June 24 ~ 30: The Weekly Talisman
Mercurial changes and Saturn stations retrograde...
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I was quiet over here last week, as I had been visiting with my family, a trip I make each summer since I moved to the west coast from New York. When I moved out west in 2017, I was very ready for the change, ready to get out of Brooklyn, looking escape an increasingly claustrophobic city and lifestyle that I couldn’t discern a particular direction out of. Now, seven years later, I feel ready to return.
Astrologically, when I moved out here, Saturn was in Sagittarius, opposing my Gemini Moon. I was about to start my Saturn return, and feeling a ton of pressure, perhaps even a bit of despair, as Saturn asked my Moon stern questions about security and belonging—to which I had few answers. Now, seven years later, Saturn is squaring the position it would have been in when I moved to Oregon. Saturn’s cycle is comprised of four seven-ish year chunks, and so I’m in the next phase of Saturn’s relationship to my Moon.
Recently, my dad, whose family is Italian American, reconnected with long lost family from the South of Italy, and we traveled there to meet them last summer. A few weeks ago, they traveled to New York to see where our family immigrated to in the Bronx, and meet cousins whom they’d seen pictures of but never spoken to. None of them speak English, and my Italian is so babyish, but we made it work beautifully regardless.
When I met them last summer, the Full Moon in Pisces, conjunct Saturn, cast its magic over our Italy trip, and I felt like the rekindling of ancestral connections was very Full Moon in Pisces + Saturn flavored. This visit was colored by the Sun squaring Saturn, and I thought this was interesting. Our first trip definitely had that lunar flavor, a return to a “home” space, a more emotional vibe. This second trip was more solar, more extroverted, louder, more rambunctious, as we’re all getting to know each other and establish a deeper sense of identity.
I’m back in Oregon now, but keep thinking about the push and pull of Saturn, as this week he’ll station retrograde. Eventually he’ll make a true square to my Gemini Moon, and as he does so, I notice a continued feeling of being called “back home.” I think this is one of the more under-discussed influences of Saturn—his ability to remind us of the past, the importance of our elders, our ancestral cultures, and the wisdom of returning to the origin.
Let’s talk about this week’s transits.
June 26: Mercury trine Saturn
At 2:10pm PST on Wednesday, Mercury, our messenger planet, forms a supportive relationship to Saturn, our planet of responsibility and boundaries. Mercury, sailing through Cancer, finds Saturn to be a great help to him here. The image that comes to mind is a young seeker crossing paths with a wise elder, who offers insight and structure to help them on their journey.
If you need to reach out to someone and make an impactful argument, or are looking to gain favor with a “higher-up,” or are interested in bringing a deeper understanding to a difficult problem, Wednesday (which is also Mercury’s planetary day!) might be the perfect time to do just that! This is especially helpful to those of us who are still feeling the impacts of this past weekend’s Full Moon in Capricorn. We’ll be encouraged to find a more grounded and solid mindset this week, thanks to Saturn’s trine to Mercury.
June 28: Mercury square Chiron
On Friday the 28th, Mercury will form another important aspect, this time to Chiron, the planet of the wounded healer. This aspect perfects itself at 1:58pm PST, when Mercury in Cancer forms a square to Chiron in Aries.
For all the stability and structure that Saturn’s trine to Mercury offers us, the square to Chiron brings up anxieties and worries from a deeply rooted place. This is why it may be really important to make use of that Mercury-Saturn trine earlier in the week, coming up with some ideas for giving your mind some extra support.
Chiron colliding with Mercury means that we may find ourselves ruminating over past challenging communicative issues with those close to us. It’s not a great day for trying to negotiate, reason with, or go on the defensive with others, as we’ll all be feeling sensitive.
To counter this, when you notice painful memories or thoughts surfacing, write them down and get curious. Where do these thoughts originate from? Who first said that hurtful thing to you, and how long have you been carrying that story? In subsequent days, you might try to release some of that pain and pressure, as the square fades, but as always, we must bring awareness to what stories we’re telling ourselves before we can find a little relief.
June 29: Saturn stations retrograde 19° Pisces
At 3:06pm PST, Saturn will station retrograde at 19° Pisces, turning down the volume on all things Saturnian for the next few months.
When inner planets like Mercury and Venus go retrograde, we take note, and tend to feel their impacts deeply. This is because these planets are closer to us here on earth, and govern more personal topics (communication, love, money). Saturn is a farther planet, some even categorize him as an outer planet, which means his themes and influences are a bit more collectively oriented than say, Mercury. For the outers, the *day* that that planet goes retrograde, and direct, are the most important days of that retrograde cycle, so we may feel extra Saturnian on Saturday (Saturn’s planetary day!).
Saturn will be retrograde from June 29th through November 16th, and will move backwards through 19° - 12° Pisces, so for those of us with planets in those degree spans in the mutable signs, we’ll be feeling this retrograde the most.
Thematically, a retrograde is a time of pulling back, of re-evaluating what we’re accomplishing and striving for, in relation to that planet’s themes. Saturn advocates for self-mastery, maturity, and responsible action. What are you doing to support those initiatives? How can you bring yourself into more truthful relationship with those topics? Saturn’s retrograde will be asking us these questions, through the fall.
Missed this so much last week- glad you are back✨
I really enjoy and appreciate your story of how the Saturn cycle has been impacting you, and the thread weaving itself around family, home, and ancestry. Thank you for sharing, I know it can be vulnerable and exposing at times 💛