The Neptune Effect
Starting this year, and continuing for pretty much the next fifteen into 2026, Neptune will drift through Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. Pisces is the sign with which Neptune has the greatest affinity, its ‘home sign,’ if you will. Therefore, in Sun-sign astrology, each of the 12 members of the zodiacal family will have their own version of the ‘Neptune effect’ in a different dimension of life. What follows is a sign-by-sign finger-painting in words related to potential changes fostered by the god of oceans, dreams and drugs. Neptune is associated with imagination, dreams and dream-like states, mystical awareness, inspiration, art, creativity, deception (from others and self-), longing, bliss, love (often the pure, “platonic”, unconditional, unattainable or unrequited types), unity consciousness, and other transcendent states. Neptune is often related to the phenomena of mirages, illusions, delusions, sympathy, empathy, psychic sensitivity, addictions, fraud, dissolution, dissolving, and refinement. Since we are often more open, sensitive and permeable under the influence of Neptune, we can be more susceptible, vulnerable, confused, ungrounded, misled, quixotic, and self-annihilating as well as intuitive, charitable, self-sacrificing and ecstatic.
Read for your Sun-sign (and Rising sign, if you know it).
Aries: Mighty Neptune is operating in its ‘most at-home’ mode for the Ram-lings. Expect phenomenal dreams, moments of mysterious forgetfulness and, if you are lucky, peeks behind the veil into realms rarely glimpsed. If you pray, meditate or take naps, expect more-interesting-than-usual experiences that linger into your waking consciousness, making you wonder if all of you is fully ‘here’ or if some part is still ‘somewhere else’. Go with it, just make sure you take a deep breath and call yourself fully present when driving or operating heavy machinery. By 2026 expect: that you may feel much more connected to the web of life, and far more comfortable with mystery and “not knowing”.
Taurus: Make wishing an activity you perform with religious devotion over the next decade-and-a-half, Bully. Hope, expectancy, and belief in your dreams, visions and visualizations can make you the master manifest-er extraordinaire. Do not be simply self-serving, either. With the powers and divine connections offered to you during Neptune’s waft through Pisces’ ethers, your mind and intention can channel the stuff of dreams into tangible forms and experiences that benefit others also. By virtue of the amazing phenomenon of creating via your purposeful imaging, I predict that you will refine your capacity to “be careful what you wish for” such that for Tauruses, the adage should be adjusted to “be prepared for what you wish for”. Or better.
Gemini: “Where Do I Go?” the existential question posed lyrically in the 1968 musical, “Hair” might serve as an inspirational hymn for Twinkies over the next 15-or-so years. The quest for a meaningful life, right livelihood, and more purposeful engagement in the world might stimulate Geminis to make changes that fulfill those yearnings. Simply entertaining the notions of how to contribute, be of service, give back, or experience a greater sense of mission can be uncomfortable. The ‘calling’ you wish to hear to lead you into your ‘true vocation’ might be difficult to receive amidst the clatter and tumult of life in the technosphere we call civilization. Harder still could be answering the “call,” if indeed it comes. How to decide if any changes are required, or if just a shift of attitude is needed in order to re-dedicate your activites to a greater good, while keeping to the same path? Your answers will come more from your heart, but must also make some sense to your head. A needed dis-illusion: What you do in the world does not matter so long as you are nice, pay your bills on time and remember to call your Mother on her birthday.
Cancer: The esteemed astrologer, Steven Forrest, spoke recently in San Francisco about his expectations regarding the current transit of Neptune in Pisces. He told the audience that it will usher in noticeably significant changes in world religion, like all previous cycles of Neptune transiting Pisces which occur at 165-year intervals. With the passage of the planet of mysticism through your solar chart’s sector of belief systems, Crab-cakes, I believe that a large sampling of Cancerians will be among the spiritual leaders that offer the people a new vision, a fresh revelation and an inspiring alternative to the musty dogmas of the old religious structures. Surrendering one’s belief system to the process of refinement can be disorienting, so go easy on yourself, and please be gentle on those you seek to enlighten over the next many years.
Leo: The Royal Cats of the Leo clan have the noble task of shining a light into the darkness, sallying forth bravely into the black forest and seeking the Mirror of Truth buried deep in the underworld. Ruthless self-examination, naked exposure, subjection to raw encounters in the core of one’s primal nature, these trials are hinted at by Neptune’s initiatory passage. Scary indeed, Lion-heart, is the fact that no-one can accompany you on these journeys into the depths of your soul. Worse even, is that to retain the benefits from these ordeals you must keep them secret. Whatever is it that you bring back to share with your lovers and friends, Leo, must go through the process of refinement inside the cauldron of your own psyche first, then in the creative and artful fashion which is your forte, you may radiantly re-present, in symbolic form, that which you have now mastered, but certain aspects of the journey must remain somewhat shrouded or else lose their power to heal and transform yourself and others. A clue for you: If you are struggling with addictive behavior, that is probably where you will find your passageway into the depths.
Virgo: Are you addicted to love, Merge-y Virgin? Do you need another to complete you? Are you longing for the One? Is the soul-mate issue searing your heart with longing and despair? The likelihood is that, even for the married, partnered, or poly-amorously intertwined, the urge to transcend will occur in the relationship arena for Virgos over the next 15 years. Make an effort to communicate your feelings as well as heal wounds that thwart intimacy, so you can enjoy the love you already have, or thrive when you find a suitable companion. Tall order, but hey, it’s the romance that poets sing of that motivates your quest. Because I have a special place in my heart for hopeless romantics, I will direct you to three special resources: “Liszt For Lovers, Piano Dreams of Love and Passion” to inspire you, and A Love Alchemist’s Notebook, Magical Secrets For Drawing Your True Love Into Your Life by Jessica Shepherd to inform you. For those who wish to reap the benefits with the lover(s) you have, check out Sexual Healing, Using the Power of an Intimate, Loving Relationship to Heal Your Body and Soul by Paul Pearsall,Ph.D.
Libra: Bob Dylan wrote a song that Shirley Caesar covered quite soulfully, “Gotta Serve Somebody”. The planet of devotion and sacrifice, Neptune, glides into your solar house of service, self-improvement and health, Libra. Downsides: mysterious maladies and increased susceptibility to illness; lack of motivation and disinterest with your job; tendency to feel overwhelmed by the typical noise and chaos of everyday life. Upsides: ability to experience the sacredness in small things; refinement of your craft such that you raise your “work” to the level of “art”; heart-opening rushes of love and appreciation for people, pets and simple pleasures. In order to follow your bliss: 1) apply self-discipline to your life rhythms – find the increasingly delicate balance you require between recreation, sleep, self- maintenance and work. 2) discover (or renew your dedication to) something greater than yourself and consecrate your duties and efforts to That.
Scorpio: I wish I were you, Sexy Stinger, because you have transiting Neptune in your solar chart fun house! If you can keep yourself balanced, stay alert for shenanigans, and avoid over-toxifying your system in the name of a jolly good time, you might ride these upcoming waves of bliss and avoid drowning, sharks or overdose. To allow inspired creativity: avoid schemes and shortcuts to fulfillment. If it sounds “too good to be true”, it probably is. Gambling could be the whirlpool that sucks you into a shipwreck of your life. There, you are now forewarned, go play and have a fabulous time tripping the light fantastic. Your playmates will make beautiful music with you or for you. Become the hostmeister supreme, creating atmospheric environments for parties; your buddies may even find ways to turn you on to fun and games you never dreamed of. Make art, experiment with color and design, sing, dance, or simply take walks in the extravagant masterpiece we call nature.
Sagittarius: Sanctuary, solace, simplicity. These terms are the hallmark of Neptune’s offering to you, Sagnefarious. You may find yourself needing a private corner, a solitary space, alone time, a place where you can shut out the world and shut yourself in.
If you cannot manage to establish adequate boundaries, then you might even choose an occasional, temporary, self-imposed exile from your closest companions, family and housemates. It is not that they are going to be more annoying or intrusive than usual, it is that you Dart-shooters are experiencing the boundlessness and sensitivity that Neptune fosters in your solar chart’s ‘private world’ sector. Imagine yourself sitting comfortably in sacred solitude, sending forth tiny tendrils of awareness, probing into the depths of your psyche, like thirsty roots connecting into the subtle matter that unite you with the Ultimate Ground of Being. After heeding the call for soulful nourishment, you emerge from your inward-directed intervals more present, more patient and more loving and compassionate with those around you.
Capricorn: Where do thoughts come from? What messages or guidance do dreams hold? Can psychic powers be taught or learned? Was I reading that person’s mind? I wonder why I am interested in poetry, now? Does my sister always wear emerald eye-shadow? What is my neighbor using for fertilizer – I never noticed the smell before? An infinite number of quandaries such as these may wander into your consciousness, as if the filtering agent that prevents non-rational thinking is asleep on the job, or high on something. If you indulge your curiosities and wandering mind, Practical Cap, you might do more than waste time in Wonderland. Neptune wants me to quote William Blake to you, dear Goat: “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thru’ narrow chinks of his cavern.” This 15-year voyage of Neptune through your solar sector of attitudes, neighbors, siblings and head-space should juice up your “right brain”, giving you intuitive capabilities you only dreamed of, yet making it hard to locate your downtown destination – even if you have been there many times before. Oh well, there are ups and downs to every transit, and by the way, if you meet God while temporarily lost, don’t just ask for directions.
Aquarius: If any sign could give forewarning to the rest about the risks and rewards of Neptune transits, it would be you, Water-dripper. If you have endured some noticeable shifts in your self-concept since 1998, you have a sense of the weird ways of Neptune. The next Neptunian-signaled alterations involve your personal power to unfold your unique gifts and talents in prestigious, creative ways that beguile and amaze even yourself. Display of the original and previously undreamt-of is a trait often associated with Aquarians, so bring forth your Technicolor touch-screen and dazzle away! It may take some time, and you may tread a few trails that lead maze-like, to unproductive outcomes, but be patient and integrate the lessons on the way, like a legendary knight-errant or the heroine, Fatima, from the fairy tale of “Fatima, the Spinner and the Tent”. Allow inspired creativity to manifest materially and concretely and find pleasure in the flow of your creative process.
Pisces: Am I who and what I want them to see, or whatever I think they want to see? Chameleon, changeling, actor, illusionist, mirage, phantom. Of all the signs, it might be hardest for the Fish Folk to feel firm and solid in their own identity. With dreamy, misty Neptune saturating the Solar chart sector of self-image and self-projection, any confusion about who and what you truly are, Pisces, translates directly into obfuscation in your relationships. Is it possible to know oneself completely, or are we always a work-in- progress? What would the truly authentic look like? Is there a gap between one’s style and one’s substance? A Sufi master suggested that as far as spirituality is concerned, the manifestation of it would indeed be one’s style. Exploring the mystery for you, Pisces, is an effort at bifurcation, seen in self-revelation, and by means of making your personality more transparent, like a 3-way mirror to your soul. Use Sarah McLachlan’s tune, “Building a Mystery” as aural support. The other aspect of this transit is captured rhythmically in “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. You might be enchanted, beguiled and just plain fooled sometimes, however, if you avoid the risks of the rabbit hole presented by Neptune’s beckonings, you may miss out on what it means to really, truly, follow one’s bliss. By the end of this lengthy phase, you should have an epiphany or realization that comes but once in a lifetime. Follow the bunny.