The Trouble with Neptune

People have trouble with Neptune. Why? Because Neptune is the shine on the penny which is but the glint and a rainbow which, though real to our perception, isn't real enough to touch.

Even real live, big grown astrologers have problems with Neptune. I know this because one long ago day I had this funny conversation with Ray Merriman, a well known and highly respected astrologer of the particularly fiscal ilk.

The scene was an astrological convention and Ray had just given one of his usual brilliant lectures. We fell into a chat, and as it wound onto the subject of everybody's foggy nemesis (Neptune), I declared my desire to invent a 'Neptune Extractor.'

His answer? Ray laughed. Then he told me that if I ever came up with such a thing, I'd get very, VERY rich. But since he's no fool, he also asked if he could be second on the appointment list (figuring I'd be first.)


So take it from me, no one's in love with the whole of their Neptune thing. We like the fantasies and the ideals and the dreams...we hate the disappointments, the failures which teach us to be fearful....

...and most of all we dislike not knowing. Oooooh, how we HATE not knowing - right?  

As Neptune goes retrograde, this idea is brought home. There's so much to feel unsure about, and as Neptune goes from direct to retrograde (from which it will not emerge until November) we're all feeling a little washed out. A little less then secure about being enthused. Just a few days ago we were so crispy sure of what we thought and....


...and then we became not so entirely sure.

Which sucks.  The fog of insecurity is just no darn fun. 

The trick is to learn how to walk through that fog by having faith. If you freak out, you'll be tempted to go hide somewhere or somehow - but that won't really help. Until I get around to building that Neptune Extractor, we just have to make do. 


At least we have each other - which may be the point. If Neptune is about anything astrologically, it's about the denial of ego. So we can stop being egotistical, or we can stop needing to feel our ego in play. Easier said than done? Yes. But if you stop to think about why ego seems to be so important, the answer is fear.

That means the real purpose of Neptune is to teach us how to live without fear - most of all of ourselves. 

Okay...so maybe I'll scrap that Extractor.