By Amanda Painter
On Saturday, Feb. 27, Eric will be giving a talk on Tarot, Divination and Chaos Theory in Saugerties, New York; the talk will be followed by members of the Psychic Saturday Meetup Group offering readings. (If you want the details, comment below.) Coincidentally, this event actually dovetails quite well with the weekend’s major astrological event, one that can indicate deepened interest in the occult, in spiritual pursuits, and in the ‘deeper truths’ hidden behind everyday life: the Sun conjunct Neptune in Pisces.
Photo by Amanda Painter
Sun conjunct Neptune is exact at 10:47 am EST on Sunday (15:47 UTC).
Of all the planets, Neptune is known to have the widest ‘orb of influence’ — that is, as other planets come into aspect with Neptune, the effects of that contact have influence well before and long after it’s exact. In other words, the Sun’s conjunction to Neptune has been coloring the overall background of your consciousness for at least a good week or so (maybe more), gradually increasing in strength.
Yet, Neptune being what it is and acting as it does, chances are the shift has been subtle. You likely have not noticed it at all; if you have, it’s possible those moments slipped away before you could pin down what felt different. Maybe you’ve denied that anything’s tugging at your intuition at all.
It’s easy to chalk up anything unusual, erratic or overwhelming to the Full Moon, and we just experienced one along the Virgo-Pisces axis on Monday, within splashing distance of Neptune. Hopefully if any situations came to a head with that event, you’ve been able to move with the waves to calmer waters. But are you fully aware of what’s going on beneath the surface?
For example, have you taken the time to journal about any interesting dreams you’ve been having? Or, if you’re feeling weary or taxed psychically/psychologically, energetically or emotionally, have you stopped to sort out what or who is draining you? Sources could range from national political insanity and the desperate state of the world, to individuals in your immediate family or social circle who are struggling in some way.
Sun-Neptune conjunctions can bring out a general concern with the wellbeing of others, sensitivity to how others feel, and a deep desire to help them. It’s a wonderful boost for service-oriented endeavors that benefit from genuine empathy. If you’re someone who sometimes feels awkward or reserved about reaching out to help others, try going with this flow and see how good it feels.
At the same time, if you’re someone who always puts others first — often to your own detriment — notice if you’re starting to feel especially overwhelmed lately. You might need to indulge in a little healthy escape. (Note that using drugs or alcohol heavily does not fit this category, and actually comes with a warning label this weekend, since sensitivity is heightened.)
Rather, meditation or a solo walk out in nature come first to mind; or something that lets you zone out while taking care of yourself, like a massage or shutting off the phone to immerse in some favorite music. Daydreams can be a harmless form of relief, providing you don’t get so lost in them that you begin to fully evade reality.
In fact, daydreams can lead to creative ‘ah-ha’ moments; jot them down before they slip back into the mist. With asteroid Ceres in Pisces close to the Sun and Neptune, you might ask yourself what feeds your dreams and your creative vision. Can you indulge in some of that this weekend? The more you feed your creativity, and the self-care that sustains it, the more your creativity can feed you — and the greater ability you have to sustain others in that way, too.
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Interestingly, about ten hours before Sun-Neptune is exact, the Moon in Scorpio makes a trine aspect (water sign to water sign) to them at 12:51 am EST Sunday (5:51 UTC).
When Sun-Neptune is exact, the Moon is nearly conjunct the asteroid Juno in Scorpio, and is just one degree past a trine to Ceres in Pisces. Trines indicate flow and harmony, and I see a particular message in the contact from Scorpio to Pisces this weekend:
Don’t underestimate the deep connection between your sexual feelings (and the expression of your sexual needs) and your creative capacity. Underneath the surface of all the art-making and music-making, and selfless service, and psychic/emotional sensitivity, and desire to escape, human beings contain some very primal urges that tie directly to creation — our own conception, and our participation in the sexual activities that could create a new life.
That’s intense stuff. Most of the time we channel it into pleasure rather than conscious procreation. Yet, I’m guessing most people never connect that their sexual energy and their ‘artistic’ creativity share the same root. Ask yourself this weekend: how many ways does your erotic energy feed you? And are you open to feeding it in return?
I think you are right Amanda, “Most of the time we channel it into pleasure rather than conscious procreation.” Just like the birds and rabbits and all other animals, procreation (like many other functions of life) is quite unconscious to us human beings regarding the meaning behind it. The joy of knowing a little astrology is that it doesn’t have to be that way. For humans anyway, not sure it would make any difference to rabbits.
It might be an age-related thing, but I love to see what drives us to do what we do and why and when we do it. So glad you wrote about the Neptune and Sun transiting conjunction. It might explain my near obsession over the Neptune-Pluto cycle and how it so relates to these present Neptuney times. You know, Sun = consciousness merging with Neptune = daydreaming.
Actually daydreaming is also an Aquarian thing as I recall. But about that Neptune-Pluto cycle that took place in 1891 and is still happening – probably for another thousand years or so. Seriously, these planets move so slowly but. . they will be making exact sextiles in about 10 years. Some of their first sextiles since they were conjunct 125 years ago. That is really slow.
So when we don’t have slow planets making exact conjunctions, we do have their cycles to tell us something about what their intent was in merging their energies. In the chart for their conjunction on August 2, 1891, Neptune and Pluto were conjunct the U.S. Sibly Uranus at 8+ Gemini. Until just a few days ago transiting Neptune was square the U.S. Uranus as well as square it’s own conjunction degree with Pluto. In fact, that’s where trans. Neptune was (8+ Pisces) when we heard the news of Justice Scalia’s death.
That definitely had a Uranian vibe to it; quite shocking for most of us. When Neptune and Pluto made their conjunction in 1891 Uranus was at 27+ Libra, square Venus at 27+ Cancer, as well as being square the U.S. Pluto at 27+ Capricorn and trine the U.S. Moon at 27+ Aquarius. With their conjunction having ties to the U.S. chart, i.e. taking place where the U.S. Uranus sits and then Uranus at the time aspecting 2 major planets in the U.S. Sibly chart, you would suspect there was a message for Americans seeded into this long-term cycle. I know I do anyway.
Then there was that bevy of minor bodies hovering over the late Aquarius degrees in that 1891 chart; all gathering around the U.S Moon and U.S. Pallas degrees. There was Ceres, Juno, Nessus, Magdalena and Hades, and they were trine Uranus in Libra. If Uranus is “awakening” energy and Nessus (poison), Juno (inequality), Ceres (grief for lost child), Magdalena (tears) and Hades (unattended distasteful tasks needing attention) were connected to Uranus then it seems very timely indeed.
Just a few days after Justice Scalia’s death transiting Sun was conjunct the U.S. Moon at 27+ Aquarius (+ the Planner Pallas at 26+ Aquarius) so that likely activated the 1891 (Neptune-Pluto cycle) chart’s Aquarius group that trines the chart’s Uranus at 27+ Libra who squares Venus (values) at 27+ Cancer. In a freaky way it’s kinda like it was part of a pattern, you know? Since that chart’s Venus in Cancer opposes the U.S. Pluto in Capricorn and then there was the big brouhaha over Obama’s right to nominate a new justice. . . .
So we can speculate about the present day astrology, you know trans. Neptune square U.S. Uranus and trans. Jupiter square the U.S. Mars, but we remain unconscious of all the Neptune-Pluto action that’s unconsciously stimulating the U.S. Moon, the U.S. Pluto, oh and by the way, the Sun in the Neptune-Pluto chart at 10+ Leo is conjunct Donald Trump’s Pluto at 10+ Leo too. And he doesn’t even know it!
Yeah, there’s a lot of unconscious stuff we do automatically and that’s fine. But wouldn’t it be cool if all the people who think the Donald would be a great president of the U.S. weren’t so unconscious and realized that they were being “used” by the gods and goddesses, in a manner of speaking, to bring awareness to their fellow countrymen as to just how pissed off many Americans really are? See I think that’s just what Neptune and Pluto are doing. And Uranus too. Uranus and Pluto together, but that’s another story.
