Saturn in relationships: the good, the bad, and the ugly

    Saturn in relationships has been emphasized many times, by many astrologers, and quite rightfully so, since they do turn up a lot in relationships, especially long-term ones. But in this video (above) I delved into the reasons why these Saturn-heavy relationships are so common. 

   The general consensus among western astrologers is that Saturn is a necessary evil in relationships. But in my opinion, as expressed in the above video, this is not necessarily the case, and that, in fact, sometimes Saturn promises more than it can deliver in relationships, or rather creates more unnecessary suffering than helpful and supportive commitment.

  I am not going to repeat myself here in writing, instead I would like to add some things to what I have already said in the video, to clarify some ideas.

  First of all, I want to say that not all Saturn aspects are inherently bad, easy aspects(trine, sextile, semi-sextile) and even the conjunction, in certain situations(I would be weary of a relationship that has more than one Saturn conjunction though) can truly be helpful, and give a certain level of grit(particularly on the part of the Saturn person) when it comes to dealing with obstacles in the path of a relationship.

  But too many Saturn aspects, and too many could be just one hard Saturn aspect, like Mars square / opposite Saturn, for instance, can create an atmosphere of unbearable heaviness in a relationship. Criticisms, control issues, hurt feelings and egos, emotional isolation, the feeling of "being alone in a relationship" can be common themes in any relationship with a hard(conjunction, opposition, square) aspect between Saturn and another person's planets.

  More specifically, Saturn will restrict the expression of anything it touches, filter it through the hard cold lens of reality - such as it perceives it, and ultimate "clip the wings" of that respective planet and what it stands for.

 The reason why Saturn is so common in long term relationships is because it binds people together in fear, or by virtue of some material gain for one or both of the people in question, usually said material gain refers to financial stability, social status, pragmatic results (which is why one good expression of Saturn positive aspects, conjunction, trine, sextile, is that it makes for good, productive business relations), which begs the question of are the only successful relations based on material interest? With no real romance or compatibility?

    In my humble opinion, and this is where I will get a bit philosophical, the reason why Saturn relationships are so prevalent is because our human societies are not evolved enough yet, and we are still largely at the mercy of rules made by the old world, old societies, and the old religions, which force people to have practical considerations when it comes to relationships. Just the fact that women are still not being treated like human beings in many societies will force women to choose relationships out of fear (which means Saturnian relationships, in astrological language), instead of choosing relationships out of love and compatibility.

  Which brings me to my final point about the ideal relationships. When human societies evolve enough, and I think this is where the Age of Aquarius will take us, people will no longer need to take survival into account when it comes to choosing a mate, which means Saturn aspects will not be needed. At the end of the day, an absence of heavy Saturn aspects, but the simultaneous presence of many signs of compatibility would create a natural flow of harmonious energy between two people...or I might just be too idealistic. Time will tell.

   Until then, here is a short description for Saturn aspects in synastry, negative(square, opposition), and easy(trine, sextile, semi-sextile), and in between(conjunction can go either way):

Sun - Saturn square or opposition will bring pretty rough interactions between two people since these 2 planets are natural enemies. The Sun person will feel criticized and stifled by the Saturn person, even when the Saturn person says nothing at all, but maybe looks at them a bit funny, the Sun person's inner child is being hurt by Saturn's harshness, creative expression will be inhibited, the Sun person feels Saturn does not accept them for who they are, and maybe tries to change them.

 Sun - Saturn trine or sextile will bring a quiet support from the Saturn person, the Sun person might be aided in very real ways to pursue their ultimate ideals and goals in life, while Saturn will appreciate the attention of "the King" and feel valued for their practicality and pragmatism. Creativity will be directed towards practical expressions in this relationship.

 Sun - Saturn conjunction is an aspect that will likely show both the negative and the positive sides, as described previously. The sense here is that the 2 people have some serious business to attend to, this could work great in a professional interaction, but in a romantic relationship, it can turn off the joy, creativity and romance, as well as natural playfulness. It can be rough, and the Sun person is likely to perceive the Saturn person as controlling and critical and respond accordingly, out of hurt ego, and hurt Saturn's sensitivities, and trigger his/her fears.

Moon - Saturn square or opposition is probably one of the worst aspects, imo, especially if it comes up in the composite chart. Between two charts, the Moon person will feel constantly alone, alienated and insecure around the Saturn person(unless there are positive aspects from other planets), the Moon will feel like Saturn is a cold, critical parental figure each time the she expresses her emotional needs. The Saturn person is likely going to leave the Moon person guessing the Saturn person's affection, and no matter what, the Moon person will not get enough of the Saturn person's attention or affection. Saturn will feel the Moon is a cry baby at times, unreliable and immature, and a hindrance in his/her path to social status and work.

Moon - Saturn trine or sextile is an acceptable aspect to have in synastry, provided that there are "warmer" influences from Saturn person's chart to the Moon. The Saturn person may be thrifty with open demonstrations of affection towards the Moon, but they will provide a sense of emotional security and safety to the Moon person, a natural commitment towards fulfilling the needs of the Moon, which she appreciates. 

Moon - Saturn conjunction can go either way, again, but on top of that, it shows a serious connection between two people. By itself, it does not show attraction of any kind, and definitely not a natural emotional affinity, but rather it shows the Saturn person feels responsible for the Moon person's feelings, but whether this pleases the Saturn person or not depends on each individual situation. Either way, this conjunction is also very likely to make the Moon person feel the Saturn person is cold and not meeting their needs, unless there are other supportive aspects.

Mercury - Saturn square or opposition can make the Mercury person feel constantly criticized for their thought patterns and ideas, the Saturn person might consciously or unconsciously block the Mercury person's intellectual pursuits and growth. The Mercury person will fear voicing any ideas or opinions for fear of criticisms, in the end. The Saturn person fears the Mercury person's intelligence and communication abilities.

Mercury - Saturn trine or sextile  creates the opposite scenario, this is a relationship that will encourage the Mercury person to materialize his ideas, discipline their thought processes and find pragmatic implementations to their resourcefulness. Thi aspect can be very good in a business partnership, as well. Saturn brings planning abilities, Mercury brings ideas, they both appreciate each other's input.

Mercury - Saturn conjunction can make a great professional team, it is definitely not a romantic interaction, but one from which both people can benefit, Saturn will benefit from Mercury's flexibility of thinking, ideas, resourcefulness and communication skills, Mercury can benefit from Saturn's pragmatism, planning abilities, and discipline. Saturn might at times secretly envy Mercury's ease of expression and resourcefulness, while Mercury might envy Saturn's discipline, focus and endurance.

Venus - Saturn conjunction can make for an enduring love, but deprived of any of the typical frills, glamour or romance that Venus craves for in a relationship. Saturn is there for Venus, but is often unable to show affection or warmth, making Venus feel unloved and cold, or even unappreciated/silently criticized in this relationship. Saturn however will feel more fun, and is helped to loosen up by Venus. 

Venus - Saturn square and opposition makes for a rough interaction, particularly for the Venus person. This aspect manifests like the negative aspect of the Venus-Saturn conjunction, namely, Venus feels unloved and unappreciated, due to Saturn's inability to show affection in a way that Venus recognizes. The Saturn person is also sometimes exasperated by Venus's extravagant expenses, and indulgences, which Saturn views as "frivolities". Saturn thinks Venus has "no compassion on its poor nerves", like Elisabeth's mother felt about her spouse, in Pride and prejudice. Saturn might see any invitation on Venus's part to spend money on enjoyment as Saturn being "taken for a ride". While Venus sees Saturn's stinginess as a lack of love on Saturn's part. Each person has to learn to compromise to keep the peace, and learn the other person's "love language".

Venus - Saturn trine and sextile makes for a quiet, unassuming love, provided that there are other aspects in the synastry to provide the "fire", this aspect will be the embers that keep this relationship warm for a long time. In the absence of more passionate inter-aspects, though(such as Moon-Mars, Venus-Mars, Mars-Pluto, Sun-Mars), these "embers" could turn cold pretty quickly. It can make for a good professional relationship, though, Venus provides the aesthetic visions, while Saturn brings the know-how and numbers to turn them into a profitable venture.

Either way, this will manifest more like the positive side of the Saturn-Venus conjunction, namely, Venus will feel she can depend on Saturn's commitment to her needs, while Saturn's life is enriched by Venus's playfulness and hedonism, which make Saturn loosen up and enjoy life more.

