This is a repost of an article originally published in November 2021.
Adele took a pause from her performance at Griffith Observatory. Her famous Elsa Schiaparelli Saturn earrings glistened in the well-lit space, creating a visual trifecta with her Saturn arm tattoo. The singer took a sip from a cup and told us that her mouth was dry. She paced a bit across the stage, cracked a joke, then continued to belt out her popular melodies. This was my first time seeing Adele perform in concert—albeit through my laptop screen. In an interview a few days before the special, Oprah had told Gayle King that she thought the format for the special—a mix of a concert and an interview—was a good business decision for CBS. And it was. The company had bet big on a program expected to attract millions of viewers. The special reportedly drew more than 9 million viewers. Adele and Oprah received well-deserved attention, but so did the Lord of Karma planet. Why is Saturn so important to Adele? Well, because of its rough lessons about life, she said, particularly through The Saturn Return. All this Saturnian recognition by the pop star led me to research the planet and gather clarity about belief systems about its influence.
Saturn has a long history dating back thousands of years to the formative years of astronomy. It is known for its rings, its slow movement, and its energy. Various cultures—from the Babylonians to the Romans to the Greeks—have associated Saturn with spirituality, structure, discipline, karma, time, tradition, history, and innovation. The concept of The Saturn Return is connected to the movement of the planet and is said to manifest itself 28 to 30 years into a person’s life. In other words, people experience a Saturn Return when they are between 28 and 30 years old. During this period, individuality is tested; patterns are broken; the self is pushed into a new level. An individual may experience three Saturn Returns in one lifetime. Can you think of a time in your life where you felt intensely pushed? Whether you believe in the Saturn Return or not, one can liken the phenomenon to a valley season, a mountain season, or a blend of both. We all experience changing seasons in our lives. Some of the changes leave us suspended temporarily, dangling like that pair of designer Italian earrings that Adele wore. Other changes create marks on our lives that are as permanent as her tattoo. Wishing you continued self discovery.
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RENATA SAGO 