A Third Saturn Return, A Rarity And A Beautiful One: Leo Hurwicz, Nobel Prize Winner

At the age of 90, Leonid "Leo" Hurwicz has received the Nobel Prize for Economics, the oldest person to receive this honor. It occurs at his third Saturn Return, and rarely do we get to look at this phenomenon.

Saturn Returns occur for each of us at roughly 29.5 years of age, 59.5, and 89.5. Often times of confusion and frustration, they are also opportunities to adjust one's path in life. The more you are on your path, the easier and more productive the Saturn Returns will be. (Good to get a reading as one of them approaches!) If approached well, you learn ways to use your gifts for greater success and happiness. We are often forced to make "adult" decisions at this time, as well as having to deal with errors we have made in our path previously. Many consider it a difficult time. Actually, as we age we have an easier time with Saturn transits, and a harder time with Uranus' transits, since Uranus rules youth.

But back to the third Saturn Return of this inspirational man.

Leo Hurwicz was born in 1917 and received a law degree in Poland in 1938. Was this to be his purpose in life? No, in 1939 he was studying at the London School of Economics, and by the time of his first Saturn Return he was working in his chosen field of economics, with several publications in the pipeline.

Hurwicz' life was not an easy one. His family was Jewish and they were displaced to Moscow a few months before the October Revolution. Then they returned to Warsaw. According to wikipedia, "After the start of the Second World War, [Hurwicz] was forced to move to Portugal, and finally to the United States. When Hitler invaded Poland, Hurwicz became a refugee and continued his studies at Harvard and the University of Chicago. His parents and brother fled Warsaw only to be arrested and sent to Soviet labor camps."

At the time of his second Saturn Return, 1977, Hurwicz was teaching at the University of Minnesota, and at that time he was names Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association.

Hurwicz continued his work, and also his dedication to teaching and helping others. In the 50s, he worked with Kenneth Arrow, who became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Economics prize (in 1972). He was also the graduate advisor to Daniel McFadden, who received the Economics prize in 2000.

Hurwicz remained steadfast on his path of studying Economics, teaching it, and fostering the growth of others. According to Minnesota Public Radio, he is "known as a gentle and supportive soul with a demanding intellect," and he is described as "humble." One of his colleagues, V. V. Chari said, "He treated everybody as his intellectual equal, even though the vast majority of us were not." Chari said Hurwicz' "experiences and his ability to connect with ordinary people shaped his high-performing intellect."

U of M President Robert Bruininks said Hurwicz characteristically downplayed his own accomplishments. He also described him as a "very humble person" who was dedicated to teaching and to his students. He described him as "a wonderful, gracious colleague. But through his work, he has had a profound impact on the study of economics around the world."

And so, at his third Saturn return, Hurwicz received the Nobel prize.

By the time of the third Saturn Return, the person has had three full passages of Saturn through their birth chart, and if well done, can reveal the true beauty of aging.

Hurwicz' comments upon receiving this prestigious award bring together his brilliance in economics, his humble spirit, and his care for humanity. "I realize there's a limit to how many names they can put on a prize," he said, "but I just wanted to stress it's not just my own accomplishment but the help, collaboration from these many other people."

In a telephone interview with the Nobel folks he said, according to wikipedia, "I hope that others who deserve it also got it, and that of all applications of mechanism design he was most pleased to see it inform welfare economics."