saturn in pisces mermaid — Drawing of a mermaid tattoo that belonged to an American seafarer in the early 1800s. This is Figure 6 in the journal article "The Tattoos of Early American Seafarers, 1796-1818" by Ira Dye c. 1808

Saturn is the social planet that signifies boundaries and responsibilities. He is known as the Greater Malefic in classical astrology because everything that he touches contracts. But this is not all bad, because without limitation in some areas, growth in others is not possible. Saturn is a cold and dry planet often associated with the element of Earth which is in line with his role as a materializing force in the world.

Saturn cycles through all twelve zodiac signs every 29 years. When he returns to his sign at your birth, it is known as your Saturn Return, and your life at that point shows you whether or not you have applied the necessary discipline and restrictions to your life path. Saturn draws boundaries and helps us create the shape of things. Saturn is currently in Pisces until May 24, 2025 at which point he will move to Aries until September 1, 2025 and return to Pisces again until February 13, 2026.

saturn in pisces scythe grim reaper — Detail of the right side of the altar dedicated to the god of Malakbel and gods of Palmyra decorated with a bas-relief depicting the god Saturnus with a scythe, Rome, 2nd century CE, Capitoline Museums

Saturn at Home and Away

Saturn is at home, or domiciled, in the zodiac signs of Capricorn and Aquarius. It is easy to see his home of Capricorn in its qualities of hard work, discipline, caution, ambition, endurance, and fortitude. It is a little trickier at first to see his home in Aquarius, but his loyalty, impartiality, problem-solving, and technicality can apply to the innovation of Aquarius, whether solving scientific or social justice problems. The relationship of Saturn to Aquarius is more complex, as it is co-ruled in modern astrology by the rebel planet Uranus, but even with this co-rulership, one can see how Saturn is at home in Aquarius.

Saturn is exalted in Libra, the sign of balance. This is logical as Libra weighs the scales of justice and goods at market to determine what is equal and fair. Libra also weighs proportions, sizes, colors, textures, and sounds to create beauty in art, music, theatre, dance, and literature. The planet of limits and restrictions feels honored in the the judicious Libran realm.

saturn in pisces temple of saturn — Illustration of the Temple of Saturn in *A Day in Ancient Rome* by Edgar Shumway c. 1885

The Essence of Pisces

Pisces is a mutable and feminine water sign ruled by Jupiter in classical astrology and co-ruled by Neptune, the higher octave of Venus, in modern astrology. The name pisces derives from the Latin word for “fishes.” Its qualities are negative, cold, moist, yin, nocturnal, and fruitful.

In the human body Pisces is associated with the feet, and when we think of the slightly odd pairing of Saturn in Pisces, the question of “Where are we going?” can arise. Saturn can feel at odds in Pisces because it is a sign of loosening boundaries and restrictions and of course Saturn wants to hold onto structure.

Piscean themes include sacrifice, especially self-sacrifice. It allows for dissolution of the ego and its boundaries, restrictions, preferences, and rules. It is a dual sign, and according to Alice Bailey, in Esoteric Astrology, it can produce Christ-like manifestations that capture the essence of a perfected soul that reflects the potential perfection of the collective within an individual. The highest form of Pisces expression, according to Bailey, reconciles the extremes that are present in humanity.

Thus the greater and the lesser polar opposites – the human being and God, the microcosm and the Macrocosm – are brought to their destined expression and manifestation.

saturn in pisces fish mermaid — The illustration of *Capricorn* from the 2nd page of Fabricius's description of the menologia rustica in Rome, heading its treatment of January, from Two Books of Antiquities Collected from Ancient Temples, Memorials & Surfaces by George Fabricus, 1560 reprint of a 1549 work

Liz Greene affirms this interpretation of Pisces in Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil:

Pisces symbolizes the completion and fulfillment of all emotional strivings – unity not with another person but with life itself. This is the mystical marriage, and it is most difficult for the average man, centered in his personality, to deal with. There is no battle required; only acquiescence and devotion.

In this way Saturn in Pisces captures the perfection inherent in The World major arcana tarot card, which is associated with Saturn. This card culminates the major arcana of the tarot, and it symbolizes a union of opposites and a pulling together of distinct energies to create a perfect whole. As Pisces is the culminating sign of the zodiac, and The World is the culminating major arcana card, a unique similarity exists in terms of the finality of each of these two forces—Saturn and Pisces—that gives a much deeper and esoteric meaning to the pairing of this planet and sign.

saturn in pisces the world tarot card — "The World" card from *The Illustrated Key to the Tarot* by Lauron William de Laurence c. 1918

Greene also extrapolates how Saturn in the watery signs and houses is most ambiguous and experiences the highest levels of emotional suffering. She states:

As man is only now beginning to learn how to think objectively as a group, and as the majority of people are still polarized in their feeling natures, Saturn in water is responsible for a great deal of loneliness and isolation so apparent at the present time.

