Working with Saturn: Learning to Love Under Pressure

The One True Way to Make a Diamond

by Karina Lafayette – February 2022

At some point, once you’ve become familiar enough with astrology, you learn pretty early on that one planet in particular tends to be at the top of everyone’s frustrations, even for old school astrologers. And that planet is none other than Saturn.

But why does Saturn cause such frustration? Is it really because he puts things on hold, or is it just that we live in a society that’s so much about instant gratification and doing things by a certain age, that our own expectations make him seem worse? I’d say it’s both. Before continuing, I want to mention that the reason I use pronouns he/him here is because Saturn is the planet associated with patriarchy and order. Like I already pointed out in No, The Planets Don’t Have a Gender: What Venus and Mars Are Really About, planets really don’t have gender. They do have an energy, and Saturn is primarily a masculine energy.

With that being said, what does Saturn actually represent? Well, for one, in mythology he’s portrayed as the God Kronos, the ruler of time. One of the stories associated with Kronos is how he feared so much his children taking his position one day, he decided to eat them. Yes, he ate his own children, except for one- Zeus (a.k.a. Jupiter). Zeus managed to escape after his mother Rhea fed Kronos a rock which he mistook for Zeus, and this allowed Zeus to escape and live a life of freedom and joy. This part of the myth reflects the fear of old age and the idea that one day the younger generation will take our place, and that no matter what, things change. In paganism, the feast of Saturnalia, which takes place from December 17th to 23rd, is meant to honor Saturn through partying, drinking and gift exchanges. A more modern interpretation of Saturn can be seen with Santa Claus, and the idea that if you’re good, you get presents. The same is true when looking at things from an astrological perspective, but not necessarily. It’s always much deeper and has more to do with personal integrity.

While a lot associate Pluto with death, Pluto is actually the planet of rebirth and transformation. Saturn on the other hand represents everything that’s finite, including the cycles of life. The movie The Lion King does a good job at depicting this, both the pain and the beauty that comes from Simba having to take his father’s place. Even if Mufasa would’ve been around longer, appointing Simba is inevitable. In a natal chart, Saturn represents our elders, but it’s also where we need to carry on their legacy once they get old. More often than not, the Saturn Return in particular coincides with the parents retiring, or even the birth of a child, making us the parents now. Other times, some people lose a parent or grandparent. Either way, the elder is carrying their role to the younger generation, because we all grow up eventually. In many ways, Saturn is very bittersweet, because whatever is lost can somehow be found again, just in a different form.

Another thing Saturn is associated with is work, but not work in a traditional sense, it just depends on which house he’s in. The house where Saturn is located is the area that requires you put in the work, but the good news is that he doesn’t necessarily expect hard work, he’s more interested in structure and creating a plan of action. This is most likely where the saying “diamonds are formed under pressure” comes from, because diamonds literally are rocks formed under pressure. However, some people think by working sixty hours a week that they will be more successful, but the problem is that this usually causes burn-out and gives less time for self-care, fun, and relationships, which are just as important. What’s better is to have a plan of action and find a way to make that work fit with everything else you consider important… to you.

Since Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, those who have placements in Capricorn usually grew up with caretakers that tend to be either very serious in nature, or who are downright controlling, as in they almost seem to want to “eat” their kids. These are the helicopter parents who micromanage their kids’ lives to make sure the kids will never outsmart or outshine them. If your sun is in Capricorn, then your father or male caretakers have an influence on the way you see yourself, whereas if your moon is in Capricorn, your mother taught you to be very controlled about your emotions. The same is true if your sun or moon are either conjunct, square or opposite Saturn. However, if the relationship was a good one, it can simply just mean that you had a parent who was hardworking and took their values seriously. There’s no such thing as a bad zodiac sign.

As Kronos, which directly translates to “Time”, this explains why Saturn is often referred to as Father Time. Regardless of what a natal chart looks like, Saturn operates in seven-year intervals. Ever hear the expression “seven year itch”, where a lot of relationships barely last longer than seven years? This is because every seven years, Saturn will either square, oppose, or return to the natal Saturn in your chart. While the first square around seven years old is when a child first begins to understand the concept of time, the second square, which happens around twenty-one, this is the moment when we officially step out of our parents’ nest and into the real world. The first Saturn opposition on the other hand, which is when we’re around fourteen and starting high school, that time period is when we rebel against authority figures and begin to develop a stronger sense of identity. The second opposition usally happens closer to middle age. So parents, you can rest assured that your young teens don’t hate you, they’re just doing the natural thing Saturn expects: growing up.

