All religious symbols exemplify the astrological Neptune. As religious symbols cannot be rigidly defined and allude to otherworldly dimensions, they elucidate the fundamental characteristics of the astrological Neptune. Perhaps the great religious symbol that explicates the Saturn-Neptune dilemma is the symbol of the cross of Christianity. The crucifix is more than simply a sign of a literal event in world history but a symbol that contains within it the fundamental dualism of our nature. The cross denotes the wedding of our spiritual selves in the world of flesh and matter, the fusing of the boundless nature of spirit and soul into the limited world of body and material reality. Regardless of the historical veracity of the Christ event, pain and suffering of Christ is something that we all relate to, and therein is the power of the Christ myth. Not only is the cross indicative of the Saturn-Neptune complex but so to is the nature of the account of the crucifixion. In the ninth hour of his crucifixion, Christ is believed to have stated, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me." In the final moments before his bodily death, Christ lapses into a loss of faith, the anguish of his condition producing a deep sense of alienation from the power of God. Thus, Saturn-Neptune configurations force a sense of deep and profound spiritual alienation, a sense of overwhelming religious abandonment whereby the human condition is analogous to being dumped into a world of irredeemable woe, frustration, limitation, and hardship.

The Saturn-Neptune complex symbolizes the cross we all bear collectively in our material incarnation. Unlike the simple frustrations and gravity of our daily tasks, the Saturn-Neptune configuration renders our simple, insignificant daily hardships into a quest for a return to a condition of righteousness, truth, peace, and bliss. Thus, Saturn-Neptune alignments force us to transform the relatively banal and prosaic concerns of work and career into veritable religious quests, whereby our daily efforts are more likened to a climbing of Jacob’s ladder.

When Saturn and Neptune form hard aspect with each other, they must contend with each other. Although there are several possibilities in terms of their archetypal expression—as history has shown—there is no possibility to ignore the symbolism of one planet at the expense of the other. When Saturn and Neptune form major collective alignments in the sky, they are forced into disturbing cohabitation. Thus, during these times, the businessman with only an eye toward resume bullet points and money is forced to contend with the poet musing on the cosmic unknowns and enchanted beauty, as the mystic and artist is compelled to apply critical rigor and definition to their religious musings and impressionistic strokes.