The dreaded Saturn Return...

'Saturn' by Rubens

Anyone with an interest in astrology has heard of the Saturn Return. It is spoken of with a sense of trepidation, even dread, as a period when the chickens come home to roost and life becomes serious. Usually, it is the first Saturn Return that is being referred to, which hits at age 29 or 30 - as the planet Saturn ends its cycle around our astrological birth chart and returns to where it was located at the time of birth. But there is also a second Return at age 58/59; and potentially a third, if we live until our 90s.

In astrology, Saturn is associated with time, structure, diligence, responsibility. In mythology, he was the Roman equivalent of Kronos - the Greek God who overthrew his father, ate his children (with the exception of Zeus) and reigned over a Golden Age. If you pay your dues, Saturn rewards you. If you shirk responsibility or fail to integrate discipline into your life, Saturn eats you up. Or so the mainstream astrological narrative goes - and there is more than a grain of truth to it

Sitting at the beginning of my second Saturn Return, I'm struck again by how individual our experience of the planetary archetypes is - and also by how useful it is to be prepared, especially when it comes to Saturn. Yes, I'm dealing with a heavier than usual load, both at home and at work. Yes, I'm having to be particularly attentive to how I use time - schedules, lists, prioritisation of resources are all at the forefront of my mind at the moment. But I saw it coming, and that makes a significant difference. I also know it won't last forever. Most importantly, I can see that it is laying a foundation for the future.

More than anything else, Saturn Return periods are about redefining our relationship with responsibility. At the first Return, this often coincides with either a need, or an opportunity, to 'get serious' about life - to take greater responsibility for ourselves and the direction in which we are heading. Not surprisingly, at age 29 or so, this can seem to come at us from outside rather than being a conscious choice we make. But it can also be an awareness of the passing of time, with a sense of urgency about the need to get moving. It is time to get that promotion, to buy that house, to marry that partner. After all, Saturn is also known as Lord of Time, and often seen with a scythe in his hand (the 'grim reaper').

A Saturn Return is ultimately the end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one - it is a threshold and an opportunity to reflect and prepare. How do I hold more authority in my own life? What do I need to do to create the structures that will support the next 29 years of my life? How do I support those I am responsible for while also supporting myself? We are reaping the consequences of the past cycle and sowing seeds for the new one.

For each of us, our experience of Saturn is different - in part depending on our personal histories and situations. Our birth chart can give us some indication of how we experience Saturn in our lives, and also what we might expect of a Saturn Return. For me, as Saturn has already been working its way across a number of other points in my birth chart, its Return is less of a surprise and more an expected finale after several years of being immersed in Saturnian energy. It is a welcome uplift - the admin executive I failed to hire but who has arrived in my energy field just in time to see me through.

All the same, part of me is still holding my breath for the rest of the year...A Saturn Return doesn't end in one day.