Returning now to Astrology, you might think from portions of the previous passages that at times humanity (especially scientists, philosophers, artists and metaphysicians) has been able to tap into the energy of the planet Uranus and to manifest some of the corresponding energies and talents and traits ascribed to it, in part due to Uranus’ co-rulership of the approaching Age of Aquarius. In some respects and to some extent you would be right. But for the vast extent humanity responds to and exhibits the influence and effects of Aquarius’ other co-ruler, the planet Saturn, far more so for the majority of the time than the influence and effects of the planet Uranus. This is due to the fact that Saturn is one of the classical planets, whose existences have been known to Western civilizations for literally thousands of years. On the other hand, the planet Uranus is one of the three outer planets (lying outside the orbit of the planet Saturn) whose existences have only been known for a comparatively brief period of time. Therefore, understandably by Astrological reckoning, Saturn by virtue of having existed in mankind’s collective awareness for many centuries has deeply rooted its vibrations and energies within both mankind’s collective consciousness and its collective unconscious. Uranus, however, and its energies and influence are still in the majority mostly felt and experienced subconsciously, whether personally or collectively. There shall be more on this later. First let us examine the classical planets and what I term as classical awareness.
In Astrology the movers and the shakers of the Zodiac are the planets and before Uranus’ discovery in 1781, Neptune’s in 1846 and Pluto’s in 1930 this planetary group consisted of the Sun, the Moon and the five planets known to exist to Western Astrologers since ancient times (in Astrological reckoning the Sun and the Moon are often called, referred to and treated as “planets” although of course in actuality astronomically they are not). Together this group of seven heavenly bodies is called by many modern Astrologers the classical planets. This group consists of the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Each planet in Astrology is said to symbolize, be associated with, herald or even to manifest or bring into manifestation certain different archetypal energies and aspects of reality. The Sun, the Moon and the three inner or terrestrial (earthlike) planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars are often called the Personal Planets and are viewed as prime indicators of personal or individual demeanor, individual characteristics and traits as well as of what types of situations or circumstances a person is drawn to or projects or creates in his or her own life. The planets Jupiter and Saturn, although they do have personal meaning and significance for the individual, are broader in their scope and are often termed and deemed as being the Societal Planets which exert their influence in a much more wide-ranging manner. Here follow the classical planets each along with a few keywords which pair them with their primary fundamental associations:
The Sun: Center of Being, Self-Image, Vitality, Self-Expression, Creativity, Consciousness.
The Moon: Personality, Instincts, Emotions, Receptivity, the Past, the Subconscious.
Mercury: Rational Mind, Intellect, Discrimination, Communication, Memory, Perception.
Venus: Attraction, Harmony, Beauty, Love, Lust, Values, Possessions.
Mars: Passion, Ego, Desires, Ambition, Energy, Action.
Jupiter: Growth, Expansion, Fortune, Faith, Knowledge, Conscience, Excess.
Saturn: Limitation, Boundaries, Wisdom, Structure, Control, Balance, Discipline, Time.
Again, together these seven classical planets combine to form the foundation and basis for both the individual and collective psyche of humanity. Since their discovery (some would say re-discovery) by modern science in the last few centuries the outer three planets of the solar system, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto and their surmised effects have begun to exert their influence upon the collective awareness of human society. Still as yet the lion’s share of the three outer planets’ influence is felt through and resides within the collective unconscious. As time goes by and the energies associated with these three outer planets have had the opportunity to strengthen and more profoundly assert their influence upon society, both upon individual and collective consciousness and awareness, these energies shall more openly manifest and be more widely and easily incorporated into modern day awareness and life in general. I shall have more on the three outer planets and their influence later. For now I would like to return to classical awareness and especially the effects of the planet Saturn upon modern day thought and consciousness.
In classical awareness the Sun is your Center of Being, your sense of Self/Individuality and consciousness. The Moon is your personality, traits and instincts and Emotional Self. Mercury is the filter of your Conscious Self, memory and perception. Venus is your sense of Attraction, value judgments, harmony and beauty, lustful and romantic nature and attachments. Mars is your sense of Passion, your desire nature, Ego, assertiveness and ambition, energy and action. Jupiter represents your Expansive Self, growth, excess, fortune, knowledge and social conscience. Lastly, Saturn represents your sense of Boundaries, limitation, control, discipline, wisdom, structure and balance.
As you may have noticed, actual positions and the order of the planets lend themselves to meaningful symbolism and relativity within the confines of the solar system. Literally, the Sun is the center of the solar system. Figuratively, the Sun is the Center of Being, the central life force or core of individuality around which all other aspects of the Self revolve. Conversely, literally in classical times Saturn was considered to reside in and define the outermost limits of the solar system. Figuratively, Saturn is associated with limitations of all kinds: boundaries, structure, balance and control, crystallization and endings, time, karma and often death itself (this last province has been claimed in the modern era by the planet Pluto). Hence again, this close association of the planet Saturn with limits, endings of all kinds, crystallization and karma has earned this heavenly body the title or honorific “Father Time”. Now that we’ve briefly explored how the classical planets combine to form the basis of classical awareness, I would like to now shift focus to how their apparent influence impacts Man’s individual and collective thought, beliefs and awareness.