Planet Series: Saturn -- Friend or Foe?

dadsnook2000

I would like to digress from exploring the planets relative to the Sun and start to examine and discuss Saturn. Saturn is a rule maker, but also appears at times to be a rule breaker. There is no other planet, for some of us, whose effects upon us are as obvious and as intrusive as those abscribed to Saturn.

Saturn is a beuatiful ringed planet, often yellowish in color, and regarded as being the outermost visible planet -- although Uranus is sometimes visible in its orbit to those with exceptional eyesight and having a clear viewing location for the starry sky above us. As the "outermost" planet, and the slowest moving planet (visible), Saturn was given symbolism relating to "limits." These limits were associated with time (ones life span, which was often 30 years in ancient times), with the skin (the outer limits of our bodies), with walls (that surrounded homes and villages to keep out bandits), with rules (as laid down by "elders" in one's society), with conservatism (those who carefully nourished their resources had a better life in their old age).

All of this would have been reasonable in terms of building a set of symbols, but Saturn took us a step further. Saturn hammered home its seeming impact upon each of us by bringing marked changes into our life a predicatble times. The most obvious Saturnian change occurs for each of us around 29 years of age when Saturn returns to its natal position -- we are forced to mature and adopt new ways -- or really fight to remain in a juevenile mode, a fight that most lose sooner or later. Saturn seems to require change. "Resistance is futile." Change now, willinglly, or change later under harsher conditions, but change you must.

Once Saturn had our attention, it became easy to see other milestones in our life that were coincidental with Saturn's movements through our charts. Indeed, for astrologers, there are several Saturn cycles which can be easily observed:
** Saturn's cycle relative to its natal position in our chart.
** Saturn's cycle relative to the chart's angles and houses
** Saturn and the Moon; natal and progressed positions, relationships

It's possilbe that we may explore several "Planet Series: Saturn sub-topic" threads because Saturn is so unique, so impactful, so important in our lives. In this thread we will keep in mind the overall theme of "how we deal with Saturn's transits and activities within our charts -- and whether we see Saturn as a friend or a foe."

FIRST CONSIDERATION: Where is Saturn in our Natal Chart? What house is Saturn in? What kind of a natal imprint might this suggest on its own? Saturn aspects will, for the most part, be addressed later.

** First Quadrant of the chart **
The movement of Saturn through the first quadrant or first three houses of your chart, according to Marc Robertson, represents A PERSONAL GROWTH IN DEPTH. As you live within your life, your surroundings, and project yourself thruough your activities and presence, you will come face to face with reality. What you were is not how you are now required to be. Life will bring you opportunities to redifine your self. In fact, DEFINITION seems to be one of Saturn's more important keywords. We will keep this sense of how Saturn may be experienced in life as it transits our first quadrant while we examine the natal position of Saturn in these houses.

** Natal Saturn in the first house **
One appears cautious and reserved, especially in early life. A lack of confidence requires us to define strategies for success and acceptance. Being still and unnoticed until we map out the surroundings we find ourselves in is typical. Trying to get others to live by "the rules" often leads to frustration as we try to equate "our rules and constraints" against what others have or don't have for rules and constraints.

** Natal Saturn in the second house **
We are preoccupied with making sure that we know our basis for being, just what our personal values and preferences are. We tend to work hard to get a basis of substance put in place, to order our resources, to stake out what is important to us and about us. Do we have enough? Is our list of "enough" complete?

** Natal Saturn in the third house **
How do I understand my environment? This, for Saturn, is the house of the ordered mind. It is a library of understanding in which everything must be cataloged, indexed and summarized. When young, this is hard to do, and all that is understood often has to be relearned and re-understood again. Plan after plan may be adopted and disgarded.

