Medical Astrology Part 4: Saturn - the real emperor of all maladies?
Saturn's significance in medical astrology
Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane.
Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane.
- English nursery rhyme
Saturn gets a bad rap for the downer that can result from a Saturn return, when transiting Saturn returns to the place it was in the sky at the time of your birth. Think back to around the time you were 28 or 29, and again around age 56 - 58. Were you forced to confront irresponsible decisions, or a lack of planning? Saturn’s rap sheet will grow today, this time with crimes not only against your free-wheeling or youthful attitude, but anywhere your health may have gotten away from you.
Medical astrology expert Judith Hill says that Saturn holds the dubious honor of being where ill health begins, hence the title of this installment. Mars and the South Node are contenders, but NEVER, EVER overlook Saturn’s placement in the birth chart, warns Hill. Why might this be? Saturn is associated with things cold and dark (and ultra restrictive, as with Jack Sprat’s dietary preferences). Intuitively, this doesn’t sound conducive to optimum health, and indeed it is not.
Saturn rules:
Bones and skeletal structure in general
Teeth (with Taurus)
Skin (with Venus)
Nails, cuticles, calcium, minerals (in general)
Ear (it is said Saturn rules the right and Mars the left, although the general rulership of ears goes to Taurus and hearing to Mercury)
Peripheral sympathetic nerves (according to the Encyclopedia of Medical Astrology, H.L. Cornell, M.D.)
Physical effects:
Cold, constricts, limits circulation, drys, slows, restricts, undernourishes, paves way for toxic buildup and stiffness.
Can indicate structural anomalies, under function or undersize of any body part indicated.
Before moving on, now may be a good time for the disclaimer:
I am not a licensed medical professional, and as such my writing is not to be taken as medical (including psychological) guidance, rather it is meant for entertainment purposes. Should you have any concerns about your body, mind, or spirit, please consult with your health and well-being care team.
Important: Special conditions of Saturn
Hill calls out those who were born at night (with the Sun under the horizon) while Saturn is also under the horizon and is also in a feminine/yin sign then your Saturn is extremely cold.
Even if any one of those conditions exists, your Saturn may be colder than most.
On the flip side, if you were born during the day (with the Sun above the horizon) while Saturn is also above the horizon in a masculine/yang sign, then Saturn is in a favorable condition termed “Hayze”. This makes it much less likely you will suffer from conditions of cold, obstruction of vital force, or sluggishness.
Assessing Saturn’s Placement in Your Birth Chart
First, some basics from traditional associations:
Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius (meaning the natural qualities of those signs suit Saturn’s aims)
Saturn is exalted in Libra (meaning it operates with its characteristic strengths)
Saturn is in detriment in Cancer and Leo (meaning its natural qualities are altered)
Saturn is in its fall in Aries (again, its natural qualities are altered)
As with the Sun and Moon, Saturn’s placement in your chart has significance. You may wish to review the body areas ruled by the sign where Saturn is placed in your chart (see Part 2 of this series and the Zodiac man image), as those are more likely to be afflicted.
The position around the wheel is also important. Saturn’s ray cools the sign opposite (180°) its natal position, and sometimes those in square (90° aspect). Its most potent effect is on the sign in the backward square (clockwise, 90° from Saturn’s sign).
As always, the entire chart matters, and if there are certain planets in the above positions, it may have a sort of reflex action. In these instances, Saturn’s action may bounce over to a reflexing sign or a planet in that reflexing sign. This is most likely to occur when the other “planet” is the Sun, Moon, or ruling planet of the Ascendant, 6th, 8th, or 12th houses. “Reflex” means Saturn will manifest through the problems of the other sign rather than its own sign. Therefore, due to the complexity, please do not assume Saturn’s impacts on your chart or your person based upon this one piece of writing.
The below is verbatim from Hill’s Book Medical Astrology: A Guide to Planetary Pathology. I provide this in order to whet your appetite for more information. Each of her books is extremely well researched, written, and illustrated (by Hill), and I recommend that you purchase one or more for your home collection!
Saturn’s Pathological Actions in the Twelve Signs
Note: Natal Saturn in any of the signs does not insure you will have the conditions given below. Should your Saturn be afflicted by aspect, in determinant or fall, retrograde or in association with the 1st, 6th, 8th, or 12th houses, or their planetary rulers, then possibly he may exhibit one or more of the listed complaints. He may do so anyway, being Saturn, but this is not guaranteed. He is better placed in the 6th and 8th than any of the other planets and if well aspected and dignified, may surprise you by producing good health when in “evil” houses!
SATURN IN ARIES: Restricts blood vessels of brain. Headaches, toothache, eyesight issues, motor nerve anomalies, stroke, hardening of arteries in brain.
