If you life has been filled with ongoing stress, depression, emotional swings or if it has seemed like the world is falling apart around you, then please read on. During the course of the past couple of years, in particular, life hasn't been very fun for many of us. I'll bet for some, donating a kidney or giving birth would be a welcome alternative if we would be guaranteed that the ongoing craziness in our lives would end. If you thought it was just you, that only your life was in turmoil, the truth is just about everyone has been challenged over the past few years.

The energy on the planet, this last year in particular, has been extremely difficult for most of us. What I have noticed over the course of the last few years is that the more sensitive you are, the more your life was being affected by "whatever" was going on. In my work, I have talked about this energy for a long time, but couldn't understand its source. Well finally I think I have an answer to what has been happening.

I believe we have been experiencing the effects of Saturn as it moves through different signs of the zodiac.

I would never have looked to an astrological connection to the challenges that we have been facing had it not been for an article written by Carol Barbau about Saturn's transit. While I am not an astrologer, apparently Saturn moved into Virgo on September 2. In the article she talked about how Saturn affected us while it was in its last sign Leo as well as what we could expect as it moved into and through Virgo. In reading the article I was amazed. She described the troubles in my life and the lives of many of the clients I have worked with over the past few of years.

This led me to doing some research on my own into the subject and this is what I will be sharing with you. For me, it was eye opening. I do hope that as you read through this material it will explain or at least help you to understand the who, what, when, where's and why's of what has been going on in your life. Trying to be as complete as possible, I have decided to turn the clock back 5 years to when Saturn was in Cancer and move forward from there.

Before we talk about how Saturn has affected us as it transited (moved through) Cancer, Leo and now Virgo, let's first talk about Saturn and the energy of Saturn itself.

Saturn takes approximately 2 ½ years to move through each sign of the zodiac and 29 ½ years to make one complete rotation around the sun. Saturn can be likened to an authority figure. It is associated with limitation and restriction. It can be harsh, unforgiving and judging. In its limiting role, it needs rules, regulations and structure. It likes to build fences, set boundaries and create systems with carefully strategized steps.

As an authority figure, it points out our limitations and what isn't working in our lives and expects us to rise up to the occasion. Manifesting as frustration, blockages or delays, it shows us where we need to put our effort and make changes in our lives. It works by stripping us down to our essentials and gives us the opportunity to rebuild ourselves. Through this, it allows us to transform our weaknesses into strengths.

While this may sound harsh, without defining boundaries and constructing strategies, our lives would end up being unruly and haphazard at best. In addition, without our flaws being exposed, we would end up making the same mistakes over and over again without learning, improving or growing. And like any good parent, its tough-love approach may seem unforgiving, but it is coming from a place of love.

So now let's go back 5 years and take a look at what astrologers said would be going on in our lives. Starting in June of 2003, Saturn moved into Cancer. Cancer is the sign of love and compassion. It's free flowing nature sees the goodness in all things. It is all giving, embracing and nurturing. Cancer is the guardian of the home and family, which includes our ability to feel of secure personally and within our environment.

So what does that mean or how did we experience Saturn in Cancer. For many, emotional states flared or transitioned back and forth, which may have led some to experience feelings of depression. Remember, Saturn is working on taking us down to our bare bones and with its union in Cancer, it caused us to look really deep inside and evaluate our needs and decide what was truly important to us.

As we began to recognize what we wanted, we started to evaluate our relationship with ourselves and others. As a result, we might have seen major disruptions within our homes or in our personal relationships. In a family unit, it may have manifested as one parent taking on the Cancerian freedom loving role, while the other took on the job of disciplinarian.

We had the chance to see where things were working and observe if our needs were being met. I know, that in my private practice, I saw many people working on this aspect of themselves, where they embarked on the task of nurturing themselves. As they identified who they were and what they wanted, they started to create boundaries in order to correct the imbalances they observed.

As we embarked on nurturing ourselves and breaking patterns of behavior that were no longer useful, it is no wonder why there was so much conflict going on. And probably if you think back, many of the issues experienced revolved around our ability to experience love, nurturing and security in our lives. In the end, it opened many people's eyes to the reality of how they were using their energy - both positively and negatively.

Finally on July 16, 2005, Saturn left Cancer and moved into Leo. In Caner we were presented with the opportunity to discover how we felt deep inside and now, with Saturn in Leo, we were being given the possibility to express who we now were. This was especially true with regard to our personal, professional and romantic relationships. The fire of Leo gave us the impetus to stand up for what we believed in and Saturn added the energy of letting us hold our ground as we began to show the world.

Leo is a sign that likes drama and to perform. It is fun loving and attention seeking. A little bossy and liking to have its own way, even according to astrologers, the transit of Saturn through Leo can and did create a bit of havoc in our lives. Saturn as an authority figure cannot help but to clash with Leo's natural exuberance and need to have the final say-so.

The lesson of Saturn in Leo is many fold. First, we were afforded the opportunity to critically examine ourselves and explore our ulterior motives. We had the chance to evaluate the energy dynamics that occurred between ourselves and others. With Saturn in Leo, we were being tasked to project our newfound selves out into the world and display our "authentic selves" - not in an effort to satisfy our egos, but instead so that we could live our lives with integrity and passion.

For those who were able to find and be their true selves, they were rewarded. In turn, the imposters, meaning those that weren't coming from a place of integrity suffered. What I found interesting was that for many of us parts of our lives worked fine, thus we were rewarded, while in other areas we suffered deeply. This suffering was an indication of the portions of ourselves or our lives that just weren't working - places where our egos were still ruling the ship. As the transit through Leo continued, Saturn, in its parental role continued to strip us of our pride until we had no choice but to change and be ourselves or suffer the consequences.

Operating behind the scenes, this period was most likely overflowing with problems and tension. You may have found yourself anxious, restless and confused. You may have seen your life as being filled with setbacks or failures that hurt your self confidence and self-esteem. During this period of time, you may have had to shoulder more and more responsibilities, yet received no rewards. Instead, life because very serious and basically, no fun at all.

Thankfully, as I said before, Saturn moved into Virgo on September 2 nd of this year (2007). Virgo rules science, medicine, teaching and working for the common good. It is health conscious and service oriented. To me, this is one of the most important aspects of Virgo as we move into this next phase or our lives. This is especially true with regards to our relationships, be they personal, professional as well as our relationship with the planet.

Virgo realizes that we each have a duty to heal ourselves. We can do this by healing the pain of others. It is through these acts of selfless service that we inadvertently heal ourselves - and I think we can all use some healing right now. It is also during this transit period that we will be called to account for our excesses and continued failures as we begin to recognize how our destructive behaviors have contributed to the physical and mental suffering we have had in our lives.

So, wipe your brow and breathe a sigh of relieve because help is on the way. Thank God.

My final comment to you is this. You are being given a wonderful opportunity to heal. Be open to the miracle. Acknowledge the messages of spirit or the synchronicities in your life. Pay attention to what's working and where you are experiencing resistance, setbacks or pain, because these are the areas in most need of healing. Most importantly, be open to the magic that this period has to offer.

© Copyright Body, Mind & SoulHealer - www.soulhealer.com 2007. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Dr. Rita Louise, Ph D is a Naturopathic Physicianm Medical Intuitive & founder of the Institute Of Applied Energetics and the host of Just Energy Radio. Let Dr. Rita assist you bringing health, healing and wholeness back into your life. Visit http://www.soulhealer.com or listen live online to Dr. Rita on http://www.JustEnergyRadio.com.