tlJ,t Astr~(~~ttlt(

N IE IPliUI N IE
 ALSO BY LIZ GREENE

Astrology for Lovers

The Astrology of Fate
Relating: An Astrological Guide to Living with Others on a Small Planet
Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil

By LIZ GREENE WITH HOWARD SASPORTAS

The Development of Personality:

Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol. 1

Dynamics of the Unconscious:

Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol. 2

The Luminaries: The Psychology of the Sun and Moon in the Horoscope:
Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol. 3

The Inner Planets: Building Blocks of Personal Reality:

Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol. 4
NEPliUNE

LII Z GR. IE IE NIE

(QiW E I S E R Boo K S
Lt.J Boston , MA I Yo rk Beach , ME
 First paperback edi tion publ ished in 2000 by
SAML'E l W EISER, INC.
P. O. Box 612
York Beach. M E 03910-0612
www.weiserbo oks.com

First published in 1996

Copyright (j) Liz G reene, 1996

All rights reserved , No pan of th is publi cation ma y be reproduced or ttan smined in any
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Library of Co ngress Cataloging-in- Publicatio n Data

Gr eene , Liz
T he astrological N eptu ne and th e ques t for red emp tion I
Liz Gr eene.
p. em .
Incl ud es bibli ographical references and index.
I. Astro logy. 2. Spi ritual life-Miscellanea. 3. Neptun e
(Planerj-c- Miscellan ea. 4 . Redem pric n-c-M iscellan ea. I. Ti d e,
BFI729.S64G74 1996
133.5'3-dc20 95-53255
CI P

ISBN 1-57863-197-1

Typeset in 11 point Gau mo nd

Coyer painting is "Shade and D arkness : The Even ing of the Deluge."
by Jo seph Mall ord Will iam Turner. exh. 1843, From the Clore C ollection .
Tare Gall ery, London . Art Resource, NY.

Charts used in th is book h ave been calculated by Asrrodiensr AG ,

Dammnrasse 23, Pcsrfach Station,
C H -87 02. Z ur ich . Swirretland .

PRJNTED IN THE U NITED STATES OF AMERJCA

EB

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Th r pdprr used in this p ublication meets sbr min im um requirements ofthr American
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Mat erials Z3 9.48- J992(R J997).
 TABLE OF CO NTE NTS
Cha rts vi
Acknowl edgements _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. vii
Introduction XI

.pllrt f)"t , Y',,,s tI f)ri~'

TH E M YTH O LOG Y OF N EPTUNE

Chapte r I: Creation 3
Chapter 2: T he Pursuit of the Millenn ium 3S
Chapter 3: The Advent of the Redeemer 6S

-Pllrt 7:""" H ysttrill e , ,,i,,,,ctip>ris

T HE P SYCH O LO G Y OF NE PTU NE

Chapter 4: The Discovery of the Uncons cious 10 7

Chapter S: T he Psychoanalyt ic Nep tune 139
Chapter 6: The Liebatod 177

.pMt 7:I-.rtt, A"i"'l1 111,.",(i

NEPT UNE AND T HE COLLECTI VE

Chapte r 7: T he Esote ric Neptune 22 1

Chapter 8: Nept une and G lamour 2SS
Chapter 9: T he Politi cal Ne ptune 289
Chapt er 10: Neptu ne and the Artist 32 1

-Pllrt Y'" ", Y'tr c,.(,.", -PiSCllri,.",

T H E NE PTUNE COO KBOO K

Chapter 11: Neptu ne in the H ouses 36 5

Chapter 12: Nept une in Aspect 40 9
Chapter 13: Nep tu ne in Synasuy and the Com posite Chart . 44S
VI - T H E AST RO LO GICAL N EPT UN [ .,", N D T H E O U ES T f OR RED EM PTI O N

Conclusion .477
Sources of Binh Data .481
Bibliography 489
Index .497
Abou t the Author 507

LI ST OF CHARTS
Chan 1. Meher Baba 99
Chan 2. Billy G raham 100
Chan 3. C. G . J ung 102
Chan 4. Franz Ant on Mesmer 110
Chan S. J ulie 168
Chan 6 . Laurence O livier 200
Cha n 7. Vivien Leigh 20 1
Chan 8 . Composi te for Olivier and Leigh 208
Chan 9 . Elizaber h Taylor 210
Chan 10. Richard Burt on 2 11
Chart 11 . Co m po site (or Tay lor and Bu rton 2 16
Chan 12. Bagh wan Shree Rajneesh 247
Chan 13. D iana, Princess of Wales 284
Chan 14. Un ited States of America 312
Chan 15. People's Repu blic of China 3 14
Chan 16. Ge rmany, Weimar Republ ic 3 16
Chan 17. Ge rm any, Th e Th ird Reich 3 17
Chan 18. Ge rmany, Democrati c Republ ic. 318
Chan 19. Leonardo da Vinci 33 1
Chan 20. J ean-Jacqu es Rousseau 336
Chan 2 1. Roben Schumann 356
 ACK NOWLEDGEM E TS
T he quot" that appear at tbe tbapter opm ing) C01nt f rom tbe followmg sources:

Page ix, W illiam Butl er Yeats, "Th e Song of Wan de ring Aeng us.' from
Colleard POlmJ of W. B. Y,atJ (Lond on : Macm illan, 1978), p. 66 .
Page xi, The General Epis tle of james, iii.1 1, from the Kin g j am es Bible.
Page 105, Euripides, T be BarchantJ, from Ten Playl by Euripides. Moses
Hadas and j ohn McLean, tra ns. (New York : Bant am , 198 5), p. 284 .
Page 107, C. G . j ung , Collected WorkJ, Vol. I : Psychiatric Sludi" (Lond on :
Routledge, 1957), p . 465 .
Page 139, Sig mund Freud and j oseph Breuer, Studus on Hp u ria (London :
Peng uin, 1986), p. 58 .
Page 177 , Francis Q uarl es, "Why Dosr Thou Shade T hy Lovely Face?" in
Tb e Oxford Libra ry of Enghsb Poetry. Vol. 1. (Londo n: Gui ld
Publ ishin g , 1989), p. 238 .
Page 2 19 , Sir T hom as More, Utopia , Everyman 's Library, Book I (Londo n:
J. M. Dent & Son s; and Ne w York: E. P. Du tton, 191 3), p. 23.
Page 22 1, Milarep a, "Twelve Deceptions," Tb e Hundred T houJand Song) of
M ilartpa , Vol. 1, Garma C. C. Chang , tra ns. (Ne w Hyd e Park , N Y:
University Books, 196 2), p. 227 .
Page 255, George C rabb, "T he Library," I. 167, Oxf ord Dicn onaory of
Quolaliom (Londo n: Oxford U niversity Press, 1941 ), p. 164 .
Page 28 9, Sir Thom as More, Utopia , Everyman 's Library, Book I (Lond on :
J. M. Denr & Sons ; and New Yor k: E. P. Du rron, 191 3), p. 44 .
Page 32 1, W ill iam Blake, "T he Divine Image," lines 9 - 12 and 17·2 0 in
Songs of Innocwcr, in Blakr. Compleu W",'ingJ, Geoffrey Keynes , ed .
(Londo n: Oxfo rd Un iversity Press, 19 79 ).
Page 363 , Anton Mosiman n, Anton MOJimann'J Fisb Cunme (Londo n:
Macm illan, 1988), p. 9.
Page 36 5, Arrhur Machen, "T he Grear G od Pan, " in Tal" of Horror and tbe
SuptrnaturaI (Londo n: J ohn Baker , 196 4), p. 62 .
Page 409 Euri pides, T he Baa bants, from Ten Playl by Euripides , Moses
Hadas and J ohn McLean , trans . (Ne w York : Bant am , 1985 ), p . 28 6.
Page 44 5, Robert Burns, "A Red , Red Rose" in Tbe Oxford LIbrary of
Engli Jh Poetry, Vol. II , J ohn Wain, ed . (Londo n: G uild Pu bl ish ing,
198 9), p. 23 3.
The Song of Wandering A engus
-
I ue nt out 10 tbe hazel wood
Because a fi re u /as in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel u .and,
And hooked a berry 10 a thread;
A nd uhe» while moths were on tb« wing,
And moth-lik e stars were flickering OUI,
I dropped the berry in a stream
A nd caughl a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor

I went to blow Ihefire aflame,
Bul something rustled on thef loor
And someone called me by my name,
II had become a glimmering girl
Wilh apple blossom in her hair
Who cal/ed me by my name and ran
A nd faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old u'ith wandering

Through hoI/ow lands and hil/y lands,
I wil/ f ind out where sbe bas gone,
And kiss her lips and lake her bands;
A nd walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck IiI/ time and times are done
The silver apple: of the moon,
The golden applu of tbe Jun.

- W I LLIAM B UTLER Y EATS

 INT RO D UCT IO N

Doth a fountain smd f orth

at tbe tame piaCt
sueet water and bitter?

- TIlE GENER AL EPI STLE OF J AMES

- -.. ' - - " he longing for redemption is

an an cien t, strange a nd
many-headed dai mo n, which
dwe lls wit hin even th e most
earthbo u nd a nd prosaic of
sou ls. Sometim es eloq ue nt
and som et im es m u te, thi s daimo n aspires to ward so me d imly sensed uni on
with an all-seeing , all- loving, ineffable O th er, in whose enci rcli ng emb race
may be found ul ti ma te so lace for th e ha rsh lim it s of mortality and th e
frigh teni ng isolatio n of ind ivid ualit y which lie embedded somewhere,
albeit un consciou s, in every life . Even if we do nor call t he Other by any
divine name, bu t instead direc t ou r devo tio n and our yearni ng toward
unrecog n ised su rrog ates such as hum an it y en masse, fami ly, nature, art,
love, or t he State, neverth eless t h is quest is u nm istakable and not to be
confused with othe r, more ind ivid ualised feelings such as de si re, passion ,
love, or ad m iration for a part icu lar person o r t h ing . T he hallmarks of the
lon g ing for rede m p tion are , first, that it is a longi ng; second , th at it is
com pu lsive and ab solute, a nd often collides violentl y with ind ividual val-
ues; and th ird, th at its g oal is not rela tion ship, but rat her, d issol ut ion .
W e have bee n creati ng images of the Other since our Paleolith ic
ancesto rs first conju red the mag ical horse, mamm oth, and b ison ou t of the
cave's blank wall-not only to ob tain supern atu ral help with the hunt , but
also becau se we have always needed [0 feel there is Someth ing OU t there
which m it ig ates agai ns t the tr ansience and insig n ificance of a morral life.
 xi i .... TH E ASTROLOGICAL N EPTU NI AN D l HE QUDl ' O R RIU EMPTIO N

Alone amo ng the ani ma ls, we human animal s const ruct rituals and works
of art specifically designed [Q reconne ct with a di vine sou rce from wh ich
we first came and to wh ich , one day afte r deat h, we can return . Freud spec-
ulated on the possibility that such persistent aspirat ion roward rhe sacred
retu rn is a sub limation of th e incestuous longi ng for the bliss of the wom b
and th e breast, couched in symbols wh ich p reserve the int ensi ty and truth
of the unconscious yearn ing but which evade the crippl ing guil r and
shame lying in wait for those who breach the ancient taboo. J un g specu-
lated on the possibility th at the long ing for redem pt ion is in nate-an
arc hetypal predi sposition as pr im ord ial and irresistible as the urg e ro pro-
create . The main revelat ion of SymbolJ of Transformation, I th at seminal wor k
wh ich heralded J ung 's parring of the ways with Freud , is that it is not t he
stern morality of the inner censo r which im pels us to generate transcen-
dent image s of redem pt ion . It is th e un consciou s psyche itse lf, which seeks
co tran sform its own com pulsive and doomed insrin r tualit y throug h th e
med iat ing influe nce of th e symbo ls wh ich it creates . No t society or super-
ego , but soul , in j un g 's view, is ult imately responsibl e for the t ransforma-
t ion of raw libido into the work of devoti onal arc, th e noble huma ni ta rian
ideal, the awesome d igni ty of th e sacred rit e, th e pro found and cruelly
beaut ifu l ini tiatory wor k of t urnin g hu ma n lead int o human go ld . In ocher
words, what we call God is really N atu re, the ch rhonic nature desc ribed
by Freud 's td, seeking freedom from irs own death -shadowed inert ia
th rough a g radua l evolut ion not only of form , as Darwin would have ir,
bur of expression and of conscious ness, An d th e instr ume nt of th is tran s-
format ion is that ete rna lly el usive facu lty whi ch we call th e im agi nat ion.
It is possible that both Ju ng and Freud are correct, although Jung at
first seems m ore flaner ing to hu man motivati on , and more appea ling to
(he spiritually inclined , T he man ifesta tio ns of the longin g for red empti on
partake of both incest and transcenden ce at the same tim e. They pose a
profound moral dile mma as well, for t hey encompass not only our myriad
endeavours to expe rience and form ulate the ete rna l, bu t also many of th e
more horrific forms of addiction, mad ness, and mental and physical disin-
tegratio n with wh ich medicine, rat her tha n rel ig ion , has in recent times
had to deal. We can no longer tal k in hu shed ton es about th e voi ce of God
when an ind ivid ual persona lit y, and even an indi vidual body, cru m bles
int o fragmen ts before the d ictate s of that voice, and is rendered incapable
of coping wi th the sim plest requiremen ts of earthly life. W hen is an art ist
no longer m erely trag ic or mad , bur a di vinely inspired ge nius whose

