Revisiting Spiritual Discipline

On Sunday February 15th 2026, Saturn will enter Aries for a two year stay. It already popped in but then popped back into Pisces. I asked Nano Bananas to create a graphic using this prompt:

Create an image around the theme of SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. The image should contain the astrological glyphs and physical images of Saturn and Neptune. The emphasis should be on the synergy between these two very different planetary energies: the materialism and concreteness of Saturn meets the etherealness and diffuseness of Neptune. The image should be in a 1 : 1 aspect ratio. Colours should be warm and a golden brown should suffuse the scene.

Here is what it came up with:

A conjunction of the two planets will occur on February 20th 2026 in the first degree of Aries. The last occurrence was about 9000 years ago.

Looking ahead to my 77th birthday, a chart drawn up for that time is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Outstanding features are:

• transiting Uranus conjunct natal Moon
• transiting Neptune conjunct natal Mercury
• transiting Chiron conjunct Ascendant

Spiritual Discipline

I looked back at the last time Saturn transited through Aries. It entered Aries shortly after my birthday in 1996 and exited in March of 1999. This time period was a very significant period of my life. It marked the start of my life overseas during which time I visited Meherabad in India with my then wife Sylvia. My appreciation and knowledge of Meher Baba deepened and culminated in Bhau Kalchuri's visit to Singapore in 1999. I also travelled to China and Nepal with students from the school at which I was teaching. I'm sure I've reviewed my Saturn's transits before but I'll push on as if I hadn't and maybe compare the two time-separated reflections later.

Saturn's first transit through Aries took place from March of 1967 until May of 1969. This was again a very important phase of my life. It marked the start of life beyond school. In 1967, I inadvertantly came across mention of Meher Baba in a book by Paul Brunton, titled "A Search in Secret India". It had been lent to me by my good friend Steve Ross and remember sitting in the sun at University and reading it. The next year, I attended a talk by Bill LePage about Meher Baba. That cemented Baba's name in my memory and proved the trigger to my acquisition of the book "God Speaks" in 1981. Academically this period was rather dismal but I made good friends during this time and was slowly growing into adulthood.

So the two previous transits of Saturn through Aries marked transformative phases of my life and both involve Meher Baba, the first laying the groundwork for my later epiphany and the second consolidating this same epiphany. Perhaps third time around there will be further developments in my relationship with Meher Baba. The presence of Neptune in Aries at the same time certainly makes this a possibility. However it plays out I must embrace these dual influences and perhaps "Spiritual Discipline" is a good phrase to describe their very different energies. Lately I've been in a very negative state of mind but I have snapped out of it in the last couple of days and I need to ensure that I don't relapse.

I'm not sure what "spiritual discipline" entails but my physical discipline has certainly improved. I'm doing my usual round of exercises at least once and sometimes twice a day. This upcoming Saturn transit offers the opportunity to really make concrete skills and proficiencies that I've dabbled in but never fully mastered. 

Coming Mars Transits

I won't divulge the details of this "accident" that was quite trivial in the grand scheme of things but it could have proven very embarrassing had there been witnesses. Fortunately there weren't and so it remains my little secret. However, it was a salutary reminder of my increasing age and the consequent physical decline. I thought it might be interesting to look at the astrological configuration at the time of the "accident". This was around 10am on August 2nd 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

What struck me was the almost exact square between transiting Mars in 26º55' of Virgo and my natal Uranus in 26º52' of Gemini. Transiting Mars is on the cusp of the sixth house which is appropriate enough. Given the minor nature of the event, only fast moving transits need be considered and so Mars qualifies in that regard.

I tend to neglect Martian transits because the aspects that they form to natal planets are usually short-lived but this incident reminds me that they can produce "results". I'll try to monitor my Martian transits more closely, especially when Uranus is involved. Talking of which, Mars will oppose the transiting Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries on August 7th. Mars will just have entered Aries. This is the day that I'm having my potential skin cancer excised. This will involve cutting (Mars) into the skin (Saturn) with an element of mystery (Neptune) involved because it's undecided if it is cancerous. Only a subsequent pathology examination will reveal that. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

By the time I get my results on August 21st, Mars will be in 8º50' of Aries and thus almost exactly opposite my natal Mars-Venus conjunction in Aries. Transiting Mercury will be in 9º46' of Leo and so it will aspect both ends of the opposition. Transiting Venus in 24º25' of Cancer will be exactly square my Ascendant-Descendant. See Figure 3. 

Figure 3

Saturn and Neptune Stationary Retrograde

I can't remember if I've commented on this before but both transiting Saturn and Neptune will turn stationary retrograde in July. Here are the details along with some other relevant astrological factors:

• On July 4th 2025, Neptune turns stationary retrograde in 2º10' of Aries
• On July 12th 2025, Saturn turns stationary retrograde in 1º56' of Aries
• On July 7th 2025, Uranus enters Gemini

These positions are almost exactly conjunct my natal Mercury in 2º14' of Aries. As Uranus enters Gemini it will form an exact square with my natal Saturn. During this period from early to mid-July, Ceres will pass over my natal Sun, Chiron is close to the natal North Node of the Moon, Venus passes over my natal Moon and Mercury passes over my natal Ceres-Pluto conjunction. However, it is the big three (Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) that carry most of the weight. The faster moving planets will determine the timing. The timing of what is the big question both personally and on a global level.

It's interesting that Saturn gets to within 0º14' of Neptune before turning back. An exact conjunction will not occur until late February of 2026 in 0º43' of Aries. By that time, Uranus will have retrograded into Taurus (27º34') and will be moving toward another conjunction with my natal Moon. Chiron will still be on my Ascendant and joined by Ceres. Incidentally, the celestial latitudes of Saturn and Neptune at the time of their near conjunction are not far apart (-2º15' versus -1º19'). Once Uranus enters Gemini, it will advance to 1º27' before turning stationary retrograde on September 5th of 2025.

Saturn in Aries: A Personal Overview

With so many planets and sensitive points in Aries, the 29.2 year cycle of Saturn through this sign should have a major impact on my life. Let's look back and review. In my lifetime, Saturn's first entry into Aries occurred on March 4th 1967 which was close to the time that I started my University education at the University of Queensland. See Figure 1.

March 1967 to April 1969

Figure 1: Saturn enters Aries 1st cycle

This was obviously a big deal. Saturn left Aries on April 30th 1969. A year later I would be in the army but that period, covering my initial two years at University, was very important to my growth. I made new friends and enjoyed novel experiences even if my academic performance was woeful.

Saturn's next entry into Aries occurred on April 8th of 1996, soon after I arrived in Singapore. This was a major turning point in my life as I embarked on a new life abroad. See Figure 2. Saturn later turned retrograde in Aries until it stationed in 0º36' on December 4th 1996. It did not reenter Pisces and left Aries for the final time in that cycle on March 1st 1999. The next year my new life in Jakarta would begin.

April 1996 to March 1999

Figure 2: Saturn enters Aries 2nd cycle

As Saturn leaves Aries, if spends the next two and a half years in my first house. The passage of Saturn through Aries seems to usher in a new era that sweeps aside the old way of life and thus makes way for even bigger changes less than a year later. To go back to April of 1969, it was clear that I was not going to graduate from the teacher's training college at Kelvin Grove. I was still sleep-walking through life. My transition from school life to a leisurely and lazy lifestyle was drawing to a close. I was on a collision course with the Army and we would collide a year later. Going back to March of 1999, I knew my life in Singapore was coming to an end and I was preparing for a transition. I didn't know where but eventually I was to land in Jakarta in early January of 2000. 

Of course I won't see another cycle of Saturn but if things follow the same pattern then there should be significant changes coming up for me in the next couple of months. What sort of changes remain to be seen. We are already contemplated visiting Melbourne in June but we've done that twice before so that's hardly something new. See Figure 3. This time around Saturn only spends a brief amount of time initially in Aries. On July 13th, it stations in 1º56' and then crosses the First Point of Aries again on September 1st before returning (moving forward) on February 14th 2026. Saturn leaves Aries on April 14th 2028.

May 2025 to April 2028

Figure 3: Saturn enters Aries 3rd cycle

Neptune and Saturn Stationing

Figure 1

Today, Sunday the 18th of May 2025, we have (see Figure 1):

• transiting Sun (27º25') conjunct transiting Uranus (27º18'), very close to my natal Moon (29º25' Taurus)
• transiting Venus (12º22') conjunct my natal Sun (12º47' Aries) and closing
• transiting Mars (13º51') conjunct my natal Pluto (14º16' Leo) and closing
• transiting Chiron (25º01') conjunct my Ascendant (24º27' Aries) and separating 
• transiting Moon passing through my 10th House
• transiting Jupiter (24º56') is conjunct my natal Uranus (26º22' Gemini) and closing

Overall it's an active time with a lot more activity coming as Saturn moves into Aries in a little over a week and comes closer to transiting Neptune. Ceres (0º25') has already entered Aries and will team up with Saturn and Neptune is a stellium that is right on my natal Mercury. 

The midpoint of transiting Chiron and Jupiter is close to both transiting Uranus and my natal Moon. If there is to be a health crisis, then I'm trying to look at precipitating factors. So far I've focused mainly on the exact conjunction of Uranus with my Moon in late June but this is just the first of three contacts, the others occurring in November of 2025 and April of 2026. There are no stations of Uranus on my natal Moon similar to the station of Uranus on my Ascendant when I had my gall bladder crisis.

Looking at planets stationing on sensitive points of my chart, I have Neptune turning stationary retrograde in 2º10' of Aries on July 5th of 2025 (see Figure 2). Soon after this, on July 14th, Saturn will turn stationary and so this might be the critical time period for some crisis: July 5th to July 14th. I hadn't noticed this before but now that I have, I can't un-notice it.

Figure 2

With the involvement of Mercury, any health crisis would likely be neurological or pulmonary. Natal Mercury and natal Uranus are in a square aspect in my chart, although the separation is about 5º22'.

My Fourth House

Figure 1 shows the transits to my chart as of the evening of May 7th 2025. I'll display it in monochrome as I think that's easier to read.

Figure 1

As transiting Mars rapidly approaches my Ceres-Pluto conjunction in Leo in the Fourth House, I got to thinking about this conjunction as it played out over the course of my life. The mid-point of these two bodies in around 12º30' of Leo which places it in trine aspect to my natal Sun and sextile aspect to my natal Neptune. 

For the first twenty years of my life, I'd say my domestic situation was quite stable. I moved from grandparents' house around age 2 and from then to age 21, I lived at 21 Mayneview Street, Milton. There were no disruptions. Of course, I was uprooted at age 21 when I was conscripted. On May 5th of 1970, almost exactly 55 years ago, transiting Saturn in my First House was square this midpoint and my misery had already begun. Saturn then swept through Taurus, stopped and then retrograded to become stationary direct in 15º42' Taurus on January 17th 1971, very near the time I was liberated. This was a pivotal point in my life. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

For the next two years, I was back at Mayneview Street until finally leaving the nest in December of 1973. Thereafter there was never any residence that was permanent until finally settling in Maleo in late 2005. Even then however, I was uprooted by needing to work in Shanghai and then needing to stay in Australia for two years after my retirement. With Desy trying for her partner visa we were back and forth between Brisbane and Jakarta until early 2020. After Covid, we have been back and forth to Australia and that continues to the present day. Now Mars is approaching the Ceres-Pluto conjunction but interestingly Saturn is also closely sesquiquadrate (135º) aspect to this midpoint. It's a turbulent time and the aspects reflect this.

