Named for the God of the Sea, Neptune rules over the domain of our deep subconscious, spiritual, and psychic experiences. Neptune is the planet in charge of dreams and all the murky buried meanings, the mystic inspiration, and the illusions that come with them. This is the planet of spiritual experience and healing. It helps connect us with the unseen layers of life, and to dissolve all the boundaries between the ego and the world, drawing us into a sense of sublime oneness.
Neptune is an outer planet and takes approximately 14 years to transit each sign. This planet rules Pisces and is often associated with our most dreamy and subconscious realms. On a good day, Neptune’s placement in our natal charts shows how we develop our psychic powers, creativity, and emotional intuition. On a bad day, Neptune in the natal chart exposes our blind spots: the areas of life we romanticize, idealize, or refuse to acknowledge.
Neptune spends nearly 40 percent of its orbit in retrograde — that’s about 150 days! So, in many ways, Neptune’s backward glide defines its spirit. Neptune represents fantasy and illusion, so during the planet’s reverse phase, we are encouraged to backpedal through the fog. Neptune retrograde isn’t about clarity. It’s about sitting in the discomfort and embracing the unknown.
Want to learn more about the placement of Neptune in your birth chart? Chat with a Sanctuary astrologer for a reading!
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