Can you see it happening?
A moodboard for the zeitgeist until 2027
It was spring 2016, and I was sitting in the front row of my philosophy class—Ethics: East & West.
From Kierkegaard to Confucius, we explored how different traditions and cultures imagine and navigate the moral life.
But I remember—how my eyes widened and my soul stirred—the day Professor Lee began lecturing on the Buddha.
That day changed the trajectory of my life.
Before the semester even ended, I signed up for a solo retreat at a Zen monastery in Vermont for my 22nd birthday.
I just couldn’t wait to step into that world—the world of emptiness—the world Siddhartha Gautama had awakened to approximately 2600 years ago.
At the Vermont Zen Center in May 2016
At the heart of my pursuit was a quietly brewing existential crisis.
I wanted to know—like most humans do at some point—the meaning of life.
There’s a famous quote by Steve Jobs:
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
And so it was the case for me…as I only until recently came to understand the deeper current beneath my inquiry.
Between 2014 and 2017, a major planetary alignment was unfolding between Saturn and Neptune.
On an archetypal level:
Saturn signifies structure, rigidity, and rationality.
Neptune symbolizes fluidity, illusion, and spirituality.
When Saturn and Neptune align, the personal and collective psyche often sways between sacred devotion and existential doubt.
A doodle from class in 2016, visualizing my existential crisis.What was that time like for you?
Are you sensing any residue from or nostalgia for those years?
If so…it’s not random. And you’re not alone.
The world is currently undergoing it’s next major alignment between Saturn and Neptune, lasting through 2027.
And Numinous Realm has published several articles exploring the potential expression of this zeitgeist:
"Snoafer": Saturn-Neptune and the Habit of Merging Things
May 24, 2024 — Read full story
Hybrid footwear is having a major moment.
God is not Dead
May 31, 2024 — Read full story
This article mentions late Pope Francis, and how religion may grow more culturally prominent.
Becoming Sober Curious
August 2, 2024 — Read full story
Non-alcoholic beer is now projected to overtake ale as the second-largest beer category worldwide.
Fly Me to the Moon with Conspiracy Theories
August 9, 2024 — Read full story
This article explores the rise in conspiracy theories and how we might witness something akin to the Watergate scandal (pssst….Epstein Files)
Saturn-Neptune: Trade Wars and M&As
February 13, 2025 — Read full story
Shell might acquire BP. If it goes through, this will be the biggest oil deal since the Exxon-Mobil merger of 1999 (also a Saturn-Neptune alignment).
But instead of just sharing news, I want to help you personally deepen your relationship with this archetypal weather.
So here’s a moodboard to explore:
Movies to Watch
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Seven Years in Tibet (1997) were released under different Saturn-Neptune alignments. Both films explore the tension between spiritual longing (Neptune) and traditional structures (Saturn).
People to Study
Khalil Gibran (1883), a Libanese-American poet, and Thérèse of Lisieux (1873), a Catholic nun, were born under different Saturn-Neptune alignments. Both transformed suffering (Saturn) into the sacred (Neptune) through art and devotion.
Activities to Embody
Aikido, the Japanese martial art, was established in the late 1920s under a Saturn-Neptune alignment. The Twelve Step program, first initiated by Alcoholics Anonymous emerged in the mid-1930s under a Saturn-Neptune alignment. Both are rooted in the philosophy that discipline (Saturn) leads to compassion (Neptune).
These are just a few ways in which you can consciously deepen your participation with the current zeitgeist.
And if you’re curious to discover and design your own moodboard, based on your uniquely personal archetypal signature, then you’re in luck.
Join our FREE masterclass to uncover the hidden map.
Don’t just participate in the zeitgeist, become a beacon of light for it.
In Mystery,
Somya
