2-David....The Importance of Saturn!......response 4/5/07

[Guest guest]

Like many people, Saturn was a functioning malefic in my birth chart

many years ago now. My Jupiter technically was better and so I had a

strong philosophical and even spiritual thirst only no appreciation for

the practicalities of life.

Hi Mark and

all..

Just

to say, without going into my whole life story, (yet ), that I can

identify with Mark's above opening statement. Here, I slightly alter a

familiar quote: " When the student is ready, the teacher will indeed

appear, provided that the student doesn't stay up all hours of the night

waiting for the teacher " .

Hi

David:

Ever since I've been exposed to Jyotish I've begun to

learn more and more especially about Saturn. Saturn, probably the

least understood planet is an extremely important one. Especially

when you learn to see the many Saturn influences, for example, in the

Transits, you can't help but want to figure out if there's any way to get

more right with Saturn. Many of my Saturn wise friends first

inspired me that Saturn could possibly be improved. My own Moon

& Saturn together in my 12th house was almost an inspiration enough!

hehe But, in Vedic science, there is also a vision of enlightenment

which really gives one a more pure, and highly evolved since of each

planet.

When one contemplates the nature of Saturn, Saturn is very

different in people who have it acting malefically vs. those for whom

Saturn is a benefic force.

Also, the various symbolisms of the other planets like

Mars convinced me that Saturn too could be improved. For

example, take the experience when one is rushing, maybe bumping into

things in the house, rushing to work. We're late, there's a very

important meeting we have to get to and so we push. We rush, we move

fast, Mars definitely is the one that helps us rush when we have

to.

And, even though we keep slipping and slidding, bumping

and scraping ourselves we're still not prepared for that big accident we

get at the bottom of the hill. " Drat! Why did this happen to

me! " we extole. Well, obviously we were going too

fast.

Obviously, this is a kind of 'Sign', uh, duh! that we're

going too fast. However, if we don't understand or embrace the

nature of this meaning, we can keep persisting through 10, 20 even 30

years of an accident prone nature. At some point we may get

it.

At

some point we may awaken one day and realize... " Wow, I really do go

too fast. " So, begins our true understanding and apprciation of

the Mars significance in our lives.

Like that there are a number of special Saturn meanings

that are just as important as Mars. Saturn, is after all, the

primary significator of all dis-ease and disease! Saturn, too is the

main planet we look to for all losses, disappointments, set-backs, grief

and suffering.

I

can't tell you how often I hear of people writing in who're going through

some calamity or upsetting experience and they want to know why.

Many of them even know it's somehow wrapped up in Saturn. Saturn at

least is known as the planet that gives us all these

griefs.

But, unlike Mars or Venus or even Moon and Sun, we very

rarely have an idea that Saturn too can be improved. Fortunately, I

came into Jyotish from the self-improvement, self-developing fields of

meditation, yoga and Ayurveda.

When you go to an Ayurvedic doctor and you have some

dis-ease or disease you NEVER here him say: " Oh, I'm sorry,

you'll be suffering this disease for the full duration of this 3 year

Saturn cycle and there's nothing much you can do about

it. " !

No,

instead he says Ayurveda is all about creating balance. When I feel

your pulse, your Vatta dosha is out of balance and so you need to bring

your Vatta back into balance. " It makes total sense to

us. He even helps us understand how we got out of

balance.

Maybe we were putting some long nights in at work.

Maybe we were going through some personal anxiety at home, or with our

spouse or children. Whatever the reason, but for whatever reason we

got out of balance. Then, the negative side of imbalance came to

us.

Solution? Simple, get back into balance.

Because it makes sense in terms of health we automatically do whatever we

can to reclaim our healthy balance.

So,

why don't we think of this Astrologically? Part of the reason may be

due to Jyotish's extreme ability to see the duration of karmic events that

may be contributing to our imbalances.

However, there is another reason which is much more

important. And, that is that Jyotish, like much of Vedic

science has recently forgotten how to easily and naturally create mental

and psychic balance in our lives. We plod along making decisions and

choices and boom, seemingly out of left field we experience some big

loss.

We

get cheated at work, we can't find a job, we loose a loved one, the Saturn

list goes on and on. But, what we're missing is all the little steps

that brought us to this maximum Saturn loss.

Take the example of health. We don't get sick in one

moment. In fact, it takes some time pushing ourselves, staying up

too late, undermining our incredible nervous and immune system before it

breaks down.

What we miss however, are the clear 'Signs' of increasing

Saturn imbalance which we tend to ignore. Like Mars accidents, we

don't have an accident, boom, without previous

notice!

If

you pay more attention you'll find that before the big one, before your

ultimate slip and fall upon the ice, there were at least 3 or 4 minor

signs of Mars imbalance along the way.

