Finding Balance in 2021
I’ve been thinking a lot about Saturn and Uranus lately. I wrote a bit about them and how they relate to the Chiron Wound back in July . But the polarity that Saturn and Uranus provide goes way beyond our personal wounds. Have you ever heard a motivational speaker talk about finding balance? Every time I hear someone talk about finding balance I find myself nodding my head in agreement. Oh yes, that does indeed sound like the thing to do…. But later I find myself asking the question WHAT again am I trying to find balance with? And HOW does one go about it? Simply being moderate in one’s approach to life can’t possibly be the answer.
I believe that the energies embodied by Saturn and Uranus provide a sort of spectrum for us to navigate in our quest for bringing balance to our lives. This January it looks like we’ll have plenty of opportunity to experience the extremes of these opposites as Saturn and Uranus square each other all month long and will remain within a few degrees of each other for the majority of 2021. Let’s look at what each planet brings to the table and how they represent the ends of the spectrum.
Saturn represents structure, rigidity, the physical body, the social contract, commitments, and the government. It provides the boundaries and limitations that provide our reality. We relate to ourselves and to others through this co-created reality.
Uranus is very specifically the antidote to anything overly Saturnine. It values the freedom of the individual over rules of the collective. It works to break up the order of things and make way for creativity and new ideas. Uranus holds the lightning bolt that with one great surprise shatters the rigidity that has allowed us to stagnate. There is no way to anticipate the works of Uranus and it is hard to use the word good or bad in association with its energy.
If Saturn is hard and rigid, Uranus seeks to cultivate flexibility through its liquidity. Too much flexibility brings chaos and too much individualism takes us away from our humanity and our ability to be good to each other.
Saturn has dominated the astrology of the last year in the late degrees of the constellation that it rules over – Capricorn. Here Saturn pushed up against transformative Pluto and we saw many of our structures begin to change. In 2021 Saturn, though still very active in the astrology of the year to come, cedes a little of its prominence as moves into its new territory of Aquarius which is ruled by Uranus. Uranus will finally be weighing in on the situation that has brewed up in the last year and it will undoubtedly bring us a few surprises.
Jupiter is starting to jet ahead of Saturn as the two break the conjunction that had everyone looking up at the Christmas Star they formed for the Winter Solstice. Jupiter’s influence will supercharge the Uranian lightning bolts that are on their way as it will be in exact square to Uranus January 15th -18th. Before Jupiter, Mercury will also be in exact square with Uranus January 12th. Since Mercury rules communication, we might get a glimpse into how and where Uranus will strike.
Squares to Uranus dominate the January astrology
The way things look right now reminds me of a fight taking place in the sky between Saturn and Uranus where each opponent has a team of other planets surrounding it. Saturn has Jupiter and Mercury on its team early to mid-month and the Sun will join it on January 24th. Uranus, will receive a supportive trine from Venus early in the month and will be joined by forceful Mars and the Moon for inauguration Day January 20th.
Peacemaker Venus will switch teams and rub elbows with Saturn in early February and then the two competitors will shed their defenses for a direct, one-on-one, all-out battle just after Valentine’s Day February 15th. They will hold their exact square in the seventh degree until February 23rd so we will have a full week to contemplate what these two polarities mean to us.
Who will win this epic duel? Hopefully we all will. No one can say how this spicy energy will play out in the mundane world, but each of us has the opportunity to reckon with these energies in our own lives and work towards finding balance between rigidity and chaos.
Recently I listened to a speech by one of my favorite authors, Martín Prechtel and I heard these same principles mapped out through completely different terms. His lecture was on the matter of grief and praise and the spectrum he spoke of was one of hardness and liquididty as it related to how grief manifests in our lives. Everything that he spoke of reminded me of the juxtaposition found in the wounded warrior Chiron, the asteroid that sits between Saturn and Uranus. Martín went on to describe these different polarities through the lens of grief. When grief hardens inside you, one can suffer many illnesses like cancer which is known as petrified sorrow. When one gets lost swimming in grief it often presents as alcoholism and a person is known to be lost in liquid. When you properly grieve, the hard spots in you get busted up and create an empty place that can be filled with honey from the spirit world. Martín ends his prayers with the saying “Long Life, Honey in the heart, no evil, thirteen thank yous” I can’t do this man’s work justice here but this speech is available on CD. However, this was but one of many lectures that inspired a book (and audiobook) called The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise which includes a manual of sorts on how to process grief in one’s life. The book and audio book are widely available and the book and lecture can be found directly from Martín Prechtel’s website www.floweringmountain.com.
The image of finding balance in life as it relates to a liquid or solid state was very powerful for me. I like the thought that we are all striving to find balance in our lives and what that feels like is something in between soft honey and firm gelatin.
As we head into another year of change and unknowns in the world, I want to wish you all a year filled with love and personal progress. May every rigid spot in your life be met with a tender Uranian lightning bolt and refilled sweetly by the water bearer Aquarius. May every soggy, wet spot in your life be met with a supportive boundary, a loving commitment, and a pat on the back by Saturn when you follow the rules that work best for you and your loved ones.
Happy 2021 to you friends!