From Pluto to the Sun: A Metaphoric Journey of the Soul (Pt. 2)

[This is a continuation of the previous post]. Now in this fourth station, the soul has entered the Saturnian land of “time” and “mortality” (element of Earth). Number 4 also stands for solidity and stasis (as represented by the 4 sides of a square). Things feel to be heavy and slow in Saturn Station:

Saturn Station:

Most souls naturally do not like this dimension, especially if they carry memories of their blissful pre-existence in the Neptunian womb. Yet, once a soul enters the station of Saturn (“Physical realm”), i. e. after it has already been “expelled” (Uranus) from the Garden of Eden (Neptune), it has officially “incarnated” into an earthly body which is now subject to Saturnian laws, including limitation, aging, and death.

Jupiter Station:

In the fifth station comes Jupiter (element of Fire) and the soul, therefore, tries to “make sense” of his or her whole experience as an earthling incarnated into a body bound by the oppression of time and space, facing mortality in every breath. Hence the Jupiterian function of “faith” comes to play (“Intuitive realm”), to add a dash of joviality and buoyancy to the dense and dark Saturnian existence.

Without the soul entering this 5^th dimension, the earthly experience would be almost impossible to bear. This is also a clue as to why in ancient astrology Jupiter was the co-ruler of Pisces, along with Neptune, because in essence, Jupiter can be viewed as the earthly version of Neptune, reminding us of the possibility of expansion, breaking free, and transcending into something bigger than ourselves.

The Four Elements:

So far, from Neptunian Garden of Eden to Jupiter’s restorative faith after the shocking incident of expulsion (birth), we have the four elements proceeding as follows:

Water (Neptune) / Air (Uranus) / Earth (Saturn) / Fire (Jupiter)

Or:

Emotional realm / Intellectual realm / Physical realm / Intuitive realm

Which, interestingly enough, corresponds with the order of the first four zodiacal signs in reverse: Cancer / Gemini / Taurus / Aries

One implication may be that the spiritual evolution or the “healing process” itself is probably easier to start on the “Intuitive Level” (Aries), then it can proceed to “Physical Level” (Taurus), then to “Intellectual Level” (Gemini), and finally to “Emotional Level” (Cancer).

One can thus heal their “faith” first, then do good deeds (“Karma Yoga” of Hindus), then one’s thinking patterns will change (with the help of meditation), and finally one gets to the emotional body which is the deepest layer, and can receive healing of the heart.

Mars Station:

The sixth station is associated with Mars: after having come to terms with the bilateral Saturnian / Jupiterian oxymoron of earthly existence, the soul now develops a “desire” to individuate as ­an earthling. This is also probably a clue as to why ancient astrology would assign Mars as co-ruler of Scorpio, along with Pluto, as Pluto represents the “spiritual libido” or the “desire nature of the soul” which sets the whole [re]incarnation cycle in motion, whereas Mars represents “earthly libido” or “desire nature of the body” which pushes us to move on, fight for what we want, and pursue who we are as an individual. Mars’ glyph, therefore, is quite accurate in that it represents a single arrow ready to launch and hit the target, as the individualistic nature of desire would imply.

Venus Station:

This is why in the seventh station, Venus invites the soul to “balance” this self-rising desire nature with the needs (Taurus) and desires (Libra) of “the other”. The soul here enters the realm of co-existence and co-operation. It is important to note that Earth is located between Mars and Venus, probably symbolizing that the soul cannot enter into any “relation” or “interaction” without having solidly established itself in the first place. In other words, our Earthly existence is a practice in duality (Self Vs. Other):

From the simple act of breathing (breathing in / breathing out) to all the sophisticated polarities which exist within our psyche and in nature at large, we understand ex-istence as a constant dance of out / in, the opposites coming together and separating from each other, as Mars represents the masculine principle of separating (i. e. individuating) and Venus represents the feminine principle of uniting (i. e. co-existing).

As beautifully reflected in the first Hexagram of I Ching, the constant interaction of the Masculine and the Feminine Principles can be seen in the mundane cycles of life:

Every morning the light wakes up the earth, brings it back to life.  Every new day is a new creation.  Heaven reaches down to the earth, and the earth responds, brings forth, makes life.

In the next post, I will address the last portion of the soul’s metaphoric journey, discussing Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon.