Neptune Archives - Astrology Booth

February 12, 2021 By Janet Booth Leave a Comment

Neptune Hiding In Plain Sight

In trying to figure out what astrological correlate(s) might help explain our current difficulties – primarily the pandemic, but America’s dire political divide, as well – I thought surely Neptune must be involved somehow.

Neptune is associated with health matters and diseases, especially those caused by something invisible. One might expect the planetary ruler of virus would be Neptune but it turns out to be Pluto. Named for the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto is certainly a killer. In a previous blog, I wrote about the pandemic’s connection with an ongoing clash (by “square” 90º apart) between Pluto and Eris, the dwarf planet discovered in 2005 related to chaos and discord. Pluto is affiliated with economics and financial matters and we can see those are precarious due to the pandemic. It will take a long time to get them under control. Yes, Pluto is key and Eris seems telling. Still, I smelled Neptune in the mix.

Neptune is related to fraud, lies and deception. We hear a lot about “the big lie” of a stolen election. Ironically, those who believe it think those who don’t have been duped by a conspiracy. Racial tension reached new heights in 2020, as well. Neptune is the planet of the oppressed, the ruling planet of slavery. We have yet to heal the wounds from our “original sin” in America. Another political wedge issue. Our pledge to “one nation, indivisible” rings hollow as our social contract seems to be dissolving. Here’s Neptune again, associated with chemicals and solvents, with the process of falling apart. Another Neptune trait that has also intensified in a harmful way is fear. People, including politicians, are afraid of losing their jobs. People are afraid to run out of money. People are afraid to get the virus. Sure sounds like a lot of Neptune!

Neptune is famous for “hiding in plain sight” so I went sleuthing and my search took me to midpoints. A midpoint is just like it sounds: the middle degree halfway between two planets. It’s a potent position that joins their influences together. The movement of midpoints is not easy to follow unless you have special tables, and these might not include Eris since it’s a rather new addition to the astrological family and not all astrologers are paying attention to it. I checked the midpoint between Neptune and Eris. Sure enough, there was a “planetary picture,” the term for when one planet is at the midpoint of two others, blending the influence of all three. Beginning in the spring of 2020 and continuing off and on until early April of 2021, Chiron is within 1-1/2 degrees (the range of potency) of the Neptune-Eris midpoint. Chiron signifies a wound or weakness, as well as potential for healing. In this combination, it shows the harm of lies and the resulting discord we’re experiencing politically. It also points to our difficulties in responding to COVID-19.

Oxford Languages explains chaos theory this way: “the branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.” I added italics to emphasize a feature of Eris in mythology and astrology, namely matters which begin small grow and grow and become powerful. A disease that starts with just a few cases. A lie that is repeated again and again.

Looks like I found a salient factor, but we can’t conclude things will improve when the troublesome Chiron-Neptune-Eris planetary picture breaks apart in a couple months. It’s leaving a flood of calamity in its wake.

June 6, 2020 By Janet Booth

A Trio of Summer of Eclipses

Most of the time when we have eclipses, there’s a pair, one new moon and one full moon, in either order. Not as often, there’s a trio, like we have in 2020. When there are three, none of them is likely to be total, and indeed, none of this trio is. The first eclipse is a lunar eclipse full moon on June 5. Next is a solar eclipse new moon, exactly on the summer solstice – and that combination is very rare and extremely potent. Third is another lunar eclipse full moon, this one on Uncle Sam’s birthday July 4-5 in the overnight wee hours. When there’s a full moon on a birthday, it points to a big year and an important crescendo, even more so when it’s an eclipse!

Eclipses by definition occur near the path of the North and South Nodes (which are an intersection of the Moon-Earth orbit and the Earth-Sun orbit). They form an axis of opposite degrees which slowly moves backward through the zodiac at a pace of about eighteen months per pair of signs. The Nodes have just left Cancer-Capricorn and moved into Gemini-Sagittarius. The North Node shows us the direction for growth even if growing pains are part of the process. The South Node shows what it would be beneficial to shed or put in the past. The South Node also shows what comes easily, which we can fall back on or use as a springboard to go toward the hard things the North Node is calling for.

