top of page
Saturnalia
Saturn Day
Saturnalia
Saturn Day (Day One): Santa, or as I call him, Saturn.
Video originally published on December 18, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
Let's talk about how "Santa" is just "Saturn," and "Santa's sleigh" is "Saturn's chariot."
Christmas is actually just how the Roman Empire convinced the last remaining Pagans to "convert" to Christianity--by "rebranding" their Winter Solstice Festival called Saturnalia (which happens right at the beginning of Capricorn season, which is the Zodiac sign ruled by Saturn).
Saturnalia was an inversion ritual, where Masters served their Slaves, and the "Ruler of Saturnalia" intentionally caused Chaos instead of upholding Order. This symbolized the inversion from days getting shorter, back into days getting longer again.
Saturn rules skin and bones, starvation and lack. Because Saturnalia is an inversion ritual, Santa is depicted as the inversion of Saturn: jolly and giant. A "Jupiterian" Saturn. This inverted depiction of Saturn mirrors the switch from decreasing (Saturn) to increasing (Jupiter) daylight marked by the Winter Solstice.
The traditional ritual sacrifice to the Gods that was associated with Saturnalia was replaced with a more modest ritual offering of cookies and milk, where individuals summon Saturn into their home in order to reap the harvest of their good behavior. (In Western Astrology) Saturn is the planet that "rewards" good behavior and "punishes" bad behavior. He's making a list, he's checking it twice, and he knows who the [censored] is naughty and nice!
Saturn is also known as "Father Time." He is the one "clocking" your behavior over the course of a year. As the planet that rules carbon, it makes sense that you either receive coal (impure carbon) if you've been bad, or diamonds if you've been good (pure crystalized carbon).
All of the shadow aspects of Saturn(alia), the Winter Solstice, Christmas-time, etc. are all brought out when we look at the story of Krampus, who is literally known as the "Christmas Devil." Just like Saturn/Kronos, who ate his own children, Krampus comes and finds naughty children, kidnaps them, and eats them alive. If there's anything that's gonna keep those bad ass kids in line, it's the fear of a demon coming to eat them. This is even further reflected when you look at "The Devil" tarot card in the Rider Waite deck, which is the card that is associated with Saturn and Capricorn. So, it might be time to start behaving like Santa is real!
Q&A Solst
Q&A: Why do you think Christians trying to supplant Saturnalia chose Dec 25 instead of Dec 21?
Video originally published on December 18, 2022
Transcript published on December 19, 2022
This is a great question, and I'm happy to answer it. It's important to remember the context of paganism being a polytheistic belief system. Pagans worship both Saturn and the Sun as separate deities, who had their own separate festivals.
Saturnalia is the worship of Saturn, the God of Agriculture and Harvest. It began on December 17th, marking the winter sowing season.
The Winter Solstice, also known as the Rebirth of the Sun or Sol Invictus, is the worship of the Sun and is the celebration of the days getting longer again. At the time (380 AD), the Julian calendar was being used, which had December 25th as the day of the Winter Solstice (Source).
Christmas, or more specifically the last 12th day of Christmas (celebrated as the Epiphany that Jesus was the manifestation of Christ) was moved from January 6th back to December 25th to more closely align with the Pagan holiday, according to Syriac biblical commentator Dionysius bar-Salibi (Source). This ultimately made conversion easier.
So, obviously, this is a super simplified answer to a very complicated question that historians have been debating for a while, but I hope this helps clarify the question between the 21st and the 25th.
(--And how in the context of modern day Christianity, a monotheistic religion, Saturnalia and Winter Solstice are combined or synonymous, but in the context of ancient pagan beliefs, Saturnalia and the Solstice were very different and separate, although related and consecutive.)
Sunday
Sun Day (Day Two): Odin, Yule, The Sun of God,
+ Jesus Christ.
Video originally published on December 19, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
Comment: "Santa didn't have a red suit until the Coca-Cola ad. Besides, Santa is Odin."
Let's talk about the Sun/Son of God and how Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christmas etc. tie into the older Pagan roots of the Winter Solstice (also known as Yule).
Thomas Nast was the Civil-War-Era cartoonist who spent 30 years drawing Santa in red. To say he was "committed" to the look would be an understatement. He's the one who gave us the red-suited Santa Claus that we know of, which was then popularized even further by Coca Cola in their Christmas advertisements.
But, why do you think the red suit stuck and the green, tan, and blue ones didn't? Coca Cola is a perfect example of the sacrifice required to make that happy, jolly Christmas experience for the select few. See link: Killercoke.org
I was raised Catholic, and it was made very clear from a very young age that the red and white color scheme of Christmas was symbolic of the blood and flesh of Christ (just like the wine and bread that is passed around in church each week).
Christmas, or "Xmas," is the story of the CrucifiXion of Jesus Christ, which is followed by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ or the Rebirth, and that is why it is associated with Jesus' birthday or Nativity.
"Yule" which has become synonymous with Christmas-time, is the Pagan celebration of the Rebirth of the Sun. The days finally getting longer again after getting shorter for the past 6 months. The Christian story of Jesus Christ mirrors the story of the Sun as it moves through the 12 constellations of the Zodiac. Part of the Yuletime celebration included burning a full tree, or the "Yule log," for 12 days straight. That was to honor the movement of the Sun through the 12 signs and the persistence of fire through even the darkest, coldest Winter day. And yes, those 12 days of Yule are what would eventually become the 12 days of Christmas, with Jesus Christ, or "Christ Consciousness" being the "partridge in the pear tree." This is the star, or Sun, at the top of the Christmas tree (more on this in Part 6: Jupiter Day).
(To commenter:) But you are right that Santa is Odin. Not only did children traditionally leave out carrots for Odin's horse, Sleipnir (which is where the milk and cookies offering comes from), but in my first video I described Santa as a Jupiterian expression of Saturn, which is exactly what Odin is. Odin symbolizes sacrifice and wisdom, being that he literally sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for secret wisdom. That's why we wink when we know a secret, because it's a symbol of having information that others don't (and the sacrifice required to obtain that wisdom).
Odin's story also mirrors that of Jesus Christ, with him sacrificing himself on the tree of life (Yggdrasil), further illustrating the themes of sacrifice and persistence through darkness.
Another part of Norse Pagan tradition with Yule-time celebrations is a ritual performance depicting the Battle of the Oak King and the Holly King. The Holly King, whose red berries (and Santa-like jumpsuit) symbolize persistence through the darkness as one of the only fruiting berries at that time of year, but also the holly crown worn by the Holly King is (alikened to) the crown of thorns worn by Jesus, representing that sacrifice of Christed energy as we enter the darker periods of the year. In the ritual, the Oak King and Holly King perform a choreographed battle, with the Oak King coming out on top, symbolizing the Rebirth of the Sun.
Moon Day
Moon Day (Day Three): Santa's Sleigh a.k.a. Saturn's Chariot.
Video originally published on December 20, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
Santa's sleigh is always depicted in front of the Moon because the Moon is what is powering it. In addition, it's usually depicted as a Full Moon because a Full Moon on Christmas eve is a Cancer Full Moon, meaning the Moon is in her home sign or her "domicile," making it one of the most magical Full Moons of the year.
Santa's sleigh, which runs on the "spirit" of Christmas," is actually fueled by the Moon, which symbolizes the Holy Spirit, or the divine feminine Spirit of Creation. This is the "mother" of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Cancer-Capricorn axis teaches us that physical matter and the rigid systems that Saturn rules would not be possible without the fuel, or the Spirit, of the Moon. Mrs. Claus is always perceived as the biggest helper of Santa's, whether she's making cookies with the elves or overseeing the workshop.
In Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer, Mrs. Clause says to Santa, "Papa, you haven't touched a morsel. I'll have to take this suit in. Eat!"
Santa replies, "I'm busy Mama, It's almost Christmas."
She objects, "Who ever heard of a skinny Santa?!"
In that clip, he is portrayed as a skinny workaholic who is stressed out about a deadline. It doesn't get more "Capricorn" (or "Saturn") than that. It isn't until Mrs. Clause feeds him that he becomes the fat, jolly Santa that we all know and love. This is part of why Jupiter is "exalted" in Cancer, because Cancer is the sign responsible for nourishing your physical body so it can develop, while Jupiter rules growth in size overall. We are all more "jovial" when we are nourished and cared-for and we certainly feel bigger after a home-cooked meal.
We even see more of the Zodiac story in the movie Elf when Santa realizes there isn't enough Christmas Spirit to fuel the sleigh. The systems that he relies upon no longer work, so he invents a new method (a sleigh powered by turbo engine). Capricorn is the sign that talks about the traditional systems we rely on. The new-and-improved method is a great example of the Aquarius expression of Saturn, where the traditional method of doing things didn't work out and he had to use his innovation to come up with a better way of doing things. It might have been a good short term fix, however it ultimately was not effective, and was actually removed by the Holy Spirit so that the spirit of Christmas could fuel the sleigh again.
