In this series of essays or Meditations, it is my ongoing assertion that in a healthy culture, the pathway towards the harmonious integration of all the different planetary archetypes would be clear and open. Therefore, when a particular combination (such as this one) is regularly and predominantly described in terms of its negative attributes, we should take this a sign—not that the universe is inherently cruel or that the divine wants us to suffer, and not that we ourselves are inadequate, impure or inherently flawed, but that the culture which we grow up within (and thus reflect internally) is in some way or other pathological, and therefore denies us adequate opportunities to live in harmony with the universe’s deeper nature.
As I sit here writing, we are coming to the end of a conjunction between Mars and Saturn. In readings with my clients, I always make a point of letting them know about their personal transits involving these two planets. When transiting Saturn is aspecting natal Mars, these transits last a year or more. When it is reversed, and fast moving Mars is aspecting natal Saturn, they generally last a couple of weeks, unless extended by a retrograde period. Either way, it is important for people to know when these transits are occurring, because they tend to coincide with periods of increased tension, anger, aggression, frustration, stubbornness and disagreement.
The standard explanation for this is that Mars and Saturn are simply opposed to one another: Mars wants to speed things up while Saturn wants to slow things down; Mars is a risk taker whereas Saturn’s nature is to be cautious; Mars seeks freedom where Saturn emphasises responsibilities. All this is true enough. But as ever, what I am interested in exploring is the way in which the two archetypes can work harmoniously together. While it is true enough that every archetypal combination has the potential to catalyse problematic events and feelings, I find it much more helpful to work under the assumption that they are, in the long run, benevolent and that most of our personal suffering arises in response to our adaptation to a society and culture which has lost its intimate connection with the sacred.
First, it is worth making the effort to understand what is actually on offer for us, if we succeed in bringing this pair into harmony within ourselves—what is it that these archetypes are actually calling upon us to do, and what do we stand to gain? After that, we can examine the sociocultural factors which get in the way. By following the different paths which the archetypes suggest, we can then restore their proper dignity and in doing so, restore our personal and collective connection with the divine.
The Unstoppable Force and the Immovable Object
When viewed independently of any other archetypes, it is fair to say that Mars’ preferred nature is for its energy to flow unimpeded. It is an animating force which, so long as it is able to move through a system, energises and enlivens that system. Mars is a catalyst, and frankly, it does not seem to care very much about which particular processes it initiates. With Mars, whatever is ready to go, goes. It is an inflammatory archetype, which sets afire whatever is ripe for the burning. In its highest expression, Mars is quite simply the archetype of courage. Bravery alone is not necessarily a moral good—it takes bravery to commit heinous crimes, after all—but it is nevertheless true that no meaningful change could ever happen without the participation of this archetype. It is also important to remember that without Mars, life would be rather dull: Mars is the first one on the dance floor; the adrenaline rush and the raising of the heart rate; the quickening of passion and the power of desire—Mars helps us to say yes to much of the silliness, playfulness, rapture and enjoyment of life.
Though the Saturn archetype may seem to put a bit of a dampener on many of Mars’ more exuberant excesses, it would be wrong to view it only as a party-pooper. Undoubtedly, Mars-Saturn transits will bring about periods of cooling-off and a sense that life is not as fun as it could be. But Saturn is not against enjoyment. Saturn is against frivolity and over-indulgence in fleeting pleasures; it is against recklessness and the unsustainable pursuit of heightened or intensified states. Accordingly, Mars-Saturn transits may be times when it feels harder to straightforwardly enjoy those kinds of pleasure-seeking which come with detrimental consequences attached. With Mars-Saturn, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so you might be left wondering whether Sunday’s hangover was a fair price to pay for Saturday’s revelry. But not every kind of fun results in subsequent suffering, and Mars-Saturn transits can also be times when we find ways to express the vigour and vitality of Mars in more responsible and satisfying ways.
