Saturn as the Key 'Karmic' Challenge of the Horoscope

by Ray Grasse

More years ago than I care to remember, I heard a visiting astrologer make the offhand comment that Saturn’s placement in the horoscope indicates where one’s “key karmic challenge in this lifetime is."

If indeed reincarnation is real, as I personally believe it to be, I think it's probable there are various factors in the horoscope that relate to "karma," rather than just one—Pluto, the 12th house, the Nodes, one's closest hard aspect, and still others. For that matter, the entire horoscope is likely "karmic," insofar as it all results to one extent or another from momentums set into motion over many lives.

But having thought about that astrologer's comment quite a bit since first hearing it, I've come to believe there is indeed something unique about Saturn as representing an especially focused symbol of one's current life-challenges. Saturn is commonly referred to by astrologers as the planetary "taskmaster" of the horoscope, and that's not a bad way to put it. Without question, wherever Saturn is in the chart is where fate doesn't let you get away with your mistakes very easily!

But I’d like to add a further layer of meaning beyond what that astrologer's comment initially suggested to me, which is this: beyond simply indicating a particularly focused point of difficulty or frustration, the placement of Saturn also signals where we can potentially achieve our greatest success and achievement in life, too. There are a couple of possible reasons for that.

One is those is that, from a reincarnational standpoint, it's possible that Saturn shows where we have the greatest reservoir of past-life experience stored up from previous lifetimes, and with that naturally comes a considerable backlog of learned skills, too—however slow those might seem in unfolding this time around. (By analogy, think of how much longer a 100-car freight train takes to pick up speed than one with only five or ten cars attached.)

But another reason for the enormous potential contained within Saturn centers around that very element of difficulty and struggle it faces us with. In other words, precisely because of the enormous effort Saturn requires to deal with its problems, the end result can be a considerable level of mastery, too—what I've often referred to as the "late bloomer" side of Saturn. 1 As the old saying goes, the "squeaky wheel gets the grease," and Saturn might well be thought of as the squeaky wheel of the horoscope. But all of that heightened attention brings a heightened degree of learning and expertise as well. As the key taskmaster of the horoscope, Saturn keeps pounding away at us until we finally get things right!

Whatever your preferred explanation, I'd like to take you on a quick tour through the zodiac to see how this dual effect of Saturn can manifest in each of the signs, with a "karmic" look at both the negative and positive sides of this planet in our lives.

Saturn in Aries

Negative: At its most difficult, the hard lessons of Saturn here tend to revolve around matters of assertiveness, anger, or self-centeredness. One is likely to find that fate has a way of exacting an especially heavy toll for missteps involving impulsiveness or impatience in life. There can also be deep-seated issues around self-confidence early on, involving one's sense of "Me!," as well as major challenges with overcoming fears. Overly competitive impulses can lead to painful consequences in the lives of these natives.

Positive: In its more evolved form, Saturn in Aries can bring a serious degree of mastery when it comes to expressing qualities of courage and accessing one's "inner "warrior." Those early struggles with fear or confidence can eventually transform into a capacity for leadership and considerable fearlessness when venturing onto life's battlefields.

Notable figures with this placement: As with virtually all the examples of Saturn through the various signs, the lives of famous notables often display both the positive and negative sides of its influence, frequently at different stages of their lives. A classic example is George Washington, who experienced an especially steep learning curve with regard to his Saturn in Aries. While most famous for his extraordinary prestige and glory in the Revolutionary War, his younger impulsiveness led to horrific mistakes on the battlefield early on, such as the skirmishes culminating in the battle of Fort Necessity (blunders which led to the Seven Years' War between England and France, called by one historian “the first truly global conflict in human history”2), not to mention his early defeats in the Revolutionary War. But he learned from those mistakes and went on to claim victory for the American forces. A darker exemplar of Saturn's influence in Aries was that of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, whose iron fist brought him great wealth and power but ultimately rebounded in the form of crippling defeats and a humiliating demise.

The discipline that Saturn potentially brings to one's "warrior" nature is especially obvious in the case of martial artists like Chuck Norris and Jason Stratham, as well as actress Lucy Lawless, who played the fictional warrior princess, Xena, on TV. Similar to Scorpio, Aries is associated with sexuality and desire, so Saturn's placement here sometimes gives rise to natives known for their attractiveness and sex appeal, like Tina Turner, Pamela Anderson, Julia Roberts, Christy Turlington, Jennifer Aniston and Natalie Wood. When that sexual energy goes off the rails, though, Saturn can bring down the hammer especially hard on its natives—as it did for disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, rapper Bobby Brown, and even actor Dustin Hoffman, whose later career was marred by accounts of early indiscretions.  

Saturn in Taurus

Negative: The most challenging lessons for these natives tend to involve matters of materialism, security, practicality, and of course money. Insecurities over feeling unloved cause these natives to compensate via material acquisition or worldly achievements.

Positive: At its best, Saturn in Taurus instills a profound sensitivity to (and awareness of) nature, wealth, and materiality generally. When well-aspected, individuals with this placement have an instinctive understanding of how to survive in the real world. It can also indicate someone who is a great builder, whether that be of physical structures, institutions, or works of art. They often have a keen sense of legacy, and of the mark they want to leave on the world. 

Notable figures with this placement: The Greek military figure Alexander the Great was born with Saturn in Taurus, and besides being an impressive builder (e.g. the city of Alexandria), he was famously driven to acquire ever-greater tracts of real estate during his brief life. On a fictional front, Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane premiered during a major stellium in Taurus, including Saturn, and it fittingly portrayed a man whose need for love drove him to amass ever more worldly possessions to fill that emotional need.

Artistically, figures like Vincent van Gogh and Picasso showed genius in their approach towards the natural world and its forms. But whereas it gave Picasso a businessman's savvy in acquiring wealth, van Gogh experienced the Saturnine influence in terms of an ongoing struggle with scarcity and poverty. American founding father Benjamin Franklin expressed this planetary placement through his ability to innovate and invent in practical ways, while it gave scientist Stephen Hawking extraordinary insights into the natural world—in particular, gravity (a Saturnian force). Franklin Delano Roosevelt also had this placement and was faced throughout his presidential term with issues of physical hardship, and became intensely involved with economic and banking reforms and working to lift the United States out of depression. American Senator Bernie Sanders was also born with this placement and likewise focused enormous attention on economic reforms and battling big banks. In a quite different fashion, Mother Theresa expressed the more austere aspect of this zodiacal placement with her vows of poverty and a focus on the world's poor.

Saturn in Gemini

Negative: The most difficult lessons here tend to revolve around issue of communication and thinking patterns. With Saturn in Gemini the individual can not only experience a struggle with expressing and articulating ideas and feelings, but they have to be especially careful with their choice of words, since misstatements or verbal gaffes can lead to problems. Negative thought patterns can also lead to depression and cynicism, with a "glass is half-empty" attitude towards life.

Positive: On the other hand, Saturn here can bestow a genuine talent for structuring and expressing one's thoughts into words, whether through writing, teaching, or simply ordinary conversations. It can give rise to a deep and thoughtful mind, with an ability to put profound ideas into relatively simple terms. This placement gives a sense of discipline and an ability to focus deeply on intellectual and creative work.

Notable figures with this placement: Among the great communicators sometimes found with this placement is philosopher Alan Watts, who had an extraordinary gift for expressing profound spiritual and philosophical concepts in easy-to-understand terms, while singers Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell and Mick Jagger penned songs and lyrics which spoke to audiences the world over. Writer Franz Kafka used the "dark" side of Saturn in Gemini to write imaginatively about issues of confinement, control, and anxiety.

Film director Orson Welles justly received attention not only for his brilliant cinematic works but his distinctive, deep-throated voice, displayed not just in films or theaters but countless TV and radio commercials. On the other hand, important works like Citizen Kane or his infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast of 1938 caused him major problems—the former because of its thinly veiled critique of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, the latter due to the controversy caused by the Halloween night broadcast. Similarly, Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange first gained worldwide fame for his role in unleashing confidential government information onto the World Wide Web, but later suffered considerable repercussions (and confinements) due to the many high-leveled feathers he ruffled along the way.

Inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk is another Saturn in Gemini native who has learned hard lessons about carefully choosing his words, such as when critical comments he made about a celebrated Filipino figure (a man who rescued young children from a cave) resulted in a high-profile lawsuit. Bobby Fischer became world-famous for his brilliance as a chess player but found himself heavily ostracized for anti-Semitic remarks he made. Critic and writer Roger Ebert became celebrated for his elegant and simple-to-understand prose (being the only film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize), but experienced the more challenging side of Saturn in Gemini when mouth cancer prevented him from communicating in ordinary verbal ways towards the end of his life.

Saturn in Cancer

Negative: The most painful lessons associated with this placement tend to center around matters of the family or home, as well as the emotional capacity to give or receive nurturing. This may include issues of loss in the family, contending with the weight of family legacy, or feelings of being unloved or uncared for. These individuals must guard against becoming consumed by worry and fear.

Positive: Domestic matters can become deeply meaningful areas of experience, while ancestral legacies and family tradition can hold deep riches and rewards. Even though there may still be frustrations involving issues of nurturing or parenting, this placement can also drive one to excel in those very areas, through cultivating a deep caring for others.

Notable figures with this placement: The life of actress Angelina Jolie offers an example of both the positive and negative aspects of this energy. In a positive vein, there is her humanitarian work in Third World countries, as well as her role as doting mother to a seemingly endless caravan of children; while on the other hand there is her famously turbulent relationship with actor-father, Jon Voight, and her even more famously turbulent marriage to (and divorce from) actor Brad Pitt. One client of mine was born with Saturn in Cancer and was raised in difficult family conditions but eventually developed a successful family therapy practice, drawing on her early experiences to help and understand others. In a more artistic vein, Renaissance genius Michelangelo had this placement as well, and there's something fitting about the fact he was drawn to put into solid form one of history's most famous expressions of maternal love and sorrow—the famed Pieta, a marble statue depicting the Virgin Mary lamenting her dead son, Jesus.

It's fascinating how many well-known natives with this placement come from families which are themselves distinctive or famous in some way, or that suffered from emotional troubles. Besides Angelina Jolie, there is Liza Minnelli (whose mother was Judy Garland), Donald Trump (whose wives and children became celebrities in their own right, and whose father was also a notorious New York real estate mogul); president George W. Bush (the son of a president); both Kirk Douglas and son Michael Douglas were born with Saturn in Cancer and both were famous and powerful in their own spheres; while John F. Kennedy of course came from one of America's most prominent families.

At its most painful, though, this placement sometimes brings greater-than-average hardships or losses beyond any garden-variety divorces or infidelities. Guitarist Eric Clapton tragically lost his infant son when the child fell out of a high-rise window; singer Neil Young was faced with the daunting responsibilities of raising a special needs child; singer Dean Martin was traumatized by the early death of son Dino in an aviation accident; Liza Minnelli suffered with her mother's turbulent life while growing up; and John F. Kennedy experienced a wide range of family tragedies, including the death of brother Joseph during WWII, sister Rosemary undergoing a prefrontal lobotomy at age 23, sister Kathleen Agnes dying in a plane crash in 1948, and most famously, wife Jacqueline suffering a miscarriage, a stillbirth, and their son Patrick dying two days after being born.

Saturn in Leo

Negative: The hard lessons for these natives can center around matters of ego, the misuse of power, or even an unbridled quest for pleasure. At its worst, it inclines towards dictatorial tendencies, and the possibility of humiliating falls from grace involving very public blows to one's ego.

Positive: At best, the discipline and laser-like focus brought by Saturn can bring extraordinary success through the sheer application of will, and the ability to crystallize creative impulses in superior ways. As with Saturn in Aries or Capricorn, this placement can also indicate leadership potentials.

Notable figures with this placement: The enormous creative potentials of this placement can be seen in such diverse figures as Beethoven, David Bowie, Steven Spielberg, Charlie Chaplin, and Elton John. The quality of raw willpower it can confer is especially obvious in the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger who, despite a series of daunting obstacles—an unpronounceable name, unconventional looks, and a thick accent—still managed to become successful in several different fields, including real estate, bodybuilding, acting, and politics. Likewise, Ludwig van Beethoven achieved his creative artistic success in the face of continued romantic frustrations and a growing profound deafness. Charlie Chaplin made his cinematic efforts seem almost effortless, yet as a mountain of uncovered film outtakes have revealed, his creativity was a constant struggle, and he labored to get individual scenes "right" even to the extent of reshooting them repeatedly over weeks of time.

Leo is the archetypal sign of kingship/queenship, so Saturn placed here can indicate a tremendous rise to prominence but also great falls from power and respectability. Besides his creative work, Chaplin experienced scandals and criticism not only over his romantic involvements with younger women but his political views. President Bill Clinton became a powerful figure on the world stage but also found himself at the center of a major scandal over his romantic missteps. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have been successful in various professional fields but he, too, was scandalized when an affair with his child's nanny led to a very public divorce from wife Maria Schriver.

Wife of Henry VIII Anne Boleyn came close to kingly power, but literally lost her head in the process. Adolph Hitler achieved astonishing influence on the world stage, but his hubris ultimately led to a truly Wagnerian downfall. Singer, rapper, and music producer Kanye West became a distinctive talent in the entertainment world but has also fielded enormous criticism over the years because of his inflated ego.

Saturn in Virgo

Negative: Virgo represents the critical and analytical faculties of the soul, so natives with Saturn here must be careful not to become overly focused on negativity or imperfections, whether in themselves or the world around them. If not unchecked, this can cause one to become paralyzed with worry and negativity, or simply become overwhelmed by details. On a bodily level, that analytical capacity for “breaking things down” can sometimes manifest in terms of problems with digestion, the intestines, and assimilating nutrients. 

Positive: At its best, this placement can confer deep insights and a profound commitment to learning and knowledge. These natives can concentrate well, and have an ability to grasp the deeper meanings of books, philosophies, or life in general—“digesting life experience,” as it were. These are not shallow thinkers! While this placement can go overboard with self-criticality, at best it can confer modesty and humility, and an impulse to be of service to one's community and the world-at-large. While this placement can, when afflicted, lead to health concerns, it can also give rise to considerable expertise or authority in health-related matters.

Notable figures with this placement: Johann Sebastian Bach was born this placement, and we see its influence not only in his breathtaking productivity and work ethic but also for the intricacy of his musical compositions. The analytical side of this placement can be seen in philosophical figures like Madame Blavatsky, Rudolph Steiner, and Ken Wilber, but we also see its influence in the penchant of these writers to accrue mountains of details, as well as their occasional hypercritical style. Actress Meryl Streep displays the extraordinary sense of precision and eye for detail in her crafting of characters for the big screen, while TV "pop psychologist" Dr. Phil expressed its influence through his incisive approach towards guests and their problems, as well as his general focus on health, both psychological and physical.

Saturn in Libra

Negative: In this sign, the hard karmic lessons center around relationships and social interactions generally. There can be limiting experiences in marriage or romance, but this may also involve struggles with feeling appreciated or loved by the public-at-large. When unbalanced, it can lead to a painful sense of social rejection or simple awkwardness in interactions. One’s perception of one’s “popularity” can be a major concern. Through trial-and-error over years or decades, one is forced to learn hard lessons about the art of compromise and social interaction.

Positive: Saturn is exalted in Libra, so the very struggles that arise with this placement can eventually lead to considerable mastery when it comes to socializing and diplomacy. Since Venus is the planet associated with Libra, this can also give rise to formidable achievements in the arts or performing, with a keen sense of structure in creative works.

Notable figures with this placement: Singer/songwriter Sting has a Sun-Saturn conjunction in Libra, and besides being a successful performer and songwriter he's experienced both the ups and downs of relationships. In interviews he's remarked that he considers the collapse of his first marriage to be the one area where he's "failed" in life, while his second marriage has seemingly been a happy and successful one. Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein was born with Saturn in Libra, and we see both its positive and negative sides in his extraordinary success with the arts but also through serious crimes and misdemeanors in relationships, affairs, and several failed marriages.

Donald Trump's first wife Ivana also experienced the positive and negative sides of this placement, having attained extraordinary popularity and wealth as a result of her marriage but also heartache, humiliation and rejection. The famed yogi Paramahansa Yogananda had this placement, but apparently manifested his Saturn through prolonged austerity in relationships and a lifelong vow of celibacy. But it was also apparent in the painful legal problems he experienced with his long-time friend Dhirananda, as well as the oft-negative (and frequently racist) attention he received in American newspapers, coupled with the social rejection he sometimes experienced because of his dark skin.

