The Archetype of Saturn
Note: I originally put this guide together for my newsletter to break down the archetypal meaning of Saturn, the rulerships of Saturn, what Saturn transits mean, including what a Saturn return is, and what Saturn in Aquarius means. The guide is quite large, so this was converted to a blog post instead. The card featured above is from The Wild Unknown Alchemy Deck.
To preface, I want to say that I study ancient Hellenistic astrology, and this interpretation of Saturn is coming from that vantage point. There are many other branches of astrology that interpret Saturn differently, but this is how I’ve learned and interpret Saturn astrologically.
In ancient astrology, there were no telescopes, light pollution, or computer programs. They studied the night sky organically through observation and mathematical techniques. The meaning of the planets were derived from how they appeared in the sky. Planets reflect the Sun's light, and Saturn appears to be a dim star because of its distance from the Sun, currently 911 million miles. It is the furthest planet visible with the naked eye, and its orbit around the Sun is 29.5 years.
These literal properties are important for the symbolic or archetypal meaning of Saturn to build upon. Saturn is the furthest, slowest, and dimmest of the 7 visible planets. Because Saturn is so dim in the night sky, it is associated with darkness. Because this was the furthest visible planet, it is associated with limits & boundaries, which also correlates to the boundary of what is real. And because of the length of its orbit, it is associated with slowness & time.
Below I'm going to share all the key terms I know associated within the symbolic spectrum of Saturn to outline my speaking points. Reading over the list can be daunting, so please keep in mind a couple things: Astrology is not all good or bad, it is neutral; and Saturn is a planet of extremes.
Principles, Key Terms & Correspondences of Saturn
limits - walls, boundaries, restrictions, restraint, binding, confinement, contraction, constraint, constriction
NO - negating, declining, deprivation, defeat, failure, loss, confirmation or denial, rejection, inhibition
coldness - frozen, rigidity, hardening
time - patience, the past, long lasting, epochs, legacies, tradition, (old) age, maturity, wisdom, mastery, mortality, death, decay, endings
slowness - inaction, stuck, delays, obstacles, stop, stasis, stillness, delayed gratification
Kronos - the father god, father time, the father, fatherhood
pressure - tension, resistance, density, heaviness, concreteness, weight
structures - foundations, solidity, sustainability, rocks, stones, tombs, bones
stability - consistency, security, control
reality - physical form, hard materiality, concrete manifestation, necessities, pragmaticism, sobriety
responsibility - discipline, commitment, experience, order, concentration
challenges - hard work, effort, endurance, hardship, adversity, humility, grounding
consequences - cause and effect, error, guilt, punishment, imprisonment, retribution
authority - law, right and wrong, judgment, strict
suffering - pain, depression, grief, squalid, misery, seriousness
isolation - dryness, solitude, alienation, separation, division, opposition, exclusion
caution - pessimism, conservativism, inferiority
darkness - black, blue, cloaking, the grim reaper, gloomy
fear - the fear of everything listed above, your personal fears, collective fears, including the fear of Saturn
I know that was a lot. If you are unfamiliar to astrology, learning the key terms to something is how you see it show up in reality. When you hear this words, especially together, that is the archetype of Saturn at work. For example, when Saturn entered Aquarius in March 2020, how many words from that list can you pick out that showed up for you, others you know, and the collective?
Saturn's Rulerships
I practice traditional astrology, so I only use the 7 visible planets as rulers. If you have no idea what I mean, let me break this down. If you do, you can skip this part. In astrology, the planets tell us what is happening, and the signs tell us how it's happening. Each planet has 2 signs that it's at home in (domicile), elevated in (exalted), and 2 signs that are at its weakest (detriment & fall).
When a planet is in its domicile or home, it has all the resources it needs to do its job. You can think about the comfort you feel in your own home — it is your domain and you have everything you could ever need. When a planet is in its sign of exaltation, it is an honored guest in that sign. For example, if you are visiting your grandmother's house, you don't have to do much work while you're there, because she's taking care of you, like your cooking and laundry.
When a planet is in its sign of detriment and fall, it is in a territory that is opposite to its nature. It doesn't have any of the resources or tools needed to do its job, so it needs to work harder. It's as if you are visiting a foreign country, where you don't understand how to speak the language or the culture, so you're inhibited, and have to figure your way out through it.
