As a result of yesterday’s ingress, everyone who was born when Saturn was in Capricorn has just begun their Saturn return. This includes many people who were born between February 13, 1988 and February 6, 1991, who are now beginning their first Saturn return.

In moving into Capricorn, Saturn has completed a three year long transit through Sagittarius, and thus anyone who was born with Saturn in Sagittarius has now officially completed their Saturn return. This includes many people who were born between November 17, 1985 and November 12, 1988.

Last month the authors of Saturn Return Stories recorded a podcast where we reviewed some notable examples we collected over the past few years of people who went through their Saturn return in Sagittarius and discussed what happened in their lives. We would recommend that everyone who is curious about what their Saturn return will mean check out that podcast, as it does a pretty good job of demonstrating our approach to interpretations.

Some of the dates listed above are only approximate, and we would recommend checking out our handy post on calculating your Saturn return in order to determine which sign Saturn was in when you were born and when exactly your return will occur.

In the approach we advocate on this blog, the Saturn return begins as soon as Saturn moves back in to the sign of the zodiac it was in when you were born, and it ends when it leaves that sign for the last time. While it is true that the time around when Saturn returns to the exact degree of the zodiac that it was in when you were born often coincides with a particularly important turning point, it is important to understand that the Saturn return is often a series of events that occurs over a few year period, and it is not always a singular event that happens at the exact degree return.

Here are some other articles and discussions on the Saturn return that you may find helpful:

• Tips for Interpreting the Saturn Return
• Understanding the Saturn return podcast
• Tips for Successfully Navigating Your Saturn Return

Alright, that’s it for this post! Congratulations to everyone with Saturn in Sag who just completed their return, and good luck to all of the Saturn in Cap people who are just now beginning theirs!

The post Saturn Return in Capricorn Begins appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

We define the Saturn return as the period in a person’s life that begins when the planet Saturn returns back to the zodiacal sign that it was in at the moment of their birth, and ends when Saturn departs from that sign about 2-3 years later.

There is sometimes a particularly intense period or pivotal turning point that occurs around when Saturn returns back to the exact degree of the zodiacal sign that it was in when you were born, but usually this is part of a broader process that plays out for the entire duration of Saturn returning to and transiting through its natal sign.

In order to use this table you need to know what sign Saturn was located in when you were born. In order to do this you need to get a copy of your birth chart, which lists the exact positions of all of the planets at the moment of your birth. There are some instructions for doing this in my earlier post on calculating the Saturn return.

Once you have figured out what sign your natal Saturn is located in you can use the table below to determine when your Saturn return will take place. So, for example, if your natal Saturn is in Virgo, then your Saturn return occurred between September 2, 2007 and July 21, 2010. If your natal Saturn is in Capricorn, then your Saturn return will occur between December 19, 2017 and December 16, 2020.

Start and End Dates for Saturn Returns

Libra – September 21 1980 – August 24 1983

Scorpio – Nov 29 1982 – November 17 1985

Sagittarius – November 17 1985 – November 12 1988

Capricorn – February 13 1988 – February 6 1991

Aquarius – February 6 1991 – January 8 1994

Pisces – May 21 1993 – April 7 1996

Aries – April 7 1996 – March 1 1999

Taurus – June 9 1998 – April 20 2001

Gemini – August 10 2000 – June 4 2003

Cancer – June 4 2003 – July 16 2005

Leo – July 16 2005 – September 2 2007

Virgo – September 2 2007 July 21 2010

Libra – October 29 2009 – October 5 2012

Scorpio – October 5 2012 – September 18 2015

Sagittarius – September 18 2015 – December 19 2017

Capricorn – December 19 2017 – December 16 2020

Aquarius – March 21 2020 – March 7 2023

Pisces – March 7 2023 – February 13 2026

The post Saturn Return Start and End Dates appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

This is significant for people who are currently in their late 20s or early 30s, because it means that if you were born between 1985 and 1988 when Saturn was in Sagittarius then your Saturn return has just fully begun, while if you were born between 1982 and 1985 with Saturn in Scorpio then your Saturn return has just ended.

Earlier this year Saturn dipped into Sagittarius for a bit between late December of 2014 and mid-June of 2015, but then it retrograded back into Scorpio for the summer. This initial ingress of Saturn into Sagittarius earlier this year should have coincided with a preview of some of the major themes that will come up over the next two and a half years as Saturn moves through the sign of Sagittarius.

Today, on September 17, 2015, Saturn moved back into Sagittarius. It will eventually leave Sagittarius and those who were born when Saturn was in that sign will have their Saturn returns end on December 19, 2017.

If you are looking for information about what to expect if your Saturn return is just beginning right now then you should check out this podcast episode on Saturn in Sagittarius that I recently recorded. In it I interview four different astrologers, and we discuss what that placement of Saturn in Sagittarius means both within the context of the natal chart itself, as well as when it becomes activated or awakened during the process of the Saturn return.

The Saturn return basically lasts for the entire duration of the period when Saturn returns back to the sign of the zodiac that it is in when you were born. However, there is a period of heightened importance when it returns back to the exact degree of the zodiac that it was in at that time. If you need some help determining when this will occur for you then please see my tutorial on how to calculate your Saturn return. You may also be interested in my article on how to interpret what the Saturn return will mean in your life. Finally, much of the advice that I gave people who were just starting their Saturn returns in Scorpio a few years ago is also relevant to those who have Saturn in Sag today.

Good luck!

The post Saturn Return in Sagittarius Begins appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

Much of the contemporary practice of astrology centers around archetypes and the individual self-will in order to maximize the “good” sides of planetary archetypes and minimize the undesirable ones. Certainly no one would argue that individual effort is not important; however, I am going to assert that there are technical distinctions that explain some of the differences that various people experience with the same transits.

One of the major approaches in contemporary astrology regarding the Saturn return is encapsulated in the phrase, “do the work.” There is an idea that since Saturn tends to be about hard work, then if you do whatever Saturn “wants” from you, you will have good results in the end. However, I believe that this model, although perhaps true some of the time, is problematic if uniformly applied to all lives and charts. I would like to introduce the idea of sect as a major distinction in how people experience their Saturn return. First, though, we should take a look at what Saturn signifies in itself.

The Meaning of Saturn

It is often useful to return to the root meanings of a topic under consideration, even if one feels familiar with the topic already, in order to consider the issue anew. Vettius Valens, in the second century wrote this about the nature of Saturn: “[Saturn] makes…constrictions, bonds, griefs, accusations, tears, cases of orphanhood, captivities, exposures…It procures great reputation and notable rank, guardianships and the administration of the affairs of others…” [1] These sound like two distinctly different energies: the first grouping describes generally difficult and painful experiences, while the second lists positive and admirable events.

If we jump ahead to modern descriptions of Saturn, we find that the depiction has actually stayed virtually the same. Richard Tarnas, in his comprehensive 2006 book Cosmos and Psyche, describes the nature of Saturn this way: “To experience difficulty, decline, deprivation, defect and deficit, defeat, failure, loss, alienation, the labor of existence, suffering, old age, death…restraint and patience, endurance, responsibility, seriousness, authority, wisdom.” [2] This is again a great spectrum, the first grouping in this excerpt listing experiences that all describe a lack of some sort, while the second group describes what we would think of as positive Saturnian qualities.

The Concept of Sect in Astrology

A technical distinction actually already exists in the astrological tradition that can speak to some of these disparate specifics—sect. Sect is a Hellenistic astrological concept that describes how planets behave differently in charts depending on whether one is born during the day or at night. The sect of the chart is determined by whether the Sun is above or below the ascendant/descendant axis: if above, it is a day chart, while if below, it is a night chart.

The sect status of a chart divides up the classical planets into two groups. The planets that belong to the diurnal sect are the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn, while the nocturnal sect claims the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Mercury is neutral and can be considered to belong to one sect over the other depending on other chart factors.

Each of these planetary groupings is composed of one luminary, one benefic planet and one malefic planet. The so-called “benefic” planets, Jupiter and Venus, are considered such because of their power to affirm or to improve certain topics, while the so-called “malefic” planets, Saturn and Mars, have the power to deny or harm certain topics. Two common objections should be immediately addressed before proceeding further. The language used here is merely signifying the state of a topic being improved or made more difficult; this should not be read as the planet actually acting, but is merely a useful shorthand way of speaking about it. It is also worth mentioning that this is not referring to an individual person being bad or good, but rather to certain external topics in one’s life being improved or made more difficult.

Sect as Modifying Benefic and Malefic Qualities

Sect modifies the qualitative status of these planets, particularly the benefic and malefic planets, so that they are more beneficial or harmful in different charts. So referring to the two groupings mentioned earlier, the planet Saturn is more constructive and positive in day charts, while it is more harmful and negative in night charts. Mars is the opposite, so that in night charts it is more constructive, while in day charts it is more harmful. The benefic planets, Jupiter and Venus, follow the same pattern, so that in day charts Jupiter is more helpful, while in night charts it is less so; Venus is more beneficial in night charts, while less so in day charts.

Going forward we will focus mostly on how this modifies Saturn in the charts of people born during the day or at night. So in day charts, Saturn tends to exhibit its more constructive qualities, such as responsibility, hard work leading to success or acclaim, etc. The night charts, conversely, tend to exhibit the less desirable qualities and situations associated with Saturn, such as loss and suffering. There are some other factors that modify this basic distinction, but sect is one major factor in how Saturn will be experienced in a given chart. Following from this distinction, then, the experiences that different people go through during their respective Saturn returns roughly line up according to the sect status of the chart. Since at the Saturn return, the qualities and placement of Saturn in the chart are intensified and highlighted, then whatever its basic nature is in the natal chart will become even more apparent.

I would recommend using whole sign houses as the primary house system in evaluating this for now, and using a quadrant house system as secondary if that is what you normally use. The whole sign house system was the original house system in use when the concept of sect was developed, so it is important to use them together in order to most fairly evaluate how this is working in charts. I would also recommend using the classical rulerships with this concept for the same reason, as well as whole sign aspects, meaning that all Ptolemaic aspects by sign rather than degree are operating.

Saturn Return Chart Examples

The following are some chart examples illustrating how sect is observable in real peoples’ charts and life events. Click the charts to see a larger image of each.

Example #1: Michael J. Fox (June 9, 1961, 12:15 am. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Michael J. Fox has the Sun below the ascendant/descendant axis in Gemini, so he has a night chart. This will mean that his Saturn has some of the less desirable qualities associated with it. His chart has Aquarius rising, with Saturn ruling both the 1st and the 12th houses and placed in the 12th house in Capricorn. Since Saturn is ruling the 1st house of the body and the primary house signifying the native and is in the 12th house, as well as is of the night sect, we can expect that his Saturn return would possibly have something to do with the body, as well as something with some of the negative Saturnian qualities like loss or suffering. At his Saturn return, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a currently incurable chronic illness that led to his eventual need to stop his successful full-time acting career. It is notable that he had been working at this vocation from a young age.

Example #2: Adrien Brody (April 14, 1973, 3:30 pm. Woodhaven, New York). Adrien Brody has the Sun above the ascendant/descendant axis in Aries, so he has a day chart. This will mean that his Saturn will have some of the more constructive qualities associated with it. His chart has Virgo rising, with Saturn ruling the 5th and 6th houses and placed in the 10th house in Gemini. We would expect his Saturn return to be focused on career (10th house), which was somehow related to the topics of the 5th house (creative expression or children) and/or the 6th house (health, bodily habits, work), as well as express some of the more positive Saturnian qualities like work leading to success. At his Saturn return, Adrien Brody became the youngest person to ever win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film The Pianist. To successfully portray his character in this film, a pianist who lived through and survived the Holocaust, Brody purposely lost a lot of weight, withdrew from society, and gave up his apartment and car—certainly Saturnian experiences, but both reversible and purposely taken on, that led to his major success in the end.

Example #3: Anonymous (September 28, 1979, 11:09 am. Sitka, Alaska). This native has the Sun above the ascendant/descendant axis in Libra, so she has a day chart. Her Saturn is in the 11th house, and rules the 3rd and 4th houses. We would expect then that her Saturn return would have something to do with the topics of friends or groups/associations (11th  house), siblings or communications (3rd house) and the home or family (4th house). Given that this is a day chart, we would also expect these topics to exhibit more of the positive Saturnian characteristics. During her Saturn return, she started a business leadership group for young women. She also bought her first house, and reconnected with a half-sibling that she had previously known about but not talked with much, which she reported has continued to be a positive relationship in her life.

Example #4: Anonymous (October 21, 1955, 9:48 pm. Denver, Colorado). This native has the Sun below the ascendant/descendant axis in Libra, so he has a night chart. His Saturn is in the 5th house, and rules the 7th and 8th houses. We would expect that his Saturn return would have something to do with the topics of children or sexuality (5th house), partnership (7th house), and/or death (8th house). As his Saturn return began, he got into a relationship with a woman, who became pregnant but then quickly disappeared from  the  area, so he never knew if she had the child or not. He also got married himself later in his Saturn return, but they divorced after only about two years. His stepfather, whom he was fond of, also died during his Saturn return.

Example #5: Anonymous (April 12, 1980, 2:48 pm. Brooklyn, New York). This native has the Sun above the ascendant/descendant axis in Aries, so she has a day chart. Her Saturn is in the 1st house, and rules the 5th and 6th houses. We would expect that her Saturn return would involve the topics of body or general self (1st house), as well as possibly recreation or children (5th house) and/or bodily habits or work (6th house). She had been abusing alcohol and drugs for close to ten years, and at her Saturn return decided to become sober and successfully did so. She also started receiving body-centered therapy, and found that to be such a helpful experience that she eventually went back to school to become a counselor herself.

I hope that these examples start to show some of the general differences between day and night charts at the Saturn return. In the day chart examples, the natives here tended to have more overall positive experiences that included some sort of success or attainment of a life goal, or an overcoming of a previous difficulty. The night charts tended to have a difficulty crop up during the Saturn return that involved something outside of the native’s control, either another person or a serious illness.

Other Mitigating Factors

The sect status of one’s Saturn is one major distinction for how to interpret the probable quality of a given Saturn return, but it does not stand alone. Briefly, some of the other factors that alter this basic distinction include whole-sign aspects from the benefic planets Jupiter or Venus, especially by superior trine or square; Saturn being in its own sign or exaltation, and aspects from the other malefic planet Mars, especially hard aspects. In this way, we can see some of the gradations of experience that happen in real peoples’ lives depicted using these factors.

