Saturn Is Back In Aquarius After 26 Years — & Bringing Change Along With It

Saturn, the planet of challenge, authority, and responsibility, is heading into the revolutionary sign of Aquarius this month. The ringed planet had a brief stint in Aquarius earlier this year from March 21 to July 1. Now, it's heading back into the sign of the water bearer from December 17 until March 7, 2023, which means things are about to change.

Saturn is the taskmaster planet of the solar system, explains Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com. It often pushes us in order to enact meaningful change. "It’s like the old sage whose teachings are sometimes dreaded, but that are so necessary for our growth and our life structure," she says. "As he moves into Aquarius, however, his presence is expected to be a little lighter because he departs from the traditional and cold ways from Capricorn towards a much lighter and future-forward influence."

The last time Saturn was in technological Aquarius was back in 1994, which was around the time the world wide web was invented and started to really take off, Montúfar says. "From that moment on, humanity has made a lot of technological advancements, so astrologers are expecting this next 27-year cycle that’s about to begin to be even more meaningful when it comes to technology, medicine, and innovation in general," she explains. "The Aquarian energy is also humanistic and socialist, so this transit means that activism is here to stay."

Saturn's quick dip into Aquarius earlier this year — at the height of the social justice movement this summer when protesters marched for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police brutality — might have given us a preview of what's to come for the next two and a half years. Namely, meaningful action and activism that helps to enact the change we need in the world. But this can only happen if we actually take action, says astrologer Lisa Stardust.

"During this time, we can expect progressive changes to transform our worlds — but, only if we are ready to do the work and evolve with this astrological transit," she says. "Saturn is a planet that rewards those who put in the effort, which means that we’ll receive the short end of the karmic stick if we don’t put in the work. If we do and implement growth in our lives, then we’ll receive gifts from the universe that will better our lives."

If you're passionate about social justice, Black Lives Matter, climate change, and other pressing human rights issues, then this is the transit you need to kick yourself into overdrive and get things done. Take advantage of this energy for the next two and a half years to fight for what really matters. Donate money. Protest. Make sure your voice is heard. If there's anything we learned from Saturn's previous dive into Aquarius, it's that we're stronger together, and we can make things happen if we work together for the greater good.

Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com, points out that Aquarius rules the 11^th house, which represents the collective and groups. "During this Saturn period we will all be working to find our own place within the collective and with Saturn in this sign, the collective will make their voices heard," she explains. "This Saturn cycle will bring more structure in the way we deal with the pandemic, among other things." Along with this revolutionary push, we'll also see some advancements in technology, Hale explains, which may be pointing to our distribution of Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine.

"Aquarius is connected to cutting edge technologies and ideas, air and spacecraft, internet, electronic and medical technologies, science and academics, and allegiance to a religion or idea," she explains. "These are some of the changes we will see as Saturn moves through Aquarius."

If there's one thing to take away from this transit, it's all about radical change — in our world and in our personal lives. But no meaningful change can happen without actions to back it up. So prepare yourselves for Saturn's journey into Aquarius, and hold yourself accountable — that's the only way we'll be able to continue fighting for a better world.