The planets in astrology—part 2

BLUEPRINT OF THE SOUL—PART 13 JUPITER & SATURN CONNECT US TO SOCIETY AND THE “BIG PICTURE” Welcome back to the series Blueprint of the Soul. In the previous article we began our

exploration of the Planets as the _action verbs_ of our horoscope. The planets describe FUNCTIONS or DIMENSIONS of our experience, they’re how we “do” us. As a means of better understanding

and framing these functions, we can broadly define and separate the planets into four categories, as follows: * THE LUMINARIES: the Sun and Moon — the most prominent bodies in the sky — are

the two planetary archetypes that form the very core of our personalities. The Sun represents our masculine, projective and yang qualities as well as of our sense of individuality and

objective reality, while the Moon embodies the feminine, receptive and yin qualities, reflecting the instinctual needs and our subjective experiences. * THE PERSONAL PLANETS: Mercury, Venus

and Mars, which in the broadest possible terms represent how we think, feel and act respectively. Built around the core of the Sun and Moon, the three personal planets allow us to control

the forces that can be consciously directed or modified, and mediate how we relate, both to ourselves and others. * THE COLLECTIVE (MOTIVATIONAL ) PLANETS: Jupiter and Saturn put us in

contact with the collective and work as a dynamic pair correlated with deep states of being represented as superconscious (Jupiter) and subconscious (Saturn). These two planets tend to

mediate how we participate in the world at large and in relation to broader social and cultural activities. * THE TRANSPERSONAL (TRANSFORMATIVE) PLANETS: the triad of the outermost planets —

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto — relate to profound and transcendental dimensions of experience that move us beyond the boundaries of society and culture, and enable us to explore the outer

limits, the realms of the gods, the immense archetypal powers that lay beyond the gated walls of everyday society, as circumscribed by Saturn. This trio of planets allows us to tune into the

most subtle of energies. They relate to intuition, inspirations, insight and deep transformation. In the last article, we examined the first two groups, and demonstrated how the luminaries

(Sun and Moon) together with the three inner planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) make up the core of the personality. When we move beyond Mars, we begin accessing planetary functions that are

more socially-oriented towards collective and transpersonal experiences. They widen our lens, broaden our worldview, and expand our capacities. They put us in touch with the notions of

serving a higher purpose and a greater good. JUPITER — OUR PERSONAL GURU Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, and as a planetary archetype it’s earned a reputation for grand

gestures, excessive behaviors and expansive urges. Jupiter functions to broaden our horizons and expand our worldview beyond the limits of our immediate environment, family of origin or

local neighborhood. Developmentally, we often begin to access our Jupiter function at around the time we reach puberty. A very profound cognitive shift takes place in our developing brains

as hormones rage and our bodies morph from children into young adults. Suddenly, we begin to wake up to the fact that the world is much bigger and much more complex than we previously had

the capacity to comprehend. New realms of possibility and new domains of interest become available to us in a flash. This is the process of meeting our Jupiter. Unsurprisingly, the timing of

this cognitive shift usually coincides with what’s known as our FIRST JUPITER RETURN. As it takes Jupiter about 12 years to make one complete orbit around the Sun, it can be seen to

_return_ to the same place in the sky where it was at the time of our birth. This event happens for us all when we reach age 12. And more often than not, our worldview starts to expand in a

_direction of interest_ that is characterized by the house and sign placement of Jupiter in our birth chart. And it’s an incredibly fun and lively experience. It’s quite thrilling really,

when you discover so many new things for the first time. This is the stage in our lives when we shift from our primary education to our _higher education_. We gain the ability to think in

the abstract, we begin to comprehend higher mathematics, play with metaphorical languages, explore artistic modalities and ponder deep philosophies. Teachers, mentors and gurus become very

important people in our lives at this time. If we’re lucky, we encounter that one high school teacher that really opens our minds and encourages us to develop our talents in the direction of

our interests, hobbies or passions. The student/teacher relationship and the cultivation of knowledge and wisdom are a hallmark of the generous and honorable spirit that is Jupiter’s

domain. In many ways, the most important lesson of higher education is to develop the capacity to _learn how to learn_. This is an acquired ability that will serve us for the rest of our

lives. Because human beings who continue to grow and evolve throughout life never stop learning. They never lose that love of learning — the joy of discovering new ideas, the thrill of

meeting new people and being exposed to different perspectives, the richness of accessing deeper modes of contemplation and the wonder of evolving our personal mythologies. And often we find

that every 12 years, our philosophical outlook on life expands. A new opportunity arises, a new person comes into our lives and opens us up to a new world that we previously didn’t know

