All About Saturn
The location of Saturn in our chart shows us where we need to develop discipline in order to gain the rewards in that part of our lives. Like a clock keeping time, Saturn makes us do the work by the numbers. We can't get around it, we can't fudge our timesheet, and we can't get a note from our doctor. Gaining the skill of being able to discipline ourselves is not something that we can think our way through, we simply have to do the work to get the rewards that such work can bring, rewards that can only come from time invested and effort invested. Saturn work involves breaking down the old walls and outdated structures that we have built up and surrounded ourselves with over time due to fear or laziness and making new structures by changing our habits that we have to acknowledge no longer work and are causing problems for us.
Saturn's location in your chart may indicate an area where you have felt many limitations, whether they were internal insecurities or actual external road blocks in your life. Limitations exist to get us to work within them, to find another way. They are a supportive, and sometimes frustrating, structure to get us to achieve what we need to, to walk the narrow path to success in whatever area of your chart your Saturn lies. Limitations throw us back into ourselves to find internal reserves and strength that we don't think we have until we need to use it. When we fight to overcome these limitations, we are often much stronger and more talented than if we were just naturally gifted, because of the work we invested.
Saturn's location in your chart can be a place of insecurity and fear, but that threat tends to shrink once you really turn and face it. It is not a big leaping sort of feeling and facing it, turning around and saying 'aha!' It's more of an every day, keep trying, keep plugging away and slowly gain strength. Feelings of inferiority, insecurity and oppression need to be overcome by a direct intention to do so and repeated action taken in that direction. The insecurity exists because we have not developed the skill that is required to handle ourselves in this area, to have the confidence we wish to have. Even in the act of the work, not necessarily the achievement, but just being willing to do the work gains momentum. It builds on itself and we start to develop confidence and a belief that we can achieve what we never thought we could.
It's easy to lament what we feel oppresses us, and easy to shrug and say that this is our lot, which we may find ourselves doing at times, but when we play the victim, we are unbelievably stuck. We can easily choose to believe the lie that this problem can't be solved. We are especially in danger of depression and exhaustion if we give in to the lie of hopelessness and impossibility of the work that is ahead of us. Defensiveness and resentment will manifest in this area of life if these challenges are not undertaken, which can crystallize over time and become even harder to break through. It doesn't come easy, and it certainly doesn't come quickly. When we can't accomplish something right away or even when we've tried 'everything we can think of', this is when the real work begins - try something you think is impossible. In a sense, it is impossible using the same rules that you have always had. You need to bring down those old walls. It is a challenge and may feel unnatural, because you are training yourself to do something that isn't a talent, but will become so.
Saturn is not about moral judgment or chastisement. It doesn't present limitations for punishment. Saturn is merely reality. Saturn teaches us cause and effect, the natural limitations of the 3 dimensional world and all that can happen in it. You need to work within those natural laws to get the results you want. Adjust to the practical necessities of life where your Saturn is, in spite of fear or anxiety that may be felt, by putting in extra effort and taking on extra responsibility.
The deepest satisfaction of your life will stem from your Saturn work. Because of the nature of the time and effort it takes, Saturn work is the easiest to look back on and see how far you've come, to see what you've really accomplished. You will develop real resources that you alone have created, through your sheer will and determination. This is some of the most important work in your life.
Here's a small and imperfect Saturn 'cookbook'. Find your Saturn sign and house for a snippet about your natal chart. If you don't know where your Saturn is, you can create a free chart here and find out! Remember, anything taken out of context of the entire blend of your natal chart is like an ingredient in a dish without the other ingredients to add nuance and complexity. Digest these ingredients with a grain of salt, so to speak!
Saturn in Aries
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to be more appropriately assertive. Build skills by learning to handle situations with courage and a willingness to risk a little and move forward. Attack the problem proactively to overcome your insecurity about taking bold action. Courage is your reward.
Saturn in Taurus
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to let things flow a little more, let things happen in their own time. Make an effort to get in touch with the rhythms of your body and the animal self within, the natural instinct. Being comfortable with yourself is your reward.
Saturn in Gemini
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to communicate more clearly and working hard to overcome and/or work within any difficulties and limitations you may have been given. Feeling misunderstood is alienating; build skills that bring mental discipline. True meeting of minds with others is your reward.
Saturn in Cancer
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to get in touch with the soft side of yourself, the side that wants to nurture and show affection for others. It may take some practice and effort to reveal yourself to those you love. Learn to embrace the feeling of emotional vulnerability in trust slowly. Shared love is your reward.
Saturn in Leo
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to express your true, spontaneous self, even if fear overcomes you. If you feel unnoticed and unappreciated, insecure about being heard and important, it’s going to take effort on your part to stretch yourself to
show who you are, rather than wishing someone would come in and find you. Make efforts to show yourself if you want others to see you. The potential to truly be seen and appreciated is your reward.
Saturn in Virgo
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to build and maintain some sense of order in your life; not necessarily cleanliness or organization in your material life (although that works too if that’s your biggest trouble spot). Learn to embrace humility and striving to be better as a longterm process that will take time, without giving in to the urge to give up and feel a failure. A sense of real growth and personal progress is your reward.
Saturn in Libra
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to learn to understand where others are coming from. Build skills in interpersonal relations by learning to take a more balanced view, seeing both sides and learn to make a bridge of understanding between you and others. Walking in another’s shoes can help you understand them and yourself better. Connection with others and true union is your reward.
Saturn in Scorpio
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to investigate and accept the harder parts of yourself and others, to be willing to take a look at what lies beneath the surface. Build skills that will help you become more comfortable with knowing yourself, which will allow you to become more whole. Take responsibility for all parts of yourself, not just the pretty stuff. The ability to embrace your own transformations is your reward.
Saturn in Sagittarius
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to be open to all walks of life, different beliefs and practices. Build skills of flexibility and faith in life by learning to be more spontaneous and open-minded. Allow yourself to have some adventures that surprise you, that are not easy but are exciting. Freedom is your reward.
Saturn in Capricorn
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to see the bigger picture, concentrate on where you are going, where situations are leading. Build skills of self- direction and integrity. Self-reliance is your reward.
Saturn in Aquarius
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to maintain your own individuality without becoming so stubborn that you believe you are always right. Follow your own path, but don’t dictate the paths of others. Independence is your reward.
Saturn in Pisces
It will take sustained and disciplined effort to allow the boundaries between you and other people blur, to be open to the practice of compassion and empathy, as well as trust and surrender. Build skills that allow you to remain open and compassionate without becoming overwhelmed, learn your personal boundaries without closing off. Peace is your reward.
Saturn in the 1st house
Since the first house is the territory of how we perceive our very self, you must develop self-discipline when it comes to who that self is. This can be physical territory, such as developing disciplined eating and exercise habits, taking responsibility for your personal health and appearance. Create the self you want through personal effort. Since the first house involves the ascendant, and the ascendant is like the front door to ourselves, be responsible for what enters that front door. The lie is that the world dumps hardships on your doorstep, picking on you — the truth is you have power to clean up your own porch.
Saturn in the 2nd house
Develop self-reliance when it comes to taking care of yourself, those practical sorts of things like providing food and shelter for yourself. Make yourself your best personal resource so that you can rely on yourself to survive. Take responsibility for what you can do for yourself, within whatever limits your financial resources (and otherwise) may be. The lie is that you are not enough, that you’ll never be enough or have enough to meet all the challenges of taking care of yourself in this life. The truth is, we all stretch our limits to our means, and we can make more work than we think when we have to. You’ll find a way.
Saturn in the 3rd house
The hard work you have to do is changing and challenging and updating your perceptions the way you receive and process information from other people, the world, and your environment. Take responsibility for your own education and expand your mind; allow new information to come in to avoid rigid patterns of thinking. Develop discipline of the mind, but don’t trap it, allow your attitudes to change and be challenged. The lie is “that’s just a fact!” Perception is unique to the person perceiving — no matter how sure we are that we’re right.
Saturn in the 4th house
Make time and discipline yourself to fit your own personal needs into your life, especially your need for a place to relax and let your hair down — such as your home. Take responsibility for your home environment, and what you can do to make it better, more appropriate and fitting your needs. Also, discipline yourself to look within, to examine your past’s effect on your future; examine family ties and the responsibilities you have with them and if they are authentic for you. The lie is that you can’t change your family or ever change the past. That’s true, but you can change your reaction to it and what future you build.
Saturn in the 5th house
Develop your creative self. You may feel like you are not creative and have nothing to offer, but creativity and talent are not the same. Talent will come with practice, but the real trick is taking effort to have fun , express yourself, express what instinctively comes out of your heart — form can come later. Take responsibility for making your own fun, for finding a way to relax. It may feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, but the lie is that there’s not enough time or ability to just relax. Prioritize play, not just work.
Saturn in the 6th house
Develop discipline in your daily life, getting accomplished what you set out to do, and doing a little bit every day to reach your long term goals. Take responsibility for how the smaller picture of your life adds up to the big picture — not just in career goals or the like, but anything we want to accomplish, even our own good health. Be willing to incorporate an attitude of work and discipline each day. The lie is that habits are impossible to break. The truth is that they are just difficult, but worth it, and that is the work required of you.
Saturn in the 7th house
Develop interpersonal skills by learning how to relate to another person and learning the fine art of compromise. Learn to see those important people in your life more objectively, rather than what you want to see or believe about them and avoid believing about yourself. Take responsibility for the role you play in your relationships, and for who you draw to you as well as what you send out. The lie may have to do with feeling alone or choosing the wrong partners, but the truth is it may have to do with the sort of person you are first.
Saturn in the 8th house
Develop discipline for looking within, facing some demons, being willing to really acknowledge what lies deep inside by bringing some scary personal truths into consciousness. Take responsibility for who you are in whole and for what fears you may need to deal with. Simultaneously, when you work on becoming more whole, you become more aware of your own power. Use a sense of responsibility in your choices about using that power. The lie has to do with seeming like we are abused for having too much (or a lack of) power, but what is your subconscious self really sending out?
Saturn in the 9th house
Discipline yourself to create and achieve goals for your education — your broad education, not just textbook style. Educate yourself in a broader view, what do you believe to be true? Think through your personal truths and break down old walls if you have outgrown old truths. Take responsibility for what you believe and the ideals you have formed. The lie is that there is a Universal law that we all must abide by. The truth is, ideals based on insecurity and inflexibility will always spiral out of your control.
Saturn in the 10th & 11th house
Plan for your future, develop long term goals. While the 6th house is what to do daily, these houses are further into your future — you’ve got to pick your mountain to climb, and take aim. Discipline yourself to look and plan ahead instead of postponing it and landing wherever you may fall. Take responsibility for creating your life, your own destiny, to enable you to find your place. The lie is that you’ll never make a difference anyway and you’ll never be great. The truth is you will be great if you make it true through your own effort and will.
Saturn in the 12th house
Discipline yourself to develop a personal sense of spiritual awareness. It will take effort to learn how to let go of things that don’t matter and embrace a broader picture of life and the Universe. Learn to turn inward for your source of strength, to go within when you need to. Develop a practice of meditation, either literally or some sort of experience that allows your mind to rest and your spirit to take over. The lie is that the world will never allow you to just get a moment’s peace. The truth is you need to make room for your own needs even if the world doesn’t understand; solitude and inner peace are needed to do your work, as well as being part of your work.