The Broader Implications of Sect

So, now that we have gone though the technical manner in which Saturn returns are affected by sect, I would like to explain two major reasons this seems important. The first reason is accuracy: we can simply gain a more specific understanding of what someone’s experience will be or has been, which should be reason enough to care about this in a field focused on knowing things we should not otherwise be able to know about another person’s life. In particular, seeing the myriad ways in which Saturn returns can manifest in either some of the more constructive or the more difficult experiences on the Saturnian spectrum and how that correlates with sect can inform our practice of astrology.

One of the things this shows us is that some Saturn return experiences more closely conform to the “reap what you sow” aphorism, but not all. The first two example charts shown earlier are a nice study in contrast with respect to this. Adrien Brody is a near-perfect example of this typical way of thinking about the Saturn return: he put in an enormous amount of effort getting prepared for his role in The Pianist, and then it all was rewarded in the end with great success and a career peak. But some difficulties also come unbidden through no fault of one’s own, no matter how hard one is working: Michael J. Fox had been working since age fifteen as an actor and had already had great success, but nonetheless he developed a debilitating chronic illness at his Saturn return that severely limited his career from that point forward.

A common objection that is frequently raised to this kind of thinking is that there isn’t really any objectively “bad” or “good experience, but that instead what is most important is how one thinks about it or works with it internally, either psychologically or spiritually. My first response to this is that there are still specific life events that are generally more or less desirable to real people, and being able to identify those is a first step in talking about them if one is an astrologer and not only a counselor. My second response would be that such a perspective can be received as quite insensitive by someone who has experienced objectively difficult external life events, and that one must start with what has actually happened before going anywhere else with it. Now, what one does with the difficulty is a different matter. I think you can usefully ask in almost any circumstance, “what can I learn from this,” but it is a denial of reality not to admit that some situations are much harder than others.

The second major reason I think this sect distinction is important is compassion. The downside of a pure empowerment approach  to  astrology is blame for all of the difficulties one experiences. Occasionally someone will actually say that explicitly, but most often it is just unavoidably implicit if you suggest to your clients that all their results are based on the effort they put in. I think this is a problem when we are in the position as astrologers of interpreting individuals’ lives and claiming to know more about their overall plan and timing than someone should otherwise know. This puts us in a kind of quasi-religious position, which has the potential to make implicit blame that much more harmful. Especially because we are often so good at saying the “what” of what is going on in someone’s life and having it line up with the person’s actual experience, they are a lot more likely to believe us if we say or even imply, “and this is why.”

It is understandable that most astrologers would want to speak to things that are under the native’s control, because that is the only thing one’s own self-will can have any effect on. My concern is that an astrology that implies it is all up to self-will excludes a great number of people in the world, anyone who has had any major life difficulty unrelated to their own actions. Without the tool of sect, it is easy to see some people thriving during their Saturn return and some people suffering, and to chalk it all up to their disparate free will choices.

One of Saturn’s traditional significations is wisdom. In contrast with the Jupiterian wisdom of the exuberant preacher or prophet, Saturnian wisdom is borne of sober, realistic experience over time. This is the kind of wisdom associated with archetype of the wise old elder, who has been around for a long time and has seen how life works. That is why we value their wisdom: they have lived long enough to see both good and bad times and have gained proper perspective from that. True wisdom is the kind that understands that life contains both opportunities that you can only grasp through hard work and difficulties outside of our individual control. We can be better astrologers if we can first see these distinctions in charts, and can  also  compassionately communicate with our clients or to others through our public writing and speaking, no matter where they may happen to fall on that spectrum of life experiences.

As  astrologers,  we  assume  the role of dispensing wisdom. I have the hope that we can be like that wise old elder, no matter our age, to truly be able to see and validate the entire spectrum of life experiences. Incorporating sect into our delineations is an important tool in achieving the ability to show why some experiences will go more positively or negatively in different people’s lives. Ultimately, if what we are interpreting is life itself, that by definition must include the light and the dark, the wondrous and the devastating. We can work with what happens internally, but that need not conflict with acknowledging the quality of external events themselves. By being both able and willing to see these distinctions in people’s charts and lives, we can serve as clear-eyed, compassionate witnesses to reality.

Endnotes

1.  Vettius Valens, The Anthology: Book I, trans. Robert Schmidt (Berkeley Springs: Golden Hind Press, 1993), p. 2.

2.  Richard Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche, (New York: Viking, 2006), p. 91.

—

This article was originally published in The Ascendant, the journal of the Association for Young Astrologers, vol. 1 (2015), pp. 14-18.

The post Saturn Returns and Sect appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

During the course of the show we talk about what the Saturn return is, how long it lasts for, and give a number of different tips for interpreting it based on how Saturn is placed in the natal chart.

The episode is primarily designed for beginner and intermediate students of astrology, although there are also some more advanced interpretive principles for more seasoned astrologers as well.

Part of the purpose of the episode was to let people know about a new lecture that Leisa Schaim recently released for sale on her website titled Saturn Returns, Sect, and the Taboo Against Difficulty. In this 70 minute lecture Leisa demonstrates how the distinction between day and night charts can significantly alter how a person experiences their Saturn return, for better or worse. She goes through a number of example charts in the lecture in order to show how this works out in real people’s experiences during their Saturn returns.

To listen to the episode just head over to The Astrology Podcast and scroll down to the bottom of the article titled Understanding Your Saturn Return.

The post Podcast Discussion on the Saturn Return appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

The movie centers around a group of old college friends turning 30 who reunite for a wedding, which quickly leads to soul-searching and re-evaluation of major life choices for all of them in different ways – a very common part of the Saturn return process. The various characters grapple with with issues such as vocation, marriage, divorce, and illness as they reconnect, major life themes that often arise at the Saturn return.

It’s fairly unusual that a movie is made with astrological content, much less specifically about the very topic of this blog. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with the writer/director Shawn Tolleson recently to find out how this came about.

Tolleson explained that in late 2008, she had come up with the idea of making a film based on friends who were all hitting a major life milestone age. She said,

“I find the big birthdays, the threshold times or events in our lives to be really juicy from a story perspective. I think that there’s a lot to mine there when it comes to characters and stories.”

And she had remembered the time in her own life around turning 30 to be quite important. She later was telling a friend about her film idea who replied, “Well, you know about the Saturn return, right?” Tolleson did not, in fact, and as her friend proceeded to explain the astrological phenomenon to her, she said “it made so much make sense to me!”

Tolleson, who describes herself as an astrology enthusiast, then educated herself on things like the Sun, Moon, rising signs, and planets in different houses. She ended up actually incorporating astrology into her character development as well, making up hypothetical charts for them and then adjusting from there. She said her brainstorming process went kind of like,

“Ok, I think this character is a Cancer, what else is going on? If the chart was moved slightly and then it looked like this, what could that mean for this character?”

One of the characters is the film is interested in astrology and will provide some some of the context regarding the Saturn return and other astrological transits through her lines, which Tolleson described as a thematic access point for the characters and the story of what is going on with the group. Tolleson said that some of the characters have doubts about the astrology angle, while others are more neutral or not paying attention to it.

I was curious about Tolleson’s thoughts regarding making a movie that contains astrological content, concerning its possible reception. She replied,

I feel like one of the opportunities of this film is that, I think that astrology in terms of its portrayal in the media, kind of gets a little bit of a bad rap. Often when astrology is referred to, it’s very surface and superficial, or it has sort of a negative connotation. So I think there’s a real opportunity with this project to portray it in a more complex and nuanced light, so as to potentially start discussion and interest that way. If that were to happen, I would very happy.”

Finally, given the Saturn return theme, I was curious about what happened during Tolleson’s own Saturn return. She graciously shared some of the major happenings: moving from a life path of acting and theater into her current career as a writer/director of films was a major shift. She also met her husband at that time, which was an important development both personally and professionally, as he is also a filmmaker and they could be sounding boards for each other’s thinking. Tolleson has Saturn in the 7th house of her birth chart, so partnership would be an important part of her Saturn return. She also reflected on some of the more internal aspects of her Saturn return:

 “I really felt like there was a concretizing of my path right at that time. It was a very winding path, from like 18-28 or so, and then it just got very focused….The other thing I’d say is more kind of intangible, but I actually felt it as it was happening – I really gained a clarity of self in my Saturn return. Just a real clarity of self, and I’d say a confidence of identity in it. And I could feel that happening, and that was probably one of the most rewarding aspects for me of the Saturn return, was clarity and confidence in my core identity. That’s a little less tangible, but really powerful stuff.”

To learn more about the movie, the website is SaturnReturns.net.

They also currently have a crowdfunding page for additional post-production expenses at www.indiegogo.com/projects/saturn-returns–3

The post New Movie on Saturn Returns Filming Now appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

In the first half of the video Nick focuses on what was happening during each person’s Saturn return, which makes for some really interesting Saturn return stories.

They are particularly topical now since all three have Saturn in Scorpio, and I think that we can gain some insight into what the Saturn return in Scorpio is all about by looking at these examples.

You can watch the video below, followed by a transcript that Nick provided for us:

Time Twins Video

Transcript

On December 14th, 1954, Allen Ginsberg flew to New York City from San Francisco to attend his brother’s wedding. While in New York, he also visited his mother Naomi in a sanatorium; she had previously attempted suicide.

At this point in his life, Allen was still an unpublished author. Unlike the other two characters in our story, he was not yet established in this field. He was still struggling, supporting the works of friends like William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.

Returning to San Francisco he soon met Peter Orlovsky, who would be his partner up until the end of his life – a forty two-year romance was now beginning.

As Allen’s trip began, transiting Venus and Saturn were conjunct his natal Saturn in Scorpio.

Less than two months later on February 4th, 1955, Marilyn Monroe, already a well-known Hollywood movie actress, began studying with Lee Strasberg at New York’s famous Actors Studio.

Already a well-known movie star, she was craving respect. Recently divorced from Joe DiMaggio, she was refusing to do films for Fox because the scripts did not meet her satisfaction. She wanted to be taken seriously as an actress.

At the time Marilyn began studying with Lee Strasberg, transiting Saturn was conjunct her natal Saturn retrograde in Scorpio.

Just a little over a month later, on March 12, 1955, legendary jazz alto sax player Charlie Parker – otherwise known as “Bird” – passed away at the age of 34, due to the physical abuse he put himself through due to drug addiction and alcoholism.

Miles had begun playing with Charlie when he was 18 years old, and although he learned everything he knew about jazz from the man, there was also a lot of resentment.

At the time Charlie Parker died, transiting Saturn retrograde was conjunct Miles’ natal Saturn retrograde and Moon in Scorpio.

Just over six months later on September 27 1955, John Coltrane joined the Miles Davis Quintet. Miles was a recovering drug addict, clean for about two years. However, the other four members of his group were still heroin users, and Miles would struggle to keep them all in line as they made music history.

Coltrane would be in Miles’ group for the next five years, and during that time he would transform himself from a mediocre, drug-addicted musician to an absolute powerhouse.

At the same time Miles had recently signed to Columbia Records; he was now becoming the highest paid jazz musician.

Transiting Saturn was conjunct Miles’ natal Moon and Saturn retrograde in Scorpio, and also John Coltrane’s natal Saturn in Scorpio.

Two weeks later, on October 7th, 1955, Allen Ginsberg debuted his new poem Howl at a reading at a place called Gallery 6 in San Francisco. The reading is now legendary, accounted for in writings by Jack Kerouac and others.

The poem is Saturnian in that it mourns young people who met tragedy. At the time of the reading, transiting Saturn was conjunct Allen’s natal Saturn retrograde in Scorpio.

In less than a week after the reading, on October 13th, 1955, Marilyn Monroe, still in New York, went to see a Broadway show called “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?”, starring a new blonde starlet named Jayne Mansfield.

It was clear that the character Jayne Mansfield was playing was a spoof of Marilyn Monroe’s screen persona. It must been tough for Marilyn, struggling at that time to be taken seriously as an actress, to see herself parodied right in front of her face.

At the time she saw the show, transiting Saturn was conjunct natal Saturn retrograde in Scorpio.

In these three cases – whether it was Marilyn Monroe, who was already close to the top of her success, Miles Davis, who had already enjoyed success, fallen, and was now re-inventing himself, or Allen Ginsberg, who up until this time had always been anonymous – our three characters, feeling their Saturn Return, were pursuing the goals that were most important to them and, regardless of what they had already achieved, felt like they were starting over from scratch.

The post The Saturn Returns of Time Twins appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

Well, you are in luck, because I’ve written a pragmatic guide of the top ten things that you should do in order to successfully get through your Saturn return and make the most of this time.

Most of these suggestions are meant to be generally applicable to people who are going through either their first or their second Saturn return, although some may be a little more relevant to one or the other. There is a wide spectrum of different ways in which people experience their Saturn return, but they usually have some core themes in common. It is almost always a pivotal turning point in one’s life, but why it is important varies greatly.

I tried to include suggestions here that would be helpful to as many people as possible, but specifics will definitely vary based on your unique birth chart. However, the ideas below are all appropriate to the overall time period of the Saturn return, and will serve you well no matter what happens externally.

If you would like a more personalized understanding of your Saturn return, check out our guide for interpreting the Saturn Return, or get a Saturn return consultation with a professional astrologer.

1. Work on separating what you want from what others want for you. Be willing to rethink who you are.

If you’re heading into your Saturn return and you feel really good about where you’re headed and what you’ve been doing already, more power to you. Your task is now to step it up and reach for the next level, whatever that means for you. But if you’re one of those people who is suddenly second-guessing every decision you’ve ever made in your life, then it might be time to soul-search about what is authentic to you, and cast off roles others have wanted you to play and/or old aspirations of yours that are coming to a natural end.

2. Take care of your body. Realize that your body is material and requires attention, and has finite limits.

Saturn rules time, limits, and structures. Your body is a structure with natural limits, and some of those may start to show during your Saturn return. It’s a good time to revisit how you care for your body, and improve any health routines that won’t sustain you for the long-term. If your body starts to give warning signals of needing repair, act responsibly and take care of those issues before they need more help. And now is definitely the time to fix anything you know has been an issue that you haven’t gotten around to dealing with.

3. Think long term, about everything.

Now is a fine time to ponder that stereotypical interview question: where do you want to be in 10 years? What do you want to have contributed when all is said and done? What do you ultimately want in the realms of partnership, career, home, etc., and what do you need to do to make that happen? Are the current structures of your life solid, and if not, how can they be restructured?

It’s time to get really serious about the big picture of your life. Often we move so quickly in keeping up with day-to-day life that we don’t deliberately think about where we’re headed. Right now is the perfect time to look at the major structures of your life with that kind of sober realism about what you want in the long run. If you feel like you don’t know, no need to panic – it’s a 2 to 3 year process, not a single point in time, so just keep asking yourself these questions periodically as you move through it.

4. Acknowledge your losses and endings. And then keep going.

Since Saturn rules endings, time, and natural limits, you may experience endings in some area of your life during your Saturn return, whether it be related to a relationship, job, where you live, or some other area. If this happens, it’s important to know that this is normal during the Saturn return, even though it may feel hard now. You may need to mourn for important people or parts of your life that won’t be moving into your future with you. Do this, but don’t get stuck looking backwards; your endings are important, but so are your new beginnings.

5. Think realistically about how to improve your circumstances. Small steps are fine.

Realism and practicality are the order of the day during your Saturn return, so work on some practical plans to get to where you need to be next. Saturn rules things that unfold over time, and often makes things feel like they are taking longer than you want to happen. The good news is that small steps, as long as they are part of a practical longer-term plan, are perfectly in line with Saturnian energy, so do what you can and don’t stress if things are not happening quickly.

6. Finally deal with that issue that just won’t go away.

Do you have any nagging issues that keep coming up periodically in your life, and now just won’t fade into the background like usual? Now is the time to face them squarely and find new ways of dealing with them. Your unique Saturn placement and aspects describe some of the things you need to work on over the course of your lifetime. The good news is that the work you do during your Saturn return on finding new solutions and healthier approaches to these issues tends to stick with you for the long term.

7. Keep your focus on yourself, not on comparisons with other people.

Only compare if it motivates you to work harder towards something you really care about. But realize that we all have different life paths and what you may admire in someone else’s life may have nothing to do with what you are supposed to be doing. We all have completely different birth charts, even if close in age, and therefore we all have unique lessons, questions, and areas of our lives that are easier or harder.

On a related note, people tend to unthinkingly use career achievement as the measuring stick of how one is doing in life, but that may or may not be the main focus of your particular Saturn return.

8. If something difficult happens, remember that this is not the end of the story.

If you experience something that feels terrible, hold on and wait it out. Sometimes people have something objectively very difficult happen during this time and they don’t know how they will get through it. If you’re in this situation, keep holding on and moving through it one day at a time, because: 1) Often things will get easier after you get through your Saturn return, even if they look bad now, and 2) You can’t see the next chapter of your story yet, but there will be one. This is also a good time to say that some people may feel more depressed during their Saturn return – if this is you, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

9. Work hard, but realize it’s not all up to you.

There is a spiritual tenet about doing the work and then letting go of the outcome, and now is a good time to adopt that approach. It is a bit of a paradox: Saturn asks us to take responsibility for ourselves and teaches that you have to work to get what you want, but it also rules limits. There are limits to what we individually have control over – we live in the larger world and participate in larger macrocosmic currents, not to mention that astrology shows that there are some things that are going to go differently for each of us. So work hard towards your goals, but know that there are other factors involved in where that ultimately leads, and be open to noticing the clues of what life wants for you as well as what you want.

10. Don’t stress if everything isn’t neatly resolved by the end of your Saturn return.

Life is a process; this is just one piece of it. The Saturn return is often a restructuring process, which can be messy – everything isn’t necessarily going to be tied up neatly in a bow by the end. Depending on your particulars, the most important part of your Saturn return may even be the start of something so new that you won’t even recognize its importance until more time has passed. So congratulate yourself for whatever positive changes you have made, challenges endured, and constructive work done, and go forth into your post-Saturn-return life with greater maturity and wisdom.

The post Tips for Successfully Navigating Your Saturn Return appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

Glover has Saturn in early Scorpio, and he is right in the middle of his Saturn return. I was really struck by how well his notes conveyed many of the themes that people deal with during this time, and I think that his reflections provide some very valuable insights for those who want to understand the Saturn return better.

Glover first became famous between 2005-7, when Saturn was in Leo, as a member of a sketch comedy group on YouTube called Derrick Comedy. Later he went on to become a writer for the NBC series 30 Rock, although he is most well-known for his role on the popular NBC show Community. Over the past few years he has also had a rising career as a stand-up comedian and rapper.

Time Magazine noted that Glover has withdrawn from the public eye over the past year, becoming much less active on social media sites and leaving his role on the show Community. Much of this was explained yesterday, when he posted a series photos of handwritten notes on his Instagram account which explained a number of internal issues that he has been wrestling with recently.

According to Wikipedia he was born on September 25, 1983, which means that he has Saturn at 3 degrees of Scorpio. So, his Saturn return began last October when transiting Saturn moved into Scorpio, and he has been in the midst of it over the course of the past year.

Here are the notes, which come from Glover’s Instagram account:

The notes were transcribed by a user named nephrium over on Reddit:

IM AFRAID OF THE FUTURE

I’M AFRAID MY PARENTS WONT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE MY KIDS

IM AFRAID MY SHOW WILL FAIL

IM SCARED MY GIRL WILL GET PREGNANT AT NOT THE EXACT TIME WE WANT

IM SCARED I’LL NEVER REACH MY POTENTIAL

IM AFRAID SHE’S STILL IN LOVE W/THAT DUDE

IM SCARED ILL NEVER GROW OUT OF BRO RAPE

IM AFRAID PEOPLE THINK I HATE MY RACE

IM AFRAID PEOPLE WILL THINK I HATE WOMEN

I HATE PEOPLE CAN SAY ANYTHING

I HATE CARING WHAT PEOPLE THINK

IM AFRAID THERE’S SOMEONE BETTER FOR YOU OR ME

I FEEL LIKE IM LETTING EVERYONE DOWN

IM AFRAID PEOPLE HATE WHO I REALLY AM

IM AFRAID I HATE WHO I REALLY AM

IM SCARED PEOPLE WILL FIND OUT WHAT I MASTURBATE TO

IM AFRAID IM HERE FOR NOTHING

I FEEL THAT THIS WILL FEEL PRETENTIOUS

IM AFRAID THIS IS ALL AN ACCIDENT

IM SCARED ILL BE TYRESE

IM AFRAID DAN HARMON HATES ME

IM SCARED I WONT KNOW ANYTHING EVER AGAIN

IM SCARED I NEVER KNEW ANYTHING

IM AFRAID ILL REGRET THIS

IM AFRAID THIS DOESNT MATTER AT ALL

I DIDNT LEAVE COMMUNITY TO RAP I DONT WANNA RAP. I WANTED TO BE ON MY OWN.

IVE BEEN SICK THIS YEAR. IVE SEEN A BUNCH OF PEOPLE DIE THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IVE FELT HELPLESS. BUT IM NOT ON THAT.

KEPT LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO BE IN WITH. FOLLOW SOMEONE’S BLUEPRINT. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ON YOUR OWN.

THE LABEL DOESN’T WANT ME TO RELEASE IN DECEMBER CAUSE IT’S NOT A HOLIDAY RECORD AND IM NOT A BIG ARTIST. I STARTED THE RECORD LAST CHRISTMAS. CHRISTMAS ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL LONELY, BUT IT HELPED ME RESTART THE NEW YEAR. I WANT PEOPLE TO THIS ALBUM WHEN EVERYTHINGS CLOSED. WHEN EVERYTHING SLOWS DOWN AND QUIET. SO YOU CAN START OVER.

I GOT REALLY LOST LAST YEAR. BUT I CANT BE LONELY THO. CAUSE WE’RE ALL HERE. WE’RE ALL STUCK HERE.

I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT SAYS, NO MATTER HOW BAD YOU FUCK UP, OR MISTAKES YOU’VE MADE DURING THE YEAR, YOUR LIFE, YOUR ETERNITY. YOURE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO BE BETTER. YOURE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO GROW UP. IF YOU WANT.

—

I don’t think that the notes really require much commentary, since they kind of speak for themselves. I just thought that it provided a really insightful look into the mind of someone who is currently in the process of going through their Saturn return.

The post Donald Glover’s Saturn Return Reflections appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.

A Saturn return consultation consists of a 75-90 minute conversation in which we discuss the placement of Saturn in your birth chart, and which areas of life and topics your Saturn return will be focused on.

For your Saturn return consultation we will also calculate and let you know when your Saturn return begins and ends, the date(s) when it will be exact, and dates of any other major aspects that transiting Saturn will make during the course of your Saturn return.

In addition to discussing the specific themes of your Saturn return, we will also provide you with a copy of your birth chart and may discuss some other trends that may be relevant during the time of your Saturn return that are dependent on the specifics of your particular chart, since there are always multiple cycles happening at the same time.

This consultation is particularly useful for those going into or already in their Saturn returns, but is also appropriate afterwards or in between the returns in order to gain greater understanding and perspective on this part of your life.

The charge for a Saturn return-focused consultation is $145 for a 75-90 minute session, which includes the consultation time itself as well as the preparation done with your chart beforehand. The conversation is conducted through Zoom, which you can connect to via internet or phone, and a recording will be sent to you after the session.

Please have your exact birth data available, which includes your birth date, city of birth, and exact time of birth. The exact time is necessary for an accurate birth chart, so please get the time from your full, original birth certificate if it was recorded there. If it was not on your full birth certificate for some reason, try looking in other places it might have been recorded in writing, such as a baby book.

If you would like a consultation, please click on the Paypal button below to reserve your session, then email Leisa Schaim at lschaim@gmail.com to schedule a time for your consultation.  We look forward to talking with you!

The post Saturn Return Consultations appeared first on Saturn Return Stories.