existed. And if you’re approaching age 24, 36, 46, 60, 72 or even 84, start to think consciously about what the next chapter in your life might be like. Be open, aware and alive to the new

possibilities that are trying to present themselves to you. There’s a generous spirit and an optimistic wisdom trying to enter your heart and open your mind. Tune into that frequency, and

you’ll be amazed at what comes through your door. So the Jupiter function is ever-present. It’s the part of us that stays open and curious throughout life. It’s the part of us that is

liberal, generous and growth-oriented. But like every archetype, Jupiter has its shadow qualities too. And the word “too” is appropriate here. Because the shadow side of Jupiter is when we

have too much of anything: too much fun, too much food, too much wine, too many drugs, too much proselytizing. Any time we’re excessive, overindulgent, overzealous, in over our skis — we

usually find Jupiter’s outsized influence at play. So we have to learn to temper and control our glorious and magnanimous Jupiter function, lest its bloated propensities get the best of us,

leaving us overweight, over-leveraged or overdosed. And this is where our old friend Saturn comes in — the perfect antidote to Jupiter’s laissez faire, tolerant and excessive ways. SATURN —

OUR PERSONAL TASKMASTER Concurrent with our encounter with Jupiter as we mature into puberty and adolescence, we simultaneously run into Saturn. The language is apt here, because while we

“encounter” Jupiter, we tend to “run into” Saturn. Like running into a wall. Or running afoul with the authorities. Or running out of space in your closet. Or running out of time cramming

for an exam. With Saturn, we meet limits, rules and restrictions. We have setbacks and delays. There are restraints. There are boundaries. There are lines that cannot be crossed. Quite a

contrast to Jupiter’s energy, isn’t it? And of course, this is by design. The universe seems to know how to construct these systems so that they work in the bigger picture. And that’s what

we’re dealing with here in regards to Jupiter and Saturn — the bigger picture. This is why these two gas giants are connected with our social functionality — the bigger picture within which

we are all called to participate. We are social animals afterall. We are biologically programmed for social interaction. So it follows that a healthy engagement with both Jupiter and Saturn

will be necessary for us to act as highly functional members of society. It’s quite instructive when we consider the physical construction of our Solar System and observe that Jupiter and

Saturn seem to be orbiting in their own lane so to speak. They are orbiting beyond the asteroid belt, much further out than Mars, yet by an order of magnitude significantly less than the

orbits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Metaphorically, we can relate to this as the zone of society itself — the space beyond the personal, the familial and the familiar (Sun through Mars) —

the place where we step out of our comfort zone to engage with others in more socially-constructed interactions, but not so far out that we lose touch with reality. So Jupiter and Saturn

function in tandem. Jupiter draws us out, lured by curiosity, imagination and the desire to seek out greater maps of meaning. But once we’ve stepped out and enthusiastically engaged with the

world, Saturn steps in and says, “Not so fast, buddy.” If Jupiter is our experiential gas pedal, Saturn is society’s brakes. The optimistic urges compelled by Jupiter’s expansive energy are

consistently met with resistance from the cautious restraint of Saturn’s conservative authority. Classic good cop, bad cop. So it’s little wonder why Jupiter was deemed by ancient

astrologers as the “Great Benefic” while Saturn earned the less flattering moniker of the “Great Malefic.” If Saturn hired a public defender, they might have argued that he was being

unfairly accused, that this was tantamount to slander. But Saturn had no such legal team. Well, I guess he doesn’t need one, because he _is_ the law! MAN-MADE LAWS more specifically. NATURAL

LAWS are the domain of Jupiter — another interesting distinction between this pair of interdependent opposites. So Saturn’s reputation has stuck. And no amount of PR spin is likely to

change that. Besides, Venus — the great PR agent of the sky and the “Lesser Benefic” — is on permanent retainer as Jupiter’s spin doctor. And together, they present a pretty persuasive

package that is simply irresistible. You read their brochure, and you’re like, “Yes! Let’s go _there_ on holiday.” But again, this is not a problem for old Saturn, because he has Mars on his

side — the “Lesser Malefic” — who is on permanent retainer as Saturn’s muscle, his enforcer. Think about the relationship between the justice system (Saturn) and the law enforcement

agencies that “protect and serve” (Mars). Now we’re in Saturn’s rigid, structured and sometimes oppressive reality. But he’ll tell us, it’s for our own good. And maybe Saturn’s not wrong on

that account. Because we do need law and order. We need rules and regulations. We need limits and restrictions. We need the structure of Saturn, just like we need the bones of our skeletons

