On this episode of Saturn Stories 🪐 we’re joined by Shaista Ali who opens up about her experience with Saturn in Virgo in the 7th house in her natal, chart while reflecting on how the challenges and gifts of Saturn have shaped her life. At the time of our conversation, Shaista was also coming out of her most recent Saturn opposition, so we talk about the huge changes that were taking place in the present moment.
We explore themes of service to self and others, relationships, being in the body, and honouring our needs first.
Saturn as an Archetype
Saturn is often a planet that is feared or looked down upon in the astrology community. Saturn’s lessons can feel hard, as its placement in our charts is where we are here to learn in this lifetime. The best kept secret to Saturn is to make friends with this part of your chart. Learn how to step into and embrace this energy by taking responsibility in this area of life—the sooner you do, the easier it will get. Oftentimes these calls to “step up” happen at each Saturn cycle, especially the Saturn return period (between the ages of 28-31), but for some the willingness may come easier, or harder.
About Shaista
Shaista is a seeker. Of connection, of beauty, of truth.
She finds it in the corners of the mundane, in the obvious wonders, and even in the shadows of the horrific. Sometimes especially there.
Heart Chambers is her Substack of nearly three years, where she tenderly unearths the contours of her inner world. It’s been an exploratory place to remember our shared humanity, to trace the invisible threads that connect us, and to decode ancient blueprints that reveal and find at once.
Born of a rich and storied lineage that informs much of her truth, she writes occasionally through the lens of first-generation, while gently releasing identities that no longer serve. She believes we will see the liberation of Palestine in our lifetime and that there is much to learn in the eyes of the oppressed.
In this episode, we explore Shaista’s relationship with Saturn in Virgo in the 7th house. Shaista talks us through her own Saturn story as we connect the dots between the astrology chart and lived experience, exploring themes of giving to the point of burnout to learning to create healthy relational dynamics through caring for the self first.
Saturn Placement: Virgo in the 7th house
Earth: mundane, grounding, practicality, structure, boundaries, the body, physical matters
Virgo: practicality, discernment, finding spirit in the mundane, service to self, service to others, health and wellness, connection of body mind and spirit, being rather than doing, routine, one day at a time, beauty in the small moments, purpose
7th house: relationships, partnership, the shadow, the other, agreements
Where is Saturn placed in your chart? Let us know in the comments!
If you have Saturn in an earth sign, in Virgo, or the 7th house, can you relate to any parts of Shaista’s story?
The Saturn ‘7-year itch’ Cycle
Saturn times are a time where we are often called to step up and take responsibility. As Saturn wants structure and respect. During the periods where Saturn communicates with our natal chart (approximately every seven years), we’re often faced with big decisions or opportunities to step into our gifts or recommit to the path we’re on—sometimes through facing challenges along the way.
Shaista’s Saturn Story
Saturn Return (28/29 years old): Virgo
* working abroad, tense relationship with boss, finding the boundaries between self and service to others
* ending a relationship
* entering a new relationship
“I realized I had more power than I thought I did.” ~ Shaista
Saturn Opposition (44/45 years old): Pisces
* clear shift of no longer accepting what was accepted before
* dynamic of partnership has run its course
* putting self out there again (interviews, new job, writing)
“My capacity is no longer the same.” ~ Shaista
The Lesson:
“I want to give and connect, but I’m not going to compromise my own needs.” ~ Shaista
This lesson shared by Shaista ties beautifully into her Saturn in Virgo in the 7th house. She talks about how making these changes to put her own needs first didn’t mean she had to lose anything. The boundaries she has learned to set in her relationships has made the dynamic of her relationships better and more fulfilling. Shaista also ties this most recent Saturn cycle in 2025 back to her Saturn return in 2008, now knowing when to let a relationship go when it’s run its course instead of staying in toxic loops that don’t serve either person in the relationship.
By leaning into Saturn, we create more space for our purpose to unfold naturally.
Want to explore your own Saturn Story?
Download this PDF Saturn Guide and follow along with this series. In the guide you will learn how to find your own Saturn placement, gain insights on what themes and lessons show up in your life, and explore your own Saturn story through timeline style journal prompts and self-exploration.
Paid members have access to this workbook for free in the Paid Member Goodie Box 🎁.
Or, if you’d rather have the heavy lifting done for you, book a 1:1 Astrology Reading and I’ll guide you through your chart in depth, including your Saturn story and lesson in this lifetime.
For an opportunity to be featured as a guest on Saturn Stories 🪐, fill out the application form here. If you are selected, I will reach out with more information.
