Neptune travels retrograde from June 30- December 6, 2023, in the sign of Pisces.
Neptune is the ruler of water, spirituality, intuition, creativity, illusions, deceits, dreams, art, fantasy, entertainment, and mind-altering susbtances. Whenever Neptune’s energy is strong, it casts a veil, which can sometimes create fogginess or confusion. Neptune does this as it wants us to look beyond our external world and move into our internal world for guidance. When the outside world is foggy, Neptune reminds us that the only place to look is within.
When Neptune enters Retrograde however, the veil is lifted, and we are confronted with the truth. Illusions can come crashing down, and deceits can be exposed. Neptune Retrograde can reveal untruths or things that we perhaps didn’t want to see.
If we have been using any Neptunian vices to escape from reality or bypass our truth, Neptune Retrograde can be a time when we need to wake up and confront things.
The Neptune Retrograde Cycle 2023
This particular Neptune Retrograde cycle will guide us to look back over events since December 4, 2022, to see if we need to look at things with a healthy dose of reality. We may have to take our rose-colored glasses off and face up to the truth.
As Neptune is retrograde in its ruling sign of Pisces, we are getting to experience the deepest and fullest expression of Neptune’s energy. On a personal level, we may notice Netpunian issues we were dealing with in December 2022 come back around in some way.
We may also experience:
Creative Blocks
As the planet of creativity, imagination, and dreams, Neptune Retrograde can sometimes create creative blocks, but this is only in an effort to rebirth our creative vision. While we may feel held back or stuck when it comes to any creative projects we are working on, once Neptune stations direct, we are likely to experience new creative inspirations and ideas that can take our work to the next level. If you find yourself feeling creatively blocked, honor that a rebirth is in the works. You may also wish to use this time to take a break from creative projects and focus more on the logistics. Sometimes our creative processes need a checklist and a plan, and this would be a good time to work toward those.
Rethinking our Spiritual Journey
Neptune is the planet of spirituality, so as it travels retrograde, we may find ourselves rethinking our spiritual beliefs and what we are holding onto as true. We may find ourselves leaning towards different ideologies or different ways of being. If we have been spirituality bypassing things in our lives, Neptune Retrograde can bring these issues up to the surface, guiding us to confront them. It is easy to minimize things that happen to us in an effort to be compassionate or the “bigger person,” but Neptune Retrograde is a good time to reflect and take a more practical, logical, and discerning approach to the situation. Neptune Retrograde can also bring realizations about the spiritual path you have been following and whether it is bringing you to peace or merely feeding your ego.
Lessons Around Unconditional Love
Neptune is also the planet of unconditional love, the love that is beyond our relationships and is connected to the forever part of our soul essence. This is the love we are and the love we will return to. We could call it Divine Love too. As Neptune travels retrograde, we may feel challenged to practice or access some of this Divine Love and direct it toward ourselves. We may also find ourselves dancing that line between recognizing that we are all love and deserve love, with setting boundaries and not allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of. While unconditional love is a notable spiritual practice, sometimes we have to practice loving from afar and loving through our own boundaries.
Reality Check
Neptune is the planet of escape. Its essence is getting lost in a movie, a piece of poetry, or being transported to another world in a fantasy novel. While all of these things are wonderful and have their place, if we have been using them to continually escape from facing up to things, Neptune Retrograde can sometimes bring us crashing back down to reality. With the Neptune veil lifted, we may be forced to confront things, see the real truth, and to address what we have been trying to bypass. Neptune also rules over addiction to mind-altering substances, so issues with this may also come to the surface during this retrograde period.
Secrets Revealed
When Neptune travels retrograde, it’s like getting backstage access to what is going on behind the scenes. There you are able to see what is real and what is not. As Neptune journeys retrograde, it can lift the veil, allowing us to see the truth. If someone has been deceitful, or if you have been ignoring the truth, Neptune can force you to confront it. Neptune Retrograde can sometimes be like taking off rose-colored glasses and seeing the reality of what is around you. It can bring awakenings and reveal the truth. But even though this can be challenging, trust you are ready to face it!
Journal Prompts and Exercises for Neptune Retrograde 2023
1.) Reflect on a recent situation where you may have overlooked or dismissed certain challenges or negative aspects. What specific details or factors did you ignore? How could acknowledging these realities have impacted your decision-making or actions?
2.) Write down any blocks you’ve been facing in your creative process. What do you think might be the underlying causes of these blocks?
3.) Use the prompt: “Allowing my intuition to lead, I can move into greater alignment with my soul by…”
4.) Make a list of things that inspire you. Aim to integrated these into your weekly schedule.
