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FOR FEBRUARY THROUGH DECEMBER 2004 

by Brian Habit

Saturn opposes your Venus from roughly September 2003 till July 2004.

Social relations take a serious turn during this transit. It’s often a challenging time, but it can also be a rewarding time. Saturn rewards effort, not slacking off, so a lot depends on whether you put forth a serious effort so that you can get serious results. Before we get into Saturn, let’s review what your natal Venus symbolizes.

Venus represents how we create and respond to harmony. Venus is that part of us that wants to get along well with others. She also represents our aesthetic tastes and perceptions or how we feel moved when we see beauty, such as the beauty found in nature. Venus rules inner peace and those sorts of experiences can help us calm down when life jostles and jars our sensibilities. She’s how we relax and have fun. She represents the appealing qualities with which we attract others to us, whether they are beauty, gracefulness, politeness, an elegant way of speaking or moving, or something else. In addition, Venus indicates how we form and maintain supportive relationships.

As Saturn makes transits to your natal Venus over the years, he goes through a cycle. This cycle marks the process by which you develop your worldly ambition and identity (Saturn) in relation to your social, recreational, and creative expression. It represents the process of deciding how to deal with building or maintaining relationships with others (Venus) as you go about pursuing your long-term goals (Saturn). This current opposition from Saturn to your Venus represents a major turning point in the cycle. What happens now depends in part on what you experienced roughly 14 years ago (in 1989-1990), when Saturn last passed over your Venus.

If you started a new process of developing your ambition in relation to your inner life 14 years ago, then you can expect that process to peak now. On the other hand, if you reached a peak in 1989-1990, in terms of a process that you started 14 years earlier, then you can expect to start a new process now. Let’s look at each of these possibilities, starting with the first possibility.

POSSIBILITY NUMBER 1: A NEW START EARLIER AND A CLIMAX NOW

Let’s suppose that you started a new process in terms of the way that you express your practicality and ambition in relation to your social ties in 1989-1990. If that’s what happened, then for the past 14 years, you’ve been gradually moving toward a climax in that process.

If the process that you have been going through has basically been going well, then now you can expect to enjoy the fruits of all your hard work and effort. On the other hand, if the process has basically not been going well, then you can expect for life to tell you in no uncertain terms just how off course you have been during this Saturn cycle. Maybe this pertains to work-related connections with others (supervisors, co-workers, and/or employees), or to people who live (or used to live) under the same roof with you. Whatever you did then, roughly seven years ago (that is, in 1997-1998) you went through a major turning point. Saturn squared your Venus. At that point, life gave you a check-up. Circumstances tested the course that you were pursuing. Demanding or difficult circumstances put pressure on you to do one of two things:

(1) If you were trying to accomplish something, and it was something that was valid, or healthy, or right for you, then it was time to make your strategy stronger. By making your strategy stronger, you could continue making progress and eventually reach a successful climax (now). 

(2) If you were trying to accomplish something that was not valid, or healthy, or right for you, then it was time for you to make a major course correction. You still had a chance to reach a major peak later (now). However, in order to do it, you would need to change not just how you were trying to accomplish what you wanted, but what you were trying to accomplish in the first place. 

THE NEED TO MAKE A COURSE CORRECTION

Let’s suppose that the latter case is what happened seven years ago. If that’s the case, then maybe you found that your boss or coworkers blocked your efforts. Maybe you were turning out good work, but your boss might still not have liked it. Maybe you approached a personal relationship with maturity and effort, but the other person still gave you a lot of grief. Whatever happened, you would have done well to consider those experiences as signals that you needed to reconsider whether you wanted to leave your life just the way it was. Did you really want to stay in that job? Did you really want to continue that relationship?

The point then wasn’t to doubt yourself or to give up hope. The point was that you were supposed to be doing something else. Saturn was saying that you needed to accept that fact, and put your effort into figuring out exactly where you should be. Saturn represents structure, and you were supposed to major basic changes in the structure and patterns in your life. Laying a new foundation would allow you to build a solid life for yourself.

IF YOU DID NOT MAKE A NEEDED COURSE CORRECTION

Now, let’s suppose that you were on the wrong course seven years ago, but you managed to stay on that course in spite of all the adversity that you faced. You didn’t take a hint (or a shove!) from Saturn. If you did that, then now you can expect the process to finally collapse. You can expect life to give you a very disappointing return on the investment that you made.

Oppositions are a time of tension, of being pulled in two different directions, at least at first. If you needed to make a course correction seven years ago, and you put off doing it, then you can expect this opposition to be more stressful, or painful, or challenging than it would otherwise have been.

MOVING FROM A TENSE DEBATE TOWARD A MORE SATISFYING BALANCE

As it is, during an opposition, the cosmic current is moving toward a peak of awareness, or consciousness, or realization. Circumstances that have been building for some time finally come to light or reach a peak. We’re confronted by people, or events, or situations. They challenge us to become aware of something that we haven’t realized. Circumstances demand that we deal with something that we have let go unaddressed for some time, until the heat is on, and we’re really under pressure to deal with them somehow.

