Saturn Lord of the Rings

Before the invention of the telescope, Saturn was the most distant planet that anyone could see. It marked the end of the solar system. Naturally, it came to represent limits. Today, it remains the most distant planet that s easily visible with the naked eye, so that meaning still applies. But its image has improved. Thanks to the telescope and the Voyager space missions, everyone knows what Saturn looks like. Even people who have never looked through a telescope have seen pictures of its dazzling ring structure. And they know that it s the most beautiful planet in the solar system. 

The second largest planet (after Jupiter), Saturn is a gas giant surrounded by a broad collar of icy rings and at least 18 named moons (and counting). It s so large that 95 Earths could fit inside it. But its density is so low that, if there were an ocean large enough to hold the entire planet, Saturn would float. 

In mythology, Saturn was originally an Italian corn god. The Romans identified him with the Greek god Kronos, who swallowed his own children and was in turn conquered by them. He s known as Father Time, the symbol of the past and the old order. 

In astrology, Saturn represents the system. Its influence is serious and somber. It brings structure, discipline, limitations, boundaries, responsibility, duty, perseverance, and fear. It tests people and forces them to confront reality. 

With publicity like that, it s no wonder that followers of astrology came to fear Saturn. Yet its reputation isn t entirely deserved because, although Saturn does bring difficulties, it also helps create order. Saturn s influence enables you to conquer your fears and to combat your inertia. If it forces you to struggle with depression, disappointment, poverty, and other obstacles, it also compels you to seek solutions, to set goals, to establish schedules, to work harder than you ever thought you could, and to get organized. Saturn is, in short, the planet of accomplishment. 

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