I second Lin.
WHOLE CHART, WHOLE CHART, WHOLE CHART.
Your left eye is not unconnected to your right foot. Your heart is not unrelated to catching the bride's bouquet at Cousin Nellie's wedding. And Saturn exists in union with the rest of the chart. Judging whether a planet is well-aspcted or not should take into account its relationship to the chart as a whole.
If a horoscope is supposed to represent a whole person and their whole life, then doesn't it follow that, like the person it represents, it must be treated as a unified whole?
Secondarily, I question the wisdom of summarily discounting a Saturn-Pluto square as "generational" out of hand. Depending on orb allowed, on the individual motions of the two planets, and particularly mundane position, accidental dignities...etc., the square of these two planets may figure prominently in the individual chart, may even be predominant in the personality and life.
Saturn was square Pluto, allowing an orb of 6 degrees and sharing Quality, from about Feb 1993 to June 1993, and again (second phase of same square cycle) from Aug 93 to Feb 94....ten months, during the entire transit of Pluto through Scorpio, a 12-year period. During the times of effective square it was sometimes applying, sometimes separating, and one planet or the other, perhaps both, were retrograde. Meanwhile other planets came and went and made important supporting conjunctions or aspect to this pair. Not only that, but both planets were in domicile during this period, and quite likely were brought to power through rulership at different times. Add to this the dramatic changes in mundane position during the diurnal cycle, and you end up with huge variations in the significance and power of this square between any two individual charts for the whole period. Generational????
Let's take a random example from this period, say 8 Dec 1993 at 2325 GMT. What we find is that Pluto, who is in his own sign of Scorpio, rules Jupiter, who is in the same sign. Jupiter rules a 4-planet stellium in Sagittarius, including Venus who rules the Moon in Libra. Meanwhile, Saturn is in his own sign of Aquarius and rules the remaining planets in the chart. Saturn and Pluto are co-dispositors of the chart. The two, together, are a predominant force in the life and joined by square. Add to this the fact that Jupiter and Saturn are on antiscion degrees, giving the two a strong connection and tying the co-rulers (through Jupiter's intercession) together. [In fact, activation of the antiscions by any important planet stimulates the whole chart to action...Jupiter disposes the Sagittarius group and Saturn the rest of the chart.]
In my little cow town in Idaho, Saturn is in the Tenth House, 12 degrees east of the Meridian Angle (with Pluto cadent.} That is a pretty strong accidental (mundane) position. It bestows power on Saturn.
If we were to move the place of birth to someplace like Tunisia, (holding to our birth time of 2325 GMT) we would find both Saturn and Pluto cadent. But in Katmandu Pluto is rising and Saturn nearly on the Nadir, both strong but with the Plutonian influence a bit stonger due to its rising (and weight of disposition).
I would be grateful to Alitta if she would explain what she means by generational, in some depth if it's not too much trouble.
Whether a planet is well-aspected or badly-aspected in not a matter of day and night. There is a continuum from good to bad, and the pointer may fall at any place along that scale. Type of aspect, its orb, whether applying or separating, dignity/debility of planets involved, house...etc., should be considered in weighing the individual aspects, as well as the cumulative effects. The responsibility for judgment falls on the astrologer. If you use sound astrological reasoning, and have reasons for your judgment (rather than guessing) you won't be far off. And in any case, it is perfectly legitimate to adjust your judgment to fit the facts as you find them.
