Welcome, Saturn! (Again)

This morning at 10:45 am, the planet Saturn returned to exactly where it was when I was born—my second “Saturn Return.”

Whenever a planet returns to the place it started at your birth, it’s an important time that marks the start of a new cycle. For example, our birthdays are really marking an annual return of the Sun to its place in the sky at our birth—a Solar Return.

So, anyway, this was my second Saturn Return. Second because, unlike the Sun, it takes about 29 years for Saturn to travel through each sign of the zodiac. And, I have to say, I am embracing the lessons that taskmaster Saturn has to offer as I embark on my last third of life. So, a Saturn Return is big. If we’re lucky, we get three in a lifetime.

For starters, it was a little thing—but still an appropriate expression of this time of my life. My hairdresser and I decided just last weekend to let gray be part of my otherwise typically blond color. And, I’m perfectly OK with it—especially since the sign Leo (hair, boldness) is on my ascendant (outward identity) and I absolutely know how to rock it!

More interesting is that I just started a class last night at my spiritual center called “Foundations” that is exactly about what this Saturn Return is about for me.

When I was born, Saturn was in the sign of Sagittarius in my 4^th house. Saturn is the planet that teaches us lessons. Sagittarius is the sign that supports freedom and exploration, and is ruled by the planet Jupiter, which governs belief systems and philosophy. The 4^th house is at the bottom of a chart, so represents your foundation, home and family.

At my first Saturn Return, I was a fairly new mother and had some tough lessons to learn from Saturn about creating a stable home. I didn’t know anything about astrology then, but I can see now that what I went through was Saturn teaching me some lessons because I hadn’t been paying attention.

But, I got through it, and here I am at my second Saturn go-round. This time, I’m a successful businesswoman and professional astrologer who understands how to use the energy the planets give us. So, at my second Saturn return, I’m exploring my spiritual foundation and actively participating with Saturn to establish a well-grounded root system that represents who I am today.

I am letting go of the past and its associated karma. I am studying the classic “Living the Science of Mind” by Ernest Holmes. I am reveling in the personal isolation of living all alone in my own house for the first time in decades because hibernating is how I ground myself.

Today’s Saturn Return is a big marker in my life. A time to reflect on where I’ve been. And, more importantly, a time to recognize that I’m on the right path—aware of the lessons and gifts that Saturn brings and actively applying them to my life.