Bingeworthy:

Neptunian Scam-Glam

This article was originally written for NCGR’s Memberletter, midsummer edition, 2022

Many astrologers, journalists and viewers alike are picking up on a bold ribbon of trending miniseries across streaming platforms centered around scam artists and their victims. Look no further than Inventing Anna, The Tinder Swindler, Bad Vegan and The Dropout. Like the victims of these amoral antagonists, we are collectively enticed by their audacity.

As astrologers, it’s not hard to place our finger on where this captivation derives from: Glamourous, hypnotic, truth-bending Neptune. No doubt, as magnifying Jupiter aligns closer to Neptune, we’ve seen a booming resurgence of entertainment centered around bodacious schemes. However, if we rewind Neptune’s journey through the enchanting dualistic sign of Pisces, we see a trend of catfishing – a term popularized by the MTV show Catfish, which premiered in 2012, alongside Neptune’s Piscean debut. Neptune projects our wildest fantasies upon the subject, enabling them to become true. Catfish captures how easily this can happen in the world of online dating – where you can fall in love with an avatar and their fake lifestyle. Throughout Neptune’s swim through Pisces, Catfish grew to become an international sensation. Perhaps we watch for preventative education, or maybe it’s the realness of schadenfreude – the pleasure of watching others fail.

Neptune highlights trends in the collective, which can be retraced along Neptune’s journey through each zodiac sign. Think: Leave it to Beaver nuclear-family-chic (Neptune in Libra 1943-1956), Rock-n-roll, motorcycles and Playboy centerfolds (Neptune in Scorpio, 1957-1970), mullets, beards, bellbottoms and fringe (Neptune in Sagittarius, 1971- 1985), shoulder pads, briefcases and ER (Neptune in Capricorn), the futuristic vibe of the Y2K era music videos (Neptune in Aquarius), and now, yoga mats, crystals, CBD and astrology apps of Neptune in Pisces. Maybe when Neptune enters Aries, we’ll stop being so sensitive.

Speaking of yoga and scam artists, Neptune in Pisces has also blown the cover of once-renowned yogic cult leaders for their manipulative and abusive tactics, including the founders of Bikram yoga and Kundalini Yoga. 2018 oversaw the release of Wild Wild Country, a critical docuseries about Osho and his controversial free-love ashram. Neptune in Pisces has also drawn attention to the prison industrial complex via Orange is the New Black. I’ll also add shows such as 90-Day Fiancé and Love is Blind to the Neptune in Pisces entertainment list.

As astrologers, we are so fortunate to find ourselves in an astrological renaissance today. Behold the resurgence of once cloistered techniques, revived by translation, technology and broader accessibility. What I would have given to access hundreds of astrological YouTube channels and podcasts to choose from 13 years ago when my obsessive phase began. I remember when older generations of astrologers were worried there wouldn’t be younger astrologers to carry the torch. My oh my, how that has changed in the last five years! Most of my clients are already familiar with their charts; several track their transits and understand profections. But with greater popularity comes other issues of dilution, hype, and opportunism.

Namely, astrologers, tarot readers and other spiritual practitioners on Instagram are experiencing our own epidemic of “imposter accounts,” whereby scammers create imitation profiles by repurposing our imagery and content. They proceed to follow each of our followers and aggressively solicit them with flowery language such as, “Grand Rising, Love. My energy is very strong today. May I consider you for a reading? Here’s my CashApp” Not only is this super annoying and illegal, but it’s a manipulative tactic preying on individuals who might be waiting for the universe to throw them a bone during a super tough time on the planet. It also makes us look bad. Luckily astrologers have done a great job of educating our clients and followers about this problem: be vigilant, report and block. But it’s super awkward to think about how it appears when someone posing as us poaches our college roommate for a reading. Regrettably, there’s a 50/50 chance they think it’s us!

The real rub? Astrologers have worked tirelessly to reinstate the legitimacy of our craft. We’ve survived witch hunts, astrological prohibition, and the dark ages. We’ve since revived the ancient treatises and systems, astrological magic and niche techniques. We are also estimated to be a $2.2 billion industry. We no longer have to “explain” astrology to the average person who used to lump us in with the “Psychic” store fronts enticing passersby with $5 palm readings as a gateway to a shady $5k curse-removal package. We have worked hard to reclaim our reputation. And these opportunists are threatening to take that from us.

Th Instagram astro-grifters first caught my attention last summer when Jupiter dipped into the Pisces jacuzzi from May through July of last year. Upon Jupiter’s return to Pisces this past December, the trend worsened to the point of its feature in the LA Times. This, again, seemed to attract a mightier cohort of cons, snowballing the issue.

The best thing to do is to educate your audience on how to spot a scammer, and what do to: Report and block.

Neptunian Side Effects:

As practicing astrologers, we know what to look for when one of our clients gets hoodwinked: transiting Neptune. Honorable mention to Mercury, who holds the classical signature for thievery and deception. But we know all too well: Neptune is a hell of a drug – an enticing intoxicant dripping in diamonds and pearls. No matter how careful we are to avoid Neptune, the contact high is enough to transpose our consciousness ever so slowly into an alternate reality similar enough to the one we once knew, but where a whole separate set of rules seem to apply. Uncertain of our footing, we free spiral into a fantastical world so alluring and so addictive that we could suddenly care less where we abandoned our shoes.  

That’s the thing so enticing about these con dramas: No matter how smart or how successful someone is, they can still fall prey to the scheme. Astrologers are familiar with this power of Neptune. One’s IQ, objectivity and common sense won’t always save you from the mirage! Perhaps that’s how Anna Delvey was able to convince socialite circles in NYC she was an heiress and collect generous hedge fund financing for her foundation – or how the first self-made female billionaire, villainess Elizabeth Holmes convinced donors to fund her fraudulently acclaimed lab tech company, Theranos. We’ll never know for sure since we don’t have timed charts for the victims, but what we do know is that audiences on a macro level are under the alluring spell of the scammer. We can thank the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces for that.

Ironically enough, Inventing Anna revives two more notable characters from Neptune-in-Pisces-past: the prescription-drug-gouging-sociopath, Martin Shrkeli (also featured in a new Netflix scam-glam series, Dirty Money) and the Fyre Festival fraudster, Billy MacFarland, who successfully lured members of the wealthy elite to a private island, promising an endless flow of booze, music and cabanas, and delivering cheese sandwiches and plastic bag shelters. Experts propose that viewers both empathize with victims alongside a cringing captivation by the grifter personality: the narcissism, the audacity of their crimes, the commitment to their lies. How can a person be so unconscientious?

One of the more controversial figures in this recent wave is Sarma Melngailes, pioneering celebrity restaurateur of Bad Vegan. Audiences seem to be divided on whether she was in on the scam or if she was legitimately hoodwinked by her scheming boyfriend. She drained $1.4 million from her successful restaurant in NYC into her boyfriend’s account. The series describes how he basically convinced her he was a special ops alien from another planet who could make her and her beloved dog immortal if she just “went along with the plan.” He convinced her that he had billions of dollars and that it would all be hers one day if she “passed the test” of detaching from her own money. What kind of a spell was Sarma under? We have an untimed chart for Sarma: September 10th, 1972, Newton, Massachusetts.

Sarma first publicly declared her love for “Mr. Fox,” one of her boyfriend’s many aliases, on 11/12/11, while Neptune was stationary direct at 28°08’ Aquarius. It should be noted that Neptune had last stationed retrograde at 0° Pisces, when their online exchanges began. They married in December 2012; Neptune had returned to 0° Pisces. While Sarma is the proud owner of an impressive Virgo stellium, Neptune didn’t oppose any of her planets until 2015 when the couple went on the run for a year. Using a whole sign sunrise chart, this places transiting Neptune in her 7th house, squaring her natal Neptune at 2° Sagittarius in the 4th house of home and family. This astrologer is dying to know her birth time!   

To end on a positive note, another Neptune in Pisces show has sweetly caught my attention: psychic medium Tyler Henry’s Life After Death. Tyler connects with deceased loved ones to help families find closure in their grieving journey. We do have a timed birth chart for Tyler: January 13th, 1996, 8:28 pm, San Luis Obispo, CA. Tyler’s chart features a tight Sun-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn, square a personable and charming Libra Moon conjunct the north node. Tyler’s Virgo Rising gives lends him a helpful and humble bedside manner as he midwives his clients through difficult memories and transitions. If the Neptunian scam-glam trend is not your thing, check out this kindhearted mystical medium instead!

Neptunian Blessings,

Catherine