2005 Planet Waves Annual for Leo

by Eric Francis

IT'S TRUE THAT YOU KNOW your limits. And in the coming seasons, you're going to learn a lot about getting past them. Ask any athlete: what are our limits for, if not to exceed?

For good reason, Leo is one of the most centered and self-confident of the astrological energies. The Sun, which rules Leo in every system of astrology, is not a planet, but rather the source of all heat, light and life for our solar system. It is the center, but it is the center of all change, progress, growth and becoming that anyone goes through. If any Leo has a tendency to be self-centered, they're also likely to have a tendency to feel that their actions and choices truly matter, and that to some extent they hold their world together.

You may fear that Saturn's presence in your sign between July 16, 2005 and Sept. 2, 2007 is going to add to your burdens or bring unwelcome changes into your life. It is true that there is an exchange process with Saturn, but generally it's an exchange of what's necessary for what is not. As the late Patric Walker once wrote, Saturn always gives more than he takes away. And what Saturn will give you is a sense of yourself and your purpose unlike any you've ever had before. Indeed, Leo can be so self-assured that much is taken for granted in this respect. With Saturn's help, you will learn to take nothing for granted, particularly yourself.

Saturn moving through your 12th solar house -- Cancer -- is a very challenging transit because it forces you to come to terms with all your deepest insecurities and hidden fears. You're seeing the extent to which you're guided and even ruled by your emotions, even though your creative will is so strong. You are learning to come to grips with the 'great unknown' and the 'not so great unknown', as Saturn sweeps through this angle of your chart and pushes all your shadow material to the surface. You may feel like you've gone through the deepest parts of this process alone or at least in the dark, but if you have, that sense of isolation will not last for long.

Saturn's return to Leo for the first time in almost three decades represents you coming to terms with your talents, your value and your need for freedom. You could say that Saturn will help return you to your natural state, free from any sense of identity that depended on a role, group, or relationship. By the end of this transit, you can be sure that what you value, need and are supported by will remain present in your life, though likely in a new and transformed way. And through the process of sorting that out, you'll develop the ability to make actual decisions on a much deeper level, and to cast away that which depletes your energy, distracts you from your true mission, or takes up too much space.

In a closely related development to Saturn's arrival in Leo, the small but meaningful planet Chiron begins a long appearance in Aquarius for the first time in almost 40 years in late winter. Because Aquarius is your relationship house, this will have an interesting effect on your partnerships. My take is that you'll suddenly see them in an entirely different way. Their patterns, tendencies and rules will suddenly become transparent, like a radio in a clear plastic case. For many years, you've had to function on a kind of psychic intuition where people are concerned. Now, what you need to do, to look at and to understand will be presented to you in clear terms. While every relationship has its plusses and minuses, Chiron has a way of bearing gifts at every possible moment. It may point out problems, but never without offering ways to develop your talents and create solutions.

Chiron in your 7th joins Neptune, which has been there for several years. This seems like a test of integrity -- a challenge to focus your energy on the highest level of relationship, which is teaching, compassion and healing. The test, if there is one, will be whether you feel that people have been honest with you and you with them, but as you are a person of exceedingly clear conscience, you need not fear.

Most people don't know how challenging it is for you to fit into this world. You are very good at warming up the people around you, thawing some of the social ice, and spreading your good vibes. In all, this makes your world considerably more comfortable for you, and we all benefit. But to actually be part of a community to which you can relate is, inwardly, a challenge of which you rarely speak.

If I had to take an educated guess, it's been a while since you felt fully integrated into a social experience. This has been an exceedingly subtle condition at times; and at others, it's been rather obvious, leading you to feel for the antennas on your head. What may have escaped you entirely is that the whole process has a measure of logic to it. Certain conditions of your environment have allowed you to put much more emphasis on your inner world than you might ordinarily. The transits of 2005 add up to an emergence from your shell -- perhaps one that you didn't even know you were carrying around on your back.

In finances, you can count on a high level of motivation. Actually, this is the most vital factor that anyone can hope for in improving their financial condition -- though you were probably born with the instinct to be methodical about money. You also view your personal supply of resources as something that is available to help the world, yet another example of how the Leonine concept of 'self-centered' is something from which the world could stand to learn a lot. What you need to do this year is combine your attention to detail with a passion for creating wealth and you will do remarkably well.

For those Leos who depend on financial intuition -- and there are many with an otherwise inexplicable knack for attracting wealth -- remember that everything is negotiable. If you feel your way through any situation, you will know when it's time to ask for a better deal, or to rearrange the situation entirely. Do this in a cooperative way and with your typical flair for honesty, and you'll see that anything really is possible -- you can benefit from your decisions at the same time as those around you.

Returning to Saturn for one final thought. It was Jesus who said that unless we become like little kids, we can't attain enlightenment. I would add a corollary: it is only when we become mature adults that we can see and feel the world from the heart-space of a child. This, in the end, will be Saturn's gift to you. PW

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