Structure of Consciousness: Saturn in the Birth Chart

Natal Saturn in Psychological and Evolutionary Astrology
“La Fanciulla Sulla Roccia a Sorrento” [“The Girl on the Rock in Sorrento”] by Filippo Palizzi (1871)
Saturn has received quite a number of negative reviews in traditional astrology: above all, it is associated with “karma” (of the “burdensome” type), past life “sins” one has to duly pay for, physical deformities, moral incongruence, and basically all that is associated with pain and grief. Let’s look at Natal Saturn from a different angle:

 

As some branches of Vedic astrology would declare, Saturn is to be feared and respected as the “Lord of Karma” which would deny or delay the pleasures of life. However, most Vedic texts do include certain remedies (mantras or charitable actions) that can appease Saturn’s wrath and harshness, especially as it transits sensitive points of the birth chart.

In psychological astrology, however, Natal Saturn is usually associated with familial, social, and behavioral conditioning formed in the psyche of the individual during the early phase of life (specifically, before the first “Saturn Return” at around the age of 29). The individual is then encouraged to gain awareness of the existence of such default psychological patterns in order to be able to modify or disregard them before embarking on the path of individuation.

Additionally, some schools of psychological astrology would consider Natal Saturn as an impetus for growth, i. e. as a slow and steady dosage of healthy distress that would eventually push the individual to go beyond a certain obstacle in a particular area of the psyche in hopes of achieving a level of mastery in that area. In this sense, one’s initial weakness, as symbolized by the condition of Saturn in the natal chart, can very well lead to excellence and even recognition over time.

Yet, a third approach is also possible: in evolutionary astrology, Natal Saturn mostly denotes the method through which one constructs one’s “conscious” experience, as well as one’s probable quality and form of consciousness. It is important to recall that in evolutionary astrology, Uranus denotes the individual “unconscious” mind. Chiron is probably a tentative “bridge” between the unconscious and the conscious areas of the psyche. Saturn, however, stands for that which enters the full grasp of consciousness after being filtered through external factors, such as ancestry, family, friends, society, culture, or nation. In this sense, Saturn is a symbol of all we “construct” and “maintain” consciously, be it habits, conditioning, or just the way we build our world or defend our perception of it in general.

Additionally, because of the fact that Saturn rules Capricorn which stands in opposition to Cancer, the sign associated with the mother figure, Saturn can also stand for the disciplining and conditioning aspect of the father, which is different from the creative and encouraging aspect of father symbolized by the Sun.

It is also important to understand that “father” does not necessarily refer to the male parent, as it is a word used in evolutionary astrology to refer to the parent or parental figure who is primarily associated with educating the child with regard to the notions of “right” and “wrong,” conditioning the child to behave in socially acceptable ways, and preparing the child for encountering the outside world as a productive member of a tribe or community. In contrast, the “mother” is a parental figure, male or female, who primarily has the role of nurturing the child and offering emotional protection to him or her in a rather unconditional manner. Ideally speaking, through a healthy interaction of Cancer and Capricorn archetypes (Moon and Saturn), the individual will feel loved at home, and also will be able to respect the Law and function within a moral framework in society.

What do I think about Natal Saturn?

Personally, I understand this planetary energy as that which gives finitude to the infinite (Neptune). As human consciousness relative to Earthly experience can only happen within certain boundaries in order to have an individual significance, Saturn makes us live only one life out of many possible lives.* This is precisely for us to make that one life as personal as possible, and to see only one world out of many possible worlds, in order for us to make that world a familiar place we can safely operate within (considering the polarity point of Cancer, relative to Capricorn which is the sign ruled by Saturn). In other words, Saturn is that line that is masterfully drawn in the sand of infinity in order to create a unique shape that only resembles us and cannot be claimed by someone else.

In this sense, Natal Saturn is as vital in our individuation process as the Natal Sun: it shows how far the light of our Sun can travel before leaving the visible horizon, and thus how far we can reach out to create (Sun) anything tangible enough to be seen, recognized, and rewarded. As the Sun inspires and Saturn defines, the individual will have two wings to fly to the zenith of human actualization of his or her God-given potential.

As a general rule, the area of the chart dominated by Saturn usually points to an initial inhibition, and yet a life-long potential for achieving excellence will exist in precisely the same area. Furthermore, the condition of Saturn in the birth chart would indicate how one’s consciousness forms and functions, as well as how the disciplining aspect of the “father” figure was perceived. In reading the following posts, it is vital to keep in mind that what will be presented will be a very general outline of the possible implications of certain Saturn placements and configurations, as Saturn has very specific implications in each natal chart (especially in tandem with the Sun), and one rule cannot possibly apply to all.

What will come next?

In the next post, I will address Saturn in the First House, in Aries, or in association with planet Mars, as well as the opposite polarity of Saturn in the Seventh House, in Libra, or in association with planet Venus. That post will be followed by more posts, covering Saturn in all the Signs and Houses of the birth chart, as well as Saturn in aspect to other planets.

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* “An unlimited life does not make you exist, but a limited one makes a big presence.” I Ching, Hexagram 54

  • For an edited version of this article and all other Saturn posts, or a Spanish edition, click here.
  • If you are interested in understanding your own birth chart or if you have specific questions, you can book a consultation or take a class.

17 Replies to “Structure of Consciousness: Saturn in the Birth Chart”

  1. These days, I like to add to the psychological perspective on astrology by remembering the beliefs of Medieval and Renaissance astrologers, who focused on materialist outcomes; external signs or evidence based on events, instead of the internal world we’ve more recently inherited from post-Alan Leo ‘sun signs’ astrologers. I say this because, with Saturn in Capricorn conjunct a 29˚ Sagittarius Ascendent, I was born with inherited musculoskeletal deformities, and while I mostly believe in karma, I also believe in DNA. Also, my first Saturn return was brutal. I’ve spoken with many people whose first Saturn return went well, or, if they weren’t being entirely honest, they do not have war stories they want to share. I personally think there is a lot to deal with, with Saturn on the Ascendent, and even if we don’t like to hear what society now perceives as ‘negative,’ (what I would call realistic) earlier astrologers understood that life could be very hard and there was nothing wrong with that. As my forebears would say, work won’t kill you. 😉

    1. Thank you for your insightful feedback, Alison! Yes, having Saturn on the Ascendant is hard. I am sorry for your physical condition. As you mentioned, it is important to pay attention to external/physical manifestations as well as internal aspects symbolized by our astrology. Having Saturn on my Libra Ascendant, I perfectly remember how paralyzingly shy and self-conscious I was as a teenager when I had to interact with others, but well, this was also exactly the reason I started self-analyzing and learning about psychology early on. It has proved to be a blessing in the long run, but yes, has also meant lots of hard work 😉

    1. I Am a Huber astrologer. Bruno Huber believed that since Saturn is relegated to conditioning and daily habits that she is associated with the mother. Since Saturn has feminine,defensive and protective traits, that is what mother figures do: provide safety and security for the daily life of the individual. Saturn is also the good and bad mother of antiquity and the “dweller of the threshold” between our present lives and our karmic past lives. I am not contradicting your piece because it is wee thought out. Astrological Psychology of the Huber’s present a different view. Astropsychology.org.

      1. Wow, how interesting! Thank you so much for sharing this different point of view 🙂 I should research about this outlook on Saturn… it makes a lot of sense.

      2. I actually relate to this I mean yes my father was really strict projected on to me,my mother used to sit me down and made me recite “I am responsible” Saturn in the 1st is not for the weak,and this sense of responsibility has always stayed with me,to the point of self loathing when any mistake is made,from how act to how I speak,no room for clumsiness

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