Saturn Retrograde in Libra: Relationship Revision Time

©2010 by guest blogger, Mandi Lockley

 Saturn is retrograde in Libra. This Retrograde period is a great time to review our progress under Saturn in Libra so far. It’s an especially timely window for having a good look at our relationships and possibly revising some of them.

Libra is fair minded and craves peace and balance and harmonious relationship. Saturn is also fair, BUT works us hard and makes us pay our dues. So, don’t expect everything to be automatically lovey-dovey lovely with Saturn in Libra, we are going to have to work at it!  Sound like a buzz-kill?

Well, remember that Libra needs a bit of conflict and disharmony otherwise it doesn’t have a job to do. Libra needs a balance to find, a peace deal to negotiate, a relationship to build and a compromise to be brokered and Saturn provides the structure and authority to enable Libra needs to do that job very effectively.

Then, when all is said and done, Saturn in Libra will put you on its karmic scales, deduct points for laziness, add points for effort and goods delivered and then, in the nicest possible way, give you just what you need and everything you deserve. This is where Saturn’s exultation in Libra comes in, for in Libra, Saturn actually enjoys putting the work in. 

Questions to Ask Yourself about your Relationships

Think back to any conflicts you experienced over the last few months, perhaps at work or in your intimate relationships. Ask yourself how you could have handled it better. Was it all about winning the argument or did you just give in to the other person’s demands? Do you think you would have felt better if you had worked for a fair compromise that could have helped both parties?

In your major relationships, where does the balance of power lie? Do you give your power away by letting the other person take advantage of you? Why do you do this? Is it because you are afraid of conflict, or afraid that the other person won’t like you/love you/respect you if you stand up for yourself?

Is your behaviour often influenced by a need to please others or a need to be popular? Consider what would happen if you pleased yourself a bit more? How would others react? If you think they would not accept it, then perhaps you might consider if their respect/friendship/time etc. is really so important that you would be willing to always put their needs before your own in order to have them in your lives? Most likely, after adjusting to your new behaviour, they would still love and respect you, perhaps even more so.

Similarly, do you find you spend a lot of time running around after others, so much so that you don’t have time to get your own needs met? If so, how can you make more time for yourself? Do you need to learn to ask for help, rather than doing it all yourself? How do you feel about the time you spend doing things for others? Do you do it out of duty but secretly resent it? If so, maybe it’s time to re-balance things.

At work or at home, are you one of those ‘if you want something doing right, do it yourself’ types? If so, is it perhaps time to learn to delegate more? Or perhaps learn to work alongside others, doing it together? Wouldn’t this approach be more fun and more rewarding? Consider what you might learn from each other and how much more you could achieve as a team.

Finally and most importantly think about all your relationship successes over the last few months. Give yourself a pat on the back for friendships you have grown and developed, helpful alliances you have formed and for the happy, harmonious moments you’ve shared in your closest relationships. 

What’s Next for our Relationships—More Astrological Factors

 Two days after Saturn goes Retrograde there is a solar eclipse in the sign that Saturn rules, disciplined Capricorn, which presents us with a great opportunity to release and let go of some of our unhelpful relationship patterns, as discussed above. Venus in Capricorn conjoins the eclipse and in mutual reception to Saturn in Libra, perhaps she is reminding us that the most important relationship we will ever have is our relationship with our-self.

I know life is difficult for many right now, but I do hope that in the midst of all the difficulties you are able to keep the bigger perspective and move forward. Saturn is in Libra until October 2012, so we’ve got plenty of time to do this work, plus another couple of Retrograde review periods of Saturn in Libra after this one, so don’t beat yourself up if it feels like a long slow process. Every bit of progress counts, however small and Saturn has a very long memory.

While we all, to a lesser or greater extent, absorb the energies around us, this Saturn Retrograde period will have the most resonance with those of you who have planets or angles in the first 5 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) and/or the last couple of degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces).

Here are links to my pieces on the Saturn-Pluto squares and on Mars Retrograde, which might be helpful for this work and also contain links to other resources.

What Mandi Lockley says of herself: An experienced and formally trained astrologer, I have been fascinated by astrology all my life and cast my first horoscope back in 1985. Latterly, I studied at The London School of Astrology for over three years and gained the school’s Certificate in 2005. I am committed to self development – emotionally, spiritually and intellectually – and believe in doing my best to live my life true to myself and my life purpose, in service to others and in harmony with the cycles of the universe. These values are also the focus of my work with clients. Visit my website at http://www.mandilockley.com.