Obviously, the most famous of all is the Saturn Return, the first being between 29–31 and the second one around sixty years old. For some reason, the Saturn Return is the most talked about as if it’s the only transit that matters, and I think a lot of it has to do with social pressures that are felt by late twenty-somethings. Even though people are living longer and can wait before certain milestones, there’s still this idea that if you’re not married with kids by thirty, then it means you’re a failure. In reality, there is no rulebook and just because something hasn’t happened yet, this doesn’t mean it won’t. Not everyone needs to have the white picket fence in order to be successful. There are plenty of people who only reached certain milestones later on in life, and one of my favorites is Tina Turner, who in her early forties finally became one of the most successful singers after years of abuse from her first husband, Ike.

Beyond that, Saturn making some type of aspect to a personal planet can even show that you were raised by your grandparents, or that you tend to get along better with older people. Personally, my moon is in Capricorn, and growing up I was always very close to my grandmother. She was fun and playful but still was the person to give structure in my life. I was also quite close to the men in my family, which makes sense, because Saturn, like already pointed out, has a patriarchal influence. The house that you have Saturn in shows the area of life where these elders have the most influence. Saturn in the sixth house can show someone who’s relatives lived to a very old age, while Saturn in the twelfth can show a grandparent who may have passed away before you were born. It can even hint at a psychic connection to your ancestors.

By researching the house that Saturn is in your chart, you’ll also come to find that this particular area of life isn’t exactly an easy one for you. I always say that either Saturn shows where we feel restricted or where we lack discipline. In the article on my Saturn Return, I talked about growing up without having a strong sense of discipline, which makes sense for someone with Saturn in the sixth house. Even till this day, routine isn’t exactly something I enjoy, but the more I do it, the easier it is and the more it brings me stability everywhere else.

So how can you work with Saturn, and more importantly, how can you begin to love Saturn?

1. Look at the House Saturn is in Your Chart

This is the first thing you need to do, which is why I keep repeating it. And funny enough, Saturn loves repetition, so it’s not like he would mind. In this area of life, there is a tendency of feeling history repeat itself, or like no matter what you do, nothing changes. The key is to ask yourself where you give others your power. Do you take your responsibilities seriously? It can be easy to self-sabotage if we already go into a situation feeling like a failure. In my case, I would often doubt myself at work, which made it so colleagues would either try to control me, or they assumed I couldn’t do it. Ironically, I’m also that person people often go to for advice on how to get things done, so it’s obvious that feeling of incompetence isn’t valid.

2. Drop Your Inner Critic

Remember, Saturn is also our inner critic, and being aware of what our flaws are is a good thing, but there is such thing as being too hard on ourselves. The best thing, is to make this house in your natal chart a priority and acknowledge that it needs more tenderness than others. This could literally be the thing people point out when talking about what needs effort on your part, or you could simply feel like others excel at this area more than you. If your Saturn is in the seventh, aspecting Venus, or if you have Venus in Capricorn, a part of you feels like others have better relationships than you. Since there’s the saying that “comparison is the thief of joy”, Saturn can sometimes feel like it prevents you of joy, or that you need to earn joy to get it. In reality, everyone deserves to experience joy and by reminding yourself this, it may not create success overnight, but it will make working with Saturn a lot easier.

3. Be Patient

Yes, it’s easier said than done, but Saturn is Father Time after all. Social media, instant messaging and society all around would have you believe that everything needs to happen overnight, but if everything did happen overnight, what else would there be to do? Since Saturn works at seven-year intervals, it’s a good idea to look at what areas Saturn will be transiting at the start of each cycle, because those are the things that will get most of your attention. For example, if your Saturn Return is happening in the fourth house, then between now and the next seven years you’ll be focusing mostly on your home life, family, and creative projects. It doesn’t mean that other areas won’t get any movement, but they’ll be more in the back of your mind.