"The Chariot" is the tarot card associated with Cancer, and it teaches us that in order to transcend beyond the physical limitations of space and time, you need to integrate your shadow aspects with your light aspects. Your lunar (dark) aspects, with your solar (bright) aspects. Krampus with Santa. The Chariot of the Gods is depicted as a cube-shaped vessel, draped in curtain/tapestry of the stars/cosmos. The Chariot of the Gods is what allows you to take your physical vessel into higher dimensions of space and time (what we would call "time travel," and what many would refer to as "UFO"s--also referred to as the merkaba). Santa delivers presents to the entire world in one night because his Chariot acts like a "time turner" that allows him to manipulate the space-time continuum.
Even though Mrs. Claus plays a huge part in the function of his sleigh flying the globe on Christmas Eve, so does the petty part of him that looks forward to putting coal in those naughty ass kids' stockings.
Mars Day
Mars Day (Day Four) Sleipnir as Rudolph + The Sun's Essential Dignities.
Video originally published on December 21, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
The story of the Zodiac is reflected in the story of Rudolph, so let's read the Astrology of the most famous reindeer of all.
We've established Santa as Odin, and Rudolph as his horse Sleipnir, but the reason Rudolph has a red nose is because Odin's horse used to feast on the enemies of Odin. That is blood on Rudolph's face, which ties in Astrologically when you consider Odin's role as the Norse God of War (alikened to Aries/Ares, God of War). Mars, the Roman equivalent of Ares (and the "ruler" of the Zodiac sign Aries), leads the way charging towards enemies fearlessly, just like Sleipnir.
Regardless, whether you're basing it off of the darker, bloodier origin of Rudolph or the happy, jolly version most people know today; Rudolph is martian. He uses his bright red nose (Mars rules blood + the color red) to lead the way into the night. That is what Mars does, as the "leader." Mars is the first to go into the darkness, the pioneer using the light of fire to guide the way, with Aries as the first sign--the fire sign.
Mars is "exalted" in Capricorn because the bold, confident leadership of Mars is a business asset that can be exploited by Saturn. Rudolph's relationship with Santa shows this perfectly. Saturn/Santa is the ruler of Capricorn, who is the "boss," acting with strategy and conviction. Mars/Rudolph is a boldly enthusiastic newbie, acting on impulse and with passion (all brawn, no brains).
In Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa has the epiphany where he realizes Rudolph's nose isn't just annoying, but that it can actually be exploited. He doesn't even ask Rudolph or give him an option, he simply commands him, "Rudolph, you're going to lead my team!"
A very morbidly accurate example of this planetary combination playing out in real life is the relationship between Dan Schneider and Amanda Bynes. Amanda has an Aries Sun, ruled by an "exalted" Capricorn Mars. She can be viewed as "Rudolph," an ambitious ball of energy ready to have her own show and play in the adult-league comedy scene. Dan Schneider is a Capricorn Sun, and Can be viewed as "Saturn" or "Santa," who put a young Amanda in a very mature leadership position hosting her own sketch show, propping her on a pedestal only to be exploited for his own gain. Amanda Bynes drove his sleigh straight through the '90s and even helped him "shepherd" in an empire of new "reindeer" talent thanks to her costars Drake Bell & Josh Peck, which led to the evolution of Schneider's Bakery to include Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, etc. (Amanda's "exalted" Aries Sun is referred to as "the Shepherd" archetype).
Another example of an "exaltation" we see with Rudolph is that same Sun "exalted" in Aries, where his unique trait was celebrated when he was given the opportunity to step into a leadership position and guide the sleigh. The other reindeer declare, "he'll be a hero after this!" as Rudolph takes off with Santa's sleigh.
The other dignities of the Sun are also explored in the story. When Rudolph's parent's first found his glowing red nose, they forced him to cover it in order to make Santa happy. This is the Sun in its "fall" in Libra, where the bright unique qualities of the individual are forced to be dimmed in order to keep somebody else happy (Libra is the sign of the "people-pleaser"). Rudolph's father covers his nose, exclaiming, "Santa can't object to you now!"
We also see the Sun in its "detriment" in Aquarius when his nose gets exposed to all of the other reindeer in the group, and they shun him because they are intimidated by his light. The unique traits of the Sun/individual are not celebrated in Aquarius, which talks about fitting in with the group and blending in with the crowd. Rudolph is even forced to try and find his place on the Island of Misfit Toys, which is a great metaphor for the "outcast:" Aquarius.
Rudolph asks a toy on the island if he can stay there for a while, but he is told he needs to get permission from King Moon-raiser (who is the inversion of the "Leo" lion, what I would call King Sun-raiser). Think of Scar instead of Mufasa. King Moon-raiser is the archetype of the "False God", also known as Uranus/Saturn: ruler of Aquarius, and the "God" of the toys/machines, a carbon-copy of the true Source God.
Rudolph's unique qualities were not celebrated until after everyone realized, "Oh shit, we need that nose if we want Christmas to happen." This is when we finally see the Sun "domiciled" in Leo, with Rudolph, the main character, playing his unique role with pride and confidence, and rescuing the misfit toys from their solitude. It's a nice little reminder that no matter how much shit you get for it now, to keep living as your authentic self. Even though people might not appreciate it right now, one day I promise you they will.
Mercury Day
Mercury Day (Day Five): Santa's Sweatshop. Unpaid Labor + Unfettered Capitalism.
Video originally published on December 22, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
Santa's workshop is a sweatshop. Christmas is designed to be a capitalist nightmare because it's actually meant to teach you about how shitty Capitalism can be.
It's shown in almost every Christmas movie that Santa is an exploitative man. From Tim Allen in The Santa Clause, who becomes Santa as a punishment for killing the previous Santa, to the Santa from Elf who clearly has mob ties. Saturn and Capricorn rules highly structured organizations, and that includes organized crime.
That's everything from OSHA violations, to International shipping law violations (Saturn "exalted" in Libra = exploiting legal loopholes), to human trafficking violations. It's always depicted as a very stressful environment at the North Pole (I'm looking at you Jeff Bezos), with quotas that need to be met.
Earth Signs rule the concept of a "quota,"
- Taurus/Venus as "counting your inventory,"
​- Virgo/Mercury as "time management + daily work,"
- Capricorn/Saturn as "limitations of time, final product/harvest".
One of the elves in Rudolph even wanted to leave the sweatshop to be a dentist but they wouldn't let him. Saturn rules our teeth, so dentistry symbolizes the elf's desire to be free from the shackles of Santa/Saturn.
At the end of the day, Saturn is your "boss" energy, and that means that Saturn is known for its ability to delegate. It rules any formally recognized authority, from the law enforcement officials to the executive suite. Saturn takes every role and assigns it to one of the other traditional planets: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Sun, or Jupiter. We watch Santa continually delegate his tasks, both to the elves (Mercury) in the traditional stories and even to Buddy and his family (Sun+Moon) in the modern Elf.
Santa does not keep a list, that's an elf that's keeping the list. Saturn does not keep lists, Mercury keeps lists under the command of Saturn. There's always a head elf running shit, making sure things get done so that Santa doesn't get pissed off.
In Elf, Buddy's father, who is an executive at a publishing company, literally understands that Santa's workshop is a sweatshop, and sends Buddy to the mail room because he thinks Buddy is used to working under sweatshop conditions. He says, "you'll love it, it's shiny," and then sends him to a dirty mail room in the basement. Buddy even says, "this place reminds me of Santa's Workshop, except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me," and then gets paired working with a guy who is on work release. It's cleary institutionalized, unpaid labor.
The moral of Christmas is that you cannot become a billionaire... you can't deliver presents to every single person in a single night without "elves," which is just codeword for unpaid labor, whether it's forced or whether those workers are brainwashed into thinking they have the best job ever (like the elves at the North Pole).
Jupiter Day
Jupiter Day (Day Six): King Moon-Raiser, The Abominable Snowman, + the Castration of Uranus.
Video originally published on December 23, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
In my video on Rudolph (Mars Day, Day Four), we touched on King Moon-raiser and his role as Uranus, or the ruler of the toys but not living beings, but he's also symbolic of Saturn as the inversion of the Sun (in Saturn's Aquarius expression), since he's the one keeping law & order on the Island of Misfit Toys.
But Uranus in its physical expression, in the material world, is known to be chaotic and terrific. The Abominable Snowman represents that expression of Uranus, terrorizing Rudolph and his friends as they trek through the wilderness.
In the story of Greek mythology, Ouranos (Uranus) or "Father Sky" has children with Gaia or "Mother Earth," one of whom is Kronos (Saturn). When Uranus goes on a reign of terror, terrorizing all of Gaias children, she gives Kronos (Saturn) his iconic sickle in order to protect them. Kronos (Saturn) was the only one brave enough to use the sickle to castrate Ouranos (Uranus). He then threw Ouraonos' (Uranus') genitals into the sea, which would become the birth of Aphrodite (Venus).
Only through the protection of the structurally rigid sickle are we able to protect ourselves from the chaos of the cosmos. Think about a house that protects you from a storm. That is Saturn protecting you from Uranus.
