Saturn in Aquarius & Astrological Forecast: March 2020

Saturn entering Aquarius could be considered the “main event” of this month, and I’m going to be spending most of this post exploring this transit. Whenever we have a slower moving outer planet like Saturn moving into another sign, it can have profound implications on trends and the world at large. However, it is important to keep in mind that Saturn is only going to be in Aquarius for a couple of months before it goes retrograde in May and returns to its native sign Capricorn in July. We may feel catalyzed or pushed to reinvent or re-contextualize certain areas of our lives—so pay close attention to any ideas or insights that come to you in the next couple of months. While it may take a few strikes before anything tangible sparks, these inspirations or callings might just ignite wildfires towards the end of 2020 through March 2023. Saturn is considered a malefic planet, and has been haunting Capricorn for the past couple of years. At this point many of us have felt burdened by the status-quo, and Aquarian energy tends to radically change anything it touches.

One of the more interesting influences of Saturn is its potential implications for hierarchical structures, such as government or organized religions—especially since we are in an election year in the United States. Without making any claim to how the pieces will fall, we can be certain it will be be met with controversy of the “other side,” and perhaps even within. It is already evident how the new system is squaring up against the old. Saturn is very much dancing between the powers-that-be (Capricorn) and a new age (Aquarius) throughout 2020. Aquarius brings the promise of a revolution, but before we get too excited or riled up, we should consider the historical context of the word. A “revolution” (or revolt) is often hallmarked by a division or uprising, rather than an internal shift, and is almost always countered with resistance. I think activism will be pronounced over the next couple of years.

Aquarius naturally rules over the eleventh house, which pertains to friends, social circles, and networking. Aquarius can seem a little counter-intuitive because it is largely concerned with the collective, while highly unique and individualistic. Regardless of when we are born, we all have this energy somewhere in our charts, and it often turns that part of our lives up on its head. Aquarius loves to redefine and reinvent. One of the shadow aspects of Aquarius energy is a tendency to define oneself based on the people or groups it does and does not associate with. Yet, on the other hand, Aquarius energy can lead one to overcompensate in rebellion to prove it hasn’t “lost” itself to others. My natal Saturn is actually smack-dab zero degrees in Aquarius, so I will be having my Saturn return a total of three times this year. Wish me luck! However, I have come to understand Saturn in Aquarius on a personal level.

Natives with Saturn in Aquarius have a particularly pronounced struggle with conformity and embracing one’s true self. These natives often feel like they have a purpose or mission that is misunderstood in their early lives, and believe that they must choose between their calling or sense of belonging. As a gay, extrasensory, pagan, and vegan; I can tell you that my Saturn in my Fourth House (childhood and home) did a bang-up job of making me feel out of place in the conservative milieu of my traditional Roman Catholic family. I’m only scratching the surface here. Over the years I found myself drifting through various friends, spiritual circles, activist groups, and intentional communities; longing to find a place that felt like “home,” but always felt displaced, or watched them crumble beneath me. I was either “too spiritual” or “too political,” “too empirical” or “too metaphysical,” “too self-centered” or “too concerned about what others think.” My life has felt like an endless process of accepting myself and coming out of one closet after another. I would join groups that were congruent with one aspect of myself, only to later feel at odds with the consensus due to another part of myself. I was constantly concealing, denying, or downplaying a part of myself that felt incompatible for the sake of trying to stay with group. I am aware that everyone deals with this issue of belonging to varying degrees, but my experiences and the pervasive volume I had to deal with this conflict made it all the more sensitive to me. I was always hyper-aware of the parts of me that were and weren’t acceptable in any social context, finding myself simultaneously overly-identified with and estranged from the group. Ironically, in recent years I have actually become closer with the family members I felt most estranged from growing up, but damn, did I have to “earn” those relationships! Saturn has really been teaching me the lesson that it’s okay to be different from the groups you belong to, but I had to go through so many different people in the process. I am willing to bet there will be more tests during my Saturn return, but I feel confident and well-equipped for the challenges we will collectively face over the next couple of years, and am speaking both from my astrological knowledge and personal experience.

