Don't Wait for Saturn's Return to Get Excited About Your Life
Forget the astrology; start now: spiritual word from a falcon
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| Saturn Returns-Peregrine Falcon Image-Created by Marilyn Glover with Canva |
Originally published on Medium, which requires a paid membership to read.
Saturn’s return is a celestial event when the planet Saturn returns to the same zodiac sign and degree occupied at the moment of one’s birth. Astrologically, it takes roughly 29 years for Saturn to maneuver through the zodiac, meaning most people will encounter 2–3 Saturn returns: late 20s, 50s, and 80s. Each cycle lasts about 3 years due to Saturn’s slow-moving speed, but its energy hits with a blast of ‘reality.’
Good morning, happy Monday, and welcome to the latest edition of my recurring weekly medley! This is a space where I share soulful reflections to help readers ground their spirit and begin the new week with intentional clarity.
Today’s post came about from a spiritual download on Saturday.
I was sitting on my balcony in the early afternoon when I noticed a bird circling the sky. One long swoop. Two. Three. Instantly fascinated, I held the bird’s pace, noting that it looked like a larger bird, but wasn’t sure what type, since the distance was pretty far. I sat for a moment, then went inside to get my phone, hoping to return in time to catch the event.
What prompted the photography was a spiritual download: “Saturn’s return.”
Right away, I knew this was important, so I snapped several photos and waited for the bird to end its ritual; about 5 minutes total.
Not entirely sure of the meaning, I went inside and did some research about the return of Saturn. I already knew it was a significant astrological event, but not all the juicy, specific details. When I learned that I could calculate when my Saturn’s return would occur, I entered my birthdate, time, birth city, and current city as instructed.
As you can see from the above screenshot, my Saturn return is in Gemini.
More calculation details entail the dates of the first, second, and third Saturn returns.
Here are my results:
First Saturn Return — May 25, 2001. I was 29.
Second Saturn Return — December 10, 2030. I will be 59
Third Saturn Return — May 8, 2060. I will be 88 (I hope I live that long)
The results go up to a fourth return, but January 30, 2090, would mean living to the very ripe old age of 118 — highly doubtful, yet quite an intriguing thought.
Upon reading my calculations, another spiritual download: “Don’t wait until Saturn’s return to get excited about your life.”
And this, my friends, is how today's post title and subject came to be.
The obvious interpretation: Don’t put off to tomorrow what one can do today. Surely, I am not waiting until 2030 (my next Saturn return)to get excited about life, make changes, and take appropriate action.
But I had to know more.
Why the bird? Why the sudden spiritual download?
For the unfamiliar, spiritual downloads don’t always make sense initially; they aren’t supposed to. They are simply communications from our higher self rushing in to grab our human attention, make us dig deeper, and extract the specifics.
So, to ensure I got the most out of my message, I proceeded with research, digging into Saturn return specifics.
I also went back to my bird photos, which are the focus of the next part.
Peregrine Falcon Facts & Spiritual Significance
The avid birder in me had to know what type of bird I photographed.
I enlarged my cell phone snapshots, did some research, factoring in my location, and learned that my bird photographs feature a Pelegrine Falcon. I already knew that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has long managed a nesting box program on top of the agency buildings at the Empire State Plaza.
Since I live only minutes away, it all made perfect sense that a peregrine falcon would be circling the high sky close to my home.
Here is my enlarged photo of a pelegrine taken from my balcony.
Albany, NY Peregrine Fun Facts:
- A comeback bird — During the 60s, the pesticide DDT caused extreme eggshell thinning, eliminating the peregrine as a nesting bird in NY.
- Captive breeding and release programs that began in the 70s marked the return of peregrines to NY, including Albany, in the 90s.
- Peregrines favor tall infrastructure and can be found nesting on downtown buildings and bridges
- No nesting materials — Instead of sticks, these birds dig out small indentations (scrapes) on the gravel of building roofs, bridge ledges, and rocky cliffs.
- Diet & speed — Peregrines feed mostly on other birds and are known for their diving speeds over 180 mph.
Spiritual Significance
Peregrine falcons are thought to be messengers between realms, and a sighting suggests rising above struggles and trusting instincts to navigate life transitions with precision and bold attention.