I'm being a bit superficial by focusing on my place of residence because the Fourth House, more deeply, represents the foundation of my psyche and this is certainly being shaken up by my forced preoccupation with death and dying. The foundation proved solid and I was able to build a stable and functioning ego with which to navigate life but it has really served its purpose now. However, I'm stuck with it along with all the habit patterns and entrenched modes of thought that go along with it. Perhaps an NDE is what is needed to really shake things up.

Tooth Trouble

My current tooth trouble may be attributable to transiting Saturn turning stationary direct on November 16th (2024) in 12º42' of Pisces. This place it in semi-sextile aspect to my natal Sun. Uranus is also active being semi-sextile my Ascendant and still close to my natal Moon. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

There's not too much more that can be said as I've written about the movements of Saturn and Uranus in previous posts. Hopefully the extraction will go smoothly and my dental problems will be alleviated for a while. I'll report further if anything goes awry.

Body Woes

Here are the transits to my natal chart as of November 9th 2024. I've been feeling not so good physically over the past few days. I tire easily, my possibly fractured rib remains sore, my right shoulder continues to bother me, I have tooth trouble and so on.

Looking at the transits it can be seen that transiting Mercury is passing over my natal Chiron but this aspect is not long lasting. The main culprit it would seem is transiting Saturn that is retrograde and semisextile my natal Sun. It will grind to a halt in 12º42' of Pisces on November 16th. It will also form a quintile of 73º27' with my natal Moon.

It will ease off toward the end of November but I'm not looking forward to the passage of Saturn across my natal planets in Aries. This is probably only a year or so off now. Speaking of stations, on the 8th December 2024, Neptune (currently retrograde) will station in 27º08' of Pisces and then begin to move forward into Aries, reaching that sign on the 30th March 2025. On the 6th July 2025, it will station in 2º10' right on my natal Mercury. Transiting Saturn by this date will be in 1º54' of Aries, so this is an important transit. Desy's Ascendant is in the first degree of Aries so she will be affected as well.

Even though Saturn and Neptune are very close in July, only 0º16' of angular separation, there is no exact conjunction because on July 14th Saturn turns stationary retrograde in 1º56' of Aries and retreats back into Pisces at a rate much faster than the retrograde Neptune. By December both planets are in Pisces but about four degrees apart and in this month they turn direct again, finally reaching an exact conjunction on the 20th February in around the middle of 0º Aries.

74th Solar Return

Figure 1 shows the chart cast for my 74th solar return that will occur on my birthday April 3rd 2023 at 2:17 am in Jakarta. Often the solar return occurs on April 2nd, the day before my official birthday, but this year the two coincide.

Figure 1: created using Astrolog

The chart is noticeable for its preponderance of planets in Aries. Apart from the Sun, there is Chiron in 15°41', Jupiter in 19°33' and Mercury in 28°32'. Jupiter will cross my Ascendant around April 26th so promises to be an expansive month where I have the opportunity to set my sights on new horizons and explore hitherto unrealised possibilities. Chiron remains behind in my twelfth house, maintaining a focus on healing, behind the scenes, both physically and psychically.

Figure 2 shows the transits to my natal chart at the time of the solar return.

Figure 2: created using Astrolog

The T-square formed by transiting Saturn's opposition to its natal position with the natal Moon at its apex is a dominant influence as I've discussed in related posts.

Neptune into Aries

Looking ahead to July of 2025, I noticed that Neptune turns stationary retrograde in 2°10' of Aries, right on my natal Mercury. However, transiting Saturn is also conjunct in 1°52' of Aries. Transiting Ceres in 12°55' of Aries is conjunct my natal Sun and transiting Chiron in 26°52' of Aries is conjunct the North Node of my Moon. Furthermore, transiting Uranus in 29°53' of Taurus is conjunct my natal Moon with transiting Venus close by in 0°10' of Gemini. Pluto in 3°03' of Aquarius is in sextile aspect to the Saturn-Neptune reaction.

