This week’s agenda: Daddy Lessons with Saturn Rx

We’ve covered Pluto going retrograde last week, and today, the 29th, Saturn begins its retrograde phase, which will last until September. That’s quite a lengthy period, but most astrologers would agree that Saturn Rx is relatively more chill than when it is direct.

As the planet that’s quite a lot like a hard-nosed but fair parent—you know, the one who wants their kid to learn the values of education and labor early on because of the rewards they always bring—Saturn direct is a bit short on fun. Its ongoing stay at its home sign of Capricorn may have made its lessons a little easier to swallow, because of the naturally serious and steadfast energy of the (astrological) goat.

Saturn in Capricorn in general has us examining traditional structures, what is lacking in them, and what long-lasting improvements can be made. Add Pluto to the mix and the necessary transformations that these structures need to go through are practically unavoidable. To understand what Saturn is trying to teach you in particular during this transit, which started in December of 2017 and will last until 2020, check your chart for which house you might have Capricorn in.

After a little over a year of staying in Capricorn, Saturn Rx is an assessment period of how well you have been doing. It’s a bit of a breather, though there’s no let-up in the learning. “Saturn [Rx] wants us to take a long hard look at ourselves,” Intuitive Astrology’s Tanaaz (no last name necessary) wrote. “It wants us to stop projecting or judging others, and instead take ownership of our energy and our choices, and see how they may have contributed to the shape of our lives.”

You get your shit together first by taking responsibility for your life.

To quote Beyoncé in Homecoming, as she powers through learning a difficult choreography (and generally putting together one of the best live performances ever) shortly after giving birth to twins: “No matter who you are, you get in here and it’s real…That’s why people don’t like to rehearse. You gotta be humble. You gotta be willing to look awkward, and you gotta study. Be a student.” That’s a work ethic of a conscientious student of Saturn. (Plus, Bey’s a Virgo, so her meticulousness is a given.)

On that note, and to tie it back to this post’s title, I’m so happy that Beyoncé finally made Lemonade available on other music streaming platforms other than Tidal. Before the current rise of country trap, Bey had planted this crossover genre’s roots with the Lemonade cut “Daddy Lessons.”