I have to admit I was skeptical when astrologers predicted that the opposition of Saturn and Neptune would bring with it a deadly flu pandemic. The planets rarely act as they are expected to perform, and this was too easy a connection to make. Phil Brown looked past the obvious when he wrote back in February:

While many claim that the Saturn-Neptune opposition is “it,” this is only part of the developing picture. I believe that mundane Saturn-Neptune configurations can often symbolize trance states which sweep through culture.

Is the Saturn/Neptune effect the bird flu itself, or the panic that results in a fugue state where the mass consciousness takes over? Saturn and Neptune are moving closer to their opposition point at the end of February and suddenly bird flu is in the news again. The first death from bird flu in humans just occurred in Nigeria, and an outbreak in birds in the UK resulted in the killing of thousands of turkeys (humans are not expected to be endangered). Japan just announced an outbreak of bird flu as well. As if there wasn’t enough other news to generate fear, panic on this issue is increasingly peddled in the world press.

Unfortunately, this may result in the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome and if a dangerous situation truly does erupt the rest of us won’t believe it.