Midlife Crises

Between the ages of 36 and 42, we all experience 3 major planetary transits - Pluto and Neptune form a 90-degree aspect /square/ to their natal position, while Uranus forms a 180-degree aspect - an opposition. The transits of Pluto and Neptune often act together between the ages of 36 and 40, whereas the Uranus opposition occurs between the ages of 40 and 45, at least for those born before 1990. Astrologers view these three planetary influences as the triggers for the so-called midlife crisis. For most people, this period of their life is truly significant and full of changes imposed by external circumstances and unpredictability, or a time of intense searching for their true aspirations and lifestyle changes. They say that in Chinese, "crisis" and "opportunity" are written with the same character, and this can truly be true for the case of these 3 midlife crises brought upon us by the influences of the trans-Saturnian planets

The transit of Pluto, or the first crisis, begins to manifest around age 36 and is almost always accompanied by unpleasant events or emotions. Although this can be a period of complete renewal, in most cases it is not experienced as such. Usually, certain areas of life begin to show problems or fall apart, people or old beliefs and attitudes leave, and we desperately do not want to let them go. Sometimes inner dissatisfaction comes out, and we begin to rebel against the current situation. Reckonings often begin: "How did I imagine my life, what did I make of it, how did I get here?
And even though people are not old during this period, the strange thing is that they begin to view themselves as not very young and usually do not think that the time ahead of them will bring boundless opportunities. Because of this, depressions very often begin, or a struggle to preserve the elements of life that Pluto wants to destroy.
In fact, with Pluto's influences, it is always wiser to seek our inner strength and rebuild our lives on a more solid base, but we very often realize this only after the final phase of the transit.

In many cases, the profession or marriage begins to look unsatisfactory, and people become filled with irritation and discontent. Sometimes unexpected twists occur in a successful career or business, forward momentum stops, and doubts begin as to whether all the effort up to that point has made sense. For some women, this is the time when children are old enough to begin looking for professional development. Seeking a satisfying career during a Pluto transit is not an easy task, but it is usually clear during this period that we can no longer delay. In a large number of cases, concealed discontent and alienation surface in marriage, and explanations and conflicts begin. Suppressed emotions can manifest with surprising strength and sharpen relationships to the extreme without necessarily having external factors.

Often, the first midlife crisis can confront us with health problems that we have either ignored or that are very unexpected for us. In some cases, they necessitate a complete reorganization of our lifestyle. Usually, this is the time when most of us realize that we are not immortal. For women who still do not have children, reproductive problems may appear and sow panic. In other cases, the Pluto crisis is the first instance in life of losing a friend or loved one and can cause pain, obsessive fears, and depressions.

Since the Pluto transit will continue for about 2-3 years, regardless of our experiences, it is better during this period for questions to be more like "What else can I do with my life?", "What can I change?", "What did I miss doing?"

It is possible that this first crisis may also give us the feeling that the pain and discontent are caused by having drifted away from ourselves. Perhaps we have poured our efforts into building a career that is materially satisfying, but does not satisfy our true nature. It is possible that we have created a family with children, a house, and a certain standard of living, but emotionally we feel emptiness and alienation. If Pluto confronts us with illness or financial problems, not much can be done, we can only accept what has happened. But emotional suffering during this period is not so inevitable. It can give us a clear indication that we need to connect better with our true nature, give ourselves the freedom to be ourselves, and try to realize our true potential. In all cases, when we turn inward during a Pluto transit, it is possible to discover the resources we need. Pluto does not bring support from external sources. This planet works with the subconscious and hidden resources, which is why the period is good for dealing with psychology, psychotherapy, and various methods of self-knowledge and development. In many people, interests in esotericism or metaphysics are unlocked, and in some cases, the attitude towards life changes forever.

The second midlife crisis is the square of Neptune to the natal position, as depending on the specific placement, some people will feel this influence together with the first crisis, i.e., with the Pluto transit, while in others it will be shifted towards the 40th year and will overlap with the third crisis – the Uranus opposition. Neptune generally does not cause such sharp and visible events and twists as Pluto and Uranus. Neptune is associated with vision, and in a discordant angle, it causes ambiguity and confusion, which in turn open the door to heaps of fears and hesitations. The transit of Neptune often places us in inefficient situations from which we do not see how we would get out. It is possible that we are in a losing company or with inefficient managers, our career is not developing, but we are afraid of being left without a job and do not dare to undertake changes. It is possible that our marriage has reached complete alienation, we no longer see the common ground connecting us, but for various reasons, we cycle in the same loop. In many cases, people realize that the big dreams of life will not be realized and we must reconcile ourselves with some of the elements of our current life. Usually, during this period, the realization of the fact that we are no longer young also begins. It is also possible that we have everything we aspired to - career, family, money - and yet feel a vague yearning for something missing in our lives. Then it is possible to encounter the "crisis of meaning," because sometimes what we are taught to believe is not always in accordance with our deepest personal desires.

The Neptune crisis is like walking in the forest at night without a flashlight and without knowing the path. But Neptune does not only bring disappointments; it also brings passion and idealism. It is possible during this period of our lives to discover activities that charge us with joy and enthusiasm - dancing, photography, yoga, meditation, activities related to nature - which satisfy the higher aspirations of our soul. But we must also carefully assess whether it is realistic to try to turn them into a profession, because Neptune also gives birth to unrealistic dreams. Sometimes we must distinguish the joy of our creative expressions from making money from them in our daily lives.

The opposition of transiting Uranus to its natal position is perhaps closest to the definition of a "midlife crisis," as shown by various films, series, and popular novels. Elements of our essence that we have neglected, overlooked, or never known begin to emerge, and during this period it sometimes becomes impossible to deny, suppress, and smother internal and external crises and conflicts. It is good to truly be honest with ourselves to understand what is actually lacking in our lives, no matter how stressful that may be. If we suppress our desires during this period, at a later stage of our life, during another Uranus or Saturn transit, they will pop up again, and it is usually harder to experience your crisis at 49, 56, or 60.

During the Uranus opposition, we finally understand that there is no turning back, and that youth is behind us. If we are smart enough, we recalculate our resources to give ourselves the best direction for the time ahead. We make considered changes to our situation, develop interests and endeavors for which we have not had time until now, find new projects or activities, hobbies that satisfy our unsatisfied desires and yearnings. In many cases, depressions begin - reality is too different from our desires and it seems impossible to achieve even partially our dreams. In other cases, relationships with much younger partners begin, perhaps as compensation for something we missed or as a desire to get lost in love to forget or slow down time. Many people change their clothing style, men buy sports cars and motorcycles, women often try to have a child. Sometimes there are truly senseless breakups in personal life, but anyway as statistics, the Uranus crisis is associated with the highest percentage of breakups in personal life - old boundaries are already felt as meaningless or unbearable. But there are also less productive approaches to the Uranus crisis. We can pretend that nothing is happening, try to be as busy as possible so as not to feel anything, be "sensible" to preserve our security, and then we usually pass the transition without visible changes. The suppressed discontent is usually paid for with depression, apathy, and a sense of lack of meaning a few years later.

As with all important transits in our lives, regardless of whether we undertake external changes or not, the most important thing is to try not to ignore what we feel within ourselves. Regardless of what we have not achieved, regardless of what we thought we should be, during the Uranus transit it is good to see ourselves for what we truly are and what we desire to have in our lives. This does not mean indulging in momentary desires and destroying our current life because temporarily it does not look satisfying or because we urgently need to take something from life. It is better to take the trouble to understand which are the areas of our lives that we want to develop or fill with new things, because we have leaned too much in one direction or another. Because the Uranus crisis is the beginning of the second phase of our life and this phase can turn us into more whole, more realized individuals or accelerate our degradation. At 42, according to the Indian mystic Osho, the energy of life reverses its direction and gradually heads towards the end of the cycle. According to him, many people for the first time then begin to take an interest in religion. The focus gradually begins to shift from the demands of the external world inwards towards the aspiration to make something new of ourselves. The meaning of life, our connection with the world, with the whole must be redefined in order to meet the coming years in a meaningful way.

The last in this series of transits is the Saturn opposition to the natal position, which usually passes through the 44th - 45th year of life. Usually, this period is the beginning of a very successful period in life for those who have made the effort to understand and master the challenges in the previous 7 years. Everything we have done well on Saturn reaches a culmination and brings many more results than before.
For other people, material difficulties, doubts, and despair may appear. If in the previous period we did not undertake changes and our life has become too routine, rapid aging is possible. For those who still do not want to give up and want to redefine the direction of their lives, a new 14-year cycle of self-definition begins.

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