“...the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” ♓ final days of Neptune in Pisces
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Hello Stargazer, "The sky above the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel." These are the opening lines of William Gibson's scifi masterpiece Neuromancer. And I haven't been able to get them out of my head as I contemplate the final days of Neptune in Pisces. Neptune won't leave Pisces for good until this time next year. But for a planet that takes 165 years to orbit the earth, its days in Pisces are numbered. As the sky's eternal cosmic dreamer, Neptune has already dreamt of the world that once was and the world that is to come... ...and it's captured beautifully in Neuromancer's opening line. "The sky above the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel." Seen through the eyes of Neptune, the first lines of William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk classic read like dream prophecy. Join my Patreon to get your free preorder of the #ASTRO2025 report, including horoscopes and transit guide to prep for Neptune in Aries. Neuromancer was published the same year that a number of Big Tech milestones happened that helped make 1984 a reality. Apple released the first Macintosh computer in January 1984—the same month Neptune first moved into Capricorn. The Macintosh was the first mass-market personal computer featuring a graphical user interface and a mouse, revolutionizing personal computing by making it more accessible and user-friendly by allowing users to interact with computers visually rather than through text-based commands. This was Apple's first step in shaping mass consciousness by introducing it to intuitive human-computer interface, which laid the groundwork for them to introduce the iPhone in 2007. Gibson coined the term "cyberspace" in Neuromancer and first referred to the global network as the Matrix. When Neuromancer was published, it was also the first year of widespread implementation of DNS and standardization of TCP/IP protocols. Along with the introduction of the first Macintosh computer, these two achievements alone helped create the global network Gibson depicted in Neuromancer. These technologies made it possible to access information across the world, foreshadowing the Gibson's vision of a vast, accessible cyberspace. But Gibson's novel is one that depicts rather than predicts. It's a far cry of the Golden Age optimism of 1950s scifi or even the Silver Age social criticism the genre became known for in the 1960s and 1970s. It reads more like prophecy than prediction. Gibson depicts his prophetic vision with clever neologisms and cutting prose that capture the utter banality of technocratic dystopia... ...and along with Ridley Scott's 1982 Philip K. Dick adaptation Blade Runner, established the visual and narrative style of the now iconic cyberpunk aesthetic. Neuromancer was published at a time that Neptune was creeping into Capricorn—but its scope wasn't realized until Neptune entered Pisces. And nothing quite captures the Neptune in Pisces vibe as that first line: "The sky above the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel." I was in grad school when I first read it. And I found it ironic at the time because flat screen TV's displayed a blue screen when it was tuned to a dead channel. I thought it would be so confusing to explain to future generations that Gibson wasn't referring to blue skies but grey skies... ...but now it's going to be even harder because smart TVs display an animated corporate ad when there's no signal, so good luck explaining to your grandkids from behind their Apple Vision Pro that Gibson wasn't describing the sky as the same color as a Coca-Cola Christmas ad. But in so many ways, this image perfectly captures Gibson's prescience in choosing his first lines. Because the sky above the port that's tuned to a dead channel doesn't just capture a cloudy day during the final stretch of Neptune in Pisces. It captures the entire vibe of the mass mind. Like a pimp who beats you with a coat hanger before giving you some pills and a bubble bath, we've been broken by corporate dominance but blanketed by the warm smothering embrace of digital technology. It's a personality split en masse, one that cut the connection to our celestial origins, painting mass consciousness the color of television tuned to a dead channel. This is why your social media feed sounds like 1980s television static—and it doesn't matter if you hoped over to Bluesky because it's the same dead channel over there. Because when you surf the web, cyberspace turns you into a ghost ship stranded in an empty port beneath grey skies. Digital technology can't read the logos, the light of creation that illuminates the stars above and the soul within. It just reads 0's and 1's—and that's what it reduces your word to so that you can join the eternal chorus humming like TV static on the Net. This is the legacy of Neptune in Pisces. It's been like a weird dream you can't wake up where it was like you're in The Matrix only you can't punch hard, find the phone that keeps ringing and, it looks like if you ordered cyberpunk dystopia from wish dot com. In March 2025, Neptune will leave Pisces' boundless ocean of mass delusion for an individualistic breath of fresh air in Aries. But we won't be out the Matrix just yet. He'll dip back into Pisces until fall next year—and he'll have Uranus in Gemini on his side. It's a time to honor the words of Prince when he said, "It's cool to get on the computer—just don't let the computer get on you." Lucky for you, I'm going to start taking orders for my #ASTRO2025 report horoscope + guidebook bundle for my BFCM offer this week. It'll be 50% off its $100 price tag for Black Friday... ...but you get it for free when you become a Patreon member today. When you join at the Solar tier right now, you'll get access to the #ASTRO2025 report bundle, including:
If this resonates, then I wouldn't wait to activate your membership now because this offer expires tomorrow Monday, November 25. Much Love, |