Neptune direct

Planetary news this week: Inspiration and dreams, with a sprinkle of fairy dust

Astrological update for the week of November 27 – December 5, 2022

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It’s a pretty quiet week in the astrological skies, and the lunar influences will be more noticeable (scroll down for the details of the week). This is the end of the Sagittarius influences – next week Mercury and Venus will both enter Capricorn and pave the way for the Sun to move into Capricorn at the December Solstice on December 21st. Every change from one sign to the next brings a release of the matters of one sign and the introduction of something new, and from Sagittarius to Capricorn we transition from an expansive view of possibilities and optimism (Sagittarius) to a more focus and finely honed set of goals and objectives, with strategies for meeting those goals (Capricorn).

That’s what’s coming next week, but this week is the last of the buoyancy that Sagittarius brings and along with it, the tendency to overpromise and under-deliver.  With Ceres opposite Neptune having just peaked last week, we may not have the energy we think we do under the optimistic Sagittarius influences, so it’s a good week to conserve our energy while having a great time in the pursuit of Sagittarian happiness. Jupiter, the planetary ruler of Sagittarius, has just turned retrograde and is still virtually stationary in the sky making sure that we are looking for opportunities and the positive side to things. And Neptune, turning direct this week after a retrograde stint of about six months, is at a standstill with the siren call to experiences of magic and dreamy adventures which could bring bliss or ruin. Ideally the bliss part! At any rate, if you have planets between 20 and 25 degrees of […]

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By |2022-12-02T09:28:14-05:00November 28th, 2022|Planetary news this week|4 Comments

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, […]

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By |2021-11-30T10:49:01-05:00November 30th, 2021|Planetary news this week|2 Comments

Sunday inspiration for Neptune stationing direct

Photo by Rocky Mountain Healing Center

Neptune has been virtually stationary for the past month as it prepares to turn direct on November 28 after months of retrogradation. When a planet is stationary in the sky, its influence can be felt more deeply as its energies penetrate in a way that is more intensely personal.

Neptune, an outer transformational planet rather than a personal planet of personality, inspires and motivates us to seek a reality that lies outside the boundaries of the physical world.  Under Neptune’s influence we can experience a spiritual bliss and unbounded creative inspiration, but also can take us into realms of illusion if we slip too far beyond the pale of the mundane world.

Thomas Moore writes about the soul in a way that is profound and yet accessible.  Today I offer a few passages in honor of Neptune!


“Beauty feeds the soul, wakens it, and brings it to life as nothing else can. Beauty is a deep-seated reaction to some meaningful and stunning presentation of life. It stops you and gives you an instant promise of pleasure. But if you have no soul, you won’t even see the beautiful in the thick layers of your practicality and in the density of your own ego. All your senses and your full imagination have to be alert when beauty makes its appearance. If you miss it, it is like going without food.”

— Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life’s Ordeals

“Spiritual people often speak glowingly of wholeness and pursue it as an ideal. But the soul is present in disintegration as well when we have entered life generously and have been affected, having lost our original innocence and ideals. To be […]

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By |2020-11-15T08:18:14-05:00November 15th, 2020|Inspiration|3 Comments

Planetary news this week! Sagittarius New Moon, Venus in Capricorn and Neptune Direct

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The Sagittarius New Moon occurs on November 26th marking the beginning of Sagittarius season.  Sagittarius times tend to be more lighthearted and hopeful than periods dominated by, say, Scorpio, which we have been going through over the past few weeks.  Two planets still linger in Scorpio, but the New Moon in Sagittarius offers an illumination into the ideal of hope and a belief that we can indeed find meaning in our lives that brings a sense of peace and fulfillment.

This New Moon is harmonized by a trine from Chiron, which helps to soften the rough edges and facilitate the healing of any old wounds that linger in the psyche.  However, an awkward inconjunct* from the New Moon to Uranus suggests that there is a pressure to break away from old patterns and begin something new, although we may not yet be aware of what that ought to be.  Often the 30 degree and 150 degree angles plant seeds of irritation and restlessness that are fulfilled when a stronger planetary cycle comes along.

The energies of the New Moon begin a few days away from the actual alignment, so we are in the shadow already of this New Moon.  This is the perfect time to seek an adventure, either in the mind or an actual adventure in the physical world.  Under the influence of the Sagittarius New Moon we are encouraged to open up to ever greater possibilities and never to settle for a limited or safe alternative.

Venus enters Capricorn on November 25th, and for a few weeks our relationships with others taken on a more sober flavor.  After a few weeks in Sagittarius, Venus is now focused more on Doing the Right […]

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By |2019-11-25T21:03:06-05:00November 25th, 2019|Moon, Planetary news this week|2 Comments

Thoughts on Neptune direct

Neptunian fog Image from Templatesfactory.net

I have a bifurcated work life.  (bi·fur·cate (b f r-k t , b -fûr -). To divide into two parts or branches.)

As many of you know, I have a real estate business and I have an astrology practice.  That’s not surprising because I have Gemini rising – the sign of the twins governing the arena of my persona.  I am happiest when I am living in two worlds at once.

The conjunction of Chiron and Neptune has been wandering back and forth over my Midheaven, which is the point of the chart at which we find our place in the world.  When Neptune crossed my Midheaven the first time, along with Chiron at about 26-27 degrees, I decided to quit the real estate business.  With the market tanking anyway, it seemed like the perfect time.  Beliefnet picked up my blog, everything was moving forward in that direction.  Finally I could do astrology full-time.  I had little interest in the kind of left-brain efforts required to run a business, I just wanted to do readings all day long (Neptune) and pursue a path of healing and helping others to heal (Chiron).

Then Chiron and Neptune retrograded, going back over my Midheaven last spring and summer.  Suddenly I didn’t want to do anything but play music.  I cut my reading schedule way back, and continued to enjoy the slow real estate market.  I was living a life of Neptune: meditation, music, yoga, daydreaming (fortunately I have a healthy savings account thanks to Jupiter in Taurus).   My usual workaholic self was nowhere to be found.

Then Neptune and Chiron turned direct, once again within a few days of each other, and just as suddenly I […]

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