Reflecting on Saturn in Pisces and its influence on tarot and more

On Tuesday, March 7, Saturn entered the sign of Pisces for the first time since the mid-`90s: The planet of structure and limitation last swam through Pisces’ oceans from 1993 – 1996.

In pop astrology, it’s common to hear negative takes on Saturn’s influence. People dread their Saturn returns and worry that whatever area of life Saturn is touching upon will become a desiccated husk.

On one hand, it’s understandable as to why some might assume Saturn leads to worst-case scenarios. It is symbolized by the scythe, an instrument that cuts.

Saturn reminds that we reap what we’ve sown. It can be a time of great reward, but it can also be a time when we must address any sickly crops in our lives.

Are you tending to something that needs a different kind of nourishment? Are there weeds in your garden that are running wild?

Saturn helps you take control. It shows you where you can make choices to make deeper commitments, tie up loose ends, and build a proper foundation in an area of your life that may need extra care and attention.

Saturn in Pisces has the potential to spiritualize your path. You may find new meaning and purpose in places you didn’t expect before. You may find new inspiration that helps you to construct a life that feels more aligned with your divinity, or guided by a higher purpose.

At the same time, Saturn in Pisces can also bring you back down to earth if you’ve been using spirituality as an escape from reality.

Since Neptune entered Pisces in 2011, we’ve seen an explosion of popularity around tarot, astrology, witchcraft and other spiritual practices. But alongside that boom has been the rise of social media, which has made it easier for people to access alternative spiritual practices, but it’s also made it more difficult to do so with discernment.

There is a tension between deep spiritual practice and the culture of instant gratification that social media feeds into. Arts like tarot and astrology have become increasingly trendy, but newcomers to these practices can often end up confused by what they see online.

From the outside looking in, divination, magic, and devotion can all seem easy to do. But what social media doesn’t show is the work that goes on behind the scenes: The years of study, the slow learning, the ongoing commitment required to master a craft, and the ethics and boundaries required.

Social media has made many complex spiritual practices seem easy.

Under the influence of Saturn in Pisces, some may come to realize that there is much more under the surface, and much more to learn, than what they've been seeing in 30-second soundbites. Some may also start (at least I hope) to become more discerning in who and what influences their spiritual paths. Algorithms and viral posts are not necessarily markers of quality information.

Online, it’s easy to be misled, and that can get dangerous in an industry that is already unregulated and rife with escapism and self-styled gurus. Saturn in Pisces will push for more rigour and discretion in a realm that often wants to live off of feelings alone.

With Saturn entering Pisces, I also expect we'll see some dampening to the current trendiness of tarot, astrology and witchcraft as people start to see the limitations of these tools. New Age practices have often been fertile ground for escapism and avoidance.

They are also often used for explaining away bad behaviour, rather than learning to take responsibility for one’s actions and commit to changing when and if needed.

True growth doesn’t happen through consuming content. It happens through self-awareness and newly directed actions.

Saturn in Pisces has the potential to teach us that, while divination and magic can be life-changing, they are not the only influences over one's life.

Some who have sought to escape reality here may find themselves coming back down to Earth and learning how to strike the right balance between intuition and logic, structure and inspiration.

Here are some questions you might want to take with you now that Saturn is in Pisces:

• How do I want to deepen my spiritual path?
• Who and what am I allowing myself to be influenced by?
• Where in my life do I need spiritual nourishment?

Until next time, 

Liz