Aug 28, 2023 | by Daniel Giamario |
Saturn at Opposition
On Sunday, August 27, 1:28am PDT, the Sun at 03Virgo50 reaches opposition to Saturn at 03Pisces50. For the Sun and Saturn this is a yearly event, as the sidereal and synodic cycles are nearly the same.
I have always disliked the word “opposition” for what it connotes in the modern mind. I prefer to see oppositions as resonant polarities, carrying the archetypal energy of a Full Moon. This a time of awareness and consciousness, even if what is being seen is not desired. With a Full Moon, it’s the “shadows of night.” With a “Full Saturn,” it’s the shadow of Saturn. The intention is to see the objective truth, the 3D reality of what is happening in your life and the world.
This is not about patriarchal guilt or personal deficiencies, but to “get real”, with personal accountability and honesty, with a willingness to make changes. Get over any sense of unfairness or bad karma!
Although these yearly oppositions have an initiatory period of about three days, I would expect this time frame to be longer and particularly intense, as it coincides with an extreme out-of-bounds Capricorn Moon (27S51 declination). This is followed on Wednesday by the Perigee Full Moon (closest of the year) which will align with Saturn at 12:33pm PDT, so both can be seen rising together at sunset. The exact full moon at 07Pisces25 is 6:36pm PDT.
Uranus Stationary Regtrograde
On Monday, August 28, 7:39pm PDT, Uranus is stationary retrograde at a significant degree: 23Taurus04.
The chart of the Lahaina fire of 8/8 was 22Leo35 Ascending and Venus 23Leo21Rx, with Uranus at 22Taurus54. The Venus-Uranus square relationship has been quite strong recently. Venus will again be around the 23rd degree of Leo September 29-30, still in square with Uranus.
To the Mayans, morning star Venus was a “war goddess”. Surely, we have seen unprecedented FIRE all over the planet at this time. May it also auger the awakening of the FIRE of intuition, to see clearly what is happening, and to boldly be willing to call out the shadow! There are bound to be many opportunities to do so.
Uranus retrograde symbolizes even greater unexpected and unimaginable experiences and events than usual, and likely to be related to the physical Earth, our bodies, and our attachments to our money and security.
Uranus will remain retrograde until January 26, 2024, turning direct at 19Taurus05. A further encounter with the 23rd degree happens May 11-28, 2024, just after the powerful Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on April 21, 2024.
TOTAMS recently presented a Jupiter in Taurus seminar which includes a lot of content about the Jupiter-Uranus relationship as well: (You will be redirected to the recording after signing in to or up for our private and secure TOTAMS Community Forum).
Mars Enters Libra
Mars entered Libra on Sunday, August 27, 6:20am PDT. Only 26 degrees from the Sun now in the evening sky, Mars is about as dim as he ever gets: only magnitude +1.8 and hard to spot in the twilight.
Before entering into the underworld on September 30, Mars will have one last challenge in this phase of the Gemini Overstory, with a Lunar conjunction on September 16. After receiving input from Venus these past few months, it’s interesting that Mars continues to receive teaching from stars of the Priestess constellation and even entering the underworld in alignment with Spica, the prime star of the Sacred Feminine, and the stellar stand-in for Venus herself.
For more info on the Venus and Mars cycles, here is the free preview of TOTAMS’ upcoming immersive group journey to learn about and ceremonialize the now starting Venus Leo Overstory – for the first time, including the synodic cycle of Mars too.