Saturn in Pisces, Saturn in the 12th House

The gentle river that flows along past Magdelan College at Oxford University...the place where Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland) spent many idle hours...she and her sister would insist that Charles tell them stories, and then it was her idea that they be made into books.....

     There is a “great longing” for union and transcendence of the mundane with Saturn in Pisces or the 12th house. It is a place where the invisible activity of the deep psyche is stirred. This is the area of the personal and collective unconscious; the “house that Carl Jung built.” It is also the place where subtle unfelt feelings, unfinished business and illusions live, and with this placement there can be a fear of emotional “drowning or dissolving” if too much time and energy is spent with the burdens of everyday life. Time needs to be given to the deeper supports and structures that uphold you, and where you can discern the difference between illusions and imaginative possibilities. How do you reconcile dreams and the demands of reality?  Here is where the needs of your psyche need to be tended to with a loving and accepting attitude.
As the first paragraph implies, this is not an easy thing to do, although one would think it would be as easy as sitting outside on a summer’s day contemplating clouds. Often one cannot do this for longer than five minutes. There is a longing for imagination here and a yearning for meaningfulness that can be expressed positively through contemplative arts such as music, painting, or writing, or through compassionate activities that don’t rely solely on left brain rational thinking.

With Saturn in Pisces or in the 12th house you are called to give yourself a break—you may find yourself moving away from structures that no longer serve you. This letting go can generate that fear of dissolving or drowning, but what is really happening is that the old ways are being washed away so that a rebirth of something better can take place.
There’s a need with this placement to express one’s sensitivity and emotions and yet to make one’s higher vision and yearnings practical and real. Discipline and routine can be helpful when it keeps distractions away and gives one the space to creatively and personally get to know oneself. Often there’s a desire to escape from reality in some way—addictions can spring from anxiety and attempts to control too much by rigid habits or ways of thinking can thwart the higher expression of Saturn in Pisces in the 12th house.
Saturn Return Questions: Are you feeling psychically porous and uncomfortable in groups? Are you feeling a need to withdraw from time to time? Why not allow yourself to turn “alone time” to creative solitude, and allow yourself to feel comfortable with the more subtle impressions that you may be feeling? Can you talk about this with a friend and find ways to express the hidden gold that you are mining?  You are flowing into new territory and you’d be wise not to defend yourself behind tight boundaries. The water wants to flow within you, and simply be contained by gentle boundaries. ~elizabeth spring  www.elizabethspring.com  

Saturn in Aquarius, Saturn in the Eleventh House

"Chained books at Oxford Library"

With Saturn in Aquarius or in the Eleventh house your “work” is around groups and the world of ideas. Books and rich conversations feed your Soul. You are karmically connected to the ideas and ideals of your “tribe”—your friends and any group focused around some common purpose. For good or bad, this “non-blood” family is important for you.

And yet it is common to find a strong feeling of social isolation with those who have Saturn in Aquarius because there is such a keen sensitivity to  the “shoulds and oughts” of the culture, and the social and political groups you find yourself in. Just as you might feel yourself to be an outsider in your family of origin in some way, you might also feel an outsider in groups even if you have a strong presence in them. The past, particularly within your family, is reworked in the present among these new people, and you are called to find out if you can “fit in” or not.

With Saturn in the 11^th house of Aquarius you are challenged to know about what your unique personal ideals are, what you believe in, and how you can find kindred spirits in the world. Of course, nothing is a perfect fit, but still you try, as you know you need to interact with others so as to stabilize your purpose in life and to overcome fear of disapproval.

Do you know what you think, what you believe in, what you consider worthy or fun, and what matters most to you? Have you thought about how you have been conditioned by your family and the culture to conform? This re-assessing can be a continual and changing “problem.” Saturn here is called to be flexible (not natural to ‘him’!) and to change as your ideas and ideals change, and as your friends and alliances change. If this isn’t done, there can be a revolt in your psyche, and a tendency to be eccentric, extreme, or socially insecure if you haven’t given yourself the inner time to know what you stand for, and who you stand with. It doesn’t matter what others think of you, but it does matter what you think of yourself and the attitude you project to others.

