Monday, October 27, 2014

Déjà Boo! Digging Up Past Halloween Posts






Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Combine my love of costumes with having Jupiter and Chiron in Scorpio in my chart, and you’ll understand why the list is funny and a little creepy in spots.

Enjoy these Radical reprises:

Scorpio for a Day (26-Oct-09) - How would each of the signs dress up as a Scorpio for Halloween? What weird and wonderful things would they do with it? Die laughing of gallow’s humor.

Happy Haunting from The Radical Virgo (28-Oct-10) – A look at Halloween and its nearby relatives, such as Day of the Dead, All Soul’s Day and the Discovery of Chiron on November 1, 1977 with a look at Chiron’s Scorpio Sun discovery chart.

Halloween Treat Break: Costumes I’ve Had the Nerve to Wear (28-Oct-11) More of me revealed than you may care to see—don’t say you weren’t warned—complete with photos. One of my favorite results of this post was how it reconnected me with a long, lost Scorpio friend.

Signs of Halloween: Quotes and Warnings Around the Zodiac (14-Oct-12) Cracks you might hear and cranks you might wish you could avoid as the 12 signs display their dark sides during the Halloween season, each in their own inimitable style.

Incognito: Costumes and Other Cheap Thrills (29-Oct-13) The psychology of costumes, a costume exercise for you and your friends, and my all-time favorite costume ideas and incidents.

~~~

Photo Credit: © Gstudio Group - Fotolia.com


Friday, October 24, 2014

Thrival Kits for the PUNC Planets: Pluto





Article © 2014 by Joyce Mason



"Come Home to Transformation"

I welcome positive change in my life.
~ Unity Calendar, October 2014

Author’s Note: See the introductory post, Thrival Kits for the PUNC Planets, for background on this four-part series.


Imagine being stripped of all your hang-ups, fears and anxieties … of your past traumas and their influence on you. Visualize yourself in your pure, positive power, doing great things in the world that make a difference just by being yourself, no holds barred. Envision the Root You without any distortion or interference. This is the promise of Pluto.

I have already covered Pluto intensely, a great Plutonian word,  in other articles on this blog. (See The Depths of Change  and Pluto: Ravaged or Nurtured? Also check out the related posts at the end of this article.)

This time, just like Pluto “strips away,” I will not repeat what’s available for additional pondering but get to the core of the Lord of the Underworld and what he’s up to when he visits or highly influences your natal chart. Alas, he’s not very well liked. Pluto tends to make people want to duck or run when they see him coming. Not that I blame them.

On the side of bravery, there may be wisdom in just letting him have his way with you, because his purpose is alchemy—bringing out your inner gold. Getting there may not be much fun, especially if you resist. In this thrival kit, I hope to encourage you to understand the process and to focus on the outcome, not on the knee-deep muck you might have to slog through to finally meet the amazing New You.


What Pluto Asks of You

Most of us resist Pluto, in my humble opinion, because we have trouble believing what we cannot see. Pluto asks you to trust the process, one as old as time itself: birth, death and rebirth. The sun rises and sets, the visual reminder that the downs of life go up again. The seasons wax and wane, giving birth to a new year from the death of another. These cycles are the reliable, repeating and trustworthy patterns of life. If you’re older than a child; you’ve seen so many of them by now, it’s time to believe they’re a metaphor for how all life works.

There are times when my Catholic upbringing offers profound insights into an astrological principle. Pluto reminds me a lot of the Catholic concept of purgatory.  Purgatory is the place souls destined for heaven go to be purified. They have not quite been “holy” enough to earn their pass through the Pearly Gates. Unfortunately, this is tied up with the medieval concepts of sin and suffering that turn off a lot of spiritual mutts, me included. But if we unpack what sin is, it is only error or missing the mark. If we take away the emotional language and fire-and-brimstone fearfulness, purgatory isn’t any scarier than training hard for a marathon or studying for a complex career like law or medical school.

Pluto asks you to do your homework--to know there will be graduation at the end of any series of tough tests. Its coursework will prepare you for a rewarding new life.

I’ll be the first to admit that Pluto’s molasses pace compared to the other planets is a pain, but we’re talking law or medical school, not a six-month certificate that leaves you without much learning or earning power.

My favorite “Pluto in a nutshell” phrase comes from Douglas Block’s title to his book on overcoming anxiety and clinical depression, When Going Through Hell...Don’t' Stop!

If you don’t keep going—if you plant yourself like a stubborn mule and resist—you’ll suffer from another maxim you probably learned at your mother’s knee, as I did at mine: Some people have to learn the hard way. Or my all-time favorite spin on that idea of my mom’s that I’ve mentioned many times on this blog: Some people need a house to fall on their head.


What You May Be Resisting

With Pluto we are resisting major change, even a course correction. The change is fundamental. It has to come from the core of your being. This is rarely easy since we tend to build our lives around comfort, convenience and a fixation on our worldview. All of those things may be pulled out from under us. To make Plutonian changes, we often have to upset the applecart of our entire lives and psyche. This is a lot to ask of habit-loving, change-avoiding humans. Even the most adventurous of people do not want to mess with their lifestyle and orientation to the world.

Yet this is what Pluto asks. You may have to give up the people, places and things you love most. You may question why, but the truth is that a Higher Power is in charge, moving you to the next leg of your life from the Big Picture you can’t see yet. As I have said many times, Pluto requires blind faith and deep trust. Ironic that these are the very issues that people with a lot of natal Pluto aspects struggle with ...

In the most fundamental sense, major Pluto transits or natal wiring give you the opportunity to resolve these issues of faith and trust. The good news is that once you start seeing in retrospect that Pluto leads you to a new path that’s for your own good—that’s better for you and makes you strong—you will then trust the process of life itself. More than this we can’t ask as we walk the earth.

The Shift Needed to Thrive

Back to the good in my Catholic upbringing: There is another tool I acquired in those formative years of uniforms, strict nuns and indoctrination into a belief system, parts of which made no sense to me whatsoever. I was trained to trust God, a bigger force than anything on earth, and to know he had my best interests at heart. Except for the part where God seemed a bit bipolar with wrath as big as his loving kindness, this trust in a Higher Power laid fabulous groundwork for my love of life and trust in its basic goodness.

And, of course, the idea that parental figures knew best, including the ultimate Father, was reinforced almost daily by my mother. “Because I’m your mother” was offered as answer enough to the incessant whys of a curious child. I didn’t understand half of why she made me do certain things or why she held certain beliefs. I could question her all day, but she rarely provided answers other than to cite the innate wisdom of elders or even—God forbid!—“God says,” as if she chatted with him on our 1950s party-line telephone.

I grew and got away from the fundamentalism of religion and drew my spirituality from wisdom principles where many belief systems converge. Ultimately, I embraced a Higher Power with better mental health, one with only my good in mind and the idea that “it’s all good.” We often can’t see it in the moment because we’re in the pain of loss or disruption. We don’t have the view from the mountain. Even if we endure horrible losses, good will return. The heart that loves is expanded by loss, and as it heals, the bigger heart lets in even more love. Just as Pluto moves slowly, this resolution sometimes takes its time, too.


You need to know that good will come of your Plutonian experiences in the end, whether or not you can see it now and whether or not the reason for it makes any sense to you whatsoever at the moment.


One of the vast ironies of Pluto is that we have to surrender power to get true power, the innate power of our divine humanity. We are spirits having a human experience. Catholic catechism taught me that I am made “in the image and likeness of God.” Metaphysics, astrology and mythology reinforced this principle. The shift we need to survive also involves knowing that that all-loving, all-powerful god-ness/goodness is the core of who we are. All changes Pluto brings down upon us, which can seem so rude or devastating in the moment, only bring us back to the true core of who we are—love on earth, reflections of the loving fabric of the synchronous and amazing Cosmic One.

How to Dance with Pluto

Many of the tools that help you navigate one outer planet’s influence help you with them all. You’ll see in this final PUNC thrival kit many themes from the three prior planets covered.

  • Astrology readings – While any outerplanetary transit is a great time for an astrological consultation, Pluto transits are when you’re likely to feel the need for one the most. Because of the difficult tests Pluto often presents, or even just because of the earthquake of change involved, you’re more likely to cry “uncle” and admit you want help. An astrology consultation is a wonderful first step in the surrender Pluto requires, a letting go and letting in cosmic wisdom.
  • Therapy – As with Neptune transits, Plutonian times are ideal for therapy. Pluto rules transformation and Neptune the unconscious, though with Pluto’s connection to the underground and dark side, its transits offer perfect time for unearthing any interior darkness you need to bring to light to be healed. I cannot imagine going through a major Pluto transit without some sort of psychological support. Even when it’s in trine or sextile to your natal planets, when Pluto comes calling; the change called for is so fundamental, it’s comforting, if not essential, to have a professional midwife of the psyche attend your rebirth.
  • Bodywork – Bodywork focused on releasing blockages and the stuck emotions that go along with them is ideal—but be careful not to overdo. (Check out this massage therapy glossary and search for keyword blockages to consider your many options.) With Pluto’s signature intensity, during a Pluto transit, you’re a lot like a Scorpio for however long the current influence lasts. (I’m writing this after a year of Pluto conjunct my Moon. Whew!) Try to avoid too much drama and exhausting yourself, even by way of your bodywork. Be sure there’s a lot of gentle, nurturing type massage to counterbalance the deeper variety, or you’ll risk transformational burnout—too much, too fast, too soon. Transformation is a delicate and organic process. Pluto moves slowly for a reason. Its slow movement helps us absorb deep changes without being totally overwhelmed by them.