This promises to be an intense time and what it presages I'm not sure. Perhaps my powers of communication (Mercury) will be affected. After all the Saturn/Neptune conjunction is aspecting the Uranus/Venus conjunction on the cusp of the Second House. Pluto promises it may be transformational. This is purely speculative so I'll have to wait and see.

Figure 1 shows a chart cast to the time that Neptune turns stationary retrograde.

Figure 1

By that date I'll be 76 years old and one can't help but wonder if this configuration could portend my end. That's clearly a worse case scenario. Looking at Desy's chart, it can be seen that the Saturn-Neptune conjunction sits right on her Ascendant. See Figure 2.

Figure 2

Whatever happens will clearly affect her as well. Many of these aspects will be ongoing. For example, Saturn and Neptune will again be conjunct in 0°45' of Aries in late February of 2026 while Uranus will continue to hover around my natal Moon. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

I get the feeling that whatever happens it will be ongoing. With Neptune already on the cusp of my twelfth house, the prospect of some sort of Neptunian healing has been playing on my mind. Chiron, the wounded healer, is currently transiting my twelfth house and will remain there for some time. The injunction, "physician heal thyself", is relevant as my thymoma remains an ongoing problem and I'd certainly like to cure myself of that affliction.

I've dabbled in finding a cure before or at least diagnosing why the problem had arisen in the first place. In November of 2021, I asked the following question:

Why did my thymus gland malfunction in the first place and create my current thymoma?

You have a hollow heart and you're trying to fill up the gap that has been created. The thymus gland is associated with the Heart Chakra, a centre of unconditional love and forgiveness. Since a falling out with a family member a couple of years back I've been containing a lot of resentment and anger. In a sense, I've been hollowing out my heart and ridding it of compassion and understanding for the family member concerned. 

This answer suggested some sort of meditation but I never took action of any kind to fill my "hollow heart" with "compassion and understanding". Perhaps it's time that I did. The practice of meditation has also been shown to be helpful in improving remote viewing proficiency, something else that I've recently become interested in. 

Neptune has a period of revolution of 165 years and so this is the first time that Neptune has been on the cusp of my twelfth house. In my natal chart, Neptune is strongly aspecting my Sun and Mars/Venus conjunction by opposition. I've always been interested in mysticism and spirituality and so Neptune's passage through this house will likely see a burgeoning of my interest and understanding of such matters.

Transiting Saturn Opposite Natal Saturn

I've written about this opposition before in a post titled Saturn Opposition on November 16th 2022. There's an overlap between that post and this but also some new observations.

The chart in Figure 1, showing my natal chart and the transits to it at 8:26pm in Jakarta on March 7th 2023, shows transiting Saturn in 29°59'57" of Aquarius. Very shortly this planet will enter Pisces and, on reaching 0°01', will be exactly opposite its natal position.

Figure 1: generated using Astrolog

Saturn takes about 29.4 years to orbit the Sun and, from experience, I've found that its squares, oppositions and conjunctions have been associated with significant events in my life. There's no reason to suppose that this current opposition should be any different. 

Before getting into that however, it's useful to remind myself of the significance of Saturn in Virgo on the cusp of my fifth house. Traditionally the fifth house is associated with creativity, self-expression and specifically with romance and children. Saturn's grating square with my Moon in Taurus is ameliorated only by both bodies being in Earth signs. Saturn has acted as a block to my self-expression (excessive shyness in my early years) but also a brake to the excesses that someone with so many planets in Aries is prone. 

It was late December 2014 that Saturn first reached the square to its natal position and thereafter it moved forward into Sagittarius and then moved back into Scorpio, finally stationing in 28°16' of Scorpio on August 2nd of 2015. This was the time that I received news that I would need to stay in Australia uninterruptedly for two years if I wanted to receive my pension while overseas. This was a major psychological blow because I was now separated from my family in Indonesia.

Going back to the previous conjunction, this first occurred in early September of 2007 and then there was a close contact in early May of 2008 when it stationed in 1°41' of Virgo. This was a period when my daughter ceased communicating for an entire year, a harbinger of the total and ongoing break in communications that would occur in April of 2017. That was nearly six years ago now. This leads me to speculate what the effect of this current opposition will be.

Saturn will move forward into Pisces before stationing in 7°12' Pisces on June 18th and then moving back to station again 0°31' Pisces on November 4th. This is a potent station and it will occur in the exact opposite degree to its natal position. See Figure 2. I can only wait and see how this transit plays out.

Figure 2: generated using Astrolog

73rd Solar Return Approaches

Figure 1 shows the current transits as they affect my natal chart, a day before the Sun returns to the exact position it occupied at the time of my birth.

Figure 1

What struck me was the looming opposition of transiting Saturn to my natal Saturn. I'd forgotten how important the transits of this planet to its natal position have been in my past. Figure 2 shows the time in years since my birth when the planet has been in square, conjunction and opposition to its natal position. Of course these times are not exact because the ignore retrograde motion but they represent approximations.

Figure 2

All these times are associated with important events in my life and in particular the last opposition, soon after my 44th birthday in 1993, was quite dramatic in many ways. Could this coming opposition turn out to be similarly dramatic? Things are stirring, that's for sure. Time will tell.

Saturn in currently moving forward through Aquarius and will station in 25°15' on June 4th 2022. It will retreat to 18°35' by October 23rd 2022 and then move swiftly forward to an exact opposition in 0°01' of Pisces on March 8th 2023. After moving forward into Pisces, it will later retrograde before stationing in 0°30' Pisces on November 4th 2023. The full force of the aspect will probably be felt around that time. The 73.64 years shown in Figure 2 is a rough average of all these backwards and forwards motions of the planet.

It's interesting to note that transiting Pluto just hovers around Jupiter and my MC over this entire period. When Saturn stations opposite its natal position in November of 2023, Pluto is in 28°02' of Capricorn. Currently, on April 1st of 2022, it is in 28°24' of Capricorn! 

Depression

This morning I woke up feeling distinctly depressed, which is not all that common for me. I thought I'd look to the stars to find out why. Figure 1 shows my early morning transits:

Figure 1: created in Astrolog

The almost exact opposition of transiting Saturn to the midpoint of my natal Ceres-Pluto in the 4th house could have been a contributing factor. As I marked on the chart, transiting Chiron and Ceres are in sensitive positions as well. As the day has worn on, the depression has lifted and been replaced by a feeling of ill-humour.

Pluto contains to backtrack toward my MC which it will pass over on June 24th 2021. The planet will later station in 24°19' of Capricorn on October 6th (Sabina's birthday and my half birthday). This position of course is closely square my Ascendant-Descendant axis.

The Weight of Saturn

Figure 1

Lately I've been feeling the "weight" of Saturn on my shoulders, so to speak. Transiting Saturn has just entered the 28th degree of Capricorn and so is between my MC in 26°07' of Capricorn and my natal Jupiter in 28°47' of the same sign. See Figure 1.

UPDATE: it's Thursday 19th November 2020 and transiting Saturn has moved to 27°26' of Capricorn which is almost exactly at the midpoint of my MC (26°07') and Jupiter (28°47'). I must say that this afternoon I've felt the weight of Saturn weighing particularly heavy on me. This is despite the fact that I've remained largely unaffected by the pandemic. If I feeling depressed, I can only imagine what those people are feeling who have lost their jobs, seen their businesses fail, or are separated from their families due to travel restrictions. 

Transiting Jupiter has just entered the 24th degree of Capricorn and perhaps, when it crosses my MC and catches up with Saturn on December 21st in 0°29' of Aquarius, I may feel the weight lighten. This is an important conjunction and this is what Astrology King had to say about its possible effect:

Jupiter conjunct Saturn transit is a time of opportunity, growth and good fortune. You have reached the end of a phase of life and will feel like you have to advance to a higher level. You may have a feeling of completion or contentment with your achievements thus far. Perhaps you realise you can go no further in your current career or just feel like a new challenge.

