I am a very disciplined writer. I organise my projects in Scrivener, set project word targets with deadlines, and have the daily word target, with the progress bar, in a little box off to the right of my writing page. I write 2000 words per day, five days per week, and I write first, before doing anything else work- or business-related. Getting those words onto the screen is my #1 priority. At the moment I am 51,191 words into the first draft of my first astrology book (I’ve already published a fantasy fiction trilogy) with a goal of 90,000 words by 27 March 2026. 

Like I said, I’m a very disciplined writer.

But at 8:43 am on 20 February, an idea slipped through the barrier between the worlds and took root in my brain. An idea about the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in Aries. I hadn’t intended to write anything further on this event–heaven knows every astrologer on social media has had their say. But it seems the mighty God of the Sea has other ideas. As I walked my dog that morning the idea took form, slowly blooming inside my head. I felt a familiar tingling in my fingers as though the words themselves were lining up to jump onto the screen. By 9:48 am I was at my desk, unwashed, capturing the inspiration before it uprooted itself and flew off to another astrologer who had time to bring it to form.

That day I captured the essence of a very rough draft of this article before writing my daily 2000 words.

The Astrology of it All

As I sat unwashed at my desk and captured that rough draft of this article Saturn was sitting at 0 deg 40’ of Aries, and Neptune was at 0 deg 43’ of Aries. It would be another twelve or so hours before these two mighty giants aligned exactly in Aries, but it occurred to me, as I wrote the rough first draft, that this was Neptune’s swan song. This was Neptune’s last chance to put the inspiration before the practical considerations, the structures, the traditions. Once Saturn moved up alongside him, he would inevitably pass him, then gradually move further and further ahead, forging his path through Aries with Neptune an ever-diminishing figure in the rear-view mirror. And that means the practical considerations would increasingly arise before the inspiration.

As I finalise this article and prepare to publish it, Saturn sits at 1 deg 37’ of Aries, having edged past Neptune on 21 February. Neptune now sits at 1 deg 00’ of Aries. For the first time since 2023, when they first shared a sign, Saturn is ahead. He is the pioneer. He is making the first aspects to planets and placements in your natal chart. And in the sign of Aries, that resonates strongly.

Saturn represents structure, discipline, maturation, hard work, relentlessness, rigidity and striving towards a goal. Neptune provides creativity, inspiration, a spiritual perspective, and he likes to dissolve, to merge, to confuse, to bring in the fog, and encourage surrender. And Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the initial spark of life, the original impulse, the instinctive drive for freedom and independence. Think of Aries as the first shoots of spring, a new start, a fresh perspective.

Why Does This Matter?

Saturn and Neptune are not happy bedfellows. Saturn likes to build structures that Neptune just wants to dissolve. Saturn favours traditional methods while Neptune loves nothing more than infusing your consciousness with inspiration that seems to arrive from nowhere. And Saturn is rigid, while Neptune is formless. With Neptune ahead of Saturn in both Pisces then Aries, the inspiration came first, the dream was there for the taking, and anything superfluous was dissolved to clear the way. Sounds ideal, right?

Wrong. With Saturn lagging behind, all we had were castles in the clouds, dreams without foundations, and inspiration or aspiration without a plan or a goal. Wherever Neptune and Saturn were transiting in your chart, and particularly if they were making a hard aspect (conjunction, square, opposition, quincunx) to other planets or points, you may have experienced the frustration of having the dream in your grasp only to see it slip through your fingers, or you may have watched as something dissolved in your life with no notion of what would come in to replace it.

But that’s all changed now. Saturn is now in the lead. And that shift is subtle but profound.

Aries as the Engine

Saturn and Neptune meeting up in the early degrees of Aries can manifest in any number of ways. Chances are, however, that they will fall somewhere between these two extremes:

1. Impulsive actions not withstanding the harsh light of reality and dissolving before they even get off the ground.

2. Fresh perspectives on long held dreams that flourish with the application of structure and discipline.

That’s the essence of this transit in a nutshell.

When Neptune and Saturn were both in Pisces, Neptune held sway. Neptune rules Pisces, he is strong there, and his natural tendency to dissolve structures, clean out cosmic garbage bins and activate your imagination overwhelmed Saturn’s ability to apply structure, traditions and some sort of concrete plan.

Now those energies have shifted. Neither Saturn nor Neptune call Aries home, so there is an immediate recalibration of the power dynamic. The Aries instinctive drive for freedom and independence feeds nicely into Saturn’s need for structure and long-term goals. Aries brings the motivation, Saturn provides the vehicle. Equally, Aries loves impulsive action, and Neptune is all about the dream. Neptune brings the inspiration, Aries has the drive to make it happen.

The subtle difference between having Neptune ahead, and now having Saturn ahead, lies primarily in the aspects these two transiting giants make to your natal planets and points as they continue their journey through Aries. Between March 2023 and 20 February 2026, Neptune made the first aspect, bringing everything from inspiration to confusion to the aspected planet or point. From 21 February and onward, Saturn will be making the first aspect, delivering his own special cocktail of limitation, practical lessons and ultimately maturation to the aspected planet or point.

And that’s a big, big difference.

For 3 years we got to dream for a little while before Saturn came and dashed our ideas on the rocks of reality.

Now we get the reality check first, before adding the dose of inspiration.

A Comment on Orbs

Astrologers often have their own take on what orbs to use for transiting planets. The general consensus is to allow up to 5 degrees for applying transiting aspects from Uranus, Neptune and Pluto and 2-3 degrees as these move past and away from the aspect. Generally speaking, the orbs are smaller for Jupiter and Saturn transits, say 2-3 degrees for applying aspects and 1-2 degrees once they move past exact. That said, every astrologer is different, and if you work with your own chart I’d encourage you to go back and check the impact of past major transits to planets and points in your chart. The one thing I think we all agree on is that the orb for applying aspects is greater than the orb for disseminating aspects.

Think of it like this: you see a train coming towards you down a track. You wonder what type of train it is, where it’s going, what passengers or cargo it carries. As the train draws closer you can make out the train, and can discern that it’s a passenger train rather than a goods train. The front carriage/engine tells you whether it’s a commuter train or a longer haul train. You begin to imagine where it might be going, and what the people on board will do when they get there. As the train draws up alongside you, you see clearly that it’s the major service between the city north or you and the city south of you. You see sleeper carriages, a restaurant car and cargo at the back. The train passes you and heads off towards the city south of you. You might watch the rear of the train for a few moments, but your attention is now drawn to something else.

That’s how a major transit works in your chart. There is anticipatory energy, the first impact of the transit, the full effect then the tail. The interesting thing about Saturn pulling ahead of Neptune is that Saturn’s applying orb of influence is less than Neptune’s so if you have planets in the first 5 degrees of any sign, you will still be feeling the transit of both those planets virtually simultaneously.

And that gives us a bit of time to make good use of Saturn and Neptune together in Aries, before Saturn begins to pull ahead.

Working With The Shift

This is still a mighty powerful transit, even though the first blush, and initial excitement of the conjunction at 0 degree Aries has passed. Saturn remains within 3 degrees of Neptune until early April so there is still a chance to get the most out of combining these two in your chart.

Here are my top 5 tips for working with this transit with your own chart.

1. Check which house holds 0 degrees Aries.

Depending on the house system you use, this could be same house where Saturn and Neptune met in Pisces. If you use whole sign houses the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in Aries will be in a different house. Either way, note the areas of life covered by the relevant house, and journal on what may need an overhaul, focusing on where you may be looking to new beginnings (Aries), what kind of structure or plan you can put in place to make it a reality (Saturn) and what level of inspiration, imagination or spiritual support you are receiving(Neptune).

2. Look to where Saturn and Neptune sit in your natal chart and what condition they’re in.

This is something the newer wave of astrologers ignore. I cannot stress enough the value of doing this. If your natal Saturn is well-aspected–say conjunct your Sun, ruling your Ascendant and trine your Midheaven–you are Saturnian by nature, and Saturn transits are experienced as heightening of an energy you are accustomed to, and are far more likely to bring growth and maturation. If, on the other hand, your Neptune forms a t-square to your nodal axis and also squares two personal planets, any major transits of Neptune will set off these natal configurations, which are inherently more challenging than the natal Saturn aspects. I know this for a fact because the configurations I have described are from my own chart. Saturn transits are barely a bump in the road for me while Neptune has been a true wrecking ball in my life, as any transits from him activate soul-deep patterns. Don’t overlook this factor when considering any transits in your chart.

3. Check if you have any planets or points in the early degrees of other signs, particularly cardinal signs.

Planets in early degrees of any signs will be receiving transits from Saturn and Neptune, but pay particular attention if you have planets in 0-5 degree of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. In your chart Saturn and Neptune are making more challenging, and transformative aspects. You will do well to work with the energies of Saturn, Neptune and the natal planet or point impacted. There are growth opportunities for you here if you accept the challenge.

4. Look for planets in the early degrees of Aquarius and Gemini

Planets in the early degrees of Aquarius and Gemini will be receiving a transiting sextile, and these can present positive opportunities for you in the relevant area/s of your life. These are not things that will fall into your lap. Options will present themselves, and it’s up to you whether you accept them or not. These opportunities may involve taking on more responsibility, moving higher up your work hierarchy, and getting a pay rise (Saturn) or they could be creative or spiritual opportunities (Neptune). Keep an eye out for these types of opportunities, and be ready to take action (Aries) if it feels right.

5. Are any major planetary patterns being activated or completed?

Look to see if Saturn and Neptune in the early degrees of Aries trigger any planetary patterns in your natal chart. If Saturn and Neptune form a conjunction with a planet that is involved in a t-square, the entire t-square is activated, not just the planet receiving the conjunction. The same thing goes for Saturn and Neptune creating a planetary pattern by transit. Say for example you have Jupiter opposing your Sun, and the Saturn/Neptune conjunction in early Aries squares both those planets. This creates a transiting t-square and must be worked with in the same way you would work with a natal t-square. Pay particular attention to Saturn/Neptune creating a transiting t-square, Grand Cross or a Yod. These types of transiting planetary patterns contain hidden gems of development and transformation and ought to be viewed as a growth message from your soul.

For most of us the Saturn + Neptune in Aries aspect will be felt on a collective, rather than a personal scale. If the planets are not changing houses, or making any aspects to natal planets or triggering any planetary patterns, you are unlikely to experience this transit strongly on a personal level. But if you recognise any of the above 5 tips in your own chart, take the time to work with these new energies to get the most out of them.

If you’d like to work more closely with your chart in a 1:1 setting, book a reading with me here.