Aquarius and the 11^th house is future oriented, and so goals, intentions and strategies carry a lot of importance for you. You are being challenged to become the person you truly are—not any imitation of yourself. Carl Jung called this the call to individuate. People with Saturn or many planets in Aquarius or the 11^th house often come into “their unique sense of themselves” later in life as they’ve worked out issues around duty, rights and freedom. They can stand alone or with others, and they can just as easily be the loners among groups as they can be the leaders of groups. And in time, these positions can change.

Saturn Return Questions: What really makes me happy? What really makes me sad? What do I hear about on the news that I “can’t stand?” Is there any way I could find a way to be in the world where what I love to do or what I care about most, could be my “work”? Where can my gladness meet the world’s needs? How can I turn my anger at injustice and stupidity into something helpful? Aquarius relates to revolution and evolution, but first you truly need to know just where you stand. Think about it!  ~ Elizabeth Spring  www.elizabethspring.com

Saturn in Capricorn, Saturn in Tenth House

With Saturn in its own natural sign and house, there can be a strong desire to be recognized for who you really are, and the good work that you do—for you are one who can handle burdens, take on responsibility, be in charge, and do the job well. Are you getting credit for it? This theme of responsibility and shouldering burdens can echo back to a desire to be recognized and respected by a parent—when you were young, did you have your ‘injustice’ heard and were you seen for who you really were? Nothing is perfect, but for you there may still be the desire to get back from the world what you didn’t get from a significant parent.

Although you are quite willing to work hard and cautiously, sometimes you can be hindered by too much cautious behavior or fear of disapproval…so sometimes you may try to control situations and obey the rules too tightly, and then find yourself revolting against your own behavior! This self-sabotage isn’t all that common, but it’s important for people with Saturn in Capricorn or the 10^th house to give themselves credit and self-approval, and not to dismiss their own efforts. You are often better than you realize.

“Who am I in the eyes of the world?” is an important question for you, yet the danger is about becoming too identified with what you do and stuck in your own ways. Who are you trying to please? What limits and boundaries are truly right for you—it’s important for you to judge what is fair and right for you and your beliefs, and not just for other’s expectations or approval.

Saturn in this position shouldn’t be difficult, but it often is. You may be holding standards of excellence that make it almost impossible for you to live up to your own standards. You can be hard on yourself. In fact, you may have taken on burdens of caregiving or doing what “is right” and then find yourself at one of your Saturn Returns saying: “Now what am I going to do when I grow up?” If this is you, don’t despair, as Saturn ripens as it ages, and often fulfillment comes later in life. You know how to depend on your own resources, you are a good organizer, and now you can allow yourself the chance to dream into new and different possibilities.

Saturn Return Questions: Am I still inwardly trying to gain approval from someone other than myself? If the love or approval wasn’t given to you early in life, you can still gain that love and respect through attainment of some ambition or becoming the true author of your own life. Give a “good think” about boundaries and priorities, and make sure that you are playing by your rules and allowing room for Self-love and self-care. You deserve it. ~elizabeth spring  www.elizabethspring.com

* This is the cafe in Edinburgh where JK Rowling wrote her first 2 Harry Potter books. At the time, she was an unemployed single mother with no employment prospects. Today she is the 2nd wealthiest woman in the world.

Saturn in Sagittarius, Saturn in the Ninth House

Here we have the call of the spiritual journey—here the “work” of Saturn in Sagittarius or the 9^th house is about learning what brings meaning to life. Sound easy? It's not….this is not the typical old model of the religious journey, with its call to hand over spiritual authority to someone else, but the call to seek personal meaningfulness in this life. This is a quest for knowledge—it’s not about accepting the image of a god who is all knowing and all judging—in fact, with this placement, you’re likely to find the idea of an Old Testament god or any patriarchal super-ego to be quite distasteful! (Yes, this could include your boss at work too…)

But…you’d like to be right. You have a hunger for wisdom. You may be persistent, humorous and have a tolerant view of life, yet at your core there’s a hunger for something more. You want to get your relationship with God and Life right—even if you’re an atheist. You want daily work that has meaning, and a life you can be proud of. Who doesn’t? But your ability to set priorities and “focus in” can make the rest of us look spiritually lazy...for you’re willing to travel, study and struggle to come into right relationship with your Self.

Some astrologers might see this Saturn placement as being one of the “reluctant philosopher.” It sounds easy, but the search for wisdom often leads us on paths that travel right through hell before we get it right. You don’t get this hunger for Truth, fairness, and spiritual equality by being in a state of bliss—it’s more likely you’ve seen and lived through the worst, and passed through the shadows of prejudice, constriction, and narrow minded injustice. Most of us are reluctant travelers through the realms of hell.

Saturn Return Questions: With Saturn, the planet of “concentrated focus” in expansive Sagittarius, you will be challenged to see both sides of any issue and to hold the “tension of the opposites” in your life till the gleam of understanding and wisdom breaks through. Don’t give up! As you willingly hold two opposing viewpoints or have to choose between “a rock and a hard place” make a decision to wait and ponder before acting. The right answer will arise in time. Can you set your own self-generated priorities and find what brings inner freedom for you? You are being called to be a wise person who will teach the rest of us the true meaning of freedom, tolerance and love. But no short cuts are allowed—you can’t do a spiritual bypass on emotional problems. One step at a time…and you’re there. Not so bad! ~ Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

Saturn in Scorpio, Saturn in the Eighth House

Saturn in Scorpio or in the Eighth house, by birth or transit, brings up issues around money, sex, inheritance, and attempting to control others. Wherever Saturn is in the chart, is where there are subtle and deep psychological patterns that reflect challenges to be overcome. As we meet these challenges, the fear that motivates Saturn to fight, flee, or try to control all begin to lose their grip on us.

A Pluto ruled Saturn is associated with that which is occult or hidden, even within yourself. Take time to look at your own inner judgments that may be oppressing you, and draw them out to explore them. Find ways to release them. It is here that the “unknown” can arise in your life and you find that through sex, or sharing resources with others—especially money—you are fearful of being controlled, or fearing loss. You may find yourself in a burden of debt, or fearing that others won’t be there to support you emotionally or financially. Buying a house together or investing money with another person or even having to deal with banks, can bring up fears you may not have been aware of before.

What’s happening here? In many ways you’re hoping to find correct ‘boundaries’ between yourself and others, but the fear of abandonment, entrapment, debt, and losing emotional control can be frightful. With Pluto ruling Scorpio and the Eighth house, one could say that the best attitude here is one of surrender and a ‘discerning acceptance’ but this is never easy.

 Saturn feels the expectations of others, wants to be responsible, and yet is quite uncomfortable not feeling secure in knowing how much to give and how much to hold back. Fairness and equality are sought after, but emotional power struggles can still arise from the depths. Messy divorces with financial complications can be an expression of this, and yet the real issue is not money but self-respect, personal power and independence. We may need to learn how to be independent from others without sacrificing our Souls. We need to understand that our bank accounts, our shared resources, and even our fears of emotional intimacy are being acted out here, and that love of Self and Other are more closely entwined than we ever guessed.

Saturn Return Questions: So what to do in the face of this fear? “Love God, and tie your camel” isn’t a bad response. Pluto has also been known as the “God of Wealth” but true wealth is not winning a messy court battle, but being savvy, playing fair, and going deeper…looking at the roots of whatever poverty you may be feeling. It can be good to remember that you have within yourself and within your relationships a wealth that can be truly humble and fair. That generosity of spirit gives a person true wealth.

 With Saturn here, either in the birth chart or by transit, or in the Saturn Returns, we might be wise to learn the difference between being loneliness and solitude. In being alone in solitude we gain self-confidence in ourselves, nurture our Souls and creativity, and learn that we don’t need to conform to the other people’s expectations. We can create proper boundaries, and know when to give and take. We pay our taxes, balance our checkbooks, and remember the depths of our resources. We are greater than the sum of our parts and generosity feeds our hearts more than any money or power could ever do.  ~ Elizabeth Spring  http://www.elizabethspring.com/

Lindisfarne

"The journey to the castle; the journey to the Self."


I've just returned from a pilgrimage to Lindisfarne, and will be returning to writing again soon! It was all that I hoped it would be, and it was good to go "unplugged" but now I'm excited and ready to begin again....soon. ~ elizabeth