Saturn's Promise Report

The Saturn’s Promise Report analyzes how Saturn functions in your birth chart.

Report Sample

Saturn’s Promise

An Astrological Analysis of Saturn for

Margaret McElroy

October 19, 1946

5:31 AM

Nottingham, England

Calculated for:

Time Zone 0 hours West

Latitude: 52 N 58

Longitude: 1 W 10

Positions of Planets at Birth:

Sun 25 Lib 14 Pluto 13 Leo 12

Moon 16 Leo 30 N. Node 12 Gem 57

Mercury 16 Sco 16 Asc. 12 Lib 55

Venus 1 Sag 00 MC 17 Can 14

Mars 16 Sco 51 2nd cusp 11 Sco 04

Jupiter 5 Sco 02 3rd cusp 10 Sag 01

Saturn 7 Leo 56 5th cusp 16 Aqu 26

Uranus 21 Gem 36 6th cusp 14 Pis 34

Neptune 8 Lib 59

Aspect Orb in Natal Chart Orb in Saturn Return Chart

Conjunction : 6 Deg 00 Min 5 Deg 00 Min

Opposition : 6 Deg 00 Min 5 Deg 00 Min

Square : 6 Deg 00 Min 5 Deg 00 Min

Trine : 6 Deg 00 Min 5 Deg 00 Min

Sextile : 4 Deg 00 Min 3 Deg 00 Min

Semisquare : 2 Deg 00 Min 1 Deg 30 Min

Sesquiquadrate : 2 Deg 00 Min 1 Deg 30 Min

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Introduction

As they orbit the Sun, the planets reveal the unfolding patterns of our lives. Saturn, with its magnificent rings and multiple moons, acts as a principal timer of events. This interpretation focuses on the structure of your life: from the potential you have at the moment of birth, through the formative years, the productive period, and into your later years, when you become a mentor for the younger generation.

What Saturn Signifies in the Birth Chart

Let’s begin at the beginning. At birth you have unique potential to grow to adulthood, fulfill your talents, achieve emotional security and happiness, and to express yourself as a spiritual being. Sometimes you will work hard and achieve more. Other times you will struggle, only to be frustrated in your desires. Frustrations often teach us greater self discipline … by creating patience, for example. You always have choices along the way.

Saturn’s birth potential encompasses these general considerations:

– physical development and health considerations – mental and emotional development – areas of pessimism or limited enjoyment – consciousness of self – career and enduring legacy – your life path in general, from starting point to life lessons to rewards. – potential for wisdom and maturity

One way to summarize the role of Saturn is to look at your capacity for self-preservation. All of the above-listed traits come into play as you seek to defend yourself against perceived attacks, or to go on the “attack” as an assertive, ambitious individual. You develop skills that aid you in becoming a successful, satisfied person. Success depends both on defensive capacity and assertiveness.

These consideration play out in two ways. First, there is the “normal” path – the typical pattern of development that all people follow. This path is true for everyone. Then there is the unique focus you bring to your own life. This is where you reveal your own power and will. The intersection between the typical and the individual is the subject of this interpretation.

Because Saturn moves relatively slowly through the signs, all the people born within about a 2 to 2 1/2 year period share many qualities. Here are some thoughts about your unique potential, as seen in your birth chart. People in your immediate age group share many of these traits.

Part I – Saturn in Your Birth Chart

Saturn in Leo:

Your ego works as a stabilizing factor in your life. It can become rigid, however, as you resist pressure from outside yourself. This can come across as a regal bearing or as a sense of infallibility, depending on how you express yourself. Throughout your life you cultivate trust, based on your reliability and diplomacy.

While you like to look good to others, you sometimes find yourself shying away from formal events. You are not comfortable mixing with groups unless you have a well-defined role. Thus you seem cautious in situations until you figure out what your role is. After all, you do care what other people think of you. This caution extends to sexual relationships as well.

The placement of Saturn in your birth chart suggests that the heart, back, and coronary arteries are potential areas for physical manifestation of the mental, emotional and spiritual experiences of your life. In medical astrology, these parts of the body are reflected in the sign of Leo.

Developing upper body strength, particularly in the back and abdominal muscles, will be beneficial. Aerobic exercise increases lung capacity and strengthens the heart. A heart-smart diet is indicated, and it doesn’t have to be the least bit boring.

