The Time of Day You Were Born May Impact How Challenging Your Saturn Return Is (or Isn’t)

In astrology, Saturn is known as the planet of structure, and it's perhaps most infamous for the event of one's Saturn return. Any planetary return happens when the celestial body comes back to the position it was in when you were born, and it happens at various rates for all the planets. (For instance, your lunar return happens monthly.) A Saturn return happens typically every 28 or 29 years, and throws various obstacles your way. That's why a person's first Saturn return can feel like a tough rite of passage into adulthood. And according to an astrologer, the time you were born can impact the details of your specific Saturn return.

In the most recent episode of The Well+Good Podcast, astrologer Kirah Tabourn breaks down what you need to know about a Saturn return. A person's natal chart uses their birth date, time, and place to map the exact location of all the planets at the time of their birth. And when it comes to charting a Saturn return, in particular, there’s an interesting difference between people born during the day and people born at night.

Listen to the full episode here.

According to Tabourn, people born before sunset have "day charts," and may experience their Saturn return differently than folks with "night charts," who were born after sunset.

“If you were born in the daytime, meaning if the sun was above the horizon, Saturn tends to be less challenging [to work with],” says Tabourn. “For day-chart people, Saturn might be experienced as your grandma watching you to make sure that you're not running into the road,” says Tabourn. In this scenario, the world is your oyster and your guardian is merely there to make sure you’re exploring within reason; Saturn’s presence doesn’t necessarily feel restricting to you.

If you were born at night, your relationship with Saturn might be more complicated.

If you were born post-sunset, however, your relationship with Saturn might be more complicated, says Tabourn. “If you're a night chart, you're going to experience Saturn and the return [in a more] limiting, restricting, potentially controlling, or pressured way.” So, to take Tabourn's example further, instead of Saturn functioning like your grandmother letting you explore under light supervision, the planet of structure may feel more like a “guard, who’s keeping you trapped and locked in place,” she adds.

There’s another difference between folks born during the day and at night as it pertains to their Saturn return: “Day-chart folks have a better relationship with time,” says Tabourn, which means they may be a bit more flexible when things don’t go according to plan. During the Saturn return, people born at night might be prone to feel like "their time is running out," Tabourn adds.

Of course, none of these patterns are concrete rules: Those who have a day chart won't absolutely have a breezy Saturn return, and night-chart people aren't automatically relegated to a terrible, conflict-laden experience with the taskmaster planet. Rather, the power in knowing if you have a day or night chart can help you have a sense of what you might expect, which can help you handle whatever comes your way with more ease.

For additional details on what a Saturn return is and tips for navigating and reflecting on the astrological event, listen to the full podcast episode here.

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