by Magzcha Westerman
For anthropologists, the major transitions of life are marked by initiation ceremonies: boyhood into manhood; graduation; marriage; parenthood; funerals, etc. Gail Sheehy termed these transitions "passages," the title of her 1976 best seller. To psychologists, transitions are often synonymous with "identity crises."
Astrologers correlate life's major transitions with planetary influences. The challenges of a certain age in life are linked, astrologically, with a planet's movement, or transit, through the heavens, and its effect upon both individual and collective lives.
The archetype of the stern teacher who tests us with difficult lessons through which we ultimately grow, is identified by astrologers with the planet Saturn. As Saturn makes its 30-year pilgrimage around the sun, transiting through our solar system and affecting life on earth, it "triggers" tests and learning requirements which we experience as "critical ages."* These critical ages are the turning points, the transitions, common to all mankind.
Actually, every planet is associated by astrologers with different kinds of experiences, such as Venus being linked with love and creativity. However, when it comes to major transitions, Saturn plays a significant role. Although there are many age-related transitions throughout the life which are associated with the transit of Saturn (Ages 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 26, 29, 35, 38, 41, 45, 49, 53, 56, etc.), a few of these consistently appear to be more memorable, more dramatic, than others.
Age 29-30 This is the threshold of true adulthood and personal identity, the point at which we have (hopefully) overcome the challenges and learning requirements of the past and moved into our adult destiny. Those parts of our past which are no longer appropriate in the current life, or which hinder our growth, must die. If the internal and external pressures for change are resisted, an identity crisis may ensue.
Age 41 the mid-life crisis The mid-life crisis can actually last from about age 39 through 45 or 46, but age 41-42 is a most crucial time, because in addition to Saturn's effect upon us the planet Uranus comes along, adding its own dramatic impact. Uranus has been playfully nick-named "the buster-upper"!
This is a time when some of us reap the rewards of high achievement and creativity, while others experience the anguish frequently associated with this age. For those who have not "followed their bliss," or who have ignored the soft, melodious call of the soul, the realization comes that one's true potential and identity, the core of one's being, has suffocated and is dying.
Now, the true spiritual purpose of the mid-life crisis begins to unfold. The seemingly solid structures of the previous years fall apart. However painful it may be, the death of certain aspects of the old life is, in reality, a blessing in disguise, because it paves the way for the restructuring and reorganization of the life, usually accomplished by age 45-46.
Sadly, not everyone "makes it" through these difficult years. When rigidity, denial or entrapment in a futile existence "breaks the heart," then death itself becomes the preferred transition. Notice how many men die of heart failure between 41 and 45! Ideally, a heart attack or other life-threatening illness will serve as a wake-up call to action, a call to salvage the soul and make the changes required for the next phase of life
Age 58-60 This is the end of the second Saturn cycle. Now, we confront the reality that what we are is the end result of what we were and did in the previous years. Yet, once again, we have opportunities for further transformation; ideally into spiritual beings who, beginning to leave their ego-centered vision behind, identify more fully with a cosmic consciousness. As the physical vitality begins to ebb and we move into the last major phase of life, mundane matters begin to diminish in importance as philosophical and spiritual concerns take precedence. This is the beginning of our journey toward the ultimate transition.
The three critical ages touched upon here have been greatly generalized. Even so, there are those who do not appear to experience the push/pull of planetary energies, or even to be remotely aware of them. Why some people respond more vividly to cosmic influences than others, almost as if on cue, is a matter for speculation.
Magzcha Westerman, M.A., practicing metaphysician, teacher and author, has been studying and teaching the Mystical Sciences since 1977. St. Augustine, FL, (904) 823-2064. Email: numerologyplus@aol.com