If you are between 27 and 29 years old, then you are going through the Saturn Return Crisis. This is a period of maturing and deep transformation that is associated with the cycle of Saturn’s orbit around the Sun.
This time can be challenging, so it is best to approach it with preparation. In this article, we will discuss the Saturn Return’s manifestation and provide tips on how to navigate this period.
Meaning
The Saturn Return Crisis is a period when transit Saturn returns to the same point in the zodiac circle where it was at the moment of our birth. There are two such returns during our lifetime, dividing it into three parts: youth (0-30 years), maturity (30-60), and old age (60-90).
The first Saturn Return occurs at 27-30 years old. Symbolically It marks a global transition from Youth to Maturity. In astrological terms, it is a transition from the Creation phase of our life, where we figure ourselves out and take more from the world than we give back, to the Realisation phase, where we maintain a balanced relationship with the world – we receive as much as we give.
This new phase of life requires fundamentally new qualities and ways of functioning in the world. Therefore, the process of transition is psychologically difficult and sometimes dramatic. In the public subconscious, this process is known as the “30-Year Crisis”.
How it manifests
The Saturn Return crisis is a highly individual process that depends on several factors: the position of Saturn in our natal chart, the transits of other planets during this period, the state in which we encounter Saturn Return and our general level of evolutionary development.
For some it can be a destructive storm, while for others it can be a long-awaited opportunity to take on additional responsibility in the world.
However, there are a few common elements.
Physically
Lowering of energy and vitality: strength diminishes, fatigue increases. Saturn thus limits external activity and directs attention inward.
Health problems may arise: chronic illnesses may worsen while hidden problems accumulated over years may appear. A person can age significantly in just a few weeks. In addition to maturing and restructuring the physical body, this is also a reminder that everything in life is impermanent, including our physical body.
Psychologically
Melancholy and a sense of a heavy heart. In severe cases, prolonged depression is possible. It feels like the weight of existence with all its physical and karmic laws pressing down.
In a harmonious variation, it can be experienced as additional responsibility and trust from the world which can be a liberating feeling.
The perspective on life narrows. We realise our limitations and the predetermined nature of our fate. This also means the need to let go of certain things, usually quite pleasant ones while accepting others meekly. Our vision of ourselves, our life, and our future aligns with our actual possibilities.
Doubts about our abilities and the correctness of our life path. Our subconscious fears and phobias come to light. This is the result of reappraising values which happens in the depths of the subconscious. It’s also a clear hint to engage in this process consciously and with full attention.
Events-wise
Our important spheres of life are tested for strength, while unimportant ones are destroyed. Moreover, the importance of life spheres is determined not in the current moment, but from the perspective of our entire life path. This can lead to quite unpleasant situations.
For example, we might lose our job or break up with our current partner. While this could be good for our life path, it can also be painful in the moment.
In extreme cases, an entire life can go off the rails when literally all spheres of life collapse. This happens because Saturn helps us to separate our own values from externally imposed ones and thus find our true self.
The problem is that our true self may differ from what we think of ourselves and especially from the life we are currently living. In this case, the path to our true selves goes through the destruction of dear parts of our life, which is psychologically perceived as extremely painful and dramatic. But Saturn is wise and persistent and does not leave us a choice.
What to do about it
👉 Realize that a period of transformation has begun. It will take some time and then come to an end. This is an important moment. There’s no sense pretending that nothing is happening. But at the same time we should remember that this process is not eternal and it will come to an end.
👉 Be ready for changes. Life changes. In some areas it changes forever. It is necessary to accept new responsibilities with resilience and humbly let go of what is leaving. It might be difficult to live an easy life like you’re 20. But at the same time new responsibility provides the foundation to serious accomplishments.
👉 Develop Saturnian qualities: patience, responsibility, discipline, resilience, humility, asceticism, perseverance, wisdom. Many unpleasant manifestations of the Saturn such as delay, pressure, limitations, are just the mandatory activation of these positive qualities in their low manifestation.
👉 Engage in inner work. Saturn symbolizes deep layers of the subconscious. Saturn is not interested in mental modeling, but instead develops a substantive understanding at the reflex level. Therefore, the Saturn Return is a very favorable period for introspection, reconsideration (for example, Castaneda’s practice of recapitulation), self-discovery, and reappraisal of values.
Duration
Background phase: The return of Saturn is felt in the background all the time while Saturn moves through the zodiac sign where our natal Saturn is located. This is approximately 2.5 years.
Active phase: The duration of the active phase depends on our natal chart and can last from a few months to a year.
One of the characteristics of Saturn is that it likes to give a delayed effect, where events happen after the end of the transit aspect. Therefore, the crisis may linger for a longer period of time.