EYE ON THE SKY: SATURN INTO SAGITTARIUS WITH MARS AND IMPACT ON HEALTH:
Mars is in Sagittarius now and moving toward conjunction with Saturn into April 2nd. The impact is particularly strong March 27 – April 7th when Mars moves within 3 degrees of Saturn’s energy. During these two weeks, it is as if we are getting closer to the flame of fire; when you are in the same room of the fire, it is more intense compared to being downstairs. The tendency is for anger and frustration to bubble up and you may snap at people. Resentment may flow through the mind. Delays, obstacles and
indecision may bubble up in the volcanic cauldron of Sagittarius. Jupiter’s energy soothes it a little and if you channel the energy into humanitarian service it can become a positive.
Staying on top of your meditation, yoga and spiritual practices during the month of April can help you stay balanced and grounded. Take it slow and easy. Don’t run around like a rabbit. Drink calming teas. Exercise patience and awareness to avoid accidents and angry flare-ups. Give people the benefit of the doubt for mistakes that happen and be forgiving rather than fly off the handle. This is a 4-week period to practice mindfulness and observe what is happening in the mind and body so stay balanced and do not overreact. Find a way to laugh at situations and practice mindful presence and patience. If you do not stay on top of sleep, and instead, you indulge in bad habits that are not good for you, and you are not mindful, Mars conjunct Saturn may seem rough and frustrating.
SATURN’S IMPACT ON HEALTH
Saturn into Sagittarius is impacting new areas of the cosmic body and with another malefic impacting it, there will be imbalances created.  When Saturn is strong it is like a mountain and creates calmness of mind and self-control. It is fairly strong until June 3rd in Venus’s constellation but it will not be afflicted by Mars particularly strong March 27-April 7th but it is being felt already.
Saturn when weak can be lazier and more fearful and the fire energy will be disturbed by Saturn’s air and vata energy. The tendency will be toward rushing through obstructions with carelessness and this may create problems. This can lead to accidents so you have to focus and stay alert.Â
We have to be more alert and focused in everything to avoid carelessness activity that can lead to accidents or wounds. Activating Mars and focus in the third eye by doing the warrior pose in yoga will be helpful everyday and we will have to stay rested so that we do not make mistakes.  Handling mental energy, worry and anxiety will require another article and we have discussed this previously in our series on Saturn in Transition.
Saturn in Sagittarius will be aspecting Aquarius, its own sign, Virgo and Gemini and of course impacting Sagittarius mostly . It rules Capricorn and will be 12 houses from its own sign which is a difficult transit for Capricorns and Saturn is weak all year being in the juncture point between the water sign of Scorpio and the fire sign of Sagittarius so Capricorn rising will be impacted. Virgos and Geminis will be affected greatly from the aspects and more directly in 2017 if your rising signs are located at 13-14 degrees Virgo or Gemini and to a lesser degree 13-14 Aquarius.
So how will all of these signs be impacting in terms of health. This is not to scare you but to make you aware of how the planets interact with your body and impact it. There is always something to do. If you are in a malefic Saturn period and are over 60 or 70 when Saturn is more dominant, then the impact of health problems will be greater.  Basically, you have to take better care of your body this year and over the next month with a disciplined diet, regular exercise and yoga, and taking advantage of Ayurvedic oil massages to lubricate dry areas of your body. Pick up Dr. Lad’s classic book Ayurveda: Science of Life, if you do not own a copy.
The natural signs of the zodiac govern the different parts of the body for everyone so there are some general things we an say about Saturn in Sagittarius and aspecting Aquarius, Gemini and Virgo after January 27th.
Sagittarius, the 9th sign of the zodiac governs arteries, lower back, hips and thighs and so these are particularly impacted for everyone.  We have heard of a lot of hip problems so give them extra care Diseases connected to Sag include obesity, hip injuries and arthritis in the hips. There are yoga postures you can do keep your hips flexible and there are ayurvedic treatments to bring my oil to your hip areas to lubricate them more and prevent arthritis which is a disease of dryness. We all have to take care of our hips the next few years. The Pigeon pose in yoga can help pop hip joints back in but make sure you have proper instruction on how to do it.
