Posts Tagged Saturn in Virgo

Saturn in Virgo – Managing by the Details (Redux)

Dear Readers – this is a reprint of an earlier article published on this site. As I’m travelling this week, and in keeping with Mercury Retrograde, I’ll be posting articles of interest from the archives each day this week.

Luca Pacioli, the creator of double-entry bookkeeping. (Source:Wikipedia)

Luca Pacioli, the creator of double-entry bookkeeping. (Source:Wikipedia)

I’d like to start talking about medium term trends so you can take advantage of the current energies.

There are three categories of planets when looking at trends.

  1. The inner, personal planets and luminaries are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. These are planets that move so quickly around the zodiac that they influence our day to day lives but do not deliver a lasting impact.
  2. We’ve covered some of the very long term transits of the outer planets, Pluto in Capricorn, and Neptune in Aquarius. Uranus is also a planet with a very long orbit and I’ll cover him in upcoming posts. These three planets are called the impersonal planets because they have such long orbits that they tend to affect long periods of time and whole generations of people.
  3. There are two transpersonal planets, Jupiter and Saturn, which have orbits somewhere in between, twelve years for Jupiter, 29 years for Saturn. These planets are not entirely personal as they stay in one sign so long that large groups of people are born under the same sign. But they’re not entirely impersonal either, as they indicate trends that play out over a manageable group of years and we have some power to take advantage of their influence. They are seen as a bridge between the purely personal planets and the purely impersonal planets.

We’re going to skip to Saturn in Virgo, because there are only a few more months of this influence. Saturn entered the sign of Virgo in September 2007 and will leave the sign in late October 2009. It will briefly revisit Virgo from April to July 2010, but then it doesn’t return for 29 years. We want to make sure we’ve made the most of it before it leaves!

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.

We haven’t talked about the sign Virgo yet. Virgo also has a natural alignment with business, especially the parts of business management having to do with planning, documnetation, auditing, accounting, and finance. Virgo has a facility with all kinds of information, especially the collecting and categorizing of information that then can be turned into knowledge.

I once attended a seminar in a business conference that spelled out the following flow:

Data becomes Information becomes Knowledge becomes Future Strategy

Virgo rules the first step in this process, where data is categorized into information. Virgo understands the practical need for documentation and systems of testing and analysis so that all the pieces of data can be turned into useful information. Virgo records the details, in black and white, that must be preserved for future decision-making. In addition to accounting, bookkeeping, and auditing, it also rules engineering and scientific research. It is practical and down to earth, cares more for application than theory. Virgo is fond of precise and detailed rituals, daily routines which performed day after day add up to a storehouse of practical wisdom.

Saturn in the sign of Virgo brings conservatism and material outcomes to business planning, auditing, and analysis. Remember, you only have a few more weeks to have the support of this energy. What are some of the items Saturn in Virgo is looking for?

  • Do you and your company have a clearly defined mission with a written mission statement?
  • Do you have a written sales plan?
  • Have you developed an annual budget?
  • Do you have a written pricing policy?
  • Is your inventory adequately controlled?
  • Do you have an adequate bookkeeping system?
  • Are you aware of tax laws and their implications when making decisions?
  • Do you perform cash flow projections regularly?
  • Do you prepare daily, weekly, and monthly financial reports?
  • How do you insure quality control?

This is what Saturn in Virgo loves. Note we did not mention what you do with all of this information. Saturn in Virgo is concerned with having the process and systems in place to provide it. It takes other planets and signs to interpret and form strategies from it. But without the above, there is no information at all.

For more on business planning, see this article:

Saturn in Virgo – to Plan or Not?

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Astro4Business Forecast Today – April 21

Source:Wikimedia Commons

Good Day!

The day begins with the Moon in sensitive Cancer, but by lunch (EDT) it enters childlike, creative, playful Leo.

