Saturn: A Friend or a Foe?

My job as an astrologer is to let you know what the future has in store, but also to help you navigate the energies coming into your life.

Saturn used to be the "bad guy" - the greater malefic - in astrology. A couple of centuries ago, an astrologer would have forecast some verrrry unpleasant things for you when Saturn visited your natal chart.

Thankfully, we have progressed since then from a deterministic view of astrology to the belief (which I share) that we have the power to work with the energies coming into our life. And that through consciously working with them, we can express their higher vibration, as opposed to their lower vibration that can bring challenges and unpleasant developments.

So is Saturn a friend or a foe? Well....it's up to you! 

Here are some tips I’ve assembled over the years of working with Saturn:

Limitations or Long-Term Opportunities?

When Saturn goes through a particular House (area) of your life, first you could feel like a part of your life has stalled. There is just no progress. No matter what you do, things are not moving forward. You feel blocked and limited (and no doubt frustrated).

When a client comes for a love reading, saying that they are going through a dry spell, I usually see Saturn going through the 5^th or 7^th House of their chart, and making challenging aspects to the client’s planets.  “Yes, you might have fewer options at this time,” I say. “But pay attention to the ones that come into your life. They will have a long-term potential”.

Remember, every planetary energy is like a coin, and in the end we decide which side of the coin we accept. When Saturn goes through your love and relationship houses, don’t get frustrated by its limiting side. Turn the coin over, and notice the opportunities still available to you at this time. They will have an excellent long-term potential.

When it goes through your 2nd House of Finances, there may be a reduced cash flow. But, it's also an excellent opportunity to come up with a budgeting approach that will help you amass financial wealth in the years to come. Remember your Mom saying "a penny saved is a penny earned"? This day and age, it may not sound too sexy, but...you can build wealth both through income expansion, and through being deliberate with your spending patterns. Either way will ensure success! Saturn is not sexy...but it's reliable. 

I Better Commit to This Now, While I Still Have a Chance…

Saturn visiting your chart can also bring new commitments and responsibilities.  Yes, it’s fantastic if you’re ready to become a parent, get a job that comes with a lot of hard work and responsibility, or to get that mortgage and become a homeowner.

But, when Saturn visits your natal chart, don’t take on commitments out of fear. For example, don’t take a job offer you don’t like because you believe nothing better will come along. Such commitments, made under a Saturn transit, can become restrictive and suffocating over time (you might end up simply hating that job...). There is a high chance you will be “undoing” your decision when the next Saturn transit sails along.

I got married under a Saturn transit, at 22, because I was afraid to break his heart. The marriage was very difficult and fell apart 7 years later – yes, you guessed it, under the next Saturn transit!

Such Hard Work….Why or Why!!! And, Why Me???

On the other hand, I have seen people trying to shirk the theme of commitment and responsibility coming into their life. Don’t take any shortcuts when resolving issues that come into your life under a Saturn transit. Saturn requires a well thought-out, durable solution. Otherwise, the same issues could come up again in your life, in about 7 years (at the next major Saturn transit).

I’ve also seen people sinking into “poor me! Why is this happening to me?” The truth is, we ALL experience Saturn transits to our natal Sun every 7+ years. So we ALL have our tests and trials to go through. Yes, we might see a highly edited, happy version of someone’s life on social media. Business flourishing seemingly without any hard work. Big smiles all around at family gatherings.  It doesn’t mean everyone else is having the time of their lives, all the time.

Don’t get sucked into “poor me”, or “who did this to me”.  When Saturn challenges your natal chart, it simply is your time to go through a maturing experience that chisels you into a self-reliant, strong, competent version of you. Shirking this experience will only lead to the same theme repeating a few years down the road.

Saturn can bring a period of hard work. But you know what? All this effort you're putting in, the sweat and tears - it will bring amazing, long-term results in the end.

After all, the sweet gift of Saturn - it's highest vibration - is durable, long-term success. Yup, it will come. With Saturn, it may be later than you hope. But, you can also be assured that it's a real thing, and that it will happen.

This Too Shall Pass

Now, I can't stress this enough. One of the things I love about astrology is that you can see when a challenging period will end. It's not going to be there forever. Persevere through the lessons Saturn is here to teach you, and the next thing you know, a helping Jupiter transit sails along - and you find yourself reaping the sweet rewards. 

Can You Redirect Challenging Energies?

That's the astrological experiment I once staged in my own life! While I practice astrology, I also believe in shaping my own future.  

Since it involved Saturn, I knew it was going to bring a maturing experience of some sort, one that was going to bring more responsibility and further shape me as an adult. This is what Saturn transits do to us, regardless of our age. Since the energy was challenging, it looked like it was going to be a difficult experience. So… If Saturn deals with responsibility – welcome or unwelcome – what if I chose the responsibilities I wanted?

I applied on a job that was a big step-up in terms of responsibility: leading several departments and making business decisions at the level that half-scared me

Now, big planetary transits usually come in threes: there is often an event when the planet (Saturn in this case) connects with your chart, but the final resolution doesn’t come until the third pass. The week I got the job was Saturn’s first contact with my Sun. I cautiously breathed a sigh of relief, and busied myself learning my new job. True to the spirit of a Saturn transit (hard work), it was a lot of effort.

Nothing drastic happened during the second pass. “Yes!”, I thought.

Fast forward a year. It was soon after the 3rd Saturn contact that the big event happened: my father passed away… Mom was so consumed with grief that she was barely able to function. All of a sudden, I was the responsible adult to Mom’s fragility, trying to get her out of her depression – which lasted for 2 years. So…nope…I wasn’t able to dodge this planetary energy and its impacts.

But you know what? Dealing with my Dad's passing and Mom's depression was a hugely growing experience for me, more so than any big job could provide. 

And that takes us to....

Saturn and Karma

If Saturn sets off a planetary configuration in your natal chart, it's trying to teach you a karmic lesson, something your soul needs to learn in this lifetime. 

Let's say, you have a T-Square (a tense planetary configuration) that involves your natal Sun, Saturn, and Neptune. You may have a hard time figuring out how to support others without taking on too many of their problems as your burden to carry. Every time this planetary configuration is triggered by a transiting Saturn, a situation might come into your life that teaches you exactly that. And this theme will repeat, roughly every 7 years, until you've learned what you need to learn. 

And after, Saturn transits will bring rewards rather than trials and challenges.

So this is what I think:

Ready to Take Charge of Your Future? 

Book a reading with me. I would love to connect with you and your astrological chart!