Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture. He had a festival dedicated to him in the winter called Saturnalia, which was one of the most anticipated Roman festivals. Saturnalia was a celebration of sowing grains before Winter really set in. Saturn is closely associated with the Greek god Cronus, who was the god of time. Cronus was viewed as a rather destructive force. In Roman mythology, Saturn was the father of Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter. He became a symbol for Father Time because he brought about the end of all things. Saturn encompasses generations, wealth, poverty, renewal, and revelation. Saturn taught the Romans agriculture and got the city to create something of itself after a time of no labor and hedonism. In Astrology, Saturn is the planet of discipline, restrictions, lessons, karma, and responsibility. Saturn got the reputation of being a “malefic” planet because his energy is very harsh and intimidating, however, without Saturn, we would have no sense of responsibility. We’d be immature and have no ability to take accountability for our shortcomings. We would never learn from our mistakes because there would be no force there to humble us. Saturn, in essence, is here to push you. Saturn wants everybody to be hardworking and this is a planet with a genuine understanding that nothing is truly free, but everything does need to be earned. We evoke Saturnian energy whenever we’re apprehensive about things outside of our comfort zone. Saturn recognizes risks and provides a stable plan of attack. Saturn is realistic, cautious, and calculating. Saturn is ruled by Capricorn and Aquarius, then exalted by Libra. This puts the planet in detriment in Cancer and Leo, falling in Aries. Saturn is the second “social planet,” following Jupiter.
The glyph that we use for Saturn (♄) is the alchemy symbol for lead. It’s a sickle that points downward, symbolizing planting your roots and grounding yourself to the Earth. It’s the matter above that’s weighing down upon the body. It’s limiting, but it’s also enduring and still represents growth. You ultimately grow from the pressures that Saturn places upon you.
Rulership/Exaltation/Detriment/Fall
Saturn is ruled by Capricorn and Aquarius, being exalted in Libra. Capricorn and Aquarius are very rational, detached, dry, and build everything they do or think upon a foundation of fact. Capricorn is the earthier part of Saturn. Capricorn is a sign that believes that nobody else is capable of doing what they can do, however, this is also a sign that finds flaws in itself all the time, and is always climbing and striving to achieve more, do better. Capricorn is responsible, practical, and extremely realistic. Aquarius is the airy side of Saturn, the planet’s icy rings if you will. Aquarius appears very confident on the outside but is very insecure and confused on the inside. This is a sign that views the world through the lens of an art critic, always questioning how it can be better and how to live with the flaws of humanity. They look for the logical solutions to all of humanity’s problems. Both signs have an intense work ethic that’s incomparable and they refuse to adhere to the rules of someone else; they govern themselves. Libra is where Saturn is exalted because this sign is very diplomatic, detached, and is heavily concerned with the law. Libra is a sign that works hard to be considerate of others. Libra is where Saturn connects with others, sharing his wisdom and setting boundaries. Libra’s energy is also compatible with Saturn’s atmosphere because Libra represents values and what is important to us, and Saturn serves as a reminder to never forget where you started.
This means that Saturn would be in detriment in Cancer and Leo, falling in Aries. Cancer and Leo are two signs that are very emotional and dramatic. Something I didn’t quite touch on earlier is that Saturn represents patriarchy and paternity. Cancer and Leo are more connected to the matriarchal figures in their lives, because stereotypically, out of the two, that would be the more nurturing of the two. Saturn finds himself immature and ungrounded in these two signs because of the rollercoaster of emotions and insane amount of mental gymnastics that these signs do on a daily basis. Cancer, although a homebody and connected to their roots, is a sign that will likely abandon their own ambitions to focus on their loved ones. Cancer also retreats into hibernation mode whenever they’re met will obstacles. Leo, on the other hand, prefers others to do the work for them instead of taking responsibility for themselves. Leo is highly idealistic and has all of these plans to get into the spotlight, but they lack ambition and work ethic. Aries where Saturn finds himself weakened. Aries is impulsive, doesn’t plan things at all, and will do things just for the sake of it. This sign doesn’t consider the consequences and possible risk in their actions, they just do it. This is contradictory to Saturn’s steady and responsible nature.
Jupiter is very expansive. I said in the last article that Saturn and Jupiter are opposites. This is because Saturn’s boundaries, constriction, and responsibility doesn’t line up with Jupiter’s overall expansiveness, idealism, and generosity. I find that with Saturn, looking at the mythology behind the name of the planet will reveal a lot about his astrological significance. The name we use for the planet comes from the Roman god Saturn, who was essentially Cronus of the Greeks. Saturn was the god of agriculture, harvest, and wealth. In Greece, Cronus was often confused for the God of Time, Chronos. It’s important to note that they were often confused because they were both frequently equipped with either a scythe or a sickle. This misunderstanding led to Renaissance artists to create art of Father Time, and the Medieval artists to create art of the Grim Reaper. This is associated with Saturn’s astrological significance of “reaping what you sow,” so to speak.
Saturn has received a pretty scary reputation for being a “malefic” planet. Saturn is a planet of hard work, ambition, limits, work ethic, and challenges. Saturn makes you earn what you want and is the reality check you need after the high of Jupiter. Saturn reminds you that nothing in this world is free. When Saturn was first discovered, it was given the reputation of being cold and detached because it was the furthest planet that could be seen with the naked eye. Naturally, people fear what they don’t understand, and Saturn was seen as emotionless, cold, compassion less, and unapproachable. People were intimidated by the planet.
