Neptune in Astrology: the Dreamer in the Sky
Neptune, the God of the Seas in Roman mythology, is the planet of ideals, intuition, spirituality, psychic powers, compassion, and unconditional love.
In Astrology, Neptune is known as the Lord of Illusions.
It makes us want to escape mundane reality to enter a dreamy, heavenly state.
Many astrologers believe that Neptune is the link between the spirit world and the earthly realm.
Neptune is the modern ruler of the last Zodiac sign of Pisces.
We’ve just witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime Neptune-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces on April 12, 2022.
It occurred last time back in 1856, and won’t happen again until 2188!
It is a big deal for all of us on both individual and collective level.
Related article: Jupiter – Neptune Conjunction: Old Dream or New Reality?
History and Facts
Neptune was discovered in 1846 and is the most distant planet in the solar system.
Neptune has significantly shorter days than earth (it only takes about 16 hours to fully rotate).
This partially explains why those with prominent planetary placements in Pisces love to daydream and need a lot more sleep and rest than the most of us.
In the Solar system it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times the mass of Earth, and slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus.
The planet’s symbol is a trident.
Neptune in Astrology
Neptune is an outer planet. It dissolves boundaries and connects us to the divine Source.
Neptune is the higher octave of Venus.
It brings the beauty to a higher, more spiritual level.
No wonder Venus is exalted in Pisces, the sign ruled by Neptune.
The Shadow Side of Neptune
The shadow side of Neptune is associated with deception, trickery, self-undoing, self-sabotage, and addiction.
Neptune governs the ocean. It rules over rain, fog, and liquids of all kinds, including alcohol.
It also rules drugs and other unhealthy means of escapism. It is the domain of dreams and illusions.
Neptune is closely connected with self-deception and makes us view the world through rose-coloured glasses.
It can cause a lot of problems if badly aspected in one’s chart.
Ancient astrologers called Pisces, the Zodiac sign ruled by Neptune, the sign of sorrow from self-destruction.
One of the biggest issues of Neptune’s influence is the tendency to escape from what we don’t want to deal with. If not managed properly, this can lead to falling prey to overindulgence and addictions.
Healing Neptune’s Problems
The most productive way to deal with its shadow side is through engaging in healthy means of escapism. Creativity, music, films, the arts are all ruled by Neptune.
Although Neptune can make us rather impractical and even lazy, it can also bless us with the ability to perform prodigious work.
These untapped talents are best developed through engaging in projects or hobbies we truly care about.
The dreamy and deeply creative nature of Neptune makes us view the world from a unique standpoint.
It blesses us with the unique way of receiving and processing information, which differs from the norm. Neptune makes us view the world through the lense of otherworldly realms, which leads to major advances in technological breakthroughs, futuristic trends, and science.
Neptune demands to find the way to channel immense creativity it is blessing us with.
If not managed properly, there is a risk that this powerful energy may manifest in addictions and other unhealthy means of escapism and self-undoing.
Neptune’s Blessings
The positive side of Neptune is associated with abundant creativity, heightened intuition and spiritual awakening.
Individuals ruled by Neptune (Pisces Sun, Moon or Ascendant) are usually super creative.
They tend to pick professions in the creative and healing fields.
Those heavily influenced by Neptune are not suited to the harsh corporate environment.
They are poets, dreamers, musicians and mystics at heart.
Those with heavy Neptune placements are born healers. Extreme sensitivity blesses them with the gift of unconditional love and compassion.
They are capable of picking up on energies of people and places as soon as they enter a room.
Learning about the big 3 in your Birth Chart (your Sun, Moon and Ascendant) can give you an in-depth understanding of your unique personality traits.
Related article: The Big 3 in your Birth Chart (Ascendant/Sun/Moon)
Zodiac sign’s planetary ruler is what gives planets and celestial points the edge and their unique characteristics in a Birth chart.
Each planet holds a certain type of energy that makes its rulership distinctive and unique.
Related article: Your Birth Chart: Understanding the Planets
Neptune Transits
Neptune is a slow-moving planet.
It takes around 164 years to come full circle—too long to complete a full cycle through a birth chart.
Neptune’s transits are long-lasting.
Neptune’s transits over personal planets and luminaries (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus & Mars) are considered to be quite challenging.
It’s not unusual to feel foggy and confused during the first portion of the transit.
The ultimate lesson of Neptune’s transit is to re-establish our connection to Source.
It cultivates our faith in the higher power and helps to re-build trust that we’ve somehow lost along the way.
Neptune is often here to awaken our suppressed creativity that’s waiting to be discovered and channelled into the world.
The area of our lives touched by transiting Neptune, especially by hard aspects, is where we might be feeling confused and disoriented, especially during the initial stage of the transit.
There is a lack of boundaries and an overall feeling of being up in the air.
For example, if Neptune is conjunct your Natal Moon you might be experiencing a lot of confusion when it comes to your emotional well-being and immediate home environment.
If Venus is involved, it is very likely you will be experiencing a lot of uncertainty when it comes to your love life and financial matters.
Neptune through Houses
Since Neptune is a slow-moving planet, its sign in a Birth chart is referred to as a generational influence.
Its house placement and a contact with any planet (especially personal planet or luminary) play a far greater role than the sign Neptune is in at the time of birth.
Neptune’s position by the house in a natal chart reveals the area of life where we tend to feel confused and disoriented.
Related article: the 12 Zodiac Houses Explained
It often signifies the need to master this area of life and learn quite a few lessons before we can achieve success.
We tend to chase unrealistic dreams and expectations, which often leads to major setbacks and crushing disappointments along the way.
For example, if Neptune is sitting in the 1st house of your Birth chart, it can bless you with phenomenal artistic abilities, especially if it is close to the Ascendant (within 10 degrees).
However, you may be prone to addictions and self-sabotaging behaviours. Neptune in the 1st house very often signifies the tendency to suffer from mental health problems, such as depression and panic attacks. It is recommended to stay away from drugs and alcohol with this placement as its influence makes it very difficult to control consumption.
Merlyn Monroe had Neptune close to the Ascendant in her Birth Chart. It is a well documented fact that she suffered heavily from typical Neptunian issues throughout her life.
The best way to handle this tricky placement is to focus on developing creative gifts and abilities.
Desire to escape mundane reality can be satisfied by immersing in artistic activities such as music, writing and acting. You don’t have to work in the creative or healing fields.
Just find a hobby that nourishes your soul and allows you to escape the harsh reality of life in a healthy, productive way.
Use this free Birth Chart calculator to create your Natal Chart in case you haven’t had a chance to get it yet.
N.B.: Remember that it’s ideal to have your EXACT time of birth on hand. Use 12 p.m. noon if you have no way to get this information. The best option, of course, is to get a personal reading with a professional astrologer who can provide birth-time rectification. Birth time and birthplace are crucial pieces of information for your Natal Chart, as they determine the unique position of the houses and planets that can help you understand transits and their impact on your personal journey.
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