Stacked March!

What a month March is going to be! This month we have the top two transits happening in 2023: Saturn entering Pisces and Pluto entering Aquarius. But for this blog, I want to focus on the ringed planet’s ingress into the sign of the Fishes.

We’re finally going to get a break from Saturnian times. What I mean by that is that for the last six years, we’ve been experiencing the potency of Saturn because it has been traversing through its two signs that it co-rules: Capricorn and Aquarius. In astrology, planets rule signs. Another way of saying that is that certain planets and signs share similar agendas. Every planet rules at least one sign, but some planets rule two. Saturn just happens to be one of those planets, and on top of that, no other planet rules two signs back-to-back; after Capricorn season comes Aquarius season. So for the past six years, we’ve been experiencing Saturnian themes, both positive and negative: maturity, despair, dignity, frustration, solitude, isolation, exhaustion, depression, achieving our Great Works, and workaholism.

Saturn doesn’t have a stake in our evolution. It can help us mature and earn our self-respect or it can debilitate us and lose hope. Our consciousness is the role player in what outcome we will earn. With Saturn traveling Capricorn, we could’ve learned how to enjoy solitude, matured, and climbed the right mountain (achieved a Great Work). With Saturn traversing through Aquarius, we could’ve learned how to enjoy freedom, question authority, and create things humanity has never seen before. For the next three years, Saturn can help us master Piscean themes.

Harnessing The Current Zodiac Season’s Energy

As an astrologer, I’m learning how to make the most of each sign’s season. We’re a little over halfway through Pisces season, but I’ve already harnessed some of the energy bestowed by this mystical season. I’ve deepened my meditation practice by extending my timer and doing it more than once a day, I’ve taken up more walks, and I’ve gotten back into my flow practice by spinning POI. In doing these activities, I’ve received insights. These downloads are ideas that help me gain more clarity about how to move forward with certain actions. By creating the time and space to receive these messages, I’m getting firsthand experience as to what can we expect in the upcoming three years as Saturn transits through Pisces.

Boundaries on the Boundless

Saturn enters Pisces on March 7, 2023, through February 13, 2026, and you don’t have to have any planets in Pisces to feel this change. Everyone can take advantage of this planetary shift or can succumb to its lower frequencies.

So what can we expect when the planet of boundaries moves into the sign of the boundless? They’re a few things I can say, but in a phrase, this combination gives us spiritual discipline or creative discipline. Saturn gives us the power to do what we don’t feel like doing and when it is in Pisces, it can empower us to commit to practices that can get us in touch with consciousness.

The ringed planet can help us turn our dreams into reality.

Every sign seeks to express itself–it has an evolutionary goal–and for Pisces, it’s to commune with God, a Higher Power, creativity, muse, the present moment, or any transcendental experience where you’re connecting to something that is bigger than yourself. You can call this Piscean goal spiritual, religious, creative, imaginative, or flow-like, but the point with Pisces is to make time to weaken the barrier separating conscious from unconscious in order to realize that you’re more than just you’re ego–you are awareness experience life.

Saturn is the planet that can help us grow and earn our dignity. This is only if we’re willing to act decisively, apply practical strategies, and be comfortable putting in the work alone if we have to. During Saturn times, we’re colliding with reality and some folks tend to see this challenge as a brick wall that they can’t get through, so they get frustrated, despaired, and give up. I can see how a lazy person can view Saturnian times as frustrating and dull because getting good at something by working hard isn’t exciting to a person who just wants to kick back and eat potato chips. However, suppose you’re willing to see reality clearly and translate your inner growth into concrete actions. In that case, the gifts Saturn can bestow upon you are maturity, self-respect, and getting really good at something.

Back before we had telescopes, our solar system ended at Saturn. An aspect about the speed of the planets that astronomers knew about was that as planets move farther out from the Sun, the slower they moved. So with Saturn being the last planet, it was the slowest one. On top of that, astrologers noticed that when Saturn was personally felt in one’s chart, we were hit with the reality that we were getting older. Therefore, we refer to Saturn as “Father Time.”

