Saturn Return in Aquarius: What to Expect

A Saturn return is a momentous event that happens to you every 29.4 years that you are alive. This time, when Saturn returns to the same place in the Zodiac where it was when you are born, brings the major structures of your life up for review.

However, not all Saturn returns are identical. Saturn goes through the same 12 Zodiac signs that the Sun does, but Saturn takes 29.4 years to complete the trip, while the Sun only takes one year. You, therefore, have a Saturn sign that is not necessarily the same as your Sun sign.

If you have Saturn in Aquarius, your Saturn returns in Aquarius may challenge you to work productively with society’s norms while still pushing the collective to do better. Accepting your individual quirks might be a struggle, but developing the courage to blaze a different trail can help both you and others. 

The characteristics of your Saturn return in Aquarius may also vary based on the house where Saturn is located in your natal chart. While the first Saturn return that happens in your late twenties is well known, many people also go on to have second and third Saturn returns that revisit similar themes.

First Saturn Return in Aquarius

Your first Saturn return takes place when you are in your late twenties. The first Saturn return gets the most attention because so many big life choices seem to come to a head then. You may begin or end a significant relationship.

You might begin or end a commitment to a particular career. You could even become a parent.

If your first Saturn return takes place in the sign of Aquarius, you may struggle with what it means to fit in. There can be a lot of pressure in the young adult years to meet certain milestones like getting married or settling down in a stable job.

You might be drawn to do these things because they are expected of you, yet you could also wonder if they are really right for you personally.

Your challenge at your first Saturn return in Aquarius could be finding the balance between honoring your individuality and acknowledging that sometimes engaging with imperfect social institutions is necessary for you to get what you want in life.

Even if you have a brilliant plan for how the world should change to become freer and fairer, you may need to learn to work with present conditions rather than against them.

Second Saturn Return in Aquarius

Your second Saturn return takes place when you are in your late fifties. While your first Saturn return may have had you establishing yourself in your career, your second Saturn return could have you thinking seriously about retirement.

While you may have married or become a parent at your first Saturn return, you could be experiencing an empty nest at your second Saturn return.

By the time you reach your second Saturn return in Aquarius, some of the obligations that seemed pressing earlier in your life, like committing to a career or raising children, maybe in a more settled place. If you have long held off on taking a risk that appeals to you, your second Saturn return in Aquarius might be a good time to finally make your move.

However, if you have been rebelling against society throughout your life up to this point, your second Saturn return in Aquarius might ask whether you are a rebel with a cause.

You could be vindicated if you are actually right about something that goes against conventional wisdom, but compulsively stirring the pot for the sake of stirring the pot may have disappointing results.

Third Saturn Return in Aquarius

While most readers are probably on their first or second Saturn returns, imagining your third Saturn return, when you are in your late eighties, can be a helpful exercise. Where do you want to be toward the end of your life, and what do you have to do now to get there?

By the time you reach your third Saturn return in Aquarius, you may have seen society successfully make changes that would have been unimaginable when you were young.

Though reflecting on this progress could be inspiring for you, a downside might be that some of the friends who shared the journey with you are no longer living. 

You still need friendship and community, though, so your third Saturn return in Aquarius might be a good time to befriend younger people and share your experiences with them.

They, in turn, could open your mind to new perspectives and give you hope that the world will continue to grow in interesting ways after you are gone.

Saturn Return in Aquarius by House

Many people born within a couple of years of you will have Saturn in the same sign that you do, as Saturn stays in each sign for about two and a half years during its 29.4-year cycle. However, not all Saturn returns in Aquarius are identical.

Knowing the house in your astrological chart where your Saturn return takes place can help you understand why your experience of a Saturn return in Aquarius might differ from that of some of your peers. 

If your time of birth is known, your astrological chart can be divided into twelve houses, each focusing on a different area of life. The house in your birth chart where Saturn is located is also the house where your Saturn return will take place.

Try looking up your astrological chart below to see the house where Saturn is located.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, First House

The first house is associated with your physical body and your identity. With Saturn in your first house, you may present yourself in a serious and dignified way. You might also struggle with a problem involving your physical body.

If you have Aquarius in your first house, you may enjoy having a unique appearance. However, at your first house, Saturn’s return in Aquarius, you might need to consider whether displaying your individuality in your dress and grooming as flamboyantly as possible is getting in the way of the goals you want to achieve.

Alternately, if you have been trying hard to fit in, your first house Saturn return in Aquarius could be a time when you finally get the confidence to try a bold new look you have been considering. The reception may be better than you expect!

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Second House

The second house focuses on money and possessions. In general, having Saturn, the planet of restriction and limitation, in the second house could show that money does not come to you easily. However, you might have a disciplined attitude toward whatever money you do have.

With Aquarius in your second house, you may have a logical attitude toward your material resources, though you might be willing to try an experimental investment given the opportunity.

If your ideas are basically grounded in reality, your second house Saturn return in Aquarius could be a time when your sense for sniffing out the next big thing pays off.

However, if there is something unrealistic about your financial ideas, the events of your second house Saturn return in Aquarius could bring you back down to Earth.

You may need to develop better boundaries around money or property, especially if you expected the way you were sharing these things with others to just work out on its own.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Third House

The third house is involved with communication. Having Saturn in your third house, regardless of its sign, can be associated with feeling like it is hard for you to communicate with the people around you and make yourself understood.

If you have Aquarius in your third house, you may be very comfortable with using technology to communicate.

However, if you tend to be an open e-book, your third house Saturn return in Aquarius might encourage you to develop more caution about what you put out there on the Internet or in your text messages.

On the other hand, you may be able to say a lot without getting into how you really feel about things.

At your third house, Saturn returns in Aquarius, you might be challenged to take the emotional side of conversation into account. Becoming more sensitive to the feelings of others could require you to acknowledge your own. 

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Fourth House

The fourth house focuses on home and family matters. In general, having Saturn, the planet of restriction and limitation, in the fourth house can reflect that you felt like you did not get the nurturing you need growing up.

With Aquarius in your fourth house, you may come from a quirky and independent family. If you were embarrassed about having weird parents when you were growing up, your fourth house Saturn return in Aquarius could nudge you to embrace your roots.

Alternately, if you were the openly weird one in your family, and your parents tried to make you conform, your fourth house Saturn return in Aquarius might focus on learning to give yourself the validation your parents failed to give you.

You could also look at how your family’s dynamics may have pushed you into the role of the black sheep. Perhaps you lived out something that the others felt on some level but were not able to express.

The family life indicated by Aquarius in the fourth house could also be one where emotions were suppressed in favor of compulsively living in the realm of the intellect.

Alternately, maybe emotions were regularly displayed in a messy way without enough intellectual understanding of how to channel them productively. In either case, you might become aware of the nurturing that you lacked when you were growing up at your fourth house Saturn returned in Aquarius.  

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Fifth House

The fifth house is associated with children and creativity. Some people become parents at their Saturn returns, and a fifth house Saturn return could be especially likely to go in this direction. You might feel like you have to become a parent in order to be a proper adult.

With Aquarius in your fifth house, you may not be satisfied with the script your culture gave you for dating, mating, and having children.

You might have your own idea of how to do these things – and, if your idea is a solid one, you could succeed at bringing it into fruition at your fifth house Saturn return in Aquarius.

If you are already a parent at the time your fifth house Saturn returns in Aquarius, you could be challenged by the growing individuality of your children. Feeling threatened by their desire for independence could be a signal that you need to discover your own.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Sixth House

The sixth house focuses on your routine responsibilities, like the day-to-day part of your work and what you must do to maintain your health.

Saturn in the sixth house can be associated with health problems, but it might just show that you are very focused on staying healthy even if you don’t have an illness to be concerned about.

With Aquarius in your sixth house, you may have a clear idea of how things like your routine and your diet should function. If there is a big gap between your idea and the reality of what your body needs, that could become apparent at your sixth house Saturn return in Aquarius.

You might actually have some good ideas, and a positive manifestation of a sixth house Saturn return in Aquarius could involve becoming aware of the latest health breakthrough before others in your circle do.

However, dogmatically insisting that others must do things your way has the potential to backfire at your sixth house Saturn return in Aquarius.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Seventh House

The seventh house is associated with significant one-on-one relationships including but not limited to marriage, and having Saturn here natally can suggest that you take such relationships very seriously.

Saturn returns can be associated with marriages or divorces, and a seventh-house Saturn return might be especially likely to go in this direction of changing your relationship status.

If you have Aquarius in your seventh house, you may prefer to organize your marriage or other committed relationships on your own terms. Even if you borrow elements from older traditions, you might do so in a way that is a bit counter-cultural.

Your challenge at your seventh house Saturn return in Aquarius could be to make sure that your partner, whether romantic or professional, is on the same page with how you understand your relationship with them.

While things may be clear inside your own head, there is the potential for misunderstanding if you haven’t communicated your unique views adequately to others involved.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Eighth House

The eighth house is linked with intense experiences like death and sexual intimacy. Boundaries tend to blur in these extreme situations, so the eighth house also handles situations of sharing finances or property.

It can even take in paranormal experiences where the basic structures of the physical world do not perform as expected. Having Saturn here in your birth chart can cause either an inability to get away from such difficult matters or a fear of approaching them.

Sometimes Aquarius likes to share in the name of universal brotherhood, and you may display that openness in financial or property matters if you have Aquarius in your eighth house.

However, an eighth house Saturn return in Aquarius could show you where others might be taking advantage of your lofty ideals.

While Aquarius is known for being scientific and logical, Aquarius can also be drawn to whatever is on the cutting edge. If your eighth house Saturn returns in Aquarius and goes in the direction of investigating mysteries like life after death, you may need to work to balance these competing interests of yours.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Ninth House

The ninth house is associated with the systems of beliefs that make up society, like philosophies, legal codes, and religious doctrines. It is also linked to higher education.

A person with Saturn in the ninth house, in general, might be either an especially dogmatic enforcer of such structures or someone who seems to be continually blocked by them.

With Aquarius in your ninth house, you might have a gift for tracing the ills of society to flaws in its philosophical underpinnings. Whether you are conservative or liberal, you may approach your political or religious views with a strong sense that the world would be a better place if everyone believed as you did.

At your ninth house, Saturn return in Aquarius, you may discover the limits of your ability to coerce others to share your views. However, if you are really on to something important, people might come to you on their own at this time.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Tenth House

The tenth house is involved with matters of career and status. Having Saturn in the tenth house natally could suggest that your public role in the world is a source of concern for you. With hard work, you may achieve prominence in your profession, but it may also be hard to feel like you have ever done enough.

If you have Aquarius in your tenth house, you might be drawn to a career where you get to innovate, perhaps involving the use of technology. Your efforts could reach a significant breakthrough at your tenth house Saturn return in Aquarius.

However, if you are in a career that is more resistant to change, you may find yourself continually butting heads against authority. At your tenth house, Saturn return in Aquarius, you might have to ask yourself whether this struggle is ever likely to become productive.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Eleventh House

The eleventh house is associated with friendships and community groups. In general, having Saturn in the eleventh house could mean that finding a peer group is an important focus of your life. Early on, you may feel shut out of social connections, like they do not come easily to you.

Once you hit your stride, though, you may find that your commitments to groups and organizations become overwhelming for you.

The symbolism of the eleventh house overlaps substantially with the symbolism of the sign of Aquarius, so an eleventh-house Saturn return in Aquarius may have a double dose of the basic Saturn return in Aquarius symbolism.

Whoever you consider your peer group might be a big part of your eleventh-house Saturn return in Aquarius. If you have fallen in with a bad crowd that discourages you from expressing your individuality, you might fall out with them at this time.

Such a breakup may be good for you, even if it is painful at the moment.

However, your commitment to a community that shares your vision for improving the world could solidify at your eleventh house Saturn return in Aquarius. The clearer you can be about what you’re looking for, the more likely you are to find it.

Saturn Return in Aquarius, Twelfth House

The twelfth house is associated with secrets and things that are out of view. Saturn represents structure, so Saturn in the twelfth house is a hidden structure, a hidden agenda running your life that even you may not be aware of.  

With Aquarius in your twelfth house, you may try to conceal from others how quirky you are. However, at your twelfth house, Saturn returns in Aquarius, you might wind up feeling alone if you can’t open up to anyone.

A more realistic take on Saturn in Aquarius in the twelfth house could involve acknowledging that you can find your people without necessarily making a public splash about it.

You may not be able to share certain parts of your life with every casual acquaintance, but connecting with a small, select group that understands you might be enough. Your twelfth house Saturn return in Aquarius is an opportune time to build these bonds.