The Truth Will Set You Free: Saturn in Pisces (2023-2026)

Karina Lafayette – May 26th 2022

Crystals, tarot, astrology, meditation, and veganism. All things that have become more and more mainstream over the past decade or so, and it’s been beautiful. Because of all this, we’ve seen people overcome toxic families and relationships; We’ve seen a new wave of readers and mediums gain respect, and not to mention cinema’s transition from digital to almost a virtual reality. People don’t care as much about your religion or belief system as much as they do about whether you’re a good person, and the borders between countries are no match for social media’s way to building connection. These things have been beneficial to society in a lot of ways, there’s no doubt about it, but at what point do we draw the line between what’s real and what isn’t, and at what point do we begin to pave the way for believing some of our own fantasies?

Most of these things I mentioned so far have a lot to do with Neptune, which has been in the sign of Pisces since 2011. As June, the astrologer behind Saturn and Honey, mentioned in a recent video on Tiktok, anytime Neptune is in a certain sign, there is a lie we get told relating to that sign. It’s the reason why many Millennials have been led to believe that if you work hard enough, you’ll be successful, when in reality, the system is designed to keep the 1% on top (Neptune in Capricorn). As a Millennial myself, I learned to see through this lie sometime before my Saturn Return, and that if anything, the key to doing better is to work smarter, not harder.

Where Neptune in Pisces is concerned, the bubble is kind of about to burst the same way. More and more I see folks on social media debunking things like the concept of twin flames, and bringing the hammer down on New Age “teachers” who keep touting the idea that literally everything is law of attraction, and that somehow if you grew up in abuse or experienced trauma, apparently it’s because you deserved it in some way. ‘Cause you know, “everyone is a reflection of us”, and all that. It’s true, in a way people are reflections of us, but that doesn’t make you responsible for how they treat you. This is why I’m excited about Saturn entering Pisces, because the bubble really is going to burst, and we’re finally about to get clarity on what has been working, and what is in fact another illusion.

In all honesty, law of attraction is very much real, but a lot of us forget that the universe is still random, and we can’t actually control everything that happens. For example, if you have a hundred people in a room and only five of them believe in equality, while the rest of them are okay with racism and misogyny, those five people aren’t going to be able to change an oppressive system, unless the rest of the room is on board with learning to accept others. This is what Saturn in Pisces has to bring to the table. It’s going to make it so we can no longer use spirituality or fear to bypass certain issues we need to look at. You can meditate and use mantras all you want, at some point, you’re gonna have to take action, too. It’s going to encourage more people to get sober and grounded, as well as a wider conversation on mental health and addiction. When Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, Saturn was also in Pisces.

For the past few years that Saturn has been in Aquarius, there’s been a need to focus on individuality and to be more authentic, rather than giving in to peer pressure. Even though Aquarius is known for being rebellious and marching to their own drum, they surprisingly are really good at worrying what other people think, even if they argue otherwise. Because Saturn is about restrictions, it’s made it so we have had no choice but to sit alone with ourselves (think pandemic restrictions) and look at where we could stand to set better boundaries. A lot of those lessons have been preparing us for what’s to come with Saturn in Pisces.

Whereas Neptune glosses over the details and makes traits of a certain sign seem better than they are, Saturn does the opposite. Neptune gives the ability to dream and fall in love, but Saturn is more interested in the here and now, and what’s tangible. Naturally, in Pisces it’ll be tricky to navigate the idea that we’ve been lied to in spiritual practices. It might even cause some people to leave certain religions or belief systems, or to at least start questioning them. The good news is, we can start being more mature about how to incorporate spirituality into everyday life while still maintaining a sense of groundedness.

Because Pisces and Neptune also rule the entertainment industry, there may be major studios and record labels that will start to shut down, or better yet, many artists who’ve been attached to those studios and labels will decide to go rogue and create their own instead. We’re already seeing this with the North Node in Taurus, but the shift will be more obvious once Saturn takes its first steps into Pisces. If you’re an artist, you’re going to be more interested in using your work in a way that’s beneficial, rather than letting people on top get the profit instead. There’s also going to be less interest toward special effects and a bigger focus on independent films, and stories that mirror everyday reality. One of the great things about this, is we’re also going to become a lot more appreciative of the beauty around us, and less interested in filters and glamour.

Some of the people who won’t enjoy that period are religious leaders and conspiracy theorists. We’re already getting a preview with Pope Francis currently preparing to visit Canada this summer, to meet with First Nations communities about the atrocities that happened within residential schools. Beyond that, we might see conflict between people of different faiths, and a bit more of a tendency to try to control what everyone else chooses to believe in. Especially for those of us who’ve been into spiritual practices for a long time, it’s important to avoid dictating how others use spirituality. Being able to channel certain energies doesn’t make you above people, and Saturn is fine with reminding you of that.

Now, if you’re someone who supports QAnon or believes theories like “birds aren’t real”, have I got bad news for you. Not that all conspiracy theories are wrong, but while Saturn is in Pisces, if you want to talk about something, you’re going to need proof to show for it. So no more, “I just saw this article on the Internet” or sharing pictures that were clearly Photoshopped. Proof is in the pudding or its invalid. Where subjects like astrology and tarot are concerned, there’s probably going to be a lot more mentoring or even an influx of online courses on these subjects. It wouldn’t even surprise me if we start teaching these subjects in school. Despite whatever flack Saturn gets, he’s still the “taskmaster”, a.k.a. the teacher.

And that’s actually been the problem with modern spirituality, that occasionally we use it to tell ourselves what we want to hear. For example, if you grew up in a family that rejected or even abused you, it’s easier to convince yourself that you’re some kind of starseed or alien, than it is to acknowledge that you deserved a better childhood. If you’re in a push-pull relationship with someone who constant cheats on you, it’s easier to believe that they’re your twin flame, than to accept that your relationship is problematic. If you have issues sleeping at night, it’s easier to tell yourself that your third eye is overactive, than to accept you might be dealing with insomnia. We sometimes even go so far as to use law of attraction to explain certain illnesses or tragedies in the world, because it’s easier than to admit life isn’t always fair.

Trust me, I know some of these statements are triggering, but like I mentioned, not everything is law of attraction, and this is going to be one of the big lessons with Saturn in Pisces. Spirituality is great for a lot of things, but unless you’ve done shadow work and really took the time to look in the mirror, then it won’t take you as far. The goal is not to reject spirituality, otherwise I wouldn’t even been writing all this, the goal is to make it a part of your life without making it your entire life. When first getting into practices like meditation and astrology, it’s easy to get caught up, because these subjects give clarity on certain issues, but it’s still up to you to work through those issues. Back when I first started meditating, I realized my mother was a narcissist and would use meditation to escape from reality, but eventually, it was still better for me to go no contact and find a safer home, than to continue living in that environment.

The other people who really, really will despise Saturn in Pisces are false gurus. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Teal Swan or Esther Hicks. They’re only two examples of false gurus that like to profit and take advantage of people and I won’t get into it, but let’s just say that the most important thing to remember is that Saturn is the planet of karma, as much as he’s the planet of responsibility and maturity. However, karma is a very misunderstood thing. We tend to look at it as something bad, but reaping what you sow isn’t bad, as long as you’ve been doing good work, right? So in all fairness, with Saturn in Pisces, we can expect to see a rise in people speaking out against scams, manipulation, false prophets, spiritual bypassing, and the icky God complex some people in the New Age community are known for having. And in the wise words of feminist author Gloria Steinem, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” In a way, we might even realize that the wool was pulled over our eyes the whole time.

For those of you who have Saturn in Pisces, congrats because it’ll be your Saturn Return! And I really do mean “congrats” in a literal way, because my mom, grandparents, and ex-husband all have Saturn in Pisces, so I know how you are. People with this Saturn placement tend to struggle early on in life with their spirituality. Usually, they distrust their intuition either because of upbringing or culture, which causes them to make certain decisions even when they might have known better, and I don’t mean this to victim blame. During your Saturn Return, you’ll have the opportunity to tune into that inner voice. Something might come along to make you question everything you believed in, but on the other side, you’ll feel more confident about your overall direction in life. The last time Saturn was in Pisces, my grandfather had passed away. When this happened, my late grandmother was afraid to live alone, so my mom and I went to stay with her. Not long after, we had to move, so my grandmother eventually got her own apartment, and she spent over twenty years living (happily) by herself! This is just one example about how Saturn in Pisces can show up, but it all depends on your chart.

Saturn enters Pisces on March 7th 2023, where he’ll stay for just over two years till May 25th 2025, when he goes into Aries. Then he’ll retrograde back into Pisces from September 2025 to February 13th 2026.

So what can you to do prepare for the Saturn in Pisces transit? ‘Cause you know, Saturn loves when we think of him. For one, whether you have this placement or not, it would help to look at the area in your chart ruled by Pisces, and wherever you have Neptune. The other thing you can do is ask yourself a tough question: How do I use spirituality to escape responsibility, and how can I learn to use it better to improve myself as a person? Another thing that’s needed is to accept where others are at in their journeys, and understand that just because they disagree with your beliefs, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong. It just means their outlook is different, because at the end of the day, Pisces advocates for inclusivity. Something we need much more of.

Karina

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