Your first Saturn return
The Initiation Begins…
If your Saturn is in Aries* (or you are approximately 27-28 years old right now), congratulations! You have just begun one of the most transformative periods of your life: your first Saturn return.
If things are feeling emotionally heavy or overwhelming, you are in the right place. These next few years – through April 2028 – will challenge you to meet yourself more honestly than ever before. It won’t be easy, pretty, or clean – but you will get through it, and it will be worth it. How deeply can you trust the process of your unfurling? How might you learn to create safety for yourself today?
The discomfort of the first Saturn return is a necessary part of the initiation into adulthood. It’s time to put in the real work to become the version of yourself that you want to be. Not who your parents, society, or anyone else wants you to be. You create you, for you.
What kind of life do you want to live?
*Check your natal chart here to find out what sign your Saturn is in.
What is a Saturn return?
A “Saturn return” describes a 3-year period when the planet Saturn returns to the same place in the sky that it was at when you were born. This process takes about 27 to 30 years, meaning that you will go through a Saturn return at the end of your 20s, 50s, and 80s. In this blog, I speak specifically to the first Saturn return – the one that occurs in your late 20s – as it tends to bring the greatest shock and upheaval as the first time around.
Saturn is the planet of accountability, seeming to shout “wake up!” with a tone most would not describe as gentle.
When your Saturn returns, you are called to face the reality of how you are (or aren’t) showing up in important areas of your life. What’s working, and what isn’t? How can you take accountability for your life? This process is the beginning of your initiation into adulthood.
The Crumbling
When I began my Saturn return, I pretty much felt like everything around me was crumbling to the earth. I felt disoriented; I became emotionally flooded by the tiniest of triggers; my partnership fell apart. I lost weight and started experiencing acne for the first time in over a decade. My body was screaming at me: Slow down! Wake up! Look at me. Pay attention.
And so I listened, and the journey inward began.
The energetic crumble that begins as your Saturn returns creates an opening to journey deep into the center of your Self. This is a journey of seeing it all. Seeing yourself, in all your imperfections, in all your pain, in all your beauty, in all your shortcomings.
During this time, you might become aware of ways in which your needs were unmet during childhood, and how that caused you pain. In turn, you might meet anger and grief – and you might not know how to safely feel these emotions on your own. You might also meet parts of yourself that are deeply afraid – of abandonment, of failure, of rejection, of being unlovable, of not being good enough. You might meet your shame, and discover how it has kept other parts of you clouded in shadow to protect you from feeling ugly or causing harm. You might meet your loneliness, and realize how many things you do each week to avoid sitting with its potency.
You might find that you’ve done such a good job hiding parts of yourself from the world that, along the way, you also accidentally hid them from yourself.
Give yourself permission to crumble so that you may bear witness to the worlds you contain within.
What is lurking in the shadows? Saturn challenges you to be courageous. Turn on the lights and look aroun. You can handle it. It’s only you.
The Tending
The real work lies in building relationships with parts of yourself that may still be hurting or hiding from past events in your life. These parts may have unintentionally held you back from being the person you truly want to be. They may have also caused harm to people you love. It’s not their fault – they likely didn’t receive the care they needed during moments of vulnerability. The good news is that now they have you. They don’t have to stay hurt or hidden forever.
As you begin to spend more time in honest connection with yourself — away from pressures to be anything or anyone – get curious about who remains. Who are you when you strip away illusion and noise? When I let go of all attachments to identity, ego, and story – I found that only one thing remained. Pure life force. Love. And from that place, I patiently uncovered and tended to parts of me that I had left behind.
Every pain point you discover within yourself is a teacher.
You can use somatic techniques to calm your nervous system while you sit with these painful emotions. The longer you can sit with them, the more you can hear. They have lessons to teach. And you have love to offer.
The Rising
Once you have tended to the past and fully accepted where you are in the present, you can begin to rise and take steps toward the adult you wish to become. These steps are slow, intentional, and aligned with your values. Each step carries the wisdom you have been integrating so diligently throughout your Saturn return.
Remember, Saturn doesn’t hand you anything for free – you have to build it. Brick by brick. Step by step. This is an opportunity to consciously rebuild your foundation.
As you rebuild, you might become more discerning in your relationships – choosing only those rooted in mutual respect. This might bring up grief once again, as there are people you may grow apart from as you raise your relational standards. You might also decide to change careers in pursuit of work more aligned with your values. You might prioritize setting firmer boundaries with your time and investing in your future. Let every step be a whisper to your younger self: “Look where we are now. Let me show you how good life can get. I will give you a life you love, and try my best to be somebody you are proud of everyday.”
You have agency, and you are capable of being the person you’ve always dreamed of.
Navigating Your Saturn Return
This might sound surprising, but if I could go back and re-live my Saturn return – I would. Not because I want to change anything, but because it was such a precious period of intimacy with myself. If you let yourself, your Saturn return can be an opportunity to really get to know yourself, and even possibly fall in love with who you are. And, like falling in love with anyone else, that process might be beautiful, challenging, and absolutely terrifying at times – but so, so worth it for the depth of connection and presence that comes thereafter. There is so much beauty in the messiness of being human; this is what I learned. Commit to your journey and your growth, and it will pay off with rewards to last a lifetime. Below are some tips to help get the most out of this potent and transformative period of life with grace:
Date yourself. Spend time alone. Let loved ones know that you are going through a potent growth period and you might spend more time just being with yourself. Spend time in silence. Spend time writing. Spend time getting curious about who you are and how you like to spend your time.
Practice mindfulness. In order to safely and lovingly meet different parts of yourself, you must be able to create space between yourself and your thoughts. If it calls to you, yoga and mindfulness meditation are beautiful supports to accessing your Self and your ability to create this separation.
Get clear on your values. Hold yourself accountable to taking aligned actions, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Keep a dream journal. Whether it’s a journal on your nightstand or a voice memo you record with sleepy-still-shut-eyes, get curious about what might be processing through your subconscious during this time. It might point to themes in your life that want your attention.
Ground. Move your body, take deep breaths, and plant your feet on the earth. You are moving a lot of energy, and it’s important to stay connected to your body and this physical plane.
Be brutally honest with yourself. What are you pretending isn’t here? What are you pretending not to know? What do you not want to admit? You can only change after you’ve acknowledged what is. Saturn beckons you to take accountability for who you are.
Take one step at a time. There is no timeline of things you should do by xyz date. You are walking your own path. The slower you go, the more intention you can infuse, and the more likely you will be to end up with a life you love – because you chose it for yourself.
Surrender & trust. Remember that this process is happening for your greatest good. Surrender into trust, again and again.
Work with a therapeutic guide. I did! And I can’t imagine having gone through the journey without that kind of support. You don’t have to walk this path alone.
Work with a Therapeutic Guide at Therapy on Fig in Los Angeles, CA Today!
If you’re feeling especially emotional, overwhelmed, unsatisfied, or confused about life in your late 20s, you are exactly where you’re meant to be. Saturn is rerouting you back toward the path that is meant for you. This is a big journey and requires hard work, but you don’t have to do it alone. Here at Therapy on Fig, we have IFS trained therapists that can help guide you to meet and heal parts of yourself that may be calling out for your attention. Follow the steps below to connect with a spiritually-informed therapist today:
Reach out to schedule a free consultation.
Speak with a compassionate, non-pathologizing therapist.
Find safety as you navigate your Saturn return today!
Other Services Offered at Therapy on Fig
At Therapy on Fig, we offer therapy services that fit the unique needs of teens, adults, and couples. We provide Teen Therapy in Highland Park, CA. We also offer Neurodivergent Affirming Therapy, Therapy for Empaths, Trauma Therapy, Grief and Loss Therapy, and Couples Therapy. We also address related issues such as anxiety, stress management, self-esteem, and relationship issues. Whether you're seeking support for a specific issue or looking to strengthen your relationship overall, our therapists are here to help. Reach out today to learn more about our services and to begin your path to healing, agency, and peace.
Marina Mendes is a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (#15511) supervised by Sharon Yu, LMFT (#50028). As a mixed-race Asian American queer woman, introvert, and Highly Sensitive Person, my healing work is shaped by a deep understanding of what it means to feel "othered." I support individuals who feel misunderstood, embrace multifaceted identities, and value multicultural awareness. Reach out to learn more about our experienced therapists.