[I wrote Neptune's Ingress into Pisces 2012 in May 2012 as the 3rd February 2012. The true ingress was 4 April 2011 but Neptune went retrograde and returned to Aquarius by August 2011 for 5 months. So while the timing might appear confused (typical Neptune) the predictions and analysis contained are not contaminated by this omission]
The astrological symbolism of Neptune is referred to, at times, as an energy that is of confusion, deception, vagueness or even opaqueness. All of these words are anathema to stability, certainty, clarity and truth. Even so, the idealism of Neptune, that notion of ‘in an ideal world’, is very much of the Neptunian contribution to our lives. Is it right, as many astrologers argue, that Neptune is more a reality than Saturn? Perhaps this question is encapsulated with greater understanding if rephrased into the notion, is it right that how we want the world to be is more real to us than what it is presently? Perspective plays a significant role.
The astrological symbolism of Neptune is referred to, at times, as an energy that is of confusion, deception, vagueness or even opaqueness. All of these words are anathema to stability, certainty, clarity and truth. Even so, the idealism of Neptune, that notion of ‘in an ideal world’, is very much of the Neptunian contribution to our lives. Is it right, as many astrologers argue, that Neptune is more a reality than Saturn? Perhaps this question is encapsulated with greater understanding if rephrased into the notion, is it right that how we want the world to be is more real to us than what it is presently? Perspective plays a significant role.
The Arab Spring began at the beginning of 2011, just before Neptune ingressed into Pisces (Neptune is the joint ruling planet of Pisces alongside Jupiter). Neptune is a long range planet, serving as a transpersonal influence that affects generations in a mundane capacity. While Pluto pertains to the status quo and the evolution of generations, Neptune develops the ideals and conditions under which nations (or perhaps more accurately those who are politically active, factions and groups emanating from disaffection or disenfranchisement) desire the direction of their evolution to be; A large mass of people living generally don’t give a toss one way or the other until the world affects them personally. With Neptune so strong in Pisces, it is not surprising that going to war for an ideal could become so strong or could encompass the disaffection of so many people. But when one reaches physical action on the basis of an ideal, is the energy cloudy or confused as the Neptune symbolism seems to imply? History may offer an insight.
In 1685, when Neptune ingressed by one year of its 14-year passage into Pisces, King James II ascended the throne and immediately began trying to reestablish Catholicism as the main religion for England. His predecessor, Charles II had tried with some success to work with the relatively new House of Commons to work as a protestant King to promote stability in England, Scotland and Wales. But James II was a staunch Catholic and principles dictated he could not be a protestant king. Parliament had no alternative but to revolt and by 1688 he was deposed and William of Orange began his glorious revolution, by invitation, to take the throne made vacant. It would seem that the path pursued was far from cloudy.
One must question how much, if any, the will of ‘the little people’ mattered at this time considering that only people with titles, property or land would have been able to vote. It was not until 1918 that all men over 21 got to vote, while women had to wait until 1928.
Isaac Newton (not a ‘SIr’ at the time) also published his theory of gravity. Can we ascribe a clouding of judgement here either? More of that notion later.
Neptune entered Pisces again in 1848. The revolutions that occurred at the time were known as the ‘Spring of Nations’ (European Spring? There are chilling similarities to ‘Arab Spring, do you not think?) covering not only Europe but also parts of South America. The accusations placed against the people revolting, and thereby the relative success achieved, was that the coalition of those revolting against the obviously more organised powers was 'shaky'. Many people died and when most of the revolts were brutally put down only a few accomplishments worth mentioning was achieved. Perhaps in this sense, the clouding or confusion was in the organisation (or lack of it) of the people - a charge that may yet be levelled at the coalitions of today unless they start to use the Internet machine with greater alacrity.
The California Gold Rush happened with Neptune at around 2 degrees of Pisces. And while people are killing each other for gold, Cholera kills 5,000 in New York. There is an ongoing potato famine in Ireland. Netpune’s association with disease is well known.
This is just a quick assessment of the nature of Neptune in action. In both instances of history it certainly smacks of a time of instability. Even Newton's discoveries would have removed the foundations of certainty from many in the world of academia.
So perhaps the term 'uncertainty' might appear to be the most pervading word for Neptune in Pisces as we leapfrog with Neptune the historical map from one Pisces in time to another. As we look at the civil war in Syria, (2011 to 2013 so far) where warring factions are in engaged in brutal and bloody conflict, after two years of bloodshed the outcome is far from certain as to who will prevail, especially so as proxy wars between more powerful countries like Russia and the United States fuel each side with weaponry, thus prolonging the conflict. In Egypt, the push for democracy flopped because religion (think James II) interfered with the stable running of a secular society. Throughout the whole of the Middle East, conflicts rage to some degree or another because of religious fundamentalism, whether it be Islamic or Zionist. Ideals of one kind over another are emphasised, causing upset to the status quo and in disregard to those who do not share the same narrow theological perspectives.
In the Western World, ideals are equally going over the top. In 1849 we had the California gold rush. Money, and its role in society is once more a feature that distorts and sends ripples of agitation through the status quo. But there are many differences today than back in 1849, where the population of the US was around just 23 million (UK 21 million). The stock market is built on the deception of ‘confidence’ and people speculate accordingly. Back in 1849 they called it prospecting (There’s gold in them thar hills!). Without confidence, the market is abandoned and right now we have global uncertainties in our economies that threaten to send all but the rich into poverty..
But 92% of the world’s money is virtual - that is to say it is simply numbers on computers created out of thin air by bankers. Is it therefore true to say that this non corporeal money, this virtual money (Neptune rules movies and therefore I suspect virtual reality) is as made up as any fantasy and is therefore more Neptunian than it is Jupitarian? (Jupiter rules money, especially large amounts. Lots of nothing is still nothing. It cannot expand but Neptune is the deceiver and makes it look like something is expanding).
It is this 92%, this pretend money, that the Western World is enraged about. And let us not forget how much instability in the Middle East is being promoted to save the Petro Dollar (Neptune and oil is as much a virtual currency as computer money). The real economy, some 8% of what people understand the economy is today, is what politicians tend to tinker with to no great effect. This is the lie that we all seem to believe, as we live in austerity while the incredibly rich just turn off the money taps. The 8% is actually the real economy for 99% of the people. It is the manufacturing and the building and the commerce of goods. It is the producing of something physically real for money.
The creation of uncertainty is palpable. People can usually handle austerity if it is for a reason they can relate to but in this case austerity was a condition created by pretend money in the hands of the greedy and unscrupulous. Someone somewhere is spinning us a yarn and the old saying that you can fool all of the people some of the time is not working anymore in 2013.
So if we consider that, of all the conditions attributed to Neptune that ‘uncertainty’ prevails during the first few degrees of Neptune’s passage, there will be a great deal of scrutiny over the claims and assertions made by people in positions of authority, where it is known that they tell us lies even when they know that we know they tell us lies. Every statement designed to take us along an evolutionary path that benefits only the very rich will be contested vociferously. In the same way that 1848 saw the abolition of serfdom, so it is that I predict the purpose of this revolution is for the people to rise up against those in power once again to realise the abolition of poverty, the protection of the welfare state and a health system that can be accessed by all - free at the point of need.
In today’s news, after the UK rejected intervention into the affairs of Syria after a chemical weapon exploded (exploded by whom is disputed) and France pulled back their support from the US to await UN reports, John Kerry is still trying to muster support to throw bombs at the Syrian Assad regime while supporting Al Qaeda with whom they are at war everywhere else. On the BBC, supporters of intervention blow the same trumpet about how people are war weary after Iraq and Afghanistan, such is the nature of their lies or, even worse, their misinterpretation. The people are not war weary; they are lies weary. Too many lies, too many false promises, too much short term politicking, too much giving with one hand and then taking from the other. We try to teach our children honesty and kindness and then we have to admit to them that our leaders practice mendacity and warcraft. We, the little people (as Neptune might well describe such an enormous body of people as a large institution) must stop them and dictate the path we aspire to follow or drown in their lies and be content as a prisoner to their ideal world. The US speak about the land of the free, but have wandered blindly into enslavement with money as the jailer. Here in the UK we are no better off but perhaps slightly less deluded.
But don’t be deceived into thinking that there will be any kind of capitulation or contrition on behalf of those who want us to become cannon fodder for their wars and profit from our labour. The nature of that beast will never change but has to be caged; or least watched very carefully. Because just as Neptune ingresses into Aries in 2025, Mercury flips back into Pisces. The symbolism sounds so much like the old fingers-crossed-behind-your-back when you promise something you do not mean. Or do you remember being conned into starting a race where only you start running while everyone else stands there and laughs that you fell for it? People who wield great global power do not just give up and slink away into obscurity. There is a history of promising much and delivering nothing. If there is one thing that the little people must learn, it is that they have been lazy in paying attention to what goes on right under their noses. It is not enough to play a vicarious role in other citizens’ activities, silently supporting the sentiment but doing nothing. If the little people allow others to have that much power over them, then all the hard won victories may slip from the grasp once again unless the coalition (thats us) established a watch guard at the very least, and that we look after our common interests collectively as the institution of little the people.
