The 2025 Saturn /Neptune conjunction

Saturn and Neptune are currently in conjunction in Aries. They have been gravitating towards this position during the first few months of 2025, finally arriving together, alongside, on the first degree of Aries in May.

I can't resist viewing this conjunction in terms of two people/beings/entities, both with very different natures, who are irresistibly drawn to each other by some uknown powerful force. The magnetism becomes too great, they can resist it no longer and - for better or worse- they fall into each other's arms and to hell with the consequences. 

The fact that this happens in Aries (imagine the circumstances of this meeting taking place against a backdrop of being urged to "get on with it" and "come on, get started - get the ball rolling - there's no time for hanging around dithering!")

This is just one way of looking at it, and allow me my fantasy of what it could be like as I seek to understand the significance of this conjunction of these two planets in this sign - both planets are "heavies" in the sense of being influential personally and collectively. 

Saturn and Neptune are hardly the most compatible of bedfellows. Saturn will be uncomfortable having the loose leaky margins of Neptune invading its well-defined space, while Neptune will find Saturn's boundary-loving structures a big challenge when all it wants to do is hang out and share a bit of love. And Aries, where this is taking place, is the sign related to getting things moving - especially new things -  and being quick off the mark.

Without a doubt, globally we are  going through times of change, upheaval and uncertainty with the need to renew, refresh, and make changes in all areas of life. This is reflected in what is going on in our world, from ongoing attacks on Gaza, ongoing warfare between Russia and  Ukraine and unrest in the middle east, while the US president presides over endless announcements of trading tarrifs on other countries. These change, alter, and yo-yo up and down seemingly at the whim of the president. No wonder watching the news is rapidly becoming a threat to mental health.

At this point, let's break off and say hello to Uranus in Gemini. Are you, Uranus, excitedly enjoying your first toe-testing foray into this sign, taking what you glean back into steady Taurus for a brief while before setting off into inquisitive Gemini proper next April for the long haul? When you arrive, there will no doubt be a surge of new tech-based issues to get to grips with, involving more AI and all that goes with it. We can expect more disruption.

Back to Saturn and Neptune who, although not immediately natural bedfellows, have a lot going for them; their inherent and very different qualities, when combined, can confer strength. They have things to learn from each other and their contrasting energies can be combined to create something new. That's what a conjunction is about - it's not about one of the two planets involved being superior, but is rather the opportunity to create something new, blending, mixing and expressing the two sorts of prevailing energy in a positive way.

On their highest level of expression, these two combined could usher in a new approach, a new way of looking at things. Saturn, at this level could convey wise and benevolent authority, with Neptune bringing unconditional acceptance and love. The potential is there - but will it be taken up collectively? Looking at the current state of the world that, at this stage, seems unlikely just yet.

At the lowest level of collective expression of these planets, Saturn will probably want hang on fiercely to old estalished structures, old ways of resolving problems and defending boundaries, i.e. in countries (Israel, Russia for example) in the "usual" way - that of conflict and war.

Collectively so many things seem in flux, the need for change is pressing, but the "same old, same old" patterns are played out because they're safe, established, tried and tested. We've heard it all before - the solid, defensive, unchanging Saturnian stuff, so those softer, more inclusive Neptunian qualities could be instrumental in ushering in change. Neptune at the lowest level of collective expession is concerned with escapism and getting away from the challenging demands of having to find new and fair solutions. At this level Neptune is good at creating smoke screens, diverting the attention towards something more alluring which will capture the attention of the masses.

It's not difficult to spot this behaviour at work with powerful world leaders showing us how they do it. But only when, on a personal level, the ego and any narcissistic needs are set aside, will it begin to work.

And what of this Saturn/Neptune on a personal level? We're all part of the collective and are therefore part of both the problem and the solution. What can you/I/anyone who happens to wonder what the hell is going on right now do on a personal level to work with the current flavour of things in our eveyday lives?