** The second quadrant houses and Saturn's place there **
The second quadrant may span a different (greater or lesser) arc of degree-space than the first. This is symbolic of where your focus is. The second quadrant represents GAINING A GROWTH IN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

** Natal Saturn in the fourth house **
One seems concerned with fundamental values. Early in life, these are the family's values as taught and experienced, sometimes seen as very restrictive or dicatorial, always quite definite and structured. This may be due to an absence (in one way or another) of one parent or even both parents, as experienced by the chart-owner. In any case, one emerges from early life with the sense of having been deprived or limited. What one actualy gets is a sense of responsibility, an ability to choose one's burdens and limited areas of exploraton, a legacy of values.

** Natal Saturn in the fifth house **
One seems totally occupied in defining how one expresses oneself, what skills are needed, what structures are used, how one can creatively shape ones life. Fun tends to be along planned or structured activities but a full range of creative expression can be had. Often one plays within some constraints, be it a ball field, or with a handicap, or within differing age groups, etc.

** Natal Saturn in the sixth house **
This "taking stock of me" house suites Saturn quite well. One seems capable of accepting what Saturn offers and is able to restructure rules, legacies, and the constraints of others so as to better ones work habits, effectiveness, and ability to help others along the way. Energy levels may be down and a lack of self-discipline may signify levels of depression from time to time.

These are basic understandings, summarized here, that every early-studies student should learn and understand early in their astrological education. Just as Saturn represents structure, it is one of the primary symbols in our chart that provides a major part of our personal structure. Saturn tells us a lot about our fears, where we choose not to grow, where we accept our own or other's recstrictions and rules, where we can face challenges that are important to our growth, where we are weak and need to overcompensate.

In my next post, I'll cover Saturn in houses 7 through 12. After that we will look at the cycles of Saturn as it moves through time and through our chart, marking important growth and crises points in our lives. We will also look at the Saturn-Moon phase relationship in terms of both the natal position and the secondary progressed chart. After all of this, we will hopefully have gained a comprehensive understanding of the may ways in which this far-away planet makes such a huge impact in our lives. Dave
 

dadsnook2000

Saturn in natal houses 7 through 12

Continuing our FIRST CONSIDERATION theme for Saturn; Natal Saturn in the houses.

SATURN IN THE THIRD QUADRANT
With Saturn in this quadrant of your natal chart, your focus is on understanding others, how to work with or use others, how to reach out to others. Saturn is not the life of the party. This "outward" focus requires that Saturn work through a structure of some sort -- agreements, business practices, institutions, whatever -- these provide the rules and format that make Saturn more comfortable and effective

** Saturn in the 7th house **
Natal Saturn in the 7th houses asks to define our relationships with others; what is in it for me, what do I have to give "them." Through this seemingly shallow approach to understanding what others mean in our lives, we truly gain some solid perspective on ourselves, on what we have to offer, why others will or will not relate well to us. Yes, there is a lot of talk about this position meaning that we'll marry later in life or marry someone older, as well as other stuff. To some degree, that stuff may be true -- but keep in mind that there are often additional factors needed to support this "unsophisticated level of astrology" that is common in the magazines.

** Saturn in the 8th house **
This is the "house of unequal sharing" and Saturn here often accomplishes what it first thought of in the 7th house -- what's really in it for me, how much do I have to give up?" Here, Saturn seeks to understand the resources and values of others, to look beyond the surface, to mine for nuggets of gold. Saturn seems to understand reality at this point. Finances, partnership demands, dissolving partnerships and marriages, salvaging what one can from life's battles, understanding death and mortality, all of this and more is Saturn in the 8th house.

** Natal Saturn in the 9th house **
Explore and define what your ideas, ideals, and connections are to others. How do you link to society, to religion, to your personal beliefs, to the belief systems of others -- religous or philosophical or business or etc. etc. How will you explore and come to grips with the wider world? Will you follow a path of higher, formal education? Will you pursue your own education? Will you let the vagaries of life teach you your lessons? Will you seek a mentor? Saturn represents the institutions and structure that lead you outward as well as those that lock you inward. How will you use Saturn?

SATURN IN THE FOURTH QUADRANT
This placement puts your focus upon the issues that relate to how you are to function within the world and how you are going to be influential. Ready or not, you are in the position of having "just graduated" and you seem destined to be thrust out kicking and screaming into the wide, wide world. Since we are talking about natal Saturn here, this means you will be "scramble" mode to keep pace with your challenges and then succeed and lead others along the paths you are just discovering for yourself.

** Natal Saturn in the 10th house **
Define your role before others. Assume responsibility. Strategize. How will you handle pressure? What pressures did you feel as a young person, how will you deal with related pressures when you are older? Do you feel a need to economize in how you handle resources and time? "Choice" is when you make a decision on your own, to be proactive. This is one form of Saturn at work, effectively. "Response" is when you make a move due to pressures. This is a form of Saturn making you work, often not effectively. Pressure may be a recognition that you always have choices, or it may be that you will feel that choices are always being made for you.

** Saturn in the 11th house **
Saturn will likely require that you grow, mature and strengthen yourself thru cooperative associations with others -- where you work within an overall strategy, where you are rewarded within the overall strategy. Influence of others, from others, is seen here. Saturn sees influence as a refinement of reality and can work within that reality.

** Saturn in the 12th house **
Here, Saturn bestows upon you the sense that you need to prepare yourself. For what? The future. Saturn says you need to read the tea leaves and to develop a plan. Instead of Saturn representing "time" and the past, here the old man of the solar system seems to suggest a transformation into the New Years Baby -- what will you become, what will you need to become that future you, how much of your life should be devoted to preparation for yourself or for others? Saturn here often makes one think that they are "fated" for something else.

It doesn't take much immagination to see these definitions as being able to also define an ongoing cycle of experience and transformation as we cycle through our lives. But that is for another thread -- we will explore the cycle of Saturn through our lives in another thread. For now, we need to assure ourselves that we are grounded (a Saturn term) in understanding Saturn in the natal chart.

Those that wish to participate can offer their views of how they express and experience natal Saturn in one of their chart houses. I think we can all learn thru this form of sharing. Dave
 

dadsnook2000

Saturn in my 10th house.

My Saturn is in my 10th house, opposite Sun/Neptune, square Jupiter and at the center point of a yod (double inconjunct) with Mars and Venus/Mercury. Saturn plays a key role in my chart.

True to some of the astrological old-wives tales, I lost my dad at an early age (18) and experienced him as often absent (due to working long hours) which was typical due to the economic environment long ago. I was the oldest in our family and always had a sense of responsibility and of having to achieve -- what didn't matter -- just try hard and succeed.

Since Saturn represents "age" (another old astrological axiom), I always found older people to act as mentors, making up for the loss of a father in some ways. I always had plan A and plan B -- when A didn't work, I'd switch to B. This can be equated to the "Saturn Strategy" symbolism.

Since my Saturn is in Pisces and Neptune is in opposition (in Virgo), as is the Sun, aspects play a strong role in defining my Saturn energies. I will try to address Saturn aspects in a seperate thread -- as I'm sure there will be many questions about Saturn in aspect to another planet or two. So, hold those questions -- and hold the Saturn aspects for the most part. Dave
 

WhiteRaven

dadsnook2000 said:
** Natal Saturn in the 10th house **
Define your role before others. Assume responsibility. Strategize. How will you handle pressure? What pressures did you feel as a young person, how will you deal with related pressures when you are older? Do you feel a need to economize in how you handle resources and time? "Choice" is when you make a decision on your own, to be proactive. This is one form of Saturn at work, effectively. "Response" is when you make a move due to pressures. This is a form of Saturn making you work, often not effectively. Pressure may be a recognition that you always have choices, or it may be that you will feel that choices are always being made for you.

My Saturn is also in the 10th House (Aquarius). I am an only child and do not know my biological father. I have been basically responsible for myself since the age of 16, where I quit High School to start in the work force, and lived on my own. At the age of 19 I had my first child and more responsibility came into my life. I had my second child in the year that followed. I've always seemed to find some sort of a solution to obstacles that have come my way....no matter what type of intensity they had, although it would take me a lot of time to actually move on the solution. At the age of 30, with three children in tow, I returned to school to get my Programmer Analyst Degree. Which, in the end, I found that this particular career choice was not for me....although, I do work on computers today and can put one together from scratch....it is not what fulfills me....far from it for that matter...also, I became pregnant with my twins, and for other reasons/obstacles....did not complete the course. Now, at the age of 42, I find myself starting new again, and have full intentions of returning to school once again in Psychology.....

That pretty much sums me up short and sweet.
 

stardancer

dadsnook2000 said:
** First Quadrant of the chart **
The movement of Saturn through the first quadrant or first three houses of your chart, according to Marc Robertson, represents A PERSONAL GROWTH IN DEPTH. As you live within your life, your surroundings, and project yourself thruough your activities and presence, you will come face to face with reality. What you were is not how you are now required to be. Life will bring you opportunities to redifine your self. In fact, DEFINITION seems to be one of Saturn's more important keywords. We will keep this sense of how Saturn may be experienced in life as it transits our first quadrant while we examine the natal position of Saturn in these houses.

** Natal Saturn in the second house **
We are preoccupied with making sure that we know our basis for being, just what our personal values and preferences are. We tend to work hard to get a basis of substance put in place, to order our resources, to stake out what is important to us and about us. Do we have enough? Is our list of "enough" complete?

Dave

Hmmmm, values? Do I have enough? I love security and material things, but that doesn't necessarily mean expensive. There are certain things I like, and if I like, I collect. Books, movies, ideologies, lamps, needlepoint kits... I have always wholly supported other's preferences and especially supported my own. It's like a right of life, to make my own choices based on what makes me feel comfortable. I have been known to have near panic attacks, or become downright nasty, if something I value is threatened. This could include a loved one, myself or my favorite collected rocks.

When I was in martial arts, I was told I have a killer instinct. Yeah. You toucha my stuff, I breaka u face. :eek:)
 

WhiteRaven

I've also been thinking about how Saturn affects me in my life. Seeing it is the ruler of Capricorn and Capricorn is my Sun, Moon and Mercury sign (8th, 9th and 10th houses), I would think that even without the aspects detailed at this point, that it has a major impact on my life in general. Perhaps this is why I have always been in such a "serious" mode. I was always told that I acted older than my age and I, myself, had a hard time really letting loose so to speak...Many things that was considered "fun", that I found childish and frivolous.....even today, I find it hard to really be "silly" type thing....I do have a sense of humour but it is considered a "dry" sense of humour. The only time I did not struggle with this "serious" mode was when I would play with my kids....but even then, I found that I would hold myself back to a certain degree.....

Edited to add: Loyalty, Honesty and trust are also major keywords for me...and my expectations for others are quite high in those depts.
 

Crystelle

Saturn IV house, Libra 20.21

dadsnook2000 said:
** Natal Saturn in the fourth house **
One seems concerned with fundamental values. Early in life, these are the family's values as taught and experienced, sometimes seen as very restrictive or dicatorial, always quite definite and structured. This may be due to an absence (in one way or another) of one parent or even both parents, as experienced by the chart-owner. In any case, one emerges from early life with the sense of having been deprived or limited. What one actually gets is a sense of responsibility, an ability to choose one's burdens and limited areas of exploraton, a legacy of values.Dave

Spot on. My biological mother left when I was very young and my father shied away from raising me, ultimately marrying someone to raise me who was only after his money. I often battled the feeling (and still do sometimes) that I missed out on some of the best parts of being a kid. I often discuss this with my BF as well to vent those feelings in a healthy way. I talk about not having choices and now that I have them, I am slightly overwhelmed. He said the most thoughtful thing to me the other day echoing the same "value" sentiment above. He said that he admired me though because I was so oriented with life and its options, how to make them work, and seeing them through -- he's a self-proclaimed procrastinator and activity-quitter. I never really saw myself that way -- just boringly dependable and sometimes even (yuck) predictable. But I had to be bc growing up, who else was going to do it? So I think that this is incredibly accurate.
 

