Don't know where you're heading? Ask the planets . . .

The following article was written by AUT University student of journalism, Dave Ryan, and published on that University's website on 14 May 2010 http://www.tewahanui.info/wordpress2/?p=3201

A change in lifestyle upon reaching the age of 30 is not uncommon – but what is uncommon is the knowledge that astrologists link this to planetary alignment.

It takes Saturn between 29 and 30 years to orbit the sun, and after this rotation it comes back to the point it was when you were born. In astrological circles this is known as the Saturn Return.

Astrologist Carol Squires says the first Saturn Return marks the first maturity cycle in someone’s life. As people reach this point, they often go through a transition or consolidation phase.

Squires says that people who lack direction and need more focus in their life face these challenges at Saturn’s Return.

“When a person hasn’t put their life together, they want to establish themselves,” she says.

Saturn represents boundaries, structure, limitations and responsibility she says – which all come to the fore at the conclusion of each maturity cycle.

“Saturn’s Return is a turning point in many lives,” Squires says. “People want confirmation that what they’re doing is right.”

She finds many people seek her advice upon reaching this stage in their lives, and very few are aware of the planetary symbolism which can explain their emotional state.

“People have an inner need to find themselves,” Squires says.

Psychotherapist Crispin Balfour has come across this idea before.

“It often seems to be a time when people review the structures they’ve grown up with – and Saturn represents these structures.”

But he is less emphatic about Saturn’s role in people’s lives.

“So much else is going on that to focus on it [Saturn’s Return] seems a mistake,” he says.

It seemed, he said, that people often looked for an explanation as to why they were feeling uncertain in their lives – and that using the Saturn Return was one way in which people found comfort in that, he says.

“It’s another way for people to manage their anxiety,” he said.

Want to know more about the Saturn Return and how it makes sense of the cycles and events in your life? Ask Carol . . .