ASTROLOGY LESSON #5: Saturn and Your Definite Chief Aim
Read on for the ABCs of creating your DCA, the key to creating the life you desire.
During times of overwhelm when you may feel like you are just trying to survive, how can you make your dreams come true? There’s one answer that I believe fits everyone: identify your Definite Chief Aim (aka your DCA). I first came upon this term after reading Think and Grow Rich a 1937 book by Napoleon Hill, much beloved by the like of Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates.
The idea of the DCA is simple. You identify your number one goal, the big one that you want to accomplish. Most often this refers to something worldly or work-related. But it certainly could refer to other matters, like buying a house in Lisbon (join the club!) or having a baby. Once you know your DCA, your thinking shifts to organically take every step in service to this goal.
When I first read Napoleon Hill’s book, I immediately connected his DCA with Saturn. Saturn is the planet of structure and discipline. It rules the sign Capricorn, the most ambitious of all signs. Saturn’s focus is …focus itself! If you have lived past 30 you are probably already familiar with Saturn (whether consciously or unconsciously) because you have survived your first Saturn return.
Your first Saturn return occurs between the ages of 28 and 30. This is a cycle when you are being pushed to grow up. You were once a prodigy, the smartest kid in your school, or the most talented, but now, there are busloads of cute, talented kids arriving at Port Authority to make it on Broadway, and guess what? They are younger than you! Saturn pushes you to make adult decisions and say no twenty things so that you can say yes to one or two, and bring those one or two things to fruition in the real world. The idea is that then you can make your goal come to fruition. Saturn says “times up” with just reacting to life and start being pro-active about creating the life you want.
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR DEFINITE CHIEF AIM
Even though Saturn, and the concept of a Definite Chief Aim are so oriented towards the concrete and real, the process of identifying your DCA entails connecting to the invisible world.
Here’s what I mean.
Most people are conditioned to listen to messages from the outside world, their family, friends, the culture at large. However, the only way to know what you really want is tune in to the authentic you, not the conditioned to fit in you.
Try these steps:
· MEDITATE
Set a timer for five minutes and meditate to clear your mind. You can do it sitting up with back straight, lying down (my fave!) or whatever suits you. Focus on your breath. If your mind wanders (which it will), just come back to your inhalation, your exhalation. It doesn’t matter how often you get distracted. Just keep coming back to your breath.
· JOURNAL WITH YOUR HIGHER SELF
Next, set a timer for eight minutes. Write in your journal with the intention of uncovering your DCA. The key is to be completely uncensored. No one has to see this but you. Use a playscript format; that way you can have a dialogue with your Higher Self. Like so: JD: Please help me identify my DCA. HS: Ok, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? JD: That I can’t think of anything! HS: If you could wave a magic wand and live your dream life, what would that look like, and feel like?
· DECISION TIME
When that timer goes off write down your DCA. If you need to do this again, or if you can’t narrow it down beyond three choices (Libra!), then try again. But after two tries you have to come up with a working DCA. Remember, you don’t have to know the HOW just the WHAT.
SATURNIAN STEPS
• WORDING OF YOUR DCA
Here are some examples of the simplest way of writing your DCA.
I will publish a novel that touches people’s lives world-wide.
I will become a parent and raise a happy family with my beloved.
I will work for myself and triple my income.
Read on if you want to try something more multi-faceted.
• ANALOG
Put your DCA on an index card, laminate it and carry it around. Or keep it by your bedside so it’s the first thing you see upon waking, and the last thing you see before sleep.
Here is an example from Martial Arts master Bruce Lee. Lee was also passionate about writing in his journal. Doing the same could be a great help for you in identifying your DCA.
• REVERSE ENGINEER
Imagine the end and use bullet points to work backwards to ascertain what steps to take. Try six bullet points total. Number six is the end goal, number five the one that precedes it, all the way back to number one, a step you can take now.
• COME UP WITH A TARGET IMAGE
Imagine a scene that takes place when your wish is fulfilled, when you have accomplished your DCA. For instance, a dear supportive friend congratulates you, and your heart feels full. You are looking out through your eyes. If you want to live somewhere else, imagine what it feels like to wake up there and see the bed you have slept in, and get up and look out the window. You get the idea. The most important thing is to tap into the wonderful feeling you have when your desire is fulfilled. Try this guided meditation to help you.
• FRONT-LOAD THE HARD WORK
Take care of the “boring” tasks right away. Whether filing paperwork, cleaning out a space, reading technical manuals; Saturn appreciates an ambitious person who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the grunt work. And the great thing about Saturn is it rewards you by making you feel competent and proud of yourself. You did the hard stuff! Doesn’t that feel good compared to the feeling of “I’m so overwhelmed by all the things I have to do”? Saturn appreciates it when you send $50 towards credit card debt rather than avoid looking at your mountain of debt. And once you develop the habit of doing what’s hard, it turns out it’s not so hard after all.
•TAKE THE LONG, LONG ROAD
In the aughts, I used to go to Monday night Kabbalistic lectures on the Upper West Side. In talking about one of the ten spheres of consciousness known as Gevurah the Rabbi spoke of “the short, long road” vs. “the long, long road.” Basically the short, long road gives us the illusion of speed as we look for short cuts or easy outs. But inevitably, whatever steps we skip we will just have to double back and take care of later. The long, long road is the exact same length, but instead of trying to trick the universe into letting you fudge the long distance marathon (by jumping in a taxi and then sprinting to the finish line, only to be told you gotta start from the beginning now!) you simple run the race. And marathons are completed by pacing yourself. The feeling of crossing the finish line based on your own hard work and focus is a feeling that can’t be beat. (I share this truth while writing from my couch.)
ADVICE FOR EACH ZODIAC SIGN
Here is some individualized sign by sign guidance (read your sun and rising signs) to consider when developing your DCA, but before you read, keep in mind this
ONE UNIVERSAL NOTE ABOUT YOUR DCA
Once you have identified it, keep it alive in your thoughts, words, and actions. That means that pretty much every decision you make, small and large revolves around bringing your DCA to life.
Aries: Ruled by Mars, you will do best by coming up with your DCA quickly and forcefully. Try doing a little cardio first. Then bang out the first DCA that comes to you.
Taurus: Aesthetically-minded Venus is your ruler. Use a special pen and lovely journal to brainstorm your ideas for your DCA.
Gemini: Chatty and ruled by Mercury, grab a best bud to try this with. Wonder-twin powers unite!
Cancer: Use the moon, your ruler, as inspiration. Write down your DCA at night while looking up at the sky. Tap into the timeless aspect of your goal.
Leo: Ruled by the Sun, you will do best by sitting under its glorious rays and appreciating the magnificence of the universe, then writing out your own exuberant DCA.
Virgo: Virgos do well around plants, so spend a few minutes sitting in your garden or under a tree and asking nature itself to guide you in defining your DCA.
Libra: You love beauty, so think of a beautiful phrase or image to start off your brainstorming, as you tinker with the wording of your DCA.
Scorpio: Going deep is your specialty, so begin identifying your DCA by asking your soul what would nourish it most.
Sagittarius: Travel is your best friend, so surround yourself with mementos from places that excite you to look at while constructing your DCA.
Capricorn: You were born to write a DCA! Ruled by Saturn, I advise you to think back to a time when you focused in this manner and achieved your goal. Then get to it again!
Aquarius: Think about the future you want to help create. Then do a micro dive into how you as one brilliant mind can help to make that world real. Use this as DCA inspiration.
Pisces: Talk to the spirits. Choose a loved one who has passed on, or a deceased idol of yours and ask them to help guide your hand as you are writing out your DCA.
Saturn moving into Aries on May 24th, 2025 where it will transit through April 2028.
That makes this the perfect time to think ahead, and to avoid procrastination (cool oxymoron, huh?) and start on your DC now! Saturn loves planning ahead and Aries is the sign of passionate initiative. You’ve got twelve weeks. You can do it!
NEED MY HELP?
I work with individuals as well as friend groups!
Just send me an email at JillDearman@gmail.com, subject line: DCA.
I also offer Astrology-Based-Counseling Work (ABC).
How to know if ABC is right for you:
1. Are you at a crossroads, and not sure which way to turn?
2. Have you tried different kinds of guidance from experts, but haven’t been able to significantly move the needle in your life?
3. Does the volatile, unpredictable state of the world put you in a frequent state of anxiety, darkness, or overwhelm?
4. Do you wish to be truly listened to, and experience a relaxing peaceful form of counseling?
5. Would you like to tap into your most authentic self and make decisions based on belief in yourself, instead of fear of failure or being judged?
6. Do you sense that this is a unique moment on earth, and a unique moment for you to try something new and take a chance on totally transforming your life for the better?
7. Do you sense that establishing a baseline peace of mind, and manifesting your goals and desires will lead you to truly making positive changes in the world?
8. Would you take a leap of faith if you knew you could work with someone whom you could trust, with a unique skill-set and vision, who would make the process fun and inspiring, and leave you with the tools to continue to grow on your own?
PLEASE WRITE ME IN THE COMMENTS YOUR CHALLENGES, TRIUMPHS, Qs re: DCA (or anything else).
Til Next Sunday!
Appreciate your practical every day steps!