March 2009
Rites of Passage: Age Defining Transits
By Mandi Lockley
Rites of Passage: Age Defining Transits
By Mandi Lockley
Important times in our life’s journey are very often reflected in astrology by the journey of the planet Saturn around our natal horoscope. As Saturn moves through every sign in the zodiac, taking 29½ years to complete a full circuit, it makes a series of transits (angular measurements) to all the planets and points in our natal chart.
While the timing of most of these transits is different for everyone, the transits of Saturn to our natal Saturn happen at around the same age for everyone and these transits represent times when important stages in our lives are coming to an end and new stages are beginning, literally and symbolically. These are amongst the Rite of Passage or age defining transits, which frame important development times. Almost every one of these Rite of Passage times coincides with at least one other age defining transit and together these astrological measurements uniquely define the key stages of our lives through childhood, early adulthood, our end of youth crisis (as symbolized by our Saturn Return), the mid-life crisis times of our 30s and 40s and beyond into maturity and wise old age.
The Rites of Passage in Childhood
At 7, we experience the first (the waxing) Square of our first Saturn cycle. This is a time of action and learning, an important time for shaping our self esteem and practicing our emerging social skills on our peers and family members, sowing seeds for our future adult relationships. This is exemplified very clearly in the structure (a good Saturn word) of the education system. For example, in the English school system, at age 7, school children move up from Infant to junior school. Here, they start to mix with older children and undertake more serious study, including tests and there is nothing more Saturnian than tests! Similarly, in the US, it is around this time that children move from kindergarten to elementary school.
At 14-15, we experience the Opposition of the first Saturn cycle, along with Uranus Sextile Uranus and a Mars return. This is another key time for action. Ego energies are running high and life demands a change of gear and the initiation of new things. The Uranus measurement symbolizes the need for greater independence and freedom from parental supervision and intrusion and Mars’ return symbolises the sexuality that is rapidly developing and increasingly expressed. Friendships end and new friendships begin on new terms. Once again, the education system is in synch with the Saturn cycle. At 14, children move up to high school in the US and in the English system, students sit for exams at 14 which set the course for their future educational achievement.
At 14-15, we experience the Opposition of the first Saturn cycle, along with Uranus Sextile Uranus and a Mars return. This is another key time for action. Ego energies are running high and life demands a change of gear and the initiation of new things. The Uranus measurement symbolizes the need for greater independence and freedom from parental supervision and intrusion and Mars’ return symbolises the sexuality that is rapidly developing and increasingly expressed. Friendships end and new friendships begin on new terms. Once again, the education system is in synch with the Saturn cycle. At 14, children move up to high school in the US and in the English system, students sit for exams at 14 which set the course for their future educational achievement.
The Quarter-Life Crisis
As we reach our early twenties we are learning to express our ego identity, as adults, out in the world. The last (the waning) Square of our first Saturn cycle symbolises a very productive time when we must take on adult responsibilities and put all our learning to date into action. Uranus Square Uranus* represents our first big opportunity to find our own way autonomously and independently and major breakthroughs can occur as we dream about and pursue the endless possibilities. But all is not as it seems. Neptune Semisquare Neptune** symbolises how during this time we seem to be searching for what is just out of reach. Often, degrees of dissatisfaction and disappointment with our lives, our jobs and our close relationships, force us to re-evaluate. We realize that parents and authority figures, once our infallible gods or heroes, can no longer be relied upon to sort out our problems for us. This age has been labelled by some writers and psychologists as the quarter-life crisis, a time when we must learn to stand on our own two feet. However, the ground may feel decidedly shaky and we feel nostalgic for the easy freedoms of school and university life as we struggle to find our place in the world.
The Saturn Return
At the age of around 28/29 transiting Saturn returns to the position in our horoscope that it occupied at birth. This is the well-known Saturn Return, a measurement which symbolises a major Rite of Passage, when we must leave behind our youth and fully embrace the responsibilities of adulthood. Since the Saturn Square of our early twenties, some of our ambitions may well have crystallized, if we have been on the right track and put in enough work and effort. But we learn that with success comes responsibility and even more hard work if we are to continue to achieve our goals. Others of us may have become parents and must achieve financial and emotional security in order to support and create a stable environment for our children.