to hold up and support the rest of our body. We could posit that Jupiter represents the body politic, while Saturn represents society’s skeleton. And in order for that body to grow, it has

to have a solid substructure. It has to build upon something — some foundation, some basis, some preexisting framework. Ergo, there is no society without Saturn. So maybe we need to give the

old guy a break. Sure, he’s a taskmaster. Sure he can be strict, harsh, difficult and challenging. But he can also be practical, patient, hard-working and value-oriented. And as long as

we’re dragging around our bag of bones in this 3D reality of space-time here on Earth, we’re gonna need old Saturn to keep us all together — literally. Therefore, we’d be wise to find ways

to _get on the right side of Saturn_. As an enemy, he’s an indomitable force. He’s got time on his side. He can play the long game. And he will always win in the end. So if we can’t beat

him, let’s join him. Because Saturn can also be our greatest ally. If we accept his challenge to take responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones, if we put in the hard work and the long

hours, and keep our noses to the grindstone, he will reward us with material success, financial stability and a well-earned reputation amongst our peers. He will foster in us a sense of

gravitas, and develop within us a greater capacity to be of true service to society. Mad respect. MOVING FROM KARMA TO DHARMA Saturn is often connected with karma, which is most simply

defined as an “action, work or deed.” Of course, within our postmodern, new age lexicon, it’s come to denote a more arduous type of task — the need to atone for harmful past actions, to

compensate for past transgressions with compensatory good deeds. We’ve come to think of karma like some cosmic ledger — debits and credits, kept track of by our soul’s accountant. And

there’s certainly support for this viewpoint in the many oft-quoted passages from Hindu and Buddhist texts of antiquity. They conjure images of a karmic wheel of life upon which we all carry

our past actions with us from lifetime to lifetime. Some bad misfortune has suddenly befallen you? Probably something you did in a past life. Your best friend stabbed you in the back? You

probably stole his wife in a past life. And while this can be a very useful framework for a kind of spiritual morality — keeping us all in line out of fear of karmic retribution — it does

smack of a certain fatalistic air. Again, we get a sense of Saturn here as the cosmic buzzkill, a Debbie Downer, the guy with 10 Commandments and all those _”thou shalt nots_” instilling the

fear of God in us. We can see how both Yahweh and Allah are the ultimate enforcers of the Saturn archetype. They both demand payment up front. Only by saving up enough karmic equity in the

401K of your soul do you get rewarded with a heavenly afterlife. But at its core, the principle of karma is really just expressing the law of cause and effect — every action causing an equal

and opposite reaction. This chain of causality seems inescapable. There’s seemingly no way off of the endless wheel. But if we can step out of the daily grind of Saturn’s bleak karmic

routine, and lean into Jupiter’s expanded possibility space, we are offered the opportunity to move_ from karma to dharma_. Dharma points us to the bigger picture of our life’s purpose.

Dharma plays out not in the day-to-day chain of events, but across the arc of a lifetime. It shifts the focus from fate to destiny, from karmic civic duty to dharmic soul purpose. At some

point we all might ask ourselves, “Why am I here? What are my lessons?” Jupiter helps us answer the first (dharma). Saturn helps us answer the second (karma). So these two fellas work

hand-in hand. And honestly, they make a pretty darn good team all-in-all. We are simply better human beings when we’ve learned to properly integrate these two functions within our

personality. And we’re a much better society when these two functions are properly balanced within our culture. Jupiter’s liberalism expands. Saturn’s conservatism contracts. They seem to be

intractably at odds, each pursuing separate agendas in opposite directions. But at heart, they are both acting in service to the greater good. They just have two different ways of going

about it. And that’s a good thing. That’s intelligent design. THE OUTER LIMITS… Having reached Saturn, we’ve reached the limits of the planets that are visible to the naked eye. To see

beyond Saturn — to see Uranus, Neptune and Pluto — we’re gonna need to experiment. We’re gonna need a pair of lenses and a tube. We need to invent a technology that will allow us to extend

our human optical system beyond its organic limits. We’re going to need to invent a telescope. And appropriately, when we do, the first new planetary body we’ll discover is Uranus — the

Promethean archetype representing technological innovation, scientific breakthroughs and capacities for genius that seem to download directly from the cosmic mind itself. That’s where we’re

headed: the next generation of planetary archetypes that are calling us to the outer limits, beyond the safety and comfort of our 3D realm, and into the great unknown of 4D potentiality.

Buckle up, y’all. The ride’s about to get weird. Interested in discovering the blueprint of your own soul? I’m now offering a limited number of personal horoscope reading each week via Zoom.

Check out my website ASTROLAB21.COM for more details.