I've seen many people take it personally that they have planets in weak signs. It's important to disclaim that these 4 categories have nothing to do with whether your personal astrology is good or bad. It is a necessary part of astrology to evaluate what is called planetary condition. I've seen serial killers that have a lot of planets in domicile or exaltation, and a lot of very successful, good people who have a lot of planets in detriment or fall.
Saturn's home signs are Capricorn & Aquarius (I do not use Uranus as the ruler of Aquarius). Saturn is exalted as an honored guest, in the sign of Libra. Typically, a planet will be at its weakest in the opposite signs of its domicile & exaltation. Because Saturn is a planet that rules over darkness, it is opposite to the Sun & Moon (luminaries) and their signs.
If you look at the graphic above, you will see which planets, signs, and (sun sign) dates correspond to each other. The Sun is the ruler of Leo, and the Moon is the ruler of Cancer. The Sun is exalted in Aries. Saturn's weakest signs are opposite to its nature of darkness, the signs that rule over light - Aries, Cancer, and Leo.
Remember reading that list of everything Saturn rules, and how it wasn't the happiest list you've ever read? Do you think that Saturn being in its strongest signs is a good thing and that Saturn in its weakest signs is a bad thing? The answer is no. Saturn is a planet of extremes, and it has been in its strongest signs since December 2017 (Capricorn), and March 2020 (Aquarius). I make my case for Saturn being powerful is not necessarily a good thing. I don't need to explain what has happened in the last 5 years, or what has happened in the last 3. I've been calling this time period the Saturn years. It happens every 30 years, so you can compare this time period to the early 90s, the 60s, and the 30s.
Myself and the astrology community can agree that Saturn has done a lot of damage. Saturn exposes the foundations, structures, and systems that aren't working anymore, and where they need repair to build upon for the next 30 years. We are officially moving on from this time period on March 7th when Saturn enters Pisces and is no longer in one of its strong signs, and will be ruled by Jupiter (I do not use Neptune as the ruler of Pisces). Even though Saturn is still Saturn no matter which sign it's in, I think it's important to emphasize the level of strength Saturn has had in recent years, and that part of the dramatic energetic shifts in the 2020s is Saturn becoming "weaker."
Saturn's Challenges
Saturn is not all doom and gloom, but that is a big part of Saturn's meaning. In order to understand Saturn’s gifts, you need to understand Saturn’s challenges. The gifts of Saturn only come from going through Saturn’s challenges. I’m writing this to be more oriented to individuals, but this also applies to the collective.
The ancients viewed the god Saturn as elderly, burdensome, and melancholic due to the planet being the slowest & dimmest, which is what associated him as the planet of fear. Saturn shows us what fear can make us do – we ostracize, demonize, shame, and blame others – which hardens and inhibits our hearts and psyches.
It can get scary when our illusions get stripped away and we are met with the hard, cold truth. Saturn asks us to get brutally honest with ourselves and our reality. A lot of people can’t handle it, and it’s why you see the collective behaving the way they do. The consequences of fear are that it divides and harms us. This is one of the lowest expressions of Saturn and life in general.
Saturn asks us to get real. What is and is not okay right now, as it is in the present moment? Saturn is reality, substance, physical forms, structures, facts. Reality is defined by limitations of what it is and what it is not, which naturally creates a process of separation and exclusion, and leads to rejection and negating. Saturn is like a strict parent that says no and tells you that you have to earn it.
However, limitations are not always a bad thing. Limits can mean the end of things that no longer serve us, or the recognition that we are ready to start something new. Saturn asks us to strip away what is unimportant, consolidate, focus on the core essentials, and make choices based on our priorities and needs. Saturn shows us our limits - what is enough, what is too much, and what isn’t.
Saturn also asks us to be disciplined, have self restraint, control, and regulation. By saying no, it creates space and time to say yes to those essential priorities and what really matters. Yet difficulties from Saturn arise when we don’t understand the limits or rules. You have to first learn the game and rules, so you can then understand how to break them.
Accepting our limits and being realistic lets us see what we can and cannot do. It lets us be humble, learn from our mistakes, and strive to do better. It lets us review and see the past clearly. Saturn gives us the perspective of time, which can change what is important to us and how we want to spend our time. Saturn is all about delayed gratification – short term pain for long term gain – long term priorities, goals, outcomes, thinking. Saturn asks what can you sacrifice now that will create benefits in your future?
Saturn’s rulership over time can get really deep and philosophical, which I won’t get into here. Time and age are both a curse & blessing. We already know that things decay over time. We need to do the maintenance necessary to keep things running and in order, whether it be our bodies, architecture, or any other physical form. “Rome wasn’t built in a day / Time heals all wounds / Give it time / Time is a construct / Time’s arrow neither stands still nor reverses. It merely marches forward.”
Contemplate the concept of Father Time, linear time, cyclical time, and just time itself. What are some of your favorite quotes about time?
Saturn's Gifts are Earned
Saturn shows us what our self worth is. Sometimes harsh reality can bring us down and make us feel insignificant and worthless. Sometimes our self worth is misconstrued due to our emotions, conditioning, or external factors. Sometimes people’s self worth is low because they are actually toxic and shitty people. Yet, we are not helpless, we cannot make excuses, and we cannot self pity and let that disempower and stifle us. We need to take corrective action to do better.
Some of those shitty people get reprimanded, imprisoned, or might be dealing with the consequences, but most are not irredeemable or undeserving of forgiveness. And if they feel penitence, self pity, guilt, or punishment, those are their own impositions they are creating and limiting themselves with. They need to see their reality, that they have created their own chains, and they have the strength to take off their chains and walk away. They must realize they have the potential to do better.
Saturn forces us to see reality. That is why Saturn demands reckoning on an individual, relational, and collective level. If we aren’t being truly realistic with ourselves, that is when we can experience the melancholy that Saturn’s pressure can sometimes bring. This is why therapy or talking to someone else can help and give us perspective by getting out of our heads. We have to count our blessings and be grateful for what we have rather than focus on what we don’t have. We have to do the work to empower ourselves and see our true value and worth. It may be hard, but hard work is rewarded by Saturn.
Saturn wants you to prioritize YOU. Of course you will have external responsibilities to tend to, but Saturn wants us to show up for ourselves in a responsible and unselfish way, how we can do better for ourselves by ourselves. No one is going to do the work for us. We have to be mindful of our inner awareness and define things without any external standards, which means letting nothing external influence you (such as groupthink vs. thinking for yourself). You have to decide for yourself what is best for you, what is worth it, what you want to preserve, and what is most important to you. This leads to inner progress and maturity, which are Saturn's gifts.
Maturity gives us clarity and wisdom. The kind of wisdom that Saturn teaches us is a result from hardship, difficulty, and loss. We were forced to reckon with our reality, the consequences, our priorities, and now have insight and perspective that is much more pragmatic because of it. We see the bigger picture, which may help us become more accepting and at peace with the difficulties. The wisdom we've earned allows us to become, do, and be better versions of what once was or used to be.
One of Saturn’s greatest gifts is crystallization and clarity. Speaking from experience, it’s as if I didn’t know this kind of clarity was even possible. Saturn gives us clarity, as we get to see things as they really are, which helps us understand what is realistically possible or not, and insight of what and who is most important to us. It may not be easy to see what Saturn is trying to show or teach us, but if we are open to the messaging, it can really make a difference.
Saturn can destroy, but is more importantly about building and sustenance. Saturn reveals weak spots in the structures we’ve built that we've been patching over and can no longer sustain the pressure. The last thing that we want is to break, but sometimes that is inevitable when something weak has been under pressure for so long. A lot of people hit those breaking points, crush under the pressure, and it's where you see the adversity, suffering, and darkness of Saturn show up. Saturn wants us to build long lasting foundations, structures, and systems that will be strong and flexible enough to withstand any kind of pressure over an extended period of time. The more solid it is, the longer it will last, and the more success, stability, satisfaction, and delayed gratification there will be.
By Saturn testing our limits, it can make us tap into our highest potential. We can only reach our highest potential when we are doing our best, clarifying our priorities, and making the essential decisions that will lead us there. Sometimes Saturn’s pressures can make us feel like we are crushed under all this weight and like we can break at any moment, but that is Saturn asking us to develop strength.
