by dbeach » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:27 pm
I found this <br><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.queenofcups.com/AR59article.htm">www.queenofcups.com/AR59article.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><br><br>Articles<br>Neptune in Aquarius<br>September - October, 2006<br>by Julie Gillentine<br>This article is reprinted with permission from <br>Atlantis Rising Magazine, Issue #59<br><br><br>“The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” Eden Phillpots <br><br>"Although science and our logical minds know that nothing in the universe is really solid there is still a tendency to act as if only concrete physical objects are real. Neptune guards the border between what is solid and the ethereal realm of subtle energies that we might attribute to imagination. The oceans are the least solid aspect of earth so this domain belongs to Neptune, Poseidon in Greek myth. <br><br>Neptune operates through concealment and can render ordinary awareness diffused like light shining into water. So the planet is related to altered states of consciousness including trances, artistic inspiration, and drug-induced states ranging from anesthesia to LSD or the Indian Medicine plant Peyote. Depending on the person or the situation perceptions can range from miracle to mirage, compassion to confusion, transcendent thoughts to despair, or inspired dreams to nightmarish delusions. To navigate Neptune’s sometimes murky realm and peer through a seemingly impenetrable fog, we need the psychological equivalent of SCUBA gear to discern whether we’re meeting a mermaid or the Loch Ness monster. <br><br>Neptune is said to be the higher octave of Venus. Human love, the domain of Venus, gives way to divine love which surpasses ego needs and self-centeredness so often typical of human affection. Neptune acts in a spiritual sense to dissolve the illusion of the material world, revealing what is hidden from view in the depths, or heights of our consciousness, opening a portal to a larger reality. Neptune can engender mystical longings like a river making its way back to the sea, its source. <br><br>Neptune’s symbol is the trident which is formed from the crescent or chalice of the moon superimposed over a cross which shows the soul crucified within the earth plane. Because the nature of the experience involves what might be termed temptation, sadly this same symbol is used as the Devil’s pitchfork. <br><br><br><br>Neptune in Aquarius <br><br>Because the orbits of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, take seven, fourteen and twenty years respectively to pass through one zodiac sign, they are seen to represent a collective view with the potential to transform a generation. Although we may feel the influences personally but the motion is typically too slow to register as individual events. In the case of Neptune moving through a sign astrologers look for some collective transformation of our psyche operating in a largely unseen realm. <br><br>Neptune's passage through the fixed air sign of Aquarius began at the end of 1998 and will continue until February of 2012, which readers of Atlantis Rising will recognize as the close of the current cycle of the Mayan Calendar in December 2012. Neptune will then move into its own sign Pisces, the twelfth sign of the zodiac, and the last stage of a 164-year orbit around the sun. <br><br>Neptune was first sighted in 1846 when the planet last transited the scientific sign of Aquarius and true to its nature was not detected directly but by deduction because of anomalous motions in the orbit of Uranus. The last time Neptune transited Aquarius, 1834-1848, we saw a surge in interest of spirit communication as well as the blossoming of hypnosis which accesses the subconscious. Neptune’s last transit through Aquarius also gave us the discovery of anesthesia for surgery in 1844 and foreshadowed the Communist Manifesto which appeared in 1848. This also coincided with the movement of Uranus into Aries. <br><br>As Neptune passes through Aquarius this time there has been heightened interest in extraterrestrial life and the possibility of contact. Carl Sagan’s book of the same name, which became a popular movie, explored these ideas and introduced a wider audience to the highly Aquarian Very Large Array of radio telescopes (the one in Arizona), which listens for intelligent signals from deep space. Although the book was written prior, this combination of technology and altered states of consciousness is a good example of Neptune’s influence in Aquarius. <br><br>Neptune operates very much in a beneath-the-surface manner and during this transit we have already witnessed controversy because of technologies like the HAARP project and the use of undersea sound vibrations which have raised concerns about harmful effects to marine life, Neptune’s children. <br><br>Mutual Reception, Neptune & Uranus <br><br>In Atlantis Rising #38 I explored the influences of Uranus’s current transit through Pisces, the sign which is ruled by Neptune. Concurrently Neptune is transiting Uranus’s sign Aquarius. When two planets are in each others signs they are said to be in Mutual Reception. This usually occurs with the planets that are closest to the sun. This exchange of residences seems to act like a conjunction, amplifying and intensifying the combined energies. At the least it’s akin to walking several years in someone else’s moccasins.