Saturn likes to move slow. Pisces likes to go deep within. During these next three years, if you want to grow spiritually or creatively, then take the time to cultivate those practices. You might find yourself setting your alarm at 6 AM to meditate for 30 minutes every day. You might find yourself joining a yoga studio and going three times a week. You might wake up an hour earlier than you’re used to in order to write, draw, or create your form of art. Whatever practice you choose, it’s about logging hours in transcendental states. Reaching nirvana is not the point. It’s all about enjoying the practice. Because when you put in the time to be present, that state of mindfulness gets carried over into the rest of your day. Furthermore, what Saturn in Pisces can gift you is the realization that we only have the present moment.

Through the slow, but gradual process of committing to spiritual or creative practices, you’ll find joy in the practices rather than trying to get to a spot that you’re not currently at. As cliche as it sounds, it is so true, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” The destination is in the present. You’re never in the past. You’re never in the future. Saturn in Pisces can help you enjoy the present moment. Saturn in Pisces can help you enjoy the beingness that is you.

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, and this moment is a gift. That is why this moment is called ‘the present’.”
- Deepak Chopra

Saturn-in-Pisces Phrases:

Setting boundaries on the boundless
Turning dreams into reality
Committing to spiritual practices
Committing to creative practices
Growing spiritually
Growing creatively
Embodying the Spiritual Elder archetype
Compassionate responsibilities
Committing to mindful practices
Logging hours in transcendental states
Sobering up
Structured creativity

The Dark Side of Pisces

I have a close Pisces in my life. When I first started studying astrology and turned to the Pisces’ shadow section, I got emotional. It described exactly what my Pisces was doing. Pisces is one of the three water signs and they vibrate at the emotional frequency. Therefore, Pisces has some of the most sensitive antennas which gift them the resource of compassion. They’re a mutable water sign so they can attune to the energy of their surroundings. They feel a lot. This is why it’s super critical that Pisces individuals log in hours to be by themselves and partake in spiritual or creative practices. They need time to release the energy that was absorbed. If a Pisces is going on about their life without “meditating,” being in nature, or channeling their creativity somehow, then they’re going to want to escape reality.

Sidetrack:
The word meditation comes with a whole lot of salad dressing. Yes, meditating is sitting cross-legged and focusing on your third eye, but meditating can also look like going out fishing. Fishermen might not consider themselves to be meditators, but sitting quietly and patiently waiting for fish, most definitely qualifies as a meditative practice. Meditation is about being present. Only you, can discover the form of meditation that you enjoy.

`FIND YOUR MEDITATION`

`“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”`
`- Henry David Thoreau`

Back to the shadow of Pisces.

When reality gets too intense for Pisces, they seek to numb the emotions. This is where we see the dirty laundry list of Pisces’ escapist behaviors: drugs, alcohol, and mindless activities (TV, porn, video games, phone, reading, etc.). Without diving deep into their consciousness and funneling their sensitivity through meditation or creativity, then we see a beautiful Pisces turn into the Space Cadet, the Lost Soul, the Martyr, the Liar, and the Helpless One. The Pisces individual who has lost contact with their own consciousness looks like a fish out of water, checked out, and looking forward to the next lifetime.

For those who are struggling with addiction, I pray that Saturn’s trek through Pisces can help sober you up. I hope Saturn wakes up my Pisces and hits him with a reality check. Remember, Saturn gives you the power to do the things you don’t want to do, but you know you have to do. During these next three years, find yourself the help you need. Your sensitivity is a gift and not a burden. You can make Saturn your elder guide or you can make it your malefic trickster. It’s up to you to decide.

If You Have Your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Saturn, or Nodes in Pisces

If you have one of those placements in Pisces, then sometime within the next three years, Saturn will either help you mature and enhance your dignity or you will get depressed and have no hope for the future. The key to determining what Saturnian outcome you will get is YOU. Planets don’t control you, they only represent the possibilities that can transpire based on your actions.

One key question I like to tell people who are about to enter a Saturnian transit is, “Do you want to get exhausted or do you want to get depressed?” If Saturn touches a sensitive point in your chart, the ringed planet is asking you to look at reality clearly, construct a practical plan, and take concrete action. Saturn presents a tall mountain to climb and hiking it will get you exhausted, but failing to ascend will make you sad and you will fail to learn important lessons that are required for your next phase in life. You can get frustrated when Saturn strikes, but instead, allow it to motivate you and get to work because after this transit is done, you’ll have gained the skills necessary that are going to make living that much more meaningful. On top of that, the invisible gift that Saturn can bestow upon you is dignity–a precious gift that nobody can take away from you.

Wherever you have Pisces in your chart, then sometime during the next three years, the dignity you will earn, the spiritual growth to be had, or the mastery of your creativity that can be enhanced will be happening in a certain area of your life. If you’re a Virgo Rising, then you might find yourself deepening the integrity of a relationship (whether romantic, business, or BFF). This relationship will be founded upon spirituality, creativity, or compassion. If you’re a Pisces Rising, then this transit is going to be a pivotal chapter of your life, one which can help you self-actualize. Because you’re a Pisces rising, that means Saturn is crossing over your ascendant, which is a top-level event, and have the opportunity to really steer the helm of your life in the direction you want it to go.

As you can see, we can even get more specific as to where to apply the Saturn-in-Pisces transit. Giving accurate readings of this transit requires knowing where Pisces is in your chart, and because I use the Placidus house system, I may be giving you an incorrect reading. Not because I don’t know how to speak the language of astrology, but because Pisces may not be in the house I think it’s in, relative to your rising sign. If you desire an accurate and comprehensive transit reading, then you can do so by scheduling your reading here.

Saturn’s Return

We can divide the span of human life into three volumes: youth, midlife, and elderhood. Each volume is composed of thirty years and each requires different skills and mindsets to master. The first thirty years of life require you to dream, to experiment, to let loose. From ages 30-60, it’s time to make your dream into reality. You may have had extravagant dreams–and that’s the point of youth–but once you hit your first Saturn’s Return, you adjust your dream to fit reality. During midlife, you get to build your career, establish your roots, start a family, etc. If you hit your second Saturn’s return, then the initiation you will encounter will be the one into elderhood. This third phase of life is about learning how to pass on your wisdom to those who have come after you. Each Saturn’s Return deserves its own blog post, but I’m simplifying these major Saturn events to help you understand their significance.

If you have your Saturn in Pisces, then you’re about to go through an astrological rite of passage.

Here are some Saturn Return phrases to help you on your journey:

`What spiritual or creative mountain do you want to climb?`
`Do you want to get depressed or do you want to get exhausted?`
`“First we dream it (1st Saturn Return), then we make it real (2nd), then we let it go (3rd).” - Steven Forrest`
`“From birth to age twenty-nine, it is the dream that guides the evolving psyche.” - Steven Forrest`

Growing Spiritually, Growing Creatively

If you have your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Saturn, or Nodes in Pisces, then these next three years will be significant in your spiritual growth. Through the slow, but gradual process of committing to spiritual or creative practices, you’ll find joy in the practices rather than trying to get to a spot that you’re not currently at. As cliche as it sounds, it is so true, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” The destination is in the present. You’re never in the past. You’re never in the future. Saturn in Pisces can help you enjoy the present moment. Saturn in Pisces can help you enjoy the beingness that is you.

Examples of Saturn-in-Pisces Practices:

Yoga
Embodied Flow
Flow Arts (POI, staff, hooping, etc.)
Journaling
Meditating
Chanting
Praying
Going to church every Sunday
Fishing
Surfing
Staring out at the ocean
Staring into your fireplace
Volunteer work
Charity work
Acts of kindness
Getting sober
Making progress on your creative projects

Writing each day
Drawing each day
Creating each day

Harnessing the Structure Being Put on the Fishes

One of the best gifts I have received from being an astrologer is knowing what the astrological symbols mean in order to best work with the energy zeitgeist. Here’s what I mean. Knowing that it’s Pisces season, I’ve leaned into the mystical and creative energies in the air. Therefore, I’ve created the time and space to receive downloads. By going on more walks, meditating more than once a day, and investing in my creative outlets, I’m cleaning my antennae in order to receive insights that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to pick up. Instead of being busy, working, and doing all the time, during the next three years, make the time to just BE. You might just receive the guidance you need for your next move. Who knows, you might turn your dreams into reality.

Cheers to your evolution,
Andre

Saturn Entering Pisces: Turning Dreams Into Reality