Human Consciousness: The Discipline of Saturn: Part 2
In medieval western astrology, Saturn was known as the “Greater Malefic” with Mars as the “Lesser Malefic”. They were both considered trouble-makers and it didn’t much matter what aspects were involved, they were something you just had to live through.
The discovery of the outer planets coincided with a significant increase in human consciousness, and it is considered unwise for an astrologer to make a blanket statement of negativity regarding Saturn. A big part of the reason for this is that as we’ve become more aware we’ve also begun to learn about personal responsibility, a major Saturnian concern.
As we grow into Saturn, our sphere of responsibility expands and we desire to assume more. We are less interested in being taken care of by parents, government, employers, etc. Instead, we want to *be* a parent, an employer or other authority figure. We are now willing to assume responsibility for others.
An immature or badly aspected Saturn is easy to spot. This is a person who is frightened, pessimistic, and/or heavily materialistic. The fear that the overwhelmed Saturn person experiences comes from the materialistic view that life structures are unchanging, solid and immutable. Thus, any action is irreversible and if a mistake is made, the situation is irretrievable. Saturn deals with solidities and structure, and the lowest common denominator of our species is the 5 senses. Higher consciousness starts with Uranus, matter is transmuted into other planes of reality with Neptune, and Pluto transforms and regenerates. All that Saturn can do is build. That gets very solid and if it is all that can be perceived, we are extremely limited.
The pessimism that the Saturnian may experience comes from the idea of being overwhelmed by matter. The perception is that the solidities that surround them are bigger than they are and the social structures are more firmly set in place. The power of the mind, dreams or Spirit is not really accepted as “real”, therefore this individual is at the mercy of the elements around him/her.
In shamanistic terms the “cure” for an afflicted Saturn is Neptune. Neptune is the great dissolver. I have seen deeply disturbed Saturnian clients achieve remarkable breakthroughs by releasing the structure of their personal ego to Spirit, by listening to the injunctions received in dreams, and by simple prayer. Saturn rules the skeletal structure (our underlying solidity) and swimming has been connected with calcified joints regaining their rotation and the calcification dissolving.
Metaphysicians who are having Saturn problems have usually built up their difficulties layer by layer into a structure that seems impermeable. They can achieve release through surrendering the difficulty to Spirit.
Saturn is not the enemy. Like every other planetary symbol, it represents lessons that we may learn in order to complete our planetary journey. As we assume responsibility for our own lives, become our own authority, then Saturn works with us and not against us. It allows us to assume the maturity and dignity of spirit that we were always intended to have.
Back to Discipline of Saturn, Part 1
