| Jo Tracey Astrology |
| Astrology in Real Life |
So, Pisces rules the career part of your chart does it? Want to know what to expect when Neptune transits this part of life? Just chill… My latest post for Your Career & the Cosmos is here.
“Your ego’s job isn’t to serve you. Its only job is to keep itself in power. And right now, your ego’s scared to death cuz it’s about to get downsized.
You keep up this spiritual path, baby, and that bad boy’s days are numbered. Pretty soon your ego will be out of work, and your heart’ll be making all the decisions. So your ego’s fighting for its life, playing with your mind, trying to assert its authority, trying to keep you cornered off in a holding pen away from the rest of the universe. Don’t listen to it.”
This quote is from Elizabeth Gilberts’ Eat Pray Love and is so appropriate for Neptune transits of the Sun that I could probably end this post right here and now.
We know that Neptune transits are particularly dreamy times, hard to talk about, hard to pin down and hazy from a memory viewpoint. Before writing this post, I went back to the trusty ephemeris to see what was happening in my life the last time that Neptune transited any part or point on my chart. And when I say transited, I’m talking serious stuff, the transits I should have been able to remember, ie the conjunctions, squares and oppositions.
Neptune square Neptune, a typical mid-life transit, was the most recent- at 24/25 Aquarius it was a few years ago. I know exactly the crap that was going down at that point in time, but can I talk about it? Nope.
Other than that, the last Neptune transit of note was in 1998 when she glided into Aquarius, sextiling natal Saturn. All my existing structures and belief systems were dissolved in the most beautiful way. Life was never the same again. I gave birth to my daughter during that transit.
The rest is just too far back to talk about.
According to Steven Forrest in The Changing Sky, Neptunes’ gift is the experience of serenity, inspiration and vision. Nice.
Conversely, her trap is “the temptation to deceive or undo ourselves with glamorous falsehoods and easy self-destructive patterns of escape…eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.”
Hmmm, that one sort of sounds like my attitude to life as a Neptunian…although the first does apply too.
Neptune does come with the most palatable remedy, though…in theory anyway. There are no mountains to climb (Saturn), electrical storms of unexpected ferocity (Uranus) or depths to descend into (Pluto). Neptune expects you to do nothing, just relax into it. Chill out, open yourself to feeling. Dude.
Sound good? As I said, in theory.
Letting it all just flow, Man, is not how we are programmed these days. Can you imagine saying to your boss “sorry Dude, but I’m having, like, this really spacey Neptune transit at the moment and my astrologer told me to just let it flow and open myself up to the beyondness of life. So, I’m heading off to meditate on top of a mountain for the next two years…you’d be cool with that?” Right?
Rather than detaching from our ego, everything that we do every day is exactly the opposite. We are encouraged to use our head rather than our heart, crappy decisions made by profiteering executives are justified as being ok because they are “business decisions”. The work we do doesn’t sing to our soul, but it satisfies our need to put a roof (or the right roof) over our head, clothes (and the right brands) on our back, and a label (or title) on our masthead.
Neptune transits arrive at a time when we need to be reminded that our ego has become too important to itself, too attached to its own sense of rightness and too intent on pursuing a course that has no real feeling or spiritual relevance.
If you don’t embrace the Neptunian influence willingly, ie if you aren’t willing to let go, Neptune will do it for you. If you don’t relax, Neptune will make sure that you have no choice. The number of people who report feeling listless, no energy, and chronically fatigued during a Neptune transit is incredible. Neptune forces them to opt out.
Likewise people who reporting doing things that they normally wouldn’t do, things that they should have known better than to do. Dumb things. During Neptune transits we fall in love with people we shouldn’t fall in love with, entangle ourselves in things we shouldn’t be entangled in, become addicted to things we shouldn’t be addicted to and escape to places that we would be better off never visiting.
All of these things serve the purpose of bringing us out of our egos, showing us that we are human, and presenting us with another alternative that forces us to feel.
That Neptune square I referred to? I did some real dumb stuff over the period of that transit. Dumb things that I knew from the outset were dumb, but that I also thought were real. I believed people who I knew at the time were lying to me. I willingly laid myself open to be hurt. The outcome of that transit is that it dissolved my idea of who I am, or rather who I thought that I should be.
And, if I’m being honest, the reason that we do dumb things is because they are so fun. Losing yourself can be fun…at the time… The consequences of those decisions and actions, however, often are not- fun, that is. That’s why they are dumb. We know that, but under a Neptune transit we often do them anyway.
… And I get all your good advice
It doesn’t stop me from going through these things twice
I see the knives out, I turn my back
I hear the train coming, I stay right on that track
In the middle, in the middle, in the middle of a dream
I lost my shirt, I pawned my rings
I’ve done all the dumb things
Dumb Things- Lyrics by Paul Kelly. All usual rights.
Neptune is now in Pisces. This is hugely exciting for me as with all of my Pisces I am super Neptunian. This transit will enhance this- both good and bad- and is a once in a lifetime transit for us Pisceans.
For those who are heavily weighted with personal planets or chart points (ie Ascendant, Midheaven) in Virgo, Gemini, and Sagittarius, you might not be quite so excited.
Despite my excitement levels, and my “how hard can it be?” attitude, let me just say this- Neptune transits can be very hard indeed. But, the more Neptune you have in your charts natally, the “easier” it will be given that you already have the influence integrated into your daily life. And I use the term “easier” loosely.
If you want to see just how Neptunian you are now, check out Donna Cunninghams’ planetary tests. Essentially a score between 0-15 means that Neptune has only a slight influence on your chart, 16-25 is moderate, 26-40 is strong and over 40 is off the scale. My score came in at over 60. Boundaries for me simply do not exist and reality is merely an illusion- and that has both its good and bad points. In any case, what it means for me is that I live with Neptune every single day.
Anyway, Neptune essentially dissolves the structures that Saturn has painstakingly and painfully built up. Life becomes confusing and that which is really unreal becomes true. Fantasy becomes reality and ego melts away. This is tough and, especially for people with a strong sense of Saturn (and the responsibilities, commitments and boundaries that go with that) immensely difficult to get your head around. But, it can also be exhilarating.
As Neptune touches whatever personal planet she is throwing her rose coloured gossamer net across, whatever is ruled by that planet will become confused or idealised. When Neptune is transiting this area, commitments are not a great idea, but your dreams may be amazing and the whole hippie dippy at one with the Universe thing may start to have some meaning. You may actually start to understand the lyrics to songs like I am the Walrus and Kate Miller-Heidke’s Ducks Don’t Need Satellites. And all without the assistance of mind altering substances!
In short, whatever planet is being aspected will make that part of you more Piscean in nature. Cool hey? That would sort of be having someone like me in charge of things. Imagine the possibilities…imagine the chaos J.
Before you all start getting excited about what this could possibly mean to you, remember this- Neptune moves slowly…very slowly. I have applied an orb of 2 degrees (both separating and applying), yet, because Neptune is so slow, 1 is probably more appropriate.
What does this mean? Say you have Venus at 2 Pisces. You may begin to feel the flow of Neptune as she approaches (applies) from about the time she enters Pisces- ie 2 degrees before she actually reaches your Venus at 2 Pisces. You will continue to feel her influence for up to 2 degrees after she leaves (separates from) Venus, ie until she reaches about 4 Pisces. The real impact will be while she is between 1-3 Pisces.
This means, that with the retrograde motion, you may have the influence of Neptune hanging around that Venus for a couple of years. Also, because of the retrograde motion, you will have a number of direct hits eg again using that Venus at 2 Pisces as an example:
End of March 2012 (direct)
End of August 2012 (retrograde)
End of January 2013 (direct)
Neptune will have moved just out of range between the end of March 2013 (at 4 Pisces) and mid July 2013(4 Pisces retrograde)- giving you a few months of clarity before the fog slowly descends again.
Neptune reaches 2 Pisces (retrograde) again in October 2013 before turning direct. You will feel the influence again until Neptune reaches 4 Pisces in 2014 and then again briefly by retrograde in October-November 2014.
So, whilst the most important part of the transit will be felt between now and this time next year, you may continue to feel a bit woolly around the edges on and off until November 2014!
Here’s the deal for the first few years:
2012: 0-3 Pisces
Neptune will cover just 3 degrees before turning retrograde at 3 Pisces 09’ on June 5, 2012.
The following points will be impacted.
0-5 Pisces- this will be by conjunction
0-5 Virgo- this will be by opposition
0-5 Gemini or Sagittarius- this will be by square
0-5 Cancer or Scorpio- this will be by trine
0-5 Capricorn or Taurus- this will be by sextile
As an example, my natal Mars is at 3 Scorpio 08’. Yep the station point. This should be pretty significant for me. More on that in the next post, when I cover transits to the personal planets.
2013: 1-5 Pisces
Neptune will start the year at 1 Pisces. The high point will be felt at 5 Pisces 22’ on 6 June 2013 before tracking back to 2 Pisces 34’ and finishing the year at 3 Pisces.
The following points will be impacted.
0-7 Pisces- this will be by conjunction
0-7 Virgo- this will be by opposition
0-7 Gemini or Sagittarius- this will be by square
0-7 Cancer or Scorpio- this will be by trine
0-7 Capricorn or Taurus- this will be by sextile
2014: 3-7 Pisces
Neptune will start the year at 3 Pisces. The high point will be felt at 7 Pisces 35’ on 9 June 2014 before tracking back to 4 Pisces 48’ and finishing the year at 5 Pisces.
The following points will be impacted.
1-9 Pisces- this will be by conjunction
1-9 Virgo- this will be by opposition
1-9 Gemini or Sagittarius- this will be by square
1-9 Cancer or Scorpio- this will be by trine
1-9 Capricorn or Taurus- this will be by sextile
This is the year that my Mercury will be receiving its’ direct hits. I’m already thinking of locking myself away and writing romance or fantasy novels!
Get the idea?
Next time we’ll start looking at the personal planets & what it might mean for you.
Photo credit: Tempusfugit for istock
The world has gone mad.
In Europe, record low temperatures are freezing the canals of Venice, causing the closure of ancient monuments like the Colosseum and causing death and havoc across the continent.
Here in Oz, Sydneysiders have been reaching for doonas and ugg boots during what is normally our hottest month of the year. Oh and next doors’ pumpkin continues its’ march down our path and is now joined by an escapee cherry tomato plant.
Is it coincidental that this all occurred during the last days of Neptune in Aquarius? One last little piece of rebellion before the God of the Seas moved home to Pisces?
Now, I am not going to make any predictions on a mundane (that is a fancy Astro technical word for world stuff) level. There are plenty of much better astrologers than I that have written pieces on that- just google it. And, to be brutally and perfectly honest, I am more concerned about what it means for me.
One thing you can be sure of is that something big and important will be dissolved over the next 13 years. The other thing you can be sure of is that it will probably not be anything like it is predicted to be.
Looking back through history (and I have got these references from about 10,000 different websites, so apologies if I don’t reference any in particular- they all pretty well said the same thing) dissolution of boundaries and delusion has been a marker for Neptune in Pisces and, as a triple Pisces, trust me when I say that there is very little that Neptune likes less than a boundary…except perhaps, reality.
So peeps, settle back for a very brief history lesson- and if the dates are slightly off, please don’t write to me…:
1356-1370 The Black Death or Bubonic plague was prevalent and resulted in the indiscriminate death of millions of people- crossing borders and class boundaries to do so. Rich or poor, Duke or peasant- there is no difference- dead is dead. The borders of Europe were changed as the Ottomans expanded their empire. The hundred years war lasted a lot longer than 100 years and would forever delude students into getting that particular answer wrong in history lessons- as it did my nearly 14 year old at the dinner table tonight.
1520- 1534 Magellan sailed around the world, new lands were discovered and previous limitations were swept away. Henry VIII dissolved the power and wealth of the Catholic Church in England- all for the love of a woman. Given the way that one turned out, it sounds very much to me as if old Henry was having a Neptune/Venus transit of his own at the time. As gold was shipped back from the new lands, the resultant over supply destroyed the European economy.
1684-1697 It was Russia’s turn to expand past its’ boundaries and the Ottomans’ to be dissolved at the hands of the Catholic Church. For political reasons, power in England moved to the moneyed classes and James II was kicked off the throne in order to bring in new blood from the Netherlands- William of Orange- also responsible for the confusion of history students hundreds of years later. The Salem witch trials took place over this period of time. Many of these poor women are now thought to be the victim of bad rye which has a similar effect on the system as LSD. I read all about that in a Kerry Greenwood novel (Trick or Treat) when Corinna Chapman thought she might have accidentally poisoned the unsuspecting folks of Melbourne.
1847-1862 More dissolution of power as the peasants across Europe rose up against the moneyed classes and gentry who had deluded themselves into thinking that they were somehow more entitled than anyone else to eat cake. Who would have thought? In the US a Civil War was fought essentially for a similar reason- when the moneyed classes in the South thought they had a right to keep other human beings as slaves. Unfortunately some corporations even today are deluded into the same belief. An upstart by the name of Charles Darwin turned the theory of evolution on its’ head and the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the Americas meant that anyone who was prepared to have a go could actually make a crapload of money from changes in working conditions and the advent of railroads and mechanisation. Closer to home, gold rushes in Australia and California produced the ultimate in Neptunian illusion- Gold Fever.
2012- 2025 Rampant pumpkin plants march through suburban Sydney as summer becomes winter prompting fears that The Day of the Triffids is not a fantasy.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but does give a teeny idea. Ultimately though, Neptune is foggy, mystical, illusional, delusional and inspirational- both in terms of inspiring creativity and inspiring compassion.
The influence of Neptune can make sane people do insane things. It can prompt benevolent rulers to wage war on another under justifications that are flawed, delusional or based on misguided principles- usually in the name of religion, but often because some sort of illusory wealth is at stake. It can dissolve boundaries, currencies, religious power and political power. It creates glamour where there is none, escape where there shouldn’t be one, and mysticism where there are just addictions.
Neptune rules anything that flows- intuition, dreams, imagination, psychic ability and alcohol. It is also the king of wishful thinking, deceit, poisons and mind altering substances.
Neptune is, however, at home in Pisces- a sign as deep and vast with more pretty coloured fishes, shades of blue and distraction than the Pacific Ocean. What lies beneath? We are limited only by our imagination.
It’s wine o clock on a Friday afternoon here in a very soggy Sydney.
I am sipping on a glass of pinot gris from the Yarra Valley, and inhaling the fumes from fresh enamel paint. The Moon is in Pisces, Mercury is about to wheel and deal his way out of Capricorn and I have just committed to the challenge to end all challenges.
This time next week my tipple of choice will be a sparling mineral water, in a wine glass with a touch of lime. You see, I am doing “FebFast” and sending grog on a month long holiday.
Here in Australia, we don’t have a great relationship with alcohol- many of us are just a tad to attached to it, some have real problems and some are just plain ugly with it- as anyone who has witnessed the bronzed Aussie in all his glory somewhere on a beach holiday in Asia over the summer holidays.
Whilst I think the cause is a brilliant one, my reasons for doing this are purely selfish- the funds that are raised are a by-product:
Now, before you go thinking that I will become born again, I do not intend abstaining for longer than the allocated month. My Trainer rather unkindly suggested that people who do FebFast do it because they can’t manage the extra few days of Dry July. He has a point.
For medical astrologers, Neptune rules alcohol, as it does other chemical poisons such as nicotine. Alcohol deceives the body into thinking of it as a sugar substitute and, in the process deceives our metabolism and trust me, my metabolism doesn’t need any more deceiving.
The worst part of this, from my viewpoint, is that the body uses ethyl alcohol (fermented sugar) as an energy supply before it uses glucose (its’ preferred energy source) and before it uses stored fats. This means that my daily workout is pretty well just burning off the previous nights drinks and not much else.
After reading Sweet Poison by David Gillespie early last year, I gave up sugar. The research was overwhelming. The culprit is fructose, the sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, and less naturally in pretty well anything we eat that is processed. When I first read this I was thrilled to see that wine, spirits, champagne and beer are low in fructose, but the toll on the liver is heavy.
More recent research is showing that the metabolism of ethanol (fermented sugar) is actually much the same as the metabolism of fructose after all. That same research is also showing that the brain recognises artificial sugars (also ruled by Neptune) as being sweet, so sends the same messages out for insulin.
I had very little problem with giving up sugar (presumably because I actually don’t eat much that is processed or sweetened and also because I continued to drink my wine). I suspect, though, that I may struggle more with FebFast.
The Moon rules our habits and mine is in Pisces, trine Jupiter in the 5th and also trine Neptune in the 9th. My habits have as few boundaries as does my life.
In any case, if you want to read about it, here is the link to my page. A girlfriend and I have committed to form a team of 2, so wish us luck!
