The much-anticipated ingress of both Saturn and Neptune into Aries is upon us. Neptune will enter Aries on January 27th, and then Saturn enters Aries on February 14th. This will be a turning point in society, and everything will be different quite soon. Let’s get to know Saturn and Neptune before we see how they are going to interact with each other in Aries. I've included the very unusual chart for when the Sun enters Aquarius.
Saturn has an orbit of 29 years and is the taskmaster of all the planets. It’s not surprising that he’s associated with stern Capricorn. I’ve named Saturn Mr. Responsibility. All the planets have a job, and it is Saturn’s job to get things done. He creates structure so that goals can be accomplished easily. Saturn is involved with business, government, authority and objectives.
On the other hand, Neptune has an orbit of 165 years and is the dreamer of all the planets. It’s also not surprising that Neptune is associated with the emotional sign of Pisces. What is the job of Neptune? It is to bring healing, creativity, compassion, spirituality and consciousness to the world.
I’ve named them the Odd Couple of planets. They just don’t understand each other. While Saturn is working hard, it seems like Neptune is hardly working. Neptune is off meditating and napping and has a calm smile on his face. Saturn is determined to prove his worth, even though he’s stressed. Do they need each other? Desperately.
Saturn and Neptune join each other, or form a conjunction, every 36 years. But what makes this particular time so special is that they are joining at zero degrees of Aries. That point is the first day of spring, the first degree of the zodiac, and basically the beginning of everything. It is incredibly rare for them to join at the beginning of the zodiac. So what is Aries all about?
Aries boasts about being the first of everything, and he’s right. Aries is associated with the planet Mars, the warrior of the zodiac. I’ve seen that the drug of choice for Aries is strong, black coffee, which is ironic because each Aries was born caffeinated. A typical Aries is assertive, brash, fast, brave, courageous, fiery and abrupt. And those are their positive qualities. When an Aries is in a bad mood, you will see anger, confrontation, impatience, and possibly even a mean bully. How will both Saturn and Neptune manage this edgy sign of Aries?
When Saturn enters Aries, history has shown us the rise of new leadership and the restructuring of business and political systems. The ideal situation is when Saturn’s discipline teams up with the pioneering spirit of Aries to create bold initiatives in the world.
When Neptune enters Aries, it often brings a surge in innovation, idealism, and a change in the collective consciousness of society. Before we look at the upcoming Saturn and Neptune in Aries era, let’s delve into history and see what happened in the past when this rare ingress occurred. With my extensive research, I found many instances when Saturn and Neptune formed a conjunction, but it was at 19 degrees or 27 degrees or other degrees in Aries. I decided to focus on when they were both at zero degrees Aries, which took it down to only a couple of important dates in recorded history.
The first thing that comes up in research is that the last time Neptune entered Aries was April 1861, which was the beginning of the American Civil War. Of course, this period signaled dramatic changes in the United States, but it was only Neptune in Aries, as Saturn was in Libra at the time. So, I’m going to skip it and focus on when both Saturn and Neptune were at zero degrees Aries.
My research showed me that the last time both Saturn and Neptune entered Aries together was in the year 594 BC. I spent hours animating with my astrology software, Solar Fire, to see when both Saturn and Neptune entered Aries. It was quite an interesting journey through history to compare their correlation with changes in humanity.
What happened in 594 BC? The first thing I did was to focus on Neptune and see what happened in a spiritual way. I was shocked to see who was born around that time. Here is the esteemed list of spiritual leaders who were all born then:
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, is believed to have been born around 563 BC in what is now Nepal. He founded Buddhism, a major world religion focused on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to enlightenment.
Mahavira
Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, was born around 599 BC in present-day Bihar, India. He revitalized and reorganized Jainism, emphasizing nonviolence, truth and asceticism.
Confucius
Confucius, the renowned Chinese teacher, philosopher and spiritual leader, was born around 551 BC in Lu, China. He established Confucianism, a system of thought focused on morality, ethics, and proper social relationships.
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Laozi, traditionally considered the founder of Taoism, is believed to have been born around 571 BC. His teachings, compiled in the Tao Te Ching, emphasize living in harmony with the Tao (the Way).
Zoroaster
Zoroaster, the prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism, is believed to have lived during the 6th century BC. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, emphasizing the duality of good and evil.
Now let’s look at the entire picture of history around 594 BC with the most noteworthy events occurring in Greece. It was 594 BC when Solon was appointed Archon, or chief magistrate, of Athens. He was given special powers to resolve tough economic and social crises. What was happening? Athens was on the verge of a civil war because of:
- Huge debt from slavery
- Most of the land was owned by a few aristocrats
- Class conflict between the rich landowners and the poor farmers
What Solon did to resolve the problem was to set reforms, called Seisachtheia, or “Shaking off of burdens.”
- Cancelled all debts
- Freed Athenians enslaved for debt
- Outlawed debt slavery
- Redistributed political power to reduce aristocratic dominance
- Reformed weights and measures
- Encouraged crafts and trade
Solon’s reforms didn’t fix everything, but they set Athens on the path to democracy.
Now let’s go back to the next previous time I found Neptune and Saturn entering Aries, which was 4361 BC. This era was named the Neolithic Revolution, which marked the time of transition from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled agricultural communities. Regions like Mesopotamia, the Nile, Indus Valleys and parts of Europe were beginning to grow crops and domesticate animals. What was developed was:
- Farming and Food Production. The development of food surpluses allowed populations to grow.
- Pottery and Tools. Advances were made in pottery, weaving and tool making.
- Social Organization. Community activities, social hierarchies and early forms of government took place.
- Art. People created pottery decorated with geometric shapes, as well as carved figurines and paintings on cave walls.
- Spirituality. Early religions were forming with evidence of ritual burials and ceremonial structures being built. Megalithic monuments, like stone circles and burial mounds, emerged.
That was a fascinating jaunt through history, riding the wave of Neptune and Saturn at zero degrees Aries. Let’s travel forward now to our current time and look at what will happen. History showed us that the beginning of civilization, as well as the beginning of democracy, both occurred with Neptune and Saturn at zero degrees of Aries.
I know it’s hard to imagine, but I think that this time is more significant than either of those dates. Why? Because Pluto wasn’t in revolutionary Aquarius with radical Uranus in Gemini for either of those times. Even though we are only looking at Saturn and Neptune, the entire picture of the solar system tells the complete story. Pluto in Aquarius is the very beginning of the Age of Aquarius as we end the Age of Pisces. A change of Ages only occurs once every 2,500 years. This important change also assures us that this time has to be much more significant than before.
I’ve noticed that when a slow-moving planet enters a new sign, it always has an entourage. I’ve included the chart of when Saturn and Neptune are both exactly conjunct at zero degrees Aries and 44 minutes. This is the largest entourage I’ve ever seen, showing how momentous this transition is in history.
Neptune will enter Aries on January 27th with Saturn following on February 14th. Saturn will be in Aries for 2½ years, and Neptune will be in Aries for 13 years, or until 2039.
Saturn in Aries will bring new leadership to business and government. I call the last few degrees in Pisces the Sludge of the Zodiac. Both Saturn and Neptune are in the sludge now. The sludge needs to come to the surface to get cleared away for the drastic new beginning with Aries. Expect huge changes in hierarchy during this time.
Neptune in Aries will bring a new collective consciousness and spirituality to the world. During this phase, people will be looking inside for strength instead of listening to rules and regulations from outside authorities. Independence and freedom are inbred into the pioneering spirit of Aries. We will all be outspoken about our beliefs. This will be nothing less than a restructuring of political and social systems. Building on previous developments from the Saturn and Neptune periods, the inclusion of Pluto and Uranus signifies the beginning of an unprecedented era in history.
The old saying, “We were born to see these times,” is true right now. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for to usher in this new age.