Astrology Tutorial: Retrograde Planets, A Summer Overview, part 5: Neptune

Today's astrology tutorial: retrograde Neptune, summer 2008.

Neptune continues sloshing retrograde in Aquarius for the next few months. In this retrograde cycle he offers us a powerful opportunity for personal clarity.

Metaphorically, and perhaps historically, with Neptune retrograde, the fog is burning off. My personal image for this comes from having more than once spent a fair amount of June at the edge of the ocean in Downeast Maine. Whatever your personal metaphor, you know how wonderful it is when the fog clears and you can see all the way to the horizon. And how startling it can be to realize that thoughts born or strengthened when the fog covered the landscape are now revealed as understandable but also, well, funny, awkward, or just plain wrong.

Like the story of the driver on the highway following the tail lights of another car in deep fog, grateful for the signpost the tail lights provided. Until he -- or she -- suddenly crashes into the car ahead.

"What's the matter with you?" the second driver shouts. "Why did you stop short in the middle of the road?"

"I'm in my garage," the first driver replies.

Ouch. What's up with Neptune retrograde? In short, the sun's coming out and our ostrich habits are in danger of becoming painfully visible. We have choices to make over the next few months, folks. Will we continue in ostrich stance and pretend we're not vulnerable to lightning? Or will we -- will you? will I? -- lift up our heads and realize the sky's not falling. It's just changing color due to a change in the weather, and we have work to do.

Maybe it's time for some good old gospel music. Or maybe a few hundred choruses from the work of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan or Graeme Edge.

In my next post I'll add a little spice to the cosmic stew cooked up in us reflected in the action of these four summer retrogrades. We're in an active eclipse cycle. Next posting, August 10.

Yes, at the moment I'm posting only every other day. After all, it's summer. And I'm kinda retrograde.