Have you ever heard of Saturn’s return? Some time ago, Rada, a friend from Bulgaria, told me about Saturn’s hole. This happens 30 days before your birthday and it marks a cycle of completion; it is our very own New Year. From an astrological point of view, planets return to the same position as when you were born, meaning a cycle is being closed, and a new one begins. During this time it is normal to fall into a certain state of mind. It can appear as a feeling of tiredness and introspectiveness. Then, two weeks after your birthday, you move into a time of motivation and illusion for the future.
This November I turned 25 years old and, though I am still very young, it felt like a milestone. On this special birthday, I was flooded with nostalgia and couldn’t get out of the introspective bubble. A decade has passed since I was a quinceañera, and the first time I moved away from home was already 8 years ago. Since then, I have lived in multiple places and recently moved to The Hague, where I met incredible people and also lived through some of the strangest moments of my life, like the global lockdown. Right now, I am in my last year of university. Soon, this chapter will be over and it will make way for new experiences.
If there is anything I learnt throughout these 25 years, it is how small we are in this world and how lucky we are to meet so many people. Since coming from Colombia, I’ve made good friends from places that once felt so far away, like Japan, Poland, Germany, Latvia and even Iceland. It feels surreal to have these experiences. I think of all those friends I’ve met on the way and how much I learnt about myself through my relationships with them. It's special to build these connections, so saying goodbye never gets easy. Life goes by very fast and everything that is going on, those moments that feel like they will last forever, will soon become memories.
When university students leave their homes, their friends become family and they must learn to find comfort and a home within themselves. This phase of life can be isolating and filled with doubt and introspection, but it is also a time where we get to know a different side of ourselves, where we choose new friends and realise the ways in which we have changed. As we get older, we get to know ourselves better and Saturn's return
gets more profound. A piece of advice I carry with me everywhere I go, is to savour the moment and not let it be ruined by the little things. This Saturn’s return felt like a trip through all the instants that made me feel happy and those I wish I had managed differently, to perhaps listen to my mum's advice and pay less attention to those little things, as moments can’t come back so we better enjoy them.
So next time, those 30 days before your birthday, think of Saturn’s return as an opportunity to slowly tune in with yourself, find balance, and spend time with the people that make you feel happy and grateful with life. Hopefully, you’ll end up eating your favourite cake and celebrating one of the longest relationships you’ll ever have: the one with yourself.
By Ana Maria Avila Orjuela
