This has been an unusually dark Dark of the Moon in Scorpio; Pluto, ruler of this capital-I intense sign, has been squaring Saturn. If this were a boxing match, it would be the heavyweight division: Pluto, Lord of the Underworld vs. Saturn, Lord of Karma.
Although the square is officially over (exact 11/15 at 9:42 a.m. EST), and I don't think either planet "won," I have found that aspects involving Saturn reverberate for quite some time, possibly because Saturn's action delays.
A prime example of this would be the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of August 2001, which culminated in the events and long, bloody, morally bankrupt aftermath of 9/11.
Planets are more powerful than the signs they inhabit, yet it is always important to consider the signs of an aspect. Saturn entered Libra just before Halloween; for the next two and a half years, all legal, contractual relationships will take on more structure and grave importance, and require greater maturity in order to survive. It is worth remembering that the last time Saturn was in Libra, the early 1980s, the divorce rate peaked in the U.S. Big business, which ushered in the "greed is good" decade, was also on the rise, and not coincidentally, in 1982/83 was a Saturn/Pluto conjunction...solidifying plutocracy, anyone?
Certainly, with Saturn squaring Pluto in early Capricorn, there is much pressure within relationships that are unbalanced in some way. One person, party, or group has been abusing the other person, party, or group for far too long, and something's got to give. Libra, the sign of the scales, is all about justice; the law ideally should mete out justice to any and all who have abused their power and goodwill. (Of course, this is no guarantee of what actually occurs.)
On a personal level I can speak for no one but myself; just a few weeks ago I placed far too much trust in someone who had done nothing to earn any of it, and I am still dealing with the fallout.
On a national level, we have been dealing with disturbing developments in our long-awaited, hopelessly bogged-down health-care plan, in which women's rights are taking a backseat to the status quo (in this case, the male-dominated Congress and the Roman Catholic Church). Americans are divided about the swine flu vaccine, and there's also a vaccine shortage. We have also been hearing all about the end of the recession even though unemployment is up, because Wall Street (Pluto in Capricorn?) is doing so well that bankers are using $100 bills as toilet paper. On a global level--well, to expect world peace may be a naive pipe dream, but issues involving the environment and pandemics (of which the swine flu is just the beginning) are just as important as all the futile, costly wars being fought.
About forty years ago, John Lennon and Yoko Ono advised people to "think globally and act locally." This seems like more timely advice than ever. Instead of only focusing on national or global problems, take a good, hard look at your own relationships, within your own environment. If you don't like what you see or feel, there is no better time to be honest about your perceptions and act. If you try to renegotiate the dynamics of your unhealthy, unsatisfying relationships in a reasonable way and it doesn't work, it may be time to leave such relationships behind entirely. It's possible that you have literally become sick of them; the mind-body connection is not a myth. Far better to tear down (Pluto) the wall (Saturn) of oppression keeping you from your true self and desires, even if doing so leaves you vulnerable and alone, than stay in any contractual relationship, whether it's a marriage (Libra) or professionally based (Capricorn), that is doing you harm. Otherwise you run the very real likelihood of becoming increasingly resentful (Pluto), rigid, depressed, numb, and ill (all Saturn specialties).
They say that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I say, screw that puritanical crap and take a stand for yourself, because even though Saturn is now in the sign of justice, life just isn't fair, and you may have to be your own judge, jury, and executioner.
