Saturn-Neptune and the “Ism” Game, Part II

Looking beyond the expression of the Saturn-Neptune configuration in arts, culture, and the socio-political dimension, it is important to once again return to collective subjective factors of the planetary alignment. Arguably the greatest critique of the current prevailing “isms” of our day—materialism, scientism, and commercialism—is that these isms, while creating extreme comfort and unheard of prosperity, have also created an extreme dearth of meaning, a radical disenchantment with the cosmos, alienation, and a lack of transcendental values. In others words, deep in the recesses of our collective subjectivity, we realize that this particular “dream” does not fulfill, does not create happiness, and does not nourish to a deep level what we truly desire. This sense of existential hunger and longing deep within will not be easily ignored during the upcoming Saturn-Neptune configuration.

Just as the Exxon Valdez was a crisis that manifested itself so that awareness and reactions could be taken to the problem at hand, difficulties with our current “isms” will manifest during the upcoming Saturn-Neptune opposition so that new awareness will come into being. The subjective and collective mood of the times may spur a deep, existential reaction to lack of real, essential nourishment that our materialism, scientism, and commercialism creates. This inner collective questioning, this drought of meaning, and this disquietude with the way things are may not make headlines, will not be front page news, and will not be on the collective table of agenda-setting, but it will certainly be a presence, a specter that haunts our subjectivity.

In the larger continuum of human evolution, the Saturn-Neptune complex represents more of a stirring, a quiet rumbling, than a birth. The purpose of the Saturn-Neptune alignment is to create a restlessness, an unsettled inquiring, and a sense of disillusionment with the fantasies and falsities that keep us from reaching greater possibilities and potentials. So, while the alignment may not catalyze tremendous action into being, it is an outer symbol mirroring a deep and significant shift in collective values, perceptions, ideals, and perhaps most importantly, images. Not easily articulated and not easily observed, the subjective moodiness—the collective weltschmerz and existential dread—that often accompanies Saturn-Neptune alignments can be looked upon as a significant process of socio-historical evolution. The Saturn-Neptune alignment is the morning sickness, nausea, and queasiness in the world soul, pregnant with possibilities, yet not quite ready for the extraordinary mystery of birth.