Astrology

(also I will be reviewing the extra charts posted, have not forgotten you, just continuing with the text)

Ch 2. - The digression, part 1

....because we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously with this

miki194_e.webp

[Zodiaktopia]

Today we’ll be introducing astrology’s predictive uses beginning with my own experience at the time I was originally exposed to it. We’ll then look at some “big” transits of recent times and the effects they have had on our society, before moving onto the very heavy chapter on Saturn following this one.

The two techniques on today’s menu include transit and secondary progression analysis. Briefly:

* Transits are times when a transiting (real) planet forms an exact aspect (angle such as 60, 90, 120, 180, or 0 degrees) to one of our natal planets. Depending on the planets involved the transit may coincide with either happy or painful circumstances and may be experienced on the physical (more likely with Mars or Saturn), emotional (Moon, Neptune, Venus), or psychological (Pluto) levels. Transits can be thought of external factors lasering in on us and impacting us in some way.

* Progressions can also coincide with external events but those events would be brought on by our actions where the progression causes an internal shift in perspective or signals something new entering our conscious awareness.

Generally transits are thought to be somewhat more “action-oriented” where progressions are more about “internal development.”

Sample chart – first encounter with astrology & the series Cosmos

The chart is set up such that the outermost ring is the natal or birth chart, the middle green ring represents the secondary progressions and the inner ring (red) the transit or actual planets in the skies at the time.

Being an encounter with astrology it would make sense to find Uranus (ruler of astrology) and possibly Jupiter involved in the chart. Cosmos representing technological (Uranus again) and ecological (Chiron) themes should show both of these planets highlighted. This is our theory, let’s see how it pans out in practice.

I must admit to being very bored and disappointed with life prior to these transits hitting – yes I was doing just fine at school but everything we were learning save for math and science classes was rather uninspiring and so was life itself – so much so I would spend my free 1st period (early in the morning) just napping in the school library. After hearing about Cosmos this all changed and even more so when a friend told me to check out a web site called astro.com – the events happening within a fairly small time span that Autumn 2002.

fall2002.webp


Let’s begin by first looking at the transits valid during this time. Since the transit planets are in red and the natal chart in black we are looking for either conjunctions (planets in the same degree across the two) or planets making some sort of aspect indicated by a colored line connecting them. And we are looking for the important themes which means ignoring the personal planets and only looking at the transit planets Jupiter through Pluto and Chiron.

Using this rule set we can see that there are in fact a few transits active at this time:

Pluto conjunct Uranus (how fitting)
Chiron conjunct Neptune
Neptune conjunct progressed Mercury
Uranus square Saturn
Uranus square nodal axis
Jupiter trine Uranus
Chiron square progressed Venus and Mars

with brief interpretations of these transits

Pluto-Uranus would be read as an intensification (Pluto) of one’s desire for independence and original way of being (Uranus) and it is likely this intensification would lean toward the study of astrology, technology, or science as all these are represented by Uranus.

Chiron-Neptune would signal the end of innocence (Chiron) regarding one’s beliefs about how life ought to be (Neptune) and indeed the revelations during that year nearly wiped out much of what I had believed up to this point.

Neptune-Mercury is at first not relevant except it is a transit which has an effect of stimulating one’s intuition – it gives the ability to work with subtle patterns and accept/make sense of them even if one is normally a “pragmatist.”

Uranus in hard aspect to Saturn brings a kind of restlessness toward “how life just is”/”reality” with a strong desire to make life more exciting. This is because Uranus (innovation/”the awakener”) is challenging Saturn’s rigid patterns and narrow visions of “reality.”*

Jupiter in lazy aspect with Uranus would correlate with a sort of natural expansion (Jupiter trine) of one’s unconventional or generally Uranian tendencies.

And Chiron in hard aspect to Venus and Mars would be an influence which had a very negative impact on a condition which had already been causing me problems (avpd) and one which caused problems that would require a good 15 years to sort out.

Immediately we see that there are rather a bunch of transits involving Uranus, both in the natal chart and as a transit planet. Thus the time does check out as significant for an introduction to astrology.

* This will be discussed in much more detail in the following chapter.

