Saturn retrograde in Aquarius
May 23, 2021 – October 11, 2021
As Saturn makes its slow journey through the sign of Aquarius (shout-out to those who are experiencing their return!) it will appear to move backwards in the sky beginning May 23rd. This “backward” movement is what we call a retrograde motion. It’s not actually moving backwards however. That’s just how our perception appears from Earth because of the shape of our orbits around the Sun. Saturn largely represents systems of authority, challenges, societal structures. While Aquarius carries similar themes of societal collaboration, it also is associated with rebellion and future-oriented research. When Saturn goes retrograde, we can expect challenges to progress within our societal structures as well as calls to action from our communities. Saturn goes retrograde about once a year, typically for around 3-4 months. So, don’t fear! This isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime cataclysmic event that you should be worried about. It’s a time where we’re met with stalls in progress and feel we must fight harder towards building the future we’d like to see.
The signs and how they are affected by this conjunction:
These are the archetypal energies; apply these descriptions to your Sun, Moon, Saturn, 11th house, and wherever Aquarius is in your chart ✨
♈Aries - Sextile (60°) This is a harmonious aspect, giving you slightly more ease during this time. You’ll still be met with challenges that cause you to pause but you won’t feel as discouraged. Aries has a lot of energy and is a self-starter. Something Aquarius can help you work on is being thorough and researching before starting. Aries gets a lot of enjoyment and thrill out of throwing themselves into intense situations that test their abilities. You are quite the dare-devil when it comes to new experiences. You often try to test your limits through experimentation, like trying to work in a completely different field with no experience. You tend to fly out of the gate with confidence that things will work out. During this time you’ll be pulled to spending more time planning things out before beginning.
♉Taurus - Square (90°) This aspect is rather challenging. You work at your own pace and have your own idea of what is “complete”. You’re creative and grounded in the material world (material as in nature not commercialism). This makes an odd pairing with Aquarius, who does frequent check-ins to monitor deadlines. Aquarius energy is also not as interested in the material, as they often dabble in abstract concepts and technology. This will feel like you’re being pulled in two directions many different times along this retrograde. You’ll go back and forth between “this is good as it is” and “actually this needs more work”. You really want to do the most thorough and beautiful work because you pride yourself on production. During this time you’ll likely feel as though you're being rushed or lacking focus. It’s only temporary though!
♊Gemini - Trine (120°) This aspect is the most harmonious! You're very inquisitive and tread lightly through difficult topics. You're usually juggling many things at once and you work well like this. Gemini is really comfortable in completing many projects at different stages simultaneously. Like working on finishing touches of a project you started weeks ago while also beginning a new one. You’re also quite social, and you do enjoy working with others but it’s usually about working alongside others not working together. Aquarius takes it a step further and delegates some of their numerous projects to others and builds networks from that. During this time you’ll feel more inclined to branch out and collaborate. You’ll still be met with struggles in focus or energy, as Saturn retrograde is associated with stalls. But you won’t feel as bogged down.
♋Cancer - Quincunx (150°) This aspect is very challenging but it does have its benefits. You’ll be putting in the most during this time but it will pay off. You’re accustomed to listening to your heart and making sure everyone is comfortable. This often leans on your strong skills in empathy to relate to others. This is a really difficult energy for Aquarius, who often tries to find solutions without emotional bias. You’ll be called to embrace some of the Aquarius skills in removing your heart from the situation in order to reach resolution. This could also just feel like you’ve lost the passion you held for whatever projects you're working on. You won’t fail, so don’t be worried about that. You’ll just feel very lethargic until this passes. You tend to go on the defensive to protect whoever you feel is being mistreated in a situation, which can sometimes get in the way of real conflict resolution. So, during this time you’ll be met with hesitancy to react. Try to hear all view points before jumping to protect.
♌Leo - Opposition (180°) This aspect can be challenging but it usually calls you to grow. Leo energy demands respect and values clear roles in collaborative efforts. You’re most comfortable in positions of leadership or performance, you have to be able to express yourself. You like to use encouragement and example to steer group projects and complete them. You often seek projects that reward you somehow as well, don’t confuse this with trying to serve yourself first. This doesn’t make you “selfish”. You simply make sure that you are compensated. This goes against Aquarius energy though, who would give away their services for free if they didn’t have bills to pay. Aquarius wants to distribute information and labor freely. Their sense of identity is largely focused on the collective, so they often don’t pay attention to the compensation aspect of accepting offers. During this time you’ll be met with challenges to your opinions and input with your projects or at work. You may juggle between what’s best for you and what’s best for the company during this time. This will feel uncomfortable because you’re usually very firm in knowing that you look out for yourself first always.
♍Virgo - Quincunx (150°) This is another very challenging aspect, but one with good benefits later on. You’ll feel as though you’re putting in 150% and not getting anywhere. But once Saturn turns direct you’ll see your efforts be rewarded! You are incredibly gifted in organization and enjoy helping others. You’re also very gifted in detail work and try your best to constantly improve yourself or your surroundings. This energy butts heads with Aquarius, who would rather enjoy causing disarray to get a rise out of people. Although Aquarius does enjoy collaboration and gathering of people to complete a task, they also really detest routines and perfectionism. This energy is here to help you learn to go with the flow more and to expand the way you serve/help others. You’re used to “helping” others by doing the thing for them or providing monetary contributions. Aquarius energy will help you see there are other ways of helping people, like teaching them how to do it themselves or calling upon a group for crowd sourced contributions.
♎Libra - Trine (120°) This is the most harmonious aspect! You really understand Aquarius energy because it’s an extension of your own. Libra is skilled in debate, compromise, and justice. This is how you contribute to groups and society. Aquarius goes farther in seeking out people from radically different fields to join their collaborative groups. Libra makes sure everyone is treated fairly, Aquarius makes sure everyone has work delegated to them. You do tend to wait for others to approach you or try to create groups that “make sense”. Like collecting groups of people by region or shared hobbies in order to get the ball rolling. During this time you may find that you’re more interested in reaching outside of your network and dabbling in some new techniques. This will be the Aquarian influence on you, a time to pause and spend more effort into getting out of your comfort zone.
♏Scorpio - Square (90°) This aspect is challenging. You spend a lot of time researching but you focus heavily on the research part and sometimes don’t make it farther than that. Aquarius is very quick in their search for facts and they move on just as quickly to the next stages of development. This can feel really rushed for you and like you’re skipping important steps or missing out on the “truth” that’s hidden somewhere. Scorpio tends to obsess over uncovering truth or secrets, and this is largely the motivation you have for doing your thorough work. You get to the bottom of things and make sure every little shred of information is dug up. Aquarius energy gathers strictly what’s applicable to the situation and leaps to the next step. Definitely take it easy on yourself during this time. It’s okay to to pull back and focus on one thing at a time so that you can still feel able to do your work thoroughly.
♐Sagittarius - Sextile (60°) This aspect is harmonious. Sagittarius and Aquarius have this in common: they’re very intelligent and enjoy discussing their ideas. You use your skills in communication to convey the final result you envision to motivate others to help you achieve the goal. You’re able to fully picture the end result and work very hard towards that goal, encouraging others along the way to either support you or chase their own dreams. You’re very optimistic about your future as well. Aquarius energy will help you take your visions further and get you to the action phase. As Sagittarius sometimes get stuck in the day dreaming or saving phase. Like saving up for a large purchase but struggling to actually commit to the purchase. It’s as if you’re afraid to actually reach the “end” because you spent so much time getting there. This energy will help you slow down and savor your journey and show you that great things lie on the other side of the “end” of your goals.
♑Capricorn - Semi-sextile (30°) This is a mildly positive aspect. Capricorn energy can adhere to routines very well and you stand firmly, confidently, in your ability to provide for yourself. This is actually something you share in common with Aquarius. You know things will work out because you’ve planned for both good and bad outcomes, so you’re prepared. Aquarius knows things will work out because they’re confident they have a good network to rely on for support. Something that Aquarius energy can help you strengthen is your ability to work well with others. You prefer to do things yourself because you pride yourself on your accomplishments, but Aquarius really enjoys group work and gets satisfaction from completing things as a collective. This retrograde will have you opening up more to others and growing comfortable with delegating tasks to others. It’s okay to take it easy and have someone else pick up the slack for a short time!
♒Aquarius - Conjunction (0°) A very powerful, and neutral force! Your energy is the star of the show during this time. Aquarius was actually traditionally ruled by Saturn so this is technically your ruling planet in action. Saturn here rules over your research and collaborative abilities, while Uranus dictates your rebellious and eccentric self. So, during this time your skills in networking and social interests will be highlighted. This can manifest as you working on exciting new projects or being asked to innovate something in your community. You’ll feel a tiny bit overwhelmed with the amount of energy flowing around because you’ll likely be contacted by many different people for opportunities. During this time you’re actually working on prioritizing yourself. You’re not one to agree to everything, but you’re definitely one to get too excited and take on projects that are too intense to complete on time. You’ll gain some clarity on what routines work for you and be able to finally let go of outdated schedules that just stress you out.
♓Pisces - Semi-sextile (30°) This is a mildly positive aspect. Pisces energy is all about meeting people where they’re at and returning the energy they give you. You take on the emotional burden of others as a way to show that you understand them. You connect to society by feeling what the collective is going through. Aquarius energy enjoys working to improve society, whereas you connect through spiritual means. This energy can feel a tad odd for you because Aquarius tries to remain neutral in emotional topics in order to reach a solution to a problem. You don’t care about finding a solution, you want to make sure the emotions of others are validated and respected at all costs. This can mean you’ll feel a bit conflicted about how to be there for others during this time. You’ll feel more drawn to finding solutions and trying to produce constructive advice. This is a little foreign to you, but will help you strengthen your abilities in connecting to others.
A Saturn Retrograde in Aquarius affirmation:
“Change is inevitable, but I can make it work for me and use this time for my benefit. Change is necessary, and I am ready.”
