Tiger Woods and Saturn

by Stephanie Clement

Stephanie Jean Clement, Ph,D., has been a professional astrologer since 1974. Her work includes writing books and text for astrological interpretations, as well as editing books and other materials. She lives in Florida with her husband, two dogs, and a cat. See her books at Amazon.com. Purchase her Saturn's Promise interpretation report here.

In astrology, Saturn, with its magnificent rings and multiple moons, acts as a principal timer of events. This simple fact begins the interpretation report of your Saturn, in which you discover a broad outline of some of the major cycles throughout your life.

Every one of us experiences Saturn's return to the place in the sky that it occupied when we were born. These returns occur at the approximate ages of 28 to 30 year, 56 to 58 years, and 84 to 86 year, give or take. You can figure about 30 - 60 - 90 and be close. At age 30, we make a transition from the first part of our lives, when we were growing and learning, to a period when we are primarily producing, either children, or in our careers, or in volunteer work or some other way. At around age 56 or so, we are transitioning from the productive cycle into a mentoring cycle, during which we teach others, pay more attention to our grand children, and possibly address our own spiritual development more closely. At around 84 or so, we are facing the challenges of old age.

I am a big fan of Tiger Woods, and I sympathized deeply with him when his father died in May of 2006. Tiger is only thirty years old, and that is pretty young to lose a parent. About six weeks later, Tiger played in the opening round of the U.S. Open, and for the first time failed to make the cut. This did not surprise me from an emotional or psychological perspective, but I was curious about the role of Saturn in his life. When he went on to win the British Open in July, I was even more curious.

Tiger's Saturn return indicates a shift of perspective regarding his work, and perhaps specifically his work environment. I see no reason to think that he will change careers, but I do think he will focus on the creative possibilities in his life in a different way. He may, for example, put additional effort into his foundation, which is dedicated to empowering young people. His Saturn's Promise report includes language like "self-esteem has to come from within yourself," and "there needs to be a balance of work and play in your life." It even says, "you find you enjoy your food more," and "your co-workers challenge you to your creative limits."

The first seven months of 2006 have certainly been challenging for Tiger Woods. Staring from the broad general scope of his Saturn Return, which occurred in 2005, let's look at the current situation.
" As we would expect, right around the time of his father's death, there were Saturn (the father) aspects that reflected first worry, then separation from a blood relative, and finally the mourning process.

At the time of the U.S. Open, Saturn and Mars both connected with the Sun through an aspect of adjustment. Tiger was still in the midst of his adjustment to his loss, and his play showed that he was not fully prepared to get back to his usual level of golf.

At the time of the British Open, the Sun connected with Saturn in a more positive way, shining light on Tiger's capacity to dig deep, do the personal work, and focus clearly on his game. There were tears at the end, after a week of superb effort.

Sometimes we think that Saturn delivers all the difficulties in our lives, but this is far from the case. Diligent effort, training, and focus are part of the Saturn picture as well. Tiger Woods understands the structure of his life and of his golf game, and he also demonstrates responsibility to the children of our communities through his foundation.

I said I was a big fan of Tiger Woods. That was an understatement. I feel he is a brilliant example of what we all can be when we strive for the best within us.
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Stephanie Clement is a professional astrologer and has a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology. Her published works include Charting Your Career, Power of the Midheaven, and Charting Your Spiritual Path with Astrology.