Hellenistic astrology doesn’t consider the sign of the natal Saturn when analyzing the Saturn return. 

This branch of astrology prefers to focus on the natal sect, the house of the natal Saturn, and the aspects this planet creates with other parts of the chart. 

Psychological astrology, however, analyzes the sign of the natal Saturn and its characteristics. 

I think it’s vital to know about the sign of your natal Saturn. Your total Saturn return will take place when Saturn is visiting that sign. 

The Saturn return lasts an average of 2.5 years and occurs every 29 years. 

Kind of a big deal, right?  

So let’s get into it. This is what I’ll cover in this post: 

1. The Sign of Your Natal Saturn  
2. The Sign of Saturn and The Sign of The Sun
3. Saturn Through the 12 Signs and Your Saturn Return 
   1. Saturn in Aries
   2. Saturn in Taurus
   3. Saturn in Gemini
   4. Saturn in Cancer
   5. Saturn in Leo
   6. Saturn in Virgo
   7. Saturn in Libra
   8. Saturn in Scorpio
   9. Saturn in Sagittarius
   10. Saturn in Capricorn 
   11. Saturn in Aquarius
   12. Saturn in Pisces
4. Journaling Prompts About The Sign of Your Natal Saturn

Ready or not, here we go! 

The Sign of Your Natal Saturn  

Astrologer Bil Tierney wrote Twelve Faces of Saturn: Your Guardian Angel Planet, one of the most famous books about Saturn.  

Tierney states that if you make an effort and apply some ambition, you can take advantage of the most stabilizing qualities of the sign of your natal Saturn. 

But you can also block the healthy expression of this sign, which will hinder your development. 

Another possibility is to become overidentified with the traits of this sign. By doing it, you’ll express the characteristics of this sign in a rigid and cartoonish way. 

So, to start with, you have to analyze the pros and cons of the sign of your natal Saturn. 

Related: Astrology Basics: Your Birth Chart States of Consciousness

There are many things about the sign you may dislike or feel uncomfortable with. 

At the same time, the sign of your natal Saturn brings many qualities that offer security and structure. These qualities usually come due to discipline and hard work.

Be it as it may, very little of your Saturn sign comes effortlessly to you. 

Saturn is in a particular sign because there is something you need to pay special attention to in this incarnation. Life and karma will slowly make you aware of what that something is.

The intensity of your dislike, fear, or desire to avoid the traits of your Saturn sign reveals the necessary degree of self-examination regarding complex life matters. 

And the process of self-examination will become the focus of your existence during the Saturn return. 

The Sign of Saturn and The Sign of The Sun

In psychological astrology, Saturn and the Sun always work in tandem. This means you must look at both to understand the bigger picture of your natal chart. 

If you deny the characteristics of the sign of your natal Saturn, you may have trouble fulfilling the potential of your Sun. 

Saturn provides protective structures to the Sun that are necessary to manifest its essence in a structured way. 

However, a faulty Saturnian structure interferes with your ability to mature and become your true self, hindering your Sun’s optimal expression. 

In Tierney’s words, a mismanaged Saturn affects the Sun, much like a blocked artery damages the healthy functioning of the heart.

By openly and seriously accepting the challenges of your Saturn sign with self-discipline and without anxiety, you can thrive and grow beyond the unconscious limitations you impose on yourself.

To do this successfully, you must embrace the sign of your natal Saturn in all its facets. 

Critiquing aspects of your natal Saturn sign does not help you embark on the process of integrating this planet into your life and accepting its lessons. 

The problem is that the qualities of this sign you dislike may be deeply ingrained in your psyche. 

Related: Retrograde Saturn in the Natal Chart and the Saturn Return

They could be like a rock in your shoe that you can’t take out even though you know it’s there, bothering you. 

You may dislike these traits because you haven’t developed them correctly or in the way you know it’s possible to develop them.

The best possible outcome is to express the virtues of the Saturn sign consistently in your daily life with a massive dose of self-confidence.

The Saturn sign offers behavioral characteristics that can give you great inner security and stability. These characteristics help anchor you in the real world and guide the management of your material world or career.

Regardless of the particular characteristics of the Saturn sign, it is necessary to find practical outlets for its expression. 

Saturn Through the 12 Signs and Your Saturn Return 

According to Bil Tierney, the sign of your natal Saturn explains what you must learn and how you must do it.

Knowing the sign of your natal Saturn is also important because it allows you to calculate when the Saturn return will begin and end.

When Saturn enters the sign of your natal Saturn, your total Saturn return begins. When Saturn moves to the next sign, your total Saturn return ends. 

Additionally, the meanings associated with the sign of the natal Saturn will become relevant during the first Saturn return.

Each sign has a ruling planet, like the sign’s spiritual guide. For this reason, Saturn is more “fun” or dynamic in some signs than others.

Related: What Is the Natal Chart? Astrology 101

Next, I’ll briefly describe Saturn in each sign, the ruler of each Saturn, and a specific task that may be prominent during your Saturn return. 

Some of these notions come from Stephen Arroyo’s book Chart Interpretation Handbook: Guidelines for Understanding the Essentials of the Birth Chart, and others from my astrological work and my clients’ experiences. 

I hope you find this helpful! 

Saturn in Aries

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality by directing energy towards living new and exciting experiences. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for cultivating courage, boldness, and independence. 
3. Dedication to acquiring tangible achievements through assertive and competitive actions.
4. Saturn ruled by Mars, a planet associated with action, courage, active desire, sexual energy, survival, competition, and anger.
5. Saturn return task: Accept responsibilities without falling into childish or egocentric attitudes. 

Related: Saturn in Aries in the Birth Chart

Saturn in Taurus

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through extreme productivity, accumulating possessions, and developing confidence in material resources. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for intensely appreciating physical sensations, art, beauty, and nature. 
3. Dedication to focus on basic (often traditional) values to gain social approval.
4. Saturn ruled by Venus, a planet associated with receptive desire, relationships, pleasure, cooperation, values, what we hold dear, art, beauty, balance, indulgence, and rest.
5. Saturn return task: Flexibilize stubbornness, conservatism, and fear of losing control to avoid blocking the positive energy flow and the ability to receive.

Saturn in Gemini

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through the capacity to learn and manage information. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for intellectualizing and verbally defending their structures and integrity. 
3. Dedication to expressing ideas in a disciplined and coherent manner. 
4. Saturn ruled by Mercury, a planet associated with communication, language, writing, mental processes, motor skills, learning, movement, and exchange of ideas.
5. Saturn return task: Attend to duties without chasing new shiny objects constantly. 

Saturn in Cancer

1. Strive to establish and preserve identity through comforting feelings and understanding one’s roots and family influences. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for achieving self-protection to feel security for oneself and loved ones. 
3. Dedication towards overcoming the fear of sensitivity and vulnerability.
4. Saturn ruled by the Moon, luminary associated with the unconscious, the cyclic, emotions, home, sense of belonging, past, body, and how we perceive our mother or establish ourselves as “mothers” (whether of humans or projects).
5. Saturn return task: Recognize your own emotions and express them genuinely.

Saturn in Leo

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through creative activities, self-expression, and loyal affection. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for cultivating pride and the desire for recognition. 
3. Dedication towards focusing on one’s brilliance to feel security and trust in the inner harmony of one’s soul and one’s most profound interests.
4. Saturn ruled by the Sun, a luminary associated with our conscious part, vitality, creativity, way of shining, sense of purpose, and how we perceive our father or establish ourselves as “fathers” (whether of humans or projects).
5. Saturn return task: Commit to duties and responsibilities generously and not solely to be the center of attention.

Saturn in Virgo

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through analytical skills, fulfilling responsibilities, and being helpful to those in need. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for directing organizational capacity and discipline toward mastering details and perfecting skills. 
3. Dedication focused on working efficiently to achieve satisfying goals.
4. Saturn ruled by Mercury, a planet associated with communication, language, writing, mental processes, motor skills, learning, movement, and exchange of ideas.
5. Saturn return task: Trust in your spirit of service and abilities to develop humility while building self-confidence.

Saturn in Libra

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through the ability to relate to others in a fair, responsible, balanced, and harmonious manner. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for tact and impartiality, which provides social approval. 
3. Dedication towards maintaining relationships and honoring all commitments, promises, and duties.
4. Saturn ruled by Venus, a planet associated with receptive desire, relationships, pleasure, cooperation, values, what we hold dear, art, beauty, balance, indulgence, and rest.
5. Saturn return task: Question the incessant desire to please others, as it can lead to accepting unpleasant tasks that do not align with your true desires.

Saturn in Scorpio

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through controlling powerful passions.
2. Well-developed aptitude for defending your emotional structure, even though the cost may be not connecting with others intimately. 
3. Dedication towards transformation and eliminating or purging all that is unnecessary.
4. Saturn ruled by Mars (traditionally) and by Pluto (its modern ruler). Mars is associated with action, courage, survival, competition, and anger. Pluto is associated with alchemy, investigation, the shadow, transformation, power, obsession, and secrets.
5. Saturn return task: Connect with others to achieve more expansive accomplishments than those only focused on your resources.

Saturn in Sagittarius

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through firm beliefs and aspirations focused on distant goals. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for organizing “on the go,” constantly changing structure, and plans to adapt to each situation. 
3. Dedication towards philosophical inquiry and precise definition of ideals.
4. Saturn ruled by Jupiter, a planet associated with abundance, expansion, learning, luck, adventure, opportunity, faith, enthusiasm, optimism, and excess.
5. Saturn return task: Establish more mental discipline and a systematic approach to goals.

Saturn in Capricorn 

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through achieving ambitions and being a figure of authority in society. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for planning and fulfilling responsibilities. 
3. Dedication towards being considered as a trustworthy person capable of relying on your own abilities. 
4. Saturn ruled by Saturn itself. This is its domicile. 
5. Saturn return task: Ease your excessive fear of disapproval from others to achieve genuine and valuable accomplishments. 

Saturn in Aquarius

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality through well-disciplined mental skills, defined knowledge, and committing to social or futuristic goals.
2. Well-developed aptitude for organizing groups of people and/or concepts in an open-minded way. 
3. Dedication towards maintaining various circles of friendships that offer mental stimulation.
4. Saturn ruled by Saturn (traditionally) and by Uranus (modern ruler). Uranus is associated with epiphanies, brilliant ideas, rebellion, radicalization, liberation, change, and eccentricity.
5. Saturn return task: Nurture free and independent self-expression to prevent it from being blocked by mental rigidity or insecurities generated by society.

Related: My Experiences with the Saturn Return: From Hobby to Business Back to Hobby

Saturn in Pisces

1. Strive to establish and preserve individuality by transcending your personality’s limitations through connecting with a higher being or ideal. 
2. Well-developed aptitude for expressing compassion and empathy.
3. Dedication towards expressing your own sensitivity and emotions and controlling the tendency towards escapism to feel security and stability.
4. Saturn ruled by Jupiter (traditionally) and by Neptune (modern ruler). Jupiter is associated with abundance, luck, adventure, opportunity, faith, enthusiasm, and excess. Neptune is associated with imagination, fantasy, spirituality, and the dissolution of boundaries.
5. Saturn return task: Convert your spiritual resources, higher vision, and aspirations into tangible manifestations. 

Journaling Prompts About The Sign of Your Natal Saturn

Grab your Saturn Return Diary and answer these questions: 

1. What sign is your natal Saturn in?
2. What do you like most about the sign of your natal Saturn? And what do you like least?
3. How does your Saturn manifest through its ruling planet? If it has two ruling planets, write about both.
4. Write 5 actions you will implement to accomplish the task that the sign of your Saturn suggests during the return (item 5).

Let me know in the comments what you learn about Saturn and the Saturn return. You can also leave me questions you want me to answer in future texts. 

Until next time!