Saturn: The Consciousness Raising Planet

Saturn is a higher love - a love that asks a lot of us because it knows we are capable.

In the traditional esoteric astrology model, Earth is the center of our cosmos, and the seven celestial bodies visible to the naked eye (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn) are rotating above and acting as the bridge between Earth and the Divine. The planets are in that order as well. Saturn is essentially the gatekeeper to the Divine, as it is the closest planet to the Heavens, and the first planet our souls fall through as we come down to Earth. I believe Saturn's position as the highest planet is no coincidence, and it's something to keep in mind throughout this article.

I feel that Saturn is the most misunderstood planet. Saturn is widely feared due to the heaviness of its energy. Truthfully, Saturn can be quite cold and restrictive, and its energy is not easy to work with, especially in our younger years. Wherever Saturn lands in our charts, that's where we feel inhibited and where we tend to struggle, often without understanding why. But Saturn isn't here to make us miserable, Saturn is here to help us raise our consciousness.

Everybody has a Saturn placement in their birth chart - or a position in the sky where Saturn was when they were born. So, everyone is affected by Saturn, but in different ways. Saturn falls in a certain zodiac sign and house in each of our birth charts. The zodiac sign shows how Saturn expresses itself, or its 'flavor' if you will. But I think the house Saturn is located in is more relevant than the zodiac sign, and that's what I mainly focus on when working with Saturn. Whatever house you have Saturn in is the area of your life where you feel Saturn's presence.

I have Saturn in my third house. The third house is the house of siblings, community, communication, and short term travel. In these areas of my life, I have always felt a bit unlucky and a bit behind. These areas of my life don't come easily to me. For example, I think most people would agree that communicating with siblings is something you don't have to overthink. But with my two younger siblings, I've often found myself worrying, "What do I say? How do I cultivate a meaningful relationship here?"

Where Saturn is involved — a.k.a. where things don't come naturally — it can feel like a disability. So it's only natural that we blame ourselves for these perceived shortcomings. "Why do I struggle with this so much?"

Well, there is beauty in the struggle, and there is a purpose behind it. Saturn is saying, "This isn't going to be easy for you for a reason. You're meant to teach yourself how to handle these areas of your life. And then you can consciously embody your values here, become a master in this area, and even be a role model for others." Along the way, we're giving ourselves the gift of higher consciousness. Because when something doesn’t flow easily, when it isn’t unconscious, it requires conscious effort, growth, and awareness. And this is what our souls crave on this Earth journey. That is the key to our spiritual evolution.

I've put a lot of thought and effort into figuring out how to be a great older sibling, and also defining for myself what that truly means. I'm still learning, and having the awareness that this is happening in my birth chart has been very helpful.

As we gain confidence and start showing up authentically in our Saturn area, it's important to remember that our approach may look a bit unconventional and unique compared with people who have never struggled in these areas. That's okay. We're not meant to follow the crowd. We're meant to redefine what success in these areas of life looks like. We're meant to become trailblazers.

There's no question that Saturn is asking a lot of us. But Saturn isn't mean -- it just really wants us to lift ourselves up, wherever it falls in our charts. That is beautiful.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember as we work with our Saturn placement is to go easy on ourselves. Practicing self love and compassion is so important, at all times. Saturn is calling on you to love yourself and believe in yourself. Know that your perceived shortcomings are not actually shortcomings, and they aren’t your fault. You’re facing limitations in this area for your own soul growth. If you walk this path with self love, awareness, and you don't give up, you can become a role model for others and raise your own consciousness. And that is something to be proud of.