While we are at it let’s also list the progressions evident in the chart – this would be the green planets making any aspects to the black ones. Using this technique we have
progressed Jupiter conjunct Sun – generally indicates long journeys and travel around the world (plenty during those years so indeed true) and events and circumstances which favor expansion and growth in a general sense

progressed Sun sextile Uranus – continues the Uranian/astrology/technology themes – technology was also a major interest even more than usual during these times

progressed Moon conjunct Vertex

progressed Midheaven conjunct Saturn – Saturn rules the Midheaven and the 10th house and when it falls on it this indicates a sort of opportunity to achieve something of significance, if one is willing to take responsibility. As it happens I wasn’t but such an opportunity was really offered through the circumstances of that year.

Interesting! Because the chapter began with calling out Uranus and Jupiter as the two astrology planets. Here they pop up by progression as well.

Here we can see very strong support for “astrology and technology” in this combination chart. In fact there are relatively few transits or progressions which don’t support this theme somehow.
 
Ch. 2 the digression, part 2

Two mundane examples

pluto_c2.webp saturn_2.webp
[Pluto and Saturn as Hades and Kronos]


Our brief intro to mundane astrology begins with the chart for September 11, 2001. The chief theme in this chart is the Saturn-Pluto opposition in air-fire signs (Saturn in Gemini vs Pluto in Sagittarius.) This is a potentially violent opposition because both planets are powerful and they have opposing meanings – Saturn builds structures and walls while Pluto purges anything which stands in its way. In more mundane terms Saturn can mean the government or establishment while Pluto means power; at odds we get this picture of power vs government where the fire-air signs suggest an element of airy explosiveness to the picture (fire + air again.)

The other placements of the day are equally telling – the transit Sun is square both Saturn and Pluto providing further “energizing” for expression of these energies.

Venus opposition Uranus favors sudden and “exciting” decision making which avoids rational analysis. The trine between Uranus and Saturn suggests this “thoughtless action” energy is transferred to Saturn already threatened by Pluto opposing it.

Finally the trigger aspect for the day – the Moon moves very quickly and will go through half an astrological sign in a day. That day the Moon moved into aspect to oppose Mars creating a kind of “hot temper” energy pattern.

With all these factors in play it is almost inevitable that some event of large magnitude would take place. Saturn and Pluto are due to form another major aspect, a conjunction, beginning in January of 2020.

sep11.webp


A second brief example: Pluto in Capricorn


We’ll briefly look at Pluto’s entry into Capricorn along with some events associated with this.

Pluto entered tropical Capricorn on January 26, 2008. Within months of the ingress several financial institutions collapsed and had having been deemed “too big to fail” had to be taken over by the US government [see here] Of course banks all over the world were affected with an economic slump quickly developing over the course of 2008.

Before we continue we should define this passage a bit better – Pluto has to do with transformation, cleansing, purging, the removing of corruption, and the elimination of all false, hypocritical, unnecessary, and damaging elements.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign which among other things rules big government, big business, social hierarchies, the establishment (Saturn is a conservative ruler), banks, executives, and organizations (including political) on a large scale.

Pluto in Capricorn would therefore translate into a transformation of these same organizations on some world-wide level.

Since 2008 we have had further “shocks to the system” coming from all fronts – from the leaks of Snowden, Assange, and Manning, to the revelation that spy agencies and companies are freely collecting everyone’s data, to corruption schemes and offshore tax havens coming into public view to the #metoo and other movements more recently. While it would have been possible for the rich and the powerful to get away with manipulating the masses and getting away with it before, it is looking increasingly like they’re going to meet a different fate this time around.

While still an ongoing transit, I believe we are already seeing some very strong signs with this one.
 
Continuing with the charts.

@Vienna and @Skarekrow - if you haven't, please see the preceding pages for some info on how to get your chart interpretations through astro.com

next up Vienna

N = Venus conjunct Jupiter on Ascendant, Moon in Aries (conjunct MC), Leo Rising (with Jupiter on it), Sun in Leo, Sun square Mars, also with Moon square Neptune-Uranus, Sun in 1st house

F = Venus,Chiron,Jupiter in Cancer in house 12 (ruled by Neptune), Pluto in Scorpio aspecting Sun, Mars, Mercury, Moon by inconjunct

*you also have Sun square Pluto, see earlier pages for more info on this

vi1.webp vi2.webp vi3.webp vi4.webp vi5.webp

And the fixed stars

Sun conjunct Merak
Moon conjunct Alpheratz
Mercury conjunct Mizar
Venus conjunct Procyon
Saturn conjunct Dheneb
Uranus conjunct Kaus Borealis
Neptune conjunct Nunki
Pluto conjunct Zubenegenubi
 
Wow...
I think I'm finally beginning to better understand my natal chart and it makes so much sense...which is what I expected from astrology, but it doesn't make it less impressive.

A few notes:
*you also have Sun square Pluto, see earlier pages for more info on this
AH! HA! HAhahhaha Y_Y Well... it's very very interesting how this aspect works... I'm somewhat flattered to have it...I really hope to be able to do a good job with it...
Saturn-Chiron opposition of '87-'90
"...Chiron and Saturn is a tough placement regardless of the aspect. It often indicates problems with father and authority figures. " :reason:

...oh...it's on my birthday... my first instinct would be to ask if this means that I will die...but I already survived an eclipse on my birthday, so I guess probably not...?

The "astrology learning" master list for those interested.
:sunglasses: thank you ...even though it will probably take years for me to read those books, I am so slò :unhappy:
 
Glad you are seeing some patterns there. Slow is just fine. You have a life time to learn this stuff if you want.

Edit: no, the eclipse is probably not going to do anything like that - I will do a chapter on them but it will be a little while.
 
Continuing the charts, @Skarekrow's turn

N = Venus in Aries, Venus+Mars sextile Jupiter, Jupiter in 1st house, Sun conjunct Mercury with Jupiter in Gemini , Moon+Saturn in Leo aspecting Venus in Aries as well as Jupiter, Venus in 12th house, Moon sextile Pluto with Jupiter trine Pluto

F = Mars in Pisces, Sun-Mercury-Chiron in 12th house, Venus in 12th house, Moon trine Mars, Uranus in Scorpio with Sun/Mercury aspecting Uranus

sk1.webp sk2.webp sk3.webp sk4.webp sk5.webp

and a few fixed stars

Venus conjunct Algenib
Chiron conjunct Mira
Sun conjunct Hamal,Schedir
Jupiter conjunct Prima Hyadum <--- nice
Saturn conjunct Asellus Australis
Pluto conjunct Algorab
Uranus conjunct Acrux <- a personal favorite
Neptune conjunct Ras Algethi
Mars conjunct Scheat
 
Continuing the charts, @Skarekrow's turn

N = Venus in Aries, Venus+Mars sextile Jupiter, Jupiter in 1st house, Sun conjunct Mercury with Jupiter in Gemini , Moon+Saturn in Leo aspecting Venus in Aries as well as Jupiter, Venus in 12th house, Moon sextile Pluto with Jupiter trine Pluto

F = Mars in Pisces, Sun-Mercury-Chiron in 12th house, Venus in 12th house, Moon trine Mars, Uranus in Scorpio with Sun/Mercury aspecting Uranus

View attachment 42789 View attachment 42790 View attachment 42791 View attachment 42792 View attachment 42793

and a few fixed stars

Venus conjunct Algenib
Chiron conjunct Mira
Sun conjunct Hamal,Schedir
Jupiter conjunct Prima Hyadum <--- nice
Saturn conjunct Asellus Australis
Pluto conjunct Algorab
Uranus conjunct Acrux <- a personal favorite
Neptune conjunct Ras Algethi
Mars conjunct Scheat

Cooooool...thank you!
I will read through it several times.
Sounds pretty close in most regards...I appreciate the time you took to post it up here!
Much love!
 
Ch. 3 – the dark



“Man, f**k Saturn”

-most of my friends when they hear about Saturn


One sees what one can best see oneself.