For many, our Saturn Return is a crisis time. We become more aware of what we haven’t achieved than what we have and re-assess our lives accordingly. Our values, the jobs we do, our finances and our relationships all come under scrutiny and we must re-structure our lives to weed out those things which are no longer working for us. We may do this consciously, voluntarily, or these changes may be forced onto us by circumstance. However the process is worked out, it is certain that major life milestones occur during this time period and we enter our 30’s keenly aware of our limitations, but with a realistic opportunity to build our future on stronger foundations, more certain of our life path and more determined in our ambitions.
The Measurements of our Mid-Thirties
By the time we reach 35-36 we are perhaps married (or at least settled into a long term relationship) and we have most probably made some progress on our chosen career path. Or maybe we have taken a few diversions along the way and fallen off track. The first (the waxing) Square of our second Saturn cycle heralds a time to face reality, assess the decisions we made during the Saturn Square and Saturn Return in our twenties, deal with unfinished business and adjust our goals once again, if necessary.
The mid-thirties is also a time when some of us experience the Transit of Pluto in Square angle to our natal Pluto***. Psychologically, Pluto symbolizes those things which happen at a subconscious level, those urges we repress because they are dark, dangerous or unacceptable. This transit can act as a trigger to those deep urges, exploding them onto the surface to be faced and dealt with. For some, this transit represents an inner journey, a time of psychological healing and transformation, but for many, disruptive life events occur that can feel cruel and beyond our control (marriages may break down, jobs may be lost etc.), but coping and symbolically surviving these events, can lead to new growth and fresh perspectives in almost any area of our life. What this Pluto transit really symbolizes is the perhaps painful awareness of where things have become stagnant in our lives, forcing us to do something about it. As reflected by another Mars Return and a third Jupiter Return also around this time, we can ultimately emerge with fresh hope and an injection of energy to initiate the necessary new things in our lives.
The Midlife Crisis
As we hit 40, we may experience a period of exhaustion and confusion, symbolized by Neptune square Neptune****. Focus is lost and we can feel like a rudderless boat cast adrift in a fog or perhaps a grounded ship sinking in the mud. An extended break during this transit is temptingly desirable, but for most of us, real life demands that we have to carry on working and providing. However, we should ensure that we get plenty of rest and follow a healthy lifestyle. Allowing ourselves time to dream, reflect, sleep, pursue the spiritual side of life will help. Generally, going with the flow is wise at this time and the opportunity to shake up our lives will come soon enough, when transiting Uranus Opposes Uranus at around 42-44.
Uranus Opposite Uranus symbolises the sudden unexpected wake up calls, which, if answered appropriately, can propel us back onto our right path. Long dormant ambitions re-awaken and we become aware of lost freedoms. Unlike the Neptune square Neptune transit, this transit heralds a time of urgency, when it feels like it’s our last chance to pursue what we want out of life. We may remember the dreams and ambitions of our Quarter Life crisis twenty years before and wish we could go back in time and do it all over again. Hence, this is the classic midlife crisis lampooned so much in comedy……the middle aged man buys a motorbike to recapture his lost youth, the middle aged woman contemplates an affair…….but behind the comedic this is a serious and incredibly stressful time for many and the urge for change means that some of us will be tempted to throw the baby out with the bathwater! Ironically though, for those who have lived their lives wild and free until this point, the Uranus Opposition is often a transit under which they settle down. Framing this excitable, disruptive time period is the Opposition of Saturn’s second cycle, reminding us that we are no longer as youthful and energetic as were once were and urging us to find a healthy balance between the old and the new.
At around the age of 45 or 46 (depending on when we were born), we experience the accumulated 45 degree Solar Arc measurement. This is a significant Rite of Passage measurement, a time when every planet and point makes a Semi-Square (450 degree) aspect to itself by Solar Arc. This measurement symbolically marks the end of our midlife crisis period. Although the Uranus square Uranus might have felt like our last chance to get life on track, this Arc period gives us a further opportunity. Our needs are out in the open and the personality traits and developmental tensions symbolised by our birth chart are intensified. We see ourselves as we are and we have the opportunity to heal the past and track for our future.
Difficult though they can be, each one of these Rite of Passage transits are cosmic wake up calls. What they are trying to wake us up to depends upon the individual, but at best, they present us with an opportunity to make changes which can get our lives on track for a future more aligned with our personal needs and our unique talents.
