Saturn in Cancer: Nurturing, Intuitive, and Protective

Jul 13, 2032 – Aug 26, 2034

Saturn is an austere planet, embodying the father archetype. Cancer is an emotional sign, embodying the mother archetype. Traditionally, Saturn in Cancer has been considered a difficult placement. Saturn rules Cancer's opposite sign, Capricorn, where its practical, earthy nature is very much at home.

Saturn is an austere planet, embodying the father archetype. Cancer is an emotional sign, embodying the mother archetype. Traditionally, Saturn in Cancer has been considered a difficult placement. Saturn rules Cancer’s opposite sign, Capricorn, where its practical, earthy nature is very much at home.

Saturn’s desire for order and structure is challenged in the Cardinal Water sign of Cancer. Emotions must flow in this sign, but Saturn prefers dry control to wet uncertainty. The challenge of Saturn in Cancer is to respect emotions without blocking them or allowing them to spill into every area of life.

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When Saturn is in Cancer

Saturn’s transit through Cancer is a time when there’s an emphasis on our family unit and the role we play in it. Building a home, settling down with a partner, or even having children could be things that become more important to us. As a result, our desire to belong and create deeper connections are stronger than ever.

We could take this notion of togetherness a bit too far, though, possibly becoming more defensive and territorial than usual. Nationalism, tribalism, and ethnocentrism may run amok during this transit. We must be careful not to be so concerned with our group that we end up confining ourselves within its limits. The need to shelter what’s ours is evident, but should not come at the cost of suffocating ourselves in duct-taped rooms.

Ideally, Cancer teaches Saturn to feel, which produces more flexible structures. Healthy growth requires movement of the psyche, the body, and the group. An appreciation of the past (Cancer loves history) is purposeful when it is balanced with a view toward the future. Fixing ourselves in old models of reality are likely to bring Saturn’s negative qualities to the foreground, while building bridges between yesterday and tomorrow nurtures all of humanity.

We may not be willing to wear our hearts on our sleeves when Saturn is in Cancer. Saturn prefers to be restrained, while Cancer wants to protect its feelings. This is a time when we’ll all be a little bit more guarded, protecting the emotions that hide behind the Crab-like shells that Saturn in Cancer gives us.

Saturn Retrograde in Cancer

When Saturn begins its backward movement through the cosmos, we’re being asked to slow down and reassess the situations in our lives and the choices that got us there. When Saturn goes through its retrograde cycle in this Cancer, questions of security may arise. Do we have healthy boundaries with others? Do we feel safe and cared for at home? Is our relationship with our family beneficial or to our detriment?

Saturn Retrograde in Cancer may also be a time when we revisit the ghosts of our pasts in an effort to heal old emotional wounds. Saturn knows that we’re bound to repeat the same mistakes if we don’t reconcile and learn from our experiences, so this retrograde period could be a time of profound healing -- if we let it.

If you were born with Saturn in Cancer

You are as caring as they come! Your natal Saturn in Cancer means you feel responsible for taking care of your friends and loved ones. Your focus on helping others could mean you gravitate toward careers in nursing, real estate, the culinary arts, or mental health.

Having your Saturn in Cancer means domestic matters are extremely important to you. You’re the kind of person who loves to make a house a home by hosting dinner parties, cooking for your partner, and creating a warm and welcoming space. For you, security and happiness come from having a tight-knit family unit.

You keep things pretty close to the vest. As someone with a natal Saturn in Cancer, you were probably taught to be responsible ... and most likely taught not to show weakness. As a result, you protect your emotions inside your Crab shell, making it difficult for you to open up and let in others. This could lead to bouts of depression if you don’t express how you feel. Saturn doesn’t want you to withhold your feelings -- he simply wants you to be selective about who you share them with.

Having your Saturn in Cancer means you are able to make the best of difficult situations. Sometimes it may have felt like you were pushing a huge boulder uphill -- but these struggles were both Saturn’s blessings and his curses. These obstacles were really opportunities in disguise, and if you are able to pass the test, you will end up stronger and more resilient because of them.