Rules: Capricorn, Aquarius
Key Words: Structure, form, laws, authority, focus, boundaries, discipline, responsibility, the capacity to respond appropriately to time’s demands.
Color: Indigo
Metal: Lead
Physical body affinities: Spine, bones, teeth, skin, the structure and boundary of the body, the body’s center of gravity (the will center) located right below the navel.
Length of time to orbit: 28 – 30 years; 2.5 years in each sign
Festival: Winter Solstice
Way of honoring: Create a job, spend time in introspection and solitude, inhale your authority back from the world — rhythmic breathing.
Shadow, when not honored: Depression, inertia, fear, claustrophobia.
Known by the Greeks as Chronos (or Time), Saturn is the farthest planet from the Sun easily visible to the naked eye. It defines the boundary between the visible and the invisible. It represents time and patience, boundaries, laws of limitation and definition, form, structure and authority. Saturn presides over the new year and new beginnings, as well as being the god who defines our terms and our tasks.
Many astrologers discuss Saturn with a “you poor thing” look in their eyes. However, Saturn is a great helper. Saturn helps you separate what is real and appropriate in your life from what is not. It encourages/forces you to accept the responsibility for being the author of your own life and through him, we can reclaim authority we have given away.
In today’s world, we give our authority away far too readily — to our father, our employer, our lover, the cops and the state. If you have been holding tightly to a relationship that has long lost its reason for being or doesn’t allow you to reveal your authentic self, Saturn will come along to help you release it. If you want to start a new business, Saturn will help you do the work necessary for it to succeed. The trouble comes when you say you want something but are not willing to bring forth the energy necessary for it to manifest. Saturn will help you, but you must do your part. Saturn also requires you to be patient and approach your goals over the long term. If you impatiently “want what you want, and want it now,” Saturn is likely to teach you some lessons in hard work and perseverance.
The position of Saturn in your chart records the quality of your earliest encounter with authority, usually your father. Think of your father’s beliefs, spoken or not, about what is or is not possible in life, and how he made you feel when you stepped outside of his belief system. It is likely that you continue to perpetuate that state of belief, whether positively or negatively, as you move along your life path. When we allow Saturn to help us rewrite our own inner scripts learned in childhood we can break the chains of patterned expectation.
Saturn says that we will encounter any inner issues we shirk, or qualities we refuse to possess outside ourselves in a form we might not like so much. Without our inner authority, outer authority will direct us: “He who hesitates gets bossed.” It is crucial to bring Saturn issues into consciousness so that we do not jeopardize our self-determination in a conflict with external authority. If we do find ourselves in such a situation, the extent to which we have not dealt with our Saturn issues will determine the frightening or burdensome ferocity of the encounter.
In a natal chart, Saturn challenges you to manifest your goals. It is the container of our lives, comprising all of our responsibilities, all the things we have signed up to do – the children, the work, the projects. With Saturn, the trick is to learn the lesson without giving into depression, despair, or cynicism.
In transit, Saturn spends 2.5 years in each sign, prompting you to reassess your commitments that are encompassed by the house placement. Every 7 years it asked you to re-evaluate your life in a big way by forcing you to compare yourself to your life. The degree to which you do not match creates an irritant. That tiny pea under your mattress is a necessary ally and catalyst for change. This is the “seven year itch” syndrome.
A Saturn Return is when the planet comes back, or returns, to the exact zodiacal degree it was when you were born. This happens approximately at the ages of 29, 57 and 86. When you hear of people talking about some issue that happens at 7 or 14 years, that is also likely to be a Saturn issue because of the square and opposition aspects that it makes.
Because Saturn represents structure, its influence is reflected in our dramas with our spines, bones, and teeth, as well as with our skin – the boundary of our body. The spine is the literal and symbolic arena of the body where all of our experiences of feeling supported (or not) are enacted. People often experience lower back pain when they encounter any loss of support, especially the death of their fathers or economic dread. Saturn is about restructuring your life to give you a greater sense of your own authority. This means that you need to grow up, take responsibility, release that which does not empower you, and make a long-term commitment to your path.