TOday, 26 January 2026, Neptune entered Aries — not for the first time, since a brief few weeks in 2025, admittedly — but for a duration of about thirteen years. Neptune last entered Aries in 1861, and won’t have a similar ingress until December of 2190 CE. It’ll be a while.
In the meantime, you might find my conception of Neptune as a planet of artistic vision … expressed to the masses through various modern communication systems like high-speed printing presses, television, the Internet and so on to be compelling. And if so, this poem is for you — to be read at any time that Neptune is above the horizon.
Hymn for Neptune in Aries
Fumigation from Sandalwood
Hail great Neptune, in darkness circling,
who sends Muses earthward to birth ideas!
Hunched-over writers, in garrets working,
composers noodling on ivory keys,
directors sketching each silver screen scene
in storyboards before the camera rolls —
each of them honors the long-range vision,
quite independent of fat years or lean,
that hopes to make art the whole world extolls;
fame, as much as fortune, is their mission.
Each work needs printers and distributors;
audience — critics to pan or praise —
costumers, actors, as contributors;
artisans who labor unnumbered days,
and bring vision to life with mortal hours.
Colossus-like, their masterworks stand tall,
traverse Great Ocean like a narrow brook.
They feed many thousands with faerie powers:
with words farmed like corn, or lights shined on wall,
they make their living from turning a book
into a film, a TV show, or play,
which pulls our emotions with tidal force
by bringing fictive worlds to life, each day.
And some of these tales, change History's course.
Neptune, regard the fire in each head,
and do not dare to douse that inner spark!
Yet help us find our voice and spend our brawn
to find a Muse we find worthy to wed,
birthing new stories that light up the dark —
so souls quit the cave and seek the true dawn.
•••••••••
If you find my poetry compelling, you can throw a few bucks my way using Ko-Fi, or you can support the creation of works on a more regular basis through my Patreon.
