The Hinge of Ages: Saturn conjunct Neptune, 20 February 2026

Copyright © John Michael Greer 2026. All rights reserved.

The great conjunctions—the conjunctions of the distant and slow-moving giant planets of our solar system—make up an important chapter in the lore of mundane astrology. The ancients, as far as we know, were only aware of one set of great conjunctions, those that brought Jupiter and Saturn together at twenty-year intervals. Those remain important, and in fact we went through an unusually significant one in 2020. The discovery of the outer planets Uranus and Neptune in 1782 and 1846 respectively widened the field of action of the great conjunctions considerably, however, and astrologers are still scrambling to make sense of the torrent of additional data. 

One rule worked out long before Uranus and Neptune were known remains firm, however. This is the recognition that 0° Aries, the point at which the spring equinox takes place, functions as the “reset button” of the zodiac. A great conjunction that takes place early in Aries is thus of greater importance than any other. The most recent Jupiter-Saturn conjunction early in Aries was in 1702, when the two conjoined at 6° Aries; everything we now call the modern world followed promptly thereafter, as the influence of this conjunction worked itself out over time. 

By every principle of astrological theory, the same special importance should unfold from great conjunctions involving other giant planets at the beginning of Aries. If that’s correct, we’re in for a massive cascade of transformations in the years ahead, because February 20 of this year features a great conjunction of Saturn and Neptune at 0°45’ Aries. (For those who don’t know astrological shorthand, this is just 0 degrees 45 minutes of arc, or 3/4 of a degree, from the beginning of Aries.) Astrologically speaking, this is an extraordinary event. No conjunction of these planets so close to the equinox point has occurred in recorded history, and none so close appears in any of the tables of future great conjunctions known to me, which extend for thousands of years into the future. “Once in a lifetime” doesn’t even begin to cut it. If the usual rules apply, we stand at the hinge between two great ages of the world. 

Some sense of what we might be able to expect comes from the last time Saturn and Neptune conjoined early in Aries. This took place, according to astrologer Richard Nolle’s tables of historical astrology, at 2° 5’ Aries at 4:19 pm GMT on the afternoon of March 11th, 594 BC. It’s no exaggeration to say that the world changed completely in the wake of that event. What historians call the Axial Age, the period that laid the foundations for all of modern intellectual culture, followed that event. 

Just to summarize briefly, in the years immediately following that conjunction, philosophy was born simultaneously in China, India, and Greece. Literacy, the preserve of self-perpetuating scribal classes until that time, leapt into common use among a significant fraction of urban populations, catalyzing immense social transformations that have not yet finished playing out. Formal mathematics, logic, and natural science came into being. The unquestioned rule of monarchs began to unravel, replaced over a large swath of the urban Old World by various schemes that allowed citizens the previously unimagined privilege of governing themselves. Monotheistic religions stopped being a fringe phenomenon cultivated by a lone visionary here or a small ethnic group there, and began their rise to global dominance. 

The intensity of these changes follows from the nature of Saturn and Neptune as astrological factors. Saturn is the planet of limits and forms. He establishes, in the words of an ancient but far from irrelevant myth, the measures of the whole creation. He rules all that is inflexible, enduring, and resistant to change. Neptune, by contrast, is the Lord of the Great Deep and the planet of unities; his influence breaks down forms, overturns limits and boundaries, dissolves the measures of the past so that the future can take on entirely new shapes. 

I had hoped early on that it would be possible to determine the long-term consequences of this conjunction by a close study of the chart itself, and by comparing it to the chart for the 594 BC conjunction and the effects that followed it. Several months of hard work, however, ended up with little if anything in the way of useful results. It may be that the sample size is just too low, and the tools of mundane astrology are too focused on a shorter term; perhaps the necessary astrological tools are only known to beings with lifespans of millions of years, if such there be. What I can do, and have done, with the tools at hand is predict what the short term effects of this conjunction will be on the two nations whose astrology I have studied most closely, the United States and Great Britain. The results follow. 

Consequences of the Conjunction

The first thing to notice from the chart of the moment of conjunction is that with one possible exception, none of the other planets are in aspect with the conjunction at all. The possible exception is Uranus, who is in a very loose sextile with the two conjoined planets—loose enough that whether it matters depends on how one chooses to define the orb of influence in which a sextile functions. Uranus is 3° 11’ from perfecting the sextile; many astrologers give that aspect an orb of 3° only (as does the program I used to create the chart included with this post.) I am tentatively treating this as a valid if weak sextile; we’ll have to see, from the events that follow, whether that is correct or not. 

This matters because Uranus is far and away the most baleful indication in this chart. Uranus is normally a malefic in mundane charts; in this chart, as for most of the last eight years, he is in his fall in Taurus, and thus manifests his most disruptive and damaging influences. Furthermore, all his aspects in this chart, with the sole exception of the distant sextile with Saturn and Neptune, are negative ones: squares with the Sun and Mars and a semisquare with the Moon. A strongly debilitated Uranus like this predicts serious trouble, both in the house where he appears, and more generally in human affairs. 

Each of the planets in aspect to Uranus has its own tale to tell. The Sun, ruler of government, is peregrine in Pisces, the Moon, ruler of the political classes—those groups in society that have a voice in political and collective affairs—is peregrine in Aries, and Mars, ruler of the military and police power, is peregrine in Aquarius. All three, in other words, are isolated from their sources of strength and have no resources ready to deal with the disruptive influences set in motion by the meeting of Saturn and Neptune. Expect the entire structure of authority in society to be caught on the back foot, unable to understand what is happening or respond to it in any constructive fashion.

A first prediction unfolds directly from this. As the influence of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction begins to be felt, it will act first by causing sudden wrenching changes, which will likely be focused through disruptive technologies (one of the natural rulerships of Uranus), through fringe subcultures and dissident groups (another of the natural rulerships of Uranus), and possibly through natural disasters (a third natural rulership of Uranus). Those effects will radiate outward from these focal points to cause unexpected problems in the political (Sun) and military (Mars) spheres. To a somewhat lesser extent, the political classes (Moon) will also be troubled by the first wave of changes. 

The knock-on effects from this, however, move in unexpected directions. While Mars has no aspects other than his square with Uranus, the Sun and Moon also aspect Jupiter. Both these aspects are negative—a square with the Moon and a sesquisquare with the Sun—but Jupiter also receives trines from Mercury and Venus, and he is in his exaltation in Cancer, though he is also retrograde. The implications are easy enough to read. The shocks ahead, by disrupting existing structures in politics and society, will bring unexpected prosperity through whichever house Jupiter is in. That prosperity—since Jupiter is retrograde—will involve a step back to some earlier but more functional way of doing things relative to the house in question. 

Country Charts: as in other branches of mundane astrology, the chart used to interpret the effects of a great conjunction on a country is cast for the location of the country’s capital. We’ll start in the USA and proceed to Britain. 

United States of America: As seen from Washington DC, the conjunction will perfect in early afternoon and the two planets in question will be high in the southern sky, almost exactly conjunct the midheaven. This is the strongest position in any astrological chart and suggests that the events to come will be unusually significant in the US and the Americas generally. The two signs ruled by the planets in conjunction, Capricorn and Pisces, are on the cusps of the 7th, 9th, and 10th houses; thus the main force of the conjunction, over the short term, will impact foreign relations (7th), the judiciary (9th), and the executive branch (10th). 

The midheaven in this chart is in the last degree of Pisces, and is therefore ruled by Neptune. Alongside his role as the planet that dissolves forms and structures, Neptune traditionally rules mass phenomena. One potential implication is that the efforts currently being made by both sides in the ongoing US political donnybrook to rouse the masses in support of one or the other party may spin out of their handlers’ control, resulting in politically engaged mass movements that are answerable to neither side and impatient of partisan agendas. This is suggested also by the ascendant in the US chart, which is Cancer, ruled by the Moon. As the 1st is the house of the ordinary population, this suggests that an unusual degree of political influence may be wielded by those who normally have little to say in political issues. 

A great conjunction in the 10th house, especially when conjunct the midheaven, predicts great changes in the political system. In this chart, however, the conjunction is intercepted—that is, the sign in which it is placed falls between house cusps. Any astrological event in an intercepted sign has its range of effects narrowed and constrained. Thus it is unlikely that the entire system of US government will be overthrown; instead, significant reforms focused primarily on the executive branch can be expected. 

One real possibility here is that the ongoing effort by state governments to call a constitutional convention, and force through such changes as a balanced budget amendment and federal term limits, may succeed; such a step would sharply reduce the power of the federal government and impose sharp limits on the executive branch. One way or another, since the Moon is also intercepted in Aries, politically influential groups such as the professional-managerial class, the federal bureaucracy, and both mainstream parties, are likely to have little to say to the changes in store, and may well find their power sharply decreased. 

