Saturn in Libra

SATURN

With Saturn we reach the limits of the solar system proper, and Saturn has traditionally been associated with limitation, frustration and delays. These, however, are all by-products of Saturn's concern for the rightness of things, for seeing that all is in order according to cosmic laws and truth. Under Saturn, it is better to be delayed and right than early and misguided.

As it follows the sphere of Jupiter's social participation, Saturn's is the realm of social responsibility. It represents the process of maturation according to which individuals participate in society not only by receiving the benefits thereof, but by contributing practically and substantially to the life of the community.

This requires the performance of necessary, relevant work, no matter how mundane or routine it may seem. Saturn thus represents the process of finding our place in society and fulfilling our responsibilities there. This requires self-discipline and a realistic sense of givens, limitations and, above all, priorities.

Saturn represents the necessity and capacity to tie up loose ends, to be logical and forthright. When we deal with Saturn we necessarily deal with authority - with both our capacity to wield authority and teach others, and with our capacity to learn from others (especially our elders) who have the authority of longer experience than we.

Negative aspects of Saturn include self-righteousness when in authority, and reactive depression when we must unwillingly yield to the authority of others. Saturn rewards labor dutifully performed with a sense of inner certitude, but responds with stinginess to work done resentfully or inadequately.

Leyla Rael

SATURN IN LIBRA

Keynote: Beauty is won through duty done.

Symbol: City planners formulate blueprints for urban redevelopment.

Saturn in Libra gives the balanced judgment which inspires trust. This person will manage their affairs with a personal rectitude which is also expressed in their dress, manner of speaking, and general conduct. They believe in fidelity in marriage, honesty in business, good form and propriety in social relationships, and generally behave like a responsible citizen. They seldom lose faith in the universal dictum, ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’.

Saturn is the law and Libra is the balance. The exaltation of Saturn in Libra shows that the balance of nature (Venus) is the primary law of the world. Laws serve to maintain equilibrium and harmony between the parts of a larger totality. Saturn is exalted in the sign in which the Sun has its fall because the individualism of the self-seeking human ego must now be subordinated to the welfare of the group.

Through the Libran institutions of marriage and partnership, people gradually realize the deeper implications of the laws which bind them into communities of shared purposes and ideals. The egotist cannot demonstrate the balance, poise, and judgment to which Libra aspires. It is the people one meets who teach the most valuable lessons of thrift, self-abnegation, and restraint.

Therefore, at this midway point of the zodiac, one starts to reap the fruit of the seeds sown during the first half of the journey through the signs. Those qualities that a person has refused to adjust to in their own character they now must face in their friends, their foes, and especially in their marriage partner. Thus, they find themselves in others.

Since the person with Saturn in Libra has an innate respect for the principle of cause and effect, they may thrive in the legal profession or in a scientific career. They can be a fair minded administrator or a conscientious statesperson, while their sense of timing makes them a canny diplomat. They may also succeed in artistic pursuits that demand firm control over their materials and a mastery of the laws of form.

This combination of seriousness and sensuousness is typified in the verse of Saturn-in-Libra poet William Butler Yeats, who wrote:

I find under the boughs of love and hate,

In all poor foolish things that live a day,

Eternal beauty wandering on her way

Saturn makes Libra’s relationships lawful. Hence, the scales of justice are held aloft by a blindfolded Venus, who is not really blind but merely impartial, as true justice must be. Balance is achieved through the administration of equal rights under the law, but it also works out in the realm of Venus through artistic accomplishment.

Venusian love wields the scales of justice, but Saturnian discipline holds the key to beauty. No artist ever created anything of lasting loveliness without first submitting to the laws of their craft, exercising restraint, and weighing each part against every other.

Then we understand the meaning of the words of William MacCall:

Straight is the line of Duty,

Curved is the line of Beauty,

Follow the straight line, thou shalt see

The curved line ever follow thee.

Despite the longing for a permanent emotional relationship, it may be avoided or sacrificed for some reason, perhaps due to sexual inhibition or an inability to express the emotions freely. Any external reason will probably be mere justification - the real one will definitely go much deeper.

Saturn's inner authoritative voice from this sign can sharpen the conscience by arousing a guilty sense of shame. There may have been a parent who always grumbled and was never satisfied with what the individual produced or did.

Astrology, the Divine Science

Mindfire