During the first few hours of the day, with the Moon aspecting Venus, Neptune, and Uranus, you may have difficulty reconciling your dreams, your desires, and the information coming from friends and colleagues.  But then the Moon forms a harmonious aspect to Saturn in Virgo, and you’ll see how every piece fits neatly into a grid, like a perfect puzzle.

Soon after the Moon enters Leo it forms a challenging aspect to the Sun in Taurus.  This is the beginning of the 1st Quarter Lunar Phase.  This phase is marked by action and if someone is crossing you, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to clear the obstacle out of your way. 

The energy of Taurus tends to plod along, achieving success step-by-step; the Moon in Leo wants recognition NOW!  I’d say, go ahead and promote yourself, your team, and your project.  A few hours of displaying the progress you’ve made won’t really disrupt your long-term plan and may even bolster everyone’s confidence to keep going for the goal.

However, when the Moon meets up with Pluto in Capricorn toward the end of the day, you may become aware of who holds the true power in your business.  If that power is greater than you are, then it’s time to graciously retreat.

Keep it benevolent.

For an overview of the week, see the Astro4Business Weekly Forecast – April 19-25

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

For more info on the planets influencing today, see

The Sun

The Moon

Venus

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Flaws and Perfection – Handling the Saturn/Uranus Opposition

Hello, everyone. 

An Harvard Business Review Management Tip got me thinking about flaws and handicaps in our businesses. 

Now that Saturn has returned to Virgo through its retrograde motion, we may become more aware of what isn’t working in our businesses.  Virgo can take an exacting, unemotional look at situations and circumstances and Saturn’s tendency is to see the glass half empty:  what isn’t working rather than what is. 

Imperfections and aspirations 

We’d all like to be perfect.  We’d all like to have only strengths and not weaknesses, if for no other reason than to contribute the very best to society.  Especially now, with the approaching opposition between Uranus and Saturn we are probably painfully aware of our imperfections (Saturn in Virgo) and our aspiration for perfection (Uranus in Pisces).  Another way of saying this is we may feel torn between working the way we have in the past with all our imperfections (Saturn in Virgo) or breaking into a new pattern that we think will insure a more perfect future (Uranus in Pisces). 

The HBR management tip was along the lines of “turn your flaws into your unique distinguishing feature.”  It cited a hotel in India without AC or room service, plus mosquitoes in the bargain, which they successfully marketed as an “eco-hotel.”  Now there was a lot of flak in the comments of the original article about dishonestly covering up your weaknesses and passing them off as strengths.  This is not what I’m asking you to look at. 

Is it really a flaw? 

I’m saying, if there are flaws, handicaps, shortages you just can’t get around, look for ways these can become a unique feature about you and your business.   Or at least ask the question:  are these really flaws?   One person’s too narrow focus may be another person’s ability to delve deeply into a topic.  One person’s scattered attention could be another’s ability to see all sides of an issue.  And some customers may want to pay for the boutique or deluxe experience; others may prefer a simple, low-cost alternative. 

During an opposition of any two planets, we stand right in the middle of two energies pulling us in opposite directions.  But this middle point is the still point, the point of balance.  Now is the time to look to Saturn in Virgo to tell you what needs improvement, and to Uranus in Pisces to tell you how that liability can be an asset. 

The point of balance 

I’ll tell you a personal example.  I’m writing this from outside of London where I’m nannying my grandson for three weeks.  This suits Saturn in Virgo completely.  Part of me is perfectly happy serving my son and daughter-in-law and caring for a toddler, with his scheduled waking, eating, sleeping, and outdoor play. And more than these is the feeling of the continuity of service from my son to my grandson, a wonderfully affirming sense of grandmothering my grandson in the same way I mothered my son.  

And yet these activities, as much as I love them, take time from writing this blog on astrology for business.  With my mind so focused on family life, it’s hard for me to settle into a business frame of reference.  This little family is my connection with my past; my writing is my stepping stone to my future. 

But if I reach for the still point my perception changes.  I can see that this little family is my future too, and that authentic writing is built on every experience of the past, whether there is a direct connection to business or not.  I have the sense that I am standing at the point of intersection between the past and the future, the exact balance of Saturn and Uranus.  I guess you would call it the present.  

