It seems the post on Saturn had a lot of readers and some wheels started turning in some minds. So, here is a sequel.
Saturn has a fairly bad reputation, but the question is why. I suppose we could also ask whether or not the reputation is justified.
Saturn is the ruler of Time and thus sets the rules for manifestation in Time since outside of Time, there is no manifestation. Hence, Saturn also rules realities and the laws whereby realities are created and sustained. So, Saturn is strict and disciplined and by-the-book.
In the old days, Saturn was the limit as the planets beyond Saturn were not known so when they were discovered, they were given rulership over the unseen, i.e., the places that cannot be known by the five senses. Even Pluto was assigned ruler over Hades, a place we hope to avoid upon death.
Saturn is often called the Grim Reaper. When time runs out, so does our manifest reality. The elements of which our bodies are constructed return to their Source, Lady Gaia, and our consciousness returns to its Source. So, Saturn is often depicted in a sort of macabre manner, hunched and holding a big sickle and sometimes an hourglass. Saturn is dreaded and hooded and emaciated and sometimes only a skeleton or bones.
When we are young, Saturn is usually not liked. He rules deficiencies and lacks. We have to work hard to turn our weaknesses into strengths, and if we do work hard, we overcome our weaknesses and benefit from the newfound strengths. However, this does take effort so Saturn is usually regarded as a get what you deserve planet. For example, the tenth house is career and public recognition. When Saturn reaches the midheaven, one may have a fall from grace or promotion. One may be fired, or success that is deserved may finally come.
In the East, Saturn is regarded as the chief of the Lords of Karma, still a get what you deserve position. For Saturn to function optimally, it must follow the rules and remember the p’s and q’s. As a rule, Saturn holds position by virtue of trust placed into him by someone in a position to pull strings, i.e, the actual power. Stated another way, whatever power we attribute to Saturn is delegated and may thus be rescinded.
If power and position are granted by someone with more power, it practically goes without saying that Saturn is expected to toe the party line and demonstrate loyalty to the greater authority. That authority may be a power broker, king, or God Himself. Saturn is expected to be impeccable, but wandering the halls of high places can be risky since those who pull the strings may have a different play book.
In Chinese philosophy, well there are some differences between Confucianism and Taoism, but there is reference to the “superior man” and it is never a mistake to bide one’s time until the moment is right.
As such, those under a strong Saturn influence may be both survivors and crafty enough to recognize that there are times when reforms are impossible, but holding onto one’s position while waiting for a more opportune moment is considered to be commendable.
Motivation must then be considered. Is the goal to hang onto position and whatever wealth and fame go with the position or to await a better moment and to be in a favorable position when that moment arrives.
The right answer is the one with the purest intent behind it, but with Saturn, there is a highly practical tendency to manipulate since outcome is important.
Saturn is cold so more fiery individuals find Saturnian strategies insincere and perhaps corrupt since delaying what is right can seem immoral. Well, it probably is immoral for some but perhaps not for all.
Physically, Saturn rules the densest parts of our body: minerals and the bones and teeth that are the main beneficiaries of those minerals. The sign in which Saturn is found points to the weakest part or organ, but that weakness can be turned into a strength with proper attention and time.
Rulership basically goes from head to feet with Aries ruling the head and Pisces the feet. Well, it probably helps to have a diagram.
Saturn, being heavy, has a tendency to descend so if someone were to fall, the part of the body most likely to be injured in a fall is the part ruled by Saturn. Note the wording, one can be injured by Mars or Uranus – or, for that matter, any planet – so the fall is the subject here. Saturn would also refer to the most hypofunctioning organ of the body and therefore the one that needs the most attention.
If we pay very close attention to the idea of rulership, then we can look back and see the obsession with fertility and virility when Saturn was in Scorpio and now the attention is turning to things like remineralization of the teeth and decalcification of the pineal gland. That is not to say that everyone has solved the issues of pheromones and fertility, but the pendulum is moving a bit in another direction now.
Saturn rules restraint so there is an absolutely tremendous amount of babble about lack. This is unique to those whose minds are more indoctrinated by Saturn because they are the ones to spread fear of shortage. There will be famines and epidemics and financial crashes and perhaps Armageddon, but those ideas come from the minds of people with a particular set of fears whereas someone who feels optimistic will see opportunities and someone who feels innovative or independent will invent solutions or detach from the grid.
In relationships, Saturn is truly challenging. Everyone has Saturn somewhere in the chart and even if not a Saturn type, the Saturn may trigger a sensitivity in another person. For instance, Saturn in one person’s chart may contact Venus in the partner’s chart. This does not feel loving. In the simplest terms, Saturn may preach frugality while Venus longs for more comfort and security in the here and now. Saturn may be dignified and reliable but lacking passion. Venus may long for a bit more hormonal excitement, but Saturn may or may not fulfill that wish.
Saturn may want to be appreciated for being a good breadwinner or providing a social position based on success, but if Venus longs for love, Saturn will feel controlling rather than united by mutual benefit. Saturn is exalted in Libra which means that at its best, Saturn is fair and just and also able to support equality between partners.
Saturn is not however generous nor likely to praise for the sake of encouragement. One must earn Saturn’s approval before the praise is offered. Then, it might not be rewarded with a memorable celebration but rather with a sort of legalistic sounding, “Good job.”
Most people want just a bit more emotion so they can feel really good about themselves and their efforts, but Saturn is economical with praise so “Good job” may be the extent of what one should expect. It beats criticism, but does not improve circulation from head to toes.
Keep in mind that most people do not really think. What passes for thought may be little more than a reorganization of learned material that has not been personally validated. This is part of the dumbing down that favors the continuance of the control system. Lawyers exploit the law by putting emphasis on the letter rather than the spirit and this same tendency spills over into religion where Saturn rules orthodoxy and personal mystical experiences do not count – unless perchance, one is canonized centuries later and the authorities then recognize the validity of the insights.
Saturn has an ego, and the ego is necessary in order to function successfully in the third dimension. The ego is, of course, useless everywhere else so it is what dies when the incarnation comes to an end. Everything else is immortal.
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