posted September 13, 2009 11:54 AM         

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. Eleanor Roosevelt

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be. Anon

There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life. Anon

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Anon

Happening every 45 years or so, the Saturn/Uranus opposition marks a time when we feel we can't live any longer under certain conditions, limitations, systems, relationships, belief systems, jobs, careers, etc, and a part of us comes tearing out. We seek change, reform, relief and the new instead of ploughing on with things that are not working.

Saturn often speaks of the status quo; those things we know to be stable, long lasting, reliable. If not always rewarding, Saturn can bring us familiarity with things we know to be at least predictable. Solid and often quite demanding, Saturn provides us with boundaries, some restrictive, others dependable and life affirming. Uranus, on the other hand, often brings about revolution; it stirs the pot and stretches us to change, it can take things from us without giving us time to reflect, stir up the furies, making us mad, bringing tempers to the boiling point and demanding equality.

This is a simplified estimation of these planetary energies - Saturn can take away things too, just as much or even more so than Uranus. Both have that hard-edged quality that can leave our hearts and minds in tatters... but all the while growing (jeez, these 'learning experiences' - can't we just learn from other people's mistakes)?! Uranus has a particularly 'metal feeling' about it - like a big knife descends and cuts the cords, the tape, the glue or the bindings. The first pass of this opposition occurred on November 4 2008 - the week Barack Obama got elected (btw, the US chart was having a progressed full Moon then on Virgo 4: Black and White Children Playing Happily Together).

The Sabian Symbol for Saturn in this opposition is Virgo 25: A Flag at Half-Mast in Front of a Public Building. The following is from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With the Sabian Oracle:

This Symbol reflects the need for the acknowledgment or public display of something that has passed on or disappeared from your life. It may be important to let others know that there has been a change of some kind or a passing on. This may be a lonely passage or it may involve many others. The display should not be noisy or overt, but a show of respect and accepted as a normal part of life. This means that you don't have to hide or pretend that nothing has happened. Others may prefer to have a simple and respectful sign that brings the loss to their attention. This allows for understanding without the embarrassment of saying or doing the wrong thing in what may be a sensitive and emotional time for both yourself and others. The fact that this 'Flag' is in 'Front of a Public Building' implies that this passing away may have importance to many in the community. Grieving may be a necessary part of the process, but it is also a time for assimilating what it took to get you where you are.

Keywords: Public tribute and recognition. Political affairs. The desire to leave a legacy to society. Having the power to sway the masses or authorities. Signs for all to see. Destinies fulfilled. Coming together as a community or nation to share loss. Judgment on one's life. Appraisal of deeds and character. Public holidays. Obituaries. Taking the time to grieve. Black armbands. Institutions that are closed. Mourning the loss of somebody greatly admired.

The Caution: Feeling an obligation to carry on without taking time to sort out issues from the past or mourn any loss. Devastation and mourning. The burning desire to leave behind something no matter what the cost. Things coming to a standstill. Crocodile tears for what's passed away. Hypocritical mourning for the chosen few.

The lowering of the flag can happen on any level: physically, emotionally or spiritually. Rather amazingly, the aspect of 'letting go' is magnified enormously by the degree of Uranus at Pisces 25: The Purging of the Priesthood.

The Purging of the Priesthood is an image of people having to measure up to spiritual or moral values. Whoever upholds a position in the 'Priesthood' should act in an appropriate manner and minister to the needs of people without any ulterior motives. When people don't live up to their duties or the expectations of others, it often leads to someone having to leave, retire, resign or be ejected. 'Purging' means to get rid of and it can lead to scapegoats; those that are thrown into the desert, abandoned and forgotten.

Periodically, there is a need to cleanse and purify motives, leading to a better representation of moral and spiritual values. Sometimes we need to reexamine moral and spiritual sincerity in a person, corporation, community or situation. Getting rid of people or ideals that hold one back can open up situations to more trust, sharing and enjoyment. You may have to dismiss someone, or a group of people, from their duties or from their ability to affect your life in some way. It is easy to lose sight of the ideal through the use of the rationalizing mind, the ego, security issues or emotive passion. However, if someone has not lived up to their responsibilities on some level, often it's best for the future, and one's peace of mind, to be free of them. It may lead to a breakthrough in the understanding of where things have gone "off the rails", as well. Sometimes there's a need to get clearly out of the reach of peoples "influence". People who hold 'Priestly' attitudes often have quite a lot of power and hold on others. People will often give them power, thereby forsaking their own powers in the process. What side of this 'Purging' are you on? Are you the one with the "right" motives? There could be a fear of rejection at work. Whatever your situation, stating your truth and staying with it is the best option.

Keywords: Revealing the truth of people for who and what they truly are. Cutting people off. Throwing out things that don’t measure up. Forced retirement and redundancies. Payouts at the end of employment. Dismissals. Opting out for moral reasons. Being fired. Holes left where someone took up a lot of space.

The Caution: Stressful battle over who’s in charge. Blackmail. The threat of being thrown out. Something being revealed. Evicting people because they deceive, lie or mislead or just because they’re not liked. Bringing somebody down. Scapegoating others. Corruption and scandal that threaten collapse. Wanting to appear to be doing the right thing. Cover ups. The burning of books. Perversion.

A question here might be; who do you give authority to? Are they worthy? Do they have your best interests at heart? Do they want too much, demand too much, give too little? Uranus here is asking that we accept our personal authority and observe and respect it in others as well.

Uranus has passed over the Purging degree for some months - prior to which was it's long sojourn earlier this year on Pisces 26: A New Moon Reveals That It's Time For People to Go Ahead With Their Different Projects. This Symbol speaks of letting go as well. It also speaks of realizing where things are working and where they are not. It can be a call to realize where we're experiencing co-dependant behavior in our relationships. This is made even clearer by the recent stay of Saturn on Virgo 24: Mary and Her White Lamb. This sparks co dependency issues, recognizing and accepting boundaries and the need to assess one's approach towards others. Have you been too soft lately? Too accepting? Too trusting? Have you been a bit harsh lately? Too demanding, needy, always wanting, expecting? Saturn is asking that you define your boundaries in a healthier, more useful, more productive way. This may include the need for speaking up against restrictions, impossible relationships, difficult relating that excludes tenderness, empathy and value.

Uranus will soon slip back from the purging degree back onto Pisces 24: An Inhabited Island. This speaks about living together with others in close proximity, getting along with people, having to compromise, share space, it's pretty much the give and take of being alive in amongst others on this planet...

This Saturn/Uranus opposition will be happening again in January, April, May and July of 2010 by which time Saturn will be on Libra 1 and Uranus on Aries 1. This time will be another big opportunity to give up those things that hold us back - although getting cracking now is just the ticket for freeing up our lives so we can be more authentically who we're supposed to be or accomplish what we need to accomplish.

The trick with this pass of the Saturn/Uranus opposition is to take Mercury's retrograde message. Mercury is on Libra 3: The Dawning of a New Day Reveals Everything Changed. This speaks of new perspectives and realizations, waking up to a whole new consciousness or sense of reality, emerging from depression, huge changes that erase things that mattered before, radical shifts, major life experiences, being reborn, events out of nowhere, changes of fortune, revitalized perspectives, coming out of a sleep.

This is made even stronger by Mercury soon to reverse onto Libra 2: The Light of the Sixth Race Transmuted to the Seventh. This speaks of spiritual growth, ascension in consciousness, younger or more vital elements taking over, the fruits of the new ages, theosophy - Blavatsky's theories, UFO's and aliens, music that lifts one's spirits, gurus and avatars, transmutations, demarcations of evolution, indigo children, evolving, finding kindred spirits, sharing visions.

It seems that we are being pushed to let go in a big LET GO type of way. We're also being pushed to acknowledge and accept our sense of personal authority - marvelous! I reckon we can do it without too many pain killers; we just have to remember to be kind with others, to recognize the grace and wonder in ourselves and in others and to remember to enjoy our lives to the max.