Saturn
Return: My Twenty-Ninth Year  Posted
Mar-11-2005
Were major life decisions
at age 29 due to my Saturn Return?
I have come to accept
that there are things in life we don't yet understand, and
possibly never will.
It's taken me a long
time to become comfortable admitting that, largely due to my
upbringing in a religious sect that had an "answer" for
everything. Not surprising, those answers became less satisfactory
when I asked more questions. But we weren't supposed to do
that.
In recent years I've been more tuned into nature and
the harmony of things. I've read books by people who practice
earth-based rituals and by those who find their meaning through
living in the present. Although I'm not looking for a new religion,
I'm open to hearing about the experiences of others and am
fascinated by people who find a measure of peace in their lives
without the need to convert others over to their way of thinking.
There's so much sincerity and authenticity in that. That's
why I love reading the works
of Eckhart Tolle (The
Power
of Now).
On being more tuned into nature... I don't consciously live
my life by the patterns and cycles of celestial bodies (unless
you count my dependence on the sun coming around each day),
but I'm open-minded and found this article about the Saturn
Return interesting and timely.
What is the Saturn Return? According to the article:
Astrologers call the period between ages twenty-eight
and thirty "Saturn Return." That's because it's
the first time the planet Saturn completes its cycle through
your birth
chart and returns to the spot it occupied when you were
born. Internationally respected astrologer Rob Hand calls
Saturn
Return "one of the most important times in your life.
. . a time of endings and new beginnings."
Several thoughts under "Coming of Age"
resonated with me:
The first Saturn Return marks the end of youth and the
beginning of the productive adult years. It is now that
you truly become
an adult — not at eighteen or twenty-one. You realize your
need to define yourself as an individual within society
and to demonstrate
what you've learned.
This transition into adulthood is often accompanied
by a sense of urgency, a feeling that you must try to accomplish
everything
you've ever wanted or planned to do now. ... If you have
not settled into a definite career, or have been pursuing
one that
is inappropriate for you, you'll experience a strong push
to establish yourself in a more fulfilling occupation.
I made one of the biggest
decisions in my life a month before I turned 29. I decided
to leave a corporation I had worked
at for seven years, that at age 21, I thought I would work
for until I retired. In the seven years I was there, I
experienced so many things that helped me to realize my true
nature and gave me the confidence I needed to find what else
was out there for me. So instead of business and engineering,
it became art and creativity. Five years later, I just look
back and smile. It was all so obvious to everyone else but
me.
So was that change brought on by my own Saturn Return? Or
did it have more to do with being mismatched with my job and
experiencing
recent life changes (such as the death
of a sibling and loss of religious faith) that made
me
take
charge
of my life for a measure of control and meaning? Or does biology
and societal expectations naturally encourage young women to
turn inward in their late 20s to take stock of their lives
and ask, "What now?"
It could very well be all or none of the above. It's okay
not to have the answers for everything. Like Eckhart Tolle
admonishes, "Accept what is." (© 2005 Chris
Dunmire) • |
