Tag Archives: saturn return

Ask Real Astrologers: How Often Do We Get a Saturn Return?

This week’s question comes from Chiara in Alghero, Italy:

How often does Saturn return in a person’s chart? I’m pretty sure my Saturn returned around 2000 and would like to know if it is planning on returning again anytime soon. It caused some major damage the last time it came around.

Chiara, Saturn takes about 29 years to orbit the Sun, so that’s how long it takes to return to the exact degree it occupied in your natal chart. That means everyone has a Saturn return at about 28-29 years old and again around 58 and then in their late 80s.

The first Saturn return typically is the most disruptive, unless you’re one of the fortunate few who got your act together very early in life. If you’re not on the right path, or if you’re frittering away your gifts and talents and acting irresponsibly in general, your first Saturn return may bring crises that force you to grow up. Even if you’re pretty well on track, other things can happen around your Saturn return to take you to a new stage in life. Sometimes people get married or have their first child at this time.

Your Saturn return was not in 2000 but in 1998. Because your natal Saturn is in your first house, close to your Ascendant, transiting Saturn was in your first house, which is often a difficult time even when you’re not going through a Saturn return. In January 2000, he was still in your first house, but Jupiter also was there, and that should have helped alleviate some of the difficulty of a first-house Saturn transit. Moreover, by the middle of the year, Saturn had left your first house entirely.

Whatever “damage” occurred in that year, we can’t attribute it to your Saturn return. There were lots of other things going on, though.

In 2000, Chiron and Pluto were conjunct, and that was a difficult combination. They were in your eighth house, which is associated with death and transformation. If you lost loved ones in that year, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Also in 2000, Saturn was opposite your natal Neptune, and that also can be an extremely challenging transit. Emotionally, you don’t feel like yourself, and you may go through a period of depression.

Transiting Saturn and Pluto weren’t yet in close opposition in 2000, but they were in opposite houses in your chart, so your finances were under intense pressure.

As for your second Saturn return, it’s several years away, and it should be much easier. And in any case, a Saturn return is nothing to fear. It’s an important milestone in life. While it may bring heavier responsibilities, working hard pays off, and you get the rewards, too.

I hope that alleviates some of your concerns, Chiara, and thanks for writing.

Pat

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Ask Real Astrologers: Am I Having My Saturn Return?

This week’s question comes from Lauren in Vermont:

I’m 27 and lately I’ve been feeling kind of nuts and like my life is turning on its head. I’ve been reevaluating everything – career path, relationships, you name it. A friend of mine told me that a person’s Saturn returns (I’m assuming she meant to the same sign as in your natal chart?) around 27-28 years of age and that it can cause upheavals, but I’m wondering what exactly it means when your Saturn returns.

Could that be what’s behind all this existential confusion? How can I navigate it?

Lauren, both you and your friend are almost right. The Saturn return occurs when transiting Saturn makes a complete orbit around the Sun and returns to the same sign and degree as in your birth chart. Normally, this happens at 28 or 29 years old, although occasionally it can happen earlier or later.

Your natal Saturn is at 1 degree Scorpio, so you won’t experience your first Saturn return until the middle of October 2012. The first Saturn return sometimes can be accompanied by existential angst, but only if you’re completely off-course and living your life totally out of synch with who you really are. There’s nothing like a Saturn return to instill a sense of maturity and responsibility, toward others as well as yourself.

The likeliest explanation for your turmoil is Venus retrograde. As a Rising Libra, you have Venus as your chart ruler, so when she’s retrograde, you feel it more than others. However, you’re particularly sensitive to this Venus retrograde, because she’s in your first house, which is about your personality and how you approach life in general.

To complicate matters even further, Venus crosses your natal Saturn three times during her retrograde period. The first pass was on September 10. The next two will be on November 5 and December 3. That alone is enough to make you question every relationship you ever had. Under this influence, we sometimes feel lonely and isolated – that old “nobody loves me” feeling.

Normally, the Venus-Saturn conjunction lasts only a couple of days. But anyone with Saturn in late Libra or the first half of Scorpio unfortunately will have to endure this discomfort for a couple of months, and it may be more intense. If you’re considering breaking off a relationship, you may want to wait until after Venus returns direct on November 18. It’s very possible that the relationship in question isn’t meeting your needs and that it’s time to let go and move on. But it’s also possible, under this transit, that you’re seeing all the negatives and none of the positives. Sorry to have to report that. But I hope you at least feel better knowing what’s going on and that there is an end to it.

By the way, my family is from Vermont, and I have many fond memories of visiting St. Albans as a child and swimming in Lake Champlain.

Hang in there, Lauren, and thanks for writing.

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: How Will the T-Square Affect My Sign?

As the cardinal T-square approaches its peak, I’m receiving many questions from readers wanting to know how it’s going to affect them personally.

How will the grand cross, August 6th timeframe, affect my astrological sign and therefore me? ~ Stephanie, Manhattan, Kansas.

Can you give your insight about what the current planetary transits mean to me? I also know a little about astrology. I am a Cancer with Mercury in Cancer as well. I have three planets in Libra and, not to mention, I am an Aries Rising. My life is in total mess right now. I lost my job, and my relationship with my parents and family is in chaos. I am in huge debt. Even my love life is in total huge question.
~ Ann, United Arab Emirates

Stephanie, you are a Virgo, but you didn’t supply a birth time, so we don’t know what sign is on your Ascendant. This makes it impossible to know what houses in your natal chart are being affected by the cardinal T-square, which briefly will become a grand cross on August 6, when the Moon is in Cancer.

Still, I thought your question was worth taking, because it allows me to explain a few things about Sun sign astrology and why knowing your birth time can change chart interpretations considerably.

First, there is no way to say that “all Virgos” will be affected the same way by the T-square/grand cross. Although many popular horoscopes make predictions by Sun sign, the degree of your Sun is very important. Early Virgos will not be affected in the same way as late Virgos.

In your case, you have the Sun in the early degrees of Virgo, so on Aug. 6, the Moon-Pluto opposition actually will be quite nicely positioned relative to your Virgo Sun, and this could turn out to be advantageous for you. It’s a great time to make positive changes in your life, and if you are facing serious challenges, you should be able to summon the strength, motivation, and resources to push through them.

With a birth time, we not only would have the house positions of the planets, but we would know what other planets and key chart points were being activated by the T-square. Then it would be possible to determine which areas of your life are most affected and where you could apply your efforts to make the best use of this cosmic wind to your back.

Ann, you have six planets and all four chart angles in cardinal signs, so one might think you would be getting slammed on all sides by this planetary configuration.

However, as I pointed out to Stephanie, degree counts. As it turns out, your chart angles are in the later degrees of the cardinal signs and so will not be activated by this T-square, and the only planet you have in the early degrees of the cardinals signs, where the T-square is taking place, is Mercury at 0 degrees Cancer.

That’s plenty difficult enough, though. It means that all of the T-square planets are in conflict with your natal Mercury, which rules communications and some social interactions. When Pluto is opposite Mercury, we can get into situations in which we try to subtly or not-so-subtly pressure others into thinking as we do. Naturally, this meets with resistance, and it can be severe enough that relationships break down entirely.

As with most Pluto transits, it is necessary to learn detachment and to relinquish control over others. In some cases, the tables are turned, and we feel constantly pressured to think like someone else. If this is what you’re facing, then you have no choice but to stand up for yourself and not give in, but it sure can wear you down.

Saturn square Mercury is in some ways even more troublesome, as you tend not to be able to communicate very well, and then you end up feeling lonely, isolated, and unloved. It’s probably not true, but that’s how you feel, and for Cancer, feeling is believing.

Aside from the T-square, it’s important to note that you are approaching your first Saturn return, which everyone experiences around 28 or 29 years old. If you have been moving in the right direction in life, this milestone transit can be validating. If you’re off course or on the wrong track entirely, everything in your life can break down at this time, and you might meet severe hardship and locked doors everywhere you turn. It’s all important information to tell you that you need to follow another path toward fulfillment of your life’s purpose.

