The Relationship Between Saturn & Neptune

These two planetary energies can therefore be seen as principles whose basic urge and focus are oppositional. It is one expression of the archetypal struggle between form and formlessness, between body and spirit. Neptune years for a return to an undifferentiated, formless and, in some senses, infantile state of bliss unfettered by the restraints of a physical body. In contrast, Saturn is characterized by the urge to growth, individuation and sustainability, through the development of forms and structure. It seeks a state of connectedness as an individual, with the material world which negotiates both the soul's purpose in life and the demands of the immediate life circumstances.

However, Saturn has a role as the bridge from the collective to the social and personal, and can be viewed as the channeling force to connect the spirit with the material world. Equally, the rejuvenating energy of Neptune is needed to revive the flagging spirit of the diligent Saturnian domain. If the two energies can be engaged in a harmonious flow, then Saturn can ground the Neptunian spirit, and Neptune can give meaning to the Saturnian endeavors to structure the material world.

The Saturn/Neptune connection is a union of the elements of earth and water and essentially an inward-looking process which may then be given an external form. Whilst it is potentially a highly creative and brilliant connection, there are also strong potential dangers in the lack of air and fire in an exclusive union of these two energies.

The Mundane Level

At the physical level, Saturn rules the spine, the site through which the seven rays of unfoldment are said to enter the body and the location of the seven chakras, or energy centers. This link to the flow of spiritual energy is further indicated by Saturn's association with the law of Karma or reciprocity of input and intent with output, as expressed in a mundane version of this concept. Karma is also understood in a more profound sense in spiritual discourse, to depict the movement of the soul in ever advancing spirals towards the great state of spiritual enlightenment or "at-one-ment" with the universal life-force known as the state of nirvana. This mundane expression of the law of Karma demonstrates very well the linear mode of Saturn, in which the spiritual essence must be reduced to a form which has meaning and value in the everyday social reality of linear space and time dimensions.

This reduction of the concept has occurred in several forms which are indicative of the nuance of the cultural setting through which the collective meaning is conferred. This ranges from the crude concept of the biblical "eye for an eye" to the idealism of the non-violence and peaceful co-existence across species of the Jain religion. Thus, whilst the process of concretization is necessarily a reductive one, it does not always have to result in a crudely literal translation of the original concept. The level to which it is reduced reflects the spiritual values of the culture into which it is translated.

The Global Level

The strong connection between Saturn and the ability to access Neptune is evidenced by the fact that Neptune was discovered under an exact Saturn/Neptune conjunction. The Saturn/Neptune conjunctions occur on approximately a thirty-five year cycle.

In his article on the discovery of Neptune, Peter Clamp links the Saturn/Neptune conjunctions of 1846 (Neptune's discovery) and 1989 (the fall of the Berlin Wall) with crucial stages in humanity's collective evolution. He briefly traces historical events in the initial search for the realization of a communist utopia on earth and later, the dismantling of the totalitarian States, and links this to the interplay of Saturn and Neptune at a global level through the cycle of conjunction of the two planets.6

This is related to the quest to use the Saturnine capacity for concretizing and realization in a stable form, to create a version of the spiritual home of Neptune on earth. The marxist theme of emphasizing the level of the collective (in which individual differences are ignored at best, or more likely, coerced into non-existence) reveals the Neptunian intent to create a State in which ego boundaries are dissolved and individuals are at one in the vast collective sea of humanity. The principle of "to each according to need, from each according to ability" which assumes a highly sustained contribution from all, is a version of material karma applied at the societal level, indicating the strong Saturnine standards implicit in the vision. One could also characterize the worst depictions of Communist life as displaying the harsh, dour and frugal side of Saturn with the exceedingly poor capacity for planning for material welfare of Neptune, and the lack of spark, warmth and enthusiasm for life which stems from the positive infusion of the qualities of the elements of fire and air into a collective culture. Whilst the dream may have been pure and the vision splendid, this attempt at utopia reinforces Neptune's capacity for deceit, treachery, false promises and the resulting disillusion without the balancing of a well-developed and integrated Saturn, which also allows for a harmonizing of life with the essential qualities of air and fire.

The Marxist State showed little trace of Neptunian wonder, however, the difficulty in handling the realm of spirit would seem to have had its origins in being possessed by the excesses of a dominant but poorly-developed Saturn, such as the experience of the grey solemnity and brutal excesses of Stalinist Russia. In this respect, it can be said to be an enforcement of a spiritual void on an unwilling people.