The transits of the planets

Effects of the transiting Saturn

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The main difficulty with some Saturn transits is that they can seem gratuitously limiting. During heavy Saturn transits you may feel extraordinarily frustrated. An even greater, and sometimes more serious, problem is that many Saturn transits can actually symbolize depression. Part of this stems from Saturn’s traditional nature, described as ‘cold’ and ‘dry’, meaning a lack of energy and a sense of disconnection. This may not be merely a feeling. You may, in fact, be separated from other people for some reason, off by yourself and lonely.

Another function of transiting Saturn is to test the validity of the structures and systems in your life. As Saturn moves through each house of your natal chart, the affairs associated with that house are subjected to trials and scrutiny. For example, when Saturn transits the first house, you tend to focus on personal matters, examining how well your life serves your own needs. By contrast, when Saturn transits the seventh house, every structure connected with one to one relationships undergoes testing, both positive and negative.

In the "positive" category, marital or committed relationships, all other forms of partnership and collaboration, and anyone with whom you are in close one to one contact at any moment will be examined. This influence can extend to something as trivial as the way you interact with someone seated directly opposite you in a restaurant. In the "negative" category you may have to confront people with whom you have an overtly oppositional relationship: those who have openly declared hostility toward you, competitors, and even individuals you do not yet know who have done something you must quickly address and correct. In other words, you will not have to wait long before both the person and the problem become evident. To give another example, when Saturn transits the fourth house, you must confront issues concerning your family of origin, your father, or events from early life whose consequences may still trouble you.

Finally, the cycles of Saturn’s transits over points and planets in your natal chart, as well as through the houses, should be considered from a long term perspective. Saturn’s cycle is 29.45 years. When Saturn makes a conjunction to anything in your chart, it marks the beginning of a new twenty nine year cycle. Such transits typically indicate a new stage of life connected with the area represented by the natal planet or point. Further developments follow when Saturn forms other aspects to that point. It is not always easy, but try to view the entire cycle: what began at the previous conjunction, what crises arose at the 90° and 270° squares, what culminated at the opposition, and how the sextiles and trines supported or stabilized the issues associated with the cycle.

In this regard, Saturn’s cycles are particularly important. Until modern times Saturn was the outermost planet known to the ancients and medievals. As I mentioned in the introduction [note: state where], Saturn’s cycles are the longest that typically pertain to the ordinary consciousness and reality in which most people live. The orbits beyond Saturn relate to factors and energies that seem to intrude from outside normal consciousness, whether they arise from within or from the external world. Yet Saturn transits, when operating on a higher level, can also signal such effects.

How can Saturn transits indicate this? It is part of the new understanding of Saturn discussed in the introduction. Like the planets beyond it, Saturn can point the way to expanded states of awareness and self actualization. Saturn represents not only the cosmic "No!" but also the cosmic "Yes!" to possibilities you may not have considered. Saturn is the gateway to the transcendental planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.