Someone shared with me recently that they were excited for Saturn to move out of Aquarius, where it had been quite active in their chart, and into Pisces, where it would be chiller.
My reaction was along the lines of: which do you prefer, going to the dentist or prepping for a final exam? These are some of the types of Saturn varieties that we get when Saturn transits a new sign in our chart.
Unlike Jupiter or Venus, when we can generally look forward to good, fun, or helpful things, either externally or internally, Saturn transits usually mean work, getting serious, taking on responsibility, or experiencing difficult lessons.
And sometimes we fail Saturn’s tests.
Saturn’s ingress into a new sign, which happened on March 6th/7th when Saturn entered Pisces, is big news, since Saturn spends almost three years in a given sign.
As the outermost of the seven visible planets, Saturn was the traditional outer planet, signifying collective epochs. At the edge of the visible universe, Saturn also speaks of boundaries and limitations.
While everyone experiences each Saturn transit differently, depending on the particulars of their natal chart, in general Saturn pushes us to grow up, to get serious, to build things that last.
Yet mutable, watery Pisces is a sign in which Saturn struggles to do these tasks in its usual ways — through building material things (like its earth domicile Capricorn likes) or through social networks (like its air domicile Aquarius prefers).
In Pisces, Saturn is like the ocean, transforming rock into sand over millennia, wearing away at structures that seem immutable. Saturn here is time and inertia, the remnants of sandcastles, or ancient civilizations on the ocean floor.
Saturn will be in Pisces until around 2025, when it will enter Aires and spend a bit of time going back and forth between these two signs before going into Aires for the next few years.
What will the next couple of years look like for you? Let’s take a look!
A Couple of Saturnian Caveats:
In general, Saturn is more constructive in the charts of those born during the day (Sun in the top half of the chart) and more challenging for those born by night (Sun in the bottom of the chart).
However, there can be mitigating factors and each chart is individual. Saturn can also be much more emphasized in certain charts than in others, affecting how strongly Saturn transits hit.
Saturn is also generally easier on older people, those who have experienced at least one Saturn return (the first of which happens around age 28-30), and the older the better, as far as Saturn is concerned.
Think about it: older people generally don’t have to learn things the hard way — they’ve already been around ALL the blocks before — whereas younger people often run up against saturnian limitations or restrictions and are forced into harder lessons.
Helpful Jupiter
All that said, Saturn in Pisces does have something going for it, which is its helpful and beneficent ruler, Jupiter.
Always working for our benefit, Jupiter wants to support this Saturn transit, and for most of its duration, Jupiter will be in signs that aspect Pisces, which provides support.
Saturnian Strategies By Rising Sign
In general, the best way to embrace a Saturn transit is to get serious about whatever topics Saturn is hitting in your natal chart. Building structures, becoming more responsible, or doing work that advances you in that area of life are all ways to positively embrace this transit.
Aires Rising: With Saturn in your twelfth house of mental health and retreat for the next couple of years your focus may turn to building and supporting your mental health and need for quietude. While you’re likely not a person who likes to retreat, and are accustomed to being in the midst of the action, you may find that you need this time to recenter yourself and perhaps deal with some inner demons. Thinking of the next couple of years as a warrior retreat, rather than a timeout, can be a productive way to deal with what may feel like a psychic slowdown.
Taurus Rising: Saturn in your eleventh house of friends, groups, hopes, and dreams brings an opportunity for structure in these arenas. Building regular opportunities to meet with friends, such as a book club or other group, also appeals to your taurean need for predictability and routine. It’s also a time to get practical about what you hope to do in the future. How can you build your way to making that happen?
Gemini Rising: In your tenth house of career and public reputation, Saturn invites you to get serious about your career. As a Jack or Jill of all trades, you likely have several irons in different fires. Saturn may push you to get serious about some or all of them. Editing, which Saturn loves, may be part of the picture here, since this is an area of life you generally like to be free range. You may also find yourself taking on more responsibility in your public life, or a role such as teacher or mentor. Just do what you do best: roll with it!
Cancer Rising: Saturn in your ninth house invites you to get serious about an educational, religious, or philosophical path, or something involving foreign places or people. Maybe you’ve wanted to move abroad — Saturn can help you make that a reality over the next couple of years if you work hard on all the details. Apprenticeships, graduate study, or professional development are all great structured opportunities that may present themselves. Not to mention politics! If you’re willing to put in the shoe leather, Saturn can help you out.