Under Mars-Saturn’s influence, we have to be conscious of the fact that Saturn’s nature is to limit and constrict Mars. If we do not bring any conscious intention to the table, this can result in the energy of Mars being prevented from flowing out of our physical and spiritual bodies. If we are used to being able to express and unleash our inner Mars with ease and gusto, Saturn’s involvement may feel like somebody has just put a lid on the system, and blocked up the vectors of escape that Mars usually takes. This can cause a lot of active negative emotion. But with a little awareness, it is easy enough to notice that the pathways out of the system are never actually closed. They are merely narrowed, and this actually provides us with an opportunity.
If the energy of Mars is like a rushing river, Mars-Saturn transits are like opportunities to build a dam, and by controlling the flow of the water, learn to harness its energy for worthwhile purposes—a buildup of pressure in the system gives us the opportunity to control the outflowing stream. On the personal level, Mars-Saturn invites us to explore ways of holding tension, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, somatically and creatively to create a sense of controlled, productive, dynamic stability. Creating dynamic (Mars) stability (Saturn) is a different task than that of finding balance. The word balance implies a degree of precarity—something like a house of cards, carefully assembled and ready to crumble in the face of the next passing breeze. The gravity and worldliness of Saturn demands more the kind of stability that comes from the toned strength of core muscles and a focused yogic connection between the soles of the feet and the Earth.
When it comes to the interpersonal frustration and stubbornness which can also be symptomatic of these transits, a similar reasoning applies. It may become a little harder to admit defeat or let go of a disagreement, and this is because the passionate impetus of Mars is actually being contained and reinforced by Saturn, leading to the potential for belligerence and boundary collisions. The challenge here is about instead learning to call upon the groundedness and gravitas of Saturn to prevent ourselves from losing control and speaking or acting in ways that hurt others, and which we later come to regret. When we approach moments of interpersonal tension with determined, focused intentionality and intensity, we can use the fire of Mars to aid us in our pursuit of worthy, morally justified, meaningful and dignified purposes.
It should be noted that the challenges which arise with these transits are not always the easiest to solve with spiritual practice—at least not in the sense in which people tend to use that term. The goals of spiritual practice are many and varied, but almost all of them require some kind of weakening or temporary de-centring of the ego—we have to relinquish our attachment worldly desires, day-to-day concerns, shame and pride, social standing, and other egoic priorities, in order to benefit. Mars can add a sense of urgency to mundane Saturnian concerns, and Saturn can reinforce Mars’ prideful masculine self-assurance, and therefore these transits can make us feel rather earthbound and reinforce egoic boundaries, making it more difficult to see the value of softening or dissolving them. Any practice where one stands to benefit by remembering their interconnection with the universe, or by subordinating themselves to a benevolent higher power tends to be less effective when this side of the Mars-Saturn complex is activated.
Accepting the Trials of Embodiment
It follows naturally that instead of wasting our energy attempting to transcend the need for worldly activity, we might make the most of the opportunity to do the kind of work that helps us to build a strong connection with our bodies. Ideal activities for working with Mars-Saturn will be things that help you to incrementally gain strength and poise. The satisfaction that is on offer here is the kind that comes from the process of building not only muscle, but muscle memory, through repeated attempts to accomplish tasks that sit squarely on the leading edge of your comfort zone. Whether it is chopping wood with an axe, or drilling screws into timber; shooting a basketball or running long distances—you want to be able to look back at where you started out and feel good about the objectively verifiable improvement of your own physical capacity or skill level. We should not let the presence of Saturn lead us to believe that the activities we choose should be dull. It is more about placing the thrill-seeking and excitable energy of Mars to a responsible purpose where your improvement is not only measurable but also feels good in the moment. Crucially, it is also important that the work matters—at least to you.
The shadow of Mars tends to arise when the physical body is not being fully inhabited and honoured. We need to keep Mars energy moving, and in order to do that, we have to participate—we have to let it move us (literally), and thus burn off any Mars energy that is surplus to requirements. By the same token, Saturn’s shadow tends to arise when the concerns of the mundane world are being shirked or avoided. Saturn calls on us to consciously engage in activities which honour our corporeality and fragility. It wants us to recognise that the health of the body is the foundation for all other facets of life. Pain, injury and illness are not always avoidable, and the lessons that we learn from them do not always seem to balance the suffering. But, Mars-Saturn transits are opportunities to be proactive about our physiological constraints, knowing that building strength and stamina will hurt, but choosing to go through the process anyway. Where it is a viable option, it may sometimes be better to volunteer for pain than it is to wait for it to arrive of its own accord.
