Saturn and Relationships

Astrologer Dena L. Moore's article about the role of Saturn in Relationship astrology is an interesting read. It's 5 years old, but none the worse for that.

She says (among other things):

"In synastry, Saturnian contacts are often viewed negatively if there is a square (90 degrees), opposition (180 degrees), or conjunction ( 0 degrees) involved. It is often stated that the Saturn person has a restricting or limiting influence on the other person’s involved planet. This is true to an extent but it should be understood that Saturn is the vulnerable one in this situation. He is trying to hide his pain, his weaknesses from his partner and does this with a self-protecting mechanism of domination and ‘parental’ guidance. The very part of the other person Saturn is trying to restructure is simply an unconscious projection on his part--it is a part of the Saturnian personality that he recognizes but can’t consciously associate with himself.

A positive Saturnian contact such as the trine (120 degrees) and the sextile (60 degrees) is easier to work with in the relationship because Saturn and the other planet have more of an understanding between them. Although Saturn can still be unconscious in these circumstances, chances are the Saturnian person has had some prior experience with a Saturnian connection in another relationship and thus has a more conscious knowledge of his Saturnian placement and is working more successfully with the energy. In the new relationship with the positive Saturn connection, the Saturnian is helping build up the structural personality of the current partner. This is a situation of growth for both partners as the Saturnian is learning to share his prior experiences in a teaching position while the other partner is developing the planet in question.

Without the strength and support of a significant Saturn contact, it is fairly difficult to think in terms of long-term possibility in a relationship. This planet is a powerhouse that is often avoided in synastry because the implications are, on the surface, unpleasant. After all, we really don’t like to hear the truth about our relationships or ourselves."

So how does this work in relation to myself and HeWhoKnows? I see that my natal Saturn at 12.55 Aries trines his Moon at 13.35 Leo, and his Saturn at 26.3 Pisces trines my Mars at 28.54 Scorpio. Maybe we're OK for the long haul then - each teaching and learning a few lessons on the journey. We've both been through the relationship grinder more than once and have a goodly store of lessons to share with each other. I guess that's how HWK got his nickname!

I looked at my parents' charts too. They managed 55 years of often turbulent but always loving and faithful relationship. My mother's natal Saturn conjoined Dad's Neptune in Cancer. The clincher in their charts, I think, was the fact that Mum's natal Uranus was only 6* away from Dad's Aquarius Sun, and sextiled his Saturn in Aries.

I wouldn't go as far as Dena Moore in saying that long term possibilities may be dubious in the absence of Saturn contact though. Other aspects may supply a strengthening effect powerful enough to overcome lack of strong communal aspects from the celestial teacher. We ought not to forget that external factors such as environment, education, background etc. carry just as much weight, in my view, as astrological ones in any kind of relationship. I always view any astrological theory like this as a possibility, something to think about and watch for, rather than a rule that's written in stone.