The Spiritual Teacher/Leader

It is in the role of the teacher or passer on of the knowledge that the Saturn/Neptune struggle is most fiercely evident. The teacher must simultaneously hold the magic of the divine to act as a medium or channel through which the unmanifested may catch a glimpse of the possibility of divine ecstasy, as well as entering the Saturnine realm of didactic teaching in which knowledge is passed on from one with higher or superior knowledge, to one of lesser knowledge. In spiritual circles, such a teacher is often conferred with the status of a guru. This is extremely problemmatic if the individual concerned has not sufficiently developed the higher octave of Saturnian qualities to recognize that true virtue comes from honoring your own individual value system and autonomous authority, rather than being seduced by the glory of status and externalized approval. This represents the danger of Saturnian authority being confined to a paler version residing in the shadow of the personal psyche. In addition, the truly developed Saturnian seeks to give form and order to his or her insights and knowledge as part of their gift to the collective, not as a means to attain a position of adulation.

There is also a Neptunian aspect of this dilemma, in that in a truly Neptunian experience the individual ego is rendered invisible and in a sense ceases to exist for that moment of ecstasy in which that being becomes one with the totality of the universe. Therefore, it is an irrelevance to consider the individual's status or relative merit in the Neptunian world, in which al are part of the one and in this sense equal. The resolution may lie in remaining rue to the role of the teacher whilst shunning the status of the guru.

I will now look at the charts of several famous and infamous figures who have attempted to adopt the role of the spiritual teacher or leader in their life missions. I will commence with Jim Jones who was mentioned earlier in this paper.

In looking at the operation of the double-shadow at the individual level, it would be most insightful to examine the charts of Jim Jones' followers and the aspects to his chart. Whilst, we do not have access to the followers' charts we do have access to Jones' chart (see Appendix 2.1). The chart displays a strong Saturn influence through its placement in its own sign of Capricorn and in the first house, and trining his fifth house Sun. However, it also is part of a loaded T-square including the Moon, the North Node, Venus and Uranus in Aries in the third, and a Jupiter/Pluto conjunction in Cancer in the seventh house. Therefore whilst it is likely to have a strong presence in Jones' personality, reinforced by a Capricorn ascendant, it is also retrograde, which may intensify its power, but is potentially more difficult to access and express fluently. This introversion is further indicated by the likely overshadowing in its development by his faith in his own thinking powers (the Aries stellium in the third) and the potency of the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction, adding a volatile and potentially transformative aspect to his relationships. The transformative power was unfortunately realized in a destructive form with tragic results.

As would be expected with a figure like Jones, this is a complex chart dominated by cardinal energy and many significant aspects including Neptune (also retrograde) in an exact trine with Mercury, semi-square the Jupiter, and trining and sextiling the Ascendant/Descendant axis. The strong cardinal presence and drive to realize his vision of a heaven on earth (represented by a heavily aspected Neptune) which he communicated in a stirring way (Mercury trine Neptune) captivated his followers. However, the dominant but shadow Saturn resulted in a profound inability to realize this dream in a life-sustaining form. In addition, the potency and major difficulties presented in the T-square perhaps underlay his apparent paranoia and feelings of persecution (one might suspect his oppressed feminine in the afflicted Moon and Venus in the third house) that typified his unstable mental health.

The followers of Jones may well have been typified by the double-shadow - a weak Saturn resulting in a tendency to slavishly follow another's world view, and a shadow Neptune in which the thinking function was so poorly developed or stifled that, in their pursuit of an earthly nirvana, they virtually unquestioningly followed the pathological teachings of a disturbed mind, even so far as to blindly participate in a mass suicide by drinking poison.

The double-shadow would also seem to be implicated in the followers of another deranged messiah - Charles Manson. Once again it would be instructive to be able to examine their charts for both the natal themes and the transits occurring at the crucial times. Whilst this is not possible, we can see some indications of Saturn/Neptune themes in Manson/s own chart (see Appendix 2.2). He has, as would be expected, a complex chart including a tight Sun/Venus conjunction in Scorpio, an exact Mars/Neptune conjunction in Virgo, as well as the angular Pluto on the IC squaring a twelfth house Uranus. The fifth house Mars/Neptune is also sextile the Sun/Venus contributing to a rampant ego and his own sense of himself as the messiah. He also has the North Node exactly conjunct his Moon (a fated aspect) in Aquarius squaring his Mercury in Scorpio on the Descendant suggesting a difficulty in integrating his emotional needs with the exercise of his rational faculties. One can readily understand how his message of peace, love and understanding (the Aquarian/Uranian theme) became confused with his personal power and sexuality (strong Scorpio/Pluto presence, which is intensified by his Venus in Scorpio as the ruler of his Ascendant) and the infusion of his drug-induced vision (Neptune/Mars) being imposed on the world (dominant Mars). The overpowering Scorpio flavor in his chart would have resulted in his neptune being overwhelmed by the Mars, as Mars is the co-ruler of Scorpio. His Saturn is also in difficult aspect. It is in the eleventh house in Aquarius squaring the seventh house Sun/Venus conjunction in Scorpio and widely inconjunct his exact Mars/Neptune conjunction in the fifth house. He appears to have had a very weak Saturn, displaying a negligible capacity to control his own will and actions in his contact with the wider society. He may have projected this control onto society at large, suggested by his experience of society as both harsh and punitive towards him, and morally reprehensible. The latter sentiment was at the heart of his self-appointed mission to destroy the "rich, white pigs" and the zeal of his deluded crusade was suggestive of a shadow Neptune quality.

The combination of these two energies does not always result in the enactment of a pathological vision of the deranged leader of a fringe cult as in the above two examples. We can see in the chart of Hermann Hesse (see Appendix 2.3) these energies positively expressed through the inspired work of a writer whose work entered the intuitive realms of the development of the soul's purpose in life. He explored the theme of the mystical journey to the East, symbolic of the spiritual home, in the development of relationships and personal happiness in life. In his lifetime, Hesse was also renowned for his strong personal stand against fascism and his endeavor, through his writing, to inspire within his culture the embracing of a greater love for collective humanity and the urge to strive for personal autonomy and the development of a highly integrated ethical and spiritual approach to life. Similarly to Jones, Hesse has a loaded third house with four Pisces placements, including the North Node (indicative of the soul's purpose) and Mars and the Moon both on either side of, and widely conjuncting, his Saturn, which is also square Jupiter in Sagittarius in the first house and widely trining his Sun in the seventh house. His Saturn in Pisces was also retrograde, again serving to intensify both the power of this energy and the difficulty in fully developing this power. The Pisces placement is a literal statement of the union of Saturn with Neptunian themes. His Neptune is also in fortunate aspect. It is in the fifth house, and therefore tied to his creative power as well as sextiling his Mars and the North Node, indicating the ability to use his will (Mars) to draw out the Neptunian vision in realizing the soul's purpose (North Node). He clearly developed his Saturn energy well, and could therefore integrate his role as a spiritual leader (Neptune in the fifth) in fully utilizing the vast potential of his loaded third house. The grounding of a strong Saturn, plus the inspiration of the Pisces/Neptune (including Neptune contacts) in the third house of communication, are aspects that are extremely well suited to his vocation as a writer and his quest to give form to the spirit.