My Saturn Return Story

What is Your Saturn Return 

If you were born around 29 years ago and have Saturn in Aquarius in your Natal Chart, congratulations! You're about to observe your first Saturn Return. You should have begun to feel the effect of your Saturn Return as soon as Saturn entered Aquarius on 3/21 at 8:58 PM PST and it will officially begin as soon as Saturn returns to the exact degree in occupies in your Natal Chart. 

The Saturn Return can be scary for some people because it's gotten a bad reputation but one's Saturn Return is a time of maturity when you face challenges that force you to finally grow up and take responsibility for your life -- whether you think you already have or not. Think of this as a test of your ability to adult, a time when you get the opportunity to put to use everything you learned before.

Pay attention to what happens to you, the things that stress you, the things that scare you, the events that challenge you when Saturn first enters Aquarius. This will give you an idea of what you can expect when your Saturn Return officially begins when it returns to the exact degree it occupied in your Natal Chart.

My Saturn Return Story 

I was born with Saturn in 3° Cancer and the 9th House. My Saturn Return unofficially began on 6/5/2003 when Saturn entered Cancer. However, it wasn't exact until 7/3/2003, which was three months before my 30th birthday.  It is important that I explain that in my Saturn Return Chart, Saturn occupies my 10th house of career, ambition, and profession; and as Saturn rules Capricorn, Saturn also ruled my 4th house of home, family, and living situation. This will be important as you read the story below.

At that time, I was still living in South Carolina and working as an Assistant Manger with Defender Services in the Springs Cotton Mills. However, that Summer we were told that the mill would be closing due to NAFTA and many operations moving overseas.  I was able to draw unemployment and in January 2004 I went to work for a Home Improvement company that shall remain nameless.  

At this new job I had to deal with a lot of homophobia and abuse, not only from customers but also from co-workers and management. Suffice it to say that I was not happy in this new job, but job opportunities then were few and far between.  As unhappy as I was - and I honestly believe I was suffering from depression - I tried to make it work. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to be influenced by some unscrupulous people.  Against all logic, and my better judgement, I participated in theft of both money and products. 

In November of 2004 the thefts where discovered and I was among a large number of people who were not only fired but also charged with theft. Instead of being arrested in front of everyone, I was given the opportunity to turn myself in to the police. So I lost my job, I was facing a jail sentence, and because I was fired I was unable to draw unemployment so I had no income. 

The judge allowed me out on bail (posted by a friend). Unfortunately,  without a job, I lost my home and had to move back in with my mother. I was eventually able to get a job in fast food. Ultimately, I was able to go through a process called Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI). As part of this program, I had to pay $700.00 in restitution and serve 100 hours of community service.  I did my community service at the local library where I cleaned shelves, re-stacked books, and helped people find information. The librarian was elated when she learned that I was a tarot reader and she actually spotted my service hours in exchange for a few readings. 

By December of 2004 I had fulfilled all of the terms of my community service and paid back all restitution and thus all charges against me were dropped.  In January of 2005 I moved to Beaufort, SC to live with a friend and start my life over.  There, I went to work for a major grocery store chain. In July of 2005, Saturn finally left Cancer and entered Leo. Even then I was unsure about my place in life and my life direction. None the less,  my troubles were not completely over. 

In August of 2005 the grocery chain I was working for went bankrupt and I lost my job again. However, because I was in a managerial position, I got a nice severance package and was able to draw unemployment. The friend I was living with in Beaufort happened to be in the Navy and was being transferred to NAS Whidbey the beginning of the following year. When my friend was transferred to NAS Whidbey in January of 2006 I move with him. As you can see, I was in a much better position this time. I had an income thanks to being able to transfer my  unemployment to WA State and thanks to my friend I had a place to stay. A few weeks after arriving in Oak Harbor, WA I was able to secure a job and a few month later I got my own apartment. 

So while I suffered all these losses, looking back I see that everything that I lost just opened the way for something better to take it's place. It really freed me to break out of a small-town life that I didn't necessarily want for myself but just happened to be living (like playing a character in a book or movie). I had bigger dreams for myself.  It was here in Washington that I really found myself and felt that my life truly began. I established myself as "Carolina Dean", I became a published author, and I found a certain amount of financial independence doing something that I enjoy. 

Looking Forward 

My second Saturn Return will occur in about 12 years around Aug of 2032 just before my 59th birthday. While I have not looked at the chart for this second return, I have a strong belief that by the time Saturn returns to 3° Cancer that I will go home again. 

How was YOUR Saturn Return?

Carolina Dean