Saturn Returns is an astrological phenomenon that occurs every twenty-eight years when the planet Saturn “returns” to the degree it occupied at a person’s birth. This happens to be the very stage of live I’m in right now. Through my searches, I’ve found some say it’s a time of crisis of self, chaotic feelings, and personal and professional crossroads. Others describe it as a time of clearing out of karmic baggage to lighten the load for the next phase of life. I think that’s my favorite description. It reframes a time that could feel frightening and uncertain and presents it as a time of lightness and opening up to new possibilities.
I’m not sure if it’s merely coincidence or cosmic influence but my twenty-eighth year has been filled with upheaval, new beginnings and letting go. A dear friend handed me a book that has become my saving grace during this time: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron. This book is filled with absolute gems of advice so it’s hard for me to pick just one to share. But one passage that stuck with me was this: “When we find ourselves in a mess, we don’t have to feel guilty about it. Instead, we could reflect on the fact that how we relate to this mess will be sowing the seeds of how we will relate to whatever happens next. We can make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.” I find her sense of humor about life and the suffering we all face to be so refreshing. The cosmos may intervene, but how we react to what we receive is entirely up to us.
