Neptune’s five-month retrograde comes to a halt on the leading edge of Pisces this weekend. Neptune resumes direct motion opposed the hypothetical object Transpluto, which is just inside the cusp of Virgo. Considered as a whole, with placement, aspect and timing together, this case of Neptune stationing direct can be interpreted as challenging you to be creative with no illusions.
Separating creativity from illusions is no small task. The imagination required to innovate is only a short step from the edge of reality. To walk that edge requires both curiosity and conviction.
Most of us are not encouraged to be curious. Proverbs about curiosity being fatal for cats are intended to keep your nose to the grindstone and away from what is interesting. Even fewer of us have the courage of conviction to improvise from the inside out when there is so much conditioning working its way from the outside in. Neptune and Transpluto in opposition along the Pisces-Virgo axis represents a way to overcome both conditioned discouragement and the pitfalls of delusion.
Neptune, discovered in 1846, is the modern ruler of Pisces. It’s a good match. Like Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Pisces, it’s a giant globe of gas. Neptune is named after the Roman god of the seas (analogous to the Greek Poseidon), which fits with Pisces’ position as the ultimate water sign. In regards to astrology’s experience with Neptune since its discovery, there is a very deep compatibility with the Pisces vibe of being everywhere and everything while also being nowhere and nothing at all.