Saturn in a fire sign:

Intelligent activity, by your definition, includes intuition, something that many people barely think is real. Your idealism is tempered by a good dose of caution, but you are able to look past the ordinary and plan for outcomes that incorporate individual freedom and room to act on impulse from time to time. Some people might think this is your selfish side at work – you want something in the plan for you to enjoy. Others see this as a responsible way to approach the needs of other people. Whatever your personal motivations, you are assertive in their application. You want to see the best possible results of your decisions, and you can wait patiently for results when that is required. Creative outcomes work today, and will continue to work tomorrow.

Saturn is 7-8 deg Fixed:

Areas of the body that deserve careful attention include: Nerves of the neck, large lower vein, scrotum, left Fallopian tube, vein of left calf.

Saturn in 10th house:

Throughout your life, career and social position are of major importance. Yet this is an area where development may be delayed. This means that while you must take responsibility for your own career path and the associated social position you attain, you may not feel you are good at it early in your life. Steady consistency and caution both aid your career development. You have the personal drive to be successful. You see life as very demanding, and at the same time you become successful through a steady application of will.

You may have issues with one of your parents. You see this person as demanding of the best you can achieve, and you may have felt there was no room for just messing around. However, if you add messing around to your list of what it means to be successful, then you can apply your natural drive to learning the skill of aimless activity.

Generally you work within the system to accomplish your goals. First of all, you understand why the system is there. You see its imperfections, but you know it is enduring. You are the master of bending rules when necessary.

Saturn in hard aspect with Jupiter:

Even as a small child, you will balance your sense of responsibility with your desire for freedom. Yet you seek to bend the rules nearly to the breaking point sometimes. Social awareness generally keeps you from making huge blunders.

Saturn in hard aspect with Uranus:

With this aspect, irresistible force meets immovable object. This can result in actual or metaphorical accidents. You also have to make choices between self-interest and your responsibilities toward others. Stress and tension are common complaints.

Saturn in hard aspect with Pluto:

You are capable of very hard work. You may seem harsh to others who do not have the same capacity. There may be some organic under-development that causes you problems. You are able to work well with groups, but also thrive on silent activity.

Saturn in soft aspect with Neptune:

You are capable of willing self-sacrifice, but you are unlikely to accept this across the board. Your taste in furnishings is somewhat ascetic, but you purchase for lasting value and may have a few very fine items in your home or office.

Summary

The above remarks indicate both where you begin in life and where you experience change as you go along. They also represent a fair assessment of your potential. You very likely will relate to some of these ideas at the present time, feel that you have already overcome some of the less constructive traits, and recognize that you can strive to accomplish others.

Life Unfolds

All people begin physical life as helpless infants, and all people eventually leave the physical body. Between these two universally shared events, you experience the richness of what life has to offer, and you have unique experiences, based on your own potential. There are so-called “normal” times for each developmental process to occur. The typical milestone period is seven years, four months, and one week. Some of us are ahead of the curve at each milestone, and some of us fall behind. Astrological timing is based upon the average speed of Saturn’s motion, compared to what actually occurred for you personally.

For each major phase of your life, you will find information about the associated developmental process and its demands. Then you will find information about how you fit into the typical pattern – early or late, and what you can expect because of the timing. Most individuals have a mixture of early, late, or three chances. Thus, you will not have the same experience every time.

Throughout this section of your interpretation, you will find notes about the date (s) when each Milestone occurs. When three dates are grouped closely together, you have the opportunity to understand a milestone through three distinct experiences. If you have three Saturn returns grouped together, you get three very different pictures. The first two dates help you to address challenges and seek opportunities, primarily for the period of time before the third date. Indications at the third date carry forward strongly for the next 28 to 30 years.

Because of the movement of Saturn, you experience similar conditions and feelings every 28 to 30 years. Early in your life, a difference of a few weeks or months can have a big impact on your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual developmental processes. A month seems like an impossibly long time to a six-year-old, while at age sixty a month whizzes by all too quickly. In addition, when you are older, you will have gained experience from the formative years – experience that enables you to manage events and conditions better.

By understanding the interweaving of planetary influences in your own chart, you gain insight into your life. You make peace with yourself concerning certain times of your life, and you arm yourself with helpful information for future life passages.

Part II – Saturn Cycles in Your Life

Growth – Birth to About Age Thirty

During the first 28 to 30 years of life, you have been building the structure of the physical body, expanding your mental capabilities, learning how to manage emotional changes, developing a sense of values and morals, and entering the working world. You have formed lasting relationships and may have given birth to children of your own.

The demands of the first seven years of life are huge. You learned to communicate through language – a tool that allows you to express your needs, learn concepts in an organized way, and engage in deductive reasoning. You learned to operate simple machinery and use a computer. You developed the coordination necessary for using all kinds of tools. By age thirty you are a fully functioning adult human being.

