Making friends with some crusty old codger who seems bent on tormenting us and making our lives more miserable seems like the last thing we’d want to do, but I’ve decided to give you a few tips based on my own life experiences and the observations of many long years working with clients in my professional practice.
First off, we all have Saturn somewhere in our natal chart, so no one is exempt on planet earth from learning something about this planet which has come to represent hard work, delays, restrictions, frustrations, and the arduous climb up the mountain of our own private ambition. Saturn is often used as the symbol for what we lack; therefore we strive to fill that hole with substance over the course of our lives.
First off, we all have Saturn somewhere in our natal chart, so no one is exempt on planet earth from learning something about this planet which has come to represent hard work, delays, restrictions, frustrations, and the arduous climb up the mountain of our own private ambition. Saturn is often used as the symbol for what we lack; therefore we strive to fill that hole with substance over the course of our lives.
For those of you, like myself, who have Saturn as ‘Ruler’ (the Ruler of a chart is the planet which rules the Ascendant) of your entire chart you know well the message of Saturn, “The tortoise will win the race in the end by never giving up, by persevering, and by taking one step at a time towards the goal.” I’m talking about you Capricorn rising souls out there!
One of the first books I ever read on Saturn was by Liz Greene entitled ‘A New Look At An Old Devil’. I remember I read that book from cover to cover and got quite depressed because Liz has a way of being very sardonic and Saturnine herself. It was the same Liz who gave a lecture at a conference I attended while smoking non-stop and blowing it out into our audience as she spoke! That woman knew a thing or two about ole Saturn, and I was both impressed and rather intimidated at the same time as a young woman just learning about my ‘ruler’. I remember well that I put that book far away from me for a very long time until one day years later I read it again and realized the efficacy of her message. By then I was more mature, more confident, and wiser, and Ms. Liz made a lot of sense by then.
So here we are today working with Saturn moving through Scorpio. I refer you to an earlier article I wrote back in February 2013 (see my archives) for more insights into this 2.5+ year passage and the major themes of Scorpio emphasized. Let’s just briefly review the time frame we are experiencing:
Saturn entered Scorpio on October 6th of 2012.
Saturn turned Retrograde February 18th, 2013 at 11 degrees of Scorpio
Saturn turned Direct on July 4th, 2013 at 4 degrees of Scorpio
Saturn leaves the 11th degree of Scorpio (the 3rd time) on October 18th, 2013
Saturn turns Retrograde at 23 degrees of Scorpio on March 2nd, 2014
Saturn turns Direct on July 20th, 2014 at 16 degrees of Scorpio
(Are you getting exhausted? I am! It is when Saturn reaches its final leg of a journey through one sign that it begins to feel like it is endless and is never going to end. Just ask a Libran who went through it all not too long ago.)
Saturn enters Sagittarius on December 24th, 2014
Saturn turns Retrograde on March 14th, 2015 at 4 degrees of Sagittarius
Saturn still Retrograde re-enters Scorpio at 29 degrees on June 16th, 2015
Saturn turns Direct at 28 degrees Scorpio on August 2nd, 2015
Saturn FINALLY leaves Scorpio on September 18th, 2015
We are really talking about nearly three years this time around for Saturn in Scorpio: October 6, 2012 to September 18, 2015 when it is finally over. It truly behooves us to make friends, does it not?
How do we do this? Let us learn to apply these character strengths:
One of the first books I ever read on Saturn was by Liz Greene entitled ‘A New Look At An Old Devil’. I remember I read that book from cover to cover and got quite depressed because Liz has a way of being very sardonic and Saturnine herself. It was the same Liz who gave a lecture at a conference I attended while smoking non-stop and blowing it out into our audience as she spoke! That woman knew a thing or two about ole Saturn, and I was both impressed and rather intimidated at the same time as a young woman just learning about my ‘ruler’. I remember well that I put that book far away from me for a very long time until one day years later I read it again and realized the efficacy of her message. By then I was more mature, more confident, and wiser, and Ms. Liz made a lot of sense by then.
