Apophis Now

~God of Chaos Flyby~

Although we cannot be certain, it appears that from the dawn of language, humans have been storytellers. The reason for this remains somewhat mysterious. Yet, the same can be said for all the thoughts you will have today... And it's not as if we haven't pondered it! Numerous thinkers throughout history have grappled with consciousness and human thought; here are some of the most influential, categorized by era and theme.

Period / Group	Thinker	Key idea about consciousness / thought
Ancient and medieval roots	Plato	Mind is a rational, immortal soul that “remembers” eternal Forms; thinking is the soul’s ascent toward true, non‑physical reality.
	Aristotle	The soul has faculties (perception, imagination, reason); thought arises from the active intellect organizing and shaping sensory input.
	Plotinus (Neoplatonism)	Consciousness is a hierarchy of being; the human soul reflects a higher, unified “One,” so thinking is a downward mirroring of a cosmic mind.
Founders of the modern “mind”	René Descartes	“I think, therefore I am”; conscious thought is the core of the self, sharply separated from the body; this marks the start of modern philosophy of mind.
	John Locke	The mind is a “blank slate” built up by experience; thought and knowledge are formed through sensory input and reflection.
	David Hume	The self is a “bundle of perceptions”; he questions whether there is a stable, thinking “I” behind the flow of thoughts.
19th–20th‑century scientific‑philosophical turn	Immanuel Kant	Consciousness is structured by innate categories (space, time, causality); thought actively organizes experience rather than passively receiving it.
	William James	Consciousness is a “stream of thought”—continuous, selective, and subjective—shaping how we experience and attend to the world.
	Jean‑Paul Sartre & Maurice Merleau‑Ponty (phenomenology)	Consciousness is always “consciousness of” something (intentionality) and is embodied and situated in the world, not detached from the body.
Late‑20th‑century & contemporary leaders	Daniel Dennett	Consciousness is not a single “magic center” but a construct of many brain processes; thinking can be understood by blending neuroscience, computer science, and philosophy.
	David Chalmers	Famous for the “hard problem of consciousness”; he distinguishes physical brain processes from the subjective “what‑it‑is‑like” of experience.
	Anil Seth, Antonio Damasio, John Vervaeke, Philip Goff	Blend cognitive science, philosophy, and (in Goff’s case, panpsychism) to ask whether consciousness is a special feature of brains, emergent, or a fundamental feature of reality.

Since 2015, I have been deeply engaged in the realms of Shamanism and Astrology. From analyzing the charts of individuals who have trusted me with their readings and collaborating with others in a healing capacity, my key insight is: "Everything is undeniably interconnected." Additionally, in my view, time does not exist as we perceive it. I believe everything—past, present, and future—exists simultaneously. The distinctiveness of being human is that when our infinite souls inhabit a human body, our ability to recognize this interconnectedness becomes muddled. However, we occasionally catch glimpses of this concept, and there are souls who seem to retain the ability to perceive everything simultaneously, rather than just the present.

This leads me back to the stories we tell. A key part of these has been the concept of myth. The word “myth” goes back to the ancient Greek mythos (μῦθος), originally meaning “word,” “speech,” or “tale”—a true or sacred narrative, often about divine or heroic action. Homer is an early example of Greek mythos that was weighty, truth‑carrying story, not “untrue guesswork.” Over time, this began to shift. Later thinkers began to see myth as more like symbolic or fictional stories rather than literal accounts. As we progressed even further into history, around the 15-16th centuries the shift became even more pronounced with the modern sense becoming that myths are false or unprovable, especially about gods, heroes, and origins. So, people have been telling myths for millennia, but they have only been called “myths” in the modern sense for a few hundred years.

I wish to propose (and I am not the first to do so) that myths are not wild imaginings plucked from time and space but rather part of some collective memory, not just made-up fairy tales, but schematic, symbolic, and emotionally charged records of shared experience. In an article written in May 2018 for a journal known as Trends in Cognitive Sciences, authors William Hirst, Jeremy K. Yamashiro, and Alin Coman published an article titled "Collective Memory from a Psychological Perspective." In short, they propose, "Psychologically, collective-memory research shows that groups encode important events as simple, repeatable stories, which often become mythic, legendary, or 'heroic' in shape over time."

In another article, this from the journal American Psychologist 2021 Volume 26, Henry L. Roediger III of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis theorizes that "myths act as “attractors”: they stabilize and repeat across generations because they express deep patterns of trauma, crisis, or cultural identity (e.g., flood myths, dying‑and‑rising gods, foundational wars)."

What this implies is that, from an astro-mythic viewpoint, myths might encode real ancient experiences (such as cosmic events, climate changes, or social upheavals) translated into symbolic language. The narrative form acts as a long-term cultural memory, enduring even when the literal history is forgotten.

One such example comes from Egyptian lore. The title of this article comes directly from the story of Apophis. Also known as Apep, the primordial serpent of chaos and darkness. According to the Egyptians, Apophis was locked into an eternal nightly battle with the sun god Ra. This story seems obviously connected to the daily cosmic drama of the sun's daily death and rebirth. Stated differently, and closer to the actual story it represents the struggle between order and chaos.

The story goes that Apophis is a giant serpent, often depicted as dozens of yards long, possessing a head of flint, and the embodiment of a force known as Isfet, meaning disorder. This is the opposite of Maat, which according to the Egyptians represents cosmic order and justice. As a side note, Maat is depicted in the temple of Dendera, the same place that the famous circular zodiac from the small Osiris chapel in the Hathor Temple depicts the 12 Greco‑Egyptian zodiac signs arranged in a wheel, embedded in a star map that also includes the planets, decans, and constellations.

The Egyptians chose not to depict Apophis in any of their temples or drawings because they felt in doing so, they would be supporting pure evil and something anti-cosmic, they only wanted to repel or destroy his image, not honor him. There are two origin stories surrounding Apophis. First, there is the belief that he emerged from the umbilical cord of Ra, when the sun god first rose from the primeval waters of Nun, so darkness arose at the same instant as light. Another says that goddess Neith spat into the primeval waters, and her spit became a monstrous snake more than 100 yards long, a “mistake” of creation grown into a cosmic devourer.

In this narrative, we learn that each night, as Ra navigates his solar vessel through the underworld (considered to be the night sky), Apophis waits to devour the sun and cast the world into eternal darkness. Interestingly, humans have their own ongoing stories about the night and what might dwell there. This is also when most people enter the enigmatic state known as "sleep," during which it is challenging to determine where our consciousness goes, yet we frequently encounter dream states where we face our own struggles.

One final point about Apophis is that despite being killed every night, he is never permanently destroyed; he revives each evening to renew the assault, symbolizing the ever‑present threat of chaos. Additionally, solar eclipses were interpreted as momentary wins for Apophis, when the serpent briefly engulfs the sun, only to be forced to release it again.

For those who have been following my writings on the use of asteroids in the practice of astrology, you have learned that there are two major groupings astrologers use, mythically named asteroids and personally named asteroids. In the world of MNAs, names can have their origin in Asian, Norse, Celtic, Incan, Aboriginal, Native American, Vedic, and Egyptian lore. As you may already be concluding, Apophis is one of those.

Discovered June 19, 2004, from the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona through the LINEAR asteroid‑survey program. Officially, this asteroid is designated number 99942 and named Apophis. This naming was attributed to the chaos‑serpent of Egyptian mythology, reflecting its early high‑risk impact profile This caused Apophis to be designated Near‑Earth Object (NEO) and Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA).

The initial buzz surrounding this asteroids discovery centered around early orbit estimates that briefly gave a 2.7% chance of impact on April 13, 2029, making it the first asteroid to receive a Torino Scale rating of 4; later radar and optical data reduced the probability to zero. That said, the expected flyby on April 13, 2029, currently places Apophis trajectory at about 32,000 km (≈ 20,000 miles) from Earth’s surface—closer than many geosynchronous satellites. This will make it visible with the naked eye in many regions of the earth. What makes this asteroid quite dangerous is its mass. Recently, and I wrote about it in my article Cleveland Meteorite found here: https://www.theclevelandshaman.com/post/cleveland-meteorite , we had a meteor pass over our house that was 6 feet in diameter and weighted 7 tons. This packed a punch of approximately 250 tons of TNT. Apophis is about 1,100–1,250 feet in mean diameter and with an estimated weight of roughly 20 million tons. If it were to hit, estimates place the energy release at thousands of megatons of TNT, comparable to tens to hundreds of large nuclear weapons, with severe regional devastation but not global‑scale extinction.

Current estimates indicate this close flyby will occur on April 13, 2029, at 21:46 UTC which converts to 4:46 p.m. EST.

Here is a chart cast for that date and time for Washington, DC:

The asteroid associated with the story of Apophis caught my attention, particularly its positioning in recent significant charts like the Saturn-Neptune Conjunction at 0 degrees Aries on February 20, 2026, and the Spring Equinox (Aries Ingress) on March 20, 2026. Since these charts are actively being discussed, it might be intriguing to observe where Apophis is located within one of them.

Let's examine Apophis placement in the Aries Ingress 2026 chart set for Washington, DC:

At the moment of the ingress on March 20, 2026, Apophis can be found in the 12th house at 7 degrees and 56 minutes of Taurus. Remember that in mundane charts the rising sign indicates the time period the chart is most influential, in this case for 6 months due to Gemini rising. It's reasonable to conclude that such a placement points to the year’s hidden, unconscious, or “underworld” themes being strongly tied to material security, land, resources, and wealth, and they carry an undertone of latent destruction, covert danger, or apocalyptic‑style shadow work. Why is this so? Because the 12th house is the zone of what is hidden: secrets, institutions, intelligence, prisons, hospitals, exile, organized crime, terrorism, and the collective unconscious. With Taurus on the cusp, the focus is on land, real estate, commodities, money, oil, and material stability.

This could signal that this configuration points to covert maneuvers, financial‑resource games, or “shadow economies” operating out of public view, especially around natural resources, land grabs, or hidden capital flows.

Looking at this all through the lens of the serpent of chaos, Apophis, brings focus on fear, threats, and apocalyptic energies into Taurus‑ruled matters. These would be related to economic shocks and resource-based crises. Essentially, Taurus is an energy that is fixed in nature that tries to hang on to what is, stay secure, and Apophis is an energy that seeks to undermine that same security. It is in extrapolating out this blend we potentially see sudden crashes, currency instability, or “doomsday‑scenario” warnings tied to markets or commodities as well as mythic and apocalyptic level public discourse surrounding oil, energy, food‑security narratives, or land‑use conflicts. Adding to a sinister twist to this narrative is the hidden and clandestine location of Apophis, the 12th house.

Taken even deeper, this placement in the 12th house might be communicating covert operations that are acting in a subversive manner. This could include but not be limited to hidden bailouts, secret deals, intelligence‑driven operations, or underground networks that impact markets, land, or currency. This might also be indicating the potential for eco‑apocalyptic or “collapse‑narrative” themes: climate‑scarcity stories, energy‑crisis fears, or land‑degradation imagery that feel existentially threatening. Even if these narratives don't actually happen, it is about the stir that such ideas elicit. Finally, echoing forth from the hidden nature of the 12th house, what is possibly being conveyed is hidden adversaries or “enemy‑within” dynamics: internal sabotage, espionage, or institutional rot that emerges gradually, especially where money, land, or public resources are involved.

One final note on Apophis in 2026. It spends most of the year hidden because it will spend much of the year close to the Sun from Earth’s point of view, so the Sun’s glare will wash it out. Talk about synchronicity.

In considering dates in the time frame during which this Aries Ingress chart is most impactful, from March 20, 2026 - September 23, 2026, we can look to the transits of Mars, Saturn, and Pluto to see if there are times during which the energetic imprint of Apophis might have the potential of being most activated. Given that at the time this chart was cast Mars was in Pisces and Saturn was in Aries the transits to Apophis placement in the Ingress chart will be semi-squares as Aries and Taurus are 30 degrees apart. Pluto on the other hand on the day of the Aries Ingress was at exactly 5 degrees of Aquarius. This places Pluto 3 signs away from Apophis which sets up a potential square. At the ingress there was 2 degrees and 56 minutes of separation.

Considering that a square was forming, what are the precise dates when Pluto in Aquarius will be at 1 degree applying (06:56), exact (07:56), and 1 degree separating (08:56), as these moments will represent the most significant interactions between Pluto and Apophis?

Aquarius Pluto never arrives at 6 degrees 56 minutes during the time the 2026 Aries Ingress chart is in effect after spending good portion of 2026 retrograde before stationing direct on October 16, 2026, at 3 degrees and 4 minutes. That said during the period from March 20, 2026, through May 6, 2026, Pluto moves to 5 degrees and 30 minutes making the separation of it to Apophis only 2 degrees and 26 minutes before it stations retrograde. There is much debate surrounding how orb (degrees of separation in aspects between planets or other bodies) should be used for asteroids... I personally have found that the applicable orb can be much wider than 1-2 degrees. If that is indeed true, then the period from March 20, 2026 - May 6, 2026, seems potent for the energies of Pluto being an activator of Apophis in this chart.

Said in non-astrological jargon, the God of Chaos (Apophis) and Lord of the Underworld (Pluto) will be in an antagonistic, challenging, friction based, and conflicting alignment that could mean a high degree of clandestine, secret, and hidden activities occurring that the people are sensing and feeling but not seeing. Call it a covert‑chaos point in the nation’s material‑and‑security shadow that intermittently erupts into visibility.

The above chart is a breakout from the Aries Ingress chart showing just the aspects Apophis is making to other planets and points in the chart. As you can see, there is a square to Pluto, albeit 2 degrees and 56 minutes, as well as a sextile to planet Mercury in Pisces at 8 degrees and 29 minutes. To me, this speaks to the potentiality of apocalyptic and doomsday messages and communications emanating from the media (Mercury) that are potentially falsehoods (Pisces) and potentially part of some larger unseen plot (Pisces). Given this is a sextile, it may simply indicate this happens without any resistance and is released into the collective with great ease.

And what might these messages center around? Again, given the energies involved of dark and chaotic Apophis and secretive, shadowy, and destructive Pluto, it seems that this period could reflect this matrix.

There may be some covert and resource-security shocks. This may show up as a major leak, scandal, or investigation exposing hidden financial‑security operations, secret sanctions, or “shadow” resource‑trading schemes tied to the U.S. government, defense‑intelligence complex, or allied‑sanction‑networks.

It could be the news amplifying the doomsday theme most commonly associated with Apophis such as sudden, media‑amplified panic around inflation, debt, the dollar, or a commodity‑shortage shock (oil, food, or critical minerals) that feels like the “end of the current system,” followed by a more nuanced, “actually‑contained” outcome.

Or intelligence‑driven security or “enemy‑within” crises attributed to a high‑level insider‑threat or “enemy‑within” case involving defense, intelligence, or Treasury‑level institutions, where someone embedded in the security‑finance apparatus sabotages or leaks data about material‑security vulnerabilities.

Perhaps it manifests as covert‑to‑overt resource or land‑use conflicts in the guise of a behind‑the‑scenes disputes over land‑use policy, mineral‑rights, or infrastructure (e.g., pipeline, lithium, water‑rights, or federal‑land‑leasing controversies) that suddenly erupt into public view via a court case, protest, or leak, making it feel like a material‑order‑crisis.

Finally, and to state the obvious (since I felt inspired to write about this now), we might encounter more cosmic or "Apophis-asteroid"-like apocalyptic imagery in 2026. We may see symbolic headlines about the Apophis asteroid ("God-of-Chaos asteroid," 2029 close-pass alerts, asteroid-defense funding, or discussions of planetary threats) circulating in U.S. media and politics, heightening a pervasive sense of impending doom or the feeling that "something terrible is coming," which remains speculative. As an astrologer, all I can say is that the stars suggest some form of significant "reset," though its exact nature is still unknown. Remember, the Saturn-Neptune Conjunction occurring at 0 degrees of Aries on February 20, 2026, marking the spring equinox or a new beginning, hasn't happened since 4163 BC.

Turning our attention to Mars now, the fastest moving planet of the trio mentioned earlier, it will reach 7 degrees and 56 minutes of Taurus on morning of May 29, 2029. This will represent a conjunction with the Apophis in the ingress chart. Consider this another activation point. All of the themes mentioned above could experience an explosive emergence.

This is my initial attempt at analyzing Apophis in a chart. Asteroids represent a complex area of astrology. I plan to track this asteroid going forward to observe the patterns it may create. The fact that this celestial body, discovered in 2004 and named after the god of chaos due to its predicted close approach to Earth in 2029, is becoming more prominent in our awareness now is, in my view, no coincidence. We must be truthful with ourselves; there is substantial evidence suggesting that our planet has undergone several resets, with extinction events happening. To think it could never occur again seems extremely naive. However, it's crucial to recognize what we can and cannot control. I believe the most important aspect is how you live your daily life. Are you kind? Do you enhance the lives of those you encounter? Do you truly appreciate and celebrate the wonder of being alive? Are you taking the time to enjoy the little things?

My hope for us all is that as the changes of 2026 unfold, and they are coming, we as a collective awaken to an awareness that we are really not separate, but pieces of divinity, an incredible mystery that exists in the hearts of each and every one of us.