The new instructions beckon us to bring out the best of Gemini: curiosity, education, communication and community. Using Sagittarius associations in positive ways will help us in that regard, such as higher principles or religious beliefs, freedom, the media and the internet, and international contact. The old slogan “Think Globally, Act Locally” expresses it best. Negative Sagittarius traits might hold us back, such as not being serious enough, being easily sidetracked and pontificating. We’re finishing a period of moving in the direction of Cancer energy: caring concern and a love of home, family and nation. What we should have been leaving behind are negative Capricorn affiliations: judgment, authoritarianism and repression.

The June 5 full moon eclipse is in Sagittarius highlighting the South Node newly into Sagittarius. Laws relate to this sign and there are some old ones that could stand to be changed. A key feature of this eclipse is the Moon and Sun forming a T-square pattern with Mars, the planet of anger and action. We see this shown by the protest marches around the world. Mars in Pisces isn’t usually outwardly angry, but Pisces is the sign of the underdog, so that’s who people are fighting for now. Mercury is in Cancer, indicating emotional communication, and Mercury is riding high in the sky, beyond the Sun’s range that defines the normal planetary path (said to be “out of bounds”). Voices are loud and will not be silenced.

In two weeks, summer begins the afternoon of June 20 and less than nine hours later, the new moon solar eclipse in Cancer kicks off the new season with a bang. What happens at the time a season changes reverberates throughout the following three months. The Moon and Sun at the first degree of Cancer are a little more than a degree away from the North Node at the end of Gemini, emphasizing our new marching orders to look around, listen, learn and speak up. Because Cancer is a water sign, we put feeling into these endeavors.

The eclipse chart set in our nation’s capital has Uranus on the rise, less than three degrees from the horizon (Ascendant). This could bring rebelliousness and surprises. Uranus in Taurus can literally mean sudden movement of the earth, such as earthquakes, not necessarily that one will happen in the DC area (but it’s not unheard of – there was one in 2011). Mars is still in Pisces, close to this sign’s ruling planet, Neptune (adding even more emotion and sympathy). Its square with the Sun, nearly exact on June 5, continues, now about five degrees from exact. This would mean its effects are dissipating somewhat except that this eclipse is at the season change, so the fiery feelings persist throughout the summer season, reinforced by the Moon being exactly square Mars at the solstice.

The most difficult of the trio of eclipses is apt to be the third in early July. By then, Mars is the sign it rules, Aries, having entered on June 27. Mars spends the remainder of 2020 in Aries, a long time in one sign, because it’s retrograde here from September 9 to November 13. This powerful planet at its strongest can bring impatience, decisive action (whether wise or rash), selfishness and war or military involvement. At this eclipse, Mars is approaching Chiron a little more than five degrees away (they join July 14). Chiron can show where a weakness needs to be strengthened or a wound needs to be healed. Mars wants us to take action to cure what ails us. This eclipse is also very near the second of three conjunctions of Jupiter and Pluto (June 29), which portend big changes, extremes in economic matters, and the potential for high death tolls. Covid-19 is not going away any time soon, unfortunately, and the economy is still in serious danger.

This is a precarious time! On the individual level, improving communication and maintaining perspective and humor are in keeping with the Gemini-Sagittarius nodal shift. The robust Mars energy can be utilized for physical activity and competing. Be careful of temper and try to find ways to channel anger into constructive action.

September 12, 2019 By Janet Booth Leave a Comment

SHINE ON HARVEST MOON

At this time of year, the Sun moves through Virgo. Think of the shaft of wheat held by the “Virgin” in some depictions of this sign and how the full moon (across from the Virgo Sun) lights up the fields at night enough for overtime work. Hence the Harvest Moon. This year, it coincides with Friday, the 13th. OK, to be technical, in the Eastern time zone, the exact full moon is after midnight (12:33 AM) on the 14th. In the rest of America’s time zones, it’s on Friday. Close enough. The astrological significance of Friday the Thirteenth stems from Friday being the day in honor of Venus and Thirteen being a number associated with Venus. It’s like a double Venus day.

At the Full Moon, Venus and Mercury are hand-in-hand, fostering cooperative discussions and negotiations, sweet talk and lovers tête-à-têtes. They are poised at Libra’s doorstep, entering the sign together early on the 14th. (Mercury is in Libra until October 3, Venus until the 8th.) Smooth communications may not be enough to counter-balance the difficult influence of a T-square (possibly the toughest pattern in a chart) formed by Mars quickly sparring with a slow Jupiter-Neptune square that’s in place off and on in 2019. Its third and final flare-up is Sept. 21 (prior instances were 1/13/19 and 6/16/19). This has magnified confusion and put a spotlight on trust issues. Jupiter and its sign of rulership, Sagittarius where it’s traveling for most of this year, are associated with the media, the legal arena, foreigners and universities. Neptune is moving through the sign it rules, too: Pisces, together highlighting compassion or the lack thereof. Mars’ addition to the mix introduces haste, anger, competition, self-concern or existential issues. Sometimes there are news stories where these themes converge. An example would be hurricane victims (related to Neptune, ruler of the downtrodden) trying to cross an international border (Jupiter) for their very survival (Mars).

Another key tense configuration at the Full Moon is the Moon and Sun opposite each other and both are in the stressful half-square / square-and-half connection to Uranus. The Pisces Moon inclines us to rely on instincts and impressions, while the Virgo Sun gives a preference for critical analysis and facts. Uranus in the Earth sign Taurus also favors a scientific, realistic assessment, but it’s the planet of surprises, which could certainly crop up. Uranus is also related to technological matters, which might either pose a risk or be a saving grace. This pattern may show you your unique way (Uranus) to do your spiritual (Pisces)work (Virgo).

The Jupiter-Neptune square is shoved again next month by Mercury 10/4 – 10/5 and by Venus 10/9 – 10/12, each in Scorpio making the half-square to Jupiter and the square-and-half to Neptune. We might experience the “swimming in circles” feeling again but probably without so much irritation (Mars isn’t involved) and hopefully with the impetus to make some changes. Scorpio is a good sign for letting go, turning the page and moving on.

Jupiter is in a little trouble again right after that with its third and final square-and-half to Uranus (earlier occurrences were 1/9 and 6/6). This connection usually brings some unexpected doozies so keep your seatbelts fastened. Electrical problems or storms with associated power outages are a strong possibility; have those extra batteries ready. Friction in international relations is another likely manifestation.

After this fanfare fireworks finale, smoother planetary interactions come into play. November and December will seem tame in comparison (well, for many people); in fact, they’re some of the easiest months of 2019. There is the likelihood of “karma” at work in Washington in November. Using the “geodetic” equivalents for longitudes of world locations – the zodiac degree wrap around our globe beginning at 0 degrees of Aries in Greenwich, England, and going eastward through the signs – the USA east coast is in the Capricorn area. Saturn is moving through Capricorn, hitting 17 degrees (Washington’s location) for the third time in November. It was there earlier this year in late February to early March and late June through the middle of July. Check news from around then for hints as to what’s coming up.

With any of these third visits, usually the planets have done most of their work in the first two and there’s a call-back to or wrap-up of what went on before. Sometimes the phenomenon of “things happen in threes” is in evidence. Three visits from a moving planet happens because of the zigzag movement due to retrogradation, an optical illusion when a faster planet lines up with a slower one. The good news is you have three chances to utilize the planets’ energies. For keywords of what is associated with each planet and sign, see the Astrologer’s Apprentice Cheat Sheet from AstrologyBooth.com.

March 6, 2019 By Janet Booth Leave a Comment

As Pisces As It Gets!

Neptune, the ruling planet of Pisces, spends approximately 13 years in its home sign during its 165-year swim around the zodiac. It dipped its toes into Pisces in 2011 and doesn’t completely leave this sign until early 2026. You’d say that sounds like 15 years but you’d be fooled (a Neptunian pitfall) in that assumption. Because planets appear to move backward in the zodiac (an optical illusion called retrograde motion due to the earth also being in motion), slow planets take 1-2 calendar years to transition between signs.

In 2019, we’re just over halfway through this important period when this sign and planet reinforce one another and their shared traits and inclinations are exhibited most powerfully. And when the union of the Sun and Moon at a New Moon occurs close to Neptune, these tendencies are accentuated even more.

During Neptune’s time in Pisces, there are two New Moons just two degrees from Neptune (2/21/12 and 3/13/21) and one Solar Eclipse New Moon only three degrees from Neptune (2/26/17). The New Moon on March 6, 2019 gets the award for closest to Neptune, less than half a degree away, and that’s as Pisces as it gets!

What can we expect in the coming four-week lunar cycle? A big dose of everything related to Pisces and Neptune.

This sign and planet are not known for being straightforward nor transparent. Instead, they operate in round-about ways, in the realm of illusion and mysteries. They deal in dreams rather than reality, in impressions, wishes and fantasies rather than facts. Their domain encompasses fog, veils, and whatever goes on behind the curtain or behind your back. Their associated territory in a chart is the Twelfth House, a place indicating hidden enemies, imprisonment or confinement. This is also the area of our connection to the Divine (however that’s defined) and our need for retreat and rest. Neptune and Pisces are affiliated with sleep, healing (which takes place during sleep), the medical field, medications and self-medicating, including alcohol and recreational drugs. In the body, the related areas are the feet (containing reflex points that impact one’s entire physiology) and the immune system. On a psychological level, projection, escapism and delusion come into play, as well as pathological lies and playing the victim. Positive expressions of this energy are visualization, prayer, empathy and psychic ability. This is the sign and planet most connected to fear and faith, the opposite side of fear’s coin.

We may be in for extra confusion in the current period courtesy of Mercury, the planet of communication, traveling in reverse in Pisces. This can feel like swimming in circles (the fish chasing its tail). The retrograde began on March 5 with Mercury at 29° Pisces, a degree of selflessness and sometimes of suffering. This likely makes this bout of Mercury Retrograde in Pisces more challenging than some Mercury backtracks in this sign. In addition, Mercury passes by Neptune three times: February 18-19 (depending on your time zone) in the approach to its back-up, March 24 while Retrograde, and April 2 when leaving the back-up range. These are apt to be peaks of Piscean problems or possibilities. Jupiter, which magnifies whatever it’s involved in, is roughly 90 degrees (“square”) Neptune during this time (exact January 13 and June 16) and Mercury will feel Jupiter’s amplification when Mercury is square Jupiter on February 22, March 15 and April 12. The final connection may be most difficult since Jupiter turns Retrograde on April 10 and thus is motionless and exerting additional force.

Other important links for Neptune in this period (which Mercury will also replicate) are a jarring 45-degree “semisquare” with Uranus (exact December 15, 2018 and May 1, 2019), a planet famous for shocks and surprises, and easy 60-degree “sextiles” with two planets in practical, grounding earth signs: Saturn in Capricorn (exact January 19 and June 18) and Mars in Taurus (exact March 10). These sextiles with planets in earth signs are likely to be our saving grace to keep us from going off the deep end. Pisces and Neptune don’t incline us to stick to something but Mars in Taurus won’t let go or give up.

Recommendations for handling these energies:

To satisfy the Uranus-Neptune semisquare, break away from your comfort zone or old established ways and surprise yourself by reaching for a dream. To honor Saturn’s need for maturity and wisdom, don’t go crazy; have a plan or at least a realistic goal. Then bring in the assistance of Mars in Taurus by being persistent and steady in heading toward the finish line. In the process, trust your sixth sense since Mercury in Pisces isn’t good at logic. Use the positive visualization feature: “believe to achieve” and “see it to be it.”

To learn more about Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, watch the February episode of LOOKING UP entitled “Swimming in Stormy Seas.” Some of the other phenomena mentioned in this blog are also addressed in the March episode “Shift Into Spring.”

One more thing: we shouldn’t ignore another major astrological occurrence on March 6, 2019: Uranus enters Taurus for a visit of approximately seven years. It made its first foray into Taurus on May 15, 2018, with Neptune at 16°10’ of Pisces, only one degree from a precise semisquare. At Uranus’s re-entry into Taurus, Neptune is at 16°9’, a nearly exact duplication of the prior set-up. On May 15, 2018, the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii began, a very apt symbol for the shift from a fire to an earth sign for the planet related to volcanoes and explosions in a tension relationship with the planet of the oceans. Literally fire went into the ocean and then created more land (earth). Over the next seven years, expect Mother Nature to give us some significant wake-up calls as Uranus, the “alarm clock” planet, travels through earth sign, Taurus.

January 1, 2019 By Janet Booth Leave a Comment

2019 Gets Off to a Jumpy Start in January

The new year promises a lot of hope and opportunity for growth. Jupiter is in its sign of rulership, Sagittarius, for most of 2019 (11/8/18 – 12/2/19). This is the planet of optimism in the sign of expansion. Yet there are precarious periods when it’s better to lay low than forge ahead. January is such a time.

As January gets going, two planetary turning points pack a wallop. When planets begin or end their apparent backward motion (retrograde), they seem to stand still for days (called “on station”), which intensifies their influence. Uranus, acting like an alarm clock to shake and wake us, shifts from reverse to forward motion on 1/6, less than 24 hours after a Solar Eclipse New Moon on 1/5. On 1/10, dwarf planet Eris, known for being warlike and disruptive, does likewise. In between, the most trying combination of the year kicks into high gear, the Jupiter-Neptune square on 1/9.

It may help that the New Moon is in stable Capricorn and very close to (less than 3° from) Capricorn’s ruling planet, Saturn. This influence offers grounding in common sense and tradition, or restraint by virtue of rules. Saturn keeps Jupiter reined in (at least a bit) via a mild semisextile (30°) connection. Neptune two signs from (sextile) the Sun, Moon and Saturn contributes a touch of softness but can’t be very helpful since it’s in a jarring relationship with Uranus (see next paragraph). A nice Water sign trine (120°) from Venus in Scorpio to Chiron in Pisces supplies sympathy and could help reduce the impact of financial bumps. Venus is one of two money planets while Chiron is an asteroid with a healing “repairman” function. But they’re up against some heavyweights.

An insidious influence from two slow-moving planets sets a snare into which quicker planets fall. From the second half of 2017 into the first half of 2019, Uranus and Neptune form a grating connection (semisquare) five times. The most recent instance on 12/15/18 is still reverberating. These two planets are within 1° of their exact 45° relationship from 11/13/18 to 1/27/19. (The next occurrence is the finale on 5/1/19 (with a repeat of their 1° range this spring from 3/19 to 5/30.) Uranus brings shocks and surprises. Neptune acts out of sight and sneaks up on you. Their combined effect spawns great confusion and instability. For instance, the 2018 Janet’s Plan-its warned of “volatility in commodities and the stock market” from their interaction. Well, we’ve been having that! Big Jupiter amplifies the problems when it interacts with Uranus and Neptune on 1/9 and 1/13, respectively (as it will again 6/6 and 6/16). Speedy planets join the fray: Venus and the Sun, traveling 45° apart, form a tangled mess with these three 1/18 – 1/22 (including at the Lunar Eclipse Full Moon on 1/21) and Mercury follows suit 1/23 – 1/24 for a wild roller coaster week. Situations come to a head at a full moon, even more so at an eclipse.

Eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon line up with the lunar Nodes, the directional indicators showing our path for spiritual or cultural development. Currently the North Node in Cancer aims us toward caring for home, family and nation, moving us away from the domination by corporations and government associated with the South Node in Capricorn. Uranus is halfway in between, forming a T-square (which marks a turning point) with the Sun, Moon and Nodes. Their effect is not a gentle nudge but more like a slap in the face. The question is whether Neptune’s collaboration will bring empathy for desperate situations or signal an escapist ignoring of troubles. Think of how Al Gore warned us years ago of the “inconvenient truth” of global warming and how still some people think there’s no problem or that we have all the time in the world to save our planet from devastation. We’re hearing from the scientists now that we do not. It’s time to raise awareness, maybe through a march or something like a Climate Aid concert. Or Mother Nature may supply inspiration through a calamity.

Maybe we can muster up a sense of urgency. Mars, the planet of action, is in its sign of rulership, Aries, from 12/31/18 to 2/14/19, bringing agitation and impatience. There’s also a tendency to jump the gun (and perhaps toward more gun violence since Mars and Aries rule weapons and attacks). Fortunately, Mars does not interact with the Uranus-Neptune semisquare or we’d be on the lookout for trouble from religious rebels. (Uranus rules revolutionaries and Neptune rules belief systems.) Instead, at the lunar eclipse, Mars is in harmonious relationships with Jupiter (trine) and Neptune (semisextile), mitigating the difficulties posed by the Jupiter-Neptune square. Neptune is related to fears on one side of its coin and faith on the other. When Jupiter expands these in January, we’ll see extremes of both expressions, twisted weirdly as a result of the involvement of Uranus, planet of the unusual. Mars encourages us to take action rather than being frozen in apprehension. See if you can figure out something positive to do to help in the areas in which you’re involved. Together, we can make a difference.

Although, the new year holds some good prospects, carefully choosing when to act will help ensure success in your endeavors. Take advantage of the recommendations in the Janet’s Plan-its Best & Worst Days of 2019 list, a free downloadable PDF. And mark your appointment calendar with the Janet’s Plan-its 2019 Day Ratings or print the free 12-month list to carry with you. Add luck to your plans using the power of the Plan-its!

Neptune Hiding In Plain Sight

A Trio of Summer of Eclipses

SHINE ON HARVEST MOON

As Pisces As It Gets!

2019 Gets Off to a Jumpy Start in January

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