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Dreams
For Sale:
Neptune Transits
by
Bil Tierney
Transiting
Neptune infrequently aspects itself in the
course of a life time, but such
"life-cycles" are usually
experienced by most people around the same
age. The ones that seem to stand out are the
transiting square, quincunx, and opposition.
However, the semi-square, the sextile, and the
trine phases all offer us different insights.
All
of these phases can be very subtle, giving us
the impression that nothing is really going on
-- but that's typical for Neptune. These
transits don't readily translate into dynamic
situational events, at least not in any
cut-and-dried way. It also takes a special
refinement of consciousness to sense Neptune's
unfoldment.
Many
of us are not paying internal attention to
this process and therefore may seem to be
uninfluenced. Still, we can evoke the power of
Neptune's cycles more consciously by putting
ourselves in touch with this planet's ability
to better synthesize experience, once we
emotionally open up to reality's more subtle
levels. Much seems to depend on our age and
the situational opportunities at hand.
NEPTUNE
SEMI-SQUARE NEPTUNE:
AGES 19-21
This
period is a time of the dawning of young and
innocent adulthood. The sense of invincibility
in our early twenties is partly due to the
Neptune mystique, the illusion that we'll
never grow old and be trapped by stale,
limiting routines. Such invincibility is also
aided by the Uranus
square Uranus transit around age
twenty-one -- an aspect that makes us feel
fully in charge of ourselves and immune to
behavioral restrictions imposed by society.
The tensional pattern of this semi-square is
mildly stimulating, and brings Neptunian urges
a bit more to the forefront.
The
idealism that feeds our youthful dreams, plus
the great expectations we have about making it
on our own, tie in with faith in ourselves at
this time. This can also be the beginning of a
permissive stage, subtly tempting us to
abandon Saturnian common sense in favor of the
glamour of freedom and independence from any
symbolic form of parental control. We can
indulge in a lot of impractical interests.
This
could also be a time when some of us seek out
and attempt to merge with an ideal
"other". Unconsciously desiring
perfection, some of us yearn for a
relationship that will sweep us off our feet.
We also want involvement in outer-world
conditions that elevate our feelings and make
our spirit soar. However, vagueness of
direction and indecision about future
commitments can plague this transit, resulting
in temporary uncertainties. Our options
usually depend on the limits of the social
environment in which we live. Some of us
without a self-determined direction may
flounder, with no relevant goals in sight.
In
an economy that's not doing very well, this
transit can make us feel very shaky and
hopeless. We may keep everything tentative
until our direction becomes clear. This can be
a poor time for marriage or raising a family,
regardless of the emotional high we're on from
our relationships. Later on, usually during
the Saturn Return, we may realize that we
married young partly to escape from parental
structure. However, while this semi-square is
active, we're convinced that true love
motivates us, and nothing else. This is
obviously a time when we'll need to address a
few blind spots, even though the semi-square
doesn't provoke a crisis of self-confrontation
as does the transiting square.
NEPTUNE
SEXTILE NEPTUNE:
AGES 26-28
In
this period, we may feel that we're starting
to see the light. In a subtle manner, our
vision and understanding of our deeper needs
increases. Although the previous semi-square
cycle fed illusions of ideal relationships --
including the assumption that our
"will" alone will magically help us
to secure our heart's desire -- this phase
serves as a reliable internal support system,
functioning in the background. Still, more
pressing concerns are dictated by the upcoming
Saturn Return.
Neptune,
in theory, can aid us in our inner realization
of what we could be, once we dissolve our ties
with any self-blinding elements of our
less-enlightened early twenties.
Regardless
of surface conditions at this time, transiting
Neptune is trying to help us to sense that it
is all right to be discontent with our world
and to want more for ourselves. Neptune urges
us to expand our potential at any point in its
life-cycle. Any changes in our mundane
circumstances, even disappointing ones, are
actually working for our highest spiritual
good, because sextile phases are opportune
times to grow along new lines of
interest.
This
could be a time to learn about
self-compassion, forgiving ourselves for our
dumbest mistakes during this decade. We are
also in a state of consciousness where we can
better tap into the fruitful expression of our
imagination, resulting in more creative
solutions in our lives. A more ideal image of
ourselves is now ready to take form in the
world. Unconsciously, we're just waiting for
the Saturn Return to help us to put an end to
a host of other self-limiting views and
behaviors.
NEPTUNE
SQUARE NEPTUNE:
AGE 42
This
cycle occurs during the highly popularized and
often misunderstood "mid-life
crisis" years. Any square aspect in
general tends to highlight issues that demand
of our attention. A resolution is needed. The
Neptune square to itself is probably the most
critical aspect of its life cycle that we'll
get to experience in our lifetime. It's
associated with much of the growing
disillusionment that we can feel with our
current life pattern. In our attempt to sort
out what is real to our true needs versus what
is illusionary, we can become confused.
This
Neptune phase describes the emotional
discontentment of the mid-life years. Buried
feelings and forgotten yearnings may now
emerge from our unconscious depths, needing
our nurturance and understanding. We should
acknowledge them now, rather than further
suppress or deny their existence.
Things
could prove painful for those of us who would
rather ignore inner conflicts, although that's
hard to do at this time. Getting in touch with
such energies, made more powerful due to their
suppression, can be rejuvenating when given
suitable outlets for release. Self-compassion
is also a must to help us offset any fleeting
feelings of being a failure or an impostor who
shows to the world an image that doesn't
honestly depict our internal state of
affairs.
We
can feel unreal to ourselves at this point,
wearing a social mask that has, for so long,
protected our inner vulnerabilities, but has
also kept the outer world at a safe distance.
The tightness of this rigidly worn mask now
suffocates us. With Neptune's help, the mask
is ready to slip off and melt. This allows us
a chance to perceive the hidden features
behind the facade -- features that reflect our
ideal facets and the reality of our spiritual
identity.
This
transit implies that it's best for us not to
resist any self-transcendent changes taking
place inside of us. We can be in a metamorphic
period, similar to that of a butterfly
emerging from its dark cocoon in all its
radiant beauty and lightness. However, before
any spiritual transfiguration can take place,
we must examine our motivations with complete
self-honesty. We'll have to draw on our inner
resources to find the strength and the courage
needed to do this, because society has not
conditioned us to undergo such intense
self-appraisal.
It
is typical that some of us can feel alone and
cut off from outside support systems when
attempting to do this. This "dark night
of the soul" feeling is perfectly normal
and appropriate for this phase. We can suffer
more when we remain in a fog regarding our
real nature by clinging to former attachments
that we should have long outgrown. When
blocked, Neptune fails to provide us with the
psychological lubrication needed, thus keeping
our ego-structure dry and brittle. This makes
us vulnerable to emotional calcification in
our later years.
Life
is telling us that we can no longer seek ideal
security from sources out there in the world.
It will have to come from within if it is to
be trusted. As we begin to illuminate those
previously unlit parts of ourselves, this
transit will seem less dark and threatening.
Throwing light on our shadows is the best way
to completely dissolve them. This
"lower" square (waxing phase)
Neptune transit inspires us to establish a
new, inner foundation based on values more
universal than society has offered.
NEPTUNE
TRINE NEPTUNE:
AGE 55
This
transit occurs shortly before transiting Uranus
trines itself. This can be a peak expansion
period in which we can sense spiritual renewal
and self-blossoming. We have another
opportunity to feel free and unhampered when
exploring newer dimensions of our life, and
with a more mature sense of innocence, as
paradoxical as that sounds. Simultaneous
Neptune and Uranus
trine phases indicate a time when we can feel
at peace with ourselves. This is a natural
time to open up to the non-material side of
our existence. Even if we have been receptive
to our soul-needs earlier in our lives, now we
perceive we are transforming according to a
more ideal but realistic self-image.
We
may also have the proper emotional and mental
framework in which to re-cultivate special
abilities we once abandoned due to other,
diverting reality concerns. We can now relax
and feel more content with self-insights
gained. This can be positive, affirmative, and
confidence-boosting. How far we allow
ourselves to go depends on how well we
can re-structure ourselves during our Second
Saturn Return (usually at ages fifty-seven to
fifty-nine). We may even be inspired to dream
new dreams about how we will function during
our upcoming, post-retirement years. This is
the right time, however, to start envisioning
an ideal plan for living out our golden years.
NEPTUNE
QUINCUNX NEPTUNE:
LATE 60s
We
experience this cycle at a time when Uranus
also sextiles itself, Jupiter sextiles
itself, and Saturn trines itself. Although
Neptune's phase could prove disorienting and
confusing for more calcified personalities (we
probably blew that last Saturn Return and
became meaner and grumpier), the backup
support from these, concurrent phases should
help us to make the emotional adjustment
required for a healthy psychological break
with our past.
This
can also be a time for spiritual adjustments,
in which we more deeply reflect on memories of
our former growth cycles, both the bitter and
the sweet. Discrimination, typically a
quincunx theme, is not easily achieved at this
stage of life, because our recollection of the
past can be faulty and distorted. However,
life now requires that we not get too attached
to past impressions or attempt to relive them
in our heads. Instead, we are to let go of
non-productive recollections and other
memories that are negatively charged with
hostile, unresolved feelings. The more
creative types at this time will not get hung
up on self-pity or personal remorse. To do so
could jeopardize our health and render us less
functional -- without any future dreams to
shoot for.
NEPTUNE
OPPOSING NEPTUNE:
AGE 82
This
second most significant life-cycle for Neptune
occurs just before our Uranus
Return. This is a prime time for a fuller
awareness concerning illusions that we have
experienced during our lifetime. Many false
assumptions about ourselves, others, and the
world in general were necessary during those
times when we gave them our greatest emotional
energy. Realizing this, much -- if not all --
can be forgiven. We do not have to live out
the remaining years of our life feeling
defeated, dejected, and unfairly victimized.
Our illusions eventually helped us to learn
more about the nature of our real self in an
in-depth, compassionate manner. They served a
higher purpose.
At
this phase, we can experience many reversals
of emotional attitude. Matters that we had
assumed to be unfortunate are now seen as
blessings in disguise, while those which we
once highly regarded as most important to the
fulfillment of dreams now appear less magical
and meaningful. Former distortions to which we
clung with blind determination can clarify
themselves at this phase, making it easier for
us to let go of them once and for all. The
opposition's potential for fostering total
awareness helps us to dissolve a lot of
emotional baggage.
We
can also make peace with all troublesome life
patterns of our past, once we have
acknowledged that everything that happened to
us or through us was for our own greatest
spiritual good. Never once did we actually
fail in any experience but, instead, had a
chance to grow closer toward the God within.
This allows us to begin the process of
withdrawal into our inner world in a state of
serenity and tranquil self-acceptance.
For
some of us, this becomes a time in which our
spiritual comprehension of the unity of all
life is at a peak. The culmination of this
transit can result in true self-illumination.
It's time to surrender our will and our ego to
the greater cosmic flow until death. This will
facilitate our soul's transition into the next
dimension that awaits.
 This
article is excerpted from the book Alive
and Well with Neptune, by Bil Tierney. ?1999. Reprinted with
permission of the publisher, Llewellyn Publications, http://llewellyn.com.
Info/Order
this book.
About The
Author
Bil
Tierney has been involved with astrology for over thirty-two years. As a
full-time professional, he has lectured and given workshops at major
astrological conferences throughout the United States and in Canada since
the mid-1970s. Books he has written are: Dynamics
of Aspect Analysis, Twelve
Faces of Saturn, Alive
and Well With Neptune, Alive
and Well With Pluto, and Alive
and Well with Uranus. Bil currently limits his practice to
working with clients, lecturing, occasionally tutoring, and writing
articles and books.
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