Mindful Refocusing: New Moon in Virgo 2024

New Moon @ 11 degrees Virgo 04'

September 2, 2024

6:56 PM PDT

9:56 PM EDT

With the onset of September synchronizing with Mercury direct and a New Moon in mutable Virgo, we are in definite transitional territory that can feel a bit liminal and uncertain. If you're in the northern hemisphere, there is that natural onset of the seasonal shift that might amplify all of this.

Yet, this New Moon points to more than a mere season change, especially as it serves as our onramp into the final eclipse season of 2024. More broadly speaking, the encroaching Saturn-Neptune alignment also touches on some major global shifts, and with the t-square alignments of the past weeks, the astrology is a little edgy.

Virgo is often caricatured as the archetype of the perfectionist, and this does emerge in relation to it. Yet, pursuing perfection is always mixed up with heavy idealism and a focus on the transcendental. Paradoxically, as an earth sign, Virgo is also highly pragmatic, and therefore seeks to ground the transcendent in the everday world.

Such can be our focus and struggle to pass through this New Moon, an attempt to integrate and implement the ideal into the real, or noticing the sharp and heavy contrast between what "should be" and what is. From there, we can make improvements that will get us further toward our goals, however big or small.

This Virgo New Moon can reflect an amplification of imperfections and where we've somehow fallen short, so be on watch for excessive criticalness, either from yourself or others. Also, another major challenge here, reflected in Jupiter's square from Gemini, can be maintaining our focus altogether or having to compromise and work between competing objectives and points of view.

Overall, a Virgo New Moon, especially one touched by Saturn and Jupiter can be a time to "get it together," prioritize and sharpen our focus for the remainder of the year. Criticalness can also be helpful in editing and throwing out excess clutter, such as diminishing habits or commitments that no longer serve our highest interests.

Pushing Through the Noise: Full Moon in Aquarius 2024

maxime raynal from France, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 Aquarius 15'
August 19, 2024
11:26 AM PDT
2:26 PM EDT

August's Full Moon and Supermoon in tropical Aquarius culminates in a t-square alignment with Uranus in Taurus and Mercury retrograde in Leo. Additionally, a t-square formation involving the Mars-Jupiter conjunction, Venus, and Saturn adds another layer of tension to this lunar crescendo. 

With Uranus and Mercury retrograde in the lunation picture, there can be some elements of spontaneity, instability, or even chaos. On the world stage, this could be reflected in tumultuous events, be they political clashes or natural events, or it can merely point to critical turning points in ongoing issues involving many of these elements.

On a personal level, the clash and contrast between the Aquarian and Leonian archetypes is significant. The Sun and Mercury retrograde bring about a process of creative refocusing, reconnecting, and revising the need for play, pleasure, and self-expression. This involves a compromise between subjective needs and larger societal and cultural demands, perceptions, and biases. 

Uranus, the archetype of liberation, high-level individuation, and sudden upheaval, demands a power shift personally and collectively. Alongside the lunar cycle peak, it reflects a desire to change, shift, and push through to a new level of innovation, fresh dialogue, and experience. It demonstrates a process of moving for greater authenticity and integration of conflicting points of view. 

The Mars-Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn t-square can reflect some ideological and perceptual tension manifesting in certain relationships--romantic, domestic, platonic, professional, or even sexual. A coming to a head of viewpoints and perspectives and a breaking point in resolving their incongruities. 

However, while we may not come out of this Full Moon passage with clear solutions, there is much to be learned through the experience of pushing ourselves past comfort zones, biases, and perceptual blockages. A give-and-take between speaking and listening can also take us far when encountering obstacles. Verbal and intellectual challenges can be worked through persistent effort and a willingness to compromise and change our point of view. 

Reclaiming Passion: New Moon in Leo 2024

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Nottuln, Gladbeck, Grashalm -- 2024 -- 4342” / CC BY-SA 4.0For print products: Dietmar Rabich / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nottuln,_Gladbeck,_Grashalm_--_2024_--_4342.jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

New Moon @ 12 degrees Leo 34'

August 4, 2024

7:13 AM EDT

4:13 AM PDT

August begins with a New Moon in tropical Leo alongside Mercury's retrograde station in Virgo. In its domicile in Leo, the Sun reflects an amplification of the solar and Leonian archetypes competing with the equally powerful Mercury station in Virgo. Leo's willful, playful, and creative spontaneity contrasts with Virgo's myopic and pragmatic mental focus.

Alongside a surge of creative willpower and confidence, especially stimulated by its sextile with Jupiter, this month's lunation requires some tempering of enthusiasm with careful attention to detail and realism. Due to Mercury's retrograde station, this may not be a desirable New Moon for spontaneously rushing into major decisions or thoughtlessly charging ahead with novel plans, ideas, and opportunities.

However, it is an excellent lunation for implementing a process of creative revision, especially in relation to projects, ideas, and situations that have already been mobilized and somewhat actualized. Even better, we might find this lunation correlating with a process of reflection and a return to forgotten elements of the past that could be useful in our present endeavors. Rekindling with a past passion or playful outlet is also likely.

Use this New Moon in Leo to clarify your creative and purposeful focus in life. When Mercury is retrograde, there is often more time than we might think and far more room for improvisation, reconsideration, and experimentation. Especially with Mercury's backtrack through both Virgo and Leo, whatever is emerging or inspiring us now is likely to undergo some major modifications and shift of focus.

Lastly, with Mercury's station in Virgo and Jupiter's transit through Gemini, anticipate an influx of communication, information, and data with this Leo New Moon. Mercury in Virgo, however, invites us to utilize more discernment to discriminate between genuine and meaningful communications amongst all the noise and distraction.

Clearing up the channels now will allow us to articulate our creative vision, passion, and focus. In a society economically driven by attention siphoning, it is a powerful and radical act to mindfully claim your focus and redirect it toward the realization of your priorities and creative willpower. Here, we get a chance to mindfully redirect the spotlight to what matters most.

Power in the Dark: (Another) Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 29 degrees Capricorn 09'
July 21, 2024
6:17 AM PDT
3:17 AM EDT

July's Full Moon is the second to occur in Capricorn this year and it culminates at the tail end of Mars and Uranus' alignment in Taurus. Combined with the Full Moon's placement at 29 degrees and its conjunction with Pluto, there is some instability here, along with powerful intensity. 

A Full Moon aligned with Pluto can bring many previously subjugated, repressed, denied, or secretive elements out into the open. Known as the anaretic degree, the 29th degree of a sign symbolically suggests an "explosive" quality in which a major shift is about to take place, especially on the collective level. 

The combination of Capricorn and Pluto (in Aquarius) can suggest a transpersonal breakthrough, culmination, or achievement resulting from sustained and committed effort toward a larger cause or movement. Yet also, the shadow of this lunation can reveal hard truths or unacknowledged blind spots in relation to our objectives and ambitions in the world.

Neptune's sextile to the Full Moon suggests that opportunities for uncovering the truth and glimpsing behind the veil may be more easily accessible in the days around this lunation. Both personally and collectively, this Full Moon brings much into view, allowing us to clear the air and unload what we've been desiring to express. 

From a larger vantage point, this lunation can highlight seemingly subtle yet powerful transformations in life direction, career focus, and other future objectives. It can direct us to issues beyond our self-interest or shed more truthful light on the meaning and direction of our ambitions. Emerging signs and realizations should not be ignored. Pluto is powerful medicine, and it reflects a desire to understand better the root causes of our life circumstances and their broader spiritual context. 

Solidifying Bonds: New Moon in Cancer 2024

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Haltern am See, Westruper Heide -- 2015 -- 8306-10” / CC BY-SA 4.0

New Moon @ 14 degrees Cancer 23'
July 5, 2024
3:37 PM PDT
6:37 PM EDT

July's New Moon in tropical Cancer squares the nodal axis and aligns with the fixed star Sirius, a bright, color-changing binary star system that had immense significance in antiquity. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun's passage and further distancing from Sirius in the summer months (when it reaches the last degrees of Cancer) results in Sirius's heliacal rising (when it rises before the Sun in the predawn sky). 

In ancient Egypt, Sirius' heliacal rising correlated with the Nile River's annual flooding and marked the start of the Egyptian calendar. Sirius was also known as the "dog star" due to its presence in the constellation Canis Major and featured, via Greek cultural syncretism, as one of Orion's hunting companions (a remnant of the Egyptian's association of Sirius with Anubis, a dog-headed deity). The "Dog Days" of summer are also associated with Sirius' heliacal rising in the northern hemisphere, which corresponds with the hottest summer months (July-August). 

In the Thema Mundi, the symbolic "birth chart of the world," a chart used as a rationale for the Hellenistic astrological system, Cancer corresponds to the first house and Ascendent, perhaps connected to the enduring significance of Sirius and the Egyptian reverence for this star and the summer celebrations related to it. Sirius is actually least visible right now while obfuscated by the Sun's presence beside it. Yet, as a notable object that was related to new beginnings, fertility, and prestige, it adds some significance to this New Moon as a powerful seeding and starting point.

Especially as the last New Moon before Mercury's next retrograde cycle (August 4 through the 28th), this is the most auspicious, mobilizing, and forward-directing New Moon of summer, the only one free of the complexities and detours that often accompany Mercury's retrograde cycle. Additionally, with the Moon powerful in its home sign Cancer, this amplifies both the New Moon's potential and the Cancerian archetype. 

Cancer is classically a cardinal water sign connected with domestic and familial significance. A sign of healing, nourishment, and bonding, this New Moon favors and blesses inward, intimate, and creative endeavors and can bring us closer to people and experiences that further secure our place in the world. This is a good time to connect more deeply with family, friends, or one's chosen tribe, or may synchronisitically relate to a new beginning or transition in these areas. 

Lastly, the New Moon's square to the nodes and trine to Saturn suggests also a time to gain perspective on all that we've accomplished and experienced this year. This is a time to reflect on and feel our way through current projects, goals, and ambitions and realistically consider what we can or cannot take on and pursue here. Ultimately, go with your instincts, intuition, and what feels right as you move ahead. 

Pushing Through the Fog: Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 01 degrees Capricorn 07'
June 21, 2024
9:07 PM EDT 
6:07 PM PDT

June's Full Moon occurs in tropical Capricorn following the solstice and the Sun's ingress into Cancer. It highlights the cardinal axis and more specifically the Aries Point Axis (the first two degrees of cardinal signs and the last two degrees of mutable signs). It is also the first of two Capricorn Full Moons this year, with the following occurring at 29 degrees on July 21. 

The cardinal archetype is catalytic. This suggests a definite dynamism to this lunation that's helpful for pushing past certain boundaries and obstacles that have been difficult to breach (or that we've been too reluctant to go beyond). 

Capricorn is a pragmatic and often focused sign, and under this Full Moon, it can spotlight specific objectives and endpoints we've been trying to reach or accomplish. However, Neptune's square can show up as an unnerving lack of clarity, uncertainty, or confusion that can lead to distraction or disenchantment.

This Full Moon can bring about a brief but poignant reassessment of what we're ultimately aiming for or whether we have a clear and realistic strategy. It can represent the difficulty of articulating or grasping what does not yet have a definitive form. A dream, vision, or ideal can more harshly meet the limitations of the moment. 

Yet, a theme to consider over the next two years is that the greatest dreams that were realized were the result of a deep commitment to them. Faith is important, but more so is the consistent effort and unwavering support required to materialize what has never been realized. 

While this Full Moon can symbolize a breaking point that can deflate or collapse certain ideals, delusions, or unrealistic goals, it's also a landing point in a larger process that challenges us to keep pushing for clarity, understanding, and truth. Pushing reality's boundaries is never easy, but staying in the fog can be just as difficult. 

A Critical View: New Moon in Gemini 2024

Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 16 degrees Gemini 18'

June 6, 2024

5:38 PM EDT

8:38 PM PDT

We enter June with the New Moon in tropical Gemini. It features a prominent conjunction with Venus and a notable and challenging square from Saturn in Pisces. A New Moon in Gemini, especially with its ruler Mercury in the same sign, is a mental and perceptual reset. New ideas and conversations are beginning to emerge, and ongoing dialogues are reaching a critical testing and evaluation.

With Venus' conjunction to the New Moon, creative projects, relationships, and material affairs get especially highlighted and brought into more focus. This is a perfect starting point for beginning a challenging conversation, course, book project, research endeavor, or for improving communication skills and proficiency.

Saturn's square is a reflection of a call to take on a mental and perceptual challenge, to push ourselves further in our understanding and ability to generate more effective rapport in personal and societal relationships. Gemini's weakeness can be a tendency to get overwhelmed in excessive stimulation, facts, or data. Indecision or even moral ambivlance can ensue when entrapped in the intellectual crossfire.

This New Moon also has the benefit of helping to narrow choices, priorities, and focus. It is a time to get more realistic about objectives and relational commitments. The higher end of Gemini is also its innate curiosity and ability to comprehend complex and nuanced issues and situations. Consider also how this New Moon can assist in better understanding a different viewpoint or perspective through asking questions and opening ourselves to uncomfortable conversations.

Ultimately, the New Moon is a personal and collective starting point that can reflect the need to take on new challenges that can significantly alter our understanding of a situation or even result in a transformation of worldview. Hard work will be required of any relationship or task we take on here, but if it is worth it, we can build and sustain powerful communicative threads that will improve how we see the world.

Holding the Dream: Full Moon in Sagittarius 2024

Jernej Furman from Slovenia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 2 degrees Sagittarius 55'
May 23, 2024 
6:53 AM EDT
9:53 AM PDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Sagittarius strikes an opposition to Venus and Jupiter's exacting conjunction in Taurus, bringing a wave of potential progress and expansive opportunities, marking a significant contrast to the last several lunations, reflecting a more hopeful and optimistic moment.

