Neptune in Pisces





Copyright 2012, Michael R. Svehla

An outer planet changing signs is always a significant event in astrology. Or perhaps better said, how could it not be significant? Neptune is certainly an outer planet, and perhaps some people are affected by Neptune more than others...or some people are more aware of Neptune's effects than others. I personally would rather be aware of Neptune's effects, due to the possible malefic manifestations of the spiritual, dissolute, ideal and imaginary planet.

Each planet has at least one dominion, a home sign which it rules. Neptune naturally fits in Pisces. Pisces is about struggle and sacrifice, spirituality, being part of a greater whole, and is very emotional and watery. Neptune itself is a beautiful blue color, very distant from the Sun, yet a very large planet with a system of Moons and Neptune exerts a large influence on the psyche of the querent in the chart and as many astrologers contend, he also exerts a great influence on the earth's population. Neptune is about the imaginary and ideal, and a great deal of inherent beauty and mysticism surrounds the planet. This sounds wonderful, until you realize that Neptune is too much for any one person to handle! Neptune at first can appear to be good, and then is not so good (source: Joyce Levine, 2008 UAC lecture).

Neptune entering Pisces at this time of our lives is epic. The Age of Aquarius is pending, yet we have the symbol of the Age of Pisces, Neptune, entering his own sign for the next fourteen years! This portends serious and lasting implications for many areas of society, in my view.

Looking at the chart for the exact moment of Neptune entering Pisces is most beneficial. The ascendant will differ from place to place (in Omaha the ascendant is in Aquarius, but in Los Angeles for example it is in Capricorn). We have one moment when Neptune enters Pisces, but many slightly different perspectives due to people living in places scattered all over earth.

I see many possible manifestations of Neptune's influence after entering Pisces. Quite naturally, all of these manifestations have existed in some form before Neptune in Pisces and will exist after Neptune in Pisces. However, the key test is, are the manifestations stronger? World events will validate this hypothesis, however, a reasonable prediction is that inevitably the Neptunian influence on mundane events will be stronger.

I see changes on the horizon. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, or more generally Christianity, or of greater generality still, organized religion, can be symbolized by the Neptune symbol. In some transit readings I literally can see the Neptune symbol as the (Catholic) Church. I can draw an inference from Malachy's prophecies, and infer that the aging Benedict will be replaced by Peter II with Neptune in Pisces. The rise of a very powerful and influential Pope, a kind of last gasp for the Church to reassert itself as technology, communication, and ways of becoming more conscious evolve. The switch from trusting authority to focusing on the individual initiative will face a fierce resistance, partly from the rise of a final Pope in an effort to resist the changes that must occur as we enter the Age of Aquarius. The same can be said of other religions, and quite frankly (although the time frame unfortunately will be greater than I will witness) in our other institutions, such as government and corporate structures.

As the population of the world grows and world citizens demand more energy, oil will become even more important as a source of energy. Neptune rules oil, and Neptune in its own sign seems to signify a strong demand for oil. The transit of Neptune in Pisces seems to signify the potential for a sustained increase in oil prices, unless supply can be increased to keep prices at lower levels.

I also see the potential for an increase in the number and intensity of addictions in our society. This goes hand in hand with increases in mental illness. Indeed, addictions are often used to self medicate symptoms of mental illnesses and Neptune in Pisces is definitely a symbol of the dangers of this problem growing. Illegal drug and alcohol use have the potential to increase, but I also see prescription pharmaceutical abuse as having a very serious potential of becoming more of a problem. The use of pharmaceuticals, even with the potential of deleterious side effects and the significant chance of not having the intended effects, may increase to record levels.

Neptune is too much for one person to handle, but it does not necessitate turning to addictions or authority figures when times become difficult. A potentially positive manifestation of Neptune in Pisces is the chance for peace, and if the will is present, to start building the foundation for projects and ideas that have only been previously in the imagination. Space travel is probably a good example of this, and a more obvious example would be an increased interest in Eastern spiritual practices and more people learning how to read the Akashic records or intuit solutions to problems they believed to be intractable.

The chart
The core of the chart - the Sun - is in Aquarius. The Sun at 14 Aquarius is about half a sign from Neptune at zero Pisces. So right away we have a Pisces/Aquarius dynamic in the chart for Neptune moving into Pisces. Neptune has just moved from Aquarius into Pisces, and the world is experiencing a shift from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. The sign of Uranus, Aquarius, contains the core of the chart, along with his understudy, Mercury, conjunct the Sun. The contrast with the planets in Pisces is very pronounced, cotaining Neptune and his understudy, Venus. The Moon - quite a feminine planet - is in the thoughtful and masculine sign Gemini. So the emotional need, the Moon, disposits to Mercury in Aquarius. A lot of the symbolism around conscious, basic thought, the basic identity, and the emotions are divided between the first air sign of the zodiac and the last air sign of the zodiac. The spiritual and the harmonious, via relationships or aesthetics, are in the last water sign of the zodiac. The division of thought and feeling is showing up very strongly in this transit, and suggests that some people will choose a more Neptunian path over the next fourteen years, and some people will look ahead and are already embracing the new influence of Uranus and the Age of Aquarius.

Prophecies
How appropriate to prophetize about Neptune! Not a bad starting point for looking into eternity. The possibilities are very rich for uncovering possible events and trends over the next fourteen years and beyond. Saint Malachy prophetized that we have one remaining Pope after our current Benedict XVI. He will be Petrus Romanus, and he will be the last pope. I feel that Malachy, although he was often appears to be incorrect with his choices when scrutinized, really foresaw a powerful and influential last pope, which we may experience in our lifetimes. Neptune in Pisces is a very appropriate time for Peter of Rome (English translation of Petrus Romanus) to rise to power. (Peter II is another name for this last Pope.) Exactly when this last pope will assume power is not easy to find in the charts. Benedict is rather aged, so I find it unlikely that he will live until Neptune enters Aries. Oddly, a good guess for the last Pope rising to power is when Neptune is in the anaretic degree of Pisces. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will all be roughly aspecting one another, with Pluto at about 2 Aquarius, Saturn at about 26 Pisces, Neptune at 29 Pisces and Uranus at about 27 Taurus. This will be a very tense time for all of us, with the four outer planets very influential and struggling for dominance in mundane events. Saturn conjunct Neptune in Pisces cements the idea that a very authoritative power will continue to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Uranus in an earth sign represents an upheaval that will precede the replacement of Benedict XVI and Pluto in Aquarius suggests a change in an institutional system that cannot be ignored or denied, so this will somehow factor into choosing Petrus Romanus as the next (and last) pope. Given how strong the energy of Neptune manifesting in the last degree of Pisces will be, the majority of people, and perhaps almost everyone, will be in denial about the ramifications of selecting this last pope, and very few will suspect that he will be the last pope.

Another fascinating extension of the idea of Neptune in Pisces is how we will experience a symbol of the Age of Aquarius in human form. Jesus is the symbol of the Piscean Age. Who or what will be the symbol of the Aquarian Age? Some type of superhuman, technologically or genetically altered? Some type of being not of earth? Or, will we have some kind of committee of superintelligent people running an essentially democratic society? Perhaps a super-internet type of evolved technology that will run everything on earth, eventually. It would seem that the Aquarius symbol involves both technology and some type of group. All of this seems very speculative and far off, but I certainly see Neptune in Pisces as a strong symbol of the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.

To be continued...

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