Intuitive Astrology: Saturn Retrograde 2021

Saturn enters its annual Retrograde from May 23 to October 10, 2021, in the sign of Aquarius.

During this period, Saturn will travel backward through the zodiac, retracing its steps from 13 to 6 degrees of Aquarius.

Retrogrades occur when a planet appears to be moving backward from our vantage point here on Earth.

In astrology, retrogrades signal the energy of the planet turning inward, meaning that its energy tends to affect us on more of an internal level rather than an external one.

When the ancients witnessed a planet in retrograde, they believed it was entering the underworld and journeying through the shadows of our subconscious in order to unearth messages and wisdom we may have missed the first time.

Saturn is considered the planet of responsibility and hard work, but also great rewards. Saturn is also known as the Lord of Karma, and ensures that no good deed goes unpunished.

As Saturn makes its annual retrograde, it is a time for us to revisit the past, to reflect on what we need to take responsibility for, and to assess whether our actions are yielding the results that we are after.

Saturn wants us to take ownership of our behavior and get clear on how our actions, beliefs, and thoughts are contributing to the reality we are creating.

To help you narrow down what Saturn may be asking you to look at in your life, reflect on themes that were prevalent in your life from September 2020 to May 2021. What actions did you take at this time? What situations did you find yourself navigating through this period?

Whatever actions were taken during this time will now be up for review. Either you will find yourself harvesting the rewards of your actions or perhaps dealing with the consequences. It’s likely that for all of us, we will be doing a little of both.

Saturn is a bit like a strict teacher, and can bring some hard or challenging situations to face up to, but the aim of the game here is to rise to the challenge, to take full ownership of our life and decisions, and to know that we always have the power to try again, to do better, and to succeed.

We can easily feel disheartened or even hard on ourselves when Saturn’s energy comes around, but if we let go of our ego, and realize that it’s guiding us to our fullest potential and optimal growth, we can start looking at things with new perspective.

Instead of viewing Saturn as this strict teacher to be feared or avoided, we can look at it as a strict teacher that knows exactly how to push us and challenge us in order to bring out the best.

When we resist, we struggle, but when we surrender we can start to find the silver lining and feel more accepting of whatever lessons have graced our path.

Saturn is all about growth and helping us to climb that mountain to get where we want to be. It is Saturn that gives us our determination and strength to go the distance.

Under this retrograde, be mindful of being too hard on yourself or allowing any harshness you are experiencing to lower your self-esteem.

Nothing is ever sent your way unless you are strong enough, capable enough, and wise enough to handle it, so be sure to honor this part of your journey!

Acknowledge all the ways you have grown and all the wisdom you have acquired. It is one of Saturn’s gifts during its retrograde to show us just how much we have matured and overcome. We are wiser now, and it’s important to embrace that.

There is so much learning to be had when Saturn goes retrograde, so seize the opportunity and know that it will only serve to make you wiser.

During this 2021 Retrograde, Saturn makes one rare alignment with the planet Uranus on June 14.

This alignment with Uranus is part of a series taking place all through 2021. You can read more about this series of alignments here, but essentially we could see themes of rebellion and freedom vs. control playing out on the world stage.

On a personal level, this alignment can help us push past some of the boundaries we have created for ourselves in order to reach a new level of freedom. Or, we may experience the opposite too – we may have to put some boundaries in place in order to protect ourselves and create more structure if it’s needed.

Pay attention to whatever themes are active in your life around June 14, as it’s likely they may hold a clue as to some of the soul work you are set to do through 2021.

Saturn Retrograde is a subtle energy, but a great time to reflect on your actions and ensure they are leading you to where you want to go.

Use this energy to take ownership of your life, to rise up to any challenges you are facing, to be gentle with yourself, and to remember that Saturn and the entire Universe wants to see you succeed!