Star Struck Style

Saturn turns retrograde late this evening or sometime tomorrow depending upon where you live. Neptune just turned retrograde last week. With both planets virtually stuck in the sky right now, their near-conjunction in Aries should be something that we are all feeling. “Astrodienst” describes the meeting of the two planets as follows in their July newsletter:

“On July 17, the first conjunction of Saturn and Neptune will be exact to within a few minutes of arc. However, as Saturn is retrograde from July 13, the second conjunction on February 20, 2026, marks the exact starting point of the new Saturn/Neptune cycle. Both planets will return to Pisces before then. Once again, we must patiently deal with the challenging relationship between endings (Pisces) and new beginnings (Aries).

The conjunction of Saturn and Neptune heralds a turbulent phase. Complex and often chaotic processes begin now, which are particularly visible in collective events. The underlying theme is a deep conflict between ideal and reality. Collective dreams, expectations, and hopes that no longer relate to reality lose their justification and dissolve. This also includes social consensus about right and wrong. Social and political structures that lack support can come under severe pressure or even collapse, especially where people have long been disappointed or systematically deceived. Like a dam bursting, a small weak point could quickly lead to the collapse of the entire structure.

Paradoxically, the positive side of this quality of time includes the current disillusionment. The dreams that are now dissolving leave behind the space in which the new zeitgeist — a new collective myth — can manifest itself. This relates to Aries’s life-affirming, dynamic, strong-willed, and pioneering qualities, as well as its impatient, fanatical, and warlike shadow sides.

One of Aries’ outstanding qualities is its deep, innocent trust in new beginnings. If you meet people now who have mastered this art, let them inspire you. If you struggle with doubt and lack energy, try taking small steps. If you can act with basic trust, you can achieve a lot and experience great satisfaction during this time.”

I am intrigued by this forecast because “social consensus about right and wrong” is undergoing a transformation of sorts in the USA. The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is tearing the MAGA crowd apart at the seams because “people have long been disappointed or systematically deceived.” Maybe the dam is bursting. I can dream, can’t I?

Anyway, I’m going to use this time to pause and reflect upon the year so far. Today is the first day since I quit my full-time job in March that I won’t be performing many of the administrative duties associated with that job from my home — at least for now. They are trying to figure out if they can function without me. While I’m not sure that they can, that isn’t really my problem any more.

Instead, I need to be concerned with how far I’ve come over the past few months. I honestly feel as if I’ve grown tremendously since the beginning of the year. I’ve figured out what makes me unhappy and I’ve eliminated many of those things from my life. I’ve also discovered the power of positive thinking, however trite that might sound. The final part of the passage above resonates with me because I’m starting to understand the relationship between my stress levels and the behaviors that I engage in to cope with stress. For once in my life, I’m listening to myself when I declare my intentions to the universe and tell myself that I’m not defined by the mistakes I’ve made. I’ve become that guy who is defined by his daily affirmations to do better. I know, right?

I expect this theme to continue over the next several months as this little dance between Saturn and Neptune continues over the Pisces/Aries cusp. Earlier this year, I predicted that this would be “The Year of False Starts” on this blog. For that reason, I’m not going to get ahead of myself and claim that all my problems are behind me while I reflect upon the year so far. Still, I’m very pleased with how 2025 has worked out for me even though I’m kind of broke and underemployed. At least I’m happy with myself again. That makes me optimistic about what the next several months hold, even when the stars are compelling me to consider the practicality of my choices.

I’m going to take the advice of the passage above and “trust in new beginnings.” Sure, this Saturn/Neptune cycle is going to be rife with false starts, but every now and then it will provide me with the power to launch myself into a more rewarding future, and that sounds delightful to me.