Looking at the Depths of Saturn - The Wonder of Being Sculpted

Updated from original posting 5.23.09

I was walking at a park early this morning and many of the spaces were already being held in reserve. Rope or tape had been spread around the trees to mark the territory that was being made into “our space.” That silly little tape, which anyone could walk through, sent a very important message to all onlookers. It said — ‘this is our space, not yours.’ And everyone got the message. Most of the newly created spaces contained only one person, but that was sufficient to send the message that all agreed with by honoring without question. That little line created a boundary, an inside and an outside, and at least for a little while, turned that space into something very different from what it had been.

This is Saturn at work. It creates limits and boundaries within which we can live, grow, and gain something that is so important and unfortunately so overlooked. It is said that Saturn tests us, asks us to work hard for everything we earn, and can even deprive us of the ‘goodies’ we want so much. It can cause delays or even make some of the things we want impossible to attain. This is when we wonder to ourselves or out loud – “Why is life so cruel or so hard?.”

The answer may be found in the metaphor of the sculptor working slowly with a block of stone, making powerful strokes in one moment and very fine ones in another. When we look at a great sculpture we marvel and can be overcome with awe and respect. We praise the sculptor, but that isn’t all of it. We wonder at a profound level how this work came about. Was the figure already present, hiding quietly in the stone waiting for someone to find it and eliminate all that was blocking the ‘real’ figure from emerging? Was the artist doing all of it by him/herself or was the artist heeding a call that was demanding that the ‘essence’ lying dormant within be released from its prison? Perhaps it is the Saturnian process itself that is creating what we are becoming, though we hardly ever know it while it’s happening. Who can see the final figure until the Work is completed?

When we are contending with difficult challenges in life, we can become bereft of hope and overwhelmed with grief, pain, and wonder how any good could ever come of this. In no way am I saying that these painful periods aren’t real, but often when we reflect later we can see that the effect of that period was vital, necessary in creating the person we are becoming or have become. We don’t just learn from books but from life itself. I am suggesting that Saturn is actually creating conditions where our ‘essence’ can unfold. It is when we are tied or identified with what we are not, that we experience the taking away of these false masks as painful or even terrifying. While we are in the midst of the Saturnian challenge how can we be expected to see that our attachments are unnecessary appendages. It is hard to understand that life is actually assisting us to become ourselves. We can’t see it until enough of the false has been eliminated and the truer image of who we are begins to be revealed.

It was Carl Jung who when contemplating the nature of freedom wrote that – “the only freedom I have is to GLADLY do what I must do.” Yes, Saturn creates restrictions and we often rebel at these. But it also creates an arena for us to grow and develop mastery and is where we can be free to be who we truly are.

Let’s go back to the scene at the park. Now imagine all the guests have arrived and are entering the specially marked space created hours earlier by one lone person who was simply doing the necessary boring job of winding the tape around the trees. The family and friends greet and welcome each other happily. They feel a sense of togetherness because the only people inside are the ones that are part of their group. They are free to be themselves, even though within just a few feet there are other walkers, campers, etc. doing their own thing.

Freedom to be ourselves and to fulfill our real natures. Did you know that Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant of today’s physicists credits his muscular dystrophy with his becoming the physicist he has become? His near total physical restriction has ‘freed’ him to delve deeply into the mysteries of our world. He never would have been what he is without it. Odd? Strange? Of course, but here’s a thought.

Is it possible that there is an Intelligence, perhaps within us, that creates those experiences we need in order for us to become what we essentially are? Are we being guided in ways we might not be able to understand towards being what we are through those necessary experiences we almost always wish we could avoid? If so, perhaps we could call this intelligence Saturn. When you have a chance, take a look at images of Saturn with its amazing rings and notice what you feel inside when you do.I know the economy is difficult so I am continuing the reduced price of $150 for a 60- 80 minute consultation. I welcome people who have never had an astrological consultation to give it a try as well as those of you who have.