In the US chart, disruptive Uranus falls in the 11th house of the national legislature. Expect Congress to face very rough sledding in the years ahead; since the 11th house in this chart has Taurus on its cusp and Venus, ruling Taurus, is placed in the 9th house of the judiciary, court rulings are likely to constrain Congress considerably, and the possibility that notable figures in Congress will face legal charges and potential prison time is not small. 

In the US chart, finally, benefic and exalted Jupiter is in the 12th house of institutions, but conjoins the ascendant and thus has equal effect over the 1st house of the American people as a whole. Unlikely as it seems in the context of recent history, the shocks ahead may just succeed in restoring some of the prosperity that working class Americans once had, and make the institutions of national life a little more responsive to their needs. This is certainly what the chart seems to suggest. We’ll have to wait and see if any result so unlikely will occur. 

Great Britain: As seen from London, the conjunction will perfect in the evening hours, and the two planets will be low in the western sky, in the 7th house, at the moment of conjunction. (This is also true for all of western Europe.) Since the 7th house is the house of foreign relations, this indicates that the first wave of changes set in motion by the great conjunction will not affect Britain or the other nations of western Europe directly. Instead, significant changes in foreign affairs will catch the British government on the back foot. With Pisces on the 7th house cusp and Neptune therefore ruling the house, expect those changes to be completely misunderstood in Whitehall. 

In this chart the two signs ruled by the planets in conjunction, Capricorn and Pisces, rule the cusps of the 5th and 7th houses. The 7th again reinforces the indications that the first wave of change will be at a distance from Britain; the 5th, however, indicates trouble for the speculative economy, tourism, entertainment industries, and the rich and famous. Trouble afflicting the House of Lords may also be involved. 

In the UK chart, the midheaven is in Gemini and the ascendant is in Virgo. Both these are ruled by Mercury, who is somewhat afflicted in this chart, being in his fall in Pisces, though he benefits considerably from a distant but applying conjunction with Venus and from a trine with Jupiter. His house placement is complex; he is in the 6th house, but only a small fraction of a degree from the cusp of the 7th, so he counts as angular. In the short term, therefore, the events portended by the great conjunction will benefit the British government and people. 

In the UK chart, disruptive Uranus is in the 9th house. This is the house of the judiciary in mundane charts, but it also has certain older traditional meanings, dating from the days when there was no distinction between executive and judicial branches, and kings sat in judgment over cases at law. In these older traditions, the 9th is the house of all things distant; it especially governs shipping, and a malefic in that house was considered a warning of severe storms at sea, causing economic disruptions and loss of life. Those with interests that might be affected by weather- or climate-driven trouble at sea or along Britain’s coasts may find it wise to take defensive measures. Of course, the chance of serious trouble in the judiciary should also be taken into account. 

In the UK chart, finally, Jupiter is placed in the 10th house of government, and suggests that the immediate consequences of the impending changes signaled by the conjunction will benefit the British government. Since Jupiter is in trine aspect with Mercury, ruling the 1st, and Jupiter himself rules the 4th house of country affairs and the rural hinterlands, some benefits are likely to trickle down to ordinary Britons, improbable as this may seem just now. Given Jupiter’s broader meaning, it is also possible that the British government may find itself forced to take a less hostile and confrontational attitude toward its own citizens, and seek to conciliate them instead. Again, this seems very improbable, but it is in the nature of a conjunction of Saturn and Neptune that old probabilities may not apply. 

A Note On Other Countries: I have not delineated the effect of this great conjunction on other countries, but I have taken the time to glance over charts for other capitals. In Moscow and Beijing, interestingly enough, the conjunction takes place in cadent houses-- the 6th house in Moscow, the 3rd in Beijing—and so is weaker than elsewhere. This same rule applies more generally to the Middle East, on the one hand, and eastern Asia on the other. They will be affected, but more slowly and indirectly. For this reason, despite the current media hype, I am far from certain that generative large language models—the software currently being marketed under the label “AI”—will turn out to be the disruptive technology that the position of Uranus suggests; China is heavily committed to this technology, but the Beijing chart is distinctly placid, with Sagittarius rising and Libra at the midheaven. 

India is another matter. In India the conjunction is placed in the angular 4th house, the Sun is conjunct the nadir, Uranus is conjunct the 7th house cusp, and Scorpio is rising. Some form of serious trouble is likely—maybe natural disasters, maybe a domestic insurgency, just possibly war. Readers with interests that would be affected by turmoil in the subcontinent may wish to take defensive measures.