On October 23, 2022 at 12:07 PM EST, Saturn goes direct in 18 degrees Aquarius. Since June 2022, Saturn has been retrograde. When Saturn is retrograde, we begin to see our limitations magnified and for many it can create a sense of heightened anxiety, tension and fear in approaching these limitations.---Here we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel as this shift in direct motion will have us feeling more stability which will greatly assist in helping us to change for the better..
Saturn as a planet focuses on where we learn our lessons in life. Saturn is the ruler of Karma. Saturn is conceptually, pretty remarkable to me. For one: Saturn rules over the daytime sect of the planets, meaning it has a more favorable placement for people who are born during the day. To me, this came as a surprise when learning about astrology. I have always seen Saturn, a planet of authority and conservative beliefs, a planet which so often brings about challenge and limitation to belong to the nighttime sect. These concepts seemed more appropriate for the dark in my mind thinking about how the focus is on the "shadows" in shadow work. But instead Saturn I have learned is to be recognized in the daytime sect as a planet which aims to bring those things to the surface to move past them. Secondly, Saturn is Feminine, which also seemed to be counterintuitive considering it represents masculine authority figures within a chart. But throughout my studies, I have recognized how wildly feminine Saturn truly is. The way Saturn imposes inner work, the unpredictability of what will serve you and when, screams chaos and thus screams feminine energy. Since June 4, 2022, Saturn has been retrograde, lending a hand in the increased sense of fear and instability you may have felt the past few months. With Saturn turning direct, we will have a chance to reflect on how far we have come these past few months, what karmic debts have been paid and how we can use the lessons Saturn taught us this year to our advantage,
Saturn serves our karmic debt in the form of valuable but sometimes painful life lessons. Saturn likes to remind us of our perceived limitations so that we are able to release attachments over time. Saturn = suffering only when we fight what it has been trying to show us.
Integration is Key
If there is one thing that 2022 has taught me as a whole, let alone what Saturn has taught me these past six months, it is that integration is key. Saturn is not as cruel as people make it out to be. But there are many people, especially those with dominant Saturn placements in their natal chart, that don't answer at the first ring. And Saturn retrograde is a time when karma no longer rings your bell, but rather kicks your door in. So where did you hiccup this time around? What lesson came bursting through your door? How can we take the mental understanding of how things "should be" to a lived experience filled with compassion, patience and love.
Attachments: Is Suffering Self-Imposed?
Saturn, is a planet of authority, when showing you lessons, it demands for you to pay attention. It rules structure, societal hierarchies and time and it really loves to teach us lessons in those areas. Many times, the things which we build attachments to are to distract us from ourselves. We may find love in material things, in people, in situations, but ultimately, those attachments only create more opportunities for us to suffer. Which is precisely why we often have areas of our lives shaken up to which we find great attachment to. Saturn, as a ruler of time, reminds us that the only constant is change. Sometimes, though we do not want that job, relationship or living situation to change, it is required for our growth. I always find that Saturn shows us the unpredictability of the world. The chaos by which rules our lives and the beauty in exactly that. Saturn is like a parent teaching you tough love. It shows you how unwilling you may be to change as well, even if that change is positive for you.
To give an example, I was most recently killing myself working multiple jobs, I was not standing up for myself or my needs and stepping back from positions that were draining me physically and mentally. I knew that it was time that I stood up for myself and told my bosses what I needed from my schedule to continue working there. But I was fearful that they would be disappointed by me being there less, I felt controlled by others perceptions of me. Everytime I would attempt to quit, I was easily coerced to stay and remain in the same position: for only a little longer. This led to multiple breakdowns as well as physical injuries from overworking and mistakes that were made due to my lack of proper sleep. Some of these injuries even led to a forced removal from these positions for a brief time to heal with the new set of challenges that those injuries lent me. I let myself suffer physically and mentally for months longer than I should have due to my lack of boundaries and it led to more resistance towards what I wanted and a feeling of dissatisfaction in my days.
Where do you find that you hold onto things past their expiration date and can you recognize that desire to put love into someone or something else more than yourself? For that is what leads to dissatisfaction in this life and that is precisely the lesson Saturn teaches us, that we must always return to ourselves and focus on us because the limitations are usually trying to show us how out of control everything that is not us is. Focusing on what is in your control to change and finding grace and compassion for yourself throughout the process is what is most important.
Choosing Self, Because It Was Always You
For those of you who are not familiar with the meaning of retrograde, it is a phenomenon where the planets trajectory begins to slow down and this action of slowing down causes it to appear from Earth that the planet is actually moving backwards in space. The key word here is that it appears to be moving backwards, in reality, it has just slowed so much that because Earth is moving through the orbit at a faster rate, it looks as if the planet regresses through the zodiacal belt. The slowing of the planet creates an opportunity to look inward. For individuals with dominant Saturn placements in their natal chart or individuals born at night, it is likely they would have felt more constricted during this transit. With this past retrograde, we were able to get a deeper look at the depth of our fears and the test of our will.
From this turning point on, it appears that all lights are green. Mercury and Saturn make a perfect Trine on October 23, 2022 as well, which points to mental clarity and releasing self-limiting beliefs and thought patterns. This is a wonderful start following the rough and mildly cloudy period we are emerging from. This is a fresh start to look onward with a new perspective and it is very important to give yourself a pat on the back for everything you have endured during these past 6 months. Even if this retrograde period was filled with more reflection than action, and things fell apart outside of your control, recognize that these situations were meant for your expansion.
Saturn is currently at home in the sign of Aquarius and will continue to move through this sign until its shadow period ends where it was at the beginning of the retrograde in June. Saturn in Aquarius points to changes in tradition and implementation of innovative ideas to progress society and ourselves. We are moving back into a pleasant time for networking and focusing on discipline towards progressive change.
The key lesson that this transit was trying to teach us is to become more focused on the self. We may have begun to recognize where we lacked discipline and needed to start focusing on implementing changes in our routine so that we were able to remove ourselves from self-imposed bounds. But now we are much more aware of the lack of boundaries we have had with people/situations in our lives. Saturn taught us how negatively these bounds have affected our lives and now we can, with more confidence, choose ourselves.
Saturn also teaches us patience. That cultivating discipline and practice with something takes time and that taking any steps, no matter how small towards your goal, are already bringing you that much closer. Slow and steady wins the race after all. Saturn teaches you to stop settling for the things you no longer want. One thing that fell away for me during this period was my living situation. I was living in a situation this past year that was very taxing for me mentally. I had a complete lack of boundaries in this situation and was allowing it to take up so much mental space and time from my life, that I believed that I would be stuck one: financially having to continue living in that situation and two: mentally bound because I was refusing to make the necessary changes to ensure that that situation would change.. I had nearly no money to my name and a complete dependence on being needed at the time. But with the mirror being shoved in my face, I was no longer able to ignore the reflection. So I worked extremely hard to save up as much money as I could, I changed my lifestyle, I implemented boundaries with people I lived with, and now 6 months later I am getting ready to move into a brand new apartment without carrying that energy with me. Things take time. The pain and suffering that these changes have caused me, were self-inflicted. But I have learned that if I were a little more patient, I would have enjoyed the process a lot more. Now I recognize, it was taking time because it was something worth waiting for.
What did Saturn teach you that was worth the wait?
Saturn Direct: A Clear Horizon
Saturn turning direct motion is now a chance for you to start applying what you have begun to master these past few months., First, you can begin to really reflect on what the past few months has shown you. Try to journal or think about what has shifted most for you, what or who has left your life, what betrayals have come to the surface between you and friends of yours, how has your position in work shifted, what are some perceived mistakes you have made that presented themselves as opportunities for change? Once you have asked yourself these deep questions, take a moment to celebrate your growth as well as mourn your losses. Write yourself a letter, thanking yourself for some of the many difficult shifts you had these past 6 months. Then ask yourself, where are you going?
Where are you going is a difficult question especially if you felt that Saturn had been keeping you feeling stuck, so now that you are liberated from the illusionary quicksand, what do you aim to achieve? How can you take what you have learned and use it as coal for the fire which is your confidence? Saturn is a planet which rejects so what did you reject from your life, that has ultimately served you well and how can you continue in this path so that you may find your direction. If you are interested in what Saturn says in your natal chart you can book a reading on my website or find more information in future posts. Make sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok @Tarastrology to keep up to date with my latest offers and upcoming events. In the comments below, I encourage you to share what the past six months have taught you about yourself and where you are headed.