The Sagittarius archetype doesn't play small, and with its ruler Jupiter aligning with Venus in her home sign, Taurus, the expansiveness of this sign is notably enhanced. The downside is a tendency to go overboard in numerous potential ways, where the problems of too much of a good thing can become undeniably apparent. 

Yet, after some restriction, restraint, and limitation, this Venus-Jupiter alignment and Full Moon may feel far more freeing. It can gift us with increased vision and perspective on a variety of life areas. Most notably, there can be an opening of opportunities and increased understanding within existing and emerging relationships, financial matters, creative projects, and collaborative endeavors. 

With Neptune's trine and Pluto's sextile to the Full Moon, there's a reassuring ability to gain clarity and perspective on issues that have been previously obscured or difficult to investigate. This alignment instills a greater degree of confidence in acknowledging the truth, and many blind spots are being momentarily illuminated now. 

Undoubtedly, this Sagittarius Full Moon can correlate with a brief period of spiritual, psychic, and existential expansion, during which the big picture is more within our field of vision. We may be prompted to reach beyond certain inhibitions or past hesitations, expanding what's available to us and our ability to attain it. 

Sprouting Revolution: New Moon in Taurus 2024

Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 18 degrees Taurus 02'
May 7, 2024
8:22 PM PDT
11:22 PM EDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Taurus helps solidify projects, events, and current issues as well as ground potential ideas, realizations, and insights that have emerged through the eclipse season/Mercury retrograde overlap the past month or so. 

While its alignment with the now separating Jupiter-Uranus conjunction adds some unstable volatility to emerging directions and events, it reflects a collective and personal desire to move toward greater freedom, autonomy, and individuation in all we're currently involved in. 

We can consciously utilize this New Moon as a grounding point and launch pad for setting off into directions that serve more authentic needs and relieve heavy restrictions and limitations that have held us back for far too long. 

The reflections of the Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, while fading out in July, will get significantly sharpened under this New Moon and following two weeks. And with Venus, the New Moon ruler, empowered in Taurus, this is a time to augment, innovate, and define our material conditions more clearly.

This New Moon in Taurus is a powerful opening for expanding income flow, health, and bodily enhancement, as well as grounding ourselves more firmly in solid and self-affirming relationships. While the peace and stillness of a typical Taurus New Moon might get overpowered by sporadic flashes of revolution and revelation, we are definitely touching more solid ground compared to the past several weeks. 

A Deeper Power: Full Moon in Scorpio 2024

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Scorpio 18'
April 23, 2024
4:49 PM PDT
7:49 PM EDT

April's Full Moon in tropical Scorpio breaks us entirely out of eclipse season. Still, it keeps the intensity high with Pluto's square and the Full Moon's placement in the depths of the Scorpio archetypal field. With Mercury about to station direct (April 25), there can also be an inundation of high stimulation and information overload, making for an unstable, eventful, yet interesting lunation.

This Full Moon presents us with a fascinating collective crossroads, marked by the precise Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, Mercury's direct station, and Mars' impending shift into Aries. While some actions may still feel obstructed or uncertain, this lunation serves as a potent transition, inviting us to start implementing the insights, revisions, and shifts in perspective we've gathered over the past few weeks. This is a time of potential growth and change, offering a unique opportunity for personal transformation. 

With the Full Moon ruler, Mars, currently mired in the Neptunian fog and the infinite expansiveness of the Piscean void, we can easily get pulled far beyond our boundaries and intended desires under this lunation. Neptune and Pisces are seeking to redirect the ego's focus towards more transpersonal issues and concerns, and a breaking point can be reached, allowing for a more transcendent purpose or mission to emerge.

As we navigate the days surrounding this lunation, it'll be beneficial to surrender more to the flow of creative, spiritual, and even humanitarian energies. By allowing ourselves to be guided, we can better confront the forces and impulses that surpass our ego's limited perception. This is a time of challenge and growth, where we're encouraged to rise above the haze of fear and mental blockages, unlocking a more profound truth, purpose, and power. 

Be Fierce: Total Solar Eclipse in Aries 2024

Justin Hawkes, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Total Solar Eclipse @ 19 degrees Aries 24'
April 8, 2024
11:20 AM PDT
2:20 PM EDT

Solar eclipses can correlate with profound transitions in our lives, both significant beginnings and endings, which seem to unfold simultaneously. Especially for those living where the eclipse is visible, it can correlate with emotional amplification and confrontations with numerous hidden and unconscious aspects of ourselves and the external world. These can be dramatic periods, but also highly revealing and liberating, especially if we attune ourselves more inwardly to the unconscious mind.

With this eclipse, we are met with a barrage of seeming contradictions. The Aries archetype, ruled by the planet Mars, desires to assert and take willful action. As a north nodal eclipse, we are compelled forward into the future to free ourselves of numerous dependencies and unhealthy attachments. Yet, Mercury is moving deep into its retrograde cycle, bringing up the past and throwing the mind into reflection, revision, and potential hesitation. 

Additionally, Mars will be heading toward a conjunction with Saturn in Pisces that exacts within a day of the eclipse on April 10. This is not a time in which we should take careless or impulsive actions. We should be mindful that whatever we implement and launch now will not likely align with the ego's ideals and expectations. This is a time to focus our shifts more internally and trust that dramatic changes of attitude, perception, and emotional expression will eventually trickle into our external experiences. 

Additionally, the eclipses' exact alignment with Chiron, and wide conjunction with Mercury retrograde, and the dwarf planet Eris suggest a further amplification of wounds and vulnerabilities. If we're not careful, we can easily get swept up in the internal and external chaos of the moment and lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Yet, these symbols also speak to the ability to heal and integrate unfinished business, to learn deeply from the past and utilize our pain and suffering to motivate us toward courageous action in the world to pave the way for a new order and way of being. Reflect on what has been holding you back from your fierceness and ability to claim your destined place in life. Sometimes, going back and turning inward can counterintuitively push us further forward. 

Seeds of Hope: New Moon in Pisces 2024

Bertrand Paris Romaskevich, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Pisces 16' 
March 10, 2024
1:00 AM PDT 
4:00 AM EDT 

March's New Moon in tropical Pisces stands at a symbolic collective and personal crossroads. This is the last New Moon until May 7 that we can utilize for the stable initation of new projects and various endeavors. Eclipse season and a Mercury retrograde cycle in April will very much destabilize preset plans and lead to a period of much revision and readjustment. 

However, the Pisces archetype itself is a more go-with-the-flow type of vibe, one in which we're unlikely to feel an urgent need or desire to make something happen if it isn't already in motion. In fact, that's a good way of conceiving of this New Moon, as a time to check in with what we're attempting to make real in the world and attune ourselves to current processes and how best to rework them over the next two months. 

Sitting at the midpoint of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction (an alignment that exacts in early 2026 as I have written about here), this New Moon also connects us more deeply with our dreams, ideals, and future expectations. Naturally, that can also bring disappointment, disillusionment, or discouragement, since the combination of Saturn-Neptune represents the merging of what we imagine and what's realistically possible. 

Perhaps it's best to think of this New Moon as a bit paradoxical experientially. There is the reality of the moment and a confrontation with its genuine limitations and yet an equally profound emergence of hope, faith, and a glimpse of something more on the horizon. 

However we are moved and shifted by this New Moon, there is a choice between locking ourselves into one end of a polarity or embracing a synthesis where we accept what's real but continue to dream and embrace exciting new possibilities. Consider what new moves and changes you can make to transform those less-than-ideal realities into more positive outcomes that can blossom further down the road. 

Rising Wise: Full Moon in Virgo 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Virgo 23’

February 24, 2024

4:30 AM PDT

7:30 AM EDT

February's Full Moon occurs in tropical Virgo. The Virgo and Pisces polarity both deal with idealism, yet they do so in different ways. Virgo's ideals are often more readily attainable in the so-called real world, while Pisces' interests lie more so in the abstract and imaginal.

Both Piscean and Virgoan ideals are realizable in some way, but they often need direction and a container to focus their potential. Saturn's opposition to this Full Moon can represent the awareness of such needs, or it can correlate with some discouragement or even disillusionment.

Alongside this Full Moon, we're likely to feel the weight of certain realities more than usual since Saturn's opposition to the Moon can be felt as a kind of reality test. A Full Moon in Virgo is a culmination, breaking point, or crisis in relation to our efforts to attain some ideal or make a dream or vision real in the world. Yet, along the way, we will likely encounter certain obstacles, setbacks, or limitations that dampen our spirit and idealism.

This Full Moon represents a moment to check in with the ultimate objective, dream, or vision you're trying to make real. Anything too impractical or abstract in the Piscean sense might need to be scrapped or at least heavily revised. Yet, for those dreams and objectives that continue to hold your passion, this Full Moon is simply a reality test that can be mastered through humility, determination, and commitment to growth.

Jupiter's trine to the Full Moon and waxing conjunction with Uranus also suggests that breakthroughs and new potential lie on the horizon, even amid failure or a perceived disaster. We can always use setbacks and limitations as sources of wisdom and catalysts for growth and future change. While sometimes hard, attempting to reach an ideal is ultimately worth the maturity and strength it gives you.

A New Way Forward: New Moon in Aquarius 2024

Ted.ns, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Aquarius 40'
February 9, 2024
2:58 PM PDT 
5:58 PM EDT 

February's New Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and makes a square to the Aquarian modern ruler, Uranus, bringing forth an archetypal current of instability and mounting pressure to willingly initiate vital changes. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and true to its traditional Saturnian ruler, it is a sign that likes to preserve a stable awareness of the world and its future potential. 

Science and other collaborative forms of knowledge acquisition (Aquarian-like activities and institutions) seek to make predictions and thus attain some sense of certainty about the universe. However, with this New Moon, anticipate more uncertainty in relation to arising matters and new endeavors. If clinging to the Aquarian shadow, there is more resistance to letting that certainty go and a stubborn refusal to accept new ideas and possibilities. 

Aquarius is, however, a paradoxical sign (as are all astrological symbols). As we shift into this New Moon, it may be wise to consciously acknowledge where change is needed and willingly move confidently into the unknown. The high end of the Aquarian archetype is a willingness to defy the status quo and embrace a more radical or unconventional course or purpose. With Uranus' square, the less treaded pathway is more relevant now than ever. 

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Change is in the air with this Aquarian New Moon (pun intended as it is an air sign). Uranus' square to this lunation emerges as a dynamic symbol for a catalytic shift occurring within the collective psyche over the next few days and weeks. As Mercury, Mars, and Venus move through Aquarius this month, they also strike squares with the building Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, catalyzing some much-needed but potentially tumultuous change and instability. 

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction peaks at the end of April and will correlate with a rising wave of cultural and political resistance to the status quo, opening new possibilities to unearth radical discoveries. This is one of the most creatively potent world transit conjunctions, and a powerful opportunity to push yourself into new adventures. 

In contrast to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction phasing in toward the latter part of this year and into 2025 and peaking in 2026 (which I have written extensively about here), the Jupiter-Uranus alignment gifts us an opportunity to rise into new potentials and break free of some restrictive patterns and blockages this year. Embrace this wave of inspiration and opportunity while the window is open. 

Mars and Venus also align with Pluto as they shift into Aquarius over the following week. While there is an opening for deeper intimacy and authenticity, a magnification of certain blindspots and pitfalls in relational interactions can become problematic. Wherever idealism and wishful thinking take over, use more discernment and realism. However, a greater awareness of true compatibility and relational needs is always useful for future interactions. 

The tarot card I pulled for this New Moon is the Five of Wands. Most versions of this card depict several men in battle, yet there is often an air of confusion and uncoordinated effort, with wands coming from multiple directions. Often, this card can symbolize the midst of conflict or a struggle to attain some desired action or goal. Harmonically, the 5 relates to the square aspect in astrology, which the New Moon receives from Uranus--a symbolic struggle or challenge. 

Aquarius and its classical and modern rulers (Saturn and Uranus respectively) also strongly correlate with an inherent conflict between an old and a new order. In the original Greek creation myth, Uranus was the first oppressive patriarch who usurped the ambitions of his progeny and was eventually castrated by Cronos (Saturn), thus losing his authority and power. 

Later, Cronos/Saturn himself meets a similar fate when deceived by his son Zeus (Jupiter) while attempting to devour his children to prevent his own inevitable dethronement. The conflict between generations and the fight against an oppressive old order is a consistent theme throughout the Western world and is embodied in the Aquarian archetype.

Perhaps it reflects a dimension of this New Moon that highlights such conflict within ourselves and our own lives and the persistence and motivation required to "stand our ground" and keep fighting for greater freedom and autonomy. Use this New Moon as a catalyst to push you further toward a unique individualistic pathway. Naturally, we will meet resistance and challenges to our ideas or personal style, but such is the price for staying true to ourselves and our dreams. 

Creating the Future: Full Moon in Leo 2024

DEATHSCOOTER, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Leo 14'
January 24, 2024
9:54 AM PST 
12:54 PM EST 

Our first Full Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Leo, culminating into a dynamic t-square with its opposition to Pluto and square to Jupiter. Firstly, such a configuration during a Full Moon climax suggests the emergence of tension and the need for some significant closure, conclusion, or resolution. T-squares can feel particuarly pressing or heavy, correlating with the need to make certain choices or take important actions. 

Pluto, recently back in Aquarius, pressures us collectively and personally with a required confrontation with the deeper truth of an issue or situation. There is likely an awareness that putting off certain matters will no longer work. Pluto demands that we face reality more squarely (pun intended) and honestly, especially regarding certain objectives and prospects for the future. 

The higher integration of the Leo/Aquarius polarity is realizing the nuanced and paradoxical nature of being true to ourselves and contributing to a larger collective purpose. Where does our personal, spiritual mission intersect with the larger human or global community? Are we neglecting personal needs for some group purpose, or conversely, can we do more to expand our reach and influence? 

From the perspective of Leo, we're the main character in the drama of life.  In its shadow, this can lead to a solipsistic or narcissistic orientation where empathy and compassion for others cease, and all that matters is a personal perspective or need. A childlike world insulates us, and all criticism or opposing perspectives are silenced. Such is the growing architecture of today's social media spaces. 

Yet also, Pluto in Aquarius will awaken us to the horrors of uncritical groupthink and blind obedience to consensus. The seeming polarity of cultural narcissism and things like fascism or totalitarianism actually feed and depend on one another, and both are predicated on the eradication of authentic community and both personal and collective purpose and values. 

With this Full Moon, there is likely to be some acquisition of awareness of where we might fit into some larger collective struggle, what we can do to heal, offer solutions, or perhaps how we can delve into our creative potential and power and bring forth a new vision. Perhaps what emerges is not so complex, but rather a need to enact some change for better situating our personal lives within the context of the current collective reality (whether economic, political, or cultural) and both its limitations and opportunities for greater expansion.

Clearing the Way: New Moon in Capricorn 2024

Enoch Leung, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Capricorn 44'

January 11, 2024

3:57 AM Pacific

6:57 AM Eastern

Our first New Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Capricorn and is highly supportive of stepping out and initiating some formative moves in critical endeavors. Especially if you've felt impeded the past few weeks, this Capricorn lunation is a focal point of dynamic renewal that synchronizes intentions and willpower for future goals and ambitions.

With Mercury clear of its retrograde cycle and as we shift into the waxing lunar phase these next two weeks, you'll find that several obstacles will be lifted, and enthusiasm will rise. However, in the dark of the Moon, it's also possible to feel at a decisive crossroads where narrowing options and possible pathways are needed.

With the New Moon squaring the Moon's nodal axis, this also represents a decisive junction where it can be just as important to hone in on a strategy as it is to take deliberate actions. Additionally, while Mercury is direct, there may be some lingering need for reflection and recharging. Inward shifts are as powerful as those we make happen in the external world.

The most powerful aspect of this New Moon is a trine with Uranus, suggesting that the new doors opening are potent portals for accessing greater freedom and liberation from oppressive circumstances. There is more choice here than pressure to act, but the path is clear for those seeking to integrate fresh routines, experiences, and possibilities.

Emerging Vision: New Moon in Sagittarius 2023

dsearls, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees 40' Sagittarius

November 12, 2023

3:32 PM PST

6:32 PM EST

December's New Moon in tropical Sagittarius occurs alongside Mercury's retrograde station. The Sagittarius archetype's fiery and often faith-based enthusiasm is slightly dampened by the decreased momentum, detours, glitches, and hesitations that tend to magnify alongside Mercury stations. Rather than a powerful ignition point, this lunation acts more like a crossroads, but it does bring forth a potent spark of inspiration that can be mindfully directed.

Mars' wide conjunction with the New Moon also adds to the paradoxical nature of this lunation moment, where the desire to assert, charge ahead, and take a proactive approach might clash with various obstacles and uncertainty. Mercury's retrograde station in Capricorn especially highlights the need to take a step back to restrategize and make revisions to a larger goal, objective, and game plan over the following few weeks.

However, the need for greater clarity or retreat might be obscure in the heat of the moment, especially where excitement for a new opportunity or pathway can be considerably powerful. Additionally, Neptune's square to this New Moon is another indication for caution with impulsively leaping into uncharted territory or seeking especially to dominate others with ideas, perceptions, and beliefs.

Rather, this New Moon invites us to embrace some humility and suggests taking extra time to contemplate and rework new directions, plans of action, and emergent ideas and points of view. The following weeks are more of an invitation to slow down the pace, reflect, and look inward to better grasp the next steps and endpoints. However, the New Moon's trine to the North Node suggests that we will glide more gracefully into our greater purpose with less ego, urgency, and hubris.

As a potentially helpful image for this New Moon, fully embrace whatever vision, inspiration, or exciting impulse emerges but take your time in fully directing it toward its ideal application or objective. Consider also that potentially hidden or unacknowledged directions, ideas, or pragmatic solutions have yet to be revealed, and by willingly embracing the detours, they will gradually come into focus.

Directed Curiosity: Full Moon in Gemini 2023

Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Gemini 51'
November 27, 2023
1:16 AM PST
4:16 AM EST 

November's Full Moon in tropical Gemini is also our transition into the final Mercury retrograde cycle of 2023, starting alongside the New Moon in Sagittarius December 12/13. Featuring a t-square with Mars and Saturn, this Full Moon carries a challenging integration and suggests taking time to integrate and process culminating thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and incoming data and information. 

The Gemini/Sagittarius polarity deals archetypally with our personal and cultural conceptions of the everyday world and how we navigate it. Additionally, in relation to Gemini and its ruler Mercury, communication and information dissemination are highlighted, bringing all these themes into a fulcrum. Considering Mercury's retrograde station in just two weeks, it might appear that there's more than a usual amount to think about, reflect on, and process. 

As a mutable air sign, the Gemini archetype is notorious for overthinking or bringing extra options to the forefront. However, Saturn and Mars' hard aspects to this Full Moon relate to the need to clarify, limit, solidify, and set boundaries. As such, this Full Moon is likely to bring about some tension related to how we see and understand the world, likely through a clash or incongruity with competing worldviews. 

Leave some extra space for making revisions and adjustments to anything finalized or conclusions drawn alongside this lunation as a lot can change and get reshuffled over the following month. Thus, moving through this lunation might be easier with some flexibility and an open mind. Closemindedness, dogmatism, and an inability to accommodate alternative perspectives can represent this lunation's shadow end, leading to unnecessary disputes or misunderstandings. Strive to listen more and understand rather than being on the defensive. 

From Disillusionment to Global Awakening: The Saturn-Neptune Conjunction (2024-2027)

Jeffrey Pang from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

*This article was originally published on my Substack page in September 2023, portions of which I presented at the AstroBash evolutionary astrology conference in Borrego Springs, CA.

*I have another more recent essay on this topic here

Introduction

Beginning in 2024, the planets Saturn and Neptune get closer to their conjunction in tropical Aries, specifically at a point coined by modern astrologers as the "Aries Point"--the place where the Sun ignites the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Additionally, this conjunction occurs alongside two other infrequent conjunctions exacting within roughly the same time frame: centaur object Chiron with dwarf planet Eris and Uranus with dwarf planet Sedna. Similar to 2020 and surrounding years, these alignments represent challenging collective integrations but also hold constructive and meaningful potentials that I'll explore in this article while looking at the archetypal natures of the planets involved, the Aries Point, and past historical correlations. 

While Saturn and Neptune will make only one exact alignment in February 2026, this Saturn-Neptune conjunction period will have significance from March 2024 through April 2027 in using a 15-degree orb. Like the Saturn-Pluto conjunction that peaked in January 2020, its correlations were relevant from January 2018 through December 2021, evident in the way in which much of the heightened collective fear and authoritarian pressures as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic peaked at the exact conjunction period in early 2020 and began to wane entering 2022. We can anticipate a gradual building crescendo of the Saturn-Neptune themes starting in early 2024, amplifying in early 2026, and phasing out in 2027. 

Saturn and Neptune’s exact conjunction February 20, 2026 alongside close conjunctions of Chiron-Eris and Uranus-Sedna.

However, like all significant world transits such as these, their correlations and consequences linger for some time, often coming back into focus or further elaborating with future quadrature axial alignments of the same planets. Considering, for example, the significance of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction (and Saturn-Jupiter conjunction) of 2020, we can anticipate as well, another challenging collective period picking up in May 2027 through May 2030 due to the Saturn-Pluto square, a likely continuation of many themes and issues from the 2020 conjunction.

What I will explore here deals with world transits and speaks to events and issues primarily impacting the collective. More favorable correlations and cycles will overlap within this timeframe, and there are periods when more difficult themes amplify and then lessen. Also, correlations of these cycles will vary considerably on the individual and local levels. There are equally positive and constructive potentials where we can use these periods for immense spiritual and circumstantial growth, as I discussed in my 2019 article on the year 2020. Even when such challenging collective cycles touch upon sensitive areas of an individual's natal chart, the correlations that emerge within the person's life are likely to be much different than the extreme challenges that appear on the world stage. On the individual level, we have more ability to alter circumstances and transmute potential challenges into successful life changes and accomplishments. 

I do not intend to fearmonger here. You are likely to encounter much of this because synthesizing all this material and thinking critically and deeply about it is difficult. Yet, also, I want to be honest, and I believe that astrologers should not merely present idyllic positivity concerning this content because we should be able to help people prepare for potentially difficult collective periods. The correlative potential of 2020 was an excellent example of this. As Tarnas stated in Cosmos and Psyche, 

"The natural human tendency is to want to know that the general outlook for the foreseeable future is uniformly positive and will only get better, with blue skies as far as the eye can see. Yet there are advantages to knowing of a potentially challenging reality in advance, facing it squarely, preparing for it, and recognizing its signs and characteristic motifs, its dangers, and its positive potential when it is consciously assimilated and enacted." [1]

As Tarnas expressed, humans are innately prone to hopeful future anticipations. This is very hardwired, likely due to the immense difficulties ancestral hominins encountered throughout their evolution. Yet also, it may reflect humanity’s innate spiritual awareness and potential which I do believe informs much of how we perceive and respond to reality. This positivity also lies beneath the perpetual "progress" of civilization and culture, as humanity has an inherent optimism for a better tomorrow. This "progress" inherent to increasing social complexity has clear advantages for the endurance of the human species through the project of civilization. However, as Tarnas also stated, preparing for less-than-ideal moments in the future is tremendously beneficial to make the best of it when it inevitably arrives. This was my intention in writing my 2019 piece and earlier writings on the subject of 2020.

Additionally, humans strongly dislike uncertainty, and thus anything that provides certainty is also attractive. Prophecies of either doom or hope tend to be more easily understood than what a deep study of astrology reveals: a reality that is more nuanced, paradoxical, and open-ended. While knowledge of future astrological cycles can provide some certainty (this is why we study astrology, after all) when delineated completely, they also provide an equal amount of uncertainty since, as Tarnas argued, astrology is archetypally but not concretely predictive. There is much we cannot know about what exactly these cycles will bring forth in a tangible and literal way. This latter point is important because while I will discuss many past historical correlations, it is not possible to know which of those themes will emerge and how.

Concerning fearmongering, if we take merely one thing from 2020 away, it is that while the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was a serious threat and did (and will continue to) have consequences, the fear reaction initially brought forth by the media and world governments was pathological, far exceeding the reality of the actual threat at the time. While in the US, the pandemic is currently estimated to have resulted in over a million deaths, severe cases of COVID-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection) were limited to a much smaller subset of a high-risk demographic than most of the national and world population. This fact was revealed in very early studies. [2]

As I discussed in my Pluto in Aquarius article, "Pluto in Aquarius: Through the Shadows to a Wiser Tomorrow" and delve more deeply in my upcoming book, this pathological reaction resulted partly from what sociologist Frank Fuerdi called the "culture of fear," where risk aversion and public safety are at the helm of moralistic pursuits within modern, secular societies. However, as I also discuss in other writings, this is inflamed by the context of neoliberal hyper-capitalism. This political and economic policy framework leads to the egregious empowerment of an elite class and corporate entities that have progressively assimilated numerous institutions of power. Thus a small percentage of privatized interests utilize this moralistic pursuit as a tool of social and cultural manipulation for increasing profits and control, and fear is very much at the center of it.

We can anticipate that while there will likely be some serious and sobering events to deal with during this Saturn-Neptune cycle that are very real, there will also very likely be a distorted response and representation on the part of the legacy media (long-standing, corporate owned media corporations) and world governments that will attempt to divert our attention to particular solutions or specific reactions and behaviors conducive to political and economic interests. This is the nature of the beast, the hegemonic structures of political and economic power in the West (and much of the world) and it is something to become conscious of in today's increasingly complex, globalized society. 

Tarnas noted and demonstrated in Cosmos and Psyche, that the Saturn-Neptune cycle has correlations similar to that of Saturn-Pluto, and thus we can anticipate a similar challenging period, perhaps even manifestations consequentially related to those that unfolded in 2020 and the proceeding years (since they occur close together in time). The Saturn-Neptune conjunction, especially as a transition to the Saturn-Pluto square of 2027-30, is a notable cycle and something worth thinking about and attempting to understand so that, as Tarnas expressed, we can manage it by "facing it squarely, preparing for it, and recognizing its signs and characteristic motifs, its dangers, and its positive potential." [3] Ultimately, I will be attempting to situate this cycle within a meaningful and purposeful context so that we can understand the necessity of our collective, archetypal fate rather than framing such events from a place of victimhood or fear. 

Lastly, based on my astrological worldview and understanding of astrology, I do not believe that planetary alignments directly cause events to occur on earth. What I will be discussing here represents a symbolic reflection of celestial events. Ultimately, I believe astrology reveals a synchronistic phenomenon inherent to the universe, or per the hermetic axiom, “as above, so below.” In other words, what happens in the sky somehow reflects what happens on earth.

The Saturn and Neptune Archetypes

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Saturn and Neptune archetypes are considerably antithetical, though together they do form an underlying theme and focus. Saturn represents concrete, measurable, predictable, and consciously recognizable boundaries and restraints. In contrast, Neptune represents an awareness of those aspects of life and reality that are significantly amorphous, ambiguous, unknowable, and therefore difficult to distinguish and define. Simply put, Saturn deals with pragmatism, certainty, and "reality," while Neptune pertains to the imaginary, mysterious, "hyper-real," or idealistic. However, one interesting similarity between Saturn and Neptune is their relation to our understanding of reality. 

Neptunian perception is not inherently false but one that is not easily subject to rational explanation or that fits within the framework of an accepted worldview. Additionally, Saturnian "reality" is itself not always representative of truth but sometimes what is determined by authorities or agreed upon by consensus (for political, economic, or other complex social reasons). Thus, reality is something that is always shifting and changing culturally or due to our evolving, collective understanding. Ultimately, reality is relative to our place in time and space. Science, for example, is constantly shifting reality based on new evidence and insight. While the positivist materialist ideal is that a clear and objective view of reality will someday emerge from rigorous scientific experimentation, this has remained only an ideal and belief despite science's incredible insights and breakthroughs.

As it relates to the mundane manifestations of these archetypes, Saturn relates to currently recognizable domains of authority, control, and regulation such as governmental bodies, regulatory agencies, institutions of knowledge, and notable public figures affiliated with such things--Presidents, Prime Ministers, various heads of state, even CEOs and corporate executives at the helm of corporate power. Saturn represents so-called experts and other authorities of specialized knowledge, such as lawyers, doctors, scientists, or public health officials. 

Psychologically and circumstantially, Saturn, the Roman syncretic version of the Greek god Cronos, represents the boundaries and limitations of time and matter, the "way things are." Again, since our understanding of reality is something that is shifting, it represents the way things are now, based on the current moment in time. Saturn can represent the endurance of adaptive and maladaptive cultural traditions and institutions that have stayed the test of time or actively resisted change through authoritarian and coercive dominance. In both the Greek and Roman variants of Cronos/Saturn, respectively, the archetype is associated with limits and constraints of time. It thus represents an awareness of mortality, death, and decay. In relation to the societal level, Saturn also represents the necessity of some level of conformity to laws, customs, traditions, and other cultural regulations within all complex social systems (and within nature).

Conversely, Neptune relates to all matters of faith, belief, revelation, mysticism, illusion, and "higher powers"--an awareness of supernatural forces or agencies and very tangible forces of nature beyond the power of individuals or large collective groups. In a modern conception, Neptune could relate to the looming mysterious presence of such supernatural elements like UFOs or spiritual entities to more mundane things like hurricanes or viral outbreaks that defy our ability to control and contain. Again, while many of Neptune's correlations may be illusory, they can also be genuine and merely lie beyond our ability to fully predict, measure, and understand.

Depiction of Neptune using AI generation in Midjourney v5

In a mundane sense, it is helpful to conceive of Neptune's manifestations, as with all transpersonal planets in astrology, with Timothy Morton's conception of "hyperobjects." Hyperobjects can be tangible things in the world or ideas beyond a human being's ability to fully grasp and comprehend since they exist over vast distances of time and space and involve numerous complex interrelationships. Hyperobjects are inherently non-local and, therefore, cannot be traced to a single point in space and time, such as climate change, neoliberalism, or technological networks. The non-local aspect of the Neptunian archetype is an important takeaway, as its correlations often reveal realities in which there is no specific point or source but something that could emerge from numerous vectors. The UFO phenomenon is an excellent non-mundane example of this, as it involves a diversity of mysterious experiences and phenomena but does not seem to point to a single source, origin, or explanation (even though numerous grand narratives are used to make sense of it).

Neptune therefore actively defies boundaries and restraints. Named after the Roman god of the seas (or the earlier Greek Poseidon), the nature of Neptune very much matches symbolically with that of a watery or other malleable, non-graspable substance, able to slip slowly and surreptitiously through the cracks as well as completely overwhelm and devour structural barriers. Therefore, Neptune threatens all Saturnian certainty about the world and universe. It works to seep into places, reveal weaknesses, and dissolve structures, unveiling vulnerabilities and blind spots. 

Neptune can represent the polarities of faith and disbelief, enchantment and delusion, awakening to truth and disillusionment with beliefs. Neptune relates to all types of mystics, gurus, and spiritual catalysts but also grifters, charlatans, addicts, or the delusional or psychologically unstable. Neptune reveals the boundaries between certainty and uncertainty and ultimately reveals the reality that there is always "a bigger fish," so to speak, always a force or power that evades our understanding and ability to control and predict.

In another sense, Tarnas characterized Neptune as the "imaginative-spiritual-religious axis" and Saturn as the "literalist-skeptical-scientific-axis," and this very closely sums up the archetypal essence of these two planets and how they differ. [4] The conjunctions of Saturn and Neptune operate reciprocally. Saturn impacts Neptune and Neptune impacts Saturn. For example, the Saturnian confrontation with reality imposes itself on Neptunian belief and faith, manifesting, for example, as collective disillusionment and loss of faith. The Neptunian dissolution of barriers and boundaries acts on the Saturnian systems and structures, manifesting as a collective feeling of losing control. The manifestations of these two archetypes are varied, and historical periods related to them deeply reflect this, as I will explore next. 

Saturn-Neptune Historical Correlations

Policemen in Seattle wearing masks made by the Red Cross, during the influenza epidemic. December 1918; photo in public domain

The correlations discussed below reflect the more challenging nature of Saturn-Neptune periods as they emerge in relation to world events. Again, it is important to point out that much of what emerges on the world stage more often appears to reflect the shadow dimension of this archetypal combination. However, further study of this cycle could reveal more nuanced collective correlations, where positive manifestations likely emerge equal to those more difficult. I focus more so on the challenging manifestations here since these are likely to get more focus due to a fear driven culture and collective worldview. Again, this discussion is not meant to create fear but rather serve as preparation for the way in which it is likely that media and political discourse will hyperfocus on those more problematic correlations. Yet also, it serves to help others either mentally or circumstantially prepare for more difficult collective periods which may or may not directly impact them.

In Cosmos and Psyche, Tarnas compared the Saturn-Pluto and Saturn-Neptune cycles through a "dominance in both of Saturnian themes and the unmistakable Saturnian atmosphere." [5]. As the world witnessed in 2020, the symbolic correlation of Saturn as empowered by Pluto was reflected in numerous ways, especially as Tarnas described as a "subtle but pervasive darkening of the collective consciousness". [6] The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as most of the world experienced it (especially in the beginning stages), brought forth a definite "darkening of the collective consciousness" as many struggled with rampant fear, panic, and uncertainty, especially as a response to the fear-driven messaging from media, politicians, and public health officials. 

In relation to the political domain, Tarnas noted how Saturn-Neptune periods appear to highlight extreme polarities, such as religion vs. secularism or "faith-based vs. reality-based." In the US, these polarities are particularly poignant as secular and liberal ideals are often pitted against those of Christian conservatism. The antithetical framing of "evolution vs. creationism" is a simplistic example of this, particularly in American culture. Most recently, the Saturn-Neptune square aspect of 2013-16 appeared to correlate with a particularly amplified sense of collective divisiveness, especially in the way that Former US President Donald Trump became such a divisive cultural symbol and the media-driven "culture wars" between "left" and "right" began to heat up significantly. However, Eris and its conjunction with Uranus during this period was also a potent symbolic reflection of this I will discuss in the next section. Considering that this divisiveness appears to be an ongoing feature of US political and cultural discourse, the 2024-27 Saturn-Neptune period will likely be a critical turning point related to it. 

Tarnas also related a sense of "tragic loss, the defeat of ideals and aspirations, the death of a dream" in relation to Saturn-Neptune cycles, and used as one example, the re-election of Geoge W. Bush during 2004 alongside the Saturn-Neptune square as exemplifying a collective loss of faith in the democratic process. This was a very similar framing and reality of the election of Donald Trump in 2016 in which many liberal voters and politicians mourned and lamented his election since it was depicted as an "existential threat to democracy" by the Democratic Party and numerous legacy media organizations. In relation to Bush, Tarnas described "a pervasive experience of discouragement and depression, resignation, pessimism, despair, and dazed disorientation that descended on many in the following weeks and months like an immense dark cloud." [7] Again, this was a nearly identical experience for democratic and liberal voters during the 2016 Saturn-Neptune square and the election that year, where many feared Trump's election and the populist movement he mobilized was the equivalent of a fascist takeover of the country. 

While the invasion of the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 was spawned by Trump's inaccurate claims of election fraud (which some argue was an outright insurrection and others that it was merely an unruly protest), Trump's supposed insurrection did not materialize as feared. This is ironic given that, for example, such oppressive government regimes both historically and in fiction take power during a crisis or catastrophe. If such a takeover was planned, it is clear it posed little to no threat, which contrasted significantly with legacy media framing that depicted Trump as the greatest political threat of our time. Such a crisis was the 2020 pandemic, which occurred under both the Trump and Biden administrations. There were many elements of Trump's election that exemplified the illusory or even delusional end of the Neptunian archetype, both from Trump himself and his detractors. For example, the claims of his supposed involvement with the Russian government and rumors that his presidency was not only a fascist takeover, but one backed by Russia. While a twenty-two-month formal investigation conducted by former FBI director, Robert Muller, and the US Department of Justice as outlined in the  2019 Muller Report , did find significant evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election, it failed to find any links between Trump and members of his campaign and the Russian government to alter the election outcome. No charges were made against Americans said to be colluding with Russian interests. According to the report, "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." [8] As it turned out, the paranoia over Russian infiltration within the US via the Trump family or his campaign was entirely illusory, despite incessant media and political rhetoric claiming otherwise.

Donald Trump at a presidential rally in Huntington Beach, CA; photo in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

In reflecting on the themes of the Saturn-Neptune square that occurred alongside these controversies, the disillusionment that came with Trump's victory over then-presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, fed into the cognitive dissonance that helped perpetuate a grand conspiracy to make rational sense of it. Yet, such a conspiracy ultimately obfuscated what I argued are the genuine economic problems that significantly influenced Trump's rise to power, namely the larger, systemic impact of neoliberalism and the economic oppression it perpetuates on the working class. Trump ran on a compelling message of economic reform and recovery which many populist voters found attractive. Additionally, Trump's outspoken pushback against elite cronyism in Washington DC and within his own party ("draining the swamp") and corporate media (emblematic of his "fake news" rhetoric) also played a role as many economically disadvantaged Americans blame these power disparities for their material conditions. In sum, Trump spoke to the very real growing distrust among American voters of the elite political establishment.

Bernie Sanders, while running on the Democratic side in 2016 (and again in the 2019 primaries), also spoke to these issues but from a democratic socialist rather than conservative standpoint and he similarly brought forth a populist movement opposed to elitism and corruption in the American political establishment. The exaggerated framing of Trump's involvement with a grand Russian conspiracy reflected a "collective paranoia" that does seem to be a feature of the Saturn-Neptune cycle as I will discuss in connection to both the early 1900s Red Scare and McCarthy era and the fears that surrounded a perceived communist invasion within the US. Yet, as mentioned, it is also important to point out that many of Trump's promises also reflected the imaginary or idealistic "pie in the sky" dimension of the Neptunian archetype such as his idealistic framing of "Make America Great Again" which didn't materialize as promised (the same neoliberal policies persisted, the rich still got richer, and he failed to enact numerous policies nor win re-election in 2020). Similarly, so too did the leftist populist movement of Sanders which sought but failed to reform the Democratic Party establishment or the Democratic Party and National Committee's own tattered dream of putting into office the first female President of the United States via Clinton (the glass ceiling dissolved rather than shattered). Additionally, the idealistic framing of Trump as messianic and salvific among some segments of his supporters also reflected both Neptunian idealism and delusion. For example, the "Q Anon" conspiratorial community, some of whom were part of the Capitol Invasion on January 6, perceive Trump as a heroic and messianic figure fighting against a perceived evil pulling the strings in Washington, DC. 

Another correlation with the 2005-2007 Saturn-Neptune opposition made by Tarnas was the 2005 flooding of New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina that summer. Tarnas noted how the event exemplified forces overpowering humanity, especially an inability to defend itself, as well as the "bitter disappointment with the government's massive failure and negligence." [9] The shoddy infrastructure within the city worsened the tragic flooding of the city and widespread suffering that endured, and the slow and insufficient response on the part of the government to assist during the crises revealed serious governmental incompetence and lack of empathy. The catastrophe in New Orleans appeared to correlate with a Neptunian force (via a hurricane and flooding) revealing weaknesses not only in the city's infrastructure but within the domains of power and governmental authority, the destruction of an illusion perhaps for many, and a harsh confrontation with the reality of political corruption.

Tarnas also noted that significant Saturn-Neptune periods correlated with the endings of both the First and Second World Wars as well as the Cold War, correlating with a "collective sense of physical and spiritual exhaustion, disillusionment and low morale." [10] As another example, the entire American Civil War was fought during the Saturn-Neptune opposition of 1861-65. Of this, Tarnas noted a "sense of being caught in a futile and endless "quagmire." [11] The same was true of the Korean War during the Saturn-Neptune conjunction of the early 1950s and the Vietnam War through the 1950s-70s (in which key moments of its escalation occurred under Saturn-Neptune alignments such as the Gulf of Tonkin incident). Saturn-Neptune periods appear to correlate on occasion with situations that appear futile and exhausting, as there can sometimes be no clear solution or way of the struggle or crisis. A sense of collective hopelessness can be a result. Additionally, they sometimes occur at the end of an enduring battle and correlate with a period of mourning, loss, and coming to terms with the devastation of the situation. 

As alluded to in discussing the election of Trump, the 1950s Saturn-Neptune conjunction correlated with the McCarthy era and the hyper-paranoid atmosphere that surrounded the tensions between the US (through its embrace of capitalism) and communism. This was similar to the "Red Scare" of the early 1900s, which also coincided with a Saturn-Neptune conjunction through 1916-18 (also the cycle of the "Spanish Flu" I will discuss soon). In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy made numerous, unsubstantiated claims of widespread communist invasion within the US and especially within government sectors. This led to the destruction of careers and reputations of many working in government and the blacklisting of numerous Hollywood celebrities who were accused of actively conspiring with communist forces. 

Homosexual minorities were also heavily villainized during this period of American history. The McCarthy era led to accusations that gays and lesbians were working in concert with communist forces to infiltrate government positions and more broadly, American culture. They were accused of corrupting the youth, and the cultural climate of this era heavily influenced the construction of extreme homophobic sentiment within the United States, the result of which had been a significant catalyst for the modern LGBT+ movement and "coming out" as a way of declaring one's sexual identity as a symbol of pride rather than shame. During the McCarthy era and surrounding years, numerous gay, lesbian, and presumably bisexual men and women had to conceal their sexuality since they risked losing their jobs or tarnishing their reputations. The broader "Gay Liberation Movement" of the late 1960s built upon the activism of the earlier "Homophile Movement" ignited in the 1950s, comprised of gay and lesbian activists fighting against the homophobic policies implemented by the US government at this time. [12]

Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

What is interesting about both the Red Scare and the McCarthy era is the way in which the threat of "communist invasion" carried the symbolism of Saturn-Neptune, especially how communists were perceived as non-local entities intruding and slipping through the Saturnian barriers. In relation to homosexuality, especially since the cultural construction of sexual identity was less common (most had to hide that fact and conform to societal norms), homosexuals were framed as hidden enemies, much like communists, who could be anyone, a neighbor, coworker, friend, or family member. The "enemy" blended in and was difficult to detect, exemplifying the non-localized aspect of Neptune I discussed earlier. Despite the fact that some homosexual groups affiliated themselves with radical political ideologies, these larger conspiratorial fears were entirely fabricated and thus reflected the delusional manifestation of the Neptunian archetype, especially the way in which homosexuals were perceived to be actively organized alongside foreign communist forces and thus framed as enemies of the state who were conspiring to destroy and corrupt American culture and its values. The threat during this period, or at least the extent promulgated by government propaganda, was not real but entirely exaggerated and imagined. 

Another theme Tarnas noted was "Dark nights of the soul and severe challenges to religious faith." [13] Tarnas related this in two examples to the horrific suffering experienced from the Asia tsunami in late 2004 leading into the Saturn-Neptune opposition (in which over 200,000 people died in fourteen countries) and during the height of the mass genocide within the 1943-45 Nazi concentration camps during a Saturn-Neptune square (this square contacted the "Aries Point," which I will discuss in the next section). According to Tarnas, "Often individuals during these periods question the existence of an all-loving God who would permit tragic events and vast human suffering." [14] Events of this magnitude reveal a reality in which a perceived "evil" is permitted and chaotic elements are periodically allowed free reign. Ultimately, they reveal that the existence of a benevolent arbiter does not exist in the world we experience (or at least it doesn't intervene to prevent tragedy from happening), and such realizations can be incredibly uncomfortable to accept, sometimes catalyzing intense cognitive dissonance. 

The so-called "Spanish Flu" (it did not originate in Spain) was the last major pandemic since the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak of 2020. Beginning in early 1918 (alongside the waning Saturn-Neptune conjunction), a novel H1N1 influenza A virus mutation began circulating worldwide at the end of World War I and resulted in immense human suffering and loss of life. It is estimated that between 50 to 100 million people died as a result of the virus and it infected approximately 500 million globally. [15] The pandemic resulted in three waves, the second, which peaked in October 1918, was the deadliest (though reports during the first wave were concealed due to its political implications during the end of World War I). The death toll of the 1918-19 influenza pandemic far exceeded that of the 2020 pandemic, and it disproportionately impacted younger adults than did SARS-CoV-2. The reasons for this are often attributed to a hyperreactive immune response of otherwise healthy and young individuals (resulting in cytokine storms). However, other hypotheses suggest various environmental and lifestyle factors. For example, medical herbalist Paul Bergner has argued that a "perfect storm" resulted from an array of factors such as low vitamin D levels (due to long hours in indoor factory jobs), inhumane working conditions (where sick leave and pay were not mandated at the time), significant air pollution from coal burning, and severe malnutrition from standard western diets (high sugar, white flour, and mostly canned foods) were to blame for the high mortality among younger, working-age men in particular (deaths were highest in those aged 20-40). Bergner also argued that overdoses of aspirin and digitalis were common in hospitals and contributed to overall mortality. Malnutrition is one factor that is accepted among the medical consensus as having contributed to severe secondary bacterial infections of the lungs. However, there is also substantial evidence of aspirin overdoses. A paper published in 2009 by Karen M. Starko in Oxford’s Clinical Infectious Diseases, argued that toxic levels (unknown to physicians at the time) were being administered and contributed to severe cases of hyperventilation and pulmonary edema (fluid retention in the lungs which exacerbated bacterial lung infections). [16] According to Starko, the hyper-immune responses as a result of the viral infections were not likely to cause most deaths and aspirin overdoses were a significant contributing factor. As Tarnas noted, the Saturn-Neptune conjunction of the 1918-19 period correlated with the end of World War I, and thus the correlation of "physical and spiritual exhaustion" was undoubtedly present and also coincided with the futility of influenza outbreak and failure of the medical system to effectively combat it.

The 1918-19 influenza pandemic therefore exhibited a severe loss of faith, perhaps in a higher power for many, but also interestingly in relation to the scientific/medical establishment at the time and science itself. Unlike the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the 1918-19 influenza pandemic had more of a Neptune to Saturn quality, as there was little the medical establishment could do to prevent the waves of immense suffering and death (in many instances, modern medicine at the time may have contributed more to it). In contrast, due to the rapid production of the novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations, there was a collective sense of hope that the viral spread could be stopped, and the pandemic overcome, especially in the late 2020 and early 2021 period. The 1918-19 pandemic occurred a decade before the discovery of penicillin (for the treatment of secondary bacterial infections), and vaccine technologies were in their early stages of development, and thus there were no effective treatments or preventatives developed to combat the pandemic. Much like the nature of Saturn-Neptune I have discussed so far, there was a greater sense of a powerful force (the virus) overcoming the Saturnian boundaries (and authorities) with little effective defense. Widespread helplessness was a critical feature of this pandemic, as well as immense disillusionment as the scientific/medical establishment had no solutions, and thus the experts and authorities were themselves helpless to stop it. Again this seems to differ from the Saturn-Pluto cycles, where there is often empowerment of authority (even if exaggerated) rather than deflation of its power. 

Camp Funston, at Fort Riley, Kansas, during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic; photo in public domain

As some historiographical interpretations present, the 1918-19 influenza pandemic was a harsh reality check about the limitations of medical science at the time. Especially coming out of the First World War in which there were impressive advances in military weaponry, the pandemic was a humbling realization that science had not yet delivered entirely to its ideals, especially in medicine. This theme may be relevant and potentially something that could be anticipated concerning the 2024-27 period, as there may be similar reality checks related to a variety of measures and poorly tested solutions implemented during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic which could have serious collateral consequences. As I will discuss further, numerous measures, from implementing a novel vaccine technology amid an active pandemic to widespread global lockdowns, relied on little or untested hypotheses and were entirely experimental (despite assurances from media, politicians, and public health officials). The full ramifications of these experiments will take time to emerge and become clear. 

This brings me to the last theme of the Saturn-Neptune cycle I'd like to flesh out here and as discussed by Tarnas. In Cosmos and Psyche, Tarnas also noted that the Saturn-Neptune cycle correlated with themes involving drugs and toxicity, as well as revelations of corruption on the part of pharmaceutical corporations. As Tarnas described, Saturn-Neptune periods seem to bring forth,

"Problematic reactions, side effects, and abuses of drugs of all kinds, prescription and otherwise, and increased public awareness of these problems, often as a result of new data that disclose a dark reality hidden behind a carefully manipulated image, as in the corporate abuse of testing protocols and suppression of negative data." [17]

Tarnas pointed to various drug scandals during the Saturn-Neptune opposition of 2004-07 involving, as a few examples, the pharmaceutical drugs Vioxx, Plavixx, Bextra, and Celebrex. Vioxx, for example, was a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that its manufacturer Merck developed as an alternative to other NSAID drugs because it was shown to be better tolerated on the stomach. Vioxx was approved by the FDA in May 1999 after a clinical trial was conducted. However, as was revealed to the public over the 2004-07 Saturn-Neptune opposition period, Merck intentionally omitted some deaths of participants in this early trial, and it was later revealed through litigation that data manipulation was also conducted to intentionally make the drug look safer than it was. [18] While Vioxx was better tolerated than other NSAIDs used for chronic pain conditions such as osteoarthritis, it unfortunately led to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke which could occur within weeks of taking the drug. [19]

Merck finally withdrew the drug from the market in September of 2004, just as Saturn and Neptune came within 15 degrees of orb. [20] However, throughout 2005-07 of Saturn and Neptune's exact oppositional alignments, a barrage of lawsuits was filed against Merck, resulting in a $4.84 billion settlement fund set up by Merck. This was the largest pharmaceutical settlement ever at the time. Tragically, it was estimated that between 40,000 to 60,000 people died from cardiovascular complications due to taking Vioxx before the drug's withdrawal from the market. [21] However, as is common with corporate-level corruption and "white collar" crime in a neoliberal, hyper-capitalistic culture, no one was held accountable for these deaths. Instead, Merck merely paid out billions of dollars to victims, but still managed to make a billion in profit from the drug and continued to conduct business as usual thereafter.

The corruption between pharmaceutical corporations and regulatory authorities has been an ongoing issue of concern, especially as it becomes clear that significant financial interests are at play and a concerning revolving door exists between private, regulatory, and academic sectors. [22] As was naively ignored (or genuinely not known due to scientistic propaganda) during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, is the fact that regulatory capture by privatized interests has been systemic and deeply entrenched within numerous medical and pharmaceutical industries, especially where huge profits stand to be made from positive research data. This capture and privatization create convenient narratives around science favorable to certain interests but often destructive of actual science. As Jon Jureidini and Leemon McHenry argued in 2022 in the British Medical Journal,

"Scientific progress is thwarted by the ownership of data and knowledge because industry suppresses negative trial results, fails to report adverse events, and does not share raw data with the academic research community. Patients die because of the adverse impact of commercial interests on the research agenda, universities, and regulators." [23] 

According to Juredidini and McHenry, the privatization of medical and scientific knowledge poses significant risks to the public. Jureidini and McHenry extensively outline what they refer to as a "crisis of credibility" within academic medicine in their 2020 book, "The Illusion of Evidence-Based Medicine: Exposing the Crisis of Credibility in Clinical Research. Concerningly, numerous drugs promoted as "miracles of science" most often fail to live up to this ideal, revealing how such framing reflects a deceptive marketing strategy of pharmaceutical corporations and their marketing executives. Prescrire, an independent drug bulletin, for example, has estimated that of all new drugs entering the market, only 2 percent are a notable advancement over what already exists.[24] "Miracle drugs" are an extreme exception, certainly not the norm, and as the Vioxx scandal revealed, what is framed as miraculous is sometimes tragic. 

As I argued in my 2019 piece about the Saturn-Pluto and Saturn-Jupiter alignments in 2020, the societal and cultural impact of neoliberalism, an economic policy framework that uses the state apparatus for the prioritization of market interests (prioritizing corporate interests and a wealthy elite class), would take a significant and symbolic turn in 2020. As I argued in my Pluto in Aquarius piece and retrospective analysis of 2020 in my upcoming book, that turn was reflected in the authoritarian and totalitarian expression of numerous pandemic policies and mandates and the unprecedented upward transfer of wealth during the crisis. The serious problems within the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory sectors were not resolved prior to 2020 (they may, in fact, have become far worse), and I argue that it is very likely that within the 2024-07 Saturn-Neptune conjunction, many issues related to interventions implemented during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (and many not directly related) will inevitably come more to light as they have during past alignments. Yet, as with the Vioxx example, the problems of which the larger public becomes aware are already underway and likely, the negative consequences and outcomes of this corruption will have already occurred. 

The Aries Point 

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) on the lunar surface; photo in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

As mentioned, Saturn and Neptune will align precisely on the Aries Point in early 2026 and will cross this area of the zodiac throughout this period. A study of alignments occurring here will be useful for gaining insight into the next decade, as a conjunction of Saturn and Uranus will occur in early tropical Cancer in the early 2030s. The Aries Point (AP) is technically 0 degrees of the tropical zodiac sign of Aries. However, modern astrologers typically agree that any planet or point placed at 0 degrees of any cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn) is said to be on the Aries Point, making aspects to the first degree of Aries either by square (0 degrees Cancer or Capricorn) or opposition (0 degrees Libra). Further, the orb for touching the AP extends to about 28 degrees of the preceding sign (28-29 Gemini, 28-29 Virgo, 28-29, Sagittarius, and 28-29 Pisces) to 0-2 degrees of the cardinal sign itself (0-2 Aries, 0-2 Cancer, 0-2 Libra, and 0-2 Capricorn). Therefore, there is a four-degree orb range for contacting the AP. However, I find this orb to be more flexible and general rather than precise, especially in relation to world transits. For example, more complex conjunctions involving several planets loosely straddling the AP vicinity appear to correlate with events with a consistent symbolic and thematic flavor.

The AP depicted on the left as the first degree of Aries. All late mutable and early cardinal sign degrees designate AP zones within the zodiac.

In the context of horoscopic natal astrology, placements on or making hard aspects to the AP (within this four-degree range) are often said to correlate with the individual having the potential for fame, particularly through the symbolism of the planet involved. For example, Mercury on the AP would signify speaking or writing as a vehicle for fame, or in relation to the Ascendant, signifying more so the personality or outward appearance of the individual. For example, in an article demonstrating the significance of the Aries Point in relation to solar arc directions (an astrological predictive technique), astrologer Kathy Rose argued that the "Aries Point offers the clear potential of enhanced visibility." [25] Further, Rose suggested that the AP "indicates the presence of energy insistence that pushes a planet or angle into public view." [26] Rose likened the AP to the symbolism of an opening rosebud, calling it the "bloom zone." [27]. In this context, the AP brings about a culmination of expression that is directed and catalyzed into the world, particularly into larger public and collective awareness.

Astrologer Noel Tyl described the AP as "every being's connection to the larger world," and further stated that "there is the potential of public projection for the person in terms of the planet, point or midpoint configured with it." [28] According to astrologer Robert Hand in Horoscope Symbols, the AP was considered significant as far back as ancient Greece, but was reconceptualized in the 1920s and 30s through the Uranian system of astrology as conceived by Alfred Witte. Tyl's statement regarding "every being's connection to the larger world" paraphrased the works of two notable Uranian astrologers, Hans Niggemann and Gary Christen. Hand's view of the AP agreed with what has been discussed so far, stating that the AP,

"represents the most impersonal but also the widest social contacts: one's relationship to the larger world around one. Hence it is associated with fame and greater social significance. If one ever becomes famous or makes a significant impact on society outside one's circle of friends and associates, it is through symbols that relate to the Aries Point." [29]

Again, Hand connects the AP to fame and broader social outreach. This yang quality of the AP makes sense given the archetype of Aries itself and the symbolism of the spring equinox where the Sun begins to rise higher in the sky and the days become longer, both symbolically and literally, extending the power and influence of astrology's "greater luminary" (the Sun). In a more mundane context, astrologer Eric Francis, writing in Planet Waves, argued that the AP is connected with "events with strong influence on personal and global affairs." Elaborating on this concept, Francis stated that the AP "reminds us that the personal is political and that every individual is connected to a larger public life." [30] Again, the symbolism of the personal meeting the transpersonal is emphasized here, suggesting, as did Kathy Rose, that the AP "is an extremely sensitive and powerful zone in the zodiac..." that connects the individual to social interests and attention. [31]

Since Saturn and Neptune will make an exact alignment on the AP in February 2026, we are dealing with a collective-level event (or series of events) rather than an individual, and the nature of collective events themselves is already societal and transpersonal. How does the AP then operate in relation to world transits? In considering Francis' argument, the AP relates to collective events that somehow involve the individual or directly affect them (or in some way call the individual to involve themselves in a larger societal issue). Yet, also, as Francis stated, the AP has a strong influence on global affairs. I would expand this to suggest that events that correlate with alignments on the AP have more widespread significance for humanity and civilization, or have a larger global impact somehow through extending our collective reach into a wider field of possibility. 

The last significant alignment on the AP occurred in June of 2010 when Jupiter and Uranus made a conjunction precisely at 0 degrees of Aries. In using the four-degree orb rule, this conjunction would have been significant beginning late May to late September of that year. Interestingly, Jupiter and Uranus both stationed retrograde just as Jupiter entered 3 degrees Aries and they crossed the Aries Point together again (though not exact) in August and September 2010. 

Given the correlations relevant to the Jupiter-Uranus cycle that Tarnas coined as "Cycles of Creativity and Expansion" in which an array of artistic, technological, and scientific breakthroughs tend to happen alongside them, there were several such incidents during this time. One interesting example was the successful launch of Space X's Falcon 9 rocket into orbit in June 2010 just as the conjunction exacted. This led to a later launch and the first successful docking of a commercial spacecraft with the International Space Station which occurred in May 2012, and several commercial launches thereafter. Overall, the successful launch of Falcon 9 in June 2010 was symbolic of a new era of commercial space travel. This correlation is interesting given that a Jupiter/Uranus conjunction also occurred exactly opposite the AP at 0 degrees of Libra during the Apollo 11 mission and Moon landing. Just as Jupiter and Uranus exacted during the Falcon 9 mission, so too during the entire Apollo 11 mission which occurred from July 16-24 of 1969. Both missions exemplified technological breakthroughs and new horizons expanded just as Tarnas described, but also considering the symbolism of the AP, they also had broad societal significance, especially in terms of their implications for the project of civilizational expansion. We can also look at these events more symbolically to examine them a bit more deeply beyond the literal level. For example, both events are highly emblematic of the nature of "cardinal" signs generally and especially of Aries and the symbolism of the AP--catalytic, yang, outward reaching, assertive, domineering, and pioneering. They represent humanity's desire to colonize new frontiers and push beyond the limitations of the imposed boundaries of the planet and biology. 

The first launch of Space X’s Falcon 9 on June 4, 2010. Note Jupiter and Uranus exacting on the AP in Aries as well as the T-square involving Saturn in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn.

The Apollo 11 Moon landing on July 20, 1969. Note Jupiter and Uranus exacting their conjunction in opposition to the AP in Libra; the transiting Moon also passing by.

The dropping of “little boy” over Hiroshima, Japan, the first atomic bomb used on a human population, August 6, 1945. Note Chiron opposing the AP in Libra and widely conjunct Neptune and squaring Venus, also squaring the AP from early Cancer.

June 1944 during the height of the Nazi concentration camps just under a year prior to their collapse in 1945 at the end of World War II. Note Saturn in Cancer and Neptune in Libra making hard aspects to the AP axis.

Given the nature of Jupiter-Uranus cycles, the events that correlated with these conjunctions were framed in a more positive light in terms of the successful attempt to push biological, physical, and technological boundaries. The idealistic, optimistic, and expansive nature of these events also symbolically relates to the archetype of Jupiter, the "greater benefic" in classical astrology. However, if we consider the ideas put forth by other astrologers related to the AP and those of these two events, the AP itself seems to be related to "pushing boundaries" or "asserting confidence" or a "pioneering spirit" more generally. While the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction itself contains many of these qualities, they appear to be amplified in relation to the AP, correlating with milestone events that push the limits of our known reality. Scientific and technological advancements inherently contain these attributes since they are contingent on defying the boundaries of biology and physics and allowing humans to do things (or know things) they previously could not. 

In utilizing this logic then, we can speculate that cycles with a more challenging or difficult archetypal nature occurring on the AP would relate in some way to the potential pitfalls of this "pioneering spirit" and the desire to push the limits of our known reality and its limitations. Not every attempt to defy physics or biology has succeeded or has led to ideal outcomes. In fact, it is more often that a scientific hypothesis will be incorrect, will make the wrong prediction, or sometimes have problematic results. Conjunctions of outer planets on the AP are quite rare and many happened centuries ago where their historiographical interpretations are questionable, so accurate data pertaining to these alignments is sparse. 

However, following the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on the AP, in 2011, Uranus' passage over this point itself correlated with the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami. One interesting event connected to this and related to the above symbolism was the meltdown and eventual decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima, Japan. The meltdown has had widespread impacts on the local and global environments, as hundreds of tons of radioactive nucleotides will be entering the ocean for decades. As one example, the future, long-term consequences of the bioaccumulation of these particles in large fish consumed from the Pacific Ocean are not fully known. The event symbolically represented the negative consequences (human-made radioactive materials entering the environment) of attempts to defy physical and biological restraints imposed by the natural world as well as the powerful and consequential interaction between both human and natural disasters.

The mushroom cloud of the 'Little Boy' bomb over the province of Hiroshima in Japan in 1945. Brought about by the US Armed Forces and the US Air Force; photo in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

As another example, the height of the Nazi genocide in the concentration camps occurred during a Saturn-Neptune square that was exacted on the AP. Saturn in Cancer made a square with Neptune in Libra within the AP four-degree orb range in 1944-45 (Eris was also involved in a wide square and opposition from 6 degrees of Aries). As mentioned in my Pluto in Aquarius article, the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime involved numerous Nazi scientists and physicians who carried out legitimate scientific experiments on prisoners. Behind these horrific crimes against humanity was a hubristic attempt to defy not only political boundaries but also biological ones. The delusional belief in a "superior" human race, or the production of such, was behind many of these experiments and murders, exemplifying the dark side of the AP's associations, as I have discussed them. This is not to suggest that events occurring in the 2024-27 timeframe will be similar, but rather the way in which the Nazi-led genocide exemplified both a sense of humanity's delusional attempts to transcend nature as well as an event that had a major historical imprint and global consequences. In the latter, for example, many doctors and scientists were convicted during the Nuremberg Trials of the 1940s leading to the Nuremberg code which prohibits non-consensual, uninformed participation in medical-scientific experimentation which some critics of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination mandates argue was violated in the 2021-22 period. [32]

To circle back to the themes I have extracted in relation to the AP, I feel confident in making the prediction that the 2024-27 Saturn-Neptune period will involve a similar confrontation with the shadow related to hubristic attempts to overcome biological, political, and physical limitations alongside an accompanying disillusionment, humiliation, and loss of faith. Yet also, considering the symbolism of the AP, such an event or events will somehow have global significance and ramifications, impacting large swaths of the world population. Lastly, such events will very likely leave a major historical imprint and have ramifications for future public policy or moralistic conduct. This symbolism also fits within the broader themes of the cycle of Pluto in Aquarius, in which I discussed the shadow and negative consequences of "hyper-novelty." Ultimately, however, this confrontation with the shadow of hubris and hyper-novelty leads to greater awareness of humanity’s limitations and ideally, more humility and a greater reverence and respect for the natural world, universe, or cultural wisdom.

The Chiron-Eris Conjunction 

Photo in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The Chiron-Eris conjunction occurs alongside the Saturn-Neptune conjunction period with an orb encompassing a similar timeframe. Since Eris is a recent discovery (as of 2005), little has been documented related to its historical correlations, especially those involving Chiron (also discovered as recently as the 1970s). However, I do believe that Eris' symbolic significance made an appearance in the correlations of 2020 as Eris was in a close square to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction that exacted that year. 

Eris is named after a chaos and trickster goddess from Greek/Roman mythology. In myth, Eris is associated with the manifestation of strife, discord, and war as infamously displayed in myths such as one involving an apple Eris throws into a wedding party on Mt. Olympus (to which she wasn't invited) causing a tussle between Goddesses and the start of the Trojan War. Eris is also the sister of Ares or Mars, the Greek and Roman god of war respectively. I have come to associate with Eris the themes of collective divisiveness and feelings of chaos that exhibit her trickster dimension--the upturning or even sometimes reversal of traditions and norms. This latter theme can also be extracted from the synchronistic events that proceeded from its discovery, such as the demotion of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet and the overall changes to the traditional model of the solar system (as well as the ensuing controversy over the use of the term planet). However, as I believe in a meaningful and purposeful universe, I ultimately conceive of this chaotic and divisive nature of Eris as a necessary experience for the expansion of consciousness and awareness. I do not have the space to elaborate much on this here, but I think this is an important component of Eris, especially in relation to its conjunction with Chiron where the underlying intention is collective healing and integration.

As another example, alongside the Saturn-Neptune square of the 2013-17 period, Eris made a conjunction with Uranus, which I believe was a reinforcing symbolic reference to the particularly divisive nature of this period, the remnants of which became significant factors during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In the US, the election of former President Donald Trump during this conjunction strongly reflected this sense of chaos, as numerous predictions made by political experts and polling data indicating Hillary Clinton's inevitable victory turned out to be wrong, and the fear of democracy's destruction and of American political traditions was rampant, especially among the Democratic party. Of course, this also reflected aspects of the Saturn-Neptune square where authorities and experts faced humiliation and a situation they could not control (in addition to the polarizing potential outlined by Tarnas).

Several aspects of the pandemic became culturally divisive symbols and heavily politicized, such as masking vs. not masking, obeying vs. rebelling against lockdown orders, or receiving vs. refusing the novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. The Trump administration was still in power during the rollout of the initial mRNA Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and it was responsible for their tax-funded subsidization and "Operation Warp Speed" that quickly made them a reality. The administration’s urgency to produce an effective vaccine itself had huge political motivations as Trump faced re-election in the fall of 2020 when the vaccine roll-out began. The rapid production of the vaccines and their eventual emergency use authorization by the FDA resulted from a confluence of unprecedented scientific breakthroughs as well as significant political and economic interests. Critically, despite early studies never testing the vaccine’s ability to prevent transmission (something that Pfizer’s head of international markets openly admitted to the European Parliament in October 2022), this very issue was at the heart of the “left” vs. “right” culture war rhetoric around the vaccine in the US, with more liberal or democratic voters framing vaccination as a moralistic duty and far more likely than conservative or Republican voters to readily accept them. [33] According to Gallup polling data from July 2020, 30 percent of Democratic voters versus just 7 percent of Republican voters expressed they would wait for the release of a vaccine before returning to normal activities, suggesting that far more Democratic than Republican voters were likely to be supportive and compliant with the mass vaccination strategy and social distancing measures implemented during the initial year of the pandemic. [34]

The vaccinations, much like masking and acquiescence to social distancing and lockdown orders, became a culturally divisive and political symbol that created sharp distinctions between individuals and it inevitably devolved into a heavily politicized "left" and "right" issue with "anti-vaxxers" or anyone who opposed vaccine mandates being framed, as one example, as being "far-right", such as the Canadian truckers who protested against vaccine mandates in 2021. [35] As I have discussed elsewhere, this framing of the vaccinations also reflected more broadly the moralizing nature of science and scientific discourse in modern, secular societies (and within the context of the positivist, materialist worldview), as science is often exploited by powerful interests for political and moralistic objectives. Additionally, the issue of scientism, which conceives of science through the lens of religiosity (where science is conceived monolithically and its byproducts are treated with reverence, as salvific, and morally righteous), added to the cultural complexity of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The sense of an upturning of the natural order via the pandemic was also present (in relation to the Eris archetype), as lockdowns and social distancing put an abrupt stop to the normal functioning of society. Eris, in one correlative manifestation, appears to correlate with the creation of stark and widespread cultural divisions that make their way to prominence on the world stage in some way. Additionally, alignments involving Eris also appear to correlate with collective periods in which there is some sense of chaos having been unleashed upon society or within the world in which the normal, predictable flow of life appears to break down. There are, of course, far more correlations to be made with Eris, and these are only a few possibilities. 

Chiron is known as the "wounded healer" from Greek mythology since he was an immortal centaur (and healer who practiced medicine, herbalism, and astrology among other things) who was struck with a poisoned arrow by a group of drunken centaurs. Due to Chiron's immortality, he was afflicted eternally with a "mortal" wound that would forever cause pain and agony, yet he persisted in helping others through his healing crafts. Many astrologers associate with Chiron themes surrounding wounding and the healing of wounds. From my view, Chiron is symbolic of deep vulnerabilities, trauma, and defects that are often perceived as incurable or sometimes heavily fixated upon. Yet, confronting and integrating such wounds can lead to deep healing and the discovery of hidden talents and gifts contained within them. From a psychological and evolutionary astrological perspective, Chiron confronts us with pain but also ways in which it can be transmuted (he was eventually liberated of his immortality and became the constellation Sagittarius). 

Interestingly, Chiron and Eris also made a conjunction alongside the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic. Both conjunctions happened simultaneously as they will in 2025-27. Additionally, both Eris and Chiron made a square to Pluto at this time (who had recently squared the AP during World War I). The influenza outbreak uncannily reflected the global emergence of "mortal wounds" in the guise of sometimes incurable and deadly viral infections. The sense of chaos related to this collective wounding was also present, as there was not much the authorities nor medical science could do to stop or successfully treat the infections (and in the case of potential aspirin overdoses, interventions may have made things considerably worse). It was a humbling confrontation with an overpowering force of the natural world which revealed profound vulnerabilities.

Both Chiron and Eris will be within orb of squaring Pluto yet again during the 2025-27 period, and therefore there are some similarities with the astrological alignments of the 1918-19 influenza pandemic. I am not suggesting that a new pandemic will emerge or that an identical situation will be faced. However, these similarities are notable and should offer some significant insight into this upcoming period. As I mentioned earlier, it is possible that these alignments relate to recent and still developing issues. For example, the viral variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have not ceased to spread and continue to cause infections, hospitalizations, and deaths (though as of this writing, those numbers have tended to trend downward since the outbreak began in 2020 and the infection has evolved to create milder infections). As some experts argue, the emergence of ongoing and more highly infectious variants suggests that widespread herd immunity to the virus has not occurred, and we are not actually in an endemic phase. [36] Alternate hypotheses that have been ignored by legacy media, world governments, and public health authorities may, for example, turn out to be relevant as many virologists and vaccinologists argue that strategies such as mass vaccination during an active pandemic could have negative consequences in the following years, specifically in relation to the evolution of the virus. Warnings from such experts as Belgium virologist and vaccinologist, Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, may turn out to be relevant since the dominant narrative around the virus’ endemicity does not appear to explain the current situation. Bossche argued that the mass vaccination strategy implemented during the initial waves of the pandemic will result in more infectious variants and eventually the emergence of a highly virulent variant in highly vaccinated countries, resulting in another deadly pandemic in the near future. Organizations such as the Front Line Covid Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), an organization of physicians and health care practitioners utilizing alternate therapies (such as safe, repurposed pharmaceuticals) outside of mainstream approaches to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections, could be helpful resources in the event the pandemic takes an unexpected turn, especially considering the complex levels of corruption previously discussed.

To return to the political arena, the politicization of the pandemic and its policies implies a troubling tarnishing of certain public institutions, political parties, and their leaders if widespread disillusionment occurs due to the potential consequences of failed pandemic solutions and policies. For example, if Dr. Vanden Bossche's hypothesis proves correct (or partly correct), it would result in a period of disillusionment with numerous political and public health authorities, especially those in the US who openly and unquestionably advocated and embraced novel and little-tested solutions during the pandemic. For example, such a situation, which Dr. Vanden Bossche had warned would be a "global health catastrophe" could lead to further empowerment of support for extremist politicians and populist movements, especially in future elections. 

In considering Chiron and Eris, these symbols could also speak to the amplification of the wounds wrought by this rampant cultural divisiveness, especially as featured in US political discourse. As Tarnas had also demonstrated, the Saturn-Neptune periods themselves appear to correlate with moments of hyper-polarization within the culture. Yet, I believe, the deeper purpose of these problems and crises is the potential to heal, mend, and integrate the wounds associated with and at the root of them. For example, while uncomfortable to admit, we are sometimes catalyzed to profound realizations about (or to proactively address) the root causes of suffering through crises or dark nights of the soul, where hitting rock bottom opens the possibility of seeking solutions and new perspectives on a situation. Perhaps, the ultimate purpose of Eris' strife and divisiveness is to make us realize that our separation is ultimately an illusion and that we have more in common than we might think while bound by political barriers and identities. The nature of whatever threat or problems emerge alongside these cycles may be such that they force us to realize our common interests and conditions and find ways to come together rather than further divide ourselves.

Lastly, in considering the symbolism of Chiron in relation to the healing arts and the correlation many astrologers make with its discovery and the rise in popularity of alternative healing modalities in the 1970s onwards (such as energy or bodywork, astrology, herbalism, yoga, or acupuncture), this may point to a potent area of solutions for many issues related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as well as another issue for the culture wars narrative. There may be a significant theme here related to uncovering ancient wisdom and practices to help find solutions and augment modern treatments for the ongoing problems associated with the virus. Ultimately, tapping deeper into both the body and natural world’s healing wisdom could be a fruitful area for uncovering ways to mitigate further harm and damage from the virus as it continues to evolve and this period could relate to a greater awakening to the need for alternate healing approaches.

The Uranus-Sedna Conjunction

Julio Palomo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I will briefly speculate on the potential meaning of the synchronic occurrence of the Uranus-Sedna conjunction within the 2025-28 timeframe. Sedna is another recent discovery of the early 2000s as with Eris. As with all trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), Sedna relates to the emergence of themes and constructs arising deep within the collective unconscious and thus has a significant transpersonal dimension. Additionally, within Inuit culture and mythology, Sedna was partly an underworld deity who resided in the sea, and thus the symbolic connection with the unconscious is significant. Sedna was known by various names within the cultural groups of the Arctic regions, but generally, her name and archetypal essence break down to "sea woman" or "woman of the sea." It is also interesting to point out that the name Sedna may not have been her real name, but one used as a pronoun to not speak her actual name out of respect since she was highly feared. [37] This may be an important aspect of her astrological meaning I will return soon. 

As with all mythologies, there are also numerous variations of stories related to Sedna. The central myth of Sedna operates as a means of transmitting the Inuit cosmology, serving as a creation story as well as setting up the purpose of certain spiritual and shamanic practices. Within most versions of the story, Sedna is a beautiful young woman who lives with her father and has remained unmarried either because Sedna herself rejects marriage offers, or her father does so since he does not want to let his daughter go. In some versions, Sedna marries a dog or a bird either because she cannot choose a human suitor, or because she is deceived by the animal who disguises itself as an attractive man. Sedna becomes disenchanted with her decision when she discovers that her husband isn't human and/or finds herself in sub-par living conditions since her chosen suitor is unable to provide for her adequately. Due to this, her father intervenes, sometimes killing her animal husband or simply taking Sedna away. 

In many versions, Sedna goes across the sea with her animal husband, and she and her father must travel back by boat when she escapes. In response, the animal husband (or his friends if he was killed) causes a severe windstorm while Sedna and her father are in the boat creating dangerous and tumultuous conditions. Out of desperation, her father throws his daughter overboard. Sedna clings to the boat with her fingers, but her father begins to chop each of them off. As the fingers fall into the sea, they become various sea animals, especially those commonly used as food sources by Arctic peoples (such as whales and seals). After losing her fingers, Sedna descends to the ocean floor and becomes the "woman of the sea." Revenge is often sought by Sedna against her father such as sending her dogs (a symbol of death) to chew off his limbs, or her father takes his own life out of guilt and is consumed by the sea himself. Either way, it is perceived that both Sedna and her father reside deep in the sea (the underworld), with Sedna herself living in a house on the sea floor. 

It is also important to point out that the various names for Sedna also related to other female deities who were associated with animals of the land or air. However, there is interchangeability between these beings. For example, there was a female deity who controlled caribou and thus influenced the success or failure of hunting. Yet, Sedna also at times had the ability to influence caribou hunts. [38] Within this context, the Sedna archetype can be conceived as having broad associations with animals, survival resources, food supply, and natural world more broadly. While Sedna is often conceived in connection to the availability of sea animals (a main source of food for Arctic people), she can be conceived as a kind of "earth goddess" even if this may not have been how she was traditionally understood. 

There is also a connection between Sedna's hair and sea animals. Since she no longer had fingers, she couldn't brush her hair, and so it became unruly and consequentially entangled the life-giving sea animals, and therefore the people of the land would occasionally find their food supply diminished. Shamanic practices often involved the shaman descending into the sea to meet with Sedna, sometimes brushing her hair for her and untangling the animals so the food supply would be stabilized. [39] There were numerous beliefs and practices that involved contacting or paying respect to Sedna to ensure a stable supply of food animals, yet also practices that related to sex and childbearing. Since Sedna was conceived as the ancestor of animals and other groups of humans, she related to all symbols of nourishment and life-giving. The central Sedna myth is also connected to the seasonal cycle, such as Sedna herself as symbolic of summer and her father of winter. Sedna's departure with her husband across the sea symbolized the disappearance of the Sun in the winter months, and her father's rescue of Sedna then symbolized the Sun's return in the summer. Again, there is a connection with the waning and waxing of life-giving properties and conditions. [40]

It is not a far stretch to extract from these many myths an underlying theme connected with the astrological Sedna and more broadly the natural world, ecological systems, and the life-giving resources which derive from them. There may be associations here with food and the food supply, as well as the complex interconnections between various elements of the natural world, and the need to respect and have reverence for them. As the Inuit people relied heavily on these animals for their survival, and Sedna and related deities influenced their increase or decrease, the Sedna myths (and related myths) dictate the many ways in which the natural world and natural order of things must be treated with respect and maintained. Additionally, there are themes here involving betrayal and deceit, as with variants of Sedna's deceitful husbands or Sedna's father throwing her into the sea and revenge being enacted consequently. It is possible, for example, that Sedna may also relate to the consequences of violating the natural order of things, turning against it, or failing to adequately respect it. Sedna's name used as a pronoun to avoid uttering her real name may be relevant here, as an earth deity that must be approached with respect and caution. 

It may also be relevant that the myth holds some prescriptive elements, such as the shamanic practices in which the shaman must go down to Sedna and comb her hair to ensure the stability of the food supply. This perhaps suggests the need to connect deeper with the natural world in order to change any imbalances that might appear. There is a rational conclusion here that betraying or turning one's back on nature and failing to understand or have reverence for its complexity can have negative consequences and lead to diminished life-giving elements. In order to correct that imbalance, humanity must "descend" like the shaman and connect deeper with the natural world, perhaps to better understand it or acquire a deeper appreciation of it. 

Sedna glyph; Denis Moskowitz, released for free use., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is interesting that Uranus (god of the sky), in Greek mythology, was also deeply connected with the Greek creation myth in which he was both born from Gaia and became her husband and the two went on to birth the entire Greek pantheon. Uranus and Gaia had children (the Titans), and Uranus sought to oppress them by keeping them hidden in the cavernous regions of the earth so they wouldn't usurp his authority. Later on, one of Uranus' sons, Cronos (the Roman Saturn), is called upon by his mother Gaia to castrate Uranus to put an end to the oppression of her children. Cronos succeeds and tosses Uranus’ testicles into the sea. Later, Cronos himself eats his own children to prevent his dethronement and then his wife, Hera, conspires to put an end to it by disguising a stone as if it was Cronos’ son Zeus, which he swallows up instead. Thus, there is a kind of perpetual theme of betrayal, rebellion, and revolution contained in these myths. 

One other interesting aspect of the Uranus myth I find interesting is its connection to the duality and tension between the sky and earth, between Uranus and Gaia. Synchro-symbolically, Uranus has become associated with the tropical zodiac sign Aquarius, which is an air sign that connects in the elemental scheme to the mental plane (the realm of ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and ideologies). Thus, we can extract from this a symbolic tension between human thought and the natural world or between mind and matter. Of course, this tension also drew heavily from Platonism which greatly influenced the Greek world and then entered more broadly into Western culture through Judaism and Christianity. Modern astrology has also adopted an association with the astrological Uranus and the Promethean archetype, notably argued by Tarnas. [41] Prometheus also betrayed or defied the gods (specifically Zeus) by stealing fire and gifting it to humanity which allowed for the development of civilization. I outline more of these connections in my Pluto in Aquarius article and upcoming book. The synchronicity of Uranus' discovery around major historical revolutions also ties the Uranian archetype with themes of technological progress and innovation as well as social "revolution." 

The merging of these Sedna and Uranus themes via their literal conjunction and symbolically through their mythological associations seems to describe a predominant theme of modernity, industrialization, and hyper-capitalism more broadly. For example, "hyper-novelty" or "hyper-change," which I have discussed is how technological progress outpaces natural or biological systems' ability to keep up and adapt, are argued to be the root of many imbalances within ecological or biological systems, symbolizing the tension between the rapidly made innovations of the mind and the ingrained evolutionarily derived systems of the nature. Such imbalances are conceived to lead to ecological destruction, climate dysregulation, or even many disease processes. Since Uranus' correlations are often "sudden" and "unanticipated," there may be a significant theme related to the ways in which novelty and "progress" have inadvertently impacted the natural world, perhaps through the emergence of a specific crisis or problem that comes to light at this time. Yet, also, it can also represent a period in which our innovations and technological advancements can be better informed and designed from a deeper appreciation and understanding of natural systems. Ideally, the integration of these archetypes via the conjunction symbolizes the ways in which these antagonistic forces clash but also come together and can begin to co-exist more harmoniously. 

Mundane correlations of this conjunction may relate to disruptions, alterations, as well as innovations, and novel changes to the food supply, some of which could have positive and negative consequences. It is likely to be a feature of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction and its placement on the AP that we are collectively focused on many hubristic attempts to push beyond the boundaries of the natural world, and therefore many of these changes may be perceived as more threatening or problematic. Overall, the deeper lesson of this period may be a way to integrate both innovation and human ingenuity with the wisdom of the natural world--learning to respect and fully understand natural systems before attempting to impose interventions. As I have discussed so far, the issues related to neoliberal hyper-capitalism which has led to a concerning destruction of scientific integrity and ethics will need to be faced and dealt with to avoid further crises and potential catastrophes related to tampering with systems we do not fully understand. While these reflections represent perhaps a portion of the reflective significance of this conjunction, far more could be said, and a deeper study and analysis of these cycles would likely yield a more nuanced and complex symbolic interpretation.

Hope in Hard Times 

Mohsin Ali, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

While I have mostly presented the more negative manifestations of these alignments especially in the exploration of the historical correlations, there are positive potentials. For example, while there was a barrage of problems, crises, and challenging outcomes alongside the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of 2020, there were also constructive manifestations and results. In my early 2019 piece on the Saturn-Pluto cycle of 2020, I stated that "we can look at challenges and even suffering as forces which sculpt formidable strength within individuals. Such experiences catalyze growth, action, and change.” Additionally, I argued that it was possible through a "courageous acceptance of difficulty to add dimension to our experiences, or to provide the incentive for action and thus change." From the perspective of modern astrology, difficult transits and aspects afflicting sensitive areas of the sky or individual horoscope represent a moment conducive to enacting meaningful changes, shifts, and breakthroughs as they often represent the confrontation with uncomfortable or challenging circumstances that force us to move beyond the normal structures and patterns of our lives. Yet also, while these cycles may be presented as challenging in a collective sense, our individual experiences of them are vastly different.

For many, the pandemic, which led to prolonged periods away from normal routines, tasks, and responsibilities catalyzed deeper reflection, prompting shifts of life direction. The disruption of normal life catalyzed critical life evaluations and subsequent changes. In a more transpersonal sense, I argued that the events and challenges of 2020 would "reveal the deeper, unconscious underpinnings of our cultural, economic, and political structures." I think more so in hindsight, historiographical representations of the pandemic will discuss how it revealed previous blind spots and less conscious realities about economic structures, institutions, and world power helping to pave the way to more just and accountable social systems and structures in the future. 

Similarly, Tarnas argued that the Saturn-Neptune cycle might serve as the inspiration to "undertake whatever sustained labor is necessary to transform the resistant structures of the world (political, economic, religious, philosophical) in service of one's highest spiritual intuitions." [42] Tarnas argued that the disillusionment often brought about alongside Saturn-Neptune periods could serve as catalysts for a proactive transformation of society and culture and for strengthening authentic and enduring visions. According to Tarnas, Saturn-Neptune cycles bring forth the "courage to face a hard and often tragic reality without illusion and still remain true to the ideals and dreams of a better world....". [43] In this sense, the illusory facades and deceptions collapse and dissolve revealing more solid, meaningful, and relevant dreams of what's possible. 

In another sense, I often conceive of the combination of Saturn-Neptune, especially within the context of a rare conjunction (and a more direct fusion of these archetypes), as unique opportunities in which we are more directly challenged to make tangible, pragmatic, and real that which we've long kept in the realm of possibility, imagination, and unrealized potential. In other words, to make a dream a reality. Amid a revealed illusion or a painful tarnishing of a previous ideal, we are called to infuse back into the world (or into our own lives) much-needed inspiration and spiritual meaning and wisdom. These periods, while difficult and holding the potential to wipe away those fantasies and "pie in the sky" delusions that no longer (or never did) serve an adaptive function in our lives or world, also serve to reinforce and re-enliven our faith in that which is true and unshakable, therefore deepening faith and trust in a higher purpose, mission, or ideal. 

From the perspective of evolutionary astrology, there is a meaningful and purposeful fate that views these cycles as arriving at an appropriate moment in time both collectively and personally. The reciprocal exchange between the archetypes suggests on the one hand, the time has come in which we've outgrown some ideal, dream, or fantasy and on the other hand, we've become deeply entrapped and restrained by a myopic and shallow understanding of and view of the world or universe. The Saturnian end indicates a need to bring our guiding ideals more in alignment with the reality of the world the way it is now, and the Neptunian aspect suggests the world needs to dissolve its faith in expired cosmologies, worldviews, and systems of authority/power and reimagine new possibilities or embrace a more expansive and holistic understanding of reality or the universe. For example, hubristic positions on the part of authorities reveal that absolute certainty can never be attained, reminding us of our true place in the greater scheme of the universe and planet on which we inhabit. Such realizations can lead to deeper respect and reverence for "higher" forces of the cosmos or the natural world. Yet, they can also be humbling reminders of where we are, individually and collectively, in the web of life, and a greater sense of humility can be a result considering this broader perspective or realization. These periods can also serve as powerful moments of "awakening" to a more meaningful, purposeful, or sometimes more enchanted conception of the cosmos and natural world. Paradoxically, disenchantment in one view of reality consequentially enchants another and our conception of reality is broadened.

Summary/Conclusion

Image in public domain via Wikimedia Commons

From the data analyzed throughout this article, the primary conjunction of Saturn-Neptune throughout 2024-27, appears to reflect a difficult collective moment in that it correlates with a variety of events and cultural developments catalyzing immense difficulties for large populations and specifically for world leaders and authorities. These can be periods of immense collective disillusionment or disenchantment related to both mundane and spiritual authorities in which critical truths are revealed, which tarnish some previous trust or faith. These can also relate to periods in which some threat or enemy, which may be real to some extent, is greatly exaggerated, overblown, or entirely imagined, leading to periods of "collective paranoia" and confusion as to the true nature of the problem. In relation to accurately described threats, there can be significant aspects that are not well-understood or obfuscated, and therefore the response or solution may fail or even worsen the problem. 

As a kind of overall "essence" of Saturn-Neptune periods, there is a collective humbling occurring in which previous hubristic attempts are shown as such, revealing the true vastness of "greater powers" (politically, ecologically, or spiritually) and the limitations of society's worldviews and progress. Additionally, as Tarnas argued, these can be periods of immense divisiveness and cultural conflict in which extreme views and positions are pitted against each other. Many of the emerging crises, problems, or conflicts that arise alongside these alignments can be difficult to solve and may be experienced as a kind of futile situation. However, Saturn-Neptune periods can also represent periods of collective reimagining of cultural and societal structures to replace those that have dissolved, collapsed, or proven themselves maladaptive or false. Collective and personal faith is tested in which a more strengthened spiritual or creative vision emerges as more enduring. 

The occurrence of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction on the AP alongside the conjunctions of Chiron-Eris and Uranus-Sedna appear to relate to an underlying theme of this upcoming period related to the consequences of pushing too far past boundaries within natural or cultural systems. Subsequently, there may be a period of re-awakening related to the need for respect, reverence, or deeper reflection of our place within the larger web of life both on earth and within the greater universe. Events or crises that emerge could have the potential to have broadly global impacts and effects and relate to a profound shift in global awareness and understanding related to the human condition. Therefore, this period reflects a global awakening, humbling, and reimagining of hierarchical systems and structures, both cultural and ecological, and the limitations we have in altering them and the larger consequences of doing so. 

Notes and References

1. Richard Tarnas. Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New Worldview (New York: PLUME, 2007), p. 469.

2. Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD et al. "Underlying Medical Conditions and Severe Illness Among 540,667 Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19, March 2020–March 2021," Preventing Chronic Disease, Vol. 18, July 1, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2021/21_0123.htm#:~:text=Among%204%2C899%2C447%20hospitalized%20adults%20in,%25)%20were%20the%20most%20common.

3. Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche, p. 469.

4. Ibid, p. 476.

5. Ibid., p. 469.

6. Ibid., p. 470.

7. Ibid., p. 471.

8. Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III, Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, Vol. I, March 2019, p. 9, https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/download.

9. Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche, p. 471.

10. Ibid, p. 471.

11. Ibid.

12. See: George Chauncey, Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940 and John D'Emlio, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970.

13. Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche, p. 472.

14. Ibid., p. 473.

15. Patrick Berche, "The Spanish Flu," La Presse Médicale, 51.3, 2022, 104127–104127.

16. Karen M. Starko, "Salicylates and Pandemic Influenza Mortality, 1918–1919 Pharmacology, Pathology, and Historic Evidence," Clinical Infectious Diseases 49:9, November 15, 2009, 1405–1410, https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/49/9/1405/301441

17. Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche, p. 474.

18. J.S Ross, K.P. Hill, C.P. Gross, H.M. Krumholz, “Promoting Transparency in Pharmaceutical Industry-Sponsored Research,” (2012), American Journal of Public Health, 102:1, 72-80.

19.  See discussions of rofecoxib (Vioxx) in Jon Jureidini and Leemon B. McHenry, The Illusion of Evidence-Based Medicine: Exposing the Crisis of Credibility in Clinical Research (Mile End, Wakefield Press, 2020).

20. Food and Drug Administration, “Vioxx (rofecoxib) Questions and Answers, September 30, 2004,” https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/vioxx-rofecoxib-questions-and-answers#:~:text=Vioxx%20is%20a%20prescription%20medicine,adults%2C%20and%20painful%20menstrual%20cycles.

21. D.J Graham, D. Campen, R. Hui, M. Spence, C. Cheetham, G. Levy, S. Shoor, W.A. Ray, “Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients Treated with Cyclo-oxygenase 2 Selective and Non-selective Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Nested Control Study,” (2005), Lancet, 365, pgs. 475-481.

22. Maryanne Demasi, “From FDA to MHRA: Are Drug Regulators for Hire?,” British Medical Journal, v. 377, June 29, 2022, https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1538.

23. Jon Jureidini and Leemon B. McHenry, “The Illusion of Evidence Based Medicine,” British Medical Journal, v. 376, March 16, 2022, https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o702.

24. https://english.prescrire.org/en/Summary.aspx

25. Kathy Rose, "The Aries Point Bloom," The Mountain Astrologer, Aug./Sept. 2013, https://www.roseastrology.com/article/AriesPointBloom/roseastrology_AriesPointBloom.pdf, p. 45.

26. Ibid.

27. Ibid., p. 44

28. Noel Tyl, Synthesis and Counseling in Astrology: The Professional Manual (St. Paul: Llewellyn, 2004), p. 312.

29. Robert Hand, Horoscope Symbols (Atglen: Schiffer Publishing, 1981), p. 92

30. Eric Francis, “The Greatest Aries Point Show on Earth,” Planet Waves, June 18, 2010, https://planetwaves.net/astrologynews/209971547.html.

31. Rose, “Aries Point Bloom,” p. 45.

32. See for example, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, The New Abnormal: The Rise of the Biomedical Security State.

33. “Pfizer did not know whether Covid vaccine stopped transmission before rollout,” news.com.au, (October 11, 2022),

34. Justin McCarthy, “News Roundup of Gallup COVID-19 Coverage,” Gallup, https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/308126/roundup-gallup-covid-coverage.aspx

35. See for example this Politico article from 2022: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/06/ottawa-truckers-convoy-galvanizes-far-right-worldwide-00006080

36. Helen Branswell, “Covid-19, a disease with tricks up its sleeve, hasn’t fallen into a seasonal pattern — yet,” STAT, August 23, 2023, https://www.statnews.com/2023/08/23/covid-19-has-not-yet-fallen-into-a-seasonal-pattern/.

37. Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Osten. “Representing the ‘Sea Woman,’” Religion and the Arts 13:4, 2009, pgs. 477–495.

38. Ibid., p. 486.

39. Ibid.

40. Newell H. Wardle. “The Sedna Cycle: A Study in Myth Evolution.” American Anthropologist 2:3, 1900, pgs. 568–580.

41. See Richard Tarnas, Prometheus the Awakener.

42. Tarnas, Cosmos and Pysche, p. 477.

43. Ibid.

Transcending Boundaries: New Moon in Scorpio 2023

Autumn colour by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Scorpio 43'
November 13, 2023
1:27 AM PST
4:27 AM EST

November's New Moon in tropical Scorpio will gradually pull us out of the depths of eclipse season, but first, it invites us into some deeper territory. Conjunct Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio and in opposition to Uranus, this New Moon synchronously carries a high level of intensity, authenicity, and radical honesty. Sex and sexuality are also undeniable themes, and with Venus recently through Libra, there is ample ability for directness, passion, and pursuit of desires with an appropriate amount of tact, diplomacy, and empathy. 

As we settle into this dark of the Moon and situate our intentions for what we desire to bring forth, consider firstly the need for taking risks and the limitations placed on that. Whatever we begin to bring forward from this New Moon requires incredible courage and willingness to upset the status quo. That may manifest in feeling brave enough to speak the truth, consider an uncomfortable perspective, or open ourselves to someone or something we're hesitant about. 

Mars and the Scorpio archetype can be heavy-handed in getting to the point, and that's where Venus in Libra can be a modulating factor. Her ingress into her home sign Libra reflects a collective desire to seek common ground, interest, and broader social contacts. Yet, also, it might relate to a conflict experienced under these New Moon energies where we find ourselves having to moderate certain statements or airbrush a proposal. 

However, with the Moon's North Node in Aries, we are personally and collectively called to lean toward courageousness and individuation. Excessive reliance on approval or another's point of view can feel more oppressive and stifling than usual. Especially on the collective level, standing up for truth and personal values is more important than being n popular and appealing to those with power. We might find some fertile seeds for critical revolutions and breakthroughs emerging under this New Moon, so don't hold back from going deeper and pushing past both personal and collective boundaries.