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| A beautiful school in Kolkata |
It's big shift all right and usually some sort of symbolism makes its way to the front pages of the international newspapers when Saturn changes signs. Remember "Je suis Charlie?" just as Saturn lurched back and forth over the cusp of Scorpio and Sagittarius at the end of 2014? Saturn in Sagittarius began with our need to speak our Truth and it will end with a lot of us wondering what the point of all that truth seeking was about. The planet is a mess, politics are mess, the internet is a mess. . .now what do we do with all this "truth"?
Articles about Saturn ingresses are plentiful and I sure do have my hands full here in India with our astrology conference coming up. So I hope no one minds that I don't rake over the usual stuff. Instead I want to write about something far more important: the educational system.
Most people come to me for astrological advice because they want something to change. No one comes to me to tell me how wonderful life is. For example:
1) My child won't behave. How can I get them to behave?
2) My classes are a nightmare. How do I get my pupils to behave?
3) My husband/wife is doing x. How do I get them to stop?
My answer, in short, is to turn those questions on their ear. Instead of looking to the other person, look to oneself. At the very least what a client comes up with are a few options, some of which will be far more reasonable than others. An astrologer will no doubt hear the client's Saturn speaking (always an amazing thing to behold). The client will soon realise that they are not as disempowered as they had assumed. There's work to be done!
And this really is what Saturn is all about: stepping up to the plate, eyeballing the pitch and then deciding how to play it. It's taking on the responsibility for one's own actions. Saturn isn't about making life cozy. It's looking at problems and deciding what to do about them.
This is rather going to be the theme as we approach Saturn in Capricorn season.
However, as I see it, the Saturn in Capricorn ingress will bring with it huge changes in the educational system.
And it's about goddamn time.
Look around at social media. There goes a teacher complaining about workload (sorry), there goes a parent complaining that their child's learning needs aren't being met, there goes a politician complaining that they're not getting enough bang for their buck from teachers so it's time to change the curriculum (again), there goes a child complaining about bullying (in whatever form), boredom and homework whose voice falls on the deaf ears of parents, teachers and politicians who are too wrapped up in their own concerns to do something about it.
Let that last point be the one that bends your disbelieving knee to the call of Saturn.
Saturn is the co-ruler of Aquarius. I know our Aquarian friends like to boast about their Uranian qualities but for thousands of years before Uranus was discovered, they too were ruled by Saturn. Under their zaniness lies a deep fear (Saturn) that their contributions are not as useful as they would like them to be.
Here too is another key to understanding Saturn: the need for practicality.
As we approach 2020, the year of the next Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius (ruled by BOTH Saturn and Uranus), I really do think there will be huge reforms in education. This structure we have upheld for hundreds of years cannot continue to stand as it is. And the changes will be profound. . .
1) Currently pupils suffer under the factory model school system originally meant for workers of the industrial revolution. We teach them that "being good" is about sitting down and shutting up. That we must all work at the same pace and reach the same objectives.
2) Currently parents are kept in the dark about their child's real progress. "Being involved" usually means coming to the school's Christmas concert or showing up at Parents' evening rather than understanding how the curriculum works and where their child's aptitude does or does not fit into it.
3) Currently teachers are expected to put up with outrageous working conditions. . .because it's the only system they know too!! The "standard" school teacher (under 30, female and for whatever reason deemed not suitable for management) manages 30 children at one time, dances to the tune Ousted* plays (oh don't get me started on Ofsted!) and has been conditioned to keep quiet about injustices.
Whispers of outrage have already begun and please dear Goddess let me have the strength to lead the astrological charge!! Hear my Saturn in Pisces speak??!! And I wasn't even trying. . .(haha).
To get more good teachers, we need to treat them better!! We need to ask why only 45% of them stay in the profession 5 years after qualifying. More teachers=smaller classrooms. More home-based (online) education= parents understanding their own child's learning needs. More lessons that truly cater to a child's learning needs= adults who become independent thinkers rather than drones who are punished for opening up about what they want!
Saturn in Capricorn urges you to get to grips with your own Saturn, to face up to your fears and know that they are not insurmountable. Saturn in Capricorn urges you to accept your limitations and to do something about them. Saturn in Capricorn looks at the current structures that we have always relied on and realises the foundations are showing signs of collapse.
It's time to come in like a wrecking ball!!
You have two choices: Get up and fight or roll over and die!
There will be no comfort as we fight the good fight. As the old (slightly modified) saying goes: you'll have al the comfort you want in the grave!
A hard reign's gonna fall but personally I can't wait for the flowers.
Alex Trenoweth
Copyright 2017
Got some questions? Want to step up to the plate? Drop by my new and improved website https://alextrenoweth.co.uk. . .or leave me a comment and tell me about how you would like to see the educational system improve!
* "Ousted" is a typo for "Ofsted" or the managing body of teaching inspectors. I was going to correct it then thought it was extremely fitting! Or maybe even wishful thinking!