Saturn is about structure, form, boundaries, standards, mentoring, teaching, supporting and - for want of a better word - rules. Not tough rules but clear guidelines on how to be a fully functioning member of the society we live in, respecting others, being kind to them and supporting them. If this is something we'd like for ourselves, then it's up to us to offer this to others. Do as you would be done by. You get back what you give out.

Neptune is about unconditional acceptance, inclusion and love for our fellow human beings. Not an easy ask by any means, but it's achievable. Forgive, accept, include, care, understand. Again, do as you would be done by and yes, you will get back what you give.

 

Trashing the Transpersonals

Freedom....Compassion....Generosity....Love....Honesty....

Truth....Friendship....Goodwill....Trust....Responsibility....

Creativity....Service....Inclusiveness....Joy....Authenticity....

This list is just a few of the transpersonal qualities which everyone will recognise and will potentially aspire towards expressing in their everyday lives, because most people reading this are likely to have grown up in a society where these, and similar qualities, were encouraged and rewarded.

So what's happening? Where is the expression of these and other beneficient qualities in our everyday lives? They're all still there somewhere, they've not gone away. But you might be tempted to think otherwise in our fractured, needy world at the moment.

I have faith that they are there, but it seems that wherever we turn right now there's strife, hardship, inequality, war, disrespect and despoiling of the environment, and a general trashing and disregard for all that is held vital in keeping life on an even keel.

Here in the UK we have only to look at the current upheaval and dramatic scenes at Westminster as the government has unravelled under a weak leader who set out on a course to demolish any chance of comfort and prosperity for lots of people - unless, of course, they happen to be filthy rich. 

Things are progressing so fast that before I finished writing this, the UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, had left office (following hot on the heels of her predecessor, the Dreaded Boris the Liar), hounded out by a crowd of her own disgruntled MPs who were involved last night in a brawl over voting in the House of Commons. Unprecedented and disgraceful.

A general trashing of the transpersonal qualities is a contributory factor and there seems to be a lot of it about. A fish rots from the head down. It comes from the top and the example set by leaders who seem to think they can get away with anything. Just because. Maybe because they think they're so important and invincible in their lofty positions of so-call power? Not part of the "hoi polloi" (aka common, ordinary people)?

Do they - those in power - actually care about the people of the country I wonder? Government ministers appear not to be doing their jobs (note, the word minister has embedded in its meaning the task of ministering to the needs of others - being caring, kind, offering service in their role as minister - to administrate).

From where I'm viewing it, there has been a whole lot of self-seeking and not a lot of inclusivity about for some time. Transpersonal qualities have been trashed in favour of lining pockets and filling off-shore bank accounts. Financial cuts have been made, almost as if they've been designed to create more hardship for those in need, while those with comfortaby lined pockets pick up bonuses.

Transpersonal energies and qualities (those beyond the personal "me" stuff and a part of the human collective) in astrological psychology are to be found in the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. When all are operating on their highest level, through and via us and our expression of them, we have:

Uranus -  bringing change, being innovative, creative, thinking outside the box, and taking a scientific approach to making life easier....but of course, the old has to bow out and make way for the new, which can be resisted.

Neptune - helping us forge connections with all other living beings and with nature and the natural world, the environment, will be very concerned about our climate emergency and may draw on the innovation of Uranian thinking and research to help here. Neptune helps us identify with others, so altruistic action, for example,  contributing to food banks and helping out in the community in other ways in these trying times.

Pluto - encourages us to clean up and rid ourselves of old, often corrupted and outworn systems and ways of doing things. (now why does the UK Tory party, determined to hold on to power at all costs, come to mind here? It looks to me as if its time is up). With Pluto we have to move on, leave the old stuff behind and find new ways forward.

I've written about the positions of these three planets several times since 2008, when Pluto entered the sign of Capricorn and there was a global economic crisis. You can read about what I said here, but I encourage you to do your own search on this blog as I've written about the planetary movements of all three transpersonal planets as well as Saturn and Jupiter, which have joined the game from time to time.

Search for Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter - there's quite a lot on all of these because Pluto will be sitting there in Capricorn until 2024, so there's a way to go yet. 

