The Saturn-Neptune Connection

Overview:

There have been a number of significant changes in the slower moving "collective" planets in recent years heralding deep changes within humankind. Last year we experienced a series of 3 Saturn-Jupiter squares, which will be finishing up around June this year. The next big transition is the upcoming Neptune-Saturn conjunction in Feb 2026 preceded by an ongoing "culminating" conjunction from now onwards. Neptune and Saturn will be just a few degrees apart dancing between Pisces and Aries, marking the completion of a cycle and the beginning of a new cycle.

The cycle of Neptune and Saturn begins with a Neptune/Saturn conjunction and lasts approximately 35 years. Any synodic cycle between two planets evolves over time through a pattern marked by specific aspects such as the square, trine and opposition; the conjunction represents both a culmination of the last cycle and the beginning of a new one, which then gestates, births, adjusts, refines, reaches fruition, before final realisations followed by release.

From around May 2025, Saturn has reached culmination relative to Neptune, and will be approaching rebirth at an exact conjunction in February 2026 at 0˚ Aries. Aside from this being a rare event [a conjunction of these two planets at 0˚ Aries hasn’t happened for at least 12,000 years], we are now in a corridor of time that will lead to quite significant changes in tangible reality, both collectively and personally.

Saturn has also been transiting the sign of Pisces since Mar 7th 2023, which is relevant to this post because Pisces is under the rulership of Neptune, and so our Saturnian nature has been already influenced by Neptune since that time.

So what is the Saturn-Neptune connection?

Saturn bestows limits: things begin and end; we have a limited time to live before we transition and rebirth

Saturn pertains to the way we structure our personal and collective reality. Saturn is the Lord of Time, and in ancient astrology was associated with death, decay and darkness. Saturn is a key teacher in the “spiritual school of Gaia”; although most often resisted, the typical challenges and trials associated with austere experiences, usually connected to unassailable limitations [which Saturn is known for], unavoidably lead to growth, maturation, and wisdom development.

Neptune on the other hand is all about the eternal and transcendent aspects of existence; its about visions, dreams and imagination; its about reality beyond the confines of space and time.

So the relationship between these two archetypes is an interesting one, because the realm of the finite and the manifest is going to be altered by the infinite realms of light, and ultimately the One Creator that dwells within all things. 

In a simple sense, this cycle reflects how the higher divine plan exerts itself on our personal experience of space-time reality, and since we haven’t experienced a Neptune/Saturn conjunction for 37 years, this is going to be a big deal. When we consider that the actual conjunction occurs at the very first degree of Aries, we can confidently expect our personal realities to be significantly changed in the next few years in ways that are difficult to predict. This upcoming conjunction is an opportune moment to allow spiritual forces to enter our lives in new and exciting ways, and it will be helpful i feel to meditate on these energies to make the most of this evolutionary opportunity.

We can turn to the Sabian Symbols to get a deeper sense of the code or pattern expressed by any degree of the zodiac...

The Sabian symbol for the 1st degree of Aries is:

"A woman just risen from the sea. A seal is embracing her."

This suggests the emergence of new forms and the potentiality of a new form of consciousness.

A woman emerging from the sea, speaks to something of a feminine nature being born from the cosmic spiritual womb (especially with Neptune involved); an arising of a new way of being, installed into the metaphysical structure of our personal reality. This emergence isn’t going to be something we can instantly put a finger on and define clearly; its feminine nature will more than likely appear first as a feeling or an intuitive awareness that will not sit comfortably within our pre-existing framework of what is real.

The symbol of a seal embracing the woman indicates that such arisings can in fact fail to take a hold in reality; nothing is certain; this is a tentative opportunity for humanity. The seal in evolutionary terms is an animal that once emerged from the sea onto the land, and then regressed to become a sea loving mammal. 

We can take from this the notion that whatever is coming in personal developmental terms over the next year or more, is more than likely going to feel somewhat abstract and tentative at first; we are going to have to pay attention, learn from past failures when the spiritual impulse to awaken previously failed, and cultivate this emergent new feeling that perhaps anchors us more into the feminine wisdom of being rather than doing.