-Jung


“To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light. Once one has experienced a few times what it is like to stand judgingly between the opposites, one begins to understand what is meant by the self. Anyone who perceives his shadow and his light simultaneously sees himself from two sides and thus gets in the middle.”

-Jung


Psychological trigger warning: this chapter contains psychologically triggering content. For anyone who feels they are in an unstable mood or circumstances you may want to skip reading this for now until feeling better.


*In accordance with Saturn’s nature this chapter is going to be heavy and devoid of any imagery, however some links are provided for those interested.


Saturn in mythology


We’ll begin our journey by first looking at Saturn as he is presented by Greek mythology. Saturn (Kronos, Cronus) is one of the Titans born of the union of Ouranus [father sky] and Gaia. [mother earth] (*1) Upon seeing his children’s human form Ouranus is terrified and wants them all killed (*2)

This angers Gaia and she gathers her children asking one of them to avenge Ouranus for his heartless attitude. Kronos volunteers and ends up castrating his father with his sickle (*3) – this action inadvertently results in the birth of Aphrodite [Venus.] (*4)

Once Ouranus is overthrown Kronos takes over as supreme ruler and presides over what is called the Golden Age (*5) although in his desire to retain his power at all costs Saturn ends up swallowing all his children (*6) until Gaia devises a plan and offers him a stone in place of Zeus [Jupiter, Thor, Odin, Indra] who manages to survive.

Zeus then overthrows Kronos to become the permanent ruler of Olympus while Kronos is sent to Tartarus to suffer for all eternity.

However despite the macabre events so far this story too has a happy ending. Hades [Pluto] eventually intervenes and relocates Kronos from Tartarus to the fields of Elysium where the latter ends up living in eternal peace instead. (*7) – update is due to Hesiod and does not appear in the writings of Homer


(References)


(*1) really these are references to Jung’s anima and animus

(*2) Uranus represents perfection and the state of infinite possibility; it has trouble coping with earthly reality and its limitations; Jung connects it with the puer archetype, its opposite being the senex (Saturn again.)

(*3) This allegory is our first reference to Saturn’s ability to crush creativity and all youthful potential within a personality. Note the sickle also which appears in the image of the Grim Reaper, another expression of Saturn. Also the similarity between the mythical story and the behavior of modern XX/XXI century dictators

(*4) It is no coincidence that Saturn is exalted in Libra, the sign ruled by Venus

(*5) the expression of a conscious Saturn in a natal chart

(*6) same reference as *3, see also Tool’s the Grudge [lyrics]

(*7) this part of the story is important and will be discussed later


Saturn’s many faces and names


We are already acquainted with Kronos but Saturn wears many masks and is known by many names. The Christians know him as Yahweh and Satan (yes, both are really Saturn, note Satan’s goat-like appearance coinciding with that of Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn), the Hindus call him Shani, the Romans know him as Janus. (for January, when the transit sun is in Capricorn)

So far it appears we are presented with a cubic ton of contradictory personality traits but these in fact all belong to Saturn in his various stages of development.

Generally Saturn correlates with the following traits or experiential themes


· The crushing of creative potential (because we must necessarily limit ourselves to that which we value most or we risk spreading ourselves too thin)

· The passage of time and time as a natural marker of the cycles of life (“father time” and “time heals all wounds” are quotes directly relating to Saturnine processes)

· Denial, deprivation, frustration experienced whenever Saturn is activated

· Wisdom and old age (the hallmark of a consciously developed Saturn)

· The process of slowly building structures which withstand the test of time (note mention of time again)

· Repulsion, and reverence/admiration (modern science assigns Saturn’s symbol to the reduced Planck constant which describes the limits of what we would call the macroscopic world)

sat_planck.webp

· The psychological shadow as defined by Jung

· The dweller at the threshold


Saturn’s psychological meaning


Saturn is initially experienced the same way by everyone (as he is present in every natal chart) – through feelings of shame, humiliation, deprivation, envy, and a general lack of something dear to us which is seemingly very difficult to obtain. While envy is an emotion “naturally” associated with Saturn, shame is not and is a result of rampant scientism [not to be confused with science] which discards ancient or “non-rational” knowledge and thus puts a pathological cast on Saturn thus making its integration all the more difficult.

Jung calls Saturn the shadow, all qualities present in the personality which a person despises in himself/herself and thinks unacceptable (to society, as in the previous paragraph.) Thus the typical course of action is to banish him to the subconscious and pretend he doesn’t exist – until a transit or inter-aspect from another person brings him back to light. (*8) Those of you with Sun-Saturn aspects can count yourselves lucky as you are always aware of your Saturn’s doings and have had the opportunity to structure him from early on.

Yet another trait of Saturn’s is projection – because society teaches us that our Saturn is unacceptable it is much easier to project him onto people, organizations, and ideas in the outer world which “fit” the sense of inner turmoil he instills in us. For example someone who is hyper-aware of their Saturn’s tyrannical workings may look to dictators in the outer world to condemn and oppose, in an attempt to “fight” Saturn. While such attempts are always futile they do serve to illuminate the process behind Saturn’s goings on to the rest of the personality. There is yet another planet which is notorious for projection (Chiron) but I’ll introduce some lighter material before getting to him.


[Excerpt from Greene’s Relating on shadow projection]


As a rule the projection of the shadow falls on one's own sex, and one can gain great insight here by an honest consideration of those qualities which we find abhorrent in others of our sex. One has only to hear a woman saying, "I hate that dull, instinctual sort of housewife who thinks of nothing except diapers and recipes, and who has no independence or mind of her own," to get a clear picture of her shadowy side; and there is her polar opposite, who may be heard to declare, "What a dreadful person she is; she is only concerned about herself and her own pleasures. She is so unfeminine, and doesn't understand the meaning of sacrifice."

If these two extreme ladies could see whom they were truly describing by these thoughtless remarks, they would probably shrivel up with embarrassment. They are clichés, but amazingly prevalent. There is the man who abhors those of his sex who are weak, sissyish, effeminate and dominated by their women; and there is his opposite, the man who condemns those brutal, aggressive and ruthless types who love war for the glory and have nothing to do except gather together in pubs at night to discuss the merits of their secretaries' bodies. The pacifist contains within him a bully, and the hero a coward; as Mick Jagger sings in Sympathy for the Devil,


Every cop is a criminal,
And every sinner a saint.


Like the old Roman god Janus, we are all double-faced, and the individual must acknowledge this if he is to have any conscious voice in the matter of whether his dark side or his light is expressed to his fellow men.

Sometimes the shadow projection falls on an institution, or a religion, rather than an individual. This phenomenon is readily observable in fanatical ideological hatreds of all kinds. Shadow and ego put together make a whole, and wholeness, as we have seen already, is not merely or necessarily perfect; it is, however, complete.

All of our opinions, when they carry a high emotional charge, are suspect.

When we find ourselves the victim of an emotional reaction that is out of proportion to the situation, or where we have such a reaction in regard to some situation that is not really within the range of our concern but is strictly someone else's business, we should suspect that we are reacting to something of our own that we have not recognized as ours...

We have seen how each type, and consequently each astrological element, carries a weakness in the opposite function. we see these qualities as evil, judge them, and force them into the unconscious, they fester and become precisely as evil as we believe them to be. It is our viewpoint towards the unconscious which produces its apparent enmity.

The unconscious has an inimical or ruthless bearing towards the conscious only when the latter adopts a false or pretentious attitude.


(*8) we will touch on this briefly although it is a topic for another chapter


Saturn’s astrological meaning


Saturn’s astrological meaning is similar to his psychology – here again he describes shadow traits in need of development which we are forced to confront at various times in our lives (again during major transits from/to Saturn or when it is ‘hooked’ by a planet in another person’s chart.) Saturn forms the “dark” pole of the Sun-Saturn polarity (also known as the God-Satan polarity as it has been externalized by Christianity) where he acts to bring the conscious ego down to earth. Thus Saturn is a planet of integration, allowing the personality to reach a state of completion.