Do you perceive a flaw, a shortfall, a handicap, a shortage?  Can you change your perception so you see it as part of your business future?  Use these last couple of months of Saturn in Virgo to root out your feelings of imperfection and let Uranus in Pisces show you a potential that includes the past, the present and the future, the whole you. 

For posts related to this topic, see the categories on the right – “Saturn in Virgo” and “Uranus in Pisces”. For the basics see these:

Astro4Business Basics – Saturn
Uranus – An Introduction

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Astro4Business Week – April 5

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

Hello, everyone.

This week all of the major activity is front-loaded into the first three days.  Mercury, the planet of communications, is featured; I guess he’s making a showing before turning retrograde a couple of weeks from now.  This month we are examining whether major sign changes are marked by actual, noticeable events in our outer lives.  This week there are two points to watch for:  Pluto turning retrograde and Saturn reentering Virgo.

Monday

With Mercury squaring Mars, both in fixed signs, today could feel like the irresistible force hitting the immovable object.  Negotiations could be tough going today with neither side willing to yield.  And really, there’s value in both points of view.  I would say just gather all of the information, hear each other out, and don’t try to resolve the conflict today.  Wait until later in the week.

Tuesday

Today the planet Pluto makes its station before turning retrograde.  But just before it does Mercury forms a harmonious aspect to it.  Mercury was known as the messenger of the gods; listen today for a message from Pluto.  There could be something very important for you to realize today, something that will unfold over the next year or so.  And since both Mercury and Pluto are in earth signs this message could provide the key to resolving your financial situation.

Wednesday

On Wednesday Saturn in retrograde motion reenters Virgo from Libra.  This is a very interesting retrogression, as Saturn returns across the cusp of the Equinox.  Backtracking from the heightened activity of the cardinal sign Libra, Saturn retreats into integration of the past cycle.  What was left undone?  What is still in need of methodical attention and organization?  Saturn will be in the sign of Virgo until mid-July, providing one last chance to polish our plans for the future.  Don’t be surprised if issues you thought were resolved come back up for further discussion and decision.  For a review of Saturn in Virgo, revisit these posts.

Saturn in Virgo – Managing by the Details

Saturn in Virgo – To Plan or Not?

That’s it for the week.  Be sure to watch for those significant events we’re studying this month and let me know how everything works out.

 

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!

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Astro4Business Week – October 5, 2009

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

Phases of the Moon, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere will see a mirror image of this phase. (Source:Wikipedia)

AUDIO VERSION: October 5, 2009

Hello, everyone.

Just a reminder that in astrology, we’re always looking at the shorter term influences within the context of the longer-term and more far-reaching influences. For this larger context, see the Astro4Business Month Ahead.

This week the Moon enters its waning phase after the Full Moon on the weekend.    In this first week of the waning Moon, energy is available to achieve your goals through giving to others and seeing others’ points of view.  This is a week of hard work, as what came to fruition at the Full Moon is harvested, so to speak:  conserved, preserved, and made useful.

Thursday

Early on Thursday, there is a serious and logical influence on your thinking due to a conjunction of Mercury and Saturn in Virgo.  This is a great time for concentration and focus on business planning or any project involving outside regulations and rules.  If you can find some solitude you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done.

Later in the day, the Sun and Moon are in easy, harmonious relationship.  In business, this means that the leader and the employees, customers, and general public understand each other and can work well together.  Future plans and past endeavors are in synch which aids forward progress.

Friday

On Friday there is an opposition between Venus and Uranus.  Venus represents finances, creativity, and marketing. Uranus in Pisces is about finding unconventional ways to work with and include others.  The test today is to find the balance between the two:  allow yourself to get excited but don’t go too far out on the limb of risk.  Recognize a profitable idea but wait a couple of days to act on it.

Later in the day Mercury enters Libra where it will stay until October 29.  When Mercury enters Libra, our minds tend to become more indecisive and vacillating because we can see all sides to every issue and have a hard time coming to a conclusion about anything.   However it’s a great time to hash things out with others.  The mind’s strength is in reaching decisions by building consensus at this time.

Saturday

Saturday is a superb day for launching big ideas with the Sun in harmony with Jupiter.  You’ll be tuned into ways to expand your horizons, especially in concert with large groups of people on really big projects.  Lots of optimism and confidence will fuel success and profits.

Later in the day you may have second thoughts.  With Mercury and Pluto at odds, you could receive news from the economic front that brings doubt to your earlier enthusiasm.  Use this transit to look beneath the surface and ferret out any hidden agendas.  Talk out issues of trust and get to the bottom of your concerns.  Then proceed with a cautious and clear mind.

Sunday

On Sunday we reach the third quarter Moon.  You may feel tense or out of balance.  Hard work and taking action is the remedy.  Make it happen!

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Saturn in Virgo – To Plan or Not?

Cheshire Cat
Alice asked, “Cheshire-Puss…would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

 

Last week we started looking at Saturn’s transit through the sign of Virgo, where it’s been since September 2007 and will leave in October 2009, returning for a few months during 2010.  To best take advantage of this energy, we’re going to begin looking at business planning, aided, of course, by astrology’s ability to forecast coming trends. 

We spoke last week about Saturn in Virgo’s love of classifying data into information to make it useful for decision-making.  Every business owner knows the importance of accounting and controlling, even if for no other purpose than preparing your taxes!

Upsides to Planning

I advise my clients to prepare detailed business plans each year.  I have found the most beneficial aspect of this is the planning process itself.  The combination of letting your imagination soar and then putting your ideas to the test on a spreadsheet is an invaluable learning tool. 

Most management consultants say that a drawback of business plans is that people tend to leave the plan on the shelf until next year when it’s time to make a new plan.  I disagree.  I know many people who go through the process – the process itself clarifies their priorities – then put the plan on a shelf, never look at it, and then when the next planning cycle comes and they take down last year’s plan, they find they have accomplished every  goal.  The process clarifies their intentions, and their intentions bring about the results.

I advise business planning because in the process you quantify your assumptions and test their validity.  There is nothing like cash flow projection worksheets to show you whether you’re in the realm of the reasonable or not.  Business planning is a time to test, analyze, and assimilate new ideas – activities Saturn in Virgo loves.  In the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had Saturn in Virgo,  “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Downsides to Planning

But I want to warn you before we begin about some of the downsides of Saturn in Virgo and how to avoid them.  For some people, the Virgo energy is tedious and time-consuming, and when added to Saturn, downright irritating.  Saturn can manifest emotionally as fear, worry, and a tendency to perceive a half-empty glass.  In Virgo, this can become worry over inconsequentials and becoming lost in data and details. 

The test with Saturn in Virgo is whether you have the discrimination to assess what is important and what is not.  And this discrimination comes with the business planning process itself. 

I know some business owners who don’t plan at all because they can’t keep their hope alive if they start to miss their metrics.  Or they feel they cannot control the outcomes, so why plan at all?  Or they sense the humorlessness that can be part of the process, the over-seriousness that can become so rigid there is no room for spontaneity and taking advantage of opportunities.  Other people make a business plan, but it is too vague, too unrealistic, or too future oriented.

What to do?

How do you walk the line between specific enough but not overwhelmed by details?  How can you let your optimism soar to the skies yet keep your feet on the earth as you plan the implementation?  By following a short step-by-step process that allows for creativity and practicality.

Over the next two weeks I’ll lay out a process for you, guided by astrology.  You can follow it day by day, as I will, and share how it’s going in the comments section below.  Or you can pick a couple of days between now and the end of October, clear as much of daily operations off of your desk as you can, sit down, have some dream time, and write your business plan for 2010.  Your business will thank you, your wallet will thank you, and you will thank yourself.

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