Saturn’s culmination in Pisces

For the last few years, Saturn has been culminating is Pisces; whatever structures we have been using to define what is real, have been immersed in the watery mysteries of Neptune’s sign. For the spiritually minded person, the task has been in letting old realties go, and to allow for the dissolution of personal structures that were inhibiting spiritual connection. This may have felt disillusioning or confusing, especially if we were resisting. 

For some, the Saturn in Pisces period may have been an actively spiritualising time, while for others it may have been a time to withdraw into dreams and fantasies as a way to avoid a reality that no longer makes any sense. During this period, the tendency toward a finite definitive answer to almost anything has been hard to find.

As we move into the conjunction, which will be in the culminating phase (still finishing up the old cycle) until Feb 2026, the process of letting go of personal fixed ways of defining who we are, and where we are going in life, and what life is supposed to be, and what we think we are meant to do etc is going to intensify. This means that within all of us there will be an inevitable ebb and flow between resistance and surrender. In addition, these two planets will retrograde around Sep/Oct, and even move back into the last degree of Pisces for a short stint at the end of the year, indicating that the nature of this time is about a preparation for the new and unimagined through a weighing and measuring of past experience, and a sifting out of things that no longer resonate with the path we are meant to follow.

The optimal outcome here is to reach deeper levels of spiritual connection in ways that allow us to surrender to whatever the Higher Power has in mind for us. This may not at all coincide with what we think we should be doing. We might be deeply challenged to release any fixed ideas of life goals and destinations we have been dreaming and imagining in the previous cycle; we are to move into a more cooperative relationship with our co-creator role.

In essence, the Saturnian structure of our personal reality is being recoded by higher forces, and this began when Saturn entered Pisces back in 2023, and then we experienced a number of inner “shake ups” when Saturn made conjunction with Gonggong in Pisces -  a process I liken to attrition, when pebbles are thrown against the cliff face quickening the erosion process [of the fixed and limited] beyond what water alone would achieve. 

Now we are entering the powerful influence of Neptune himself, where any structures of mind and emotion that are too limiting will begin to dissolve whether we want them to or not. Such dissolutions can be immensely freeing if we are able to trust, but can be quite disturbing if we are relying on these structures to feel safe and sound.

Until early 2026 the onus will be in cultivating trust and surrender in the Higher Power, and doing ones best to cooperate with whatever it is in our inner or outer world that is falling away. 

• Perhaps once cherished dreams we have long held that have been a beacon of hope for an otherwise unfulfilling way of life are being released, and the challenge will be to listen for the new direction or role moving forward. 

• Maybe its our job, career, relationship, or home that is slipping away and we have to make a decision to flow or resist. 

• Or maybe it is more subtle, and its all about allowing an old role or orientation to life to fade away to make room for some new approach, one that is reflective of the new collective rise in frequency.

Of course we can choose to fight the process, especially if we are less aware of the inner-world dynamics in play, and we just see the loss of the old way rather than see the birthing of a new one, replete with exciting opportunities. If we undergo a significant spiritual awakening for example, we may find almost everything we have known to no longer have any resonance for us, including friends, acquaintances and family members. This can be significantly challenging at first.

And for a while we might feel blind and lost. There might be increasing loss of meaning, confusion, and disillusionment because Saturn pertains to social conditioning, and Neptune effectively washes away whatever is spiritually redundant in our lives. If we are overly resistant this could feel like a tsunami wave washing away key structures we never thought would become meaningless and opening the way for something more.

If we are spiritually active, we can of course woo the higher-self so to speak, and build a stronger connection with the inner guide, and ask for future forward visions if we are allowed to see them. Everyone has a unique position in terms of spiritual growth, so there are many many ways we can experience this change.

Key themes to be aware of from now until May 2026 

Spirit precedes matter

One primary growth theme relates to Saturn as the finite and manifest - including patterns of all kinds, such as of the mind and emotion, and their subsequent influence on behaviours, and thus ultimately to traditions, cultural expressions, rules, codes, expectations and so on. If we are too immersed in Saturn, then Neptunian energy may well dowse us in a heavy dose of depression or loss of meaning as a way to remind us that spirit precedes matter. 

In metaphysical teachings the Saturnian world of forms is governed by subtle metaphysical forces that underly all manifestation. 

Sobriety versus intoxication

Another key theme will be the dance between sobriety and intoxication. The nature of Saturn as a teacher is to use duality and limitation to make something clear to us. Saturn lessons often call us to face manifest reality as it is, especially if we are finding ways to avoid facing things properly. All of us to some degree employ strategies of avoidance to soften the harsh realities of life, but if this becomes a self-limiting addiction then this may well be a time when we are forced to deal with things as they truly are. The avoidance of reality occurs when we resist the Neptunian impulse; to avoid reality is also to reject the spiritual forces of creation, which is to resist the growth lessons we are co-creating.

If we are not resisting, then the Neptunian essence of Divine intoxication can temporarily transport us into an altered state of conscious awareness; what we might call a radical spiritual awakening experience that arises when we long for connection with Source. This is the ultimate role of Neptune, to connect us with our true source and to help us remember who we are. Such experiences typically last minutes or hours, sometimes days, but we return to a ‘normal’ state afterward, and yet are transformed in ways that can sometimes take years to process and actualise.

If we are the type of person who is over controlled and represses desires, then this year could represent a shift in the balance where we are able to relax more and enjoy the things we want, without the burden of guilt or shame; we can discover a new level of freedom. If on the other hand we are the type of person who tends to escape reality too much, then the process leading up to Feb next year may involve experiences related to choosing more responsibility in some way. This example highlights just how individual planetary transits like this can be; quite different between people, and yet the same archetypal forces in action. 

Above all we are meant to make friends with both archetypes; it is to find a new balance between the sacred and the profane - practical reality versus higher meaning and purpose. For some this might mean engaging more Neptune toward the imaginal and spiritual, while for the spiritual high flyers it might mean making friends with reality and agreeing to be here. There could be a rude awakening in this regard.

Incarnation versus heaven

On this note its worth considering the False Matrix distortion rooted in Judaeo-Christian religions where there has been a tendency to create a spirit-body split, where all things material are considered lesser to the heavenly abode. For example the Christian Cathar movement circa 1200 AD believed that all things of the flesh were of the devil’s domain, and that life in a body was something to be endured, while waiting to be released into the heavenly domains of eternal perfection. In this way, a split is created between the manifest and imperfect dualistic reality [Saturn] and the heavenly perfection of the higher spiritual realms [Neptune]. When one considers that we are reincarnating beings, with undoubtedly many lifetimes lived through teachings such as these, many of us still carry past life patterns of belief that the body is inferior and shameful and that the desires of the flesh such as enjoying food, sexuality, and pleasure are sinful in nature, even if we do not identify with any religion in this life. 

A modern version of this shows up in ‘simulation theory’, the notion that we are living in a simulation, and the temptation to think nothing really matters because it is all just a simulation!

The whole culmination process with Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, prior to the actual conjunction in Feb 2026 in Aries, speaks to the release of past life or current life dogma that gives rise to the spirit-body split (Pisces is in past life terms associated with Christianity). The learning is about accepting both as equal aspects of the human experience; the material limited realm that offers us the illusion of imperfection is part of the Divine play and not lesser. 

Boundaries versus permeability

Saturn is the archetype that most relates to boundaries, and we need boundaries to function well as individuals in space-time reality. Neptune represents a state of permeability or mutable boundaries, where space-time can become less veiled and in this way we touch in on other dimensions of experience in ways that inform and change us. 

Culmination lessons may revolve around this theme: for someone who is locked into space-time reality this might represent a softening of the boundary allowing for spiritual connection to occur more freely. For the person who is too open, and lacks an ability to hold a solid boundary when needed, the lessons will involve getting the balance right by becoming more anchored in the limited physical realm. Often these types are highly empathic and struggle to embrace the intensity of density, with a resulting loss of boundary, which can make things a lot worse. When we are used to permeability, where this is a high degree of communion with the living field matrix, it can feel unnatural to close down, even though to do so would be to slow down the influx of dense and often detrimental psychic energy from outside.

On a mundane level, this same influence back Nov 1989 expressed as the dissolution of a boundary when the Berlin Wall came down. This time around it looks like we are seeing the end of globalism and multiculturalism, an agenda which has been actively trying to dissolve national identities and borders to promote the idea of a free market. This same archetypal energy pattern may now instead generate a return to boundaries as we are already seeing with Trump’s tariff policy and the closing of borders, both of which are in opposition to globalist goals. The same sentiment toward anti-migration and tighter border control is gaining momentum since Pluto’s recent ingress into Aquarius late last year, and finding the correct balance will probably be a key issue this next year and beyond. 

The ideal versus reality

Neptune can be very idealistic, and we have all experienced how our idea of things doesn't always come together the way we expected. Neptunian imagination and vision take place in the astral dimension, where its easy to bring dazzling new images of what might be possible to mind, but the translation of these dreams and visions has to step down into Saturnian limited and dense fields of experience, which are conditioned by the pre-existing momentum of collective karma. A metaphor that comes to mind is the difference between swimming in a swimming pool versus swimming in a lively sea with currents and rip tides to deal with.

If we are indeed undergoing a planetary ascension, and for sure we are experiencing a lot of solar activity and changes is the Schumann resonance, the collective frequency will be slowly rising. It makes me wonder about the long term visions and agendas of our elite classes, some of whom seem driven to dystopian levels of control, and whether this upcoming conjunction will result in a fundamental failure of goals simply because they have expired in terms of frequency. So much is up to us and the changes we make individually and collectively but i certainly hope so.

Faith versus pessimism

Another theme connected to these 2 archetypes is related to a belief in a higher ordering principle or a belief in atheistic nihilism. For some the world in rapid change can be viewed as very negative  with a profound loss of meaning, usually related to disconnect from the higher spiritual planes. There is a tendency to see only chaos and darkness. The cycle culmination for these people has the potential to forge a new spiritual reality, especially at the conjunction in Aries next year. 

For those of us already feeling a sense of spiritual awareness and connection, this time period offers us the potential to deepen that trust and faith in invisible benevolent forces, and the notion of a higher plan that we all belong to. 

• Do we have hope for a better world?

• Do we need to cultivate more faith in the way our personal life unfolds?

• Can we trust implicitly that everything unfolding for us is what we most need?

• Can we trust the inner voice and follow its promptings despite any fears?

Finally…

From now until next year we are all shifting our relationship with the cosmos in some way. In the last cycle, which started in 1989, when Saturn and Neptune made conjunction at 10˚-11˚ Capricorn, the seed energy was one toward cultivating a spiritual life (if we took the opportunity) through the traditional spiritual teachings coming from the past. In some ways we can see this aspect expressing through the New Age Movement that drew from almost every spiritual tradition, and we can also see this in the popularity of Yoga growing in this cycle, Eastern meditation and other spiritual techniques like Qi Gong or Tai Chi, as well as the Western attraction to Buddhism, Neo-Paganism, and Christian Mysticism (for example Rudolph Steiner’s work, Angel systems and Ascended Masters). For those locked into the False Matrix there has been a loss of sovereignty resulting in the deification of all forms of outer authority and a profound lack of inner connection.

And at a deeper level, the evolutionary drive for Western modern and postmodern people has been toward a revelation of spiritual meaning and purpose [emerging from a science materialist paradigm] and the cultivation of trust in Divine forces and agencies not necessarily limited by any religious term such as “God”. 

The new cycle beginning Feb 20th 2026 at the exact conjunction in Aries at 0˚ represents a very different spiritual evolutionary directive, which leads us away from any pre-existing “dark-age” influenced inherited system toward something as yet unimagined. This of course will only become clear in the years and decades ahead of us; the conjunction is just the beginning of the new journey. Aries implies breaking from the past into new growth potential, and when we consider that a conjunction of these 2 planets at precisely 0˚ Aries hasn’t happened for over 12,000 years the implications are stunning. Are we wrapping up a much larger evolutionary cycle of development between our relationship with the finite and infinite? Does this mark a radical new chapter in human evolution in terms of how we frame the Divine and how we connect and how we express the higher-will? And by extension does this new cycle have anything to do with planetary ascension and does that mean a completely new spiritual paradigm?

When we consider that we are fast approaching the singularity event from which humanity cannot return, whatever that ends up being for us, how will that affect our relationship to ultimate meaning?

• How would formal intervention from ET cultures affect our spiritual paradigms? 

• How will technological advances influence the way we perceive Divine Intelligence?

• Will some be compelled to worship A.I.? 

We are entering very new territory I feel.

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