Saturn in Aquarius Millennials

We’ve covered the first 8 years of the millennial generation in spending time with Saturn in Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Now we move on to the second to last Saturn sub-generation with Saturn in Aquarius. Saturn entered Aquarius in early February 1991 and remained there until late May 1993. It then retrograded back into Aquarius in July 1993 to remain there until the end of January 1994. 

This is a unique group because it’s the first time Saturn wasn’t co-occupying a sign with another outer planet or nodes during the period of time when Pluto moved through Scorpio. This feels fitting for a loner planet like Saturn, being able to take an extended breath of fresh air in its diurnal domicile of Aquarius, uninhibited and unbothered by its neighbors in the far reaches of the solar system. A planet in its own home far enough away from everything that it can take a step back and see things as they are. Perspective is everything with this Saturn sign.

A good chunk of the millennial generation has Saturn in domicile, meaning Saturn in Capricorn or Aquarius, the signs it has rulership over. A planet in its domicile is like being at home; it’s where its resources are most readily available to it, and it’s where it can find a sense of ease and comfort. For nearly six out of the twelve years that Pluto was in Scorpio, Saturn was in domicile, giving this segment of the generation a more serious and somber vibe. While exceedingly realistic, the Saturnian lot does have the idealist and revolutionary visions from the Uranus-Neptune conjunction that coincide with it, causing a lot of uncertainty around how to turn dreams into reality.

The difference between Saturn in Capricorn and Saturn in Aquarius is quite noticeable (perhaps you noticed it in late March of this year when Saturn returned to Aquarius for the first time in nearly 30 years). Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. In Capricorn, Saturn has a lot of hard work to do in the physical realm, and the weight of the responsibility that it imposes on us is felt on a visceral level. Saturn’s domicile in Aquarius could be considered a more comfortable place for Saturn because it’s a fixed air sign, and it’s here where Saturn can take a seat upon the highest mountaintops, take a breath of fresh air, and see the world from a different perspective. Like I mentioned before, Saturn was able to do this without much input from other transiting planets at the time, giving it space to contemplate and take in the view.

Within the last year or so I learned more about fixed stars and in particular, Altair, a star in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle). I have my natal Saturn aligned with this star, so learning about it ahead of my Saturn return felt really special. From Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars, she writes, “[Altair is] a star of boldness and action, but on that is also connected to human relationships and caring, Altair’s daring was shown in the chart of Leonardo da Vinci...such a combination indicates his willingness to think and explore new areas and new frontiers.” There is the element of having an birds-eye view of humanity to be able to see how it’s operating in a macro sense in order to come to an understanding of the best solutions to implement. Saturn made an alignment with Altair three times in 1991; in February, August, and November. Twenty-nine years later, we’re living through three more Saturn-Altair conjunctions; once in April, again in May, and a final time in January 2021. 

In the first edition of 36 Faces by Austin Coppock, he describes the first decan of Aquarius as The Mark of The Exile. He writes, “In the first face of Aquarius the spirit steps down from the throne of power glimpsed in the third decan of Capricorn. The protective but oppressive shell of the world-system is abandoned in favor of the promise of what might lie beyond. The figures seen here thus bear the mark of the eccentric, exile, the rebel, and the pioneer.” Of Saturn in this decan he writes, “In youth they come to know what it is to be on the outside, looking in. From their vantage outside, however, they come to understand how systems operate better than those entombed within them...Often these natives also learn to live by rules more universal and profound than those commonly held by their culture.”

Saturn in Aquarius takes advantage of its perspective to understand the complexity of the structures that make up the systems we take part in. Interestingly enough, part of that perspective comes from the desire to understand humanity as a group on a fundamental level, which can be achieved through interactions with different types of people all over the world. Which leads me to the internet...

Did you know that the world wide web is having its first Saturn return, right alongside this Saturn sub-generation? I’m so thankful that astrologer Sam Reynolds brought this up this year around the time that Saturn entered Aquarius. The World Wide Web was announced on August 6th, 1991, when Saturn was at 2º Aquarius. Millennials obviously have a special relationship with the internet in that we are the last generation that experienced what life was like before the internet took over the modern world. We grew up with the internet, literally, as one of the primary systems in our lives. We have since used it as a tool to create a world-wide web of connections with like-minded folks across the world, a global community. Of course, most people use the internet this way, but the Saturn in Aquarius sub-generation has an innate appreciation for the power of community. Which leads me to our Saturn returns.

The Saturn in Aquarius sub-generation is tasked with understanding our individual roles in society. We’ve spent nearly three decades building the foundation of our understanding of the systems in which we are a part of, and those that we are alienated from. With Saturn returning, we need to figure out where we belong. Most of us have started to develop our chosen families, finding our people and for some that process has just begun. Nevertheless, choosing the communities we want to become a part of is a huge responsibility, for with that comes the need to hold oneself accountable to those people, while simultaneously allowing those community members to hold you when you need it most. It’s about interdependence and realizing that we’re all parts of a greater whole. Saturn in Aquarius folks know that we’re each a piece of a great puzzle, and that every single one of us has a contribution, a part to play in the building of a new world. 

Saturn is back in Capricorn for most of the remainder of the 2020, set to enter Aquarius for good on December 16th. We’ve been given a preview of Saturn in Aquarius over the last couple of months (April-June), a window into what the future might look like. I think it’s important for us Saturn in Aquarius folks to recognize that we have nearly three more years of our Saturn returns ahead of us, time to work on these themes, so don’t feel rushed. Instead, allow yourself to be inspired by the rapid pace of change as it occurs right now, knowing that we all have a role to embody and we all have important contributions to bring into the New World.