Saturn in Aries; Breaking the Mold, Healing the Father Wound & Building Your True Self

My relationship with my father has always been complicated.

Since my father passed away a couple of years ago, he's been living more in my heart and psyche than ever before. Especially now, as Saturn completes it’s passage through Pisces and embarks on its journey through Aries in my 10th House.

I find myself often reflecting deeply on his impact—on my childhood, my sense of self-worth, and how I express myself in the world. My father was a Gemini and his birthday often fell right around or on Father’s Day. So this time of year has become an extra sensitive time of remembering, reflecting, and releasing.

I was a child of divorce, infidelity, and emotional abandonment. My father was in and out of our lives, both physically and emotionally throughout my childhood and life. And yet I longed for his love, his approval, his acknowledgment. I tried everything in my power to earn it—to be seen, heard, valued. And sometimes, it almost felt like I got there. But never quite.

There were some beautiful moments along the way, and even some progress in later years that made for meaningful memories I will always cherish, but the wound was always there. It ran deep.

What changed everything for me, and helped me improve my relationship with him to create those special moments, was discovering his astrology chart.

What jumped out at first was that he had zero planets in water in his natal chart. That blew me open immediately. I laughed and cried at the same time. It made so much sense. He wasn’t emotionally wired for the kind of connection I craved. Sad? Absolutely. But also liberating. Because I could finally stop taking it personally. I could stop measuring my value based on someone else’s emotional capacity—or lack thereof.

✦ Sun, Saturn, The Father Archetype & Wound
In astrology, the Sun and Saturn are traditionally associated with the father. The Sun symbolizes the vital life force, identity, self-expression and often the father figure—especially in its yang expression. Saturn governs responsibility, structure, expectations, limitations, and often represents the father as an authority figure—or the absence of one.

Saturn as the Father Archetype is not just about the literal father, but the imprint of fathering: how we were disciplined, how boundaries were modeled, how structure and responsibility were introduced, and how love (or approval) may have been conditional. Saturn speaks to how we internalize authority, deal with fear, and define our self-worth.

In many cases, it also reveals how we didn’t get what we needed.

✦Wound to Wisdom with Astrology
One of the most illuminating tools we have in astrology for personal growth is the ability to examine the natal charts of our parents. While not everyone has access to their parents’ birth details, even looking at our own chart can reveal profound insights into the archetype and experience of “Father.”

When I looked at my chart--Aquarius Sun, Saturn in Taurus, Cancer Rising, with Libra Moon/Pluto in the 4th —and compared it to my father's (Gemini confluence of Sun/Moon/Mercury/Venus/Saturn/Uranus, Virgo Rising, and the absence of water placements) it gave me incredible clarity.

Our air sign synastry helped us connect intellectually even though emotional closeness was always elusive. And I learned that what I perceived as rejection or lack of care was actually a reflection of his own emotional limitations—not my worth.

So I used Air to help me begin to heal the dynamic between us. I leaned into the things we could talk about—the world, big ideas, philosophy. As a heavy Gemini he loved to talk, and I loved to listen and learn. And every good astrologer knows, you can learn a lot more about how a person’s chart expresses by listening more than talking.

Through conversation, I got to know his beliefs, his dreams, his wounds, and the ways he had worked to break free of his father’s mold. It didn’t give me back the closeness I once craved, but it gave me something else: understanding.

My Saturn in Taurus journey has been about building my own value—not through anyone else’s approval, but through deep inner work. My father appeared to chased success and worldly achievement as a way to prove himself. And I’ve been learning, over time, to stop chasing value externally and start claiming it from within.

Through this awareness and new perspective I began to see clearly the ways my relationship with him had shaped how I saw myself. It also allowed me to majorly improve our relationship over time which I truly believe would not have happened without the wisdom of astrology.

✦ The Cosmic Closure & New Connection
My family, father and I shared one last beautiful dinner in Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2022—over six hours of stories, laughter, and something close to connection. I didn’t know it would be the last time I’d see him and he would be gone nine months later.

