Saturn in the 12th house tends to feel a responsibility for all the suffering in society. Liz Greene says the twelfth house is always a difficult house unless the path of service is pursued, and that somehow the release of energy in this way alleviates much of the frustration and loneliness which accompanies 12th house planets, and makes the required sacrifices bearable.

Some with this placement take responsibility for the care of mentally ill and others who feel.they are somehow separate from humanity. Saturn in 12th house may find themselves in a hospital or prison, and feel weighed down by the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Saturn here also represents the sacrifice of the individual’s personal goals, which is often this is done because there is a sense of guilt, obligation and responsibility.

Guilt looms large with this placement of Saturn although it is generalized rather than specific guilt. It may cause a man to seek penance through solitude, or there may be religious penance in the literal sense resulting in the monk or the nun. It may apparently be involuntary penance as is the case with incarceration; but the man himself chooses this course although he may not consciously believe he will have to pay. It may result in sickness or withdrawal from conscious awareness through drugs, alcohol, or insanity. Or it may be much more subtle and less drastic, as in the case of the man who is always alone and always feels separation from the rest of humanity and the rest of life, no matter how many people he surrounds himself with. By Liz Greene, A New Look at an Old Devil

The twelfth house brings up uncomfortable images of chaos, insanity, sickness and the eventual loss of the self, and there are deep fears around letting go emotionally, representing the individual who feels they need to protect and defend themselves against the inner chaos of the 12th house. Therefore they may spend some of their time working in solitude and find themselves reviewing the past through a state of deep introspection. Amongst other things the twelfth house rules secrets, all that is hidden, and the subconscious mind. As a cadent house it naturally rules the mind and is optimum for dealing with all kinds of phobias and anxieties dating from childhood, perhaps even further back. This house is about dissolving boundaries and entering the unconscious life; but Saturn abhors dissolution, and fears what lies beyond reality. The individual with Saturn in the 12th house sometimes feels a lack of stability, dread of the irrational, and fear of losing control over oneself and ending up in isolation or imprisoned.

Saturn here can find great inner strength and gradually open up to the vast, unknown, and chaotic depths of one’s own soul. These people are humble and capable of great devotion, service, and selflessness. They have the capacity to work productively behind the scenes, and in private. The task is to learn how to face the unconscious mind, and find illuminating experiences in the vague, the mysterious and unseen, and bring these collective images into some kind of form.