Careful out there — Saturn retrograde in Pisces might make you want to quit your job and join a cult

Gather round, folks — formative daddy planet Saturn is starting his slow backstroke in the murky, mutable, confetti-clogged bathwater of Pisces.

On Saturday, June 29th, Saturn will station retrograde at 19 degrees of Pisces, where it shall remain in the slow-down showdown until November 15.

Saturn’s purpose is parental, encouraging us to establish rules, keep commitments, and set standards for ourselves that will serve our ultimate purpose.

Saturn can and will be punishing — but it is always and ever in service of progress.

This is the real deal, eat your vegetables, do your push-ups, grow the f–k up energy.

Saturn is known to fortify through trial and obstacle, sharpening our will against the angels of adversity. We’re talking work, b–ch, but the kind you’re thankful for in the long run, the kind of resistance that shows you what you’re capable of.

When the planet goes retrograde, we are called to reflect on where we are falling or failing on our respective paths and whether or not it may be time to find a new way forward.

Talk Saturn to me

Saturn is named for the Roman god of time, agriculture and renewal, oft depicted with an errant party tit out of his toga and a sickle in his hand.

This tool is apt when we consider the function of the planet in our lives — and the perennial messages that we reap what we sow, and are only as strong as our ability to sever and sacrifice.

Once thought to be the last planet in the solar system, Saturn is known as a malefic and is associated with endings, limits, tough love, and hard lessons.

When was the last Saturn retrograde?

It takes the ringed one 29 years to circle the zodiac, staying in each sign for two and a half years. Saturn goes retrograde for roughly 4 to 4 1/2 months every year.

The last time Zaddy Saturn went the way of retrograde was last year, from June 17 to November 4, 2023.

Saturn slows its proverbial roll and disrupts or delays the areas of life it naturally governs — in this case, that’s boundaries, career, legacy, long-term goals, and ultimate aim.

Retrograde is a bit of a misnomer, as the planet only appears to move backward from our vantage point here on Earth.

In this sense, a retrograde signals a change in our perception of reality. The purpose of this slowing down is so that we might see things differently.

What does Saturn retrograde mean?

As we gear up, or downshift, for Saturn’s retrograde, the weight of decisions and responsibilities can edge towards albatross territory. We may feel disconnected from and disenchanted by our toils: What does it all mean, where am I going, and what am I working towards? A dreadful malaise can translate to a serious lack of motivation.

Yet, if we allow ourselves the grace of a slow down and a streamlining, and if we face the questions this retrograde dredges up in us, we can ultimately and enthusiastically refine and reconnect to our purpose.

Because this retrograde is happening in dreamy, diluted, strung-out, and easily swayed Pisces, the sign of spiritual seeking and deeper meaning, the lesson here is that our trajectory must align with our true interiority or all our efforts will be for naught.

What happens when Saturn is retrograde?

As a whole, we tend to feel faster-moving transits — i.e. Mercury — to a higher and more immediate degree than Saturn. That’s because Saturn is, by definition, a bit of a slow burn, a long-term transit that builds and culminates over the course of months. It ain’t instant chaos, but it is gradual, grating inner work, which for many of us is a collective yuck and also yikes.

Retrogrades are always periods that invite the prefix re; review, remember, reevaluate, redesign, reconsider, reconstruct. Often, retrogrades take us back, not to stall our progress but to show us where we’ve been and ask us to consider where we’re going.

Apropos of this, and as astrologer Trevor Quincy explains, our homework during this transit is to “Reevaluate and reaccess lessons pertaining to spiritual development and liberation, the connection we have with source, and trusting the unknown in karmic dealings. It’s also important to reevaluate ways we can be more practical to make our dreams a tangible reality.”

Slow down, but don’t stop dreaming or doing, my babies; Saturn retrograde in Pisces is here to reduce us to our roots, to remind us that we need both depth and dedication and to teach us that true growth is a lesson in painful miracles.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience.