From June 17, 2023, Saturn will become retrograde. In other words, it will appear to move backwards rather than forwards in the sky. This is due to a difference in speed between the star in question and the Earth, which then overtakes it, giving the optical illusion that the star is moving backwards. It will become direct again on November 4, 2023.
Saturn, the schoolmaster
Saturn is the zodiac’s schoolmaster. Strict, he calls for discipline and a sense of duty and responsibility. He destroys our illusions and works to bring us back down to earth. By retrograding in Pisces, he could bring us face to face with our contradictions and show us how we may have deluded ourselves too much, whether in our professional projects or in our human relationships. Faced with this disappointing reality, we could sometimes allow ourselves to become melancholy or even isolated. The best thing to do is to try to understand Saturn’s lesson, to step back and learn from it.
During this reverse movement, Saturn will go through several phases:
Hardware stabilization
In June, Saturn will form a sextile to Jupiter in Taurus on the 19th, then a trine to the Sun in Cancer on the 29th. These two rather positive aspects will enable us not to get lost in our daydreams, but rather to take concrete action in the material and professional aspects of our lives, and thus reinforce our financial stability as well as that of our family. This period will be very favorable for finding and buying real estate. From a world astrology point of view, this June period could correspond to a general improvement in the purchasing power of citizens, especially those most disadvantaged and affected by the economic crisis.
Turbulence
A second, more tense period begins between late July and mid-October. We’ll witness a series of planet oppositions to Saturn, transiting the sign of Virgo. First Mars on July 20, then Mercury on August 2, followed by the Sun on August 27 and finally Venus on October 10. These oppositions will give rise to inner conflicts between our need for spirituality, for meaning in the world, and our most Cartesian and rational mind, our need to analyze and dissect everything. The mind will be omnipresent, stifling our imagination. Similarly, a certain rigidity of rules at work and in society will have the effect of inhibiting our creativity, our inspiration. On the other hand, we may be frustrated by relationships that lack spontaneity and romance. The mutable signs, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo and Sagittarius, will no doubt be most affected by this. On a collective level, this period could be marked by an upsurge in control measures and obligations in the health field, with regard, for example, to a certain risk of a pandemic, and in the workplace. In France, for example, social conflicts relating to retirement or unemployment benefits could flare up again.
Questioning
Finally, a third phase will see Mars (October 13), Mercury (October 22) and the Sun (October 24) transiting Scorpio and forming a trine to Saturn. The action of these planets will help us find within ourselves the strength of will and the courage to question ourselves, to take stock of our lives and abandon what no longer suits us in order to better transform ourselves and gain a better understanding of the meaning of our lives and our place in the world. We’ll no longer hesitate to assert our views and desires loud and clear. Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) and Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) will be particularly concerned. On a global level, these planetary configurations could, under the pressure of a heated public opinion, re-establish greater social justice and transparency in political governance. Certain « secrets » could thus be brought out into the open, provoking scandal and popular reaction.