Do you know that song “Tea for Two”? It is a song from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette. The most famous words are usually given as: Just tea for two and two for tea; Just you for me and me for you. Alone! To me this song illustrates the energy of Saturn in Libra. Saturn will change signs at the end of October, moving from Virgo to Libra where it will stay until 2012, except for a short period next year when it will back up again in Virgo.
Saturn being the planet of fixing what is broken, Libra being the sign of “diplomatic intelligence,” the combination means that we will be spending the next 2 ½ years repairing, reframing, strengthening our relationships both individually and collectively. Saturn feels at home in Libra, like a welcomed friend. It is said to be exalted in that sign and it is easy to see why. Everybody wants their relationships, be it marriages, partnerships, or any type of alliance where you need to count on the other person – to be STRONG, RELIABLE, and DEPENDABLE.
And we certainly do need to revisit the way we handle our relationships. Since the last time Saturn was in Libra in 1980, relationships have changed, becoming more fragmented and compartmentalized, and in general, I feel relationships in our society have degraded. We Facebook, tweet, email, text message and Skype each other but we do not talk to our neighbors. The “Us and Them” mentality seems to have become more pronounced.We have stopped caring for each other unless they belong to our camp, share our views. I would say it has always been that way, but our technologies have accelerated the process. The overall attitude in relationships to get as much as you can while giving as little as possible has existed as long as there has been human civilization. But now seems to have become a predominant trait. As a consequence we’ve lost a common language where the words fairness, reciprocity, balance mean anything.
Considering the depth, breadth and number of issues that are dividing people right now (abortion, gay marriage, health care reform, American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan), and the polarization of sides on each one of these issues, the lack of a common language and shared definitions has serious consequences. Not only does the lack of a common language affect everybody, but the reforms and innovations needed to get us out of this economic downturn are not happening and the USA is not moving forward.
Going back to a common language is not an easy task. A possible solution is to innovate our approach on how to define what is at stake. Let’s take the health care reform, for example. Many of us have been reading about the different proposals and are aware of the problems and needs of the sector. Each side (patients, doctors, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and government) has been pitching their definition of what they perceive to be the key weaknesses and strength of the state of health in the USA and have recommended plans of action. However, each side has described the problem, their approach and their aims differently. In some cases, they seem to be talking about similar actions, but they are using different words. In other cases, they are using common words to describe what seem to be completely different activities!
As a result, each citizen has a lot of information which has left him more confused than he was before he began hearing about the issue. None of the presentations have matched his understanding of his needs. And the proposals are confusing and contradictory. In the end, what might happen is that none of the legislation will meet the needs of patients. This seems to be happening rather more frequently than many of us realize. And it does no one any good!
The lack of fairness, reciprocity, balance in the current political scene makes me question if America does care about its own people. As a foreigner living in this country, it seems unfathomable that this country should have such high proportion of its population without access to healthcare, when it is easily capable of affording it.
The US has natal Saturn in the 10th House in Libra, so the country is about to have another Saturn Return (which happens every 30 years). This time around I expect there is going to be a strong emphasis on “righting the wrongs,” learning to share and divide (Libra) the burden of supporting (Saturn) a more equitable society.
Are you interested in helping?
Astrology Unboxed 
Wow! Very informative article and so right on for me in my life right now! I do not know much about astrology but am happy to say I am learning more and more through your blog. The delivery of information makes it easy for a lay person like myself to grasp the concepts. Thanks Fabienne.
Great article! Though it is a very short period to provoke radical changes in our societies, it is expected that Saturn in Libra will be able to provoke at least important reflections on individual level with consequence on collective one. After all, major changes begin within the individual first, right? If the way we have been doing things is not “sustainable” anymore, it is time to start fixing it! Congratulations!
I agree that it is a short period of time. But it is a start, where we can recognize the importance of the issue and work on making our relationships strong again through a new understanding of commons problems.