This spectacular, natural color mosaic of 45 images was taken by the
Cassini spacecraft on May 9, 2007. The rings appear fairly dark
compared to the reflective atmosphere of Saturn because the Sun is
illuminating the side of the rings that faces away from the camera.
Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute. |
This color enhanced image of Saturn's moon Enceladus backlit by the
Sun shows the spray of what are believed to be geysers of water ice
crystals erupting from pressurized subsurface reservoirs of liquid
water. The small streaks in the background are stars.
Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute. |
This image shows the night side of Saturn and the moon Enceladus as a
crescent and spraying distinct jets of ice particles from its south
polar region. Enceladus is 505 kilometers (314 miles) in diameter.
The far side of the rings are brightly illuminated by the Sun but
the near side remains in the dark. The atmosphere of Saturn below
the rings (on the right) is illuminated not by the Sun but by ring glow
- sunlight reflecting off of the rings. The normally black
background of space is lightened in this image to show the dark shadow
of the rings in the foreground. This surrealistic photo was taken
by the Cassini spacecraft on May 4, 2006. Courtesy of
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute. |
Every 2½ years, on average, Saturn
enters a new sign of the zodiac. Because Saturn's perihelion
(closest approach to the Sun) is presently in the second degree of
Cancer, when Saturn is in the signs of Gemini, Cancer and Leo it is
moving relatively fast and it "speeds" through these signs in
slightly over two years. On July 16, 2005 it entered the sign
of Leo where it has not sojourned since July 1978 and it will remain
there through August 2007. Those who have Cancer as their Sun
sign can breathe a sigh of relief and can finally have some fun again.
The sign of Cancer pertains to family, security, and
matters/people "close to home," therefore many of us have been
dealing with Saturn lessons involving these areas of life during the
last 25 months.
While Saturn transits Leo, those with planets in Leo (as well as
Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius) will especially experience its impact.
All of the "Baby Boomers" will be affected because Pluto was
in Leo 1939-1957 so Saturn will conjoin Pluto in the charts of these
people for about a year sometime in late 2005 through mid-2007.
Pluto represents our ability to transform and transfigure while
Saturn symbolizes the need to focus and prioritize. Those who
are resistant to change and were born during the above years will
experience great tensions in their lives. Changes that are
inevitable or have been suppressed will need to be acknowledged and
addressed. These people need to examine outworn or destructive
ego-based (Leo) behaviors and begin to let go or evolve into an
improved, transmuted version of their self. If you are one of
them and feel hemmed in, ask yourself what the corner you feel backed
into is trying to teach you. Things in the lives of these
people that interfere with their personal evolution will cause great
difficulties - don't let it be your boss, the organization you work
for, or the government. It is better to quit a job or request
a transfer than let a bad situation affect your psychological or
physical health - you're not as resilient as when you were young.
Shortages during this time for those born 1939-1957 may be the
result of past karma. Ask for forgiveness and conserve your
resources. Expansion for these folks could be perilous and
they should avoid unnecessary risks. Humility is a big lesson
for this age group (Pluto in Leo is into power and/or control) and
Saturn transiting Leo will offer opportunities to be more humble.
Saturn in Leo is not an ideal time to bear children
because the parents are more likely to be in love with the "idea"
of having a child than with the day-to-day reality of living with
the individuality and unique self-expression of the child, which
may be very different than those of the parents. Mothers
already pregnant need bear this in mind as your Saturn in Leo child
matures. Whether we were born with Saturn in Leo or not, most
of us will experience feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, or
insignificance at times while Saturn transits Leo. Self-love
issues are at the bottom of such feelings. One of the key
questions is, "how much self-validation do we need from family,
friends, work or society?" Attempts to impress others or to
solicit their love and attention may wilt on the vine so it is
better to focus on activities that build our self-esteem and
self-worth that are not dependent upon others. If we can
shift the focus of our personality and selfish ego to a more
meaningful Self during this Saturn transit, then we will have broken
through the chrysalis of our past limitations and emerged into the
inherent light of Leo - that spontaneous, creative, playful,
childlike Self that is no longer dependent on whether others
recognize us because we have recognized and embraced ourselves!
In 1977, the last time Saturn was in Leo (an energy sign),
President Jimmy Carter warned that the energy crisis in the U.S.
could cause a "national catastrophe" and that we Americans must
respond "with the moral equivalent of war" and make "profound
changes" in our consumption of oil. The same year the
Department of Energy was created. While Saturn is in Leo, we
need to address the question, "what can we as individuals do
to mitigate the national catastrophe President Carter prophesized?"
Those born when Saturn was in Leo (August 1946 -
Sept. 1948 and June 1976 - July 1978) will experience a Saturn
return for about a year sometime within the next 26 months.
The Saturn return in Leo is a time to reflect on the
accomplishments of our past and on our personal history. Even
by the time of our first Saturn return at age 29-30, we have a
personal story to tell. The question is, "how are we sharing
that personal history and are we enriching or inspiring the lives of
others with it?" Saturn also has to do with the aging process
and what we learn from it. At the second or third Saturn
return, it is time to accept our limitations and to turn them into
advantages. Saturn was considered by the ancients as a "pale
sun" and, in a sense, it represents a pale reflection of our "self,"
often seen as our "dark side." With the Saturn return, many
of us realize (or begin to) that the "enemy" is within and that only
in facing our inner demon(s) can we come to fully embrace and
appreciate our true self.
Before the discovery of the three planets beyond it,
Saturn was thought to be the outer boundary, the "gate keeper" of
our solar system. As such, it served and continues to serve as
the symbol of the gateway between the incarnate soul and the realm
of limitless spirit. Only through the material lessons offered
by the seven planets of antiquity can we evolve to a spiritual level
at which we need only rarely, if ever, reincarnate. With
Saturn, the lesson or "cardinal sin" is covetousness, which in
modern language, is greed or avarice. When Saturn transits
the sign of Leo, we are learning lessons about how greed affects
our ability to love and share from our heart (Leo). Generosity
is an antonym (and antidote) for greed so, if we as individuals are
generous in spite of the prevailing culture of greed, then our
souls will make spiritual strides during the next two years and we
will collectively raise the consciousness of the culture.
_____________________________________
*Echo is a monthly newspaper about community, the
environment, health, cuisine, and spirituality that is distributed in
central Virginia.
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