Why does life get so crazy in your early 40s?

Ever noticed that people enter their 40s and suddenly life gets pretty chaotic? Start looking more closely at newspaper stories and you’ll often find that the more bizarre, weird, out-of-the-blue events often happen to people around age 42. It’s such a thing, that I’ve started collecting my ’42 files’. Freak events, sudden health crisis, accidents, exposés, affairs, revelations, changes in direction etc etc etc.

So why does this happen? ALL of us experience a cluster of mid life transits in our early 40s. While the timing shifts slightly between generations, we can all expect to have a Pluto Square, a Neptune Square, a Saturn opposition and a Uranus opposition in a sequence that shakes our foundations from our late 30s through to our mid 40s.

Some people sail through these years far more smoothly than others. Why? The true impact and extent of these energetic factors in each individual’s life is determined by their natal birth chart. A funky Uranus placement in your birth chart sets you up for a funky mid life moment. A more integrated Uranus will ensure smoother passage. However after all the outer planets and Saturn deliver challenges, it’s inevitable that you’ll be in the firing line at some point throughout this cycle.

Need an example? Let’s check our 2024 contender for the '42 files', Princess Catherine of Wales, who’s 42nd birthday in January coincided with her current health situation. Looking at her chart, the astrological culprit appears to be Pluto (the planet of transformation, intensity and destruction), who’s been squaring her natal Pluto since 2021. And let’s face it, life hasn’t exactly been peachy for poor Kate. There’s been Megxit, The Queen’s death, Prince Charles’s coronation, her own change in rank, Prince Charles’s cancer diagnosis and now her own health issues.

What’s interesting for Kate, is that Uranus, the planet that usually brings sudden events and twists, hasn’t even come into play yet. Uranus is the planet of liberation and rebellion, and is often the catalyst behind sudden midlife pivots and events. It is still a couple of years away for Kate, so we can expect these early midlife events to integrate and trigger some interesting changes for her, particularly in 2027, when the Saturn opposition also comes into play. After toeing the royal line and being so ‘good’ for so long, will we see a different side of the Princess in years to come? It will be interesting to see!

And for us common folks, a session with an astrologer before heading into this period can open your eyes to what adjustments you can make in order to ride these energies like a cosmic surfing superstar rather than being smashed onto the sharp karmic rocks below. Book a session to come and discover what YOUR midlife may have in store!