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Capricorn and Saturn Cycles
By Anne Robertson
Happy New Year to you all and happy birthday to all the Capricorns!
Capricorns often receive a bad press with people dismissing them as ambitious, boring etc. In keeping with the analogy of the sure footed mountain goat climbing the mountain to reach the summit they are the achievers of the zodiac. One only has to look at people such as the media personality Ita Buttrose and politicians like the former Prime Minister Paul Keating to see how successful they can be.
Their ruling planet is Saturn which rules the tenth house in the chart, governing career and public life. Their motto could be slow and steady wins the race. What is not so well known is that esoterically, Capricorn is the gateway into spiritual incarnation. Therefore, their ascent to the mountaintop not only symbolises their worldly success but also their spiritual attainment. Their birthday falls between December 23 and January 20, therefore heralding the advent of Christmas which coincides with the solstices – winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.
The Sun is in Capricorn for one week in December and three in January. The word January is derived from Janus, an ancient Roman God, who is depicted in statues as having two faces, one of a young boy and the other of an old man, thus symbolising the past old year and the future new one.
Anatomically, Capricorn rules the skin, teeth, knees and skeleton, sometimes causing these to be vulnerable areas for Capricorns or those with a Capricorn ascendant or Saturn prominent in their charts.
"...We are indeed all a ‘work in progress’ and with each Saturn transit we are given an opportunity to grow and mature as we peel the layers of the psychic onion from birth until death."
The book, ‘Astrology and Biochemistry’, written by Vanda Sawtell links the biochemic salts to the twelve signs of the zodiac. She states that biochemistry is an ancient Sanskrit science which was rediscovered by Dr. Schuessler in the nineteenth century. The Biochemic cell salt allocated to Capricorn is Calcium Phosphate, the principle salt used in the bony framework of the body. The body requires more Calcium Phosphate than any other mineral salt as it not only plays a vital role protecting bones and teeth but also assists in assimilation and digestion. Capricorns or indeed anyone with any of these deficiencies will benefit from taking this vital cell salt.
To understand the symbolism behind Capricorn we need to look at the mythology behind its ruler Saturn.
Saturn has many different guises – he is sometimes depicted as Father Time or the Grim Reaper with his scythe or the Lord of Karma, the Taskmaster or the Devourer. His Greek name is Kronos from where the word, ‘chronology’, meaning time is derived. Kronos was the youngest of twelve Titans, born anthropomorphically of Ge - Gaia/Earth and Ouranos – Uranus/Sky.
Kronos castrated his father Ouranus. Following this coup d’etat, Kronos married his sister Rhea who gave birth to four children whom he promptly swallowed, on hearing a prediction that he in turn would be overthrown by one of his children.
Rhea tricks her husband by hiding the youngest child, Zeus, and giving Kronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes which he swallows instead, hence the reference to the Devourer. When Zeus reaches manhood he liberates his siblings from their father’s body and after a 10 year battle Zeus in turn emerges triumphant just as his father before him had usurped power from his father, Ouranos.
Therefore, Kronos or its Roman counterpart, Saturn, in our chart is associated with time, karma, the authority figure, the teacher, the father, discipline, restriction, separation, boundaries, the physical body, diligence, responsibility, guilt, depression and vulnerability.
No matter what sun sign we are born under we all experience the effects of Saturn in our natal chart depending on what sign and house it falls in and what aspects it makes to our other planets. We also experience regular Saturn cycles during our life. Saturn which stays approximately two and a half years in a sign is currently in Leo from July 2005 to September 2007, giving all Leos more responsibility but also an opportunity to restructure their lives and build new foundations.
The major Saturn cycles occur every seven years, marking a rite of passage which instigates a new phase in our life. At age seven the child loses its milk teeth and at age 14 puberty marks the onset of adolescence. The 21st birthday used to symbolise adulthood and the age one acquired the key to the door and the right to vote. Age 29 is the time of the first Saturn Return where Saturn returns to its original position that it was at birth. It can be a painful experience which contributes to emotional maturity.
The Second Saturn Return at age 59 could be described as the phase where we reap the rewards of life’s journey. Following close behind is 60 which is a watershed year that may coincide with retirement and disengaging from old attitudes and responsibilities. Since the time of ancient Greece, 60 has been considered the age of philosophy and of wisdom.
It is interesting to note that Jane Fonda, the Oscar winning actress, controversial political activist and fitness guru began her autobiography, ‘My Life so Far’, at age 59, at the time of her second Saturn Return. In the preface to her book she explains that she has divided her book into three acts, an analogy to her acting career. The acts coincide with the major Saturn cycles. The first act which she calls ‘Gathering’ spans from birth to age thirty, the culmination of the first Saturn Return. She describes the first act as gathering resilience, a very Saturnian quality. The second act from ages 31 to 59, the period between the two Saturn Returns, she calls ‘Seeking’ in which she poses the question, “What am I here for?”. Her third act from age 60 she calls ‘Beginning’ as it feels as if she is coming home to be embodied, another very Saturnian term. In her third and final act she feels a sense of urgency to integrate and put into practice what she has learned so far to become authentic and at peace with herself. She calls herself a ‘work in progress’. We are indeed all a ‘work in progress’ and with each Saturn transit we are given an opportunity to grow and mature as we peel the layers of the psychic onion from birth until death.
6/1/2006
Anne , Operator 102 , is a qualified Astrologer with over 20 years experience and trained language teacher. She is also a counselor, healer, writer and inspiriational speaker, and has appeared on radio and television.
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