Astrology Corner: Saturn's Restrictions
Understanding the Challenges and Growth Saturn Brings to Our Lives
Following my post on Chiron placements and how they can give you a deeper look into your core wounds in your healing journey, I felt called to continue exploring other planets and aspects in the birth chart—and what they’re here to teach us about ourselves.
When most people first get into astrology, they usually only know their big three: sun, moon, and rising. And while those are important, I think that’s exactly why astrology can be misunderstood. There’s so much more to your chart and your life than those three signs alone can explain.
You’re missing insights into where you attract luck, how you handle money, the deeper challenges you’ll face, how you give and receive love…
So, today’s spotlight? Big Daddy Saturn.
Saturn’s Influence
Saturn is often associated with masculine energy, typically reflecting our relationship with the father or authority figures in our lives. It reveals how we handle limitations through structure, responsibility, and discipline. As the ruler of Capricorn and Aquarius, Saturn brings themes of boundaries and life lessons to the forefront.
I like to think of it as the “tough love” planet—one that reminds you that with great reward comes great responsibility. Success doesn’t show up without effort, and sometimes it has to rain a little so you can truly appreciate the sunshine.
Its energy is restrictive and slow-moving, which can feel frustrating in the area of life (or house) it occupies in your natal chart. But understanding this placement can lead to long-term rewards. It pushes us to pause, go inward, and make internal shifts, so that those changes can eventually reflect more positively in the external world.
Saturn Returns
Saturn takes about 2.5 years to transit through each zodiac sign, completing a full cycle every 29.5 years. When Saturn returns to the same sign and degree it occupies in your birth chart, that marks what we call your Saturn Return. These usually happen in your late 20s, late 50s, and late 80s—and they often signal a significant shift in our levels of maturity, kicking off a powerful chapter of self-reflection, growth, and some major life lessons.
Some examples of these extreme changes could look like:
Loss of a job or significant career shift
Navigating a new marriage, becoming a parent, buying a new house
Financial stress or loss
Retiring
Graduating
The death of someone close to you
Moving
You might be hearing a lot about this from your Saturn-in-Aries friends, since Saturn just moved into Aries back in May (Pisces, if you're looking at it from a Vedic/sidereal lens)! Saturn Returns are often remembered as “the crash out of all crash outs.” It’s a time that can bring serious challenges, but the point is to help you level up. It teaches you how to move forward with stronger boundaries, deeper self-respect, and a more solid structure. Some people say they didn’t fully feel like an adult until they made it through their first.
Saturn is a planet you want to work with, not against. If you want your Saturn Return to be a little gentler, don’t resist the pressure—it’s there to shape you. This isn’t the time to take the easy way out. Saturn will always reward the harder, slower path that leads to long-term stability. You’re meant to face the lesson, understand it, and actually do something with it.
Follow this advice from CHANI:
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. We all get it wrong sometimes. The important part is taking responsibility. Be honest with yourself when you make mistakes. Learn all you can from them. View each misstep as a mentor.
BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOURSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE. Gone is the dog who used to eat your homework. Show up for yourself. Every day. Trust that every step is preparing you for something great.
COMMIT TO YOU. Commit to your dreams. Commit to your vision. Commit to your values. Commit to your integrity. Commit to your goals. Write a list of your non-negotiables and tape it to your bathroom mirror—and stick to it.
BE ENDLESSLY COMPASSIONATE WITH YOURSELF. Like all rites of initiation, Saturn returns can be challenging. Practice instant forgiveness with yourself. Remember that in real life, things don’t always go according to plan. And that’s okay. It’s all part of the learning.
Most people my age are going through their Saturn Returns right now, but thanks to my birth timing, I’ve got a little more space to study up before mine hits in 2028. So—cheers to divine timing, and thanks for the heads-up, Universe!🥂
My Saturn Placement
In my natal chart, Saturn sits in the 8th house in the sign of Taurus.
According to Labyrinthos, the eighth house in astrology is ruled by Scorpio and Pluto. It’s considered the house of sex, taboos, death, resurrection, and shared resources. This includes things like legacies, inheritances, and wills—but also the mysteries of the occult and the unseen. It’s seen as a doorway to the spiritual world. What I found extra interesting? This house is also tied to the father and authority figures, and my father is a Scorpio himself!
Taurus, according to ZodiacSign, is all about enjoying the fruits of your labor—or at least your belief in your ability to. Taurus loves luxury, comfort, and all the finer things in life: fine dining, beautiful clothes, and dreamy vacations. A life of leisure. As a fixed earth sign, Taurus is dependable but also pretty stubborn and resistant to change. I won’t lie, it’s been a frustrating placement to have at times. But on the bright side, Taurus brings loyalty and follow-through, especially when it comes to money, stability, and long-term commitments.
Taurus in the 8th house
Here’s where it gets deep. Taurus is a sign that celebrates life, while the 8th house is about transformation, death, and letting go. It’s one of the most challenging oppositions in the zodiac. This placement represents slow, uncomfortable transformation—change that can’t be rushed but must be felt and embraced in order to fully unfold.
People with this placement may struggle with letting go—whether it’s relationships, careers, or even physical items—because of how deeply tied their emotions are to material things. The idea of transformation might feel like loss. But until we release the broken or outdated, we can’t make space for something better.
So, how has it shown up in my life?
Let’s just say change hasn’t been the easiest thing for me. It’s something I’ve only recently become aware of—how resistant I can be to letting go.
I’ve connected a lot of that resistance to an old victim mindset I’ve been actively working on releasing. Sometimes it feels like I’m not meant to get attached to anything, because every time I do—whether it’s a relationship, a source of joy, or an exciting opportunity—it ends up being taken away. Change brings me a ton of stress, anxiety, and overthinking. I spiral into what I could’ve done differently to prevent it, even when that was never the point.
A huge lesson for me is detachment. Learning to roll with the punches, to face change with hope instead of dread. I’ve learned to hope for the best, but also keep myself prepared for the worst.
When it comes to money, my relationship with it has been just as complicated. I was a job hopper for the longest, usually sensing pretty quickly when something wasn’t aligned. I dealt with a lot of the public shame, guilt, and judgment that came with not sticking to one thing. I’ve had to be real with myself about where I thrive and where I don’t—especially when it comes to what I actually value in work. I know I’m a great employee, but often to the point of sacrificing my own health, happiness, and peace.
Writing and tarot, though, have been different. They’re the only things I’ve stuck with long-term—even when the cash hasn’t been consistent. Which makes sense, honestly. Taurus is a creative sign, and the 8th house literally governs the occult and magic. If I’d understood that sooner, I might’ve realized that my version of “structure” was always going to be something more fluid and spiritual, not a rigid 9-to-5 grind. And I trust that with the right kind of aligned effort and consistency, the abundance will come.
Now, the shared finances part of this placement? Easily the hardest. I’ve often found myself in dependent situations I didn’t want to be in—leaning on my parents or romantic partners for help with money, housing, and my own health.
I was raised to believe I should be able to handle everything on my own—and I still want that—but at my big age, I often feel behind. That level of independence just hasn’t landed yet. I’ll blame myself for not working hard enough, then burn out trying to prove otherwise, or life throws curveballs that delay my plans even more. Over the years, I’ve built up a lot of debt—credit card, medical, school, and personal—and while I’ve been slowly chipping away at it, it’s the main reason why things have been moving so slowly for me. Every other week, I’m in the negatives thanks to payment plans that feel never-ending… but I know the payoff will be worth it in the long run.
All that rushing—to get to the bag, to feel like a “real” adult, to move in with men I wasn’t even ready to build with—just kept putting me right back in the cycle of needing help. I skipped the foundational work, so life kept bringing me back to it. It’s a humbling cycle, but one I’m learning from.
