The Second Saturn Return is Nigh
A BIG astrological event is quickly approaching for me and everyone in their mid to late 50s. It might already be here…
You may have heard about first Saturn return that happens to everyone in their late 20s, but you may not be aware that it returns AGAIN in your late 50s and AGAIN in your late 80s!
As I continue my never-ending quest to observe how astrology plays out (or not) here on planet earth, I am very curious to see how the second Saturn return unfolds for my cohort. I am sharing what I know so my friends in their mid to late 50s can follow along at home, if they are so inclined. And anyone who is interested, of course!
Before we dive into the second Saturn return, let’s start with some context.
What is a Saturn Return?
Technically, a “Saturn return” happens when Saturn has travelled all the way around the zodiac and returns to the place in the sky where it was when you were born. This happens two or three times in your life in your late 20s, 50s, and 80s.
At each Saturn return you are moving from one stage of life to another. One of my favorite astrologers, Steven Forest, calls these life stages “youth”, “midlife”, “elderhood”, and if you live past 89…“the great mystery”.
This transition lasts about 1-2 years and you can think of it as an initiation into a new, more mature, phase of life. During this time, you are letting go of things that you have outgrown and going through experiences that help you gain skills, maturity, and wisdom to help you be successful for the next 30 years.
Saturn return times can be a bit tumultuous because growing up often involves growing pains. Saturn is a planet with more challenging themes including maturity, responsibility, facing reality, self-discipline, doing the “right thing”. Saturn inspires us (or pushes us) to rise to the occasion and demonstrate these themes in our lives.
If you take responsibility, face reality, and work hard towards things that align with your dreams you will feel a huge sense of accomplishment on the other side of the challenging Saturn times (and probably be a little tired). If you resist or avoid the Saturnian challenges, or put your efforts towards goals that don’t “light you up”, you will end up depressed, stuck, and miserable.
The First Saturn Return
During your first Saturn return, around 28-30 years old, you are moving from “youth” to “midlife”. The first Saturn return is about setting up the foundations for a responsible adult life that allows you to fulfill some of your youthful dreams.
This can be a very jarring time where you have to face reality and figure out what you really want from your life. You have to sort through what society wants from you, what is realistic to support yourself in adulthood, and what will truly make you happy. By the time you turn 30, people expect you to be a real grown-up. If you don’t take steps towards maturity on your own, Saturn will present you with tough challenges that will move you in that direction.
You may realize it’s time to get a “real job” that can support you but still has a glimmer of what you dreamed for your adult life. You may decide to commit to a relationship, if that’s a dream you have. You might have chosen a career (or a partner or a city) in your “youth” that is not working out and it’s time to make a change. You may go off to an ashram to do the work of figuring out what you want and how to make it real. You might decide to get sober or start therapy or go back to school or start a family. These are the kinds of big changes and commitments that can happen during your first Saturn return.
At your first Saturn return, you are JUST starting the long “midlife” phase, but the decisions you make and the things you commit to during this initiation, set the stage for your entire adult life. There will certainly be more pivots and challenges in the future, but the better choices you make at this time, the smoother things will go down the road.
During my first Saturn return, I quit my job teaching middle school which I thought was my dream, but was not fulfilling me intellectually, socially, or financially. One of my best friends from college (gratefully) helped me re-enter the corporate world as a technology consultant, which WAS fulfilling for me in all the ways teaching was not. That job change allowed me to afford therapy, which I started during my Saturn return, and take responsibility for my mental health. I also moved from NYC back to Hoboken to be closer to my friends from college because I had not found a community in the city and I was lonely. (Saturnian times can be lonely if you are not on the right path! I course corrected 😊)
My first Saturn Return definitely involved many big life changes that set the foundations for my entire adult life. (Coincidence?)
The Second Saturn Return
When your second Saturn return arrives, between 57-59 years old, you are moving from “midlife” to “elderhood”. We live in a society that does not value aging (let’s work on changing this!), so that might not sound fun, but think of it as growing into a “wise elder”, which sounds quite impressive!
Just like your last Saturn return, events occur (initiated by you or the Universe) to help you adjust to new realities of a new time of life.
One big reality is that our almost 60-year-old bodies have some wear and tear. Health challenges are very common during the second Saturn return when we face the consequences (Saturn is big on consequences) of our health decisions so far. Even if you have been taking great care of yourself, you will likely have to let go of some of the physical things you used to do or at least make some adjustments. (Don’t ignore health issues that arise! Take responsibility and face the reality of your body.)
During our second Saturn return, we face the consequences of all of our midlife decisions including relationships, career, and community. If our life is not aligned to the path our soul wants to be on, we (or the Universe) will course correct during the second Saturn return. It might be time to let go of things that worked for us earlier in life, but they are just not working anymore. That is not always an easy thing to do, even when you know it’s the right thing to do.
If you have built solid foundations and made good choices in your midlife this can be a great time when you are rewarded with new opportunities or recognition for the work you have done. (Saturn rewards that hard work!! It’s not all bad!)
Also during this transition to “elderhood” you start to think about giving away some of the things you built in “midlife” – skills, resources, wisdom. If you take on new projects and ambitions, they are likely to have this flavor. This can look like becoming a mentor, writing a book (or a Substack!), donating time or money to a cause that is important to you, or sharing your wisdom with your grandchildren. In this new stage of life, our more mature selves get more joy from giving than “ego focused” acquiring.
