The planet of restriction and responsibility, Saturn, is going to start a retrograde period in just a few days, on June 17th, 2023. This will last until November 4th, 2023, so about 4 1/2 months, and is entirely in Pisces.
This is the first retrograde for Saturn in Pisces since Saturn entered Pisces in March 2023, so we’re dealing with the energy we haven’t had to deal with in decades.
Saturn in Pisces kicked off some of the major changes in energy we saw starting in March, and Saturn retrograde might dig up some of the issues that need to be worked on thanks to all of this chance.
Make sure you’re using the free astrology calendar and keeping up with Saturn!
About Saturn in Astrology
Saturn is the teacher and disciplinarian in astrology, the one who wants us to learn and will punish us if we don’t. Saturn lessons can come with some hard experiences, especially when we try to avoid them.
In your natal chart, you can find your Saturn lessons from the zodiac sign Saturn is in, the house is located, and any aspects it makes to your other natal planets.
In transit, Saturn moves through the zodiac signs and brings lessons for all of us at once via the sign it’s touring. Saturn spends about 2 – 3 years in each sign, and this is where we have to learn, do things right, and be responsible.
Saturn’s base energy in transit is restriction, and we can feel limited with our options and held back a little bit. This is meant to teach us to work within limitations and get creative with what we already have.
Saturn is also dubbed the Lord of Karma because of the lessons it teaches. These lessons may stem from early life, as well as from past lives, and can make our baggage karmic.
Make sure to read this next: Understanding Saturn, the Lord of Karma
What is a Retrograde?
In astrology, a planet or body is called retrograde when it appears to be moving backward through the zodiac. Don’t worry. It isn’t actually moving backward and just appears that way.
The normal motion for the planets is forward, not backward, so retrogrades can throw things off. When planets and bodies are moving forward, they’re going at their usual speed and clicking on all cylinders.
When planets and bodies are moving backward, they’re usually a little slower, and there’s a lot of looking backward, introspection and reflection, and inner work that needs to be done. Retrogrades tend to have spiritual, subconscious, and karmic energy, and that can be extra true for Saturn retrograde since Saturn is the Lord of Karma.
Learn more by reading: The Ultimate Guide to Retrogrades
About Pisces in Astrology
Pisces is a Water sign (along with Cancer and Scorpio), and these are the signs of emotion. They are in tune with what they feel as well as with others (empathy), and they are in tune with the subtle energies all around us (intuition).
Pisces is also a Mutable sign (along with Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius), and the mutable signs flow. They are flexible, adaptable, and difficult to pin down, and the combination of Water and Mutable means Pisces is the hardest to pin down of all.
The natural ruling planet for Pisces is Neptune, and Neptune dissolves. Once again, adding to the difficulty in pinning down Pisces but also adds in some imagination and spirituality.
Pisces connects with the 12th house, which is the last house, just as Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. This means Pisces is associated with endings, and we can clear out baggage and understand the past.
While Saturn is the Lord of Karma, Pisces is the sign ruler of karma, as well as our subconscious mind.Â
About Saturn Retrograde in Pisces
It’s interesting that Saturn in Pisces is a position that has a tremendous amount of karmic energy on its own, and this only gets stronger while Saturn is retrograde in Pisces.
This is extremely powerful energy for connecting to our karmic baggage, issues, past lives, as well as our early lives and early traumas. We can be much more reflective and understanding and gain insights into what’s been hidden from us so far.
This sudden clarity can help us to work on releasing and letting go. That is likely the biggest goal for Saturn retrograde in Pisces, to understand and release.Â
We shouldn’t continue to hold ourselves back. We need to work on releasing baggage and grudges, and karma.
This may not be easy, and it may feel uncomfortable, at least subconsciously. We may not be fully aware of this consciously, but it can seep into everything we do and make us feel constantly uncomfortable.
This is a clue, though, that there is something here to work on. Something to address, something to let go of.
We can also take time to connect more to our intuitive selves since we can be more in tune with the subtle energies all around us, and we can work on blocks that have made us uncertain of our intuition to strengthen it.
This Saturn retrograde in this Pisces period is extra strong since Neptune is also in Pisces and is retrograde in Pisces starting July 30th, 2023. The overlap between these two retrogrades can really amplify the karmic, spiritual, and intuitive energy and make it even more important that we’re working to understand and release.
None of this may seem very obvious on the surface, as this is mostly internal work that’s happening. But it can lead to profound insights and eventual changes that open up a whole new world.
Saturn Retrograde in Pisces Horoscopes for the Zodiac Signs
Aries
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can make you crave much more time alone and more rest, Aries. This may be a draining period if you push yourself too hard, so try to avoid doing that and give yourself plenty of time for big projects and lots of time to recover.
This period offers you an important chance to reflect, to be introspective, and to gain great insights and awareness into your past and experiences that may have shaped you. You can understand your own motivations better, and this can lead to understanding others better too.
It’s extra important for you to work on letting go as well, and this is likely letting go of some past baggage that has been holding you back. You can feel comfortable releasing it once you’ve taken the time to reflect and understand it better now.
Taurus
Saturn retrograde in Pisces may bring more focus on your hopes and dreams, Taurus, and you may need to work on issues and baggage that are blocking you from being able to move forward with what you want.
Reflecting and trying to understand can help you get to the root of the problem, and you can focus on how this block came to be and how you can best remove it. This can help you figure out your motivations with your dreams and what the best future would be for you.
Releasing blocks to your dreams can help you become more confident in them, which can be important if you’ve felt like giving up on them. This may free you up to find a different approach to your dreams that opens up new doors for you.
Gemini
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can help you focus on the blocks that are keeping you from the success you deserve, Gemini. Saturn in Pisces is generally a period that should be amazing for you with your goals and ambitions, but if you’ve been blocked, the retrograde might highlight why.
Pay attention to any issues, blocks, and baggage that comes up. You likely need to take time to reflect and understand where it comes from and why it’s acting to keep you from progressing.
Once you fully understand, you can work to remove it. This can help you make some headway, and you can move forward more freely.
Cancer
Saturn retrograde in Pisces may focus on blocks to new experiences and openness, Cancer. If there are issues you need to work on to allow yourself to venture into new territory, this period can bring it out for you.
Your intuition can help guide you to the areas that require the most help, and that can help you open up your mind. This can also help you grow your optimism and become more positive about life.
As you expand your outlook, your life can expand, though this may happen slowly. Once you do open up, you can remain open.
Leo
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can stir up some deeply-held issues for you, Leo, and this can be emotional, yet you may feel stuck when it comes to taking action about it. You may encounter an issue or block quickly, and this makes you feel you need to throw in the towel and not bother anymore, but that’s not the right approach.
Saturn in Pisces is likely forcing you to transform in ways you’ve tried to avoid before, and the retrograde can bring out subconscious and karmic issues and baggage that need to be addressed in order to make transformations happen.
Recognize your strength and inner power. You are not as powerless as you tell yourself you are, and this period can help you realize that.
Virgo
Saturn retrograde in Pisces may shine a light on issues in your relationships and dealings with others, Virgo. You may feel stifled and stuck, and options may seem limited, but this may be perception and not reality.
Subconscious and past issues that have gotten in the way in your relationships can rise to the surface, and you can start to become more aware. You have to decide what to do about it once you do see it.
You may choose to improve some of your connections if you feel they can be salvaged. If you feel they can’t, you may work on finding a way out.
Libra
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can bring out extra stress for you, Libra, and if you’ve already been stressed out, that can become worse. You may find you fixated on the little issues that pop up, seemingly making a mountain out of a molehill.
This may be a time to learn how to de-stress in healthy ways and how to have healthy coping mechanisms as you go through life’s challenges. Little issues don’t need to throw you off balance so much if you’re better able to manage.
When it comes to work, you may feel more limited and have more to deal with, and this can add to frustrations. Try to get space where you can and take breaks so you’re not pushing yourself too much.
Scorpio
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can make you feel restricted when it comes to joy in your life, Scorpio. You may feel less creative, that some of the colors of life have been zapped out, and that you don’t have as many opportunities to express the love you feel.
This is likely to force you to work on love issues and heart blocks. Reach into the past, into your subconscious, or into your karma, and see what needs to be worked on to free up your heart.
If you can do that, you can become much more creative and inspired and can have an easier time sharing joy and affection.
Sagittarius
Saturn retrograde in Pisces may make emotional connections difficult for you, Sagittarius, and you may struggle with tending to your emotional needs or even knowing what they are. It may seem like there are fewer options for you to take care of what you need to feel emotionally secure.
There is likely a block of some sort of baggage weighing on you that this is highlighting for you to address. Work on getting to the core of it, and this can help you be in tune with your emotions.
You can also address issues at home or with family, and while you may feel limited at first, as you work through any problems, you can open up space.
Capricorn
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can restrict you mentally, Capricorn, and you may have difficulty using your mental energy or having enough mental energy for what you need. Your outlook may be pessimistic, and you may avoid speaking up.
There are likely subconscious, early life, or past life issues that need to be addressed that are hindering you. Focus on what might be making you feel insecure mentally or in your expression.
Try to take care of your mind, and don’t be so hard on yourself in your communications if it doesn’t come out perfectly.Â
Aquarius
Saturn retrograde in Pisces can slow things down even more for you, Aquarius, and you may feel extra stuck. It may seem like there are no options for you to budge, and you can’t move at all.
This stuck position is likely meant to get you to focus on deeper issues in your subconscious or with your karma that need to be addressed in order to achieve the stability and security you desire. There is likely baggage to let go of, and understanding needs to be reached of what has come to pass.
Any old insecurities may come rushing back, and you can be extra hard on yourself as a result. Try to understand where they come from and go easy on yourself.
Pisces
This is the first Saturn retrograde in your sign since Saturn entered Pisces, so you get extra focus with this retrograde period. You can feel extra restricted, limited, and like there are fewer options and that you have way too much to deal with, which can be overwhelming.
Saturn is trying to bring your attention to areas where you’ve been too hard on yourself, where you’ve been taking on too much, or where you have more lessons to learn and have been avoiding them. These lessons may be tied to early life experiences or past life baggage.
Try to give yourself time to manage, and work on having healthy outlets. Leave room in your schedule for breaks, even if they’re really tiny, so overwhelm doesn’t overtake you.
Mind the Karma With Saturn Retrograde in Pisces
This Saturn retrograde in Pisces can focus on what we need to release in a very big way, and this can be challenging but ultimately frees us up in the long term.
With all of the big changes in 2023, this is likely something that we really need to do. We have much new energy still to come as well, and baggage just slows us down and keeps us from the awesome future that awaits us.
Get in tune with your inner self, get plenty of rest, and let go of baggage. Get out of your own way, and stop being your own worst enemy.
Pay attention to how this Saturn retrograde in Pisces tour goes for you, and this can prepare you for the experience again next year. Learn and prepare!
Related article: Your Ultimate Guide to ALL 2023 Retrogrades