Saturn’s slowness has even impacted my health. I’ve dealt with both mental and physical issues that feel drawn out and deeply tied to unprocessed change. The “rebirth” energy of the 8th house doesn’t move easily with Saturn’s restrictive influence. Things that were over years ago still weigh on me. As a life path 9, that tracks. My endings don’t like to end. And that delay in my new beginnings often shows up as depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. So again, patience is key, but so is learning to let go.
And if I’m being real, patience has never really been my strong suit. But Spirit always finds ways to remind me that I’m taken care of. I’ll always find the help I need if I look for it.
Money flows easily when I believe in it, and when I believe in myself. I love beautiful things and know I’m meant for a luxurious life, but I can’t rush toward it. I have to build it. I have to work for it. And I have to heal this fear of needing help. It’s literally written in my chart that I’m not meant to succeed off of my own hard work alone; I’m meant to be helped by others, so the frustration and struggle there is truly my own doing.
Karma Karma Karma…
Another interesting thing about your Saturn placement—it doesn’t just show how you face karma when you don’t set boundaries or follow the structure your life needs. It also reveals the karma others receive when they cross you or disrespect those boundaries. And when I came across an example of mine in someone’s TikTok comments, it all made a little too much sense 😂
Funny enough, I recently received confirmation that one of my exes received his karma, and in the same way he wronged me. Always trying to humble me? Got humbled. Couldn’t be loyal or honest? Got cheated on. Caused setback after setback in my life (because of my own choices to return😬)? He’s been living in a cycle of his own ever since we stopped talking. And honestly… it's a little heartwarming to know Spirit keeps receipts.
With my Saturn in Taurus in the 8th house, I’ve noticed that the way people treat me—especially when it comes to betrayal, control, or misuse of trust—tends to come back to them in eerily similar ways. It’s like this placement mirrors people’s actions right back at them. It’s not about revenge; it’s energetic law. My boundaries aren’t just emotional—they’re spiritual. And when someone crosses them, the consequences aren’t mine to serve, but they always seem to arrive in due time.
All in all, this placement has been one of my heaviest, but also the one that’s shown me the most about resilience. I’ve had to learn how to be still in discomfort, how to be disciplined without being self-punishing, and how to trust the timing of my life even when it’s crawling. Saturn in Taurus in the 8th isn’t easy—it’s slow, it’s humbling, and it makes you face your deepest fears around survival, worth, love, and control. But what it gives in return is unmatched: emotional maturity, unshakable strength, spiritual depth, and a foundation that’s real.
I know I’m still learning. Still building. Still releasing. But I trust that with time, I’ll be grounded in a life that actually supports me. Not one that drains me. Maybe when I finally hit 30 lol. And if nothing else, I know now—Spirit’s timing is never wrong, and what’s meant for me will never require me to sacrifice my soul to keep it.
So if you’re also navigating a tough Saturn placement, especially in Taurus or the 8th house, just know: the work is hard, but the payoff is solid. You’re not being punished, you’re being prepared.
Brick by brick, baby. We’re building something sacred💛
If you’re curious about how your Saturn placement shows up depending on the house it’s in, I highly recommend checking out this post by Alice Bell—she gives a clear breakdown of each house and what it means!:
Thank you so much for reading The Divine Vitality!
If my stories, readings, and reflections bring value to your journey, inspire, or guide you, I would be truly grateful if you’d consider supporting me. You can become a paid subscriber, book an affordable tarot reading to help me practice and grow, or even offer a small contribution via my tip jar.
My heart for this blog has always been to share love, light, and healing openly, and I deeply desire that everyone who visits here finds something meaningful. At the same time, your support empowers me to keep creating, sharing, and learning as I pursue this as my career. Every bit of encouragement and support is a blessing, and I’m endlessly grateful to each of you for helping make this journey possible.
Thank you for being here💛