Right now, Uranus is making another square aspect to Pluto, which is a bit of a dead ringer for what's happening right now, so take a look at Uranus square Pluto in your search.

And last of all - remember to bring a touch of the transpersonals into your everyday life and interactions. The transpersonals shouldn't be trashed, they should be treasured and shared.

Looking back to a year ago - and where we are now

A year ago, in March 20th/21st, I was flying overnight from Houston to the UK, ahead of the first lockdown which started on March 23rd. Covid-19 was taking hold, it was getting downright scary, and with great regret we cut short our stay with the family and had to find an alternative route back as our flight was cancelled. Saying goodbye to our grandchildren was the hardest thing to do.

We decided to splash out and travel Business Class - in the interests of our own safety and because we could afford to dip into the savings. The return flight was in three stages, it took 25 hours. It's a long story, but we were upgraded to First Class - that's me here trying to relax into this one-off experience just after we'd boarded. It's very unlikely we'll ever travel First Class again!

I'm taking a retrospective look at what was going on this time last year, and taking a look - with an astrological-psychological slant - at where we are now, what has changed and what is ongoing.

Pluto  -  the planet of transformation and clearing out of that which is outworn and outdated - is still making its way through Capricorn. Unsurprisingly a few shocks have rattled the bars of the so-called establishment this year so far. Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey is one; the Metroplitan police handling of the London vigil to highlight safety for women, following the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard, is another.

Astrologically ongoing is the challenging configuration between Uranus and Saturn. There's work to be done here, and if the energy isn't harnessed and utilised productively, a real spat and a standoff could develop as they square up to each other and edge closer together in the summer. I see them as already working well together.

Uranus seeks stability and finds innovative ways to provide this, often causing a fair bit of distruption along the way. It's not regarded as the planet of revolution for nothing, so there could easily be more distruption to what we used to consider, pre-Covid, as the norm. Uranus is sometimes quirky and  individualistic, but significantly it's a researcher, coming from the mind.

Like a scientist, it wants clear answers and bases hypotheses on trials and facts. I'm thinking here of the scientists advising the government on what's needed to move us away from the need to lockdown and ease the effects of the pandemic, such as the roll out of the vaccination programme, the vaccine itself created by the work and research of scientists.

Saturn prefers the stability of the status quo and resists change, fired by fears, doubt and caution. It wants to hold on to what it's got, maybe wanting to please everyone, and it's very efficient at ensuring all systems are working properly and safely. Saturn is associated with matter and the material world, and this apsect of it is symbolised by the weighing up, by governments, of how to maintain the economy in this ongoing pandemic.

Interestingly, Saturn in currently moving through the sign of Aquarius, whose qualities actually promote and encourage a creative approach to problem solving, with "off the wall" innovative tendencies, and technologies. It is the natural astrological "home" sign of Uranus and it may therefore be Saturn's role to shape and structure what has emerged in the past 12 months.

Looking back over the past year, with these intertwined signs and planetary energies and qualities, I am amazed and imressed at how far we've come technologically. Using this astrologial lens I can see an example of how Uranus and Saturn have worked together. A year ago most people wouldn't have imagined, in their wildest, oddest dreams, that they would not only be using Zoom for work and social interactions, but that they would have learned and mastered it too. Many of us hadn't heard of it; now it's in common usage as the needs of the lockdown/working from home/staying home have replaced previous behaviour.

Jupiter, associated with vision, looking to the future, opportunity and even risk-taking, is journeying through Aquarius throughout this year. It briefly rubbed shoulders with Saturn at the start of the year, but will hang around in the background, hopefully acting as a positive, encouraging presence, perhaps softening the edges and protective barriers which Saturn might be tempted to erect. There are probably still plenty of changes ahead, which are way beyond my desire to "predict", but I see Jupiter's role in this snapshot of time as a door opener, an inspirer, and yes, a visionary of what might be.

We all want to look to the future to; right now we can't make any plans and have no idea yet what the new "normal" might be. All we can do for now is sit tight and do our best to cooperate in helping get this pandemic under control, and  - in the words of Jean Luc Picard, captain of the Star Ship Enterprise -  "Make it so" to the best of our ability.

