RESPONSIBLE HEART: Moon/Saturn
Maja Lazić
November 1, 2022RESPONSIBLE HEART: Moon/Saturn
Natal Moon describes roots, family and home. It shows our childhood and relationship with our mother. Moon shows needs, feelings and emotional state. Security is especially emphasized. We are sensitive and vulnerable when it is not there.
Saturn describes tradition and what is our duty, what should be done, what is our obligation representing life structure. Moon has a subjective and irrational quality, while Saturn has a material binding character. Saturn indicates things that must be finished because it is our responsibility.
However, Moon/Saturn aspects have characteristics of limiting emotional experience. Saturn is much more about creating security while disconnected from uncontrollable emotions. Moon is soft and Saturn is harsh. Moon has needs which are based on childhood habits.
What else do Moon/Saturn aspects show?
Saturn expects maturity in order to achieve goals. It considers emotions threatening on that path. Like a baby sleeping peacefully in grandma’s hands, if there is no security, childhood memories can involve neglect and harshness. This is precisely what Soul remembers preventing it from love and health.
Saturn can describe our father, what we are afraid of and which we have impression that we did not receive in sufficient quantity. Saturn will always describe life attitude. Do we see life’s glass as half full or as half empty? It is necessary to pay special attention to natal house, sign, all aspects and ruler position.
Moon/Saturn aspects can show security issues and successful life outcomes when karma is integrated. In challenging dignities of planets or house positions, Moon should be our focus. After that, we can proceed with reconstruction of aspect to Saturn. In this post I will cover some of the more important aspects in natal chart, synastry and transits.
What is the easiest and the most challenging aspect in relationships?
Moon sextile/trine Saturn in synastry is the most flowing aspect characterizing fulfillment of security needs for both persons. We achieve it through emotional life. Our partner achieves it through external success. Aspect depends a lot on natal Moon/Saturn position for each of them. It certainly indicates emotional security in marriage.
Moon inconjunct Saturn in synastry may involve a misunderstanding of emotional needs. There is great difference in maturity between partners. They cannot connect on an intimate level. Our partner blocks penetration into emotional world. We come from different family backgrounds and habits in expressing emotions. That is why aspect is not so easy for most people.
It will not be felt to such an extent in every relationship, though. Their life experiences have no points of contact. Neither side can compromise which disables this connection. Relationship is strained on emotional level. We expect something from our partner which does not make him comfortable. Separation is possible.
Souls are on different developmental paths. Partner cannot satisfy our needs. He is not in that position. That would interfere with his needs and life goals. It is not possible to have a relationship where both feel supported. There are boundaries in interaction. Harsh family relations are possible. We are trying to form a relationship like we had with this person in a past life. Now that will not be possible.
Moon opposition Saturn
Mon opposition Saturn in synastry describes mutual misunderstanding. There is no real connection between them. We can approach relationship responsibly, but partner can see everything on a business level. Or he can expect emotional connection and warmth which we cannot provide.
We are not equal or balanced in giving and receiving In family, this can be painful, especially between child and parents. We must first analyze natal Moon of younger and more emotional person. However, opposition traditionally describes separation and emotional coldness.
Partner denies emotions. He shuts down when we expect him to be there for us. Relationship is accompanied by difficulties, pain and mutual bitterness. However, they found themselves together because they have a lot to learn from each other, if they are flexible and mature enough.
What else does this aspect show?
Unfortunately, aspect can be very painful and sobering which is an integral part of learning important life lessons. Relationship is characterized by strong feelings, faced with partner’s coldness if he is not comfortable with emotions, especially dark ones. If he is emotionally strict or stingy, it is possible that it is limited how much we can open up and satisfy our needs.
Relationship can only be less difficult if we are both responsible. Tension accompanies every moment if duty they have to each other is forgotten. Aspect has a karmic character and is a consequence of their relationship in past lives.
Partner can learn over time to protect fragility of his lover’s heart. Moon can learn how to nurture Saturn’s strict nature. If everyone plays their part, they can overcome anything. But without maturity and awareness there are tears and limitations!
Moon square Saturn
Moon square Saturn in natal chart can show challenges in relationships and marriage. However, issues arise from childhood and the way we tried to satisfy emotional needs. We can attract an emotionally immature person, which burdens us. But we are a burden to ourselves, too.
Conditional behavior does not know how to react when it is easy and beautiful. We know only stress and pain. We think it has to be only our way. Our attitudes and emotional capacity are limited by past. We have been wounded for a long time and have not integrated this for a very long time, too. During life, we encounter fears that we have stored in our aura.
Sometimes they are memories of time when we lived in poverty lacking of basic necessities. Our needs remained unsatisfied with empty hole gaping inside us, which we try to fill with external success. But it’s all in vain…
Relationship with mother can be seen as difficult. We energetically transferred that into other relationships. This happens when we haven’t healed or taken responsibility for ourselves. We had to grow up too soon. However, it seems that we have not matured enough to learn how to meet our needs.
What else does this aspect show?
We feel that we don’t get support and even when people help us, we push them away not accepting it. We are convinced that it will never be the way we want. Emotional emptiness hurtsand is growing bigger, threatening to swallow up life happiness that do exist. We don’t get enough attention and love. Fear threatens to cancel beautiful moments.
If we open ourselves up to spirituality and acquire habit of meditation, we will greatly help ourselves in healing this aspect. We learn not to limit ourselves and avoid being mean to others because they were to us. Although past may have been difficult, we forget that past is over. Now life is looking for a different view of the world.
We overcompensate feelings of inner emptiness through business success, status, money or knowledge. We do not know how to relax and enjoy success, always striving for something else, which makes us forget what we already have. Our seriousness burdens our environment. It seems that everything we do is to gain love, which we do not know how to receive.
We do not notice when it is given to us. Life teaches us to be flexible and break old patterns. It is up to us whether we will accept it as a life goal and path. We don’t believe in simple and easy solutions. We see doom and a harsh fate in everything we are afraid of.
Examples/relationship with parents
Good example for this aspect is religious or health focused fasting. If it turns into self-harm and deprivation, it loses its meaning. We have no inner security, which we try to replace with external security that can never heal our wounds. Complexes we have should help us strive to become aware of them and overcome them. We must not be obstacle to ourselves.
Wealth and reputation are of no use, because emptiness in our heart is getting bigger. However, we often do not feel that we deserve to be happy. Sometimes we punish ourselves for minor and unimportant mistakes. Karmic conditioning keeps us stuck in habits that increasingly dry our emotional tank. There is little trust in life.
Although it is possible that our parents did not teach us how to deal with emotions and take responsibility for feelings, when we grow up, we must not blame others. We must not remain stuck and worried about life, but consciously decide to overcome fears. They are often unconscious and very deep inside us.
How can we work with this aspect?
If we avoid painful emotions, whatever we achieve will make us neither safe nor happy. Saturn’s return is especially important, representing a moment when we have opportunity to change ourselves.
Often change is reflected in career and not at home/family. These patterns are on deep karmic level unavailable for everyone to work with until energy is raised. We need to learn that marriage or work will not bring us happiness. Happiness comes from ourselves and what is in our heart.
When we decide to get out of destructive pattern, we may have a strong fear that everything important to us will be lost. EFT, bodywork and emotional awareness can help us. We should step out of our comfort zone by showing emotions.
And those emotions of love and warmth that we feel, we didn’t get to receive from important people. In this way, we kill part of personality that led us down the path of coldness/darkness limiting our ability to love. Healing allows us to finally feel safe in our own skin.
How does this aspect work in synastry?
Moon square Saturn in synastry can indicate emotional harshness. It is found in marriages and relationships that require a lot of effort, work and commitment in order for relationship to survive. We or our partner might not be ready for that. Emotions are burdening for our partner. He might be emotionally closed off while we are seen as soft and too fragile for his taste.
Partner may judge our expression of feelings and impose rules so that we finally ‘grow up’ to his standards. We consider his behavior childish. Life experience of these people differs. We might have learned to trust ourselves and focus on external success by denying emotions or vice versa.
We don’t understand each other and can’t seem to connect on emotional level. We may feel increasingly uncomfortable as time goes by because our partner ‘places’ limits on our emotional experience. He does not understand our nature and condemns our tears and happiness.
This requires us to react maturely and not emotionally, especially not for every little thing. Partner has a stoic attitude towards life. He does not know how to open up and is afraid of our emotions. We can both learn from each other but are usually not eager to do so.
What else can this aspect show in relationships?
Emotional challenges are common especially if partner does not respond to our emotional needs. But just because he doesn’t react doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel. Those feelings aren’t expressed visibly. Crying will only drive him away and contribute to breakup.
They may realize over time that it is better to part ways. Emotionally there is already distance between them anyway. Partner may criticize destroying beautiful moments of happiness. We have less and less trust which hurts us deeply. Challenges that accompany this aspect are there to teach us to rationalize our feelings when needed.
Partner learns to open up on that level, too. However, longer relationship lasts, more it strains and hurts. This is always a lesson for both parties. We choose each partner choosing even hurt, pain and sadness. This is the lesson to choose differently and overcome issues.
Moon conjunct Saturn
Moon conjunct Saturn in natal chart shows a person who takes emotions very seriously often denying them. It can lead him into depression. We limit our emotional being and inevitably experience suffering as a result. We are focused on work and not on feelings. We have to turn off emotions in order to achieve goals.
However, we have neither self-respect nor confidence to listen to our emotions, considering them a threat to safety. Strict upbringing and high expectations of environment made us feel that we had to be perfect. Very often this is someone who deprives himself of pleasure, living a very disciplined and restrained life.
All that does not have to be negative. Usually we live for work and our Soul suffers. We feel fear and anxiety, being afraid of our feelings. They are truly unknown to us. We know how to solve difficult business tasks, but at home or with those who should understand us, we feel misunderstood. Loneliness makes us physically ill. We are feeling as though we always have to give.
Our life is tiring and difficult because we see it that way. Although we can live a long life, withstanding most difficult life conditions, we carry fear of opening up emotionally for decades. Our attitude towards emotions is strict. We exude coolness that can be dignified in business environment, but painful at home.
What else does this aspect show?
We have learned to keep everything inside us. This can inevitably express as problems with teeth, skin, bones and nutrition. We see obstacles in everything staying in relationships that hurt and make us dissatisfied. We energetically emit harshness and pessimism, but also attract such vibrations. That’s why we can get into relationship with cruel people. We are cruel to ourselves anyway.
We always put duty before emotion and past before future. We limit ourselves emotionally. Usually, during Saturn’s return and at the same time Sade Sati, we get opportunity to break from karmic conditioning. We should learn to enjoy, not avoiding happiness. Sometimes we have problems with arthritis and rheumatism. We are accompanied by emotional fatigue.
It is difficult for us to be in a relationship preferring to be alone. But by being alone, we will never heal this aspect. We can attract older or younger partners to learn different emotional perspective. Although we are inclined towards monogamy and marriage, out of duty we remain with someone how does not treat us nicely. Even though we think this person is our life, he lives us eventually.
Situation serves to make us realize key life problems. We abandoned ourselves when we were a child. Similar to children sitting next to their parents at a birthday party not wanting to play with other children they don’t know. We have closed ourselves off, trusting only in ourselves and what we knew until then. We have no trust in life or people. Sometimes old emotional problems can show during pregnancy and first years of motherhood.
How can we help ourselves?
Emotional control we are prone to serves to protect us, but it robs us of life. Conditions in which we grew up at home with ourr family left a bitter taste. We are looking for security. Emotional experiences in relationship are never one hundred percent safe. External circumstances fail to protect us, but give us opportunity to open up, be honest and responsible towards ourselves.
We are not happy and see family life as a burden. It is not clear to us how we should behave towards them as well. We are not getting results no matter how hard we try. Being rude and cold towards others further encourages karmic flow. We should open up to touch and learn to accept and give tenderness. Breathing exercises and being gentle with yourself as a form of support will help you a lot. Still, we may consider such exercizes a waste of time.
Breaking down walls around our heart will allow contact with Soul when we change our habits and stop being hard on ourselves. Only change here is very slow. It does not happen overnight. Demolition of established emotional structure leaves us vulnerable and exposed. If we are open to being flexible, we can help ourselves a lot. Our habits hurt us limiting and leading to poverty just when we need support the most.
We are learning to connect with our emotions. This can especially be enabled through transiting Moon, if we know how to use this for self-knowledge. Emotional wounds, pain and sadness are not our destiny. These are all lessons that allow us to become stronger living with an open heart. If it hurts, heart should be wide open, otherwise life will pass!
How is this aspect expressed during the transit?
Moon conjunct Saturn during transit allows us to lean on our partner or realize we are doing so and not working on our own pillar of strength. Relationship that will last a lifetime can start at this time. Relationship we are in can cool off or we get serious about it.
Transit is time when we can get married or start a committed relationship if we feel emotionally secure. Serious relationship is not attractive to everyone. Some people marry for money, home or security. Woman is expected to be a wife, taking care of the house, cooking dinner, erc. Everyone knows their role, which is defined during this transit.
Love feels like work not being overly romantic or tender. However, such love lasts and overcomes problems that many other relationships do not survive. Partner may be older than us. He approaches love soberly. During transit, we become more realistic and focused on duties we have towards our partner and love life.
It becomes clear to us what is needed for a good relationship. Love must serve us and during transit we feel that we are growing together. This is a result of emotions being approached responsibly. Although feelings can be blocked and neglected, this is a consequence of putting duty first and forgetting that heart demands attention. We will have to pay attention to the natal chart and the context.
How else can this transit be expressed?
All this may be fine for us, but partner may consider it insufficient, wanting more tenderness in relationship. During transit we should work on relationship, but from inside out. First on ourselves, on our issues to feel and love and then on issues in relationship.
Cold and reserved relationships can last, but we are here learning a lesson of responsibility towards emotions. This is the time called Sade Sati about which I have talked in this post. Here is the link.
How does this aspect show up in synastry?
Moon conjunct Saturn in synastry can have a stimulating and protective character. We feel safe with our partner. He can bring this security through home and money, but not necessarily romantic feelings. When we are materially taken care of, we relax and worry less. Partner feels driven to provide and create shelter for us. This represents typical male/female roles in marriage. Man works and woman takes care of home and family.
This is a common aspect with a large age difference. That difference can represent support for both people. Partner can feel safe in his role over time learning to show feelings in a way that is unique to us.
A lot will be said by position of planets according to house and sign and individual aspects for both of them. This can be a very responsible relationship that contributes to togetherness and longevity.
We feel nourished and loved because our partner provides support for our emotional being. However, if we are not responsible for our own or other people’s emotions, painful lessons can be learned during this relationship.
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