That night, we talked about astrology. I shared how much it had helped me over the years—especially in understanding him. I told him I had let go of any resentment long ago and that I only ever wanted to inspire him to see me more clearly. He was intrigued, even curious, but ultimately couldn’t see the value. He just chalked it up to me being highly intelligent, which was nice—but not quite what I had hoped for. Still, something about having that conversation, on what would be our final evening together, felt divinely timed. Like closure in its own quiet way.

Forgiveness is a big part of this work. And if it’s true that our charts are our chosen soul contracts, then our fathers play their roles for each of us—flawed, human, and yet deeply instrumental to our growth. As I continued to reflect, I could also see more clearly how my father had been navigating his own father wound. That recognition softened everything. It allowed compassion to take root where old grief once lived.

But even after his passing, the healing didn’t stop. It deepened.

As Saturn moved through Pisces, I was called to reconnect with my father—but this time, spiritually. I leaned into the archetypal and energetic imprint of him through astrology, dreams, memory and mediumship. In a moment of trust and longing, I connected with a trusted medium and my father came through.

He had messages. He sent the sentiments I'd always longed to feel in his presence. As I had hoped he understood me now in a way he never could in life. I always say: he now has all the answers of the Universe, and from that vantage point, he sees me. It’s bittersweet, yes. But also healing. Because some part of me finally felt witnessed. Acknowledged. And loved.

✦ An Inspired New Direction: Saturn in Aries
After this experience of loss, awakening and liberation for myself I began to study Saturn more deeply—as the Father Archetype—and all the ways it shows up in the natal chart to shape our sense of responsibility, inner authority, self-worth and self-definition.

Saturn in the natal chart often reveals the rules we were taught, the responsibilities we carried too young, and the ways we internalize authority. When Saturn is hard-aspected or in certain signs or houses, it can speak volumes about the Father Wound—especially when the relationship was marked by distance, discipline without warmth, emotional neglect, or impossible expectations.

And that’s where Saturn’s medicine comes in.

Saturn in Aries, where it is now, is a call to break the mold. To do the work of discovering who you truly are, stepping more fully into your Sun and to live from that place—with courage, with clarity, with confidence. Aries is raw instinct. It’s the child who says, "This is me!" without shame. But Saturn here makes us work for it. It shows us all the reasons we’ve felt blocked, small, scared, or silenced.

And it also shows us how to change that.

This journey isn’t just personal—it’s collective. I believe many of us are carrying Father Wounds in one form or another. Maybe your father was absent, angry, withholding, inconsistent, or even wonderful but still human and flawed. The point isn’t to place blame—it’s to become conscious. To name the stories. To take back the pen.

✦ Where to Begin:
If you’re resonating with this, I encourage you to begin with your own chart.
Look to your Saturn sign and house placement. Ask yourself:

• What kind of fathering did I receive?
• What beliefs about success, value, or authority did I internalize from this?
• What parts of me still feel unseen or unworthy?
• And how might Saturn be showing me not just the wound — but the wisdom?

Your Saturn offers a blueprint for healing. A chance to break the mold, rewrite the story, and build your life from a place of wholeness.

This exploration has truly shifted my sense of Self and life direction toward a passion for continuing to break my own mold and I'd love to help you break yours too.

✦ Want Support?
I've created a new 1:1 astrology consultation called:
“Break the Mold, Build Your Self: Father Wound to Wisdom Astrology Session”

In this personalized session, I’ll walk you through my 6-step discovery framework and help you connect the dots between your Saturn placement, father archetype imprint, and what it’s asking you to reclaim for your personal power, purpose, and peace.

​Listen to a special podcast episode to hear more about my personal journey with this work and a live example mini session here: Working with Saturn in Aries: the Father Archetype, Wound & Path to Your Highest Self

This isn’t just about healing the past — it’s about building your future from a stronger foundation of self-worth.

✨ You don’t have to carry the burden of that old story anymore. You’re allowed to become someone new.

Let Saturn show you how.
With love and cosmic support,
Dominique