Precisely conveying the meaning of Neptune is about as easy as nailing down a piece of jello. Fully describing its retrograde is even more complicated. Then again, this is the elusive planet of dreams, illusion and deception that is invisible to the naked eye. Its gamut runs from fully realized enlightenment to clinical insanity, with addictions thrown somewhere in between. Definitions aside, the distant rascal has been retrograde since June 25th, and on December 1st it will station and begin to make forward progress. Fittingly, Neptune’s shift into down gear went largely undetected. June 10th’s solar eclipse in Gemini and June 17th’s Saturn Uranus square were making all of the headlines. That doesn’t mean that the oceanic outer planet hasn’t been performing its primary duty, dissolution, for this entire time. Since October 30th, when provocative Mars entered emotionally-charged Scorpio, Neptune has had a willing and most capable partner in the revelation sector. Cooperatively working from water signs, the two planets have crystalized much and supported a good deal of reprioritization. Notably, Neptune’s coming station is tied to the bookend solar eclipse to June 10th’s.
On one hand, December 4th marks the end of the Gemini/Sagittarius eclipse series that began on June 5, 2020. Further, Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces (where Neptune is) are all mutable signs. Mutable signs are associated with closure. On the other hand, new Moons signify initiation. When said new Moon is in Sagittarius, the next horizon is emphasized. In the background, indelible Neptune is presiding over this moment, when one tide is coming in as the as old one pulls out. If the intangibility of this aspect feels too nebulous, Venus and Pluto are about to linkup in down-to-earth Capricorn.
On December 11th the two will meet for the first of their coming conjunctions. In the sign of institutions, government and big business, the two are bound to ignite macro-economic trends that will manifest into the lives of multitudes of ordinary people. Several big ticket spending items will be before the US Congress at this time. Capricorn is of course where Venus, the personal money planet, will be retrograde from December 19th through January 29, 2022. It is also the sign reforming Pluto inhabited when the GFC got going in earnest back in 2008.
This combination of a personal planet in direct contact with a generational, global influencer suggests that their impact will be clear and substantial. Also, that these meetings will take place in the Saturn-ruled earth sign, underscores the element of sobriety, an interesting antidote to Neptune’s less desirable, escapist tendencies. It is said that Jupiter represents belief and Neptune faith. The new (Jupiter-ruled) Sagittarius Moon and eclipse will offer hope and aspiration. Neptune, with some undeniable clarity from Mars in Scorpio, is delivering the insights. Finally, Venus and Pluto are bringing reality to the party.
