There are two planets in the solar system that carry the weight of karma on them: Saturn and Pluto. Karma is the universal storage and releasing of energy that we create through our words and deeds, be they positive or negative.
Saturn is the planet of limitations. It is the farthest planet that is still visible without a telescope. It’s prominent rings and dozens of moons remind us that karma slowly rotates, eventually bringing us back to where we were in order to let us know where we are now. When Saturn returns to the place it was when you were born, approximately every 28 years, you go through a “Saturn return” in which you cast off everything in the world that you do not need, or sink under the weight of this superfluous baggage. Saturn is the boundary of what we can experience with our five senses. In astrology, it sets limits on what we can know and do. Saturn is father time: as we age we can do less and less with our bodies and with our minds. No discussion of Saturn is accurate without a clock slowly ticking in the background. When Saturn interacts with other planets, its role is always in defining what the limitations and boundaries are.
Pluto is the planet of transformation. It defines the edge of our known solar system. Political bickering among astrophysicists aside, Pluto is the last planet, the slowest orbiting sphere, taking almost 250 years to go around the Sun. Of its three moons, one, Charon, is little over half its size and quite close to it. Both Pluto and Charon rotate once completely every 6.3 earth days. In that time, Charon makes an exact rotation around Pluto. This precision manifests as karma here on earth – you get exactly what you give. The boundary of the solar system slowly, yet precisely, metes out your karma. When Pluto interacts with other planets, its role is always in transforming your current reality into a karmic payoff, often manifesting as big changes.
These two planets are currently in the midst of a tense standoff in the heavens. Saturn is in the early part of Libra, a zodiac sign it last visited in 1983. The last time Pluto occupied its current spot in the zodiac, the early portion of Capricorn, Louis XV was king of France and George III was king of England & the American colonies. The year was 1764.
The zodiac is measured as a 360° circle surrounding the globe. Tension between two planets occurs when they are opposed to each other or at a square (90 degree) angle. In astrology, the square is the angle at which karma is unleashed, so you can imagine the importance of these two karmic planets interacting in the way that most powerfully releases karma. As they are both slow moving planets, the square between them only happens roughly every 17 years. If you live long enough, there will be a few times in your life when karma comes calling. Right now is one of them. We will all be affected by Saturn’s square angle tension with Pluto. The first square occurred in mid-November of 2009. Saturn subsequently turned retrograde and is slowly moving backward in the zodiac and will create an exact square to Pluto on January 31, 2010. Later in the year, Saturn turns out of retrograde and as it moves forward back into Libra, it will square with Pluto one final time this summer on August 21. What effect will this tension have on you? The outcome of these planetary interactions will be determined by two things: your zodiac sign and whether you have created positive or negative energy in the universe. Read your sign’s forecast below to see what to expect.
Aries March 21 – April 19
A partnership interferes with your career aspirations.
Good Karma: A hot love interest finds you a new, better job.
Bad Karma: What you thought was a sugar daddy pulls his funding for your creative project.
Taurus April 20 – May 20
Your work schedule is cramping your search for the good life.
Good Karma: Working overtime puts you in close contact with the cute, single owner of the company.
Bad Karma: Playing office politics backfires and you have to cancel a vacation to fight back.
Gemini May 21 – June 21
You are subordinating your creativity to someone else’s direction.
Good Karma: You have a dream come true in collaborating with someone to whom you look up to for inspiration.
Bad Karma: Someone with a lot less talent is taking credit for your hard work.
Cancer June 22 – July 22
A roommate situation is ruining your life.
Good Karma: Chaos at home inspires a lover to commit deeper and move you in.
Bad Karma: Your lease insists you are stuck with an inconsiderate housemate.
Leo July 23 – August 22
A neighborhood bully is nitpicking about your personal conduct.
Good Karma: A sexy new neighbor stands up for you against the crank.
Bad Karma: You have alienated all your neighbors and have to alter your lifestyle.
Virgo August 23 – September 22
Financial karma will affect your family life, for better or worse.
Good Karma: The bills get paid because you played by the rules.
Bad Karma: You got caught with your hand in the cookie jar and now nobody is getting any sweets.
Libra September 23 – October 22
Saturn is in your sign, confirming the value of your name as if it were a corporate brand.
Good Karma: People feel secure investing their fate in your future.
Bad Karma: Your hype of all these years can’t match your abilities when push comes to shove.
Scorpio October 23 – November 21
The big picture gets cloudy when your old friends look you up.
Good Karma: Many happy reunions boost your chances of meeting a soulmate.
Bad Karma: You talked too much trash for anyone to trust you and now you have to move on.
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21
All your striving for publicity has left you a little light in the purse.
Good Karma: Looking good has been a great investment as a new love interest emerges.
Bad Karma: Advertising what you cannot deliver leaves you broke and alone.
Capricorn December 22 – January 19
Your aspirations for success challenge who you are at your core.
Good Karma: You won’t have to change to get what you always wanted.
Bad Karma: You were warned that success would come at a high price, and now you have to start paying it.
Aquarius January 20 – February 18
Too much partying can take you far from your original destination.
Good Karma: Good times with good friends have made you realize what you want out of life.
Bad Karma: You might want to seriously address your avoidance issues as happiness slips further away.
Pisces February 19 – March 20
Popularity with the opposite sex might give you a reputation that you cannot live down.
Good Karma: Everyone seems to have a story about the time you were there to do the right thing, acquiring friends for life along the way.
Bad Karma: Read about it on the bathroom wall; you’ve been there and done that.