The Measurements of our Mid-Thirties
By the time we reach 35-36 we are perhaps married (or at least settled into a long term relationship) and we have most probably made some progress on our chosen career path. Or maybe we have taken a few diversions along the way and fallen off track. The first (the waxing) Square of our second Saturn cycle heralds a time to face reality, assess the decisions we made during the Saturn Square and Saturn Return in our twenties, deal with unfinished business and adjust our goals once again, if necessary.
The mid-thirties is also a time when some of us experience the Transit of Pluto in Square angle to our natal Pluto***. Psychologically, Pluto symbolizes those things which happen at a subconscious level, those urges we repress because they are dark, dangerous or unacceptable. This transit can act as a trigger to those deep urges, exploding them onto the surface to be faced and dealt with. For some, this transit represents an inner journey, a time of psychological healing and transformation, but for many, disruptive life events occur that can feel cruel and beyond our control (marriages may break down, jobs may be lost etc.), but coping and symbolically surviving these events, can lead to new growth and fresh perspectives in almost any area of our life. What this Pluto transit really symbolizes is the perhaps painful awareness of where things have become stagnant in our lives, forcing us to do something about it. As reflected by another Mars Return and a third Jupiter Return also around this time, we can ultimately emerge with fresh hope and an injection of energy to initiate the necessary new things in our lives.
The Midlife Crisis
As we hit 40, we may experience a period of exhaustion and confusion, symbolized by Neptune square Neptune****. Focus is lost and we can feel like a rudderless boat cast adrift in a fog or perhaps a grounded ship sinking in the mud. An extended break during this transit is temptingly desirable, but for most of us, real life demands that we have to carry on working and providing. However, we should ensure that we get plenty of rest and follow a healthy lifestyle. Allowing ourselves time to dream, reflect, sleep, pursue the spiritual side of life will help. Generally, going with the flow is wise at this time and the opportunity to shake up our lives will come soon enough, when transiting Uranus Opposes Uranus at around 42-44.
Uranus Opposite Uranus symbolises the sudden unexpected wake up calls, which, if answered appropriately, can propel us back onto our right path. Long dormant ambitions re-awaken and we become aware of lost freedoms. Unlike the Neptune square Neptune transit, this transit heralds a time of urgency, when it feels like it’s our last chance to pursue what we want out of life. We may remember the dreams and ambitions of our Quarter Life crisis twenty years before and wish we could go back in time and do it all over again. Hence, this is the classic midlife crisis lampooned so much in comedy……the middle aged man buys a motorbike to recapture his lost youth, the middle aged woman contemplates an affair…….but behind the comedic this is a serious and incredibly stressful time for many and the urge for change means that some of us will be tempted to throw the baby out with the bathwater! Ironically though, for those who have lived their lives wild and free until this point, the Uranus Opposition is often a transit under which they settle down. Framing this excitable, disruptive time period is the Opposition of Saturn’s second cycle, reminding us that we are no longer as youthful and energetic as were once were and urging us to find a healthy balance between the old and the new.
At around the age of 45 or 46 (depending on when we were born), we experience the accumulated 45 degree Solar Arc measurement. This is a significant Rite of Passage measurement, a time when every planet and point makes a Semi-Square (450 degree) aspect to itself by Solar Arc. This measurement symbolically marks the end of our midlife crisis period. Although the Uranus square Uranus might have felt like our last chance to get life on track, this Arc period gives us a further opportunity. Our needs are out in the open and the personality traits and developmental tensions symbolised by our birth chart are intensified. We see ourselves as we are and we have the opportunity to heal the past and track for our future.
Difficult though they can be, each one of these Rite of Passage transits are cosmic wake up calls. What they are trying to wake us up to depends upon the individual, but at best, they present us with an opportunity to make changes which can get our lives on track for a future more aligned with our personal needs and our unique talents.
*Uranus Square Uranus usually occurs at 21, but occurred as early as 18 for people born in the fifties and as late as 22 for those born in the eighties.
**Neptune Semisquare Neptune usually occurs at 21. However, some people born in the forties or fifties experienced this transit at 19 or 20 years old.
***The timing of Pluto Square Pluto varies widely from generation to generation, but for most people it will occur sometime between the age of 35-42. For example, people around the age of 36 are currently experiencing this transit.
****Neptune Square Neptune is experienced around the age of 40 or for some at 41 or 42.
© Mandi Lockley 2009