<br><br>Because Neptune and Uranus are one sign apart they have been moving somewhat in tandem. As both planets approach the later portions of their current transits (May-Oct of 2009), they will form a semi-sextile or thirty-degree aspect. This carries the idea of continuity and the natural shift of polarity from one sign to the next. This semi-sextile aspect can be somewhat unsettling but can also open a line of communication between adjacent signs and present an opportunity for growth in succeeding stages of development. Since this aspect includes the phenomenon of Mutual Reception I believe it can expand the positive opportunities. But as time gets closer and we have the benefit of experience and context we’ll see how the influences take shape.<br><br>These planets function in vastly different ways even though each acts to break up old patterns, creating opportunity for growth and expansion. Uranus operates through what appears to be random mutation. Externally a sudden unforeseen influence upsets the status quo and shifts factors in the collective equation. Tornadoes are a Uranian weather manifestation. This influence is neither random nor sudden but our awareness is not tuned to perceive the cause. As the quote at the beginning of this article suggests, our wits need to grow sharper.<br><br>Neptune in Aquarius on the other hand can dissolve mental patterns and make way for more idealistic mind sets and expanded thoughts, although the effect is slower. Hurricanes and Tsunamis can be seen as the destructive side of these combined energies. In the face of nature’s awesome power humanity can become humble and hopefully more conscious and caring. Operating together these giant planets are facilitating changes we can’t yet imagine. Even if nature had help creating the magnitude of these disasters, as some researchers speculate, our response is still a choice which defines our character. <br><br>Saturn in Leo opposed Neptune in Aquarius<br><br>The planet Saturn is also contributing to the combined influences. As Neptune moves through Aquarius and Saturn moves through Leo (July 2005-Sep 2007), the two planets will move into opposition. This aspect will be in effect for nearly a year, forming three exact oppositions at the end of August 2006, February 2007 and the last in June 2007.<br><br>I have called the axis of Leo and Aquarius the continuum of personal power. In a sense, Leo represents the king and Aquarius the collective of the kingdom, moving along the continuum from potentially dogmatic dictatorship through unconscious rebellion. With Saturn in Leo we are dealing with issues of fatherhood, kingship and rulership. Saturn is said to be in “detriment,” a position of weakness, in Leo as the Lion is the opposite sign to Aquarius. One end of this polarity examines how authority is held and power over others is wielded, while the other side examines how we respond to impulses toward individuation and personal freedom. Even monarchs have to obey natural law, and everyone is ultimately subject to some authority.<br><br>Elements of this opposition include compromise for the sake of placating a partner or vanquishing an antagonist. Spiritual discipline and walking the talk, not just mouthing hollow platitudes will be crucial. We may be called upon to make sacrifices and in some way atone for past mistakes. Where we resist growth we will feel frustration and repressed feelings. The constant question to be asked is, “What are we clinging to individually, nationally and globally that prevents our development as a species and our ability to create peace and plenty for everyone?” <br><br>Stated simply, and in a negative light, Saturn in Leo opposed Neptune in Aquarius polarizes issues of self interest against altruism, placing the needs of the few at odds with the needs of the many. Seen positively enlightened leadership can take a strong stand and set an example for a populace which reacts in a mob mindset. We witnessed the entire spectrum of human behavior in the aftermath of Katrina. We are not choosing sides but we can choose higher ground. The ultimate realization humanity is meant to reach, and that the collective generational planets represent, is that what we do to each other and the earth we do to ourselves. Just like solidity, separation is an illusion. <br><br>Revolution or evolution <br><br>An iceberg is a good metaphor for either Uranus in Pisces or Neptune in Aquarius as fixed and fluid energies combine and crystallize. As an iceberg Neptune’s influence and effects in Aquarius are largely submerged beneath the level of ordinary consciousness. But as the tragedy of the Titanic showed (Neptune in Cancer), our inability to comprehend and deal with the reality of the influence does not diminish the effects. <br><br>The outgoing Piscean paradigm of hierarchy concentrates power and resources, centralizing and controlling their distribution. Aquarius has everything to do with distribution of resources of an energetic or informational character. How we distribute knowledge, food and resources is at issue, and certainly fossil fuels versus free energy technologies provide modern classrooms for this lesson. <br><br>As Uranus begins a new 84-year cycle in 2011 and Neptune moves into its own sign in 2012 we will also witness winter solstice sunrise conjoin the rare alignment of the galactic plane and the ecliptic. As the outer planets serve to magnetize the evolutionary process we live at a time of rapid change and heightened frequencies, hopefully moving toward more Aquarian views. At a deep level humanity’s collective awareness rebels against mental hegemony. The rebellion is largely one of consciousness. It is my opinion that one manifestation of the revolution is the enormous popularity of Harry Potter and The DaVinci Code. Both address the issue of power structures which decide how people are valued and what they can believe. Forces at the heart of this collective metamorphosis are Neptune’s compassion and the Uranian impulse to reveal truth. ""<br><br> <p></p><i></i>
