Mistake 1: Saturn is Bad

People think:

“Malefics are bad,

Saturn is the Worst Malefic

So Saturn is bad… really bad.”

A side point: Mars, not Saturn, is the more intense of the two malefics. But the real point is… Is it true that “Malefics are bad”?

That was the whole theme we explored in the previous video: 6 Biggest Mistakes about Benefics & Malefics. The bottom line from that discussion was, Any planet can be good or bad; it all depends on how the other astrological circumstances in the chart are engaging with that planet.

So, Saturn can be Good or Bad, depending on its circumstances.

Mistake 2: Saturn is Good 

Saturn is not bad, but it’s still Saturn. 

Being overly gloomy about Saturn is a big mistake, but its just as big a mistake to overreact and swing to the opposite end of the spectrum, trying to frame the planet as a symbol of prosperity and abundance. 

It’s just not.

The things Saturn symbolizes are not typically high on the list of things we want to experience at a party, on a date, or on a vacation. While that doesn’t make Saturn “bad,” and its also doesn’t mean Saturn is another Venus. 

What does Saturn symbolize? Well, that brings us to our 3rd biggest mistake…

Mistake 3: Saturn Symbolizes Authority, Duty, Etc.

In a sense, this 3rd mistake might be a bit inconsequential, and I might be guilty of nitpicking for calling it out – because even if you are making this mistake, most of the time you could still wind up with pretty accurate and functionally useful interpretations of Saturn in various houses and signs.

But these would just be the basic interpretations, and once you try to proceed past that, into more complex queries and predictions – your chances of going down the wrong rabbit holes get pretty high.

Really, Saturn does NOT symbolize Authority, Duty, Maturity, and so on. The Sun symbolizes those things. A lot of people THINK Saturn symbolizes that stuff because the things Saturn really does symbolize have a lot of impact on how we experience stuff like authority, maturity, and duty. 

So, what does Saturn symbolize, exactly? 

Mistake 4: Saturn is your Karma

This is one of those statements that makes me cringe, but it’s probably mostly because I have a very traditional and clear definition of what Karma is. Probably if you just think of karma as “restrictions” or “heavy stuff” then it’s not really too inaccurate to say “Saturn is your Karma.”

But then you are perpetuating a misunderstanding of what Karma is, so let’s clear up this mistake.

Karma is the momentum generated by your actions. It is therefore the consequent cause of every result that unfolds in your life – every result, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant.

The fact is that EVERY PLANET describes one area of your karma, and all of them taken together in a birth chart describe it in totality, for this particular lifetime.

Mistake 5: Exalted Saturn is Even Worse

This mistake is actually part of a more pervasive problem that I need to dedicate an entire episode to: The Biggest Mistakes about Dignity.

The simple truth about dignity is this:

Higher dignity always makes any planet represent better, more desirable versions and permutations of its core symbolism. Conversely, lower dignity,  always does the opposite – make the planet represent more troubling, less desirable versions and permutations of the things it symbolizes. 

That’s all there is to it, and yes, it’s that simple.

Maybe you have a chart with Saturn debilitated in Aries for a native who is very dutiful and mature? That’s interesting, for sure, but it isn’t cause to go and re-engineer the one of the most basic and fundamentals parts of astrological technology: dignity. Exhaust all your other avenues before you try to do something as drastic as that.

For example, maybe sidereal coordinates place Saturn in Aries? This is another topic that deserves an entire episode: The Biggest Mistakes about The Zodiac. (link below)

Or perhaps Saturn is at particular degree’s in Aries where many of it’s aṁśa subdivisions are Libra, Capricorn, or Aquarius? 

Or perhaps this Saturn is in a particular “yoga” that symbolizes overcoming the conditions of debilitation?

Before defying the foundations of astrological techniques, we should explore such options fully. To reiterate, the fundamental technique of dignity is that higher dignity means better results, and lower dignity means worse results – and this is true for any planet.

So, an exalted Saturn symbolizes excellent ability to minimize, negate, and restrict anything in life that needs minimizing, negation, and restriction, without trampling on the aspects of life that need the opposite. 

Again, this description might not fit you, and you might indeed have Saturn in Libra – but that’s not because the concept of dignity is wrong, its because we have made a statement about you without checking any other conditions in your chart beside the one fact that you have Saturn in Libra.

Mistake 6: Sade Sati is Serious

Sade Sati is an extremely limelighted situation in Indian astrology, where Saturn transits the 2nd, 1st, and 12th signs relative to your moon-sign. Although extremely popular in contemporary circles, it finds little or no mention whatsoever in the volumes and volumes of classical Sanskrit texts on authentic Indian astrology.

In fact, it’s pretty easy to see how “click-bait”y and “fear-profiteering” the idea is.

Sade Sati will endure for about 7 and a half years, during which, they say, something bad will happen – maybe even many bad things. 

Well, just pause and consider the fact that if anyone has a 7 and a half year run with no significant downturns, thats more unusual than normal. In other words predicting difficult events during Sade Sati like predicting that someone will get hungry or tired today. 

Even if Sade Sati has a valid principle, the huge 7+ year window is just too big and too vague to be useful.

So, what ARE the important Saturn transits? 

Saturn transits are actually important when Saturn actually transits particular natal points by degree, including by its full aspects. 

Here are the most significant points to keep an eye on:

1. Saturn -> Moon.
2. Saturn -> Asc
3. Saturn -> 8th lord
4. Saturn -> 1st lord
5. Saturn -> Daśā lord

The template for interpreting any of these is simply to apply Saturn’s negatory and restrictive symbolism to the point being transited. For example, Saturn transiting the Moon signifies emotional scarcity and distrust of affection.

The goodness or badness of those effects depend on Saturn’s dignity and conditions at the time of the transit, but  even more so on how well the aspected point is already aligned with things that Saturn represents. A moon that is in Saturn’s Capricorn, for example, will signify good permutations and outcomes of emotional restraint when it is transited by Saturn. While a moon in Mars’ Scorpio signifies difficult permutations of the same, like feeling stifled, frustrated, and emotionally alienated.

Mistake 7: Saturn Daśā Sucks

One of the most universal and fundamental principles of Daśā interpretation is that the Daśā of the planet is when the things symbolized by that planet, in that chart, actually take place.

Mistake #1 was that Saturn is always bad. If you make that mistake than you’ll also make this one, that Saturn daśā is always bad.

But if you  realize that Saturn, like any planet, can be good or bad in any chart, then you avoided Mistake #1, and quite likely you would automatically avoid Mistake #7, too.

Since Saturn can be good or bad in any chart, Saturn’s daśā could be good or bad, correspondingly.

Also, daśā are cycles within cycles and are therefore a lot more complex to use in practice than to understand in theory. Because of these subcycles, we will see good periods within even the daśā of planets in very bad conditions, and visa versa.