What is Saturn magic? Should we do it or avoid it? Are we already doing it right now?! In this post we’ll discuss how, when, and whether to work with the Lord of Karma, a.k.a. the Guardian of the Outer Bounds of the Solar System, the Planetary Taskmaster and Ruler of Limitations & Time. The Cosmic Clock. The Master of the Material. Okay, you get it. Let’s crack into this rather weighty, serious topic and bring a little astro-archetypal sparkle to it!
As someone with Saturn at 29° right at the heart of my chart (on my 4th house cusp, no less, where Saturn loudly slams all my angles with heavy, karmic frequencies, including hitting two other planets who are in a very tender, tricky opposition to each other on my ASC-DSC and shadowing Jupiter in an in-house conjunction), Saturn was naturally one of the first planets I tackled as a newbie to Astro-Archetypal Meditation. My south node is also in Capricorn, adding yet more karmic weight to the situation. I evidently came here to work out some karma and deal with some deep-reaching shit, folks.
So in this post I will share with you what I can about Saturnian magic, for those who are either similarly afflicted, and/or for the astro-curious who might want to “tune” this planet as part of a general astrological housekeeping at some point.
To do “magic” is to alter the existing nature of a given phenomenon with special remedies. Planetary Magic, specifically, is to petition a given planet for a change in circumstance, usually to give us blessings or improve conditions in the realm the planet rules. But in the case of Saturn, the petition is often to actually get the planet to easy the f*ck up on us. Or, put more maturely and in more Saturnian lingo, we can work with Saturn to “help us see the growth and wisdom being presented by our current limitations so that we may integrate present challenges more willingly and swiftly.” That sounds super mature, right?
Many magicians advise we steer clear of working with Saturn because we are already dealing with so much “density” from Saturn simply by living in the material world. But that approach assumes a neutral relationship to all the planets and does not take into consideration our natal astrology chart.
That’s where astro-archetypal meditation comes in! While some magicians use astrology for herbal gardening, harvesting, and tincture-making, others relate to astrology as a separate category of esoterica entirely. They might consult their horoscope at times, but astrology is not seen as integral to magical practice. Still others do practice Planetary Magic, but their choice of which planet to work with and why is usually down to personal choice. Having financial problems? Hit up Jupiter for some fast cash. Need to grow a social media account? Get with Mercury.
While these types of petitions are at least targeting the right planet regarding their area of rulership, to petition a planet without regard to how it sits in your natal chart, at the very least (not to mention working with awareness of any planetary transits), leaves a lot of planetary power on the table.
Let’s say you decide to petition Venus, for example, for an improved roster of potential dates, or, to bring you your soul mate. But you are completely out of touch with the existing blessings and challenges your natal Venus is already beset with. You vaguely know what sign your natal Venus is in, but only in your tropical chart, and your knowledge of your natal Venus can be summarized by a “recipe book” approach to Venus in the signs. This is rather like showing up to a conversation without paying attention to what the other person in the conversation has already told you. Like continually trying to mind-meld with someone without actually listening to their ideas, their current circumstances, and what they are already communicating to you about how you two can collaborate together.
Your natal Venus may be afflicted by harsh squares or oppositions. Or, on the other hand, she may be the benefactor of some oozy, gooey sextiles and trines that you are completely unaware of and habitually take for granted, lessening Venus’ likelihood of sending you more blessings lest you also ignore those. Both things can be true in the same chart, actually! (Such is the case in my own and I have seen it in others.)
Understanding the specific ways a planet is already working for us (or suffering along with us) gives us a much different, much more specific type of Planetary Magic to work with. In Astro-Archetypal Meditation we cater our magic to make ourselves better work with the planet, based on our natal signatures (primarily) and then with any relevant transits (secondarily). This is called “tuning” the planet, and there was a long history of planetary remedies using sound, herbs, and prayers in Vedic astrology before the meditation practice developed by Edwin Steinbrecher in the West in 1969.
Soul Figures’ approach was informed by both of these astrological traditions, and provides an holistic approach to the chart where no one planet is ever worked with in a “one and done” way. You pick which planets to work with based on your unique chart, and it is best to have a qualified astrologer look at it to advise on which ones those are; or, start with our Cosmic Cognates Report to help you transition from symbolic to sidereal astrology and get your true Planetary Ruler (who will definitely be one of the main planets you work with). We also help you break down all of this in a self-study format with our Library.
In the case of Saturn, though, it is definitely good to proceed with Planetary Magic with some degree of caution. Saturn can sometimes be like a stern banker; if you take something from somewhere, it must be balanced somewhere else. All the planets are like this to some extent when we “negotiate” with them in meditation, but Saturn is of course the actual Lord of Karma and the one who is the most obsessed with balancing things out. The general recipe of balancing a planet is to meet them in meditation, ask them what is out of balance, ask what you can do to help correct the situation, and then ask them for whatever they have to give you. (However, there are specific steps and all of this needs to be done in a certain sequence, and it is not recommended you do this on the fly. And definitely not with Saturn! That’s what our free guided meditation and Soul Figures Library are for; check them out and let us know how it goes.)
With Saturn more so than with any other planet, you want to make sure you keep your end of the bargain, babe. This can look like taking copious notes after your meditation session, putting in your planner the specific actions or activities suggested to you by Saturn during your meditation (Saturn loves planners and schedules, after all), and in general keeping everything and anything administrative and bookkeeping-related in your life organized and running smoothly. Attending to the Saturnian realm in a time-conscious, efficient, balanced way makes Saturn happy. You are showing Saturn you respect orderliness, accountability, and well-run systems.
See?! Maybe the reason magicians generally don’t like working Saturn is not because “we’re all already too bogged down in the material world,” but actually because this all sounds so boring, and even grim. Saturn’s “love language” is systems. Meanwhile, Venus beams when given attention, gifts, and acknowledgment, Mercury sparkles in quick-moving conversations, cross-fertilizing ideas from one band of Merry Pranksters to the next, Jupiter brandishes everything with a magnanimous Midas touch. By comparison, Saturn is kinda bland. And takes, like, forever. We’re dealing with the ruler of time, after all.
Still, if we petition Saturn from a well-informed perspective about our chart, and we do what we are asked to in our exchange, we work with him to build rock-solid foundations for a life that is more aligned with our real purpose. We stop wasting time on what is not for us, and maintain systems that will readily absorb and expand around what comes to us in right timing.
Speaking of timing, if you are already experiencing Saturn transits, and especially your Saturn Return, you can work with this planet in astro-archetypal meditation, with a special emphasis on asking for clarity and illumination around what Saturn is already trying to show you. Your Saturn Return, in particular, is all about your natal chart, and that is the perfect time to work with his teachings. For other transits, that’s the beauty of astro-archetypal meditation; it is a gentle, participatory remedy, one that is facilitated by your Inner Guide. You can’t “overdo it” or unleash horrors of karmic injustice upon yourself by working this way with your chart, regardless of what is going on in the current sky.
Sail on, soul travelers!
