Transits of the planet Saturn require serious attention. Not that you’ll be in a light mood once its influence sets in.  Saturn often makes one gloomy, prone to worry and pessimistic. But it also makes one hardworking, ambitious and responsible. Don’t try to take shortcuts with Saturn; it seldom works.  At the same time, don’t make it harder than it needs to be.  Just take care of business and don’t do things that you may regret later on when Saturn makes a related transit.  If handled positively, the rewards of a long Saturn transit can be great, even if it seems painful and troublesome in the meantime.

Types of Saturn Transits

  1. Saturn transits to the planets.  These mark periods when certain energies, modes of behavior and facets of your being are challenged or hindered.  You may have to deal with people symbolized by the affected planet. For example, Saturn transits to Venus or the moon may bring problems with women and relationships.
  2. Saturn transits to the houses.  Matters governed by a house become a primary focus of attention. They seem burdensome and difficult during a Saturn transit, which can take about 2 1/2 years per house.  Stephen Arroyo in Astrology, Karma & Transformation notes that Saturn’s departure from a house often coincides with a major event.
  3. Saturn transits to its own position.  These are transits when you need to restructure or solidify your life if it is to have any real meaning.  The Saturn Return, occurring about every 29 years, are times when you need to make important decisions and changes, often letting go of things that are no longer appropriate for you. Often a sense of freedom accompanies the first Saturn Return, when you feel you are finally able to “come out on your own.” For example, one may finally move from one’s parents’ house after living with them since birth.

On Saturn’s transits to the natal Saturn, Grant Lewi writes in Astrology for the Millions:

Saturn’s transit of his own place is the most important point at which free will operates in the life… The choices you make are yours: make them wisely, for here it is that your free will in a very real sense forges your fate for a long time to come, if not indeed for the rest of your life.

Saturn Transits: Tips and Insights

  • Expect your responsibilities in that area to be greater where Saturn is transiting.
  • Saturn is all about securing your position in the world.  These transits help you restructure your life for the better, so that you can be more secure and successful.
  • Plan ahead for your Saturn transits. The more you know what to expect, the less difficult it will be to bear, and the less helpless you will feel.
  • Events that begin under Saturn’s influence are more likely to be burdensome or troublesome if one is not careful. So beware of applying for a loan with Saturn in the eighth, getting married with Saturn in the seventh, etc.  However this does not mean you should never initiate projects under a Saturn transit, so long as you are very thorough about it and take on no more than you can handle.  Saturn helps you build things that last.
  • Be careful not to over-extend yourself in the areas Saturn transits; it’s easy to push yourself too hard and get sick as a result.
  • Saturn often makes things seem worse than they really are.  So you may become overly critical of yourself and others.  For example, Saturn transiting the sixth house may cause you to criticize how other people spend their time while you yourself turn into a workaholic.
  • Saturn may cause us to fear the worst.  Don’t let yourself get too gloomy or fearful during a Saturn transit.  For example, Saturn transiting the seventh house may increase fears about your partner leaving you (whether or not this is valid), Saturn in the fifth may bring fears of a miscarriage, etc.
  • Saturn transits may signal the onset of an illness, especially if it transits a house of health or the sun or moon. Your vitality in general may be lower.
  • As Saturn leaves a house, an important event may occur relating to that house. For example, Saturn  transitioning from the fifth to the sixth house may coincide with a birth.
  • Saturn transits often are difficult, but not evil. You do need to be more discriminating about what works and what doesn’t in the area(s) that are affected.
  • Younger people might not feel Saturn transits the same way as adults.   This is because the responsibilities are often not the same. Also, the nature of the transit will vary depending on whether it’s your first time with that transit or not. For instance, the second Saturn Return will be more difficult if you did not make the changes you needed to during the first one.
  • Decisions made under Saturn’s influence often have a long-lasting consequences.  So make your choices wisely.
  • If you handle Saturn transits well, you can emerge from them with greater confidence than before.

See also Saturn house transits.

Books on Astrology Transits

Several books treat Saturn, a very important planet.  For a great guide to transits, see Planets in Transit by Robert Hand.  There are also wonderful insights from a very experienced astrologer in Astrology, Karma and Transformation by Stephen Arroyo.