “I couldn’t empty my mind.” Which makes me think that while the practice is rewarding in countless ways, meditation itself has a bit of an image problem. It’s seen as worthwhile – but beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, particularly those with untamed thoughts.

While it’s true that over time meditation begins to quiet the inner chatter that keeps so many awake at night and feeling jangled during the day, that isn’t its purpose. It’s about aligning with the Ultimate Stillness and, with that, discovering a strong, resilient core that remains solid whatever challenges life doles out. And the great news is, there are all kinds of ways to do it – all kinds of meditation.

Put simply, meditation is defined as a state of relaxed attention. This occurs naturally when we’re lost in a particular activity, from gardening to playing music or even when cooking. These aren’t about emptying the mind. It’s about calming it. Effortless focus. It’s like the difference between a calm ocean and a stormy one, with furiously lashing waves.

When it comes to doing it, the range of techniques is huge. There’s focusing on the breath, concentrating on an object, a candle perhaps, or a sacred image, or perhaps chanting, silently or aloud. Most religions have some variety of beads, so prayers can be repeated without actually counting them, thus creating a meditative state. And there are lots of teachers offering techniques, some religious, some distinctly not.

In every case, the objective is achieving a stillness so powerful that it alters even life’s greatest challenges. The worry and angst are replaced by a still power that reduces the size of those challenges. At first, temporarily. The benefits of meditation are cumulative. The more it’s done, the longer those blissful feelings last, and the easier it is to recall them even when not actually officially meditating. Over the years I’ve learned to access that state in a taxi – and sometimes even when I’m in the midst of urban chaos.

Not only is there no single way to meditate, the way that suits a single individual can change as their life evolves. While some involves sitting, others are done walking. And many religious communities encourage meditation while cooking meals.

Whatever the method or teacher, the benefits are the same. First and foremost, calm. Serenity when actually doing it, and a wonderful after effect, one that lasts longer the more it’s done. There’s stress reduction and lower blood pressure (in fact, according to tests done by TM, Transcendental Meditation, meditators age more slowly than those who don’t). Sleep comes more swiftly and is deeper and more nourishing.

Like so many of life’s greatest joys, from sex to Haagan Dasz Ice Cream, experiencing it is infinitely better than describing it. You don’t need a teacher to try it. Next time you’re driving yourself crazy, instead of worrying more about what you think is the source of your problems, choose to turn your attention to something else. That simple choice is the beginning of altering your state. Anything will do – a flower, the sun, the moon, a cloud. Dwell gently on it and sense the stillness that comes as the mental storm is calmed.
There. You’ve done it. Meditation.

The confusion is dual. First, is the issue of understanding just what star signs are. Each constitutes a perspective on life, a way of thinking, processing information and reacting to, and experiencing, life. It’s rather like regional or national characteristics. A New Yorker, Londoner and Parisian will each have grown up with a particular life view, and will, therefore, approach events differently.
The knowledge of those traits – and sometimes quirks – enables those doing business with those from different cultures to understand who they’re dealing with and to negotiate intelligently. Even more, this awareness helps relationships – romantic or otherwise – to accommodate the sometimes wide gaps in the perspective of those from diverse backgrounds or environments.
For example, the New Yorker will say exactly what they think, and usually swiftly, while the Londoner – and Brits in general – might mull things over or be less forthcoming. And the French person will debate the matter, if not enjoy a passionate argument about the subject.
Similarly, star signs could be regarded as groups – what the psychologist Carl Jung called archetypes – with distinctive characteristics and views. Many of us employ this way of typing the people we know and meet, but instead describe somebody we meet – and, therefore, assess  – as being “like” somebody from the past or, perhaps, like a character from a novel, movie or TV show.
However, within each group, each individual is absolutely unique.

This is where the second, and rarely considered, element comes in. It’s the paradox between free will and destiny. In an era in which individual initiative is encouraged, we’re challenged to be the best we can. Yet we rarely pause to think about the context from which our skills – or beliefs about what actually constitute doing one’s best, or about our innate capacities – have emerged. Of course, most of these elements can be altered. An individual from an otherwise un-ambitious or anti-intellectual family can decide to become a high achiever or earn a dozen academic degrees.

Yet there are traits we can’t change. For example, only those born with certain body types can successfully pursue gymnastics or classical ballet. While everybody can warble a tune, the capacity to become an opera singer, to fill an auditorium with their un-amplified voice, is innate. Height, body type, and such abilities aren’t negotiable.

Star signs are like that. Each sign has a distinctive fundamental nature, a unique world view, strengths and issues that constitute a starting point for the development of every individual born under that sign. And each sign has its own particular journey, what might be termed an arc of growth. [see list below] However, it is up to the individual how much effort they want to make.
Most of those who grow up speaking English retain it as their sole language, thus limiting their horizons to the information available to the English-speaking world. However, while many may study languages, some will become expert, and only a few will move to a country which requires that they learn an entirely new tongue and, to an extent, adopt a new perspective.

Similarly, the birth sign and its traits are only a starting point. Some feel no need to explore or expand on their self-knowledge and so extend their understanding beyond those beginnings. Others go through a period of questioning, redefine themselves, then settle happily with the new, self-created, identity – one that constitutes their own version of the archetype of their star sign, then settle down. For a few, that process of growth becomes a life-long passion. A lifelong process of discovery. And it is they who will, as they end their days, be least like the astrology book definition of their star sign. They will, instead, have become very much their own person.

As with so much of astrology today, while there’s the option to skim the surface, to give a nod to the characteristics assigned to one’s star sign, it can also be the beginning of a journey of self-exploration that leads to increasing self-awareness and, as a result, an ever increasing degree of personal power.

Quick Guide to Each Sign’s Journey :

Aries Becoming uniquely oneself
Taurus Finding self-worth within, not in possessions
Gemini Honing a uniquely personal view
Cancer Learning how to truly nurture oneself
Leo Determining a uniquely personal self-expression
Virgo Turning obligations into creative expression
Libra Finding individuality in relationship
Scorpio Uncovering the inner truth
Sagittarius Finding a meaningful goal
Capricorn Discovering and achieving one’s own objective
Aquarius Being unique amongst a group
Pisces Seeking a personal ideal

For questions about the dates each star sign begins, please see my blog, “Birth Sign Crisis.”
Shelley von Strunckel Copyright 2010

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If you grew up with it, as I did, it’s reassuringly familiar part of the year’s rhythm, bridging the warmth of the Indian Summer to nippier temperatures with the accompanying intimations of winter’s chill.

Thanksgiving is, also, about gathering together with families, neighbours, friends – and friends of friends.

And it’s about abundance.

Americans have grown up with the story of the Pilgrims who’d travelled from an England that was increasingly intolerant towards their beliefs, their arrival and the advice they received from the Native American Indians, and their thankfulness for the resulting bounty.

They had good reason to be grateful, since they were taught to farm and live in an environment for which they were completely and utterly unequipped.

This brings to mind the issues that we’re facing today.

We’re in a new environment….all of us.

We’re being forced to reconsider the way we live, think about our resources, the way we acquire money – and our values…just as the pilgrims did.

What we’re facing goes deeper.

Those voyagers who departed England for distant and unknown shores were already guided by a profound spiritual link.

They had an absolute belief in a Higher Power.

But many of those travelling today’s path have lost that most basic of connections. We live in a materialistic era in which success is measured by possessions and assets.

This deep and destabilizing loss of values is depicted astrologically by a series of clashes, this year and next, between the most practical planet of them all, Saturn, and the uncompromisingly truthful Pluto.

While neither of these is considered a “spiritual” planet, each signifies a process of frank evaluation, reviewing what works, what doesn’t and, most importantly, what’s “real.”

Assessing what is in the best interests of the individual and of the collective – what’s good for everyone, not from the perspective of finances, but a more fundamental kind of security.

This conflict is occurring every day in the lives of every person.

But there are two examples, one on the national scene in the USA, and one that influences every country in the world.

First is the battle over health care provision in the US.

That involves ensuring every person can, and will, have access to medical care, should they need it.

But this means balancing the requirements of the numerous businesses which are profiting from existing arrangements, while answering the needs of the population as a whole.

Similarly, on a worldwide basis, on going issues with finances in general, and banks in particular, address the needs of individual consumers and a business sector that must be redefined because it exists in a changing world.

Yet, these changes must be made in a world in which – to state the obvious – cash must continue to flow.

The problems involved are complex.

So much that it’s easy to be swayed, if not confused, by each faction’s explanations of the facts – as they see them.

However, Saturn emphasizes practicality and Pluto, truth, which means that it’s time for every individual and every industry, including these behemoths, to first, face the facts. And then, having acknowledged sometimes difficult truths, to think as much about what the well being of the group as about their own survival and interests.

Return to that first Thanksgiving, with people helping others, and the process of creating a new approach to health care, to the banking world and addressing the economic realignment sweeping in terms of that first Thanksgiving and a very different strategy emerges.

What emerges is a Thanksgiving that isn’t just based on protecting one’s own interests but on joint interests.

And just as the Indians taught the pilgrims how to live through New England’s arctic winters, and learned how to raise – and cook – corn, turkey, potatoes and cranberries, humanity is learning how to look after itself, as a group – after its collective welfare – in a completely new way.

And perhaps, in honour of this holiday which accents humanity’s nobler characteristics of generosity and good will, instead of bemoaning the world’s woes, we might instead commit to becoming part of the solution.

Shelley von Strunckel ©2009

The difference is that those who’ve been keeping track of those two planetary powerhouses had some sense what they were facing.

But most were unprepared, so it seemed that suddenly life became about a series of perplexing – if not actually painful – obstacles and a lack of understanding or solutions for them.

Dealing with the situations triggered by this extremely challenging but, ultimately, hugely rewarding planetary pattern requires, first, seeking the best of Saturn ­- persistence, courage and a willingness to face facts and to take action on whatever needs to be done.

And, second, it’s about embracing Pluto, which can be more challenging, as this means descending into the realms of the unconscious, then identifying and facing those elements within each of us that we resolutely ignore.

While, initially, this can be terrifying, the rewards are substantial because, at its best, Pluto brings profound insights and the fearlessness that comes with confronting those inner demons.

Demanding and, sometimes, agonising as the process of encountering these two mighty energies can be, the reward comes in the form of freedom from previously unconquerable fears – the kind that are never even mentioned in the hope that ignoring them will make them vanish.

And there’s a larger, more lasting reward.

That is, learning to approach life itself – its joys and its challenges – from a new perspective.

To do it differently.  

However, today’s culture doesn’t encourage such reflection.

On the contrary, it’s trained us to distract ourselves. And there are so many options – acquiring possessions, chattering on the phone, emailing, twittering, face-booking, TV, DVDs movies.

However, until that darkness is faced, underneath all these there lies a dread – an anxiety about those as yet unrecognised shadows, fears will might somebody need to be dealt with.

That time has come.

Astrologically speaking, the aspect between Saturn and Pluto is over. It was exact on Sunday, November 15^th.

But we’re not off the hook.

The same aspect occurs again, three times, during 2010.

So you’ve a choice.

Attempt to outwit Saturn and Pluto.

Or learn the lessons they have to offer.

Now.

True, it will be hugely challenging – your own version of climbing Mt. Everest – and without oxygen.

But what you learn, face and deal with those challenges, and the courage, wisdom and power you acquire in the process, will be yours forever.

Sometimes this involves identifying issues that, in the past, have created only feelings of powerlessness. It can mean addressing fears or complex dilemmas others simply refuse to acknowledge.

Whatever the situation – and there are likely to be several, some minor, and at least one of more major proportions – each offers an opportunity to stop making excuses and to discover the power that comes with confronting fear.

Recognise that, and you will realise that, what only seconds before seemed a looming monster, is nothing but a shadow projected on a wall.

After that, your perspective will shift.

Forever.

And you will do it differently.

Because you know, for sure, that you have power over even what once seemed overwhelming challenges.

Shelley von Strunckel © 2009

Over the past two days alone, I’ve received two emails about the year 2012.

One includes channelled information about the Mayan predictions in regard to this period.

These said the world is not about to come to an end.

But there are numerous books that interpret the writing of this Central American culture as stating very clearly that our days are numbered.

I also received a request from one of the newspapers for which I write asking me to comment on the rumours now circulating not as a result of these books, but because Hollywood has capitalised on them and produced a film, coming out on November 12, about exactly this – the world coming to an end.

Should you be living in a cave and have missed the publicity, it’s called “2012.”

Clearly the company, which made the film, wants to recoup their investment before the date the world comes to an end, so they’ve undertaken an intense marketing campaign.

However, they won’t have had to do much, because the Internet has been buzzing with discussion about this year, and about the date December 12, 2012 for ages.

Presumably, those who’re convinced things really will end then are running up their credit card bills with the sure knowledge they’ll never have to pay them because, like in the movie, there will be an almighty geological meltdown and nobody (except the stars of the film) will survive.

If I sound cynical, it’s not just that I grew up in Hollywood, amongst those who made, and publicised, films of every variety.

I’m  also observing human nature with a jaundiced affection.

I’m particularly remembering the rumours, concerns and dramas that accompanied the millennium, the years in the run up to 2000, when there were serious concerns about whether our computer based world could cope with the digital shift from dates that began 19xx and instead started 2xxx.

Since we’re still here and even more of our lives are based on computers, both the programmes and we, as a group, seem to have survived.

But I’m most drawn to think about our desire, as beings that came here to learn – or at least that’s what I believe – to escape the lessons life presents to us with stunning regularity.

When working with private clients, and we’re discussing seriously challenging issues as depicted in their astrological charts, I’m often conscious that they’d rather the earth open up, then and there, than have to contend with the dilemma facing them.

We all long for a quick fix – or – for escape, which the end of the world would achieve.

In discussing escape, I’m reminded of a tactfully worded response from the channelled entity, Emmanuel*, who was asked whether the world was about to end.

He replied, “Dear children, do you expect you’ll be let out of school so early?”

It was, and remains, a gentle reminder that we are all here to learn, and often those lessons are from life’s challenges, not its pleasures.

Ironically, Emmanuel and his channelled “colleagues” all remind us that the more we align with the positive – in the face of everything from difficulties in our personal lives to the current fascination with disaster movies – the less power to create negativity these have.

They’ll referred to this as the time of “Ascension,” that is, instead of things going completely wrong, we’ll advance, we’ll be closer to our source, know our divine origin better. 

It’s a choice we all make. Every day. Every minute. Go see the movie if you enjoy a good scare. But when you leave, pause and ensure you regain control your thinking, your life, and your future.

*Emmanuel’s Book, Compiled by Pat Rodegast & Judith Stanton, Bantam New Age

© Shelley von Strunckel 2009

 In fact, often, those who live in densely populated urban areas are so busy that it never even occurs to them that the Moon is full, and even if they were aware of it, they couldn’t see it. Being unable to enjoy this glorious sight, and the visually stunning link to nature that it is, constitutes a real loss.

Yet, even if the moon can’t be seen, and nobody discusses its cycle, it cannot – and should not – be ignored. This most fundamental of cycles, links with a range of events here on the earth.

First, of course, are the tides. This applies not only to the daily rhythms of the seas, but those extremely high tides associated with certain lunar cycles and seasons of the year.

That’s not all.

The ancients planted and gathered their crops and handled their livestock according to the Moon, a system that is today usually termed biodynamic farming. This method suggests times for setting out planets that grow above or below the ground, based on the Moon’s sign and is extensively employed in Europe, and in the parts of the countryside, these ancient ways were never lost.

During the two weeks period between the New Moon and Full Moon there’s an increase in cell growth. A farmer, one of whose enterprises involves fermenting fertilizer in temperature controlled vats, reported to me that the fermentation process accelerates so much, and creates so much more heat in the run up to the Full Moon, that he actually has to lower the thermostat.

Knowing that, it should be no surprise that astrologers who study trends in the world’s stock and commodity markets carefully observe the lunar cycle, and their predictions are stunningly accurate.

Ironically, often those who observe the lunar cycle in the worlds of nature and business still don’t pay much attention to its influence on their own lives – and mood. In astrology the Moon symbolises the link to the physical mother and nurturing, especially in childhood, and later in life, to the individual’s ability to nurture themselves.

In an individual’s birth chart, the Moon’s position – by sign and house – reveals that person’s emotional nature and stability as well as their capacity for intimacy. In this era during which we pay far more attention to what we earn and own than to our inner world or feelings, many are profoundly unaware of their own emotional nature.

So when the Full Moon brings those feelings to a peak, as it does every twenty eight days, and suddenly elements of life reach crisis point, they – and everybody else – tends to blame events around them for the tensions they’re experiencing.

But they don’t necessarily pause to consider whether the heightened feelings that accompany every Full Moon might not have contributed to that crisis. Instead, they’ll have an almighty blow up with, possibly, one party saying they “can’t take it anymore,” and walking out.

The Full Moon is a time of extremes, emotionally and otherwise.

Sometimes those dramas lead to the serious discussions that should have taken place anyway, and to a more rational decision. What’s more, many forget is that every crisis contains within it the seeds of a new cycle. This means that, after the intensity and heat of the Full Moon, comes a period of contraction, reflection and increasing stillness.

A time to consider what came the Full Moon’s emotionally fuelled revelations brought to light, one that concludes with the New Moon, two weeks later, when the cycle begins anew.

Shelley von Strunckel © 2009

The other day I was discussing the role of the planet Mars in a particular individual’s chart.

 Mars is often defined as the planet of war and aggression.

But that way of looking at it is more a by-product of the past couple of decades of violent films than it is an accurate assessment of this far more complex planet – and the energy it signifies in each of our lives.

At its most fundamental, it is the ruler of the sign Aries – the sign which commences as the vernal equinox takes place, and spring begins. But Mars isn’t just about green buds becoming spring flowers.

Actually, it’s about the raw energy required for the seeds in winter-hardened ground to grow, to break through their own shell casing and then through the earth to reach for the light of the sun.

Similarly, it’s the effort required for a chick to crack open through the shell encasing it, and begin life independent of its protection.

The planet Mars signifies something within each of us; it’s a vital side of our nature. One that’s rich, complex and capable of great subtly and restraint.

Think of movies of the 30’s and 40’s, with handsome, gracious, gentlemen officers who somehow had a firmer manner than their civilian counterparts.

Then, when the world went to war, and those cinema soldiers went into battle, on the ground or in the air, it was about the cause and dignity, not flashy battles – cinematic special effects extended only to a fake airplane on a sound stage.

 Now movies are full of battles.

 Extended, violent – almost creative – battles.

While, intellectually, we are aware the actors are only acting, and that the bombs and bodies being blown bits are only cinematic trickery, we get lost in the magic of film.

 This is a new variety of Mars, violent beyond anything most encounter in everyday reality.

It’s the same on the news. Reports of violence, terrorism place those battles in our homes.

And it’s become such an everyday occurrence that few regard it as unusual.

 Thus, Mars and the energy it represents has become warped.

While a few movies still present versions of the gentleman (and gentlewoman…) solider, these days, they’re the exception. Which means that we, as individuals have nearly lost our own sense of the magnificent force and power – and restraint – of this most fundamental of planets.

While, in the inevitable cycle of fashion, film violence will eventually be so excessive it’s no longer interesting, in the meanwhile we each – men and women – owe it to ourselves to seek, explore and integrate that ancient and honourable side of Mars energy.

This doesn’t require joining the army. But it does mean understanding your inner warrior, and being ready to stand up for yourself with power combined with control when the situation demands.

© Shelley von Strunckel 2009

When I meet somebody new or encounter a stranger and it’s discovered that I am an astrologer, the question I’m asked most frequently is, bizarrely, “What sign am I?”

 My response depends on my mood.

If I’m feeling patient, I’ll jokingly ask if they don’t know.

Ha ha ha.

But if I’m feeling a little more short-tempered, I’ll respond that, as I’m not a clairvoyant, I don’t know.

However, that question is really what might be termed a nuisance query; something that is designed to be irritating.

 But next question isn’t provocative.

And it is usually asked with enormous sincerity – if not a certain urgency.

 That question is “What sign is the best match for me?”.

It would appear that too many newspapers and magazines have printed just too many graphs showing which sign goes with which, and this has left a public believing that if somebody would just tell them their ideal partner’s sign, they’d live happily ever after.

 Not surprisingly, it isn’t that easy.

The signs are rather like nationalities.

If Aries are the Italians of the zodiac, Taureans are the French, Geminis the Danes and Cancerians the Americans…(this is only an example – no more!).

But just as you couldn’t say that every Italian would get along with every French person, so expecting one sign of the zodiac to be a perfect match to another is completely unrealistic.

 Yet the myth of the perfect match persists.

Of course often the actual birth charts of two individuals are compared.

I often do this for clients. And not just for marriage.

It’s offers incredibly useful information in business, dealing with colleagues or in hiring. And in the family, understanding a child’s chart can smooth out one of life’s most challenging relationships.

But it is true, charts are compared when considering marriage. Clients come, asking about a potential partner. And, of course, in Asia, often it will be parents who are considering a match for a son or daughter, will ask that the charts be compared.

This can be enormously illuminating.

While the sign in which the Sun is positioned might be noted, it is by no means the deciding factor.

Actually the relative positions of the Mercury of each individual – for communication – and the Saturn of each, for stability, will be noted. It’s like a corporate merger, in which the balance sheets of each are examined.

Interestingly, Venus, the planet of romance, is less important than the others.

But then, in such matches, the couple doesn’t expect to be swept away by romantic passion. On the contrary, whether they’ve actually met before or not – and still, today, many will have not met – they expect to get to know each other…over time. And they expect love to grow gradually.

I, personally,  know several very happy and contented couples whose marriages were arranged. And because they trusted others – their parents and families – to make a perfect match, gave themselves time to know and understand each other.

It’s a very different approach from seeking “the right” sign of the zodiac and expecting an easy ride.

While few in the West have families who’ll do the match-making, it is possible to view the search for the perfect partner or the process of learning to live happily with the one you have with the same tolerance as exists in the East…allowing love to grow, letting understanding and trust develop over time.

© Shelley von Strunckel 2009

All of the planets’ names are derived from myths.

And while few of the Greek and Roman gods are meant to have lived exemplary lives, Saturn’s was particularly unappealing.

Having been told one of his offspring would kill him and usurp his power, he devoured each at birth. Eventually his long suffering wife Rhea, caught on and handed Saturn a stone instead of little Uranus who did, indeed, grow up to end his father’s life and take over power.

At the moment, Sun sign columns – including mine – are all brimming with information about the astrological Saturn, which moves into a new sign on October 29^th.

When it comes to Saturn, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, since those who’re addicted to columns in magazines and on the web will fasten onto this planet as the one to worry about.

 But, actually, it’s the reverse.

It’s about getting your act together, about focus and discipline – in the sense of choosing what’s in your best interests and acknowledging, and avoiding, what isn’t.

 That may not sound difficult, but everybody has their weak points.

Attitude, habits or activities that somehow undermine them, achieving their goals and being contented in life.

Saturn is the planet of reality, and when it’s on the scene, it shines an uncompromising light on anything that needs to be recognised and dealt with.

 That may be the reason it’s so unpopular.

And now, it’s on everybody’s mind because on the 29^th it moves into a new sign (as it does about every 2½ years.) Because of its reputation as the planetary taskmaster, those into whose sign it’s moving – in this case Libra – get good and scared by astrological “experts” who predict dire events.

 And over two years of them!

While it’s true that an individual who’s been doing their best to avoid facing facts – about themselves, others or various obligations – might well be cornered into dealing with those issues by Saturn in its more heavy-handed guise, that’s the exception.

It’s about choice, and often about delayed gratification, which can mean cutting back on spending to save to invest in a home, perhaps, or on free time to get a degree or certification, investing in oneself by beginning a fitness regime, or targeting a professional goal.

Another misconception is that it only influences the sign in which it’s positioned, which means that as it departs Virgo on October 29^th, suddenly they’ll find that everything’s be rosy, while Librans, into whose sign is moves, are in for a tough time.

 Not so.

Those Virgos must still work at whatever elements of their lives remain unfinished, and if Librans were already busily dealing with issues, they may not even notice the dread Saturn’s arrival in their sign, other than to recognise how much they’ve achieved.  

However, every individual has Saturn located somewhere in their birthchart, and the lessons it indicates are part of their plan for this life. And, similarly, whatever sign it’s in at present, it will be accenting some portion of the chart of each and every individual walking the earth. All the time – 24/7.

If that sounds worrying or depressing, then it’s time for you to befriend this powerhouse planet. Dread Saturn and you won’t have access to the qualities of discrimination, clarity, purposefulness and discipline that it’s all about.

And, equally, you’ll miss out on the sense of focus, power and achievement working with it brings.

It is a very good ally, indeed, to have on your side.

Shelley von Strunckel©2009