1993-1996 babies: your saturn return is coming and you need tribe!
around the age of 29 Everyone goes through a Saturn Return - an astrological event that invites you to address what’s not working in your life, make some big changes and grow up in some pretty profound ways. It’s hard as fuck but it’s worth it.
And if you don’t have a tribe to go through it with, you need to start building one now.
Photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash
My Saturn Return was a dumpster fire. Back then (around 2009 - 2010) I had no idea what a Saturn Return was or that I was going through one. All I knew was my life felt like it was imploding. During those two years I got into addiction recovery, ended a long term relationship, moved house and began the process of completely transforming my world view, my friendships and my relationship to men, work and money. Shit got real, got worse and then got better. Which is kind of the point of a Saturn Return: it’s your first big chance to look at who you are, what you don’t need anymore and then to find ways to live both more responsibly and authentically.
It was also the moment when I formed some of the most amazing and profound relationships of my life. As I grew and expanded, so I attracted humans into my life that reflected not only who I was but who I was capable of becoming. To this day, my closest friends are women I met during that time. Thank goodness, because the Saturn Return is not something you want to navigate alone. Like any time of struggle and transformation, you need people who get what you’re going through and can empathize without trying to fix it. Nobody can do it for you but they can make it a whole lot more manageable and less scary.
The Skinny on your Saturn Return
In March 2023 Saturn will move into Pisces and all you 1993 - 1996 babies (who were born the last time Saturn was in Pisces) will enter your Saturn Return. So if you’re starting to feel like things aren’t fitting anymore, like you’re outgrowing people, places and things, like you want to listen to your heart, or you’re ready for a big change, you - my friend - are right on time.
And if you were too busy running around like a headless chicken or shoving your head in the sand to notice anything, don’t worry, something big is going to happen to get your attention real soon.
The specifics of your Saturn Return are governed by your birth chart (look up what house Saturn was in at the time you were born) but here are some themes that many of you will experience:
the pisces saturn return and Empaths
You are a cohort of sensitive souls and empaths. If you’ve been tending to yourself with self care and good boundaries then you’re ahead of the game, but many of you will be forced to look at this for the first time. Have you been ignoring your sensitive system? Do you have weak or no boundaries? Then you might be experiencing burnout, health issues (especially immune or adrenal related), depression, anxiety or overwhelm. Your Saturn Return will offer chances to address these issues head on and, though it might not feel great at the time, addressing it now will ultimately lead to a healthier relationship with your own energy and that of others.
Stop living your life according to someone else’s standards
Almost anyone over the age of 30 will tell you the ways they had inserted the “shoulds” into their lives during their young adulthood and how this period helped them to blow that shit up. So ask yourself:
What am I telling myself I should have received, achieved or become by now?
Am I trying to be something that friends and family expect me to be? What boxes am I trying to squeeze myself into?
What are the beliefs and mantras that I have lived by for decades that need to be trashed so that I can expand into the big, beautiful human I was meant to be?
The answers to these questions might hit you one day like a ton of bricks or become gradually clear over time. Either way, the work of unpicking the shoulds and living into your true self will be something you’ll be working on for a while.
Address Your Addictions or Suffer
Endlessly scrolling social media, working until you are sick or exhausted, eating when you’re not hungry, shopping for things you don’t want or need, needing sex to feel good and being codependent with others - these are just as much signs of addictive behavior as drinking, gambling, smoking and taking drugs. The truth is, we all have ways to numb our feelings and avoid responsibilities and, when it becomes something we feel powerless over, we have crossed the line into addiction.
Because Saturn forces us to grow up, people often find themselves getting into addiction recovery around this time. It’s not all bad news: any group you join will offer a tribe of people who understand your problem and won’t judge it (because they have it too), as well as tools not only to stop doing the bad thing but also to replace it with healthier activities that will fulfil you more. It will also add to your tribe in ways that blow your mind.
Speaking of which…
Build your saturn return tribe
Your Saturn Return can be a lonely time that leaves you feeling crazy and thinking that nobody will understand what you’re going through. But GUESS WHAT: everyone your age is going through it and is therefore a potential member of your Tribe. You do not have to go through this alone.
Find yourself a cohort of peers: In my experience, the Universe will lead us to the people we will resonate with the most, if we remain open-minded and receptive. It might be your yoga studio, the local coffee shop, an online group or some weird-ass place you would never think of - be open to finding your people in the most unexpected of places. Seek out those who make you feel seen and heard but aren’t trying to fix you. This is a time to listen to your own needs whilst being surrounded by those who cheer you on for doing just that.
Look for mentors who have been through their Saturn Return already: Several showed up during mine, from my 12-step sponsor to the Native American elder who took me under her wing. Look for those who don’t claim to be gurus or to have “all the answers” but maintain a sense of humour about their own failings along with the wisdom they have to offer.
inspired? join our tribe of Saturn Return Sisters:
Keep an eye on this space as we will be holding an amazing afternoon Saturn Return workshop as well as offering an ongoing support group for all of you who want a head-start in building your Saturn Return tribe.
Sign up below to be the first to hear about both:
May the force be with you,
Laura xoxo