saturn returns suck

The rumors are true: Saturn returns are shitty.

Not because your life gets turned upside down overnight, but because for the first time since birth, Saturn has returned back to the part of your chart that it was in when you were born.

What about that is so challenging?

Saturn brings weight to whatever sign and house it occupies, and the place where you have Saturn natally is already heavy. It’s a blessing and a curse: you’ve dealt with this familiar weight your entire life, so it’s hardly anything new. But the pressure intensifies, and because of that, it can be a difficult time.

Saturn returns like to come along and test your commitments to things. How committed are you to the career you’ve spent so much time building (Saturn return in the tenth house) or that relationship (Saturn return in the seventh?) Often, we don’t know how dedicated we are to something until that dedication is challenged and more pressure is added.

Ideally, you learn how to operate with this newfound burden. Sometimes, it’s a “burden” we asked for, like a promotion at work, getting married, or starting a family. But sometimes it isn’t. I definitely didn’t “ask” to get laid off from my 9-5 so that I could work for myself full-time. I was pushed into it, kicking and screaming. I was way too fearful to ever take that risk on my own, and would’ve stayed in corporate America forever — especially in this economy. But a year into my Saturn return the ringed planet said “time’s up” and shoved me off the cliff and into the murky abyss of entrepreneurship.

So will you sink, or swim?

I think of Saturn in a birth chart like a backpack filled with rocks you never get to take off. Everyone feels the burden in different areas of their lives, based on where they have this planet natally. But you get used to the weight because you don’t have a choice. Eventually, Saturn in your birth chart no longer feels like a burden because you’ve been carrying it for so long. But then, Saturn returns like an absentee father to the house he abandoned 27 years ago with a long list of expectations. What have you been building, and can it stand on its own?

I’ve always felt pressure from Saturn in the area of career. In my own chart, Saturn sits in Pisces, in my ninth house, looming over my midheaven (AKA the career point). The obligation I’ve felt to make something of myself in this world has always been present, and prior to my Saturn return, I’d become pretty satisfied with what I’d accomplished so far. I had secured my dream job and was getting paid pretty well to write about astrology. I no longer felt a sense of urgency in my professional world, even a year into my SR. But in reality, I was growing tired of writing fluff pieces like “The Taylor Swift Song You Are, Based On Your Zodiac Sign”.

How much longer would I be willing to play it safe in my career for a consistent paycheck?

In hindsight, I now realize that Saturn was adding weight to my backpack, brick by brick, article by article, and the straps would eventually snap — that heavy ass backpack squashing me like a bug. But Saturn returns don’t just punch you in the face one day. It’s usually a slow realization that you couldn’t possibly continue to commit yourself to that 9-5 job for the rest of your life. It’s accepting that the long-term relationship you’ve been in for four years can’t possibly last for four more.

Your first Saturn return is the hardest because it’s often the first time you have to say goodbye to something that’s been around for awhile, that you’ve invested time, years, and energy into. That partner, that job, that friend. Walking away from something you’ve built from the ground up is never easy — especially when you’re 27, 28, 29. Often, what you’ve built at that age feels like all you have — and to lose what’s been a stabilizing force in your life at that age can feel so sad and so jarring.

During your Saturn return, you are also presented with new opportunities to build something that has the potential to last a long time. Usually, it’s something you’ve already started laying the foundation for. Other times, this three-year period requires you to start from square one, demolishing the thing you’ve been building that may not have been on shaky ground. For me, the Saturn return wrecking ball took a chunk out of the career I’d been building, but it didn’t demolish it entirely — just the parts that wouldn’t be able to stand the test of time.

How do you build something concrete in a sign that washes everything away?

It’s the million-dollar question I have yet found an answer for — probably because Saturn in Pisces won’t be done with me (or anyone else with this natal placement) until February 2026. What I have learned about Saturn in Pisces is that what you build here will always be subject to change. There are no harsh lines in Pisces. No strict rules to follow. Saturn in Pisces answers to Jupiter, the planetary ruler of Pisces, so the guidelines are pretty fluid and intangible. Spirituality, artistry, surrendering. Having Saturn in Pisces is about committing to what you can’t physically see, which is why it can be such a difficult natal placement to have.

How can you do the Saturn thing the right way if you’re unable to create something tangible?

To work with Saturn in Pisces effectively, especially during your Saturn return, you must dedicate yourself to your dreams, regardless of how lofty or delusional they may seem. The more intangible the dream, the better. Don’t allow the rigidity of Saturn to rain on your parade. Your fantasies aren’t supposed to be realistic, they’re meant to aid in your transcendence. Often, when you have Saturn in Pisces, you might feel like what you yearn for is out of your reach. This placement tends to make us skeptical of what’s actually possible, because where Saturn is in your birth chart is where you may struggle to be hopeful.

Now that Saturn is in Aries (briefly, only until September!) the vibes are very different. Those of you with this natal placement may be skeptical of doing the Mars thing — taking risks, breaking rules, running headfirst into battle — but it’s necessary. Playing it safe will no longer serve you. You are meant to be a trailblazer, a rebel, and the first to do something. How your Saturn return will unfold relies heavily on your ability to take the first step. Courage will be required of you during this three-year period, but luckily, you already have the tools to do so.

Remember: You’ve been living with this placement your entire life. If you have Saturn in Pisces or Aries, you are already a master of doing the Saturn thing in a Jupiter or Mars-ruled way. There may be added pressure now, but only to help you take things to the next level.

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As someone still currently in their SR at the time of writing this, there will inevitably be more to say and even more to experience as this transit wraps up during the later part of this ear. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing what Saturn in Aries has in store for the world and for those who have this placement natally!

Please let me know your thoughts on Saturn returns / Saturn’s entrance into Aries below <3 I’ll be back soon with June’s astrology forecast!