A retrograde Saturn in a chart, regardless of where you find it, always represents the neglect of responsibilities in the past. In many ways, it indicates that the native of the chart must be more honest with himself since there was an avoidance of true self-awareness and self honesty. Also, with a retrograde Saturn, the native comes into this life with a tendency to have the same goals that he had before, for these were not fulfilled in the past because of the avoidance of responsibilities. Therefore, the identical goals will be present, sometimes clothed in different circumstances or different situations, but the same goals would be the underlying foundation, regardless, in the circumstances and situations inthe person’s life. Always, a retrograde Saturn in a chart indicates that, in a past lifetime, the individual crystallized-did not grow. The responsibilities that were ignored or avoided in the past are involved with the qualities of the sign in which the retrograde Saturn is located in this lifetime. For example – a retrograde Saturn in Leo shows that the individual avoided the responsibility of leadership in the past, and with the Sun as the ruling planet of Leo, the individual made no attempt to bring out the soul quality or soul consciousness in the past. Another example of this would be a retrograde Saturn in Cancer. Since Cancer is the “feeling” sign of the Zodiac, it shows the avoidance of true “feeling” concepts in the past.
First House: Retrograde Saturn in the 1st house shows that the individual, in the past, did not develop a flexible personality, was set in his ways, self-opinionated, and, according to the sign, had an ego problem. The responsibility of developing that ego was neglected, or the personality was developed along negative lines. It also indicates that the individual avoided the development of talents which were part of his character and personality. The lesson to be learned, with retrograde Saturn in the 1st house, is the proper development of personality in such a way that the individual receives the respect of others. It tells that the individual should establish proper values, goals and direction in life. The tendency to be too sober, too serious, too contemplative, should be balanced with a good sense of humour and a flexibility in adjusting to diversified situations and experiences in life that would be encountered.
Second House: This shows the individual was much too materialistic in the past, placing emphasis solely upon material security, material possessions. It indicates that the values were self-centred, with little regard as to how the material aspects in life could be used for the benefit of others. There was little true appreciation of the wise use of money and “things.” There are several questions that arise with retrograde Saturn in the 2nd house. Can the native of the chart accept poverty and privation without losing a sense of perspective about life itself? Can the native of the chart assume a code of values which are non-materialistic? Since the retrograde Saturn opposes the 8th house, the answers to these two questions could easily reside in emphasizing the qualities of the 8th house, such as regeneration, metaphysics, etc. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 2nd house: Despite denials, limitations, disappointments, more effort will have to be expended in order for the native to accumulate any degree of an estate or material security. It requires that the individual establish correct values where these things are concerned. Even if the individual does exert effort and re-align his values, the material possessions and security will not come easily, but they can, depending upon the sincerity and the effort exerted by the native of the chart.
Third House: There was undoubtedly an avoidance of responsibility where brothers and sisters were concerned. It also shows that the individual did not use educational opportunities to the best advantage for self-development and for proper mental attitudes. In communicating with others, the person displayed saturnine qualities (cold, gloomy, moody). The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 3rd house shows responsibilities where brothers and sisters are concerned. The individual should never ignore the mental, or economic, or spiritual lack where siblings and/or other relatives are concerned. The present life will, in all probability, the characterized by consistent needs on the part of these family members and other relatives. Whether this need requires monetary assistance, mental stimulation, or spiritual counselling, the condition of Saturn in the 3rd house means the acceptance by the native of the responsibilities in these areas. The attitude and manner in which the person communicates with others, orally or in writing, and in assisting in the afore-mentioned areas of responsibility, will determine how the retrograde condition can be transmuted.
Fourth House: Similar to the condition of retrograde Saturn in the 1st house, in one aspect, it deals with the failure on the part of the native of the chart to develop himself in such a way that his influence upon others was more positive. Since all who come within our sphere or our personal environment are influenced by us, our attitudes, our personality, the retrograde Saturn indicates the negative influence of the individual in the past. It could also mean that the individual did not attempt, nor was concerned with, how he affected other people. Since Cancer is the natural ruler of the 4th house, the “feeling” concept was misused or neglected in the past. The other aspect of retrograde Saturn in the 4th house is that the individual did not provide the necessary environmental factors requisite to a proper home condition. This could have been actual home facilities or the home atmosphere itself. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 5th house requires the transmutation of attitudes relating to how we influence and affect those who are in contact with us and how we communicate the proper feelings in our daily relationships. Regardless of the struggle or effort required, the individual should, and must establish proper home facilities and create a constructive atmosphere in the home.