By the way, what’s confronting us may be something that we dread dealing with—like cosmic veggies that we don’t want to it. But it could also be something that we come to enjoy, once we really plow in to them. “Hey, these don’t taste so bad after all. I actually like them! Who would have thought…?”

When we experience an opposition, we have a debate going on inside ourselves. Two voices are arguing. We may be all too conscious of this debate. We may know exactly what the debate is, that’s going on inside of us. On the other hand, we may not be conscious of the debate at all, or we may be conscious of only one half of it. If we’re not conscious of the debate inside us, or we’re only conscious of one half of it, then odds are greater that we will be confronted by someone or something outside ourselves that pressures us to become conscious of both parts of the debate.

For example, you might tend to act out the part of your Venus in Capricorn in your 12th house, acting with self-restraint or a sense of duty in altruistic or behind-the-scenes activities, “following your head.” Meanwhile, another person might tend to act out the part of Saturn transiting through Cancer, saying, “What about your soul? Do you only care about money or status? Don’t you care about your feelings…and mine?” Maybe some situation comes up that seems Saturnian. It presents practical delays or demands, maybe involving family or co-workers; and you are faced with the need to deal with them realistically somehow—for example, cover for a co-worker who’s out sick, providing support while setting limits in a “tough love” way with a relative, etc. Are you picking up cautious or discouraging messages from other people or from external circumstances now, related to the theme of acting responsibly? Then take some time to think about how much of it might reflect your own desire for caution, or self-doubt, or resistance to change.

We could just as easily look at the situation in reverse. Maybe you want to take a more tenderhearted, nurturing, or selfless approach to dealing with others, and another person or circumstances plays a Saturnian role. In that case, maybe you’re the sentimental party ready to exchange “warm fuzzies” or listen to your intuition, and the external element is a harsh, duty-bound person or situation.

When Saturn and Venus face off, it can be a dialogue, an argument or a negotiation between the principle of duty and the principle of pleasure. There’s tension between following your sense of obligation or doing what your conscience tells you to do (Saturn) and doing what gives you pleasure or what you find enjoyable (Venus).

When we act out an opposition in interacting with someone or something in our environment, then we play the part of one voice, and someone or something else will play the part of the other voice. We still struggle with the tension between the two voices, but we do it outside ourselves rather than inside our own head. If this happens for you now, then consider how that situation or person might reflect reservations or doubts that you yourself are having.

An opposition is a time to strike a more satisfying balance between two contrasting principles or approaches. It’s a time to integrate these principles or approaches more fully. When it’s a Saturnian position like this one, then by integrating them, we can be more effective. We can get the job done. We can go the distance and bring home a victory.

IF YOU DID MADE A NEEDED COURSE CORRECTION

On the other hand, let’s suppose that you did face facts squarely in 1997-1998. You made the kind of major course correction that you needed to make. If you did that, then you might be very pleased with the return that you get on your investment. You’ll get positive feedback from others or from life. You’ll be rewarded with a big payoff for all your effort. For example, maybe you’re successful in your pursuits in your community. Saturn transits are typically times of hard work (or at least the need to work hard, in order to accomplish what you want), but Saturn rewards hard work with great success, as long as it is based on a foundation of realism.

If you experience a lot of success now, by all means enjoy it and make the most of it. At the same time, you might want to make a mental note that, another seven years from now, you can expect another major testing period in your public pursuits. Given that it’s just a matter of time before that happens, start laying the groundwork now for that. Start gradually adapting what you have been doing so that can move on to a new level later. In other words, enjoy what you have accomplished so far, but also look toward entering a new stage of development down the road. 

Now I’ll talk about the other possibility for what this current Saturn transit to your Venus might mean, in light of the larger cycle of pursuing your ambitions publicly. I’ll talk about what it means now, if you reached a climax 14 years ago in the cycle. In that case, it means that it’s time to start a whole new process.

POSSIBILITY NUMBER 2: A CLIMAX EARLIER AND A NEW START NOW

Let’s suppose that you experienced a climax in 1989-1990 in a process of developing the way that you express your identity publicly. If that’s what happened then, then since then, you’ve been gradually wrapping up the process that you have been pursuing for 29 years or so (since 1974-1975). Now you’re making a new start. You’re going through the tentative first steps, feeling your way as you start a new process of using your head in relation to what’s going on in your heart.

IN ANY EVENT

Saturn structures and solidifies affairs if we’re on track with what we’re doing. If we’re not on track with what we’re doing, then he can present us with onerous burdens or frustrations. In any event, Saturn is in it for the long haul, not the quick fix or the short cut or the band-aid approach. You should act that way, too. Maybe this means that you cut your losses. You stop putting up with roles that starve your soul. You come to terms with the very real, specific implications of what it means to act in a loyal, devoted way toward others.  

Think about how you could integrate your imaginative, fun-loving, intuitive side (Venus) and your rational, ambitious, dutiful side (Saturn) more fully. The question is whether you’ll channel your urge for social connection in a workable direction. Will you relate to others in a way that reflects both respect and self-respect? Look for ways to act with both sensitivity and realism, with practicality and generosity. Doing that will help you channel any gloominess you feel into productive activity.

A Saturn transit brings an encounter with some firm reality, if not some outright cold, hard facts. Ask yourself what action you need to take that will reflect the fact that you are more mature now in some respect than you used to be. Saturn opposing your Venus means that you’re called to act with social self-restraint. Maybe a friend or relative needs help, or your work demands that you attend certain social functions. Circumstances demand that you put your personal agenda on the back burner temporarily, and you feel the need to be patient, work on something when you feel like doing something else, and delay some gratification until later.

As always, you could take a high road or a low road during this transit. In general, if you handle a Saturn transit badly, you make too much or too little of an accommodation to life’s serious demands.

If you make too much of an accommodation to life’s seriousness, then when you see obstacles in your path, you curl up into a sad little ball. You develop tunnel vision. You lose the battle, so you give up the war. You can’t have what you want, with whom you want, or when or how you want it, so you don’t try to have anything. You just cope. With Saturn opposing your Venus, this happens in connection with Venusian matters. For example, maybe you experience some loss of status that is related to your social life. Maybe limiting or demanding conditions (such as a medical condition) challenge your ability to continue earning money as you had been doing in the past. And you let yourself become discouraged.

If you make too little of an accommodation to reality, then you might act on your ambition without considering the toll that it could take on your relationships with others. You experience socially austere conditions, such as estrangement or division between you and others, possibly due at least in part to your own actions. Maybe you get into polarized relationships, for example, one in which one person plays a worldly/exploitive role and the other one plays a self-indulgent/dependent role. Maybe you act brutal or domineering toward someone else, or someone else acts that way toward you.

If you make a strong response, then when you run into an obstacle, you work around it by acting flexibly. If you’re faced with close interactions that cramp your enjoyment or your sense of social connection, then you do what you have to do to get through the situation. You act with self-restraint, discipline, and persistence somehow. You put forth a lot of sustained effort. At the same time, you keep in mind that, however discouraging things seem in the present, they will not always be this difficult. You let new, more realistic ways of thinking shape the way that you relate to others in a more productive way. You take strategic risks in dealing with others. In effect, you say, “I’m game to brainstorm and explore possibilities.” You don’t sit on any frustration or sadness. You turn it into purposeful activity, toward effectively accomplishing whatever is important to you. Maybe you stretch beyond your fear by researching practical matters that could serve you well in the future. It could help you feel more effective to take concrete action, rather than feeling burdened or discouraged by dwelling on any unpleasant feelings now.

You achieve a balancing act of sorts between expressing your Venus as you want and playing by Saturn’s rules.

Maybe you withstand a challenge to your status by mustering the social support that you need to maintain it. Maybe you’re faced with limited options, so you conduct yourself carefully as you go about acting on your social values and relating to others. By doing that, you lessen the likelihood that The Powers That Be will step in and try to curtail your actions further.

Perhaps you take on greater responsibilities due to changes in your social ties, but you do so willingly because of something that you want. For example, a person might add a child to his or her family now. On one hand, it increases pressure on the breadwinner(s). It’s another mouth to feed. At the same time, it’s worth it because it’s a joy to have another child.

If you’ve been suffering under some painful situation, then you might make a short-term sacrifice for greater comfort in the long run. Say you’ve had scoliosis since you were a child, and you decide to finally have spinal surgery. That means some pain for some gain. Saturn relates to structure, and by having surgery, you express this idea in terms of the structure of your body.

Another possibility is that someone else has harmed you, and you decide to hold that person accountable. You seek monetary compensation through the legal system for what he or she did. Still another possibility is that a relationship ends on a sad note. Maybe this fact means presents a challenge to you not only emotionally but also in terms of your creative/financial life. Whatever the case, you withstand the loss and you move on successfully from here. 

When Saturn opposes your Venus, there’s often a sense that you don’t get (Saturn) what you want (Venus). That may be true during the transit. On the other hand, you may get want you want during this period, but if so, you’ll have to make a Saturnian investment of time, effort, patience, and self-discipline first. You’ll have to sacrifice some things for the sake of having other things that are even more important to you. Saturn says you can’t do it all, you can’t have it all, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a great sense of calm and satisfaction in what you do achieve now.   

In fact, some people even receive recognition for their worldly accomplishments during this transit. They reach a peak in a creative career, or they get social validation for the excellent work that they’ve done. Maybe they advance in their work by demonstrating creative excellence, and they become more popular with the public.