Adele and Her Saturn Return
Adele’s interest in astrology first came to our attention when her Saturn tattoo was reported on by The Daily Mail in 2019. “Adele adds to her collection of tattoos with a new Saturn inking on her forearm ‘as a tribute to son Angelo’ following split from Simon Konecki.” the paper reported.
A photograph clearly showing Saturn with his famous rings, has circulated among Adele’s millions of fans on Instagram and Twitter ever since (below). Her face says it all. Saturn Returns make you stronger. Even if life becomes black, white and shades of grey for a while. People who go through their Saturn Return always come out on the other side, with more strength. Wisdom.
Saturn is the planet of hard times, big learning experiences and reality checks. The Saturn Return usually comes around as you exit your twenties and go into your thirties, so it is associated with maturity. The real entry into adulthood. Forget the idea that you are supposed to be an adult at age 18 or age 21. In astrology, we think about 28-29 as the entry point.
Adele has been through a very public break-up and dramatic weight loss since her personal Saturn Return (when Saturn returns to the same zodiac sign and degree it occupied, at your birth).
These are classic outcomes of this famous event in astrology. The Saturn Return can bring divorce but also a dramatic drop in dress size. You might say Adele’s experience is textbook. Other common Saturn Return outcomes? A job change. A mortgage. A baby. Saturn Returns can also be intensely personal and reach into life experiences that usually end up in the professional astrologer’s inbox. They can be complicated, sensitive and yet – the making of you. Adele experienced her Saturn Return in Los Angeles, which is why it is also at the centre of the tattoo.
The Adele Horoscope
We have B rated birth data for Adele, from a biography held at Astro.com. The information comes from Adele by Sean Smith (HarperCollins, 2016), which shows Adele’s horoscope with a time of 8:19 am on page 260. So, what does Saturn tells us about Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, born on 5th May 1988 at 8.19am in Tottenham? She has Mercury and Venus in Gemini. Gemini is the zodiac sign to associate with singers and singer-songwriters. Sir Paul McCartney. Paul Weller. Noel Gallagher. Morrissey. Adele also has the asteroid Apollo in Gemini. This is the sign of the twins, and people born with this sign prominent in their horoscope usually go into a duet or two-person act, during their careers. They find their ‘twin’ soul for a time. The singer is famously a Taurus (the sign ruling the throat) but the Gemini twist in her chart suggests dynamic duos. Kylie Minogue, for example (who is strongly Gemini) had a duet with Nick Cave. Paul McCartney has had several duets.
Adele, Astrology and Saturn
Adele was born with Saturn at 2 Capricorn and an exact pattern with Ops at 2 Leo in the Fifth House of children. That’s quite unusual. Uncannily, Ops was married to Saturn in the original myth and had his babies. This rare astrology pattern (called a Saturn-Ops Quincunx) was triggered on her Saturn Return, which took place on January 7th-14th 2018, then from August 14th-September 30th 2018, making the year 2018 officially one of the hardest years of Adele’s life.
During her special with Oprah Winfrey, Adele One Night Only, the world’s number one singer wore Saturn earrings, with her tattoo of the planet also on show. This photograph (left) attracted huge interest when it went viral on Twitter, with fans either wanting to know what the planet in question was, or where they could buy Adele’s Saturn earrings on Oprah Winfrey’s special. Stylist magazine had the answer:
“For the intimate sunset performance, Adele, sported a striking off-the-shoulder custom Schiaparelli gown, which she accessorised with Saturn-shaped Vivienne Westwood orb earrings, a nod to the star’s belief in the Saturn return. Teasing the performance on social media, Adele posted videos and photographs to her Instagram page with the subtle captions of Saturn planets. While earlier this year, after announcing she’d transitioned through her Saturn return, she discussed having an image of the planet tattooed on her arm, which was also visible during the gig.”
“Adele first mentioned the Saturn return in a candid Instagram post from October last year, where she admitted she’d been through “the most turbulent period of my life”, with a friend then dispensing the advice that “It’s your Saturn return, babes.”
Adele, Saturn and Vogue Confessions
The Saturn Return is sometimes unforgettable. It really depends on your natal chart, but if you have Saturn at the same degree as any other horoscope factor, there is a fated pattern which can unfold. It did for Adele, and it was about success, status, ambition and career (Saturn in Capricorn) and the challenges of marriage and motherhood (Ops in Leo). Taurus Adele also spoke about her Saturn Return in her VOGUE Interview
How to Handle Your Saturn Return
If you know that Saturn is about to cross over the same zodiac sign and degree that you were born with (in November and December 2021, that will be Saturn at 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 degrees of Aquarius) and particularly if you have other factors at those same numbers – you need to know the Saturn Rules. By the way, this planet comes back about every 28/29 years so you can be much older, going towards your 60th birthday, and also have a Saturn Return.
Three Big Saturn Rules
1. Find out when your Saturn Return will actually be over as it helps to have a date of release, to look forward to. The rings around Saturn resemble walls, or a moat. At some time in the cycle, you will have permission to climb over the walls and break free, or go across the moat, into new space in your life. If you have your natal chart you can find out when – to the last date – you can go over the walls or the moat.
2. This horoscope symbol in the astrology is about learning the hard way, taking your time and patiently taking heavy lessons on board. Saturn looks pale in the sky, as you can see in this image from Unsplash. We often emerge from a Saturn Return looking more pale than usual – it’s quite true – as we can lurk indoors, even in the summer, or circumstances might take the usual roses out of our cheeks.
3. Saturn Returns are commonly associated with the need for more sleep, more rest and more self-care. We don’t know specifically why Adele has an image of Los Angeles inside her Saturn tattoo, but we do know that when she talks about being unhappy, in this interview with VOGUE, below, she’s also talking about classic Saturn Return reality checks. It can be a very demanding time. (You can see the Saturn tattoo through her sheer blouse sleeve). To find out more about Adele’s latest work, see this feature in The Independent. For more on Adele’s VOGUE interview, and to see her stunning photo shoot and covers keep reading here.
“Then I hit my Saturn return,” Adele says, flipping up her left wrist to show me a tattoo. It’s Saturn, the planet, with a drawing of L.A. in the middle. “It’s where I lost the plot.” It takes 27 to 32 years for Saturn to fully orbit around the sun and return to the position it was in when you were born, Adele explains. “When that comes, it can rock your life,” she says. “It shakes you up a bit: Who am I? What do I want to do? What makes me truly happy? All those things.”She does not blame her divorce on her Saturn return, but that was one result of it. “I was just going through the motions and I wasn’t happy,” she says.
Adele’s Saturn Return in Rolling Stone
From an in-depth interview about 30 in Rolling Stone:
“Rumours and assumptions spread like wildfire, but the reality is that there were no heroes or villains in her divorce. Konecki was a good husband and continues to be a great father to Angelo. He’s still one of Adele’s best friends, even texting her memes while she and I are together. Instead, the end came with the heartbreaking, if less dramatic, feeling that she was getting further from the person she hoped to be.”
“I didn’t really know myself,” she says. “I thought I did. I don’t know if it was because of my Saturn Return or if it was because I was well and truly sort of heading into my thirties, but I just didn’t like who I was.”
Turning 30 After Your Saturn Return
Adele isn’t the first singer to explore the Saturn Return for inspiration. Turning 30 is a milestone anyway – the end of your twenties, for better or worse. To analyse what will happen (or what happened, in your past) look to Saturn’s sign and house in your natal chart and that will show you the main story. Then, look to any exact patterns (aspects) involving Saturn, which reveal the chapters in the story. Adele’s Capricorn Saturn was about her mission, position and ambition. That changed – because it had to. If you are curious about your own Saturn sign and house, you can search further on this website, or seek out Liz Greene’s classic book on the planet, Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil.
16 Responses
Hi Jessica,
I’m excited to be a new member! I think I’m in my second Saturn return. I have Saturn in Aquarius but at 5 degrees.
I have strong feelings of breaking free and truly being the person and living the life I was meant to be. Is it too late?
You mentioned in the article about a release date. How do I figure out what my release date is? Will there be
Positive things for me after that date?
Thank you !
Gia
Thank you Gia. You are over your Saturn Return and have learned all the lessons you need to learn about your social life, friendships, groups, Zoom, social media and so on. I expect the pandemic was part of it. You are going into a very, very new year in 2022 as we see a ton of changes near January. Jupiter is back in Pisces, heading towards Aries, for the first time in 12 years. The nodes are out of Gemini-Sagittarius and reversing into Taurus-Scorpio, your own sign. In 2022 you need to take the project, idea, plan or qualifications that you believe in (totally believe in) and take it into another part of your country, or overseas. You’ll see when the time is right. This is tied to transiting Pluto in your solar Third House of brainwaves and regional/global connections and also your own Sagittarius stellium in the natal Ninth House of broad horizons and distant contacts. Don’t neglect the second idea or project though, it’s equally promising.
I had my first Saturn return around 1983 — I have natal Saturn at 0 deg. Scorpio, conjunct my 29 deg Libra Sun and Asc at 4 deg Scorpio.
Pluto was also transiting conjunct to all of the above at the same time – I left my with my partner at the time – I’m still here — we split up about a year after arriving – those transits opened up a whole new way of life in what seemed to be a much more vibrant and expansive environment – a different world – fun times, new friends, different job.
I can’t say I remember anything too remarkable about my 2nd return in 2012 — I did get back to working out in the gym and was in good shape and have lots of interesting life experiences since 1st return – I guess I’m older and wiser! You never know where life will take you !
As a Sun Libra, you were very nearly a Sun Scorpio. Yet you are also heavily Scorpio. Saturn is right on the edge, so you are a classic Libra-Scorpio and live the life that the poets, songwriters and dramatists conceive. It’s about the human drama. In 2022 and 2023 you have the same story told twice in your solar and natal chart. It’s about the Second House (your money) and the Eight House (joint finances) and if you ever wanted to put a magnifying glass on that last will/legacy you made, but more particularly the people named, this is the time. It’s a way of updating the truth, emotionally and it will be very useful as you go through these transits. It can also work the other way: other people’s legacies, naming you – of course.
How strange – some words from my comment above went missing — the were: ” I left London to travel to Sydney with my partner at the time”
That is odd. Eclipse. For whatever reason, that statement disappeared!
Thank you for your insight to 2022! The wealth of information on this site is amazing. Your gift is something special.
Thank you for sharing it with us. Best Regards, Gia
Thank you so much. You can sign off from a stuck financial, business, property or charity situation right near Christmas Eve.
Hi Jessica
I have just turned 63 have I had my Saturn return yet and if so when is my release date please. Which area of my life will it affect?
Thank you
You were born with Saturn in Sagittarius, and Saturn is now in Aquarius, two signs ahead, so you had your Saturn Return some time ago. You are over the hard part. You are a Sun Scorpio and near Christmas Eve, will end the most stuck, circular, repetitive situation with your money, apartment, house, business and/or charity – in around two decades. This is really important because of the highly unpredictable circumstances. Yet, even if you have not been able to change anything to date, you will be able to do that, from the end of this year. In 2022 and 2023 you will make some of your most important money-related decisions. Talk about closure; this is closure.
Hi Jessica! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend. To be quite honest I feel like ever since the year 2017 came around I’ve been going through a Saturn return. Actually, that’s the reason I discovered astrology through a tv show called Parks & Rec where they mentioned that phrase. Anyway, I was wondering what themes might affect me next year when it finally is my saturn return?
October 23, 1993
4:21pm
new york, ny
Saturn Aquarius 23 degrees
Pluto Scorpio 24 degrees
Mercury Scorpio 22 degrees
Hygie Virgo 24 degrees
MC Sagittarius 24 degrees
IC Gemini 24 degrees
Thank you for any insights!
Having an interesting weekend, thank you. Your Saturn Return is when transiting Saturn reaches 23 degrees, and it’s important, as Saturn will aspect that entire list around the same time. It’s in your natal Eleventh House of friends and groups. I use the solar chart and natal chart together to identify the most important outcomes and events of 2022. You are a Sun Scorpio so this is really about the end of a financial, property or business cycle that will come as a relief and release, as you have been stuck in 2021. This happens near Christmas Eve – so Merry Christmas. To find out more about Saturn Returns, have a look at the features and flipbooks on this website – but actually, the main story is financial. You are now free to make decisions and take action without constantly being returned to the past all the time.
Thanks for your comments – yes, the human drama, I could write a book, but occasionally scribble small poems Interesting that I haven’t made a will, but know who the two beneficiaries will be. No one has ever left me anything, but I’m thinking that retirement might be on the cards in 2023 or thereabouts.
Thank you. Poems will help!
Hi Jessica! Thank you for pointing out those earrings, they are fabulous!
I have sun in Cancer as well as Saturn. Since I was born in 1966, I’m wondering how my 2nd Saturn return will differ from my 1st one?
E.C.
The second Saturn Return always reflects the first one. So you go back to the end of your twenties, perhaps using diaries or old letters and photographs, to remind yourself where you felt most vulnerable, where you were under-protected or perhaps too over-protected. Saturn is in Pisces in your natal chart, in the Twelfth House. So let’s talk about that. The Twelfth House rules the invisible world. Religion, spirituality, mediumship, the Tarot, meditation, dreams, hypnosis, therapy, self-help, psychology, psychiatrists, psychics, even quantum theory. It is very real but it is not real to others because very few people can see, know or understand what is inside your soul, or your psyche. Whatever happened to you around age 28, 29 or whatever you made happen, has to be examined. Saturn teaches by experience. You were taught. You learned. Those lessons have made you wiser and now you are older. A similar challenge will come up when Saturn returns again to Pisces and your Twelfth House. This time you know what to do. It is a smart idea to seek expert professional advice at such times – so, for example, if you find that religion is a burden (Saturn rules burdens) then find out who can help. If your peace of mind, or state of mind, is a burden, there are obviously professionals who can help. Saturn Returns are not to be feared. There is no point in beating around the bush – Saturn is not fun, easy, or enjoyable! It’s an obstacle course. Yet you have already been on one and got through it, so another one is like another marathon for an Olympian. Common sense says, clear the decks with Twelfth House matters before the Saturn Return so you have the minimum to deal with. Don’t go on some kind of rampage, diving into Tarot courses or becoming a trance medium, or embarking on therapy with a new Jungian psychologist – don’t become a born-again Christian. The less vast or complex the life, with Twelfth House matters, before a Saturn Return, the easier the obstacle course is. It always gets much, much better towards the end and there is usually a satisfying resolution. It won’t be the only transit in your life either so get some balance – you will have other much easier cycles going on in other areas of your life, to give you perspective. Your Jupiter transits, for example, and transits to natal Jupiter, balance out Saturn Returns quite splendidly.