Saturn Retrograde 2025 & Human Design Authorities

This past weekend on July 12th, Saturn (aka Father Time, the Lord of Karma, and the Taskmaster of the Zodiac) stationed Retrograde in Aries, beginning his 4.5 month long Retrograde cycle where he will polish the place of endings & beginnings – the space between Pisces and Aries, the end and the beginning of the Zodiac.

Personally, I have come to LOVE the 4.5 months every year when Saturn is retrograde, because it’s like a deep dive into whether or not you are living according to your unique Design, and making decisions according to your own Inner Authority (listed below) – or not. In the coming Shift of 2027, it is going to be absolutely necessary to know how to make decisions as yourself (instead of outsourcing your Authority to your parents, partner, boss, the government, healthcare professionals, friends, colleagues, etc. – something Saturn absolutely loathes).

Use this time wisely.

This Saturn Retrograde is extremely significant because it will be the last time Saturn is in Pisces until 2052.

Something is ending in your life (related to the area Pisces governs in your chart)… something you began in March of 2023, when Saturn first entered Pisces, is finally coming to a close. Simultaneously, something new is beginning (related to the area Aries governs in your chart), but it’s still in the bud. In order for this new beginning to start in a good way – Saturn is pressuring you to go back and clean things up so that come December, you can move forward with integrity.

Over the next 4-5 months, we will all be put to task in the area of our lives (our charts) where Saturn will be making this journey. From now until November 28th, we will be pressed to review, refine, and rectify our boundaries, responsibilities, and our relationship to our inner authority. All of this will be focused on how we take inspired action in the direction of our dreams, with passion, drive, and motivation fueling our spiritual practices, relationship to rest, and our ability to find beauty in the midst of powerful initiations, as well as any dissociative habits we may have picked up related to avoiding the responsibility of being The Authoirty in our own lives.

There is something Saturn forgot or missed back in April-May related to your dream & ideal vision for your life. Saturn is here to help you take responsibility for putting in the time, effort, energy & hard work so that you can become the spiritual warrior, defender & protector of this dream. Saturn wants you to move forward with passion, drive, & motivation as you actualize this ideal vision for your life. But first he has to go back and help you clean up some of the areas of your life where your boundaries have become blurry, and where you’ve allowed yourself to dissolve into the homogenized expectations of others.

Last year Saturn went retrograde, also in the sign of Pisces, from June 29th through November 15th (from 12°-19° Pisces) – so this is not an energy we are unfamiliar with (except this time with Aries involved there’s a little more spice in the mix), unless that retrograde was in a different house for you. You may want to take some time to reflect on what your experience was related to responsibilities, boundaries, standing up for your dreams, and living according to your inner authority (or not) during that time.

I always say that every Retrograde cycle is like 3 books (or movies) in a Trilogy.

Book One is when the planet first moves through what is called the “Shadow Period,” when it is crossing the same degrees that it will retrograde back over when it has to retrace its steps during the Retrograde cycle. In Book One, we are blissfully unaware, frolicking along, and somewhere along the way we pass some important information without registering it, overlook an important experience, or drop/misplace something we were carrying on our journey. (In reference to Saturn Retrograde, Book One was April 6th – July 12th.

Book Two (where we are right now) is when the planet Stations Retrograde and turns around to retrace it’s steps all the way back to when it first entered the “Shadow Period.” In Book Two, our attention is more focused inward (related to the particular planet in question), and we go on an inner alchemical journey, consciously or unconsciously looking for whatever it was that we missed, dropped, or overlooked in Book One. (In reference to Saturn Retrograde, Book Two is now: July 13th – November 27th).

Saturn was in Pisces from April 6th through May 25th, then entered Pisces on May 26th. There’s something in your life related to what happened April 6th-May 25th around you living according to your Authority that needs to be cleaned up in order for you to actualize your dreams with passion & motivation.

Book Three is when the planet Stations Direct and, now moving forward, walks back over those same steps for the 3rd time (also called a “Post Retrograde Shadow Period”). In Book Three, we have hopefully found/retrieved/experienced whatever it was that we missed the first time, and can now apply those lessons moving forward in our lives. (In reference to Saturn Retrograde, Book Three will be: November 28th – March 2nd, 2026).

Saturn will re-enter Aries on February 15th, 2026, at which time things will start to move forward with a quickness. This timeline is exactly 1 year before the Background Frequency will shift in 2027. Saturn wants you to have everything in order for this acceleration.

It’s kind of like we’re in a fairytale where we must journey through the dark forest, narrowly escaping the demons & beasts that lurk in the shadows. But then we get to the end of the forest only to find a locked door. On the door there’s a message that says the key to the door can only be found by answering the riddle of the creature that lives in the swamp back at the beginning of the forest. So we go back, this time facing the demons & beasts, finally making it back to the swamp, where we answer the riddle, and finally receive the key. Then we journey back through the forest, which is now filled with light and life, making friends with those creatures that haunted us before, until we finally make it back to the door where the key fits perfectly and we continue on our journey, much stronger, grounded, and confident than before.

If you work with this Saturn Retrograde energy in a good way, by the time we get to February 15, 2026, you will have a powerful & strong foundation for navigating your life according to your unique Authority, and the challenges & initiations that are part of the 2027 Shift will be easier to move through.

Saturn is all about putting in the time, effort, and energy to cultivate the discipline (I like to say devotion) to get serious about taking responsibility for setting & honoring our boundaries (with ourselves & others), so that we can create long-term success by standing in our own sovereignty/authority, instead of being influenced by the opinions/expectations of others. I know Saturn gets a bad wrap, but really, especially from this perspective, he is SUCH an amazing ally.

