As Saturn turns retrograde in the intuitive sign of Pisces, we have a ripe opportunity to refine our relationship to our soul’s purposeful work here on Earth.

Saturn began its annual retrograde period on June 29, 2024, and will remain retrograde until November 15, 2024.

Saturn is the planet of structure, materiality, and responsibility. When it goes retrograde for about 4 ½ months each year, this energy can feel intensified if we tap into it.

Saturn has a “nose to the grindstone” vibe, but when we take aligned action toward our goals and dreams, we’ll feel Saturn’s support in the gifts we’re creating for our future selves. The lessons we face during the journey to our goals might feel hard, but as long as we stay in tune with our hearts, we’ll gather invaluable wisdom along the way.

Saturn in Pisces, in particular, offers to help guide us to a version of ourselves that’s more able to let the light in here on Earth – the more we learn to respect Saturnian qualities like discipline, structure, and limitation (aka healthy boundaries), the more ethereal Piscean magic can filter in through our every action. 🫶

Because Saturn in Pisces is currently retrograde, we can use this time to heighten our awareness of Saturn/Pisces energy in our lives and know that we’re supported in reviewing and revising our approaches to anything related to the theme of bringing our dreams into 3D reality.

Saturn in Astrology

First, let’s talk about Saturn. In astrology, Saturn is the planet of time, materiality, discipline, and form. It has a masculine, or yang, energy. It’s also the ruler of Capricorn and the 10th house. Saturnian energy is committed, pragmatic, structured, and able to orient in linear time to achieve goals and get the important work done.

Saturn is like the serious yet good-hearted teacher of the zodiac. This is a “learned-by-experience” type of energy, that vibe you get from someone who’s been around the block, seen it all, and who has wisdom to share. Saturn is that wise, old soul of the group: when they speak, everyone’s listening.

This energy of wisdom relates to Saturn’s status in Greek and Roman mythology as the god ruling time, cycles of life and death, and sowing and reaping of crops.

In fact, the idea of sowing and reaping is an excellent way to view Saturnian energy. Saturn is often thought of as kind of a buzzkill, but that’s not really the whole picture. Saturn just knows that hard work equals well-deserved reward: What we sow, we will undoubtedly reap, so it’s well worth it to take appropriate aligned action!

It’s interesting to note that in both Greek and Roman history, there was an annual festival around the middle to end of December called Saturnalia in Rome and Kronia in Greece. These festivals were times when everyone was off work for up to a week, even slaves, so the whole community could eat, drink, and be merry together.

Essentially, this Saturn festival was like our modern day Christmastime, that time of year everyone anticipates, when we’re all reminded to give to others and celebrate with loved ones. The fact that such a celebratory time is associated with Saturn says something about Saturn’s ability to play and enjoy the bounties of life after the hard work is finished. These festivals relate to Saturn’s theme of sowing and reaping, or working diligently for the promised reward.

Think about it: in Greek and Roman times, the ability to celebrate for basically an entire week in December would depend on having a successful harvest in the fall, and thus enough sustenance to last throughout the winter. There would need to be abundance, or plenty of excess for everyone, for all to be invited to enjoy the festivities.

Saturn does not request endless labor with no lasting sense of accomplishment afterward. The work that Saturn’s concerned with doesn’t involve dead-end jobs or soul-sucking 60-hour workweeks. Instead, Saturn offers us a sense of fairness and stability – if we put in the right work, we will experience and enjoy the fruits of our efforts, aka abundance!

Saturn Themes

Themes associated with Saturn include:

Time, the passing of time, cycles of time, and cyclical events

Limitation, boundaries, moderation, self-control from a higher perspective

Ability to “play the long game,” putting in the work now to gain the reward

Karma and the energy of “reaping what you sow”

Responsibility and self-accountability

Maturity, elderhood, wisdom, and growth

Pisces Energy

Pisces is the mutable water sign of the zodiac. It’s the ruler of the 12th house, which according to astrologer and author Barbara Hand Clow relates to how we connect to our bliss and express our spiritual purpose – it’s the house of divine communion. The ruling planets of Pisces are Neptune (modern ruler) and Jupiter (classical ruler).

