The Curious Case of Saturn Retrograde

A few years back, I happened to see the Hollywood Classic The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film) ). At that time, I watched it only as a legendary Hollywood movie purely for entertainment purposes but recently when I reflected back on that movie from astrological perspective then I realized that whole movie has a Saturn stamp over it, especially a Saturn Retrograde stamp.

Hence, I have decided to write this article on the metaphors and hidden meanings of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I feel that if at all this movie is renamed then a good choice of name will be The Curious Case of Saturn Retrograde. Let’s try to understand this movie from astrological and spiritual perspective or especially from Saturn Retrograde perspective.

Introduction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 Hollywood Classic based on the 1922 Short Story with same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald which narrates the story of Benjamin Button, who is born in 1918 with the physical state of an elderly man and ages in reverse thereafter. He experiences love and break-ups, ecstasy and sorrow, and timelessness by the time he dies in 2003 as a baby.

Now, let’s see the representations of Saturn Retrograde throughout the movie –

1. The movie starts in August 2005, when Daisy Fuller is on her deathbed in a hospital. She tells her daughter Caroline about blind clockmaker Mr. Gateau, hired to make a clock for a train station in 1918. That clock ran backwards and was made as a memorial for those who lost their sons in World War I, like Gateau himself. In a way, this beginning sets the stage for the whole movie as the whole movie after that is all about going back in time.

Astrological Perspective - Clock and Time is Saturn and Clock running backwards is very much Saturn Retrograde.

Spiritual Perspective – This shows our basic desire to go back in time and correct the mistakes done in life.


2. Then we get to know about the story of Benjamin Button, who was born in 1918. Though he was born with a size of body of child only but he was born with a body which was like of an old man. It means that this child’s body had all the ailments of an old man of 70-80 years age including skin full of wrinkles. Doctor thought that this child doesn’t have much time to live and will die soon.

Astrological Perspective – Old Body, old age-related ailments and immediate danger to death is all Saturn.

Spiritual Perspective– In Spiritual Realm, there is a belief that Lao Tse was born as an old man. Now, how to understand this event? How can someone be born as an old man?

Osho gives a polar opposite example by asking – Is it not the case that many old people die with a very childish mindset? So, if an old person can be childish throughout life than an infant can also take birth like an old man. It means that Lao Tse was a very mature person and had a very mature mindset from birth itself.


3. As soon as he takes birth, his Mother passes away and his Father abandons him. His Father leaves him at the doorsteps of an old age home. Here, he gets a foster mother who saves him and looks after him. Despite all these negative events right at the beginning of life, Benjamin is grateful towards his Mother for bringing him in this world.

Astrological Perspective – All Saturnine representations. Death at the time of birth, abandonment by Father, Foster Parenting and Old Age Home.

Spiritual Perspective – Even amidst all this chaos at the very beginning of life, Benjamin is grateful to his mother for giving him birth even at the risk of her own death. This is manifestation of the basic Spiritual Phenomenon of Gratitude. That we should be grateful for whatever we have in any situation in life.


4. Now, Benjamin grows in this old age home among all the elderly people. Now, this is a child in an old man’s body. Physically, he didn’t find much difficulty in blending with elderly people as they all were like him only but at mindset level, it was a child accommodating with oldies. As he was at an old age home, usual visitors were illness and death. Every now and then, someone used to be ill or dead. Then the dead person used to be replaced by another ill and old person.

Astrological Perspective – All Saturnine environment to grow-up with; i.e. Old Age Home, Old People, Ill People and Death.

Spiritual Perspective – If someone sees Death so regularly and closely on daily basis and he himself is told almost on daily basis that he won’t live long; would that person be fearful of the Death? May be, we are fearful of death only because death is kept away at a distance from us from early childhood.


5. Then we reach the most interesting part and main theme of this movie where Benjamin starts ageing in reverse. With every passing year of his life, he starts gaining more strength in physical body, starts walking on own rather than being wheelchair bound or using clutches for walking.

Astrological Perspective– What can be better representation of Saturn Retrograde than this. Saturn is Time and Retrograde is Going Backwards. So, his life is moving backwards. He is ageing like a fine and old wine.

Spiritual Perspective – Now, if we introspect on this then what is death and what is birth? Are we all growing young or growing old? Are we all living life or moving towards death with every passing moment? Is birth and death different or two corners of same phenomenon called life? Isn’t the whole life a circular movement?


6. Then with every passing year, Benjamin becomes younger and when he is about 20+ years by birth and in 50s by body, he leaves the old age home to explore life. This is also the time when Daisy has already entered in his life and through his work, he has an affair with another lady which ends in heartbreak. He narrates that throughout life whomsoever he loved, either they went away from him or he had to go away from them.

Astrological Perspective – This is a very Saturnine realization as Saturn has no relation in his life.

Spiritual Perspective – And this is also life in itself. People come in and go from our life. We come in and go from people’s lives. Largely, this is the case with everyone or at least with majority of us. Nothing or no one is permanent here.


7. Then comes the most beautiful part of the movie; i.e. Love Story between Benjamin and Daisy. They first met when they both were 7 years of age by birth but Benjamin was about 60s by his physical body. After that they came together and parted ways many a times which shows a very karmic relationship. Their relation prospered when they both reached mid-30s; i.e. Daisy by growing old up to mid-30s and Benjamin by growing young up to mid-30s. I see it as balancing point of their lives.

Astrological Perspective – When malefic planets like Saturn and Nodes get involved in relationship matters, they become karmic relationships. Something which you may not be able to pursue properly neither you are able to let go of the relationship completely. You end up in meeting with same person again and again. Reverting back again and again to same person shows Saturn Retrograde type of result again. The fact that their relationship prospered best in their mid-30s, the balancing part of their respective lives, this is very much indicative of Saturn exalts in Libra (the sign of Love, Relationship & Balance) and matures at mid-30s.

Spiritual Perspective – We end-up in meeting the same person or similar type of person till we learn our lessons in that relationship. Osho says this world is a School. Unless you pass one class, you will be sent again and again in that class to perfect your lessons


8. Then Daisy and Benjamin were blessed with a Baby Daughter but he decides to abandon them. He does so as he believes he cannot be a proper father due to his reverse aging, Benjamin sells his assets, leaves the money for Daisy and Caroline, and leaves to travel alone during the 1970s.

Astrological Perspective – Very much Saturnine behavior. Abandonment and then isolated life. It again gives glimpses of Saturn Retrograde as his Father abandoned him and now he abandoned his family, although for completely different reasons.

Spiritual Perspective – Benjamin goes to explore spiritual side of life and there are few scenes in the movie of him visiting Ghats in North India. Isolation is the 1st requirement for any kind of spiritual evolution.


9. After that, Benjamin comes back in and goes back from Daisy’s life many a times. Something we discussed earlier. This is where the best sequence of movie took place about The Butterfly Effect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h2LD6nfbMM & https://www.astrosaxena.com/articles/Butterfly .


10. Finally, Benjamin grows young up to a Child’s age and now Daisy is now an old woman in her 70s. Eventually, Benjamin dies as an infant in arms of Daisy.

Astrological Perspective – It seems that Saturn Retrograde lesson was over with this climax.

Spiritual Perspective – There is a spiritual concept that a Woman’s highest dignity is in becoming Mother and nothing can manifest it better if a woman’s relationship partner eventually takes up the role of her child. This climax depicts that.

Saturn and Saturn Retrograde all over the movie.

Gratitude!!!