Jerry Astrology

What is Saturn return?

Saturn return refers to the period of time when the position of Saturn in the sky returns back to the same sign where Saturn was when you were born.

For example, back in March 1996, Saturn was in the sign of sidereal Pisces. Come April 2025, Saturn in the sky will once again enter sidereal Pisces. Hence, if you were born in March 1996, you will enter your Saturn return from April this year.

Saturn takes on average about 30 years to complete one cycle around the zodiac, so everyone experiences Saturn return around the age of 30, again at the age of 60, and for those who are blessed with longevity, again at the age of 90.

How should I make sense of Saturn return?

Saturn is like a catalyst. Wherever it is transiting in the chart, it brings about the ripening of karma in that area of life.

If Saturn is transiting through the first house, there is a ripening of karma around health. If it transits through the seventh house, then karma around relationships ripen.

Saturn is a difficult planet, no doubt. It signifies loss, decay, loneliness and suffering, and Saturn ripens karma through one or several of these experiences.

Saturn return can be difficult, because the Saturn in the sky has returned to where it was when you were born. In other words, Saturn return is ripening the karma of Saturn itself in your chart. There will undoubtedly be suffering and loss during this period.

Is Saturn return always terrible?

Not necessarily.

If Saturn in your birth chart is conjunct Jupiter and Venus, the two big benefic planets, then though there is some loss and suffering during Saturn return, there is also plenty of support to help you overcome and get over your pain.

Conversely, if you have Mars and Ketu conjunct in your birth chart, and Saturn is transiting over them, then the suffering involved can be more intense than your Saturn return.

In other words, we need to look at your birth chart in it’s entirety to properly contextualize your Saturn return.

What is the best way to approach Saturn return or Saturn transits?

My astrology guru taught us that dealing with loss is how we learn to become unattached.

As Saturn transits through our birth chart, it brings loss to every area of our lives, and through these losses, Saturn is helping us see what we are overly attached to, and learn how to live freely and be unattached instead.

For example, when we experience pain from a romantic breakup, we might think we are overly attached to our partner, hence the suffering from the loss. However, if we explore deeper into why the relationship broke, we might find that it because of our attachment to ego, wanting to be right, career etc.

It is these deeper attachments that Saturn is teaching us to let go of, and the loss and suffering are the means through which Saturn teaches us.

As we each navigate our losses and sufferings in our own times, the questions “what am I overly attached to?”, and “what am I learning about myself?” can be very supportive in helping us grow from the experience.

Final thoughts

Saturn, and the rest of the planets, are always speaking to us. It starts off subtle, like an intuition or a random yet relevant comment from a friend. If we continue to ignore it, the planets will eventually have no choice but to hit us with a huge stick to knock it into us.

So, take time everyday to get grounded and listen to yourself. Pay attention to your intuition and omens around you. Divine guidance is always there. We just have to listen.

Wishing everyone courage, strength and wisdom.

🙏