Saturn in Pisces 2023: Solidifying the Unknown
On March 7, 2023, Saturn will move into Pisces, the last sign in the astrological calendar, representing dreams, dissolution, and transcendence.
Saturn spends about 2.5 years in each sign, and takes about 29 years to make a full cycle and return to a particular location. The popularly known Saturn Return is when the planet, representing maturity and discipline, returns to the place it was on a person’s birth chart.
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When Saturn moves through a sign, it brings tests and discipline to the realm of that sign.
Read on to explore what Saturn might bring to Pisces in the next few years, and check out my 2023 Astrology Preview to get more insights on other transits.
The Archetypes of Saturn and Pisces
Saturn is the archetype of the father, the boss, the hermit, tests, discipline, limits, time, pressure, legalism, and fear.
Pisces represents mysticism, spirituality, dreams, mental health, escapism, transcendence, merging, oneness, subconscious, healing, and imagination.
The Possibilities of Saturn in Pisces
The themes of Saturn and Pisces are quite different, making this transit a bit unsettling at first, but with a little study, Saturn in Pisces proves to be incredibly compelling.
First, we look at what Pisces and Saturn might share. Not a lot, but because Saturn’s archetype contains the hermit, the wise old man in solitude, we can see a Piscean quality of spirituality in this solo silence. Saturn limits and Pisces dissolves, much like the way getting really quiet can open up whole new channels of imaginative possibilities.
Discipline can be both productive and corrective. Sometimes, it’s both. Saturn tends to test in order to decide what has staying power. We’re already starting to see research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, and even hypnosis (very Pisces) for use cases like IBS. A Saturn test could also look like legislation which enables a new mental health treatment, but requires licensing or other limitations around how it can be made available.
Pisces is also associated with the immersive and transcendent experiences of alcohol, drugs, and sex. There could be an increase in criticism, fear, or rules around these things. Because Pisces is the final sign in astrology, it is associated with the ultimate transcendence of death. Research into the afterlife, near-death experience, or past lives could make a splash, an extension on what was shared in the Netflix series, Surviving Death.
Previously: What Happened During Saturn in Aquarius
In March 2020, Saturn moved into Aquarius, the sign of groups, humanitarianism, networks, collectivism, science, and air travel. During Saturn’s movement through Aquarius, we saw global limitations on the size of groups that could gather. We also saw scientists working together to create a new treatment in record time, evoking the Aquarian ideal of working towards a collective higher good.
Aquarius is also associated with digital social networks. The Social Dilemma, a documentary that revealed the dangerous impact of social media, influenced limitations on its use, whether people quit using various sites or apps, or limited their children’s time. We also saw new legislation around the technology companies behind these social networks, aimed to keep them in check.
Historical Examples of Saturn in Pisces
Comparing lived experiences of Saturn in Pisces can help illuminate the archetypes.
May 1993 - April 1996
Deepak Chopra appeared on Oprah for the first time in 1993, promoting his book, “Ageless Body, Timeless Mind,” which went on to sell more than a million hardcover copies. His medical background brought legitimacy to mind-body healing practices that have been around for thousands of years.
One additional note is that Saturn traveled through Virgo, the opposite sign of Pisces, from 2007-2010. Opposite signs are similar but different. Virgo is devotion, to Pisces’ mysticism, and as an earth sign, heals the physical body rather than emotion and spirit. This time frame coincides with the rise of yoga and expansion of yoga studio franchises.
March 1964 - March 1967
The first academic studies on meditation kicked off new legitimacy to meditation practices, through demonstrating measurable impact on heart rate and brain waves. This was the start of meditation going mainstream, a wave that picked up again on Saturn’s orbit through Pisces in the early 1990s.
Feb. 1935 - Jan. 1938
Pisces’ motivation toward dissolution can be expressed in a multitude of ways, and the sign is also associated with addiction, including drugs and alcohol. In 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, a 12-step programming for overcoming alcohol addiction, and spawning many other similar programs. The structure of the program evokes Saturns’ quality of discipline and breaking things into a process.
Tips for Navigating Saturn in Pisces
Saturn in Pisces is a good time for a spiritual discipline, whatever that means for you, maybe a daily meditation practice, or taking music lessons. The key for Saturn is time: repetition, regular intervals, and long-term.
A spiritual discipline will be most effective if you build the habit before you need it. Some other Saturn in Pisces ideas: a dream interpretation log, a 30-day breathwork challenge, a silent retreat, or participating in a lucid dreaming research study.
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