Reflexes to: Libra, Cancer, Capricorn.
SATURN IN TAURUS: Restricts the ear, nose, throat region. Toxic tonsils, chronic colds and sore throat, poor hearing, hypo thyroid, tight neck muscles, atlas bone out of place; structural restrictions of cervical vertebrae, TMJ, dental issues.
Reflexes to: Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius.
SATURN IN GEMINI: Stuttering, restriction to lung, arm or hand, asthma- the “cold” variety, pulmonary consumption, bronchitis. Arthritic arms, shoulders, hands. Frozen shoulder, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, pneumonia.
Reflexes to: Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo.
SATURN IN CANCER: Restricts the breasts, rib cage, stomach, womb, sensitive skin, weak tooth enamel, osteoporosis, fear. Insufficient milk, small breasts, low hydrochloric acid, poor appetite, small chest, infertility, poor gums, drowning, falling, weak lungs, pneumonia, phobia.
Reflexes to: Capricorn, Libra, Aries.
SATURN IN LEO: Restricts the heart muscle and stiffens the back. Heart attack, spinal anomaly, spinal cord disease, sclerosis of spinal cord, scoliosis, blood pressure extremes. Gives great strength in hours 1, 2, 3.
Reflexes to: Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio.
SATURN IN VIRGO: Hernia, toxic liver, cirrhosis of liver, diabetes, constipation, dry membrane of bowl, appendicitis (especially near 16-19° Virgo, Scorpio or Near 23° Gemini); premature gray hair due to malabsorption of nutrients, tension, insomnia, hernia.
Reflexes to: Pisces, Gemini, Sagittarius.
SATURN IN LIBRA: Mineral deposits in small tubules of kidneys, gravel, retention of urine, hormonal activity, tension in lower back, Bright’s disease.
Reflexes to: Aries, Capricorn, and Cancer.
SATURN IN SCORPIO: Sterility, impotence, sexual issues, venereal disease, parasites, Crohn’s disease, plugged sweat glands (sudoriferous glands), hemorrhoids, hernia, constipation, sluggish or toxic colon, amenorrhea, poisoning, gout, fractured pelvis, insufficient peristalsis, prostate cancer or obstruction.
Reflexes to: Taurus (look for gravel voice or throat ailments as a clue to a toxic colon), Leo, Aquarius.
SATURN IN SAGITTARIUS. Spinal misalignment, spinal cord diseases, arthritis of hips, hip and thigh problems; pressure on sciatic nerve, fractured pelvis.
Reflexes to: Gemini, VIrgo, Pisces.
SATURN IN CAPRICORN: Skin issues - warts, dryness, cancer sensitivity, liver spots, skin disease. Infertility. Rheumatic knees, toxic liver, plugged gall ducts, insufficient bile, brittle nails, cuticle, brittle nails, cuticle, teeth and gum issues, knee injuries, “ashy” skin and pigmentation anomalies. Falling.
Reflexes to: Cancer, Libra, Aries.
SATURN IN AQUARIUS: Broken ankle, obstructed circulation, low blood pressure, cold extremities, insufficient oxygenation of the blood, asthenia, pernicious anemia, hypothermia. Back issues, weak heart (opposes Leo).
Reflexes to: Leo, Taurus, Scorpio.
SATURN IN PISCES: Bad feet, corns, bunions, weak immunity, lung weakness (reflex from Gemini), wasting, apathy, depression, poor attention to health and diet, weak teeth, rickets, toxic or sluggish lymphatics, cold feet, calluses, corns.
Reflexes to: Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius.
In summary, Saturn, medically speaking, is: Cold, slow, dry, and astringent. Traditionally, Saturn’s maladies are treated with warming and/or moistening agents, depending on the specific symptoms. I could see treatments which are diffusive or relaxing in nature helping to enable movement where things have atrophied or slowed.
I do not wish to leave you thinking Saturn has no redeeming qualities. From Hill’s Medical Astrology for Health Practitioners: A Healer’s Guide, here are the planets and actions which Saturn can bring into balance:
Saturn is dark/Sun is light (photons, sunlight)
Saturn dries/Moon moistens
Saturn concentrates mind/Mercury quicken mind
Saturn is dry and tight/Venus is demulcent and relaxing
Saturn is cold and slow/Mars is hot and stimulating
Saturn is constrictive and depressed/Jupiter is expansive and joyful
Saturn is grounded/Uranus is electrical
Saturn is astringent, consolidating and Earthy/Neptune is leaky, diffusive and ethereal
Saturn disciplines feeling/Pluto produces extreme feelings
Also from this series:
Related posts:
In case you are interested in reading about the Lunar Nodes changing signs (they do this every ~18 months) on Saturday Jan 11th, you may wish to check these out:
