Gather round, folks — formative, punishing daddy planet Saturn, AKA the true lord of the rings, is going retrograde.

From July 13th until November 27th, Saturn will move in reverse, starting in the cardinal sign of Aries and eventually transitioning into the mesmerizing depth of Pisces.

Saturn retrograde 2025

Saturn entered Aries in May of 2025 — and has been hanging out in the early degrees of the sign of the ram ever since.

Initially retrograding in Aries, Saturn will shift back into Pisces on September 1, staying there until February 2026, even after turning direct again in November.

When Saturn revisits Pisces in early autumn, it will align with eclipse season and the retrogrades of Uranus and Neptune, marking a particularly intense phase of this transit from early September through mid-October.

Buckle up.

Is Saturn retrograde?

Saturn’s purpose is parental, encouraging us to establish rules, keep commitments, and set standards that serve our ultimate purpose.

This is the real deal: eat your vegetables, do your push-ups, and grow the f–k up energy.

“Lord Karma isn’t trying to mess up your life. He’s just holding up a mirror for you to see that what you put out comes back. If you’ve been serving up some tomfoolery, then expect to see it reflected back at you this retrograde,” evolutionary astrologer and founder of Eight Stars Astrology, Jill Brown, told The Post.

Saturn retrograde meaning

Saturn can and will be punishing — but it is always and ever in service of progress.

The planet is known to fortify through trial and obstacles, sharpening our will against the angels of adversity.

We’re talking work, b—h, but the kind you’re thankful for in the long run, the kind of resistance that shows you what you’re capable of.

When Saturn goes retrograde, we are called to reflect on where we are falling or failing on our respective paths and whether or not it may be time to find a new way forward. Saturn is named for the Roman god of time, agriculture, and renewal, oft depicted with an errant party tit out of his toga and a sickle in his hand.

This tool is apt when we consider the function of the planet in our lives — and the perennial messages that we reap what we sow and are only as strong as our ability to sever and sacrifice.

Once thought to be the last planet in the solar system, Saturn is known as a malefic and is associated with endings, limits, tough love and hard lessons.

Saturn goes retrograde

It takes the ringed one 29 years to circle the zodiac, staying in each sign for two and a half years. Saturn goes retrograde for roughly 4 to 4 1/2 months every year.

The last time Zaddy Saturn went the way of retrograde was last year, from June 29th through November 15.

Retrograde is a bit of a misnomer, as the planet only appears to move backward from our vantage point here on Earth. In this sense, a retrograde signals a change in our perception of reality. The purpose of this slowing down is to allow us to see things differently.

When Saturn slows its proverbial roll, it disrupts or delays the areas of life it naturally governs: karma, boundaries, career, legacy, long-term goals, and ultimate aim.

As we gear up, or downshift, for Saturn’s retrograde, the weight of decisions and responsibilities can edge towards albatross territory. We may feel disconnected from and disenchanted by our toils: What does it all mean? Where am I going? And what am I working towards?

If we allow ourselves the grace of a slowdown and streamlining, and if we face the questions this retrograde dredges up within us, we can ultimately and enthusiastically refine and reconnect to our purpose.

As Aries is a Mars-ruled sign, this retrograde may dredge up themes of anger and subjects, people, and places that trip our proverbial triggers. As retrgorades are a time of reflection rather than action, it’s an excellent period to get curious about your anger. Ask questions, get underneath it, see where it scorches and where it burns a necessary boundary line.

When Saturn moves back into Pisces, a different kind of inquiry is in order, as we are asked to reevaluate themes of spirituality, liberation, karmic dealings, and how we negotiate the flow of pipe dreams to paydirt.

What does Saturn retrograde mean

As a whole, we tend to feel faster-moving transits — i.e. Mercury — to a higher and more immediate degree than Saturn. That’s because Saturn is, by definition, a bit of a slow burn, a long-term transit that builds and culminates over the course of several months.

It ain’t instant chaos, but it is gradual, grating inner work, which for many of us is a collective yuck and also yikes.

Retrogrades are always periods that invite the prefix re; review, remember, reevaluate, redesign, reconsider, reconstruct. Often, retrogrades take us back, not to stall our progress but to show us where we’ve been and ask us to consider where we’re going.

Apropos of this, and as Brown explains, “The Disciplinarian wants you to use his retrograde period to focus on self-discipline (if nothing changes, nothing changes – chew on that!). It’s also a good period to reevaluate areas of your career or professional development that you’ve neglected and invest heavily in those to come out ahead at the end of the year when Saturn goes direct.”

Slow down, but don’t stop dreaming or doing, my babies — Saturn retrograde is here to reduce us to our roots, to remind us that we need both depth and dedication and to teach us that true growth is a lesson in painful miracles.

Saturn retrograde in your birth chart

To see how and where this retrograde will affect you, look to the houses in your birth chart ruled by Aries and Pisces.

If you were born while Saturn was in retrograde motion, then bless the burnt offering that is your life.

As the hilarious astrologer Ziggy Astrology imparts, having daddy Saturn retrograde in the birth chart is particularly punishing but ultimately rewarding.

“When that bastard is retrograde the energy gets very existential, it basically implodes your chart. You need to reflect, not in a soft, spiritual, woo-woo way, where you light a candle and manifest your dream life.

“No, b—h. You gotta sit in your mess, stare at your mistakes, and grind through them like the adult that you’re supposed to be.

“Saturn’s telling you to stop running from your bulls–t, or it’s gonna hit you harder later on…you’re supposed to go through karma, you clear it, and then you enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

When does Saturn go retrograde

Saturn stations retrograde on July 13 and will backspin through both Aries and Pisces before going direct on November 27th.

Signs most affected by 2025 Saturn retrograde

Because Saturn begins its retrograde in a cardinal sign, the first 1/2 of this retrograde will come correct and karmically charged for Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

Come September, when Saturn slips back into the brothel bird bath of Pisces, the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces will be primed for a reckoning.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.