Saturn Return in Sagittarius: 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 Sagittarius, learning may be important to you.

However, the lessons of your Saturn returns could include questioning things you have been taught – or just assumptions you took for granted that turned out to shape your life. Getting along with others who don’t share your views might also test you.

The characteristics of your Saturn return in Sagittarius 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 Sagittarius

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 Sagittarius, your challenge might be more complicated than just losing a job or relationship. You may discover that the views you hold about the world are incompatible with that job or relationship continuing any further.

At that point, you could have to choose between continuing to hold those views and continuing whatever is in conflict with them.

Sagittarius is associated with religion and philosophy, so your first Saturn return in Sagittarius could be a time when you break away from the religious or political views you were raised with.

However, the beliefs that influence your life may not only be those formally codified in a catechism or party platform. Even an assumption as simple as “We should always be nice” or “Everyone who gets married lives happily ever after” might need to be confronted now. 

Second Saturn Return in Sagittarius

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.

If you are a parent, you might have children big enough to have opinions of their own by now, and that could really challenge you at your second Saturn return in Sagittarius. You may need to find a balance between being right and maintaining the connections that matter to you.

You may also wonder whether you have lived up to your own ideals.

If you see that you have fallen short of how you believe people should behave, this is a great time to correct your course. However, if it becomes apparent that you are holding yourself or others to unrealistic standards, dropping that self-imposed pressure could be a huge relief.

Third Saturn Return in Sagittarius

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?

Here is a question you may need to honestly ask yourself at your third Saturn return in Sagittarius: Do your children and grandchildren feel comfortable sharing their whole selves with you, or do they pretend to share your religious or political views so they won’t get written out of your will?

You may think you know the truth about how the whole entire world should run its business, but it can ring hollow when your insistence that everyone should see things your way causes you to wind up alone.

At your third Saturn return in Sagittarius, you may need to balance your confidence in what you have learned over the course of your long life with the reality that there could still be more to know.  

Saturn Return in Sagittarius 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 Sagittarius 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 Sagittarius 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 Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your first house, you might tend to identify yourself with a religious or political commitment. A first house Saturn return in Sagittarius that shakes those beliefs of yours could also make you wonder who you are without that.

Sagittarius also refers to travel to faraway places or contact with different cultures. A first house Saturn return in Sagittarius could alternately go in the direction of emphasizing how you are culturally different from others around you.

You may need to embrace what makes you unique instead of trying to suppress it.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your second house, you may have a strong philosophy guiding your spending and saving habits. If your ideas are basically sound, you might reach a major financial goal at your second house Saturn returns in Sagittarius.

However, anything unrealistic in your views regarding money or possessions could need to be dealt with at this time.

Sagittarius also is known to enjoy having fun, but having Saturn there could make pleasure more complicated.

You might spend on entertainment to the point you don’t have enough left over for necessities, or you could go to the opposite extreme of totally suppressing your desire for anything that seems frivolous. Imbalances of this sort may need to be corrected at your second house Saturn return in Sagittarius.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your third house, it could be hard to translate your deep thoughts into easily digestible small talk with the people around you. You might also be tempted to share unsolicited advice or divisive opinions on controversial topics.

At your third house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you might learn to stand up for yourself in conversation. People don’t have the right to interrupt you just because you talk more slowly than they do. However, you may need to acknowledge reasonable boundaries about what you can and cannot say.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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.

Sagittarius is associated with foreign cultures and travels to distant places. If you have Sagittarius in your fourth house, perhaps you emigrated from one country to another early in your life, or maybe one of your parents was from a culture different from the one you were raised in.

Your fourth house Saturn return in Sagittarius could be a great time to explore the parts of your cultural heritage you don’t know very well.

Sagittarius in the fourth house could also be associated with having a family that is intensely focused on politics or religion. At your fourth house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you might have to confront whether the beliefs you were raised with are really a good fit for you personally.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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.

Sagittarius likes to have a good time, so this might blend well with the energy of the fifth house – perhaps too well. If you have been living large and taking risks beyond what your resources can support, you might have to tone it down at your fifth house Saturn return in Sagittarius.

However, if you have been overly inhibited in the years leading up to your fifth house Saturn return in Sagittarius, you may need to loosen up and allow more pleasure into your life.

If you are a parent or considering becoming one at the time of your fifth house Saturn return in Sagittarius, you might be concerned about the religious or cultural upbringing of your child.

You may need to balance your own preferences with other factors that are important to the situation but don’t let others push you around, either.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your sixth house, you may be very idealistic about your habits and routines. For example, you might be attracted to a particular diet that has a very interesting story behind it, even if the taste of the food is not that great.

At your sixth house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you could find new inspiration for organizing your life – or shed an old dream that is no longer a good fit.

You may also want your work to have meaning if you have Sagittarius in your sixth house.

At your sixth house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you might leave a job that seems frustratingly pointless. However, if you have spent years leading up to your sixth house Saturn return in Sagittarius searching, you could choose to stay put and find purpose where you are.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your seventh house, you may be drawn to a partner who has intellectual depth, or who seems to have a cultural background more interesting than your own.

You might be able to commit to such a partner at your seventh house Saturn returns in Sagittarius, but don’t forget that you also have important insights to offer.

Sagittarius also wants freedom.

If you have been stuck in a relationship that feels stifling in the years leading up to your seventh house Saturn return in Sagittarius, the pressure may become too much. However, changing your beliefs about relationships might let you maintain that connection in a more comfortable way.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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.

With Sagittarius in your eighth house, you may have the bold courage to explore things most people find intimidating.

However, you might also be a bit attached to your convictions about how things should be. Your eighth house Saturn return in Sagittarius could be a time when you are pushed to bring your belief system into alignment with the profound experiences you have had in real life.

The idealism and generosity of Sagittarius might also be a challenging fit for the eighth house’s association with shared finances. At your eighth house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you may need to make sure you are not getting taken advantage of in a financial or property matter.  

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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.

The symbolism of the ninth house overlaps substantially with the symbolism of the sign of Sagittarius, so a ninth-house Saturn return in Sagittarius may have a double dose of the basic Saturn return in Sagittarius themes.

You may be very interested in questioning or clarifying your beliefs – or in getting the outside perspective on them that travel to a very different culture can often provide.

A ninth house Saturn return in Sagittarius could also go in the direction of emphasizing higher education. You may finish a degree you have been working on for a long time, or you might decide to go back to school.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your tenth house, you may crave a career that gives you a lot of freedom and opportunities to learn things. If your current job does not have those attributes, your tenth house Saturn return in Sagittarius could push you to find one that is a better fit.

The tenth house is also associated with authority figures, so your tenth house Saturn return in Sagittarius might be a good time to examine your beliefs about who has the right to tell you what to do. You may need to claim your own authority instead of relying on someone else to give you all the answers.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 buoyant energy of Sagittarius is a good companion for the social nature of the eleventh house. You might make friends widely and easily. However, at your eleventh house, Saturn returns in Sagittarius, you may discover who your real friends are.

While not every acquaintance has the potential to be your friend on a deep level, you might need to look at your own role in any loneliness you experience at your eleventh house Saturn return in Sagittarius. If you don’t let others know when you need help, they can’t help you.

Saturn Return in Sagittarius, 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 Sagittarius in your twelfth house, you might actually hide a part of yourself that is thoughtful and joyful. This could especially be the case if you also have Capricorn Rising, as many people with Sagittarius in the twelfth house do.

Though you may try hard to be practical and fit in, your twelfth house Saturn return in Sagittarius could push you to acknowledge that there is more to you than that.

A great use of a twelfth house Saturn return in Sagittarius might be traveling alone. That way, you can get to know yourself better without the distraction of other people.