Saturn, bringer of the harvest and a reckoning for past mistakes, is poised to move into Pisces for the first time in 29 years next week. It shifts sign every two years plus for a notable change of mood, heightened this year with the anticipation of the even more momentous move of Pluto into Aquarius two weeks later.
Pisces, planet of the boundaryless ocean, is not a sign in which structured Saturn, the builder, the organizer and rule-maker, sits comfortably. Most interpretations for individuals lean towards regret for the past, paranoia, excessive worry, self-pity, the need for quiet and solitude – and also a deep understanding of those less fortunate.
Looking back over the last century’s occurrences, there are the usual problems of extrapolating what belongs to Saturn in Pisces and what is likely to be the result of other aspects.
Saturn in Pisces: 13 April 1905 to 19 March 1908.
14 February 1935 to 25 April 1937
24 March 1964 to 3 March 1967
21 May 1993 to 7 April 1996
7 March 2023 to 25 May 2025
Both the 1993/1996 Saturn in Pisces and the 1905/06 one also had strong Uranus Neptune aspects – a conjunction and an opposition respectively – which is probably why the major 1994 Los Angeles and in 1906 San Francisco earthquakes occurred. Although the Alaska 9.2 earthquake happened under Saturn in Pisces in 1964 not with Uranus Neptune but with Uranus Pluto. This time round in 2025/2026 there is a Uranus sextile Neptune which is not as strong. The mid 1960s had Saturn in Pisces opposition Uranus Pluto in Virgo – which is a whole lot of chaos and hardship.
What repeats through all of the instances is massive unrest in Russia. 1905 Russian Revolution against the Tsar with reforms following. Russo-Japanese War – Russians losing. 1936/37 – Stalin’s Great Purge and the Trotskyite plot to overthrow him, ending in a show trial. 1993/4 Russia withdraws troops from Lithuania, Poland and Germany. 1995 First Chechen War with Russia.
There did seem to be a surprising number of independence movements – in the sense that it doesn’t sound like Saturn in Pisces. 1905 Norway got full independence. In Persia in 1906 there was a constitutional revolution leading to a new national assembly – and changes its name to Iran on the next Saturn in Pisces.
In 1935 there were moves to give a Federation of India autonomy from the UK. There was an Arab Revolt in Palestine against the Brits. The Spanish Civil War. Ireland pulls further away from the UK.
1964 – Singapore becomes independent. Rhodesia declares unilateral independence. Protests in Cuba against Castro. The Bosnian Serb war was ongoing in the 1990s.
Nelson Mandela becomes President of South Africa in 1994, having been imprisoned for life one Saturn in Pisces before in 1964, having made his ‘I am prepared to die’ speech against apartheid. In 1906 Mahatma Gandhi starts his non-violence campaign.
Other Saturn in Pisces events:
1906 – Finland becomes first country to allow women to stand as candidates with universal suffrage. Boy Scout movement starts.
1935 – Alcoholics Anonymous founded.
1994 – NAFTA. Channel Tunnel opens. Maastricht in effect.
No great conclusions except that certain countries – Russia, Iran, China appear to be sensitive to Saturn in Pisces. And that the unrest and push for democracy and freedom may be part of the underdog’s mutiny against ill treatment.
Well, this historic treaty is very Saturn almost in Pisces:
“It has been almost two decades in the making but on Saturday night in New York, after days of gruelling round-the-clock talks, UN member states finally agreed on a treaty to protect the high seas.” Guardian, 5th March, 2023
Also, on the BBC website, there’s an article ‘The Flooding of a Village’ about how the Welsh village of Capel Celyn was ‘drowned’ to make a resevoir to supply fresh water to Liverpool. It was flooded in 1965. Saturn was in Pisces.
Good spot Jane. From the “almost two decades”, it would suggest they began working on the treaty (progressive and agreement between many nations) when Uranus was located somewhere around where it is now as it moved between Aqua and Pisces in 2003.
Saturn in Pisces 1993-6 marked a time for many -AIDS
I lost many friends but also at that time
Finally large efforts were made to find a treatment – and by 1996 there was
It is also important to note that sincere efforts to find solutions has to wait until
Regan and Bush were out
Thanks Marjorie.
There is some correlation between the dates and British history.
1905 We see a change from Conservative Party to a Liberal one. A new king and more modernity.
1935-37 A change from a national government to a Conservative one. New Kings and a change in atmosphere from post war to pre war.
1964-67 A change in atmosphere as Britain pulled out of the far East and realising that we could not afford an empire. Facing economic reality with a new government. the post war consensus was beginning to fray.
1993-96 Another change in atmosphere ahead of a new government. Royal divorces and deaths.
So looking ahead- a new regime in government with the realisation that old ideas of our place in the world need adjustment. Some Royal action. A different atmosphere.
Speedy – the 1066 England chart chart has Pluto at 4 Pisces, Moon at 29 Pisces, Jupiter at 8 Virgo and Saturn at 17 Virgo.
The 1801 UK chart has Pluto at 3 Pisces.
All those planets get activated when tr Saturn is in Pisces.
Excited / intrigued to see where Saturn in Pisces leads. It was a bumper time in my life last time around albeit I had some big Pluto transits going on. Saturn through Aqua 10th has been very much about me doing my own thing. Any attempts to connect with others going nowhere.
I note one of the dates is wrong – it didn’t exit 7 March 1996, it was 7 April 1996. Astrologically it has always been memorable for me as within a day or two of its move into my 12th house Aries, I began to assert choices for my life rather than continuing to believe I was beholden to the fates and going along with what others wanted.
If ever there was an argument for using Whole signs, it’s that I almost always feel the effect of big planets changing sign – but I do have Neptune in 0degs and an early ascendant only a few degs in.
I have no planets at 0 degrees and I have noticed events occurring on the very day of a sign ingress that express its symbolism more times than I can count. I can’t give up quadrant-based houses after 40+ years of use but I pay attention to whole signs as well now. I no longer think it has to be an either/or proposition.
Can I ask you both – when you use Whole signs do you use 1 = Aries or just Whole signs? I’m interested in the different house systems.
Hi Christine. So each whole sign house is made up of the entire sign from 00°00′ to 29°59′. The rising degree decides which sign comes first. You still have an ASC-DSC degree and MC-IC but they float in the appropriate houses–the ASC in the 1st, and the MC may be anywhere between the 8th and 11th which can give you additional info about the career. So if you have a 15° Virgo ASC for example then 0° Virgo will make up the cusp of the 1st house. American Astrologer Chris Brennan has done a lot to promote the use of whole sign houses which is how I was introduced. You can find podcasts on the subject on his site–just google The Astrology Podcast. Maybe don’t start with his recent ones on ‘Whole Sign Denialism’ which are quite academic. He has also written a 600-page tome on Hellenistic Astrology which I admit I have yet to read. I hope this helps. Myself I find some of my natal placements make more sense from a Placidus or Koch point of view and others from a whole sign point of view. Hope this helped and you find your exploration of house systems interesting!
Thank you Laurien. I follow another astrologer on fb who is not a fan of whole signs but I don’t know much about it so I will listen and learn, hopefully!
There have been some nasty debates on the subject with some astrologers really taking exception to the system & the whole sign denialism podcast I mentioned replies to recent attacks at length. I think people should be open to experimentation and decide for themselves. I give house placements and transits a little more leeway now thanks to what I’ve learned about whole sign houses and it’s been beneficial.
I don’t use whole signs, more of an Equal House person but, as I say, my ascendant is an early degree.
That said, I agree with Laurien’s description of how to implement Whole signs as above.
Your chart degrees could make you extra sensitive to sign changes GD? What about the inner planets? This month there’s Sun and Mercury changing, obviously, plus Venus, Mars, Saturn and Pluto! I think we may notice Mars moving to Cancer, since it has been in Gemini since last August. Are you in for a refreshing month of change?! Also worth watching the UK 1801 chart for similar responses from its early degrees Yod.
I think generally, things begin to change in those late degrees, as the planet approaches the door into its new home, and gets the keys out! It’s interesting to see the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022 – plus all the discussions around chatbots so far this year. That seems very Pluto in Aquarius to me – particularly the words ‘open’ and ‘AI’ being connected – Aquarius suggesting groups, technology, and maybe ‘groupthink’ too.
Last Pluto sign change saw Lehman Brothers Bank collapse into bankruptcy on 15 September 2008, as Pluto was in the late degrees of Sagittarius. Stockmarket crash of 29th September followed. Their gambling on the mortgage market was, arguably, optimistic Sagittarian behaviour. But Capricorn could be imagined as a more cautious, controlling old-school banker? Anyway, you see what I mean.
@jane… isn’t that also because there’s a 10 degree Orb?
Hi Anita – I’ve yet to make up my mind about that! I think perhaps things begin to be ‘put in place’ beforehand, a bit like preparing a stage for the next act of a play. But I tend to notice more certain symbols of the new sign’s future expression at around 26 degrees. Everyone has their own sensitivities too – maybe feeling it earlier on a personal level, and expressing later in a mundane astro sense? Anyway, it seems to be a slow fade of themes up and down to me.
Jane – I think I’ve noticed those inner planet changes more in recent years as I’ve got more confident with my chart. When transiting moon / sun are in my 4th / 12th I just accept it as a time to sit back and enjoy the peace. I don’t tend to get any big events happening with transits but I can feel the change of direction I need to take.
We’ll see how this year goes as it’s Saturn into 11th, Pluto into 10th, Jupiter into 1st, North node into 12th plus progressed Venus into Scorpio and Venus retro all over my chart.
Sounds positive GD. And a big chunk of Venus in Leo this summer could spark some glamorous joy for us all!
Thanks Marjorie. I’ve been thinking about Saturn in Pisces, and what a strange combination it seems. Kevin Costner’s ill-fated film Waterworld was released under Saturn in Pisces in 1995, which seems apt somehow. I’d thought of heavily-weighted or leaden (Saturn) feet (Pisces) as one symbolic image for this – so perhaps more underwater explorations by divers and various undersea technologies may emerge? Saturn in Pisces could be seen as an anchor, or an underwater archaeologist. Sea beds and river beds could be in the news?
Just maybe, Saturn’s laws and rules could come into force regarding water companies, pollution, and so on. The UK Yod will be activated as Saturn soon conjuncts Pluto in Pisces – hoping this might mean water companies must step up and put something positive back instead of just making vast profits!
Its also so interesting re Russia’s sensitivity to Saturn in Pisces. The beginning of the Russian Revolution, in March 1917 has a Pisces stellium – Venus (4), Mars (15) and Sun (17).
The chart in The Book of World Horoscopes for the end of Communism, 24th August 1991, has the Sun at 1 Virgo. The one for the seizure of the Winter Palace, 7th November 1917, has Mars 2 Virgo. The raising of the Russian flag over the Kremlin, 25th December, 1991, has Moon 3 Virgo. I also noticed that Ukraine, 1918, has Jupiter at 1 Gemini, square the Virgo Sun of its independence proclamation in 1991 (plus Latvia and Estonia). So it seems as if the earliest mutable degrees are involved, and about to be challenged by Saturn. We shall see.
I had an epiphany the other day looking at Saturn-MC lines running through the Pacific Ocean at the Aries Ingress and realized Saturn in Pisces will likely produce big developments (and debates) about deep-sea mining.
Thanks Laurien, I hadn’t thought of doing that! Have you found it is enlightening before?
I noticed that the Euro Tunnel opened on 6th May, 1994 with Saturn in Pisces trine Jupiter in Scorpio. Neptune and Uranus were conjunct in Capricorn for some innovative undersea engineering!
Hi Jane, I use astrocartography all the time. Here’s an interesting one for the upcoming Aries ingress–there’s a Venus-NN conjunction that is also conjunct Charles’ natal NN. The NN-DSC line runs through London and just east of London at the ingress. Along with some interesting asteroid placements including ‘King’ exactly conjunct these points at the ingress, I believe it symbolizes Charles’ coronation. Sadly, disasters are also indicated by the lines. At the 2022 Cap Ingress which is still in effect, a Neptune-DSC line was running within about 1/4 of a degree of where the Greek train disaster just occurred, perhaps highlighting the role that human error played. I find astrocartography really helps to pinpoint hotspots and also what astrological influences are at play. It’s also lots of fun to play with in your own chart! Really enjoy all your historical info. Thanks and keep it up!
Thank you Marjorie. Pluto is finally leaving my ascendant and 1st house, but I’m holding my breath with both sun, moon and mercury in Pisces, plus Uranus in Cancer..