Without community, there is no liberation

Saturn’s homecoming comes to an end, and the Saturn in Pisces era begins

It’s 4:00 AM and instead of peacefully sleeping, I am awake and mourning. As Mercury moves through the first degree of Pisces and the Moon moves through the final degrees of Cancer, I find myself thinking about the collective grief and loss of the last six years. March 7^th marks the end of a Saturnian era. Since December 19, 2017, Saturn has experienced a somber homecoming traveling through Capricorn and Aquarius, the signs they rule. Saturn is our material reality and the physical and social structures we have built and organized ourselves into. Saturn in Capricorn is the physical structures while Saturn in Aquarius is the social and ideological structures. While Saturn constructs and builds reality, they also shake the foundation of what is not meant to last. Saturn is endurance, the long game, and mastery. A well-resourced Lord of Time does not waste their energy on upholding feeble human constructs, rather they teach us what is meant to crumble will crumble, and what is meant to last will endure.

For four more days Saturn meanders through the final degree of Aquarius, and it will be 24 years until Saturn returns home again. We need to make the best of these final Saturnian days by reflecting and integrating the teachings of Saturn in Capricorn and Aquarius. Saturn is a wise, patient teacher much like a trusted grandparent or elder who teaches firmly yet always from a place of love. Sometimes we need tough love to grow and expand our perspectives so we can see the truth of the world we live in. Saturn is preparing us for what’s to come. We live in late stage capitalism, the digital age, and the era of climate catastrophe. Domicile Saturn has been teaching us to use our discernment to sift through what is real and what is conspiracy. Saturn is Yoda the Jedi Master training us to build resilient communities and infrastructure to withstand our uncertain future. Much like Star Was, the darkness of the Empire is growing but only because it is on the verge of collapse, and it is up to us to choose the Jedi path. To forge a new future built on a foundation of love, reciprocity, and community. So as this Saturnian homecoming comes to end, we must turn inwards and find our sources of inner strength. We need it for the journey ahead.

As I reflect on the last six years, I am simultaneously filled with sorrow and overwhelmed with love and gratitude. My life has completely transformed. December 2017 feels like another lifetime, and perhaps it was. The last three years have been especially turbulent marking the highest highs and lowest lows I have experienced in my 29 years. I attribute this to my Saturn return which is an astrological event marking major shifts in our lives. I encourage you to think about the last six years especially if you are a Saturn in Capricorn or Saturn in Aquarius native. What has changed for you? What have you lost? What has endured? What have you gained?

For me, Saturn is Aquarius was marked by major losses.

I lost a dream because it was never meant to come to fruition.

I lost a best friend because some friendships are only seasons.

I built and lost a political organization because the foundation was not stable enough.

I lost the sweetest animal companion I’ve ever known.

I lost my roots in a city I thought was my forever home, but the roots weren’t deep enough.  

I lost my relationship with my father, a heartbreak I am grieving to this day.

I lost addictions and coping mechanisms finding strength I didn’t know I had.   

I lost self-limiting beliefs and deeply rooted insecurities learning to treat myself with more compassion and grace.

While the losses have been heart wrenching and eye opening, they’ve been accompanied by beautiful gains.

Several new dreams have awakened inside me, and I feel a sense of purpose again.

The friendships meant to last have endured and been fortified.

I felt the ancestral call to move back home, and I feel more rooted than ever before.

My familial bonds are growing stronger as we share more quality time together.  

I feel my ancestors’ presence, guidance, and protection.

My partner proposed, and I have a fiancé, our love infinite and ever expanding.

I’m in a love affair with the Moon, stars, and planets.

I’m finally listening to and taking care of my inner child and inner teen.

I birthed a business, new creative outlets, and a blog, thank you for reading along.

Finally, I have gained new perspectives, priorities, and I love being myself more than ever.

I’m grateful for all my experiences, to be alive in this human body, living on this beautiful blue planet in the goldilocks zone.

As we look ahead to Saturn in Pisces, I think about the pain and beauty of human experience. The pain of struggle, oppression, and loss. The beauty of connection, love, and community. If Saturn is material reality and Pisces is deep, expansive emotion, then this new era can aid us in building support structures to process collective grief. The era of Saturn in Capricorn and Aquarius is marked by the rise of extreme alt-right politics, a global deadly pandemic, police brutality, and climate catastrophe. Capitalism denies us the time and resources to properly grieve. We are all holding onto so much pain, and Saturn in Pisces will open the floodgates bringing our collective grief to the surface of our physical reality. Let us create spaces to grieve and process in community. We cannot do this alone. We need each other. We need community care. As Audre Lorde said, “without community, there is no liberation.”