IN THE STARS | Saturn Retrograde

We’ve all heard of and experienced the notoriously misunderstood Mercury Retrograde that visits us at least three times each year. The lesser-known Saturn Retrograde is here with us from 04 June through 22 October 2022 in the sign of Aquarius. It brings with it themes that include: a review of life structures, personal responsibility and long-term plans. It also touches on authenticity and liberation. Unlike Mercury, it takes Saturn over 2 years to travel through a sign! (The next sign to host Saturn is Pisces, the sign of compassion, starting on 07 March 2023, which will mark my Saturn Return as my Saturn sits at 0° Pisces.)

This is the final retrograde in Aquarius, which Saturn entered in 2020. We have felt its effects for the past two years. Saturn is known as the cosmic taskmaster ruling over themes like boundaries, structure, authority, and responsibility. When I think of Saturn I picture a stern headmaster slapping a ruler against his palm. Not fun at all! All work, no play. While in retrograde, Saturn will force us to reexamine and challenge the structures we’ve chosen in our lives.

We may feel the need to course-correct our choices in relationships, how we show up in the world, our career choices, our commitments, and our resources. We will have to go deep within and reflect on the path we are following: is the life we’re making for ourselves in alignment with our soul?

Found online (no idea where!) and scribbled down the questions that I’m going to ask myself today, at the start of the retrograde. I’ll see the results in October:

Do your efforts feel aligned with your inner world?

What have you been building?

Is the path you’re walking aligned with your vision for the future?

What structures have been feeling too tight?

Where have you been pushing against yourself? Or resisting your authenticity?

What feels like freedom to you?

In my chart, Aquarius straddles my 5th and 6th houses: the fifth house is all about spontaneous enjoyment of life, it's the realm of the eternal child within; the sixth house corresponds with health, wellness, and daily routines. It is within this context that I’ll answer the questions with a look toward what my vision is for my future. How do I see my evolution? This is a good time to step back and reassess how I want to align with my authentic vision of my life and my future. What path of growth do I want to follow?

Aquarius is the visionary of the signs. It looks toward the future with authenticity, liberation, and freedom. For two years this pair has been breaking down and opening aspects of our lives (and the world around us) so that we can find our authentic selves and how we want to show up in that world.

[NOTE: Though I have studied astrology extensively, I am by no means an expert!]