Astro Notes: Saturn & Neptune in Aries
If Saturn clarifies and Neptune mystifies, what does it look like when they come into close contact in Aries?
INTRODUCTION
Since this is my first post, I guess it’s important for you to know where I stand (or lay) before reading this. I, Psy (“sigh”) have paused a lot of things in my life, including my astrology studies, as my illness has progressed; (coming out of a year that had the moon sandwiched in between Pisces ♄ and ♆ in my solar return chart) it gave me time to really think about how this transit was not only affecting me, but others with long covid. I have not been mystified, but poisoned, and my mind has still not fully “recovered” whatever that looks like. Not being able to rely on my mind (or body) during a time where one’s ability, or lack thereof, is being weaponized against us, has made this all very frightening. Anyways, I hope you’re able to find some takeaways from my ramblings, and I appreciate your patience as I catch up on my backlog of feelings and thoughts!
I am writing this as a 20 something, white, queer, trans, poor, disabled person living in the northeast united states. I am a self taught writer and tropical astrologer; nevertheless, thank you for reading.
WHERE ARE WE?
This post is about Saturn and Neptune and their correlated entry into Aries, but I can’t separate their entry from the fleeting stability we are seeing in the world. As we sit in the fallout of the global pandemic, five years later, entering Saturn’s square (by sign) to when it began, we’re seeing challenges from that time period head on. There’s still no neutralizing vaccine, no mask solidarity movements, no widespread clean air movements, and no support for long covid patients. This is our current reality–the result of abandoning people for fantasy, entertainment, adopting eugenics instead of adapting to collective change. It was easy (for many) to listen to our government back then, but are you still listening now? Have you noticed the divides? Have you read the science? Have you learned from long covid survivors? Are you enjoying brunch?
MY EXPERIENCE WITH LONG COVID
My personal (hell) experience with long covid has been eerily similar to so many others; working in a high risk environment, catching *something* twice within a month, testing positive for EBV, chronic sinusitis, sudden onset of severe memory issues, forgetting my way to work, finding out I have a connective tissue disorder that made me especially vulnerable to long covid, noticing my heart rate spike up to the 150s whenever standing (POTS), finding out about MCAS, seeing worsening of period symptoms, chronic neck and head pain caused by cervical cranial instability, onset dysautonomia, gastroparesis, nerve pain, muscle pain, not being able to sleep, not being able to do much of anything most days, and still having friends and family distance themselves from me while watching life deteriorate and fall away until all that was left was me and a dark, quiet room. Knowing doctors are clueless when you’re this complex and don’t have private insurance, what do you do? The mental and physical anguish is enough for anyone to want to end it all, whether you have a support system or not. It has changed me, for worse and for better. It’s really a test of how much you can go without. I wish I would’ve dug deeper into what I could do to advocate for disabled people before disabling myself. I wish I could scream from the mountaintops about how deeply important it is to educate yourself and others about the state of this pandemic that we are still currently in and will continue to be in. We need true solidarity (action) from abled people now more than ever before.
SATURN AND NEPTUNE’S ROLE
Saturn aims to find true resolution deep within the psyche, the limits and boundaries of the soul. Saturn ties the spiritual to the concrete. Neptune dissolves and obscures. Neptune mystifies and deceives. Neptune shows you that there is more than what meets the eye. Saturn tests the borderline between reality and fiction, but when Neptune comes into contact, it can bring a poisoning of truth, merking the waters.
One blatant example is AI’s “poisoning” in different ways, such as when it doesn’t have the whole picture or correct information; it “hallucinates” answers that aren’t as rooted in fact. People are also being driven into “psychosis” by AI through not being reflected a cohesive reality back to them, which is yet another example. Initially there were no governmental restrictions made to set limitations on the use of AI, to which we see the fallout: deep fakes, intellectual property theft, AI-encouraged suicide, etc. We are seeing in real time how our government has been using AI to falsely create means of suspicion, plausible deniability, leading to arresting the wrong perpetrators, sowing the seeds for technofascism to take reign whenever it wants (but that’s more Pluto in Aquarius influence).
Saturn aims to bring concrete evidence to Neptune’s imaginative reality, showing the premise of truth finding within the abstract (and vice versa). Saturn and Neptune’s dance indicates the need for structure, stability, transparency, and tests in order to face uncertainty head on and not let it completely evolve into madness in the process. Establishing the limits is necessary before taking flight into the unknown.
THE CONJUNCTION AND ILLNESS
When Neptune entered Aries in 1861, Pasteur’s “Germ Theory” arose as we began to understand and demystify the reasons why we get sick. Up until then, theories on handwashing were greatly dismissed, leading to more sickness and death. The Great Influenza pandemic after the conjunction of 1917 also showed a similar response to new the knowledge that masks worked to prevent an airborne virus, as there were laws in place to keep people masking, though many kept refusing. There was also a big push for vaccines in the late 80s when the Neptune-Saturn conjunction happened in Capricorn, the start of implementing global measures for eradicating the spread of diseases. Compared to today, we’re seeing the dismantling of the use of preventative measures by our current administration, at at time where covid levels are high, bird flu is still a looming issue, food-borne diseases are increasing due to food inspection cuts, measles outbreaks and other preventable illnesses are spreading. This is an intentional culling of the “vulnerable” and a protection of capital, all under the guise of eugenic values of “survival of the fittest”. Pandemic safety falling onto the individual is very on par for the conjunction in Aries, to me.
Neptune returning in the first degree of Aries has also shown an increased need to understand the root causes of chronic illnesses such as ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), which has been brought to the light by the #millionsmissing and long covid patients. ME has historically been a disease impacting women or people assigned female at birth, leading to biased research and collective misunderstandings about its severity. To this day, a majority of those with ME have not been diagnosed due to these misconceptions. What was previously carelessly labeled a disease that mimics depression, has now been further acknowledged as a disease that causes multi-system failure through inability to recover from mental or physical exertion, (which takes on many forms) and is often brought on by infection. The previous misunderstandings have led to further harm to patients through prescribed exercise, the one thing that people with ME desperately need to avoid (any exertion makes us decline). This disease is among the many variations of chronic illness that can be brought on by infections like covid, in which there is a sudden uptake in patients in need of care for five years into a global pandemic.
This inability to recover from exertion (+ inability to metabolize regularly, dysfunctional mitochondria) is what clued me in on how ME could correlate with Saturn in Aries, its prominence now, and how wading through Neptune’s fog to clarify ME will be beneficial for all, not just those who have been afflicted. Saturn in Aries pathologically is said to restrict blood vessels to the brain, cause headaches, toothaches, eyesight issues, motor nerve anomalies, and strokes, according to Judith Hill’s “Medical Astrology: A Guide to Planetary Pathology. These things also correlate with long covid/ME pathology, and connective tissue disorders (a common comorbidity) exacerbating the disease.
Saturn values rest, as its house of joy sits in the 12th house. It’s within ME that Saturn finds the challenge of being unable to rest or recover, let alone fight (which it wants to do in Aries).
Saturn often represents those at the margins of society: those left behind, “tossed to the wayside”, those whose oppression often goes unnoticed and unchecked. Those with ME are often put in abusive situations where their health and safety are put at risk in many ways, and yet the emphasis on “caregiver fatigue” still receives more attention from the general public than the people in their care with actual life-draining fatigue. People with ME being misunderstood in their illness can lead to neglect, further infections, medical abuse, malnutrition, and death. And for #pwME, there’s no “fighting” against the prolonged cruelty that is placed onto them at the interpersonal or systemic level—there is only surviving.
ME, in my experience, is a lot like a sick game in which the player is challenged to live its life normally, with the exception that every time they cross an invisible line, they decline. The invisible line represents the growing limitations that the player must learn to be aware of. The limits of their life begin slowly shrinking—going from not being able to run anymore, to not being able to walk, not being able to eat, not being able to lift their head… until their stomachs can no longer process any food—it is the cruelest and most torturous mind-breaking “game”. Declining shows the player that they must rely on others, as uncomfortable and untrustworthy that may be, to continue on living (or “playing”). The acts of preservation the player must take completely rely on their access to support systems, their declining mind, body, and autonomy, which are subject to change at any time.
I’ve also noticed that there’s been a lot more people becoming sober post-covid due to alcohol intolerance, with more people leaning into more holistic or psychedelic therapies. Since Saturn represents restriction and Neptune represents inebriation, this makes a lot of sense for us to be seeing a return of prohibition (but like anything Aries, it is a self driven choice) as the conjunction also happened in 1917, along with the anti-drug campaigns of the late 80s. Where there is a rhyme there’s a reason.
THE CONJUNCTION AND PROPAGANDA
It could also be noted that Saturn and Neptune being so close this summer has been a test for the masses and a lesson in how deep the propaganda machine really goes. I’ve seen many people have been radicalized by our government’s direct involvement in the genocide in Palestine; it has been live streamed in the face of our own government’s gaslighting. Many of us (gen Z’ers) barely remember the 9/11 attacks, yet alone why they happened. Many of my Jewish friends recall being brought up to want to take “birthright” trips to Isn’treal and have had to unlearn a lot of the white colonial propaganda that comes with being white and Jewish. I too was propagandized and indoctrinated as a part of my upbringing (by Christianity) to believe that missionary trips to countries destabilized by the US empire were a part of my right or “duty” as an evangelical Christian. This dirty work of white imperialist religious values has paved the way for this violence to continue. The reality today is clear, and yet the propaganda machine still churns.
People have yet to realize how big of a tie Marvel (and Hollywood) has to the war machine, and still use their hard earned money to go see the new Superman in theatres instead of directly sending that money to Palestinians. They could be doing both, but that’s besides the point. The first Captain America Movie came out in 1941 during WW2, and since the start Hollywood has always been an arm of the U.S. military. We cannot sit in our comfy seats and become voyeurs to our country’s genocides, regardless of how “Pro-Palestine” the actual movie is (just pirate ffs). It’s the same cog in the capitalist machine that profits off the stories and suffering of Black and Indigenous people in this country or abroad. We lose our focus when we forget that all of our struggles are connected to the struggles of others across the globe. Covid is still being spread to Palestine by the IOF, but they don’t get the same access to vaccines and respirators that we do. What does that say about our current attitudes in the U.S.?
Our focus should be on uplifting Palestinians: their stories, their crowdfunds, their art, their resistance. We have the privilege to see them online, unlike in other places where media presence is more (or completely) scarce, such as Sudan, Congo, Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, Tigray, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Syria, West Papua, Indonesia, Armenia and others under oppressive regimes. The western powers-that-be love to use comfort to lead our eyes and hearts into a place where they want us—captivated, capitulated, made into helpless observers, too stuck in fantasy to organize or create meaningful change—which we are seeing in full effect right now.
Note: Benjamin Netanyahu’s rise to prime minister also happened when Saturn was in Aries last, and this upcoming full moon in Aries (early October) seems to activate a lot of things in his chart. Just putting that Out There. Death to the IOF.
TRANSGENDER WRESTLING
Something else I’ve noticed, on a more positive note: Neptune in Aries creating the perfect environment for people’s animalistic urges to delve into entertainment. This summer specifically, “Tboy Wrestling” events seem to have been quite popular in the LGBTQIA+ arena. Wrestling itself is very martian in its essence, but adding in a transgender twist creates one glorious oxymoron. Something once seen as such a cis-hetero, homoerotic sport being transformed into a primal play performance art show is such a beautiful, expansive example of how Saturn’s debilitation in Aries creates a unique challenge in regards to masculinity that, when overcame, has rewards that reach beyond the thresholds of what we thought was possible. Last time we had Chiron alongside Saturn in Aries (also with Mars ruled Neptune in Scorpio), the Gay Liberation movement was taking off in the late 60s, when Sue Green and Sandy Parker first made their mark as the first lesbian heroes of wrestling. If only they could see us now (they both passed away in the last few years; may they rest in peace). This was of course alongside the Black Power movement, American Indian movement, (2nd) Feminist movement, Environmental movement, and other beginnings that centered liberation from systemic oppression.
QUEERS ABANDONING CARE
Saturn in Aries has shown a sharp contrast in society’s turn towards normalizing violence and individualism in disregard of collectivism and care, allowing for ableism to run rampant in every community. The wrestling event organizers ignoring the surging (beyond lockdown levels) (year round) covid and other disabling illnesses is one example. By now, we all should be acknowledging that making spaces accessible for disabled people benefits everyone in that space, and no true progress is made without the inclusion of disabled people. Universal masking is one way to prevent further disablement at events; so, the fact that people will get mad at this enforcement angers me as a transmasc queer who would love to participate in such things (and also knows how we are prime targets for long covid). What has once been a community that prioritizes community care (see: AIDS/HIV epidemic, conj. of the 80s) and has historically aimed to prioritize the most marginalized among us, now has been diminished into a cliquey, popularity-centered, ableist, classist, anti-Black liberal social party that would rather continue maiming and assimilating into consumerist (white supremacist) culture. The sharp divide that continues to split between the “pandemic aware” and the “back to normal” crowd has never been so steep, in which the most vulnerable of us continue to adapt no matter how bleak of an experience that is. There are so many of us isolated right now and this anger and grief is what a lot of us are experiencing in isolation.
THERE’S STILL HOPE?
Though, I must say, as someone who has been a part of both sides of the divide, it's inspiring that there are still people learning, growing, and becoming more radical through seeing their peers become increasingly disabled instead of doubling down and separating themselves completely. I personally continue to be radicalized by those prioritizing the most marginalized, centering QTGNC, Black, Indigenous, non-white voices, sex workers, and those who have been in the wake of their people’s suffering for a long time now. There are also queer folks that I've caught up with recently after not speaking to them for years that have been more involved in covid mitigation, clean air initiatives, and becoming more aware of how covid’s effects have already caused irreparable damage to our children, elders, and other already marginalized communities. To know what is possible is knowing that the work is never done and we should feel as though we could be doing more, just not in the capitalistic, nonsense productivity sort of way.
DESTRUCTION AND DISSOLUTION
Saturn in Aries also signifies the failing or crumbling of power structures, which we are seeing in very literal ways. The flooding happening worldwide and earthquakes becoming more violent, furthering the corruption of physical structures and changing the shape of landscapes, has been very apparent this summer. We have yet to see the damage the eclipses will bring this fall. Of course we can’t separate these effects from late stage capitalism and the doubling down of extractive measures through our fascist governments. Fracking, drilling, and building huge data centers near disenfranchised communities, volcanos or fault lines, is very intentional and has a direct impact on the people living near these manufactured environmental disasters that are waiting to happen. “Climate change” is not talked about enough with the perpetrators in mind. Not to mention the new ICE facilities our government is rapidly constructing around the country, including a $1.2 billion dollar tent camp in west Texas and three new camps planned for Colorado. Our preview to the next couple of years with Saturn in Aries has only just begun, and the water heating up won’t make all of the frogs jump until they have no choice but to realize they’re starting to boil.
SUMMARY
Not being able to see and interpret reality correctly is being weaponized against us in the empire.
The true fight is against censorship, propaganda, forced illness and implementation of AI, and for truly liberating all oppressed peoples by any means necessary.
There was so much I wanted to add to this post, but I hope you got the gist.
CLOSING NOTES & QUESTIONS
Saturn will dip back into Pisces for the fall and winter, in which the themes will change from martian to jupiterian themes (ruled by Jupiter in Cancer this time). Though Saturn and Neptune are close, they will be inches from kissing by February of 2026. We will see a further magnification of these issues arise, further eroding of reality as we know it.
My questions to you are as follows:
What other ways are you seeing these planets and their closeness this summer in early Aries show up in your life? In the world?
Where do you stand in regards to acknowledging the fallout of covid? How has your experience with disability and death changed since 2020?
Do you have hope for humanity? What do you hope to see in the coming future? How are you adapting to the crumbling of structures? What liberatory measures have you implemented thus far?
Do you have any questions or feedback for me? What should I write about next :) ?
LINKS FOR LEARNING MORE ABOUT STUFF
Learn More about LC & ME:
More on Saturn-Neptune Conjunctions:
“Let it Rip” Ideology & Genocide, Today:
Astrology Resources (My StrawPage)
If you’d like to book me for a reading I would love that (energy depending) and am open to using sliding scale or payment plans for clients.
For questions or inquiries, feel free to contact me through DM, although I may reply faster through email! (visionsbypsyche@gmail.com)
If you would like to support me as I struggle through having long covid/ME feel free to support me using the links below. Being chronically ill is expensive and having no income or support means I’m left with whatever support people are willing to give me. I hope to keep writing, with your help!