Novelist Jane Austen was born with Saturn in Libra, and her plots often involved matters of social commentary exploring women's dependency on marriage in the pursuit of social standing and security. Interestingly, the United States was "born" with Saturn in Libra, on July 4, 1776, but here that influence seems to have manifested through this nation's reputation as a "nation of laws” (and of lawyers).

Saturn in Scorpio

Negative: The hard lessons for these individuals tend to center around issues of anger, manipulation, and power. Mistakes or missteps in these areas are amplified exponentially and can lead to severe recriminations or regrets. Sexuality in general is an area of major learning for these natives. There can be festering resentments over early emotional wounds, along with tightly-held secrets around lingering hurts. At its very worst, it can lead to vindictiveness or even cruelty, whether expressed or received.

Positive: When the intense energy of this placement is successfully harnessed, it produces an extraordinary sense of power and determination, and a true mastery of the "warrior" spirit. When balanced and cultivated, it can also confer deep insights into the workings of sexuality, magic, and the occult.

Notable figures with this placement: In the movies, we see the warrior side of this placement in such figures as Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot, or martial arts megastar Jackie Chan. In a more real-world context, that warrior energy surfaced in the life of revolutionary figures like Fidel Castro and civil rights leader Malcolm X. Tech giants Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg became notorious early in their careers for a "take no prisoners" attitude towards competitors, although that seems to have softened greatly during their later lives (some say because of the tempering influence of their wives).

As with Saturn in Aries, it's fascinating how many celebrities with this zodiacal placement are associated in the culture with sexual charisma—Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett Johansson, Marlon Brando, Katy Perry, Richard Burton, Olivia Wilde, and Nicki Minaj, among others. But we also see some of the problems around sexuality in some celebrity's lives, such as Marilyn Monroe's early abuse, Brando's famous sexual addiction, and Oprah Winfrey's early experience with rape. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright experienced the dark side of this placement not only through an early scandalous affair with a colleague's wife but the horrific murder that took place on the grounds of his Wisconsin home, Talesien. Hugh Hefner, founder of the hugely influential Playboy empire, experienced both sides of Saturn in Scorpio, having enjoyed countless sexual escapades and great wealth as a result of a business based on sex, but also contending with numerous scandals and controversies over rape accusations, obscenity charges, and unflattering tell-alls by former lovers.

Actor Mel Gibson was born with Saturn in Scorpio and became associated with films of considerable depth and dramatic power but also startling violence bordering on sadomasochism, torture and cruelty. He also experienced enormous blowback in his personal life over comments uttered in moments of drunken rage, when years of repressed emotion erupted to the surface in the form of anti-Semitic comments.

Saturn in Sagittarius

Negative: The hard challenges facing these natives often center on matters of freedom and their adventurous desire to expand horizons. The deep-seated urge to "run wild" may be constrained by practical limitations, be those social, bodily, or legal in nature; while in some cases there can be frustrations dealing with rigidly conservative religious or political figures in their lives. For some, this placement manifests as a deep fear of taking chances—sometimes with good reason, since miscalculations over knowing their true limits can result in serious problems. There can be a powerful, and sometimes painful, struggle in the search for meaning. Dogmatism and a deep-seated need to be "right" can become lead to serious problems. These individuals may even find themselves wrestling with their belief (or lack of) in the existence of God.

Positive: At best, this placement can bring genuine wisdom or insight in philosophical or political matters. The very struggle with philosophical or religious ideals can even lead to these figures becoming respected authorities in these areas. Their concern with morality and matters of principle can lead them to crusade for justice and become agents of change in the world.

Notable figures with this placement: It’s fascinating how many famous figures born with this placement led lives closely involved with ideology, religion or philosophical matters. Consider the list: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Vladimir Lenin, Charles Darwin, Osama bin Laden, Che Guevera, Rasputin, and Iranian politician Mahmoud Ahmadinnejad. Osama bin Laden expressed the ultra-conservative religious side of this placement as a crusader for ultra-conservative Islam, whereas Charles Darwin found himself on the receiving end of criticism from conservative religious figures over his evolutionary theories (and internally, he struggled with his own religious principles). Comedian and TV personality Bill Maher has expressed the more atheistic impulses of this placement with his openly contemptuous views on religion and "God." My friend and colleague Richard Smoley was born with Saturn in Sagittarius, and is a respected authority in the field of philosophy and religion, and even wrote an entire book on the subject of God, titled How God Became God.

Novelist and journalist Earnest Hemingway was born with Saturn in Sagittarius and encountered blowback from conservative authorities for his "scandalous" stories, but also experienced frustrations trying to balance the limitations and responsibilities of marriage with his deep-seated need for freedom. He traveled widely throughout his life, and experienced both praise and criticism for his many stories set in distant locales. But he also encountered major problems on many of those journeys, from losing manuscripts while traveling to serious injuries on the battlefield, and several near-fatal plane crashes. And while his stories superficially seemed to be more existentialist or even cynical in tone, there was frequently a deeper philosophical or mythic undercurrent to many of them.

Saturn in Capricorn

Negative: The painful lessons of these natives often involve the misuse of authority, the downside of raw ambition, and the negative effects of status and fame. When afflicted, there can be painful falls from grace and a tarnished reputation.

Positive: This placement can also confer an intuitive understanding of power dynamics in the real world, along with an innate talent for navigating the echelons of power. Ambition can result in enormous productivity and achievement in the world, and lead to considerable respect in one's community.

Notable individuals with this placement: Clint Eastwood was born with Saturn in Capricorn and parlayed its energies into successful careers not only in acting but business and politics. For billionaire Warren Buffett, Saturn in Capricorn gave rise to extraordinary instincts in the business world. That intuitive grasp of how to ascend the worldly ladder is also apparent in the lives of figures like Barack Obama, Walt Disney, Tony Robbins, Simon Cowell, and Rupert Murdoch.

Princess Di was born with Saturn in Capricorn, and experienced both the positive and negative aspects of this placement, ascending to extraordinary fame but equally extraordinary disgrace, both of those as a result of her marriage to Prince Charles. That extreme positive/negative polarity is visible in the lives of many other natives born with this placement, including Marie Antoinette, Louis the XVI, Julius Caesar, cult leader Jim Jones, and actor Kevin Spacey.

Saturn in Aquarius

Negative: Those born with Saturn in this sign encounter some of their most difficult lessons in connection with groups or one’s community, and with learning how to integrate with society at large. At worst, there can be feelings of alienation or social rejection, and frustrations over issues of hierarchy amongst colleagues or even friends. There can also be major challenges in learning how to reconcile one’s conservative and progressive tendencies.

Positive: While there can be difficulties and frustrations in connection with social interactions generally, these individuals sometimes find themselves ascending to positions of great respect or authority in groups. They are often drawn to organize or manage collective enterprises, whether that be in business, political activism, or simply garden variety social gatherings and parties.

Notable individuals with this placement: Jeff Bezos was born with Saturn in Aquarius and serves as the leader and CEO of a global network connecting millions of people via internet technology, while also spearheading a futuristic effort to develop his own space travel company. Winston Churchill expressed both the positive and negative of this placement by becoming the respected leader of his nation, but also a much-criticized figure by political opponents.

Yoko Ono achieved lasting fame through her association with the world's most famous musical group, the Beatles, but also became widely viewed as being instrumental in their break-up. Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley were both born in 1875 with this placement, and both became influential leaders of groups while also experiencing considerable problems with associates. Painter Salvador Dali was born during Saturn's next sojourn through this sign in 1904, and not only experienced his own share of ups and downs with groups—in particular, the Surrealists—but expressed the more scientific side of this placement in his growing fascination with quantum physics.

Elvis Presley was most well-known a solo performer, yet was inextricably tied to groups throughout his life, both constructively and destructively. Besides his back-up musicians and numerous fans, he was also surrounded throughout his career with an assortment of undesirables and hangers-on, who contributed substantially to his unhealthy (and ultimately fatal) lifestyle. Actress Shirley MacLaine was famously associated with the "Rat Pack," but experienced the downside of Saturn in Aquarius through the enormous criticism she received for her progressive, "New Age" beliefs. Astronomer Carl Sagan expressed both the progressive and conservative sides of this placement—on the one hand, promoting various futuristic and progressive scientific or political ideas, while on the other hand evangelizing against "New Age" beliefs in books like Demon-Haunted World. Howard Hughes was a larger-than-life visionary in both the film and aviation industries, but also became increasingly reclusive and agoraphobic in his later years, virtually cutting off all social ties with longstanding friends and associates.

Saturn in Pisces

Negative: There can be hard lessons for these natives around learning the proper balance between selfishness and unselfishness. The impulse to "escape" or avoid responsibilities can result in painful repercussions. Failure to set proper boundaries or keep one's gullibility in check can also lead to disastrous results. There can be disillusionment in those areas of the chart where a Piscean Saturn is placed, frequently resulting from unrealistic expectations. There may also be a feeling of "bearing life's heavy burden" with these individuals, as though they've been constrained by fate or obliged to pay off some heavy debt from past lives somehow. As with Saturn in Sagittarius, there can be struggles with religion or religious figures with this placement.

Positive: The disciplining force of Saturn can help to structure the spiritual and imaginative impulses inherent in Pisces. Though there may be struggles with religious ideals and situations in life, these can lead to spiritual depth and profound insight—sometimes even enlightenment. And while this placement can sometimes indicate considerable suffering or a heavy sense of obligation, it can also give rise to deep compassion and an acute sensitivity towards the suffering of others and the needs of the less fortunate.

Notable individuals with this placement: While the more spiritual potentials of this placement is evident in figures like the Dalai Lama or the "sleeping prophet" Edgar Cayce, we also see the "heavier" side of this energy in the sense of heavy obligation and  suffering they both experienced at times in their lives. Early on, writer J.K. Rowling experienced her share of struggles as a poor single mother, but also expressed the more creative side of Saturn in Pisces through her ability to crystallize an entire fantasy world into books and cinema, while also becoming known for her compassion as a humanitarian and philanthropist.

Among movie actors, Keanu Reeves was born with Saturn in Pisces and has become almost as well-known for his melancholic demeanor (“sad Keanu”) as for his movie roles. Actors Anthony Hopkins and Robert Downey Jr. utilized the energy of Saturn in Pisces to craft scores of extraordinary performances on film, but both experienced the negative side of this planetary influence through their early (and fortunately, successful) struggles with alcoholism, too. Singer Sinead O'Connor expressed a very different side of this energy when she stirred up worldwide controversy with a very public crusade against the Catholic church (ruled by Pisces).  She also struggled openly with emotional problems for much of her life, including contemplating suicide at times.

Final Note
On an even simpler level, one can look to the placement of Saturn in the different elements for important insights into this planet’s workings in charts. When positioned in the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces), the potential challenges and achievements brought about by Saturn tend to be more emotional in nature; in the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), they largely center around practical or worldly concerns; in the Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), they're more social and intellectual in nature; while in the Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) the challenges tend to involve matters of assertiveness, courage, or ego.

Endnotes:
1.See my essay "Saturn, the Late Bloomer" in my book Under a Sacred Sky: Essays on the Philosophy and Practice of Astrology (Wessex Astrologer Ltd., 2015), where I explore this slow-developing side of Saturn in relation to the planets (also posted online at https://www.astro.com/astrology/in_latebloomer_e.htm).
2. Robert L. O’Donnell, Revolutionary: George Washington at War, Random House, 2019, p. 24.

Images:
Beyond: Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay
Sword: Image by azboomer from Pixabay
Building: Image by Michelle Maria from Pixabay
Typewriter, open books, and staircase: Images by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Caring: Image by Марина Вельможко from Pixabay
Chess board: Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay
Couple/clouds: Image by Rolanas Valionis from Pixabay
Warrior girl: Image by gene1970 from Pixabay
Philosophersʹ busts: Image by morhamedufmg from Pixabay
Business group: Image by Gary Cassel from Pixabay
Enlightening: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

First published in: The Mountain Astrologer, Jun/Jul 2019.

Author:
Ray Grasse is author of several books including The Waking Dream, Under a Sacred Sky, Signs of the Times, An Infinity of Gods, and Urban Mystic. His website is www.raygrasse.com

© 2019/20 - Ray Grasse

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