"Saturn takes 29 years to make one orbit around the sun. His slow dance across the zodiac is owed to the fact that Saturn is one of the farther planets out in our solar system and, until Uranus’s discovery in the late 18th century, it was the last known planet. The ancients, well aware of Saturn’s path in the sky, came to associate him with endings, limitations, and Father Time. Considering that most humans back then were lucky to live past thirty, it’s understandable that he would come to embody the archetype of the Grim Reaper with his scythe. And when Saturn returns to the spot he was at upon your birth, you’d be hard pressed to not feel a tingle of mortality and the anxiety of being an adult. With his symbolic hourglass, he’s literally reminding us that our time here on earth is running out.
The Saturn cycle is one of maturation and the very structure of our life. That’s why traditionally Saturn is connected with such pleasantries as dentistry, bones, hair loss, authority figures, and growing old. The original Greek myth is a little more sobering, you know, the one where Saturn, also known as Kronos, eats his children to prevent Zeus from usurping his power? Nice, right? (The painting of Saturn that hangs in the Musee Du Prado in Madrid, by Francisco Goya, gruesomely depicts this myth, which is not a party any of us would want to attend, frankly.) This is all a reminder to be humble in the face of both success and adversity. If the Saturn Return teaches us anything, it’s that we should never give away the authority in our lives. (For more on the mythology of Saturn, explore Mythology.)
The First Saturn Return
If you’re in your mid-to-late twenties or even in your early thirties, you are close to the heart of your first Saturn Return, and are probably feeling the crack of Saturn’s whip more than ever. If everything feels like chaos, if your relationships are breaking down and you’re questioning your career, your friendships, your sanity, and your very life, it is likely that it’s just the ripples of your Saturn Return descending. It’s vital that women especially look deeply at their father issues during this time because Saturn symbolizes the father (personally and universally), and can set us up with very particular responses to the men in our lives, as we attempt to fix whatever was broken in our relationship with our dads or dad like figures.
As you hit the Saturn Return, you’re about to leap off the cliff of childhood and you feel estranged from external support systems. Now you can’t be taken care of; You have to learn to fend for yourself and figure out what truly constitutes the ground below. What internal resources do you draw upon for a safe landing if you are to make this leap, kicked out of the nest once and for all? Once you finish your Return, you’ll probably have a much better idea."
See entire article @ Saturn Sisters