Good post on Saturn:
Saturn, and the Golden Age
>For simplicity’s sake, I will simply refer to him as Cronos and not include the Roman interpretation/mythos surrounding him. Most people are intellectually-adapted to Greek mythos and religio vs the Later Roman interpretation.
>Cronos, the primordial father of agriculture and order, was the father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. His wife is Rhea, who governs motherhood and generation.
>In the mythos, Cronos usurped his father Uranus, who was the primordial lord of the heavens (sky). Fearing the same treatment from his offspring, Cronos began swallowing his children one by one. Zeus was hidden by Rhea until he became a man, and then proceeded to usurp his father (note the series of divine regime change).
>Just like Cronos, Zeus also castrated his father. Symbolically speaking, the act of castration means to “make feminine”, and therefore dominated by the masculine force. Zeus became the king of all, after inheriting the Scepter of Phanes. Once he achieved this, he used his divine rule to swallow the entire universe, which was reorganized and spit back out. Thus, ending the age of Cronos.
>So, what was this “Golden Age”?
>According to Hesiod and Plato, the Golden Age was the first generation of humans. *Golden* refers to perfection, as the first humans lived in absolute harmony and abundance. They lived to an old age while maintaining a youthful appearance, and upon death, many became guardian spirits and other high beings.
>Hermetically speaking, the Corpus Hermeticum accounts that man was once fully divine; upon visiting the physical world and seeing his reflection, they became infatuated with it and remained. The result was becoming limited to aspects like sleep, hunger, and sex. These laws do not apply to the divine, but in the physical world, they are the laws of Generation.
>The Golden Age inhabitants were closest to the divine for this very reason. They had not become fully immersed by this point. Slowly, humanity became more attuned and limited by this existence. After some time, succeeding the Golden Age, came:
-The silver age
-The Bronze Age
-The Heroic age
-The Iron Age (you are here).
>Unfortunately, many people conflate the idea that,
-Because Cronos consumed his children, he is evil
-in doing so, he is not worthy of worship.
>This is the result of interpreting myths literally. From a metaphysical standpoint, Cronos prevented his offspring from achieving their full potential because the primordial world he had created was of *his* order. Quite literally, Cronos arranged the first world and the primordial elements still organize around this ideal. They do not like to be controlled, and this includes the propitiator of Celestial order himself. If he had not existed, the Demiurge Zeus would have nothing to reorganize and may have gone a completely alternate route. Cronos represents true intellect, befitting an ancient Demiurge and lord of Order.
>And, though he was usurped, Cronos is still a very kind god (as evidenced by the Roman celebration of Saturnalia). Early forms of man experienced abundance and joy under him, and held no malevolence towards him. Although he is no longer the ruler of the universe, he is still a profound God.
>His worship is more inclined to memory, rather than the here and now. We remember him as our original ruler, and give him the honor due. If you look at the accounts of Saturnalia, you will find slaves becoming masters for a night and roles being reversed in the household. This celebration not only made us appreciate the current world, but also kept in memory of the distant Saturnian past.
>Let us end this lesson with a prayer to him, quoting the Orphic hymn.
“Etherial father, mighty Titan, hear, great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere:
Endu'd with various council, pure and strong, to whom perfection and decrease belong.
Consum'd by thee all forms that hourly die, by thee restor'd, their former place supply;
The world immense in everlasting chains, strong and ineffable thy pow'r contains
Father of vast eternity, divine, O mighty Saturn [Kronos], various speech is thine:
Blossom of earth and of the starry skies, husband of Rhea, and Prometheus wife.
Obstetric Nature, venerable root, from which the various forms of being shoot;
No parts peculiar can thy pow'r enclose, diffus'd thro' all, from which the world arose,
O, best of beings, of a subtle mind, propitious hear to holy pray'rs inclin'd;
The sacred rites benevolent attend, and grant a blameless life, a blessed end.”