By realizing we have no other choice than to try, work harder, and get stronger, we can end up surprising ourselves with our abilities and tapping into that potential. By building, choosing, restructuring, reorganizing, and reprioritizing, our future self will thank us. Saturn is all about making sustainable choices, doing things for the long term, and rewarding your future self. Saturn can be an alchemical process of transmutation, a wise teacher or sage, and a spiritual guide, but only if we listen to Saturn and do the work it tests us with. Yes, it will be hard, but incredibly rewarding after doing the hard work that is asked of us. Saturn just wants us to do better and be better.
Saturn Return
Astrology is the study of cycles of time and the observation of patterns. Return in astrology means when a celestial point returns to the same exact location at the time of birth – it is essentially a full orbit around the Sun. Saturn returns happen exactly every 29.5 years, but is part of a 2-3 year period during the same sign as your natal Saturn sign.
You have a solar return each year, it is your birthday. Mercury & Venus returns occur once a year, Mars every 2 years, Jupiter every 12 years, and Saturn returns every 29.5 years. Additionally, a Uranus return takes 84 years, Neptune takes 165 years, and Pluto every 248 years. The US has been recently going through its first Pluto return.
During your first Saturn return, you are officially 1 Saturn year old. The first Saturn return happens in your late 20s, the second during late 50s, and for those who live long enough, the third one is in your late 80s. The oldest person in the world recently died at age 118, going through her 4th Saturn return!
Saturn return is a critical transit in astrology, and for this duration of time, it is an initiation, a rite of passage, a milestone, and coming of age. It still means all of the Saturn things I described earlier, except this is one full Saturn cycle coming to an end, and a new one beginning. It is a transition from one decade of your life into the next. The first Saturn return is the transition from youth to adulthood. The second is from adulthood to middle age. The third is from middle age to eldership. In general, Saturn returns highlight age, growing pains, maturity, mortality, reality checks, responsibility, structure, patience, and hard work.
I'll be mostly speaking to the first Saturn return, since that is the only one I've experienced. A lot of the themes for Saturn return are similar to what I mentioned in the sections above and vice versa. A Saturn return is usually experienced as a crisis that you work through during that time period. Saturn presents you with your reality, fears, and tests, and makes you realize things about yourself and your life that you have been avoiding, and brings it front and center to the point where you can no longer keep avoiding it, and if you do, there will be consequences.
It is a time about the culmination of a cycle, a deconstruction of an old cycle, and the pivoting toward a new one. It’s a time about reflecting on the past and building for the future. And because Saturn is about slowness and time, it is about epochs of time, the bigger picture, the long distant past and long distant future. Yet, Saturn demands the time to do the work is now. Usually, the "work" involves building some sort of foundation, structure, or system for yourself and to support your long term future. This looks different for everyone based on your own unique Saturn placement in your chart. The context of what Saturn return is about on an individual level is based on the natal Saturn sign, the house it’s placed in, and if there are any other planetary energies mixing with it.
When we don’t do the work is when we reach those breaking points and everything falls apart, and it is harder to repair the damage. Sometimes the damage is irreparable and we need to start over. But if we have been maintaining something that is weak and cracking, we need to create more support around that to sustain the long term future.
I think what I wrote above is really important to keep in mind. This is heavy. This is literally the work of a lifetime, and there are no shortcuts. The only way out is through. I’m not trying to dramatize, but realistically speaking, some people really cannot withstand this pressure. It can feel like your strength is being tested unlike ever before.
Pressure leads to depression, and depression leads to escapism of reality, which often leads to drugs and overdose, or depression leads straight into suicide. There is something called the 27 Club, a group of famous people who have died at age 27, which is the very end of the Saturn cycle, and right before the return, a rite of passage and maturation. Those people lived fast and died young. There is no statistical data for this coincidence or synchronicity, but I personally think it has astrological ties.
However, Saturn return is serious business. If you are on the wrong path, making bad choices, being irresponsible, immature, and lacking discipline, your Saturn return will be significantly more difficult. Saturn will kick your ass, strip the things away that don't serve you, and put you in your place. Saturn rewards commitment, hard work, and patience, so if you are doing the hard work, learning from your mistakes, and being mature, responsible, accountable, and disciplined, it will still be challenging, but easier than if you weren't doing those things.
I can speak from experience — I was really nervous about my Saturn return, but now that it’s over, I think that I did the work necessary to get me through it, considering I am feeling the Saturn rewards I’ve written and read about. It was still hard AF, but I'm stronger now, and all the hardship has truly been worth it.
Saturn return is also a culmination point where you must define yourself according to you, not your family, friends, or society. Remember what I wrote in the section above about prioritizing you? All those things, but also, a reinvention or new definition of yourself as you emerge from this old cycle and step into the new one. It's beautifully powerful to see the bigger picture and have a mature understanding of your growth, what made you who you are, and letting that define who you are instead of external factors. When reaching this point, it's because you did this work on your own, and that is something to be proud of and celebrate!
My final point on Saturn returns – you must take extra care. Be gentle, compassionate, and patient with yourself, or anyone you know going through one, especially if they are in their second or third Saturn return. Practice forgiveness, especially with yourself. The second and third Saturn returns will bring up themes from the first ones, especially if the work wasn't done in the first or second return, but essentially gives a chance to reflect on the past. If you are finding anything missing from this piece on Saturn returns, are about to enter/finish your Saturn return, or just want to learn more, a reading is the best way to help navigate these major cycles for you on a personal level.
Saturn in Aquarius
I would imagine a few of the people reading this might have Saturn in Aquarius, and if you do, I want you to learn what this means for you, so you can take away your lessons, too. Below I’ve included the dates of the last 3 Saturn in Aquarius cycles, whether you were born in those time periods, know someone who was, or are interested in what was happening in history during those times. Saturn in Aquarius dates:
2/24/1932 - 8/13/1932
11/20/1932 - 2/3/1935
1/3/1962 - 3/3/1964
9/16/1964 - 12/16/1964
2/6/1991 - 5/21/1993
6/30/1993 - 1/28/1994
3/22/2020 - 7/1/2020
12/17/2020 - 3/7/2023
Next Saturn in Aquarius - 2050
You don’t need to have Saturn in Aquarius for you to have felt this energy and for this to have had an effect on you. The fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius are the ones that have felt it the most. This section will speak to you if you have any signs in Aquarius, but specifically Saturn, as that is Aquarius' ruler.
Aquarius is the most human sign of the zodiac, representing a human water bearer. Many people think this means it is a water sign, but it really means dispersing & sharing with others, which is why Aquarius is the sign of the humanitarian, or humanity in general. The water bearer carries and transmits water, a basic human need, and they are trying to put it out into the world. Aquarius puts the collective before the self.
We can look to the myth of Ganymede as Zeus’ cup bearer for more philosophical queues about what it means to be a water bearer. The water must go into a vessel (more on that with Saturn in Pisces), but if the vessel is too full, it will overflow and spill. If we empty the cup, it will be easier to carry. However, in order to make room for something new, we need to empty the cup.
Aquarius is a fixed air sign. If we were to contemplate its elemental state, it would be high in the atmosphere, perhaps as clouds. Clouds are vaporous, and when they get too dense, they get rid of their water, and it rains. Clouds literally pour and disperse water onto the Earth and its people, just like the water bearer.
You can also think of Aquarius being high up on a cloud overlooking everything beneath, giving a bigger perspective. Aquarius in its highest expression can be a detached, outside observer looking from above, being far removed while watching everything happening from this larger vantage point. This detachment leads to the qualities of Aquarius that have to do with feeling disconnected, like an outsider, unique, or different from others.
Aquarius in its highest expressions are friendly, social, people-oriented, independent, rebellious, freedom loving, unconventional, quirky, exploratory, inventive, progressive, futuristic, philanthropic, and humanitarian. In its lowest expressions, Aquarius is detached, aloof, opinionated, dismissive, deviant, anarchists, the black sheep, rebelling without a cause, and tearing down but providing no alternative.
You have likely heard about the new age version & concept of “The Age of Aquarius” which is a topic I’m not getting into here. Aquarius is an idealist, and holds the idea of what could be and as a futurist, tries to move closer to it. It is crucial for Aquarius to intersect with the unknown and convert it into the known.
Aquarius has a lot to do with utopia and dystopia, the real and the ideal. If Saturn is the wall, Aquarius is on the outside of the wall, looking in, and being aware of the differences between the wall, everything, and everyone else. The shadow side of Aquarius has been very strong the last few years, highlighting and blending utopia and dystopia. Someone’s utopia can be someone else’s dystopia, and it is a hard line to navigate of what is right and wrong (Saturn), and what is best for everyone (Aquarius).
