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Collaboration

Dec 15

Posted by Ellen in Saturn in Libra, Signs of our Times | 6 Comments

The scales of balance. (Source:Wikipedia)

The scales of balance. (Source:Wikipedia)

Hello, everyone.

It seems like every business article I read these days is talking about collaboration.  This seems apropos to Saturn in Libra.  In prior posts we’ve been assessing the current transit of Saturn through Libra which began at the end of October and will continue for the next two years.  (See the category at the right.)

When I saw this word “collaboration” again today I thought I’d look it up in the dictionary.  What I found surprised me.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language posts two definitions for “collaborate”:

             1.  To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.

             2.  To cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupying one’s country.

We’re all familiar with the first, but did you know the second?  Both definitions represent Saturn in Libra and they are each worth watching for as they impact your business.

Joint Intellectual Effort

Libra is an air sign and air signs are concerned with “joint intellectual effort”, as in the first definition above.  Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac and addresses our growing awareness of the need to interact and cooperate with others in order to further our personal development and business success.  Marriage and other unions are the province of Libra, as well as business alliances and partnerships.  Diplomacy, skill in negotiating alliances, is a key trait of Libra.

When Saturn is in Libra, there are two distinct ways this desire for interrelationship can be expressed.  The first is like the first definition above: a serious committed undertaking with another or a team.  Saturn is exalted in Libra, which means that its usual tendency to constrict receives a breath of fresh air and can bring seriousness and maturity without an authoritarian stamp.  Saturn brings wisdom to the table in a way that supports combined efforts, and removes lack of commitment and Libra’s tendency to vacillate.

You may well see this is your business relationships.  Are you noticing a new seriousness in your alliances and partnerships, and a sense of realism about the direction your business needs to take to insure success?  With my clients I have seen a renewed interest in budgeting and a seriousness about getting legal and contract issues in writing and signed by all parties.  It’s been interesting to see people with an independent attitude suddenly become much more sober about working things out with the people around them.  And some of this has been hard work!  I have witnessed wrenching discussions, coming to agreements, and yes, collaboration, haven’t you?

 To Cooperate Treasonably?

The second definition above is startling though.  We’re used to thinking of collaboration as a mutually beneficial relationship to some benign end.  But to cooperate treasonably with the enemy?  Unfortunately this is also a manifestation of Saturn in Libra.

When Saturn is in Libra situations come into our life with difficult lessons about loyalty and cooperation.  Saturn can play the employee who betrays you.  Saturn can be the competitor who undercuts you.  Saturn can be that notice from the government that the auditor is coming.  Saturn can be the partner who is demanding accountability from you or the virus that infects your network.  These are the negative faces of Saturn in Libra:  Saturn the taskmaster spurring your progress through challenging situations with others.

Two Faces

So be on the lookout for both kinds of collaboration.  The first is the antidote for the second.  If you’re running into the negative face of Saturn in Libra, collect a loyal team around you and accept their guidance.  That’s how to maintain the balance that is the goal of Libra.

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Saturn/Pluto Strategy #3 – Act!

Nov 19

Posted by Ellen in Current Events, Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Saturn/Pluto Square, What to do now | 18 Comments

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn Pluto Strategy 3

Hello, everyone.

We’re outlining the strategies to use the current Saturn/Pluto square effectively in business.  So far we have:

Strategy #1 – Alignment , and

Strategy #2 – Identify the challenge

Now we’re ready for

Strategy #3 – Act!

To review where we are so far:  when we have a planet in air (Saturn in Libra) squaring a planet in earth (Pluto in Capricorn) one party, one part of ourselves, one part of our world is focusing on physical structures and material security and another is focusing on the ideas and relationships that provide meaning in our lives.  They are each vying for attention and with these two planets there’s no subtlety involved. 

Trumbull's Declaration of Independence (Source:Wikipedia)

Trumbull's Declaration of Independence (Source:Wikipedia)

If you really think about it you will recognize this conflict in the atmosphere of your business – a new idea or relationship that is competing with the need for material security and structures.  But the good news is that planets in square aspect to each other carry the energy to solve the problem.  So much tension is generated that we are forced to take action.  Cardinal squares are resolved through action.

What actions should we take?

With Pluto in Capricorn, the proper action is to align ourselves with the energy of endings and renewal.  Let something go, let something die, and rebirth will follow.  With Saturn in Libra the proper action is to open ourselves to other people, especially the older and wiser, to listen to advice and implement. 

The cardinal square is not the time to stand by and see how things unfold.  It’s also not the time to take small steps, doggedly pursuing some course of action.  Often a square presents us with a choice and too much energy gets dissipated if we stand at the crossroads too long.  It’s time to take action:  powwow with the best people around you, seize the best idea, and put in into practice.  Try new tactics, it’s time to be bold. 

The Silver Lining

And there’s a silver lining to all this.  Pluto is in Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn.  Saturn is in Libra, the sign of its exaltation.  While a square aspect is always stressful, these planets recognize and understand each other.  Saturn likes to build structures, and in Libra likes to build structures of communication and relationship.  Pluto in Capricorn is forcing us to come to terms with the past structures we’ve created, especially in business and government.  Finding and working with the common ground between them is the key to effective action. 

How do they work together?  Pluto is exposing everything that is rotting the structures we have placed our trust in.  As Pluto digs up everything impure, decaying, and non-functional Saturn brings in integrity, honesty, and the willingness to do the hard work of establishing a new system.  The new system can be infused with Libra values such as equity, parity, diplomacy, collaboration and cooperation if we are willing to do the work to achieve it.

Remember, Libra is an air sign so a purely mental action satisfies.  Choose any one of the Libran values and bring it into your business.  Discussion, debate, even argument will bring the idea to life and Pluto in Capricorn will bring it to material form.

Let me give you a great example.  Pluto was in Capricorn and Saturn in Libra in 1776, when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.

Not to say that time in American history was easy and neither will this be.  As astrologer Lynn Hayes says in her blog post, “Saturn square Pluto:  Reshaping the world we live in”,

Any time we encounter Pluto in its guise as the Lord of Death we can become fearful in the face of the certainty of endings and change.  But Saturn requires that we face our obligations and work diligently to overcome them, regardless of the obstacles that are placed in our path.  In doing so we become stronger and more powerful; better able to navigate any rough waters that we encounter.

This is a powerful square and a powerful time.  If we use it wisely and consciously it can unleash a major transformation in our business lives.  Go for it!

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Saturn/Pluto Strategy #2

Nov 18

Posted by Ellen in Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Saturn/Pluto Square, What to do now | 2 Comments

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn Pluto Strategy 2

Hello, everyone.

We’re outlining the strategies to use the current Saturn/Pluto square effectively in business.  So far we have:

Strategy #1 – Alignment

Now let’s look at the nature of the square between Libra and Capricorn, which will lead us to…

Strategy #2 – Identify the challenge

 

Earth and atmosphere. (Source:Wikipedia)

Earth and atmosphere. (Source:Wikipedia)

The Libra Capricorn Challenge

 

Libra and Capricorn are known as cardinal signs.  When a planet is in Libra and another in Capricorn, as long as they are close to the same degree, they are in square aspect to each other.  Anytime you have planets in two cardinal signs, there is going to be stress between them.  They both want to implement new activities, but in completely different areas of life.

Steady Earth

Capricorn is an earth sign; Libra is an air sign.  Earth and air – think about it.  The earth is solid and structural; it provides a base for the material world, for everything that has physical being on this globe.  It is also subject to natural cycles which repeat themselves again and again such as the seasons, and night and day.  It is dependable and steady.

As the cardinal earth sign, Capricorn is focused on structures.  It invests in the physical and is the guardian of the material realm.

Air Currents

Libra is an air sign.  Libra invests in and is the guardian of ideas.  Air signs are about our rational thinking processes and the creativity of our motives and intentions.  Air signs represent the ideas and philosophies that circulate among us like currents of air. 

Like the air, these currents have no visible appearance but are critical to our lives.  Air signs are about communications and relationships between people, what passes back and forth between and among us mentally.  Libra is particularly attached to initiating new ideas.

Earth and Air

The realm of ideas versus the physical world.  These two modalities are interdependent:  what would we do with air if we had no earth to stand upon?  And would life exist on this planet without air?  But often we experience them as incompatible and resonate more with one or the other. 

We are all driven to some extent to become proficient in earth and air, material achievement and interaction.  And when there are two planets in square to each other, as with the current Saturn/Pluto square, these goals are in conflict with each other.

Can you identify the conflict in your business?  If so, you’re ready for Strategy #3 – Act!

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Saturn/Pluto Strategy #1

Nov 17

Posted by Ellen in Current Events, Long-term Planning, Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Saturn/Pluto Square, What to do now | 20 Comments

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn Pluto Strategy 1

Hello, everyone.

Astrology has two great strengths that it brings to our business lives:

  1. Identification of the major current and future trends that affect our businesses; and
  2. Suggestions as to how to best align with the current energies, how to catch the wave at the right moment for success.

We’ve been reviewing the current Saturn/Pluto square, which made its first contact on Sunday, November 15, 2009 and will be a dominant influence until October 2010.  I want to give you some strategies to help you work with this energy and make the most of this powerful time.  Over the next few posts we’ll examine them one by one.

Strategy #1:  Alignment 

Pluto is the farthest planet from the sun with an orbit of 248 years.  With an average of twenty years in each sign, it describes a deep and irrevocable shift within the psyche of man.  Billions of people are born under the influence of the sign and the entire populace is affected by its qualities.

New York Stock Exchange (Source:Wikipedia)

New York Stock Exchange (Source:Wikipedia)


Pluto’s energy is essential for growth and development.  It is not a personal energy, but rather collective, informing and influencing all of us at once.  Personal plans and desires are not the province of Pluto, although if our plans and desires are in alignment with the general evolution of the time, we can take advantage of the energy.  If we try to resist the societal need for growth and change, then Pluto can be experienced as extremely destructive.

How to align with Pluto

So how do we work with this energy, how do we keep ourselves in alignment with it?  Pluto’s transit through the earth sign Capricorn will expose and cleanse whatever is no longer viable in the major public structures of our lives to make room for a renewed and fresh approach.  To work with Pluto we must examine these structures, especially in business, career, and government, and remove whatever is old, decaying, rotten, or redundant. 

In business this can mean simple actions such as cleaning out desks, emails, files, cubicles, and closets.   This can also mean letting go of staff that are no longer contributing or attitudes that are no longer appropriate for your business situation.  If there is negativity in your business environment, or racism, ageism, or any other “ism” sapping energy, your task is to bring it to the surface and remove it.

It is also worthwhile to take a good look at the structures of your business, both the physical integrity of your hard assets such as buildings and vehicles, as well as your systems, budgets, debt, and the value of your assets.  Anything that is unsafe, unsound, or festering in secret will be exposed under a Pluto transit. 

New York City Hall (Source:Wikipedia)

New York City Hall (Source:Wikipedia)


As Pluto rules debt, investment, and wealth, take steps to reveal, especially to yourself, whatever financial condition you’re in and come up with concrete plans about how to transform and regenerate your situation.

Don’t wait

Some people and businesses will need to enlist outside consultants, advisors, or psychologists to help uncover the deepest barriers to change.  But the investment is worth the money because if you don’t address these issues, Pluto will certainly bring them to the surface when they’ve been festering so long they are ready to erupt.  And that may be too late. 

Pluto is in the very early degrees of the sign Capricorn.  If you or your business have planets in these early degrees, especially of Libra, Capricorn, Aries, or Cancer you are already dealing with a major restructuring in your business life.  For the rest of us, let’s work with this transformative energy now so that when Pluto arrives we are ready, willing, and prepared for change, and for the season of renewal which will follow.

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Saturn square Pluto – Impasse?

Nov 12

Posted by Ellen in Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Saturn/Pluto Square, The Planets | No Comments

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn square Pluto – Impasse?

Hello, everyone.

We’ve been examining the impact of the square between Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn.  The first exact contact of this square occurs on Sunday, November 15th; there will be a retrograde contact at the end of January 2010, and then the last exact contact will occur in October, 2010.  Usually, the first contact of a long transit like this sets the stage for the conflict and is most intense.

Symbol of Saturn

Symbol of Saturn

In a nutshell, Saturn in Libra challenges us to define our attitudes toward others in intimate relationships and business partnerships, as well as “others” in general.  Pluto in Capricorn will bring to light everything that is old and decaying in the structures that influence all of our lives such as government and big business and is calling into question whether we have placed our trust in the proper powers.

Clash of the Titans

So now let’s get down to business.  With Saturn in Libra we feel determined to form new alliances, to seek security through partnerships, and to bring our best ideas down to earth through expanding our fields of endeavors.  We’re ready to engage in new projects and we’re willing to put in the extra hours to garner new clients or make an impact on the world around us. 

Symbol of Pluto

Symbol of Pluto

We’re all set:  we’ve prepared our business plans and equipped our businesses and just as we get started we run into one of the most formidable energies affecting our planet today:  Pluto in Capricorn.  Saturn tries to form new alliances and implement new ideas and immediately meets Pluto in the process of tearing down the edifices in our lives. 

Client Examples

Here are some ways this is playing out in clients’ businesses:

  1. One client is trying to reach new customers (Saturn in Libra) while conservatism has gripped consumers (Pluto in Capricorn).
  2. Another client needs to form new financial alliances (Saturn in Libra) while potential partners are driven to protecting their own dwindling resources (Pluto in Capricorn).
  3. One client has a great new idea for expansion (Saturn in Libra) but can’t secure credit because his personal assets have lost so much value (Pluto in Capricorn).
  4. Another is launching herself as an artist (Saturn in Libra) when her potential clients’ discretionary spending is at an all time low (Pluto in Capricorn).
  5. One client wants to do justice to his employees in terms of wages and benefits (Saturn in Libra) but is experiencing financial shortages and has to implement staff layoffs instead (Pluto in Capricorn).
  6. Another client is trying to negotiate a fair resolution to some tax issues (Saturn in Libra) just when the state government is scrambling for revenue wherever it can find it (Pluto in Capricorn).
  7. One client is creating a new methodology in her field (Saturn in Libra) and running into vehement criticism from established corporate competitors (Pluto in Capricorn).

And a few government examples…

  1. Leading a nation using diplomacy rather than force (Saturn in Libra) when the economic and military foundations are crumbling (Pluto in Capricorn).
  2. Building bridges, literally or metaphorically (Saturn in Libra), when the underlying infrastructure is unsound (Pluto in Capricorn).
  3. Launching a new social program (Saturn in Libra) when people are terrified about their own material security (Pluto in Capricorn). 

Is this an impasse?  What does astrology suggest we do?  We’ll look at that in the next post in this series.

Do you have any personal examples?  Please share them in the comments section.

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Saturn square Pluto – Easy to be Hard?

Nov 10

Posted by Ellen in Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Saturn/Pluto Square, The Planets | 5 Comments

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn square Pluto – Easy to be Hard

Hello, everyone.

Statue of Saturn at Nymphenburg Palace (Source:Wikipedia Commons)

Statue of Saturn at Nymphenburg Palace (Source:Wikipedia Commons)

Do you remember that song by Three Dog Night, “Easy to be Hard”?  This song came to mind this morning as I was thinking about the upcoming square between Saturn and Pluto next Sunday.

I’ll tell you, astrologers are really concerned about this planetary configuration.  It is a long transit with three exact contacts, the last one in August 2010.  It is in the signs of Libra and Capricorn, which are Cardinal signs.  Cardinal signs initiate new action in response to the ultra-stressful nature of the square aspect.

Saturn in Libra

With Saturn in Libra, ongoing public deliberations are bringing profound questions to light about what is fair and equitable:  what do we owe to the people around us?  And personally we are each being challenged to define our attitudes to those close to us, as the song says, do we only care about strangers; what about a needing friend?

Statue of Pluto at Nymphenburg Palace. (Source:Wikipedia Commons)

Statue of Pluto at Nymphenburg Palace. (Source:Wikipedia Commons)

With Saturn in Libra, everyone is in the midst of restructuring their attitudes, not just liberals and not just conservatives.  There is a major debate going on about what are the proper forms of partnership, interaction, and support of others and as long as any one of us is certain we have no more to learn, Saturn will surely support our growth in wisdom as only Saturn can, through pain, limitation, and hardship.

Pluto in Capricorn

All of this would be challenging enough were it not against the background of Pluto in Capricorn.  This major configuration is coloring our times and demanding our attention.  It is easy to see on a global scale.  Pluto in Capricorn is exposing the decay in the fundamental structures in our lives, such as banks, insurance companies, major business conglomerates, the military, and government.

Clash of the Titans

With these two energies together, we’re trying to figure out whether or not we are our brother’s keeper (Saturn in Libra) in the midst of the worst economic times since the 1930s (Pluto in Capricorn).  It’s like the edifices of our lives are crashing down around us just when a stranger comes up and asks us if we can spare some food, or money, or health care.

This makes it extremely difficult to make rational decisions.  The protection we’ve come to rely upon for safety and security is wobbling; the excavation has begun and we can feel it.  So what will be our response, to circle the wagons and care only for our kin, or to expand our group to become more interdependent with others?

Add to this the venomous polarization played out daily in government and the news.  What will Saturn and Pluto have to do to thrust us into the Libran virtues of justice, equality, diplomacy, and respect?

And what will this mean to our business lives?  We’ll get into the details in the next post.

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Welcome to Saturn in Libra

Nov 4

Posted by Ellen in Saturn in Libra, The Planets, The Zodiac Signs for Business | 2 Comments

Taos Pueblo Dancer. (Source:See photo attribution below)

Taos Pueblo Dancer. (Source:See photo attribution below)

AUDIO VERSION: Saturn in Libra

Hello, everyone.

I used to live in northern New Mexico, in Taos, the town just outside the Taos Indian Pueblo.  When there was a major celebration at Taos Pueblo, my friends from the Pueblo would invite me saying there would be “big doin’s” that day.  I’ve always loved that expression, big doin’s, and it comes to mind now.  There are big doin’s in the sky right now, really big.

Welcome Saturn to Libra!

To begin to understand the impact on our businesses we’ll start by examining Saturn’s transit in Libra.  Saturn has been in the sign Virgo for the last two years and will be under Libra’s influence until October 2012.  Saturn is said to be exalted in the sign of Libra, so he brings his best qualities to the matters of the sign as long as we are willing to do the work required.

The energy of Saturn has a natural affinity with business.  Quoting my post, “Saturn in Virgo – Managing by the Details”,

We’ve spoken about Saturn and how its qualities are beneficially associated with business ownership.  Saturn understands conservatism, budgeting, and the needs for controls, policies, and rules.  Saturn contracts the energy of ideas and inspiration into the material plane.  It sees the goal at the top of the mountain and can patiently follow a prescribed plan to get there.  Saturn does rule boundaries and limitations, yes, but willingly accepts these as a fact of life on this physical earth and knows how to put these things to use to accomplish success. 

Saturn in Libra’s idea of Success

So what is success when Saturn is in Libra?  Libra is a major turning point in the zodiac and also in the business cycle.  In the first six signs of the zodiac we are building inner resources and strengthening our skills and innate talents.  When we come to the seventh sign, Libra, we enter the phase of the cycle when our engagement with others becomes more the focus.  It’s almost as if we’ve spent the previous six signs perfecting ourselves so that we are ready to make a positive contribution to the lives of others.

In business, of course, this translates into business partnerships, business negotiations, business alliances – all the activities that take us out of the more personal, more entrepreneurial phases of business and into active engagement with the public, both our supporters and our competitors.  Businesses have a life cycle that is reflected by the zodiac signs and again quoting from a prior post, “The Zodiac and Business Life Cycle – Expansion”,

At the Libra point the business begins to establish partnerships to aid in its expansion and deals with responsibilities to investors.  There will be a focus on networking to expand the customer/client base as well as a further shift in management to a more broad-based model.  As the employee base expands as well, effort goes into recruiting the right people and dealing with human resources complexities.

Leadership in this phase will bring in outside consultants and new board members to engage the skills necessary for expansion.  Legal issues may become more serious now, with outside threats to product brands and legal challenges as the company becomes more known in the market.

So what will Saturn bring to these Libran activities?  What are the Libran ideas that Saturn will crystallize into matter?  Here are some ideas:

  • Fair and equitable partnerships
  • Responsibility to others
  • Social justice
  • Direct, honest communications
  • Respect for and inclusion of the elderly on your staff as sources of wisdom
  • Disciplined responses to threats from competitors

 

What to watch for

Justice-a good image for Saturn in Libra. (Source:Wikipedia)

Justice-a good image for Saturn in Libra. (Source:Wikipedia)

If any of these areas are out of balance in your business, Saturn will make it known over the coming months.  When the energy of Saturn the taskmaster first begins his instruction, it looks (and feels) like restriction, limitation, and failure.  Things we thought were going smoothly reveal another side.  Anywhere we have polarized – us and the government; me and my competitor;  my partner is the smart one;  I’m conservative and my partner is spending all the money – will be challenged as we learn to reclaim our power in the situation.

Saturn will shine a light on our ability to commit and to do the arduous work to play by the rules of partnership.  It will demand structure and a concrete commitment to fairness and equity.  Fortune or misfortune may look like it comes through others when Saturn in is Libra, but blame will have no place to stand as we are tested regarding our own integrity and honesty.  Saturn is known to demand truth and when he is in Libra he dispels our illusions about ourselves in relationship to others.  Saturn will expect us to act like grown-ups and to run our businesses according to fundamental social values, rather than convenient shortcuts we may have learned from others.

And the payoff?

All this work then clears the way to be able to join with others in cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships.  And remember, Saturn is exalted in Libra, so while it sounds like a lot of hard work, the payoff is tremendous and permanent.

Depending on the position of your natal Saturn, this could be easier for some, harder for others.  But we will all feel the impact and you will see it in the news, too.  And as I said earlier, this is just one of the influences at play during this complicated time.  I’ll explain more about it in upcoming posts.

See you soon!

 

 

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