Saturn Square Pluto … Again: The Aftermath

Astrology forces you to ask the tough questions to liven up your lifestyle

If you felt tiny inconveniences or uncomfortable situations come to a head recently -- or if you felt old fears creep up and nearly overwhelm you -- you aren't crazy, and you aren't alone: that was muckraking Pluto dredging up the "dark side" as its path clashed with that of traditional Saturn, the planet that represents systems and order.

This is the second of three rounds of Saturn squaring Pluto, and though painful, this cosmic occurrence helps us purge bad habits and useless doubts. But as the term "purge" suggests, Saturn square Pluto is never pleasant: both these planets are about a kind of personal limitation. Saturn reminds us of the social rules we must all abide by; Pluto (named after the Roman god of the deep, dank Underworld) pushes buried fears to the surface.

To put it another way, Pluto is our unconscious, Saturn the boundaries we live within. When these planets are at this stressful 90-degree angle to each other, they rub each other the wrong way -- which has sometimes caused political demonstrations and cultural revolutions as people's fears clash with the law or social norms.

But this Saturn-Pluto square has a different flavor, because Saturn is currently retrograde (which means that it appears to be moving backwards), so that rather than focusing on the external limitations we're bound by, Saturn is turning our attention to the internal limitations we place on ourselves.

This stressful alignment happened on Sunday, but we'll still feel the ripples of it over the coming days. Now is a time when it's natural to re-examine where we are in life, love and career, as well as what's working for us and what's not. You might find yourself thinking, "I am unhappy in my current relationship but am scared to leave. What fears keep me from changing my personal situation for the better?" or "I really want to make new friends and expand my social circle, but my anxiety keeps me from going to parties. What is really hold me back from going out there and having fun?"

Ultimately, if you take a good, hard look at your situation and how you'd like it to improve -- then create an actionable game plan -- Saturn square Pluto can be a blessing in disguise. It's a time when we 'fess up about why we're doing things that don't make us happy, and why we're avoiding our goals.

Catch your breath after the chaotic stress of Sunday, then take some time to yourself and plot your next exciting move. Remember: Saturn is also the "karma planet" that believes in rewarding hard work!