Maybe we bump are elbow rushing into the bathroom when

we're first getting going. Then, a few minutes later we have our

first initial slip near the front door. What happens however, is we

don't heed these initial Mars signs. We don't go, 'Oh, here's one of

those Mars signs, Mars is sending me! I should slow down,

now! " If we could hear this we can literally miss an

accident that's on the horizon. So, what we need to do is hear the

negative signs of Saturn. Next time, we find ourselves in the

middle of a clear Saturn message, stop and say to yourself... " Ahhhh,

here is one of those important Saturn messages! " For example,

next time you feel tiredness, or pain in the body, or you find yourself

worrying or feeling frustated, impatient or upset, 'STOP' and immediately

recognize this as one of Saturn's signs! You're getting out

of balance, Saturn's telling you something worse could be on the

horizon. Now, stop and rest, shift your priorities, move to taking

care of the negative sign....Until it goes

away!

In the case of the body, if there's pain, then go roll

around the floor doing some nice Yoga exercises. Also, take a nice

tub bath, warm up the body!

Whatever it takes, but find the solution that'll eliminate

the Saturn grief. Now, go back into

activity.

When I ran my old construction business I'd often get

Saturn signs of stiffness, tiredness and aches and pains in my poor

body! I understood them, of course because I have come to understand

the 'signs' of Saturn.

And, much of the time I'd learned that if I do even 5 short

minutes of yoga once in the morning and again in the evening, I avoid any

bigger Saturn set back and can keep

working.

But, those days or weeks when I don't take the time to do

these two precious sets of yoga asanas, invaribly I'll find myself on the

job, or even in the shower, and then, boom I'll move in such a way that I

throw my back out!

This probably has happened about 10 times in my life.

Each time was a confirmation that I need to keep putting consistent

attention on relieving the Saturn imbalanced pressure that was building

due to this hard work.

Like that we all are in the middle of Saturn moments.

As we talked about in the previous " Importance of Saturn "

article, we're all involved in some Saturn special signs or

experiences.

What tends to happen is let's say we're pushing and pushing

ourselves because of this important deadline we've got going on. At

some point, though even in spite of the deadline we may get sick.

Why did this happen? Or, when it tends to happen is when we also,

simultaneously go through some Saturn

timing.

Maybe, we go through a regular Moon Saturn conjunction

which hits us like a ton of bricks. Maybe we get sick at the heighth

of the New Moon, there can be a number of moments that are characteristic

of Saturn slaps!

Unfortunately, most people think that Saturn is the literal

cause of our grief, set back or sickness! NO! Saturn is only

the messenger. And, it's a great Saturn kindness that Sani is giving

us, trying to show that we've gotten out of balance and need to stop and

adjust.

Nature doesn't go by our goals, dreams or

aspirations! Nature goes by pure impulse. If we stay in

balaance every day then life proceeds in a positive and uplifting

way. If however, we push and strain then constant set backs are our

destiny!

Why? Because we're not being intune with a very

important part of life which is Saturn!

Saturn represents the pace and balance each moment and each

day. Every step we take involves a first Saturn step. We have

to be standing still before we can move. Then, we step

forward. That is a Jupiter expansive step but Jupiter depends on our

previous Saturn stage.

Then, in the very middle of our Jupiter expansion, nature

demands that we stop and plant that new foot. We plant our

previously expanding Jupiter step, making that a momentary Saturn step and

then the other foot moves forward in an exciting and ehilerating Juptier

expansion!

We even can run! How fun is that.

 

However, let's not forget that even running depends on

regular, coordingated and integrated steps of Saturn rest with Jupiter

activity. If we're beginning to wobble, to falter or fall, we slow

down, planting more securely our Saturn steps and we can

continue!

Life is like that. At every moment we're either

involved in a Jupiter or Saturn important

phase.

Let's all embrace the totality of both sides of the steps

of progress and prosperity. Most people only like the Waxing Moon

stage!

All of Jyotish emphasizes the luck and good fortune that it

is to be born with a Waxing Moon! Why don't they recognize that

those who were born with smallish or Waning Moon's just have a different

need or priority in their lives!

Because we emphasize the outer in life. We live in a

world, in a time, where only the outer realities of life are appreciated

or understood. We love having money vs. saving money. We enjoy

being busy vs. being quiet. We enjoy activity vs.

silence.

All these are prejudices that we're going to suffer for

because Nature wants us to have both! Because Nature herself is

infinite dynamism and expansion but based on infinite silence and

settledness, Nature knows that we each need to have both these values

vibrant within ourselves.

Sorry, for the lengthy discourse here, but as you can see

I'm on a Saturn role. Learning about and appreciating Saturn is one

of the most exciting and exilerating experiences one can

have.

Turning Saturn from a functioning malefic into a vibrant

and happy benefic is one of the greatest things one can do in

life!

 

Jai Guru! Jai Sani!

 

Sincerely, Mark

Kincaid