Friday was a Saturn – Day

Yesterday was a Friday, traditionally ruled by Venus. However for me it was a Saturn kind of day. Not only are transiting Venus and Mars conjunct my natal Saturn, but yesterday 2/11/22 transiting Saturn landed exactly on my natal Ascendant. This phenomenon happens approximately every 29 and a half years, so it is a rare transit. I chose the Jasper Johns Star of David painting above, because Saturn also rules the Jewish people. This is also significant because I met with a Rabbi on zoom this week, coinciding with this Saturnian energy. I will write more on my recent Jewish reversal journey in a future post.

In my personal experience, major Saturn transits don’t always amount to much. Both my Saturn returns did not fit the traditional trajectories, in part because of other powerful transits obscuring the picture. Transiting Saturn on my MC, again, kinda like crickets, even less meaningful than the returns. I looked back to my initial Saturn Ascendant conjunction on April 1992 to get a feel for what to expect this time. During that this time period I considered paying more attention to career advancement and taking on more authority. This eventually ( with Saturn still in my 1st house) led to going back to get a second graduate degree, this time in Social Work, so I could be positioned for a promotion. This coincided with my attainment of my License in Social Work, as transiting Saturn was leaving my first house. This go round is more exact in that this week I racked up enough Supervised clinical hours to apply for my LCSW license, triggering the opportunity to sit for the exam. I have decided to accrue extra hours, just in case the board disqualifies some hours due to a technicality. The regulations are often unclear , leading to uncertainty. However, this is a big achievement for me since I have been at this for over 5 years!

Saturn indicates slow growth and maturation and this ride has been incredibly full of delays, obstacles, and at times, frustration and humiliation. On the bright side, I learned plenty about myself and my ever changing relationship with authority figures. While I was not feeling particularly energized,  I wanted to do something celebratory. With the Jasper Johns exhibit about to close soon, I headed over to the newly renovated Philadelphia Museum of Art after my supervisory session. The weather has been unseasonably warm and I have not ventured to this museum since 2019.

The museum was  less crowded than expected, which was a nice surprise. The renovations made navigating this huge  building  both confusing and tiring. It was well worth it though. I had a lovely lunch at their restaurant, crowded with gregarious talkative Moon in Gemini mood patrons, all vaccinated and seemingly carefree.  I began to settle down once the food arrived, the highlight being my sweet potato gnocchi entrée, served with mushrooms and broccolini in a lemony butter sauce. It was delightful, alongside the soft, yummy bread served with butter. I was in butter heaven!

My take on Jasper Johns was mixed. I had seen some of his work before and some folks told me it was not worth the effort. Yet I remember enjoying some of his work so I went with an open mind.  I appreciated his use of lines and color but I am not a big modernist fan. The pictures below include the exhibit along with some stray Monets, Van Gogh, and even a Matisse I saw with fresh eyes. I also included my view of the river on my ride home.

Take a look and see what moves you!

As someone with an Aquarius ascendant, I have been told by many colleagues that Saturn is my true chart ruler. With my natal Saturn in Capricorn, this adds more weight to this argument. While I really prefer Uranus as my chart ruler, I must admit I am more of a hybrid mix. Old with new, tradition with innovation, reserve nature mixed with friendliness. ambition mingling with humanitarian values. In the final analysis, we are all a blend of every possible energetic possibility. While noticing the similarities between 1992 and the present, I see that education in various forms ( grad school or clinical supervision) and licensure  leading to more career options, is an obvious theme for me. Astrology absolutely works, but one’s mileage will vary widely. Some events are in your face and some are internal and quite nuanced. In any case, I often doubted I would see this day as I considered giving up on this goal more than once.  Here’s to milestones, perseverance, and manifestation, with a side order of Jasper Johns, early Spring days, and sweet potato gnocchi.

header photo courtesy of wikipedia.org, public domain