the melancholic season
Autumn is the season of the Melancholic Humour. As the expansion and energy of summer fades away, we hunker down to more serious matters. The Melancholic Humour is ruled by Saturn, the planet of responsibility, organisation, ambition and restriction. Saturn invites us to take life seriously, to plan, to study, to consolidate and to see what really is, rather than what we wish might be.
As a fire sign, I find Saturn hard work (which of course is ruled by Saturn) but age (also Saturnine) has taught me that projects designed for the long haul, which may not be exciting initially, offer deep and lasting rewards a very Saturnine perspective.
Physically, the Melancholic humour is cold and dry- like the beautiful leaves and berries which appear at this time. Being a planet of limitation, Saturn rules the skeleton of the body, which encloses the more vulnerable organs; the skull which houses the brain, the rib cage which protects the heart and lungs and other organs, and the spine which encloses the spinal cord.
Strong melancholic types often experience physical or other limitations early on, which colour their lives. One such is Steven Hawking. Diagnosed with ALS at age 21 in 1963, he attributed his success in his field of astrophysics, he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, to his immobility which forced him to focus on his work to the exclusion of other distractions. By the end of his life he communicated through a speech generating device activated by his cheek muscle. An extreme example. He had a Grand Earth Trine: Sun Mercury in Capricorn, Saturn Uranus on Taurus, Moon Neptune in Virgo, which in another chart might suggest a life of enhanced physicality. This underlines the importance of not using the natal chart to diagnose/predict illness.
Emotionally, the Melancholic humour, as its name suggests, is concerned with limitations and disappointments – or reality some might call it. Pessimists, with their Melancholic perspective, may ultimately have happier lives as they are often pleasantly surprised by how things turn out. While optimists can suffer the repeated disappointments of misplaced optimism.
Greta Thunberg, another Melancholic has Chiron, Sun, Moon and Mercury in Capricorn. She has Asperger’s, which she refers to as her ‘superpower’ because it gives her super focus and deep thought. Melancholics are logical, at age 15 she started a school strike because she saw no point in continuing her education if the world was going to be destroyed by climate change. A logical reaction. Her strike started a worldwide movement against climate change, Melancholics are in for the long term. They also have a strong sense of service, they need to feel useful and contribute to their community.
My Herbs and Astrology courses are live! Info here buy the course here
Spiritually, Saturn was known as the dweller on the threshold, that planet which stands between Earth and Spirit. For sure, the lessons of Saturn and its famed returns, which happen around 29-30 years and 56-60 years, grind the old life away and present us with a new reality which we have to accept, however unpalatable or miserable the change has been. It is a canard that suffering burns away the dross of our life and reveals the golden treasures within, but the process is often painful, featuring loss, limitations and grief. The learning may be bitter, but suffering does bring compassion and engenders empathy and self-reflection, which are priceless.
I will be talking about my practice and how to use the Temperaments to go from stagnation to vitality at the Autumn Summit of Healing. Lectures are available in both German and English and a free when listened to live or you can buy them afterwards. My talk is at 08.00 on the 30th. Listen here: https://www.digistore24.com/content/720408/55740/ elisabethbrooke2090be2/CAMPAIGNKEY