Saturn builds upon the past. This means that even from birth, you were using what has come before to create structures. Thus the first full period indicates how you take in the familial, social, and cultural information surrounding you. You started out wholly dependent on the people and structures around you, and during the first 28 to 30 years of life you learn how to function independently – you develop a personal perspective on family and culture.

Milestone I – A Sense of Self: Around Age 7

The promise of this first milestone is the development of a sense of “self.” Up to this time you are primarily part of a group. You step out of the nuclear family into the immediate neighborhood, meeting other children, relating to caretakers outside the household, and beginning regular schooling. By the time you reach this first milestone, you generally see yourself as separate from your parents and siblings. In fact, at this time you may feel somewhat isolated, while also enjoying the new sense of independence.

A very important transition at this age is the understanding of right and wrong. You come to understand that the rules you have been taught have a systematic structure that can be generalized into a code. You internalize the “feeling” of rightness or wrongness of your actions, and gradually learn to make your own decisions. While a child of two or three looks to an adult authority figure for information about appropriate action, the seven to eight-year-old is learning to look within the self for this information. There is a growing sense of responsibility for your actions, and also a greater feeling of significance as an individual.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on January 7, 1954:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on March 31, 1954:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on September 30, 1954:

Lessons at this time ideally showed you how to take up a task and pursue it to your satisfaction. You learned to focus your attention on school lessons, but also on the “work” of creative play. If you chose a sport or other activity that benefits from persistence and practice, you may have developed into a fine artist or athlete. You also may have established friendships now that last your entire life.

Do you recall specific events from this time period? Did you feel growing independence and strength? Did you encounter harsh lessons that taught you to be much more cautious in your decisions and actions? Was there a mixture of both? Whatever your experiences at this age, they were carried forward for at least the next 7 to 8 years, and probably up to the present moment.

Milestone II – Crisis of Puberty: Around Age 14 – 15

The teen years are filled with a sense of crisis for most of us. As you enter puberty, you feel like an adult and have adult sexual urges. At the same time you often feel like a child, helpless to manage the emotions that accompany profound physical changes. Your mental framework is changing radically as well. Ideally you move from primarily inductive thinking toward using the deductive style of reasoning. This provides an opportunity to abandon somewhat unpredictable patterns of thinking and take up a precise, definite, secure mental style. You may come to believe that everything is logical and rational.

Yet you have those unpredictable emotional floods that contradict this new style of thinking. Often you wish you could blame someone else for your difficulties. Your parents or immediate caregivers are likely targets for your negative emotions, while you save your more positive feelings for your peers. You need time to adjust to massive physical changes too. Even though this can be a painful time, it is important to hang out here for a while. For example, rushing into marriage, and the associated adult sexual behaviors and other responsibilities, can deprive you of the time you need to fully understand your own internal processes.

Even though you feel grown up and independent part of the time, you still need the support and boundaries provided by parents, teachers, and rules. Saturn reflects the role of discipline in your life. Around age 15, you still need the discipline provided by family and social systems as you gain awareness of your social position, intellect and future possibilities.

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on March 15, 1962:

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on August 2, 1962:

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on December 12, 1962:

Where you had previously developed good work habits and a practical method of relating to the world, at this milestone you were buffeted by emotions that you previously held under strict control. This rush of emotions had the potential of opening up whole new vistas of awareness – you understood that life was not just orderly procedures, but also seemingly impractical feelings. At this time you got to see just how messy relationships could be.

If the adults around you acted responsibly, and if they established boundaries that provided support without total restriction, then you came through this transition with a renewed sense of independence and strength. On the other hand, if the authority figures in your life acted from self-interest, you could have suffered deep emotional wounds as you struggled to maintain your own sense of self.

For most of us there was a mixture of good and bad at this time. We tried things, we made mistakes, we had successes and failures, and we survived. We also internalized reasons for being dependent, co-dependent, or independent. Ideally, we learned that we are interdependent parts of partnerships, social circles, and the larger universe.

Milestone III – Legal Adulthood: Around Age 21 – 22

The third Saturn milestone occurs around age twenty-one to twenty-two. Our society labels us as adults at about this time. Generally this transition is made primarily on the mental level. It is a time when you accept the responsibilities of adulthood – legal to drink, vote and marry. Laws in many states and countries apply this label earlier – at age eighteen, for example. Having the legal responsibility and having the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual understanding of responsibility are two entirely different things. You get to audition for adult status before you have all the mental mechanisms in place to do the complete job.

