(Edited)
On the 24th of February Saturn stares directly cross the zodiac from Sedna. As Saturn stations, turning retrograde, on March 2nd, he stands in a virtual opposition with Sedna. The charge of this aspect is effective now and through mid March. Saturn and Sedna again form an opposition on November 14th.
This is quite the alignment between the horoscopic taskmaster, the deliverer of order, and paternal support archetype, Saturn, and the enigmatic, one of a kind planet, first to bear the archetypes of Inuit, Sedna.
In classical astrology, Saturn refers to the father, the patriarchy and the assignment of rules with the intention of assisting a soul lacking experience to better confront eminent life/world conditions.
Sedna petitioned her father to rescue her from the miserable existence of life with the bird man, the spouse she chose while in a discernment-free zone. As Sedna and her father fled the land of the bird man in a flimsy kayak, birds hovered above them, frothing the ocean to a boil. Fearing for his life, Sedna’s father threw her overboard to save his own bacon. Only after he no longer felt a threat, and after chopping off Sedna’s fingers, did he fish her out of the drink and bring her home.
The tale of Sedna contains more than its share of woe and hardship. Yet, like any astrological archetype, there is something positive to be gleaned from the myth, and perhaps this begins with watching reactions in the real world. It’s true for Saturn, too.
Saturn bears the dubious distinction for being the planet that points out the need for personal responsibility. Sedna carries the bad rap of being the one to throw another out of the boat, or in today’s political vernacular, “under the bus.”
Is this happening? Certainly in the political world, observations can be made of those in positions of authority disavowing responsibility and pushing blame on someone else. In the corporate sector it happens all the time. Try to get a corporation to acknowledge a breach of policy, failure to uphold protocols and procedures.
This is happening in West Virginia, where Freedom Industries, a company storing toxic chemicals on the banks of the Elk River - a river that serves as a primary water supply in the state. Following the spill, the company bankrupted and in a display of legal chicanery, formed a new corporation that claims no responsibility for the previous company. Legislators who previously opposed regulation of the coal industry, which Freedom Industries served, and other ancillary support businesses, now scream for regulation on the heels of this ecological disaster.
Is it all bad out there? No. Today it was announced that CVS stores - a major pharmacy chain in the United States - will discontinue the sale of tobacco products, commencing October 1st. And if one scours the news, other positive examples can be found. But if struggling with one’s own matters, there’s little incentive to look.
Can anything be gleaned from the opposition of Saturn in Scorpio to Sedna in Taurus? Is there any place for a structured protocol (Saturn) that assures self preservation (Sedna's node in Leo)?
Besides the daddy issues of the overbearing patriarchy and one’s support system bailing when the going gets weird, Saturn and Sedna hold another commonality. Both objects come closest to the Sun (perihelion) in the sign of Cancer. The positions of the Cancerian perihelia signify an urgency and extreme priority around issues of domestic stability, physical sustenance and the successful deployment of all material aspects of life related to one’s primal, physical security. This is what it is all about. Unless one feels the security of a roof over one’s head, food in the belly and physical comfort in one’s domicile, the rest of life remains overwhelming.
It would seem that the pushback by the extremely affluent regarding the “war on the wealthy” and the contentious debate in the United States regarding economic inequality perfectly represents the collective issues of the Saturn-Sedna alignment.
To salvage something great from this opposition, make a plan for security in life. Mark daily progress. Marking progress is key. Such denotation allows for the perception that pebbles are making a molehill. In no time, larger stones can be added to the base, and a mountain emerges over time. Without demarcation of progress, though, the quest for making a good life can feel daunting and impossible. Take the small steps. Savor them. Celebrate all progress and accomplishments.
Saturn double dips in Cancer. His north node also appears in Cancer. It’s a bit like “care of the cow” or tend to those things that sustain your life. In the I-Ching, this would be hexagram 27, Providing Nourishment - “The Corners of the Mouth.” This hexagram reports you can tell who a person is by how she/he addresses primary, fostering life concerns and conditions... and also what one speaks and how one speaks of those things.
Take care of your basic needs first. Get solid. Get grounded. Get secure. Then, with stable footing, other matters may be approached with greater confidence and endurance, whether those matters are lofty professional aspirations or battling in the collective for a better world.
Sedna’s north node lies in Leo. Once the urgency of real world concerns mellows with successful manifestations, Sedna’s focus turns to matters of the soul and establishing a clear sense of “I Am.” She seeks to resolve knee-jerk instinctive reactions. She pursues love of self as a means of quelling egoic volatility and battling inner demons of doubt. She seeks higher meaning and spiritual calling and once establishing herself as one traveling a higher road, other travelers seek her out.
It is true that Venus just turned about and the stock market is rattling about like a loose bolt in the cargo bay of a rocket at blast off. Issues of the real world may feel scarier than normal. “Suck it up,” says Saturn. “Remember your choices, and who made them” says Sedna, and she goes on to report, “one can always choose again.” The pressure of Venus, whether internal, peer or from the social collective, dares us to account for all gifts and talents, make a plan, and prepare to launch. In fact, when Venus sextiles/trines the Saturn-Sedna opposition, it might be a perfect time for bold strides forward.
The Venus sextiles/trines to Saturn and Sedna conveniently lines up on day of the exact opposition,
added more intensity. Yes, Mercury is retrograde at that time. Check your facts, figures and
details and fig Mercury. When the starting pistol was fired in Oklahoma’s famous land rush in
1889, Venus was retrograde. Had there been an astrologer sitting on the seat of a buckboard
would the backward track of Venus have been a concern? Not likely. After all, the issue was one
of securing land for a basic foundation in life.
Personal planet retrogrades are inconvenient, hiccup producing, but in the big scheme of things, the issues they present pale by comparison to one’s lofty life objectives. Swat those mosquito transits.
Plan. Plot. Project. Propitiate. Then, put your purpose out there. Take charge. Next time you hear, “who’s your daddy?” utter the perfect answer. “I Am.”