The Astrology of Normal People + Venus Saturn
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and whilst I’m only 8 episodes into Normal People I can already hear the alarm bells of Saturn.
I checked out the charts of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones because usually there will be a match between the character they are playing and the chart of the actor. (They were cast for a reason.) I watched Daisy in Cold Feet where she was the brainy twin, I’m going to guess she was born just before 5am as that fits my agenda. If anyone manages to find out the time I’ll talk it through further.
The Astrology
Either way, she was born with Venus conjunct Saturn.
Ahoy there so was Paul; Venus conjunct Saturn.
I didn’t know that, I’ve just looked them up on the spot as I write this article. I didn’t need to see the charts to know that - because I’ve seen 8 episodes of the show and I know enough about having a Saturn Venus, it takes one to know one.
Venus (topical) as she is about to go retrograde, conjunct Saturn. The bringer of pain, restriction, doubt, denial, hard work (and great bone structure and good teeth.)
Without beating around the bush - Venus is what we love and attract. Saturn next to Venus brings insecurities, a constant feeling of not being enough, of needing to work hard, to be better, to achieve things in order to feel attractive and desirable. Someone who doesn’t put themselves first, who doesn’t charge what they are worth; humility.
We all have a Saturn placement and for all of us it accurately describes where we feel lacking. Where we have insecurities and triggers. But these sore points are the things that demand enough attention, enough soothing and consideration that eventually we address the thorn in our side and embrace these things that trigger us.
So we all have a Saturn by sign (sign of the zodiac) in a particular house (depending on the time of day you were born) and maybe in aspect to (next to or opposite in the sky) to another planet.
Normal People
What was obvious to me in Normal People is that the protagonists have a Saturn in aspect to their Sun, Moon, Venus or Mars…. because if they didn’t, Connell would’ve just said;
YO BABE! I’ve lost my job can I stay at yours for the summer?
But Saturn next to a personal planet makes a mockery of us all. It whispers in your ear “she doesn’t really love you, she prefers the rich guys.” Whilst at the same time whispering in her ear “he doesn’t really love you, you’re not cool, no one will ever love you.” Insecurity breeds and proliferates where Saturn lies dormant. Like a mould no one knows is growing in the dark, it will only shrink when “psychological light” is cast on it.
More Astrology
The Saturn Return is at 29 and that’s when we start to become aware of this sort of conditioning.
Saturn is so oppressive, so relentless and undermines our natural ability to relate. Particularly when aspecting a personal planet.
People with Venus Saturn might learn how to make themselves useful, might be professional at looking nice and being nice. They will be super responsible and considerate. But there will be a massive fucking wall around their heart, a moat that doesn’t let anyone in and morbid sensitivity that struggles to open out into natural, free flowing intimacy.
Eventually, this sort of Venus Saturn eventually becomes the master at relating. Someone who is so astute and considerate of everyone else’s feelings whilst at the same time learning how to understand themselves and communicate and hush the devil Saturn (Satan) on your shoulder. This is the sign of the professional lover, the top tier, olympic lover who has made every mistake in the book and learnt overcome adversity to master their personal life.
In January I read Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls. I was in Thailand and I remember googling his chart at 5am to check for his Saturn aspect. Mars opposition Saturn, there it was, crystal clear. He’s the author of One Day, perhaps you saw the film if you didn’t read the book? A similar narrative to Normal People - one that is equally infested with Saturn. Saturn rules Capricorn and deals with heirarchy; it deals with Class
Dating Someone Your Age
The reason I’m writing this article is not just because I’ve found that interesting, but because of the perils of dating someone your age. Saturn is a slow moving planet, so usually in a school year, lots of your friends will have the same Saturn sign. I know for my school year he moved between 12 degrees of Scorpio in September 1984 and was at 22 degrees of Scorpio a year later. He moved forwards and retrograded here and there… but all of us have our Saturn conjunct the Saturn of our friends. (This isn’t the same for every school year, though they will always be close.) I think it’s interesting as some school years will be for example half Saturn in Capricorn and half Saturn in Aquarius (Sept 1990 - August 1991.) I always wonder how that affects peer groups. It was very evident in our pack like loyalty that we all had Saturn in Scorpio and I feel it more and more over the years.
However, I’m talking about my experience of Saturn and how our relationships with people who have the same Saturn as us is agony at times as we all have the same insecurities. The same fears it puts this massive barrier in our ability to relate openly as Saturn is a planet that we frequently project on to others.
As an astrologer and someone who remembers ALL THE DATES. I now see how the romantic relationships we (the class of 2003) have gone on to make have almost always been with someone of a different age. I don’t think anyone from my school year is married to someone the same age.
What I do see is that if we have a type (which I believe we do) then we transpose what we learnt in our formative years and transplant it onto a new hook who is pretty much the same, but with a Saturn that is less emotionally exposing.
It’s like we take the hard lessons from those early relationships and transplant them onto an archetypal carbon copy of someone else, but take that devastating Saturn out of the story.
Strong Saturn aspects are forged between people of different ages too but Normal People is about that very particular issue of having the same Saturn sign and how emphasis of our own issues are inflamed in the reflection.
Saturn
I remember hearing an astrologer talk about Saturn in Scorpio as being “nasty” and, it can be! The violent emotions of Scorpio; the jealousy, insecurity, infinitely deep emotions and secrets stew with Saturn in Scorpio. However, so does the loyalty, understanding and that very Scorpionic “knowing” that traverses time and space.
I’ve just googled Sally Rooney (author of Normal People!) She was born in 1991!! I feel old now!
She’s having her Saturn Return right now! Her Saturn is at 1 degree of Aquarius, which is where Saturn is in the sky today (1oth May 2020.) Quite a Saturn Return she’s got herself there! Also her North Node is at 27 Capricorn which is where Jupiter is sitting right now, exploding her into everyone’s life. Saturn is 4 degrees away from her North Node… so she really bringing Saturn to our collective awareness. Isn’t that amazing? If you know anyone born Jan / Feb 1991 - what is going on for them now?
Liz Greene explained Saturn conjunct Saturn in synastry along the lines of two boys walking down the corridor at school together and secretly they both want to be friends but both see the other as being too stuck up and cold so they don’t bother trying. That’s the Saturn wall. It makes us cool and cold, so people think we don’t care… and in response people don’t care back because they think we are too cool and cold and don’t care. However we are only being cool and cold because we don’t want to get hurt. #NormalPeople
Venus Saturn
The principle of Venus is about love, and quite simply, we tend to love people who love us. If someone tells us how great we are and buys us flowers and all other aspects allow… we’ll love them back.
Back to our protagonists and their natal Venus Saturn conjunctions; their ability to love, tell people how they feel and let their emotions flow is impeded by Saturn.
“It could all be so simple, but you’d rather make it hard. Loving you is like a battle and we both end up with scars.” << Lads I’m on fire
I added this lyric in my final edit of the blog post! It is from Lauryn Hill’s song Ex Factor and my google of her birth chart (May 26th 1975) tells me she has Venus conjunct Saturn in Cancer. I can infer from that that this song lyric is a product of her projecting her Saturn onto the subject of her affections. And just as in Normal People, like attracts like.
If we have a Venus Saturn conjunction then love in our youth is difficult, but if our partner has the same Saturn as us, then this block is intensified and becomes paralysing. It is for this reason that I am discussing our school year and the trials of dating people your own age, with whom you share a Saturn placement.
Fairytale - The Beast Within
The same blocks and the same fears projected on to each other all day long.
If only we could get past it, there’s no loyalty like Saturn. There's an alchemical magic when Saturn fuses but we have to see our own Saturn for what it is to find the Beauty in the Beast.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUrxG8APyiI[/embed]
Don't talk to me about what happens yet!! I need to finish the powerpoint for tomorrow's event and haven't finished the series.
This conversation extends far beyond what I've written here - it's a discourse of self worth and values and I'll write more soon. Also, plenty of adults have their first child at their first Saturn Return... so frequently these problems get projected down the generations too!
Venus in aspect to Saturn often confers older partners, or an age gap in relationships. Perhaps there is a twofold reason for this: primarily they like someone mature, or to be more mature before they enter into a relationship. But perhaps also, it is a way to avoid the painful feedback of someone who is too similar to us.
If you're interested in this, then stay tuned with my events - there's a Saturn Return one next month and I will talk about Saturn in Let's Get Mythical.
Big love,
F XX