Saturn, as the ruler of both Capricorn and Aquarius, talks about reform of that chaotic terrific behavior. In the story of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius actually brings the Abominable Snowman back to Santa's Workshop because he has reformed him and he "wants a job." How's that for Capitalist propaganda?
So, they give him the job of putting the star on top of the Christmas tree. He doesn't even need a ladder to reach the top of the tree, and this mirrors Uranus' ability to reach "the top" without having to climb existing systems.
In my video on Sunday, Day Two, (on Yule), I talk about how the star on the top of the tree is symbolic of illumination of the tree of life. Mercury rules our nervous system, also known as the "tree of knowledge," which sends signals downwards from our brain to the rest of our body (the "Gemini" expression of Mercury). Mercury also rules our gut, or our secondary/enteric nervous system, which sends signals up to our brain. This is the "Virgo" expression of Mercury.
Our circulatory system, also known as the "tree of life," sends blood and oxygen upwards into the brain. Uranus is the ruler of our circulatory system, which plays role in the nickname of Uranus as the "higher octave" of Mercury, but also why they chose the Abominable Snowman as the guy to put the star on top of the tree.
Venus Day
Venus Day (Day Seven): The Divine Feminine + True Immaculate Conception.
Video originally published on December 24, 2021
Video repost and Transcript published on December 17, 2022
One thing about Uranus that most people don't realize is that it's symbolic of the "mess" the divine feminine makes when she goes looking for her divine partner in the wrong place. The story of the Moon and Venus, the "divine feminine," is also reflected in the Christmas stories, just not the "main" focus--but it is arguably the most important part.
Venus was made from the Castration of Uranus, so the divine feminine energy that Venus represents is key towards reforming Uranus and ascending up that "tree of life." The support of the hidden feminine character is always what keeps the masculine, visible "main" character going--whether it's Rudolph's girlfriend, Zooey Deschannel in Elf, or Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary in the Christian story of Christmas.
This is also why the Lion in Rudolph is named "King Moon-raiser:" because Aquarius is the moment when the moon begins her "ascension" again. She is in her "detriment" in Capricorn, and Aquarius is her moment to step out of that moment of weakness (sometimes through the creation of an artificial, substitute version of whatever it is she is actually looking for, which always sounds great until it doesn't).
Or, she moves into her own divine feminine "reformation" in Pisces, where all of her subconscious emotions are examined and the power of water is used to strip away all of her shame & impurities so that she can ascend back up her own "tree of life." This is the "transmutation" that happens on the mutable axis of Pisces-Virgo, where the divine feminine is re-illuminated by the light of the Sun. This is the "immaculate conception" of her own shadow self with her own light self: the rebirth of the "star" on top of her own Christmas tree.
In the movie Elf, this is the equivalent of Buddy's girlfriend (Zooey Deschannel) finally being brave enough to sing in public. In the beginning of the movie, she was embarrassed and could only sing in the shower (Venus "exalted" in Pisces, the "shame" of Lilith). When she stripped away her shame and finally sang loud for everyone to hear, this was her "immaculate conception," which resulted in the "rebirth" of her Spirit and Inner Child, which ultimately allowed Santa's sleigh to fly (or activating the "Chariot").
The Immaculate Conception that occurs along the Pisces-Virgo axis is the reason why, despite Venus not having any "formal" connection to Mercury, the light Goddesses associated with Aphrodite and Venus (Isis, Ishtar, Inanna, etc.) are also associated with the Zodiac sign Virgo and the energy of "purity" (many even view the Virgo maiden as the bearer of the Libra scales).
The divine feminine story (Venus/Moon) is the inversion/reflection of the divine masculine story (Mars/Sun). Unlike the Sun, the Moon is not immediately "resurrected," but rather left to die. Even on the shortest day of the year (the Winter Solstice) the Sun shines bright and persists. The New Moon phase leaves the moon entirely void of light, illustrating the contrasted lunar cycles of death, darkness, and rebirth. Only in the darkest moments of death, solitude, and despair is the Moon able to rebirth her own inner Sun through immaculate conception. Uranus, or "King Moon-raiser" is the one responsible for holding her up and keeping her alive until her true partner arrives (the light of the Sun). Uranus is the cosmic clouds of gas that held the Spirit of Creation before the birth of the first Star.
It's a reminder that Uranus is filling a gap or a void, and is great until it isn't. Learn to tell the difference between King Moon-raiser and the Abominable Snowman. To the untrained eye they look exactly the same.
bottom of page