Jupiter Return And Saturn Return - At The Same Time!

by Robert Wilkinson

This is something that happens once a lifetime to everyone. Around the age of 59-60, every one of us has our fifth Jupiter return AND our second Saturn return. Usually there's a time gap between the two, and seldom do the two occupy the same transiting degrees as they did at birth at the same time.

A Jupiter return brings a renewal of our Jupiterian sense. Whether of adventure, abundance, compassion, extravagance, or higher awareness, it's the end of a 12 year period and the beginning of another. A Jupiter return can bring us liberation, new life openings, greater possibilities. That's why it's such a big deal. Every 11 1/2-12 years we can get a new sense of an expanding life.

I explained it in greater detail in the article The Jupiter Return Pt. 1 - Renewing the Magic of Life. A list of when different people have had or will have their Jupiter Return followed in The Jupiter Return for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces - When Will Yours Happen?

The Saturn return, on the other hand, brings us finality, completion, a sense of maturity and how we have authored our experience for good or ill. It also brings renewal, but a longer wave, slower pace of ending an old sense of purpose, duty, limitation, or fear, depending on how we have lived our purpose to our own ends or not, selfishly or not, responsibly or not.

The Saturn return most definitely shuts doors and opens others. Whether we experience life as a slog, or expressive of our sense of what truly matters to us, shows us how we've made Saturn our friend or not. Saturn symbolizes chains and age, but also power and experience.

By embracing Saturn's virtues and turning away from childish things at critical moments we come to know our mature power to shape our destiny through wise choices. We all have to "know our limitations," but these can show us the way to freedom to do our thing in our way without fear or feeling like life has lost its luster.

Since Saturn moves much slower than Jupiter, we have fewer Saturn returns. Our first one happens between 28-30. The second one happens between 57-59. I explained a lot more about what these most important life periods are about in The Saturn Return – Myth and Reality. Of course, there are other Saturn cycles as well, but that's beyond the scope of this article.

Now to what inspired this post. Sometime in the early hours of May 9, Jupiter conjuncted my natal Jupiter at 26 Pisces. In a rare circumstance, Saturn also was at 29 Virgo, the exact degree of my natal Saturn. It is extremely rare that both planets will occupy the exact birth degrees at the same point in time.

So I have the extraordinary occurrence of Jupiter and Saturn on my natal degrees simultaneously. This has been happening since May 7, and will last through May 12, when Jupiter moves into the next degree of Pisces even though Saturn will be exactly conjunct my Saturn for a few days after.

Saturn will continue to be within just a few minutes of longitude of my natal Saturn until mid-July, while Jupiter will of course move into early Aries before retrograding back into Pisces in September. It will again transit my natal Jupiter in mid-October, with a third pass at the Winter Solstice. But of course, by then Saturn will be in Libra, well past any conjunction with my natal Saturn.

So this is finalizing my Saturn lessons for this time in my life. And yes, I am feeling the opposition acutely right now, since it's boosting the energies of the Saturn-Uranus centrifuge effect I've been writing about for a while that affects everyone.

So it's hello and goodbye, yes and no, present and past, accented by outer events that are showing me elements of my entire life as I have experienced both the Jupiterian and Saturnian energies. It's a strange time to be sure. I have been dealing with elements of my Saturn return for many months since it made it to the second decan of Virgo. Though it didn't become partile (exact) until a few days ago, I've been experiencing Saturn issues and choices for a long time. Now that's ending, to be done by late July for this time around.

I suppose I should be hopeful that I will continue to have a definite sense of my Jupiter return for many months to come. Add that it will begin to conjunct my Sun in June, and that should bring me a sense of renewal in Solar ways as well. And it will be interesting to experience a constant Jupiter return from October through December, even as Saturn moves opposition my Sun.

I'll definitely keep you in the loop as these various combinations of oppositional energies unfold. While oppositions do bring separation and polarization, they also bring awareness and the need to bring something to the surface of our life.

I'll close with something I heard a long time ago. It was said in ancient chronicles that the archetypal human life span should ideally be around 120 years. That's why the ancient Chinese were of the opinion that true wisdom is not found until age 60. They also knew that was the point when the specific birth combination involving one each of the 12 signs and 5 elements recurred for the first time.

So I'll take heart that I'm reaching true "middle age" over the next few months, and hopefully can distill some wisdom out of what I realized my first 28 years that I applied, skillfully or clumsily, my second 28. This third 28 should be a great ride indeed, if I embrace whatever Saturn and Jupiter have taught me through their dance in my chart these past 59+ years.

Aum Namah Shivaya! And from here we go on.....

© Copyright 2010 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Zulma]

8th house, natal Mars at 26 Pisces-currently Uranus and Jupiter on it - mas o menos...also 2nd house - natal Jupiter at 28 Virgo, Saturn right on it - all opposing, natal and transits..increible, que no?

[Alix]

Robert,
Happy Saturn and Jupiter return!

[Morvah]

Plenty of Jupiter/Saturn transits driving UK election chemistry too! Robert, momentous times my friend - go safely.

[zenith_n]

Great article on transits...

I really do wonder on the extent to which free will really operates in a construct which is so tightly governed with natal planets and transits....

check out http://meinwandering.blogspot.com/ for a esoteric, albeit basic read on the topic using corporate life as an analogy...

[Denise]

Next year, on almost exactly the same dates, I will also have a Jupiter and Saturn return. ( Jupiter @24.14 Aries and Saturn @ 11.21 Libra) But thanks to the dynamics of retrogrades, it will be the second time for my second Saturn return. And Saturn will be retro, as it was when I was born. Interesting, eh? Wish I understood this stuff better....the prospect of such a lengthy Saturn return is making me nervous.

[Matt]

Robert - Will you write an article or two explaining how to interpret a Jupiter or Saturn Return chart and how these charts can be used for with respect one's development? My deeper question is how is their use different from other, more frequent returns, most notably the Solar Return. By looking at my own forthcoming Saturn Return, I can't help but feel it is a re-birth of sorts!

Also: many more happy joyous returns!

[Robert]

Hi Zulma - You're definitely experiencing your unique way of expressing your energies in their most characteristic forms! It's a whole new way of doing your Being, offering you a new form of Destiny. Go for your dream, and by March 20011 you'll see some version of it made manifest.

Hi Alix - As I haven't had time to thank you personally for your offering, let me take this moment to thank you with utmost gratitude. I really mean that. Blessings to you on your work and generosity!

Hi Morvah - Yes, interesting times of polarization, ambiguity, reversals, and not-exactly comity between the various factions of various vacuous governments still posturing hoping that no one notices the Emperor truly has no britches! Am treading as safely as possible amidst 50-70 mph winds!

Hi zenith_n - Checked out your site. Many interesting musings, too many to answer here in a comment stream. That said, free will is EVERYTHING, except for two things: 1) to be born when and where we were to the folks we were, and 2) the timing on our choices. Not what choices we will make but the timing on them, which is set by our first breath. The rest is effect of the causes we set into motion by our choices at critical moments.

Hi Denise - Yes, we who have to deal with Saturn camping out on our Saturn seem to have the challenge of making a jolly time out of a slog! As noted, my own Saturn return happened last Autumn, and is again in my face for most of April, May, June, and the first half of July, since the conjunction is partile (exact.) Sometimes I wish I understood this stuff better as well. ;-) Nervous is not helpful, but thoughtfulness is.

Hi Matt - Not to be a party pooper, but I'm not sure how interesting that would be for most. That's pretty much more a subject for an on-line class, which I promise I am pursuing, even if there are substantial delays due to other factors (such as my life continually intruding on my work....;-)) That said, you're definitely on to something when you say that all planetary returns represent a renewal, rebirth, and new things to come on the ashes of the old cycles of experience.

[Kachina]

Very Cool!!
May your revelations be abundant and your renewal be nourishing beyond measure! :)

[regina h]

aloha robert from austin days/5th ray...am wishing you happy 60, hugs. and ah,
"the greatness of Saturn"
love, regina Jai Ma/Om Namah Shivaya

[Robert]

Hi Kachina - Am renewing nicely, though still dealing with the last echoes of Saturn! Maybe when it's in Libra and Jupiter is still on my Jupiter the lift will feel more immediate than the weight.

Hi Regina - Glad you reconnected and checked in. Mahalo to you!

[David]

Wow! cool site,Thank you ROBERT, ... After watching " What the bleep do we know down the rabbit hole "10 + times everything makes sense now... that I don't know, WHAT > is really happening.....Free will !!!!,I feel so BOMBARDED by the planets energies it's kind of scary .PICK YOUR PARENTS ,YOUR PLACE OF BIRTH ,THIS LIFETIME LESSONS TO LEARN. WHO REAL KNOWS? ...I'M working on being a more helpful ,loving ,caring sharing human and I'm just starting going through my Saturn/Jupiter return 02/25/52/4:54am pacific time PEACE DAVID