Mercury conjunct square opposition Saturn: Necessary Control of Thoughts

Saturn in hard aspect with your inner planet almost always represents a major growth theme in your life. Whereas a soft aspect from Saturn may suggest a sense of assumed reality (“this is the way things are, they always have been”), a hard aspect can feel like an ultimatum to ‘grow or suffer.’

If Saturn conjoins, squares or opposes Mercury in your natal chart, a major challenge – and thus, an opportunity – in your life includes mastering the process of formulating and expressing your thoughts.

Mastery implies acquiring necessary control – for those with natal Mercury-Saturn aspects, there are several important areas where this kind of control and mastery is essential:

1) Controlling Depressive Tendencies

Mercury conjunct, square or opposite Saturn frequently suggests a serious turn of mind and, if mixed with stressful or traumatic early home circumstance, it could even escalate into a tendency for a chronically depressed outlook.

To save the mind from being crushed by the weight of harsh reality, it may be necessary to pay attention to your thoughts when they are being overly (dare we say, unrealistically) negative or despairing. You may even need to resort to listing all of your assets starting from your health, if only to prove things are never as bad as it seems.

2) Gaining a Deep Understanding of Your Chosen Field

In some cases (Albert Einstein comes to mind), Mercury Saturn individuals are somehow thought to be “slow” or not as bright as others when they are young. This may just be an indication of a deep thinker that needs to understand things more thoroughly.

Instead of feeling handicapped intellectually, you might need to buckle down and really work on understanding your chosen subject. Then, you might be able to express your understanding with a level of skill and mastery that may surprise others, regardless of your chosen field of work: writing, sports, acting or business.

3) Realizing & Giving Substance to Your Ideas

Whether it’s creating a piece of orchestral music, a 1500 page trilogy or an engineering masterpiece, Mercury-Saturn people have the potential to excel at handling complex ideas and giving them substance.

Giving form to your ideas might feel threatening at first, especially if you’re afraid of failure or criticism. By doing so, however, you also gain the precious opportunity to test, improve and ultimately perfect your ideas in the real world.

Summary: Mercury Saturn Aspects and Necessary Control of Thoughts

Whether your goal in life is to form supportive relationships or to create a successful business, Saturn represents necessary controls that you must acquire in order to realize your aims and ambition.

Like all Saturn aspects, Mercury Saturn conjunction, square or opposition suggests strong potential for growth and achievement – in this case, through the development of your ideas, perception and intellectual expression.

Do you have a natal Mercury Saturn aspect? How do you experience it in your life? Feel free to share your experience and insights in the comment section.

Photo: Magnus Johansson

Hot and Cold: The Archetype of Mars Saturn Aspect

Mars is your inner warrior. If you have a healthy Mars, you’re able to assert yourself in relationships, speak up in order to persuade others, and take action to achieve your goals.

Saturn (when developed) acts as your inner “wise old man.” At other times, Saturn is your inner giant that swallows your creativity and positive motivation (recall the myth of Cronus eating his children.) In early life, Saturn most often represents the father.

Mars and Saturn do not always get along, because Mars is hot and Saturn is cold (in a psychological sense).  When you have these two planets in hard aspect (conjunction, square or opposition), you’ll most likely experience challenges in integrating both energies successfully.  In this article, we’ll explore the dark side of Mars Saturn aspects (especially conjunction, square or opposition) and then look at ways to unlock their constructive expression.

Mars conjunct square opposition Saturn: The Father Wound

The Shadow Side of Masculinity

Unless your natal Mars or Saturn happens to be well placed (in Capricorn, for example), hard aspects between them tend to be experienced in their shadow form, at least in the beginning.

In their shadow form, Saturn suppresses Mars, and Mars wounds Saturn.  As a result, Mars conjunct, square or opposition Saturn could be experienced as negative expressions of masculine principle. In early life, this tends to manifest as father wounds.

What’s a father wound?

As a young child, your father was the model of masculine authority – he was possibly the highest authority in your world.  If your emotional bond with your father was strong and supportive, you were able to grow with confidence in your ability to assert yourself and assume responsibility in the world.

If your father was emotionally absent, excessively angry or irresponsible, you may have grown up with a father wound that resulted in underdeveloped masculinity (regardless of your gender.)  Until you get to the root of the father wound, you may feel a sense of weakness or even futility when trying to assert yourself or to accomplish your goals in the world.

What people do when they feel weak…

Is they overcompensate and try to act strong.  Mars-Saturn aspects’ reputation for ruthless, controlling and even brutal behaviors could actually be originating from a deep feeling of powerlessness.  Such dominant behaviors are usually a repeat of the father’s pattern (who in turn may have been overcompensating for his own sense of powerlessness.)

What doesn’t go out, must go in

The alternative manifestation of Mars conjunct, square or opposition Saturn is “suppressed anger.”  If expressing anger against your father was not safe, then you may have had to hold the anger inside, learning not to assert yourself while seething with resentment on the inside.

It’s easy to imagine how either of the above patterns could create problems in later life.

Working Toward Resolution: Healing the Father Wound

These shadow manifestations are indeed challenging, and quite common among people with a highly stressed or retrograde Saturn.  With Saturn Mars aspect in particular, there seems to be difficulty with the emotions of anger as well as constructive self-assertion.

While there are no quick fixes, recognizing the father wound and accepting its pain is certainly the beginning of healing.  By separating from the dysfunctional patterns modeled by your father, you’ll be able to choose a different, wiser application of your energy.

Now we’ll look at more positive expressions of Mars Saturn aspects.

Mars conjunct square opposition Saturn: Constructive Paths

Wisdom guides Force

In a constructive scenario, Saturn sets a positive direction for Mars, and Mars acts to realize Saturn’s long range goals.

Necessary Control of Anger

From experience, you learn how to work with anger in relationships.  You’ve learned that dominating or controlling others do not work, and neither did suppressing anger.

What you’ve learned is a middle path – a conscious restraint of the anger that you fully feel.  This is zen territory, and monks talk about it.  One book I highly recommend in this regard is Robert Bly’s A little book on the human shadow, where the poet discusses this very process.

Ambition and Effort

 Once Mars’ energy is released from suppression and resentment, Mars-Saturn combination acquires clarity of purpose and disciplined, patient action.  In short, they tend to become unstoppable, especially if aided by boosters such as Jupiter or Pluto.

Noel Tyl uses phrases like “Resourcefulness” and “Indomitable Will” to describe Mars Saturn aspect.  Once the emotional stoppage is removed, your doors to achievements open.  You can direct this energy in any arena – physical, intellectual, spiritual or organizational.

Recap: Mars Saturn Aspect Interpretation – Shadow vs Wisdom

To recap the discussion of Mars Saturn conjunction, square or opposition, we’ll consider each aspect separately and explore their shadow side vs conscious expression.  Note that, although some subtle differences exist based on the type of aspect, many qualities will be interchangeable between all 3 aspects.

Mars Conjunct Saturn

Core Theme: Identification with father’s values. Focused energy.

Shadow Manifestation: If your father held negative views about you and/or himself, you might have accepted the limiting perception about yourself as truth.  As a result, you may be repeating much of the disempowering, frustrated patterns your father exhibited.

Conscious Expression: Once you’re able to separate from your identification with your father’s destructive patterns (or, if you are able to identify with his positive patterns), you’ll gain a stronger sense of self, able to achieve new heights in life through focused effort.

Mars Square Saturn

Core Theme: Tension and Development.

Shadow Manifestation:  Your father may have displayed much of the negative masculine traits discussed in this article.  As a result you might repeat the pattern of dominance and overcompensation, or let your frustration and resentment implode within.

Conscious Expression: Once you begin healing the father wounds and let go of stored resentment, there will be considerable energy available for long term development.  This aspect suggests indomitable will.

Mars Opposition Saturn

Core Theme: Awareness and Projection.

Shadow Manifestation:  You project a lot of the negative masculine quality in others – especially your boss (authority figure) or your spouse.  As a result you keep blaming others for your frustration in life, feeling powerless.

Conscious Expression: Once you are able to withdraw the projection of angry, dominant behaviors from others, you recognize these qualities inside of you and can integrate them.  Afterwards you act with conscious awareness of the power of anger within, no longer a victim.  You learn to assert yourself successfully, with patience and wisdom.

Do you have Mars Saturn aspect?  How do you experience it?

Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

Photo: Jim Sneddon

Moon Saturn conjunction, square or opposition

Saturn represents time, structure, necessary control and authority figures.  Moon represents our core emotional needs.

Natal or transit Saturn conjunct, square or opposite Moon is a deeply felt aspect that, over time, provides opportunity for emotional enrichment and growth (those with Saturn sextile or trine Moon may experience similar processes of growth we’ll cover in this article, but perhaps less intensely.)

In this article we’ll discuss some of the common phases of emotional growth associated with Saturn Moon hard aspect.  First we’ll discuss the natal Saturn-Moon aspect, and then transit Saturn in hard aspect (conjunction, square or opposition) with the natal Moon.

Natal Moon-Saturn Aspects:Phases of Emotional Growth

Phase #1: Suppressed Emotional Needs

Moon’s primary symbolism has to do with home, mothering and emotional nourishment.  Saturn in hard aspect with the Moon can suppress Moon’s natural need for nurturing.

If you have natal Moon-Saturn conjunction, square or opposition, you may have grown up in a home where there weren’t a lot of affectionate interactions between family members.

Another possibility is that parental approval and affection were heavily mixed with Saturnian element of work and responsibility.  As a result, you may have grown up too early, learning to act like an adult before you were able to get your basic emotional needs met.

Moon signs matter

Although such pattern can be present in any child born with Saturn-Moon aspect, your Moon sign could alter the experience somewhat.  Those with Moon in Earth or Air signs may feel more comfortable having Saturn conjunction, square or opposition Moon, since they tend to have more aptitude for emotional detachment compared to people with Fire or Water sign Moons.

Phase #2: Father Relationship affecting Later Emotional Patterns

Saturn represents authority figures, specifically the father in early home environment. With Saturn conjunct Moon there could be deep identification with the father’s emotional values, perhaps too much so.

Saturn square or opposite Moon may suggest a more tense relationship, wherein the father unconsciously squashed your Moon’s need complex through his actions.  Example: For those with natal Moon in Aries, Leo or Sagittarius, Saturn square or opposite Moon might suggest a relationship with the father where he didn’t make you feel important enough to matter, either through criticism or neglect.

A developmental tension between Saturn and Moon also suggest a formative influence, which is to say your childhood dynamic with the father shaped your emotional patterns that continue into adulthood.

Moon-Saturn father relationship enacted in marriage

In a woman’s horoscope, a difficult relationship with the father during formative years as suggested by Saturn conjunct, square or opposite Moon could become a recurrent theme in later relationship (especially marriage), often played out through her husband.  Marriage then becomes a fertile ground for conscious reworking of your emotional patterns.

#3: Acquiring Guidance & Long Term Goals

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