NEPTUNE RETROGRADE: Epiphanies from the Watery Deep

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Image: American Ghoul aka Daniel Vazquez

“If you think you can grasp me, think again:
my story flows in more than one direction
a delta springing from the riverbed
with its five fingers spread”

Adrienne Rich

The twelfth house, or the “house of the unconscious” is one of the most influential placements in my chart; reason being, I have Pisces in Neptune (its ruling house), a placement simply called, ‘Neptune in the twelfth house’.

I think as we approach this Neptune Retrograde it is important to know what sign your Neptune placement falls in so that you can better navigate the impending storm.

To find out your Neptune and the rest of your chart setup, click here.

The twelfth house is ruled by watery Pisces, and Neptune is its ruling planet–having the two together, playing off the other’s frequency can prove challenging.

To read more about this placement, click here.

There is a lot, A LOT of depth, chaos, even victim hood that comes with this set up in one’s chart. There also comes a need for creativity, freedom, and self-expression that the majority of people will *never* understand.

The article linked above says, “People with Neptune in the 12th House have an entire Universe within that they might even struggle to know and understand. Neptune is in its ruling house here, which can bring out both the best and the worst of the 12th House. The negative aspects of disassociation, projection, and self-victimization can run rampant. But, this can also be the most transcendental, inspirational 12th House planet of all. It does all depend on what the 12th House Neptune individual chooses to do with this energy. These people are highly gifted on psychic and creative levels. Their potential to heal and bless the world and themselves is enormous. But, their Neptune needs to be owned first.”

Salvador Dali shares this placement and says his infamous surrealist expressions came from his deep Neptune imagination; an imagination so vast, psychic abilities so deep that he claimed to have in utero memories. He was a Mystic, too, because that Neptune curiosity couldn’t keep him away from what is hidden; we seek what is hidden!

I relate to his creativity, desire to swim the depths of his mind but mostly I relate to his chaos–the chaos of this placement.

Neptune goes Retrograde today and will remain that way until November 24th; this Retrograde begins and ends in the sign of Pisces, it’s ruling sign.

Unlike Mercury Retrograde, Neptune is all about Self: losing yourself to find yourself.

As the Sage Goddess says, “this is all about deconstructing reality” then continues on:

“Currently, Neptune is in the sign of Pisces, its own sign, which magnifies and concentrates its inherent energy. Neptune retrograde, in the sign or domain of consciousness we call Pisces, wants us to slow down…maybe even stop. Pisces is not journeying – the journey belongs to Sagittarius. Pisces is being, letting everything come to you. Neptune is oneness and omnipresence. Its realms are unlimited by our reality structures. It represents cosmic water, or the cosmic womb, the Source of everything, which encompasses everything – the Great Light, Creative Force, Energy, or Spirit. Names mean nothing when everything is one.”

Astrology King says, “Neptune retrograde 2018 starts on June 18 at 16°29′ Pisces and ends on November 24 at 13°41′ Pisces. Neptune retrograde 2018 forms a fortunate aspect pattern called a grand trine. It shows great natural talent and creative potential. Mercury and Jupiter are the other planets involved so there is a hopeful, philosophical and friendly feel to Neptune retrograde this year.

“Neptune retrograde is the ideal time for spiritual self-development. The grand trine aspects and fixed stars involved make Neptune retrograde 2018 especially good for undertaking a spiritual quest to seek the truth. More detail on Neptune retrograde 2018 follows definitions of natal Neptune retrograde and transiting Neptune retrograde.”

He highlights these aspects:

Mercury trine Jupiter brings optimism and good news. Research, study and socializing are favored, and this is one of the best transits for making plans because of your good instincts, future-oriented and positive thinking. Planning or setting off on a journey is favored, especially long distance travels. Particular areas of study which may interest you include religion, law, language and philosophy. Business dealings should go well and this is the ideal time for entering into negotiations and for signing contracts. This is also a good time for all legal matters.

Mercury trine Neptune stimulates your creativity, imagination, sensitivity and spirituality. This a great time for working on anything involving harmony, like poetry, music and dance. Drama would also benefit from your closer inter relatedness with others, or increased empathy. All of your communication skills benefit from a non threatening, caring and soft influence. Your senses will be finely tuned so you can communicate effectively at the non verbal level, through gestures, your eyes, and telepathically. This aspect enhances psychic abilities and intuition.

