Saturn changed signs on March 7th, moving from air sign Aquarius, one of two signs over which it has rulership, into watery Pisces. Saturn had been in Aquarius since 2020, and prior to that, it was in Capricorn, the other sign it rules, since late 2017. That means for the first time in more than 5 years, Saturn is traveling out of its domain. It will be in Pisces until February 2026 (save for a brief foray into Aries from May to August 2025). 

More than most other planets, Saturn holds a special fascination in the zeitgeist because of the Saturn return, a transit in relation to one’s natal chart that first occurs for a person around the age of 29 or so, when Saturn is in the same location it was in when the person was born. When you go through your Saturn return, it can be harrowing and put you through your paces, and you come out on the other side of it feeling like more of an adult. Because people who are in their late 20s/early 30s experience this rough patch and often search for answers (why is this happening to me!?), the Saturn return seems to be one of the most popularly discussed astrological concepts, up there with Mercury retrograde. 

The reason it’s challenging is because Saturn is the planet of authority in the zodiac. It represents structure, seriousness, and responsibility. Until 1781, Saturn was thought to be the last planet of the solar system because it’s the farthest of the planets that are visible to the naked eye. Thus, it’s connoted with the concept of boundaries. It’s commonly known as the task-master of the zodiac. It’s also the auditor, and often also referred to as the daddy or father figure. 

I often think of Saturn as Dorothy Zbornak, portrayed with authoritarian aplomb by (Queen) Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls. Dorothy/Saturn is a judgmental tough cookie and will take you to task for your failings, but ultimately she wants to see you succeed. She wants you to learn your lesson, Blanche! 

With Saturn moving into Pisces, Saturn is going to have a more challenging time asserting its authority, so in general, we may see rules of many kinds get more bendable, since Pisces is a mutable sign. While Saturn is about boundaries, out of all the signs, Pisces is probably the least OK with boundaries, so it will be an interesting few years of boundary blurriness. Any remaining vestiges of Covid-related restrictions will diminish and disappear, and if there are any lingering feelings of being restricted with regard to the pandemic, those will be gone. 

However, because Saturn aims to set boundaries and build structures and have us take responsibility, it will be attempting to do this in areas associated with Pisces: water, emotions and feelings, dreams, unreality (vs. reality), escapism, drugs, art, religion, and spirituality.

Saturn moving through Pisces is like an attempt to dam the ocean. 

There are so many ways this could play out. For example, in the world, you will likely see more attempts to fight rising sea levels, which are going to become a growing issue over the next few years, as nations are going to have to do more and more to protect coastal cities. There will also probably be water shortages, and we could see both some big restrictions on water usage and also more pronounced campaigns and movements related to water conservation. 

We could see fights to make stricter drug laws for some drugs and to loosen restrictions on others. Art could take on a more severe quality, and gritty realism will probably be embraced more (grunge was big in the early to mid 90s, the last time Saturn was in Pisces). Personally, I’d love to see a more vocal, strengthened movement in the U.S. to demand we tax churches. There’s also probably going to be a backlash against both organized religion and the New Age-y stuff that’s risen in popularity over the last few years, including astrology. 

Saturn loves to teach lessons by making us face harsh realities, and for us personally, that means that we may see a few years of learning lessons in the areas of our chart ruled by Pisces. How it will affect you specifically depends on the placement of the planets in your birth chart, as Saturn makes new aspects as it moves through a new sign. But based on your sun and/or rising sign, here is taste of the areas/topics for which you may find yourself having to take some more responsibility and go through some challenges between now and 2026: 

Pisces & Pisces Rising: Saturn will be moving through your first house of self. This can mean your self-perception, your ideals of self, but it can also mean your physical appearance, how you present yourself to others, and your wellbeing. Routinized self-care can be helpful at any point, but especially during this time.

Aries & Aries Rising: The 12th house, where Saturn will be for you, covers mental health, the shadow self, sleep, dreams, and isolation. Implementing a regular meditation practice or other activities to tend to your mental health is a great use of this Saturn transit.

Taurus & Taurus Rising: Saturn will be in your 11th house of friends, networks, and the groups of which you are a part, so you may be taking on some responsibilities in those areas and/or becoming more of an authority figure or leader. 

Gemini & Gemini Rising: Saturn in the 10th can have you facing some challenges or steep learning curves in the area of your career. It could also mark the period where you step into your authority in your career or in the public sphere. You may find yourself taking on the role of a boss or mentor. 

Cancer & Cancer Rising: The 9th house focuses on spirituality, study, philosophy, long-distance travel, and the law, so Saturn touching these areas could mean that you seriously pursue an area of study, or it can find you stepping into a position of authority as a teacher of some kind. 

Leo & Leo Rising: This will bring focus into your 8th house of other people’s resources, which includes others’ money and emotional baggage. It’s also taxes, inheritance, debts, and loans, and in a more macro scale, trauma, death, and rebirth. You know, no big deal. 

Virgo & Virgo Rising: This will be in your 7th house of partnerships and relationships, so you may find yourself facing responsibility with regard to or needing to clearly assess your closest relationship(s). Saturn highlights what can’t be sustained. 

Libra & Libra Rising: Saturn will be moving through your 6th house of work, health, and daily routines. It’s useful to think about the ways that you want to harness what Saturn represents (hard work, structure, systems) to make the most out of this area of your life.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising: The 5th house is associated with pleasure, fun, sex and romance, and children. Saturn can put a damper on these things when transiting through this house, but if you try to work with Saturn, you can find a way to apply its lessons to bring you joy.

Sagittarius & Sag Rising: Saturn will be going through the 4th house for you, which is the house of home, family, our roots, and our early life. You may find yourself having to embody a caretaking role or facing lessons and putting in work in one or more of these areas.

Capricorn & Cap Rising: The 3rd house deals with communications, including how we speak, think, write, and our discussions with others. This house also encompasses our neighborhood and neighbors and things that are part of our local life, as well as short-distance and domestic travel, and siblings, so Saturn may touch on one or more of these aspects.

Aquarius & Aqua Rising: Saturn will be moving through your 2nd house of money and resources. Saturn can have a contracting effect, so you could find yourself making do with less, but it’s wise to channel Saturn’s penchant for hard work, discipline, and auditing in this area, which can help you build financial sustainability.

As I mentioned in my last post, there are other major sign movements coming in March. We’ll gradually start to feel a shift now but will feel it more concretely in the coming months. More to come, but Saturn in Pisces is the first of these changes.