Saturn has had a reputation in traditional astrology which it doesn't quite deserve. It is called the "greater malefic" and is all too often depicted as a planet of fear and dread. Nothing could be further from the truth on soul-centered levels. What one is fearing and dreading is a reflection of one's own shadow self. If you are afraid of Saturn, you are merely afraid of your own self! Saturn is also known as the planet of "limitations". But who creates those limitations? Is the soul limited? Is the universe? The only limitations we have are those that are inherent in the structure of the personality.


Once we have the tools to unlock the restraints on our consciousness, the concept of what is restricted or limited changes completely. I once attended a meeting of the Theosophical Society in New York City. A very enlightened speaker was talking about spiritual growth. About half way through the lecture, a lady made the following comment: "I feel so limited. I have been studying the Ancient Wisdom Teachings and have been a very devoted student of astrology, why don't I have any sense of power?" The gentleman smiled and answered: "The powers that come from your studies require an enormous sense of right responsibility. Your understanding of responsibility has to grow relative to your expanding consciousness. If not you are a danger to yourself as well as to others." He was speaking here about the nature and function of Saturn.


Saturn embodies the energy of the Third Ray of Active Intelligence. It is the planet which works to structure the energies of our entire mental body. Please note that I have used the word "structure". The mind is a structured vehicle. It must be clear and precise or else the more subtle energies of the soul will descend into a world of chaos. The esoteric astrology and the true seeker of Light has the responsibility to train and structure the mind. This is not the task of Mercury. Mercury only rules the communication between the various aspects of mind. It is specifically involved with turning ideas into writing and speech. But how is the energy of those ideas coordinated so that they can be spoken and written? This is Saturn's job.


The heavens are very revealing. You will note that Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye. And what is Saturn's most characteristic feature? Naturally, this is its rings. And what lies behind Saturn in the deep space of the most distant parts of our solar system? The so-called "extra-Saturnian planets", Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. There is great symbolic meaning in all of this for us.


Saturn is known in esoteric literature as the "Lord of Karma". It represents boundary separating the individual personality from more subtle contact with the energies of the three outer planets. The rings of Saturn symbolize what esotericists call: "The Ring Pass Not". This means that unless the personality is open to receiving the energies of the soul, the very egocentricity of the personality inhibits, absolutely prevents, the individual from evolving one step closer to the Light of the Higher Self. It is, quite simply, energetically impossible for such a personality to evolve any further. In this sense, Saturn does indicate limitations and restrictions, and the frustration and sadness that come with frustrated desires. This is when the personality cries out: "Saturn is the greater malefic! Saturn hates me! Saturn is preventing my happiness!" And in this way, Saturn has received his bad reputation. It is not Saturn's fault that the soul has greater plans for its little personality and that the illusion of our growth on this planet is so very connected to frustrated desires!


Beyond the rings of Saturn lie the more highly evolved fields of energy of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It is through these doors that an individual is transformed from a personality-centered being into a soul-centered one. Not everyone is ready to go through these doors. Not everyone has cultivated the necessary mental and emotional disciplines that this passage way demands. Not everyone has cultivated the right sense of responsibility to pass the necessary tests. It is Saturn's job to make sure that we are ready to move forward. It is not an easy job, but someone's got to do it!


In the following paragraphs I would like to present a brief orientation to the nature of Saturn's aspects within your natal chart from the soul-centered perspective. Please keep in mind that the primary function of Saturn in your chart is for the development of Active Intelligence. It is through the energies of Saturn and the Third Ray that a person comes to know what structures to build in one's outer, daily life for the greater purpose of the soul. In all things and in every way, Saturn is very much connected to the Law of Economy. Thus we also learn through Saturn, what it is best for us not to create and what we must leave behind as we walk the Path home.


Saturn and the Sun: When in the trine, sextile or the lesser positive aspects, compassion (a quality of the Second Ray nature of the Sun) and Active Intelligence combine to produce a very potent individual, one who is quite capable of using the Mind to create his or her soul's purpose. When in the square, opposition or lesser challenging aspects (as well as the conjunction), there is a blocking of the Sun's light. There will be a sense of restriction and limitation in life until the personal will power comes under the direct influence of the soul. These more difficult contacts often give rise to a controlling nature as well as a certain sense of fear about life. Once overcome, these aspects give rise to a very profound sense of responsibility.


Saturn and the Moon: This combination of Third and Fourth Ray energies give rise to an awareness and appreciation for orderliness. With the more positive aspects, this is accomplished with pleasure and ease. The person is open to taking on the responsibilities of the world of the personality and building within it an enclosure for the influence of the soul. Life is basically experienced as being secure as long as you do your share to help make it so. When these two bodies are either in conjunction or in difficult aspects, the world is perceived as not being a safe place at all. There is the urge to manipulate circumstances and feelings in order to structure a safe haven for oneself and one's loved ones. This often leads to great difficulties. There is too much emphasis on the need for material support. The past, one's "biological karma" interferes with the creation of the present.


Saturn and Mercury: This is a most potent combination of mental energy fields. When functioning through the positive aspects in the life of a soul-centered individual, the mind is strengthened with the ability to give abstract ideas a practical expression. There is the ability to structure and hold a great deal of mental energy in ways that lead to productive, potent, and logical creative expressions. The mind is strong but flexible, analytical but also intuitively aware of consequences. This flexibility may easily become rigid patterning when these planets are in the more difficult aspects, especially if in the fixed signs. The conjunction tells us that the individual is in the process of the continuous birthing of new patterns and structures for the expression of his or her Active Intelligence. This indicates a need by the soul to initiate new ways of thinking and gives rise to the need to flex one's mental muscles.