Fifth House: Retrograde Saturn in the 5th house shows responsibilities towards children were neglected. Children were misused, even to the point of being abused. In love affairs, the individual used members of the opposite sex for self-gratification and self-fulfilment (physical) with little regard to the results or effects upon others. Creativity was also ignored or misused because of the ego-centeredness of the individual. Anything the individual created in the past reflected “self” rather than being for the sake of creativeness or for what was being created. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 5th house : Usually children are denied to people who have retrograde Saturn in the 5th house, or the number of children limited. If children are denied, the individual could very easily engage in some fact of work which would deal with children – especially handicapped children. If children are limited, it would require the wise rearing of these children, the assumption of the responsibility of proper guidance and proper direction given to these children. The person might also have to accept the fact that, regardless of what he does, there might not be the appreciation or any hope for reward from his children. In relation to the affairs with the opposite sex, it requires caution and a realization of the responsibility an individual has when it comes to any relationship with the opposite sex, whether it be physical, social, mental, or spiritual. Creativity should be for the sake of creation itself, rather than how it would reflect the individual.
Sixth House: This location of a retrograde Saturn shows the avoidance of the responsibility of awareness where the general public would be concerned. As the natural ruler of Capricorn, it shows that the individual, in the past, remained aloof from the needs or the wants of the general public and was not able to identify himself with or to relate to the social trends of mankind, whether these trends were political, social, economic, or spiritual. There was a great deal of discrimination where service was concerned. Any service rendered in the past was done from the viewpoint of how much prestige it would bring to the individual. These attitudes were also carried over into the working conditions in the past – relationships with co-workers or those who worked under the individual. General health observances were ignored or neglected, or good health misused. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 6th house : Unselfish service to mankind without hope for the proverbial “pat on the back” for a job well done; service should be rendered wherever the need as shown or requested of the individual; patience and understanding should be developed where the public is concerned and with all those involved with the individual in his working environment. Wise use of good health and the observance of general health conditions are basic requirements for the retrograde Saturn in the 6th house.
Seventh House: In the past the individual did not assume the responsibility of partnerships. If the partnership were in the form of marriage, the individual (according to aspects) could have been unfaithful, could have been lacking in true love, or could have been improvident. In a business partnership, the responsibilities could easily have been left up to the other partner, or neglected, or misused. The misuse, in a business partnership, could have centered around material self-advancement at the expense of the partner, which could have tended towards dishonesty. The lesson of a retrograde Saturn in the 7th house: The assumption of responsibilities in marriage, by being faithful, by being a good provider, or a wise manager, by providing a solid, lasting foundation in the relationship of marriage. In business partnerships, it means the individual has to carry his share of the work load, and the responsibilities, and must be sincere and honest where any partner would be concerned.
Eighth House: This shows that, in past lives, the individual has been exposed to metaphysical teaching, higher truth learnings, astrology, etc., but neglected to pursue them to the greatest degree possible or, having gained the knowledge could easily have misused this. Hence, the misuse could have concerned itself with establishing groups with a negative cast where motives and functions are concerned, such as witchcraft, development circles, lower forms of mediumship. It shows that the individual also refused to recognize the negative effects resulting from how he ended a friendship, a job, a project, etc. In most cases, the individual was his own worst enemy in how any one of these things was concluded. In a very subtle way, there was an underlying fear of death or fear of the unknown. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 8th house demands a true search for Truth, an application of metaphysical principles to daily life, which would also be connected with the manner in which the individual concluded a friendship, a job, or a project. The person has to accept the fact that a change of values must be accomplished in order to develop spirituality. It shows, too, that there must be a wise choice of involvement with groups which would be studying or practicing metaphysical techniques. Through all of this, the person’s perspective on life and death will alter for the better. The essence of the lesson, of the 8th house location of retrograde Saturn revolves around the proper assumption of the responsibilities of truth and the application of truth.
Ninth House: Retrograde Saturn here shows that the person in the past, did not use properly, or avoided, the responsibility of a philosophy of life which would be constructive. There would also be a very strong karma connected to religious outlooks and the religious practices of the individual. Both the religious problems and the philosophical problem could be inter related. The individual could have been very dogmatic in his religious approach, with little regard for the opinions of other. Religious persecution could easily have been one of the activities of this individual in the past, which could have been characterized by violence and cruelty towards those who did not believe according to his way of thinking. This narrowness in the past also conditioned the educational pursuits of the individual, who limited his studies to just what he was interested in, or to those subjects which were supportive of his own narrow concepts. This is a self-imposed limitation upon the higher mind and the Christ principle. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 9th house : Because of the misuse of knowledge, philosophy, religion, the person would experience conflicts and obstacles in the attainment of education, in locating a philosophy of life with which he would feel comfortable, in being able to resolve a conflict within himself where orthodoxy would be concerned. Therefore, this is the responsibility of the individual with retrograde Saturn in the 9th house. He must seek true knowledge through the higher mind coupling this knowledge with true understanding (Christ principle). He must learn the value of all religions to all people and learn to respect that which other people find comforting and spiritual for them.
Tenth House : If the retrograde Saturn is in Cancer (representing “feeling”), it would show the avoidance of true feeling concepts in the past. It showed that the individual did not interject the warmth of personality into his job. He was cold in his profession, for the occupation merely represented a means of security. It also showed a degree of price that existed in being and feeling superior to m ost people. There was a perfectionist aspect also which was a stumbling block. Since the 10th house represents a power house, the retrograde Saturn implies that power and the responsibilities of power were misused in the past. This also depends on the sign on the cusp and, if Pisces were on the cusp of that 10th house, the individual did not assume the responsibility of power. Rather, he let others manipulate the authority, with little regard as to whether or not it was being used properly. The development of responsibility, consideration for others, the establishment of working values and habits – all are involved in the lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 10th house. Advancement will be slow, but could be steady, depending upon the sincerity and the effort and the motives behind the desire to be in possession of authority. Motives are most important in the transmutation of retrograde Saturn in the 10th house.
Eleventh House: Here, again, we find that relationship with other, were not developed properly, nor did the individual associated with the right kind of people. By right people we are not implying being discriminative in a negative way. The retrograde condition of Saturn in the 11th house shows that, too often, the individual, in the past, associated with inferior types of people, or negative people. Thus, by surrounding himself with people less talented, less successful, less presentable, the native could then stand head and shoulders above his friends and, very probably, liked the flattery and basked in the attention and dependency of these friends.
Twelfth House: This location of Saturn, in its retrograde condition, centers around karma and the “inner person.” It clearly indicates that the individual, in past lifetimes ignored opportunities to work off karma and to develop himself spiritually. It made for the type of person who kept too much to himself and did not see himself in relationship to the world. Experiences garnered by a person’s projection into the activities of service to humanity, in general, offer a lawful channel through which karma can be mitigated. The retrograde Saturn in the 12thhouse shows that this was not the case : it infers that, in past lifetimes, the person was too conservative and tended to seclude himself from the problems of the world. The Zodiacal sign in which the retrograde Saturn is posited shows that those particular Zodiacal qualities were ignored or misused. Each individual has the obligation, through the cons of reincarnations, to develop and manifest the highest qualities of each sign, and thus the retrograde Saturn in the 12th house will always indicate that the native of the chart failed to develop the particular qualities of the sign on the cusp of the 12th house. The native of the chart also repressed soul development and soul qualities. The lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 12th house demands full participation with mundane affairs in some humanitarian efforts. It requires attention to spiritual development and the manifestation of the “inner” or soul qualities. Those who neglect the lesson of retrograde Saturn in the 12th house could easily be reliving past experiences and, unless the lesson is learned now, will relive this lifetime again.
Conclusion of Retrograde Saturn Relax a little: Take this time to review your situation and what you have been able to do with it (Saturn, by transit, is retrograde in motion – it is backing off from the conjunction, square or opposition of one of your birth planets, or it is retrograding into the sign it occupied before it entered this one). Whatever responsibilities you have been forced to assume, whatever realities you have had to face, it is time now to relax a little and look over what you have done. Have you actually faced the situation that needed definition? What have you done about it? Could you handle it better in some way? Now is the time to think about that because the retrograde movement of Saturn is giving you time to review your situation. This is not a complete respite because direct motion will resume sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, this period is best used to see what methods, what techniques, what applications of effort could be better employed to face the situation that is undergoing definition. Do you see now what has been happening ? The intelligence of the “system” (the skies under which you live) has been throwing pressure your way to get you to understand this part of your personality (this planet) this area of your attitudes towards life (this sign), this field of activities (this house of the chart), and this overall area of awareness (this quadrant) and what it needs to be defined, disciplined, or economised, in order that you can better move ahead. While the retrograde period lasts, it is giving you time to review exactly what has happened, how you have responded to it, and how you could better handle everything. The usual manifestation, when Saturn moves into retrograde motion, in a sign or in relation to a birth planet, is that the individual suddenly feels the pressure going away and he thinks, “Well, it is all over. I am free again” And that is precisely the most ridiculous reaction he could live out. Going forward with that attitude, he is certain to be thwarted and bewildered when Saturn resumes direct motion and the pressure comes back into effect; only then seeming (because he thought for a while it had gone) even more intense. Many individuals, during the retrograde period, feel so relieved of the pressure that they immediately resume the haphazard way in which they were going about thing before the transit began. That is certain to bring grief because the transit is not over. One is merely being given time to REVIEW the situation and see how he could discipline himself, define himself, or economise on his activities more effectively in this realm of himself. Do not dream, when the retrograde motion sets in that it is all over. Saturn is backing off the territory it has already covered but it is going to go right back over that territory as soon as direct motion resumes. In other words, something is going to be gone over twice in order to get it defined. And that is what you should be pondering. What is it that has been so difficult you are going to have two chances to handle it – and need those two chances. Saturn transits a planet that is retrograde at birth. This can mean one of several things. If it is a plant from Saturn inward to the Sun, then that “parts of the personality” does not work openly in the first place. It works through indirect psychic actions triggered by the unconscious. And the ability to define this part of the personality may not be in the hands of the conscious efforts of the individual at all. But tremendous, and often non-understandable pressures go on inside the individual – in there where others cannot see it or understand it. This individual (the one with the retrograde birth planetary position) can go through enormous turmoils inside that he really cannot explain to people outside. The difference between this transit, and of a planet that is direct at birth, is often simply this; the individual with the direct planet shows his pressures and pains to the world by speaking and agonising over them; the individual with the retrograde birth planet often goes through the same agonies without being able to communicate, in any sensible way, what is happening to him. He simply feels the pressure. He does not understand what it is about. Sometimes he feels so pressured that he makes lots of noises – but few of them coherently related to what is really happening inside him. For it is happening in there more than in outer terms. A retrograde planet represents a psychic process turned inward and not manageable, except with enormous effort, by the conscious ego. A direct planet (except for Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) represents a psychic process, or part of the personality, that is manageable by the ego consciousness (the Saturn framework of individual identity). The transit of a retrograde planet, then, often represents an unconscious process of definition that is managed not by the ego of the individual (by what the world taught him he is) but by the inner voices and inner strengths (what he is becoming despite society’s teaching). A retrograde URANUS, like a retrograde Mars is impatient and irritable. There could hardly be a less-auspicious augury of gains in speculation, or anything involving the matter of chance, than a retrograde Jupiter (ruler of good fortune), and a retrograde Saturn (old “Father restriction” himself) both in the 5th house (speculation), with retrograde Neptune (planet of deception) in the second (financial) house. Retrograde Saturn in Sagittarius was in adverse aspect to a man’s sun-sign, depleting his vitality. Retrograde Jupiter was in adverse aspect from Virgo ruling illness. His ruling planet Mercury, was retrograding dangerously close to the natal Pluto in Taurus. These three retrograde planets appeared to be holding him on earth. He had several sinking attacks from which his physician was sure he would not rally. But he did. On the day of death, Jupiter turned direct and Mercury was within a few hours of being direct. It was as though the forward motion of these two planets set his spirit free.
