Symbol:
"t;
Color: Black Metal: Lead
Magical Number: 3 Scent: Musk
Gemstones: Onyx, jet, and all black stones Magical Direction: North
Other Useful Items for Ritual Use: Barley, beech, black thorn, cypress, ebony, elm, flint, fossils, holly, ivy, moss, rue, rye, senna, yew
Saturn Incense
The ingredients of Saturn, the dark mother, are unpleas ant to the nose, but effective. Asafoetida, for example, smells awful, but banishes beautifully.
Incense No. 1 4 parts myrrh 1 part alkanet root 1 part cypress leaves 1 part juniper berries Patchouli oil (a few drops)
Ritual uses: Building, business matters, chills, chronic ailments, civil service, colds, debts, delays, depression, dislocations, duties, the elderly, endurance, falls, fears, hair, inhibitions, invalids, land, obstacles, oppression, pa tience, profession, property, secrets, self-control, skin complaints, tranquillity, warts, work.
The Power of Planets + I 3 I Saturn represents pure female potential in the same way that Neptune represents pure male potentiaU Remem ber, however, that one complements the other. Male po tential is that of "giving out;' female potential is that of "taking in:' One is positive. the other negative. Here, neg ative is not used as a derogatory term. It simply means receptive. Male potential would be wasted without the re ceptive, stabilizing influence of the female principle. The one cannot exist without the other. There is much to be gained from the study of this polarity, a polarity that ex ists throughout the physical universe.
The physical correspondences of Saturn, that dark planet, are somewhat sinister and off-putting. It is quite true that, in any given situation, people will inevitably see the worst. This is especially true of Saturn. To begin with, Saturn is not the planet of death. Death, which is simply a change of state or transmutation, properly belongs to Pluto. It is morbid religiosity that has caused this strange belief. You can see it even today in the wearing of black, which is the color of Saturn, at funerals or other seem ingly sad situations. Church funerals are certainly the ul timate in bad taste and just as certainly give the wrong impression of the meaning of death.
Saturn is the planet of form and form implies re striction. How you view this restriction is another matter. As stated, people will inevitably see the worst. But if there were no restrictions, in the truest sense, everybody
6 Neptune, together with Uranus and Pluto, is used more for esoteric magic-that is, they have more use in an arcane sense than the other plan ets. This is not to say that these planets have no practical use. They do, but in a more abstract way.
would float off into space! With no gravity, screws and nails would not stay in place, car brakes would not work, in fact, life would be just about impossible. Saturn does have its uses. Restriction is valuable in its purest form. Human-made restriction, however, is another matter. With any pattern of energy, as with any other aspect of life, there is choice. Although it is surely pointless to choose the worst kind of restriction, all too often, this is the case, especially with beliefs. You can choose to believe whatever you wish. The trick is to choose correctly, in the light of reason.
Religion teaches all manner of silly restrictions, none of which are valid. Saturn is often abused in this way. Take the idea of Saturn as a tester for humankind. Why should you be tested for fitness? There is no logical reason for this, unless, that is, you believe in reincarna tion or karmic debts. People do believe in these things, even though they do not exist and, worse still, they sim ply accept these dogmas and the restrictions that they in evitably bring. It is, however, an invalid and completely unnecessary restriction. Saturn, or its images, do not act as testers, for there is nothing to test. In reality, life is ruled by free choice.
In a similar vein Satan is often depicted as an over lord, testing people for their fitness to enter heaven. The church invented Satan. The church also invented heaven. Yet they have imposed so many restrictions on this far away place that they seem to assume that none shall ever enter there. Satan does not exist, other tha� as an energy force built through years of sacrifice and adoration in the minds of those who subscribe to this image. For that is all that it is-an image, and a bad one at that. As with all cosmic energies, Saturn energy is neither good nor bad. It simply is, existing as it does according to creative laws and principles. Although it may be fashionable to blame
The Power of Planets + I 33
Saturn for all manner of evil, it is incorrect. The problem lies, not with the energy, but within the minds of people. Put simply, if you believe in the wrong ideals and con cepts, the appropriate energy will simply seek to comply with your beliefs. It will not seek to offer a solution or presume to apply rules. Beliefs operate through the ulti mate law of free choice. Regardless of whom or what you may later choose to blame, it is your beliefs that shape your circumstances-not planetary power.
Perhaps the greatest problem with Saturn is the ef fect that negative beliefs can have when focusing the planet's power on life and life situations. As a wise man once said, "There is nought to fear other than fear:' Other problems associated with Saturn range from depression and worry, to loneliness. The reality of the matter is that, once these problems are faced and questioned, they can be banished forever. In keeping with the law of nature that states that a true vacuum cannot exist, whatever goes leaves an empty space-a space that can only be filled with truth, in this case, the truth about Saturn power in relationship to life and the individual.
One of the best ways of clearing the mind of these and other misconceptions is to look within the inner temple when it is attuned to Saturn. Adopt truth as a ritual intention and, using the simplest of ritual corre spondences, contemplate what Saturn means to you as an individual. For deeper work, meditate on the planet using the guidelines presented earlier, once again, seek ing the truth. The truth-that is, the real truth-is worth a thousand volumes of magical philosophy. More over, it is much easier to digest. Keep truth in mind. Seek truth within the inner temple and your subconscious mind will provide that truth, simply and without ques tion. This is a far better procedure than following sup posed pathworkings and long-winded procedures given
in medieval textbooks. Remember: someone else's truth simply will not do; it is not your truth. Forget about those endless lists of god-names and other dubious attribu tions. Instead, seek truth and use simplicity. To aid in your search, use the color black, the symbol of the planet, the scent of musk, and, of course, the tarot. The cards to use are the four 3s. They may be used as meditation sym bols, either physically or on imaginary levels, as dis cussed in previous chapters. From a pragmatic point of view, Saturn rules solidity, stability, ambition, career and business interests, and has a great bearing on land, prop erty, personal security, patience, and, of course, endur ance. Such are the positive uses of Saturn.