It’s funny how the pain in the knees and ankles that you get from running further than usual feels somehow preferable to the pain in the neck that you get because you slept on it weirdly. One is a badge of honour, while the other feels arbitrary and cruel. This is because the physiological phenomena that we think of as pain only makes up one small part of the overall experience of of pain. You are not only a physiological being, but also an emotional, psychological, and spiritual one, and when you experience pain, the pain also co-arises in these other domains. In a sense, we can see how Saturn humbles the body with hardship, but because this hardship has been incurred through voluntary acts of courage, attempts to better oneself, or simply a desire to honour the body by really using it, it is easier to bear. In the process of delivering humility to the body, Saturn also dignifies the masculine pride of Mars, steering it away from haughtiness and towards appropriate feelings of self-respect. In this way, Mars-Saturn affords us the psychological, emotional and spiritual strength and stamina which allows us to interpret the physiological sensation of pain with more equanimity.
There is something extremely vital about the kind of growth that comes from pushing through a pain barrier. In saying this, it becomes important to emphasise that this type of work is not about becoming strong in some objective sense, and it is not simply about working out for its own sake. Nor is it the case that pain can always be worked with in this way, and sometimes the entirety of this path can be about recovery and just getting back up to zero. I don’t mean to make light of anybody’s suffering. But whatever our starting point, the Mars-Saturn path is about getting stronger, step by step, piece by incalculably tiny piece. It is not about reaching a goal, it is about feeling yourself becoming more empowered, poised, durable and more capable—not only cognitively, but somatically, quite literally becoming more of what you are. Obviously, there are kinds of emotional, psychological and spiritual work which are analogous, which require the same values to be expressed in those domains. But there is something special about bodies—about your body.
Though it may not always be easy to see it this way, a lifetime in a human body is the most wondrous gift imaginable. Stop to consider the richness and immense detail with which you experience all the highs and lows of life. If a new VR system came to market that could deliver anything like the multi-sensory vividness, quality and expansiveness of actual reality, it would perhaps represent the most impressive and exciting feat of human ingenuity to date. We would be blown away. Yet, here we are, surrounded by the actual universe, somehow unable to remember how to be similarly awestruck. Our complacency and lack of wonder is not a problem that can be entirely solved by working with the Mars-Saturn pair, but these archetypes do present us with one pathway towards reconnecting with the tactile, physical world of which we are a part.
One Person’s Apathy is Another’s Profit
Human bodies are not supposed to be minimally used and kept in a state of sedentary malaise while an endless stream of words, images, sounds and ideas occupy the mind. Obviously, it is physically easier to watch a Netflix documentary about somebody climbing a mountain than it is to actually climb one. You may even get sweaty hands, and your muscles might tense up. You may get swept up in the emotional rollercoaster; you might even shed a tear or three. But ultimately, this only brings about a hollow kind of rapture, when compared with how it is to actually reach a mountaintop by the power of your own limbs; to feel the quality of the air and the rush of the wind in the high places; to look down on the Earth with a hard, pulsing ache in your legs and wonder at the fact that you actually got from there to here with nought but the enduring power of your body. But Netflix documentaries turn a profit, and it is more challenging to monetise an actual mountain.
Perhaps it is an obvious point to make, but hopefully it is clear to see how one way that our culture makes it hard for us to choose the Mars-Saturn path is by presenting us with an incessant, addictive and invasive stream of sense data, information and imagery which is designed to be consumed sitting down. So long as we allow our attempts to engage these archetypes to be played out vicariously rather than in an embodied way, we will not be satisfied. We will not find good ways to control and titrate the excess of masculine energy; will not come to know our inner warrior spirit which thrives in the arena of physical challenge; will not volunteer ourselves into an embodied state of humility; will not imbue our pride in physical accomplishments with Saturnian dignity—all these things and more, we will not do, unless we find some way of using the body for good, and in ways that make it progressively more capable.
