Saturn will leave Aquarius to transit through Pisces on March 7, 2023. Saturn will stay in Pisces from March 2023 until February 2026. Learn how to navigate this three year transit!
In astrology, the planet Saturn represents the King of Gods. It’s a rigid authority figure, imposing barriers, limits and the rules as it moves through the zodiac. It’s a planet of structure, time and reality. Saturn wants to know what we’re doing with our lives and how we’re reaching our goals. When the planet of responsibility moves into spiritual and imaginative Pisces, we know some serious questions are headed our way.
While it may sound like a recipe for battle, this energetic combo can be positive. When in Pisces, Saturn will be more elastic and permeable. Pisces is known for its openness, compassion and intuition, which are traits that might soften Saturn’s rigidity.
There’s a shadow side to Saturn in this sign though. It might be harder to keep boundaries strong. Pisces has a magnitude for trust and fantasy, and with the planet of refinement here, it can be easy to fall for a charismatic person or move without pausing to think.
Saturn’s placement in the zodiac also reflects where we need a reality check as a society and where we should step up and take greater responsibility. Since Pisces is the last sign in the zodiac, this reflects an ending or completing point to a bigger cycle. In a way, Saturn’s move into Pisces can be thought of as a collective Saturn Return, where we’re all processing and moving through karmic lessons and gifts of Saturn as it has toured the entire zodiac.
What have we learned from Saturn in Aquarius?
Saturn first moved into Aquarius in December 2020 and has spent about three years there. With Saturn on the move, we’re feeling a shift. All of the old Saturn in Aquarius lessons will reach their climax, helping us find closure and wrap up loose ends. Now that we’re at the end of this cycle, think of the themes, patterns or lessons that have unfolded during your life since then.
• Where have you had to set boundaries? • Where have you had to take responsibility?
• Where have you felt held back?
These are all things that the energy of Saturn can inspire us to connect with more deeply. If you know your birth chart, you can see which house Saturn has been touring with while in Aquarius to see what themes you have been working with.
In general, Saturn in Aquarius is leaned toward collective needs. From the pandemic to social unrest, Saturn’s recent reality checks impacted all of us in some way. We emerged from this upheaval with clearer knowledge of societal structures and we now know convenience is not always sustainable.
Since Saturn is also known as the Lord of Karma, it makes sure that all karmic checks and balances are paid. Before Saturn leaves Aquarius, it will deliver our karmic rewards. Ancient astrologers believed that when Saturn exits a sign, it leaves a gift to remind and reward us for the hard work we’ve been doing. As Saturn begins a new cycle, look out for the gifts of the Universe! Stay open to what comes your way, practice gratitude and see if you can honor any hard lessons and who you are today because of them.
What have we seen from Saturn in Pisces in the past?
From February 1935 to January 1983 we saw Facism grow to an extreme in Europe, including Hilter’s Nazi regime rise. In the US, the aftermath of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl was hitting. The Social Security Act passed to support those who were struggling. Alcoholics Anonymous was started to encourage people to get help with their addictions. Dr. Suess published his first book and JRR Tolkein published The Hobbit. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full-length animated film to be released.
Next, Saturn was in Pisces from March of 1964 to March of 1967. With the Vietnam War escalating, there were massive anti-war protests around the world. US men burned their draft cards and in South Vietnam thousands of Buddists protested the government. Alongside anti-war protests, there were Civil Rights protests and riots. Martin Luther King led the Selma Marches in 1965 and the Black Panther party was formed in 1966. The Civil Rights Bill was passed in 1964, abolishing racial segregation in the US. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. Many feared these changes. Malcom X was assassinated, and many KKK murders happened in Mississippi. The Social Security Act established medicare and medicaid in the US.
South African activist Nelson Mandela made his ‘I am prepared to die’ speech at the trial that led to his imprisonment in 1964. The following year, a million people were massacred in the Indonesian genocide when the army executed communists to stop a coup. The Cultural Revolution began in China, where the CCP issued the May 16 Notice in 1966 that justified the purges and forced reforms. They destroyed China’s traditional culture and millions were massacred and humiliated.
Four different floods in the US and Italy destroyed lives, artwork and left thousands of people homeless and dead. In April 1964, The Beatles held the top 5 positions on the Billboard Top 100. John Lennon announced that the band was ‘more popular than Jesus’. LSD was made illegal in 1966 and even scientific research was shut down. The church of Satan was formed in San Francisco. The Mothman sightings happened in Point Pleasant, WV in the US. The miniskirt craze began with Jean Shrimpton weaning a short dress to the Australian Darby. The Star Trek TV series premiered in the US.
The last time that Saturn transited through Pisces was between May 1993 and April 1996. Saturn both destroyed and rebuilt, reminding us of shared sorrows and the ability to heal. There were multiple incidents of mass murder and war during this transit. With fear, came hope with peace treaties and the end of wars. The early 90s brought high-glamor supermodels that brought an idealized and unobtainable expression of beauty. Grunge music emphasized on emotional atmosphere and introspection. New Age spirituality became mainstream and there was a burst of interest in astrology, paganism and goddess worship.
Buruch Goldstein, an Israeli Kahanist, opened fire in the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank and killed 29 Muslims before the crowd beat him to death. In Japan, the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo carried out deadly attacks and cult in Switzerland committed murders and mass suicide. In the Oklahoma City Bombing terrorist attack, 168 people were killed. The MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea. France tested nuclear bombs in the Pacific Ocean. China began missile testing and military exercises off the Taiwan coast. The Israel-Palestine peace process failed when the Israeli PM was assassinated.
Russia started the first Chechen war in 1994, which lasted until 1996. The Rwandan genocide started in April of 1994 when Hutu gangs slaughtered 600,000 Tutsi. The Bosnian War continued until 1995, and many Bosnian Serb commanders were charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Tribunal was created in Hague to prosecute war crimes that were committed during the Yugoslav wars in the early 90s. South Africa held their first interracial elections, making Nelson Mandela their president and later abolished capital punishment in the country. While this was a milestone, the work of unstitching racism and oppression takes decades and is an ongoing journey. Russia and China agreed to stop targeting each other with nuclear weapons and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty was extended indefinitely by 170 countries. Australia paid reparations to indigenous Australians who were displaced during nuclear testing in the 50s and 60s
OJ Simpson was arrested for murder and then acquitted after a long show trial. In April of 1994, Piscean Kurt Cobain killed himself, symbolizing the harsh reality of fame. There was a collective grief, but also a larger conversation brought forward about mental health and drug addiction. Edvard Much’s ‘The Scream’ was stolen and recovered. The Channel Tunnel opened, connecting Britain and France. The PlayStation game system was launched. Prince changed his name to a symbol. There was a huge growth in UFO culture and the X-Files series started. Jurassic Park was the biggest grossing film for the next 4 years with it’s groundbreaking CGI dinosaurs. Toy Story was the first-ever full-length computer animated film to be released.
With Saturn returning to Pisces, we’re reminded of why it’s important to question social narratives that don’t have everyone’s interest at heart. Delusion, conspiracy theories, and brain-washing schemes can flourish with Saturn in this sign. Remember you can always think for yourself. Healing can come through faith, art, music and compassion for our fellow humans.
How could this Saturn in Pisces transit affect us?
Pisces represents unseen worlds, abstract ideas, compassion and going with the flow. Saturn is grounded, earthy energy that rules over things like law, boundaries, responsibilities and restrictions. The energy combining can feel like a wake-up call and bring us to reality and make us face consequences of our actions and actions of the collective. Saturn’s presence in Pisces could feel heavy. If Pisces is a smooth-flowing water, Saturn is going to build dams, which could direct water into a more beneficial direction, but it can also feel controlling.
When Saturn enters Pisces, we can expect great works of art to emerge. We can expect to see a wave of emotional music become popular. We have already seen how AI can affect and exploit works of art. We can expect this to continue and begin to affect music in the same ways.
Since Pisces is related to religion and spirituality, we could see themes around religion and spirituality connected to laws and rules that govern society. If you are a US citizen, religion has affected you whether it was personally or through our government and laws. It will be interesting to see how the two continue to merge and if it is something we are willing to accept, or something to watch out for. The spiritual or wellness industry might get a wakeup call under this energy. You may find your own attitude about spirituality or religion shifting and changing. We may revisit the traditions or religions of our ancestors.
We could see the pharmaceutical and drug industry changing its regulations. We are already seeing changes being made to make diabetic medicine more affordable. Laws on marijuana are ever-changing in the US. There are studies being done on micro-dosing on psychedelics. We could find the balance between using drugs for good and abusing them.
Our ability to grieve how life has changed over the last five years will be expanded. There might be a desire to show compassion to our fellow human beings and more emphasis on the well-being of others.
Using this energy in a more personal way, we can bring our dreams to reality. We can learn to be more vulnerable and look at our relationship with grief. We can show compassion for our fellow humans. We can use our intuition to analyze our life path.
The realm of Pisces is a never-ending sea of mysticism, creativity and fantasy. It’s a beautiful space for our most heartfelt desires. While Saturn moves into Pisces, our greatest dreams can be brought into real, tangible existence. The creative and even spiritual ideas of Pisces can gain roots in reality thanks to Saturn. Saturn’s grounded, practical energy coupled with creativity from Pisces can bring a balance that will give birth to your creative ideas, turning them into a business. If Pisces energy is like music, Saturn’s presence helps us write the notes so that it can go from playing in our head to being available for everyone to listen to.
It can be expected to have frustrations in achieving practical goals until we learn to integrate material and non-material values. We don’t always want to be questioned about our daydreams, especially the ones that are closest to our hearts. Saturn’s presence here might just do that. If Saturn in Pisces catches us off guard, we may feel intruded upon or get defensive. Be ready to open the door and hear Saturn’s advice, because it may be more helpful than you want to admit!
During this transit, we can feel uncomfortable with showing feelings or being vulnerable, mistaking it for weakness. We might work hard and root for the underdog, but we won’t want to feel like we are one. Trying to avoid scrutiny may lead to missed opportunities. Even if we’re strong and resilient, we can sometimes doubt that we’re able to cope. We could limit ourselves if we allow our human qualities to be covered.
We might feel more comfortable offering tangible help and advice than shows of emotional support. We must watch for subtly implying to others that we don’t need kindness or support. We might even be bothered by those who play the victim or are too out there with spirituality. Lacking some faith and trust in our intuition, we might feel vaguely fearful. We should recognize how it might limit our experience if we deny the more vulnerable, messy or chaotic side of life.
With this conscious attention to the Pisces realm, which is associated with sleep and dreams, we could feel restless, anxious or have trouble sleeping. Cultivate that inner calm. Meditate, walk in the woods, talk to the moon, take a nap and be sure to get a full night’s sleep. We may want to go to bed early and allow our minds time to slow down and rest.
We could end up feeling creatively stuck or held back. Saturn can impose restrictions and boundaries that make us feel stuck or stifled, but only so we can take the time to figure out what we truly want and are truly willing to stand up for.
Pisces here will force us to adjust to where limits aren’t always obvious. This process won’t happen overnight. It will involve checking in with our boundaries and ensuring that they are flexible to change, but still resilient. It will require that we actively listen to our bodies, thoughts and emotions to choose what rules we want to live by. Saturn is about steady persistence over time, not temporary fixes.
How to work with Saturn in Pisces
Connect with your deepest daydreams of writing a book or opening a business. Clear the mind, breathe and ask the energies in transit what the next step is. Have a notepad ready, because we’re about to get a coaching for the ages. This is a time to gather all the details we have been imagining and plan how to make things happen. Write a business plan, work out a budget, look into loan options. When we tune into the lessons Saturn in Pisces has to teach us, our path becomes clearer.
Check in with your inner realms. It’s a time to reflect inward, whether that means using intuition or analyzing yourself. Trust your intuition. Learning to recognize your own inner voice will give you much-needed support. Saturn will help you commit to meditation, self-care or even therapy.
Commit to your boundaries! Say goodbye to things and people that drain your energy. Be firm with your words when necessary.
Find which movements have true potential and what is just a fad.
Embrace adaptability and flexibility. Surrender to the mystery that will come. Get comfortable making plans and setting goals without all the answers.
During this transit we can lay the groundwork for our highest purpose. Saturn wants us to step up and take responsibility for our lives and to act in accordance with our true authentic selves. When Saturn is done with us, we can be left feeling wiser, more mature and more aligned with who we want to be! Take the time to hear the deep wisdom that this transit has to offer. How can you take responsibility in the life you are choosing, for your actions, for your words, for the energy you put into the world?
Some journal prompts for Saturn in Pisces
What does my spirituality really mean to me?
How can I take responsibility for my creative visions?
What are some tangible things I can do to turn my dreams into reality?
I can better understand myself by …
My true thoughts and feelings about this situation are …
When I get still, my intuition shares …
Religion makes me feel …
I can better express my compassionate side by …
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