Strange Bedfellows

Saturn, Neptune, and the Imminent Collapse of the American Psyche

Note: I use the term “anti-fragile” quite a bit in this post, as it’s the epitome of what a Saturn-Neptune conjunction is here to test. Systems and organisms (AKA, people) that are “anti-fragile” are systems and organisms that become ever more resilient due to the exposure of a stressor. In this case, the stressor is Saturn and the end-game system under siege is your psyche (Neptune).

And now for the “credit where credit is due” part: anti-fragile is not my term. It's an idea that I first encountered in the writings of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, specifically in his 2012 book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder. In this work, Taleb introduces "antifragility" to describe systems that not only withstand stress and volatility but actually benefit and grow stronger from them. And it works perfectly here.

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The Saturn conjunct Neptune in Pisces cycle we find ourselves in now is a cycle that repeats about every 300 years or so. Long cycles such as these are difficult to assess due to an apples-to-apples perspective. That is, the very early 1700s are about as drastically different from today’s world as we can get. And yet, human nature (at least in the Kali Yuga) remains unchanged.

If we look at the Saturn/Neptune cycle independent of what zodiacal sign they occupy, we have then a 36-year repeating cycle that’s a little easier to assess. The atmosphere and environment in which these two meet though - represented by the zodiacal sign - is hugely important to the nature of how that meeting shakes out.

Which of the two has the upper hand? Who (if either) has “home field advantage"? As astrologers, we have to know this in order to make accurate predictions. And, as we’ll see below, "environment" changes the game. And that game’s potential outcome.

Which is why it is incredibly important to know exactly what constellation (and even more precisely, the sub-division of that constellation) is forming the background - the environment and atmosphere - of that planetary meeting. How important is getting that right? Well, consider that ancient civilizations (the ancient Egyptians are but one example) went through incredible pains to ensure their respective monoliths reflected precisely, in their exact positioning, whatever heavenly constellation they were venerating. A literal mirror of the heavens, created on earth. Not an approximation. Not a calculation. An exact “as above, so below” mirror.

But before we discuss the atmosphere and environment (and for the US, the performance “stage”, or house) in which these two meet, let’s consider what a general Saturn - Neptune cycle looks like.

The Saturn-Neptune cycle, occurring approximately every 36 years, represents the interplay between structure and transcendence, the tangible and the intangible, the real and the ideal, truth and delusion, duty and escapism. This cycle marks critical junctures in history where the boundaries between reality and illusion, the secular and the sacred, and order and chaos are redefined.

Saturn, the planet of form, discipline, and material reality, encounters Neptune, the planet of imagination, spirituality, and dissolution, in a push-pull that alternately constructs and deconstructs societal ideals, delusions, and fears.

Key Themes of the Saturn-Neptune Cycle

Saturn and Neptune are not here to destroy, per se. They’re here to test what’s real. Anything that survives this storm will be stronger for it. Anything false will be swept away.

• Materializing the Immaterial: Saturn demands the grounding of Neptune’s dreams, bringing imaginative, spiritual, or ideological visions into concrete reality. Conversely, Neptune serves to dissolve Saturn’s rigid structures, revealing their underlying illusions or inspiring new forms that transcend the limitations of the old.

• Crisis of Belief and Disillusionment: Periods of Saturn-Neptune alignment often coincide with a crisis of faith, whether in religious, political, or ideological. Disillusionment and the exposure of false idols or deceptive narratives are common, challenging the collective to reconcile ideals with reality.

• The Sacred and the Profane: This cycle is marked by the re-enchantment or disenchantment of the world. The sacred and the profane blur as spiritual aspirations are either materialized in new movements or crushed by the weight of skepticism and disillusionment.

• Collective Anxieties and Dreams: Saturn-Neptune alignments often bring to the fore societal fears—economic collapse, ideological subversion, psycho-pandemics, and existential threats—alongside utopian visions of salvation, unity, and transcendence.

• The Rise and Fall of Ideologies: Saturn-Neptune cycles mark the birth, transformation, and often the collapse of ideologies. These periods reveal the cracks in previously unassailable structures, forcing societies to confront uncomfortable truths and seek new narratives.

Historical Context: The last Saturn - Neptune conjunction (exact, late 1989) precipitated the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall. This symbolized the collapse of a long-standing ideological divide, sweeping in a new world order. This was also the time of the Tiananmen Square protests, a dramatic manifestation of the struggle between state control and the collective demand for freedom.

This particular meeting, however, will have a very different look, feel and outcome. Because whereas the 1989 meeting took place in Sagittarius (and in the US’s 1st house of “national identity”), this meeting takes place under a vastly different background and on a stage that hits right at the heart of the nation. Not how we are perceived by the world, or how we present or identify as a nation, but where it affects us the most. This time, the fog isn’t in Berlin or Moscow. It’s not about our presentation or posture. This energy will play out in the American mind and on American soil.

In ‘89, the Saturn–Neptune conjunction at 16° Sagittarius occurred in the U.S. 1st house, the domain of national identity, direction, and image. This marked a turning point in how the United States saw itself and was seen by the world. Saturn brought structural consolidation while Neptune dissolved the boundaries of old ideologies, particularly those held by the Soviet Bloc. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end for the USSR signaled a global realignment of power, paving the way for the U.S. to step fully into the role of the dominant global actor. It was an outward-facing transformation. The collapse was over there, and America emerged from it (seemingly) strengthened, and following the collapse of the USSR, unchallenged on the world stage.

In contrast, the upcoming 2025–2026 Saturn–Neptune conjunction (8° Pisces, exact, late June 2025) falls in the late 3rd house of the U.S. chart. Yet it’s close enough to the 4th house cusp that its effects will bleed across into that domain as well. The 3rd is the house of media, communication, internal narratives, and national infrastructure, while the 4th house represents the very foundation of the homeland itself. The land, the people, the emotional and psychological core of the nation.

And, as we have said for the last year (and then some), it’s the emotional and psychological core of the nation that is about to get rocked. And the scars of this period will be evident for generations. If you’ve ever known an individual who lived through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, or WWII, you know what I mean by “scarred”. The balance of those lifetimes were lived under the shadow of those events.

So while 1989 was about the collapse of foreign ideological structures, this conjunction sets the stage for a dissolution of the nation’s internal coherence. We’re looking at the breakdown not of another far-away empire, but our own shared reality. Media trust, national cohesion, civil infrastructure —all of these will be tested. And only the anti-fragile will survive.

And as the repercussions of this conjunction ripples into the 4th house, the effects will deepen. We’re not just talking about ideological confusion — we’re talking about foundational instability. Civil unrest will escalate, core institutions will collapse under the weight of their own inefficiency and corruption, and the collective psyche will crack.

1989 marked an ideological victory in the external collapse of an opposing ideology. 2025 marks an ideological unraveling from within. The same Saturn–Neptune union that in Sagittarius and the 1st house cleared the way for dominance abroad will now, in Pisces and in the 3rd & 4th houses, pull the psychological pins out of the nation’s scaffolding of delusion.

The house of cards is bound to come down.

And to put it bluntly, the vast majority are in no way prepared for the aftershocks of this happening. Not physically, not materially, and certainly not mentally, emotionally or psychologically.

This is not a moral judgement, nor condemnation of one ideology or the support of another. Astrology does not play that card. Astrology is simply the orchestration and balancing of energy. The easiest analogy to grasp in this respect is the weather. Natural disasters being the extreme version of the earth rebalancing the energies acting upon her. Humans are in the unique position of being able to harness (Saturn) these energies, if we so choose. We can also choose to bury our heads in the sand (Neptune) and pretend they don’t exist. The same winds that batter the coastlines are the lifeblood of skilled sailors.

That said, this Saturn-Neptune alignment in particular is not a rebuilding phase — it's a washout phase. And we’ll see it manifesting as a collapse of unsustainable institutions. Especially economic, infrastructure related, and ideological. The long-held delusions that have sustained the nation, the markets, and belief systems (think the “American dream”) will be pushed to the limit. Those that are based in truth and reality (Saturn) will survive. Those built on illusion (Neptune) will crumble. It’s the same energy as 1989, just operating in a different environment and, as far as the US is concerned, a much more personal stage.

So in the same way that storm trackers map the potential landfall and ramifications of a hurricane, when we consider the most susceptible systems to this building storm, we see the healthcare sector. Especially private and government insurance. All areas that operate within the 3rd and 4th houses of the US chart will be tested for sure. But the weakest of those links (for the reasons outlined below), is the healthcare sector.

We are already seeing the first waves of the economic fallout (Pluto return) we spoke of in earnest last year. And now that the “trade war” has begun, it will not take long to see those systems that are anything but anti-fragile beginning to unravel at the seams.

So what happens when the most medicated collective on the face of the earth suddenly has to absorb, due to the insolvency of insurance, the true cost of that medication? What happens when those generations raised since the last Saturn-Neptune conjunction now have to face a topsy-turvy reality without a steady infusion of the psychological pharma-crutches they’ve become addicted to?

For those we work with, this all is yesterday’s news. Being prepared to navigate the inevitable storms being the benefit of accurate predictive astrology.

But why was this particular alignment the one we’ve been focusing on for the last couple of years?

Quite simply - or, maybe not so “quite simply” - this: