Astronomy: Saturn was the last planet, with "rings pass not", to the ancients, ruling death, endings, limits. It takes 29« years to return to its original position at birth (i.e. to circle the Sun once) thus indicating the classic growing-up cycle known as the Saturn Return (at about age 30).

Correspondences: Jet, galena, obsidian, black stones; lead, coal, slag; ginseng, belladonna, digitalis, comfrey, horsetail, boneset, moss, poison ivy; spinach, wintergreen barley, beet, potato; gray, black, dark brown; mice, moles, eel, camel, donkey, tortoise, beetles, bats, shellfish, owl, crocodile, goat; Saturday; hard angles, short lines, sharp outlines; cold, astringent, and sour flavors; antiquarian, junk dealer, historian, undertaker, plumber, potter, excavator, prison employee, monks and nuns, builders, laborers, coal miners, agriculturist, horticulturist, cement workers, chimney sweep, architects; skin, bones, joints, knees, spine, anterior pituitary, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, fractures, skin diseases, dislocations, stones, paralysis; from age 68 to death.

Principles: Conservation, definition, limitation, organization, legislation, caution, duty, discipline, self-reliance, isolation, defense, precision, conscientiousness, responsibility, commitment, sobriety, punctuality, obedience, resolve, prudence, accountability, thrift.

Actions: Protecting, managing, monitoring, coaching, disciplining, constructing, planning, producing, concentrating, limiting, regulating, motivating, ritualizing, guiding, stabilizing, persevering, restraining, ordering, organizing, assigning, mastering, debugging, economizing, preserving, collecting, demonstrating, manifesting, concretizing, securing.

The Gifts of the Saturn: Saturn provides the boundaries that enable us to grow one step at a time. To keep our eyes on the road, and not fall asleep during the journey, we need Saturn's firm guidance and overseeing. The reverence for the wisdom of the past, and the desire to improve the future, for everyone, are gifts of Saturn. At it's highest, Saturn teaches us impeccability, giving us feedback if we deviate too far from the path.

The lessons Saturn has to learn: The goat must remember its sense of humor, the perfect antidote to its tendencies towards stuffiness, rigidity, judgementalness, moralizing, and overworking. Saturn has to remember that the journey is as important as the goal, that joy and gratitude are essential attributes to succeeding on the spiritual path, and that the shortest distance between oneself and one's desire is seldom a straight line.