Saturn (Roman mythology), also known as Cronus (Greek Mythology) or Shani (Vedic Mythology) is a paradoxical god, for he symbolises the lowest of valleys and pits and simultaneously the greatest and mightiest of heights. His emblem is the ancient scythe or sickle, traditionally associated with agriculture and harvest. Such a toiling of the earth was historically and universally associated with the labouring or inferior classes, hence Saturn signifies the lowly stratas of society — the impoverished, subordinates, servants, slaves, proletariat, plebeians, peasantry. Conversely, Saturn, the deity and planet also bestows the highest of positions, signifying earned status, reputation and height, epitomising the ‘rags to riches’ or ‘ugly duckling’ phenomenon, in which a lowly entity attains beauty and glory through arduous struggle and striving.
Shani
As Outlined in the Vedas, a body of ancient sacred religious texts forming the foundation of Hinduism, dating back to around 1500–500 BCE, Shani is the son of Surya, the Sun. The esoteric and occult symbolism of the Sun, opposes Saturn’s, representing the father, king, nobility, gold, sovereignty, the pinnacle of hierarchies, transcendence, divinity, and holiness. Shani is born ugly, deformed and disfigured, resulting in his mother and father’s rejection and abandonment of him. Thus despite his royal heritage, Shani being excommunicated, exiled and expelled, is rendered a cloaked and veiled heir to the throne. Having lost all benefits of regality, Saturn starts from the bottom, and though initially shrouded, weak, sickly and crippled, the external (severe treatments and conditions) and internal (his merciless standards) pressure and harshness he is subjugated to produce beauty, rendering him the most beautiful of swans. Ultimately, the insurmountable fortitude of a mere outcast, a mere peasant, renders him mighty beyond kings. Thus, fundamentally, the legend of Shani acts testament to the notion that true greatness, eminence and beauty becomes not despite adversity but because of it.
Western Tradition
A kindred narrative is seen within the Western tradition. Modern characters like Aragorn, a humble ranger from The Lord of the Rings, or Jon Snow, an abandoned and isolated bastard, within the Game of Thrones, epitomise the Saturnian journey. Both characters are forced to take menial jobs, unaware of their true heritage. They honour their earthly, menial, service jobs, slowly climbing the ranks to dominion, rising to power and greatness, due not to blood, lineage and nepotism, but rather to perseverance and actual merit. Ultimately without hierarchy, Saturn has nothing to climb and it is during such a burdensome ascent that he metamorphosises into something beautiful.
Diamonds
Such Saturnian tales irrefutably parallel the formation of diamonds, whereby heat, pressure and time transform carbon within the depths of the earth into crystalline structures of immense value. Indeed the unparalleled value of diamonds (and consequently of that which diamonds symbolise: merit and saturn) are elucidated through economic statistics. Though gold (typifying royalty, the sun, nepotism) is quantitatively rarer, diamonds hold greater monetary value, with one gram of a diamond costing thousands of dollars (depending on colour and clarity), compared to a gram of gold, which on average costs less than a hundred pounds, depending upon the fluctuations of the market. Additionally their crystalline clarity is what enables them to emit light and shine, akin to that of the Saturnian individual, who after subjugation to and resilience in the face of pressure and heat becomes radiant and luminous (with luminosity being etymologically connected to increased consciousness and awareness; enlightenment). Moreover, diamonds are renowned for their durability and hardness, due to the strong covenant bonds of the carbon atoms which comprise them and the tight lattice arrangement of such carbon atoms, a quality which parallels that of Saturn. Interestingly, the durability and strength of Saturn is buttressed by empirical, namely astronomical data. Saturn is the most fortified and armoured planet within our Solar System, surrounded by a protective ring consisting of ice, rock, and dust.
Uttara Bhadrapada
Uttara Bhadrapada is a nakshatra, namely the 26/27 nakshatra. The term nakshatra is derived from the Sanskrit term, ‘na ksharati’, translating to ‘that which does not decay’, a reference to the stars, which are seemingly eternal, unchanging and immoral. Nakshatras are notable constellations then, which reside within the lunar mansions (27 segments of the moon’s orbit around the earth). The nakshatra, Uttara Bhadrapada, which translates to ‘the second of the blessed feet’, is ruled by the planetary body Saturn (since all nakshatras are ruled by certain planets). The themes of Saturn are therefore echoed within the tales of Uttara Bhadrapada, (one being the fairytale of Cinderella). The nakshara falls within or extends across Pisces, ranging from 3.20 degrees till 16.40 degrees.
To place this nakshatra within its cosmic context, it is important to remember what has occurred in the previous nakshatra, Purva Bhadrapda, which bridges us from aquarius to pisces, the house of liberation (with pisces ruling the 12th house, the last house of the zodiac, representing the realm of material demise or death and thus earthly liberation). Purva Bhadrapada is a major testing point, in which one enters a boundless, dry and barren desert. Deserts are a frequent scriptural motif, synonymous with a realm of trials and tribulations, especially through temptation. Here the archetype of the malevolent demon arises alluring one to engage in the Faustian bargain, a deal whereby Faust — the protagonist of a classic German legend notoriously sells his soul to the devil or Mephistopheles, for worldly gains such as knowledge, power, and riches. Moreover, in Islamic folklore, deserts are ‘unclean places believed to be inhabited by djinn, malevolent spirits who take the form of animals, to lead others astray.’ It is also the abode in which Jesus was ‘engaged in spiritual warfare with Satan, who tried to tempt Him’. Perhaps this symbolism is attributable to the physically imposing and trying essence of the given terrain, typified by the scolding wrath of the sun (esoterically an emblem of God).
The desert as an adobe of anguish, suffering, and torment allies it with purgatory, in Catholic doctrine a realm of temporary or transient hellish agony inhabited by souls of sinners expiating their sins before their ascent to paradise. The etymology of purgatory reveals the paradoxical symbolism of deserts — derived from the Latin purgare meaning ‘purify’, from purus meaning ‘pure’ — as a domain of temptation and adversity only to cleanse, purge and purify.
Purva Bhadrapadha is notably under the control of the spirit Jupiter. Jupiter rules the ether element and is located in the throat center, also known as the 5th or Vishuddha chakra. Vishudda (vi - Sanskirt for deep and profound, vish for poisons, shuddhi for purification) is where an intense purification of toxins prevails. This makes sense given that Jupiter is the cosmic guru, that which guides one to the righteous path, the path of purity and of virtue. Ultimately then Purva Bhadrapadha is the cremation fire, for the word ‘ether’ is etymologically tied to the Greek word ‘burn’, again buttressing the notion that this nakshatra is related to purgatory, a realm of incineration and immolation which serves to purify and cleanse.
Purva Bhadrapada native’s artistic creations are full of imagery of individuals alight, aflame and ignited, demonstrating their willingness and ability to burn within them all that which is impure, unworthy, inadequate, and false. Ultimately, firmly connecting to their true selves, even in the most tempting of circumstances, attaining the grade of the master of the temple, reaching the Saturnian command centre binah (Kabbalah) or the ajna chakra. This is indicated in fact that Purva Bhadrapadha, is where Jupiter, the largest and juiciest of planets, is at the pinnacle of his permissive expansion. Thus demonstrating that there is potential for great inner development within this nakshatra if one passes the tests of personal discipline, control and restraint. After the blaze, fire, or inferno of self purification slowly burns out, the individual arises now covered in ashes (Uttara Bhadrapada).
Cinderella
This is where we find Cinderella, she who is dirtied with cinders (ashes). The story commences with the death of her mother and her father’s marriage to a harsh, domineering, and stern woman. Cinderella is reduced to a mere servant by her ugly stepmother and stepsisters, coerced into serving them; washing their laundry, cooking their dinner, washing their dishes, scrubbing their floor and so on. She is stripped away from earthly luxuries and comforts, made to sleep in a straw bed, clad in ragged clothes and shrouded in darkness and dirt. Though Cinderella tolerates their abuse with patience and kindness, a token of her inner strength. Such external adversity — austere mercilessness, pressure and hardships — act to inwardly refine her, forging her into someone sophisticated, refined, mature, wise, disciplined, restrained crystalline, conscious (like Shani, Aragon and Jon snow) resulting in her embodiment of true beauty. Hence why Venus, the planet of beauty, exalts in Saturn, the planet of limitation.
Cinderella’s opportunity to reveal her beauty is granted to her when the royal prince hosts a ball, extending invitations to all the maidens of the kingdom. Despite several obstacles, Cinderella attends the ball with the help of her fairy godmother, who does not transform her, but rather unveils her previously shrouded and cloaked innate beauty. Such a fairy godmother serves as the archetypal counterpart or twin of the evil stepmother. Both represent the dual and paradoxical nature of Saturn, initially a cruel and punishing disciplinarian and eventually a benevolent rewarder, though always just, bestowing to one in proportion to the purity of their sacrifice. Importantly, the fairy godmother adorns Cinderella in glass slippers —- illustrating her inner virtues of poise, control, lightness, and grace, which allow her to walk in such fragile shoes without shattering them. This contrasts sharply with her stepsisters, who dare not fit into such shoes — (Cinderella accidentally loses the shoe while hurrying home from the ball, prompting Prince Charming to search for its rightful owner by having it tried on by all the maidens) — possessing large and clumsy feet (a body part ruled by Saturn) symbolising their lack of refinement, elegance, and self-restraint.
Cinderella’s earliest astrological connection traces back to the French author Charles Perrault, whose moon was in Uttara Bhadrapada. Perrault wrote his own version of the pre-existing folktale in 1697, acting to popularise and westernise the tale, setting the foundation for its enduring legacy. In 1950, Walt Disney animated his story, launching the tale into the modern collective consciousness. Within this animation, Cinderella was voiced by Ilene Woods, also an Uttara Bhadrapada moon native. In 2015, the tale was once again reimagined in a live-action adaptation, crowning another Uttara Bhadrapada moon native, Lily James, as Cinderella. In other words, the undeniable connection between Cinderella and Uttara Bhadrapada is reinforced in the realm of art, literacy and film.
Bibliography
Eternalised. “The Psychology of The Wise Old Man (Sage).” September 25, 2023. https://eternalisedofficial.com/2023/09/25/the-psychology-of-the-wise-old-man/#1-the-symbolism-of-the-desert.
Nakti, Claire. “The "Billionaire’s Bride" Zodiac Sign 🦋 From Ashes to Riches: Uttara Bhadrapada & Saturn.” October 21, 2022. 2:15:45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xvgMCUOm6Y&t=1830s.
Orphic Inscendence. “The Wisdom of Saturn.” (blog), Patreon, January 14, 2023. https://www.patreon.com/posts/wisdom-of-saturn-77180084.
Orphic Inscendence. “The Wisdom of the Sun.” (blog), Patreon, February 18, 2023.
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