Saturn enters Aquarius: Collective Interest
After having been in its home sign Capricorn since December 2017, Saturn has entered its another home, Aquarius, on March 22 (Hong Kong time). It will stay there until July 2 when it goes back to Capricorn for one last time to finish whatever unfinished business there is. Then on December 17, Saturn will settle in Aquarius until March 2023.
As Saturn rules both Capricorn and Aquarius, it’s very strong here. On the personal level, its transits demand a lot of efforts and commitment from individuals. And who would feel Saturn in Aquarius most intensely? Those with planets or angles in Aquarius, Taurus, Leo and Scorpio in their birth charts.
The differences between Saturn in Capricorn and Aquarius are that, while in Capricorn people are faced with pressure to conform to established practices and routines in order to achieve some personal objective (like a promotion at work), Saturn in Aquarius represents pressure of a different kind - the pressure to innovate and experiment to find new solutions to problems because old methods no longer work, and probably for a cause larger than oneself even.
For example, because of school closures, teachers in Hong Kong are learning to use online platforms to continue with their teaching. This poses quite a challenge because the online learning environment is so different from the classroom’s.
Aquarius is a sign of Fixed Air, so Saturn here shows a strong commitment to uphold certain ideas and principles, despite obstacles or objections. As in the foregoing example about teachers experimenting with online learning, the reason why schools and teachers are doing this is because of their commitment to the idea that "shutting down schools shouldn’t mean shutting down learning". There’s a larger principle at work here and this motivates them to take up the challenge to innovate in delivering education.
That’s on the personal level. What about the societal and collective level? As this pandemic of Covid-19 worsens, countries around the world are imposing total lockdowns, banning travels and closing down non-essential businesses. People are either advised or ordered to self-isolate or quarantine. These restrictions on personal liberties and freedom of movement are classic manifestations of Saturn in Aquarius on the global level.
Whether these restrictions are justified depends on whether they are truly in the public interest (after all, Saturn is about authenticity and integrity) and not just use this as an excuse. Aquarius is a collective sign, so restrictions or other rules and regulations would have to meet the needs of the collective; otherwise, they won’t be sustainable in the long-run, as people would start rebelling against them. In cases where there’ve been too many unjustifiable restrictions on personal freedoms, Saturn in Aquarius would also mark a period of collective action in the fight for freedom.
However, in cases where there’ve been too much wilfulness, irresponsibility and disregard for the collective interest (like people disobeying quarantine orders), more restrictions would be introduced to curb these excesses. For sure, the balance between individual freedoms and collective interest is a delicate one and it’s not easy to draw a line. This is why Saturn (in whatever sign) always represents a challenge and time and efforts are needed to get the balance right.
The term "social responsibility" would weigh heavy in the next few years as Saturn makes it way through Aquarius and perhaps it’s about time. This pandemic is beginning to make people across the world realise we're essentially on the same boat. One person’s action impacts the rest of the community and what happens in one part of the world would, sooner or later, spill over to other parts of the world. If planet Earth and the human race are to survive, everyone must do their part and contribute.
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Based in Hong Kong, Belinda has got over 10 years of chart-reading experience and holds four university degrees, including Psychology and Counselling. Before becoming a professional astrologer, she was doing a highly stable and well-paid job. She switched careers because astrology had simply changed her life… Read on