I . C G . J ung , C/J/I,o ,J W/If'".b , VtJl_ .5. S,,,,btJlJ tJ! Trmu!tJnnalitJ" (Priecercn, NJ : Pnnceron
Un i v~ rsj [y
Press, 1956 )
 IN TR. O D U C TI O N - xi i i

excesses are tolerated because his or her suffering dign ifies ou r ow n? When
is sufficient talent manifested to justify, say, cutt ing off one's ear like Van
Gog h, or com mi tti ng pattieide like Rich ard Dadd , who, no doub t doo med
by his name, th ought his father was really th e Devil d ressed up in his
father's clot hes ? When is a visionary no longer merely a lunatic, but a
saint ? Is the criterion the number of safe centuries which have elapsed
between the age of bel ief and the age of scie nce? What wou ld we say today
about the gla ringly erotic visio ns of St.A nthony, who sounds suspi ciously
like a paranoid schizop h renic, Ot about the equ ally erot ic stigma ta of
Sr.Francis. who coul d comfo tt abl y enter any psychia tr ic ward diagn osed
with hysterical personality d isorder? O nce there were hundreds of saints,
and they were easily, if post humously , recog nised by ord inary morr als-
although thei r credentials often included only intractabl e virgin ity, a nasty
end, and the clai m of one or tw o m iraculous cures ove r a frag ment of doth
or a shard of bone . Today the Vat ican is rather more caut ious. The prevail-
ing collective view of reality no longer trusts mi racles, intractable virgin-
ity at t racts asto nish men t and pi ty rather than awe and respect , nasty ends
are available to everyone , and the requirements for canonisarion are some-
what more severe.
What , then , is this poignant yearning wh ich just ifies any sacrifice,
this ete rnal cry from the wasteland of incarnation ? Is it truly the clear voice
of the soul mak ing itself heard through the prison walls of eart hly sub-
stance? O r is it the desperate defen ce-me chanism of the fragile personali -
ty, bruised and rendered stubbornly infanti le by incompetent parenting
and its ow n regressiven ess, and unwill ing or unable to make the diffi cult
foray into the jungle of everyday life and death ? H ow can we tell the dif-
ference, in our relentless search for messiahs and gur us who can hel p us to
enter the emb race of the ineffable, between a Christ and a H itler ? Both , in
their rather differem ways, arose in respo nse to the cry of a despairing peo-
ple seeking redempt ion. Yet it seems [hat such a questi on invokes resent-
ment amo ng those who belie ve that their polit ical correctness or more
evolved sp irituality will always aur om ati cally appre hend the diffe rence-
nor only between a false messiah and a true one, but also between the lov-
ing and the destroying sides of them selves. I have heard the sent iment
expressed by many astrologe rs, healers, and cle rgy that spirit uality is a
th ing apan , be yond the domain of psycholog y, and that it shou ld not be
probed o r denigrated by th e crude tools of psycholog ical insig ht. Nor are
the ideologically incl ined exempt from the absolu te convict ion that thei r
mot ives ale above psy cholog ising because th ey thin k only of the welfare of
society. But anything whi ch human beings experien ce belongs to the
realm of th e psyche and is therefore psycholog ical; for it is the indiv idua l
 xiv - THe ASTRO LO GiCAL N EPT U N E AND T H E Q U (~ r f OR REDEMPT IO N

body. mi nd , heart, and soul which perceive and int erpret whateve r we
choose (Q call reality. All experience is sub jective, because it is an individ-
ual human bein g wh o expe riences it. And if ou r polit ical and spi ritua l con-
victi ons are [00 p recious to permi t honesty about our own ext reme ly
human motives, th en what is left to stand between us and th e wanton
physical and psych ic destruction of lovers, parents, chi ld ren, spou ses,
friends, and even nat ions in the nam e of redemption ?
Astrolog y has a planetary symb ol ro describe all huma n urges, and
the long ing for redemption is as human as the rest . In astrol ogica l lan-
guage, ir is called N eptune, named after the Roma n god of the warery
depths. As wit h Ura nus and Pl uto, unkno wn to the ancients and dis cov-
ered only in the last two hun d red years, astrologers are hard-p ressed to
explain to th e sceptically m inded JUSt how and why Neptune received a
mythologi cal name wh ich so approprately descr ibes its symbolic mean ing .
Th e longi ng for redem pt ion is the longing for dissolution in the wat ers of
pre-birth-maternal, cosm ic, or bo rh. Ast ronomers nam ed th e plane t
before astrol oge rs began thei r work of observing and record ing its exp res-
sions in th e horoscope . W ithin th e causal framew ork of mode rn scienti fic
chi nking it is probably impossible ro exp lain [he phenomenon behind such
sirnul ranaeiry. A differe nt fram ework - perhaps even a diffe rent world-
view-is requi red, My explo ration of Neptu ne in th e following chapters is
based o n my ow n research and experience-bo th professional and person-
ai-as well as d rawing from th e work of other investi gar ors, astro log ical
and otherwise. who have cont rib uted co our underst anding of th e pl ane t.
H ad it been nam ed afte r some other, non -aquatic god -Pan, per haps, or
Vulcan- I wou ld have concluded th at it had been wrongl y named . As it
st and s, the name is go od enough, but nor perfect . Neptu ne shou ld have
been nam ed after a sea goddess, not a sea god . The sou rce of life with
which we seek to merge brandishes a masculine nam e, but wears a femi-
nin e [sc«.
T he lo ng ing for red em p rion is, to use astrology 's favourit e
Nep tu nian keyword , con fusing . Sometimes it appea rs as a rad iant aspi ra-
ti on to ward th at whi ch uni tes and embraces us all . Sometimes it manifest s
as a sad and often crippl ing clingi ng to the pr imal fant asy of the ute rine
wat ers before there was birth and the refore before there was suffering , sep-
aratio n, and solitude. Relig ious literature is full of rich and moving lan-
g uage ro describe [he former. Psychoanalyric literature is full of difficulr
and ofte n clumsy langua ge ro describe the lat ter. Bot h have somethi ng
valuable to contr ibute to ou r unde rstandi ng of Neptune, and bot h will be
dea lt with in g reater depth in th e appropriate chapters of this book . T he
core of these two apparently cont rad icto ry faces of Nep tune is th e same .
 IN TR ODU C TI O N - xv

The differ en ce lies in the man ner in wh ich the daim on ic longing is expe-
rienced , and in th e extent (0 whi ch it can be incorporated into the ind i-
vidual's reality in life-enhancing rath er than life-destroying ways. Many
astrologer s are a littl e tOO qu ick to call Neptu ne "spiritual." There are
some truly ghastly denizens of th e Neptunian waters which make Jaws
look like a dish of mar inated herr ing, and which are usually dism issed by
euphem isms such as "deceptio n" and "illusion." Equally, the re is often pro-
found meaning in wha t is convent ionally called pathology, addi ction, or
madness; and th e individual in the g rip of Nept une's peculiar form of
breakdo wn may ul timat ely see furt her, and more, than th e doctor who is
creati ng such a patient . What is decepti on, and wha t is illu sion ? Who is
deceiving wham, and abou t what ? And whe re, as any Neptunian m ig ht
well ask, is rhe rule-book which offers us a defi ni tio n of realir y so unshak-
able that we can know with certainty at last whether tha t O the r, wh ich is
th e ob ject of ou r long ing , is merely the opiate of th e masses, or alive and
well in the grea t transcendent unity we call life, ar just another word far
Mot her?
Any att empt to unde rstand Neptu ne necessitates travelling do wn
indi rect waterways. N o sphere of hu man end eavour is de void of the long -
ing for rede mpt ion. and we m ust therefore be prepa red to exp lore not only
individual psychology but myrh , poli rics, relig ion , fashion, and th e arts as
well . Astrological literat ure tends, with certain excep tio ns." to be curious-
ly lim ited in its descriptions af N ept une--even thoug h th e enorm ous edi -
fice of psychoanal yti c wr itings on hyster ia, sepa ratio n anxiety, idealisati on,
projective ident ificatio n, fusio n of self and obje cr, masoc hism, and pri ma-
ry narcissism dea ls almost whall y wit h Neptunian themes . In astr ologi cal
texts Neptune is rarely presented as who lly be nefic; deception , illus ion ,
and add ict ion are usually men tioned , as are the themes of karm ic oblige-
t ion and renun ciation . But the se terms are insufficient if we are to offer any
gen ui ne insig ht to th e client, the pati ent or ourselves. T he person with
Venus or the Moon in d ifficu lt aspect to Neptune, or Neptune in the 7 th
house, may indeed incline toward decepti on , illusi on , d isappo int ment , and
renunciat ion in matte rs of love. But why ? If he or she cannot face the emo-
tional issues thar lie behind the propensity for shroud ing partn ers in a fog
of idealisation , and will not dea l with th e painful necessit y of inner self-
suffocie ncy, th en no amount of spi ritual ph ilosoph ising will protect that
individual from repeat ing the patt ern over and over again , on one level or

2. For two of [he mosr comp rehensive descript ions of Neptu ne see The G"d) "I Change by
Howard Sasporras (London: Peng uin, 1989 ) and AurrJlrJgy. Kanna and Traml lmnarirJn by
Stephen Arroyo (Sebasrapol, CA: CReS Pub licat ions, 19 78).
xvi ~ THE ASTRO LOGICAL N EPTU Nf AN D THE O UEST FOR RED£MPTION

another. And the strange and baffling passivity which sometimes makes
such a person declare that it must be "karma" and that therefore all hopes
of personal fulfillment must be sacrificed to a higher purpose, is one which
needs to be challeng ed , rarher rhan accep ted at face value. Other peopl e
also ge t sucked down into Neptune's emo tiona l whirlpools ; and more
often than not , it is the Neptuni an's partner or chi ldren. They may not
possess the lux ury of justi fying their own unhappiness by the belief that
the evolved are required to suffer more,
Astrology's impoverishment of definici on is understandable, because
ou r many-headed daimon is tr uly protean . It changes shape with such
speed that it is difficult to see th e connections between irs different man-
ifestations . What , for examp le, might the relat ionsh ip be bet ween hyste-
ria- that ancien t malaise which the G reeks believed sprang from a wan-
dering uterus-and the enig mati c world of occult phenomena, which few
psychiatrists (excep t apparent eccentrics such as Jung , who had the Sun
square Neptune) would consider worthy of serious investigation? Or
between those much soug ht after "psychic powers" so gla mo rous to the
naive explore r of spi ritual terrain, and the drug and alcohol addiction
whi ch debases and destroys so many lives? Or between addic tion and the
"oceanic peak experience" described by rranspersonal psychology? O r
between rranspersonal psychology and th e film srar? O r between the film
star and the poli t ics of the Mili tant Left '
It is not impossib le to formulate clear concepts about Nep tune's
meani ng as an archetypal urge withi n the human psyche. N or is it d iffi ~
cult to relate the planet to empiric observations of individual and collec-
tive behavioural patterns, complexes, feeling s and world-views . What is
difficult is that nasty old paradox: Wh en is it a transpersonal long ing
whi ch needs [Q be honoured as precisely that, and when is ir an infanrile
reg ression which needs to be confronted w ith compassionate realism ? And
when is it both ? Perhaps this is the true nature of Neptun ian decept ion .
G iven the spectrum of oppo sites which Neptune seems to symbolise, from
the extremes of psych ic and physical disintegration to the life-transform-
ing light of inner revelation, it is virtually imposs ible to state, categori-
cally, when one is masquerad ing as the other. A deep bur una cknow ledged
thi rst for the spirit can disguise itself as addiction or hopeless retreat from
reality, just as the so-called enlightened soul may be an apparent adult
with a baby's emotional narcissism , on strike against life and refusing to
leave N ever-never-land. The perennially self-sacrific ing parent, lover, or
counsellor can reveal himself or herself to be a devou ring octop us, just as
the apparent human fiorsam-the thief, the prost itute, th e addict , the
tramp--may know more of true human compassion than an army of doc -
 IN T RO D U C T IO N -- xvi i

tors , psychologists, social workers, and po liti cians wh o loudly proclaim

t hei r love of hu ma ni ty t hroug h collectively approved words and d eeds . As
the witches in Macbtl h pro nou nce,

Fair iJ foul, and foul is fair:

H""" through thefog and fi lthy a" .!

Th e d ilemma of Neptune does not lie in any un availability of psycho log i-

cal mode ls which m ig ht pr ovide us with a rich er vocabulary than "decep-
tion " or " illusio n." It lies in t he som et imes literally mad de n ing moral
uncertainty wh ich accompa nies [he longi ng for redempt ion . One m ight
cloak wit h ap parent good ness the bo t tom less g reed of [he unformed infant
clawi ng at t he closed doo r of mother's womb , Or one m ight tru ly be in
couch with som e g reater real ity wh ich renders separateness mea nin gles s;
and one's creatio ns and anions will t herefore be g entl y graced with the
healing po wer of th at other tealm-although th e ind iv id ua l is often
unawar e of t he g ift he o r she possesses. One can never be sure, least of all
abou t oneself. It is wh en one is most cert ain of one's blamelessness th at one
is liabl e to be most m istaken with Neptu ne. J ust when the ind ividual
bel ieves that he o r she is being ind isputably loving , th e grip of the un con -
scious parental com plex is most in evidence. And just when one is in the
und ignified throes of breakdown and di ssolution, one draws close to a
stra ng e, diffuse light-a magical door whi ch ope ns onto sacred secrets
which , like th ose of the Melusine, vanish in the cold light of what is usu-
ally de fined as san it y.
Th ere has always been a curiously flexible inte rface between what is
called ma dn ess and wh at is called un ion w ith th e d ivine . To th e ancient
Greek, madn ess was [he condi tion of be ing possessed by a dei t y, To the
medi eval Ch ris tian, madn ess was the condi t ion of being possessed by a
devil , which is sim p ly another way of purr ing it. The Austral ian
Abor ig ine, when he goes "walkabo u t," is, in psych iatric term inolog y, tem-
po rarily insane . Bur in his own context, he has becom e one with th e land
and the ancesto rs. So, too, d oes th e shaman enter that ecstat ic tr ance
which , viewe d th rough the len s of rat ional consciousness, is in fact a psy-
chot ic ep isode . N ep tu ne can sym bo lise th e h ig hest and most exal ted man -
ifestat ions of love, g race, and creative vision of wh ich hu man beings are
capable in th ose mome nts when th e ea rt hbou nd illus ion of separateness is
rep laced by a recogn ition of ult imat e unity, Eq uall y, Nep t une can embody

3. Shakespeare. Ma(htrh. Act I, Scene i, hnes 11· 12, Tht Cllmp/tit WUTh vi William
ShaitJl'Mrt (London: Octopus Books Lrd., 1980).
xvii i - TH E ASTROl O GICAl f\; EPT UN E AN D T HE Q UEST f OR REDEMPT IO N

