Lisa Stardust - Saturn Return Survival Guide: Navigating This Cosmic Rite of Passage

It takes a village to raise a child, even after their Saturn Return. I would like to thank the following people for their personal and professional support throughout the years.

Special shout out to Bri Luna, Christine ODay, Sarah Potter and Renee Watt for their magical and inspiring contributions to this book.

To Mom, Dad, Jessica, Nate, Avery, Riley, AC, Grandma Anne, Grandpa Gene, Oma, Grandpa Norbert, Jonathan, Aunt Linda, Uncle Marc, Uncle Danny, Molly, Randi, Paige, Ilene, Dominick Travis, Samantha Baker, Spencer Baker, Tara Foster, Annabel Gat, Anne Ortelee, Sonia Ortiz, Blue June, Michael Cardenas, Kesaine Walker, Rachel True, Liz Goldwyn, Adam Cerny, Lexi Ferguson, Heather Breen, Caitlin McGarry, Arseny Libon, Jessica Lanyadoo, Nancy Hayes, Kristy Belich, Nina Kahn, Kyle Thomas, Maia Lorian, Six, Danny Larkin, Narayana Montfar, Stephanie Powell, Didi Daze, Kawano-Sensei, Gabrielle Gottlieb, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Brittney McNamara, Emily Shippee, Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Tahira Hairston, Dani Kwateng-Clark, Asia Milia Ware, Arianna Davis, Elena Nicolaou, Erika Smith, Jenni Miller, Jen Ortiz, Rachel Torgerson, Mia Lardiere, Sara Radin, Kayla Greeves, Kristin Magaldi, Allison Ives, Jerico Mandybur, Sara Tardiff, Emily Dufton, Markeeta Waddington, Mirel Zaman, Karina Hoshikawa, Elizabeth Gulino, Samantha Sutton, Kylie Gilbert, Elisabeth Krohn, Tish Weinstock, Tracy Chabala, Seth Plattner, Raven Ishak, Pia Velasco, Erin Glover, Gary DAndre, Ama Kwarteng, Alice Bell, Amanda Valdes, Thomas Flannery Jr, Susan Hornik and Sharon Ruedeman. Last but definitely not least, my wonderful and encouraging editor Alice Hardie-Grant for her patience and dedication to this project. And, Emmy Lupin for creating all of the beautiful art for this book.

You might be wondering why Saturn is such an austere and karmic planet. Lets do a quick background check on its mythology.

Saturn was one of the twelve Titans, those gods known for their size, strength and immense power until they were deposed by Zeus. Gaia (Mother Earth) and Ouranos (Father Sky) created the first inhabitants of the world powerful gods who were known for their tough exterior and intense demeanour. Ouranus was not a very proud dad and sought to destroy the 50-headed children by burying them within the Earth. Gaia was infuriated by this and sought help from her other children. Of all her children, only Kronos responded. He waited for his dad and castrated him with a sickle. Kronos became the ruler of the universe after he destroyed his father. He married his sister Rhea and they reigned mightily for a time.

A prophecy said that one of Kronoss kids would try to depose him, so he decided to swallow them upon birth. But when the sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea stole him away to protect him and gave Kronos a stone to swallow instead. Zeus eventually got a job as a cup-bearer to his father, and gave him a poison potion that made him vomit out the swallowed siblings. A major war ensued.

Zeus, ever the cunning warrior, convinced Prometheus (a Titan) to join his team. Kronos and his team of monsters lost. They were banished to the Tartarus, a dark, depressing place at the end of the Earth where Kronos spent eternity reflecting on his actions. Withdrawn from the world, he chose to punish himself for what he had done. In Roman mythology, Kronos became Saturn.

Saturn has several sides, mythologically. Many tend to think of him as an all-round bad guy, but we aim to show you his positive attributes. A king, overcome by a negative state of mind, made the mistake of bad-mouthing Saturn in public court. Saturn, with his perfect timing, just so happened to be flying overhead at that exact moment. Saturn swooped down to greet the king, who panicked and took back his harsh words. But the kings fate was sealed, his karma set. After a series of tormenting experiences, the king lost almost everything. Finally, Saturn reappeared to show mercy and even reward the king for his patience and endurance. He told the king he would grant him anything he wished. Overcome with humility, the king only wished that no-one ever had to endure the kind of suffering he had endured. Saturn was so pleased with the kings wish to save all other beings from suffering that he returned everything he had lost, including his kingdom.

Saturn has a bad rep, and if you choose not to appease him, there can be consequences. In life, just as in the mythic tale, we can learn to use Saturn as a friend rather than a foe.

As you can see, this story applies to the Saturn Return. Saturn has to learn from his mistakes and reap the consequences of his actions much like you will have to do during this transit. Saturns lesson is also a karmic one: he was selfish and unkind to others, which led to his demise. He ended up alone because of his decisions. Thats not to say that youll end up in seclusion in the swamps of Earth, but you will find yourself in a place of reflection during this time. You may also find yourself lonely at times, as you are navigating through your life and making important choices that will affect you for years to come.

In astrology, Saturn represents limitations and fears. Saturns placement in an astrology chart and sign can show where problems are in your own life and how you can overcome them. With Saturn, we get what we give, as its the karmic taskmaster of astrology, rewarding cosmic delights to those who work hard, while causing destruction or breakdowns for those who put minimal effort into achieving their goals. This is a planet that makes lists and ensures that each individual is doing their best to create the life they want. Saturn also represents the relationship we have with our father figures (whereas the Moon represents the maternal influence on us), bosses and people who are in a place of authority over us.

Planetary slowdowns are called retrogrades. Its quite common for a planet to move slower than Earth a few times a year while orbiting the Sun. This doesnt mean the planet is moving backwards, but the slowness of its orbit does give us earthlings time to reflect upon matters. Saturn is a planet that retrogrades at least once a year. This means its quite common for one to have Saturn Retrograde in their chart. If transiting Saturn is retrograde while youre having your Saturn Return, you will find youre being forced to discuss and analyse personal commitments. If you are born with Saturn Retrograde in your birth chart, you may decide to assess relationships and make important changes to those you hold close to your heart. Marriage proposals and serious relationships can start now, or break-ups can occur, depending on what energy youre working with on a personal level.

The karmic planet has roughly another 29.5 years until it aligns with the exact degree it was when you were born. This is whats called the Saturn Return. Its an exact conjunction between natal Saturn and transiting Saturn, at the exact degree and sign it was at during the time, date, and year of your birth.