Saturn in Scorpio can be for Leo a sign of increasing commitment and responsibility within the home environment. Usually this new found sense of responsibility involves the physical home itself, though the manifestation is not limited to the physical structure alone since emotional responsibility is also an issue. The condition of your home, apartment or dwelling is such that you need to make repairs or improvements. If you have let your house go in the past, this is the year you will feel forced to take corrective action. Chronic and long-time problem areas will suddenly become especially annoying. Repairs can be major, though not always. If you are buying a home during the year, you may be drawn to older or rundown homes requiring much hard work and restoration.
Physical discomfort in the home is common, especially before or during the repair and renovation process. If you have not neglected your house, time can be spent on routine maintenance or improvements geared toward making your house more comfortable.
External changes in your living environment tend to parallel inner emotional changes. This can be a year when you feel emotionally responsible for the well being of certain family members, regardless of how well you get along with these people. The desire to accept responsibility for the physical state of your home is usually extended to a desire to assume responsibility for the emotional and physical state of others. If you feel you can help, you are likely to do so.
You may accept a family member into your home, or you may return to your parents’ home to live or visit and lend assistance. Those who are mentally incapable of making important decisions look to you and other family members for guidance, support and possibly shelter. It is common for the health of one family member (usually a parent) to deteriorate during the year. If this is the case, you can nurse this individual yourself or provide for his or her daily needs.
Elderly parents may be placed in a minimal-care retirement community or nursing home. If you have a grown child in the midst of a divorce, separation or family crisis, he or she may return home with small children in tow. Your strong sense of familial responsibility compels you to take up the slack and help out where needed. You willingly give up some measure of physical and emotional comfort in the home to help those you love.
If you are a much younger individual, you may choose this time to become a parent yourself. In its most positive manifestation, this aspect is a tendency to respond in a helpful manner to family crises, problems, and issues. Unfortunately the reverse is not always true. This may not be the best time to look for assistance and help for yourself. Even if you are in a difficult position, family members may be unable or unwilling to support you at this time. The tendency is for you to lend support rather than receive. Saturn in this position is not normally associated with the fulfillment of dependency needs. On the contrary, it is more closely akin to their denial. Pushing your own needs may be inappropriate under the present circumstances.
Some individuals lack the strong family ties necessary for such dedication to the needs of others. For them, no personal gratification, only frustration, can come from involvement in family issues and problems. During the year, events trigger memories of the past and old feelings of hurt and disappointment resurface. If this is your situation, you may wish to protect yourself by limiting family contacts or withdrawing completely. Saturn can show a separation from family involvement, and if you have already exhausted all your options, including therapy, this might be in your best interest. Saturn indicates that you test your relationships and eliminate or restrict those ties which are unfulfilled while strengthening those which are meaningful.
The process of reassessing relationships for their emotional reward is not limited to family involvements. All close relationships are subject to scrutiny.
Usually family relationships are the ones tested the most, but any intimate relationship can be suspect. You may find it more difficult to trust others during the year, so you look for conspicuous proof of your loved one’s affection and caring. If the relationship passes the intimacy test, commitment should follow, but if you are not satisfied or reassurances are not forthcoming, you can set emotional limits on those involvements which are unrewarding and nonsupporting. Saturn rules reality and this is a time for realistic appraisal of emotional situations. It no longer makes any difference what you are told or what you are led to believe.
You know when you are unhappy and it makes sense to seek practical solutions to relationship problems. If you cannot work with your partner to make corrections, you will tend to live alone emotionally, if not physically.
It is common to have Saturn in this position when the native is trying to recover from, or deal with, an emotionally painful relationship and therefore feels the need to set emotional limits. Individuals can elect to withdraw from situations entirely or structure involvements in such a way as to protect themselves. Those who withdraw completely assume total responsibility for their own emotional well-being and refuse to be responsible for anyone else. They do not encourage nurturing attention from others and may shun all offers. Walls are built to allow a year’s worth of time for healing and recovery, but in the meantime they feel lonely, withdrawn and neglected.
In the most negative manifestation, those who build walls exhibit contradictory emotions. They expect or even demand to be taken care of. They see total dependency on others as proof of another’s love, but at the same time refuse to commit themselves emotionally to a relationship or accept any responsibility for the other person involved. The goal is a one-sided exchange, an improbable situation in which all their needs are fulfilled without any fear, risk, or effort.
Those who are wise realize that this is a time to assess the mistakes of the past and set guidelines for future emotional involvements. Trust and mutual responsibility are needed for emotional security.
From June 2016, Jupiter in Cancer house indicates the possibility of an overwhelming influence. Many times it is the emotional nature which appears to overwhelm the individual, especially if he or she is already dealing with a difficult situation, but any area of life can be difficult to control. The natal house which falls in the 12th house of the solar return chart may give you a clue. It sometimes occurs that one activity, person or theme overshadows all other self-expression and sets the tone for the year. The 12th house rules the unconscious, and perhaps Jupiter, the planet of growth, in this placement implies that the unconscious nature can grow out of proportion to the rest of the psyche. In some instances, this might be a beneficial development. Those who compose melodies might need to unlock a feeling to create the tune. Those who work with sick children need to function with a high level of compassion in an emotionally charged environment. But in other situations, psychological stress can cause a great imbalance in the psyche or lifestyle. Individuals in these situations might feel immobilized. Some are not able to function without the support of a therapist, and difficult emotional problems and anxieties can get worse during this year. Strong feelings drown out reason, especially if Mercury is conflicted in the solar return chart.
Jupiter in Cancer is for Leo like an “ace in the hole” and those having this placement may actually have it better than is readily apparent. Despite what is implied, things cannot be as bad as they say. For some the ace is a belief in God as a universal protector. Optimism and a divine sense of protection cloak all fears and give great encouragement. Jupiter points to the development of real faith, an emphatic connection to the Oneness of life, and a confident trust in the Ultimate Good. Inner states associated with meditation, spirituality or religion may be particularly comforting. But keep in mind that both the use and abuse of spirituality can be seen with this placement. One is able to twist ethical situations and misuse spiritual concepts for the sake of personal gain. This is all done quietly, behind closed doors, and the truth might never be known. The end can justify the means and in this case the ace in the hole becomes the last laugh.