After spending just a little over two years in Virgo (since September 2, 2007), Saturn enters Libra on October 29. If Saturn is the demanding father or boss who pushes you mercilessly toward some standard of excellence and achievement, his transit through signs describes his management style. While Saturn transited Leo, authority figures – both external and internal – were dramatic, swaggering, hollering orders like a bellicose child. In Virgo, they’ve savaged you about the small stuff – the uncrossed t’s, the misfiled papers, the citations incorrectly formatted. In Libra, they will pulverize you with a smile.
The best/worst boss I ever had was a Capricorn, but she had to have had significant planets or the Ascendant in Libra. Blond and refined, she carried herself with elegance and dignity. She was diplomatic, tactful, and charming – but underneath it all, she was Saturn/Capricorn to the core, pitiless in her demand for perfection and intolerant of excuses. As far as she was concerned, when something went wrong on my desk, it didn’t make the least bit of difference whether or not I’d caused the problem – it was my fault. From her, I internalized Truman’s famous edict that “the buck stops here.” Each day I came home from work feeling bloodied and bruised, wanting to weep. In fact, on a couple of occasions I did seek refuge in the office of a sympathetic friend, crying and threatening to quit.
I lasted just about a year and a half on that job, and while I was delighted to move on, I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned there. They come in especially handy during Saturn transits. Because Saturn, much like my Capricorn boss, does not want to hear excuses. All that matters to Saturn is results. I suppose that’s why I’ve always thought of her as my best boss: she made me miserable, but she also made me a better, more responsible worker.
Saturn’s sign is not just about style, but about the nature of the work he has assigned to us. While Saturn was in Leo, he insisted that we express ourselves creatively despite indifference, criticism, and staggering obstacles; and while Saturn has been in Virgo, we and our lives were meant to become better, fitter instruments through which creativity can flow. So for two years, Saturn has slapped us – hard – every time we complained that doing our Virgo duty was impossible. “But how am I going to find time to exercise?” Slap! “Surely no one expects me to do that much research before I write this article.” Slap!slap!slap! “What does it matter if I keep my files in order and my checking account balanced?” Ssssss…lap!!
Libra is the sign of the marketplace, and as Saturn moves into that sign it will be time to sell yourself. If you haven’t done your Virgo homework, the market will find you wanting – and you’ll have a much harder time fetching the price you think you’re worth. Time to organize your files, balance the checkbook, and buy a new pair of Reeboks.
We have one week left to crash for Virgo’s final exam. Let’s get to work.
