Ocean Motion

 Whatever else can be said about Saturn, he definitely has ways of keeping us grounded. During the past five years, while the beautiful planet has travelled through his own domain of Capricorn and Aquarius, we've had a pretty solid dose of reality hit us on a variety of fronts. The effects of global warming are evident. Covid has provided a sharp reminder about the fragility of life. And despite the overabundance of misinformation online waiting to pounce on virtually every mouse click, the dark money machinations and tyrannical ambitions behind it are now much better understood. So it'll be interesting to see how matters shift once Saturn enters Pisces on 7th March.

It seems to me that, while we do not always use them to best effect, the gifts of the heavens unfailingly arrive in timely fashion. Certainly we needed that injection of realism following the chaos of 2016. I would suggest, however, that the ongoing journey of Saturn into new domains is also, at this moment, requisite.

A Celestial Reveille

Something pretty special is due to happen in the skies this week.

First, a bit of background. The Earth year, depending on which part of the planet you inhabit, has certain seasons at certain points. In much of the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) is around 21st or 22nd December. The summer solstice is halfway round the year from that, usually on 21st or 22nd June. The spring and autumn equinoxes take place between those times, in March and September respectively. At corresponding latitudes in the Southern hemisphere, these times are reversed: summer in December, winter in June, and so on.

The exact date and time is not always the same, because the seasons are aligned not with the Gregorian calendar but with certain points in the Earth's orbit, which cause the Sun's latitude from our point of view to appear as far North or South as it can be, or (in the case of the equinoxes) right on the equator.

Astrologically, the solstices and equinoxes, from December onwards, correspond with the Sun's apparent entry into the (tropical) signs of Capricorn, Aries, Cancer and Libra respectively. These four are known as the cardinal signs, those that commence their seasons - associated with pioneering, leading and pushing forward.