Saturn and Neptune Stationary Retrograde

I can't remember if I've commented on this before but both transiting Saturn and Neptune will turn stationary retrograde in July. Here are the details along with some other relevant astrological factors:

• On July 4th 2025, Neptune turns stationary retrograde in 2º10' of Aries
• On July 12th 2025, Saturn turns stationary retrograde in 1º56' of Aries
• On July 7th 2025, Uranus enters Gemini

These positions are almost exactly conjunct my natal Mercury in 2º14' of Aries. As Uranus enters Gemini it will form an exact square with my natal Saturn. During this period from early to mid-July, Ceres will pass over my natal Sun, Chiron is close to the natal North Node of the Moon, Venus passes over my natal Moon and Mercury passes over my natal Ceres-Pluto conjunction. However, it is the big three (Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) that carry most of the weight. The faster moving planets will determine the timing. The timing of what is the big question both personally and on a global level.

It's interesting that Saturn gets to within 0º14' of Neptune before turning back. An exact conjunction will not occur until late February of 2026 in 0º43' of Aries. By that time, Uranus will have retrograded into Taurus (27º34') and will be moving toward another conjunction with my natal Moon. Chiron will still be on my Ascendant and joined by Ceres. Incidentally, the celestial latitudes of Saturn and Neptune at the time of their near conjunction are not far apart (-2º15' versus -1º19'). Once Uranus enters Gemini, it will advance to 1º27' before turning stationary retrograde on September 5th of 2025.

Aries Action

On March 1st 2025, transiting Venus turned stationary retrograde in 10º50' of Aries, very close to my natal Mars - Venus conjunction. It will continue to move backwards through Aries, meet the Sun in 2º Aries on March 23rd and then enter into Pisces over the course of the next month or more.

Transiting Mercury follows a similar pattern. It will station in 9º35' of Aries on March 15th and then move backwards through Aries, meeting the Sun in 4º Aries on March 24th and then moving back into Pisces. These conjunctions of planets with the Sun are apparently called cazimis. I'd not heard the term before. Both the Mercury and Venus cazimis are inferior conjunctions meaning the the two planets will be between the Earth and the Sun.

Equally importantly however, there is a partial solar eclipse in 9°09' of Aries on March 29th and this is right on my Mars-Venus conjunction. This will be impactful, coming as it does just a few days before my birthday. I'll have more to say about this when I return to Jakarta tomorrow and can make use of my Astrolog software. I'm handicapped by having to rely on the web-based Astrotheme.

Body Woes

Here are the transits to my natal chart as of November 9th 2024. I've been feeling not so good physically over the past few days. I tire easily, my possibly fractured rib remains sore, my right shoulder continues to bother me, I have tooth trouble and so on.

Looking at the transits it can be seen that transiting Mercury is passing over my natal Chiron but this aspect is not long lasting. The main culprit it would seem is transiting Saturn that is retrograde and semisextile my natal Sun. It will grind to a halt in 12º42' of Pisces on November 16th. It will also form a quintile of 73º27' with my natal Moon.

It will ease off toward the end of November but I'm not looking forward to the passage of Saturn across my natal planets in Aries. This is probably only a year or so off now. Speaking of stations, on the 8th December 2024, Neptune (currently retrograde) will station in 27º08' of Pisces and then begin to move forward into Aries, reaching that sign on the 30th March 2025. On the 6th July 2025, it will station in 2º10' right on my natal Mercury. Transiting Saturn by this date will be in 1º54' of Aries, so this is an important transit. Desy's Ascendant is in the first degree of Aries so she will be affected as well.

Even though Saturn and Neptune are very close in July, only 0º16' of angular separation, there is no exact conjunction because on July 14th Saturn turns stationary retrograde in 1º56' of Aries and retreats back into Pisces at a rate much faster than the retrograde Neptune. By December both planets are in Pisces but about four degrees apart and in this month they turn direct again, finally reaching an exact conjunction on the 20th February in around the middle of 0º Aries.

Saturn Opposition

It's been thirty years but transiting Saturn will soon be returning in opposition to its natal position. This last occurred in May of 1993, shortly after which it stationed in the first degree of Pisces in June of that year. I well remember the turmoil of those months and I wonder if something similar is not in store for me next year.

Saturn will enter Pisces on March 8th of 2023. It will move forward before retrograding and once again stationing in the first degree of Pisces before turning direct again. This station will occur on November 4th of 2023. Figure I shows the chart for May and Figure 2 shows the chart for November.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Everything old is new again, they say, and it certainly seems that the situation I was in back in 1992 is very similar to the situation that I am in now. How 2023 turns out remains to be seen but I sense that a similar change is coming, although perhaps not as drastic as occurred thirty years ago. Back in the early 90's, I was in my early forties and the opportunities and options available to me were quite different than they are now.

Of course, Desy will be profoundly affected by this coming Saturn transit given that her Sun is in the first degree of Virgo and her Sun/Saturn is opposite in early Pisces. Figure 3 shows how the transits affect her chart when Saturn stations in November of 2023.

Figure 3

Chiron Station

Figure 1 shows the transits affecting my chart on July 15th 2021. What caught my attention initially was that yesterday transiting Chiron stationed in 12°56' Aries and today it has turned retrograde. It will station again in 8°26' Aries on December 19th 2021. See the post on my Astrology blog titled A Closer Look at Chiron that was created in anticipation of Chiron's entry into Aries on April 17th 2018. Chiron spends about eight years in Aries but only about 1.5 years in Libra.

Figure 1

There are other activity that I've also marked in Figure 1. These are:

• Sun approaching my IC in about three days
• Ceres in very close semi-sextile aspect to my Ascendant
• Uranus exactly square my natal Pluto
• Jupiter retrograding toward an exact opposition to my natal Saturn in late July
• Mars and Venus separating after their exact conjunction a few days ago

Pluto of course hovers over my MC and will be doing so for quite some time.