Saturn in Capricorn and the 3 Little Pigs
We leave Saturn in Sagittarius during which time the “leader of the free world” co-opted the phrase “fake news”. The US President would like to claim the phrase as his own invention. He certainly has escalated its use.
Saturn symbolizes authority, how we frame reality, discipline and boundaries; the realm of structure, foundation, fear, limits. In Sagittarius, there’s been a flim-flam quality to what passes as the standard.
Sagittarius is the sign of the salesman, the adventurer and does not appreciate Saturn’s restraints. Yet Sagittarius is also the sign of justice, expansion and the moral high ground. At the tail end of its journey, Pandora has opened the box. #MeToo is the reckoning that turns the screw as we move into Saturn in Capricorn.
A memory surfaced this morning, as I reflect on Saturn in Capricorn: The 3 Little Pigs. Now you may think I refer to the old fairy tale where each pig has a separate house that is made of different materials and two of them succumb to the wolf’s breakfast. That is the version I heard as a child. But I had 3 beanbag pigs that delighted my daughter when she was a wide-eyed toddler. Like many children, she tirelessly begged for “another story!” while her bleary-eyed parents just wanted her to succumb to sleep. So with the lights too low to read, we would spin tales until she nodded off.
Her bedside was ringed with her soft animal friends, and I would grab one to inspire the next yarn. When I started the 3 little pigs, I quickly realized that I could not have them be eaten. My daughter could not watch Disney movies; her sensitivity was so acute that she knew what injustice was coming. After watching Dumbo with her once at a well-meaning friend’s insistence, I did not want a repeat of tears and explanations. At least the mother doesn’t die in Dumbo!
So the 3 Little Pigs recreated itself as the stuffed animals led the way.
The pigs squabbled and competed like true siblings. Each puffed their chest out and marched forth to create their respective homes with the materials of their choice. I described in great detail each home (design is important!) and how cozy and proud each pig felt in their den.
Then the wolf appeared (at the time, we only had a puppet for the wolf). As the wolf blew down the straw and then the sticks house, each pig scrambled out and ran to its sibling’s home. Of course, I didn’t want the wolf to fall into the pot of stew in the fireplace, either. So the wolf got its fanny singed before it clambered out of the chimney.
In the end, all pigs were together in the brick house, enjoying a delicious meal while the wolf ran off in defeat. The 3 Little Pigs became a loved favorite; they’re resting in a trunk in the closet, some of the creatures we simply are not to give away.
I’ve done a bit of googling about the pigs in today’s world, and not surprisingly, the old grim tale has been used to reinforce sustainability. As we face an increasingly shifting world, threatened areas deserve fresh thoughts on infrastructure and the future. Saturn in Capricorn demands solid structures, hard decisions and realistic goals. It also demands leadership that is level-headed and accountable to those goals.
As I write my upcoming blogs on Saturn in Capricorn, I welcome your thoughts—
Pretty interesting. Curious, however, why you would change the age old tales meant to gradually strengthen children to understand realities of the world?
The idea behind the Grimm stories is to have children be exposed to reality of life – the pigs do get eaten and the house built on shifting sands and of hay and straw does get blown away in the wind.
Bambi and Dumbo are beautiful tales meant to teach impermanence of life and the tragic truths of death. A child who does not receive the proper strengthening and learn resilience through tough lessons of life will be left to the ravages or wolves her parents did not prepare her for.
Grimm myths are excellent for children who need them. Not every child is the same.
Before she was 2, I’d realized that my daughter didn’t need the Disney/Grimm indoctrination.
We watched Dumbo, a gift from a friend, and she wept when the mother was separated from her child. I had to encourage her to watch the entire film as she trembled, because I knew in the end they would be reunited. Even so, she made it clear that she didn’t need to see that. Her comprehension of injustice and danger was innate.
About a year later, I picked her up at daycare and was told she was sick. I found her crying and she clung to me. I discovered that they’d plopped the children in front of “Lady and the Tramp”. The other kids watched with no problem. My daughter wasn’t sick, she simply understood the “realities of the world”.
So yes, I transformed Grimm to teach her how cooperation with allies makes an individual stronger. When she was a bit older, I talked with her openly about the realities of being female. As a teenager, she spent time with my father during the slow, ugly decline of his dementia. She sat at his deathbed; it was not a quick or easy death.
I don’t know many adults comfortable with dementia and death, let alone a teen.
Now a young woman, she is streetwise and responsible with a passion for social justice. Fortunately, her leadership ability was recognized, nurtured and empowered, not just by me but by teachers and mentors.
Every child is different. Some children need the unvarnished Grimm. Others need tools to give them confidence.