Here is a deeper spiritual dive into the bird, which is one of the world’s fastest.
- Sharp Perspective & Vision — The bird represents the third eye chakra with its ability to spot prey from great distances. Peregrine asks you to see the bigger picture and access higher wisdom before making decisions.
- Swift Action — While related to the bird’s speed, for the human, this is more about immediately eliminating second-guessing and proceeding with confidence.
- Transition & Wanderer — Peregrine Falcon’s scientific name is Falco Peregrinus, which translates to “pilgrim” or “wanderer.” It is said the bird may appear during periods of radical life shifts or long journeys, serving as a spiritual guide.
Saturn’s Return, a Closer Look
Now that we understand the bird, let’s return to Saturn, so to speak, and uncover a few more important details.
As you already know, Saturn returns roughly every 29 years and, as a slow mover, sticks around for about 3.
Saturn is the zodiac’s disciplinarian, making each return a heightened point in a person’s life. It governs boundaries, discipline, long-term goals, responsibility, and structure.
During a return, one can expect the following:
- Life Evaluation — All the what-if questions: Who am I? What do I really want? Is this life/job right for me?
- Reality Checks — Bad habits or avoided situations will come to the forefront, forcing procrastination’s hand to deal with all that’s been put off.
- Major Life Transitions — Changing careers, getting married, divorced, ending long-term relationships, and relocating.
- Building a Foundation — Clearing away the old, immature choices, the misaligned ones, to rebuild more authentic, solid ones.
As previously mentioned, Saturn’s return occurs in three major passes. Each pass is further refined accordingly:
- First Saturn Return (Age 27–30) is the initiation into adulthood and marks separation from societal and parental expectations. This is the “figuring out” one’s own path phase.
- Second Saturn Return (Age 57–60) is the initiation into the ‘sage’ or elder phase and focuses on redefining the second half of life and legacy.
- Third Saturn Return (Age 86–90) is a period of reflection, a lifetime of wisdom culminated, and reaping the rewards of a lifetime of hard work.
In simplest terms, Saturn returns mark a heightened adjustment of life energy.
Upheavals, major shifts, big decisions, old made new, “life housekeeping.”
Similar to the energy of the Tower card in the tarot.
Fear is a common response to this card, but this isn’t the type of excitement I want to bring attention to.
I am not talking about anxious-fearful arousal (creative excitement), which narrows one’s focus, resulting in clouded judgment and impulsive, reckless decisions. I am referring to enhanced motivation, which pushes one toward positive action, tackling challenges, and pursuing goals with enthusiasm.
Personally, I think that all too often, the Tower card gets a bad rep because the energy is misconstrued.
EXACTLY
Your Tower moment has arrived!!!
Pulling it all together
Don’t wait for Saturn’s return to get excited about your life
My spiritual download, paired with a peregrine falcon sighting, was a personal nudge, a gentle wake-up call, one I felt meant to share with the collective.
Clearly, major changes align with specific life periods, including age, physical stages, particular highs and lows, and different levels of spiritual development.
Astrology lends its hand, too, with heightened celestial events, like with Saturn’s return.
But what about all the in-between moments, like major shifts that might be going on right now?
Life is filled with many of those moments, and they are more than worth getting excited about.
A peregrine falcon sighting came to me to get me to see the “bigger picture.” To get me to look beyond current circumstances, some of which have been dragging me down. To get me to stop second-guessing my capabilities, to embrace my third eye chakra, to turn my fear-based excitement into excitement fueled by a positive, creative swing toward a future living in confidence.
Indeed, a spiritual guide.
Your turn- listen to the falcon and don’t wait until tomorrow, until major changes swoop in and do the job for you, before taking steps to navigate life’s transitions.
While astrology has its high points, a falcon wants you to fly higher; spread your wings, keep a keen eye, stop second-guessing, and soar as the spiritual wanderer you are meant to be.
Originally published on Medium, which requires a paid membership to read.
SELF PROMO TIME
My Jungian-inspired chapbook will be released on May 30. The third and final free poem is available now on Gumroad.
Here are Gumroad links to the first two free poems:
I’ll admit self-publishing is a bit daunting, especially when factoring in the marketing, which I am also doing solo.
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