  • Medical issues – Pluto is associated with the immune system, infection, and illnesses with life-threatening potential. The latter is not always the case, thank heavens, but given that Plutonian type illnesses can fester for a long time without notice, these transits are an excellent time for a complete and thorough check-up. Since Pluto also is associated with reproduction and sex, a check of the  related organs is good medicine. It’s a time when pregnancy or “female problems” might crop up unexpectedly, same for men with prostate trouble. Other possibilities are extremes of sexuality, such as increased or decreased drive and fertility issues. Pluto is also associated bowel disorders, skin eruptions, and all organs of elimination.  Pluto transits as an inner time is literal as well as figurative.
  • Obsessive/compulsive behavior – Especially if you’re not natally Plutonian, don’t be surprised if a Pluto transit brings out some new obsessive-compulsive tendencies. (I should also mention jealousy and possessiveness.) These behaviors are a reaction of the psyche to a sense of lost control. Since Pluto is asking you to surrender the steering wheel and let the Cosmic Driving Instructor have your keys, these are forms of possible reaction. I suggest discussing it with your close friends and/or therapist. It’s likely a temporary phenomenon, if you haven’t experienced these issues much before the current Pluto influence.
  • Withdrawal – If you normally are extroverted and recharge around people, don’t be surprised if a Pluto transit turns you into somewhat of a hermit. This is normal for coping with major change. Few people care to shed layers of themselves in public. However, taking a hint from the thrival kit for Neptune, this is a time when close friends can be rallied to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t go too far into yourself and succumb to serious depression. On the upside, think of all the reading and film viewing you can catch up on while liking a lot of alone time, not to mention the inner growth that will sprout from all that introspection.
  • “The mystery” - With its Rulership of the underworld and the life-death-rebirth process, Pluto is the planet associated with the mysteries of life. This may be a time when you explore them with signature Plutonian depth and even obsessiveness. How does life and our relationship with the cosmos work? As with Neptune, Pluto also opens psychic gifts and inner knowing. Let yourself be drawn to all things esoteric, and plumb topics that are deeply psychological or mysterious. Don’t be surprised if you want to read or watch mysteries without minding if they’re the gory murderous kind.Your curiosity about the psyche, normal or aberrant, is likely to run high.


The most positive thing you can do with a Pluto transit is to go on an archeological expedition into your own interior, to find out who you really are and how you fit into the greater mysteries of life.


Music and Entertainment Tips


Music.  I couldn’t help but be amused over the fact that I could find very little about Plutonian music, even from my usual research sources. Pluto is the epitome of things hidden. My suggested rule of thumb is that any intensely emotional music would be good to listen to during a Pluto transit. Look for what is evocative for you for releasing the fears and the discomfort of morphing from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The question to ask yourself: Do I feel better, like I released some tension during this music, or worse—more agitated? Blues music may appeal and themes of resurrection and rebirth. To inject a little humor into your transit, try some Halloween music—a most Scorpionic and Plutonian prescription. Since Halloween is on the horizon as this thrival kit posts, keep an ear out! The link in the previous sentence includes “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Monster Mash” by Dellboy and the theme from the movie Ghostbusters. The classical music that most makes me think of Halloween and Pluto is Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

TV/Movies.  Immerse yourself in mysteries, thrillers and a bit of the dark side while not forgetting resurrection themes and the emotional rule of thumb mentioned under Music. Indulge in what releases emotions; avoid what contributes to intensified fear or discomfort. Look for story lines about people who overcome great challenges to reinvent themselves. For a PUNC two-fer, revisit Amadeus, the 1984 fictionalized bio of the outrageous Aquarian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. [1] The Plutonian part of the movie is watching Mozart's rival , Antonio Salieri, nearly eaten alive by envy. A great cautionary tale, if the dark side of Plutonian emotions are flared up for you. F. Murray Abraham won an Oscar for his performance as Salieri, and it is one of the most remarkable I've ever seen without qualification. It's simply stunning for how it reveals a Plutonian transformation going in the wrong direction. (By the way, the photo and link to this movie is the most repinned of all my posts on Pinterest.)

To get you started on some possible films for your Pluto transits, here are some lists by Plutonian topic:

  • 10 Best Transformation Movies  (My Jupiter in Scorpio couldn’t resist the gallows humor that most of these are horror films, which a Pluto transit can feel like in the middle of the movie, so to speak.)


Invoking Pluto

Modified from my Blessing for an Astrology meeting:

Pluto, Lord of the Underworld,
help me remember that Darth Vader
was once a Jedi Knight,
as all of us are inside.
Help me trust the Force,
my own positive power, and how darkness
always turns to daylight.

 More Reading

The Book of Pluto: Finding Wisdom in Darkness with Astrology with Astrology by Steven Forrest (2012)


Healing Pluto Problems by Donna Cunningham (1986)





Comments

Thanks for sharing in the Comments any tools that have helped you with natal Pluto aspects or transits.



Parting Quotes

Pluto strips away every part of you that must die for you to see who you really are—both divinely powerful and humanly vulnerable with enough darkness for your unique light to shine.

                                              ~ Joyce Mason


Finally, here’s a whole list of wonderful Quotes about Rebirth.


~~~


Photo Credit: © agsandrew - Fotolia.com

NOTE

[1] Mozart had a close Mercury/Sun conjunction in Aquarius with Saturn also in Aquarius nearby. Venus is in late Aquarius, and Uranus is conjunct the South Node in his natal chart. The Nodes are part of a T-Square to the Moon conjunct Pluto in Sagittarius. You'll see a lot of the UP or PU in PUNC in the movie, Amadeus. (Those who remember a certain scene will get my joke in the last line.) Both main characters are Plutonian. Mozart's birth data: 27-Jan-1756 in Salzburg, Austria.

 
Disclaimer: This article does not mean to imply any recommendation or certification of any healing methods, individuals or companies mentioned. It is provided purely for informational purposes. Please make your own determination about the quality of the services and products discussed. This article and the others referenced are not meant to constitute advice, nor are they meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.  

Links to the rest if the Thrival Kit Series:


The other PUNC planets series, Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People

Living with the Outer Planets Prominent

Uranians Spread Stolen Fire with Their Fingers

Neptunian Survival Tricks and The Magic of Dis-Illusionment

Pluto: The Reason for Suffering and How to Put Passion to Work

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People: # 5 of 5Chiron and Life's Purpose—Spirited Living


Monday, October 6, 2014

Thrival Kits for the PUNC Planets: Neptune



Article © 2014 by Joyce Mason






“I am a part of all that I have met.”

~ Lord Alfred Tennyson

Author’s Note: See the introductory post, Thrival Kits for the PUNC Planets, for background on this four-part series.


If ever a planet was the poster orb for the expression the agony and the ecstasy, Neptune is it. What other celestial body is associated with Oneness, bliss, inspiration, ideals, spirituality and artistry of all kinds … but also addiction, deception, confusion and substance abuse?

This duality is our first hint that we’re in tricky territory on Neptune. The goal of this thrival kit is to keep you living as much as possible on the upside of Neptune without denying that its dark side must also be acknowledged, even honored. It’s not surprising, speaking of other expressions, that the devil and the deep blue sea somehow go together—Neptune’s oceanic realm.

The sea covers the vast majority of our planet, a metaphor to remind us that our feelings (water) are the most of us. Feelings are what makes us human and what also has the potential to overwhelm, even conquer us, if we’re not mindful. Our bodies are over half water, 60 percent according to most sources. These metaphors make Neptune important beyond words, because Neptune is the heaven for which we risk hell. The risks are worth taking.


What Neptune Asks of You

Neptune invites you to have a love affair with cosmic consciousness—indeed with the love and creative force that joins us all. This is the end result of practicing compassion. Compassion is all about walking in the other person’s shoes. Considering Neptune’s Rulership of the sign Pisces, this oft-quoted bit of Native American wisdom is a catchphrase for the Pisces/Virgo polarity:


Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins.



Walking in another’s shoes requires un-becoming You and becoming Him or Her for the duration of the hike. The ability to put ourselves in the place of someone else, to learn how he or she thinks and feels, is the crux of understanding. Some of us, however, go on marathons in others’ Adidas or Nikes. We aren’t made to fit into another’s skin or shoes for very long. They may pinch, flop off—or worse, cause us to fall flat on our asses when a test drive turns into a long journey with footwear in the wrong size.

Here we touch on one of the most important aspects of Neptune—its fluidity. It’s not just ruler of a mutable sign, Pisces. Neptune comes from the sea, the body that represents Water to the Max. Water takes the form of whatever holds it. Moving water never stays in one place very long—a good goal during Neptune transits or ongoing natal influences. Neptune’s fluidity enables us to grab what we need from the entire cosmic ocean, and then to move onto the next thing.

Neptune’s more blissful manifestations are so ecstatic; we want to stay in its altered states of consciousness, whether from creativity, meditation, drugs—you name it. But Neptune is not about permanency. It’s about changeability. It’s about going to the ocean of bliss, taking a cup of what you need, and moving back to shore to revitalize yourself and others with this drink of the waters of life. The longer we stay without touching shore, the more we risk drowning.


Neptune takes you to heaven but asks you to understand that it’s a near- death experience. You have to go back—and share the bliss with others. You can come back for booster shots as needed, but let’s be clear. You can’t stay—yet.


An example of the reluctance to return from Neptune happens any morning you have to drag yourself awake out of a delicious sleep. If you’re like me and set a snooze alarm to stay in Dreamland just a few minutes longer, the subsequent struggle to get vertical is a taste of the pull Neptune has on us to stay in its gauzy bliss. If you’ve got a strong Neptune (square Moon for me), you may have a hard time “coming to” and take a long time to crank yourself up for waking reality. During a Neptune transit, you might feel like this most of any day. (Nothing to be alarmed about, no pun intended. It’s transitory. Isn’t language fun when it’s so literal?)


What You May Be Resisting

Relinquishing your Self, even for the nicest people among us, is a scary proposition. We work hard to become ourselves and feel comfortable in our own skin, just to toss our individuality into the ocean. Also, many of us have experienced how hard it is to return from Bliss, what Neptunian Oneness feels like. Too much Neptune can be like an undertow that sucks you to the bottom of the sea. Caution is indeed wise to pack in your overnight bag.