You may find barriers to your progress which you need to climb over or go around. But if you have planned well, are self-employed or have a lot of freedom, you could grow within the existing structures of your life. Either way, you will be breaking through barriers or expanding within larger boundaries.

This is a time of greater self-awareness when you may realise you are not content with things as they are. Too much responsibility, a boring job, stifling traditions, and rules, not enough time or a demanding boss or partner may become too much to cope with. You may even realise that your own fears and inhibitions are holding you back from happiness and success. If so, this transit will cause you so much frustration that change becomes inevitable.

Even if you don’t feel restricted you will still seek greater freedom and prosperity. Fated events, lucky breaks or deliberate actions will create opportunities for personal and professional growth. This could involve higher education, the law, religion, spirituality, long distance travel, a new career or a new relationship. This might be a good time to borrow for an investment property, to buy your own home or to renovate. Perhaps you could get financial backing to start or grow your own business.

These effects are fairly broad so they could apply to almost anybody but I do feel an influence of this sort. It's been nearly five and half years since I retired and I feel some sort of change is coming (whether self-initiated or thrust upon me I don't know). Transiting Mars is now in the 16th degree of Aries having traversed all my Arian planets. It will cross my Ascendant on Christmas Day but it is moving very fast and will almost be in my third house by my birthday. The main influences in my chart seem to be Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto around the MC at the moment.

Progressed Moon Crosses MidHeaven

Looking at my progressed chart, I notice that my Moon will soon cross the MC, on December 22nd 2020 to be exact. Previous crossings occurred on August 4th of 1993 and March 28th of 1966. The time periods surrounding these earlier dates are quite significant to me. 

The 1966 date marked my final year of high school. I was about to begin "my ascent" in the world, climbing a mountain whose summit was shrouded in clouds. I wasn't sure what route to take but I was beginning the ascent. 

The 1993 date is around the middle of what was a transformative year for me on many levels. In terms of my worldly ascent, I had climbed as high as I was going to climb. I was the computer coordinator at a high school in Australia and later I would be the computer coordinator at high schools in Singapore, Jakarta and Shanghai. The settings were different but the role was the same. I was happy with what I had achieved but in 1993 I realised that it was the spiritual ascent that was really important. By August of 1993, I had accepted Meher Baba as the Avatar and my spiritual ascent was beginning.

It's interesting to speculate what this forthcoming December crossing will herald. Perhaps my ascent to the astral plane as I leave this tired old body behind. Probably not however, as I feel I have a few more years left in me. What then? Well, for five years I've pretty much just amused myself doing whatever I felt like intellectually. I've relished the permanent release from the grind of the school year but lately I feel that I've plateaued. I'm ready for something different but I don't know what.

Interestingly, transiting Saturn is rapidly approaching my MC. Like the progressed Moon, this should be the last time that Saturn crosses my MC during my lifetime, unless I live to be close to 100. Figure 1 shows the October 30th 2020 contact.

Figure 1

Perhaps this imminent contact will give me a clue as to what I should do, or maybe it will be done for me. Naturally, I'll return to this post in the future once I've realised the impact that the progressed Moon has had on me. That's the idea of this blog, titled AstroWatch because I intend to watch the astrological aspects affecting my own chart and that of others. For each post, I will add an addendum at a later date, reflecting on the impact that the aspects have had.

ADDENDUM: January 12th 2020

It's too early to gauge the impact of the progressed Moon's crossing of my MC. However, on March 7th 2021, it will reach the position of my natal Jupiter in 28°47' of Capricorn and on May 15th 2021 it will reach the position of my progressed Jupiter in 1°15'R of Capricorn. What happened at the very end of 2020 is that my visa was been renewed until 19th February 2022. That was a relief and it means that I'm free to concentrate on whatever I want to. I've made a New Year's resolution (see this blog post). The resolutions were to improve:

• my guitar skills
• my Indonesian language competency
• my exercise regime