Fifty Shades of Grey
February is a doorway—one that asks to be walked through with intention rather than hesitation. The month carries the symbolism of reset, momentum, and beginnings - marked by a sequence of powerful astrological events that together point toward the start of a new cycle.
An annular Solar Eclipse on the 17th sets the tone. Eclipses have long been associated with turning points—moments when what has been hidden begins to surface and familiar patterns can no longer continue unchanged. This particular eclipse arrives at a critical late degree of Aquarius, emphasising collective systems, technology, and the tension between individual freedom and institutional control. The Chinese New Year also sparks fresh momentum as we move from the Wood Snake to the Fire Horse.
At the heart of this period lies something far rarer: the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune at zero degrees of Aries. Astrologically, this is not just another alignment—it marks the symbolic beginning of a new societal chapter. Zero Aries is the zodiac’s ignition point. Aries energy is bold, initiating, and unapologetically forward moving. It does not wait for perfect clarity; it acts. It represents the courage needed to step into the unknown. And the fact it happens as we enter eclipse time only adds to its importance and likely impact.
Saturn represents structure, reality, accountability, and the frameworks that hold societies together: governments, legal systems, financial architecture, and authority itself. Neptune, by contrast, governs dreams, ideals, illusion, and the tendency to blur or obscure truth. When these two planets meet, they create a powerful tension between reality and perception. This conjunction asks a fundamental question: what happens when the stories we tell ourselves about our world no longer match reality?
Saturn is essentially moral in his nature, yet he now presides over a crisis of ethics—one involving groups and institutions with little moral behaviour left to defend. With Neptune’s veiling of truth and chaotic, deceptive tendencies, we face the stark reality that morals have been obscured in favour of money, corruption, and power, leaving only the illusion of justice within the grey. Everything, it seems, now has its price.
Periods marked by Saturn–Neptune cycles often coincide with moments when illusions dissolve and institutions face profound tests of credibility. Historically, they signal major societal transitions, when old structures weaken before new visions fully emerge. This creates uncertainty as well as opportunity for transformation.
Uranus’ move into Gemini in April will initiate a “magic triangle” among the three outer planets—Neptune (with Saturn), Pluto, and Uranus—symbolising movement within the collective unconscious that spreads easily through the mediums of Air and Fire. Fire and Air travel quickly. Movements catch. Ideas ignite. Narratives leap borders. But speed is not virtue. The circuitry is primed for rapid contagion—technological, ideological, and social.
Astrologically, there are two systems of locational astrology where the Earth is mapped onto the zodiac: Astro cartography and Geodetics. Geodetic astrology assigns zodiac signs and degrees to fixed geographic longitudes. In this system, zero Aries—and therefore the Saturn–Neptune conjunction—fall in Greenwich, London, positioning London as the Aries point of the world: a collective ignition point for events that force action and financial regime shifts. It does not bode well for Keir Starmer to be thrust further into the spotlight as Pluto prepares to move on to his Saturn-South Node conjunction – just how many more lessons does he have to learn?
A new world cycle may begin through necessity, under conditions of disillusionment and structural uncertainty, with London as a likely testing ground for whether systems can survive a loss of belief. This could manifest as governance attempting to enforce order while narratives dissolve, or authority figures acting without legitimacy or clarity. In geodetic terms, London does not cause this—it hosts it and becomes the theatre where events are seen. Globally, we may witness the start of a new cycle without a clear vision of its outcome, where leadership is defined more by damage control than inspiration and attempts are made to keep systems alive long past their “use-by” date.
Yet Saturn moves forward more quickly than Neptune. Once Neptune’s clouds part, Saturn demands restructuring, confronting society with how deeply immoral, amoral, or corrupt sectors have become—often without public awareness. Zero Aries demands action and movement as endings reveal thresholds that must be crossed without certainty about where they lead.
At the Solar Eclipse on February 17th, the Saturn–Neptune conjunction is not absolutely exact, but “close enough.” Mars rules this conjunction and, for the UK, he sits on the Midheaven in Aquarius—making him public, political, and impossible to ignore. Mars always signifies action; in Aquarius, that action is likely disruptive and technological.
Furthermore, the eclipse itself squares Uranus—another disruptive, innovative, technological force and a ruler of Aquarius. Its co-ruler, Saturn, participates in his own rebellion through the conjunction with Neptune in Aries. By the end of February, Mars will also square Uranus, making the month potentially tumultuous. Uranus’ energy tends to be fast moving, which tends to in turn accelerate the shock factor. This makes February a ‘firework’ month.
We may see action driven by collective pressure as technological and social systems become battlegrounds. Given AI’s growing influence, it is difficult not to see this revolutionary technology as a key ignition point. AI has advanced dramatically. While I use it and find it extremely useful, I cannot shake the feeling that we are being swallowed by it—like Jonah by the whale, or the lemmings drawn toward the cliff edge. For now, we direct AI, but its intelligence is evolving so rapidly that it may not be long before AI begins directing humans. Society’s vision, however, remains clouded by the grey.
When major aspects like the Saturn–Neptune conjunction occur, they resonate strongly with individuals who carry similar patterns in their birth charts, bringing them into public focus. The zeitgeist then amplifies certain archetypes, such as Jeffrey Epstein, Peter Mandelson, Tony Blair, Keir Starmer, and Vladimir Putin. All have Saturn/Neptune prominent aspects.
Epstein functions as a Saturn–Neptune shadow symbol. Highly Mercurial in nature—Mercury is prominent in his chart being the first planet we meet. His Mercury is in Pisces (where it is in fall), suggesting the intermediary, networker, and fixer operating outside moral boundaries. Socially charismatic, with Mars conjunct Venus in Pisces, he drew people in with an octopus-like reach, his influence extending quietly into elite governmental and royal circles. He also maintained ties with technocratic networks now reshaping society—perhaps playing a role there as well (his Sun at zero Aquarius, the meeting point of the 2020 Jupiter–Saturn Air cycle). His story extends well beyond crimes involving underage girls - it has become a modern mythic container for the idea that predation can exist within elite ecosystems protected by access, wealth, and silence.
Keir Starmer represents the archetype of modern authority under pressure, while Peter Mandelson symbolises elite connectivity, influence networks, and behind-the-scenes political architecture. These figures serve as touchstones for the public imagination—figures embodying broader themes of power, networks, moral ambiguity, and institutional credibility. Together, they illustrate a collective realisation that innocence and righteousness can no longer be assumed within prestigious structures.
Polish psychologist Andrew Lobaczewski developed the concept of ‘Political Ponerology’, describing how pathological individuals, particularly psychopaths and extreme narcissists, can rise within totalitarian systems to positions of power, ultimately destabilising societies. In this way Governance becomes a Pathocracy, where the abnormal rules the normal. Such individuals advance by destroying others, lying, cheating, manipulating, and blackmailing. They hide in plain sight—intelligent, adaptable, and devoid of moral compass. Their rise requires enough key positions to be captured by conscience-free actors, while decent people disengage, comply, or self-censor.
This is the Saturn–Neptune moral crisis where structure without moral substance becomes a shell, and Neptune provides the fog that allows that shell to persist longer than it should. For decades, systems have conditioned people to ridicule the phrase “conspiracy theory” and its followers, investing heavily in media structures that keep the public distracted. The moment ordinary people recognise that narratives no longer align with reality—and refuse to pretend otherwise—is the moment institutional power begins to erode.
Every civilisation reaches points when reality breaks through the narrative membrane. February represents such a moment. The grey is not the end; it is a transitional atmosphere in which illusions dissolve and first moves must be made. Zero Aries does not wait—it begins a new cycle.