Linda’s Question:
This isn’t directly related to the Saturn Return, but your post raised another question for me. If the earth’s moon is treated for symbolic purposes as a planet, what about the moons of other planets, like Saturn? After all, Saturn has 62 moons (although not all are named and some are quite small). Still – that’s a lot of stuff whirling around out there!
My Answer:
The essential point to make is that astrological symbolism first arose and was consolidated at a stage way back in history when humans could only inform themselves of what was going on in the heavens via the naked eye.
By an astronomical quirk, the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but 400 times nearer the Earth, so we see them as the same size. Thus they were given equal significance in symbolic terms by our ancient ancestors.
The sheer majestic visual power of the regular cycles of solar and lunar eclipses, when Sun, Moon and Earth are precisely aligned in the heavens, amplified and added awe and significance – affirming the symbolic power of the Earth’s Moon in the eyes of the ancient peoples of the world.
This sense of significance continues to this day. Do you recall the enormous fuss that was made of the 11 August 1999 eclipse, as we all awaited the Millennium with the dreaded Millennium Bug hanging over us? Here is just one of the predictive articles which appeared at the time: http://astrologer.ru/article/cassini.html.en.
Needless to say, Paris did not go up in flames, and we are all still here, as far as we know!
Huge advances in space exploration and observation in recent years have certainly brought a vast amount of planetary gravel of varying sizes and significance to our attention – including the 62 moons of Saturn – as well as many exo-planets unknown until fairly recently. Many astrologers now include, for example, a variety of asteroids and other bodies in their astrological research and horoscope interpretation.
Maybe I’m just lazy – but I tend to think that basic astrological symbolism is complex enough to produce very accurate, useful interpretations for my clients and students and that the more complexity one introduces, the less clarity one achieves.
But I am open to conversion, as always…..well, depends on what it is!
AND – New visitors and Followers out there! Do drop by with your observations….. and, of course, your Questions….on any astrological topic.
Zodiac
400 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2013
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page of Writing from the Twelfth House
Astrology: Questions and Answers 