David Odyssey’s When Saturn Returns Makes Astrology Personal and Powerful

Move over, Mercury retrograde—Saturn is ready to make her return to the runway! 

A new book by writer and astrologer David Odyssey traces Saturn’s influence on our lives at every age and analyzes trends throughout culture. Odyssey is celebrating the release of his debut book, When Saturn Returns: Surviving Your Astrological Coming-of-Age, which serves as a resource for understanding this “planetary life disruptor’s” influences throughout the span of one’s life. This book is for anyone intrigued by Saturn’s Return, which refers to the time when Saturn returns to the same position in the sky as it was when someone was born—roughly at ages 30, 60, and 90. Whether you’re an astrology nerd, a self-proclaimed skeptic, or novice wanting to understand how the planets inform life’s trajectory, this book will offer new insights about the phenomenon and its elusive influence on our lives.

“I have a friend who is a queer astrologer, and she really opened that world up to me. I found that astrology gave me a deeper way to understand what was going on in my life,” Odyssey recalls. “I think, for the gay community, astrology became this way to go a little deeper when we were speaking with one another. During the pandemic, I was reading a lot of books about astrology, and it turned into a business before I knew it.”

Working as a college essay tutor in New York City during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lightbulb went off for the Houston native when videoconferencing became the norm. “I got really interested in Tarot and astrology, and I started pulling cards for myself and my friends. During the pandemic, there were all sorts of digital gatherings happening,” he recalls. Odyssey’s friends would send him Zoom invites in order to pick his brain. “I realized I could do this professionally from my own apartment, and I didn’t need a degree to offer readings. I would just have to make sure that I continued to learn, did it well, and covered all my bases.”

In 2021, Odyssey began contributing to Nylon magazine as their astrology columnist, which allowed him the creative freedom to intertwine culture and astrology for a loyal readership. Odyssey’s success at the magazine ultimately caught the eye of publishers at Chronicle Books, who approached him to write a guide to Saturn’s Return.

“Saturn’s Return is a very popular topic,” he says. “It has even inspired music by artists like Kacey Musgraves and Ariana Grande. A lot of people want to know what’s going to happen to themselves, how the cycle of the planets affects them, and how different planets move in their lives.

The book serves as a modern personal guide to your Saturn Return. It talks about what this looks like for the culture as Saturn moves from sign to sign. “Where was Saturn during the AIDS crisis? When Stevie Nicks had her debut? When Dracula was published? And what does that all mean for the next century?”

Odyssey shares that the “iron planet” is constantly impacting our lives, regardless of your age. By using his knowledge of pop culture (look for references to Sinead O’Connor, Destiny’s Child, and more), Odyssey’s book is not only approachable and educational, but also wildly fun to read. “If I can use an example of what Donna Summer went through when she was 29 to tell you what you might experience when you are 29, that is more illustrative than simply saying, ‘Think good thoughts,’” he jokes. “It’s a way to access the information. I don’t really like to write super esoterically.”

While the book is focused on the Saturn Return phenomenon, it also explains Saturn’s movements as a sort of symbol or force for change, sobriety, and adulthood. “It tracks Saturn throughout your life in every possible configuration,” Odessey notes. “The book is written to be returned to and referenced. As you return to it, your ability to read your own astrology and know what’s going on for yourself and the stars will be a lot more innate.”

The astrology expert encourages anyone interested in the topic to dive in without hesitation. “The book is for people of all ages. You can buy it for someone later in life, and they’ll be able to figure out how it can be helpful for them within the first few chapters,” Odyssey says. “It is meant to be extremely user-friendly, and you don’t need to know anything about astrology to read it. The book feels like the summation of a lot of sessions and readings that I’ve given, and a lot of what I’ve learned from the queer and trans clients who truly built my business. I feel like it’s a way for me to share how I see the world, and I’m really grateful for that.”

For more info, visit davidodyssey.com