A Tribute to Richard Lewellyn

 

                                               

The astrological world has lost a very special person.

Richard Llewellyn, founder of the English Huber School (which became the Astrological PsychologyAssociation) passed away on 9^th February. He was 95.

Richard was instrumental in making the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology available to the English-speaking world.

Richard with Bruno & Louise

He had already studied astrology with the Mayo school, and served as Membership Secretary for the UK Astrological Association. But he was finding the traditional approach to the subject less satisfying. In 1981 he was introduced to the work of Bruno and Louise Huber by Pam Tyler, an American astrologer living in London.

 

Strongly drawn to the psychological approach of the Hubers, Richard travelled to Switzerland to attend several seminars run by Bruno and Louise. He found the Huber Method - details of which were only available in German - so significant and important that he decided to create a school offering home study courses which would teach it in English.

In 1983, he and Pam Tyler founded what was to become the English Huber School and Richard set about writing up what he’d learned from the Hubers. Based on the notes he’d made during his visits to Switzerland, together with insights he’d gained into his own chart when working with Bruno and Louise, he created a correspondence diploma course in astrological psychology for the English-speaking world. The course was launched and the first student enrolled in 1984.

Richard’s energy and determination made this all happen. I wouldn’t be writing this now had it not been for him; I was amongst the first five students to complete the course and gain my diploma from Bruno and Louise in Zürich in 1987. A brief look at Richard’s chart will go some way towards explaining where his indomitable energy might have come from. 

Richard Llewellyn 14.8.1925, 06.19. Sidcup, UK

With his 12^th house Leo Sun conjunct Neptune he was warm, friendly and fun to be with This was always coupled with sensitivity but my goodness, watch out for that unaspected Mars in1st! There was no holding him back when a new project was taking off.

His chart, with its high ratio of red aspects, reflects this general enthusiastic “let’s get things going” motivation. Many students who attended his workshops will remember this well; Richard was fun to work with and learn from. But if we look more specifically at the one complete aspect pattern in his chart, the Provocative Figure, Richard’s calling and mission become clearer.

Provocative Figure

His chart, with its high ratio of red aspects, reflects this general enthusiastic “let’s get things going” motivation. Many students who attended his workshops will remember this well; Richard was fun to work with and learn from. But if we look more specifically at the one complete aspect pattern in his chart, the Provocative Figure, Richard’s calling and mission become clearer.

One meaning of the word “provoke” is to irritate and annoy, yet it also means to call forth, awaken, encourage and speak in favour of. The Hubers, in their book Aspect Pattern Astrology, speak of how the Provocative Figure might be expressed, “…..the person authorises himself and has the courage to bring things into the open that would otherwise remain hidden”.

That is exactly what Richard did. Note that Uranus - one of the planets involved in this aspect pattern – is strongly placed in the 8^th house, suggesting that sharing this unique approach to astrology would make it accessible for the good of all, to benefit society and the wider world. This is perfectly aligned with Assagioli’s psychosynthesis, which underlies the work of the Hubers together with the philosophy of the Ancient Wisdom, as channelled by Alice Bailey in the Arcane School. Bruno and Louise had been involved in establishing the Arcane School in Geneva, and they’d worked with Assagioli in Florence for three years.

In my book, Aspect Patterns in Colour, I use the Provocative Figure in Richard’s chart as an example of how this aspect pattern works, mainly because I was able to observe it in action and understand it better as he was my friend as well as my colleague. Richard and I cooperated in writing TheCosmic Egg Timer, an introduction to astrological psychology, which includes many of the practical exercises we used in the experiential workshops we co-facilitated.

I learned so much from working alongside Richard, and enjoyed our frequent astrological discussions. Not only was he was a good astrologer, he was a psychosynthesis counsellor too, bringing his skills to the workshops we ran and helping to guide students to a deeper understanding of themselves. He facilitated astrological psychology and psychosynthesis workshops in Brazil, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Italy, as well as here in Britain.