So here we are today working with Saturn moving through Scorpio. I refer you to an earlier article I wrote back in February 2013 (see my archives) for more insights into this 2.5+ year passage and the major themes of Scorpio emphasized. Let’s just briefly review the time frame we are experiencing:
Saturn entered Scorpio on October 6th of 2012.
Saturn turned Retrograde February 18th, 2013 at 11 degrees of Scorpio
Saturn turned Direct on July 4th, 2013 at 4 degrees of Scorpio
Saturn leaves the 11th degree of Scorpio (the 3rd time) on October 18th, 2013
Saturn turns Retrograde at 23 degrees of Scorpio on March 2nd, 2014
Saturn turns Direct on July 20th, 2014 at 16 degrees of Scorpio
(Are you getting exhausted? I am! It is when Saturn reaches its final leg of a journey through one sign that it begins to feel like it is endless and is never going to end. Just ask a Libran who went through it all not too long ago.)
Saturn enters Sagittarius on December 24th, 2014
Saturn turns Retrograde on March 14th, 2015 at 4 degrees of Sagittarius
Saturn still Retrograde re-enters Scorpio at 29 degrees on June 16th, 2015
Saturn turns Direct at 28 degrees Scorpio on August 2nd, 2015
Saturn FINALLY leaves Scorpio on September 18th, 2015
We are really talking about nearly three years this time around for Saturn in Scorpio: October 6, 2012 to September 18, 2015 when it is finally over. It truly behooves us to make friends, does it not?
How do we do this? Let us learn to apply these character strengths:
Patience and Persistence
You can not push the river when under a Saturn transit so becoming patient yet persistent is the best use of your energy. It is said that when Saturn makes a hard aspect to one of your planetary energies that the brakes are on. If you push harder, you will only meet with resistance. We are talking about the pace of walking here; not running faster. So keep going but do it ever so slowly. Persist! Learning the art of patience is something all spiritual teachings encourage us to practice. It is a wisdom learned only through practice, practice, practice. This is especially true when Saturn is applying to a planet like Mars or even Mercury, which also likes to move quickly along. There is a pressure going on which can not be hurried under such transits. So be the Mountain Goat and move carefully but surely towards your goal or ambition at this time.
You can not push the river when under a Saturn transit so becoming patient yet persistent is the best use of your energy. It is said that when Saturn makes a hard aspect to one of your planetary energies that the brakes are on. If you push harder, you will only meet with resistance. We are talking about the pace of walking here; not running faster. So keep going but do it ever so slowly. Persist! Learning the art of patience is something all spiritual teachings encourage us to practice. It is a wisdom learned only through practice, practice, practice. This is especially true when Saturn is applying to a planet like Mars or even Mercury, which also likes to move quickly along. There is a pressure going on which can not be hurried under such transits. So be the Mountain Goat and move carefully but surely towards your goal or ambition at this time.
Discipline
This quality goes hand in hand with patience, but may be called for when attempting to learn a new skill or develop strength in achievement. Saturn is the epitome of discipline which involves the right use of our will to become more exacting and careful. One aspect of discipline involves doing something whether you feel like it or not. Another aspect of discipline might be restraint where you hold yourself back rather than lashing out impulsively. Discipline can involve action, but it can also involve the emotional body. There can be mental discipline as applied in study or meditation. In order to surmise where you need to apply more discipline look to where Saturn is moving and aspecting some of your own energies. If the Moon is involved it may be emotional discipline. If Mercury is involved, it’s mental discipline. If the Sun is involved it is the right use of your Will.
