Saturn's Transit in Aquarius: A Sea Change

January 17, 2023 to March 29, 2025

Please note that I am a sidereal Vedic astrologer and my calculations are based on the sidereal zodiac, Lahiri ayanamsa, not on the tropical system used by most western astrologers.

On January 17, 2023, Saturn will transit into Aquarius, the sign of the Water Bearer who pours forth the spiritual energy of wisdom and healing. This new transit of Saturn constitutes a sea change in the world and in our lives.

Saturn is the planet which represents the power of our actions, the process of manifestation, and the limits and boundaries of our perception and experience. As the force of fate and the lord of karma and transformation, Saturn symbolizes the pressures and restrictions that are meant to help us learn and evolve slowly over time. Hence, he is known in Vedic astrology as Shani Dev, the “slow goer.” His vahana (vehicle) is a raven or crow, a magical spirit animal that symbolizes the capacity to know the truth, rise above our earthly problems, and live according to a higher perspective.

Saturn transits in a new sign approximately every 2.5 years, and takes about 29.5 years to traverse the whole zodiac. Saturn was already in Aquarius for a short period from April 28 to July 12, 2022 (when it was not in a position of strength), but this time it will become strong as it transits through Aquarius until March 29, 2025.

According to Vedic astrology, Aquarius is the swakshetra placement for Saturn, which means the planet is placed in its own sign. Aquarius is also the moolatrikona sign for Saturn, which refers to its root trine placement. Accordingly, Aquarius is generally a fortunate and strong sign for Saturn, where it can give some positive and constructive results.

In its higher expression, Saturn in Aquarius is fixed in nature and applies a well-organized, streamlined, and coordinated approach to matters. Its qualities are focused, truthful, stable, analytical, self-determined (individualistic), impartial, steady-minded, intellectually ambitious, scientific, strong-willed, imaginative, inventive, innovative, civilized, self-reliant, refined, and dependable. Saturn in Aquarius emphasizes personal responsibility above all else.

In its lower expression (if poorly aspected by other planets, vargas, or house placements), Saturn in Aquarius can have a cold-hearted, opinionated, selfish, alienated, rough, or domineering quality. In the physical body, afflictions to Saturn in Aquarius can indicate blood stagnation, arthritis, addiction, heart problems, and health injuries or medical issues involving circulation, overall vitality, physical coordination, and the ankles and lower legs.  

The following comprises a motley crew of well-known iconoclastic (and some bizarre) individuals whose birth horoscopes include Saturn in Aquarius:

• Author of the famed Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling.

• American-born French dancer, singer, and actress, Josephine Baker.

• Actor, dancer, author, and spiritual teacher, Shirley MacLaine.

• American journalist and social-political activist, Gloria Steinem.

• King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

• American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher; a leading transcendentalist best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil Disobedience, an argument for disobedience to an unjust state, Henry David Thoreau.

• Civil rights activist and American professional basketball player, Wilt Chamberlain.

• German-Swiss poet, novelist, painter, and man of mystery and mysticism, Hermann Hesse.

• French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist, Simone de Beauvoir.

• American inventor and businessman, Thomas Alva Edison.

• American clairvoyant and spiritual channel, Edgar Cayce.

• Swiss psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and founder of analytical psychology, Carl Gustav Jung.

• German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary, Karl Marx.

• The highest spiritual leader and former head of state of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama, known as Gyalwa Rinpoche to the Tibetan people.

• American former madam (“Hollywood Madam”) who also worked as a columnist and was often featured in 1990s American media, Heidi Lynne Fleiss.

• Victim of police abuse and racial tensions and a symbol of fighting injustice in one of the worst urban conflicts in American history, Rodney King.

• Member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, mystic, activist, and author Catherine of Siena.

• Swedish-American actress regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, Greta Garbo.

• American media personality, writer, film producer, and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show, Phil Donohue.

• Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I (and executed by firing squad in France), Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, better known by her stage name Mata Hari.

• British socialist, theosophist, Freemason, women's and human rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist; and ardent supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule, Annie Besant.

• American serial killer known as the Butcher of Plainfield, or the Plainfield Ghoul, Edward Theodore Gein.

Saturn’s transit in Capricorn since January 2020 has been a period marked by tremendous fear, anxiety, and alarmism. This tone will change somewhat as Saturn leaves Capricorn and we move away from the recent trend of negativity, contraction, and self-preservation, and more toward the Aquarian ideal of individual and collective responsibility. Some of the social, governmental, and corporate structures that are not serving us well are already being challenged, dismantled, and rebuilt.

Saturn in Aquarius generally brings a nice balance of optimism and realism which are needed to bring people together to create change, and in this case, to repair some of what was broken during the past three years. Currently and during the past six weeks, Saturn is moving forward in the last section of Capricorn. Here, Saturn’s energy become stronger, and as it slowly moves away from Capricorn and ever closer to the cusp of Aquarius, we see the escalation of major protest movements against the repressive governments of Iran and China.

Shifting cultural paradigms and new discoveries in science and technology are typically associated with Saturn’s transit in Aquarius. The creation of new large-scale social enterprises and governmental organizations are also indicated. One hopes it will reflect some progress in terms of human rights and freedoms; humanitarian action; and necessary reorganization within all major sociopolitical and economic systems.

I also foresee new developments in the energy, petroleum, aviation, and travel sectors, and in the realms of space exploration, mining, science, media, manufacturing, communication, computer technology and AI, and in all other tech industries including those involving digital currencies and blockchain.

The transit of Saturn in Aquarius has also in times past occurred during disasters (as with the Black Death that began in Europe in 1346); and also during major seismic events (such as the Cascadia Earthquake on January 26, 1700); and destructive wars, the rise of dictatorial forces, and revolutionary upheaval, as mentioned in the list below. These kinds of events occurred when Saturn was also being influenced by other less-supportive astrological cycles. For instance, in the 1934-1937 period, Saturn was inconjunct the lunar nodes and opposing Neptune. In the 1964-1966 period, Saturn was opposing Uranus and Pluto.

Here are some examples of Saturn’s previous transits in Aquarius with their associated significant events:

• 1787-1790: First United States Presidential Inauguration (George Washington), 1787.

• 1846-1849: Neptune discovery, 1846; and the invention of anesthesia (sulfuric ether), 1846.

• 1875-1878: Sir William Crookes, a British scientist, displayed the first cathode rays (electron beams), 1878.

• 1905-1908: Discovery of Einstein’s theory of special relativity, 1905; San Francisco Earthquake, 1906; the economic panic of 1907, a global financial crisis which inspired the monetary reform movement and ultimately led to the creation of the Federal Reserve System; and the United States Forest Service was also created in 1908.

• 1934-37: Enrico Fermi’s discoveries led to the discovery of nuclear fission, 1934; and the United States Communications Act of 1934 was legislated to combine and organize federal regulation of telephone, telegraph, and radio communications, 1934. Cherenkov radiation was discovered, 1934; Caspersson first used an ultraviolet microscope to study the genetic material of a cell, 1936. Müller invented the field-emission microscope, 1937. Hitler also rose to power in this period, preceding WW II. The Spanish Civil War began, 1936; also the second Sino-Japanese War, 1937; and, the Great Purge/Great Terror took place in the Soviet Union, 1937.

• 1964-66: This was after JFK’s assassination when the 1960s Zeitgeist truly began, during President Johnson’s War on Poverty (massive federal welfare programs); the advent of British pop culture; the Vietnam War; protests and the rise of insurgent movements influencing politics; both Russia and the United States landed the first unmanned spacecrafts on the Moon; and the Big Bang theory was discovered in 1964.

• 1993-1996: This was during the first three years of Bill Clinton’s presidency in the United States, the longest period of peacetime expansion in history which was marked by fiscal discipline, private sector investment, and historic economic growth. NAFTA was also formed in 1994, beginning a wave of globalism that transformed the world’s economy and ushered in a new era of interdependence and connectivity. In March 1993, Intel released the Pentium Processor which replaced Intel's 486 microprocessor as the microchip-of-choice in manufacturing a personal computer. And perhaps the most significant event of all, computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee released the source code for the world's first World Wide Web browser and editor in April 1993.

  

  Saturn will be in the following nakshatras during its transit in Aquarius:

• Dhanistha nakshatra from January 17 to March 14, 2023; and again, from October 15, 2023, to November 11, 2023. (Saturn has already been in Dhanistha nakshatra for most of 2022, starting on February 18, 2022). Saturn’s placement here in the nakshatra of his enemy Mars can tend to be agitated, acrimonious, and self-serving. This transit also negatively impacts financial markets, and the world economies are currently experiencing high inflation and other serious challenges. Ironically, Sage Varahamihira’s Vedic astrology classic Brihat Samhita describes this transit as a time when “bankers prosper,” and it is true in the United States alone, banks (and bankers) have benefited significantly from the government’s extreme Covid-19 response, to the tune of 300 billion dollars in fiscal support.

• Saturn will be in Shatabisha nakshatra from March 14 to October 15, 2023; and again, from November 11, 2023, to April 6, 2024; and again, from October 3 to December 27, 2024. According to Brihat Samhita, Saturn transiting in either Shatabisha or the following nakshatra of Purva Bhadrapada afflicts “harlots, robbers, and heretics” as well as “physicians, poets, drunkards, traders, and politicians.” Brihat Samhita also mentions that Saturn in Shatabisha nakshatra is a time of happiness for the people in general, but that the rains will not be good. It can bring scientific, technological, and medical advances. It is possible that this transit will lead to viable new solutions to the mental health and opioid drug crises plaguing the United States and other nations around the world. And finally, Saturn in Shatabisha can point to significant reforms and new developments within organizations and networks in all areas of industry, society, and government.

• Saturn will be in the fiery and transformational Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra from April 6 to October 3, 2024; and again, from December 27, 2004, until the end of Saturn’s transit in Aquarius in late March 2025 (and from there on, it will remain in Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra, but in early Pisces, until late April 2025). Saturn here can indicate very intense karmic events for the world. This transit will coincide with the Pluto Return in the United States birth chart (in range in 2023, and in exact aspect throughout 2024). This is a time that seems to indicate profound turbulence and massive changes in the United States and around the world, especially related to culture, politics and government, and economic matters.

Saturn’s transit in Aquarius acts somewhat like Saturn’s transit in the eleventh house of a horoscope, since Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac. According to mundane astrology, Saturn in the eleventh house, when afflicted (which will be on and off during Saturn’s transit in Aquarius) indicates tremendous conflict within congressional or parliamentary politics. World governments in general will face many difficult problems and obstacles, and the laboring classes could tend to suffer.

That said, the transit of Saturn in Aquarius may begin to offer some relief from the tyrannical forces that have been bearing down on the sovereign citizens of the world during the past three years during Saturn’s transit in Capricorn. (Please see my previous article about this topic in which I discuss that historically, governmental powers have been oppressive during Saturn’s transit in Capricorn). When it comes to Saturn in Aquarius, the key expression is indeed “sovereignty,” as in, individual accountability, autonomy, independence, and freedom!

One of the important topics I am now focused on in my consulting work with clients is the transit of Saturn in Aquarius. While I have described the general worldwide effects of this transit above, this is a complex topic. The impact of Saturn’s transition into Aquarius on an individual’s natal horoscope requires a good deal of analysis and synthesis of the whole chart. If you are interested in learning more about the effect of the transit on your relationships, finances, or other aspects of your life, you can book a personalized reading (Astral Tune-up Session) at my Astral Harmony website.

May Lord Shani’s (Saturn’s) sojourn in Aquarius be auspicious for Planet Earth and all beings everywhere!

I bow to Lord Shani, who removes the illusion of worldliness: Om Virodhadharabumaya Namah!
I bow to Lord Shani, who is the most senior and excellent One: Om Shresthaya Namah!
I bow to the One who speaks little: Om Mitabhasinaya Namah!
I bow to the One who destroys the root of ignorance: Om Avidyamulanasa Namah!
I bow to the One who is lowly and humble: Om Kurupinaya Namah!
I bow to the One who gives dispassion: Om Vairagyadaya Namah!
I bow to the One whose power arises from dispassion: Om Viraya Namah!
I bow to the One who is steady and reliable: Om Achanchala Namah!
I humbly bow to Lord Shani who is my own true nature. Om Sham Shanicharaya Namah!