Aspect for the week beginning 27 January 2013 – Sun square Saturn

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

~ Moliere

Sun square Saturn

Sun square Saturn is the only main aspect on the menu this week, one that comes around approximately twice a year.  All other astrological features are not aspects as such, though the Full Moon is an opposition between the Sun and Moon.

What to expect

This aspect will be a good opportunity to turn round or review your Victim Archetype.  Everyone has one, according to Caroline Myss (in her system, there are 4 main Archetypes which are in everybody’s repertoire).  It is not the only indicator of the Victim Archetype, but an important one.

Victim archetype

The Sun square Saturn this week may alert you to where you may be playing out the Victim, which is one step towards healing it.  According to Myss: “Shadow Victim shows you that you might like to play that role because of the positive feedback you get in the form of sympathy or pity”.

In its resolution she advises: “The goal is always to learn how to recognize these inappropriate attitudes in ourselves or others, and to act accordingly.”

Caroline Myss has a new book out, entitled  “Archetypes – who are you?”, where she concentrates on modern, empowering Archetypes.  It’s a worthy sequel to her earlier book “Sacred Contracts”.  She has furthered the work of Carl Jung in this field.

In Global Affairs

In his article this week “Perpetuating Historic Victimhood breeds New Victims” Alon Ben Meir, Professor of International Relations at New York University argues that the victimhood of both the Israelis and the Palestinians are holding back the peace process.

He writes “The sorry truth is that while polls consistently show that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians believe that only the co-existence of two independent states offers a viable solution, they still refuse to divorce themselves from a deep sense of victimhood.  Both parties continue to define themselves as historic victims, and to nourish a kind of vicarious victimhood which ultimately serves to justify the policies and goals they pursue, however counterproductive they may be to a solution.”

If you have Sun square Saturn natally

You may have had a difficult start in life, and felt reluctant to take on responsibilities.  You may find it hard to get things going, needing everything to be tried and tested. The Sun square Saturn dynamic feels like you are pushing against something, but paradoxically it can give you the energy to push, if you decide to move beyond self-defeatism.   The problem may be a health handicap which manifests early in life according to the health associations of the Sun sign, e.g. childhood asthma for Sun in Gemini, or depression for Sun in Capricorn.  If you have this aspect natally, ask yourself  “What in your life have I most had to overcome?” and the answer may lead you to what you need to work on, if you haven’t already dealt with it to your satisfaction.  The goal is liberation into your true Self.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, who has the aspect of Sun square Saturn exact in her birth chart, offers an example of one who had a very difficult childhood, then reached a turning point in her teens and turned her life around spectacularly.  This was with the help of other attributes in her chart, such as the karmic mission of Inner Healer (North Node exactly conjunct Chiron in the 1^st House), the Sun exactly conjunct Venus in her 2^nd House (success through the warmth of the Heart Chakra, with financial benefits) and Part of Fortune exactly conjunct Neptune in 10^th House (joy in Spiritual pursuits contributing to success).

Wikipedia quotes her as saying: “The reason I gained so much weight in the first place and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me, because I didn’t like myself much. So I’d end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who’d tell me how selfish I was, and I’d say ‘Oh thank you, you’re so right’ and be grateful to them. Because I had no sense that I deserved anything else. Which is also why I gained so much weight later on. It was the perfect way of cushioning myself against the world’s disapproval.”

Is it possible to eliminate the victim altogether?

Oprah’s tale went from rags to riches, although riches are not a definitive indicator of success or happiness; a rich man or woman can be a victim of their own success.  She has worked phenomenally on her spiritual issues, including victimhood.  Sun square Saturn offers the opportunity to identify and work on our Inner Victim.  I am not sure whether you can totally give it up, but certainly life doesn’t have to be an endurance test.

Interplay with other Archetypes

There is enough work to do on one’s own Victim Archetype, but there is often interaction with other Archetypes, with others as well as within oneself.  A Victim Archetype often needs to set up with others to play: with the Tyrant and the Rescuer, for instance.  This may be the subject of another blog.

“The victim and the victimizer are one, and we don’t need to attach ourselves to either of those polarities.  Rather, we need to free ourselves from the grip and the limitations of each of these roles, because they are simply roles decided upon freely by all the players – agreed upon unanimously.”

~ Chris Griscom from “Ecstasy is a New Frequency”

The Aspects

If working on your Victim Archetype doesn’t tickle your fancy this week, there are other forms of spiritual and mental exercise on offer.

Today we have a Full Moon in Leo, which opposes the Sun in Aquarius.  This is a more creative Full Moon than say the passive Full Moon of Cancer, and more playful.  What needs to be developed is an awareness of your individual emotional make-up and how that can interact with a group situation (the Sun in Aquarius) without feeling threatened.

The Alice Bailey seed thought for the Leo Full Moon is: “I am That and That am I”, something to bring into your meditations.

If a more active exercise is desired, then some psychodrama would be suitable, with a group of like-minded people, if you can achieve that.

On Wednesday (30^th) Jupiter goes Stationary prior to moving direct, so any form of spinning exercise, such as dervish whirling, would be suitable.  I once found myself being stopped in my tracks and turning round on such an occasion, which was very memorable, and not too surprising given that Jupiter is my ruling planet.  Depending on the House that Jupiter currently occupies in your chart, you may be able to make more progress on the related area and issues of your life.

Later the same day, the Sun squares Saturn, and something may remind you to knuckle down and see what your Inner Victim Archetype has to say, what you want to say to it, and what you want to do about its role in your life.  You may decide to pass, until another suitable occasion, or you may indeed decide that once and for all this is the moment to turn it around, especially as Jupiter is moving forwards and certain philosophical issues can become clearer.  But an Archetype is a deep inner energetic force, and though it can work with the higher mind, it doesn’t always respond to reason.  You may decide this is not the time, and go and do something else, like bake some cakes or biscuits to raise money for The Great Comic Relief Bake Off, such as Claudia Winkleman’s red nose cake.

Fresh fields again on Saturday (2^nd Feb) as with Saturday 19^th, for two planets are changing signs that day: Mars enters Pisces, and Venus enters Aquarius.  Mars entering Pisces from Aquarius creates a new emotional field which you may experience as though you have been travelling along in a detached way, and suddenly you are plunged into a more emotional context and set of purposes and desires.

Venus entering Aquarius from Capricorn will take your feeling nature from a very practical, dry state (e.g. you may have been performing out of duty) into a more idealistic, humanitarian and socially orientated heart focus.

Use the challenge of this week to liberate and empower yourself.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – Full blown creativity
• Wednesday – a U-turn in the right direction; then the Victim Archetype may crop up
• Saturday – Deepening passion, and heightened idealism