A particularly useful concept to be aware of for Saturn in Aquarius is group polarization, which is the tendency for a group to adopt attitudes or actions that are more extreme than those an individual member would ordinarily participate in—this is sometimes referred to as mob mentality. During this cycle, it is vital to be mindful of how your friends, groups, and communities may be persuading you to view others in an “us versus them” mentality. If you can’t foster empathy for the other party while discussing an issue, it is your emotional indication you are not ready to engage in the conversation—you will only be shooting yourself (and your cause) in the foot. Consider this even if you find yourself feeling personally attacked or targeted. I am by no means suggesting you do not advocate for yourself or your causes, or that you can’t feel your own emotional reactions to something someone has said or done. I am simply trying to provide you with a barometer for how effective your conversations will likely be, rather than trying to dictate what is justified. Shift the approach of “calling out” towards “calling in” someone you perceive as doing something wrong—people almost always respond to resistance with resistance. If you can’t approach someone with respect, regardless of the respect they have given you, you most likely will not be able to engage with them in a productive way. People often talk about being the “bigger person” in a situation, but even within this expression, there is an “inflation” or making yourself “better” than the other person, which is your ego sneaking up from behind you, rather than you coming from a place of genuine empathy. Should you find yourself in a contentious dialogue: ask questions, be curious, or simply walk away if you can’t muster the first two. If anything I’m saying makes you angry or feels unfair, consider how that might just be an indication of a trauma or wound festering in your ego. Ask yourself often: am I saying this to advocate for ___ or my own ego? Be real with yourself, as your energy is generally much more persuasive than your words or rationalizations.

While I realize my reflections and warnings may come across as heavy (generally anything Saturn-related does) March itself is actually looking like a month with many exciting opportunities. A word that comes to mind with this month is renaissance. With the Vernal Equinox or Ostara falling on March 20th, there is a literal rebirth in the Northern hemisphere as we welcome in the Spring, and the stars are ushering a wellspring of new and exciting energy for the planet at large. While we are starting off the month in the second half of Mercury retrograde, with a bit of dust to clear after the 10th when it stations direct. While the Virgo Full Moon may prove a little anxiety-provoking for some, it is a great time to get things in order, and heightens our analysis to offer new insights. A Full Moon often represents culminations and completions, so this “Storm Moon” can really bring in some boons if you’ve been putting in the work and committed to a routine. Virgo is the sign of harvest, after all! There are several positive aspects that can really make this a good month to step up and shape some of your dreams into reality. Of course, just as Saturn makes its way out of Capricorn, don’t be surprised if there is one last big “test” for you—I recommend checking where the last degree of Capricorn falls in your natal chart to really get a sense of how this may impact you, which you can generate here. Finally, the Aries New Moon follows shortly after the Equinox and Saturn entering in Aquarius on March 23rd, and is really the time to renew and redefine yourself. Aries season is the astrological New Year, so it is an excellent time to commit to an intrinsically valuable goal or practice!

Without further ado, here is the list of transits and aspects for March 2020:

Happy Pisces season! Aries season commences on March 20th.

- Venus in Aries square Saturn in Capricorn on March 3rd.

- Mercury enters Aquarius on March 4th.

- Venus in Aries sextile Mercury in Capricorn on March 4th.

- Venus enters Taurus on March 5th.

- Sun conjunct Neptune in Pisces on March 7th.

- Full Moon in Virgo on March 9th.

- Mercury stations direct in Aquarius on March 10th.

- Sun in Pisces sextile Jupiter in Capricorn on March 11th.

- Mars in Capricorn sextile Neptune in Pisces on March 14th.

- Sun in Pisces sextile Pluto in Capricorn on March 14th.

- Mercury enters Pisces on March 16th.

- Sun in Pisces sextile Saturn in Capicorn on March 19th.

- Sun enters Aries on March 20th.

- Mars conjunct Jupiter in Capricorn on March 20th.

- Saturn enters Aquarius on March 21st.

- Mercury in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus on March 22nd.

- Venus in Taurus sextile Neptune in Pisces on March 23rd.

- Mars conjunct Pluto in Capricorn on March 23rd.

- New Moon in Aries on March 23rd.

- Venus in Taurus trine Jupiter in Capricorn on March 28th.

- Venus in Taurus trine Pluto in Capricorn on March 29th.

- Mars enters Aquarius on March 30th.

- Mars conjunct Saturn in Aquarius on March 31st.