All the outer planets help us increase our ability to trust the universe or divine wisdom. Neptune is no exception. We need to remember that the sea has a shore, complementary Earth nearby to keep us grounded. Pack a flotation device. Do whatever works to get you to put in your toes and then bob in the waters of Oneness. Have friends nearby to throw you a life preserver or a pole to pull you in, in case you drift out too far. As long as you pack protection and have an emergency response plan, you can plunge the depths, even if you have been known to swim like a sinking stone. We associate Pluto with letting go, but I think Neptune requires just as much “letting”—the surrender of self.

There are those who don’t resist jumping in. They resist getting out of the water. They’re only too eager to go to bliss but won’t come back to shore, even if they’re starving, their teeth are chattering, and they’re beginning to develop dish pan body. Being the foggy, self-deceptive planet Neptune can be, sometimes we’re too far gone to know it. That’s why it’s crucial to build in the safety factors mentioned above. An ounce of prevention is better than forcing your friends to call the Coast Guard or other less pleasant interventions. Worst of all, there’s the risk of drowning. Some bad endings to this metaphor include creativity pushed to madness, spirituality to cults and surrendered control of your own life, or substances abused to the point of destroying health and happiness—or the ultimate refusal to come back out of the Neptune waters via overdose, accidental or otherwise.


The Shift Needed to Thrive

I have long felt that two symbols hold the hint for handling Neptune: the yin/yang and the Pisces fish. Neptune is the yin symbol, the ultimate feminine water. But to create the balance of chi or life force that the symbol calls for, it contains a drop of yang. Conversely, the yang symbol contains a drop of yin. This complementary energy is your inner lifeguard for the Neptunian waters. One hundred percent water does not work in the world, including in the human body, which is made up of a combination of elements. [1]




The lifeguard or complementary yang polarity can be assigned to a friend, relative, therapist or other helper. Speaking of organizations, let’s learn something from the ultimate ones that deal with the downside of Neptune: the Anonymous or 12-step programs. They always assign their Neptunian members a sponsor. During an intense Neptune transit, it’s important to have someone act in that role. If you’re not normally very addictive, you probably don’t need a formal program for healing addictions. A friend or therapist may do. If, on the other hand, you have addictive tendencies, a literal program of some sort may provide you maximum healing and growth opportunities during especially Trident Times. (Back to the devil and the deep blue sea, it’s no coincidence that Neptune’s trident and the devil’s pitchfork look identical.)


The second symbol, the Pisces Fish, offers similar counsel and indeed the two resemble each other. I have covered in other articles my naming of the Pisces Fish: Bliss and Grounding. Everything I’ve said so far about needing to come back to shore to share ecstasy is encompassed in this symbol. Also within it is the mutability and constant motion of water. It’s an illusion that the fish are not moving. Indeed, it takes thousands of micro-movements to achieve a momentary state where the fluid fish appears to stand still.


The thing to remember during a Neptune transit: You are not yourself. You are everyone. But you can’t stay in the All. You have to come back home to You, enriched by the experience—and paradoxically, more You because of it.


How to Dance with Neptune

Now that you’ve got your “sponsor” in place to be sure you don’t go overboard, feel free to be inspired, spacy, dreamy, blissed out and all the other delicious manifestations of Neptune. You might want to sleep more, dream more (the waking and sleeping variety) and to experiment with meditation, music and other mood shifters.

Some of the suggestions below also include ways of “touching shore.”


  • Astrology readings – As mentioned earlier in this series, any outerplanetary transit is a great time for a reading. A Neptune transit is ideal for psychological astrology, the kind that’s oriented to inner growth and helps you to identify things in your subconscious that may be tripping you up in everyday life. There’s a reason why the famous psychiatrist Carl Jung practiced astrology. It is one of the most accurate diagnostic tools in the world. A skilled astrologer can often go straight to the heart of issues that normally take years of “talk therapy” to uncover and address. (They are visible at a glance in the natal chart.) Let your astrologer wake you up from dreaming long enough to find out what needs your attention, so your life works better.

  •  Therapy – There’s no better time for it. Neptune rules the psyche and subconscious, and during a Neptune transit—or if you’re very Neptunian by birth—the inner door is open for those with the skills to help you navigate your interior. It’s no accident that the symbol for Neptune is nearly identical to the Greek letter psi which symbolizes psychology. Therapy is enhanced during any Neptune transit, but especially when it aspects the Moon. If you have a natal Neptune/Moon aspect, you’re likely to be more open to the healing psychological therapy offers, too.

  • Bodywork – Bodywork of all kinds will do wonders to help you return from Bliss to Grounding, at least periodically.  You are often “out of body” during Neptune transits. Life demands your presence for a lot of important things like driving, parenting, and walking around without tripping and falling. Kitchens and cooking are full of sharp knives, fire and other dangers. (My Neptunian husband recently got conked on the head and nearly knocked out by a flying pot lid from an overhead rack.) Though I’m saying this with humor, it’s no joke. Be careful out there. The neat thing about bodywork is that it is both Neptunian (blissful, relaxing, mood altering) while also bringing that bliss into the physical structures of your body, especially the musculature, to help you be willing to come back to earth for having brought a little heaven with you.

  •  Medical and mental health issues – Neptune transits can bring simmering psychological issues to the point of eruption. This is a time to be aware of your emotional health and to take measures to get professional help, if needed. Ask your sponsor’s help to identify when you might be self-deceptive and avoiding an appointment you really need to make with a doctor, psychiatrist or therapist.

  • Addictions – While I’ve already said a lot on the subject, it is such an issue for Neptune times; it bears repeating. Look at your relationship to alcohol, sex and drugs, including the prescription kind. Neptune transits have the potential to exacerbate addictive behavior. This peak is often the crisis that shouts you need help. Heed the call. Alternatively, sometimes the soberest of men and women find themselves drinking or “doing” too much during these transits. Ask your sponsor or sponsor team of terrific friends to elbow you, if you’re getting out of hand or too out of character.

    A note on sexual addiction: The urge to merge is very powerful during these transits. You don’t have to sleep with the whole football team or all the cheerleaders to have a sexual addiction. An inability to break the spell and break away from someone who is not good for you is as powerful, and in some ways worse, than the multiple partners, sleeping-around stereotype. The Anonymous programs cover all the main addictions: alcohol, drugs and sex. This is just one form of help. Have your sponsors(s) help you sort out what’s best for you.

  •  Gentler forms of healing – With the heightened sensitivity Neptune offers by transit or large natal dosage, you may be more open to subtler types of healing: herbs, essential oils, acupressure, acupuncture (which, when done by a skilled practitioner, is rarely felt), hands-on healing,  energy work—and so on. Healing practices such as t’ai chi, chi gong, yoga and others that move energy may bring exceptional effects because they are so Neptunian by nature.

  • Matters of trust - The potential for deception and boundary crossing—the kind you don’t even realize until the person is smack inside your psyche without permission—is another reason for you to have a sponsor or sponsor committee during these transits. Ongoing if you have a natal Neptune emphasis. What an excellent time to tune up your BS Meter. Many people will feel these subtle invasions in their chakras. (You’re more sensitive to them during Neptune transits.)

    My own experiences have been primarily in the third/solar plexus and second/sexual chakras. The latter can be deceptive, because you think you’re turned onto the person—and you well might be. But instead of the other party’s being upfront about the attraction, he or she will send psychic or other subtle chemistry signals, often not fessing up to the magnetism. It’s a manipulation to get you to make the first move or take the risks of crossing the line into something sexual or to keep you hanging on for whatever reason. Worse yet, presuming the other person is very Neptunian, he or she may be completely unconscious of his or her actions. (You may never figure out the motives or payoff, but some possibilities are using sexual attraction to get something they want from you or to be able to claim you started or pushed it, if they’re married or otherwise partnered).

    The solar plexus “hits” tend to be tension or a churning discomfort, a gut-reaction to something that doesn’t “feel right.” Because manipulation is an underground communication, you can’t point to clear evidence, but you can always point to how you feel, even if it’s as subtle as your bodily reaction because you “smell a fish.” (Learn to say I’m not comfortable or This doesn’t feel right to me.) Lots of times, on the relationship front, there may be some self-deception involved. You may have to admit to yourself; you like the sexual tension and don’t want it to end by busting the game and giving the other person the choice of getting on with it or going away.
  • Grounding Neptune aspects often leave us spacy and in altered states of consciousness. As with Uranus transits, grounding is an issue but for different reasons. (With Uranus, it’s because you’re running such high-voltage energy it’s hard to handle it in physical form; with Neptune, you want to leave your body for more transcendent states. What works is the same. See Thrival Kit: Uranus for some grounding tips. While coffee is usually too much for the already amped-up individual during Uranus transits, you might find it helps during Neptune. Try to keep it short of a fix. (My Pisces ex-husband thought he was having a heart attack only to discover, thanks to his doctor’s good interviewing skills, that numerous espressos a day were causing arrhythmias.)
  • Art and creative “therapy” – This is a time to let loose with your creative energy. If you write, paint, dance, make music or any other artistic endeavor, a Neptune cycle may be the best muse you’ve ever met. Even if the aspect is one of the ones we consider more stressful like a square, opposition or quincunx; the urge to resolve the energetic imbalance often makes creative breakthrough feel urgent. You may become obsessed with resolving it. This is a wonderful time to do your best work, even if you encounter some dams to the flow of creativity. They are just rerouting it to where it needs to go for now. You are likely to be prolific or do a few, great works during this period. If you find yourself getting too manic in the process, your sponsor is on speed dial by now, right?

  • Spirituality.  Along with Jupiter cycles, Neptune transits are one of the best times to dip deeper into your relationship with God/Goddess/All That Is. What is your relationship with the cosmic? What’s missing in your spiritual life that needs “watering?” You are open to being more connected with the All and finding your spiritual bliss. But before you join a convent, friary or shave your head and don saffron robes, sponsor check. Let someone in on what’s turning you on spiritually, someone you trust who’s more grounded than you are currently. They’ll make sure your spiritual path is not turning You off all together.


Music and Entertainment Tips

Music, TV and film are all Neptune-ruled. I won’t get into many specifics here because part of the fun and natural energy of Neptune is to let the spirit move you, to find what you need by going with the flow.

  • Music.  Neptune is associated with music, in general, but I think New Age, ambient and anything you’d listen to for yoga, t’ai chi, etc. are especially Neptunian. Check out Holst’s The Planets to see how you feel about his interpretation of Neptune. In the Thrival Kit: Uranus, I mentioned The HealingEnergies of Music by Hal A. Lingerman. Among the classical composers he associates with Pisces/Water and Neptune are Vivaldi, Telemann and Chopin.

  • TV/Movies.  You might especially enjoy movies on Neptunian topics during its transits: psychology, imagination, spirituality, self-sacrifice, creativity, fantasy, films with a lot of dream sequences or flashbacks, illusion/magic, and biographies of artists. On the side of healing Neptune’s shadow, try themes of deception, escape artists, the underground, drugs and addiction. Psychological thrillers might really suit your fancy at this time, especially if you’re also Plutonian.


Invoking Neptune

From my Blessing for an Astrology meeting:


Neptune,

source of inspiration, compassion and unity:
Help us share our visions

and emotions
to listen with sensitivity
to join our creativity

to see ourselves in each other.


More Reading







Comments

Thanks for sharing in the Comments any tools that have made your transits and natal experiences with Neptune more fulfilling.


Parting Quote Plus

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” 

~ Joseph Campbell

And in the other side of Bliss/Grounding continuum, here’s a great article from the Huffington post on what grounding really means: Staying Grounded: Not Just Another Yoga Cliché



~~~


Photo Credits:

Surreal Sea - © Rolffimages | Dreamstime.com

Yin-yang - © | Dreamstime.com





NOTE

[1] 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of just six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. See http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/f/blbodyelements.htm.

 
Disclaimer: This article does not mean to imply any recommendation or certification of any healing methods, individuals or companies mentioned. It is provided purely for informational purposes. Please make your own determination about the quality of the services and products discussed. This article and the others referenced are not meant to constitute advice, nor are they meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.  


Coming later in October: The final Thrival Kit on the PUNCs,  Pluto.