Here’s Why Your Mid-Life Crisis is Linked to the Planets (and what you can do about it)
Are you having a Mid-Life Crisis or a Mid-Life Change? Discover the Mid-Life Planets that visit us between the ages of 38 and 42: Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, and find out how to deal with the challenges they present with our very own astrologer, Jannine Oberg, M.S.
Nine phases of the full growth cycle of the moon isolated in the night sky with clouds
When I was in college in San Luis Obispo, I studied Child Development among other subjects. At that time not much was said about Adult Development. Somehow, we reached 18 or 21 and seemingly stopped developing. Gail Sheehy had broached the topic with her breakthrough book Passages. But there were no Adult Developmental courses that I could sign up for.
Luckily, between age 28 ½ and 29 when Saturn Returned, four astrologers showed up in my life to welcome me into Adulthood and provide me with the story of future planets that would be part of my unfolding Adult Developmental journey.
In astrology, we are not considered an adult until Saturn – the planet of maturity, mastery and responsibility, literally returns to the position it was in when we were born. Thus the name ‘Saturn Return’. Later in life, Saturn appears again with two more planets to help us along in our life evolution.
NEPTUNE – Planet of Spirit, Inspiration, Creativity and Dreams . Neptune Square @ approximately 40 – 42 years of age. Neptune will have journeyed one quarter of the way around the zodiac at this age (90 degrees) to create a square to the position Neptune was in at the time and day of your birth. Neptune is the planet of dreams, the muse, the visionary and the mystic.
When you were young, Neptune sent you dreams of your future and inspired you to pursue those dreams. Notice I said dreams (plural). The little girl or boy in you is still holding for you the energy of all those dreams. However, as an adult you have taken various forks in the road that now make it impossible for you to manifest some of those dreams. This is a time when you must, and I mean must, grieve for the loss of the dreams that you will not be able to achieve.
(We strongly advise consulting with an astrologer to help guide you through this stage.)
The energy that is being held by the younger you is not available to your present self until you honor the dream, grieve the loss, comfort your inner child and retrieve the energy from the little girl or boy within. Then you can empower the dreams that your mid-life self has chosen for the second half of your life with all of Neptune’s energy!
URANUS – Planet of Lightning and Breakthroughs . Uranus Opposition @ approximately 38 – 42 years of age. Uranus will have journeyed half way around the zodiac (180 degrees) by this age and will be opposing the position Uranus was in at the time and day of your birth.
I like to call Uranus the Lightning Bolt planet as it sends electrically powered light to us here on earth. We suddenly, and I mean suddenly, see things differently with this rare form of light. Notice that lightning is depicted with a jagged line; clearly this is not a linear progression down to earth. Both men and women complain of hot flashes and/or delight in the sexy and spiritual surges of Kundalini energy with this electrical charge. This opposition is usually in effect for about 1 year and will demand a ‘breakthrough’ or a ‘breakout’ of any pattern in which you have become stuck.
(Consulting an astrologer at this point in your life can help you avoid impulsive “break-apart” decisions, whether in relation to your family, job, or other commitments. )
Remember what happened to Thelma and Louise at the end of the movie? No, they did not end up with Brad Pitt! This energy of change will pass and you don’t want to look back and say ‘OMG what have I done, I no longer feel like I want to crawl out of my skin and leave all of this behind – I just wanted to change some of it!’
SATURN – Planet of Responsibility. Saturn Opposition @ approximately 42 – 45 years of age. Saturn travels in patterns of 7 years, but at times goes retrograde so this age is harder to predict (come visit and I’ll give you your date). By mid-life, Saturn will already have paid you several visits 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35.
I call Saturn The Homework Planet. Each time Saturn showed up in your life it gave you a homework assignment. It was important to do the work, because Saturn knew you would be given a challenge soon and you would actually need to use the skills required by the homework assignment (contrary to many school assignments). As adults we can continue to tell Saturn “my dog ate my homework” and skip the assignment, just like we did when we were kids. However, at mid-life this really counts.
Saturn’s job has been to deliver you to this moment! The level of personal authority, expertise, and personal mastery that we exhibit in our lives peaks at this time. Please embrace your personal authority; tell everyone what you know and how well you do what you do.
Why not swing by and schedule a visit with our astrologer Jannine? After all, you deserve recognition for your talents and accomplishments as much as anyone!