My first Saturn return was hell; I experienced all of the issues you list and then some. But it made me realize that I had to make significant changes in my life. Once I did that, many doors opened for me. I truly hope this will be the case for you, too.

Thank you both for writing. Wishing you much love and courage.
Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Good Time to Publish

This week we have a question from Deb in New York:

I am a Libra with a Leo moon and Sagittarius rising (gotta love that Sagittarian energy) who has been working on many a creative endeavor for a while now, mostly in the fields of writing and art.

I’d like to know of an ideal time to publish a novel, either in late-2008 or early-2009. Somehow, I keep “feeling” February, but I could have something finished as early as December.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I’ve never had an astrological concern addressed before. Thank you!

Libra ponders . . .
Neith’s response:

Hi Deb! Yes, with Sagittarius rising it is no surprise writing is one of your interests and since your natal Jupiter, Sagittarius’s ruler, is found in your ninth house conjunct your North Node you are probably a natural. Saturn in Virgo in the ninth gives you the necessary 90% perspiration to go with the 10% inspiration much needed for a writer. Perseverance counts for a lot in that field.

December of this year actually looks to be the better time period because you will have a Mars-Mercury conjunction in Sagittarius conjoining your Ascendant December 2 helping with presentation. During December Jupiter is continuing through your second house and will have just finished squaring your Libra Sun as well as forming a trine with your natal Saturn, all pointing to lots going on where your personal income is concerned.

One of the biggest transits for you is your Saturn Return being exact most of the month of December 2008. If we have been working hard in a responsible manner, we will start seeing recognition for that during the period of our Saturn Return. Saturn will be making a brief second pass over your natal Saturn in August 2009 on his way towards your Midheaven in mid-November 2009.

Best wishes with your writing and getting published!!

Pat’s Answer:

Deb, you are very fortunate to be on the upward side of your Saturn cycle. Not only are you about to experience your first Saturn return, which often is a life-changing period, but Saturn is nearing your Midheaven, which indicates a career peak.

So I’d say that everything looks pretty good for whatever you want to do.

In terms of exact timing for sending queries, looking for an agent, and the finer points, that must be determined by sitting down an astrologer personally and doing a complete analysis. For example, you want to avoid void-of-course Moon periods, and you’d want to know where Mercury currently was retrograde in your chart. I am not taking new clients at the moment, but Neith is available, and I highly recommend her.

Best of luck in your endeavor! May all your dreams come true.

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Pat’s Answer:

Ask Real Astrologers: Saturn Return Complicated by Uranus

This week’s question comes from Louise in Denver:

Hi Pat & Neith, My Saturn return will be exact just about the time Uranus opposes Saturn and I’m wondering how that will affect it? It looks pretty scary from here. Thanks for your help.

Libra ponders . . . Neith’s response:

Louise, for you and many others with their natal Saturn at 18° Virgo, this will be the first of three passes of Saturn over it. But admittedly it will be a significant first pass with Uranus opposing your natal Saturn at the same time.

There are other planets offering support and means to work with the impact of this transit. At the time the Saturn-Uranus opposition is exact, Jupiter in Capricorn will still be trine to Saturn in Virgo and sextile Uranus in Pisces steadying the boat as it were. The Sun will be in Scorpio at the time and Mars in Scorpio will be trine Uranus and sextile Saturn suggesting taking deliberate action will benefit you.

However, if you have any planets around 18 degrees in Gemini or Sagittarius, the T-square with Venus in Sagittarius to the Saturn-Uranus opposition could force a decision involving values or a love interest.

All in all, this first pass of your Saturn return is bound to be memorable, but if you stay centered and follow Saturn’s rules by upholding your responsibilities, you will be fine.

Good fortune and stay strong.

Pat’s answer:

Louise, this is an excellent question. In addition to Neith’s insightful comments, here is what I see:

Complicating aspects, especially those involving other outer planets, certainly can color a Saturn return. I experienced something similar with my Saturn half-return in 2001, when Saturn in Gemini was opposite Pluto, which at the time was passing over my natal Saturn. It is not too melodramatic to say that I nearly died.

That, of course, was the nature of Pluto. Uranus is a much different energy. What I see as a possible complication is that you will be struggling to break out of limiting behaviors or a burden that has you boxed in. Yes, we have responsibilities and obligations, and Saturn in Virgo is especially mindful of its duties to others. However, you also have a duty to yourself, to fulfill your unique life purpose and to be your most authentic self. That is what Uranus wants you to do, so if you are in a relationship or situation that is crushing you, you will find a way to break out of it.

Unfortunately, for most of us, Uranus is a disruptive energy, so the way you break out may cause temporary chaos in your life until the dust settles and you adapt to your new environment. The good news is that Pisces and Virgo are mutable signs and very comfortable with rapid change.

Liberation is exciting! Wishing you much courage, and stay in touch.

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Ask Real Astrologers: Help, Pluto is crossing my Ascendant!

This week’s question comes from Cooper:

Pluto is crossing my Ascendant and now involved with my first house! Would you please be so kind to give me your take on this most significant configuration!

Libra ponders . . . Neith’s response:

Cooper, this is a transit I’ve undergone, and my experience suggests it will have a deep impact on the way you perceive the world and the way others experience you. Others may feel threatened by what they perceive as your power and launch unexpected attacks embroiling you in power struggles. If you are someone who is naturally assertive, you may find that upgraded to aggressive!

Of course, any planets in your first house will all be conjoined as Pluto crosses them, and this will make you very aware of the deeper levels of meaning of those planets in your life. Please note that you might find yourself obsessing endlessly about the smallest details, too. If Pluto forms squares or oppositions to other natal planets triggering natal aspect patterns, the concerns of the houses those planets are in will be emphasized.

In my experience, supported by other astrologers, the best way to handle Pluto’s tendency to drag us into obsessive behavior is to first accept all facets of our being with as little judgment as possible and second, consciously seek to find your center and practice neutrality. When Pluto conjoined Venus in my first house, I finally found a Tai Chi class and have been practicing it daily ever since. The simple flowing movements have been very helpful for maintaining a quiet mind as well as happier joints.

In general, with Pluto going direct on September 8 in Sagittarius, this question is particularly important because all things Pluto-related will be released from stasis and will demand our attention once more.

Best of luck with this transit, Cooper and if you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

Pat’s answer:

Cooper, I agree entirely with Neith, our resident Pluto expert.

What I will add is that the transformation of your personality will take place over several years and that it may be so subtle that you don’t realize it’s happening. Then, one day you may wake up and wonder who that person in the mirror is. That’s because Pluto’s effects take place over time.

Incidentally, because of Pluto’s 248-year orbit, not everyone will experience this transit in a lifetime. Right now, anyone whose Rising sign is between about 27 degrees Sagittarius and 2 degrees Capricorn is feeling the effects, as Pluto is hovering on your Ascendant.

As Neith noted, Pluto returns direct on Monday. The exact degree is 28°30′ Sagittarius. The closer your Ascendant is to this degree, the more powerfully you will experience this event. In fact, as I write, Pluto is stationed in preparation for resuming his forward motion (what it looks like from down here, anyway; obviously planets do not move in reverse orbit). Also, the more closely transiting Pluto is aspecting planets in your natal chart, the more you will feel Pluto’s return direct.

But back to Pluto in the first house … As someone with Pluto-ruled Scorpio on the Midheaven, I have undergone several life changes that almost feel like reincarnating within a single lifetime. Mostly, this has involved my career, as might be expected, since the Midheaven is the cusp of the tenth house, which is the career area of the chart. As you are going through a first-house Pluto transit, you may transform your life entirely. This is not “good” or “bad,” it just is. Life is a process and a cycle. You will feel this more keenly as a result of Pluto’s visit to your first house. It sounds scary, but truly, there is nothing to fear.

I join Neith in wishing you the best of luck. Do keep in touch and let us know how it goes.

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