Ask An Astrologer: What Do I Need To Know About My Saturn Return?
Q: I am about to go into my Saturn Return at the end of March. I have a good understanding of where it sits in my chart and the sign that it is in (Aquarius) but would a deeper understanding of what to expect going into it. Also confused why I am going through it at 29 vs 27.
Dear Saturn Returning,
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The misanthropic punk in me loves to talk Saturn with my clients, friends, and you. And yes – it's true: On March 21st, Saturn dips into her airy home of Aquarius after a 2-year stint in her earthier temple, Capricorn.
On May 11th, Saturn retrogrades and revisits Cap for a last rattle before (on December 17th) her triumphant, if tired, ingress into Aquarius where she’ll hang for a while, performing that heavy metal Saturnian work.
What You Need to Know About a Saturn return
As the planet of earthly time, boundaries, mastery, and calculable effort, Saturn is a badass who’s been through the ringer this year (on earth as it is in Saturn). The reverbs of January’s historic and histrionic Saturn-Pluto conjunction still ripple, as when these two planets kissed, Pluto infused Saturn with some galactic vibes from his corner of the wild solar system. I mention this because Saturn is kind of the OG Pluto.
For centuries, humans believed the planet in question to be the outermost one – as Saturn is indeed the farthest wandering star we can see with our naked eyes. What we can see is one kind of consciousness margin, and so Saturn is forever an edge-dweller – playing in a metal band, reminding us of how we are infinite, how we are hard-edged, and how we have earthly limits.
Saturn reps the frontier of solar consciousness – the final gasp before we get transpersonal and meet the rest of the gang: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In our natal charts, Saturn’s arena points to where and how we do structure and boundaries.
When Your Saturn Return Happens
You’ll see Saturn “return” to your chart every 29.5 years. That’s how long it takes the planet to orbit around the sun. So, every 30 years you’ll get Saturn knocking on your door.
Saturn is the planet of work and learning lessons.
When Saturn comes around to the place it was when you landed earth-side, cue Prince: “dearly beloved…we are gathered here today…to get through this thing called life.”
Like every planet, Saturn is a teacher, though a less approachable one than, say, Jupiter (Saturn’s polarity), who says YES and who loves boundlessness, partying, and charges the sky with bombastic glamorama.
Saturn is a bit goth in the approach – the guru who does tough love, dresses in all black, and wears her accomplishments on her sleeve not via bragging but through the sheer fact of her presence — one that is laden with experiential weight.
Saturn is the teacher who encourages us to “kill our darlings” — i.e. cross out what’s no longer working (even if it’s fun! even (or especially) if we’re super attached to it!). Saturn has a way of chiseling us into the most focused, masterful version of ourselves, whether we like it or not. Some call this “adulting.” Some structures, like the bones in the body (Saturn rules these) are constructive.
Others (patriarchy, institutionalized racism, stale or abusive relationships, etc.) are destructive and must be torn down with grit, vigor, and consistency. Saturn is not a quick fix, a trend, or an IG hot take. Saturn lasts…. and lasts….. and lasts…..
How Saturn Return Effects You
On that note – Saturn rewards focus, mastery, and hard work. As the feminist philosopher Helene Cixous wrote, we can find “immense limitless life hidden behind restricted life.” A worthy task for the Saturn returners amongst us.
A Saturn return is a freaky gift – a chance to look directly into the corners of our life’s architecture (and our relationship with TIME) and destroy what sucks. It’s also a signal to honor our elders, to not fear aging (or evidence of age), and to cite our sources. Translation: embrace wrinkles and whatever causes them.
Saturn pressurizes the cabin so that we must climb — as Johnny Cash says — the golden ladder. Truly. Virtuously. Saturn-ly. It doesn’t mean we have to buy black lipstick and delete Instagram (though this sounds intriguing). A Saturn return is a consciousness-shifter and cue to clasp a kind of growth that is perhaps anathema to our contemporary moment.
I’m talking about choosing the slow-burning luster over whatever promises instant gratification. Planet S urges us to bid adieu to the status quo and sweetly, vigorously, truly — framework the future.
Onward! Let me know how it goes.
Saturnly and Steadily Yours,
EMMALEA
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Emmalea Russo is a writer, astrologer, and creative. Her writing on astrology, culture, art, and literature appears in Cosmopolitan, Poetry Foundation, The Thirlby, Los Angeles Review of Books, Fanzine, BOMB Magazine, and elsewhere and her published books are G (2018) and Wave Archive (2019). She has been a writer-in-residence at 18th Street Arts Center (LA) and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY). Emmalea writes and podcasts on astrology and culture at The Avant-Galaxy. In her practice, she combines ancient and modern astrology, tarot, and creative praxis, helping her clients connect with their stars for a more cosmically nuanced life experience. She uses astrology as a language, art, and tool for connection.
In this bi-monthly column, Emmalea will tackle real-life situations from an astro perspective. Think: A punk-rock Dear Prudence, with a natal chart for good measure.