Saturn in Libra – what will it mean for your relationships?

Except for a brief period between April 8th and July 21st, Saturn is in Libra until October 5th 2010. Saturn is exalted in Libra which means that this is one of its most powerful placements. Saturn represents reality, challenges, structure, foundation, obstacles, hard work, obligations, restrictions, and limitations. As he transits through the houses of your birth chart, he teaches you important lessons that will improve the quality of your life in the longer term.

Libra governs partnerships and all kinds of relationships, both personal and business. Libra is objective, fair-minded, logical, social, charming, friendly, seeks balance, and appreciates the aesthetic beauty in its surroundings. Libra does not like conflict and will try to keep the peace at all costs. Saturn doesn’t operate on that level – if there is some unpleasantness to be experienced, then it is all for the bigger picture and the sooner we face the issues, the sooner we can construct new structures that are supportive and helpful in our lives.

With Saturn in Libra, we have lessons to learn about the challenges in our relationships, our commitment and work we need to put in to maintain healthy connections, the balance of power within our partnerships, and the objectivity that is sometimes needed especially when passions and emotions come to the fore.

Those of you who were born between 1982 and 1984 may be experiencing your first Saturn Return (embarking on adulthood); and those of you who were born between 1952 and 1954 may be going through your second Saturn Return. The way you dealt with your first Saturn return will have a strong bearing on how easy or how challenging your second Saturn return will be.

Let’s take a look at how Saturn will be affecting you through the various houses:

The 1st House represents you, your self-image, your being, your potential. Saturn's transit through house might bring self-awareness of your limitations due to various obligations in your life, situations forced upon you, or mental and physical challenges. This transit is about rising above whatever is pushing you down and keeping you from the success you desire; having the confidence and belief in your own determination and drive for achievement despite the odds; making lemonade out of lemons. At the beginning of this transit you may feel quite lost – as though much has been taken away from you and you are back to the beginning. This is because Saturn gets rid of anything that is extraneous and of no value to you and gives you a chance to rebuild your life. Decisions that you make during this period are the start of another 14 year period in your life. So take your time and don’t allow yourself to be rushed.

The 2nd House represents your material possessions, your income, your values, and your self-worth. On a higher level, it represents stability, inner peace, and being grounded through your own self-sufficiency. In these difficult economic times and employment worries, Saturn's transit through the 2nd house reminds you that your true worth does not lie in your possessions and inner peace cannot be achieved through material means alone. You may be forced learn to live within your financial means, discard the unnecessary, and have your resilience truly tested. This is certainly a time to be frugal and to make best use of the resources available to you.

The 3rd House represents short trips, communication, commerce, writing, speaking, thinking, planning, and ideas. Saturn's transit through this house might mean that you take up a serious course of study, one that will take a few years to accomplish. This should be in a field that will further your career. Remember that Saturn is a slow-moving planet, so don’t allow yourself to get bogged down with the details. Instead, focus on actively taking baby steps towards your future. For those with siblings this transit might highlight how relationships and interactions with them can be improved. You may feel as though your movement is restricted in some way – this is just so that you stay focused and don’t scatter your energies.

The 4th House represents the family - present or issues from the past, the home – buying or selling a house, moving, re-financing, re-decorating, remodeling, and your private life. On an emotional or personal level, it represents coming to terms with the past or unresolved family issues. A Saturn transit in the fourth house might prove truly challenging. Here, you are urged to put your raw emotions aside for the sake of reason and what's achievable. You may do renovations on your property. For example, you may insulate it and put in double glazing to save on heating bills for the winter.

The 5th House represents self-expression, creative projects, love and romance, fun, playfulness, and children. Saturn's transit through the fifth house makes you aware of your responsibilities while at the same time making sure that you have time for fun and pleasure too. This is not a time to speculate on the stock markets or property market, but rather a time to conserve what you have. It could be a good time to solidify an entrepreneurial venture that you have been working on for some time. It can indicate increased responsibilities with children or young people.

The 6th House represents health, work, service, comfort in routines, and finding order in the details. This transit might bring about forced lifestyle changes and changes in your health habits, your diet, exercise, how you work. You may have to take on the role of being of service to other people. It could be a time for you to set clear boundaries in relation to the people with whom you work. If there is a tendency for you to take on too much, you can expect to be extra-burdened during this transit. The key will be for you to learn to say no. It’s an important time to take care of your health and if there are any issues to get them seen to as soon as possible.

The 7th House represents partnerships and all your one-to-one relationships, committed relationships, and known enemies. Forced or long-awaited and much needed changes to relationships -- equality, cooperations, compromises, agreements, how we relate to others, how they relate to us -- might be issues that come up now. Long-term ties that have been significant in the past may be severed during this transit. If you are in a relationship, it will be sorely tested during this transit. If your relationship is solid, then once the transit is over, you will come out of it stronger and more together than ever. If however, your relationship is unbalanced and not nourishing, you may well separate.

The 8th House represents sex and shared resources or finances. On the psychological level, it represents power struggles within your own psychological makeup and your ability to embrace the darker version of yourself without it overpowering you. On a spiritual level, it represents transformation and regeneration -- the need for something to die in order for a rebirth to occur. The transit of Saturn through the 8th house can be very difficult but also very empowering as it requires endings and cutting off ties. What you have to give up and completely let go of depends upon the sign that Saturn is in and whether or not Saturn is aligned to any of your natal planets. This transit can result in financial loss in a partnership activity or with a banking institution. It’s a time to be very careful with your finances.

The 9th House represents personal and spiritual growth through higher education, adventures, travel, and cultural influences. The pursuit for continuing education or higher learning and the challenges involved in actively pursuing them might be issues that surface during this transit. The 9th house also represents publishing so, if you've authored a novel, non-fiction, or poetry and have been dreaming of having it published, then that dream may manifest during this transit. It’s a time for hard work connected with your education and learning. You may find that you have to travel on business.

The 10th House represents your professional pursuits, your long-term goals, and your public reputation. If you have been focusing on your career for some time, you will find that much comes to fruition during this transit. If you have not been focusing on a particular career, you may find that you change career altogether and start fresh. You may cut down the hours you work and focus on something that is more of an avocation to you. You may redefine your long-term goals. Your interactions with your superiors or those in authority may be challenged now. The need to establish or re-establish your public reputation might also be highlighted now.

The 11th House represents friendships and associations; your personal view of world, its state, and its varied societies; humanity as a whole and your place in it, as well as your collaborative responsibility to it. Existing friendships undergo changes that can either strengthen bonds or can end these connections altogether. New friendships may be created during this transit. You may find that you become more aware of the global situation and your beliefs and ideals change dramatically during this period. It’s also a great time to put some flesh on the visions that you have held and to set clear goals for the future. You may find that you take on some responsibilities in your community.

The 12th House, is the house of the subconscious, solitude, spiritual consciousness, secrets (ours and those kept from us), hidden enemies, and it represents institutions like hospitals and prisons. A Saturn transit through the 12th house requires a period of "aloneness" in order to "recharge your batteries" and sort through issues that are being presented subconsciously and psychologically to you. The most effective way to process the transit through this house is to surrender ... to give in to the much needed spiritual healing offered. You will find that clarity will follow. It’s a time when you might feel quite isolated and unable to connect deeply with others – this is because you have inner work to be done that can only be done in quiet moments when you are alone.