This April, Neptune is having a birthday and it’s something that astrologers are getting excited about. Neptune takes approx 165 years to do a complete orbit of the 12 zodiac signs and to return to the position where it started. This is where the phrase ‘Neptune Return’ comes from. This particular birthday is the first birthday of Neptune returning to the point where it was discovered about 165 years ago. Before then, Neptune merrily took 165 years to complete its orbit over and over and over again, but without human eyes observing this. It wasn’t until 1846 that Neptune was discovered and humanity became more conscious of all that Neptune represents as an archetype.
One of the philosophies of modern psychological astrology is that when a planet is discovered and humanity puts its focus onto that planet, we become more aware of, and therefore more able to participate in, the themes of that planetary archetype. This is similar to the recent discoveries of quantum physics that show us that we live in a conscious universe that is affected by our thoughts, perceptions and observations. So humanity has spent almost 165 years observing the first cycle of Neptune since it was discovered, and simultaneously we have spent about 165 years with Neptunian themes more strongly highlighted in the collective consciousness. At the birthday of Neptune returning to its discovery place, we have an opportunity to integrate all we have learnt and to either repeat the cycle as a circle (go around in circles) or evolve the cycle upwards as a spiral, or even (hopefully not) devolve the cycle into a downward spiral.
So what are some Neptunian themes? The ‘transpersonal’ planet Neptune is said to symbolise divine intelligence, transcendence and escape. I have a love-hate relationship with all of the transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). With each of them hooked up strongly in my birth chart, it’s hard to live a ‘normal’ life, and that goes for most people with one or more of them prominent in a chart. As you can imagine, not fitting in with ‘normal’ is both a blessing and a curse, hence the love-hate theme for me. If you’re an Aquarius, Pisces or Scorpio these transpersonals are your modern ruling planets. But as it’s Neptune’s birthday, I’ll focus only on the second of the three transpersonal planets, Neptune, the modern ruling planet of Pisces.
If you know anything about the zodiac sign Pisces, you might already be starting to build a picture of Neptune. These two are linked by astrologers due to their similar qualities. In its positive form Neptune is associated with divine love, compassion, spiritual connectedness, inspiration, transcendent art forms (e.g. music, poetry, fine art, dance), mystical experiences and much more. In its negative form Neptune is associated with addiction, a victim-mentality, martyrdom, illusion and deception. Neptune is said to be ‘transpersonal’ as an archetype because as an outer planet it is beyond Saturn, the last of the planets properly visible with the naked eye. Astrologers use Saturn as a boundary for what is known and understood within our social structures. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto represent energies that are beyond the practical, material daily round of life.
If Neptune is strongly aligned in your chart, or if you are a Pisces, you might be ‘blessed or cursed’ with artistic sensibilities, an intuitive/spiritual understanding of reality, psychic skills, sensitivity, a keen awareness of the suffering of others, a desire to escape or transcend human limitations, a wish to save or be saved, a need for an ensouled/enchanted world, a rich imagination, a love of sleep & fantasy, emotional highs and lows, lucid dreams, attachments or addictions, a craving for romance, wishing for sublime/blissful connections with ‘the divine’, feeling homeless, seeing through rose-coloured glasses etc etc etc! At the time of Neptune’s Return on 12 April (AEST), these themes are highlighted for all of humanity.
Neptune is also strongly connected with the theme of ‘Christ consciousness’ (as separate from the man Jesus) and, by interesting synchronicity, Easter falls this year on the very day of this once-in-165-year event. Every Easter, we are reminded of how Jesus offered through his demonstration of Christ consciousness (as separate from the religion Christianity) a pathway to ‘the Creator’ (or God/Goddess, the Divine, Universal Consciousness or whatever you choose to call this ‘Creator’ energy). This particular Easter the Neptune Return triggers a collective awakening or remembering of the desire to find a positive, life affirming pathway to ‘the Creator’ energy. Often we allow others to lead us down their pathways to redemption, and this can be a problem with Neptune. For Neptune is also associated with apathy, hopelessness and waiting for saviours. Yet have saviours really ever helped us in the long run? It’s interesting to reflect on how Obama has had the role of saviour projected onto him at this time in history, and I imagine many astrologers around the world will be wondering how he’ll ride through this Neptune time.
Since being discovered on 23 September 1846, Neptune has slowly journeyed through each of the 12 zodiac signs. Originally discovered at 25 degrees 53 minutes Aquarius, Neptune has since travelled through Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini and so on until moving back into Aquarius in 1998, and now finally on 12 April 2009 reaching 25 degrees 53 minutes Aquarius again. During the past approx 165 years, humanity has had an opportunity to test out, through each of the zodiac signs, pathways to ‘the Creator’ energy or, alternatively, pathways to the-road-to-nowhere. With Neptune now taking another voyage through Aquarius, each of us is being personally called to contribute to ’saving’ humanity and planet earth at this time. It seems we are being reminded that each of us is our own ’saviour’, our own ‘redeemer’, our own ‘forgiver’. Yet this is not about being isolated. It’s about each of us in unity, within ourselves but also in togetherness, doing a bit of ’saving’. By the way, if you were born with a planet at, or close to, 25 degrees Aquarius, then this is likely to be a big month (and year) for you.
Which leaders, which products, which objects, which love interests have ever saved us? We are all equals in this saving business. Do orchestras expect their leaders, the conductors, to play for them? How great is it when all the violinists in an orchestra play individually but create music in unison. And it’s even more wonderful when all the different instruments join in. I’ve been using the word ’save’, but it’s a problematic one. However it’s a shortened way of saying what I really mean, which is ‘being liberated into an authentic and joyful experience of being creators’. When we connect to the conscious creative cosmos we are personally and collectively ‘liberated into an authentic and joyful experience as creators’. To my way of thinking, it’s not really about saving. It’s about becoming creators in every cell in our beings. Feeling saved (from pain and suffering) is a by-product of this liberation into our creator-selves. It’s not necessarily the goal.
So how do we do this? Generally our hearts are the best guidance systems to aligning with creative cosmic consciousness. Yet even our hearts can deceive us if we are not centred. We have three-part energy systems: the lower chakras (our gut emotions), the heart chakra (our unconditional love faculty) and the upper chakras (our minds). The heart chakra works at its most authentic level when grounded by the lower chakras and connected to awareness by the upper chakras. We can then follow the ‘path with heart’ from a place of centredness. Easier said than done of course, but there are many yoga and meditation practices or mind-body-spirit techniques that help cultivate this. Neptune in its negative form helps spin tall stories that take us off path (e.g. the general gore, glitter and glamour that pervades much of the media thesedays) but in its positive form it helps us follow the thread that leads to ‘the Creator’ energy. The Neptune Return offers an opportunity to check in with how we are progressing in our heart centredness and to adapt our methods if the current ones aren’t working. Perhaps in this way we ’save’ ourselves and ’save’ the planet.
On a more earth-centred level, water shortages are likely to become more of a concern given that Neptune is God of the Oceans. Neptune is also associated with the atmosphere (e.g. pollution, gases, fogs and mists). Perhaps dwindling water supplies and worsening pollution reflect back to humanity how we are generally soul-starved by our current ways. For a full discussion of Neptune’s influence, particularly on a world level, you might like to read the following article by Agent 37 of the Cosmic Intelligence Agency: ‘CIA Tenth Zone: The Neptune Return in 2009′. It’s also interesting to reflect on how when we fully connect with the earth through our lower chakras, we align with the ‘heart of Mother Earth’, and when we fully connect with the cosmos through our upper chakras, we align with the ‘heart of Father Sky’. In doing this each of our cells is in constant communication with ‘the Creator’ energy.
This month’s Neptune Return is the precursor to May’s triple alignment of Neptune, Jupiter and Chiron. In next month’s AstroWeather Forecast I’ll give a big-picture rundown on the triple conjunction. Specific details of its effect on each zodiac sign can be found in the 2009 Star Sign Forecast Ebooks.
Of course, much more is happening in April than just the Neptune Return. Here’s some quick snippets on the rest:
Pluto moves Retro on the 5th, signalling a subtle shift over the next few months towards deeper reflection into, and transformation of, power dynamics that have become toxic.
Full Moon in Libra on the 10th, highlighting all relationship dynamics and bringing to a head any of the recent intensities due to Venus (the relationship planet) being retrograde.
Venus shifts Direct on the 18th, auguring a time of forward movement in all types of relationships. The Venus Retro phase will have helped sift and sort past relationship gifts or glitches so that we can move forward with what works for us in relationships and leave behind what doesn’t.
New Moon in Taurus on the 25th, helping ground us after a big month of affairs of the heart and soul. This New Moon promises to help build what is practical and enduring, yet it’s best approached with an attitude of ‘one step at a time’.
I mentioned above under the Easter Special that tarot and energy healing work well with Neptune’s energies. Tarot, because the powerful card imagery activates intuitive insights, and because the language of symbols and artwork are Neptune’s domain. Energy healing naturally attunes us with unconditional love. People often report experiencing this in their bodies as waves of energy washing blissfully through them. You’re especially likely to feel this if you’re a water sign, particularly a Pisces, or have got a lot of the water element in your birth chart.
It’s worth noting that it could well be a romantic Easter with a Full Moon in relationship-sign Libra, with the love-goddess Venus making her moves and with Neptune returning to its discovery point. Neptune is often involved in romantic scenarios (in fact, romance is yet another thing that we humans often get addicted to!) Yet April’s romance is accompanied by confusion. Patience is needed this month while much shifts and changes. Generally, whenever Neptune is prominent, it’s hard to make decisions with clarity. However, the Taurus New Moon on the 25th brings a good dose of reality to help stabilise us into new patterns and routines.
Finally, for those of you who enjoy meditating and/or working with intention/ritual, the exact time of Neptune’s return is 00.39 am on the 12th, AEST time. Doing our best to align our vibrations with ‘the Creator’ energy at this time is a fabulous way to celebrate Neptune’s big moment.
Happy Neptune Return!