During different phases of life, many people express that they feel the internal pressure to make changes. The fact that many face this “midlife” has led to the stereotypical “midlife crisis.” However, from an astrological perspective, there is a lot more to it than that. And there are a lot of transits at different points in your life that influence these feelings you experience.
Saturn-Return
Earlier in your life, at around age 28-30, you experience the astrological transit Saturn Return, often accompanied by major life changes. That window of time is full of decision-making in life, in general.
Many relationship, career, religious, political and other decisions are made during this window. It is a time of building foundations, establishing commitments and growing responsibility.
Because these decisions tend to have long-term life consequences, the Saturn Return period can be considered rather heavy for the young people experiencing it.
Decisions made during the Saturn Return can determine the trajectory of your adult life for the next 30 or so years.
During the Saturn Return window, many people commit to marriages, careers, parenthood or even entrepreneurship. These decisions can determine how meaningful and purposeful your experiences are in life.
In fact, when people reflect on this period, this time is often considered a maturity milestone that marks initiation into adulthood and personal responsibility.
The bottom line is that Saturn-Return is a powerful window of opportunity for decision making.
Unfortunately, those who shy away from the window of opportunity to make powerful decisions for themselves later feel stuck. When their lives and careers are without a sense of personal meaning and fulfillment, they often look back at this period of time as a lost turning point.
Once the Saturn Return has passed, it can feel even more difficult to make such powerful changes even later in life. This leads to the 40-44 midlife crisis.
This 40-44 phenomenon is different from Saturn Return.
The midlife career crisis we’re speaking of here comes another decade later when you’ve already spent a significant period of time living with your Saturn Return decisions.
However, how you chose to navigate your earlier Saturn Return also impacts how you experience this transit.
The Astrological Midlife Crisis
(Neptune Square, Uranus Opposition, Saturn Opposition)
Like the period of Saturn-Return, specific planetary movements explain the overall uneasiness in your life during your early 40s. If you’re between 40-44 years old, it is quite common to have major life changes on your mind again.
I’ve also seen students attend my classes because they had difficulties fully articulating their emotions or understanding how to manage implementing such major changes into this stage of their lives.
A whole string of three major planetary movements involving Neptune, Uranus and Saturn occur within an approximately 5-year period between the age of 40-44, and for those born in the decade between 1985 and 1995, a fourth major transit (involving Pluto) is added on to the experience during this same time period.
The midlife crisis usually occurs in three stages:
- Feeling lost and directionless (Neptune)
- Experiencing a major disruption or breakthrough in life – your mindset is a great determinant of which word applies – forcing you to choose a new direction (Uranus)
- Working hard, starting slow, rebuilding for long-term (Saturn)
Whether you’re 40-44 or younger and facing your earlier Saturn Return, it can be empowering to equip yourself with improved self-awareness. When you have the power of self-knowledge, you won’t feel the need to keep putting off decision-making until even later in your life.
You can make powerful decisions when you have the tools to do so. Western Astrology and Selfstrology offers a lot to help you navigate these periods and manage these decisions.
Through Selfstrology, you can gain the following insights and tools:
- A thorough understanding of your life purpose as well as of your strengths and talents, especially in the area of your career.
- An understanding of your psychological impulses past conditioning that influenced your career and other life choices.
- Prediction tools that help you plan and manage your financial, career and other decisions.
If you are younger and want to learn more about the Saturn Return, you may enjoy this other article that specifically addresses this transitory period in your life.
Whatever crossroads you face, many Selfstrology students have discovered that the astrological chart reveals insights about themselves that speak firmly to their core identity. Enrolling at Selfstrology Academy can be an empowering choice.
Students complete the Beginner’s Intro to Astrology course before going on to do the Psychological Astrology course, where we journey into our psychological patterns and behaviors and formulate powerful life commitments.
Get more information about our courses here.
[/tatsu_text][/tatsu_column][/tatsu_row][/tatsu_section]