squeakmo9

I've got Saturn in Aries in my 8th house, I find it a challenge to fearlessly put my best foot forward just go with the flow of things. I really hate being caught off-guard. I think this placement makes me somewhat aloof but really it's just being shy. Getting close to others is also another issue as well as being open. I do realize that not everybody is out to hurt me and work hard to not be hypersensitive. My Saturn is square Venus in the 11th house so I get the idea that I need to be cautious of how I extend myself with others, being clear of my motives and intentions.

dadsnook2000 said:
** Saturn in the 8th house **
This is the "house of unequal sharing" and Saturn here often accomplishes what it first thought of in the 7th house -- what's really in it for me, how much do I have to give up?" Here, Saturn seeks to understand the resources and values of others, to look beyond the surface, to mine for nuggets of gold. Saturn seems to understand reality at this point. Finances, partnership demands, dissolving partnerships and marriages, salvaging what one can from life's battles, understanding death and mortality, all of this and more is Saturn in the 8th house.

My dad died when I was 2 so I got an early education on death/loss. As far as my finances are concerned, I also learned how NOT to manage money in my mid-twenties when I had to declare bankruptcy, but that could also be my Uranus/Pluto at work in my 2nd. I can't say I'm that interested in other's finances and am not in a partnership, with Saturn there, there may never be a "partnership", ever. But again other aspects, planets should dictate that. However as far as sharing personal "stuff" with others, I just don't do it. If I try, I do it rather poorly, can't share and play with others nicely:)
 

sarai21

Hello,
It is interesting to see the opinions of fold with the 10th house Saturn placement, as I have a friend struggling with her work( profession or job?- she can't make the connection) The idea of Saturn as "Age" brings in the idea of "mentor" to me.
My natal Saturn(in Gemini) is in my 5th house. I am a jeweller/artist- yet I am not the typical "free spirited" artist. I really have to work hard to accomplish anything. I am also most comfortable with assignments(commissions) where there is a time limit and a design to stick to. To be honest- my easiest time, creatively, was at school when there were assignments and evaluation by instructors.
"I struggle to create." seems to be the statement that best describes, yet I still find myself drawn to this work. Raising my son, I have found, is also often a struggle. I have to work hard at communicating with him( and hearing him!). I wonder at the ease some parents have with their kids. How can they not see parenting as anything other than hard work?( Then I look at my chart to realize what colours my perceptions!)
 

dadsnook2000

Saturn equals struggle

Thank you to those who have shared so far. There really seems to be a strong connection between Saturn and the struggle we have to deal with those aspects of our charts that Saturn touches. Saturn is indeed a taskmaster, very well symbolized by the old man, the authority figure, the cranky person who is so hard to please.

Later, we will examine some cyclic processes and hopefully gain some additional insights into how Saturn works, the pace he works at during the transits thru our charts over time, and the benefits we ultimately gain from the influence of Saturn.

For now, we should stick with the thought that wherever we invest extra effort and persistance is where we might ultimately excel. With struggle comes the possibility of success. With patience comes the time and opportunity to see where other rewards can be found. Wherever Saturn is, some form of structure or regimine seems to help. I had mentioned that I have Saturn as the focal point of a yod between Mars and Venus/Mercury. This expresses itself in many ways, including writing. I can write in an automatic mode IF I FIRST DRAW A LINE DOWN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAPER AS A GUIDE -- and then I just let the thoughts and the words flow. This always amazed me. Now with computers, I no longer seem to need this kind of mechanism -- unless the screen and keyboard are substitute symbols. But, yes, even with Saturn in the 5th, a format or process helps to unleash the flow of creativity. Its a strange mechanism but consistent with my view that symbols always try to find as many ways as possible to express themselves. Dave