Most people have heard of the phrase “Saturn Return” because it’s well-known in pop culture for being a time of big (sometimes unwelcome) transformation. 30 is a point in our timeline that’s laden with expectation, whether it’s to be a millionaire by then; to be married by then; to have a house by then; or to be in your final career by then…
This point on our timeline is widely thought of as pivotal for some reason – and I believe that it’s partly due to the unspoken influence of our Saturn Return happening at the same time.
If you’ve heard of the phrase and you’re curious to know more about it, this one is for you.
Your Saturn Return is when Saturn goes back to the exact same point in the sky as when you were born. This usually happens between the ages of 28 and 30, but you can calculate exactly when yours starts and finishes through an online calculator like this one 🪐
As it takes roughly 29.5 years for Saturn to do a transit around our natal chart, we’ll actually have 2 or 3 Saturn returns over a full lifetime. We’ll experience another one around the age of 57, and then the same again around the age of 86.
So, why does it have such a fearsome reputation…?
Saturn is a planet of responsibility and restrictions. It governs our boundaries and fears, and it’s thought to teach us about these parts of ourselves via adversity.
This means that when our Saturn Return takes place, it promises to clear away any illusions that we’ve been living under. Namely, any areas of our life which are out of alignment, but that we’re still comfortably uncomfortable in. I always say that rock bottom is a good place to be because actually, the worst thing we can be is comfortably uncomfortable.
When something is just “OK” but not great, we could sit with it forever and waste years of our life. It’s better for something to be so uncomfortable that we feel like we need something better, instead of losing a lifetime to missed opportunities.
That’s why it has a bad reputation: because of its ability to shake up our life. But, actually (like the rest of the Universe) it’s always working in our favour!
It puts a question mark over any relationships not working for us. It will bring our career crashing down if it’s something that we’re doing for the wrong reasons. Think of Saturn as “old Father Time“. It will ring the bell when time is up on the things which aren’t serving you.
We should all actually be grateful for our Saturn Return because once it’s done, we’re in a much better position. It reminds me of The Tower Tarot card which delivers the same message; that the structures of our life are going to come crashing down if they were built on a shaky foundation, such as fear and ego.
That is exactly what our Saturn Return does for us. It wipes away any structures in our life which are there for the wrong reasons, if they’re going to stand in the way of our soul’s progression.
This awakening primes us for the next 29 years of our life – to make them even more fulfilling, even more prosperous, and even more aligned with who we truly are.
Your Saturn Return will affect you differently depending on what star sign your Saturn is in…
If your Saturn is in a fixed sign such as Taurus or Scorpio, you may have a more challenging time compared to if it’s in a mutable sign such as Gemini or Pisces, because the mutable signs are said to be more adaptable and open to change. You might also feel the experience of your Saturn Return more intensely if it’s in an Earth sign rather than an Air sign, for the same reasons.
The star sign your Saturn is in will define:
- what approach you have to facing your fears
- how you’re inclined to set boundaries
- what limits you might struggle against in your life
It asks you to think about your approach to discipline – are you for or against it, and why?
When you go through your Saturn Return, it will also affect you differently depending on the decisions you’ve made over the last cycle. If you’re already on the right path, with the right partner, aligned with your life purpose – then it promises to be a fruitful time!
This is the side of a Saturn Return that no-one talks about.
It can be a time of confirmation and elevation, where the groundwork that you’ve been busy laying is solidified. If there’s no work for Saturn to do in changing your path, it can affirm your path instead – giving you signs of real growth and potential for the future.
During a difficult Saturn Return, it may seem like Saturn wants to lead you away from your life – but actually it wants to lead you into it…
Saturn has been associated with karma, and your Saturn Return can be a time to harvest the rewards of what you’ve done so far.
You might feel like you’re supposed to be afraid of your Saturn Return, but you don’t have to be. As I said, it’s for your own good. It can just be a beautiful time of confirmation which will propel you further down your current path.
Or – if you’ve been ignoring your intuition for years – you’ll finally be forced to open your eyes. What changes have you been avoiding making? Your Saturn Return aligns you by giving you the lessons that you need most. Use this time in your life for reflection on what’s worked and what hasn’t, so that you can take them with you and make better decisions in the future.
Know that, once it’s over, the next 29 years of your life will be on a higher level than your last.
You’ll be more aligned with your truth, your purpose, and what you’re really here for.