Saturn and Venus: Depending on the aspect and the level of growth, this can be a very difficult combination of energies, especially from the level of the personality. These contacts often deny or limit the "love contact" or add a definite degree of responsibility in terms of relationships that can rob a great deal of romanticism. Saturn/Venus is very much the embodiment of the Law of Karma in so many aspects of human life as we are so centered on our relationships. The Third and Fifth Rays combine here to let the Light of Mind dominate the personal life. Challenges between these planets in a soul-centered life is a clear and important step along the Way. The conjunction requires one to create new patterns of human relationships that are more appropriate to the outworking of the soul's needs. The more difficult aspects continue to reveal those established patterns of personal love and sharing that are no longer suitable for the soul's expression. The more positive aspects give a greater sense of responsibly in how we structure our relationships to serve a greater and more collective soul purpose.


Saturn and Earth: The earth is always located 180º away from the Sun. This is a very strong blending of Third ray energies. The positive aspects indicate the potential for the mind to be a very useful tool when it comes to structuring one's practical purposes on our planet. Look alsf or any combination of Saturn-Earth-Mercury in the natal chart to reveal the nature of the more practical expressions of one's mental energies. The conjunction and the more challenging aspects can inhibit the fluid expression of the mind. As the earth is always opposite the Sun, if Saturn is conjoined or square the Earth, the Sun is also debilitated. There is thus an important lesson to be learned about love and how to integrate Active Intelligence within the aura of the Second Ray of Love/Wisdom. Mind must be a tool for Love and not the other way around.


Saturn and Mars: This is not the easiest combination of planetary influences especially from the level of the personality. When in difficult aspect (including in this case, the conjunction), the Third and Sixth Ray energy fields are in conflict. This leads to a blockage of the personal desire nature and results in a great many frustrations. The combination results in crises that come about from failure of goals that are based in the solar plexus or sacral centers. As this is where the majority of people "live and function" the majority of the time, the personality has no fun when Saturn squares, conjoins, or opposes Mars. But Mars is exalted in Capricorn, Saturn's sign, and the positive aspects allow personal desires to come under the direct of Active Intelligence, thus clearing the Path for the right use of the will of the soul.


Saturn and Jupiter: When this combination is acting through the more positive aspects, this is a very potent and creative interplay of forces. It is now that Love/Wisdom and Intelligence may be fused and blended. The conjunction serves to create new patterns so that a synthesis of information accumulated through past lives may be structured within the mind. The individual may thus serve as a fount of deep knowledge and even wisdom. The more difficult aspects give rise to rigid patterns of understanding how the world "works". Such ideas may have been correct in the past but are challenged relative to the present needs of the soul. One could say that the personal thought-forms are crystallized and need to be melted down. Fixed sign squares and oppositions are especially challenging in this respect. Saturn in a fixed sign trine to Jupiter in a mutable gives a firm base for the distribution of higher knowledge. Jupiter in a fixed sign trine to Saturn in a cardinal gives a deep understanding about life that finds a true motivation and purpose for its expression.


Saturn and Uranus: This combination of planets can be somewhat difficult to handle when in challenging aspects on the level of the personality. It is here when the battle between what is new and what is old comes into play with great forcefulness. There is a tremendous urge for personal freedom coupled with the frustration of one's duties and responsibilities to society. On the soul level, the more positive aspects indicate a fluid interchange between the Third and the Seventh Rays, allowing Active Intelligence an ease of expression into all the varied forms of expression found in society. Thus this is an individual who is both aware of the established order but also ale to contribute to its further development. When the more difficult aspects are played out in the live of a soul-centered individual, we find that this purpose is often at the forefront of the fight for human dignity and the removal of governmental oppression to personal freedom.


Saturn and Neptune: These two planets represent energy fields that are not the easiest to blend and integrate. The Third (Saturn) and the Sixth (Neptune) Rays are very different in their effects and functions. These differences are further complicated by the more challenging astrological aspects. The mental forces find themselves in conflict with the emotional. In the life of a personality-centered individual, there is an urge to build one's sense of responsibility from the level of solar plexus. This gives rise to a great many problems involving personal boundaries and the correct assumption of personal responsibilities. The more positive aspects lead one to fuse Active Intelligence with Devotion. This gives rise to an individual who is devoted to humanitarian and spiritual causes. It also allows one to blend the ideal and the real and may contribute to a very effective worker for Light.


Saturn and Pluto: This is a combination of planetary and Ray forces that result in a very potent focus for the creative (or destructive!) energies of the will. Pluto is a First Ray planet and Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, a sign also found on the First Ray of Will/Power. Difficult aspects between these two planets, especially in a life that is personality centered, will very often lead to the abuse of personal power and the manipulation of life circumstances to serve the will of the lower self. Not a pretty picture but an all too common one! These same challenging aspects in the life of a soul-centered person condition that individual's fight for the elimination of abuse by governments or harmful people in positions of power. The more positive aspects between Saturn and Pluto allow for the easier blending of the Will with Active Intelligence so that those social structures are created that further the purpose of the soul.