Pisces is associated with the twelfth house of the zodiac, often referred to as the House of Self-Undoing or the House of Karma. Its themes of endings, surrender, and sacrifice can be wayward or self-destructive until one finds their feet walking on a path of service to others, as it is strongly connected to collective energies.

With Saturn in Pisces, we are being called as a collective to turn away from the self-obsession so rampant in our culture at the moment and to instead focus on helping each other. This is critical because Pisces is the sign of illusions and delusions. Too much focus on the self in social media and other cultural mirrors will further distort and reshape our reality into a circus funhouse and we may also fall into the lake just like Narcissus.

Illustration by H. J. Ford for Andrew Lang's *A Brown Fairy Book*

A Transit of Evolutionary Progress

In another book titled Esoteric Astrology, the author Behari states that the trials and tribulations often associated with the influence of Saturn draw out the inner strength of each of us to resolve our karma. This is especially intense for those with prominent Saturn in their charts, such as Capricorn or Aquarius rising. Behari states:

It is well known that the individual under the impact of this planet is raised to great heights and then left dangling in the air as if the ladder is taken off his feet!

He considers this aspect of Saturn to be the greatest benefactor of humanity because our Saturnian trials ultimately bring us closer to our ultimate life goal.

saturn in pisces capricorn sea goat — *Capricorn* by John Bayer c. 1603

The Mysteries of the Sea-Goat

Saturn in Pisces is at his best when he can embody his aspect as the Sea Goat, also called the Goat-Fish. This is a time to tap into the currents of intuition and deep feeling and focus on architecting strength and structure from within regardless of what occurs outside oneself. This is a deep layer of Saturn’s Capricorn aspect that signifies the cycles of endings and beginnings, dissolution and falling away of form. In Esoteric Astrology, the author Behari considers both Capricorn and Aquarius to be watery signs. The water in these signs might be difficult to initially feel but they form a deep layer of complexity for both Capricorn and Aquarius.

Pisces also strongly connects to Neptune, the god of the oceans and water, and the mythological source of all life on earth. It can be a time of resolving karma, self-undoing, disillusion, and delusion. The ego is ultimately sacrificed, like Jesus in his Piscean aspect with his feet nailed to the cross. This can be a transit of loneliness and isolation, escape into dream worlds and ideas, and resistance to the ebbs and flows of the currents of change. The ideal way to honor Saturn during this time is to build inner gravitas and grit and jettison your ideas about what others should do.

Saturn as the Omega

Saturn is associated with the Greek letter Omega, which resembles the top of the Libra symbol, and Saturn is exalted in Libra. This is explicated in The Greek Qabalah:

The letter Omega is round, formed of two parts, and belongs the seventh zone, that of Saturn according to the language of corporeal beings; but according to the language of the incorporeal it is something other, inexplicable, which only the Nicotheus the Hidden has known. Now, in the language of corporeal beings, this letter is called Ocean, the origin and seed of all the gods.

This Ocean aspect of Saturn feels connected to Pisces. This is an elevated, mature, spiritually aware Saturn. He must take the high road—which might also paradoxically be the lowest road—through the depths of the ocean, to dignify this transit. It is not the time for fussing around with or monitoring individuals or institutions outside of ourselves.

The illustration of Pisces from the 3rd page of Fabricius's description of the menologia rustica in Rome, heading its treatment of March c. 1560 from *Two Books of Antiquities Collected from Ancient Temples, Memorials, & Surfaces* by George Fabricius of Chemnitz,

Saturn as the Higher Mind

In these watery ways of the Sea Goat and the oceanic Omega, Pisces can be viewed as the highest evolution of Saturn energy. In Astrology by C. Aq. Libra, the author posits that the basic lessons of Saturn revolve around logical “cold-brain thinking” but that once a person masters their lower self, the symbol of Saturn actually reverses into the symbol of Jupiter, in which the soul rises above matter.

He postulates that Saturn then appears as a higher level of Jupiter, bearing gifts of deep intuition. He claims that illumination and knowledge acquired in prior lifetimes becomes available to us, giving us a wider perspective.

Saturn rules the bones and by extension all that is calcified in our thinking. Perhaps the most apt example is the calcified pineal gland. It appears that C. Aq. Libra is postulating that the transcendent Saturn decalcifies it. Pisces being ruled by Jupiter means that Saturn in Pisces is an optimal transit in which we can attempt to alchemize our rigid Saturnian edges into intuitive Jupiterian antennae.

Read my article with a list of Pisces Correspondences for more information about this elusive sign or schedule an astrology reading to learn which aspects of your natal chart are affected by this transit.

Read my articles Capricorn Correspondences and Aquarius Correspondences to learn more about the two Saturn-ruled zodiac signs.

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