This quality goes hand in hand with patience, but may be called for when attempting to learn a new skill or develop strength in achievement. Saturn is the epitome of discipline which involves the right use of our will to become more exacting and careful. One aspect of discipline involves doing something whether you feel like it or not. Another aspect of discipline might be restraint where you hold yourself back rather than lashing out impulsively. Discipline can involve action, but it can also involve the emotional body. There can be mental discipline as applied in study or meditation. In order to surmise where you need to apply more discipline look to where Saturn is moving and aspecting some of your own energies. If the Moon is involved it may be emotional discipline. If Mercury is involved, it’s mental discipline. If the Sun is involved it is the right use of your Will.
Responsibility
The wise use of Saturn is applied responsibility. This gets better with age if one is willing to learn and become wiser. Of course young children with strong Saturn in their charts are often responsible far beyond their years. Under a Saturn transit it is important to see what house requires greater responsibility on your part or someone else in your life. If Saturn is moving through your first house, it is obviously you who must become more responsible first of all to yourself, and then to others. If Saturn is moving through your 7th or 8th houses, perhaps you are looking to others who are responsible and needing them in your life. If they are not, perhaps you need to end those relationships are begin to require that they respond with greater strength of character towards you and others.
The wise use of Saturn is applied responsibility. This gets better with age if one is willing to learn and become wiser. Of course young children with strong Saturn in their charts are often responsible far beyond their years. Under a Saturn transit it is important to see what house requires greater responsibility on your part or someone else in your life. If Saturn is moving through your first house, it is obviously you who must become more responsible first of all to yourself, and then to others. If Saturn is moving through your 7th or 8th houses, perhaps you are looking to others who are responsible and needing them in your life. If they are not, perhaps you need to end those relationships are begin to require that they respond with greater strength of character towards you and others.
Respect for ‘Real’ Authority
This can be tricky. Saturn does represent authority, but what kind of authority? Real authority is responsible, disciplined, and respectful of others. False authority doesn’t give a dam. Sorry to be so blunt, but we do have a lot of false authority out there compelling us to decide whether to obey or not their injunctions. A young child experiencing a Saturn transit may not yet have the power of that choice, or may not yet be ready to discern who is wise in their authority and who is not. It is not until the first Saturn Return that we are truly ready to have enough experience under our belt to determine our own course in life and become our own inner authority probably. The first Saturn Return occurs around the age of 28 years. It is a time, often, of great struggle for the young adult who must leave behind anything which doesn’t ring true as he/she determines their path in life towards their own ambition.
For those of us older, and hopefully wiser, a Saturn transit is a good time to look to our own ‘inner authority’ based upon our solid experience and tested philosophy of life. There are solid and good natural laws that are worth having respect for such as ‘respect for all life’, ‘respect for individual rights’, and even ‘respect for higher wisdom’.
Even so, under a Saturn transit it is prudent to respect society’s authority figures or pay the consequences! Restraint is usually called for at these times. Sometimes it is better to be silent than to mouth off, for example. Sometimes it is better to just pay the traffic fine rather than protest if Saturn is bearing down on you heavily.
This can be tricky. Saturn does represent authority, but what kind of authority? Real authority is responsible, disciplined, and respectful of others. False authority doesn’t give a dam. Sorry to be so blunt, but we do have a lot of false authority out there compelling us to decide whether to obey or not their injunctions. A young child experiencing a Saturn transit may not yet have the power of that choice, or may not yet be ready to discern who is wise in their authority and who is not. It is not until the first Saturn Return that we are truly ready to have enough experience under our belt to determine our own course in life and become our own inner authority probably. The first Saturn Return occurs around the age of 28 years. It is a time, often, of great struggle for the young adult who must leave behind anything which doesn’t ring true as he/she determines their path in life towards their own ambition.
For those of us older, and hopefully wiser, a Saturn transit is a good time to look to our own ‘inner authority’ based upon our solid experience and tested philosophy of life. There are solid and good natural laws that are worth having respect for such as ‘respect for all life’, ‘respect for individual rights’, and even ‘respect for higher wisdom’.
