Amissio
The Mourner – Loss – Outer Wealth, Reach, Escape, Lost, Spilt Bag – Outer Earth, Inner Fire
Amissio is the Geomantic figure of loss. This loss is not necessarily a negative thing; it can also mean a loss of negative things, such as sickness, your fears, your shackles, or your tail in a car chase. However, it can also mean a negative loss, such as losing someone, a prized possession, or anything else. If an object can be lost, escape, or go missing, then it can fall under the influence of Amissio. The figure of Amissio resembles a bag spilling forth its contents onto the ground, directly representing what it means.
The archetype of Amissio is, fittingly, the Mourner: one who is mourning that which has been lost. As such, this Figure is associated with Loss, an Inability to Obtain (or Reobtain) something. As mentioned before, the Loss associated with this figure can be positive or negative. The figure’s personality is straightforward and often lacking severely in tact and sometimes in honesty, yet at the same time honor is often important to them. Loss of honor is certainly a major player in my interpretations of Amissio, and having a well-developed sense of honor can certainly lead to a great number of situations in which Loss will appear.
The Inner Element of Amissio is Fire; An overabundance of Inner Fire, when pasted onto the Outer Element of Earth signifies the dissipation of the pure spiritual energy of Fire as it translates itself into the laws of reality; this loss of energy is another major theme of Amissio. Interestingly, the two active elements in Amissio are Fire and Water: the two most obvious polar opposites. Without anything to stand between them, Fire and Water fly apart, and create loss as they separate. When fire heats water, the water escapes into the air. When water douses fire, the warmth is lost.
Amissio serves also as a reminder of the transience of the material, and also of our own desires. Astrologically, Amissio is associated with Taurus and Venus, both fertility and Earthy. Amissio, then, acts most strongly in the material realm, and reminds us of what can be lost: the fertility and gifts of the Earth. Amissio is the opposite of Conjunctio, and is a Mobile Figure.
Puer
The Grail Knight – Boy – Energy, Sword, Testicles, Warrior – Outer Fire, Inner Air
Puer is the Geomantic figure of virility and untamed manhood, not yet tempered by the experience and wisdom that comes with age. Its outer element is Fire, meaning that the figure of Puer outwardly exhibits energy, drive and willpower, and this fire is, fittingly, fueled by Air on the inside. In terms of the construction of the figure, Puer has all of the elements active save for water – meaning that Puer has the will of fire, the idealism of air, and the materialism of Earth. It lacks the compassion of Water, and it is for this that this figure – the Grail Knight (an idea put forward by John Michael Greer in his book, The Art and Practice of Geomancy) – seeks, in the form of the Grail. Puer lacks the femininity of water, and so is incomplete.
Understandably, Puer is a Mobile element, and represent the young male youth at his finest. He is brave, courageous, fiery, and driven by high-minded ideals of truth and justice that manifest in his constant need for action and questing. He can be rash and impetuous at times, as well as unstable, forceful, and unpredictable. Like his opposite, Puella, Puer is highly sexualized, and represents male virility. He is, unsurprisingly, associated strongly with the astrological symbols of Mars and Aries, and so is often confrontational, energetic, driven by a purpose, enthusiastic, and assertive: Puer imprints his will on others. He also, however, lacks the ability to receive ideas and other things on an inner level (as he lacks Water).
Puer often symbolizes action without thinking, virile energy, devotion to a higher purpose, a lack of receptivity to new ideas, thoughtlessness, courage, bravery, activity, conflict, and seeking completion. Puer is the opposite of the female figure Puella.
A Brief Note on the Direction of Posts in the Near Future
Before I move on to deeper concepts in Astrology (such as Aspects, Lunar Nodes, and Angles), I am first going to consolidate my current grasp of Sun Signs, Houses, and Planets, until I feel like I have mastered them. As such, my posts on Astrology until then will be few until I feel that I have better grasped the subject matter.
In the meantime, I will begin putting up my thoughts on another Esoteric Art this week: Geomancy, starting with the Geomantic figures. Stay tuned!
(Sun) Signs
Astrological Signs represent the medium of expression, while the Planets represent the energy of expression and the Houses represent the site of expression. If an artist is venting his frustration with society using spray paint on a concrete block, frustration is the planet, the concrete block is the House, and the spray paint is the Sign. The spray paint is serving to express the energy of anger. In Astrology, that is the role of the Signs. Each Sign represents a particular way of expressing energy, and adds a little bit of its own energy to the mix itself.
The most common use of the Astrological Sign is in determining one’s Sun Sign. A Sun Sign is the Zodiacal/Astrological Sign that the planet of the Sun was in during the time of the Astrological chart. The Sun Sign represents the prevailing trend of the chart, from which other things modify it, as the Sun as a planet represents the energy of Identity, and so whatever Sign the Sun is in is how the chart’s primary identity – and by extension, how the person or event the chart is for – expresses itself. The Sun Sign is the only factor in many horoscopes, but a true astrologer will tell you that just the Sun Sign means nothing. You need a full reading with Planets, Houses, and other Signs in order to fully understand a chart – and that is the art of Astrology.
The Planets
In the art of Astrology, the planets are the elements that tell you what is going on in a chart, and represent the primal energies of the universe. The Signs of the Zodiac – commonly referred to as the “Sun Signs” – tell you how the energies of the planets are translated into what we see before us. The Houses tell us where this translation is taking place.
In order to illustrate this, let’s take an example. If the Sun, the first planet, is in the Sign of Scorpio, this means that you Sun Sign is Scorpio. Why is this the case? Because the Sun is associated with identity and consciousness – it represents you at the fundamental level. Therefore, the energy of the Sun – the energy of identity and purpose – is expressed through Scorpio as undergoing transformation and cyclical change. Therefore, the energy of the Sun is expressed as Scorpio. Now, let us say that the Sign of Scorpio is in the Third House: the House of Communications. This means that one’s identity as a Scorpio is manifested in interactions with other people, and your transformative abilities are strongest when communicating and interacting with others – perhaps you even spread your transformation onto them.
Following the above example will allow you to fully interpret a planet in a chart. Without knowing a planet’s house and its Sign, you cannot do very much with it.
Like I said above, the Planets represent the primal energies of the universe. Everyone has some of each planet in us, which is why each planet appears on every Astrological chart. The primal energies associated with the nine major planets are below:
Sun: Identity
Moon: Emotions
Mercury: Thought
Venus: Attraction (as the opposite of Action)
Mars: Action
Jupiter: Morality
Saturn: Limitation
Uranus: Liberation
Neptune: Unification
Pluto: Transformation
The first seven planets, from the Sun to Saturn, are the planets visible to the naked eye, and so what were used for most of history in astrology. The three following it, the Trans-Saturnian planets, are all not visible to the naked eye, and are associated with breaking free of limits, taking on a different character from the other planets. The latter three major planets, then, to an extent transcend the “primal” energies of the other planets, breaking free of the restrictive nature of the other planets and the Astrological world.
There are other planetoids and asteroids that matter in Astrology, was well, but have lesser impact than these nine planets, though act in much the same way.
These nine planets tell a story, if you look at them in order. First, one is born in the Sun, and receives an identity. They are nurtured and cared for by the Moon, who gives one the gift of emotions. As one emotes, one begins to think about what one emotes, and so learns Mercury‘s Thought, and breaks free from the parental planets of the Sun and Moon. This thought allows for the phenomenon of attraction and interaction with others to take place as one arrives at Venus. In order to please the Venus in one’s life, one must take action, like Mars. However, in doing so, one must also learn to keep one’s actions in check, and so learns the morals of Jupiter. These morals set down the limits of Saturn, until you are able to break free of them with the power of Uranus, and then slowly unify the shattered fragments together and transcend with the power of Neptune, before finally transforming oneself into a new, better being with the forces of Pluto.
That is the story of the planets, from birth in the Sun to the transformation of death in Pluto. It is the journey of life, broken down into energies, and symbolized by the planets.
