What is your Saturn Return all about?

We have got some major energy shifts energetically this week with Saturn returning to Aries for the first time in almost 30 years on May 24th! Saturn Returns have quite the infamous reputation, so let’s talk about what they are, why they have that reputation, and how to navigate when your return happens!

So let’s start with what is Saturn, in terms of astrology? Think of Saturn as the old school teacher who shows you some tough love in order for you to blossom (a Mr. Feeny, if you ever watched Boy Meets World). We come into each life with specific goals and lessons that we need to learn, and Saturn is one of our teachers. Saturn deals with Karmic Lessons, boundaries, responsibilities, discipline, and structure, all of which greatly impact our day to day lives especially at the ages that these returns happen.

Yes, you have multiple Saturn Returns in your lifetime. But they tend to show up differently in each cycle. Let’s start with your first Saturn Return, around the ages of 27-32. You are at least somewhat established as an adult and you probably have some plans in motion, a career, or maybe even a family. Then you Saturn Returns and you start getting this stress test of are you really happy with your life? Is this how you want to live the next 30 years with the lessons and experiences you have now? These tests may come through via emotional realizations, but typically it appears more so in your physical life. It can often show up as breaking up with a long term significant other, making a big move, or losing/changing jobs. That is often why it’s considered this period of chaos for 2.5-3 years. In the analogy of Maiden, Mother, Crone, this would be the transition point of Maiden into Mother.

Your next Saturn Return happens in your mid-late 50s. This is another point in time that can cause you to make big changes in your life. Maybe you get that divorce from a marriage that isn’t supportive, perhaps you start thinking about retirement or even who you are outside of the context of being a parent or a partner to another person. If you didn’t make those changes when you were younger, you may be making some of those huge life changes now. Generally, this time is about you shifting into a more mentorship role and helping others through all the lessons you have learned in life. Think of this as your transition from Mother to Crone.

Your last Saturn Return happens in your late 80s to early 90s. You have spent 30 years easing into the energy of wisdom as the Crone, and now you are here to share all the wisdom that you have gathered. The very lessons that Saturn has taught you are now yours to pass down to others.

Similarly to the Tower card in Tarot, the best way to get through it is to pay attention to what is not working in your life and let that go. The more we try to desperately cling to the way we think it should have been or what we had always planned on, the more painful the whole experience becomes. So take your hands off the wheel, and remember that after the dust settles what is meant to be in your life will still be there and what isn’t doesn’t need to be there.

So what does this Aries in Saturn mean for you in particular? Generally this means there will be a big energetic shift and lessons around patience, dedication, and hard work will be coming up for everyone. If you want to know more about your specific Saturn, keep reading!

Saturn in Aries

Lessons: Discovering self, finding your voice, building confidence in your abilities, and creating plans for your future

Saturn in Taurus

Lessons: Creating stability in your physical life and finances, improving feelings of self worth, and learning to be less stubborn

Saturn in Gemini

Lessons: Improving communication skills (especially in social situations), self acceptance, finding confidence in your intelligence, letting go of the idea that you should be overlooked

Saturn in Cancer

Lessons: Connecting and feeling safe to share your emotions, creating boundaries in relationships so that you don't give too much of yourself, building trust in others so that you can create your own version of a family

Saturn in Leo:

Lessons: Embracing your desire to be seen and recognized for your accomplishments, owning your authentic self, opening yourself up to play and creativity

Saturn in Virgo

Lessons: Releasing expectations of perfection and hyper-criticism, creating a routine in your life that allows you to actually thrive, setting boundaries to focus on what you value and not what others tell you to value

Saturn in Libra

Lessons: Embracing decisiveness in your life, understanding that you cannot make a perfect choice in every scenario and people may not like the result, learning the limits and setting boundaries around helping others

Saturn in Scorpio

Lessons: Learning how to forgive and let go of emotional grudges, setting boundaries so you no longer obsess over those who have wronged you , discovering how to be vulnerable and open even though you may get hurt

Saturn in Sagittarius

Lessons: Learning how to maintain your optimistic views while being grounded, allowing your mind and perspective to change as you learn new things, setting boundaries around overcommitting to things you don't actually want to do

Saturn in Capricorn

Lessons: Setting boundaries around goals so that you focus on your own, accepting that failing at things does not make you a failure, allowing yourself to break away from traditions and follow your instincts

Saturn in Aquarius

Lessons: The value of creating a community, discovering that they need to forge their own path rather than follow someone elses ideas, learning how to create some form of structure in their life

Saturn in Pisces

Lessons: Forming your own views and understanding of your spirituality, setting boundaries around others imposing their thoughts onto you, stepping out of your own internal victimization of yourself