SATURN--the Medical Astrology of the Planet

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This information comes from my book, MEDICAL ASTROLOGY. It can be purchased online at: http://medicinegarden.com/Medastrology/moonmedastro.html

Vitamins ruled by Saturn: C, K, PABA and bioflavonoids (vitamin P).
Minerals ruled by Saturn: Calcium, fluorine, sulfur and vanadium.

Saturn should be scrutinized closely in any natal chart. Most ailments that manifest are usually associated with this planet. For example, whatever sign Saturn is found in at birth might determine what organ, tissue or area of the body is potentially hypo functioning - that is, sluggish and not working up to normal expectation. If Saturn is found retrograde, the chances of that part of the body malfunctioning are increased.

The transits of Saturn can also indicate medical problems. The planet takes 28 years to make one complete orbit about the Sun. We "feel" its presence about every seven years, when Saturn's main job seems to be to crystallize any problems or insights, particularly at the ages of 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 49. Medical problems, diseases and ailments of chronic duration, which are long in building and manifesting themselves and then require a long healing or convalescent period, also tend to crop up during these critical years of the Saturn cycle.

An interesting backdrop to this is age 50, when Chiron returns to its original position in our chart. The age 49-50 can indicate the emergence of a serious health problem. If it starts at 49, it is usually "Saturnine" in that its chronic and potentially long-lasting or something that has a long healing curve on it (it's not acute and it won't disappear over night). If it takes place at age 50, it may be acute (such as a car accident, being struck by lightning, etc.,) or chronic. Chiron has a broader range of choices than does Saturn.

Age 40 is when women enter, usually, pre-menopause, and over time, usually around age 45-47, their menses cycle begins to shorten by a day or two, or a period may be skipped, occasionally, altogether. By age 49, menopause has set in and other symptoms, such as hot flashes, insomnia, headaches or emotional ups and downs, may be occurring. Saturn has defined the limits and boundaries of estrogen production in our body and it is now on a decline. Estrogen production is never stopped, however--only slowed down--which is typical of Saturn. As our ovaries work less hard to produce estrogen in significant amounts, our adrenal glands begin to produce some, also.

One of the events partially attributable to the transits of Saturn is the mid-life crisis, usually happening between the 42nd and 49th years. During this time, at about 45, the aging process, another Saturn ruled phenomenon, takes place: specifically, the breakdown and eventual destruction of collagen occurs. If medical ailments show up at about the same time, a person can undergo a period of great trial: the mental attitudes may be so poor that the ability to get well is impaired, and the disease may linger chronically.

Proper maintenance with vitamin C can help turn the tide of this crisis. Vitamin C does not guarantee a sickness-free life, but medical research has shown that this vitamin is as necessary as life itself. In particular, vitamin C helps form collagen to keep the cells of proper size and shape so that they may go about their business of maintaining bodily health. Thus with proper amounts of vitamin C careful diets and non abuse of our bodies Saturn rewards us with long and healthy lives.

Since Saturn is the ruler of vitamin C, it also has an effect on the body's amount of bioflavonoids, whose main function is to aid vitamin C in its work of keeping the collagen healthy and the capillaries elastic and permeable. It is also my belief that vitamin K works in a synergistic relationship with vitamin C. Saturn retards or inhibits, and, like its ruling planet, vitamin K acts as a coagulant, triggering the intricate process of forming a protein web with which to catch the fleeing red blood corpuscles from an open wound or an internal one: the vitamin retards the escaping flow that, if allowed to continue, would eventually cause death. And it's interesting to note that lack of vitamin C can also cause hemorrhaging because the collagen is broken down so that the cells cannot keep their shapes.

Saturn is synonymous with the frame or foundation of anything, including our skeleton, a "frame" on which our body hangs and is dependent upon. It is involved with barriers, banks, enclosures, binds, bonds, gels or adhesives. In medical terms it rules the skin and bones that serve as our frames, the bones that hold the muscles in place and the skin that acts as walls or containers.

Because Saturn has dominion over the bone structures of our bodies, including teeth and the 3 small bones within our ears, it rules the minerals calcium, fluorine and sulfur. As is well known, the bones and teeth need adequate amounts of calcium to keep our frames strong enough to carry us around. Proper amounts of fluorine are also necessary to combat tooth decay and bone damage: Saturn's ability to guard, inhibit and block out is a positive attribute in maintaining enough protective fluorine. And sulfur's influence over the skeleton, the skin, bones and cartilage of the body in general is substantial.

Furthermore, lack of sulfur may create arthritis, another Saturn-ruled phenomenon, or it may damage the hair and fingernails, also under Saturn's sway. Finally, sulfur plays a part in the protein processes of the body, and proteins are under Saturn's domain as well.

The position of natal, progressed or transiting Saturn also has an effect on the quality of one's skin. Just as Saturn acts as a barrier, the skin, if properly healthy, serves as a barrier against the ultraviolet rays of the Sun, allowing us to tan instead of burning severely. If Saturn is well-aspected, particularly by Venus, which rules vitamin E and is concerned with the youthful beauty and elasticity of the skin, ample amounts of PABA should be available in the body. But when Saturn is negatively aspected, there can be a PABA depletion that allows the skin tissue to become vulnerable to the Sun's rays, and changes in pigmentation and other skin-related ailments begin to surface. Moreover, without enough PABA the skin dries up, becomes scaly, itchy, ulcerous and infected.

AILMENTS OF SATURN