Pisces energy feels dreamy, flowing, ethereal, adaptable, and mystical. Pisces is the sign related to Christ Consciousness and is the astrological age we’re moving out of as we move into the Age of Aquarius. Pisces is represented by the two fish, which connects to its mutability and watery vibe.

Pisces Themes:

Themes associated with Pisces include:

An ethereal, boundaryless sense of non-separation from spirit

Sensitivity, compassion, emotional depth and understanding

Dreams and dreamy-type energy

Intuition, psychicism, inspiration

Mysticism and spirituality

Saturn in Pisces

Saturn has been in Pisces since March 7, 2023, and will continue transiting Pisces until May 24, when it will move into Aries.

Saturn in Pisces energy feels like bringing the mystical dreams of our hearts down to the mundane Earth plane.

Pisces is perhaps the most intuitive, dreamy, ethereal sign, and Saturn is concerned with structure, form, and linearity. How is it possible to channel this flowing Piscean energy into Saturn’s parameters? This seems like a paradoxical query, as Pisces is all about remaining undefined and Saturn seeks to categorize and create order. However, I’m reminded of an important quote:

“True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.”

Mortimer J. Adler

The Piscean freedom we seek cannot really be made possible in 3D Earthly reality unless we maintain appropriate Saturnian discipline to make it real. Rather than force our boundless Piscean dreams into a box, Saturn helps us work with the inevitable limitations of matter so that we can express our deepest truths through work that’s meaningful and fulfilling to us.

Saturn in Pisces can be an opportunity to not give up on yourself and your dreams – if you put forth the real work while remaining spiritually aligned to the desires emanating from your higher self, the rewards you seek will come to fruition.

However, in the same vein, Saturn in Pisces energy will draw a fine line between an audacious, actionable dream that’s backed with appropriate plans and a solid foundation versus a fantastical daydream that lacks follow-through and commitment. Only you can really know if you’re putting in the work toward your dreams, and only you can hold yourself ultimately accountable.

Saturn in Pisces reminds us that the mundane and the magical are actually just different parts of one whole, and when we work with these energies in a balanced way, we can bring our dreams to life.

What is a planetary retrograde?

Astronomically, when a planet “goes retrograde,” it isn’t actually turning around and moving backward – this is an illusion of perception from our POV on Earth.

During a planetary retrograde, the speed of the planet compared to Earth and the proximity between the two makes the planet appear to be reversing direction for a period of time.

From an astrological viewpoint, when planets are retrograde, the planetary energy “slows down” and we can take on a more nuanced perspective related to themes of that planet as the opportunity opens for us to review, reassess, and realign.

What do planetary retrogrades teach us?

Planetary retrogrades are times for lessons in Earthly perception!

In general, during planetary retrogrades, we’re offered a way to see things from a new perspective as the planet in question seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

Planetary retrograde periods, which are NOT uncommon and are nothing to fear, are good reminders that our perspective on Earth is never fixed. We’re always being urged to adapt our point of view as the energy of life continually shifts and as we constantly learn and experience new things.

Retrograde periods are opportunities to revisit and revise our viewpoints and ways of being related to the retrograde planet. If something about our current reality isn’t serving us anymore, retrograde periods are excellent times to check in with ourselves and see how we can work to shift the energy.

What is Saturn Retrograde?

According to astrologer and author Stefanie Caponi,

“During a Saturn retrograde, we are asked to reevaluate the work we put into our goals and how we’ve been taking responsibility for our role in our lives and society.”

With Saturn retrograde, we can look at the past ~8 months of our lives (the time when Saturn is direct, or not in retrograde) through a Saturnian lens. We can ask ourselves if we’re happy with the way things in our lives are going in terms of Saturn’s themes of looking at the big picture, assessing where we stand when it comes to our goals, taking radical responsibility, and gaining maturity and wisdom.

Saturn Retrograde in Pisces

The energy of Saturn Retrograde in Pisces offers to support us in refining our Earthly perspective regarding the art of staying grounded while creating from our soul.

How can we follow our intuitive flow while remaining grounded and present in the creation of achieving what we’re called to accomplish in this unique life on Earth?

We can only operate in our divine purpose when we’re tapped in intuitively and grounded enough to receive and act on our intuitive nudges.

True divinely aligned action is the epitome of Saturn in Pisces energy, and while Saturn is Retrograde in Pisces, it’s an ideal time to work through anything we’re doing in our lives that doesn’t feel soul-aligned.

This energy helps remind us that our true abundance lies in the bliss of being present in the now moment to radically and authentically share our higher truth.

Saturn is the focused and foundational energy of being present and conscious in the moment at hand to perform the task that’s truly aligned with our spirit. Pisces is the “spirit” part of the equation, the psychic information that we call in from the divine realms when we’re fully present and in our flow state.

By tapping into the energy of Saturn Retrograde in Pisces, we can purge any emotional and energetic residue that may be keeping us from fully stepping into the now to give our gifts and receive the abundance related to them.

How to Work with Saturn Retrograde in Pisces Energy

To make the most of this Saturn Retrograde in Pisces, don’t be afraid to Feel. It. All.

Remember, Pisces is the sign of intuition and deep emotions, so feelings and downloads relating to the structure and foundation of our lives and our deeper dreams or goals may emerge to the forefront now needing some extra TLC.

Whatever emotions come up wanting your attention right now may be trying to tell you something important, especially if these same emotional themes have been coming up for you for the past 8 months or so while Saturn has been in Pisces.

What does this intuitive, feeling part of you have to say about the direction your life is actually going and how this compares to your deepest heartfelt, Piscean desires and dreams? Listen to this inner voice and take notes.

When we tap in and work through emotional residue related to these deep-rooted Saturn/Pisces themes by journaling, meditating, breathwork, seeking therapy, or other healing modalities, we’ll feel so much more en-lightened (physically and emotionally lighter so we can let more divine light energy in) and it will begin to feel more effortless to share our Saturnian Earth gifts with incredible Piscean emotional integrity and psychic guidance.

And isn’t that what we’re really here to do, anyway? ;)

This Saturn Retrograde in Pisces invites us to weave our deepest dreams and intuitive knowings into the 3-dimensional fabric of our waking lives. We’re supported in processing the emotional blocks that may have previously prohibited us from living in our light, or believing that bringing our dreams to Earth is not possible.

Saturn Retrograde in Pisces reminds us that making our dreams a living reality is possible, but only when we allow Saturn’s boundaries to serve as pragmatic reminders of the day-to-day process that’s necessary to filter in our Piscean magic in the most holistic way.

Our dreams are within us for a reason, and are destined to come to Earth when we have the courage and drive to take aligned action and bring them into life.

Resources:

Caponi, Stephanie. Guided Astrology Workbook. Penguin Random House LLC, 2023.

Clow, Barbara Hand. Astrology and the Rising of Kundalini, Bear & Company, 2013.

“Cronus.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cronus.

Edington, Louise. The Complete Guide to Astrology. Rockridge Press, 2020.

“Saturn.” Cafe Astrology, Cafe Astrology, https://cafeastrology.com/saturn.html.

“Saturn.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/Saturn-god.

“Saturn Retrograde: Empower Your Life.” Spirit Daughter, Spirit Daughter, inc., https://spiritdaughter.com/blogs/align-with-magic/saturn-retrograde-empower-your-life.

“The Dream and the Abyss: A Saturn in Pisces Contemplation.” Monarch Astrology, Sabrina Monarch and Monarch Astrology, https://monarchastrology.com/2022/10/15/dream-abyss-a-saturn-in-pisces-contemplation/.

“What you need to know about Saturn in Pisces.” CHANI, Chani Nicholas, inc., https://chaninicholas.com/saturn-in-pisces/.

“Working With Saturn.” Dena DeCastro Astrology, Dena DeCastro Astrology, https://www.denadecastro.com/blog/working-with-saturn.

Saturn Retrograde in Pisces 2024