Leo Rising: With Saturn in your eighth house of shared resources, trauma, and death, there may be some lessons to parse around what you share with others, materially as well as psychically. On the other hand, this might play out as work to unlock financial resources such scholarships or grants. Sometimes Saturn in the eighth shows up quite literally as the death of someone, such as an elder, in your life and the subsequent details of estate handling. It’s also wise to not forget that the mysterious eighth house can be a place of trauma, so doing serious work to process trauma, for example, is another way to embrace Saturn here. Overall, this is a rather inner-oriented transit for usually extraverted Leo types; yet embracing the quiet and reflective work that may arise will pay off in terms of supporting your own expression in the long run.
Virgo Rising: In your seventh house of committed partnerships, Saturn is all about getting serious about relationships. If you’ve been contemplating getting married or starting a partnership of any kind, Saturn offers stability and support during the next couple of years. On the other hand, Saturn here can indicate barriers towards relationships or even hardship or separation. In any case, taking time to work on anything related to relationships can be helpful. Finding structures that support this work, such a regular date night or couples’ counseling, if that seems indicated, can help.
Libra Rising: Saturn in your sixth house of health and daily routines invites you to get serious about your health. If you have any nagging health issues, now is the time to constructively and proactively address them (with that support offered by Jupiter) rather than waiting until they turn into something chronic, which is Saturn’s preferred style of illness. Similarly, working on your health and exercise routines as well as your daily schedule, are all great ways to embrace Saturn here. Try to avoid burnout in your daily routine, which inevitably leads to health problems. Saturn may push you into burning the candle at both ends, which would be counterproductive.
Scorpio Rising: In your fifth house of children and pleasure, Saturn interjects a dose of reality and distance. Perhaps your children are growing up (Saturn’s favorite thing), or leaving the home. If you don’t have children and would like to, the next two years might not be the most fruitful, though, with fertility astrology, much depends on the individual charts involved. In general, there may be a chill or restriction on fun over the next two years. You might be busy or otherwise engaged, in your scorpionic, all-or-nothing manner. One way to deal with Saturn’s challenges here is by embracing structure in pleasurable pursuits. Setting ambitious goals in fun areas, like training for a marathon or a martial arts competition, is a great way to embrace Saturn here.
Sagittarius Rising: Saturn in your fourth house of home, family, and roots offers an opportunity to build in these areas. If you’re constructing or expanding a house, the next couple of years would be a good time to put in the effort and work towards your goals. Similarly, building structures to interact with or support your family, particularly parents, may be demanded of you. Sometimes there can be losses or restrictions in these topics, such as the loss of a home or a parent (the fourth house also carries connotations of death). It might be challenging, as a free-spirited soul who loves to be on the move, to be called back home, literally or metaphorically, which could be part of the challenge/growth edge here.
Capricorn Rising: In your third house of siblings, relatives, and local communities, Saturn brings responsibility and hard work into those topics. Maybe a sibling or another relative is going through a difficult time and needs support. On the other hand, there may be work to do in your local neighborhood. Opposite the ninth house of national leaders, the third house focuses on all things local, especially communication. Writing or publishing, especially in a regular or cyclical schedule (the Moon has her joy in the third house) might be something to engage constructively with during this time. As a Saturn-ruled native, you’re no stranger to hard work and effort, so this transit may feel par for the course to you.
Aquarius Rising: With Saturn in your second house of personal finance you may find yourself looking to restructure or organize an area of life in which you may be fairly loosey-goosey, surprisingly for the cerebral aquarian image you project. After all, “go with the flow” has never really been a recommended financial strategy. While Saturn can bring limitations or restrictions, there’s also potential to build structures during the next couple of years that will help shore things up, which can be especially important in the event of financial stress. Looking to financial experts or teachers, both saturnian archetypes, can also be a positive way to engage with Saturn in the second house.
Pisces Rising: Saturn in your first house of self, body, and appearance can put a damper on your self-expression. As I’ve noticed again and again, in the charts of others and my own, this transit can feel challenging, no matter how Saturn is situated in your chart. This is because the first house is so personal, relating only to the chart native and their body. As a Pisces rising, you’re accustomed to floating along on the inner tube of life; Saturn now throws an unexpected obstacle into the river. There can be a sense of restriction to you and how you want to be in the world. On the other hand, this period of time can be used to structure and build things in relation to yourself and your body. Embarking on an exercise or dietary routine or some type of movement or health discipline, as well as embracing the solitude that Saturn sometimes brings, can be positive ways to respond to this transit. Flexibility is the name of the game for Pisces risings; you can handle whatever comes!
Wishing you all a constructive Saturn in Pisces next couple of years!