Some thoughts on Saturn

At the time of writing (29.09.20, NZ time), Saturn is finally direct after being stationary for what has seemed like an eternity… As Saturn is in the final degrees one of its home signs of Capricorn, this planet has been making its presence strongly felt for quite some time. And it will continue to do so for well into the future, as it is just as at home in Aquarius.

Astrology changes with new technology, and new discoveries. However, for thousands (maybe even millions) of years, we have worked with what we can see in the sky with the naked eye. This extends only to Saturn. Hence, before the strange and crazy times of the Reformation, Saturn represented the end of the line. The point of no return. The edge of the known universe, where all comes to an end.

Have a look at this illustration which shows the original planets and luminaries, and the signs associated with them:

The Moon and the Sun stand at the bottom of this wheel, in Cancer and Leo respectively. These are the lights of our identity, the conscious and the unconscious mind. In opposition to these, we have the stark opposite of our human expression, desires, and will… Saturn!

There is a concept in the occult of a “black Sun”, which represents the darkest phase of the alchemical process. This is where all is burned black, and there seems to be no light but the light of darkness. Some might equate this to a depression, and with all the emphasis that is placed these days on love and light and being happy at all costs- nothing could be thought of as worse…

Saturn is this darkness. Here are the things that we are simply forced to accept, beyond our will, and our ability to change them. However, what happens when we accept them?

When we accept the things we cannot change, we find a new power and a liberation that does not belong to our previous limitations. We find we transcend, above and beyond what we could have accomplished previously. When we accept that we are sad, or that we are not perfect, or that our job sucks, or that the relationship is over- we find a new door of incredible power opening to us. It is here that we discover that there is more to life than our personal desires, and that accepting some discipline moves us into a different and higher dimension!