What You Need To Know About Saturn Return

What exactly is Saturn Return?

Approaching your 30th birthday can be a time of change in many areas of your life – from love to careers and friendships – but astrologers believe the stars could also play a role. “It all comes down to Saturn Return,” explains Caggie Dunlop, host of astrological podcast, Saturn Returns With Caggie. “It takes Saturn 29.5 years to complete one full orbit around the Sun and to ‘return’ to the position in the sky where it was at the time of your birth. For around three years, Saturn orbits through the same zodiac sign it was in when you were born, where astrologers believe it puts you through a series of tests to prepare you for adulthood.” Saturn is the taskmaster planet, overseeing rules, restrictions, limitations, boundaries, discipline and challenges. It’s concerned with making you more mature and more knowledgeable. “Saturn is the planet of responsibility,” says Caggie. “During a Saturn Return, the planets are assessing how you’ve been living, and where you need to make adjustments. It can be an intense period in which missed opportunities and wrong turns from the first 29 years of your life resurface. It’s all about shifting dynamics for your future life.”

So, it’s different to your star sign?

Yes – it’s all to do with your birth chart, which goes above and beyond your horoscope. Your birth chart uses the exact time and location of your birth to create an accurate snapshot of the sky at the time of your birth. Not only will a birth chart offer helpful insights about your personality but can also serve as a tool for better understanding the shifts and astrological experiences that occur over the course of your life. Every time the sun, moon or any of the planets comes back to the place it was in when you were born, you’ll experience its return. Unlike a retrograde, however – such as the notorious Mercury Retrograde, which affects everyone at the same time – planetary returns are specific to your birth chart. 

How can you work out your birth chart?

“You can discover your Saturn sign and create your own birth chart online (I rate CafeAstrology.com), or for more detail and a deeper understanding, consider a reading with an astrologer – I work with Noura @StarsIncline. For example, my Saturn sign is Capricorn, which meant my Saturn Return was all about long-term goals, work ethic, independence and being more persistent with my goals and rooting them in reality. It can also help to understand what house your Saturn placement is in – an astrologer can help you with this. For example, if it sits in the tenth house, then a lot of the focus around your Saturn Return will be to do with your career path and could also bring up issues from the past related to authority figures such as parents. There are many ways to approach a chart – give it time and be patient,” says Caggie.

Does a Saturn Return happen just once?

As Saturn takes 29 years to move through all 12 signs, you will experience a Saturn Return once every 29 years, more or less. These returns mark beginnings and ends of major movements of your life, and most people experience up to three. The first is believed to move you from youth into adulthood. The second, which happens in your late 50s, signals a move into middle age, while the third, in your mid-to-late 80s, marks the move into the wisdom of old age. It’s believed subsequent Saturn Returns aren’t felt as intensely as the first.

What are the signs you’re going through a Saturn Return?

“Saturnian events are notoriously guillotine-like,” says Caggie. “Think a sudden shift in career or friendship circles that change dramatically and suddenly. Changes can also be linked to your career – this could be a sudden career change or a desire to pursue something you previously never had the guts to do. Emancipation from parents is also a big theme as we craft a new identity based on autonomy and becoming our own authority.” Caggie also explains that Saturn is a karmic planet, meaning you may start to see the ramifications of past actions. “Its message is you reap what you sow. If you are someone who is very disciplined, your Saturn Return could be a period of time when you are rewarded richly for this, such as a promotion.” If, however, you cheated in school exams, you may find yourself cheated on by a romantic or business partner. Astrological experts also say that Saturn will give you clear signals during a return. If you’re feeling low, stuck, frustrated or jealous of other people’s careers, this could be a sign it’s time for a change. 

What about relationships – is this a time you are likely to meet someone?

Saturn tends to manifest itself in relationships, including platonic ones, that test you, says Caggie. “For example, you might meet someone near the time of your Saturn Return that tests you on lessons of self-love, self-sovereignty and healthy boundaries. Sometimes, this then translates into having a healthier, more mature relationship, but at other times it could force you to choose yourself and walk away from a relationship.” If, however, you are already in a relationship at the start of your Saturn Return, the relationship will still be tested – your relationship will have to grow and change if it is to survive, says Caggie.

How can you use Saturn Return to your advantage?

“Use this period of time to nurture your identity,” says Caggie. “Start by asking yourself which parts of your identity are holding you back from becoming the adult you’d like to be. What do you associate yourself with, for example, and how much is that weighing you down? Peel back the layers of yourself till you get to the version of your authentic core identity – once you have this, you’ll have the perfect foundation to build upon as you grow into an outer identity that accurately represents your inner identity.”

For more information visit @CaggiesWorld and @StarsIncline and listen to Saturn Returns With Caggie here.
 

DISCLAIMER: Features published by SheerLuxe are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. Always seek the advice of your GP or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programme.