A Saturnian Perspective

And then you had to bring up reincarnation
Over a couple of beers the other night
And now I'm serving time for mistakes
Made by another in another lifetime
- Galileo by the Indigo Girls

Our hardest lessons can become our greatest gifts. This seems an impossibility as you're suffering beneath the weight of some intransigent personal block however the consciousness for which you sweat and bleed, sometimes against terrible personal resistance, is yours for a lifetime(s) once you get it.

There are many areas of difficulty or challenge in the birthcart. Not all of us are born with grand trines with their tireless resilience and "lucky" flow of cosmic energy. (And even they have a Saturn!) However, pain is a blessing and if you go through it with your eyes open you can come out the other side with greater compassion for yourself and others. If we were all born perfect specimens, where would the drama be anyway?!?  Isn't it in the pursuit of self-transcedence that we create? What's on the other side of that challenge? Something that's well worth the wait according to Saturn.

Wherever Saturn is in the chart, it speaks of our fears and what feels like our limitations. Because there are special challenges associated with Saturn's placement, time and maturity have become its support group - two things you can no more rush than fruit falling from a tree. We are often cemented in the self-defensiveness of Saturn in our early years so much so that we don't even realize that he is tripping us up. Saturn can be so cognizant of appearances. And while personal appearances certainly count, he is not to be confused with the Libran variety value on appearance. His interests eclipse the personal realm and he more painfully aware of how he comes across to the larger and more impersonal world. Until he connects a personal purpose to his larger aim, he may be enslaved to his ego and unable to gain perspective on what he experiences as suffering.

Once, however, Saturn gains some wisdom down the tough road of experience and inner confrontation there is no other planet able to laugh with such a blissful joy at his faults and engage with a hearty acceptance and deep understanding the transience of life. The slave becomes the master, and while achieving this sort of freedom from Saturn's constant stern glare may take the larger part of a lifetime the fruits are sweet and everlasting. Take a look. Don't be afraid to ask for help. What may feel like a limitation or fear is actually a diving board.