Why is the world so confusing right now?
I think you’ll agree that we’re living in pretty confusing times. Donald Trump is back promoting his post-truth world. My inbox is filled with increasingly sophisticated scams. ‘Deep fakes’ clone faces and voices to create convincing recreations of real people. And I’m left wondering, what’s real and what’s not?
Astrology can give us clues about why things are feeling so weird, and it’s got to do with an influence that began back in March 2023. That’s when Saturn, the planet of restriction, work and boundaries slipped into Pisces, the sign of boundlessness and escapism. It’s an awkward combination and now that we’re 15 months into this transit, it’s interesting to assess its influence.
Here’s the main things I’m noticing…
THE TRUTH IS HAZY
THE WORLD SEEMS SAD
STRUCTURES ARE SHIFTING
1. THE TRUTH IS HAZY
Since the rise of Photoshop 30 years ago, we’ve had a vague understanding that photos are no longer a reliable communicator of truth. Easily manipulated (Pisces), they are no longer proof (Saturn) of anything. Recent tech enables anyone to doctor photos and video easily. No skills are involved to clone a person into a porno. Any ‘official’ document could be a fake. Suddenly the truth is entirely hazy. It seems that everyone is trying to FOOL me and NOTHING is quite what it seems.
Take Donald Trump. It’s estimated that he lied over 30,000 times whilst in office. Yet, here he still is, happily misleading people throughout his (probably successful) attempt to be returned as President. Nothing could be less truthful and more hazy that this man’s monologues. He personifies the issue of information overwhelm. When there’s an onslaught of continual information, we don’t have time to fact check any of it.
As a result, we’ve reached a point where its easier to assume that EVERYTHING is suspicious. Every email is probably a scam. Most things a politician says is probably a lie. We no longer know what to believe. Conspiracy theories and ‘truths’ live intermingled in a single mangled mess on the internet.
2. THE WORLD SEEMS SAD
Possibly the world has always been a sad place. Certainly history is one long shitshow of catastrophe, hunger and war. Yet we’re living through what feels like particularly sad times. Mental health is in crisis. Housing affordability threatens our security and societal wellbeing. The climate is dying. Wars and atrocities proliferate worldwide. And of course it’s all being broadcast to us everywhere, all day long.
With so much doom and gloom (Saturn), surrounding us constantly (Pisces), pessimism abounds and sadness is everywhere. Pisces is a transcendental sign, full of bliss and joy, but Saturn is sinking us into shadow Pisces themes of disillusionment and grief.
3. STRUCTURES ARE SHIFTING
Leaders (Saturn) are looking weak (Pisces). Governments (Saturn) aren’t so trustworthy (Pisces). Respect (Saturn) is evaporating (Pisces) throughout society. Things we used to take for granted are all looking a little shaky. We can expect this to continue until Saturn’s shift into Aries in 2025, when a new generation of strong, charismatic leaders will take charge (for better or worse!).
On a brighter note, there’s been some helpful structure shifts around issues that were out of control. New employment laws stop employers (Saturn) from contacting you any time of day (Pisces). And bail laws (Saturn) are being adjusted to stop men ignoring AVOs (Pisces). Hopefully some of these more helpful Saturn in Pisces manifestations can continue.
And speaking of shifting structures, we’re in a big period of discovery when it comes to defining the intangible. The James Webb telescope is showing us the reality (Saturn) of the unseen skies (Pisces). Quantum physics is a hot topic. And blow me down, if I can’t understand a word of it. My basic gist is that Science is defining how basic building blocks (Saturn) are part of the infinite (Pisces). It’s about as ‘woo woo’ as Science gets. And it’s worth noting that a hot new area of study is cognitive science and the study of consciousness. Science is going to explain the unknowable… let’s see how that goes.
THE TAKEAWAY…
We’ve still got a year to go in this transit, and the mid point of any such influence can feel overwhelming. Transits of Saturn and the outer planets are a process that are demanding some adaptation. When we’re in the midst of their effects it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Currently we’re floating around in confusion, but we can expect greater clarity to return once Saturn shifts into Aries in 2025.