Saturn in Aquarius

SATURN

With Saturn we reach the limits of the solar system proper, and Saturn has traditionally been associated with limitation, frustration and delays. These, however, are all by-products of Saturn's concern for the rightness of things, for seeing that all is in order according to cosmic laws and truth. Under Saturn, it is better to be delayed and right than early and misguided.

As it follows the sphere of Jupiter's social participation, Saturn's is the realm of social responsibility. It represents the process of maturation according to which individuals participate in society not only by receiving the benefits thereof, but by contributing practically and substantially to the life of the community.

This requires the performance of necessary, relevant work, no matter how mundane or routine it may seem. Saturn thus represents the process of finding our place in society and fulfilling our responsibilities there. This requires self-discipline and a realistic sense of givens, limitations and, above all, priorities.

Saturn represents the necessity and capacity to tie up loose ends, to be logical and forthright. When we deal with Saturn we necessarily deal with authority - with both our capacity to wield authority and teach others, and with our capacity to learn from others (especially our elders) who have the authority of longer experience than we.

Negative aspects of Saturn include self-righteousness when in authority, and reactive depression when we must unwillingly yield to the authority of others. Saturn rewards labor dutifully performed with a sense of inner certitude, but responds with stinginess to work done resentfully or inadequately.

Leyla Rael

SATURN IN AQUARIUS

Keynote: Power is produced through the redirection of circulating forces.

Symbol: A massive dam provides electricity for the surrounding countryside.

The person born with Saturn in Aquarius may give the impression of holding something in reserve. They appear to have access to hidden sources of strength which provide the stamina to overcome formidable obstacles in their struggle for freedom of action. Saturn builds dams so that Aquarian electricity may transform the lives of those who can tap the currents generated. Similarly, individuals who are a compound of these forces instinctively understand the axiom "Power requires restraint," and they refuse to expend their energies wastefully.

Saturn functions more effectively in Aquarius than in any other sign, with the possible exception of Libra. Its cohesive influence interfuses the humane spirit of the water-bearer with practical common sense and prevents him from becoming unduly radical or eccentric. This is an excellent combination for scientific achievement and is also found in the charts of many philanthropists in whom Saturnian responsibility is translated into compassionate concern for the welfare of humanity. It indicates the possibility of bringing the powers of the higher mind down to earth in order to raise standards of living everywhere.

Now that Uranus is generally considered to be the primary ruler of Aquarius, many astrologers are inclined to discount; the effects of Saturn as co-ruler. Yet further consideration will show how inextricably these two influences merge. Regardless of how Uranian they may be in their inventiveness, the scientist must exercise caution and control in formulating basic principles before any kind of spectacular success can occur. Science itself has been decidedly Saturnian in its reluctance to accept new concepts, especially if these fail to mesh with the materialistic bias inherited from the past. Many scientific investigators today reveal more Saturnian than Uranian traits in their refusal to acknowledge the possibility of subtle planes of existence or to investigate such subjects as astrology and parapsychology.

The connection of Saturn with Aquarius is also shown in the long years of study and self-discipline which are required to train a scientist. Most modern inventions are not made by single individuals but by groups of cooperating technicians whose distinctive personality traits must be submerged in a common effort. A scientist does not sign an invention the way an artist signs their picture, and only rarely does their name become attached to their handiwork. Even his personal style of life is generally conservative.

Most scientific disciplines involve the crystallizing of facts, the demarcation of fields of interest, the establishment of basic premises, and the organization of masses of material — all of which are characteristically Saturnian functions, and which must precede any significant Uranian breakthrough. The enlightened Aquarian understands the reason for this methodical structuring of the investigative process and the rigorous training it entails. The result of this systematic thinking is the power to predict and shape events and thus to gain mastery over Saturn's realm of time and fate. Astrology is a typically Aquarian science, largely because it deals with cycles of time.

Saturn does not come into its own until it arrives at the social sign Libra, halfway around the zodiac. The delay occurs because this planet refers to laws governing groups rather than to individuals. Saturn's dictates are basically concerned with general behavior rather than with the action of separate entities. Consequently, Saturn is in its fall in Aries, sign of self-will. In Aquarius, sign of group activity, the once-feared lord of cycles is vindicated and set securely upon the throne as the benevolent dispenser of universal law and order.

Saturn's continued rule shows that laws must not only be administered, as in Capricorn, but that they must also be followed by a multitude of cooperating individuals. Therefore, Aquarians are likely to be Saturnian as well as Uranian in their basic disposition.

Astrology, the Divine Science

Mindfire