MARCH THEME: CLAIMING AUTHORITY
by Simone Butler

I have returned to the church of my youth. Not because I wanted to, but for my mother's sake. She sang in the choir at the Mission Hills United Methodist Church from 1948 until ALS paralyzed her throat three years ago. So now I take her to the morning service at the beautiful old Craftsman-style church; its stained glass and polished wood redolent of childhood memories.

Though the music is lovely, the sermons are usually lost on me. I long ago dispensed with the notion that Jesus died for my sins. In fact, the very idea of "original sin" has seemed to me the height of arrogance - encouraging submission and guilt rather than the claiming of our power. On Feb. 13, however, Rev. Dorval said something that made me think. He was speaking of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and repentance that had just begun. This is the time of year, he said, when we, like Jesus, go into the wilderness to face off against Satan, or worldly desires. We are cast out of the garden, that place where we think we are safe-and challenged to face the evil that lurks in our own hearts and recognize where we don't take responsibility for our lives.

Say the word "Satan" to an astrologer, and we automatically think of Saturn. As a symbol of the material world with all its temptations, it is the same archetype. Modern astrologers know that Saturn's gifts-frustration and loneliness-also confer greater self-knowledge and personal authority. But in the old days Saturn, much like Satan, was to be feared and avoided. It sounded to me like Jesus was having a Saturn transit, perhaps even his Saturn return, and in his wisdom, took to the wilderness to wrestle with the demon alone.

Saturn is the dominant energy in March: he is stationary all month, therefore very powerful, getting ready to turn forward on the 21st. The planet of "reality" has been in backward motion since early November, prompting a four-month period of questioning what we are really committed to. When Saturn goes direct just after the Spring Equinox on the 20th (the astrological new year), it will be time to express externally what we have claimed internally. Clues as to the nature of this commitment should be evident as early as the 7th, when warrior Mars opposing Saturn in the heavens triggers awareness of what needs to be restructured.

February was a month of high-frequency change and liberation. It may indeed have felt like being cast out of the garden to find our greater freedom. In particular, the events surrounding the Full Moon of Feb. 23, when the Sun conjoined Uranus, the awakener, rocked the foundation for many of us. This Full Moon opened up new possibilities and visions, but may also have brought feelings of insecurity or the proverbial rug being pulled out from under us. Old attachments have been broken, and March brings the opportunity to establish and commit to new patterns.

Saturn encourages and rewards hard work. And now, the task is to move through our fears and become accountable for our choices. Mom's pastor wisely observed that the true "original sin," or first evil act, lay not in disobeying God, but in trying to evade responsibility for having done so. In the Biblical parable, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, despite being warned against it. Yet when confronted, like children, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. This metaphorical "fall" into dualistic consciousness was a necessary step in the evolution of our species.

As rebellious youngsters, we had to break away from the Father (or Mother) to find out who we are by making our own mistakes. But now we are almost grown up, and poised to know ourselves as Creators-to merge again with the all-powerful Father/Mother, but this time from a place of full awareness. It's time to claim our authority-to sit in our own power and presence, and steep in the awareness of our magnificence. Thus begins the journey Home.

© 2005 Simone Butler.

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