This transition is often accompanied by the desire to “go it alone.” Students have gone off to college; others have taken jobs and may move away from home. Many have married and begun their own families. You take on the material responsibility for your life, and presumably you are more thoughtful in your decision-making. You feel alone as you transition from a primary role of junior family member to the role of adult independence. Even if you marry and have children, you are still going through the transition and may feel very lonely as you make important decisions. Yet you need to separate your identity from the peer group, just as you separated from the family, in order to become a healthy individual.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on July 17, 1969:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on September 24, 1969:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on March 30, 1970:

You found yourself in a structured world where stability may have been valued over practical change. The “rules” got in your way. You may have wanted to trample all resistance, and alternately wanted to buckle down and do your work without attracting notice.

To the extent that you met the challenges, you gained a sense of your own strength. To the extent that the challenges felt like defeats, you developed fears that you carried forward from this time. Even though you were no longer answering directly to your parents, you had internalized a parental voice that informed you about your actions. If events were not been favorable, you may have felt guilty about your role in them.

The Productive Period – About Thirty to About Sixty

During this period, you will work with what you have learned in the first 28 to 30 years. You repeat the same Saturn phases, but this time with the benefit of life experience. You now enter the fully productive period of your life, armed with the constructive and not-so-constructive lessons you have learned.

They say that what goes around, comes around, and this is certainly true of Saturn, both literally and metaphorically. The way you handle your experiences definitely affects how you meet each subsequent challenge. The Saturn Return marks the beginning of the most important period of maturity. This is when your productive powers are at their height – a time when you express yourself in the world and are able to achieve concrete goals and make a lasting impact.

Because Saturn has made a full circuit of your birth chart, all possible structural relationships have been formed. This means that all the pieces are in place, for good or ill. For instance, you have achieved nearly complete physical growth. During the next 28 to 30 years, your physical effort shifts away from growth and toward work and maintenance of health.

You are capable of making big changes, but they are dependent on how you view the decisions you made during the first 30 years of your life. You may become more conservative and serious, or you may undertake significant changes in career, spiritual direction, and family relationships. At this time you tend to think deeply about your life, and the direction you want to take in the future. These decisions are likely to have a lasting impact.

The Saturn Return creates a new pattern in the heavens. Although you will always respond most strongly to your birth chart, the chart for the Saturn Return sets the tone for the next 28 to 30 years of your life. Therefore this report analyses the potential in that chart as if it were a birth chart – for the birth of your productive period.

Milestone IV: The First Saturn Return: Around Age 29 – 30

Because we are talking about the Saturn Return, Saturn is in the same sign as it was in your birth chart. However, you have 28 to 30 years of experience building the structure of your physical body, your mental capacity, your emotional tendencies, and your spiritual understanding. Thus the second Saturn passage will be significantly different from the first.

At this time you may review the past, and get an attitude check-up. How are you doing with your material ambitions? Are you on the career track that is best for you? What kinds of changes may be necessary or appropriate at this time, in order to get you moving or keep you moving in a positive direction?

The time of the Saturn return is good for clearing out the dead wood of a stagnant career, old relationships, and other things that are no longer useful to you. This is also a time of beginning. After any repairs to your life that seem essential, you can take off in a new direction. If you like where you find yourself, you enter into life’s activities with renewed vigor. Finally, you put down deep roots that support you through the next 28 to 30 years successfully.

During this transitional period you learn a lot about yourself, about the people close to you, and about your long-term goals and desires. You test out the methods you have learned in the past and refine them as you go along. You may find (or recall) yourself looking into yourself . What have you personally accomplished? What have you had to endure, through no fault of your own, but because of circumstances? Where are you in terms of goals you may have set for yourself long ago? Are they even important now?

You may never forget the stress you feel (or felt) at this critical transition time. You could experience physical illness, psychological stress, or a spiritual shift of large proportions. The best bet is to take full responsibility for your life, even where circumstances intervene. You are responsible for how you chose to respond to them, after all.

For the foreseeable future, how you respond to life is what matters most of all. You have the opportunity to choose your associates, choose your career, and choose your belief systems. You are challenged to reach your highest potential in all areas of your life. You are, of course, building on everything that happened during the first period, finding remedies for gaps in your education or worldview, and forging ahead. If there are difficulties, you find that you not only have to face them, you have to sort out issues from the past as well.

Your Personal Saturn Return Chart Indicators

SATURN RETURN on August 9, 1976:

Saturn in Leo:

Reliability and intuitive insight remain a strong part of your personality. If, during the first cycle, you have built a structure of cautious creativity and diplomacy, you are very likely to continue to add to that side of your personality.

Saturn in Natal 10th House:

You were born with Saturn in the house of career, public image, and self-awareness. You will find that your focus, while continuing to reflect the significance of these factors, now turns to other matters.

Saturn in 11th House of Saturn Return Chart:

In the Return chart Saturn is in the house of group involvement. During the next 28 to 30 years, you find that community takes on greater importance. In addition you will discover how you work within groups, both in leadership roles and as a volunteer or support person. You may find that you step up to a leadership role in some situations, and step down in others.

If you engage in volunteer activities for schools or charities, set clear boundaries on the amount of time and energy you have t contribute. In this way you are always cheerful about participating, and always giving your best. By the same token, when you are the leader or director, make sure you acknowledge the efforts of others, and show appreciation for even the smallest contributions of money and time.

During this cycle you may find that you are able to work with younger people more easily. This will depend on your communication style, so extend that friendly style you use with your peer group to involvement with the younger generation. There is plenty of time to adopt a serious demeanor. In the meantime, a smile and cheerful voice go a long way to improving the ambient attitude.

Eventually you find that the sticky connections have loosened up a bit. You can consciously choose to remain connected, or to let go of the past. And instead of depending on others for support and encouragement, you find that these essentials are coming from within yourself. You are able to provide for yourself, and you seek a partner who supports your needs and desires. You retain lessons concerning material things that serve you well, and discard those that were never truly comfortable to begin with. Keep in mind that this ongoing process continues for 28 to 30 years, up to the next Saturn Return.

Saturn in hard aspect with Moon in Saturn Return chart:

This is a time when you ideally have mastered self-control. You may be more thrifty than in the past, and even somewhat selfish with your resources. While you grumble, at least to yourself, about perceived disadvantages, you are in the process of personal advancement as you begin this new cycle.

Saturn in hard aspect with Uranus in Saturn Return chart:

You have opportunities to demonstrate that you can cope with almost anything. You have chances to show your will power, and you make use of them. Yet you feel the strain. During this cycle, you grow through overcoming difficulties.

Saturn in soft aspect with Neptune in Saturn Return chart:

You are entering a period in which you need a lot less to satisfy your desires. With cautious analysis of opportunities and conditions, you can manage very well. Success may be slow in coming, but you reach it through fulfilling your personal and family responsibilities first, and then seeking to perfect and execute plans for a brighter future.

Saturn in soft aspect with Pluto in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you meet with difficult people and situations. Opportunities arise for you to work with groups of people who set very high goals and push to the limit to achieve them. Some of your successes will seem like magic. Certainly your results reflect wise use of personal skills.

Summary

Compare the above thoughts about Saturn to the information about you at the beginning of this interpretation. There may be certain similarities, and there are probably striking differences. Keep in mind that you don’t stop being the person represented by your birth chart. However, you are now entering an extended period during which you add nuances to your repertoire of behaviors.

Milestone V – Sense of Purpose: Around Age 36 – 37

This developmental transition gives you get a chance to review what you have been doing since your Saturn Return. This life transition parallels the changes at around age seven. The earlier challenge was to develop a sense of self. Now the challenge is to develop a sense of personal purpose. No longer under the thumb of family and society, you face life’s challenges as a true individual.

At this time you begin to sense the empty places in your life. There is a strong tendency to fill them with something – anything. Experience tells you, however, not to fill them with just anything that comes along. There is an intentional quality to your decisions that is thought out more carefully than when you were seven.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on November 5, 1983:

Depending on the goals you set at the beginning of this cycle, you are in one of two places. You may be chugging ahead, making steady progress in life. You feel content with your personal position, and you see yourself as a strong team player. The other possibility is that your train is on a side track, taking you somewhere you don’t necessarily want to go. In either case, you take a good look at your situation, and make decisions now to adjust your course and or speed.

Milestone VI – Midlife Crisis: Around Age 43 – 44

The often-mentioned, much misunderstood midlife crisis is actually a period of self-evaluation that benefits from objectivity. Now is the time to assess everything that has happened since your Saturn Return at age 28 to30. Because you make this assessment yourself, it must be based upon your own values, and not upon some measuring stick outside yourself.

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on January 18, 1992:

You try to push doggedly forward, believing that with enough effort, everything will work out. The problem is, you face massive resistance to change. Interestingly, your intuition may be your salvation. Pay attention to feelings you ignored or suppressed around age fifteen.

At this transition, many people change marriage partners, change careers, and change their attitudes in general. Some of these changes are necessary, if further progress is to occur. Some are the result of immature decisions, growing out of earlier failures to complete developmental lessons. Either way, you will be change forever during this time. Roles that seemed to be permanently defined when you were fifteen, now may dissolve or even reverse themselves. Many people undertake the care of a parent at this stage of life, for example.

At this stage of life, most of us find that we are no longer “young”. Oh, we may continue to fight the weight, the wrinkles, and the aches and pains. Still, objectively speaking, we know we are not the twenty-one-year-olds we once were. A great many of us are at the midpoint of life, as we can expect to live into our 80’s and even 90’s. A good objective look now can set you on a course for the rest of your life that, instead of feeling like a downhill slide, is more like a contented drive – no longer pedal-to-the-metal all the time, but satisfying nonetheless.

Milestone VII – A Time of Change: Around Age 50 – 51

Similar to the crisis at age 21 or 22, once again you are taking a look at your typical behavior, and you may be deciding to make changes. Your attitudes and values may be pushing you to do more. Some people return to school. Others develop a creative talent. Still others find charitable work. If your own children are grown, and have moved away from home, you may have time, money and energy to spend on travel. In addition, you now must begin to treat your own children as adults, which can be a challenge in itself.

You are probably earning the most you ever have. If you are not satisfied with your career, there can be a major job change. This involves certain risks, and you may have to work through emotional issues from the past in order to be able to make the change.

Health issues could call for a change in lifestyle and/or diet.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on May 6, 1999:

Other people believe you never run out of steam. You know better. By this time you have learned to use your energy more wisely, and to simplify your life. As you take a deeper look into metaphysical matters, you sometimes expect more from people than you get in the way of spiritual progress. Your own spiritual rebirth seems to carry you away from others for a while, but eventually you find you are closer than ever. In this process you feel somewhat alone, even if you have family and associates around you. You are becoming aware that you provide the meaning in your life. You can no longer depend on children, family, or other people to do this for you.

Becoming a Mentor – About Fifty-Nine Years Old

Some time near the 56th birthday, Saturn again returns to its birth position. This signals the beginning of a third life phase – that of mentor. In traditional societies the role of elder is an honored position. Generally the elders no longer participate in many of society’s activities. They no longer are the hunters, the warriors, or the hard-hitting business people. Instead they take on the roles of historian, teacher, mentor and counselor, and the wisdom that comes with experience is highly valued.

You have just completed about thirty years of creative, productive work, and there is no need to cut yourself off from that at this time. However, you benefit from turning your attention away from new creative projects of your own, and using your energy to help younger people develop their creative potential. You are able to help them because you have been there – you have had revolutionary ideas, you have changed careers, you have lived the life that they are embarking on.

This transition requires that you make some changes in your thinking. There is a second Saturn return chart that provides a major update. It indicates where you have been, and also shines a beacon on the path that remains before you. Because this third period includes old age, the chart for the second Saturn Return provides indications of what your final years will be like in terms of health, social activities, family responsibilities, and all other areas of your later adult years. Just as you have gathered wisdom along the path, as seen by Saturn’s passage through your chart, you now have the capacity to understand issues that have followed you, provide guidance for younger people, and look forward to planting the seeds of your experience for others to nourish themselves.

Inevitably, this is a time of letting go. You are no longer as strong, as energetic, or as interested as you once were. We know that people are often able to maintain robust health well past the age of sixty, so it is not as if you suddenly switch off. You may, however, find yourself making “sensible” decisions, where formerly you could say yes to just about every opportunity, and not worry about rest, diet, and other security needs.

Milestone VIII – Second Saturn Return: Around Age 58 – 60

SATURN RETURN on September 20, 2005:

SATURN RETURN on January 27, 2006:

SATURN RETURN on June 10, 2006:

The following influences occur in all 3 Solar Returns.

Saturn in Leo:

As the second full Saturn cycle comes to a close, you seek to consolidate gains in the area of creative activities.

Saturn in Natal 10th House:

You were born with Saturn in the house of career and self-awareness.

Given below are influences that are in effect for each

of the Solar Returns listed above.

The influences of the last of these Saturn Returns has

the greatest influence during the following 30 years.

SATURN RETURN on September 20, 2005:

Saturn in 9th House of Saturn Return Chart:

In the second Saturn Return chart, Saturn is in the house of higher mind and transcendent values. These areas of life take on greater significance for you during the mentoring cycle. Because you have come through two full cycles, your level of self-awareness is much higher now, and there is a strong focus on using that awareness as the motivation and guidance system for your mentoring cycle.

