Most astrology students know about the first progressed lunar return. It hits between ages 27 and 28, often marking a profound entry into true adulthood. But what happens during the second time around in life with the lunar return?
Astrological discussion often seems to stop at the Chiron return around age 50, as if life winds down into a great black void. This could not be further from the truth. The Chiron return is only the beginning of a powerful cycle I call the “Great Prime Years.” Hot on its heels, around age 53-54, comes the second progressed lunar return—a transit that is often less dramatic than the first, but in many ways, far more profound.
A Shift from the Material to the Eternal
Where the first return is about establishing your individual maturity in the world, the second progressed lunar return is about the transition between your material self and your eternal one. You are now challenged to grasp the bigger picture.
By this age, you should understand that you are a co-creator with the material world. You have a choice: cooperate with life as you know it, or rail against it. To retreat now is to spiral backwards into old patterns, beginning a long, silent, spiritual death. This cycle demands that you progress during this significant lunar return stage.
A Time of Reckoning
The second progressed lunar return is, above all, a time of reckoning. It forces you to ask, “How have I lived my life up until now, and do I want to continue this way?” Crises may arise that force your hand, pushing you to make the right decision in spite of yourself. This spiritual clean-out touches every area of life.
- Your Health: The Moon is your physical vehicle, and it may need a tune-up. Health crises are common, forcing you to ditch old habits and respect your body’s limits. Your motivation for health shifts from attracting partners to simply living a pain-free life so you can pursue your new goals.
- Your Attachments: This is a time to mourn what you will never have—the Ferrari, the youthful strength, the heads turning when you walk into a room. The trick is to not let “bad” Saturn convince you that nothing new is possible. You must find new vehicles for the great deal you now have to say.
- Your Relationships: There is often a lot of cutting off during this time, particularly of ties that no longer serve their purpose. You are meant to clear away old patterns so you can spend your energy on what truly gives your life meaning during this lunar period.
Confronting Your Natal Moon
During this transit, you will be confronted once again with the core issues of your natal Moon. If you still haven’t come to terms with that Moon/Pluto square or Moon/Uranus conjunction, circumstances will arise that force you to re-live those patterns. This is a test. What have you learned? Some will conquer the issues, some will need more work, and some will have to accept what cannot be changed, learning the great wisdom of letting go.
The Ultimate Goal: Finding Your Purpose
One of the worst things you can do during the second progressed lunar return is to retreat into a fantasy of the past. The goal of this cycle is to make you look forward and recognize your vital role in the world. As author Dawn Bodrogi explains, you still have work to do.
“The ultimate goal… is to make us recognize that we are deeply connected to the world around us and that we still have critical work to do. Our contribution is needed in the great pool of collective wisdom, and the more we share, the more we own.”
The great reward of these years, after the shedding and the honing, is the gift of being comfortable in one’s own skin. There is a power and a beauty in that which is beyond compare.
This article has been updated and restructured from its original version, which you can read here: Spiral Up or Down? The Second Progressed Lunar Return
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