Sobriety Challenged and Spiritual Opportunity - Jyotish Now
We're in a gnarly patch, astrologically speaking, but there is also opportunity if we honor Lord Saturn
Saturn is transiting right now
Right now in the real sky, Saturn is moving from Aquarius to Pisces. This is called a transit. As planets transit from one sign to another, they enter an in-between zone called a sandhi in Sanskrit.
Saturn will be in the sandhi between Aquarius and Pisces until April 7th.
Sandhis are a main location for spiritual practice in both Indian and Tibetan spiritual traditions. We practice with the sandhis (gaps)—for instance the space between the in and out breaths—and at other times when one thing is turning into another.
Given proper instruction and orientation, we can discover the real nature of presence in the sandhi and eventually everywhere.
So, when transiting planets enter the sandhis between signs, or when they live there in your natal chart, this is often considered to be good for spiritual life.
The best way to traverse the current Saturn transit with grace is to bring some extra time and devotion to your sadhana.
However. . .
Mundane life is a different story
Each planet has many different significations, some related to ordinary aspects of our daily lives and some related to spiritual life and spiritual opportunity or lack thereof.
The essence of Saturn is sobriety. Saturn slows us down and holds us down, forcing us to see how we and circumstances actually are. Saturn strips us of fantasy.
When Saturn is weak in our chart, or afflicted in specific ways, we might experience a lack of sobriety and a lack of discipline and clear-sightedness in the areas of our lives most impacted by Saturn. These areas likely will involve relationships, career, mental stability and health, or money and real property.
Spiritual life might be flying along, but the mundanities are limping.
March 29th eclipse
Saturn's 2025 transit into Pisces has several unique features.
At the apex of the transit on March 29, there is also a partial solar eclipse. So Sober Saturn will be dilly-dallying in the sandhi while the light of the sun will be partially blotted out. Blergh.
Shall we say that clarity and sobriety might be a tad challenged?
If you have addictions going on or you are in recovery, just be aware that it may feel harder to maintain sobriety during this time, so take appropriate measures. Extra meetings anyone?
Stick to your honesty like “white on rice!” Be extra cautious of straying into fantasy. Making big decisions in areas where you normally have problems with clear seeing — your karmically impacted areas of life — is not recommended until after April 7th.
A pile-up on the astrological highway
In addition to the eclipse, as Saturn finally rounds into Pisces, he’ll be met by Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Rahu. It’s a party! But really more of a pile-up.
That much crowding can create confusion and conflict within groups. So as a student of mine suggested, go into “semi-invisible mode.” Keep your head down and don’t get into group fights. Be more accommodating than usual. If you can, put off group decisions until after June 1 when Saturn will have Pisces all to himself and the other big transit—that of Rahu into Aquarius—will be accomplished.
Saturn in Pisces
Pisces can be escapist. So even after Saturn is fully out of the sandhi and settling into its new home, there can still be significant astrological dynamics for those of us dealing with addictions and sobriety.
Pisces is associated with escapism and with both subconscious patterns, and liberation. Piscean energy can manifest as clear intuition, but also as emotional overwhelm or a desire to escape reality through substances.
Saturnʼs presence in Pisces exposes vulnerabilities and forces confrontation with our tendencies to zone out.
You may feel you’ve got everything under control, then out of nowhere, urges. This is your opportunity to see what’s still left and to make reparations if your past behaviors have harmed others.
For those who keep on drinking and drugging (or maniacally overworking), you might face heightened consequences, pushing you toward sobriety and karmic resolution.
Saturn’s transit suggests spiritual solutions to addiction that incorporate routine, service, honesty, and humility.
This transit encourages us to embody our spiritual ideals with tangible actions, making it a pivotal period for breaking addictive cycles through disciplined sadhana, service, and honest self-reflection.
with infinite love,
Shambhavi
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