1) I've been through two of them now. In my experience, it really doesn't matter what you do or don't do, you're going to get put through the ringer. It's probably best to avoid anything new or risky, but that's not going to keep you from having to deal with your unfinished business. The one thing that helped me both times was daily meditation, which made it easier for me to deal with each challenge as it emerged.
2) In my experience, once the return perfects for the last time, if you've dealt with your stuff, its effects fade out very quickly -- say, within a month or two.
3) Yes, or at any other time.
4) The orb for a great conjunction is hard to gauge. I'd give it 5°, which means it's going to start applying in April of this year. Yes, if it aspects any planet in your natal chart, expect it to influence whatever house that planet rules. Remember that what we're discussing is the beginning of a new age of the world, and nothing will ever be the same again.
Re: saturn returns
2) In my experience, once the return perfects for the last time, if you've dealt with your stuff, its effects fade out very quickly -- say, within a month or two.
3) Yes, or at any other time.
4) The orb for a great conjunction is hard to gauge. I'd give it 5°, which means it's going to start applying in April of this year. Yes, if it aspects any planet in your natal chart, expect it to influence whatever house that planet rules. Remember that what we're discussing is the beginning of a new age of the world, and nothing will ever be the same again.