Neptune in the Horoscope

Neptune is one of the outer planets, invisible to the naked eye. It was not discovered until 1846. It is quite slow, taking 165 years to orbit the sun and complete the Zodiac. That means it stays approximately 14 years in each sign, so a whole generation shares almost the same Neptune position in their horoscope.

     In astrology, Neptune represents fantasy, dreams, and imagination. It is the planet of the unreal, which still affects us to a large extent. Our subconscious and our fantasies are quite real inside of us. Also, such things tend to influence our choices and actions greatly.

     Because of its dreamlike nature, Neptune is the only planet that blooms in the 12th House, which is the House of what is not lived out, what we have to sacrifice in order for the rest of our characteristics and talents to manifest themselves. What is not acted out is kept inside, and that's the natural realm of Neptune.

Neptune in the Zodiac

Here are short descriptions of how each Zodiac sign influences Neptune, your fantasy and dreams, when that's where it is in your natal chart.

Aries brings a wild imagination and restless dreams.

Taurus brings an imagination limited to the well-known, and concrete dreams.

Gemini brings an entertaining fantasy, and dreams that jump from one thing to the next.

Cancer brings vivid and en­gaging dreams, and an imagination favoring the emo­tional.

Leo brings a fantasy quite self-occupied, and dreams of personal satisfaction.

Virgo brings a fantasy that usu­ally stays on the ground, inside what's concrete and makes sense.

Libra brings a fantasy that deals with the abstract, and dreams that focus on good and bad.

Scorpio brings a weird imagi­nation, and a rich fantasy favoring the unthinkable.

Sagittarius brings glimpses of a distant future and of far-away places, and dreams escaping interpretation.

Capricorn brings dreams and visions of a concrete nature, many of them possible and rewarding to realize.

Aquarius brings contem­plations to get lost in, and transcending meditation, not to mention fascinating dreams.

Pisces brings blossoming fantasy and imagination.

Keywords

Here are the twelve Zodiac signs, and keywords for the character they give to Neptune, i.e. your fantasy and dreams:

    Aries   violent

    Taurus   monotonous

    Gemini   jolly

    Cancer   emotional

    Leo   magnificent

    Virgo   conventional

    Libra   orderly

    Scorpio   bizarre

    Sagittarius   vague

    Capricorn   concrete

    Aquarius   eccentric

    Pisces   confusing

Ruler

Neptune rules over Pisces, the sign of belief, which means that it tends to be the most obvious and enforced in this sign. It exalts in Scorpio, the sign of the subconscious. It fits the best in water signs, which stand for emotions. It is significantly less stimulated in earth signs, and to a lesser extent in fire signs. It is at its least in Taurus.

The god Neptune calming a tempest. Painting by Rubens, 1635.

Planet age

Each of the heavenly bodies represents a period in your life of about seven years. In the case of Neptune it is the period of retirement, when we have no more obligations and can sink into memories and dreams. That would be approximately from your mid 60's and on to the last years of your life. It is a time when you're allowed to be absorbed by introspection.

© Stefan Stenudd