“It’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker. This isn’t because the other artist stole your idea, but because the idea’s time has come.”
-Rick Rubin
We often speak of inspiration as if it were ours to command. But as Rick reminds us, “it’s not uncommon for the idea to find its voice through another maker.” It’s why we must act when it comes, or else. The Muse, then, is less a loyal servant and more a migratory presence—a frequency we must tune to, not a resource we can hoard. And it is through our heads where we decide what to do with it. It’s an area ruled by Aries, and the work that must be done around it is governed by the Lord who brings it all in good time (Saturn).
Soon, Saturn is set to ingress into Aries (May 24/25th), leaving those lumpy thought-clouds behind with the hope of certainty and something to chase after. So what happens when we try to force it? To summon inspiration through willpower alone? In our era of deadlines and dopamine loops, some may think an Adderall will do the trick, or a puff, a shot, or a binge, but these are lies; they make you think you’ve got it, but you don’t. It’s an ephemeral glimpse at what is possible, but an illusion; it’s not the true Muse. Instead, we must meet the Muse halfway there by simply showing up, every day, and doing our best not to blitz and scare her away.
In my recent podcast I shared candidly about where I’m at with this particular subject. In essence, I feel like I’m at the bottom of a trough within a greater waveform in relation to my creativity. Naturally, this affects my writing, but also the podcast I’ve been doing for 16 years. And regarding this ingress we are exploring, it coincidentally occurs on my birthday this week. I’ve been eyeing it for years. I’ve been patient, and I’m ready to be warmed by it. Only time will tell what it will bring. Who knows, Saturn could have something like a head injury in store for me or an unfortunate encounter with a ram—which is much more likely now, being that I’m in the Rockies currently; that would be unfortunate; I’ll keep you posted.
One of the most outstanding features of this ingress is the fact that Saturn will be transiting alongside Neptune as well. They will be within hugging distance until the actual conjunction in February of next year. The influence the two have on each other—and the world—is a profound one. Simply taking a quick look back to the late 80’s (36 yr. cycle from conjunction to conjunction), we catch a glimpse of a few themes riding that monster wave, like: the birth of the world wide web, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the AIDS epidemic changing the way we all related to eachother; there were more, there is always more, but those are the big themes I always think of with the Capricorn conjunction of 89’. What will this one provide? Similar themes, yet evolved or something entirely different? We shall see.
Being that Neptune pertains to the collective imagination and Saturn to the way our world seems to currently function, there are major swells coming that are set to change the way we both think and move through our lives. Much of them are obvious, many remain hidden beneath the waves, but to just focus on the three examples I gave from last time we can clearly see where the internet is headed, the pending peace between Ukraine/Russia (remnants of the Soviet Union), and as far as AIDS or any other epidemic, fingers crossed we don’t have to experience one of those again anytime soon. Connecting the dots in this way is helpful to understand cycles. It’s important to do the same in our own lives.
I’m not one for predictions, more a student of trends and spotting themes throughout history, and because this conjunction is coming for the Aries point, it is relevant to take a peek into the past to see what we can find.
The late 90s, 67’, and the late 30’s were the last times Saturn was in Aries. Likely, you’ve lived through at least one of them, so taking a look at where it occurred in your chart is always the first step. Then, you can wonder for the world.
There is a reason why so many folks are concerned about this ingress. With the US Civil War beginning the day of Neptune’s entrance into Aries in the 19th century to Hitler consolidating power and Japan invading China with Saturn’s ingress in the late 30’s, people are joyously making their fearporn predictions. I don’t think we need astrology for this, though. It’s quite obvious it’s tense out there. These planets are both closing and opening cycles. It was meant to be this way. We must accept it. But to think about the transition from Pisces to Aries within the context is worthy of many daydreams—fear-laced or covered with silver linings.
When something moves across the Aries point, ideals are finally tested—or implemented. We will have become quite frustrated with Pisces, with its liminal loops and collective confusion, but everyone is dreaming up something, and when planets cross the Aries point, novel movements appear. Depending on how bad it was going into the shift, there will always be a headstrong voice to rile up the masses, which seems to conveniently translate into populist uprisings. You can see it in both the Fascists and the Communists in the 30’s; Hippies vs. the squares in 67’ alongside the Civil Rights movement; and with the optimistic Futurists headed towards the new century vs the alarm-sounding Luddites. Each group clutches to their ideas like precious pearls, convinced they have the answer for how the world should be. Only the fates know who is right for each turning, but it is a bit Darwinian in the Aries-sense, that the strongest leader is the one who seems to win.
Our job then is to remain level-headed and cool throughout. To allow the head to get too hot will always force our hand into doing something we will regret later. In some ways, it’s a good time to sit on our hands, and wait for the Muse to move with the music. Because, as interesting as the story is out there in the world, it’s always so much more intriguing within. We must pray to be guided on how to manage our energy and where to point the mind’s spear. This is fire management, after all, so do we burn it all down or do we contain it and use it to warm the temple? That’s the question.
Progress may feel slow, but as long as we keep adding fuel to the fire, we will get there. Saturn is a Time-thing; as long as we are spending it wisely, we will be rewarded, but if the fire becomes destructive, there will be hell to pay, and we will be witness to the ugly shadows of its expression repeat all over again.
And so, it’s good to keep in mind that ideas don’t belong to us, they belong to time (or Saturn). When we force ideas, we scare them away; When we force them on others, we scare them away as well. But when we prepare the ground, when we rest after using the sycthe wisely, composting the old ones, and waiting for the new—we create a space where the Muse just may want to visit. Let’s not forget that Aries is the spark that gets this entire story moving. It’s an essential fire, thus making it creative--that creative spark. We may not always think about Aries as a creative sign, but it is, in the most fundamental of ways.
The Muse is not a machine to summon. She is a migratory bird. We can scare her off by shouting or shooting or trying to capture her in our clever ways. It’s not the move. It’s best to wait quietly, with the door cracked a tinge, while we practice. We just need to trust in this process. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part.
The closing degrees of Pisces always ask us to let go of something as well; The entry to Aries is where it is replaced by something buzzing with excited life. Can we handle it?… The anticipation? The unknown? The heat? I think so.
To blitz the Muse is to forget that inspiration is not a war. It’s a listening. The more we force it, the more elusive it becomes. But when we empty ourselves, when we wait with reverence, we become the ground where something deeper eventually takes. The symbol of Aries is more than horns, it’s also a sprout. To possess that strength of emergence is what we are looking for. We will know it when it comes.
So blitz if you must. But know there are no shortcuts and comparisons are odious mindforms. Don’t look at what anyone else is doing. That is completely missing the point. We are all headed in the right direction—because it’s unique to us, and our own Soul. This transit will bring us there, in due time, but will we be in the right headspace to recognize it? This is why we practice, so we can seize that moment when it comes.
onwards,
~adam
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Whatever changes you make I’ll be here too, even if I am a little late to the party.
I loved this perspective. Truly. For this stellium Aries it’s been a pretty rough ride recently. Earthquake-esque. Bubble-piercing. Truths are being drenched up out of the old muck and I’m being forced to wash them clean, my fingers bleeding from the rough washboard of my own hubris. Aye aye aye… what a time.
So onward and inward we go. Thank the stars for your sight Adam, for me it has always offered much by way of perspective and sense-making.
Creative low point or no, I always find value in your work here. This Saturn/Neptune/Aries dynamic has my hackles on the edge of raising (doesn’t help that my sun is in the early degrees of Libra); I appreciate your stabilizing perspective, Adam.