Saturn Into Cancer © 2003 Charles Kipp

Saturn enters the sign of Cancer on June 4, 2003. This transit will effect a significant shift in the general mood of the world, but few will attribute this shift to this Saturn transit. In fact, most people, unaware of this or any other transit, will only experience this mood shift in a vague sort of way, having no direct knowledge of its astrological import or duration.

This is an optimal transit, however, for 'tuning-in' to its FEEL and observing its effect on oneself and the world for anyone (astrologers included) who would desire better to 'catch hold' of the workings of astrology. That is, this is a good transit to start with for someone with no prior knowledge of astrology as well as being of particular interest to those already paying attention.

If you can intuitively 'register' this poignant shift in the astrological matrix, then you have direct conscious attunement with Saturn's transit into Cancer as a significant 'beat', as it were, in the cyclo-cosmic rhythms of the music of the spheres. This particular transit is impacting enough to provide that kind of an 'anchor' for further, more developed understanding of other transits.

In order to provide context for the experiential meaning of Saturn's transit into Cancer, we can think about the symbolism of the planet Saturn and the sign Cancer and the timing of Saturn's transits. Saturn has an orbital period of just under thirty years, transiting through each sign of the zodiac for about two and a half years.

Therefore, by entering Cancer on June 4, 2003, Saturn is leaving Gemini, through which he has been transiting since April 2001 (following a brief entry from August to October 2000 due to his 'retrograde' motion). Indeed, Saturn has been significantly involved in a most impacting succession of transiting conjunctions and oppositions to Mars and Pluto while transiting through Gemini, as evidenced by world events over the past two and a half years.

Saturn is 'The Heavy' of the solar system. He is associated with lead, the heaviest of the metals. He rules the darkest and coldest sign of the zodiac that begins at the winter solstice, Capricorn. He is both the farthest and the slowest moving of the visible planets. He is Father Time. He imposes what is normally thought of as 'discipline,' because he carries a strong connotation of 'authority.' Saturn is the World Taskmaster, the bringer of hard lessons needed to preserve collective humanity.

As mentioned above, Saturn popped briefly into the first degree of Gemini (sign, for Saturn, of strategic maneuvering) from August 11 to October 17, 2000, the build-up to the height of campaigning for the controversial presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, retrograding back into Taurus for the election itself, and making his completed entry into Gemini on April 21, 2001.

While in Gemini over the past two years, Saturn formed an opposition to Pluto in Sagittarius, during which Mars conjoined both Saturn (in May 2002) and Pluto (in Feb 2003), delivering impacts appropriate to world developments at those times. When Saturn enters Cancer this month, his direct participation in that impacting pattern will 'disolve' as it were, and he will take up a new agenda, appropriate to CONSOLIDATING focused personal understanding of the RESPONSIBILITY we all feel to secure our collective existence.

That is, the HEAVINESS of what we have experienced over the past two years will register at a deeper personal level of our experience, and our need to attend to the 'family of humanity' will become a predominant theme of social developments throughout the world as Saturn continues to transit through Cancer until July 2005.

Social values will largely be redefined by this transit. The importance of PARENTHOOD, in all of its dimensions, even unto the responsibility of the strong and powerful for the well being of the less fortunate members of all communities, will become a prime directive. Some really good things can come out of this.

There will be a deepening of feeling. Compassion will be more profoundly felt, especially by those naturally prone to it. The need to actualize and INSTITUTIONALIZE compassion as a social value will carry a lot of weight in public decision making, national and international. Women will be listened to more attentively and with greater sympathy for their concerns in the affairs of life, particularly those of motherhood.

Educational institutions will be quickened by this transit, not so much from the routine perspective, acknowledged by all, of generating higher standards of knowledge, but from the perspective of the installation of social values that preserve the working integrity of the global community. This will appear in some respects to be a reversion to more conservative social values, but will in fact be truly progressive, opting for security without the sacrifice of freedom.

In short, Saturn's transit through Cancer over the next two-plus years will affect a sharp antithesis to the tone of his transit through Gemini over the past two-plus years. This will be a transition from hot, impacting conflict in the world of ideas to a cooling-down of passions, as it were, and a sobering reassessment of our social values.

Certainly, this will be a welcome development to help put back together (in a better way, hopefully) much of what has been torn asunder by the ravages of the above mentioned transits of Mars and Pluto to Saturn during his sojourn through Gemini.

Saturn's transit through Cancer will be reinforced by Jupiter's transit into Virgo on August 27, moving from a Fire sign (Leo) into an Earth sign (Virgo), better complementing Saturn's transit through the Water sign, Cancer. Water and Earth signs work well together to nurture and heal.

Jupiter will transit through Virgo for one year, until September 23, 2004, forming the opening sextile (60 degree aspect) to Saturn in Cancer in November 2003 and May 2004. This will foster the actualization of strong healing energies from Earth to assist the compassionate agenda of Saturn in Cancer, providing a 'rich' feeling of wholesome generative power to MOTIVATE the healing process.

The fact that, upon entering Cancer, Saturn will form an opening trine (120 degree aspect) to Uranus, having just entered Pisces, again reinforces the watery healing agenda being initiated.

Certainly, in view of developments over the last couple of years, the world is READY for this large-scale shifting from Fire and Air signs to Water and Earth signs by these three major social planets throughout 2003, largely keyed to Saturn's entry into Cancer this month. It's time for a period of deep healing.