The planets never stay still, they are forever moving which is why we all have our own unique birth chart. As the planets move they interact with placements on our natal chart which is why we all experience similar ‘life themes’ at certain ages.

Some planets move quickly like Mercury which takes three weeks to orbit the sun, whereas Pluto’s journey is 248 years. When the slower-moving planets return to the same position they first held on our chart or make hard aspects (squares, oppositions and conjunctions) to those positions their influence on our lives becomes pronounced. An aspect is simply how planets interact and communicate with one another.

In this journal, I’m going to focus on the slower-moving planets as it’s this group where we collectively experience their influence in similar ways.

Childhood

Age 7–8

The first major astrological transit to note happens around the ages of 7 to 8. Saturn has moved 90 degrees from its natal position, this is the first Saturn square in a person’s life. Child psychologists call this stage “the age of reasoning.” It’s the time in our lives when we start to grasp the difference between right and wrong and become aware other people’s feelings and opinions may not reflect our own.

Saturn is the teacher of the zodiac. It’s here to challenge and discipline, it presents us with life lessons and wants us to take responsibility.

Indications of a Saturn square:

• Less impulsive
• A developed conscience, children can now grasp what is considered ‘good’ and ‘bad’
• Suspicious, will question fantasy and magic
• More logical thinking and responses

Age 12-13

When we reach 12 Jupiter has returned to its natal position on your chart and it should feel fantastic. Jupiter is the planet of joy, luck and abundance, it wants to us explore and expand our horizons. Jupiter will cycle back to this position every 12-13 years, it’s during these periods where we should feel optimistic and hopeful in our outlook.

Signs of a Jupiter return:

• Big boost in self-confidence
• May act recklessly like they’re invincible
• Want to ignore rules and restrictions
• More curious about life, keen to learn

Of course, it’s around this age when puberty begins for a lot of children, the changing, evolving and expanding physical form is very Jupiter in its energy.

Adulthood

Age 18–19

As you tip into adulthood we have something called a nodal return, the first of your lifetime. This is when the Moon’s nodes return to their starting place. There are two nodes on a chart, North and South. They are points where the orbit of the moon intersects with the ecliptic (the path of the sun) and they take approximately 18 years to travel through the zodiac. When the nodes return to their original starting position we feel boosted like the universe has our back.

Signs of a nodal return:

• Confidence to embark on a new adventure, change in direction
• An instinctual knowing about a major life decision

Age 28–30

Between the ages of 28-30, Saturn will return to the exact position it was at the moment you were born. This is called your Saturn return. As mentioned above the planet Saturn is our teacher it represents rules, responsibilities and maturity. During this period, you may feel like you’re finally a grown-up and in control of your life. You start to receive recognition and respect for all the hard work of this last decade.

Typical things that happen to people during their Saturn return:

• Get married (this was me, I married two weeks before my 30^th birthday!)
• Start a family
• Refine career focus

Saturn returns to this exact position every approximately every 30 years of your life. You will feel its effects again from 58–60 and 88–90. Each Saturn return builds on the lessons and commitments you made in the previous cycle. It’s said with each return it gets smoother and less challenging to navigate! Phew!

Age 36

We experience our second nodal return. If you recall our first was on the precipice of adulthood now we are immersed in our adult life we have a second chance to recess if we’re on course. It’s a time for positive reflection, have we placed our attention and energy where we intended?

Signs of the second nodal return:

• Hungry for more from life!
• A life spring clean, removing all that no longer serves you
• Change in career direction
• Starting a family

Reflect back on where you thought the direction of your life would go when you were 18-19 years old. What commitments did you make to yourself then?

Age 36-43

During your late thirties and early forties, you will feel for the first time the impact of Neptune and Pluto when they both form a 90-degree square to their natal position. During this same period, Uranus moves into opposition (180 degrees) from its original position. These tricky years are what’s often referred to as the ‘mid-life crisis’. I’m almost on the other side of this stage so I think it’s incredibly helpful to be aware. what to expect.

When a square is formed in someone’s chart it’s a strain point, it’s as if one planet is getting in the other’s way and it causes tension, a square-off if you like! In this instance, it’s the same planet so it’s double that particular planet’s energy and influence. Neptune when it operates in its lower vibration causes us confusion and delusions, a feeling of being lost and wanting to escape. Pluto is the planet of deep transformation and rebirth; he’s named after the god of the underworld after all. Whatever shadows you carry when Pluto is in hard aspect it will want to purge and uncover them. Opposition in a chart is when two points are 180 degrees apart, they are mirroring each other, this aspect is about finding harmony and balance. Uranus’s energy is unpredictable, it likes to shake things up and dismantle us. It’s the planet of shock and rebellion.

Signs you’re feeling the effects of these three planets:

• Wanting to escape your life.
• Despondency.
• A recognition of your mortality perhaps for the first time
• Regrets.
• A spiritual awakening
• You may feel the need to have more children when you had previously thought you never would or didn’t want any more.
• A life purge – people, habits and behaviours
• Friends and family members say they don’t recognise you anymore

Age 43-44

Saturn’s back! This time in opposition to its natal position. It’s the second time it’s in this position the first was during your teen years when you may have felt its influence in wanting to resist and rebel against authority, restrictions and rules. When it returns in your forties and faces off your natal position this is how you may feel it’s influence:

• A change in career direction
• Retrain or gain further qualifications
• Become more aware of your physicality and prioritise your health.

