Living Off the Grid

The changes we've seen since Saturn has gone into Virgo have been dramatic, with the Lord of Karma showing how collectively, we reap what we sow. Coupon cutting is back in fashion. And for the first time in my life, I've thought about putting up food. And I've noticed more people talking about the obvious rapid decline of our environment, and sharing their sense of loss, ending with a question mark about the future.... One of my friends in her 70s asks, "Where are the birds?" and this year, the Skeeters are not biting my ankles. We may try to ignore it, but it's like the tragedy that's unfolding before our eyes, and on a scale that's not within our power to control.

Saturn's presence in a feminine earth sign is a sobering reality check on how living in a system that's out of sinq with nature, has us facing an uncertain future. The wheels are turning, and lots of people are rejoining the rhythms of nature through farming, healing and thinking about the greater good. But it's running counter to a force of greed that has spiraled out of control, with seemingly no care about the future of life. That's the real battle between good and evil!

Some are just going for it, and going off-the-grid to create a foundation in their lives that's in harmony with nature. It's chucking the consumer system totally for what seems like a leap...both into the future and into the past. Two Saturn returners found a refuge in Winter, Wisconsin, and now live in what's called a cob house they made themselves -- it's a mixture of straw, clay, sand, water and dirt. It's like a hobbit home that is probably as old as time. "The air is so fresh here. It's so clean here," Febe Dancier told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I feel very rich." They're at the leading edge of a trend, that will likely also include more eco community-type living where resources are shared. It's not a bad idea to plan for the future by forming networks of mutual support and looking into creative transportation (scooter sales are way up, for example). Saturn in Virgo also slows us down, giving us the chance to see what's up with our health. I'm convinced that a key to facing whatever changes lie ahead, is being at our absolute best physically, mentally and spiritually. Free of enviro-toxins and poison that is running in the collective thoughtstream, and as much as possible, boosting the immune system, and strengthening the connection to spirit.

• Saturn in Virgo: Know Your Garden