Sun And Saturn In Hard Or Growth Aspect
If the Sun and Saturn in your birthchart form one of the hard aspects, like a conjunction, square, semi-square or an opposition, you have my sympathy. Unless they are dealt with constructively, these aspects certainly are some of the most difficult ones that can be found anywhere. Yet, when encountered with a new understanding of what is at stake, a spirit of exploration and a willingness to learn, they can be turned into something beneficial, rewarding and positive. My observations and notes on this theme may also be of interest to you if your Sun is in Capricorn or the tenth house, the natural home of Capricorn. This has a similar effect to a Sun/Saturn conjunction. The same is true for those born on the 18th of any month. 1 = the Sun, 8 = Saturn.
This chapter of the Astro Files is dedicated to all who are suffering from one of these aspects. No matter what traditional astrology used to say about their severity, it is true that they can and frequently do bring considerable amounts of struggling into the lives of those affected by them. Fortunately, it is by now coming ever clearer that in truth all struggles only come into our lives, so that we may evolve and grow. They are meant to help us become more spiritually aware and better people who are capable of making some genuine evolutionary progress in their present lifetime.
The Universe is constantly testing us to assess the degree of our spiritual maturity. This is especially true for the trials that arise in the areas of our lives influenced by the hard Sun/Saturn aspects. However, if we willingly accept Saturn as our teacher und buckle down to doing the required work on our character, enormous soul growth will be ours through a renewed understanding of our own nature and the purpose and meaning of our present existence and all life. Alas, for as long as the soul still believes that it is struggling against unseen and unknown factors in its character make-up and life lessons, suffering seems to be unavoidable.
Take it from me, the whole thing can be turned round and transformed into a success story. How to go about it, that is the six million dollar question. To my mind, it requires three things from us: first, at least a degree of awareness of what is actually involved and where our problems lie. Second, an awareness that the trials and tribulations we had to encounter up to the time of finding this out, did indeed have purpose and meaning; and third, if we wish to find out, one needs to take a closer look at what this aspect is trying to teach and tell us. That is the only way the difficult times in our life can be transmuted into beneficial lessons. This, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is what there were truly meant to be in the first place. Paying attention to what a certain aspect is trying to tell us is always worth our while. If we wish to take advantage of the growth that is possible in the area of our life that is hampered by one of the Sun/Saturn aspects, it has to be dealt with constructively.
To do so, we need to be willing to work with ourselves and learn how to stop indulging in behaviour that acts against our own best interest instead of for it. Rather than getting lost in the role of the sad victim of life, we are here to conquer our difficulties and learn from them. Aspects of this nature force us to struggle and stretch, until there grows within us the realisation that we have much to be grateful for that so much learning and growth are possible, during one single lifetime. When used in the right frame of mind, all difficult aspects in our birthchart can and indeed are intended to be used to steer us into some quite dynamic soul growth. For anyone who is willing to work with them much can be achieved. And the Sun/Saturn aspect is such a painful and difficult one that, to my mind, it deserves some special attention.
Dealing With Life Head-On
It is likely that our troubles started quite early in life. As far as we can think back, it may have been necessary to pit ourselves against it and tackle it head-on. And as our life progresses, we find that certain things may come free to us, but that anything we really want and value, has to be worked for. No matter how carefree and extroverted we try to appear to be on the surface, there is a lot of caution, as well as controlled and disciplined energy within us. Somehow we have an extremely careful deliberation and concern for self-protection. We feel we must guard ourselves against life, at all times, so that it does not suddenly deal us a blow that will flatten us altogether. We usually are more aware of our responsibilities than other people, often more so than is healthy for our self-expression. Until we achieve a degree of understanding of what why this is so, we are likely to be far too restricted in our general approach to life. If this tendency is not counteracted, it can severely restrict the pace of our evolution.
We may have been through a childhood where we were never really allowed to be a child in the true sense. Because of this, we may still feel so insecure that we did not learn to trust that we, too, can have and are entitled to our share in life’s bounty. Had we known about this earlier, we might have been able to relax from our constant efforts. Yet, this was not to be for us. As a result, we could have acquired so much self-determination that in the end we felt we had to make something out of our life. We seem to have no choice but to find our identity by the efforts of our own brain and hands, because that which we accept from others is usually disappointing.
Although people with one of these aspects can become highly successful, real success is not likely to be theirs before their first Saturn return, at 28/29 years of age. Those who are willing to consciously apply themselves to working on the development of their psyche and character could be doing extremely well, by the time of their second Saturn return. On its completion at age 58/59, they could be going like a rocket! However, those who refuse Saturn’s work, true success could be eluding us altogether. The worst part is that, until one becomes aware of what is operating in one’s life, one could easily be tempted to give up half-way. What a shame that would be.
Being merely human, there may come a time when we have had enough trials and frustrations and could be sorely tempted to surrender. That is precisely the point when it is essential to carry on, as the success we are dreaming of is likely to wait for us just round the next corner. This is the main reason why I believe that finding out what is operating within is vital. Yet, without first finding out what our obstacles are, there’s no way of overcoming and rising above them. This is a matter of urgency for you, as the Sun/Saturn aspect presents you with considerable hurdles. Whilst tackling one of them, keep reminding yourself that wherever Saturn is involved in our life, great rewards are possible. If we do the work, its promise is always that all the things that have been bothering us, sometimes for a very long time, can indeed be surmounted.
Saturn’s Dual Nature
Like all Saturn aspects and contacts, this one can have a dual expression. The outcome depends on the unconscious choices we make. That is why in time we may either turn into someone who is over-ambitious or a person who believes to have no ambition, at all. The latter is the typical expression of those who try to avoid the pain of finally admitting to themselves that their ambitions have failed because they just cannot realised. Either we surmount great environmental obstacles to achieve our goals, or we may quietly succumb to them and even amplify them, to justify our failure. Whichever expression we choose, we may be handed certain advantages, but will always have to work for what we truly value.
