Saturn

Hymn to the Welcome & Hymn to the Record

Hymn to Welcome

When you get to saturn
It will all come clear
You will leave your memories here
Billion miles you came so far
But you still got a long way to go
Gaze upon majestic rings
Made of bits of everything
To them you will add the names
Of everything you loved

Hymn to the Record

Each bond dissolves
As each life resolves
And, yes, you feel the pain
As you move to another plane

This is the gate
The point of no returning
The resting place
Of all you leave behind

I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never…

How did you live?
What did you give to others?
These are the questions of time

Memories of love
Or the absence of love
Are what you leave behind

This record spins
The rings record the stories
Now, please share yours…

[Mother’s voice:]

I remember when we two were one
Swimming in the deep of me
Our hearts beat in symmetry
Honey flowed to you from me

I remember when we two were two
Walking hand in hand to school
Comforting your weary tears

Holding fast across the years

I can see my face in yours
Feel me in your deep belief
That people can be kinder
Why are they not kinder?

I remember when you held my hand
As we counted down my breaths
Now I draw our names together
In the rings of Saturn

I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never gonna see you again
I’m never…

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FOR JEANNIE JONES

(May 7, 1937-November 13, 2020)

In these two songs I imagine SATURN as the celestial gate, the point of no returning for a soul leaving Earth. The first, “Hymn to Welcome” imagines a chorus of Saturn’s moons offering their instructions. The second, “Hymn to the Record” is a conversation between son and mother’s soul as the latter reaches the great rings. May these songs provide a space for all who are mourning losses and standing in awe of life itself and the Saturnian lessons of death.

Constellation Conversation

Oak

“…That ability to look back only comes with time and it only comes with wisdom. And that is the true relationship that one can have with Saturn—that through experience, we’re actually able to see the arc of what we’ve been through and really understand, “I have moved through something that actually seems difficult, but it has created the foundation for now, on which I stand.”
—Oak, in this edition of Constellation Conversations

Oak teaches how to see clearly.

They are certified by the NCGR-Professional Astologiers Alliance and have had their successful astrology consultation practice for the past 7 years. They have been engaged in the healing arts for over 10 years. Their practice is influenced by classical astrology, modern psychological astrology, and their studies in the healing arts. As an herbalist, they weave astrology with their deep connection to the earth and the body.

Oak’s work with astrology is informed by their experience as a queer first generation Filipinx American (they/them). They use astrology as a guidepost for the navigation of the material, ancestral, cosmic and practical. They are honored to share this work that has fully changed their life and continuously graces their life with knowledge, guidance and depth. They have been blessed to draw close other healers as students, especially BIPOC, LGBTQ and other Filipinx healers.

As a teacher, they are clear, practical and magical. Teaching astrology is to share divine love, it is the grace of the universe and the language of all things. They are currently writing a book titled Astro Lifestyle.

Who is Saturn?

Saturn Astronomy

Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye
It is the flattest planet. Its polar diameter is 90% of its equatorial diameter, this is due to its low density and fast rotation. Saturn turns on its axis once every 10 hours and 34 minutes giving it the second-shortest day of any of the solar system’s planets.
Saturn’s atmosphere is divided by a band of clouds. The planet is mainly made of hydrogen.
Saturn has the most moons out of the planets with 150 moons and smaller moonlets. The largest moons are Titan and Rhea. Enceladus (another moon) appears to have an ocean below its frozen surface.
Saturn has the most extensive rings in the solar system.The Saturnian rings are made mostly of chunks of ice and small amounts of carbonaceous dust. The rings stretch out more than 120,700 km from the planet, but are amazingly thin: only about 20 meters thick.

Saturn Astrology

Saturn symbolizes discipline, responsibility, and limitations. The ruler of Capricorn and the ancient ruler of Aquarius.
Saturn holds the limits of time and matter. It reminds us of our boundaries, our responsibilities, and our commitments. Essentially, Saturn brings definition to our lives. This planet, through its placement and connections in our charts, makes us aware of the need for self-control, boundaries, and limitations.
Saturn is often associated with our fathers or father/authority figures. Saturn’s lessons help us grow, mature and refine ourselves as if it was an authority figure guiding us through these lessons.
In the natal chart, the position of Saturn by sign and house reveals our own limitations, fears, and sense of responsibility. Saturn’s sign can describe how we approach our responsibilities. However, it can also point to traits that we have difficulty expressing naturally–and even accepting as part of our personality.
The cross of matter (reality) over the soul, representing the material nature of man reigning.

BAckstaGE Gallery

Invitation to Practice:

Gather a group of friends in person if it’s low-risk or on Zoom. Use these prompts to structure a conversation:

Tell a story about a time when Saturn flexed in your life and you faced an unexpected limitation that changed your life path in some meaningful way. Thinking of Oak’s description of “deprivation”, what were you deprived of? How did it impact your life in the long run? Were there hidden gifts to the experience?
Tell a story about someone whom you have lost, but who continues to be a part of your life be it through memory or dream visitation, what have you. What do you miss most about them? What lessons do you carry with you that they have given you?
We often don’t give people their flowers, so to speak, while they are alive. Here, now, in this group of friends, share something with each person that you admire about them. Think expansively.
What is one area of your life that you could use some more discipline? Talk with your friends about how to help one another be accountable to that shift.