by Robert Wilkinson
Saturn is now in its first pass into its 2025-2026 Shadow Zone of 26 Pisces – 2 Aries, where it will go retrograde in July. This begins the first of Saturn’s three transits over this part of Pisces. Because 26 Pisces was where Neptune went SRX in June 2022 and where it went SD in December 2023, we’re going to see how our response to the Neptune part of our spiritual hologram since then is related to the Saturn conditions we’ll encounter the rest of 2025!
The shadow zone is defined by the span between where a planet goes retrograde, and where it goes direct after the retrograde period. In this case, Saturn goes retrograde at 2 Aries in mid-July and retrogrades back to 26 Pisces, where it goes stationary direct on November 27, Thanksgiving Day.
That puts the shadow zone between 26 Pisces and 2 Aries, and on April 5 Saturn enters 26 Pisces, the degree where it’ll go SD in late November. This year Saturn takes us through the individual and spiritual level of the scene of “Perpetuation” and into the actional level of “Desire” once it enters Aries. This begins many months of Saturn septile Pluto and in a near but frustrated conjunction with Neptune through early 2026.
Beginning in late April, Jupiter begins its approach to making its third and final exact square from Jupiter in June. That marks a major emergent turning point in their cycle which began in December 2020 at the Grand Mutation at 1 Aquarius. Even though Jupiter made its square to that point in May 2023, and squares from Gemini to Saturn in August and December 2024, the square from Cancer to Aries marks emergent points of a new era.
Jupiter square Saturn is a challenge to demonstrate our maturity through a wider compassionate view, or a way of demonstrating our truth in responsible ways. This aspect requires that we not play to pessimism or getting discouraged or fall into thinking the price of success isn’t worth it. If it’s worth doing, then do it! And if not, get your inner alignment straight since the coming Jupiter square Saturn is from Cardinal signs, giving us a sense of what’s coming in 2026!
Remember that Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces in worldly affairs, and Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius in worldly affair. These two were at odds with each other, or in friction in some ways, during their squares from Gemini to Pisces in August and December which challenged some things in the middle degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces for all of us.
For example, there may have been delays, responsibilities, or duties which “curbed our enthusiasm,” or perhaps philosophical, legal, or moral considerations have rubbed up against our rules and limitations. There are many other ways this can manifest, so take a look back at anything that has had the brakes put on it, or an opening that allowed you to get beyond an old rule, assumption, or fear. This will help you navigate the next 3 months.
Last year we found out how our Gemini worked well or not with our Pisces. We all learned how to bring forth productive Virgo and Sagittarius energies to integrate the friction between Gemini and Pisces. This aspect challenges us to make sure our spiritual values are supporting our worldly ambitions, and that our sense of the future is not in conflict with our spiritual “Ring Pass Not,” discussed in detail in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Find a true spiritual justification for expanding in the direction you need to, realizing it may take some time to build a preliminary structure which will help you on your adventure.
This aspect also challenges us to take a broader view of things and not allow too many rules or “shoulds” to frustrate our ability to open to a new view of life’s potentials. This is a time to use Jupiter to express our Saturn Soul qualities, and use Saturn to express our Jupiter Soul qualities.
Between now and July when Saturn goes SRX at 2 Aries, the inner planets move from the conjunctions in Pisces to the septiles and sextiles in Taurus, the quintiles in Gemini, the squares in early Cancer, and the trines in early Leo. Mars is currently in trine to Saturn, moves to the sesquisquares in mid-May, the biquintile in early June, and the quincunx and triseptiles in late June. It makes an opposition from 2 Libra in early August as Mars makes a Grand Air Trine with Uranus and Pluto, making Saturn and Neptune in early Aries the anchor/drivers grounding the Air energy in a “Peace Sign” evolutionary configuration.
On A Final Note
Saturn direct helps us express mature responses to our world; Saturn retrograde gives us a different understanding, or a different angle of approach. We now begin our first of three passes over this zone in Pisces and Aries. After June, Saturn RX can bring us echoes of old duties and responsibilities in new forms, or the return of attitudes of accepting “the wage of age."
Because it’s in the sector of the zodiac where we experience the deep connectedness we all are together within the collective “feeling-field,” from now through late May we’re going deeper, saying goodbye to many things and preparing for the entry to a new world this Summer. We’ll get a “last blast of the past” this Autumn and Winter, and by next February will be solidly in the Saturn/Neptune in Aries era.
When Saturn goes SRX in July at 2 Aries, it brings a time where we are learning objectivity through humor, anticipating a new role to play and a new stage to play on in early 2026. Having said goodbye to a lot the past 2 years, we’re now in transition, finishing up our goodbyes and preparing to say “hello” to a new life.
You can find out more about claiming your inner power to live a more fulling life and destiny through an ever-greater understanding of your purpose by getting your copy of Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. It offers insights into various types of karma, how to throw off limitations and fears which limit your ability to be fulfilled, and why we have to make major choices at crucial times in our life. By the time you’re done, you’ll be able to move through the chaos of the world fearlessly, with discipline, maturity, patience, and power. Here's the Amazon link to where you can order Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, and if you want a Kindle ebook copy you can get it there as well.
Enjoy the entrance into the main phase of this year’s Saturn lessons. This is an important time to demonstrate our spiritual maturity as we navigate the deep tides of Saturn in Pisces, blessing the passage as we move into the dawn of a new day in Aries.
Copyright © 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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