Saturn transits are often experienced as “time slowing down to a crawl” where nothing seems to happen and everything we are doing goes in a “pause” mode. This is accompanied by a heavy introspective attitude which society calls depression and which we are urged to “cure” with chemical remedies of all sorts. Saturn takes 2-3 years on average to pass through an astrological house and depressions (in their acute state) often last a period of this duration. The purpose of such heavy periods is to reach a balance between ego-consciousness and shadow and usually we come out of them feeling better than when we started, although this is never evident during the depression period itself. (*9)

It is often the case that anything we blindly believe in falters during Saturn transits and only the things we build ourselves piece by piece survive to stay with us by the time the transit has passed. (*10) This seemingly cruel mode of operation of Saturn’s is actually designed to teach us a lesson – we do indeed have free will and can exercise it, especially so during Saturn’s transits. The saying “you reap what you sow” is also associated with this idea.


(*9) Chiron and Pluto can also cause similar “symptoms” and will be discussed later on

(*10) See the British tale of the Wolf and the 3 pigs


Saturn in relationships


Saturn is one of the most important planets in relational astrology. He is always found connected to the angles (especially Ascendant-Descendant) or one of the personal planets (especially Sun, Moon, Venus) in synastry or composite charts and this is the hallmark of a long-term association. (We make no distinction between friendships and personal relationships here as Saturn does only contributes the ability to stand the test of time to a relationship.)

One of the most common patterns which has emerged in reviewing (many) relationship charts has been Sun-Saturn + Moon-Jupiter or Sun-Jupiter + Moon-Saturn and this is not surprising – Saturn provides stability and structure while Jupiter provides optimism for the future. Saturn is important on its own as well, where just having a single Sun or Moon-Saturn aspect can immediately elevate an association to extraordinary importance.

Finally we’ll go back to foot note (*7) which dealt with Saturn’s initial banishment to Tartarus and subsequent relocation to Elysium. It is notable that these acts were perpetuated by Zeus and Hades (Jupiter and Pluto) and this points to these planets’ ability to soften or even tame Saturn’s negativistic and tyrannical qualities. Jupiter making a (especially conjunction) aspect to Saturn by transit, in synastry, or in a composite will tend to overthrow Saturn’s suspicions and bring light and optimism to his world.

Pluto has an even more profound effect and can work to free Saturn of his negative or imprisoning defensive structures, leaving only the constructive ones behind – rather like the mythological relocation to Elysium.


Further reading


Many of the concepts introduced today are explored in detail in Saturn: A new look at an old Devil, Barriers and Boundaries, Relating [all by Greene so far], and Saturn in Transit [Sullivan.]


A modern-day Saturn


We have a modern version of Saturn portrayed by Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror movies. Freddy is a thinly disguised Saturn and the series even has a montage of the “dweller on the threshold” sequence in the 3rd or 4th movie.

Let’s look at some trait comparisons –


· Saturn crushes the child in us – Freddy kills children (only)

· Saturn is a collective archetype – Freddy appears to all the children in their dreams

· Representing physical death (*11) Saturn carries a sickle – Freddy has a similar instrument with the same ultimate purpose

· Saturn settles down after the time of his first return at age 29 – Freddy attacks those younger than this age, for the most part

· Saturn utilizes fear to paralyze us – Freddy does the same when he appears in his victims’ dreams

· Freddy is defeated when the children realize they can beat him by not playing by his rules – Saturn is overthrown when other gods topple him by disregarding the rules he himself put in place


Reading this some of you may be wondering about various other characters now, including Stephen King’s IT, a character with some rather similar traits.
 
I'm in love with this last post, @jkxx thank you so much for sharing this information...
It's baffling to me how in all these years I never realised/read anywhere how saturn and satan are the same thing ._. I did see that God(Yahweh) and Satan were the same guy in the end...
Anyway, in general, the post helped putting some ideas in order, thank you again.
 
@Vienna, glad you found it helpful - yes, Saturn is a tricky figure which can disguise himself as many things, even "reality" being a modern one. I didn't make the connection myself either, it was pointed out in some reading materials and was pretty shocking a revelation at first.
 
Both good examples - overall reality as we think of what constitutes reality, which at first is actually what Saturn is limiting us to seeing as reality. But there is the 'transcendence' and seeing that opposites are not really opposite that's part of that process.
 
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