All the Pretty Meridians
…On Saturn’s station & Pluto back in Capricorn
.: All the Pretty Meridians :.
…On Saturn’s station & Pluto back in Capricorn
“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”
― Cormac McCarthy
Mr. McCarthy has moved on. With a valiant run to nearly 90, one of the legendary American writers has jumped on the spirit horse to ride to his next destination.
I often think of Cormac when constellating ideas around Pluto or Saturn. His ability to beautify the ugly, to illuminate the darkest parts of human beings was the rarest of gifts. I also think of Cormac often when writing. His bare-boned approach and clear prejudice toward any fancy use of semi-colons or dashes is a liberating notion to any writer trying to find their voice. “From All the Pretty Horses” to “Blood Meridian” and his moving works between, his stories and style have inspired millions. Born with Pluto conjunct the Sun (Cancer) with Saturn Rx (Aquarius), I shall attempt to honor his spirit in this little piece about the two planets at the center of all his tales.
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The word meridian has multiple meanings, two of which are crucial for the astrologer to know, and a couple more that can only be helpful.
In geographical terms, there is the Prime Meridian. It’s the imaginary line from which we measure longitude on the planet. It runs straight through Greenwich, England. In an astronomical sense, it is a great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through the observer’s zenith and the celestial poles. The meridian is used to measure right ascension. For those who study the body through a Chinese lens, they are the pathways of vital qi throughout us. And lastly, a meridian can be used to understand our peak potential. In all the uses of the word, we become better oriented on our journeys.
As you are probably well aware, when a planet is retrograde (Rx), it’s not actually moving backward. In a way, it’s a play on meridians. An optical illusion and invitation to get closer to understanding. When planets are Rx they are closer to Earth. Some say it’s a “bad thing,” others see it as “good and strong.” I think it’s safe to say that it is interesting and worth paying attention to.
Soon, both Pluto and Saturn will be Rx (Saturn stations on the 17th @ 7º Pisces). The atomic non-planet, Pluto has actually already fallen back into Capricorn and will remain until early next year. So, let’s use Cormac’s quote at the beginning to extract a drop of meaning from all this.
Scars have an effect on the meridians of the body. They can reroute them, causing subtle confusion amongst other meridians (I am told). My own body is a map of scars, yet I’m still unsure of how it affects those meridians, but when it comes to the meridian of my life, my goals, and my career path, the scars are constant reminders of the great mistakes and the lessons I’ve gathered from them. Scars from Saturn remind me of the truth of gravity. Scars from Pluto through the process of dying, and coming back again. We can even see the scars from stories they summoned up from an unknown well with their aspects to one another. Think: Pandemic (conjunction of 2020).
We can’t forget our past. Even if we successfully forget in our minds, our body remembers. Saturn governs our skin and our scars after all. We forget this. The power of Pluto charges to capacity when we don’t forget and have a clear understanding of our meridians. Together, when they are close and everyone is afraid and cynical, we should be the ones gathering the wood for the fire, which will end up being the place where we are reminded through their stories of what is most important.
Outer planet retrogrades may be subtle, but not when we’re really listening.
* If you’d like to do some Pluto/Saturn work I’d love to be your guide. I was born with them conjunct my Moon.
Eudaimonia,
Adam
to work with me:
…to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche
