In astrology, the planet Saturn is known to be the “greater malefactor,” a karmic celestial being who teaches us important life lessons. Saturn is austere, rigid, responsible and resilient. Once a year, Saturn is retrograde for approximately four-and-a-half months. In 2024, Saturn’s retrograde will run from June 29 to November 15 in the water sign of Pisces. Even though it’s an optical illusion, we’ll feel the weight of this astrological transit immensely on Earth, and it’ll urge us to make extreme decisions in our lives that will augment the future for better or worse. The retrograde offers us time to reassess our options.
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Last year’s Saturn retrograde in Pisces lasted from June 17 to November 4. The focus was on finding and defining our freedom and autonomy. Compacted with Venus retrograde, we saw breakups and shake-ups in relationships. 2024’s Saturnian moonwalk urges us to commit to who and what we are passionate about. It’ll be a moment when we make decisions that will alter our future. Since Saturn retrograde pushes us to boss up and be honest about our goals, we’ll want to utilize our skills to transcend to the next career phase. Emotionally, Saturn retrograde urges us to devote our affection to those at our level. We won't bind ourselves to immature relationships and we will use our time with others wisely.
For those looking to heal family and generational trauma from their youth or adolescence, Saturn’s planetary backspin offers us the chance to understand our strength and ability to move forward, how to mend wounds through self-care and how to break the cycle. Inner-child work can be beneficial at this time because it’ll allow us to love the parts of ourselves we’ve ignored. We don’t have to be a part of the same discussion and narrative created by family. We can let go of the past and lean into our vision of what it entails to be happy and peaceful.
Suppose you’re having Saturn return (an astrological phenomenon that occurs every 27 to 29 years when Saturn comes back to where it was at one’s birth) during this period. In that case, you are in the process of making many radical changes. There may be shifts at work and in friendships that are forcing you to grow into a better version of yourself. If your natal Saturn is retrograde, this period allows you to assert yourself and express your needs. Having an open mind is pivotal because you’ll be able to adapt to the transformation quickly.
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The summer brings tense cosmic energy. On August 19, the expansive planet Jupiter, which is in Gemini, squares Saturn, which is retrograde in Pisces. When these two planets clash in the cosmos, they will make us find a middle ground between independence and responsibility. We might second-guess commitments only to resolve our thoughts and choose to maintain them in the days ahead. Think before making impulsive decisions. These two planets connect again on December 24, revealing another chapter of temporary ambiguity in our lives. However, at that time, Jupiter will move backward instead of Saturn.
Another important date to note is the Pisces lunar eclipse on September 17. Saturn retrogrades aspects of the celestial phenomenon, pushing us towards finding comfort. Finding the right words to describe our feelings and desires will be challenging but the emotion behind them will be ever-present. We all may get tongue-tied around love because we’re scared to make the first move. In “Enjoy the Silence,” the band Depeche Mode sang, “Words are meaningless and forgettable.” In moments like these, read the room and feel the energy to align with the vibe.
The main lesson of Saturn retrograde is to trust ourselves. The austere planet is backstroking in intuitive Pisces, which points to a gentle, toned-down version of Saturn that will bring our dreams and hopes to life. Big or small, now is our time to move towards our goals. Regarding romance, Saturn’s backspin is yearning for us to define the relationship and take a leap of faith in matters of the heart. Trusting our instincts in all realms of life will lead us to greatness in our journeys.