It never fails to amaze me how people come for a reading just as major astrological activity is happening in their charts. They have no idea it is going on, and yet for some reason choose that exact time to book a session with an astrologer for the very first time in their lives.
One such time is the Saturn Returns, which occurs at roughly 29 years of age (it can be as early as 28 or as late as 30). This is the time when Saturn returns to the same place in the zodiac that it was when a person was born (i.e. the length of time that it takes Saturn to orbit the Sun). This is always a hugely important time in a person’s life, and tends to last for around 1 year.
While society tells us that we become an adult at 18 or 21, it is really only at our Saturn Returns that this truly happens. This is a time where we are asked to really grow up and start to live life from an adult perspective.
Everybody at this time experiences a significant shift in the way they view the world. In one way or another we are forced to look at the reality of our lives honestly and to change that which isn’t working. Looking at how well-placed Saturn is in a person’s chart (by sign, aspects and house) gives a good indication of how easy or difficult this period is likely to be for them, and what issues they are likely to have to deal with.
For example somebody with Saturn in their 7th house is likely to be dealing with relationship issues and if it is in the 10th house a person will need to be taking a close look at their career and what they want to do with their lives in a professional capacity. If the current relationship or career is right for them, then this period will mark a deepening level of maturity and responsibility. Maybe marriage or a promotion to a managerial position or other position of authority. If something isn’t right then it must change. The relationship will end or the person will decide to change jobs, quite possibly pursuing a completely different line of work.
The nature of the archetype or energy symbolized by Saturn is that of structure. Some structures in our lives will need to change at this time. Saturn sometimes gets a bad rap in astrology. People see it as bad. As bringing unpleasant experiences. Some astrologers even suffer from Saturnophobia! But it is really just restructuring that which no longer serves our highest self. That which is holding us back from stepping into a mature and adult expression of our lives. If we try to resist the changes that Saturn wants us to make (e.g. we know we should change jobs but we’re scared about it) then changes could be forced on us, seemingly from the outside (we are made redundant). This is ultimately for our own good, even though we may not see it at the time. How often does a relationship end against a person’s will, but then 6 months or a year later they realise it was the best thing that had happened to them. And often they then meet someone with whom they have a much more harmonious and deeper connection.
At our Saturn Returns we are asked to approach life from a long-term perspective. We must now honestly look at where we are currently at and where we want to be. What we want to do with our lives for the next 29 years, for the length of the next Saturn cycle. It is a time for looking to the long term, for taking responsibility for our lives, and for making changes which may take many years to come to fruition – nothing happens quickly where Saturn is concerned. It requires hard work, patience and discipline.
Yet when we do make such changes and are willing to put in whatever hard work is necessary, success is pretty much guaranteed at some point in the future. Saturn is like the foundations of our lives. It takes a long time to build them, but as long as the foundations are solid then whatever comes from it will be good for us. What we are working towards may take 7 years or even 14 years to come to fruition (¼ or ½ of a Saturn cycle) but eventually things will fall into place.
The Saturn Return is nothing to be feared. But we must be willing to face the sometimes hard reality of life in a courageous and determined fashion. When it occurs we must be willing to work hard to change those structures in our life that need to change. And in doing so we can achieve long-term and lasting fulfillment.
And there is always another opportunity, in the form of the second Saturn Returns which comes around 59 years of age. This is a time when we move from a phase of maturity to one of wisdom. Where we can come to be seen as a wise elder in some manner. Usually this second Saturn Returns is easier to deal with than the first, but any unresolved issues will return at this time and will have to be dealt with once again.