Moving into what Saturn in Aquarius means, Saturn is in its home sign in Aquarius. Being there since March 2020, Saturn has proved to us how OP (overpowered) it is in Aquarius. It’s very hard to observe Saturn in Aquarius as a transit without seeing the sociopolitical impact and how it has literally divided (Saturn) society (Aquarius). I don't want to get political, as that is not my area of strength, but I can speak more to this at a later time, as Pluto will be in Aquarius and bringing up even more Aquarian themes.
As I’ve been writing this, describing Saturn in Aquarius has been the hardest part, especially over how to describe it individually vs. collectively. To keep this short and sweet, here is a list of general attributes for Saturn in Aquarius specifically:
positive attributes - scientific, observant, level headed, open minded, nonconformist, individualistic, cool but friendly, eccentric, genuine, deliberate, humane, unresentful, impartial, thoughtful, visionary, revolutionary, idealistic, just, sincere, disciplined
negative attributes - pseudo-scientific, clinical, cunning, bends rules, elitist, apparently friendly, hollow, too formal, intolerant, belligerent, indifferent, insensitive, coldness, unrealistic, dogmatic
*If you want to learn more, I'd recommend to find out the correct time you were born and look at what house Saturn is in, its sign, and what aspects its making to other planets. Some good online resources are Astrodienst and Astro-Seek. Yet of course, I always encourage anyone who has questions about their Saturn sign to reach out to me directly so we can have a conversation about it.
Saturn in Pisces
Saturn is currently in Pisces until 2026. This section will speak to any placement in Pisces, not just Saturn. I’ve included the dates for Saturn in Pisces so you can see if you or anyone you know is going through Saturn return, but Saturn in Pisces will be affecting all mutable signs - Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius, until 2026.
As you may have already read, Saturn is in its home signs when in Capricorn and Aquarius. In the northern hemisphere, Capricorn is the cardinal (beginning) earth sign of winter, Aquarius is the fixed (middle) air sign of winter, and Pisces is the mutable (transition) water sign of winter. I want to put emphasis that we are finishing Saturn’s long 30 year cycle in its “winter” season, and when Saturn enters Aries in 2026, we will officially be in a new zodiacal and seasonal cycle with Saturn.
For now, we are still in its winter season, and our attention is being called forth to the sign of Pisces, and its ruler, Jupiter. The ruler of a planet is what gives flavor and differentiates everyone’s own unique, personal astrology. While Saturn is in Pisces, Jupiter will transit Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer. If you have natal Saturn in Pisces, you should look to your Jupiter sign for more context and understanding about what Saturn means for you personally. Here are the dates for the current and last 3 Saturn in Pisces transits:
2/14/1935 - 4/25/1937
10/18/1937 - 1/14/1938
3/24/1964 - 9/16/1964
12/16/1964 - 3/3/1967
5/21/1993 - 6/30/1993
1/28/1994 - 4/7/1996
3/7/2023 - 5/25/2025
9/1/2025 - 2/14/2026
Like I mentioned earlier, Pisces is a mutable water sign ruled by Jupiter, which the ancients used to call “the greater benefic.” Jupiter is not as extreme as the “malefics,” the planets of extremes, Saturn and Mars. Jupiter is the planet of abundance, expansion, blessings, philosophy.
Pisces is a mutable water sign, so we can think of water mutating — it can change form between vapor, liquid, and solid; evaporation, diffusion, a river returning to the ocean. Water can be light or dense depending on its force, and due to gravity, water wants to go down and spread out. Water doesn’t hold its form. It takes the shape of its container, and without something to contain it, water will just continue to spread. Mutable water ruled by the planet of expansion is water without a container, Pisces. If you were to try to count grains of sand, they still retain their form. You wouldn’t be able to count drops of water, as they will dissolve into the larger body of water they go into. This evaporating, diffusing, dissolving nature of water is a very important quality of Pisces, as the sign can be very elusive, intangible, and mysterious.
The dissolving quality of Pisces is one of the most important. There is a tendency to dissolve into things, people, places. Like water droplets, and ruled by Jupiter, Pisces needs something larger to connect to (oneness), whether that is creating meaning in life, religion, science, etc. Pisces can be a shapeshifter, dissolving and blending into any environment they are in. This can be both a good and bad thing. Something Pisces struggles with is boundaries. Water without a container will just keep spreading. Pisces can be adaptive, but it can also be so empathetic that it can soak up psychic and emotional energy like a sponge, and take on energetic residue that was never theirs to begin with.
This boundlessness with Pisces is also due to their desire for freedom and escapism. Pisces is heavily associated with addiction and escapism. Pisces searches for the deep connection or fullness that feels like something is missing, and the emptiness gets satiated by escapist behaviors, whether through art, sleep, substances, spirituality, etc.
Pisces is the sign of 2 fish going in opposite directions, represents contradiction, and holding the tension of opposites. Both and. One fish goes downstream and takes the path of least resistance, and the other fish goes upstream pushing against the current. There is a push and pull to the sign of Pisces, but I often see Pisces just going with the flow and letting the current take them. Contradiction is an inherent quality in Pisces that they are good at and like to hold. I think this is something that we need to keep in mind while Saturn is in Pisces.
This contradiction creates friction for Pisces. This sign is about holding friction, the transition from winter to spring, from darkness to light, from reality vs expectations.
Pisces is not a sign of structure or rationality, so Saturn is not in comfortable territory being in this water sign. Saturn is now in the realm of Pisces, where there is fluidity, creativity, mystery, illusions, and escapism. Pisces might be the softest and most gentle sign of the zodiac. Unlike the other 2 water signs, Cancer and Scorpio, Pisces doesn’t have a shell, pincers, or venom to protect itself with.
positive attributes - emotional, sensitive, empathetic, intuitive, healing, gentle, imaginative, dreamy, idealistic, romantic, unifying, dissolving, impressionable, receptive, integration, inclusion, humble, enlightening, philanthropic, easygoing, accepting
negative attributes - hypersensitive, melancholy, misunderstood, delusional, unrealistic, ungrounded, deceptive, nebulous, confusing, intangible, gullible, indecisive, escapism, sacrifice, martyrdom, self negating, self defeating, withdrawn, lacks discipline,
*If you want to learn more, I'd recommend to find out the correct time you were born and look at what house Saturn is in, its sign, and what aspects its making to other planets. Some good online resources are Astrodienst and Astro-Seek. Yet of course, I always encourage anyone who has questions about their Saturn sign to reach out to me directly so we can have a conversation about it.
Are you going through a Saturn transit?
If anything I’ve shared in this post has resonated with you, or you have any unanswered questions, you might be going through a Saturn transit. You can find out based on your natal astrology signs. Using the synodic cycle of the Moon as an example, we have the new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. When Saturn makes these aspects to a placement in our natal astrology, that is a Saturn transit.
It can happen at any moment depending on what signs you have. These are called hard aspects (conjunction, waxing square, opposition, waning square) which means looking to the modality that Saturn is currently in, and if you have any placements in those signs. Saturn in Aquarius was affected the fixed signs, but now Saturn is in Pisces and affecting the mutable signs.
When we divide Saturn's 28-30 year cycle into 4, we get Saturn transits every 7 years – a chance to begin a new chapter, reorganize, restructure, refine, and reform the season of life we are currently in. To find out more, you can utilize the websites I’ve shared in the sections above to look up your chart, you can reach out to me directly for more info, or you can book a reading for a deep dive on Saturn in your chart.
Saturn Playlist
"Saturn is the planet of tests. It tests us by playing on our fears. And Saturn in your horoscope shows exactly where you will encounter them. A test isn’t the same as a challenge. A challenge provokes you to act; it shoves you in the chest and dares you to shove it back. A test, on the other hand, judges whether you are truly capable or not.
Saturn is famous for stacking the deck against you and snatching the football right when you’re ready to kick it. Saturn doesn’t make things easy, and that’s the point. When you come up against an obstacle to happiness and immediately admit defeat, Saturn shows you that you must not have wanted it that much in the first place because you gave up so easily. Saturn always tests you in the area of life you care most about, which is why it’s a constant source of anxiety and pain.
Saturn teaches through the tedium of repetition. And by making you face the same obstacle again and again, Saturn wears you down until you get to the place where you are so sick and tired that you will try just about anything as long as it’s different. And this is Saturn’s miracle moment. By withholding the rewards you seek, Saturn teaches you to draw on resources you never dreamed you had and to make the most of your limitations instead of succumbing to them. This is what makes Saturn a teacher and not a tyrant, a builder and not a destroyer. We learn from our mistakes, not from our perfect test scores."