The mysterious, mystical planet Neptune turned direct two days ago, on Wednesday 18th November 2015, continuing its long, slow drift through its own sign of Pisces.
Since Neptune’s retrograde turn in June this year, I have been feeling a pull back towards some form of meditation practice: Neptune is still in my Sixth house, playing with the 9 Pisces Descendant, squaring Saturn in the Fourth house. I have been feeling a need to create more of a still centre for myself in the swirling, at times painful turbulence of our extended family life at this particular time.
I’ve always found Saturn/Neptune aspects especially difficult. Some of us are better than others at dancing on a wobbly board suspended over the long drop into chaos! However, as always when the great planetary archetypes combine, the level at which we engage with the combination through our individual birth charts always carries a challenge to become more self-aware, more constructive in our engagement with the areas of life highlighted.
I attended a few drop-in lunchtime meditation sessions at the Buddhist centre round the corner from my office – but found the balance between irritatingly cheerful homily and actual time to meditate not to my liking… then, the day after Neptune went direct, on an impulse I decided to sit in on a guided meditation session in our local Episcopal Cathedral, led really skilfully by a senior member of the clergy. We were given some wonderfully clear, inspiring and practical material to take away to help us follow-up this session in our own time.
I left after the hour feeling not only refreshed, but also inspired to continue – in a Saturn/Neptune, now I do it, now I don’t, manner. A key to managing Saturn/Neptune aspects creatively, is to make sure to stay reasonably on top of life’s necessary demands, but not to expect too much of one’s own capacity for self-motivation or self-discipline in other areas of life. (I say this as a normally self-disciplined person) Giving in to the desire now and then to lie on the sofa with a good book and a long snooze is important during Saturn/Neptune times!
I went home that evening – to the sofa and the long snooze – and made a delightful discovery. My husband, whilst hunting for something else altogether, had found my missing angel! I am quite a rational, pragmatic person despite all those 12th House planets of mine. But I do like having an angel or two dotted about our home, and had become especially fond of a little bronze image which Ian had bought for me on a visit a couple of years ago to Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England. I called her Maria. She had lain contentedly on my bedside table until her mysterious disappearance some months ago – probably around the time that Neptune went retrograde.
What delightful Neptunian synchronicity! This morning I photographed angel Maria, to share with my readers.
Angel Maria
And there was more. My Facebook notifications this morning, via Friend June Haygood, invited me to Like a Page called Real Imaginal. This I did, intrigued by the most Neptunian-sounding title, thereby falling into the nebulous delights of Real Imaginal online magazine, “…dedicated to the re-enchantment of Neptune…” It is deep and insightful. Do check it out.
These are only SOME of my Neptune direct experiences this week. I love it when planetary symbolism speaks so directly: even Neptune does that! What Neptune Direct experiences have you had this week? Do share – giving your feedback is a wonderful way to flesh out those living archetypes with the detail of people’s real lives.
Zodiac
600 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2015
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