SATURN ENTERS THE SIGN OF CAPRICORN ON 20TH DECEMBER 2017 (GMT)

…down to earth

After approximately 2.5 years in the philosophical, truth loving sign of Sagittarius, Saturn now enters its home sign of Capricorn.

The last time Saturn was in Capricorn was from 13/02/88 to 09/06/88 and after a short stay as it retrograded into Sagittarius again, from 12/11/88 to 05/02/91. What was happening in your life then?

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn so this no-nonsense, down to business, straight-in-the-face planet will be perfectly at ease here.

In this sign Saturn will be a lot about redefining moral behaviour on a personal and public scale, it’s a high achiever aiming at the best and willing to work for it….providing that you are too and if you’re not, well…it could get rather grim as road blocks might appear seemingly from nowhere compelling you to change direction and face facts. The degree of success or changes necessary will obviously depend on Saturn’s natal placement and the aspect it forms with other planets and the aspects they form too, here I’m only talking generally about the planet and its energy in a pure sense.

When a planet transits through its own sign it is much stronger since it’s in the right role wearing the right costume and it’s looking and feeling good. For this reason I think that those with personal planets in Capricorn in their natal chart are being offered a fantastic opportunity to act out those planets in their true nature since the energy of that planet should be already familiar to them and they can now direct it in the best way possible…providing, of course, that this energy hasn’t been misplaced and needs reforming in some way!

For the other Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer and Libra) this may be either a very rewarding or a rather trying time…as always it depends on you to direct the energy.

I thought it might be a good idea to look deeper into the meanings of this planet and also to explain the Saturn cycle.

Saturn has an orbit of 28-30 years and stays in each sign approximately 2.5 years. In ancient times and until quite recently (1950’s), in traditional astrology, Saturn was known as the “Greater Malefic” with Mars being the “Lesser Malefic”. With the advent of a more psychological or soul-centred approach to astrology, Saturn has been given more of a “teacher” role albeit often a very strict one too!

In fact, I believe that most astrologers still look with trepidation to a Saturn transit to the personal planets wondering just how hard it may hit and if preventive measures can be adopted before the transit in an attempt to soften its effects (by looking ahead to which house Saturn is transiting and to which planets or angles it will aspect during this transit).

Saturn restricts and contracts the area where he is to be found in the natal horoscope, giving structure and form which require effort and responsibility. In this way we can learn to develop a sense of personal worth based on experience and gain wisdom through the structured application of knowledge. It rewards hard work and endeavour. However, in its negative manifestation we may experience Saturn as limitation, restriction, pessimism, loss, depression and a general sense of inadequacy.

The house where Saturn is to be found in the birth chart denotes the area in our life where we are unsure about our abilities or where, for some reason, we show fear or inadequacy.

Let’s have a quick look at the possible effects of Saturn transiting the houses:

1^st house: my appearance and how I present myself to other, often a great time to enter a weight-losing programme

2^nd house: my money and self-esteem, what I value

3^rd house: networking and communications

4^th house: my family and life style

5^th house: my talents, lovers and children

6^th house: my diet, fitness and health, daily routine

7^th house: my interactions with the other

8^th house: financial loans, insurance, inheritance, taxes, resources I share with others

9^th house: my religion, philosophy, long journeys, ideals and study

10^th house: my public status

11^th house: my dreams, my friendships, sharing

12^th house: coming to terms with my failures and accepting my limits

Saturn transits to its own natal position or to the personal planets in a natal chart, always denote change in some way. With the first Saturn return (to its own natal position) taking place between 28-30 years of age, a moment in life when we should know where we are going and how to get there, the second Saturn return at ages 58-60 should see us preparing for retirement or at least slowing down our work schedule to dedicate more time to our personal satisfaction. Intervals of approximately seven years when Saturn squares, opposes and then squares again any given point in the natal theme can also be scrutinized since the same themes but with a different twist will also re-present themselves in our lives at these times.

A retrograde natal Saturn will slow down or delay until later in life the promises of that particular position, it may also indicate problems with the father figure (if aspects to the natal Sun are involved) or vacillating between being capable of handling the affairs of the house where Saturn is to be found and not knowing how to deal with them.

During its long stay in Capricorn, Saturn will make two major aspects:

Conjunct transiting Pluto at 22°50’ Capricorn on 14^th January 2020

And will be conjoined by transiting Jupiter at 24°53’ Capricorn on 5^th April 2020

“… what you think is right isn’t the same as knowing what is right.”  E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Got any plans for Saturn in Capricorn?

Bibliography

Lewi G. (2004 reprint) “Astrology for the Millions”, Strong Men of Destiny, pp 35-38, Indigo Books, New Delhi, India

Sullivan E. (1992), “Retrograde Planets”, Natal Saturn retrograde, pp.111-116, Samuel Weiser Inc, York Beach, ME, USA

Image: Capricorn Astrology Painting Goat with Saturn Zodiac by tessimal

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