So, you may feel like I am just telling you to go to the gym, but in truth, I don’t think that is the best way to work with these archetypes. If the gym works for you, that is wonderful. Given the structure of society as it is, I’m not anti-gym per-se. But really, the existence of buildings filled with glorified hamster wheels which we pay a monthly subscription in order to access is symptomatic of a truly idiotic dimension of our cultural paradigm (especially when you consider that billions of pounds are spent every year on gym memberships that go almost completely unused). I can’t say it any better than indigenous Australian scholar and writer, Tyson Yunkaporta who reflects:
“It’s difficult to find the mental space to question systems of power when we’re working eight hours, then trying to lift heavy weights that don’t need lifting or pedalling bikes that go nowhere for an hour so we don’t die of a heart attack from being stuck for a third of our lives in a physically restrictive workspace.”
In a healthy culture, the daily activities that constitute the ordinary functioning of things would include sufficient physical activity to keep us in touch with our bodies. Really, there is nothing special about the Mars-Saturn work—it should just be an ongoing part of everyday life. It is only because of the absurd constraints placed upon us by late-stage capitalism that so many of us sit down all day, and subsequently have to find intentional ways to engage with and maintain our bodies.
People who do have physically active jobs can benefit from bringing the kinds of focused intentionality mentioned previously to the job site, but if one’s employer is more motivated by the financial bottom line than the wellbeing of their workforce (as most are), this may be inadequate advice. If the systems we participate in for work view our bodies as exploitable resources, this inevitably makes it more difficult to avoid the negative facets of the Mars-Saturn pair—it is likely (and perfectly justified) that the average labourer feels resentment towards the shareholders who are extracting value directly from their body, rather than revelling in the glorious pursuit of a deeper sense of their own embodied sense of tangibility and empowerment. What is really needed is a holistic pattern of living which gives us good reasons to move and work with our bodies; to be motivated to develop strength, courage, stability and endurance for reasons that are intrinsically tied to things that matter to us.
In Defence of Athleticism
There should also be time in our lives for activities like sport and martial arts which we pursue because they are fun and they make us feel alive, and which gives us further motivation to maintain and improve the state of our bodies. It is an unfortunate fact that most people are introduced to such activities at an early age, in the context of school systems which do an absolutely shocking job of framing, teaching and facilitating the endeavours. Mostly, sport is presented purely in the form of competition and has the unavoidable effect of creating hierarchies of competence where the most capable students win acclaim and admiration while the least capable are publicly shamed and humiliated. Like all hierarchies, this works very well for those at the top, provides basically nothing for the majority in the middle, and actively traumatises and harms those at the bottom.
These traumas can cut very deep, and even when they appear to be fairly innocuous, the complexes that form around them as we grow up lead a great many people to believe that sports, exercise, martial arts, and intense physical activity of any kind are simply not a part of their identity—they are consigned to the shadow, as Jung would say. In such cases, it is not uncommon for us to pick up a purely derisive attitude towards such activities and the people who participate in them. This is very common, and might not seem like a big deal, but it is actually a tragedy unto itself, because all these psychological patterns will need to be examined and untangled, if we are ever to reclaim the Mars-Saturn parts of self, whose value I have spoken of at length already and will not extoll again now, except to say this:
If you feel that what I have described as the Mars-Saturn path is absent from your life (or inadequately present), please, feel no further shame about that on my account. Rather, I hope that you feel empowered to fail (Saturn) forwards (Mars). Be encouraged to push your physical boundaries, knowing that there is a deeply satisfying pleasure available there, and even if it does come with a little pain, at least it is a pain that you can feel good about having earned. Find ways to grow and strengthen that enhance your sense of meaning and where you can be motivated by a sense of serious-play. Know that while these are not the most transcendent energies, there is a profound sense of grounding and tangible embodiment on offer which is extremely nourishing to the whole of your being. And, if you happen to be unable to move your body very much, and have read through to the end of this essay regardless, I bow to you. Know that this is only one of many paths that archetypal astrology illuminates, which lead towards your wholeness.