Underneath it all and unbeknown to us, until we reach the point of realisation of what is at stake, in truth the Universe is offering us an opportunity to become the master of our own destiny. Although the goals we achieve are rarely sufficient to satisfy our inner needs, for the soul on its evolutionary pathway, the most important part is the strength and self-confidence which we acquire during our efforts of dealing with our difficulties. If we do so in the right way, the emergence of an integrated and well-defined conscious identity will be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, Saturn’s gift. If we fail to seize such opportunities, our failure may be much deeper than a purely material one and could prove extremely uncomfortable to live with.
Various Experiences
The early environmental conditions of people with one of the Sun/Saturn aspects are likely to have been difficult, and their relationship with their father in all probability was more of a handicap than a help to them, to put it mildly. Disappointments are likely to have come to them through him in some way or other. There could have been outright coldness and even rejection and/or the emphasis could have been too much on duty, form and material values. Sometimes the father can be loving and kind, but a weak and disappointing figure in a child’s life, as is incapable of fulfilling the strong and protective role, necessary for a young one’s psychological balance. He could have been a material failure or a burden because of ill health. Although many different expressions are possible, the result is always the same. The male half of the psyche, the ego or conscious identity, has to be created fresh by those affected, as they were not meant to inherit or acquire this part from their fathers. This, by the way, applies to male and female alike.
The failure in our relationship with our father has important implications in the area of our own personal relationships later in life. It is of particular significance for a woman. Her relationship with men and with the masculine half of her own psyche is affected by her disappointment and failure in the relationship with her father. Some women develop outright hostility towards men, openly and consciously expressed. It worse still for those who carry their aversion to men inwardly and unconsciously, as that makes it difficult to access and release. Such women can only express their instinctual feeling side and are forced to act out their masculine decisiveness and will through a partner who, whether he is willing or not, she tries to manoeuvre into the role of the father she never had in the true sense. This does not succeed either because she is destined for something else. Hidden in all Saturn contacts invariably are higher esoteric gifts waiting to be unearthed by us. In this case it is the woman’s re-connection with her own inner man, her very own spirit Highest or God Self, who is part of her true Father, the Great Father of all life, on its highest levels.
The psychological patterns involved can be very subtle. Within the woman influenced by one of these aspects there is a point of friction that causes her a great deal of pain. This may become so intolerable that eventually she comes to the conclusion that she wants to examine the origin of her suffering. The power is given into her own hand that by finding a better understanding of herself and her predestined pathway of life, she can in the end set herself free. In the final analysis this kind of pain serves the higher purpose of eventually turning us inwards to the world of the unconscious and higher inner values. When handled with insight and loving care for ourselves, this can develop into an opportunity for exploring the realm of conscious initiative and creative endeavour. Finally, with the help of this process it is possible to develop the kind of wholeness that under normal circumstances is rarely found in a woman’s psyche.
The Pot Of God At The End Of The Rainbow
Consciously or unconsciously, a man with this aspect constantly feels the need to prove himself to himself and his father. He may feel his father’s failure to be a true father to him, as an indication of his own inadequacy. This is one of the spurs of ambition, so characteristic for people with this aspect. It is the real struggle within which is often externalised and the man must prove himself successful in a fashion which can become somewhat compulsive. What he frequently fails to realise is that it is not material values at all which he seeks. What he is trying to find is his own sense of self-importance, of self-worth and an acceptance of his own masculinity. This is not meant sexually, but in general terms. When he finally finds what he is looking for, he will have learnt to rely on his own inner centre.
The usual symbols of importance and identity which the majority of men accept with a clear conscience do not suffice for him. He must develop his own definition of worth. He must experience his own capacity to control, direct and master his own life instead of trying to do this with everybody around him. Both extremes of inherited money and position, on one hand, or poverty and lack of opportunity, on the other, can be expressed by this aspect. The result is the same, as in both cases the values and the identity must be earned by the individual himself, if they are to be of value and real meaning to him.
It is as if when we feel that we might be too happy or relax too much, vague feelings of guilt creep upon us, and so we tend to deny and ignore our deepest and innermost needs and wishes – we hide them before ourselves, so as not to feel guilty. To overcome this, it helps to become aware that guilt is always a sign that we do not love and appreciate ourselves sufficiently. With some people, these feelings of guilt can be so strong that they are in danger of bringing ruin upon themselves, through poor judgement, illness or an act of martyrdom of some kind, just when their dream threatens to become fulfilled. For some of us, our self-imposed psychological suffering can be traced back to a childhood that was permeated with a strict religious training, and the stern religious symbols, rather than learning about a loving and forgiving God.
The psychological meaning in both cases is the same. Either the material environment or the father is the villain of the piece. Whether it is a man’s conception of Deity of his father, his capacity for success or of his role as a man, he will get no outside help on this path towards the discovery of his own identity in the outside world. This is the Universe’s way of teaching him the truth of the saying that the answers to all our questions lie within. By cultivating patience combined with a structured and well-moderated effort of developing each their own unique creativity, and through this their self-expression, a great deal can be achieved by both genders.
This Astro File is loosely based on Liz Green’s excellent book ‘Saturn – A New Look at an Old Devil’.
Recommended Reading:
• ‘White Eagle On Saturn And Patience’
• Saturn As The Teacher And Rewarder’.
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The above is part of ‘Everything That’s Worth Knowing About The True Meaning Of Saturn’
.If it has whetted your appetite to read more, please follow the link below:
‘Everything That’s Worth Knowing About The True Meaning Of Saturn’
