Crisis and Opportunity (Part 4) Neptune in Pisces

A deep red curtain rises for the opening night of ‘Crisis and Opportunity – a commentary upon this time’, a much heralded new theatre production.

SCENE 1: A backdrop of a smoky industrial chimney skyline, government buildings, grey clad workers in line…images of the Establishment; schools, hospitals, banks, silicon valley. With an ambience of something is gathering momentum and about to happen.  (Subtitle: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn)

SCENE 2 : Lush green pastures and blossoms, vibrant wildlife, organic food; images of agrochemicals, pollution, dying bees and fast food. With an ambience of something is brewing towards critical mass and about to change. (Subtitle: Uranus in Taurus)

RANDOMLY INTERWOVEN CONNECTIVE SCENES: Morphing symbolic images of earth-scapes and cosmos-scapes; temples, prayer wheels, majestic mountains, bliss and beauty…ways we reach for a fusion with Spirit…the ocean, mermaids and monsters. Hallucinations? Real or unreal? Now you see them…now you don’t.
Revolving and evolving scenes. Variations on a theme of a longing and yearning to infuse our lives with something higher, something pure and perfect…an ethereal essence of paradise and unification.

So let’s look at these curious ‘Randomly interwoven connective scenes’ within the imagined theatre production of ‘Crisis and Opportunity – a commentary upon these times’. Maybe you’ve guessed the planetary transit within the ambience of my words….? Well, we’re about to explore another protagonist in our present time: Neptune in Pisces…    Note: Scenes 1 & 2 were explored in my three previous Crisis and Opportunity blogs.

Neptune is in Pisces from 2011 to 2025. Neptune is one of the slow moving far/outer planets, with a 165yr orbit around the Sun. No-one presently on Earth has experienced Neptune in Pisces during their lifetime. Its last sojourn in Pisces (1847-1862), saw the vast unfolding of the Industrial revolution.
Neptune is the planetary ruler of Pisces, so whilst abiding in its ‘home-sign’, it is very strongly active amidst the very best conditions to fulfill its cosmic remit. In a nutshell, this is a process of dissolving that which is outworn and no longer necessary; enabling the freeing up of wing-room to develop crucial evolutionary changes towards living with more Spirit and Compassion. This principle goes for both individuals and the collective.

The Zodiac sign of Pisces 

Pisces is the twelfth and last sign of the Zodiac wheel. It’s a mutable water sign, symbolised by two fishes swimming in opposite directions. One fish swims horizontally around the ecliptic and the other fish reaches up towards the heavens. Pisces represents the area of life beyond the physical realm ~ the Otherworld. This is the invisible world of intuition, sixth sense, desire to merge with the Divine, God, angels, phantoms, and ghosts.
It’s the realm from which we each emerge into Earthly life through our birthing, and where we return through our dying.
It’s the chaos from which all creation emerges…and then dissolves for purification and re-emergence.
It’s the habitat of dreams, trances, visions, kaleidoscopic perceptions, psychic connections, and knowings.
Artistic and symbolic expression perhaps most effectively convey this mysterious, ethereal, and powerful realm, which weaves throughout our earthly mortal coil; a continual thread of connection with the divine realm and spiritual home. Art awakens us to this realm within our lives and our psyche…a realm which is oft imperceptible, invisible, and semiconscious. Through art, we may reach into or be transported into the Beyond and maybe gain a touch or a fleeting glimpse of the Otherworld.
There are many ways of reaching into the Beyond. All require a giving up or sacrificing of individuality to enable merging into fusion. We may journey into the Beyond with intention.. or we may find ourselves unconsciously slipping or led into an altered state.
This journeying may be stimulated by prayer, meditation, ecstatic dance, ritual and ceremony, hallucinogenics, deep love, sexual bliss, poetry, psychosis, dreams, and addictions. Within these altered states, our consciousness expands and morphs as everyday boundaries dissolve. Through these portals, we may touch the Divine and experience fusion (going beyond the Self into cosmic attachment and Oneness), merging into the oceanic bliss of divine unconditional all-encompassing love, true compassion, and empathy.

Neptune in Pisces

The planetary archetype of Neptune is an ‘active principle’ within our psyche. It is the vehicle within which we may journey towards this state of Beyond and fusion, reaching for a state of redemption and maybe bring a little heaven to earth if we are able and willing.

When Neptune is in Pisces, there is an expansion and a going beyond everyday earthly concerns. An opening of a portal through which we may enter and imbibe an in-fusion of Spirit or Otherworldliness. Each individual and each worldly culture has its own interpretation and imagery of this place within and without. This ambience inspires and calls us to reach up and move beyond our everyday boundaried Self…to touch and merge with the divine.
There is a vast array of mediums of trans-port to this destination. And they all run on Kairos time…no Chronos timetables. Only Magic Portals.
We may journey either alone or alongside others in religious or spiritual ceremony, vision quest, or ritual. Or our journey may be through collective movements reflecting the current Zeitgeist in music, art, dance, fashion, theatre, film; community formation and gatherings. These are some of the ways of bringing Mystery and Magic into Life, adding meaning and dimension.

Neptune in Pisces may also bring confusion, morphs, and shifts….previous ‘knowns’ transforming into dissolution and undoing…old forms of being heaving and groaning in their death-morph throes. Tides alter their course and wild waves dissolve rock faces and cliffs, those densest substances of Earth. The creative force dissolves and re-emerges in a renewed form.
There may be tidal Collective Uncertainty; now you see ‘it’, now you don’t. And what may ‘it’ really mean?! Glamour and the weaving of spells and manipulations.
With Neptune in Pisces, a figurehead may appear out of ‘nowhere’, rising to fame or recognition…maybe becoming a Saviour/Messiah figure, soon mysteriously disappearing and returning to nowhere. Or being collectively dispatched back to Nowhere, when the tide turns and another twist in the tale emerges. These figureheads may be alluring and magnetise attention. Illusion or Reality? Dream or Nightmare? Light or Dark? Questions arise amongst the collective as to what such figures may really represent. Who or what might be behind them? What’s the real agenda or underlying intent? Are they truly all they seemingly portray…or are they riddled with manipulated image and grandeur? Deification contains inherent danger; the projection of a perfect redeemer cannot sustain itself…and there is only one way to fall from a throne.
Are we each willing to stand by our own perceptions of Truth and risk the loss of fusion, which collective following and groupthink enables? Or might we yearn to belong so deeply that we are willing to compromise our own individual viewpoint or intuition, shapeshifting our own views to fit into the collective or group container. A mature and grounded selfhood is capable of holding one’s own point of view whilst being open, interested and curious towards the differing opinions of others. This is a skill in which we are not generally educated!
This is Rumi’s place of true meeting:

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
– Rumi

New spiritual or philosophical angles and outlooks may pervade the collective when Neptune transits Pisces…sweeping into consciousness; critical mass reached, sometimes becoming viral. What do we believe? How do we know? Maybe we can’t know for sure, and we may go by intuition. Is this wisdom or risky danger?
Movements and figureheads arise on powerfully pervasive tides. Within the mass of new paradigm philosophies and conspiracy theories there lie crucial grains of both important truths and questionable truths.
Maybe this is where the opposite sign of Virgo has a complementary role….to sift through and discern. Trash or treasure.
Pray to Allah….but tie up your camel. 

Neptune in Pisces ~ a real life infusion

Within our present phase (Winter/Spring 2020) of Neptune in Pisces, we are experiencing the global pandemic of Covid-19, a virus which is at least debilitating and at most life threatening for a significant number of people. Coronavirus has surreptitiously and pervasively spread throughout many countries through human contact and virus-carrying vapour. And it is mysterious; constantly mutating, adapting, and renewing itself in slightly altered forms in order to evolve new strains in the hope of securing its own survival.
As a response to Covid-19 during these last few months, many governments initially restricted social contact between people and then moved into Lockdown in an attempt to ‘limit the spread of infection, save lives and support health services to function within their capacity’.

The everyday lives of many people have morphed dramatically. Our daily schedules, rhythms, and pace are moving from one extreme to another. The experience of these changes is largely dependent upon a person’s lifestyle, health condition (mental and physical), home-life, and work. Alongside this is our fundamental capacity to adapt, be creative, and self-care.

Health and care workers lives have become intensified…long hours and high risk of infection alongside more ‘public’ recognition of their value – yet no pay rises. Beyond government attitudes and legislation, individuals and communities have created a swell of compassion, kindness, and practical support. Some shops are offering a specific time of day when healthcare workers can shop, and/or a reduction on their shopping bills, free downloads, free services, and much more.

Some workers are finding themselves with slightly reduced earnings and lots of time freed up. This is wish come true for some, who are unearthing projects and plans and enjoying having time to do them.
For other it’s a struggle; a new and unfamiliar state of being, whether this is alone or maybe with a challenging household nucleus, or ongoing care responsibilities.
For many, changes in work and income are causing stress on both practical and psychological levels. We are in a situation of unknown timing and future outcome, with media announcements of a looming and chronic economic recession.

There is a sense of collective unrest within some nations. Many are experiencing feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and mistrust as to the capacity of their governments’ ability to manage Covid-19. Do we trust them to handle the situation in a sensible, supportive, safe, and fair human way, acting with wisdom and common sense? The British and American governments are under particular scrutiny here!
Enter the issue of trust, manipulation, and agenda…is that ‘new idea’ or approach really supportive? Or is it riddled with undercurrents which support an elite and undermine others?  Is a government a reliable and trustworthy authority (like a good parent!) …or not?

Alongside these transformations, compassion, care, and consideration are being inspired, re-fuelled, and re-birthed.  Neighbours share resources, organise shopping rotas and deliveries, swap vegetable and flower seedlings, people chat over fences and in socially distanced queues outside shops. Local communities build support networks. Kindness and empathy flows…

There are a torrent of images, poems, photos, videos, and offerings being shared and ‘gifted’ on social media, mostly well-meaning. And yet, depending on personal nature and stance, these may be received as either a gift or a bane.
The Internet has become a rainbow bridge for many; an amazing medium for virtual connection, education and entertainment. It has become the first and, for some, the lasting ‘go-to’ amidst Lockdown. But the increase of information sharing has clearly provoked a sense of overload and overwhelm for some. Questions, confusions and doubts as to simply what to believe have arisen.
Many people are now finding the necessity to limit or shift their newfound internet and social media habits, wishing to regain a subjectively ‘healthier’ level of use during their home-bound or socially distanced reality. For some it has become a mode of distraction or a growing addiction. Amidst this expansion, morph, and shift in reality, boundaries may become an issue. Fortunately, there is an OFF button.

Hatching within our present Covid-impacted Neptune in Pisces reality, there is a growing recognition of the truly important things in life. Our altered reality is inspiring us to reflect upon those qualities in life which give us fulfillment, contentment and joy.
These qualities are so often connected with friendships and relationships, health and wellbeing, simplicity, and a slower pace which enables us to enjoy and notice the wonder in our lives with a sense of gratitude.
The simple and joyous pleasures and importance of really being with family, friends and loved ones.

During Lockdown, absence has made the heart grow fonder. Through the loss of face-to-face contact, many of us have realised a new level of value for friends and loved ones. There are connections which we may well have taken for granted, such as the value of hugging a beloved one, the pleasure of eating yummy cake in a cafe with a smile, going to a festival with friends, travelling or trecking, cuddling a child, holding the hand of a lonely or grieving person, and wandering, with no restriction, in beauty.
These precious common experiences, oft taken for granted, give us great nourishment and soul food. They lift us up and take us beyond our individual everyday routines and focus, infusing us with the wonders of connection and healthy life-sustaining cathexis. Connections of the heart, soul, and spirit are a deep longing and yearning within us humans.

So what might be written on the Neptune in Pisces gravestone as a testimony to the passing of this Cosmic signature when it completes in 2025?
What would you like to see written there, on the stone pages of the open-winged Angel’s book?
Would you like to see inscriptions of….

  • A shifting in societies throughout the world towards peace and compassionate inclusion?
  • A transformation in healthcare provision, encompassing the best of mainstream and complimentary medicine?
  • The growth of sustainable methods of agriculture?
  • The development of a wiser education, supporting young people in growing into the very best of themselves?
  • Shelter, clothing, and clean water provision for all, based on a well-functioning and simple model with respect for cultural diversity and people’s dignity?
  • The beginning of a renewed vision within world religions and spiritual philosophies?
  •               ?

We each have a meaningful part to play as individual pieces of the Global Jigsaw. Each of us have specific gifts and wisdom of experience which we may gift to the world.

In these times it is crucial that we each choose our own theme of engagement, focus of further enquiry, and gift to the world with care.
Take some time to deeply dream your way into finding it. What inspires you?
This needs to be a reflection of you; your passions, your seeking, and your unique gifts.
Dream and meditate upon it, as these qualities bring your empowerment into being.
When it emerges, infuse it with your own wise knowings and intent to bring Spirit that bit further into a bonding with Matter.

Then breathe it into Life through compassionate action