When Saturn is healthy and thriving, he is responsible, disciplined, and focused. This is when you know exactly the direction you wish to take with your life and you’re putting in the work to achieve that. You’re successful because of it. A healthy Saturn means that you’re organized, realistic, and you do whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Whenever you put in all of this work to achieve something, you find that you appreciate it much more than you would if it were just handed to you.
Alternatively, when Saturn is unhealthy, you’re lacking motivation and you have no work ethic. You don’t quite know what to do with your life, and you have lack mentality. You don’t put in work at all, you’re overly cynical (or too irresponsible), and because of it, nothing gets done. Everything around you is a mess and you put no effort into organizing anything. You’re not productive, you’re impulsive, and you have no boundaries. Saturn, when unhealthy, lessens you to an entitled freeloader with the mindset that you deserve everything just for existing or doing the bare minimum. You need a backbone and a sense of responsibility for your actions.
Where Jupiter is expansive and philosophical, Saturn is restrictive and wise. When you take a look at Saturn, you observe how your fears have guided you in the direction of caution and being able to ground yourself in the face of danger. When the fears are faced, Saturn rewards you. Saturn is the ultimate reminder that you’re not in control of the situation, but you are in control of your reaction.
Now what’s a post about Saturn if I don’t mention the big and scary Saturn Return?! The Saturn Return occurs whenever Saturn returns to the exact position it was in whenever you were born. This takes about 29.5 years to do. The Return happens in your late 20s usually and it’s felt when you’re in your early 30s. Some people call this a “cosmic rite of passage.” Saturn Returns take you into a new stage of life, where you’re forced to mature and settle down. You typically have 2 or 3 Saturn Returns throughout your lifetime.
Earlier, I mentioned that Saturn is karmic to some people. When the Saturn return hits, the area of your life where you find your fears and karmic baggage is highlighted, and you’re forced to learn all of the lessons you need to in this life. On the positive side, Saturn returns often lead people to finding their true-life purpose. However, that’s only after Saturn throws you through the fire. A Saturn Return is a sobering wake-up call for you to get your shit together. It’s not kind, it’s not gentle, and it often comes in unexpected ways. Saturn is the instigator of change. The best way to manage a Saturn Return is to just accept what’s happening, go with the flow, and remain as positive as possible. Saturn doesn’t throw you into the fire just for the hell of it, there’s always a reason. Saturn is here to make you mature, grow, and learn in order to be a functioning and responsible person. Saturn brings you only what you deserve, but that’s not after you’ve proven that you’ve earned Saturn’s blessings.
Signs: Capricorn, Aquarius
Crystals: Jet, Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Onyx, Black Tourmaline
Day of the Week: Saturday
Deities: Saturn, Cronos, Chronos, Hekate, Sebek, Set
Saturn Throughout the Signs
Aries: often sways from being irresolute to powerful, continuous fight against obstacles and delays, achieves success only after an intense amount of disappointment, forced to be patient, needs to find the independence that was probably stolen from them during childhood
Taurus: determined, capable, responsible, serious, tenacious, is a hoarder of material possessions because of their fear of being left alone and without resources, was probably poor during childhood, often sets personal health aside to be more financially stable, wastes time on dead-end jobs and projects that do nothing for them in the long-run
Gemini: needs to find their voice, was probably silenced or just very quiet in the past, probably has social anxiety, sarcastic, cynical, can be cold-hearted, tries to intellectualize their emotions, has to deal with their loneliness baggage from the past, can take any subject and learn everything about it
Cancer: deep fear of being alone, broken relationship with the mother/matriarchal figure, abandonment issues, can be overly dependent on others, shrewd and tenacious, family baggage causes them to hold back and often walk on eggshells around people or entirely push people away to avoid being abandoned
Leo: authoritative, can be dictator-like, self-conscious over their creativity, self-image issues, fear of being judged and rejected, sensitive to criticism, needs to take the constructive criticism people give them and use it to grow and be successful, needs the courage to show their creativity
Virgo: methodical, doesn’t make a scene, feels an immense pressure to live up to other people’s standards of what they think they should be, the views of their family became their own views, needs to break free from other people’s opinions and form their own, obsession with perfection, admirable work ethic and intelligence
Libra: fear of being alone, tries to fill the void with relationships, wants to make the right impression on people, desperate for companionship, picky, shy, doesn’t want to get close to people, slow to commitment
Scorpio: fear of others having control over you, faced abuse in the past, family was probably overbearing, was shamed for their way of being in the past, coerced into other people’s lifestyles, trust issues, impenetrable walls around them, needs to learn to give up control and allow a situation to flow naturally in order to regain control and come out victorious in the end
Sagittarius: needs to learn perseverance, limited freedom (often self-imposed), needs to learn how to express themselves and break free, needs to learn how to live their life on their own terms and learn the importance of taking accountability for their own actions, was very tactless and impulsive in the past
Capricorn: unswerving, ambitious, independent, will do anything to succeed, wants to be the best, fear of falling short, difficult relationship with the father/patriarchal figure, followed by pessimism and loneliness like a dark cloud over their head, often indulges in substance abuse, workaholics, trying to please authority to make up for their past with the patriarchal figure, needs to rethink the path they take
Aquarius: fear of vulnerability, difficulty making new friends, loner, isn’t close with most people, wants to be an individual and be recognized for their revolutionary ideas, the fear of nonacceptance makes them overthink everything, needs to take risks, needs to accept that not everyone will like them but that’s okay because eventually, the right people will find them
Pisces: sagacious, insightful, fear of confrontation, family life was probably chaotic, murky relationship with the mother, wandered through the world very timid and afraid, jumps at their own shadow, easily manipulated and taken advantage of, needs to learn how to stand up and fight for themselves, needs to embrace their own right to happiness and put themselves first above everyone else
