I first wrote about the Saturn Return process (which you can read here) well and truly before my Saturn Return was about to begin. Now, I am writing the second and final part (at least for now), three years after my first Saturn Return was completed.
If you want to know the basics of what a Saturn Return is all about, I recommend reading Part 1, but essentially, it is a 2.5-year period when you are forced to grow up in some way. It’s a time when you are guided to take responsibility, face up to your past, and put down some roots.
Many astrologers feel that your first Saturn Return, which starts around 28 years of age, is your official welcome into adulthood and your first step up into real maturity. We then have another Saturn Return at 58 and if we are lucky, 87. The first Saturn Return however, remains the most significant.
Now that I have been through my first Saturn Return, I feel I can talk about it from a bit of a wiser and more informed lens.
My First Saturn Return Experience
Right before my Saturn Return, I had just written my first professionally published book. It had always been a dream of mine to write a book, and I poured so much of my heart, energy, and life into that book. To this day, it is still the book I am most proud of.
The book was called, The Power of Positive Energy, and I feel it contained all the wisdom I had acquired on my spiritual journey up until that point in my life. I felt that book contained a huge release, a huge birth of information from my heart, mind, and soul, out into the world.
Once the book was completed, I could feel an empty space and felt ready for the next chapter. I remember having this profound feeling wash over me that my next chapter was about to begin.
I never dreamed that my next chapter would start with the death of my little sister. We were extremely close. We were best friends. We shared everything.
My entire world crumbled. I wrote the book, The Power of Positive Energy, and yet, no positive energy was powerful enough to save me from this situation.
Before I continue, I want to point out that Saturn’s Return did not bring the death of my sister. Planets do not have that kind of power. Saturn’s energy is not about dealing with death either, so no, someone you love is not necessarily going to die on your Saturn Return!
Again, planets are not responsible for anything that happens to us in life. They are simply forces of energy that we can learn to decode in order to understand ourselves and our human experience a bit better. I don’t want to scare anyone reading this post! This was my experience and my soul lesson to learn, and I know you have your own to go through too.
Now that I look back, all the lessons that came from my sister’s passing (which happened when I was 27) set me up for the lessons of my Saturn Return which followed in the coming years.
It is my hope that sharing what I have learned after my first Saturn Return will be inspirational and encouraging as you move through or try to understand your own.
Here are the biggest takeaways I feel my first Saturn Return inspired in me-
1.) Bad things Happen to Good People
My Saturn Return taught me that it doesn’t matter how much positivity you throw out into the world, how kind you are, how many rules you follow, or how long you spend meditating in 5D, nothing can spare you from the hardships of life. We are human, and part of that human experience sometimes involves dealing with tragedy, disease, painful situations, and death. While having a positive outlook and spiritual awareness can definitely bring ease to these situations, it can’t prevent them or save you from them. Life is hard sometimes. Bad things happen to good people, of course, on a higher level, who are we to judge what is good and what is bad, but on a practical level, Saturn’s lessons remind us that none of us are immune from hardship and challenges, no matter how “good” we are.
2.) Life is not obligated to make sense to you
We have a limited vantage point here on Earth. We are all birds walking on the ground, perhaps when we die or ascend in consciousness, we are able to fly and see the whole view. But until that point, we just have to accept that some things will never make sense to us through our limited rational minds. Up until this point, I thought I knew a little bit about life and how it all works, but after the death of my sister, I felt like I knew nothing! I feel Saturn took many of my beliefs and brought them back down to earth. I felt like it gave me a reality check and helped me to realize that there were no absolute truths.
3.) No, you didn’t manifest that
Our thoughts, emotions, and feelings are powerful, but you are not responsible for everything that happens. You did not necessarily manifest that disease, that bad boyfriend, or that awful encounter with an abuser. No amount of negative thinking means you deserve to experience any of these things. Sometimes things just happen because this is the world we live in, this is our conditioning, this is our karmic destiny, or this is what our soul came to learn, or for who knows why! We are co-creators of this Universe, working in synergy with others, with nature, and with the Universe. Saturn teaches us what we are responsible for, and what we are not. And, while we may not be responsible for causing everything that happens to us, we are responsible for how we choose to deal with it.
4.) Everything happens for a reason?
This comment has become almost a controversial one. Some people have grown to resent it, and I can definitely see why. There is no reason good enough in the entire Universe to justify some of the tragedies that life can bring. I do feel the energy of Saturn strips any sugar coating and forces us to confront that sometimes there is no good reason for things to happen. But, on the flip side, I do think there is some truth to this statement. Everything does happen for a reason, but it is the reason that we choose to give to it. I feel the only way I have found to cope with my grief and loss is to put a purpose to it. To take this nonsensical, horrible thing, and give it some reason for existing in my life. Saturn challenges us to take our hardships and turn them into something rewarding or even, our legacy.
5.) Setting boundaries
Grief is incredibly taxing to the body, so for the first time in my life, I was forced to set boundaries. I just couldn’t be around certain people, engage in certain conversations, or tolerate certain behaviors. I had to put my foot down and say no. Not everyone liked this, I lost friendships and severed connections with relatives, but I had to put myself first. I had to withdraw. Saturn is the planet connected to boundaries, it helps us to get firm with what we are willing to tolerate and where we need to draw the line. When Saturn’s energy is strong, like during a Saturn Return, we can very often feel the need to challenge our boundaries or withdraw in order to figure out where they need to start and end.
6.) Making Commitments
Many traditional astrologers advise against getting married during your Saturn Return. The belief is that the energy of your Saturn Return will forever be embedded into your marriage and will eventually result in feeling stifled, held back, or smothered. But even knowing this, I decided to get married during my Saturn Return! I had been with my partner for five years, and the timing just felt right. After all the grieving, I wanted to celebrate love and all that was good in my life. I wanted to hold on to those who were nearest and dearest to me. I feel before the passing of my sister, I might have waited just to rule it out, but after my sister’s untimely death, I didn’t want to wait out of fear, I wanted to embrace all I was feeling and follow my heart. Saturn helped me to realize what was truly important to me and helped to affirm my commitment.
Have you moved through your Saturn Return? Feel free to share your biggest takeaways in the comments below! And I would love to hear from those who have had their second or even third Saturn Returns and how those may have felt different!