Whenever a planet stations Retrograde, the energy of that planet (for Saturn: boundaries, responsibility & authority) turns inward. I love this energy, because these next 4.5 months will be so supportive for cultivating your connection to your own Inner Authority.

In Human Design, each person has a specific inner authority located in the body, based on what centers are defined in the Body Graph.

To find out your unique Inner Authority, download the free app from HumanDesignApp.com, and enter your birth info (or for your loved ones), and when you look at your chart, under your name it will tell you what type of Authority you have.

As you will see, some people are designed to listen to their gut (and some are not), and others receive intuitive whispers (and some do not), and that’s actually totally appropriate for them. I love this so much because it removes the guesswork of how to listen to your body, and gives each of us a clear, mechanical, practical methodology for making decisions as ourselves according to our own unique Inner Authority.

Here is a very brief (and highly simplistic) overview of the different Authorities just to give you an idea. Please listen to the podcast episode I did with Marni Suu Reynolds on the Golden Thread Podcast for a deeper explanation.

Emotional Authority: the answer to every question is always a no first, until a yes begins to vibrate to the surface (or not). It takes time for the body to move through the Emotional Wave before clarity arrises, this is why it’s important not to act spontaneously. This is a powerful authority because it is both an awareness center, as well as a motor. (I have this, & my life changed radically when I decided to honor my wave – even though I don’t feel like an “emotional person” per see). PS: it’s all about slowing down so you can experience more pleasure in life & bring good energy to your people & projects, but you gotta wait for it.

Sacral Authority: you have an in the moment, in the body, gut response, that operates in a binary – yes or no, this or that. Too many options can dilute your energy. Often you will hear yourself making “sacral sounds” of ah-huh (yes) or uhn-un (no). Underneath every question or decision is “will this make me satisfied?”

Splenic Authority: the answer to every question is always a yes first, unless you “hear” the soft intuitive whisper of the Spleen say No. The voice of the Spleen speaks softly and only once, so even though Splenic beings tend to move very quickly and spontaneously, they need to pay careful attention so they don’t miss the voice of the Spleen. The Spleen is always weighing every question/opportunity with “is this healthy for me or not?”.

Ego Authority: this has more nuance to it depending on if your Ego is connected to your throat or your Identity center, but in essence when making decisions, you always have to consider “do I have the will/heart to do this?”

Self-Projected Authority: you are a verbal processor, and it’s important for you to talk through your decision making process so you can hear your own voice. While input from others can be helpful at times, that’s not what informs your decision, it’s by feeling the resonance of your own voice inside your body when asking “does this feel like me?” that you come to clarity.

Environmental Authority (Mental Projectors, also sometimes written as No Inner Authority): you are also a verbal processor, however in this instance it’s important for you to be in different environments that feel good and talk through your decision making process so you can hear your own voice & feel how it feels to speak about your inquiry in different places. You need people in your life to act as sounding boards, to just listen to you process, and not offer any advice or guidance.

Lunar Authority (Reflectors): With all of your energy centers open, you are very sensitive to your environment, so you have a similar process to the Environmental Authority, however with your openness, your identity undulates with the moon. Each month the moon moves through all of the 64 gates in the Body Graph and by waiting a full lunar cycle before making a decision, you get to feel that possibility through all of the 64 Gates, each one giving you more clarity about your inquiry.

So you see, in the homogenized world, filled with societal expectations, social programming, etc., we think that we “should” make decisions the same way, but we’re all very unique! One of the most liberating & empowering things you can do for yourself is to begin to make decisions according to your own Authority, and empower your loved ones to make decisions according to their Authority as well.

Saturn Retrograde Journal Prompts

Take some time to reflect on what your journey has been since April 6th through now (July 12th):

What have you been building over these last 3.5 months?
Where might you have skipped some steps or made decisions based on someone else’s preferences or expectations?
Do you feel connected to your Authority according to your Human Design? (Emotional, Sacral, Splenic, Ego, Self-Projected, Environmental, or Lunar).
Are you willing to devote yourself to learning more about your Authority & allowing your Authority (your body) to make the decisions in your life instead of your mind?
How have you grown more mature & responsible since April, and yet, how can you refine this maturity by putting in the time, effort, energy & hard work, so that it can become mastery?
Are there any particular places, situations, or relationships where you need to cultivate better boundaries, or become more sincere in your responsibilities, and finally get serious about making decisions as yourself according to your Authority?
Are there any inner systems & structures that you need to put in place, strengthen, or fortify to help you live according to your Inner Authority?
What dreams or ideal vision for your life got abandoned or half cooked over the past 3.5 months?
When February 2026 comes around and it’s time to finally move forward and build out these dreams & visions you’ve been holding since March 2023, what do you need to clean up & take responsibility for finishing before February?

Was this helpful for you? If you’d like to support my work you can…

BUY ME A COFFEE ☕️

I hope this is resonant & supportive for you. Please feel free to take screenshots and share on Instagram – please tag me at @iamrakaiel.

If you’re curious to learn more about your Human Design, you are invited to join us for Human Design Foundations (Enrollment ends July 15th), or you can schedule a Session here.

Remember: love YOU!

Rakai’el

*AI free zone. Everything on this page was created & written by me. If you see any mistakes, they are genuinely human, and the result of my Receptive Mind (I can’t see the details). I hope you enjoy!