During the second Saturn return, it’s also time to let go of the ideas society puts in our heads about who we are supposed to be, how we are supposed to look, what we are supposed to wear, how much stuff we need to have, how much we should be accomplishing. When we let all of that go, we are so much freer to focus on more important things that touch our hearts. As we become “wise elders” we have more perspective, our expectations are more realistic, and we are more forgiving and compassionate. Doesn’t that sound AMAZING?
Accepting the realities of aging is HARD. Not just because of the physical changes but also how your role in the world changes. You might get pushed out of your job or get less attention from people who used to be attracted to you. We are constantly bombarded with images of people who have artificially resisted the natural aging process. Many people try to cling to their youth instead of moving forward and finding new inspiration that fits the new stage of life they are in. This is the time to accept reality and age with grace.
When we resist the lessons of Saturn, cling to things we have outgrown, and avoid the responsibility, reality, and maturity of aging – we DON’T gain the wisdom, perspective, forgiveness, compassion, and freedom. We are trapped in our old selves, stuck, depressed, grumpy, lonely, and fearful. You might know an older person who has ended up here. If you take the low road with Saturn, you end up a “curmudgeon” not a “wise elder”.
As you move through your second Saturn return into the next stage of your life – ask yourself, “What kind of elder do I want to be?”
How to Prepare for and Navigate Your Saturn Returns
During your Saturn returns, do your best to flex or develop your Saturn skills. Face the reality of your situation. Do the work you know you need to do to make your life better. Commit to the things that are important to you to make them a reality. Take responsibility for mistakes and failures, learn from them, and get back up and try it again! Steven Forrest says that during Saturn times you can be exhausted or depressed. Your choice!
The more you have your ducks in a row BEFORE the Saturn return, the less you will get knocked around DURING the Saturn return. It’s always less painful to proactively take action on your own than to wait around for the Universe to kick you in the ass to get you moving in the right direction.
If you are approaching your second Saturn return, reflect on what happened during your first Saturn return. The same themes might be coming up again, with a new twist. (As I am writing this post, I am realizing how true this is about myself!)
Go easy on yourself. Life is hard. Saturn lessons are hard, and humans are far from perfect. No one has all of their ducks in a row, ever. Forgive yourself when things get off track or when you really just can’t get off the couch. Some days will be like that. Try again the next day. The process and the effort ARE the lesson.
When Exactly is YOUR Saturn Return?
You will feel your Saturn returns for 1-2 years around the time you turn 29, 59, and 89. An astrologer can calculate your exact Saturn returns and different astrologers have different opinions about how close Saturn needs to be to the place it was when you were born before you are officially in your Saturn return.
Here are some ways for you to estimate the timing of your Saturn returns using free astrology websites.
You can get the exact dates when Saturn “returns” to the place it was when you were born using Astro Seek Saturn Return Calculator.
Enter the date, time and location where you were born and it will give you a list of dates.
You might see three dates because Saturn moves back and forth periodically (due to retrogrades) and it might cross the location of your birth Saturn multiple times.
You will feel the Saturn return for many months before and after the exact return dates listed.
Some astrologers believe that your Saturn return is happening the entire time Saturn is in the same zodiac sign it was in when you were born.
The Café Astrology website lists all of the time periods when Saturn has been in each sign from the 1930s to the 2030s.
Scan the page to find the time period you were born in.
The time periods listed after that are when Saturn returned to that sign for the first and second Saturn returns.
You will see 2-3 time periods within the same 2.5 year span if Saturn moved in and out of that sign due to retrogrades. All of the time periods in the same 2.5 year span are part of the same return.
My first Saturn return seemed to kick-in as soon as Saturn moved in to Aries in 1996, which is when I resigned from my teaching job, even though Saturn did not get very close to my birth Saturn until a year later.
I was hoping I had a couple more years before I had to think about my second Saturn return (it doesn’t get close until March 2027) but Saturn just took a dip in to Aries last weekend which is the sign it was in when I was born. My gut says I am not quite there yet….but I am starting to prepare!
If You Are in Your Mid to Late 50s (Like Me!)
…and you were born between Mar 3, 1967, to Apr 29, 1969, your Saturn is in Aries, like mine!
Here are the dates of our first and second Saturn Returns.
First Saturn return
Apr 7, 1996, to Jun 9, 1998
Oct 25, 1998, to Feb 28, 1999
Second Saturn return
May 24, 2025, to Sep 1, 2025
(Saturn moves back in to Pisces for almost 6 months and then returns to Aries)
Feb 13, 2026, to Apr 12, 2028
Let Me Know About Your Saturn Returns!
I would LOVE to hear about your experiences during your first or second Saturn returns if you would like to share them! Do you remember this time period as being particularly tumultuous or smooth sailing? You can leave a comment below OR send me a direct message, which you can do right here on Substack on the chat tab (I think!)
Stuff I Recommend
I only have one recommendation and it’s related to the Saturn return!
📖 Midlife Is Not a Crisis: Using Astrology to Thrive in the Second Half of Life - My friend and astrologer Virginia Bell wrote a beautiful book about aging and astrology. It includes chapters on the Saturn returns, and other astrological milestones that happen in our midlife and older years, and many stories about how astrology has played out in her life and other people’s lives. Virginia is more of a storyteller than I am and she has experienced more life than I have. She is definitely a “wise elder”! If you are interested in learning more about how astrology marks the cycles of aging, or just reading more about aging in general, I highly recommend Virginia’s book!