Since June 2003, Saturn has been transiting Cancer, and all of us have had many opportunities to adjust our family relationships from what they were in the past. Every now and then, within families, the relationships need to be consciously brought up-to-date as children grow into responsible adults, and parents become less able, and finally needy, themselves. The last two years will have brought many out-dated habits to consciousness, and hopefully the generations have been discovering a new respect for each other.

During the first 10 days after the New Moon on 6 July, Saturn will complete his time in Cancer. With the New Moon focussing on fulfilling needs to enable growth, we have this time to complete the sorting out process with family and close friends. One effect on the G8 world leaders’ summit, of the attacks in London on July 7, is bound to be a sense of drawing together, as many of those countries represented have also experienced attacks, some much worse.

Let us focus on the sense of growing family feeling around the world as a response to such attacks – and let’s, in the largest sense, not exclude even the people who, unintentionally, cause this effect. The attitude of rejection and exclusion pre-supposes philosophically that there is somewhere to exclude people to, and this is only logically possible at the level where separation is the reality. If we want to live consciously at the level where everything connects with everything, we need to use the effects of all actions to link and lift us into a more united and caring world family.

On 16 July, Saturn moves into Leo, and the aspect of character to be reviewed and updated will be our style of self-expression. The way we will be aware of Saturn’s principle is through events and people forcing us to look at those things we have been putting off. Saturn will start by opposing Chiron, the wound and the healer, around 21 July. This suggests that we will start by dealing with those things we have been avoiding because we fear they’ll hurt. As part of the astrological weather, we will all be experiencing this aspect. So remember that those who look like your adversaries are also facing old hurts. It’s only through facing the hurt that we discover we can handle it, and that discovery heals our self esteem! With this greater maturity, we can appreciate the value of adversity in that it increases our ability to understand and help others, who are similarly doing inner battle with their fears.

For the next two years, we will be discovering how others experience us in ways we didn’t necessarily intend. We may catch sight of our unconscious tones of voice and facial expressions of pride, judgement, arrogance, that we would be horrified to own – or am I only speaking about myself, as Leo rising?! Saturn in Leo can be an arrogant dictator, a parade-ground sergeant-major. It’s not just the pontificating, though, but also the masks behind which we hide our fears. Wherever Leo is in your chart will show those areas of life that you put your heart into, that matter to you centrally, and consequently you might be on the defensive. We become rigid, identifying our position and refusing to contemplate as possible anyone else’s point of view.

The point of being aware of our little ego’s face is to discover, behind the protective, defensive poses, who we really are. Will we be able to rise to the Leo magnificence in these areas that matter so much? Possibly exaggerating these ‘attitudes’ of ours into humour and laughing at ourselves, or simply expanding into our greater understanding and letting the postures drop away. Those would be mature responses, and we have two years to get it! , or a generous, wise elder. Even a young individual can learn to own what is theirs, and suggest or request rather than ordering other people about.

A bonus will be understanding why people respond to us the way they do, and we can learn better how to express ourselves honestly without putting other people down. It’s likely to take time to make the desired adjustments, to step inside and really be who we are. Once we are authentic, Saturn in Leo represents the ability to work with the facts, from the heart, and achieve wonders. In the meantime, we can start by noticing our automatic reactions separately from what appears to cause them, and then responding sincerely to what is really going on. Whatever your Sun-sign, your true heart still has qualities of the kind and gentle old Leo!