Even so, under a Saturn transit it is prudent to respect society’s authority figures or pay the consequences! Restraint is usually called for at these times. Sometimes it is better to be silent than to mouth off, for example. Sometimes it is better to just pay the traffic fine rather than protest if Saturn is bearing down on you heavily.
‘Reality Checks’
It is said that Saturn ‘tests for reality’. Again, this is dependent on one’s philosophy of life and mind-set probably, yet I would say in general that Saturn does present the mirror of what is factual and real more than say Neptune as a transit. Saturn often represents cause and effect and under its auspices something put in motion in the past may finally catch up with us to be reckoned with. That’s the reality of life on a planet where the accepted paradigm still is a three-dimensional reality. Of course some of us know other-wise and love to journey into those other realms, but let’s say the foundation of your house has serious cracks in it. It’s time to use that Saturn transit to get some contractors over and fix the problem. Or if your teeth have cracks in them, why not go to the dentist and have him take care of them? That’s what I’m talking about here.
Money matters, health matters, real life issues are often improved under Saturn because we pay attention and get real with fixing whatever it is that needs improvement. If Saturn is present during an illness you are probably going to get some facts about what the problem is and how to solve it.
It is said that Saturn ‘tests for reality’. Again, this is dependent on one’s philosophy of life and mind-set probably, yet I would say in general that Saturn does present the mirror of what is factual and real more than say Neptune as a transit. Saturn often represents cause and effect and under its auspices something put in motion in the past may finally catch up with us to be reckoned with. That’s the reality of life on a planet where the accepted paradigm still is a three-dimensional reality. Of course some of us know other-wise and love to journey into those other realms, but let’s say the foundation of your house has serious cracks in it. It’s time to use that Saturn transit to get some contractors over and fix the problem. Or if your teeth have cracks in them, why not go to the dentist and have him take care of them? That’s what I’m talking about here.
Money matters, health matters, real life issues are often improved under Saturn because we pay attention and get real with fixing whatever it is that needs improvement. If Saturn is present during an illness you are probably going to get some facts about what the problem is and how to solve it.
Self-Mastery
There are other planets which also represent aspects of Self-Mastery, especially the outer more transpersonal planets, but Saturn is the best friend you’ve got for climbing that mountain you have designated to be your ambition. Along the way you are sure to meet obstacles and challenges. Saturn will be your friend if you are willing to be patient, discipline yourself, take responsibility, and persist in your efforts to achieve that high goal. This is what self-mastery is all about. It doesn’t come in a jar that you can apply. It isn’t some quick fix. It is all about the journey, often taken alone; that only you can do that brings you finally to an inner place of knowing you have mastered something. Perhaps you are trying to master an emotion that always seems to trip you up and sabotage you. Perhaps it is a skill that you have worked long and hard to perfect. Perhaps it is a spiritual path that has required your devotion and life-long persistence to achieve. Whatever it is, Saturn is the surest guide and—yes—FRIEND you’ve got towards becoming a true master.
Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com
There are other planets which also represent aspects of Self-Mastery, especially the outer more transpersonal planets, but Saturn is the best friend you’ve got for climbing that mountain you have designated to be your ambition. Along the way you are sure to meet obstacles and challenges. Saturn will be your friend if you are willing to be patient, discipline yourself, take responsibility, and persist in your efforts to achieve that high goal. This is what self-mastery is all about. It doesn’t come in a jar that you can apply. It isn’t some quick fix. It is all about the journey, often taken alone; that only you can do that brings you finally to an inner place of knowing you have mastered something. Perhaps you are trying to master an emotion that always seems to trip you up and sabotage you. Perhaps it is a skill that you have worked long and hard to perfect. Perhaps it is a spiritual path that has required your devotion and life-long persistence to achieve. Whatever it is, Saturn is the surest guide and—yes—FRIEND you’ve got towards becoming a true master.
Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com
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