Virgo governs the lower abdomen and colon, digestive, large intestine.    When Virgo is afflicted it creates poor digestion, gas, constipation, ulcers, food allergies, hypoglycemia, diabetes and appendicitis and problems with the immune systems.  The secret in Ayurveda is to keep the colon clean. Taking a pro-biotic (Natren is best and is the one most alive and is kept refrigerated) at night and first thing in the morning will keep your elimination healthy. Doing regular colon cleans or panchakarma or more simply doing  regular laxative and cleanings programs are good to keep things moving as many health problems are tied to accumulation of toxins in the body.  Drink lots of warm water during the day to flush out toxins regularly and stay off of GMO’s and move to organics to keep your immune system strong and prevent food allergies. Obviously watch your sugar and carb intake if there is a history of diabetes in your family and this is becoming a global epidemic.
Gemini governs the shoulders, upper arms and upper chest. When it is afflicted, it creates lung disorders, shoulder injuries, nervous disorders. There are all kinds of yoga postures you can do for the shoulders to keep them limber. The Cobra poses is important.  People with lung problems have to cut down on dairy and wheat products which increase mucus.  A product called Clear Lung has saved my life many times by eliminating difficult coughing and breathing problems. Learn yogi pranayama practices from your Yoga teacher or take some from the Art of Living Foundation (www.artofliving.org) to help with breath and oxygenate your system.
Capricorn governs the bones and joints and the basic 10th house area of the zodiac or the knees. Afflictions to Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn can create arthritis of the knees and weakness of the bones in general.   There are therapies for this and regular light walking is a good start and oil massages on the knees can be helpful and get a brace or ace bandage of you need more knee support or if you are prone to knee problems. Ayurveda has a practice of making these bread-like donuts and then placing warm oil to soak in to lubricate the knee joints. Something to look into. Talk to your health care people about supplements that support cartilage like MSM and condroiten.
Finally Aquarius governs the skin and the calves.  Even if Saturn is aspecting its own sign, it can still create some mild health disorders and will still cause some problems including skin disorders, poor circulation and weakness in the lower legs. Again walking is great and I have resorted to my rebounder/trampoline to get my circulation going. Lots of water is essential to flush out toxins and prevent skin irritations and staying off of white non-organic flour and GMO can support the body and prevent skin irritations.
When afflicted, Saturn  a planet that signifies old age, chronic and wasting diseases, weak digestion and poor resistance to disease. It contributes to depression, diseases of dryness like constipation, arthritis, rheumatism, broken bones, osteoporosis, premature aging, cancer, tremors and infertility. This article is to inspire you to be more vigilant about taking care of your body with exercise, diet, yoga, meditation and not to become lazy around these things. Saturn responds to discipline and is always inspiring you to a higher calling if you listen to its messages.
If you are interested in this kind of material, you can schedule readings with me and Gary O’Toole for more insights into all of this and to taking better care of your body. See: https://www.appliedvedicastrology.com/transformational-counseling-2-ayurvedic-astrologyyoga/
Please save the mind and focus on health. I have written this article to bring your attention to the care of your body. None of these problems will have to impact you but if you have malefic planets in your natal chart in Sagittarius, Virgo or Gemini or are Capricorn rising in early degrees like 13-14 degrees Sag or Virgo or Gemini and you are running a Saturn period on some level or some combination of malefic dasha combinations involving Rahu or Ketu or Mars or dashas dealing with planets in the 6th or 11th houses or owning them, then your chart may be triggered.Â
Vedic astrology is like reading strands of DNA and people are so different . Do not get caught up in negative thinking. Our articles are just to bring awareness to what could be triggered and our goal is to inspire you to be more aware of your body and taking care over the next year.
Still not to worry. Find a good health practitioner. Stay rested and do not run around like a rabbit.   If you are in a good period for your rising sign and are young, you might have minor problems but if you are in a Saturn period or sub-period and older, then more pronounced events can happen. Diet, exercise and proper care can prevent problems and just lead to minor glitches rather than major problems. Still Saturn will do its job.  It creates suffering to point us toward the Divine and ultimately spirituality will help us get through anything.  Of course consult your doctor and a trained professional as astrological advisor is no replacement for expert medical attention. So focus on health and not worry and Saturn will richly reward you!
