Saturn and Neptune - Co-Presence in Pisces

Balancing Stability and Surrender

By Meghna Bhagat

© Meghna Bhagat - published by The Evolving Astrologer, March 2024 / 19.06.2024

With a bow of gratitude to the wisdom of our ancestors and to the Source of Life, let us begin.

“Where there is just teaching, there is adoration, there is worship. Only when there is a method, there will be transformation.” – Sadhguru, realized yogi and mystic

In speaking with astrologers, whenever the subject of Saturn and Neptune comes up, there is an ominous overtone of dread. But is there an upside to their fearsome associations with lack and loss? Can we find hope in the Jupiterian realm of Pisces?

Every 36 years, Saturn and Neptune come back together. As they swim the Piscean depths today, we find them at the end of their last 36-year cycle and the beginning of a new one in 2026. How do we optimize these final moments?

Saturnian awareness of lack exposes the gap between our ambitions and our reality, where we may seek refuge in an attitude of fake it till we make it or those grapes are probably sour, leading to ennui, complacency, and even despair. It sends us seeking.

Neptune’s fog dislocates us. Neptune’s depths bewilder our notions of reality and plunge us into disillusionment and occasionally an anxiety-provoking unknown. It reminds us of our impermanence. These are not comfortable planets. Whoever said change is comfortable? But we can use the wisdom and natural genius of these planets to honor and align with our deeper longings, to ever more fulfilling lives.

Every 36 years, Saturn and Neptune come back together. As they swim the Piscean depths today, we find them at the end of their last 36-year cycle and the beginning of a new one in 2026.

To do so, we must first shift our perspective, from fated victim to self-governing co-creator. Our discomfort pinpoints misalignment. Saturn and Neptune relentlessly abrade us with events and people that parade this misalignment. We can choose to hide under the covers and pray for the transit to pass, or face what is happening willingly. It’s essential that we admit our hurt, fear, and shame, but also acknowledge the resilience within, and as Maya Angelou says choose “still… [to] rise.” (#1)

Brass Tacks

Saturn employs a systematic method to manifest what we believe we lack. This may include, outgrown dreams and ambitions, unhealed wounds, or in the case of Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, an ever-louder call to connect with the Source of life. Neptune softens our hard edges, extends forgiveness for ourselves and others, and endows an experiential interconnectedness with all life. Neptune can reveal what lies at the core of all of us, but to access it, we must be willing to release the accumulated layers of self-protection around that core.

Saturn: Hard Choices and the Golden Age

Saturn’s two central myths display both its creative and compulsive potentials. In the first myth, Saturn castrates his father, Uranus, who was preventing the birth of his mother Gaia’s children. After deposing Uranus, Saturn presides over a Golden Age. In the second myth, fearing a prophecy of being overthrown by one of his children, Saturn swallows his offspring. Zeus fulfills the prophecy and sends Saturn into exile. Even in exile, the Roman poet Ovid attributes a Golden Age to Saturn’s reign.

In both eras, Saturn is associated with a Golden Age, “characterised by peace, ease, and abundance, [in comparison to] the iron age… riven by strife, toil, and dishonour.” (#2) So, why is Saturn labeled thegreater malefic instead of the herald of the Golden Age? Is it that the effort required to transform lead into gold is outside our comfort zones?

Creatively, Saturn, the Lord of Manifestation, manifests ideas into 3D reality, and as the Lord of Karma, produces consequences for our actions. In Greek myth, there would be no creation without Saturn’s courage, craftiness, and willingness to make tough decisions. His presiding over the Golden Age reminds us that using Saturn creatively can bring our own manifestation and release from suffering.

That is unless we fall into Saturn’s compulsive patterns—the other side of his stories. Saturn as fear, white-knuckled control, blockage, scarcity, and lack, refuses the birth of his children. He clutches his version of the Golden Age with a literal death grip and attempts to prohibit change—much like his father, Uranus. While Saturn can teach us how to survive, once Saturn has managed to survive, it must relax and heal. Unprocessed, the wound continues and passes unconsciously into the familial DNA, an unwitting legacy carried by Zeus, who repeats the same process—liberating his siblings from his father’s belly, deposing Saturn, fathering and subsequently abandoning his approximately 100 children. (#3)

When Saturn enters Pisces, it has an opportunity to heal. It has survived the Winter; it must allow the thaw of Spring. Whether it takes this opportunity to soften or redouble the effort in maintaining a rigid structure is up to each of us. Imagine how a hard clay object submerged in water softens and becomes more malleable. It is a process of self-examination, to see what needs to be released, and to realize what matters and needs reinforcement. There may be a feeling of temporary disillusionment or loss, as old wants, dreams, and ambitions melt into the ocean and uncertainty fills the vacuum. It is only in that Piscean void of unknowing, pregnant with possibility, that a new vision can arise. Without this period of reflection, we risk repeating ourselves—damaged from resisting change, exiled from ourselves, and climbing someone else’s mountain.

Neptune: Elusive and Universal

The story of Neptune is slightly different. Instead of mythology, let’s turn to the discovery of Neptune. Neptune was first observed by Galileo on December 28, 1612, and again on January 27, 1613. Neptune had just stationed retrograde, in partile conjunction with Jupiter, at 26° Virgo. Neptune’s speed (or lack thereof) led Galileo to label it a “fixed blue star” and he was not credited with the discovery.

After the discovery of Uranus, Urbain Le Verrier in France, and John Couch Adams in England, embarked on separate investigations of the unexpected irregularities of Uranus’ orbit. On June 1, 1846, Le Verrier hypothesized the position of Neptune, without its mass or orbit. Neptune was at 28° Aquarius and Saturn was at 0° Pisces. Upon hearing of Le Verrier, the UK team, which had mostly viewed Adams’ work as a curiosity, secretly began an earnest search for this new planet. Unaware of the UK team, Le Verrier presented the mass and orbit of the yet-undiscovered Neptune on August 31, 1846. Saturn-Neptune was retrograde at 26° Aquarius, less than 17’ apart—partile quincunx Galileo’s Jupiter-Neptune 26° Virgo.

Despite his efforts, Le Verrier failed to convince French astronomers to perform a telescopic search for Neptune. In frustration, he sent a letter to Johann Gottfried Galle at the Berlin Observatory. Galle received this letter on September 23, 1846, the Fall Equinox, and with the help of graduate student Heinrich Louis d’Arrest, located Neptune within 1° of Le Verrier’s calculations the same night—both Saturn and Neptune were retrograde at 25° Aquarius. Ironically, the UK team had observed Neptune on August 8 and 12, but because they did not have an updated star map, they missed it. Galle might have missed Neptune also, except d’Arrest had an updated star map, leading to his famous statement of their joint discovery: “That star is not on the map!” (#4)

Saturn: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The fact that humanity missed Neptune while it was conjunct Jupiter and discovered it during the conjunction with Saturn echoes the crux of this article. Jupiter expands our understanding and offers hope, inspiration, and even luck, but without Saturn’s single-pointed focus, dogged perseverance, and capacity for delayed gratification, we may not manifest the Jupiterian vision.

Additionally, Neptune was elusive to humanity until Uranus was discovered. To see into the nature of existence, we must first be willing to be true to ourselves. Aptly, Neptune was discovered in the sign whose resonance is shared by both Saturn and Uranus.

Saturn is not simply visualizing a bumper harvest—it is waking up at dawn, tilling the soil, fertilizing, and weeding—it is demonstrating intent through action.

Saturn is driven to preside over our personal Golden Age. Saturn knows the method for manifestation: plant and tend the seeds of what we wish to harvest. Saturn is not simply visualizing a bumper harvest—it is waking up at dawn, tilling the soil, fertilizing, and weeding—it is demonstrating intent through action. There are no shortcuts and no cutting corners with Saturn. An appraisal of reality, of what is, may lead to an awareness of lack, and in that awareness, Saturn asks, with the finite time, energy, and resources you have, what will you commit to manifest? By attending to our Saturn, we attend to that within us that accomplishes the Great Work (#5) of our lives.

