Your Saturn Return Karmic Lesson, Based On Your Saturn Sign
Lessons are always learned in divine timing.
RyanRad / Shutterstock.com Most of us have heard of our Sun, Moon, and even Rising signs, but the importance of your Saturn sign isn't as widely understood.
Saturn brings karmic lessons to your life and depending on what zodiac sign and house it's in in your birth chart, the themes come up time and again until you've mastered this area of your life — particularly during your Saturn return.
Saturn return meaning in astrology
Even though Saturn holds great significance in our charts long-term, we usually become especially aware of its purpose around the age of thirty which is due to what’s called our Saturn Return. A Saturn return begins around the time a person turns 29 and signifies Saturn's orbital return to its place in your birth chart.
Any planet can have a ‘return,’ as that only means it’s visiting the sign that it was in at the time of our birth in our natal chart. For instance, because planets like Mars and Venus transit so quickly we usually get a return once a year or so but for the larger planets like Saturn, we usually experience our first as we near the (sometimes dreaded) age of 30.
Saturn isn’t one of the popular planets like Mercury, which always seems to be turning Retrograde and causing headaches, or Venus, the planet of love, which always ends up affecting our relationships.
But that doesn’t mean the significance of Saturn and its karmic lessons aren’t any less important — even if it seems a little less glamorous.
Saturn is known as the Father of the Zodiac and The Lord of Time and Karma — some big deal titles, but what does it all mean?
Saturn is a planet that rules over our major karmic lessons in our life which often coincides with our South Node. While this doesn’t always have to be the case, when it is, it signifies that there will be a huge turning point in our life once we’ve mastered our Saturnian lesson which will allow us to move more towards the fate of our North Nodes.
Not coincidentally, our Saturn sign is also often one which our dominant parent or adult figure from childhood has as well either in their Sun or even Saturn sign themselves. This is a strong connection to that Father of the Zodiac title in which Saturn is here in our lives to help us learn some important lessons — not unlike our actual parents when we were children.
While our Saturnian lesson is significant for our entire lives, often learning is what separates us from having an undeveloped versus developed chart.
Just like we must pass certain tests to be promoted through grades while we’re in school, mastering our Saturnian lesson changes the meaning of the rest of the placements in our natal chart from a more learning state to one in which we are more mature and aware.
When is my Saturn return?
Your Saturn return typically begins between the ages of 29 and 30 when Saturn returns to the same sign it's in in your birth chart.
Your Saturn return lasts for two to three years depending on retrogrades and other irregularities, which means that as we move through our late twenties, life really does start to look and feel dramatically different — we're not imagining things.
This is the power of our Saturn Return and why it matters so much because it represents a moment in time where we are asked to level up, to leave behind the ignorance of not knowing any better, and to step into our power and advocacy for ourselves and for our future.
But it’s also why so many of us feel ourselves change dramatically around this time because we’re truly able to see life from a distinct perspective.
To learn the most about what Saturn signifies in your life, use a birth chart calculator to figure out your Saturn sign as well as its house and planet ruler within your natal chart. This will give you a more specific picture of where this karmic lesson will be showing up.
Currently, Saturn is having its return in Aquarius until 2023 and for those born with this natal placement, this return is going to be even more intense thanks to the trio of Saturn Uranus Squares we will be experiencing this year.
While not completely uncommon, having three of them in one year truly stands for a unique opportunity for life-changing experiences.
While Saturn represents karmic lessons all in divine timing, Uranus is the planet of sudden and unexpected change. Together these two planets will provide all of us with a wake-up call within our lives centering around the themes of freedom and stability, helping us find a new definition of balance.
But for those who are in their Saturn return, the karmic lesson means that during the course of this year there is a bigger undercurrent of change that is building which began with the first square on February 17th, peaks with the second on June 14th, and then brings about the completion of a new life path with the third on December 24th.
This is about completely changing the landscape of your life and all for a greater purpose.
While Saturn can bring difficult and even strenuous situations to the forefront, it also is a time for us to step up to the plate and practice being the person that we want to become.
Because while we often can become impatient with life, realizing that lessons are always learned in divine timing can help us see that we can’t rush through the journey just to get to the destination.
Saturn return meaning for each Saturn sign
Saturn return in Aries
Saturn in Aries teaches patience, thoughtfulness, rationality, and even a more logical standpoint in making tough decisions.
Saturn return in Taurus
Urges you to practice dependability and consistency apart from stubbornness to help move through life with a more flexible approach.
Saturn return in Gemini
Creates situations to help us learn how to be stable and strong in decisions made and to communicate in a more thoughtful way.
Saturn return in Cancer
Strengthens our backbone and ability to stand up for ourselves-even against those that we love.
Saturn return in Leo
Helps slow us down, look before we leap, and take things (especially feelings) more seriously.
Saturn return in Virgo
Shows the balance between being detail-oriented and a perfectionist who is never satisfied and helps us appreciate life around us more fully.
Saturn return in Libra
Reframing what it means to make a balanced decision, learning that no matter what we can’t make everyone happy.
Saturn return in Scorpio
When Saturn is in Scorpio, you're learning where to draw the line between privacy and secrecy, understanding and channeling our intensity to work for us rather than against us.
Saturn return in Sagittarius
Teaches us to slow down and focus on one thing at a time so that it can be learned and then something else can be brought to the forefront, learning you don’t need to deal with everything at once.
Saturn return in Capricorn
This lesson is all about recognizing that while ambition is crucial for success, we also have to make sure that not only are we working for the right goal but that we’re not neglecting personal relationships in the process.
Saturn return in Aquarius
During this time, you will be asked to rise up and truly step into your power and intuitive voice so that you can become a leader and help make a difference in the lives of those around you and maybe even the world.
Saturn return in Pisces
Helps recognize that your feelings and issues are valid and that you need to be able to express them and hold them as important, for yourself and to those close to you.
Saturn return meaning for each Saturn sign
Saturn in the First House
You will feel the effects of your Saturn return most poignantly around your external self, how you see yourself, and how others see you in both physical looks and your personality.
Saturn in the Second House
Your Saturn return will influence your area of self-worth and deservingness to receive love and abundance of all kinds.
Saturn in the Third House
How free you feel to be and express yourself however you feel called to, your true authentic self.
Saturn in the Fourth House
This rules your home and family life, including personal relationships.
Saturn in the Fifth House
Your innate sense of creativity and how to spend your time, including those related to a specific soul purpose.
Saturn in the Sixth House
In this placement, your Saturn return is all about your career, the workplace, coworkers, and your professional reputation.
Saturn in the Seventh House
You will see changes in how you show up for yourself and those you love, romantic relationships, and marriage.
Saturn in the Eighth House
Your Saturn return affects what secrets you keep and why, your intuitive gifts, and your beliefs that may be hidden from common knowledge.
Saturn in the Ninth House
How you view the outside world, including your personal beliefs that shape your life direction, may adjust. This also includes all forms of education.
Saturn in the Tenth House
Your ultimate life purpose, possibly including some career notoriety but also just that general feeling of having fulfilled your mission in this life.
Saturn in the Eleventh House
How accepted you are by your tribe, including your place in the group, and how accepted and validated you feel by those that are important to you.
Saturn in the Twelfth House
The 12th house rules your subconscious and unconscious mind, the truth that is within you no matter how deeply you bury it, almost like a compass constantly directing your path even if you are not aware of it.
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Kate Rose is an artist, writer, passionate yogi, spiritual astrologist, relationship and life coach, and motivational speaker. As a spiritual intuitive, she practices the religion of astrology and love. For more of her work, visit her website.