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Astrologically speaking, one of the most discussed personal transits is the Saturn return, which happens when Saturn comes back to the exact sign and degrees it was at when you were born. However, it's far from the only major transit that shakes up your perspective. In your late 30s and early 40s, a series of four astrological events — the midlife transits — hit. These include your Pluto square, Neptune square, Uranus opposition, and Saturn opposition.
You needn't be scared of your Saturn return, nor should you be stressed about the midlife transits. Sure, they have the potential to turn your world upside down — but the result promotes growth and positive change.
Below, everything to know about your Pluto square, Neptune square, Uranus opposition, and Saturn opposition.
What Are Midlife Transits?
The midlife transits are four points, notably in your 30s and 40s, when planets are moving around to effect change in your life. As mentioned above, the four midlife transits are the Pluto square, Neptune square, Uranus opposition, and Saturn opposition. Each serves to pull you off of any hamster wheel you're on unwittingly and encourage you to reflect on your fears, dreams, vision, and foundation.
Your Pluto Square
Pluto — the planet of rebirth, regeneration, power, death, and transformation — takes 248 years to complete one full cycle around the sun. People do not experience Pluto returns. We do, however, experience a midlife transit stemming from transiting Pluto. Between ages 37 to 43, Pluto forms a 90-degree angle with where it was when you were born. In astrology, this is known as a square.
A square is the tensest, albeit most activating, angle in astrology. During the Pluto square, you'll be nudged to reflect on issues of control and reexamine fears and narratives that are holding you back. It's a moment in which you might have to let go of psychological crutches that have been preventing you from moving forward (in other words, experience the figurative "death" of a given thing).
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As with any transit, you'll want to look at the astrological houses that transiting Pluto and natal Pluto occupy in your chart, as well as which signs they're in. For instance, say your natal Pluto is in Libra in your second house of income while transiting Pluto is in Capricorn in your eighth house of joint resources. You might be confronting issues of power, control, and structures related to bringing in and sharing money with others — especially because Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of relationships, while Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, which oversees foundations.
Your Neptune Square
Like Pluto, Neptune moves super slowly. It takes 164 years to travel through all 12 signs, so you won't ever experience a Neptune return. However, between ages 40 and 43, Neptune, the planet of spirituality and dreams, forms a square to your natal Neptune. The mystical planet tends to promote delusion and cloud rational thought, making it tough to separate fact from fiction.
However, all this haze has a greater purpose, which is to help you get clear on the dreams truly worth investing in as you move into the next chapter of life. As you navigate toward understanding the dream that's worth preserving, you might feel some aspirations no longer resonate.
The Neptune square could also cause you to question your self-worth and make it challenging to uphold boundaries. Again, that's because life can just feel so damn blurry at this point. The whole point, though, is to tap into — and strengthen — your intuition and spirituality to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
Your Uranus Opposition
Uranus, the planet of change, rebellion, the future, and breakthroughs, takes about 84 years to move around your natal chart. At the halfway point — around ages 40 to 42 — transiting Uranus opposes your natal Uranus. The vibe of your Uranus opposition is often what we associate with a midlife crisis. It's the desire to ditch the status quo and overhaul huge aspects of your life on a whim.
The transit is marked by a feeling of restlessness that could inspire you to completely change career paths, end a marriage, move across the country, or throw your credit card down on that splurgy purchase. Your Uranus opposition is about exploring your need for more authenticity, freedom, individuality, and your voice.
Regardless of the signs and the houses your natal and transiting Uranus occupy during the opposition, oppositions always highlight relationships. If your natal Uranus is in your fourth house of home life and transiting Uranus is in your 10th house of career, the opposition could involve shifts that need to happen to balance your private life and professional aims.
Your Saturn Opposition
Saturn, the planet of restrictions, boundaries, limitations, and commitment, takes roughly 30 years to move around your chart. Around 43 or 44, it opposes your natal Saturn. Think of this as your midlife reality check — you'll see life as it truly is versus how you once imagined it would be.
While that might sound bleak, Saturn rewards a concerted effort. If you've been accepting change and putting your nose to the grindstone, as the previous midlife transits encourage, your Saturn opposition could feel like you're finally getting the recognition you deserve.
Saturn's also about foundations, so this can be a moment in which you're laying the groundwork for the coming decades. You may buy a house, find that you're in a flow with a healthier lifestyle, or tie the knot.
How to Make the Most of Your Midlife Transits
Change is terrifying. However, its alternative — stagnation — is even more frightening. Whether you're going through your Pluto square or Uranus opposition, the key is to surrender. While there are certainly times to fight what you're going through, your midlife transits aren't meant for that. Instead, these transits offer the chance to lay practical groundwork that'll serve you throughout the rest of your life. Take it.
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