Saturn is currently in retrograde, in Pisces located at 13 Pis 29' 06"

Planetary Aspects

(out 5 Days)

Saturn is Trine Mercury

   Starts on Sunday, 20 October, 2024

Upcoming Retrogrades

PlanetStationary (retrograde)Stationary (direct)In Sign
saturn2025-07-13 04:08:00 UTC2025-11-28 03:52:00 UTCAries
saturn2026-07-26 19:57:00 UTC2026-12-10 23:32:00 UTCAries

If Jupiter is known as The Great Benefic- you know there has to be a bad guy. Saturn, well, is sort of that bad guy. There are a few reasons for this, but, it’s important to understand two key concepts in astrology at work here: Benefic and Malefic.

For astrological purposes, the word benefic comes from an even bigger word: agathopoios. This means “good doer”. Pretty easy, right? The opposite of that, in a sense would be malefic- which comes from the word kakopoios. Guess what that means? Yes. “Bad doer”. Of course, just because a planet is benefic or malefic- that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to go doing a good or doing a bad. This can change depending on a variety of things like the astrological sign it houses, aspects, and whether or not the planet’s had a snack today.

In traditional astrology, Saturn and Mars are the malefic planets- but Saturn, whoo boy, that’s the Greater Malefic. If you were curious, Jupiter and Venus are the benefics. Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto are also often considered malefic but this usually involves some sort of aspect to a more personal planet.

So, Saturn is a giant asshole who eats his babies. This is the planet that usually rules things like your restrictions, limits, and discipline. In fact, quite a lot has been said about how Saturn is just this horribly painful influence- even Jung said that “I have observed many cases where a well-defined psychological phase, or an analogous event, was accompanied by a transit (particularly when Saturn and Uranus were affected)”. (But in case you were also unaware, Jung actually used the terms psychosis and schizophrenia to describe himself and many new agers have just not read The Red Book and it shows.)

You know though, we talk about Mercury Retrograde all the freaking time but, Saturn Cycles are the ones that will really hang you up by the seat of your pants. Ruling Capricorn, Saturn is also often referred to as “The Lord Of Karma”- so essentially, you’re looking at “You get what you deserve” if you’re looking at karma from a very reductionist standpoint. Ruling our career, our legacy, it’s also known as more or less the Daddy Dom of the zodiac. Structure, proper use of time, and being able to get your shit together are definitely within its ringed purview.

The Retrograde

Saturn has a very consistent cycle of slightly over a year. The retrograde itself will last around 4 and a half months. Usually known as a time when things are just obnoxiously limiting: this is supposed to be a time where you look at what kind of responsibilities are important to you and how you not only handle that, but how you actually work to make that happen. Sometimes, if you’re looking at stepping it up, things go entirely sideways and that’s more or less this Trial By Fire that’s supposed to make sure you can actually handle the crap you want to take on.

Another thing that sometimes happens during these retrograde cycles is you begin to notice that your own reticence or sorrow are holding you back. It might be time to see a therapist or get help, it might be time to recognize what you need to do, in whatever context you need to do it. It’s said that events that occur during the retrograde will help fully illustrate that- so, you can well imagine this is not quite the same as oh, you know, Mercury retrograde making autocorrect cause you to look like a dumb ass.

Planetary Positions

15.10.2024 at 22:30:52 UTC

chart wheel
PlanetLongitude
The Sun23 Lib 03' 30"
The Moon01 Ari 13' 24"
Mercury03 Sco 23' 35"
Venus27 Sco 44' 03"
Mars22 Can 13' 02"
Jupiter21 Gem 15' 49" R
Saturn13 Pis 29' 06" R
Uranus26 Tau 29' 02" R
Neptune27 Pis 51' 09" R
Pluto29 Cap 38' 44"

Solar Status

BZ Status:6
Proton Density:0.26
Proton Speed:418.5 k/sec
KP Status:2.33
TypeOct 16Oct 17Oct 18
Active30%25%10%
Minor40%5%5%
Moderate15%1%1%
Strong1%1%1%
Kp Index Prediction
00-03UT4.672.671.67
03-06UT3.672.331.33
06-09UT3.672.001.33
09-12UT3.332.001.33
12-15UT3.672.001.33
15-18UT4.002.001.33
18-21UT4.002.001.67
21-00UT3.672.331.67
Solar Activity
Solar activity increased to moderate levels. Region 3848 (N15W90, Cko/beta-gamma) produced an M3.4/Sf (R1-Minor) at 14/0017 UTC. Associated with this event was a 545 km/s Type II radio sweep. The Region also produced an M1.8 flare (R1-Minor) at 14/1337 UTC as it begins to rotate around the west limb. Region 3852 (S10W23, Dki/beta-gamma) lost a weak delta signature this period, but did produce low-level M-class activity.
Solar Wind
Solar wind parameters were at nominal levels for the majority of the period. Total field was steady near 5 nT and the Bz component was variable between +/-3 nT. Total field increased to 10 nT around 14/1838 UTC while Bz remained variable and solar wind speeds remained in the ~400-435 km/s range. The phi angle was variable until approximately 14/0215 UTC when it settled into a positive sector.
Energetic Particle
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux was at normal to moderate levels. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux remained near background levels. .Forecast... The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to be at normal to moderate levels through 17 Oct. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux is expected to remain at background levels with a slight chance for a solar radiation storm event through 16 Oct as Regions 3848 and 3849 transit the western limb.