Written by Stephanie Azaria with Shelly Leal
Saturn disposes Capricorn, which Cosmic Consciousness describes as our connection to Source and the higher Self.
Saturn has long represented the experience of authority and Self-containment in our lives. We feel his energies whenever we face the need to act maturely and take responsibility for our actions. But all authority is ultimately inner authority, and in the greatest sense we are accountable only to our Selves. Realizing this Truth is one of our greatest purposes in life.
When we experience restriction or limitation we tend to react out of fear, and self-doubt results. A lack of Self-esteem disempowers us and generates feelings of social inadequacy. Saturn’s placement in the chart reflects where we are out of integrity with our Selves. We are always only interacting with our own reflection; ultimately we must realize that others treat us in exactly the way we treat our Selves. Saturn symbolizes the voice of our conscience. When we are not mindful we tend to judge our Selves, and whenever we do that we will also feel judged by others. A more conscious use of this archetype encourages us to take full responsibility for our own Self-empowerment.
Saturn is known by many names, such as the Great Teacher, Fate, Karma, Father Time, the Grim Reaper, and the Inner Guru. Working with this archetype produces lessons in accountability, which repeat until we become willing to act with integrity.
Saturn’s cycle produces important social rites of passage related to maturity and the level of personal authority we take on during our lifetime. Each time Saturn passes over a degree (every 29 ½ years), the circumstances we experienced at that time recur if we didn’t learn to deal with them properly the first time. Once the lesson is realized, the Saturn transit produces a new (and often rewarding) chapter of that growth process. Each transit offers us the chance to undertake our responsibilities with more authenticity, thereby allowing us to author our own lives. When we face our fears with honesty and an open heart, we find the Father within, and life is never the same after that.
The classical Saturn archetype was one of restriction. The new archetype is that of the Inner Guru, our authentic inner voice or gut instinct, which connects us to our higher Self and provides impeccable guidance and direction. When we trust in the Inner Teacher, that guidance never fails to move us into Self-empowerment.
Saturn deals with the definition of social structure. All the laws we have created in order to construct our ‘civilization’ come under its domain. Conscious use of Saturn’s energies guides us into Self-worthiness and personal command. As a result, the rules and regulations we’ve made up to provide security, law and order are becoming obsolete.
Saturn’s archetype of organization and structure has served us well, but from the unified perspective, he has ultimately supported our separation consciousness by asking us to rely on outer authority. The Inner Teacher has always been an important part of our socialization process, and as long as there is physical life on Earth that will never change. But as we journey toward our awakening, and Oneness becomes our highest purpose, this aspect of Saturn must give way to a more evolved archetype. (See MakeMake).
