Saturn

Not every hero's journey involves a dragon that must be slain, but there is always some obstacle or ordeal to overcome. The nature of these ordeals varies as much as the heroes and heroines themselves. What makes the hero's quest such a universal myth is both the vivid variety of its incarnations and the universal applicability of its components. There will be suffering and struggle that tests the hero's mettle. Only through the crucibles of challenge and difficulty that Saturn creates can our higher natures emerge. Saturn is alchemy—as the great Liz Greene observed—where base material transforms into gold.

As universal as this process is, we may not be able to avoid the pain often associated with overcoming, but we can make the underlying causes conscious and thereby stop unnecessarily repeating them as so many unfortunately do. A wise person once observed that life will present the same problems over and over until you realize they are within yourself. Astrology can help us unpack and discover the nature of the Dragon we must slay by offering hints to where it lies in our birth charts. But Saturn is known for its slyness, its ability to hide in the unconscious. Saturn often restricts awareness of itself to force the kind of knowledge that can only come from experience. You may not be able to avoid your fate, but by consulting your Saturn placement you can transmute hard-won experience into insight and discover the treasures within. For truly you are the rightful heir to the throne, to the hoard the dragon guards, and winning the prize is eternally worth the struggle to achieve it.

Saturn in water signs may make you turn away from emotions, afraid of what they might reveal, causing you to suffer from a life without depth until you can face and accept the consequences of feeling as you truly feel.

Saturn in air signs may make you doubt your own ideas—make you hesitant to express them for fear of judgment and rejection—until you learn to separate ego from thought and join the great debate of life.

Saturn in fire signs may make you shy about your personal style, overly critical of those who seem to shine without regard for how they might appear, until you learn to love yourself.

Saturn in earth signs may warp your attitudes toward worldly goods or accomplishments, making you stigmatize the wealthy or deeply fear poverty despite whatever wealth you acquire, until you resolve your internal, often unconscious struggle with what is valuable, what is lead, what is gold.

Saturn is the planet of external integration.

Ability: Transform through challenge, build discipline, transmute experience into wisdom