Saturn, planet of responsibility, challenges, limitations, delays, and mastery, in Aries, sign of self, exploration, passion, and pioneering. In its sign of fall, Saturn has to limit his propensity for control to only himself.

Saturn is the furthest planet that we can see with the naked eye. Because it moves so slowly through the zodiac, its effects are more external than internal. Similar to Jupiter, we need interactions with others to truly feel Saturn’s influence. So when that influence is isolated to the individual in Aries, Saturn has difficulty expressing itself in a healthy way. There is a reason that Saturn is exalted in Libra (sign of public dealings and business) and rules Capricorn (sign of career, public appearance, and worldly matters).

Saturn in Aries indicates individuals who have severe restrictions for themselves. They lose the ability to have any weigh in over others; these natives are too busy chastising themselves! This placement indicates a fear of changing or adapting, of having to lose one’s idea of self. Saturn’s binding effect influences the ego here, so these people find it difficult to adjust to new ways of life because they identify strongly with the limitations they set for themselves.

Unlike other Aries placements, Saturn in Aries indicates someone who looks before they leap, cautious, concerned, methodical, and slow acting. They take calculated risks. Truly, people with this placement can be the harshest self-critics and impose the most rigorous rules on themselves. Toward others, they are more lenient, and they can even be jealous of their seemingly care-free and enjoyable lives. This can lead to a melancholic, serious attitude that lends an ominous presence. Saturn in Aries is the very definition of “resting bitch face.”

The real danger for people with natal Saturn in Aries is a tendency to remain the same throughout most of life. Because these natives start holding themselves accountable early in life, rarely do they get to experience the naïve joy of Aries, the fresh spring air, the green grass beginning to grow. They deny themselves the joy of just experiencing and making mistakes while young. Everything for them is about order and a strict mode of behavior. But how can you confidently risk everything and become a pioneer when you are constantly challenging and limiting yourself every step you take? On top of that, these people take no days off critiquing themselves, and they can easily feel guilty and ashamed for a few seconds of cooling off in the breeze.

Worst of all, these feelings, imaginary guidelines, and regulations are all self-imposed. The warden of the prison is himself the only prisoner. Saturn, however, works best when he has something else other than himself to control. Hence why Aries is Saturn’s worst sign. The fear Saturn brings slows these natives down, as they become afraid to take chances, afraid of getting started on new projects, and afraid of being the first to accomplish. While not necessarily procrastination, the fear is damning nonetheless.

Another setback from this placement involves problems with leaders and with taking leadership positions. Natives with Saturn in Aries may feel that they are weak, which is why they impose such harsh guidelines for themselves in the first place. They may view other leaders as obstacles in their own way of self-mastery; they may view themselves as incapable of leading others since they cannot even lead themselves properly (although they internally force this view). Perhaps those leaders are not as cruel to them as these natives can be to themselves.

Since Saturn symbolizes the father, perhaps the father figure may have been confrontational in some manner. He may be the very reason these natives have such exacting demands of themselves. He may have been a pioneer in some sense, and his self-discipline could have inspired the native to self-regulate. It is also possible that some authority figure, either in school or from the government, was also as demanding and strict with the native in youth. With Saturn in Aries, these natives tend to internalize that behavior and begin to demand more of themselves until it becomes second nature.

Regardless, there is always a positive/desirable side to any placement in astrology. Saturn in Aries indicates self-mastery and discipline on an expert level. Typically success won’t be achieved until after the Saturn return at 28-30 years of age, but once these people do find their niche in the world, they will have an unshakable base of confidence in themselves to accomplish any goal. They will be powerful leaders who lead by example, given that no one will have ever subjected them to a more demanding set of laws than they have themselves.

As Saturn also represents teaching and sharing knowledge, these natives can go on to share with others methods for self mastery. Profit can be made from self-help courses from the best self-helpers in the zodiac. If you have natal Saturn in Aries, chances are you have driven yourself to the brink of insanity trying to delete some of your worst habits, and the chances are just as high that you succeeded. There are plenty of people who would pay great amounts of money for a tried-and-true method to eliminate wasteful habits. However, you may have to experience the hardships in your own experience before you can start writing books.

Such is the paradox of Saturn, that often what we fear the most is what we actually have the greatest potential to master. If people with natal Saturn in Aries can overcome the obstacles to understanding and mastering themselves in the early half of life, they can become walking expositions of self-control and true mastery of the ego.

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