th e mosr desp erate and de srru crively devou ring impulses of whic h human
beings are capable, when t hey have not dea lt with t he fear of loneliness and
dea th . Wh ich is Hue? P robabl y bo t h. Neptu ne's d omai n can be a consid-
erable pro ble m fo r ma ny people because it consti t u tes a ki nd of "sacred
cow" whic h should noc be subjected co the same carefu l inspection as ot her
sphe res of hum an expe rience . I mu st th erefore risk a certai n amo u nt of
antagon ism from th ese read ers by raising q uestion s abo ut th e sancri ry of
sacr ifice and the g lamo u r of selflessness . N o mon st er s eme rge und er suc h
q uest ion ing, nor unt ou chable gods either ; onl y human bein g s, wh o are
m yst eri ous enou gh wit hout further mys ti fica tion. But it is just thi s esse n-
rial hum ani t y wh ich is so di fficult [0 include in Neptune's world , for
h um anity partak es too m uch of what th e O rphi cs called th e Titan ic- the
essence of Sat urn , wh ich is bo t h Nept u ne's eterna l enemy and its ete rnal
com plement . Sadl y, it is ofren th ose ind ivid uals with th e g reate st imagi -
nat ive gi fts wh o, at rhe same cim e chat chey despe rately lon g to ma n ifest
t heir pu renti al , sab otage wi t h t he left ha nd what they seek with th e rig ht.
Th us t hey foreve r enmesh t hem selves in a web of ma te ria l m isfort u ne, ill -
ness , and vicr im isarion in thei r emo tional and p hys ical lives, neve r fully
exp ressing the richness [hac lies wirhin th em because th ey be lieve , on some
deep a nd apparen dy ina ccessi ble level, [ha l such suffe ring will make [h em
mo re pure and m ore accepta ble in t he eyes of th at O t her wh om chey seek.
W hi le recog n ising , as anyone must , tha t suffe ring and sacrifi ce are part of
life, I have deep do ub ts abo u t rhc ways in wh ich t hese term s are used and
abused , and abouc wh at t hey often hid e. It is because of, and for, such indi -
viduals th ar l have ar remp red to formu late more clea rly th e Neptunian
world .
At th e time of wr iring , N eptune is concin uing irs long conju nccion
with U ranus . Alt hough the exact moment of con ju ncr ion has passed , th ese
two pl anets wi ll conr inue tra velling with in orb of each ocher fo r some con-
side rable rime." In the astro log ical worl d mu ch excellen t resea rch has been
clone on the mean ing of th is infrequenc and profou nd ly im po rranr meet -
ing of ou te r pl anets, and every prac t ising astrol oger has e ncoun te red
clients whose natal cham have been str ong ly tr igg ered and who have expe-
rie nced ma jor inne r a nd ou ter upheavals as a result . N acional charts. coo,
have yield ed man y insights in te rms of th e po li rica l and econ o mi c shifts,
such as th e u nici ng of Easc and We st G erm any, whic h have occu rred u nde r
t he conju nccion. W e all kn ow we are in a t im e of crisis and uph eaval.
Unde rs cand ing N epcun c is t hus pa rti cu la rl y relevan t no w, since

4 . The co nju nct io n will continue as bo rh pla ne rs m ove (rum Cap rico rn into A qU iUlU S. and
will no t move O Ui of orb un ril rhe heg inn ing of 19 99 .
 IN T RO D U CTI O N - xix

Neptun ian need s, feelings, and defen ces are at present peculia rly in ten se
and part of each person 's everyday life experien ce, The longing for redem p-
tion is a fundamental human experien ce. But in some sphe res of society th e
delu ge of the Neptun ian waters would seem ro have tot ally obliterated all
capacity for recogn ising personal responsibi lity and choice. It is possible to
understand man y of our more d ifficult social issues in th is cont ext , an d
such understand ing can help the indi vid ual to be more conscious of th e
motives behind his or her decisions , commi tme nt s, and act ions. For th is
reason I have inclu ded a chapter called "T he Polit ical Neptune," for pol i-
tics has always been one of th e realms of human endeavour whe re the long-
ing for redempt ion-albeit called by other nam es-has made itself most
truly at hom e.
The reader who wishes merely to find a "cookboo k" of int erpreta-
tions of N ep tu ne in the birth chart can refer to th e last section of (he book,
where descript ion s are gi ven of the planet in the houses, in aspect to othe r
planets , and in synastry and composite charts . However, the mat erial of th e
preced ing sect ions, includ ing th e chapters on relevant myths and religio us
mocifs and th e strange history of the d iscovery and exp loratio n of th e
un conscious, has been invalu able to my understand ing of N eptune .
Equally relevant are the worki ngs of Neptune in the collect ive psyche,
throu gh trends in fashion , spiritual and religious cults, and art . Whatever
one's parti cular orientation of astro log ical study and work , it is the world
of images which expresses the mean ing of thi s planet best ; and I hope that
som e of th is insig ht will also sti m ulate th e reade r. Th us I have begun
where N eptune begins, in the myths of creation out of wate r, of Parad ise
lost and found, of th e Flood and the Millennium . I have at first refrai ned
from any at tempt to interpret thi s ancient imager y too closely, for it is
amplification rath er than definition wh ich activ ates th e im ag ination and
brings th e feeli ng -tone of N eptune closer to conscious com prehension.
Although th is is my way of work ing with any astrological symbo l, it is
particularl y app ropriate to Neptu ne, who slithers away from keywo rds as
water slides through a sieve. Thus, with one hand firm ly on the prayer-
book and the other on th e pram , we can beg in to pursue the elusive
Nep tu ne, firstl y through th ose spo nta neous products of the human imag -
ination by whi ch th e un conscious is WOnt to portray itself.
 PAR T ON E

li lHIE M\YT HI OILO GY

OIF NEPliUI NIE
1\ nd I Jau' a new heaven and a m u - earth : f or the [mt heare n
and the l in t ea rth u -ere pa ssed au 'a )': and th ere lea! no more U t I .

A nd I. [ olm. ]a U' the holy CIf). neu-frrta alem. coming d UIOl /r o",
God out of beaten. prepared as a bride adorned lor her husband.

A nd I hel/n/ a great voice out 0/ beat-en saying. "Behold. the ta ier-

n" d e o
I G,," is uitb men, a nd he u'ill duell uith them. .m" be their
God."

A,ld God Jhall utipe tlu'a)' all lean / ,.0'" thei r eyes: and there sha/1
be 1/(, more death . neither pam nor sorrou: nor crying. neither Jhal!
there be em) mort pain: f or the ! uroJt:,. thing! are paned {Ill 'a ) .

A11.1 hedhlt sat UPOll the throne said. "Behold. / makedll dJtllgs neu:"

And he said unto me. "/t II done. / am Alpha and Omegd. the begin-
n111}:. and the end. I uill gi n unto btm tbur 11 athirst 0/ thef ountain
0/ the u'ater 0/ Ii/< [mly."
- R EVElAT IO ". 2 1: 1-6
 Chapler 1

CREATION

Qui oj 'P(1akr all lye comes.

-THE K ORAN

....-"1 P -.... he my t hol ogy of Nept une

beg ins wit h t he rnyrholog y
of Water. In astrolog ical sym-
bolism , Nep tu ne is t he ruler
of Pisces, t he thi rd sig n of
the wa tery trigo n; and the
god afte r whom t he planet is named is th e lord of the ocean dep t hs. But
ev en if the p laner had been called by a n othe r name, th e lang uag e o f wate r
arises spontaneo usly on the lip s of those experiencing important transits
and progre ssions involving Neptune. Over and over agai n I have heard
peop le complet ely unfamil iar with ast rolog y describe their feelings and
percepti o ns at such criti cal times wit h im ag es such as drowning, flooding,
drifting, dissolving, swamped, inundated, and flowing wirh the current.
Th eir d reams at the se junctu res also reflect th e domain o f wat er: tidal
waves, si nking ships, leak ing pipes and overflow ing to ilers , flooded hou s-
es and torr ent ial rain. Human beings describe with g reat precision,
although usually unco nscious ly, t he archetypal background of any irnpo r-
(ant life experience. Neptune 's vocabulary is that of water. And water, in
t he myt hs of every cultu re in every epo ch , symbolises t he primal sub-
stance, jom et origo, the source of all creation.
Myths of water are particularl y resistant to a neat definition of their
meaning. Because they are so vast and elusive, usually lacking human
characters and depicting instead the creation of the universe, their psy-
chological significance seems to be related to primal experiences of which
4 - T H E .4, H RO LO G lC.\L f\,EPT U,\; E A. .""'D TH E Q U EH fO R RU JEMP J IO N

we have only the d imm est awareness. Since all my ths are in one way o r
another the psyche's port rayal of its own pro cesses, these creation sto ries
are, on one level, images of h uman concept ion, ges tatio n, and bi rch , pr o-
jeered OUt onto the cosmos and envisaged as th e bi rch of the worl d . H uman
birth also occurs in m ore th an one form , for it involves nor only the phys-
ical emergence of the baby ou r of [he wom b; it also describes [he birt h of
an ind ividu al ide nti ty ou r of [he u nd ifferent iated sea of the collective psy-
che. The pre-world "before," whi ch is described in [he ancient myths of
crea t ion OU t of wat er is somet hi ng we can never "remem ber" as we mi ght
recollect, for example, the em oti ona l and sexual confli cts of puberty.
Ind ividual me mo ries depend upon an eg o to do the rem em ber ing . And in
the realm of N ep t une's wat ers there is not yet any "I. "
Wa ter in m yth , as well as in dr eam s, is an imag e of every thing th at
is inchoate and pot encial-the prima matertc from whi ch all form s come
and to wh ich th ey will ulrimat ely retu rn, either through their own
inevitable di sin teg rat ion o r in the th roes of a div inely impelled cataclysm .
Wat er exists at the beg in ning and ret ur ns at th e end of every cosm ic cycle ;
it will exis t even at th e end of creation, cont aining th e seed s of futu re
wo rld s waiting to germin ate in its de pths. If we wish (U g rasp more fully
th is an cient and sacred meaning of water, we need to cont act wi thin our-
selves an archaic, preverba l and altogeth er mo re sen suous pe rception of
life. A child 's first g lim pse of the mag ic and mystery of th e sea will tell us
mo re ab out the awesome ness of wat er than any scholarly analysis of ancie nt
relig ious rites. The way in whi ch we relax into a warm bat h at th e end of
a ti ring day reveals mo re abou t th e healing and nou rishin g power of wat er
than th e intellect can ever app rehend- how wate r slides del icio usly over
the skin, how it soot hes ach ing m uscles, how it offers the bod y th e sed uc-
t ive sensa tion of float ing without effort. T he my thic ima ge ry of water is
con nected with our earl iest bodi ly experiences and the exquisi te sensat ions
of being soot hed, lu lled, refreshed , protected. and cleansed . Th ese are nor
only sensuous fant asies; they are also ou r past , albe it unreme mbe red . Wl e
have all beg un life in the wate rs of the womb, and mil k is our first food .
And we can also un derstand a good deal abo ut the chrhonic sea-mo nste rs
of water-m yths from t he ch ild 's expe rien ces, not only of th e birth cana l bu t
also of unwi lli ng or accidental im mer sion-the inci pient suffocat ion, th e
blind panic, th e ter ror of som et hi ng bott om less like a g iant maw th at will
suck us down in to oblivion. Those indiv idu als who are frig htened of swim -
m ing in deep wat er may ga in insight in to (he deep er basis of their fears
th roug h exp loring N eptu ne's imagery. Th e im me nse success of film s
whose cent ral th em e is t he creatu re lur king in th e dep ths of the sea- from
The Creature from tbe Black LagoOTl to Jal~'J -i s tes timony to how frig hten-
 C Rf l\TlO N - 5

ing and ye t irresistibly sed uctive these images can be, even to a jaded mod -
ern consciousness.
Imm ersion in water, willing or unwill ing , is -in myth ic langu age -
a return to pre-existenc e. Such a return occurs at death, and in the throes
of t he m yst ical experie nce, and in the twil ig ht world of th e d rug-i nduced
trance. It can also happen whenever primal emot ions rise up and flood con-
sciousness, so that the "I" d isappears. Th is can, at certain ti mes and for cer-
ta in peop le. seem de lic iou s and fu ll of enchant ment, part icu larly if life is
cold, harsh, and frust rati ng . Bur if one has foug ht hard to clai m one's p lace
in the world as an effect ive indi vidual, it is rerrifying , because it seems {Q
herald ma dne ss, help lessne ss, and the u tt er poi ntl essness of all one's efforts.
We cannot remem ber what it is like to be without form, except when in
the g rip of particular oceanic experiences; and then there is usually a kind
of blur afte rward. wit h "hol es" in the mem ory such as one m ight have after
a drunken b ing e. Bur alt ho ug h we lack mem ory, t h rough out the ages we
have imag ined , and portrayed, th is watery pre-l ife- in myth , in rel igi ous
symbolism , and in art. Emergence of life from the water is also a m iracle -
how can some t hi ng come OUt of nm hing ?-for it is a repet it ion of the act
of creation in which the new universe, fresh, g listening and free of sin, was
first brought forth; o r the newborn baby, sli med wit h blood a nd fluid ,
emerges into daylight. Water, and underwater life, enthrall us now as they
always have. Intell igent dentists keep tanks of tropical fish in their wait-
ing rooms , because somehow the terror of the anaesthetic and the pene-
trac ing drill, for adults as well as ch ildren , is mit igated by th e hyp notic
rhythm of peaceful aquatic existence. The fountain is as magi cal co us
today as it was in the ancient world, and clever film-m akers regularly por-
tray lovers meet ing by its moonli t waters as rhey immer se themselv es in
the flow of the ir feel ing s. Fishing , too , is m iraculous for a child, and con-
tinu es to be so for many adul ts. To catch a fish is like rece iving a blessing;
beyond the co ncrete world of line s and flies and bait, it is the g race of t he
river or lake or sea which yields up its treasure. Thu s, in virrually all
ancient initiation rites, as well as in the Christ ian ceremony of baptism ,
imme rsion in water confers a cleansing of the corruptio n of the past, and a
new birth ; and these processes occur in a secret, hidden place to wh ich we
have no access except throug h the portals of fantasy.

