Observations: Neptune Transits – Glorious Confusion

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Quelle surprise! With all those planets in Pisces floating around the sky my mind has wandered back to Neptune one more time to contemplate some of the fine points of what happens under a Neptune transit.

Along with most other serious astrologers, I have a copy of Robert Hand’s “Planets in Transit: Life Cycles for Living” in my astrological reference library. Whilst I find him a bit on the sour side, I have no problem acknowledging his enormous contribution to astrology today and this book on transits certainly covers the basics. I sat down and read the chapter on Neptune transits to pick up some pointers.

One thing to always keep in mind about Neptune transits is they last a long time, often spending years in one house. I’ve been around for awhile and Neptune has only moved from my eleventh house to my third house where it will remain until 2017. As a result we become accustomed to the effects and usually only notice Neptune either on entering a house or when he exactly aspects a personal planet or the Ascendant, otherwise not so much. The worst of the confusion and illusion occur with the first pass of a transit or when conjoining a house cusp though there are no guarantees we’ll figure out how far out in left field we are for quite some time.

If we does make the effort to set boundaries and learn to see through the worst of Neptune’s illusions, then we can begin to be able to discern important subtleties in regards to matters ruled by the house Neptune is transiting. For instance, Neptune transits through the seventh house can gradually teach us to pay close attention to our initial impressions of people and act on those rather than allowing other people’s opinions or our own illusions to override those. Neptune often hammers home lessons in un-manifested potential too, whether it pertains to the ideal career or believing we’ve found our soul mate.

The empirical data I’ve gathered suggests once Neptune fully enters a house, i.e. makes no more passes over the cusp, its influence recedes into the background until it makes another exact aspect. I believe this is due to Neptune’s amorphous nature that requires some type of boundary to be visible. Love is a glorious intangible until it is expressed. Compassion is best learned through application as are tolerance and patience. So it follows the best way to counteract the worst of Neptune’s confusions is to do something real. Don’t just dream about meeting the perfect partner, go out and meet people in the real world. Volunteer in a soup kitchen or your local dog and cat pound. Go talk to folks already working in your dream career to find out if it would be a good fit for you. And if you have Neptune transiting your third house as I do, then starting writing or blogging . . . a good way to find whether or not you really do have something others want to hear about.

By the way, if it isn’t obvious by now, it’s Saturn who offers the best methods for turning Neptune’s dreams into realities. Those who have natal Saturn-Neptune aspects, especially if those tap into a personal planet (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) often get a handle on Neptune transits more easily than those who don’t but it still takes focus and dedication.

How’s this for an unsettling thought to close on? Neptune rules infectious diseases so perhaps natal Neptune aspects can give either a degree of immunity or make one more vulnerable to Neptune’s particular brand of insanity. Transits can be seen as inoculating against the illusions related to the house being transited with the first pass being the first inoculation. *grin*