Mars - Saturn square and opposition is, like I mentioned in the video, one of the worst synastry aspects, imho. Again, even more so if it takes place in the composite chart.The  Mars person will feel they are criticized, frowned upon, stifled, inhibited and slowed down by the Saturn person, while the Saturn person will see the Mars as a bully/immature toddler/tyrant who cannot be trusted to control his impulses and is too aggressive and reckless oftentimes. Overall both of them feel drained by each other, but especially the Mars person will feel Saturn is always "raining on his parade".

Mars - Saturn trine and sextile can be a nice beneficial aspect that boosts pragmatism and productivity in mutual endeavors. Saturn supports anything Mars initiates, albeit will also temper Mars' impulsiveness and enthusiasm. Mars appreciates Saturn's planning and patience which helps him bring his enterprises to successful fruition.

Mars - Saturn conjunction again will be a blending of the positive and negative described above. It will definitely add to mutual commitment but will be especially good in a professional relationship, not so much in a romantic one. These 2 people can definitely achieve more materially together than separately. But in the long term, in a romantic relationship,  this can take 2 possible paths of development: either become a very pragmatic relationship that is devoid of romance or passion, also likely stuck in the same patterns of behavior and habits for very long periods of time, or can turn into enduring, albeit slowly burning passion, like burning embers.

Jupiter - Saturn square or opposition will create conflicts between Jupiter's belief systems, faith in life, optimism and joy and Saturn's pessimism, sense of the physical limitations of life, and cold pragmatism. This relationship will go back and forth between faith and optimism, on the one hand, and fear and pessimism, on the other. They will not be able to see eye to eye on many crucial areas in life. There will be conflicts in belief systems, money management, sense of justice and everyday routines. Jupiter will feel drained by Saturn's pessimism. Saturn will see Jupiter as a foolhardy individual who relies too much on faith. Typical connection between the cricket and the ant.

Jupiter - Saturn trine or sextile will actually be mutually beneficial. They will be able to find a balance between faith and optimism, and limitations and pessimism.

Jupiter - Saturn conjunction will bring a mixture of positive and negative results. They support each other in their own ways, Jupiter brings optimism and faith in Saturn's life, while Saturn can teach Jupiter how to be a pragmatic believer.

Rahu - Saturn  conjunction  will bring obstacles in the path of these 2 partners. They will find that the longer they are together, the more obstacles they will have to overcome. Saturn here will test your commitment to the max, and only the strongest bonds will survive its tests. ( I have made a video on this aspect on my channel )

Ketu - Saturn conjunction shows a past life tie between two people. Most like the Saturn person was a servant to Ketu in some way, may have returned in this life to return some favors or settle some debts with Ketu. According to traditional texts, this is a rather positive connection, since obstacles will lessen the longer two people are together. But the relationship itself may not be too romantic or flashy, unless that is shown by other aspects in the chart.

Ascendant - Saturn square or opposition in synastry can make the Ascendant person feel subtly undermined and criticized by the Saturn person. The Saturn person might feel threatened by the Asc person's personality, manner of physical expression, and even actual physical appearance, and will try to put the Asc person down by undermining their confidence. The Asc person will simply not feel good about themselves around the Saturn person and might end up avoiding them rather early on. The danger is when the Saturn person is truly badly intended, and will try to change the Asc person, under the pretext that it's "for their own good".

Ascendant - Saturn trine or sextile can be  a helpful aspect in synastry, provided that there are other positive aspects too. The Saturn person views the Asc person favourably and like a respectable individual, and will be be naturally servile to the Asc person, helping the ASc person feel secure and committed in the relationship, like Saturn "has their back". Asc person will be compelled to act dignified around Saturn.

Ascendant - Saturn conjunction can bring about a pygmalion complex within the Asc person even when the Asc person knew exactly who they were before the relationship. The risk here is the the Saturn person will try to bulldoze the confidence of Asc person through typical Saturnina strategies like criticisms, in order to rebuild the Asc person from the ashes, into something Saturn finds convenient for his/her personal agenda/social status/material gain. Asc person will feel scrutinized and conditionally loved and accepted.