The Meaning of Saturn in Astrology

Saturn is the one planet after Pluto we all seem to fear a bit. People would always recoil a bit when I would begin to assess Saturn in their chart. It’s known for bringing obstacles, challenges and restrictions, but they’re all for your personal benefit.

Should we fear this planet? I don’t think so. After all, we choose to incarnate on Earth for the vast array of experiences and lessons it offers and Saturn in the birth chart merely reflects what we may have picked to experience and ultimately, learn and grow from. This vital planet, associated with personal and spiritual growth through hardship, plays a crucial role in our lives.

Saturn’s Symbolism

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and one of our outer planets (along with Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto). This planet has a mature, responsible energy in astrology.

While we normally look at it as a challenging energy that restricts us, its goal is actually to keep you focused on who you’re meant to be.

Roman and Greek Mythology

Interestingly, and in stark contrast to how we view this planet in astrology today, the Romans focused on the positive side of Saturnian energy. For them, this planet was the God of Time and the God of Agriculture. It brought abundance through rich harvests, peace and stability. It protected the Romans from conflict and offered them a simple and productive life in exchange for their obedience.

In Greek mythology, this planet was known as Chronos (Χρόνος in Greek, meaning time), the son of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (the Sky). He was a Titan determined to rule during the Golden Age. Chronos was so determined to maintain his power that decided to eat all of his children to avoid any threat to his throne.

Rhea, Chronos’ wife, decided to hide the last child, Zeus (Jupiter) in a cave to save him from his father’s wrath. Zeus eventually grew up and took the power from his father, releasing his siblings and establishing a new order of Gods.

Authority at its Finest

Look at Saturn as the parental figure in your chart. It stands for rules, order, structure, and norms at the highest level. In the first part of our lives, all these values are embodied by our parents. Later in life, this planet stands for social governance and the boundaries we need to employ to live well.

The Power of Time

This planet symbolizes chronological time, maturity, and the concept of patience being a virtue. Through the filter of time, it symbolizes the natural cycles and guides us through a realistic long-term perspective. It helps us build a vision for our future and a step-by-step plan to fulfill it.

Karmic Energy

Cronos tried to defeat karma by eating his children so no one would replace him in the same way he replaced his father. But the survival of Zeus shows us that karma can’t be defeated. So, Saturn makes sure we learn our life lessons (normally what we set up for ourselves in our pre-birth plan), but also receive our well-deserved rewards.

Saturn Return

Every 29.5 years, you experience a Saturn return. This is essentially the planet returning to the same position it was in when you were born. During this time, an opportunity for deep learning and self-evaluation is created.

I went through a very difficult break-up during this time and a few close friends fell away. As painful as it all was, I learned to stand on my own two feet and not to take life so very seriously.

Each of us has some sort of important life lesson to learn during each return with the first return being the most potent and challenging. Some people experience great turmoil and hardship and others not so much but something is still being learned; something that you very likely planned to learn on Earth before you incarnated.

I think this time provides a wonderful opportunity to overcome something and become better for it. You may find that you resolve past conflicts, heal long standing traumas and finally restructure your life for the better.

In The Birth Chart

The sign and house it’s in shows you where you’re most likely to face challenges and how you should approach them.

Saturn’s Sign in Your Chart

The sign highlights the energy this planet brings into your life and how you can better work with it.

ARIES: You are learning to be patient and to give plenty of thought to things before jumping in. Understand that things can’t happen when you snap your fingers and it takes effort to see results. Stay consistent and invest in yourself as personal development is an ongoing process. Tame your impulsivity and re-channel your energy towards your long-term projects.

TAURUS: You might be afraid of losing your wealth or social status but if you earned it through hard work and honest means you shouldn’t be concerned for a moment! This planet protects and encourages the wealth that comes through work and helps you maintain your stability. Trying to obtain success through unethical means simply cannot happen here.

GEMINI: You might struggle with learning and/or communication. You doubt your thoughts and ideas which stops you from expressing yourself freely and clearly. This placement wants you to trust yourself more and invest in your mental abilities. Sabotaging yourself will only block you from getting where you are meant to be in this life.

CANCER: This placement might bring emotional blockages and misunderstandings in your personal life. You act based on a codependent energy and you might not feel secure in your relationships. Saturn is not comfortable in such an emotional sign, which is why you need to rationalize your feelings and use them to build healthy relationships.

LEO: On one hand, you can be a great leader and an authoritative figure with unique talents and skills. On the other hand, this planet gives you a strong fear of failure that stops you from expressing your creativity and going after what you desire with iron-clad confidence. Learn to trust yourself even when you don’t receive the quick results or recognition you expect!

VIRGO: You may often find yourself battling an urge for perfectionism and a highly critical side of yourself. More discipline is required in your life but also more self-acceptance. Being your worst critic will keep you from reaching your true potential.

LIBRA: This placing encourages you to implement healthy boundaries in your relationships with others. Take time to reach a compromise and a sense of justice in every conflict. A diplomatic approach will help you sustain healthy relationships and create a harmonious personal life.

SCORPIO: You might need to go on a self-awareness journey that allows you to understand your feelings better. Learn to control your ego and manifest healthy relationship dynamics.

SAGITTARIUS: You may feel torn between exploring your philosophical beliefs and sticking to your educational path, which often don’t go hand in hand. You want to have the freedom to explore your interests but then real life (bills etc) gets in the way! Find the right line between freedom and commitment to lead a balanced life.

CAPRICORN: Saturn is at home in Capricorn. This placement supports your determination, ambition and the pursuit of long-term objectives. It may take a while longer to make your dreams come true so don’t despair. You want to be the best version of yourself but you also need to build the most efficient strategy to achieve this level. This placing gives you the strength and wisdom to do that.

AQUARIUS: This placement wants you to use your authenticity to support social causes as you’re very much invested in the humanitarian aspects of life. You might be able to contribute to complex social issues with your unique ideas and solutions.

PISCES: You need to learn how to establish healthy boundaries and know where to direct your compassion. You can use your spiritual nature to achieve great things in life, particularly when it comes to understanding complex concepts.

Saturn’s House

Look at the house to see where you have to invest responsibility, diligence and discipline to better your life and reach your biggest goals.

1ST HOUSE: You’re a very responsible and serious individual. This placement helps you rely mainly on yourself and invest in your personal development constantly. But you can struggle with self-confidence and faith. Learn to know yourself enough to understand that you can achieve everything you want.

2ND HOUSE: You need to learn how to multiply your wealth. Your status and financial stability gives you a strong sense of self-worth. You want to achieve all your material aspirations but also maintain a strong set of personal values while you do so.

3RD HOUSE: You might find it difficult to understand yourself and express your thoughts and feelings. Paradoxically, you like to talk but you struggle to communicate your ideas effectively. You might feel restricted by family or close people in your life who doesn’t encourage you to express yourself freely. Develop your communication skills and try to explore writing as an alternative to verbal communication.

4TH HOUSE: This placement can bring misunderstandings and obstacles in your domestic life but also the strength and wisdom you need to overcome them. Learn to heal any past traumas related to your family and invest emotional stability into your relationships.

5TH HOUSE: The fifth is a very fun house, where freedom and creativity find unique ways to manifest. Saturn here brings restrictions and boundaries that limit your creative spirit and can bring tension in your relationships with children. But you have the power to channel this energy constructively.

6TH HOUSE: Pay attention to your daily routine and how it impacts your wellbeing. Leading a healthy lifestyle should be a priority for you. Create a productive yet gentle routine that helps you maintain balance in your life.

7TH HOUSE: You may struggle to understand the important people in your life. This Saturn placement wants you to learn the art of compromising and tolerance. Not everyone has to agree with your point of view and vice versa. We are in each other’s life to learn from each other and grow together.

8TH HOUSE: This placing is all about change and your ability to embrace it. You’ll most likely go through a lot of life-altering phases but what matters is how you adapt to them. Learn to have a chameleonic personality that allows you to make the best out of every situation and develop a sense of resilience.

9TH HOUSE: Saturn in the ninth house guides you towards finding the right balance between freedom and responsibility, particularly in the educational field. You have a great thirst for knowledge that leads you to explore various interests at the same time, without necessarily getting in their depth. Saturn wants you to maintain a disciplined path while letting your mind run free and embrace new concepts. Controlled growth might be the concept you need to implement in your life.

10TH HOUSE: While success may not come quickly or easily, when it does come, it will stay in your life. This is because you need to work hard and consistently to achieve your dreams. With a diligent and responsible mindset, you will achieve everything you want. But it’s important to establish realistic goals that complement who you really are.

11TH HOUSE: This placing challenges your friendships and long-term aspirations. You want to have a rich social life but you’re afraid to invest in it and create connections with others. Similarly, you know what your aspirations are but something seems to hold you back from pursuing them. Work on establishing healthy friendships and creating a network that will help you reach your long-term goals.

12TH HOUSE: This placement challenges your subconscious mind and spiritual nature. You’re fascinated by your ability to understand profound concepts and want to discover more aspects of the spiritual realm. But you might be afraid to face your subconscious thoughts and see solitude as a threat. Learn to look within yourself and face your subconscious fears. Rather than focusing on understanding the world around you, as important as that is, channel your Saturnian energy to understand the magical universe within you.

How it’s Aspected in Your Chart

Saturn influences everything it touches, including the other planets in your chart. To understand its karmic energy and the boundaries it imposes in your life, you need to look at the aspects it forms with other planets, especially the major aspects, which are:

• Conjunctions: These aspects add intensity and responsibility to the energy of the other planet involved. Growth and accomplishments come from both planets working together as cosmic mentors in your life.
• Sextiles: These require discipline and effort to help the energy of the other planet manifest productively in your life.
• Trines: These boost progress and help to you achieve what you want but also deserve. Trines help you identify your strengths and multiply them to reach your true potential.
• Squares: Squares increase tension. They can push you towards growth through conflicts and challenges. But you have the tools required to overcome these struggles, should you choose to use them.
• Oppositions: Conflicts may come about and push you to mature even if you don’t feel ready. Knowing how to compromise can help you reduce the intensity of these challenges.

A Heavy But Potentially Positive Influence

We come to Earth to experience both the positive and the negative, and grow through lots of different kinds of experiences.

Just as a parent knows their child better than anyone else, this planet understands your fears and wants you to overcome them and become a more stable, secure content version of yourself eventually.

Use its energy to develop character, implement the boundaries you need to thrive on your path, and stay disciplined in your daily routine.

Remember that values like patience, diligence, responsibility and commitment impact all areas of your life from your career to your relationships. And the energy you project will eventually manifest the results you deserve.