Saturn rules our skeleton and teeth, be careful with your bones during these years. If you haven’t already start exercising to build strength in your bones and eat foods that are high in calcium and vitamin D.

Age 49-51

During the end of this decade, you have something called your Chiron return. Chiron is not a planet but a comet; its energy is more subtle than the planets. Chiron is called the wounded healer; its role is to help us identify the parts of ourselves that need attention. Chiron guides us towards our pain points, not to continue suffering but instead to recognise and heal. It’s often said you don’t feel or recognise Chiron until this period in your life. Have a look at where Chiron is placed in your natal chart (its symbol looks like a key) the house and sign will be hugely helpful in understanding where to focus your own healing.

Signs you’re going through your Chiron return:

• Deep physical and emotional change and shifts  
• Finally, you put your own needs first
• People come to you for counsel and guidance, your talents and gifts are recognised

Age 54

Your third nodal return. As with the previous two it’s that period in your life for reflection on where you intended to be by this juncture. You may start considering what your legacy will look like, and what steps (if you need to take any) can you put into motion to achieve that vision.

Age 58-60

These are the years of your second Saturn return. As with the nodal returns, I would encourage you to reflect back on what was going on in your life during your first (ages 28-30). Perhaps you were starting a family and now you’re the grandparent or looking forward to becoming one. Or thirty years ago were you about to climb the career ladder whereas now you’re considering when to retire and how you’d like to invest your time and energy differently.

Signs of your second Saturn return:

• A deep desire to find more meaning out of life
• An openness to share your knowledge, gifts and talents with others
• A recognition to find balance, prioritising your emotional and physical health

The attention you gave to your bones and teeth during your Saturn opposition in your forties absolutely still applies. If you haven’t started think about exercises and a diet that helps fortify them.

Age 82-83

During these years we experience our only Neptune opposition. We felt Neptune’s effects during our late thirties, and early forties when it was square to its natal position. Now it’s moved 180 degrees around the chart. If you recall Neptune is the planet of dreams, delusion, and escapism, it’s also the planet of spirituality. During this time people may find themselves reflecting upon their spiritual nature and what may await them when they pass.

Signs of a Neptune opposition:

• Making peace with yourself and your life
• Finding religion or a more spiritual outlook

Age 84

Uranus has made a full journey around your chart and has returned to its original position. You have been fortunate to live longer than the average human and in your lifetime lived through many experiences and felt the full range of human emotions. You are now officially one of our wise ones! In Human Design its founder Ra Uru Hu said our bodies are built to live an optimal life until this age. A Uranus return brings us liberation, we don’t sweat the small stuff anymore, focusing our time and energy on what’s important to us.

Human Design

In Human Design you also have transits, in the same way the astrological chart is affected according to the movement of the planets in Human Design it’s the 64 gates (have a read of this article I wrote on how the chart is built and what a gate is if unsure). A transiting Human Design Bodygraph chart will look different to your Human Design birth chart depending on which planet is transiting which gate. Confusing I know! Understanding transits, what they mean and how you can work with them comes once you’ve got familiar and comfortable with your birth charts.

Final thought…

Plot yourself against some of the ages I’ve written about, does any of it resonate with your life experiences? I hope with the stages ahead you feel more informed and will be able to spot the signals within yourself and for those around you.

For age accuracy, please check your own birth chart and its transits given the planets move at different speeds and go retrograde in different cycles.

For Reference – Aspects in Astrology

The definition of an aspect is simply how two planets communicate with one another. Every planet has a high and low vibration. When in a harmonious aspect you’ll likely experience the higher vibration and when in hard aspect it’s more likely to be it’s lower, more challenging energies.

NEUTRAL

Conjunct – when a planet is 0-10 degrees apart. This is neither good nor bad but it is the most powerful of aspects. It’s the concentration of energy in one place on the chart. It’s a merging of the two planets’ characteristics.

HARMONIOUS

Sextile – A sextile is formed when two planets are 60 degrees apart give or take 6 degrees. The two planets are co-operating and coaxing one another to express their potential.

Trine – The most harmonious of aspects. A trine occurs when two planets are 120 degrees apart from each other give or take 8 degrees. The energies of the two connected planets flow most freely, they support one another and don’t interfere with each other’s expression.

CHALLENGING

Square – Squares are formed when two planets are 90 degrees apart give or take 8 degrees. A square aspect will always be a strain point in the chart, it’s as if one planet gets in the other’s way and causes tension. Squares are opportunities for breakthrough, there is excess energy that gets blocked but once recognised and processed the energy is released and the seemingly impossible can be manifested!

Opposition – This aspect is about polarity and finding balance, which can be seen as a motivating influence in the chart. An opposition is formed when two planets are 180 degrees apart give or take 8 degrees. Oppositions challenge us to look at all facets of ourselves to become a more rounded individual.

Quincunx – This aspect is only recognised in Modern astrology. It appears when two planets are 150 degrees apart give or take 2 degrees. This aspect is about irritation, it’s the aspect associated with health. It’s the physical manifestation of the stress and discomfort caused by the planets associated. It’s nothing to worry about but points to something that needs our attention.