Dear Gaz
Technically, the Saturn return is the completion of one full orbit of the planet Saturn from the time of your birth. Like other planetary returns (Chiron return, Jupiter return, etc.) the planet in question literally returns to where it was when you were born. In the case of Saturn, this takes place at about 29 years old. While the event can be reduced down to anywhere from one to five exact or nearly exact passes, actually, the Saturn return is a process that stretches out for several years.

Generally, major life transits -- and this is one of the critical ones -- are growth processes that have phases and which call on us to make changes, and then settle down from those changes. Rarely do they seem like distinct events, though in hindsight it's possible to point to several that perhaps seemed not so obvious at the time. Because Saturn is typically about structure and the process of building, these changes often involve changes to employment, major relationships, where we live and so on. The Saturn return is the completion of one Saturn cycle: the cycle of creation and maturity. At the return, a new cycle begins, and this feeling can be very distinct and extremely positive -- even if it's a bit of a temporary struggle.

The Saturn return can seem to stretch out for three additional reasons.

Reason one is that at about age 27, there is an event in the progressed horoscope that signals the early beginning of the Saturn return -- the progressed lunar return. This is another topic entirely but suffice it to say for now that the progressed lunar return is the warmup act for the Saturn return process and gets things going.

Reason two is that many people have other planets clustered around their natal Saturn (you do not). As transiting Saturn makes conjunctions, squares or oppositions to those planets, they will begin to get Saturn-return like effects before and after Saturn's conjunction to itself, which I'll get to in a moment.

Reason three is that many people who experience the Saturn return astrologically don't actually do the work of the transit, or embrace the experience fully. As a result, it can seem to go on and on, and sometimes it never ends; that is; people into their mid to late 30s and beyond are still going through the transit over and over in their inner worlds, never really settling down from it, or coming out of it. The simple question is: have we made the changes we need to make at this time? If yes, the process will be lot easier.

And here we get into the personal growth dimension of this transit, which is of truly significant importance in the world we live in. Our world teaches us to be everything other than a mature adult. It teaches us everything other than to make decisions for ourselves. It teaches us to be dependent on others in unhealthy ways and rarely ever encourages us to seek our actual freedom, as lovers or as creators.

The Saturn return above all else says grow up and be fully human. Make the changes you need to make; deal with reality as you perceive it; live your life, because it is your life.

To answer your question directly, given your birth data of Oct. 6, 1975, you have Saturn at one degree Leo and 33 minutes. Hence, the ingress of Saturn to Leo in July 2005 is technically the beginning of your Saturn return. However, you are rather likely to already be under its influences now -- but the transit reaches your chart full strength in about one year. Saturn will pass your natal degree just one time and make no retrograde back to the exact natal position.

If I were your personal astrologer, and I am for a moment, I'd be telling you that your Saturn return is now. Get out the blue prints of your life; take a look at the foundations of your relationships; remember what you really want to be doing in life. You've got a lot of help on the way if you want to make it happen. ++