At this time of your life, you approach total mastery of your work. You do this not through pushing yourself hard, but through meditating and considering the most effective action to take next. This is a time to be generous – with yourself and with others. No hard-edged tactics are necessary. The mentor welcomes others in, and helps them to achieve their own highest potential.

Saturn in hard aspect with Venus in Saturn Return chart:

You have been through some tough times in your love life. At this point you have a sense of loyalty that has developed over time. There may be a significant difference in age between you and your romantic or business partner during the third cycle of your life – of course this may have been true before too! During this cycle you may experience loss or separation from your mother or other female relative.

Saturn in hard aspect with Pluto in Saturn Return chart:

Your best efforts get the best results in group activities. Yet you do much of your research and work in seclusion. You grow spiritually, developing the traits of an adept or magician. This is a time to set your ego aside and reach out for spiritual support and guidance.

Saturn in hard aspect with MC in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you set goals and cling to hope that you can meet them. Life feels like a major struggle, as you find it harder to accomplish as much as you used to. At the same time, if you are open to new ideas, you find that your attitudes soften. You stand up to life courageously.

SATURN RETURN on January 27, 2006:

Saturn in 9th House of Saturn Return Chart:

Saturn in hard aspect with Sun in Saturn Return chart:

Two things happen simultaneously with this combination of energies. On the one hand, you are able to reap what you have sown – you achieve success of failure based on your own actions. On the other hand, you face a new beginning, a time when you will be acting on your own authority. The seclusion or retirement that one expects during this third cycle will suit you well.

Saturn in hard aspect with Mercury in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you may find that communication is more difficult. This could be due to a hearing problem, or it could be that you are living far away from family and friends. Yet in many ways this is indeed the time of your life, and you take a philosophical view of your work – and your play.

Saturn in soft aspect with Asc. in Saturn Return chart:

You feel like you want to retreat into your shell during this cycle. You may not want to push ahead as much, especially after retirement. Yet you may take up a volunteer or part-time position to keep your hand in. Your ideas come together after periods of seclusion.

Saturn in soft aspect with MC in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you learn more about yourself than you thought possible. Regardless of how open you have been throughout your life, now you learn about inner motivations and attitudes that were developed early on, for good or ill. And you are able to change.

SATURN RETURN on June 10, 2006:

Saturn in 4th House of Saturn Return Chart:

In the second Saturn Return chart, Saturn is in the house of family and core beliefs. These areas of life take on greater significance for you during the mentoring cycle. Because you have come through two full cycles, your level of self-awareness is much higher now, and there is a strong focus on using that awareness as the motivation and guidance system for your mentoring cycle.

Saturn in hard aspect with Mars in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you will want to make efforts to assure your safety and security. This means driving a safe vehicle, taking care of kitchen utensils and other tools, and generally paying attention to what you are doing. In terms of business, you find that self will meets with great resistance.

Saturn in hard aspect with Jupiter in Saturn Return chart:

During this cycle you may find you are somewhat impatient with other people. You feel, perhaps, that you know a better way to get things done. Letting other people have their way makes you feel somewhat insecure, but it is best to work with people rather than against them.

Saturn in soft aspect with Asc. in Saturn Return chart:

Summary

At this stage of life, your responses to the energies around you should be more mature, more considered, and more consistent. As you compare the indicators at this point in life with those from age 28 to 30, you can see trends in your life. It helps to look ahead to future energy patterns, and aim for a place that will work with those energies.

Keep in mind that you may have many years yet ahead of you, and this is no time to quit. Instead, set your sights on specific, manageable goals that help you to develop and embrace the mentoring role.

Milestone IX – Retire or Re-vision Your Life?: Around Age 65 – 68

Consistent with earlier evaluation phases, one at age seven and one at around age 37, you are poised to evaluate your entrance into the mentoring period and to decide if you are on a comfortable path. You may have continued an active career path up to this point, and may even decide to continue for a few more years. If an actual teaching role does not suit you, you may teach by example. People will look at the way you handle problems, for example, and benefit from your experience.

You are likely to face some physical challenges throughout this phase, and attention to the demands of your body is essential if you are to continue to be active.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on December 13, 2012:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on May 2, 2013:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on September 10, 2013:

You may find that your ability to make dramatic changes is diminished at this time. You once thrived on high drama, but now you prefer smoother sailing. You will want to consult with a physician or nutritional counselor about the changing dietary needs of the sixty to seventy-something age group. You may find that your ability to think through complex problems diminishes, or at least your desire to be involved in them does. You can still contribute to both long and short-term planning, but you don’t want to be engaged in this kind of thought all the time.

