Planetary Returns

Saturn return is something that astrologers consider to be a very important life event, but many of us regular folks do not know what it means. Every planet makes a return. A return in astrology means that a planet has returned to the place it was when you were born. You go through your lunar (Moon) return monthly, and your solar (Sun) return every year around your birthday. Usually the first return of a planet brings the really life changing events. Your first solar return, you stop being a baby and turn into a talking, walking toddler. (Because Mercury and Venus are planets inside of the Earth’s orbit – inferior planets – they hit their return in about a year, but they do not have much influence.) Your Martian (Mars) return comes around the age of two, bringing the “terrible twos,” where you begin to express your independence from your parents. Your Jupiter return comes around the age of 12 when you stop being a child and become a young adult. Saturn returns around the age of 28 to 30, and he brings maturity. You realize you’re not a kid anymore, and its time to get serious about your goals and personal values. Uranus returns after about 84 years of life. Uranus can bring interests in new things, and he encourages the rebel in us to emerge. “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple.” Neptune takes about 165 years to orbit the Sun, so as humans, we are yet to discover our Neptune return. Some astrologers believe that when our longevity increases to our Neptune return, our psychic abilities will get turned-on 100%. They suspect that we could even become telepathic at that point. Pluto takes about 250 years to orbit the Sun, so we’ve got a long way to go, before we hit that one. However, the United States came to its Pluto return in 2022.

The Planet Saturn

Saturn is a very powerful planet. He was the last visible planet that the ancient astrologers could see. He was considered to be the ruler of restrictions and worries. The ancient Romans used to call depression “being with Saturn.” In ancient times, you were pretty much stuck in whatever class you were born into, and there was little hope for improvement. Because of that, Saturn could bring up great dissatisfaction. Nowadays, we have lots of opportunities in front of us, and Saturn can actually be a blessing in disguise. Saturn is the drill sergeant of the zodiac, and he respects discipline and hard work. If you have been working hard and doing what you believe to be morally correct in your heart, when your Saturn return comes, Saturn could actually reward you. But, if you have been letting things slide and not doing what is good for you, your family, and society, Saturn will (spiritually) slap you upside the head.

First Saturn Return

As I said above our first Saturn return comes around the ages of 28 to 30, and this is most definitely a life changing event. Saturn usually encourages us to take a hard look at our goals and what impression we want to make on the world in our lifetimes. If we refuse to take a look at our intentions, Saturn can literally get us busted. I knew a girl who was addicted to drugs. When she hit her Saturn return, she got to spend 60 days in jail. 60 days was enough for her to get over her drug cravings, and when she got out, she decided to leave the crack in her past. I’ve had many clients decide to marry and/or have children when they hit their Saturn return. Saturn’s return is also an excellent time to start a career. Many get out of college when they are about 22 years old, but they usually don’t keep their first job for more than two years. By the time we come to our Saturn return, we know what we really want to do, and employers love us. 28 to 30 years of age is a prime target for most employers. They know that the chances of keeping you until retirement are good.

Second Saturn Return

I do believe, having experienced it myself, that the second return of Saturn, around the age of 58, is not as tremendous as the first return. Our second return of Saturn makes us take a hard look at our own mortality. Many of us are looking at only a few more years until retirement, and we are also noticing that our bodies do not perform like we would like. Saturn respects hard work, but when we come to our second Saturn return, Saturn expects us to learn how to work smart. “Those who can do. Those who can’t teach.” Many second Saturn returners take on “apprentices” to carry out some of the manual labor while they supervise. As with the first return, people going through their second return of Saturn are often forced to deal with situations they have been avoiding. I knew a man going through his second return of Saturn, and his mother got very ill. He was forced to take responsibility for her… which he had been neglecting. I knew a woman who was a job hopper and a compulsive spender. When she came to her second Saturn return, she lost her job and had to file bankruptcy and move in with her daughter. I have had many clients develop chronic health issues when they hit their second Saturn return, because they had been pushing their bodies too hard. “As we sow, so shall we reap.” And, Saturn usually plays the role of the reaper.

Third Saturn Return

I have not done any charts for anyone yet who has gone through their third return of Saturn. But, I promise that when I reach my third Saturn return, I will return to amend this article. Anybody with birth dates before 1932 are welcome to leave their birth dates in the comments, and I will punch up your charts. You can tell us what it was like.

Conclusion

Saturn is a very large planet, and even though he is very far away from us, his gravitational pull is easily noticed. We usually only notice his negative aspects, because Saturn has little use for positive influences. But, if we live our lives in a positive and productive manner, we should notice that Saturn will reward us, no matter what the aspect.