The Water-M other in M esopotamian Myth

S ince prehistoric ti mes, water has symbo lised the ulti mate sou rce of life
and fert ili ty, bo t h for hum an be ing s and for th e u niverse. Thus t he p tes-
6 - T Hf ASTRO l O G ICA l ~ f PTU '\l f o\ N f) T HE O ll EH f OR RED EMPT IO N

ence of water, wh eth er sea, lake , river, srream , o r sp ring , ma rks the ma re-
rialisarion of the primal god head . Every N eol it hic and Bronze Age sacred
sire was locat ed beside o r over a sou rce of water, and its sig nificance was
g reate r th an th e obv ious practical considerations of dr inking and washing ;
it was perceived as a d ivin e source. In th ose lat er cult ures whi ch developed
m ore sophis t icated pant heons of gods and more elaborate rit uals of wor-
ship, [he tem ple alta r was usua lly placed ad jacent ro a sp ring o r fountai n,
whose m ysteri ous emerge nce from the dep ths was in ter preted as a pen e-
trat ion of the Eart h-worl d by [ha t life-creat ing deity who presided over t he
formless and invisible realm below and beyond . T his visible m anifestat ion
of th e d ivine life-source was always personified as a self-fert ilising fema le
crearr ix, or as a m ale-fem ale dyad whose chief powe r resides in irs femin ine
face. Th e hum an expe rience of th e world of th e womb before the existe nce
of an individ ual ego is, in the langu age of myth , th at of an oceanic and
ab solut e m aternal pow er.
T he Sumer ian myth of the orig in of [he world, dating from around
th e 3rd mi llen nium H.C. E. , has com e down to us through the med ium of
the Babylonian civilisarion which abso rbed Sume rian culture and achieved
the tim e of its floweri ng und er the energetic king H am m urabi (1 79 2-
175 0 B.C. E. ) . Of th e Babylon ian version of th e st ory of creat ion we possess
no exist ing docu ment ; bu r th e ent ire five-thousand-year-old tale is to ld in
the Enuma EIiJh, found in the library of King Ash urbani pal of Assyria,
who ru led from 668 to 6 30 B.CE . If there are old er creat ion myths th an
th is une, we do no r know about th em . Enuma EIiJh means "when above"
(the ope ning words of the poem ), and it is reco rded o n seven clay tabl et s
and covers in all a f in le over a thousand lines. Th us we meet the myrhi c
world of Nep tu ne first in the Levant, with the Sum erian s wh o laid the
fou ndatio ns of our Western cultu re. And for th e Sumerians, everythi ng
bega n with water.
In extant Sumer ian tablets, the godd ess Nammu , whose nam e is
writt en with [he ideog ram "A," meaning "sea," is descri bed as "th e Mother
who gave bi rt h to heaven and eart h." 1 The word na mmu or nam me is gi ven
anothe r int erpretat ion by N icholas Campion; he sug gests it can be rough -
ly eq uate d with essence, fate, o r des ti ny.2 T he tWOinte rp reta tions are rela t-
ed, since (he divine source is also the essence and desti ny of all life, which
emerges from and ret urns to it. Sum erian myt h offers no explanat ion for
th e o rig in of the primeva l sea. It JUSt is. We will finJ this a priori qua lity
of th e primal deity in orher creatio n sto ries, and it is a peculiarity of th e

I. $ H . Hooke, MiJdlr Ea JIN' n M, th(j/(jg)' (Londo n: Peng uin , 198 5), p . 24 .

2 N icholas Campion, T br G rtal }ta r (London: Arkana. 1994), pp . 48-49.
 C REATI ON - 7

m yth ic portrayal of the bi rt h of the uni vers e ; if we keep go ing back and
back, we cannot find our way past Som ething that has alway s been there.
T he sub jective feel ing of an eternal source, whi ch transcend s the lim its of
ti me and space and lies beyo nd the lim its of log ical thought , is cha racter-
ist ic of Neptune . Th e god dess Nammu is the earliest recorded image of
thi s Nep tunian source . In the Sumerian lang uage, the word for water is
also synonymou s with the word for sperm , concep tio n, and ge neration .
The g reat Sumerian sea-mot her is pa rthenogeni c; she is bot h fert ilising
sperm and the mo ist, rece iving womb ; she is male -female , androgy nous
and undiffere nt iated , an image both of cosm ic p rima l chaos and of the da rk
unformed world of the womb.
Th e Babylonians absorbed the Sume rian myrh of crear ion Our of th e
sea, and elaborated on it. The Enu ma EIiJh tell s us that in the beg inn ing
noth ing exis ted bur water: Apsu, the sweet -water ocean, and Ti'a mar, rhe
birrer salr-warer ocean. From the unio n of these two de it ies, male and
female bur contained wit hin th e sing le uroboric image of the sea, the go ds
were broug ht into existe nce.

When above rhe heaven had not (ye t) been named,

(And ) belo w th e eart h had nor (yet) been called by a nam e;
W hen Apsu prim eval, thei r bege tte r,
Mummu , (and) Ti 'arn ar , she who gave birth to them all ,
Still mi ng led thei r waters toget her,
And no pasture land had bee n formed (and) not (eve n) a reed
marsh was to be seen;
Whe n none of the (other) god s had been broug ht inca being ,
(W hen) th ey had nor (yet ) been called by (their) name(s. and
their) destin ies had not (yet) been fixed ,
(At that time) were the god s created wirhin them}

As the offspring of Ti'amat and Apsu g rew, the Enuma EliJh tells us, the
noise and clamour d isturbed the ir parents beyond bearing . T i'amar and
Apsu th erefore devi sed a plan ( 0 annihilare their ramb uncti ous proge nr
Bu t t he p lan wa s discovered by rh e you ng gods, who destroyed [heir fat her
Ap su in self-d efence . Then T i'amar pined hersel f in mo rral strug g le
against her chi ld re n , the stro ngest and boldest of wh om was th e fire- god
Mard u k . Ma rd uk chall eng ed h is mother to si ng le co m bat ; he cast h is ner
to e nclo se he r; and when she o pened her m out h to swallow him , he sp lit
her heart with an arro w. From her dismembered body he created the upper

3. Alexander Heidi, Tht B"by/flnt"" Gmtl;l (Chicago Univers ity of Chicago Press. 19-12 ).
p IR
B - THl A ~ TR O l O GI CAI N l r rU N ( " N O THl O U ( H f OR REDEMPTIO N

vault of Heaven and the lower vault of Earth; and thus the creation of the
manifest world was accomp lis hed .
JUSt what th is cos m ic image ry m ight suggest in psychol ogi cal terms ,
and how it might rel at e to the asrrologi cal symbol of Neprune, we will
explore more full y in due co urse. But certain essential th ing s can be
g leaned from the ancient sto ry, perhaps the most im portant of wh ich is the
ambiva le nt nature of th e p rima l life-source. H av in g gene ra ted her chi ld ren
wi t h in her warery body, Ti'arnar ab ruprly deci des she has had e noug h of
them , T he realm of the womb is not jus r a place of bliss, for the creat rix
can, for reasons best know n to herself, proceed co dismantle her creation.
The inherent dual ity of the pre - and post -na ta l world of the in fant , parr
paradisaical fusion and part terror of co mple te exti nct ion , is vividl y par·
t rayed in T i'amar . She is shrouded in darkness , as is the place of ou r ori-
g in. It m ight also be relevant here to em phasise rhar in th e Enuma Elisb
the creation of the wo rld OU t of the forml ess dep ths of the sea is accom-
pl ished by an act of vio lent separation. N o alternative is possible. It is an
imag e of the strugg le necessary to wrench indepe nde m ex iste nce ou t of the
primordial uncon scious; and it might be unde rstood as a story of the life -
and -d eat h sr ruggle o f th e em erging ch ild , as we ll as t he ba t tle to form a
separate ident ity out of the mass psyche of fami ly and collect ive , Ti'a rna r
is not an unconditionally loving wom b and breast. She is a monstrous cos -
m ic sea-serpent , and from Mardu k's perspective must be destroyed and
transformed . Marduk is for us an imag e of a certain stage of human devel -
opment , from which the once blissful place of orig in is now view ed as dan-
ge rous rather than a place of deli gh t. But T i'amat is also more than a mon-
ster to be slain, for her echoes cont inue through subseque nt m yths, and
[hey are fu ll of longing . Alrhough the Enuma Elisb does no t te ll us t hat
Mard u k so rrowed a t h is act of violent separation, it would seem in huma n
te rms that (he de st ru ct ion of the primal un ity ine vi tably results in reg ret
and longi ng for th e fusion wh ich has bee n losr. It also resul ts in a pe rsi s-
tent fear of reprisal.
The death of Ti 'arn at is onl y an ill usion, for she is eternally present
in th e world whi ch has been created our of her body. Babylon ian m yrh
h ints ar this parad ox in rhe Epic of Gilgamt1h, w hose Su meria n o rig ina l
da tes fro m the 2nd m ill enni um R.C. L In h istorica l te rm s, Gil gamesh was
a ki ng of t he early Su m e rian c iry ofUru k . In p sych olog ica l te rms he is, like
most my thi c heroes , an image of the independent ego, sple ndid and
mighty yet perpetually in co nf lic t with the divine pow ers. In the Story he
sets OU t (Q find the Tree of Immortality wh ich was los t when the primo r-
d ial sea was destroyed and the world was creared; for wi th the de feat of
Ti'am at comes the inevitabl y of death. Eternal life can only exist wh en one
 C R(A TI O N '!'I'" 9