4. Where Do You Have Capricorn?

This can explain a lot, since like I already pointed out, Saturn is the planetary ruler of Capricorn. It really doesn’t matter whether you have planets in this house or not, because whatever sign is on the cusp of a house, we get an idea of how this area of life plays out. Having Capricorn Ascendant (Capricorn in the first house) can make you come across as very serious-natured and reserved, while having Capricorn in the seventh means you attract partners who are very serious or older than you. Whatever house Capricorn is in, this area shows where you tend to be a bit of a late bloomer, and if you’re interested in having a business, it can even point out the best way to excel as a boss. A lot of artists and famous people tend to have Capricorn Ascendant, as well as Venus or Mars in Capricorn, since these placements are more apt to push forward where someone else might give up. Another aspect commonly seen in entertainment is Virgo Ascendant, because here Capricorn rules the fifth house of creativity. For focus on communication, Capricorn third and sixth house can show a career in marketing, social media or writing.

The house Capricorn is in can also show the area where we take initiative, or where other people see us as a role model. Chances are, we’ve had a lot of mentorship or older people guide us in this area, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it can be a key to success. In my case, with Capricorn in the fifth, a lot of people I look up to tend to be performers from Old Hollywood as well as classic authors like Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and the late great Anne Rice, who passed away in December 2021.

5. Take the Initiative

There’s something about Saturn energy that is just plain intimidating, and it’s no wonder, because no matter how much you learn from him, there’s going to be more. The good news is usually after the first Saturn Return is when most of us come into our own, but before the Saturn Return, we’re most likely to doubt ourselves and let others undermine our skills. We may very well come into conflict with people in this house because of that “father knows best energy”. Having Saturn in the sixth made it so over the summer I had to run from one doctor to the next, just to get a diagnosis on my iron deficiency. Once I learned to take better control of my health, it was game over for anyone who tried to tell me otherwise.

Remember, Saturn is all about the work and in order to be good at something, you need to at least start somewhere. Nobody was born an expert, but you won’t be one by letting other people do it. I like to think of Saturn as being a fitness coach, there to motivate and push you into doing better, and the house Saturn is in as the muscle that needs the most work. Before you know it, it’ll be just as strong as the rest of your chart.

6. Look at People in Your Life Who’s Sign is Your Saturn

You might not even like the people who have their sun near your Saturn, but they have a lot to teach you. Even though Venus is the planet of love, Saturn is our commitments, but you might not expect that a lot of partnerships have Saturn going on. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, who’ve been together for decades, have this synastry. Goldie’s Saturn is on Kurt’s moon and even makes a square to his Venus. His Saturn is also square her moon. This sounds icky, and it can be, depending on the relationship. Usually the Saturn person teaches the planet person discipline, while the planet person teaches Saturn to lighten up, so it does make sense that Goldie is six years older than Kurt. At the same time, because Saturn is commitment, anytime he’s prominent in synastry, the concept of “for better and for worse” is at play. Rather than breaking up over the smallest thing, this makes a couple who’s willing to work to keep the relationship going. Another thing that makes Saturn tricky in synastry, is that sometimes it takes years for the relationship to get off the ground, either because of an age difference, or because both partners aren’t ready for that type of relationship.

So it should go without saying that when a Saturn relationship is bad, it’s awful, and this isn’t just for romantic partnerships, even friends, family and co-workers. The Saturn person will want the upper hand while the planet person will feel isolated and want to run away. This is the person who is in your life for years, or at least until you learn whatever lesson they might be teaching you. Better yet, you can start off hating each other and have it turn into love later, just like in the movie When Harry Met Sally. However, when it’s good, it can very well last forever, filled with devotion and appreciation.

7. When All Else Fails, Look to Jupiter

Jupiter is the antithesis to Saturn. After all, he rebelled against his own father in favor of finding his joy, and once in awhile, we all need to do this. Whereas Saturn can bring restriction, Jupiter shows the area of life where we are the most protected and blessed. Things might not be perfect here, but they sure are more cozy. I’ll discuss Jupiter later, but the point is really, count your blessings, because even when life isn’t perfect, a blessing could be right under your nose.

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Also join my virtual event on the Saturn Return experience, taking place March 11-13th here.

On Sat., Apr. 16, 2022, 3:24 p.m. Light Upthedark, <lightupcandlestrology@gmail.com> wrote: