Saturn in Pisces, Part 1
On March 7th, Saturn left Aquarius and moved into Pisces.
Saturn is the only planet that rules two back-to-back signs of the zodiac: Capricorn & Aquarius. This means that from 2017 until now, the cosmos was subject to the whims of a powerful Saturn, which heightened, strengthened, and emphasized the topics of this planet — not just in our own little lives, but globally.
For thousands of years, astrologers viewed Saturn as the very end.
The last planet we can see with the naked human eye, it became associated with the boundaries of human existence.
With death, pestilence, plague, the heaviness of the passage of time. With everything old and traditional. With power structures, authority, and societal systems — you know, the things that rein in us beastly humans. That is why it’s considered one of the two malefic planets in the zodiac (the other being Mars.)
Things have been serious. Life has been hard.
We’ve had to be responsible, to reach out and take accountability for our actions. To take stock and tear down the foundations of our lives so we can build anew. It hasn’t been easy for any of us, but if you ask a lot of folks, they’ll say it was necessary in so many ways, even as they walk with the weight of a new heaviness on their backs.
And that’s how Saturn operates.
I like to say that Mars exists to start fires and fuck shit up for no good reason, but Saturn is here to teach you something…and if you do the work, by the end of the course you’ll be really, really good at the subject, whatever it may be.
Saturn’s kind of a mean teacher, though.
The planet Saturn is not the god Saturn, even though they share a name and many characteristics. In Greek mythology, Saturn was called Kronos (which means “time,” another Saturnian signification). Kronos was a Titan who systematically devoured his children so he could maintain his power. Led by his son Zeus, those children eventually broke free, defeated the Titans, and became the gods of Olympus. The myth represents the process of deep systemic change.
Here is Francisco Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son.”
Past Saturn lies the three outer planets: Uranus, Neptune & Pluto.
They have more mysterious meanings, much of them having to do with being past Saturn.
Uranus is Breaker of Chains, forcing us to move beyond our Saturnian limits & boundaries in order to further humanity’s progress, one act of liberation at a time.
We have to keep moving forward, and if Saturn had his way we would only move backward towards the safety net of our existing structures.
We need Uranus to force us past Saturn.
Uranus is associated with Prometheus, another Titan from Greek myth. Prometheus angered the gods by showing mortals how to use fire — a metaphor for human progress.
Here is Gustave Moreau’s depiction of Prometheus.
Neptune is That Which We Cannot Explain.
Neptune beguiles, showing us realms of possibility that may or may not be real. But listen — without Neptune we would never be able to see anything other than what’s right in front of us. Neptune serves to inspire, to lift us above our earthly existence, to show us what reality can be — not what it actually is.
We need Neptune to lure us past Saturn.
An Ancient Sea God
The fog & unpredictability of the sea, its mysterious depths — all lend mythological significance to what Neptune means in astrology.
This is a fresco from the ruins of Pompeii.
That brings us to Pluto.
Pluto is That Which Cannot Be Seen.
What lies around and especially below reality. Pluto is hidden power structures & secret stores of wealth — it’s called a Plutocracy for a reason. For now, Pluto is actually the farthest planet out from the Sun we know about, and while Saturn still represents death & endings, Pluto reaches even further to reveal the aftermath of death: the process of decomposition & transformation…
…we need Pluto to destroy Saturn.
I tell you all this because the outer planets are integral to my understanding of Saturn.
All of the Saturn keywords (boundaries, limits, structures, systems, authority) are thematic of the Great Hemming In, the phenomenon of herding & compartmentalizing our daily lives through these archetypal topics.
We have financial, legal, justice, and educational systems (just to name a few) that provide enough order for us to build an existence; versions of these systems have existed since the dawning of time. And yes, the ways these systems operate are extremely limiting for a lot of us. But they do provide a framework for us to grab hold of, and for some reason we seem to need systems & structures. For some reason, we need a Great Hemmer. And that’s Saturn.
But, you need a vessel to drink water.
Even if you bow your head to sip right from the stream, the riverbed itself is a vessel.
You need a foundation to build a house.
A fence to stave off danger.
Rules to stop yourself from doing dumb shit.
A canvas to paint on.
And you need death, both literal and symbolic, to be reborn.
The container is what makes a thing real.
Saturn is part of it all, an integral part of the whole.
This planet means what it means, and it does what it does. Yet the secret to Saturn is in unleashing the delicate balance of his significations. Think about that while I describe the signs in which Saturn has astrological dignity — the signs in which he’s especially strong.
I mentioned earlier that Saturn’s domiciles, or home signs, are Capricorn & Aquarius. Planetary rulership is a huge component of the characteristics of the zodiac signs, and these two are no exception. The influence of their ruling planet makes Capricorn serious about the topics of the Earth element (worldly ambition), and Aquarius about the topics of the Air element (utopian ideals).
However, there’s one more sign Saturn has dignity in: Libra, the sign of his exaltation.
Planets are very strong when in signs they rule — sometimes too strong. But in the sign of their exaltation, a perfect balance is achieved, softening any excess and putting them on their best behavior.
In Libra, Saturn’s rigidity is expressed within the Libran ideals of balance, fairness, and justice. The characteristics of this Venus-ruled sign become less indulgent and more devoted to harmony, to ensuring there is a correct balance in all things — especially relationships.
So when you begin to feel Saturn-imposed constraints, teach yourself to find the inherent balance in it.
Saturn is Lord of the Great Hemming In; she’s also the Great Creator.