The Drive of Saturn, Part 1
Part one of a three part series on a sorely misunderstood planet
I’ve been obsessed with Saturn lately. It may be because I am in my second Saturn opposition (the current Saturn is opposing the natal Saturn in my birth chart), but I’m completely enthralled with the lessons Saturn is meant to teach us. This planet is also my chart ruler. So, I am a bit biased, ngl.
I fully believe Saturn is completely misunderstood. It is not the taskmaster we have been led to believe it is (although it can be). Nor is it the greater malefic as it has been called for centuries.
I believe Saturn is about the balance between boundaries. We see this in the delicate balance between the planet and its rings.
The planet must have just the right amount of gravity to hold the rings in place, and the rings must be just the right distance away from the planet to be locked in their current position.
There are literally two boundaries there: distance and gravity.
Even in his mythology, Saturn had two sides. “That of the benign, compassionate, liberal ruler of the golden age, and the ruthless son who castrated his father” (Sullivan, p11). The emphasis on the word liberal is mine.
I find this interesting because most people do not see Saturn as liberal at all, quite the opposite. But if he is the Lord of Karma, I believe he would have to be liberal. He would also have to be even more balanced than Libra. The compassionate part is also extremely important as compassion dissolves the ego.
I, personally, see Saturn more as the Egyptian God Anubis AND the feather of Ma’at (the goddess of truth, integrity, justice, and order).
Anubis was the god who weighed the hearts of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at in the hall of two truths (notice it’s two again).
If the heart was lighter or equal to the feather, the soul was allowed to journey to the realm of Osiris. If not, the soul was devoured by Ammit. Basically, Thanos-snapped out of existence.
Anubis was also a psychopomp. He was the guide for the soul on the way to Osiris. He protected the soul on their journey as well as showed them the way. A very father-like figure, and Saturn is nicknamed “Father Time.”
Saturn is judge and jury, but also our guide through this journey of life and as such is like a compassionate father.
Saturn is the Balance Between Boundaries
Not only does Saturn want us to define boundaries (“I define who I become”) but it also wants us to find a balance between the ego and the unconscious mind (our soul).
This is why I personally feel that Saturn can be the most powerful planet in a person’s chart, despite whether it is well-aspected, or afflicted.
Saturn is the alignment we’ve all heard about on Tiktok. “Align with the universe to get what you want in life” is a common theme on the spiritual side of Tiktok or IG. But they have it wrong.
We can’t align with the universe. Our human mind can’t even fathom an infinite universe, let alone connect to it. It’s too overwhelming.
The way we align to the universe is through our soul. To align, we have to become one with, meaning we have to let go of our identity (ego) in order to meld with our soul.
Aligning
Wherever Saturn falls in our birth chart (house and sign) is how we align with our soul’s purpose in this life, and the aspects to it is the trigger for the alignment. It’s like a chemical reaction that needs a catalyst to start it.
This is why many people have a midlife crisis in their 40s (myself included) because when the second Saturn square, opposition and return comes around (starting at the age of 37), it’s crunch time.
The soul gets antsy if we haven’t aligned with our purpose, and it starts to push us in the right direction. In some people, it pushes harder than others. This is the drive of Saturn.
Saturn and the Ego
The ego is who we describe ourselves as, our identity. Our profession, hobbies, roles in life (mom, dad, sister, brother, daughter, son, etc.).
But if you remove the ego, what do you have left?
“You are that which experiences this person’s life… We are the bundle of physical sensations that experiences our life. That’s it.”
- Dr. Alok Konjia (aka Dr. K)
We’re still us even when all those things are removed.
The ego is how others perceive us. How we think others see us. How we want to be seen.
To align with our soul’s purpose, we must dissolve the ego, free ourselves from how we want to be seen.
If you want to experience an ego-less state, cuddle your cat, or pet your dog. Animals have no ego. They have no need for one. They are focused only on their physical experience. Food, sex, safety, etc.
This is how they can offer us unconditional love; they can truly see us, see our true self. They don’t see us through the lens of an ego. Compassion for your kitty will instantly dissolve the ego, allowing you to feel the ego-less state, even if only temporarily.
This is the lesson Saturn wants us to learn. As humans, we need an ego. It’s how we interact with other people. But Saturn wants us to find that delicate balance between the ego and the soul. The rings of Saturn, and Saturn itself.
The Drive of Saturn
Saturn works in seven-year cycles, and there are two major milestones with this planet. The first Saturn return at 29 and the second Saturn return at 58. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to experience a third Saturn return at age 87, which occurs three years after the only Uranus return we get at age 84.
Saturn returns are when the current Saturn returns to its initial position in your natal birth chart. These are all checkpoints. It’s like Saturn saying, “hey… what are you doing with your life? You on track buddy???” (Yes, that’s exactly how he sounds…. 😂)
When we hit the age of 37, and get closer to the second Saturn return, Saturn starts to poke us if we haven’t connected with our soul’s purpose yet. This is the midlife crisis.
I experienced this starting at 37. I realized I hadn’t done anything with my life that served any type of meaningful purpose. As I got older, this urge to fix my life got stronger.
Until I hit the age of 41. That’s when this urge became a literal drive. I was driven to make Uranus level (sudden and drastic) changes in my life to get myself on track.
I bought a brand-new car, something I said I’d never do.
I restarted my Etsy Shop Blue Dasher Crafts
I got my Health Coach certification, then my nutrition coach and personal trainer certifications
I left my 27 year career in ophthalmology
It was a snowball effect. The drive just got stronger and stronger, until I could no longer ignore it.
I also believe Saturn is behind those people who just seem to never give up. Like the David Goggins’ of the world (#stayhard). They refuse to give up on anything, no matter what, and they are super resilient.
Even when they hit rock bottom, they still spring back up. They’re incredible. I personally feel like these are the people with Saturn very well aspected, ruling their chart as the sole dispositor, or in a fire sign (especially Aries or Leo) and well aspected.
Using Saturn to Define Who You Become
To steal a lyric from a song to describe Saturn’s effect in our life it would be “I define who I become” from the song Holding on to Smoke by Motionless in White (great song, go check it out).
This lyric is beautiful because it describes exactly what Saturn’s purpose is: to helps us define ourselves, but also who we want to be. And ultimately, find that balance it wants us to find.
But how do you harness the power of Saturn? Look at your birth chart. Find what house and sign Saturn is in which will tell you what area of your life Saturn will work through. Then look at what planets are aspecting Saturn and how.
In part 2 of this series, we’ll talk about some of the Saturn placements and how they can manifest and suggest some of the best ways to harness the planet’s energy. We’ll also talk about aspects and what they mean, and how to interpret what a planet in aspect to your Saturn could mean.
In part 3, we’ll go into Saturn returns, transiting planets and transiting aspects to the natal Saturn that can be catalysts for change in your life.
You don’t want to miss these upcoming issues, so make sure you subscribe!
Also, we started a discord server for those of you who want to learn more about spirituality, astrology and all things esoteric. You can join it here.
One last thing. Mother’s day is just around the corner (it’s literally Sunday), if you haven’t gotten a gift for mom yet, check out our Etsy shop in gift mode. It allows you to purchase mom’s gift and send her an email (even a video message if you want) so she knows it’s on the way!
Brightest Blessings,
Mel
References & Footnotes
[i] Sullivan, E. (1991, 2000). Saturn in Transit: Boundaries of Mind, Body and Soul. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.
[ii] Kanojia, A. (2024, April 08). Psychiatrist. (C. Williamson, Interviewer) Retrieved from