Sharks: Mascots of Saturn in Pisces
🪐 Tonight, Saturn reaches opposition with the Sun. This represents the brightest point for any superior-planet, coming its closest to Earth. Such a position also allows it to spend the entire night in the sky (rising at sunset and setting at sunrise). Opposition occurs this year on the Eve of the Autumn Equinox, and marks the the final time Saturn will complete this synodic cycle in the Sign of Tropical Pisces, after first entering the Mutable Water Sign in 2023.
🦈 In this short article, I’d like to make the case that Sharks have been the mascot of this transit. It makes archetypal sense; Pisces’ icon is the Fish, and Saturn is connected to that which is feared. Sharks are often regarded as scariest fishes, the monster of the deep. Saturn also represents things that are old, and Sharks represent one of the most ancient lineages of organisms still existing in relatively the same form that they evolved to become. A funny connection made during this time was this article published in 2023, with the headline “Sharks are older than Saturn’s Rings”. Additionally, the oldest living vertebrate on the Earth today is a Greenland shark, able to survive for more than 400 years in the dark, frigid waters of the Arctic.
⬇️ Another headline of interest: “Unprovoked shark bites plummeted in 2024”. This statistic comes from the International Shark Attack File, based in Florida, which has been documenting cases since the ‘50s. Fascinatingly, as you can see in the chart below, the previous lowest dip in attacks occured in 1996, the last time Saturn was in Pisces. One might predict that if the skies are calling this image into the collective, more sharks would make themselves known by attacking humans. However, I think the lower rate is an even more impressive storyline, like a coordinated PR campaign to improve their image, aiding in their mascotization.
🍰 Perhaps leveraging this good reputation, Sharks have become extremely popular, especially amongst children. In 2023, my nephew Wesley had a shark-themed party for his 2nd birthday. The cake and other goodies for the celebration were made by his grandma Melody (on the other side of the family). When I asked her about it, Mel said that she had only done somewhere around 10 shark cakes during her time owning her bakery, but more than half were related specifically to baby-shark.
Baby-shark is a viral song that exploded into popularity in 2016, loved by the toddlers, and hated by nearly everyone else (haha!) so, its publishing and spread occurred several years before Saturn got into Pisces. However, in 2022 as Saturn was making its entrance into the water Sign, the Baby-Shark video became Youtube’s #1 most viewed video on the entire platform, and it has held that title throughout the entirety of the transit! It currently sits at 16.3 BILLION views!!
My partner TJ works as a swimming coach, and he too has spoken about the increase and prevalence of sharks on the swim suits, rash guards, and goggles of the kids he teaches.
☀️ TJ is himself a big fan of sharks. He grew up watching a show called the “Street Sharks”, and had their action-figures as a boy. He purchased a few of them recently, when a 30th anniversary collection came out. Hearing this made me realize that the show premeired during the previous time Saturn was in Pisces.
What’s more, TJ also developed a street-shark inspired character, which he would take out to the boardwalk in Santa Monica and Venice, over the past few summers. He is also an avid roller-blader, and has become locally famous as the “Shark Guy”. His Sun is in Pisces, which makes a lot of sense with his personalized expression of this archetype bringing public renown. The peak of his popularity with it came as Saturn transited over his Sun.
🐬 I personally have my Saturn in Pisces, so of course I’ve gone through my return over the last few years. I’m more of a dolphin boy myself; growing up, I’d many times used my own money to buy dolphin jewelry, or figurines. In the photo below, you can see me wearing my very favorite ring, a dolphin that wrapped around without connecting, which I donned on my Saturn finger.
Though I don’t resonate as much with the icon of the shark, I have certainly had its image pressed into my consciousness recently (even having a roommate select Jaws to watch, when Saturn retrograded back into Pisces this summer). I do think they are fascinating, creatures who developed the perfect body plan to reach the top of the oceanic food chain, and maintained that position through multiple extinction events. We instinctually project some of our deepest fears onto these ancient creatures swimming in the ocean, disturbed by their black eyes and rows of sharp teeth. But contemplating them, fear has transformed into respect, and maybe even a bit of love in my heart. I hope my little reflection on this astrological connection was enjoyable, and helped you see these creatures through a new lens.
Speaking of seeing through a new lens, be sure to go out and gaze upon Saturn sometime soon! With it being at proximity, even with a regular pair of binoculars, you can catch a faint glimpse of its rings. Saturn is out all night so as long as it’s dark, and the sky is clear, you should be able to go out and find it! Happy Gazing ⭕️
