The Reality Based Community
Saturn stationed on the night of December 5. (A station is when a planet slows down and appears to stop and change direction relative to our view from earth.) When a planet stops in the sky it can be informative to look for its effect in earthly affairs.
Saturn represents the father, or the wise or conservative principle. Saturn offers the gift (and necessity) of facing reality and relinquishing illusions and wishful thinking.
Robert Gates (brought back from earlier service in the elder Mr. Bush's administration) spoke before the Armed Services Committee on December 5 and began with this sentence: "I am under no illusion about why I am sitting before you today. It is the war in Iraq." Senator Carl Levin responded to Mr. Gates that his remarks were "a necessary breath of reality." Gates was easily confirmed as Secretary of Defense the next day after giving a sober assessment of the war in Iraq.
The Iraq Study Group Report also came out yesterday (and is already #6 on Amazon). It is another realistic appraisal the we are not winning the war and calls the situation "grave and deteriorating." 'Grave' is a word straight from Saturn's heart and 'deteriorating' is suggested by the fact that Saturn is stopping and going back now...this is the retrograde station...
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on December 6 describes Robert Gates offering a "cold shower" to "a Senate panel craving a cold shower." Yeah, Saturn! Better late than never.
Saturn represents the father, or the wise or conservative principle. Saturn offers the gift (and necessity) of facing reality and relinquishing illusions and wishful thinking.
Robert Gates (brought back from earlier service in the elder Mr. Bush's administration) spoke before the Armed Services Committee on December 5 and began with this sentence: "I am under no illusion about why I am sitting before you today. It is the war in Iraq." Senator Carl Levin responded to Mr. Gates that his remarks were "a necessary breath of reality." Gates was easily confirmed as Secretary of Defense the next day after giving a sober assessment of the war in Iraq.
The Iraq Study Group Report also came out yesterday (and is already #6 on Amazon). It is another realistic appraisal the we are not winning the war and calls the situation "grave and deteriorating." 'Grave' is a word straight from Saturn's heart and 'deteriorating' is suggested by the fact that Saturn is stopping and going back now...this is the retrograde station...
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on December 6 describes Robert Gates offering a "cold shower" to "a Senate panel craving a cold shower." Yeah, Saturn! Better late than never.