Neptune, the god of the sea, stations direct on Saturday November 19, 2016, 9 degrees of Pisces at 11:39 pm EST. Time to reconnect with our inner intuitive self, our dreams, our divinity and the `namaste’ presence. It’s time to bring forward the dreams of June which went `underground’ when Neptune retrograde.  It’s time to affirm how we fit into the `bigger picture.’

Neptune reflects the notion that each particulate is a part of something. No one stands alone. No wonder water is the way of Neptune: the universal dissolver. Water is the essential ingredient of life itself. From the watery womb we all emerge and to the great unknowable cosmos we all return.

Positive reflections of Neptune include creative compassion and mutual understanding and forgiveness of those who are `not us.’ This spirit of generosity arises from a stance which suggests that we are all one. What I do to `you’ impacts `me,’ because each individual reflects the all.

Neptune is the energy of spirit; divinity, magic, transcendence, psychic ability and spiritualism. That which inspires me is Neptune. Dreams capture the essence of Neptune, as does the glamour of the film industry. A good film is both an `escape’ as we suspend `belief’.  Yet because of its nebulous quality Neptune can also confuse and confound.

Negative manifestations of Neptune include confusion, illusion, escapism and lies.  Addictive behaviors are the obvious traits of Neptunian escapism energy gone rouge. Better to escape to the beach, the arts and to reverie.

We have experienced the full expression of Neptune since 2011 because it was then when the planet  `came home’ to its ruling sign, Pisces. This `homecoming’ is rarified occurring only once every 164 years, lasting approximately 14 years. During this go around we have until 2026 to figure out the `unknowable.’! The collective is experiencing the slippery transcendence of Neptune themes through conflictual ideology: individuality versus the group, nationalism versus globalism, boundaries versus open borders, religion versus spiritualism. Individually we are also reflecting upon such issues wherever Pisces is placed in our charts.

The last Neptune in Pisces transit occurred during the decade leading up the American Civil War. The philosophical walls holding slavery in place tumbled down in response to the message of Neptune in Pisces: we are all one.  Marx was inspired during this time to pen the `Communist Manifesto,’ painting a picture of Utopian ideals of human cooperation. Transcendentalism philosophies influenced celebrated writers such as Emerson and Thoreau who dreamed of `rising above it all’ through their back to nature movement.  Theosophy introduced its belief that beings of light are actively assisting humankind. Spiritualism, the religion where mediums talk to the dead, was born in 1848 and flourished in America during the carnage of the American Civil War.

And so… this leads us to the days following November 19, 2016. Since June 12th Neptune has been retrograde in Pisces. A period of retrograde is a time of incubation, when the issues of the planet are reworked, reconfigured and redesigned. Neptune is subtle, but the message is loud. It’s asking each of us; What do you believe?

Of course, the American election cycle was a perfect projection of this self and collective analysis. The players played their parts as if on cue. Even the messages of the candidates reflected the dichotomy of Neptune: Individualism ( Make America Great) versus globalism ( Stronger Together). Add a good dose of the passing nodes in the polarity of Virgo versus Pisces and you had a rip-roaring critical nit-picking drama which was just overwhelmingly exhausting.

If you haven’t yet heard of the `Standing Rock Controversy’ you surely will as Neptune stations direct. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is embroiled in a legal fight against the powers that be to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Tribal elders claim the pipeline threatens the only water supply for the Standing Rock Reservation and would destroy sacred sites. The first seeds of protest emerged at the Neptune Saturn square during the spring of 2016. Much of the on-going controversy was not widely reported by mainstream media. Yet after the Neptune station, more media coverage is anticipated as the legal battle heats up.  As of this writing the tribe’s cause has garnered international support with thousands of protesters gathering throughout the world. One of the rallying cries is `Water is Life’ and ` Standing with Standing Rock.’

If there is any planet which suggests a `rock’ it would be Saturn; structure, rules, the authorities, the establishment, power. There is no small irony that the name of the tribe who are fighting against the oil companies, and government agencies is Standing Rock. And, there is no coincidence that during most of 2016 we had the idealism of Neptune being curtailed by the reality of Saturn through a series of tense aspects called `squares.’

Back to just `Neptune.’  Since the Neptune retrograde on June 13^th, you might say we have all been collectively holding our breath; what’s REALLY happening? Why aren’t my ideals being validated? What ARE my core beliefs? Who ARE those people who don’t share MY beliefs?

Following the direct motion, Neptune graces us with Neptune clarity, which by all accounts isn’t always that concrete! Neptune rules symbolism, dreams, right-brained experiences embodied by music, the arts, poetry. Check inward for a dollop of guidance which will steer your individual ship.  Perhaps you’ll receive just the right message from your dreams, daydreams or meditations and prayers. Turn to the Neptune themes: divinity, God, faith and beliefs. Trust your inner Neptune to bolster your sense of authenticity.

At the same time, the south node, has been Neptune’s travel companion. The south node accentuates the NEGATIVE of an energy. Neptune/Pisces at it’s worse is the collapse into victimhood and fear, confusion and illusion.  We have had a front row to that performance since mid-June! Perhaps, because the Neptune energy has been retrograde for so long at the station direct it could transform the negativity within and without into a semblance of forgiveness and compassion. Vibrating to the highest `namaste’ energy of Neptune can ease the differences reflected by the Virgoan polarity of nick-picky criticism. One can only hope that the positive spirit of Neptune; unity, love, compassion and forgiveness will move us forward as Neptune stations direct.