With concerted, unrewarded effort, pursuing an intuitively-led inquiry with no guarantee of reward and little support from the establishment, both Le Verrier and Adams pursued their calculations leading to Neptune’s discovery.

Neptune: Castles in the Air

While Saturn teaches fortitude and manifestation, Neptune offers lessons in flow, non-resistance, and surrender. In the face of Saturn’s ticking clock, Neptune vanishes into a timeless spaciousness and reminds us of the ubiquity of only this present moment. It invites us to hone our intuition and allow something of the non-physical, non-rational to permeate. With Neptune, we risk over-saturation and drowning in delusion, escapist behaviors, spiritual bypass, or other Neptunian perils. Neptune blurs the boundaries of Saturn’s realities. It’s no wonder Neptune can represent both the Indian concept of Maya (illusion) and the drive that leads us beyond Maya’s smoke and mirrors to oneness and liberation.

What might have happened had the UK team followed Neptunian principles of universality to cooperate and co-create with Le Verrier instead of clandestinely competing with him?

Saturn and Neptune Together in Pisces

“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” – Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen)

Pisces is known for its nuanced and ethereal qualities, often associated with Venus's exaltation. This sign embodies timelessness, spirituality, selflessness, sensitivity, and creativity. It's a sign that connects us to the intangible—muses, angels, and spirit guides that exist beyond our physical realm.

The modern association of Pisces with Neptune highlights its connection to deep space and the vast ocean of consciousness. Too much sensitivity without Saturn’s grounding can lead to escapist tendencies like numbing, unnecessary self-abnegation, feelings of victimization, addictions, allergies, illnesses, and even insanity.

To sustainably access the creative and spiritual gifts of Pisces, we need Saturn’s attention to safety through preparedness.

Stabilizing with Saturn

“In yoga, the initial phases of sadhana [spiritual practice]…are aimed at stability, not ecstasy. Stability is more important...Exuberance of life is possible only if there is absolute stability, otherwise, exuberance will lead to madness.” (#6), (#7)—Sadhguru

Yoga, the systematic method aimed at spiritual liberation (spiritual union), is as much the realm of Saturn as it is Neptune.

The first 4 limbs of the 8-limbed path of Ashtanga yoga, described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, are the “Don’ts” (Yamas) and the “Dos” (Niyamas), increasing flexibility and aligning the body with the geometry of the cosmos (Asanas), and deploying the breath to access both the somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) systems in the body (Pranayama).

Neptune is elusive. It cannot be captured, but it may be received. To do so, one must create a robust enough vessel into which it can pour itself. Only after establishing Saturnine stability are spiritual aspirants welcomed into the realm of Neptune.

The very Saturnine fortitude and effort that prepared the body, the vessel, to receive the grace of Neptune, must then release control, surrender, and allow the communion. Saturn makes the vessel sea-worthy, so Neptune can reveal its splendor.

Saturn to Neptune: Receiving Grace, A Tricky Transition

After building stability, it is time to soften. Saturn must be content to release control after the vessel has been honed and stabilized. Eventually, one must release the hard focus of Saturn and surrender into allowance. The last four limbs of yoga belong primarily to Neptune. The 5th limb withdraws the sensory focus to inner alertness (Pratayhara), generating the inner ambiance for concentration (Dharana), such that meditativeness can happen (Dhyana), leading to ultimate liberation or union with Source (Samadhi). (#8)

The very Saturnine fortitude and effort that prepared the body, the vessel, to receive the grace of Neptune, must then release control, surrender, and allow the communion. Saturn makes the vessel sea-worthy, so Neptune can reveal its splendor.

It’s a tricky transition. Thus, the yogic culture emphasized the importance of a live guru, who identifies exactly which limb to exercise when. In Jyotish, Indian astrology, Jupiter is known as Guru. Jupiter brings additional clarity to steering through Piscean realms.

Where is Pisces in your nativity? Where do you need to stabilize and ground, so you can access the gifts of Neptune? And, where do you need to release control and allow the Divine to navigate your vessel?

Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, Historically

The last Saturn–Neptune co-presence in Pisces was immediately after the discovery of Neptune from April 26, 1847—July 11, 1847, and February 17, 1848—April 3, 1849.

The world was changing!

On March 31, 1848, the Fox Sisters reported contact with a deceased person’s spirit and began communicating with the dead through “rapping noises,” thus marking the beginning of the Spiritualism Movement in the West. (#9) Spiritualism contends that awareness persists after death, allowing spirits to evolve, be contacted, and offer helpful insight into our lives. During this period seances and similar gatherings proliferated, drawing attention from notables like the U.S. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, author Charles Dickens, and scientists like Pierre Curie and Thomas Edison. In true Neptunian form, there were deceptions mixed in with genuine contacts beyond the veil, and regardless of the hoaxes, the Western world opened en masse to a deregulated, unrestricted connection with the spiritual realm.

American author, Herman Melville begins Moby Dick, published after Saturn left Pisces. (#10) While most see Moby Dick as a sea-faring adventure, Jed McKenna argues that Ahab is the rare “Breakout Archetype… the unknown…ultimate…final archetype …because it breaks out of the confines within which the dramatic play of all archetypes occurs.” (#11) Scholars still debate the meaning of Moby Dick. Is there more to the mono-maniacal search to find and slay a white whale no matter the cost? McKenna argues that Moby Dick was Melville’s autobiographical travelogue through his Neptunian process—one from which he emerged transformed. Once again, we find a direct, personal, unmediated connection with Source—without the illusions and props, right into the depths of existence.

The drive for equality saturated the collective psyche, as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published, The Communist Manifesto, in 1848. That Spring, Europe exploded in revolution. In France, the monarchy was once again overthrown and replaced by a republic. In a number of German and Italian states, and in Austria, the old leaders were forced to grant liberal constitutions. The Italian and German states seemed to be rapidly forming unified nations. Austria gave Hungarians and Czechs liberal grants of autonomy and national status. Once Saturn left Pisces, these revolutions floundered, and though many of the leaders went into exile, some social reforms proved permanent, and years later nationalists in Germany, Italy, and Hungary gained their objectives. (#12)

On July 19-20, 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton with Lucretia Mott and local female Quakers, organized the Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women. It led to the formalized Declaration of Sentiments signed by 68 women and 32 men, including Frederick Douglass. (#13)

The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in Philadelphia on May 7, 1847, established the world's first national code for ethical medical practice and addressed the risks of patent medicines by regulating them by helping enact the Drug Importation Act in 1848.

Finally, Realism emerged after the Revolution of 1848. Rejecting the idealized classicism of academic art and the exotic themes of Romanticism, Realism privileged direct observation of the modern world. (#1)

Neptune made previously held boundaries permeable while Saturn brought unmitigated reality into everyday lives.

Neptune dissolves boundaries, and Pisces is the ocean through which we are all connected. Since the uninterrupted ingress of Neptune into Pisces in 2012, we have witnessed extraordinary connections across the world as technology brought us closer together and vastly increased our capabilities.

Neptune in Pisces: 2012—Present

Today, we are in another Saturn–Neptune in Pisces period, but unlike 1847-1849, this time, we have been steeped in a Piscean Neptune for a full Jupiter cycle before Saturn ingressed into Pisces on March 7, 2023—with Pluto moving into Aquarius on March 27, 2023.

Neptune dissolves boundaries, and Pisces is the ocean through which we are all connected. Since the uninterrupted ingress of Neptune into Pisces in 2012, we have witnessed extraordinary connections across the world as technology brought us closer together and vastly increased our capabilities.

Mobile phones gained primacy over the computer. Not only can cell phones do what only a computer did previously, but we can also share every moment of our existence with the world. In turn, not only are we more visible and more linked to each other, but also to those who can access and mine our data for their own purposes. Permeable boundaries have led to the largest data breaches, further compounding the loss of privacy. Neptune’s fog spreads quickly in Pisces as bots have become an increasing presence in spreading information, leading to a growing distrust in information, i.e. fake news.

Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) became widely accessible to the public, converting analog processes into virtual experiences that feel remarkably tangible, such as projecting a boxing ring or Iguazu Falls into your living room. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) promises to accelerate our capabilities even faster.

Neptune abhors disparity, from the perspective of life, we are all equal. Revolutions abounded in 1847-49. Similarly, the drive for equal rights continued with the birth of both the Black Lives Matter (July 2013) and MeToo movements (re-vitalized October 2017), while the Arab Spring gained momentum.

Neptune abhors disparity, from the perspective of life, we are all equal. Revolutions abounded in 1847-49. Similarly, the drive for equal rights continued with the birth of both the Black Lives Matter (July 2013) and MeToo movements (re-vitalized October 2017), while the Arab Spring gained momentum. Victims of sexual abuse found delayed justice: Harvey Weinstein’s convictions led to more women coming forward and 201 prominent men lost their positions—half of which were filled by women. Sustainability gained traction among consumers with businesses offering products and services that optimize natural resource efficiencies. (#15)

Spiritualism and technology popularized astrology apps like Co-Star Astrology, Chani Nicholas, LILA, The Daily Hunch, and many others. In dollars and cents, astrology’s star is on the rise!

In a dramatic move, Pope Benedict XVI was the first Pope to retire in 600 years, leading to the election of the unconventional Pope Francis. Under Pope Francis’ leadership, the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics came into alignment over humanity’s role in causing climate change. (#16) In addition, in pure Piscean form, he’s advocated for refugees, decried consumerism, and called for softer stances on divorced individuals.

Saturn Joins Neptune in Pisces: March 7, 2023

Neptune blurred and dissolved boundaries as it moved deeper into Pisces. Unlike in 1848, when Saturn established stability before Neptune ingressed into Pisces, this time Saturn will be entering a momentum 12 years in the making. Like Odysseus lost at sea finally arriving in Ithaca…things are not how they were. Since Saturn entered Pisces it has curtailed some of Neptune’s overflow.

Saturn, exalted in Libra, adjudicates, meting out justice to all equally. As a planet of authority itself, Saturn brought lawsuits against the highest authority in the US, former President Donald Trump. Trump was convicted of sexual abuse and defamation, in May 2023. The first of his 91 felony charges was filed on March 30, 2023. (#17)

Adjudicating technology, Saturn’s ingress led to increased data controls on OpenAI’s ChatGPT that allowed users to choose which conversations OpenAI included in training data for future GPT models. (#18)

1847-1849 saw the rise of mediumship and spiritualism, communicating with the dead. The current ingress has opened the possibility of communicating with extra-terrestrials. On June 5, 2023, a former intelligence official named David Grusch came forward with a whistleblower report alleging the U.S. government had intact and partially intact vehicles from UFO crashes of non-human origin. (#19) The Piscean ocean can be viewed as space itself, the unknown realm beyond our planet and solar system. Saturn brought the discovery of previously hidden contact into the collective reality.

Saturn in Pisces felled a massive blockage to Neptunian inclusion as the highest authority of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis formally approved same-sex blessings on December 19, 2023. Like most equality-driven initiatives this is not a complete inclusion, but it is an unprecedented step.

As we cross the remainder of the Saturn–Neptune in Pisces period, we are invited to revisit the Piscean realms of our chart, examine whether we have established sufficient stability and become sea-worthy or whether we are allowing the compulsive side of Saturn and Neptune, fear and delusion, lack and loss, to usurp our ability to experience the flow available to us all.

As reality shifts and we are plunged into uncertainty and as we cope with the anguish of the post-COVID world rent by injustice and wars, we may feel tempted to escape (Neptune) or shut down (Saturn). But, if we cultivate stability, stay flexible, and surrender to our collective oneness, we will become the solutions to our own problems. We are more than our physical forms. We are co-creative participants. Our connected consciousness manifests our collective reality. It matters where we focus our attention. Within us, we hold the possibility of transcendence.

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Endnotes

• 1) Maya Angelou, Still I Rise; And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems, Random House, 1978.
• 2) Aaron Cheak, Ph.D., On Saturn and the Age of Gold, Rubedo Press: Propaganda, 22 December 2020, https://rubedo.press/propaganda/2020/12/22/saturn-and-the-age-of-gold.
• 3) Rosie Lesso, Who Are the Sons of Greek God Zeus? (6 You Should Know), TheCollector.com, 8 February, 2022, https://www.thecollector.com/who-are-the-6-sons-of-zeus-greek-god/.
• 4) Discovery of Neptune, 4 February 2020, Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_Neptune.
• 5) Steven Forrest, Saturn in Pisces, Forrest Astrology Blog, 1 March 2023, https://www.forrestastrology.com/blogs/astrology/saturn-in-pisces.
• 6) Sadhguru, Yoga and the Pineal Gland: Stability and Ecstasy, Isha Yoga Wisdom Blog, 26 September 2016, https://isha.sadhguru.org/en/wisdom/article/yoga-pineal-gland-stability-ecstasy.
• 7) Sadhguru, How to be More Stable, Isha Yoga Wisdom Audio Blog, 28 November 2020, https://isha.sadhguru.org/en/wisdom/audio/how-to-be-more-stable
• 8) Mara Carrico, Get to Know the 8 Limbs of Yoga, Yoga Journal, 22 September 2021, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/8-limbs-of-yoga/eight-limbs-of-yoga/.
• 9) Spiritualism, 27 January 2024, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualism
• 10) Herman Melville, 16 February 2024, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville
• 11) Jed McKenna, Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment,2010, Wise Fool Press.
• 12) Revolutions of 1848, 25 February 2024, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutions_of_1848.
• 13) Announcement, 14 July 1848, Seneca County Courier (Seneca, NY), Library of Congress archives: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-19/.
• 14) Ross Finocchio, Nineteen Century French Realism, The Met, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Essays, October 2004. https://www.metmuseum.org
• 15) The Top 10 Most Influential Trends of the Last Decade, Castus Global: Insights, 14 January 2020, https://www.castusglobal.com/insights/the-top-10-most-influential-trends-of-the-last-decade.
• 16) Aryn Baker, How 10 Years of Pope Francis Has Changed Climate Action, Time, 15 March 2023, https://time.com/6263212/pope-francis-climate-change-action/.
• 17) David A. Graham, The Cases Against Trump: A Guide, The Atlantic, 15 February 2024.
• 18) Kristi Hines, History of ChatGPT Timeline, Search Engine Journal: Generative AI, 4 June 2023, https://www.searchenginejournal.com/history-of-chatgpt-timeline/488370.
• 19) Joel Mathis, What we know from decades of UFO government investigations, National Geographic: Science,6 July 2023, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/ufo-alien-spacecraft-investigation-timeline.

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Images

• Saturn and Jupiter: Astrodienst/Quentin Lagache on Unsplash
• Hands in the soil: GreenForce Staffing on Unsplash
• Wale: Venti Views on Unsplash
• Meghna Bhagat: © by the Author

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Author:

Meghna Bhagat is an astrologer, speaker, and lifelong student. Wondering about the nature of existence has taken her through academia, mystical tra- ditions, personal growth and counseling modalities, and entrepreneurism. Discovering the transformative power of astrology, became a turning point, revealing a master key to unlock human potential. Meghna’s Astrological education includes Steven Forrest’s Apprentice Program in Evolutionary astrology, the School for Traditional Astrology’s Horary Practitioner Certification, first-year Hellenistic Astrology at Nightlight Astrology, educational courses through Astrology University, Kepler College, and individual astrologers, Jason Holley, Tom Jacobs, April Elliott Kent, Rebecca Gordon, and others. The heart of Meghna’s work is self-acceptance. She has lectured at the Astrological Association Conference (2023), OPA Spring Conference (2023), Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society (2023), and Kepler College (2022). Meghna pub- lished Emerging from the Shadows of Shame: The Role of a Choice-Centered Astrology Reading in APAI’s December 2023 newsletter. She currently serves as the President of the Kepler Astrologers Toastmasters, and serving clients through individual and group work, Meghna Bhagat brings a grounded, aspirational, choice-centered perspective to astrology. Meghna can be reached at www.HowBelow.com.

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Published in: The Evolving Astrologer, March 2024.
© 2024 - Meghna Bhagat - The Evolving Astrologer

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