These are global energies of Saturn in Scorpio or in 8th House which must be nuanced according to your birth chart, see the article on Saturn in birth chart; see also the article on the general interpretation of Saturn.
The planet Saturn is one of the attributes of the Animus in the chart, as such it can indicate a Projection of this one, in particular the “father”.
It informs about our responsibilities, seriousness, rigour, moral sense, our prudence, or patience, our capacity to discipline ourselves, to build solid things, to reach wisdom.
It can also mark fatality, restrictions, difficulties, things that take time and are frustrated, fears, guilt, sadness, loneliness, as well as our capacity for introspection…
Given that Saturn stays for about 2 and a half years per sign, its position in houses is more meaningful for personality. The sign’s energy gives above all an elemental background colouring common to an age group, which will apply more personally to the area of life signified by the house. Therefore, concentrate first of all on the impacted house, as the sign gives a background tone.
Working to be detached and let go
Saturn is under the rulership of Pluto here, in Water that is very acidic and corrosive, a sector that is known to be “malefic” in traditional astrology and which at the very least is often quite challenging, especially if the planet also forms bad aspects; in any case, it’s stuck here, and holds much karmic significance.
Any aquatic position makes things very difficult for saturn (especially Saturn in the 4th house or in Cancer, as it’s in detriment there), since this planet tends to “dry up” whatever space it’s in (it dries out water’s emotions). That said, Scorpio is not a traditional sort of water, but is more of an acid and acts somewhat more like fire, so the “rock” that this planet represents does not behave in the same way here.
With Pluto, these energies give people a strong tendency to freeze, tense up, and become attached, which makes it so that they have a hard time detaching and letting go since they are so focused on command, control, and domination (of themselves and others). Without a doubt, these qualities need to have some work done on them in these people’s incarnations.
This is certainly a central part of this position; it’s almost as though Saturn represents crystallization, but then the corrosive energies of Pluto are responsible for dissolving, transforming, and reorganizing things in a different way. And much of this depends on the rest of a person’s birth chart, as the other parts determine where exactly these crystallizations occur, what one’s Plutonian energies mostly affect, and what effects they have.
In addition, this planet comes here very close to its domicile, Capricorn, in a sextile here, and it’s more comfortable in this social hemisphere, where it can express its ambitions, than in the northern, personal, familial hemisphere, where it tends to be more intensely introverted.
At the same time, this position still makes people serious and solemn, and may also bring out people’s dark side, negativity, and pessimism, which are inherent parts of these two energies.
Here, this planet may give a certain weight, heaviness, lateness, maturity, or structure to anything that has a strong connection to Plutonian energies. This may be seen in a person’s psychology, sexuality, relationship with money and possessions, etc.
In terms of sexuality, since letting go is not easy given the combination of these two energies, as we have seen, these people are not easily able to truly surrender themselves to their partner; even if passion and possessiveness are indeed present, there is always some level of caution, suspicion, and withdrawal, as well as a need for seriousness, security, reliability, durability, and thus essentially taking a lot of time before finding the right partner and stepping into a more mystical, transcendent union. It’s worth noting that in certain cases, especially with difficult transits and aspects, this might be the cause of a variety of issues, such as apparent coldness, impotence, a feeling of helplessness, a fear of other people, neurosis, or anxiety.
In terms of money, this planet can be mixed, favoring good management, bookkeeping, saving, analysis of various situations, organization, and a need for security, and it may make people astute financial managers, building their fortunes, even though their sense of possession is still somewhat uncertain and full of doubt (this may be useful for bankers, debt collectors, bailiffs, tax officials, etc.). But it’s also a vector of austerity, and does not help people to get assistance from others, even from their close friends and family (it leads people to rely only on themselves and not to ask for anything from anyone). On the other hand, in some cases, it’s a good position for renouncing things, accepting deprivation, living a simple life, or even taking a vow of poverty.
Saturn in the 8th House or Scorpio may symbolically mean that we “inherit” our parents’ Saturnian values, or that we get in touch with them through our partner, though these energies are still quite formidable, and may translate into losses, debts, constraints, or a heavy burden. In fact, these people need to be especially wary of their unions and partnerships, as this sector symbolizes the “fruit” of these associations, and a person’s Saturnian problems may be expressed through this pathway.
In terms of health, this planet may favor longevity, though it’s also likely to exacerbate problems with the skeleton, bones, genitals, and intestines.
These people’s relationship with death and the beyond may be very mixed, and depends very much on how strong Pluto is in their chart, as this represents their self-destructive tendencies, and also on their spirituality (see Jupiter and the other transpersonal planets, as well as the analogies that relate to them).
Unfortunately, this position may make people “overly restrained” in all of the different areas mentioned above (which is a tendency that may date back to early childhood). It may also make them greedy, very lonely, and proud in a sometimes misplaced way, and they will have to work on various ways of opening up by seeing the glass half full more often (paying better attention to Jupiter’s optimism), learning to welcome others, and also “giving” others parts of themselves and of their time, even just symbolically. Time is also represented by saturn, and here it may represent work that needs to be done on oneself in terms of patience, which is a quality that may be more frequently called upon with this position.
Wherever Saturn is in our Birth chart, it always takes time for us to be comfortable with that sector and sublimate our fears, and this also applies to all of the areas mentioned above. Reaching an age of maturity may be more advantageous, and people may learn quite a lot from their losses and bereavements, especially if they recognize the benefits of change so that they allow them to occur and go along with them as consciously as possible rather than being a victim of them, rejecting them, and clinging to the past.
Saturn retrograde in the 8th House and Scorpio
Saturn’s Retrograde motion has a tendency to strengthen the planet’s Earth qualities, and thus make this planet more dominant in this position, which has potential implications in terms of crystallization, introversion, and restraint. A person’s Plutonian energies may have more difficulty accomplishing dissolution and transformation, and letting go may be even more difficult.
Saturn’s retrograde motion in a birth chart is of lesser importance than the other dominant features of a birth chart, since it is a social, collective planet, though it is still significant.
It is useful to monitor the evolution of this retrograde motion through Progressions. Changes that occur here may not necessarily give rise to specific, noteworthy events, but they may indicate non-negligible psychological changes in how this planet’s energies are used.
Celebrities with Saturn in 8th House
Martin Luther King, Sigmund Freud, Edith Piaf, Bhagwan Shree Osho Rajneesh, Renée Zellweger, Dwayne Johnson, Gérard Depardieu, Salvador Dalí, Michael Jordan, Michael Douglas, Pope François, Ewan McGregor, Elton John…
Celebrities with Saturn in Scorpio
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Marilyn Monroe, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Fidel Castro, Mark Zuckerberg, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Winehouse, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Marie Curie, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Willis, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth II, Cristiano Ronaldo, John Travolta, Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel…