Astrological update for the week of November 29, 2021: A solar eclipse, and some Neptune fog
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This week the big news is Neptune turning direct on December 1 after traveling in apparent retrograde motion since June 2021 (like the other two outer planets, Neptune is retrograde approximately half the year), and the upcoming solar eclipse on December 4th in Sagittarius.
The outer planets work as inspirational forces, and because they move slowly their impact can last for a long time. When a planet is preparing to change direction, its apparent motion from our perspective on Earth slows down to a crawl before stopping as it appears to turn, just like a car doing a U-turn would do. At these times the influence of the planet is particularly potent, especially if it is hitting a sensitive point in our own chart. Neptune has been between 20-23 degrees Pisces since February 2021, so if you have planets in this degree range in any of the mutable signs (Pisces, Virgo, Sagittarius, Gemini) you might have been experienced some intense confusion, inspiration, heightened imagination, deeper spiritual connection – all of these are Neptunian experiences that tend to enhance or blur the mundane day to day reality.
This can be a magical time, full of Spirit and wonder, but it can also create some illusion and delusion. In the middle of a pandemic, and with the intensity of the square from Saturn to Uranus creating some conflict and disruption, the desire to escape may be a strong one. Neptune in Pisces is itself connected with the idea of a virus that spreads mysteriously around the world. Neptune will not leave this 20-23 degree box until April after a conjunction to Jupiter in Pisces, which is another whole story of potential spiritual grace mixed with delusion.
In any case, […]