In the meantime, Neptune continues to dissolve the things we consider almost sacred, like rules of etiquette and drivable roads, making us (as a whole) madder and madder at our government leaders. Oh there’s a lot more in this old chart, and other cycle charts too, but I’ve gotten this off my chest and won’t take up any more of your space. Really grateful for your pointing out the Neptune effect Amanda, and I’m with you on the Moon-conjunct-Juno-trine Ceres-conjunct Neptune and Sun tie in. Will be watching to see how that plays out.
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“So when we don’t have slow planets making exact conjunctions, we do have their cycles to tell us something about what their intent was in merging their energies.”
…which is more than we can say for many, if not most, people merging their energies, be — especially sexually!
As always, thank you for your encyclopedic knowledge of the US Sibley chart and its transits. It’s always an education to read your comments.
And yes, it WOULD be very, very cool if ” all the people who think the Donald would be a great president of the U.S. weren’t so unconscious and realized that they were being “used” by the gods and goddesses, in a manner of speaking, to bring awareness to their fellow countrymen as to just how pissed off many Americans really are.”
Hmmm…maybe if we all consciously “daydream” that kind of awakening, we can somehow surf on Neptune to gather some energy behind it actually manifesting? Or am I getting caught in a Neptunian delusion?
Here’s hoping for the former…
🙂
Nope, you’re not deluded, you get it!
Hi Amanda,
Really interesting post, thank you!
I’d love details on Eric’s Saturday talk and the Psychic Saturday Meetup Group. Sounds fascinating and very timely for this Hudson Valley Scorpio with Pisces rising 🙂
Best,
Martha
Martha, here are the details:
At 3 pm Saturday, Feb. 27, Chronogram’s astrologer, Eric Francis, will be giving a talk at Inquiring Minds Coffee House and Bookstore. Location is 68 Partition Street, Saugerties, NY. The topic is Tarot, Divination and Chaos Theory. This will be followed by members of the Psychic Saturday Meetup Group offering readings.
And here’s a link for the Facebook “event” page for it:
https://www.facebook.com/events/917307381672745/
Thanks so much Amanda!
“You said, ‘They’re harmless dreamers and they’re loved by the people.’ — ‘What,’ I asked you, ‘is harmless about a dreamer, and what,’ I asked you, ‘is harmless about the love of the people? Revolution only needs good dreamers who remember their dreams.'”
— Tennessee Williams
Seems like such a beautifully apropos quote for the current astrology — especially in light of Barbara Koehler’s comment (as well as Amanda Moreno’s column from yesterday). So I had to share…
Amanda: That is indeed an appropriate quote to accompany your insightful and comprehensive treatment of the Sun’s application to conjoin Neptune. Thank you so very much for once again bringing the exquisitely eclectic and interdisciplinary perspective of an accomplished and versatile artist to the subject of astrology. There’s nobody else quite like you.
After 3 days of flu induced semi consciousness, this morning I had a dream that feels aligned with Sun conjunct Neptune. As the massive thunder and windstorm rolled over the coast of Maine, it enter my dream. I stepped outside in my dream and saw the Milky Way as it looks in summer. Vertical lightning bolts shot through the dark spaces in the river of stars. Rain blew over followed by a rainbow in the Milky Way. I was getting ready for an ocean voyage on a white sailboat where I would navigate by stars and planets. I could see all the planets in the sky, big enough that I could see Saturn’s rings. I awoke to real life howling winds, roaring thunder, and blue lightning right over the house. Thank you for this writing Amanda.
whew — Carla! Now *that* is some kinda dream! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear where that sailboat takes you…
Thank you Amanda. I have enjoyed replaying the magical visuals and feeling of the dream without going into interpretation. Where that sailboat is taking me is a decision I get to make, and given pisces astrology right now, it is time to make that decision! Another part of the dream was looking at charts and plotting the course with the “skipper” … some guy who looked like Don Draper in Madmen …. It was clear to us that if we fixed on one star it would take us in a spiraling path around the earth from the Tropics to the Arctic Circle. Our sailboat disregarded land masses and sailed on in a mathematically precise spiral around the globe.