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Good Day!

Today, the waxing Moon in Capricorn encounters Saturn in Libra and we could run into an obstacle or restriction, someone standing in our path and demanding accountability.  Saturn in Libra comes in the form of rules and regulations, forcing us to toe the line.  Our task is to maintain our enthusiasm for our new project, even while making sure we please the powers that be.

One of my clients is a successful PhD, working for a government agency.  Just a couple of months ago he was tapped to replace his boss when his boss retires next year.  Enter Saturn in Libra – the letter of the law.  In my client’s discipline he has to publish two papers each year of original research.  In the past this requirement has been fairly lax; it was fine to publish three papers one year and then one the next, or one extensive paper instead of two.

Now the environment has changed, true to form for Saturn in Libra.  Saturn represents the rules and regulations put upon us by society, government, and authority figures.  When Saturn entered Libra last July it brought with it a penchant for the letter of the law.  If the rules say two papers, then that’s two, not three and definitely not one.

My poor client, who has been working long hours on a piece of breakthrough research, has to stop his important work and publish something.  Never mind that the research is not complete; never mind that the findings are half-tested; never mind that truly innovative work is put on hold.  The law says publish two, and so he must or face consequences that could include losing the chance for the promotion.

Of course you can see where this is going.  In the future, instead of one intensively analyzed piece of research, he and his peers will be tempted to break the topic into pieces in order to meet the publishing requirement.  Instead of a timely breakthrough that can further everyone else’s work, people will hold back to be sure they have something to fulfill next year’s quota.  Instead of undertaking a significant venture, they will be sure to take on lesser projects so they can write them up on time.

Unlike my client working for the government, as business owners it’s up to us what rules and policies we enforce.  Yet with Saturn in Libra we may be more inclined these days to demand accountability strictly to meet some predetermined target.  It’s worthwhile to stop and examine whether the requirements we are placing on ourselves and our employees will actually further our success or whether we just demand them because we think business should be run that way.

I know for myself I have to continually guard against falling into habits and routines that I impose on myself just because they are “best practices” or because another business person I respect uses them.  I can become quite rigid with my schedule:  so many hours on this, so many days on that.  I’m much happier with a bit more flexibility but like most successful business owners, I have a fair share of Saturn energy.

Good old Saturn:  it brings discipline, focus, and persistence, but can become rule-bound if I don’t keep my eye on it.  How about you?

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For an overview of the week, see the Weekly Forecast – November 8 – 14

For an overview of the month, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead – November 2010

For more info on the business descriptions of the planets mentioned today, see

The Moon

Saturn