Milestone X – Inspiring Others: Around Age 72-75

At this point in life, you find that awareness results in a deeper level of creativity. For example, you are poised to see your work accomplished through others, instead of having to do everything yourself. You offer the inspiration for works, rather than doing the work yourself. You have heightened awareness of the roles you choose to play. You are also aware that you have somewhat limited energy, so you must make definite choices about how to direct your activities. You may find that while you need less sleep at night, you need time to rest during the day.

Your emotional life is steadier now. You have experienced increasing self-awareness around ages fifteen, when you were becoming more of a social being, and 42 to 45, when you were evaluating your successes or failures as a productive member of society. Now you are evaluating your capacity to help others to become aware of their own abilities.

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on February 24, 2021:

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on September 4, 2021:

Saturn opposition Saturn in fixed signs on November 15, 2021:

Your contribution may be to help others “cook” their ideas. This means that you help them to identify the goal, develop practical means to achieve it, and test the results to see if they hold up to the desired standard. You are a good manager if you keep your hands off the process itself. You help them to bring all their mental assets to bear on problem solving – even their emotional investment in the outcome. While you probably won’t want to engage in this kind of activity 24-7, you are able to help in the clinches. You are aware of a very full life available to you at this time, although you see how different it is from thirty (or sixty) years ago.

Milestone XI – Think Young: Around Age 79 – 82

There is very likely a sense of wrapping up your active life. You find that you have accomplished a lot. You may have some regrets, but more about the things you have not tried than about the things you have. If you feel constrained to reach goals at this time, expect to apply greater effort now. This is a time to consider what might have been as just that – an alternate path that you did not take. Then focus on where you are now, and how to make the most of it – and think young!

You may still hold a position as the elder family member, and you may be active on the board of an organization, or as a volunteer in a community organization. In this way your wisdom is put to use in exactly the way you choose. You may be in a position to require some care-taking yourself. At this juncture you identify the shift of responsibility off your shoulders and onto someone else, to the extent that you have not already completed this kind of transition.

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on June 19, 2028:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on October 29, 2028:

Saturn square Saturn in fixed signs on March 10, 2029:

This is the third time you have taken the practical path to change. You see stability as strength now, where earlier you felt the rules were there to be broken. Courage has been a life partner for you. Now is a time for a more grounded review of events and conditions. A conservative perspective is useful.

Milestone XII: Third Saturn Return: Around Age 86 – 89

At the time of your third Saturn Return, you have completed three full phases of your life. Traditionally, only a very few people lived to this age. With better nutrition and modern medical advances, more people are living well into their eighties, and even nineties. The physical body has slowed down some. Yet you continue to grow emotionally and spiritually. In addition, a significant part of your time may be spent in looking forward to the end of your physical life, and anticipating the next life. You have had three full passages of Saturn through your birth chart, and have therefore had three full opportunities to grow, to learn, to produce, and to mentor others. At this point you may be looking back as well, recalling the high spots and the low moments. To the extent that you have remained true to yourself throughout your life, you are content with the outcomes of your decisions.

SATURN RETURN on July 24, 2035:

Saturn in Leo:

As the third Saturn cycle comes to a close, you look forward to letting go of any social inhibitions you still have.

Saturn in Natal 10th House:

Saturn in the house of career – Your lifelong work has involved your reputation and reaching beyond what you got from your parents. Through each cycle you have looked at this part of your life in detail, and you have experienced the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual perspectives. At each Saturn Return you have also found that another area of life took center stage, along with self-awareness.

Saturn in 10th House of Saturn Return Chart:

At your third Saturn Return, Saturn is in the house of career and social position. While job opportunities have come and gone, and social interests have also entered your life, stayed for a time, and then gone, you now are taking yet another long look at the role of self-awareness throughout the years. You may feel suddenly a novice as you discover new things about yourself. Or you may find renewed peace as you examine a life well-spent.

Saturn in hard aspect with Mercury in Saturn Return chart:

Hearing capacity diminishes, and speaking becomes more of a problem during this cycle. In general you are more withdrawn and quieter than you have ever been, yet there is intense mental activity.

Conclusion

The twelve milestones of Saturn’s passage all stem from the birth chart. To make effective changes at any point in your life, you can look at your individual life map – the birth chart – and discover ways to use your gifts for greater success and happiness. The guidelines in this interpretation of Saturn in your life provide insight into the structures that work best for you, and also a path of least resistance for your efforts.