Karina Lafayette – August 2021
Members of British girl group Little Mix have been through a lot of changes in recent months. In December 2020, one of the members, Jesy Nelson, annouced she was leaving, citing mental health reasons and the pressure that comes with being in a girl group, a month after the release of their latest album Confetti. Leigh-Anne Pinnock also produced a documentary called Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power, where she discusses her experience with racism and colourism in the music industry. Then in May of this year, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne both announced that they were pregnant. Both of them gave birth just days apart this past week. Seemingly overnight, Little Mix have been thrust into the next chapter of their lives, and are clearly growing up.
Little Mix first joined forces back in 2011 on season 8 of the UK version of The X Factor, after failing the first challenge of the “bootcamp” section. Back then, the judges felt that none of them were ready to be solo and put together a quartet instead. Eventually, they went on to tour around the world, selling over 60 million records, and are now one of the best selling girl groups in history.
Despite change being both a reflief and challenging at the same time, I just couldn’t help but laugh when I realized that these women are all around my age, because that could only mean one thing: the Saturn Return. In astrology, Saturn takes roughly 30 years to “return” to the exact same degree it was the moment you were born. Some astrologers argue that this transit lasts for three whole years, and one thing to clarify, it does not. The transit itself lasts approximately several months, depending on whether during that period Saturn goes retrograde. In which case, he would pass the degree of your natal Saturn more than once. That being said, any significant events which happen in your life during the period that Saturn is in that sign (which right now is in Aquarius), will have a domino effect. Throughout this chapter, you’ll be learning to hold yourself and the people around accountable for their actions, which means no more finger-pointing, which also means that friendships and relationships that are one-sided, are no longer an option. It’s no longer an option to simply talk about your dreams and goals; Saturn expects action. He expects commitment and walking the talk. If you look back to the news stories, historical events, conversations, struggles, and pop culture moments that defined the world you were born into, history might seem to be repeating itself.
And in some ways, history is repeating itself.
Leigh-Anne and Jesy were born in 1991, which means that they’re the first of the four to really feel the effects of their Saturn Return. Jade was born in 1992 and Perrie in 1993, making her the youngest. For anyone who remembers the early 90s, you’ll know that the world wasn’t quite so different as it is now.
- In 1991, George Bush Sr. was President of the United States
- There was the Gulf War from January 17th to February 28th
- In April 1992, there were the LA Riots that took place after four officers were acquitted for the beating of Rodney King.
- In August 1992, riots also took place while Guns N’ Roses were performing in Montreal after Axl arrived onstage two hours late.
- Madonna released the controversial album Erotica in October 1992
- By December, Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated
Fast forward to January 2020, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left the Royal Family. Former POTUS Donald Trump had his first impeachment. In May of the last year, just a few months after the start of the pandemic, riots filled US streets after police officer Derek Chauvin was recorded kneeling on George Floyd for nine whole minutes, resulting in Floyd’s tragic death. The same summer, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B released the infamous hit “WAP”, which sparked conversation around women’s sexuality and the lack of female perspective in mainstream music. Like Madonna, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B experienced slut-shaming and bullying from the media. Then a few weeks ago, the Taliban takes over Afghanistan just as US troops pull out after twenty years. As the fight for racial equality continues, the US has had an election, but question remains of how long it’ll take for things to really change. Really, it’s hard not to take a look three decades back and wonder, where did we go wrong? If you want to take it even father back, it’s good to keep in mind that before the early 90s, the last time Saturn was in Aquarius, was during the Civil Rights Movement. Yes, that movement. Dizzy on the comparisons yet?
In Race, Pop, and Power, Leigh-Anne said, “Basically our whole Little Mix life was about us fitting in, and trying to fit into this perfect pop world.”
Which is why, Little Mix do live up to the reputation of folks with Saturn in Aquarius. Their born into eras that are filled with uncertainty, social change, conflict, and even their careers mirror all that. These are people who make waves everywhere they go, and usually the best way for them to avoid conflict is to hide from the world altogether. But since Aquarius is ruled by unpredictable Uranus, at some point, the inner restlessness and need to succeed far outweights any fear of being trampled on. In a previous article, I wrote about how this placement often feels like the odd one out- like no matter what, they can never find a pack. Former member Jesy Nelson talks about this in an interview with Cosmo, where she said that she was “constantly being compared to the other girls and feeling like I wasn’t good enough.” It’s safe to say that even despite so much success, many people still has a thing for pinning women against each other. Anytime we succeed, there’s a point where we compare ourselves, put other women down, and are made to compete for each other’s spots as if somehow there isn’t room for everyone at the table, which is a lie. People really say that because deep down, they still want to see women trapped in the kitchen, rather than powerful leaders.
Aquarius is the sign that rules the eleventh house, which has to do with groups, friends, and social circles. From a young age, Saturn here feels peer pressure, because you aren’t meant to be like everyone else. Saturn in Aquarius gets bullied, rejected, and disregarded, and has a bone to pick with authority. It doesn’t even matter if the rest of your chart reads conservative. In some way, you still like to live your life opposite the status quo. Saturn in Aquarius are trailblazers. You’ll take whatever goal you have and turn it into something beyond your wildest dreams. Part of you path is to accomplish something, it doesn’t matter if it’s being a pop singer or a school teacher- it will change the future forever. When Axl Rose- who has his sun, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn in Aquarius- came up with ideas for the Use Your Illusion I album, it caused a lot of conflict in GNR because like a true Aquarian, he was stuck to his vision. And maybe in some way he could’ve acted differently, but like him or not, “November Rain” is a masterpiece, with a music video to match. Some other notable people with Saturn in Aquarius include former first lady Michelle Obama, NBA player Michael Jordan, musician Sheryl Crow, half the members of GNR, as well as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and of course, past and present members of Little Mix.
While competing on The X Factor, Little Mix faced a lot of pressure and sexism like most female artists do in the industry, but they not quiet either. Leigh-Anne and Jade both talk about the discrimination they experience, including what it was like when they saw doctored photos of themselves where their faces were made to look more “white”. In the documentary Race, Pop, Power, Jade said, “I remember for ages we both wanted nose jobs, which is actually insane now. It’s ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, Jesy faced online bullying and bodyshaming from viewers while they competed on The X Factor. Jade uses her struggles as a chance to highlight the importance of inclusivity and anti-discrimination in music. Jesy uses her struggles to be an advocate for mental health, and to also show people that when something isn’t working for you anymore, it’s okay to walk away. You don’t have to stay in the same job forever. You don’t have to stay in the same relationship forever. You don’t have to stay in the same city forever. Sometimes just being there was enough, even though it’s heartbreaking when it’s over. When people aren’t compatible anymore, there is no reason to force it. Same with John Lennon leaving The Beatles. People give a lot of flack to Yoko Ono, but if you think about it, The Beatles were kids when they got together, it’s only normal one of them found a different style. We all grow, and sometimes that means growing apart.
When it comes to your Saturn Return, anything that’s been a struggle for a very long time, finally comes to a head. At a certain point, there is a sort of standstill that happens, where it feels very literally as if your life is suddenly on pause. You find yourself standing in front of everything you’ve built until now, and ponder on what (and who) has to stay, and what has to go. If you’ve been in denial about certain problems, it’s like the rugged gets pulled under you, and the illusion collapses. There’s a lot of fear and drama when talking about the Saturn Return, and I’m not going to be one of those astrologers who puts more fear into people. Some astrologers think just because they experience something, that everyone else’s reality is the same. The world is already good at doing that, thank you very much. I’m not going to be all doom and gloom, because there’s no real way of knowing what it’ll be like till you get there. You can look to the house Saturn is in and its sign’s ruler for an idea.
In my case, back in April I was torn between a full-time job doing social work, and my passion as a writer. While I love helping the community and still pick up shifts onsite here and there, at the time, it felt like I was living a double life. That same month, my grandmother passed away, and it made me ask a lot of questions about my future. It reminded me that she’s one of the few people who always supported my goals, and that maybe if I couldn’t be there for her in her last moments, the least I could do is focus on the things she knew would make me happy. Without fail, every time we talked on the phone, she would always ask if I was writing, if I had another book out, or if I had a boyfriend; So I owe her that much. I decided to spend more time at home writing, creating, learning, and focusing on my health. Saturn, beyond being about work, work, responsibility, and more work, also shows us our elders, and how their impact led us to where we are right now. My grandmother was born in a different generation, one where she probably couldn’t rebel the way she wanted, but if I can rebel for her, I will. When she passed away, a part of me felt like she knew I was ready to take care of myself, she knew it was my turn to be in charge.
So if you’re one of the lucky few going through this initiation and there is a persistent issue you’ve been working on, it’s almost guaranteed that your Saturn Return offers a glimmer of progress. And if you don’t believe me, you can look up how old Kesha was when she took her former producer Dr. Luke to court. You can also look up how old Lizzo was when “Truth Hurts” became a hit. Saturn is the planet of karma. His motto is, “You reap what you sow.” If you’ve had financial issues and have worked on doing better with money, this is when money can flow easier. If you keep switching careers, this is when you might find your true calling. If you’ve always had issues with relationships and you’ve started to take care of yourself, it means you’re ready to meet your match. If you’ve been recording music for a decade, one of your songs could make it to radio (hello, Lizzo). If your goal has always been to start a family, then just like Leigh-Anne and Perrie, it’s your turn to be a parent. Sure, people fall in love and have babies all the time, but what makes these things around the Saturn Return special, is that they represent the next chapter of our lives. It doesn’t have to be [that] scary. Change in general is upsetting, because humans like to be in control, but Saturn wants you to stay grounded and have a plan, even if some of it goes out the window. He doesn’t want you to feel at the mercy of the universe, he wants you to create something beautiful with it.
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This article was originally published on Medium.
Persephone and Co. 
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