Saturn retrograde pressures us to check in, to see if our commitments really support our survival needs. Is that relationship or educational path we’ve put so much into actually going to support us in hard times? Are we earning & saving enough to cover a sudden bill?

From less than joyful events we learn to build responsibly for a more secure future.

This year though the natural pruning, maturing & buckling down Saturn retrograde brings is challenged.

Right now through September, Saturn tracks indecisive PurvaAshada nakshatra tightly conjunct Ketu. We could find ourselves 2nd guessing our Big Picture path, which can feel confusing.

While Saturn is trying to herd us onto a defined track, spiritual, instinctual & sometimes explosive Ketu can think of nothing lamer. Ketu wants us to join a commune, move to Bali & stop brushing our hair. It can be quite insistent about its own (ultimately true) reality that the material doesn’t actually exist so why bother with a mortgage & responsibilities?

The thing is, there’s no doubt we have incarnated into material form, into bodies that need to fed, sheltered & if we’re lucky, loved. What to do??

For this particular transit, better to stay in practical action & fulfill our responsibilities. This is one of those times when though we may feel temporarily short on freedom & inspiration there could be uncomfortable repercussions if we do otherwise.

Those of us prone to depression could get even more down on ourselves when consequences of slacking become unavoidable. Going into ‘freeze’ mode is a possibility. We can accomplish plenty even if foundations are shifting, but depletion is a danger as the pressure can be real. One of the lessons is staying conscious of the difference between our genuine need for rest & self-care versus apathetic or frustrated avoidance.

Even if we think we’re on our true path, we could surprisingly shift direction after eclipses in July & December reveal new information, having us re-think the very beliefs we base our life direction on.