More recently, as his health began to fail, Richard shared reminiscences of his time spent with the Hubers when he visited Switzerland ahead of creating the diploma course. He contributed new and valuable information about Bruno and Louise Huber for Piercing the Eggshell, the biography of their lives which was published in November 2020. It’s satisfying that Richard was able to see this book, and he was delighted to receive a copy. Without a doubt it would not have been written had it not been for him.

After retiring as Principal Emeritus of APA, Richard returned to service with the Astrological Association and, with partner Elly Gibbs, helped establish and maintain the AA's huge library of audio recordings of astrological talks, including those by the Hubers, for the benefit of all astrologers. In 2013 he received the Charles Harvey award for exceptional service to astrology.

This is a tribute to Richard the astrologer, but I’m writing this as a close friend as well as a colleague and I have countless good memories of being with him when we were taking time off from facilitating residential workshops or attending conferences to give talks. I remember with pleasure standing with him on a Welsh hilltop in 1999, in a circle formed by our families, as we experienced the solar eclipse, sharing walks on Dartmoor and in North Wales, enjoying visits to concerts and the opera, swimming in the Mediterranean during time off from teaching in Barcelona and going with him to receive darshan from Mother Meera in Germany.

Richard had been living with cancer for some time, yet retained his sense of humour despite the numerous operations he underwent. We often exchanged emails and spoke on the phone, and on the few occasions we were able to meet in the past year during the easing of lockdowns, it was always a pleasure for us both to reconnect and talk, sometimes about astrology, but usually about a diverse variety of other things too.

He passed away at home, cared for by Elly and close members of his family. 

Thanks for everything, Richard. I’ll miss you.

 

With Richard on his retirement as Principal Emeritus

Is this the dawning of the Age of Aquarius?

"Water of life, poured forth for thirsty men" - esoteric seed thought for Aquarius

When the Moon is on the seventh house

And Jupiter aligns with Mars

Then peace will guide the planets 

And love will steer the stars....... 

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius etc.etc.

So go the words of this famous song from the musical "Hair", first performed in the late 60s/early70s. We've not got there yet, nowhere near. The Age of Aquarius, as described in the song, is still  long way off, but it just might be starting to glimmer a little.

There's a dearth of peace with more divisions and inequalities than ever in society. I write this the morning after the insurrection and storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters, resulting in four dead. Shocking, yes, but then I've been keeping an eye on the current planetary movements and know that Jupiter and Saturn have already moved, arm in arm, into the sign of Aquarius with Pluto backing things up in Capricorn - you can read my thoughts on this here.

What's of interest right now is that the planet Uranus, associated with revolutionary tendencies and bringing about swingeing change, has moved into a postion in the earthy practical sign of Taurus from where it sits comfortably away from the front line while it prods, pokes and fires up Jupiter and Saturn. Something's going on here - and it's easiest (if you're a non-astrologer) to look at it from the point of view of a spot of stirring going on from afar. 

Imagine an ageing hippie, maybe a biker (no disrespect to bikers!), with greying long hair and beard, urging a younger generation into action and protest as they seek change. That's how I see Uranus in this situation. The qualities of Uranus are distruption, the ability to revolt against the laws in use, turn things upside down, drag the rug of security away from under our feet and force us (by "us" I mean society as a whole) to find new, innovative ways to organise ourselves in order to restore security and stability.

So some things have to go, some set-in-stone edifices have to be tumbled. But with Uranus comes the ability to look to the future and use intellect, ideas, innovative technologies and scientific discoveries to make the things that have been overturned work better and more efficiently for all. Uranus is not associated with revolution for nothing - a revolution is the turn of a wheel - what is dumped is restored in a new, innovated way. Almost like recycling.

And Pluto is still there in the background, getting on with the real clearing out until 2024.

In 2021, Jupiter continues on its way through Aquarius for the rest of the year, leaving Saturn behind but in contact with Uranus where they can get on with the job of finding new ways to ascertain our security. Remember, Uranus is seeking security but does so via revolution; Saturn wants to hang on to security. Working together, these two might just be able to offer that glimmer of hope hinted at in the song.