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About Neptune.

By its very nature, Neptune is difficult to talk about.  It tends to be evasive and dreamy, and full of imagination and artistic creativity.  It also can become lost in the illusion of fantasy and encourage sacrifice of the individual self, sometimes for a higher purpose and sometimes in a codependent loss of Self.  In its highest form Neptune inspires us to transcend the material world and connect deeply and directly with an experience of the Divine.

In my work, the outer planets act as transformational forces to inspire and motivate us to evolve beyond the limits of our personality. While each of the zodiac signs is ruled by one of the personal planets in a neat rulership schemata, the three outer planets have been assigned to three zodiac signs in order to better explain the complex nature of these signs. These planets reside outside of the view of the naked eye and do not describe aspects of our personality as the traditional planetary bodies do.  Instead, they represent inspirational and transformational forces which transpersonalize our experiences and bring us into a greater connection with the Universal laws of spirit and metaphysics.

The shift of the outer planets from one sign to the next typically marks a global realignment of some kind. What makes the 2020s so significant astrologically is the fact that all three outer planets will have changed signs between 2023 and 2025. Pluto moved from Capricorn into Aquarius in 2023-2024, and now Neptune is shifting from Pisces to Aries beginning March 30 of this year. Neptune will go back and forth from Aries to Pisces for a year or so during which a readjustment of some kind will certainly occur.

Neptune into Pisces.

The shift from Pisces to Aries is an abrupt one, moving from the mystical Piscean flow to the sharp action-oriented blade of Aries. The last time Neptune was in Pisces, between 1847 and 1862, tensions were building for the Civil War which began when Neptune entered Aries in 1861 (there was a transition period between 1861 and 1862 when Neptune went back and forth between the two signs). It wasn’t just the United States that experienced conflict, the 1860s were marked by wars and the invasions in South America, Europe, Asia and Russia.

The zero degree point of Aries, also called the “Aries Point,” marks the beginning of the zodiac and is therefore critically important in astrology. It is the point of origin, and in this time of change and flux with all three outer planets, plus Saturn, changing signs over the next couple of years, I think it’s likely that the conflicts which are bubbling along under the surface will begin to erupt in fairly dramatic ways.

Neptune is associated with the essence of spirit as well as cultural phenomena; it governs the use of imagination to create new worlds and the kind of creative inspiration that flows through us, divinely guided by higher aspects of ourselves. In Aries, Neptune has the potential to amp up the creative impulse and guide the dreams of Neptune out of the fantasies of Pisces into the Aries realm of action. This of course could be amazing, or it could be challenging since Aries is associated with warfare and aggression as well which will change the more romantic aspects of Neptune.

Neptune in Pisces since 2011 has seen a great deal of deception and illusion, and I expect Neptune in Aries to be a giant wake-up call. With Saturn also moving into Aries there will be a call to stand up and firmly defend our territory and our boundaries. Some have argued over the last decade with Neptune in Pisces that an overabundance of compassion has led to fragile egos and weak minds. That will need to end with Saturn and Neptune both moving into Aries.

Weather, climate and politics

Under Neptune in Pisces, especially in the late degrees of Pisces, we have had what seems like an inordinate amount of flooding. I expect Neptune in Aries to bring more volcano action; the volcanic gases that emerge from volcano eruptions fit perfectly into the Neptune in Aries narrative. Fires that spread rapidly with no known cause are more likely, and viruses like Ebola or blood borne viruses from mosquitos will likely be more prevalent than the respiratory types we’ve had with Neptune in Pisces.

The availability of water with Neptune in Aries, a fiery dry sign, will begin to be a real problem. This will be exacerbated when Pluto enters Pisces in 2043 and wars over water begin.

Politically, under Neptune in Pisces there has been spread of misinformation, disinformation, and lies. With Neptune in Aries the confusion will probably not disappear, humans being human after all, but things will be more out in the open. Conflict will be more direct. Under Neptune in Pisces the blending of genders was more prevalent; with Neptune moving into Aries the trend will swing towards hyper-masculinity.

Conclusion

Uranus too will change signs this year, moving into Gemini, and all four major planets will be acting in concert with two in fire signs and two in air signs. Fire and air are a combustible combination, and this will lead to tremendous change. Don’t expect things to stabilize any time soon, and it is likely that some of our old structures upon which we depend will be exploded in order for the new dimension to take root. Those of us on a spiritual path may find that this is a time of action and engagement with the world as spiritual warriors rather than yogis seeking a higher plane. Or perhaps both, but the action part will not be avoidable.

I always try to remember that the Universe is striving for balance. When a client asks how a certain transit will affect them, we first need to find out what is out of balance in their lives. Right now there is a great deal of imbalance in global affairs, and with Neptune and Saturn both moving into Aries it might not be a soft landing. But if we focus always on the ideal outcome, for the highest good of all, we will thrive under these new energies.

I really like this quote from Katherine May and hope you will too.

“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.”

― Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

Neptune enters Aries March 30, turns retrograde at 2º Aries July 5, retrogrades back into Pisces October 23, turns direct at 29º Pisces on December 11, re-enters Aries January 27 2026. Saturn enters Pisces May 24th and while it will not make an exact conjunction to Neptune in 2025, the two will be close enough to have a joint impact this summer. 

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