Jupiter trine Neptune encourages hope, generosity and community spirit. You may undertake a spiritual quest to seek the truth. There may be destined encounters with priests, guru’s or psychics. Others may come to your for spiritual guidance or you can go it alone. Enlightenment can come through dreams, visions or meditation. You can follow your dreams for success without needing to sacrifice your ego or material possessions. Wealth, fame and glamour may come but above you should feel happy and content. Romance is also possible as others find you mysteriously attractive.”

The abysmal depths of the cosmic womb are going to transform us all.

This couldn’t come at a more perfect time, personally; I am going through a shedding process but also a learning process.

The lessons? Slowing down, vibrating higher and drawing boundaries.

I am in desperate need of a slower pace, and some more space.

There’s also, what seems to be, some sort of initiation going on; as if I have passed a test I didn’t know I was taking and now I’m on the home stretch and finally realize what’s going on and as soon as I cross the finish line oblivion, manifestation and the fruits of my labor await.

Not to mention my Solar Return coming up on June 24th, which I will celebrate my 34th rotation around the sun!

I embrace the oncoming necessary internal reflection, chaos and hurricane force winds;

I embrace the need to dive deep;

I embrace getting lost in order to be found;

I embrace reconnecting with myself.

Suddenly, everything makes sense.

Happy swimming, folks.

 

Lessons in Magick: The Power of Signs and Omens

Rachel Baran

Image: Rachel Baran

“It is your omen, only you know the meaning. To me, it is but another star in the night.”

Gerald R. Stanek

Witches, Mystics, Cunning Folk and Wild Women (People) have used signs, and omens to guide and help direct them in life since the beginning of time. The mentioning of and superstitions surrounding these otherworldly messages crosses many cultures and traditions; varying only slightly between them.

It is extremely important to pay attention to the signs, and follow them with an open heart but it’s equally important to know when the signs are not yours to follow. And, you absolutely need to know when it is NOT a sign at all but simply a result of cause and effect.

The latter is super hard for me, personally, to grasp.

I put a lot of faith in the Universe, and I know that sounds crazy coming from a Luciferian but it’s true. I have lived my life following signs and they have never led me astray, until recently; the delivery of these false signs was through hard, painful lessons (all dealing with the same subject matter which is the greatest sign of all). As I write this in fact, the wounds are still open.

It’s a healing process, a learning process, and a shedding process. It’s a process that requires faith in Self with equal parts determination and stubbornness.

Yes, I have wanted to quit when signs revealed to me an answer I did not like.

Yes, I have been angry when signs took me down an entirely different road.

Yes, I have been sad when the signs were not there at all, or when I followed them and they turned out to be nothing.

Even then, though, everything IS something, even if it’s just an experience, or an opportunity to lift your heart to the sky and say “fuck you, I have been hurt, burned and beaten but here I am, I continue to show up and show out. You can’t and won’t defeat me”.

For clarification purposes when I say Universe I use it as an umbrella term for the Universe as a collective, primordial energy, my deities/Spirits, and Ancestors—kinda like, everything not of the physical world. And, even then I refer to signs from birds, animals and nature as the “Universe speaking to me”. We will get to that though.

So, WHAT are signs? How do you know when they are for you? How do you know when the lesson is learned? SO many questions, right?

Let’s start with the basics.

For me I define signs as messages from the Universe (definition above), they are little bread crumbs from Spirits and Guides letting us know what we should or should not do.

For example, my Grandparents are both passed now and they talk to me through old black and white films, sounds crazy, I know but it’s true. There will be a compulsion to watch a movie, and then it will be playing on TCM (the channel I would watch with them for hours) and during it, certain words will sound distorted, or will be louder than others and often the word correlates with what I am physically doing, or thinking about at that time. They usually correspond with number sequences on the clock, too, and phantom scents in the air.

I don’t (often) subscribe to the concept of coincidence, which is probably why it’s hard for me to grasp that sometimes stuff happens and there really is no reason for it.

Life sucks and so I *know* that shit, does indeed, just happen; I still want to believe there is a reason, though, no matter how messed up.

Is this Denial? Hope? Ignorance?

All of the above?

I don’t know but it keeps me curious, and it keeps me going.

You will know a sign is for you because you will FEEL IT in your gut, it’s incomparable and no, it cannot be confused. I know that some of the more logical folk out there will suggest that we cause ourselves to “feel” whatever it is we want. Or, conversely, we cause whatever we subconsciously fear, and are bending reality to fit into those boxes. I see the point in this train of thought and logic should always be taken into consideration but when you are communicating with the Universe, there is no confusing it and there is no applying logic to it.

Signs are everywhere and they are obviously not all for us, but they most certainly surround us.

You will know when a lesson is learned because you will stop finding yourself in the same repetitive pattern. Life is cyclical and it is NORMAL to have periods of time where you find yourself in a rut, or stuck in a pattern of behavior; this does not always mean there is some major sign to be seen, it could just be the ebb and flow of your life. If you find yourself stuck for a long time, or unable to get out despite your best efforts then the Universe might be testing you.

The further you venture on your Spiritual path the more you will come to understand the difference between normal “life shit” and what is Spiritually motivated or induced. You will also come to know when the lesson is learned because you will feel it lift off you.

Here are some of the most common ways the Universe talks to us:

NUMBERS: The Universe is nothing but one big mathematical equation, so it makes perfect sense that it would use numbers to communicate with us. You can start by reading up on “Angel Numbers”–don’t let the title fool you, even if you don’t believe in Angelic beings, the breakdown of Angelic Numbers by Sacred Scribes, for example, will help you tremendously (as it has helped me). It is also good to start understanding numbers and their role in Tarot, Numerology, and Astrology. Don’t overwhelm yourself, start slow and with the numbers that you are seeing the most—the message you need to see/hear will show itself. Listen to the feeling in your gut.

SCENTS: As mentioned in previous blogs our sense of smell is one of our most useful senses because it can trigger some of our deepest memories. Have you ever wondered why you smell something so simple like a light perfume or flower, even a food cooked a certain way and you were transported back to another time? Smell is a powerful indicator of energy, and depending on the smell, can tell us a lot about our situation. Always pay attention to phantom smells: who do they remind you of, where do they take you, where is your mind the moment before the scent appears, how long does it linger, how strong is it, etc.

DREAMS: Our dreams reveal to us a lot about what is going on within. It does not matter if the dream is prophetic in nature, a vision or travel of some sort or simply because you ate that extra piece of chocolate too late—dreams are the easiest way for our Spirits to communicate with us because they can access the Dream state, as we can access the world beyond the veil through our dreams. I keep a dream journal, and try to encourage everyone to do the same. It doesn’t have to be fancy, and to be honest, it’s usually just written on the memo pad of my phone but it’s important to notate what sticks out in our dreams. I cannot tell you how many times I have had a dream, and written something down, knowing damn well it made no sense to me, only to have it make complete sense later. Don’t doubt yourself, and write it down, no matter how ridiculous it seems; it will pay off later.

ANIMALS: This is a big one and refers to my comment in the beginning about the Universe speaking through animals and nature. I find that messages come to me a lot through birds, and spiders. In some cultures, birds represent Bird (or Animal) Medicine (mostly Indigenous cultures) but in other cases, the species of the bird (or animal) is the message itself. Here is an article I came across regarding the 15 most common animal messengers. Pay attention to how you feel when you see the bird or animal, what are you doing, what is going on in your life at that moment, what are you trying to manifest—these questions factored in with the basic symbolism of the animal will reveal to you what you need to know.

SYNCHRONICITY: This is those little moments where you experience intense déjà vu and you find yourself having moments of alignment. Examples, you think of someone and they suddenly call or text. Your manifesting abilities become more potent, and your intentions become clearer; abundance and prosperity come flowing into your life (no this does not mean money). Synchronicity is the Universe telling you that you are BECOMING.

These are just a few of the common ways the Universe communicates with us, you just have to be tuned in enough to hear it.

This is a hard path and I know sometimes the signs and lessons are harder but they are all worth it.

It’s always worth it.

Never regret the choice to wake up, never wish to go back to sleep.

Always trust the process.