December 5th ~ 12th
“The Triad Descending to the Mother Sea” by Kahlil Gibran
Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem. ~ Kahlil Gibran
On Wednesday, December 10th, Neptune stations ending its retrograde phase which began in early July. Planets are so much stronger when they station. This is more obvious with planets like the trickster Mercury which governs commerce and our everyday activities, or Saturn whose weight renders us barely able to move. Neptune, in general, is more subtle in its effects. Occasionally it will drown us in deluges, and confound us with confusion, but it tends to work on us within, in our senses, our feelings, our dreams, rather than without.
We feel more, see more, hear more, sense more when Neptune stalls, all the more so being in the very last degree of Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. This is the degree in which the distillation of the previous 165 year cycle of Neptune takes place. All that had been learned. All that has brought us to this place in time since 1861 (which was the last time Neptune entered Aries), when it last initiated its slow trek through the entire zodiac. This is true for us individually as well. Even though we will never experience a full cycle of Neptune, there is still this process of taking the essence of the previous cycle with us into the next Neptune cycle which will begin when Neptune re-enters Aries February 20th.
Because Neptune has such an affinity for our emotional nature, we often will feel more deeply when it stations. And because it is associated with dissolution, and sometimes loss, it is not unusual to find ourselves driven to despair. It can fill our hearts with a sadness so deep that we find it difficult to see beyond the feelings. But Neptune can also carry us aloft to the land of the faeries and the Olympian towers of the gods. When we center ourselves in our own inner Neptune nature, it can even be magical, beautiful and wistfully divine.
If Neptune were to desire anything for us, it would be to find deeper meaning and purpose in our very real lives, while also recognizing ourselves as being part of something much greater than our own individual self. Neptune when strong imbues us with compassion, inspires us to be charitable and fills us with a social conscience. It identifies with higher causes, and with those things that invest our lives with Wonder and Enchantment.
Neptune is that feeling you get when you see the magnificence of a perfect sunrise, when you write the last line of your poem, when you immerse yourself in the beauty and profundity of nature, or the significance of small but meaningful gestures. Neptune is that which inspires, and fills your heart with a love so transcendent, whether in a dream, a song, or with the feel of a subtle breeze like the breath of a baby on your skin. Neptune is that experience you have when you do a good deed, say a kind word, or come to realize the ways that we are all so deeply moved by and connected to one another on these subtle yet deeply ethereal levels.
This year, Neptune makes an exact sextile to Uranus as it stations. This has something of a global effect in that those same ideals are being experienced and being put into application as a collective. You may have seen humanity leaning in a certain direction lately. This is a direction that aims to take hold in the fabric of our collective lives, leaning towards:
Humanitarian pursuits
Leading with our Ideals rather than our pockets
Social changes which take into consideration the betterment of humanity as a whole, and challenge old concepts and policies that limit the evolutionary progress of society
Progressive growth and change both individually and collectively.
There is no judgment here. But the Uranus in Virgo sextile Neptune in Scorpio of the 60’s helped inspire many of the movements of the late 60’s as well as the music that inspired a generation. Hello bellbottoms, Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Eric Burdon, Procul Harum, the civil rights, women’s rights and anti-war movements, health food stores and Earth Day..
It almost seems essential for us to bring ourselves more in alignment with our own inner Neptune, our ideals, our divine nature, and that which we identify with spirituality. It is that divine spark of magic that is the essence of Neptune, and our most profound aspirations. Therefore dare to feel more, see more, hear more and sense more. Neptune stations Direct on December 10th. Some ways to channel more Neptune into our lives:
Slow down: Pay attention, See, Hear, Feel. Be present in the moment in order to fully appreciate each and every moment.
Don’t be afraid of your feelings. Cry when you need to cry, whether it be out of love, out of sadness, grief, happiness or joy. Just feel.
You can clear the space for more Neptune by: Releasing, Forgiveness, Shaking off tendrils of regret, anger, and sorrow; and Embracing unconditional and transcendent Love.
We connect with Neptune when: We perform acts of compassion and random acts of kindness. When we stop to listen, hold space for others, and are willing to be present.
You can feel your inner Neptune through: Inner reflection, Meditative repose, Prayer, Music, Dance, Spiritual practices and sacred magic.
And you can be guided through the mystic wisdom of Neptune when you: Journal, lay out the cards, read the tea leaves, dig out the pendulum and the Oracles.
Dare to believe in miracles. They are all around us this week. And even closer than you could possibly imagine.
A note on the squares from Mars in late Sagittarius to Saturn and Neptune: (exact December 8th and 14th respectively): These transits will be in effect over the first few weeks of December, most strongly from the 5th thru the 18th. Over all these transits can be debilitating and draining. For many reasons. Mars/Saturn can be resistant, avoidant, and riddled with obstacles. Mars/Neptune feels drained, sometimes even defeated and deflated. So if you find it difficult to get things done over these weeks, these are the culprits. Whether you are beset with a bout of the flu. you need that extra nap at 3 pm, or you just don’t want to deal. Do things in increments. Take pauses. And realize it may take a little bit longer to accomplish tasks. This does not mean it cannot be done. It just may take a bit longer. Let us all be kind to ourselves. Dive into the Neptune Station. Pedicures are in order as needed.
For Neptune through your Solar or Natal Houses, click below: