How can astrology help us to be an authority in anything? Is there even a connection between astrology and authority?
First thing first, what is authority? Oxford Dictionaries define it as:
The power to influence others, especially because of one's one's recognized knowledge about something.
The confidence resulting from personal expertise.
A person with extensive or specialized knowledge about a subject; an expert.
A book or other source able to supply reliable information or evidence.
There are two planets which embody the principle of authority: Jupiter and Saturn (see note 1 below for differences between the two planets). These are the two planets that provide us with the key/hint as to how and where to gain authority.
How to Gain Authority
The Saturnian Way
Amongst various meanings, Saturn represents effort, discipline, consolidation, building, structure, time, security, perseverance, limitation and focus.Saturn is the antithesis of “Jack of all trades”. If you look at the concepts represented by Saturn, there’s limitation and focus. In the modern world, most people are authority in a specific field rather than in numerous arenas. To achieve that, there needs to be limitations surrounding how and where you direct your energies and waking hours. Seen in this light, limitation is actually very positive since you seek to spend time only on matters that truly matter. In this sense, limitation, focus, boundaries are really different variants of the same concept.
Time seems to be another key to gaining authority. Life would be perfect if I could go to bed, wake up the next day and become an authority in something (that’s the Neptune in me talking). With all my heart, I wish that is possible. The reality seems to be otherwise – you need to be committed to being the best, spending time on it regularly and consistently. Slowly and steady, with time, one becomes an authority in XYZ.
Consolidation is another key feature of Saturn and consequently on how to gain authority in something. Repetition of a task or activity is essential to strengthening or firming up something which I think is the basis of the concept of 10,000 hours to mastery. I suppose it’s extremely unlikely for most people to be good at something with just a few encounters of it, unless you are Mozart (although a friend explained that he probably practised his music a few lifetimes before he was reincarnated as Mozart during the classical era. In other words, Mozart had a few lifetimes to consolidate his musical authority).
I don’t know whether it is common or usual for an authority not to have failed in his/her venture before becoming the recognised leader in his/her field. Astrologically speaking, persevering despite failures encountered along the way is another message of Saturn.
The essence of the Saturnian way to gain authority in something is: work your ass off to build and consolidate your position one step at a time, one day at a time, slowly and in a focused way. Take the time to revisit and firm up your experiences.
Notes
1. Albeit with a difference: Jupiter is authority with vision while Saturn is authority with realism. In this post we won’t focus on the different blend of authority but rather the principle of authority itself.