The Current State of the Occupy Movement
Those of you who have been following this blog know that my mind has been, in almost all of the previous readings I have posted here, been preoccupied with the Occupy Movement across the globe, and reading its widespread effects in the spreads. I was reflecting on the current state of the Movement – it seems to have lost a lot of momentum and has certainly dropped from the media radar and much public knowledge – and contrasting that with what I had predicted. I seem to have been rather off-kilter in my predictions (though I did think that it was maybe possible for the Movement to go into a “dormant” phase; this could very well be it), only to re-emerge more brightly in the future. However, I am anything but infallible, and may very well have misread the cards based on my situation in a place where I could not see the full picture.
If we look at Marx’s theories of Revolution, the Revolution to overthrow the governing classes must be composed of the workers united in one consciousness. As a Teaching Assistant in my Social Theories class insightfully pointed out, the Occupy Movement was made up of middle-class college students primarily, and when the working class did get involved, segregation in the Occupy camp occurred. Nothing was really solved, and the working class was still excluded and left out. This might account for why it has appeared to flop so badly.
Or perhaps there is another explanation; Marx was far from infallible. If he had been completely correct, the Great Depression would have resulted probably in a Communist Revolution in the United States. As far as we know, that did not happen. So, I decided to ask the cards for clarification, and went with a deck I use very little: The Dark Grimoire Deck.
I used the standard Celtic Cross Spread, and got this:
Card 1 – Central Factor: Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands is a fiery card, filled with the pure spirit and will of Fire. In the Dark Grimoire Deck, the Ace of Wands is the cover of the Book of Light, representing creativity and sexuality. The central factor in determining the current state of the occupy Movement appears to be the pure sexual/fiery energy of creativity. But on whose part – the Occupiers or the Occupied? Is the current state of the Occupy Movement a result of the fiery ideological counterattack by the media and the right? Or is it perhaps a result of the fire of the movement starting strong and burning with a passion and then burning out? Or, perhaps it is a combination of the two; as rhetoric against the Occupy Movement grew (both sides began to criticize it, though for different reasons), the Movement itself began to splinter under pressure, and as the media shifted its attention away from it, like a fire the Occupy Movement began to gutter out, until like a flame its strength and power had ebbed away.
This card also represents the cover of a book. It tells us that the Occupy Movement has this fiery energy and creativity, but also that the book hasn’t completely opened yet. This seems to support my earlier conclusions about the Movement entering a “dormant” phase; the real story has not even begun yet.
Card 2 – Supporting Factor: The Lovers
This card indicates two personalities coming together and bonding, in some form or another. In this case, this bond, I think could be between two distinct personalities of the Occupy Movement: its middle-class personality and its revolutionary personality, coming together to create a revolution of the middle class. This revolution would look very different from a working class revolution, and would not have the same intensity as a working class revolution would. Perhaps this mismatched relationship is part of the cause for the movement’s recent downturn. Another interesting aspect of this card in the Dark Grimoire deck is that a third figure appears on the art, looking on the two lovers, creating a sense of impending doom. Who is this third figure? In this case, it could very well be the working class, which has been excluded from this revolutionary relationship through segregation in the camps and middle-class dominance of the Movement. In this situation, this card seems to have a more ominous and less positive connotation, and becomes a card of exclusion rather than bonding.
There are other relationships that this card could indicate. The Occupy Movement’s bond with the left and its strong association with it in a country with conservative leanings could also account for their current situation. The third figure in this case would be the right-wing in the United States, who have been left out of the Occupy Movement even though many conservatives would benefit from its success. This exclusion allows the media to delegitimize the Movement by associating it with politics rather than economic justice. It could also indicate the alliance of conservatives and liberals in striking down the Movement, making the third figure the Movement itself.
Card 3 – Past Influence: Two of Wands [Reversed]
So what laid in the Occupy Movement’s past? The Two of Wands – reversed. The Two of Wands is associated with domination and power, and this card in this position could indicate that the Movement in the past had power and the potential to change things, but perhaps no longer; this power is receding, either permanently or temporarily. Interestingly, both the Ace and Deuce of Wands appear in this spread; the Ace is in the present, and the Deuce in the past. This indicates a retrograde storyline; the book was opened and the story was read (the Two), but then the reader (in this case, social consciousness) rejected the storyline and shut the book, bringing it back to its cover.
This raises the question: why was the storyline rejected? Maybe, as Marx would likely theorize, the conditions weren’t right yet. Perhaps Marx is completely wrong, and the Occupy Movement’s aims will never be accomplished. Maybe the story will open again, and maybe not.
The Two of Wands is in this case Reversed, which is important to keep in mind. Perhaps that is why the storyline was rejected; perhaps the power that the Occupy Movement displayed earlier was false, and it appeared to be larger than it actually was (I believe I myself fell into this trap). This would account, I believe, for why the book closed; the Movement did not have the power it claimed as a result of leaving out important factors (as indicated by the Lovers), and so was destined to fail – for the moment. The book still exists, as indicated by the presence of the Ace of Wands. The art of the Two of Wands in this deck shows two men plotting something around a table, which hints that perhaps the movement was less spontaneous than it has been presented as – and perhaps reinforcing that the lack of inclusion of working-class individuals hurt the Movement (the figures in the image are distinctly scholarly).
Card 4 – Future Influence: The Magician
In the future we have the card that serves as the cover image of this deck: the Magician. The Magician is a card of manipulation, a master of esoteric secrets, and a channel of the divine or supernatural. He serves as a bridge between the realms of illusory reality and true reality. In the Dark Grimoire Deck, he is portrayed as writing a book. The Magician is, therefore, the person writing the story.
But what story, do you ask? He is writing the story that we all read and experience. Everyone has their own magician, writing their life story, but in this case, the energy of the Magician is powerful enough to manifest itself in a spread, in the position of the Future. The influence of the Magician is rising, and will eventually become a dominant force in the occupy Movement. We can hope. This, to me, indicates that in the future the Occupy Movement will resurge and will begin to write the story of the world, indicating its success.
However, I am biased. I want the Occupy Movement to succeed. What if, instead, the Magician is indicating that the opponents of the Movement will be writing the story? Nothing is specified. In the present moment, the opponents of the Movement are writing the story; politicians, the media, and conservatives dominate the discussion, and even liberals discredit the movement, writing the Movement’s history for it. Perhaps the Magician indicates that this trend will continue into the future.
So, then, who in this situation is the Magician?
Turning to the cards themselves, I noticed that the Major Arcana from I to IV are all present, and in very close proximity to each other. This, to me, seems to indicate that the prevailing story of the Occupy Movement is that of the Major Arcana, and is a coming of age story for the Movement. The Magician serves as a teacher for the Movement, which to me indicates that the Magician refers to those others writing the history’s Movement: the media and politicians. The Movement will hopefully learn from this experience, and move onward and forward, for the Magician is a teacher. Adversity and the active manipulation of your Movement by others can serve as a fine teacher.
Card 5 – Unconscious Influence: The Hanged Man
This card has darker connotations than normal in the Dark Grimoire Deck. It actually depicts a Hanged Man. This, to me, says that the hidden, underlying causes of the Movement’s current state is despair of some kind; the artwork on the card evokes ideas of suicide (quite obviously, really) and depression. Perhaps the Movement has ceased in most of its efforts because it could see how badly the odds were stacked against them, and support began to ebb as it became clear that nothing would change as a result of their actions. This supports my early theory of classifying the Movement as a flame: burning hot and bright, then simmering down quickly and burning out.
This card could also indicate that the Movement is merely biding its time and waiting; after all, the Hanged Man is card of going with the flow. Perhaps the Movement is waiting to gain more legitimacy, waiting to see what happens, and then resurge again when the time is right. This card seems to indicate that the current state of affairs is temporary, and that beneath the surface, the spirit of the Movement remains alive, but in an unrecognizable state. The time was not right for the Movement (again reinforcing what has already been said), and so the Hanged man came to have unconscious influence.
Card 6 – Conscious Influence: The High Priestess
The High Priestess, in the Dark Grimoire Deck, stands with the book the Magician wrote in her hand, reading it first and holding its secrets in her heart and mind. The High Priestess here is the first to interpret and fully comprehend the Magician’s words – perhaps even better than the Magician himself. She is an initiator of mysteries, and another channel of the divine. As a conscious influence, this card to me seems to indicate that the Occupy Movement is inspired by higher morals and ideals from a higher plane (economic justice), and that its current state relates to these ideals. Perhaps the segregation of the Movement between middle and working class Americans violated this ideals, and in order to maintain its legitimacy, the Movement had to lie low until it once again came in tune with this divine inspiration.
Perhaps this card could also indicate that the Movement is acting as a reader of the world, and is carefully watching everything said about it, and has realized that perhaps a better time for the Movement will come later. Perhaps they have subdued themselves because of signs they have seen; violent crackdowns, negative media coverage, and abundant criticisms of the Movement. They are taking a more passive stance, and reading the world again to determine when the time will again be right. This reinforces the themes of waiting and passivity found in the Hanged Man.
Card 7 – The Movement’s Own Perspective: Ace of Swords
Another Ace makes itself known, indicating that perhaps the Movement has a lot of unrealized potential; the Movement’s story has not yet even really begun. The Ace of Swords is the Ace of Demons, corresponding to the realms of thought and control. The Movement perhaps believes that it is in control of its own fate, and believes that it will fail or succeed based purely upon its own merits, actions, and mental attitudes. The reason for the present situation of the Movement is not because its opponents are doing better, but rather it is because the members of the Movement itself are failing in some way. As this card represents how the Movement itself feels about the situation, I find the above unlikely. Rather, I think that this card indicates that the Movement is aware of the control that the media, corporations, and the privatized political systems have in this country, and so are choosing to wait until they are weaker before rising up to strike again. Or, at the very least, the Movement believes this to be true. This card I am unable to shed much light on, as I am not an Occupier myself.
Card 8 – Society’s Perspective: Two of Swords [Reversed]
Interesting that the Two of Swords immediately follows the Ace. Perhaps the book of Swords – the Book of Control – has been opened by someone other than the Occupy Movement. Perhaps Society has opened the book and is reading and interpreting it in its own way, and thereby seizing control of the Movement’s future. The artwork shows Erich Zann (from H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Music of Erich Zann”) playing his violin while blindfolded, indicating a blind devotion and a search for inner tranquility that may be shattered at any moment by the Demons standing below him. Peace is fragile, this card reminds us, and society is getting this message as well. This card, to me, indicates that society realizes that there is a serious problem, and that the Occupy Movement has helped to raise awareness of this problem, even if it did not accomplish what it set out to do. This card is also reversed, indicating that perhaps the influence of the Occupy Movement on society’s perspective is hidden and not obvious, manifesting itself in a greater awareness of social issues in the country.
Interestingly, both Twos that appear in this spread are reversed. This seems to indicate that the story of the Movement has begun, at least in part, but that we are having trouble progressing past the beginning – perhaps due to flaws within the Movement itself, or because it has such powerful opponents. The fact that Erich Zann is blindfolded also has significance. The card is reversed, which could indicate that the blindfold will soon be coming off, and that society perceives the Occupy Movement as inherently flawed and silly, but at the same time as bringing something in dire need of attention to light: social inequalities in the United States and the world. Now that the Occupy Movement has done that, it is receding, as that goal has been accomplished, which might explain the Movement’s current state.
Card 9 – Advice/Hopes/Fears: The Emperor
The Emperor is a bringer of justice and order, as well as a symbol of power and authority. It reinforces the theme of fire we have seen throughout the spread as well. In this case, the Occupy Movement probably fears the order imposed upon them by the police, politicians, and the media, and the laws of society as a whole. What it hopes for is the justice that the Emperor brings to everyone. What it could do better is bring this justice to their own movement, end segregation within its camps, and come up with more ideas than just throwing out a lot of the old system. Perhaps if smaller concrete goals could be imagined (as difficult as this would be, given the broad goals of the Movement now), more might be accomplished, changing the order and sense of justice incrementally.
Card 10 – Summation: The Empress
The Empress is companion to the Emperor. She welcomes the Emperor’s subjects and nurtures them, preparing them for the indoctrination of the Hierophant and for her husband’s acceptance. This card in this position tells us that if things continue as they are, the Empress is the result. This seems at odds with the rest of the reading; the nurturing mother figure of the Empress?
Keep in mind that this reading is not examining the trajectory of the Movement as its primary focus. Rather, I am examining the factors behind its current situation. In this case, this summary card to me indicates that the Occupy Movement is in its current state in order to better care for its members and society as a whole. Its tactics have proved largely ineffective, and its members are fleeing the Movement. Many members of the Movement need to obtain jobs and money, and so leave the Movement, weakening it in order to nurture themselves – maybe so that later they can give back to the Movement. The Movement is also drawing a lot of fire, and a lot of arrests have been made, so perhaps the Movement is lying low to give its members time to recover and nurse themselves back to health, so that the movement can continue fighting.
General Thoughts
Three things drew my attention immediately about this spread. The first was the presence of a large number of Major Arcana, indicating that large forces are behind the Movement’s current situation, perhaps many beyond its control. The second was that there were no Court Cards, indicating that strong personalities or individuals were not involved; this is a reminder that the Movement has no real “leader.” The third thing I noticed was that there were no Minor Arcana cards above the Two, which seems to suggest that the Occupy Movement is only the first stage in a much longer process, as its story has only just been opened.
So, in summary, the Occupy Movement is in its current state because it has burned itself out and faces poor publicity as a result of others writing its story, and is now sitting back and biding its time, waiting for the proper moment to rise again and allowing itself to lick its wounds and heal from the assaults on it. In the end, the Occupy Movement is only the first chaper – the opening lines and cover – of the book telling the history of the world, one forged in Fire and Air, the only two appearing elements in the spread. Emotions and Practicality are not the true essence of the Movement, but rather fiery willpower combined with lofty ideals. These things are necessary before the full revolution will occur, but we have a long way to go before we reach our final destination…
♇ Pluto
Transformation, Renewal, and Rebirth
Pluto is the last of the Trans-Saturnian planets, and also the last of the entire set of planets. Like Uranus and Neptune, Pluto is associated with breaking free of the limitations of Saturn, but in a different way than the previous two. Uranus seeks to smash asunder the barriers, Neptune seeks to transcend, surpass, or dissolve them slowly, and Pluto seeks to eliminate the retrictions by transforming them irreversibly.
Pluto is the planetary Ruler of Scorpio, which is fitting, as Pluto is most commonly known as the god of Death. He is also, however, a god of Life, and in ancient worship was actually revered as representing the balance between these two halves of existence. He ruled the Underworld, and yet at the same time, cornucopias were made in Pluto’s/Hades’ honor, representing fertility by depicting his penis (yes, that is what cornucopias really mean).
Pluto is, then, a symbol of both life and death, and more importantly the transformation that occurs when one passes between states. Pluto is a planet of large transformations and of renewal. If life did not die, then nothing would be renewed; everything would remain stagnant. The cosmos would stop progressing, and eventually would wither away. Pluto represents the forces that transform, reshape, regenerate, and renew. The planet’s energies change everything around them drastically, and not always for the better, for Pluto’s energies include both creation and destruction. An excess of Pluto typically leads to excess destruction, but at its best, Pluto is the balance between the two that allows for existence to continue to exist. It is the constant change and transformation that fill our lives, allowing us to change form, personality, and spirit.
♆ Neptune
Transcendence, Unity, and Empathy
Neptune is the second of the Trans-Saturnian planets, and takes the freedom embodied by Uranus to its next logical step: transcendence. Neptune is the planetary Ruler of Pisces, the Sun Sign of the mystic, and shares many things in common with this Sign. Neptune represents the freedom from the limits of Saturn that comes by passing through them and uniting with what lies beyond them. Neptune represents, essentially, the coming together of the universe, and unity in its purest form. Like the mystic, Neptune represents the loss of the individual in order to merge with the greater universal consciousness, and thus bring one’s existence into harmony with everything else.
Neptune is associated with intuition, leaps of insight, empathy, and the supernatural. The energies of Neptune are what allow people to see into other worlds, to experience sensations beyond the physical, and to understand the larger picture and purpose of life and the universe. Neptune is a sensitive planet, and grants people with the ability to perceive what is going on around them to the point where they become one with their surroundings, sometimes unable to differentiate themselves from the mass. Neptune represents the knowledge that can only come by losing oneself completely.
♅ Uranus
Uranus is the first of the Trans-Saturnian planets. Saturn was considered to be a planet of limitation in part because it was the farthest planet visible with the naked eye, and for a long while was considered to be the farthest planet, making it literally an astrological limit. Following the discovery of the first planet, Uranus, however, these limitations were shattered.
Saturn represents the outer limit of consciousness, and Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all represents the awakening of a higher sense of consciousness, and so work on a different level than the preceding planets; a higher plane of awareness.
Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius, and itself embodies the ideals of all of the Trans-Saturnian planets. Uranus is the liberator, whose consciousness is finally awakening. Unsurprisingly, Uranus is associated with our ability to break free of the limits and restrictions imposed upon us by Saturn. Uranus is also associated with change and inventiveness, such as that divinely-inspired creativity associated with Aquarius. Uranus is a rebellious planet, breaking free of its bonds, doing things that no other planet would ever think of doing.
Uranus also represents individuality, as distinct and separate from the masses. This individuality that Uranus represents encompasses the uniqueness of every individual; what makes everyone special, everyone different, and what makes every single person break from the rigid order associated with Saturn and its associated sign, Capricorn.
♄ Saturn
Discipline, Responsibility, and Limitation
Saturn is the planetary Ruler of Capricorn, and its meaning’s relationship to this Sun Sign is fairly obvious. Saturn represents one’s ability to discipline and order his life, much like Capricorn represents… well, the same thing. Saturn represents a method and way of growing and learning, paradoxically, through limiting oneself. It is a way of teaching and of learning. By mastering first that which is within your limits, you are able to expand these limits and move on, master your new limits, and then move on again. This is a responsible and mature way of learning, and so the energies of Saturn correspond to learning responsibility through discipline.
This discipline, in turn, is learned through successive limitation. This is not necessarily limitation in a negative sense, but rather in a positive sense; it helps one moderate his growth, and allows for greater mastery and control later. Knowing one’s limits is always a good thing, and they can help one in the learning process. Saturn is also an Earthy planet, and reminds us that knowing one’s limitations is a practical concern, and often can save our lives (for example, a human limitation is the lack of the ability to fly. Knowing this practical limitation is very helpful in survival). Saturn can also represent negative limitations if too strong, as well as restriction and a lack of growth, creating stagnancy. As with everything else, the key is balance. Saturn, then, represents practical knowledge and wisdom that directly affect our lives, and corresponds also to the principle of karma and the Golden Rule.
Saturn, of course, corresponds to the Titan Kronos, Lord of Time. As such, Saturn also represents the cycles of time in our lives, and the slow growth that comes from learning one’s limits, mastering them, and then moving on. Saturn is also the farthest of the planets visible to the naked eye, and is the last of the personal planets. It represents the limits of ourselves, and indeed is an important astrological limit, which will be broken by Uranus.
♃ Jupiter
Inner Strength, Ideals, Consciousness
Jupiter is the ruler of the gods, and makes up (most) of the ideals of our existence. As such, at its core, Jupiter represents our compulsion to seek out the higher ideals of life: understanding, truth, justice, meaning, ethics, and other abstract values and concepts. Jupiter is a planet of exploration and expanding the borders of the soul and mind. This planet seeks a greater understanding of the world, and in order to do so studies everything; it does not focus on one thing only, but rather on learning some of everything in order to broaden its worldview.
Jupiter is the Ruler of Sagittarius, the Sun Sign associated with philosophy and learning. This goes very well with Jupiter’s association with the broadening of the mind and one’s own consciousness, and with this increase in awareness comes a sense of hope and a deepening of faith in something. Jupiter represents, then, spiritual growth as well. It is also associated with good fortune, and in particular that which comes from one’s own inner strength, optimism, and comfort.
EsoTarot 
