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 Leo, the tests you face at your Saturn return in Leo could involve issues of pride and status. Following your passion may be rewarded while pursuing status for its own sake might be revealed as shallow. You may also discover that you can be both creative and disciplined at the same time.
The characteristics of your Saturn return in Leo 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.
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First Saturn Return in Leo
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 Leo, you may struggle with whether to prioritize a career you find personally fulfilling or a career that brings you status. No matter what you choose, you might feel like you are not getting the recognition you deserve from others for your achievements.
You could need to figure out how to take pride in yourself regardless of what anyone else thinks.
As the sign of Leo can also be associated with children, deciding whether or not you want to become a parent could take on dramatic importance at your first Saturn return in Leo.
You may eagerly throw yourself into becoming a parent, convinced you will get right all of the things your own parents got wrong. Alternatively, you might develop clarity that you are definitely child-free.
Second Saturn Return in Leo
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.
At your second Saturn return in Leo, you might be at a high point in your career. You could need to reflect on whether you have gotten what you wanted out of it. If the type of self-expression you crave is not possible in your current work, you may begin planning how to get it in your upcoming retirement.
If you have children, your second Saturn return in Leo could be a time when you discover that they are their own people, separate from you. Instead of trying to control their lives, you may need to focus on making your own life more fulfilling.
Third Saturn Return in Leo
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?
At your third Saturn return in Leo, you may reflect on what you have created over the course of your life that has the potential to outlive you. Whether your main focus was raising children or developing a professional body of work, you may wonder where your lifetime achievement award is.
Sometimes older people feel forgotten, and this could be an especially challenging part of your third Saturn return in Leo. Though you might not be the one achieving things and taking the spotlight at this point, you may be able to connect with others by recognizing what they do well.
Saturn Return in Leo 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 Leo 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 Leo 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 Leo, 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. There might also be a problem involving your physical body that you struggle with.
Leo in the first house can tends to be flamboyant and artistic. At your first house Saturn return in Leo, however, you might wonder if you need to tone it down in order to get the high-status job you want.
You may need to reflect on whether it is really your boss, or whoever else you are concerned about, who wants you to hold back from expressing yourself. Your own inhibitions might be a greater force than you realize. Confronting such fears can help you move forward with greater confidence.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
Leo in the second house may tend to spend a lot on having fun. If you have taken this too far, your second house Saturn return could push you to develop and stick to a budget.
Feeling guilty about spending money on pleasure might just compel you to do it more, so, for you, a budget likely to be followed may need to acknowledge that you will spend a certain amount on enjoying yourself.
Leo in the second house could also have a problem with spending money to impress others.
At a second house, Saturn return in Leo, you may want to make a major purchase, like a house, because you feel like that’s what all your peers are doing. However, you might be better off staying focused on what is best for your own financial health.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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 Leo in your third house, you might tend to be dramatic and focused on yourself in the way you communicate with others. At your third house, Saturn’s return in Leo, you could get some pushback for this. You may need to become aware of when your style interferes with you getting your point across.
Alternately, if you were punished harshly when you were young for being dramatic and self-absorbed, you might have responded by becoming overly inhibited in your communication. In this case, your third house Saturn return in Leo may be a time when you learn to express yourself within healthy boundaries.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
If you have Leo in your fourth house, your family may be a bit dramatic. At your fourth house, Saturn return in Leo, you might need to set boundaries with your family if their level of excitement is too aggravating for you.
Your life could become more peaceful as you gain greater clarity about what is an emergency and what is not.
Leo in the fourth house could also reflect a family that is overly concerned with issues of status. You may feel like you didn’t get the approval you needed from your parents because something about your life, like your profession or your romantic relationships, didn’t measure up to what they expected.
At your fourth house, Saturn return in Leo, you may get the confidence to move forward on a controversial path whether your parents like it or not.
If you have already been on a controversial path for a while, though, your fourth house Saturn return in Leo might be a time when your parents grudgingly admit that maybe you are on to something after all.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
The symbolic associations of Leo overlap very much with those of the fifth house, so a fifth house Saturn return in Leo has a double dose of the same themes.
Especially for a first Saturn return, it could seem very urgent to decide whether or not you will become a parent, and there could be a drama about it no matter what you choose.
If you have been considering a creative career, a fifth house Saturn return in Leo could be a time when you develop the discipline to really make a go of it.
You may be able to narrow your focus enough to find a niche where you can be successful. If you have already been doing this kind of work for some time, you may be recognized for it at your fifth house Saturn return in Leo.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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 Leo in the sixth house, it may be very important for you to get recognition for your work. If you have been in a situation that is a generally good fit in the years leading up to your sixth house Saturn return in Leo, you might get the recognition you seek at your Saturn return.
If your sixth house Saturn return leads you to the realization that you are not appreciated at work, though, you may need to find another job that suits you better.
A sixth house Saturn return, regardless of sign, could manifest in a health problem. If this happens for your sixth house Saturn return in Leo, focusing on self-expression might be an important part of your path toward healing.
Saturn Return in Leo, Seventh House
The seventh house is associated with significant one-on-one relationships including but not limited to a 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.
Leo in the seventh house could tend to be concerned with the status part of the relationship status.
Especially if you are having your first Saturn return in your late twenties, and all of your peers seem to be getting married all at once, you may feel the urge to get married at your seventh house Saturn return in Leo, mostly so that you fit in.
Alternately, your seventh house Saturn return in Leo could be a time when you realize that there is something about the partner or the type of relationship you want that doesn’t quite fit in. You may need to learn to follow your own heart regardless of what others think.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
Leo can have trouble keeping quiet, so, if you have Leo in the eighth house, you may tend to overshare about the private matters associated with the eighth house. Your eighth house Saturn return in Leo could push you to develop better boundaries about that.
Alternately, if you have been keeping quiet about the eighth house matters in your life, your eighth house Saturn return in Leo could give you an opportunity to share an intense story in a constructive way.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
Academia tends to be structured in a way that status-seeking Leo in the ninth house would love, so a ninth-house Saturn return in Leo could involve finally getting a degree you have been working toward for a long time or going back to school.
However, you may have better results if you pursue an academic path that is a true expression of your own passion rather than one that you think will impress others.
A ninth house Saturn return in Leo could also push you to confront pride in your spiritual path. If you feel like you are worthier than others because you have the right religious affiliation, or because you do a good job following the rules, circumstances may take you down a few pegs.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
With Leo in your tenth house, you may gravitate toward a career that gives you the opportunity to become famous. You could achieve prominence at your tenth house Saturn return in Leo if you have something to show for yourself by then.
If you have been trying to become famous for being famous, though, your tenth house Saturn return in Leo might nudge you to do something more meaningful.
Your tenth house Saturn return in Leo could also drive you to examine what motivates your ambition.
If you are still trying to impress a parent or other authority figure who made unrealistic demands of you, your tenth house Saturn return in Leo might give you permission to pursue a path that actually works for you personally.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
With Leo in the eleventh house, you may enjoy the status you get from belonging to at least one organization. If you have a longtime commitment of this sort that is really meaningful, you could achieve something worth celebrating through the group at your eleventh house Saturn return in Leo.
However, if you have been racking up multiple commitments just to pad your resume or boost your ego, your eleventh-house Saturn return in Leo might push you to drop those that you are not really passionate about.
While you may feel obligated to stay with a particular group, it might be more obvious than you think that you don’t really want to be there.
Saturn Return in Leo, 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.
If you have Leo in the twelfth house, the secretive nature of the twelfth house may make it hard for you to access the flamboyant, creative energy of Leo.
However, your twelfth house Saturn return in Leo could give you an opportunity to acknowledge your potential in this regard. The way you become aware of this hidden side of yourself might involve a dramatic secret being revealed.
While this may be uncomfortable, learning, to be honest, could be good for you.
