What Is a Saturn Return?

If you’re approaching the end of your twenties, and your life feels like a mess, you’re not going crazy — it’s probably just your Saturn Return stirring things up!

When Saturn returns to the same spot where it was in your birth chart. It’s called a Saturn Return. Saturn takes 29.4 years, according to NASA, to complete a cycle through all 12 Zodiac signs. That’s why it’s called a Saturn Return.

Saturn is the planet of structure, discipline and karma. 

Because of this, so many people experience major disruptions to the structures of their lives at their Saturn Return. Relationships, jobs, goals, and living situations may fall apart or come together dramatically.

However, there is nothing to fear. The point is not that Saturn is maliciously out to cause you trouble for no reason. 

Instead, Saturn simply represents objective reality. While it’s common to go through life with a bit of optimistic thinking, your Saturn Return will show you the logical consequences of your actions — and you’ll finally need to deal with them instead of wishing them away.

Although the changes that come with a Saturn Return can certainly be painful while they are happening, they are always for your highest good. 

What to expect during a Saturn Return?

Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn, the zodiac known as the great manifester. So know that if you’ve been diligent, your Saturn return can be full of blessings. 

Symbolically, Saturn is associated with tests and discipline, so you better believe you will be tested! Whatever doesn’t pass the test of your Saturn Return is probably something you’re better off without, even if you’re sad to see it go.

That said, not everything fails Saturn’s critical examinations. 

If you’ve spent the years leading up to your Saturn Return living in alignment with reality, your Saturn Return may be a time when you finally see rewards for the determined effort you’ve been putting in. A solid relationship might become a marriage, or you could get promoted at work.

The specific area of your life that is hit the hardest by your Saturn Return may vary depending on the sign and house where Saturn is placed in your natal chart. For example, a Saturn Return in your 10th House of Career could mark the achievement of a major professional goal — or jolt you out of a job that’s not a good fit for you.

Alternatively, a Saturn Return in your 7th House of Relationships might manifest in a marriage or divorce.

If Saturn aspects other planets in your natal chart, those configurations will also get triggered at your Saturn Return, making your Saturn Return a more complex experience.

Whether your Saturn Return is pleasant or miserable, one thing for certain is that your Saturn Return will mark your transition into a new phase of life. You’re not a kid anymore. You can discover the pleasure in saying, to anyone who might seek to take advantage of your naivete, that you weren’t born yesterday! 

Yoga to support your Saturn Return

During your Saturn Return, it's generally beneficial to focus on practices that emphasize grounding, self-reflection, and emotional balance to help you navigate the challenges and transformations 

Mediation is essential for sustaining emotional balance and should be practiced regularly. Having a controlled nervous system during turbulent times can be invaluable. You will be in a much better position to make objective decisions, see the truth in a situation and maintain your free will. 

You should also embody the Niyamas (the second limb of the 8 Limbs of Yoga ) to the best of your ability. The Niyamas in yoga philosophy are: 

• Saucha: The purity of body and mind. Detoxing your body can be a great way to allow your body to “Think” and for you to get back in tune with the unique way your body talks with you. 
• Santosa: Contentment or acceptance. This does not mean don’t take action if you’re in a bad situation. What it really teaches is that if you find yourself in a bad situation, accept that reality and do something about it! We should rely on ourselves for Happiness and never an outside, person, place or thing. Happiness is created from within.  
• Tapas: Translates to “Heat” and teaches that we should engage in challenging situations, not run away from them. Challenge creates growth, and if we want to transform, we should run into the fire (cautiously of course). 
• Svadhyaya: Regular study of the self or spiritual topics of your interest. This could mean going to therapy, doing shadow work, journaling or studying your birth chart with astrology. This can include religious studies or exploration of the self. 
• Isvara Pranidhana: Releasing any and all expectations of your actions. Surrendering the fruits of all actions to a power higher than yourself.
  
  

How often do Saturn Returns happen? 

While the first Saturn Return that people have in their late twenties gets the most attention, many people ultimately experience more than one Saturn Return. The Saturn cycle simply repeats every 29.4 years, so you can have a second Saturn Return in your late fifties and a third Saturn Return in your late eighties if you live that long.

Like the first Saturn Return, second and third Saturn Returns test your stability and help you enter a new phase of life. They may also dig up issues that weren’t successfully addressed at your first Saturn Return.

While a Saturn Return will almost always make its presence known, there’s no need for it to be pointless chaos. You’re more likely to find your Saturn Return a meaningful and productive time in your life if you work with its energy thoughtfully and intentionally. To learn how to make the best out of your Saturn Return, book a transit reading!