The Christ year: the meaning of age 33 in astrology
I recently asked my Instagram audience, “How old were you during the most difficult year of your life?”
Considering 34% of respondents are under the age of 28, 64% are between 29-58, and 2% at 59+, it must be stated that (obviously) each participant does not possess the full benefit of hindsight, and we’re still in the process of living.
And yet, despite my imperfect 24-hour data collection, I still find it worth calculating the average answer between the 762 (!) responses.
The average answer?
28.3 !!!!
This should come as no surprise because 28-29 is the age every human enters their first Saturn return — a well-known and sometimes-feared astrological transit that forces us to grow up or mature in some, often uncomfortable, way.
The concept of Saturn return — which can occur up to three times (four times if you live to be 112) in a lifetime —is also why I broke up the age categories in from teens-28, 28-59, and 59+, initially.
The Saturn return may occur a huge material shift in one’s physical world, like a death, a move, or significant loss. It can occur an internal shift, like getting sober or going to therapy and healing with your inner child wounding. No matter how it meets you — our Saturn returns challenges us to mature in new ways.
My Saturn return was in 2020-21, and it was largely about getting sober and learning how to feel and feel emotions for the first time. These years were overwhelming because, up until my Saturn return, I was living a life way out of alignment.
But I survived. And I started Sunlight Oracle. And when the Saturn return transit finally ended, I cheered. “I never want to go through this massive of a transformation again!”
I really thought I’d graduated, learnt a bunch of lessons, and could move on with my life. So I did.
The meaning of age 33 in astrology
But alas! Then comes the Christ year during the age 33.
Thirty-three is termed “the Christ year,” in astrology because 33 was the age of Jesus when he was theoretically nailed to the cross. It’s the time, or the event, in which he came into his powers and his activism.
Astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo explains the Christ Year concept on episode 127 of her podcast, Ghost of a Podcast.
She says that the Christ year is the culmination year of your Saturn return.
“(At 33) you enter into a year where you have to deal with the consequences of what you did and didn’t do during your Saturn Return, both for yourself as an individual, but also as a community member.,, it’s about interconnectedness…”
I feel this in my bones.
I’m now experiencing what feels like varsity-level Saturn return. I’m not only asked to be sober and feel my feelings, but I’m also being asked to share them with my audience online with more transparency.
Part of said emotional exploration includes grieving a challenging pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage. And I am writing, and crunching seemingly arbitrary data, to survive and make meaning of it all.
I suppose point of challenging times like Christ Year, or the Saturn Return, is not just a punishment from the Universe.
The point of these transits is to reveal to you what you’re actually capable of, what your potential is, and clear out distractions causing you to stray from your path.
I’ve been struggling this year, but the struggles helps me see my purpose much more clearly. I remember who I am. And I look forward to evolving in real time.
And even though I’m only a quarter of the way through my Christ year, I think there’s great value in writing about things without the benefit of hindsight. I’m in the thick of it and if you’re still reading this, you’re likely to be living or anticipating your Christ year, too.
Now meeting 1:1 with new and retuning clients.
