As Saturn trudged through the place in the sky where it had been the day I was born ( for the last time in 30 years) I received heart breaking news. My husband of 33 years (now 34) was diagnosed with a very nasty kind of cancer. He had a 20% chance of surviving for 1 year. That’s about as bad as it gets.
What, how could that be? I had my life all set; I was going to retire, he, the healthy one, was going to work for a few more years to support me; I was going to start being a full time painter. Foolish humans, always making plans as if they were in charge. That was just one of the new lessons. We are NOT in charge. I told my coworkers my retirement was off as I sped off to one doctor appointment after another.
As the days went by he had chemo, followed by a botched surgery and another, and I learned what Saturn in the 6th house really meant. It means service. Not service with a smile, not service with a pat on the back, not service because you like it, just service. No arguments, no reasoning, no bargaining. You just put one foot down after the other, put your head down and do it. There is no payment for service, just the act itself.
But in the past, I could bargain for my fair share of service, I complained, I whined, I blustered, and sometimes I cheated.. and it worked! Why isn’t it working now?? well, for starters, resentments make me sick. (oh, that Saturn in the 6th house again!!!). And who was I cheating, complaining to? Uh, my husband languishing in the hospital?
I had to throw away “It’s not fair!” right away. Because well, my Saturn IS in Libra, isn’t it?? I know ALL about fair. I always have, from the time I was born. I believe that is a Saturn in Libra thing. But service isn’t fair. Life isn’t fair.
You just DO. You DO because you must do. Quiet your heart and your mind. Serve. People say “Oh you are so strong!” Because with Saturn in Libra, you are the exalted servant, whether you are really strong or not. You do your job, you take care of your home, you advocate for your spouse, you pay the bills. You learn what is needed and you do all that is humanly possible. You quickly learn what is unimportant.
But I made plans!! What about my plans? At work things got busier. My boss started giving me more responsibility. I could see that I could have more career, even though before I didn’t think it was possible at all. Then this February, we discovered that the cancer was not relenting. It took me another month before I understood just what we were facing. And I decided to retire for a new reason. So that I could be with my husband for the short time he had. I retired. Today is day number 6. Life is good. Life is hard. But I made the right choice.
With inexorable Saturn in the 6th house, I know that to continue to be the exalted servant, I must eat well, I must sleep well, I must exercise. I must let go of resentments and expectations, (an ongoing process, believe me!).
I must take care of this servant body so I can continue to serve. And the payoff? I will continue to be healthy, I am happier with myself, and I have a wonderful loving family that can continue to function because of my health and my supposed strength.
that’s a bit of serenity I did not expect.
In a few months, Saturn will leave my 6th house and enter my 7th. To me, that is such good news. It gives me hope that my husband will still be alive.
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