As the planet most linked to karma, it’s not surprising that Saturn has earned a reputation for itself as the bringer of doom and gloom. But despite its bad press, in relationships it serves as a down-to-earth and helpfully stabilizing influence: Saturn provides the glue that holds people together throughout the years, during the tough times as well as the good.

 

In mythology Saturn, also called Chronos (from which we have the word ‘chronological’), was known as the Father of Time. Astrologically too, its effects are felt mainly over the long term, and the rewards it offers are attainable only through patience and hard work.

 

Relationships linked to Saturn – for example, those where this planet is strongly placed in a chart comparison – are the ones that tend to begin quietly and develop slowly over a period of time. Love doesn’t always have to start with rockets firing and a big razzmatazz – it can also grow out of friendship, which gradually turns into something much deeper.

Withstanding the Test of Time

Not quite so exciting, perhaps, as the kind of love that happens at first sight and suddenly explodes in your heart. But the slower, feet-on-the-ground kind of falling in love has a lot to offer too. For one thing, it’s far less likely to burn itself out prematurely and – when Saturn is well placed – it has a much better chance of withstanding the tough test of time.

The older we get, the more easily we can relate to, and make use of, Saturn’s strongly grounding vibrational field. In fact it’s usually not until we turn thirty – the time of our ‘Saturn Return’ when the planet returns once again to its natal position – that we’re fully attuned to its energy and best able to take advantage of its help. 

For this reason, relationships that are associated with Saturn are more likely to get going later in life – a time when our expectations of love tend to be more realistic, we’re often more interested in settling down, and when security and commitment are generally of equal – or even greater – importance to us than sex and romance.


Love of the Pragmatic Kind

Not for Saturn, the instant gratification of the one-night stand – this planet doesn’t believe in rushing into things, its actions are carefully planned and considered, and their long-term consequences are always kept in mind. It takes relationships seriously, generally preferring some kind of formal contract where the rights and obligations of both parties are clearly defined and understood. 

A good example of Saturn’s highly pragmatic approach to love is the arranged marriage – common in Asian cultures – where a couple are matched by their families on the basis of social and economic considerations. 

Although they may not be ‘in love’ at the outset, many such couples appear to be happier in the long run than those for whom sex is the biggest initial pull. Maybe because, linked by ties that go beyond mere physical attraction, over time they develop a deep and genuine love for each other, born of their mutual commitment and the effort they put into making their relationship work.


Saturn - The Planet of Karma

Invariably, with a strong Saturn link between any two people’s charts, you will find some deep-seated sense of duty which isn’t easy to explain. Often there’s an awareness of owing something to the other person – although we rarely know what or why – or even of a past-life debt that needs to be repaid. 

In difficult karmic situations, this overwhelming feeling of responsibility can become increasingly burdensome as time goes by – the problem being that, however bad the relationship tends to get, a resistance to giving up on it keeps us soldiering on regardless, rather than accept that it has failed.

It’s a different story entirely, though, when Saturn is well aspected in a relationship. Then a common sense of purpose and ambition can lead to some impressive practical achievements and enviable material success. So if you’re not much of a starry-eyed romantic, and what you’re really looking for is a relationship to help you get on in life, look no further – all you need is Saturn on your side.