lives within th e body of th e ete rnal source. G ilgamesh must first travel
across the cosm ic ocean to th e Isle of the Blessed, where the ever-l ivin g
hero of the Flood , U rnapi sh rim , dwells in eternal bliss wirh his wife. The
ageless cou ple wash h im wirh heal ing wat ers, and tell him of the Tree of
Immortality which grows at the bottom of t he sea. The hero find s th e tr ee
and , alrhough his hands are mangled and rom in the pro cess, breaks off a
branch and flees. When he has safely traversed the cosm ic ocean and land-
ed in his own coun t ry again he pauses for th e n ight by a stream , bel ieving
his prize to be safe. But a serpent slides ou t of the water and steal s the
branch and consumes it , thus shedding its skin and becoming immortal.
Whereupon Gilgamesh the hero sirs down and weeps4 Thus the sea-
mother Ti'amat, disgu ised as a humble water-snake, reclaims her boon,
and human be in gs are left with the ir mortal lot and their et ernal longing.
Perh aps, und er the influence of Neptun e, we ma y remember th e Tree of
Immortalit y h idden be neat h the cosm ic sea, and strive through pa in and
sacrifice to reconnect wi t h th e un ity t hat was lost with the emergen ce of
ind ivid ual consciousness. But if we are to take t he story of G ilgamesh as a
valid psycholog ical statemen t, then we mus t live with the kn owl edge th at ,
sooner or later, ou r possessio n of etern ity will p rove transient and t he Tree
will be lost once again .
Canaani te myth , wh ich is closely related to the Hebrew c reat ion
Sto ry of G enesis, dr ew mu ch of its imagery from the tale s of th e Sumerians
and Babylon ians. H ere Ti'amat is called Asherah , "Lady of the Sea" and
"Mo t her of th e God s." In Syria she was kn own as Astarte, "Virg in of the
Sea" and "Lad y of the Waters"; th e orig inal mean ing of her nam e is
"wom b" or "t hat whi ch issues from the womb.'? She was also called
Ashtorerb , Anath or Ashtar ; in Mesopotam ia she was known as Ishr ar, and,
amo ng the Philist ines and Phoen icians, as Arargaris , the fish- g odd ess. She
is somet imes referred to in th e Ug ar ir ic or Can aan ite lang uage sim p ly as
Elarh, or "God dess." She was the p rogen itrix of all the g od s, ofre n por-
tra yed as a be neficent maternal figure , suck li ng not only her own offsprin g
but even deserving hu man pr inces. The more savage face of th e p ri mal
sou rce, an in teg ral part of the sea-monster Ti 'arn at, was split off from the
life-succouring image of Asherah, and reside d in the darker Can aan ire fig-
ure of the hideou s monster Loran (t he Hebrew Leviathan) wh o dw elled in
t he oceanic dep th s. Lotan or Leviathan is also called the Tortuous Serpent ,
and is eq uated in Kab bali sric myth ro Lilith, "who sed uces men ro follow

4. S H. Hooke, MiJJlt Eal t",1 M ythuffllY, pp. 54·5 5.

Y Anne Baring and Ju les ( ashford , Tbe Myth »[ lIN GfJ ddm (London: Pengu in, 199 0 , p.
460.
10 ... TH £ A STROL O GICAl N EPTUN E AND TH E QUOT fOR R£OE,\1PTl O N

croo ke d pat hs ."6 Lili t h is not only a sed uc t ress but a de voure r of ch ildren,
"causi ng t hem ro lau gh happily in t hei r sleep and th en strang ling rhern
mercilessly so as ro get hold of, and array herself in, th eir in nocenr souls .'?
The dem otio n of Ti 'arnar fro m cosmic sou rce to malevolen t su ccubus d oes
not dim inis h her terror.
In th e seco nd (Yahwis r) of th e t wo creatio n myths of Genesis we have
an accou ne of how Yahveh , like Mardu k , engaged in vio len t con flic t wit h
the wat er s and smart' th e m an y-headed Lotan or Leviathan , proceeding
afterward ro create day an d nighr, the firma ment, th e heaven ly bodies and
t he order of t he seasons . This th em e is repeated in Isa iah 27 : 1:

In rhar day,
The Lord will punis h wit h his sword,
H is fierce, g reat and powe rfu l sword,
Leviathan the g lidi ng serpe m ,
Leviathan t he coiling serp ent ;
He will slay the monster of the sea.

The name of the Babylon ia n sea- mot he r, t i 'a mat, is related etymologica lly
co t he Heb rew wor d tebom. th e deep, of the fi rst ( Priestly) crea r ion m yth of
Genesis:

Now the ear th was form less and empty, darkness was over the face
of the deep, and th e spiri t of God hovered over th e wate rs.

As the fiery w ind of M ard u k b lew in to t he d ark depths of Ti 'arnar , t he

sp irit of Elohi m hovered over th e dark face of t he deep. As M ar d u k sp read
th e uppe r h alf of the mot he r-body as a roof wi rh th e wa ters o f H eaven
ab ove and t he waters of Earth be low, so in Genesis Elohirn made th e fir -
m am ent and sepa rated th e wa t ers th at were above from those t hat were
be low. A nd as Marduk conquered Ti 'amar , G od conquered Leviat han . In
a l Srh-cen rury Kab balisric te- xt, th e M idrash ic st atem ent that G od
"coo led" t he female Leviat ha n is reinterpret ed to m ean that G od m ad e
Lilit h barren , so that she cou ld no long er bear offsp rin gf Yet in lat e r
J ew ish folklore Lev iat han is not m ere ly mon st rou s, bur a lso beaurifu l and
beloved of G od .

The ruler over the sea-a nima ls is leviathan... . Ori g inall y he was
created male and fema le... . But when it app eared th at a pai r of

6 Raph ael Parai. Thr Ht brrw G uJJm (N ew York ' Avon Books, 197Hl. p . 214 .
7 . T ht llrbrru' GuJJm , p . 222 .
R. Thr H~brt'w G uJJtJJ . p 2 15.
 C RE" T10 N - 11

these monsters might annihilate the whole earth with the ir un it-
ed stre ngth, God killed th e female. So enormous is leviathan th at
to q uench his thirst he needs all the water that flows from the
Jordan into th e sea. . . . But leviathan is more tha n merely large
and strong; he is wonderfully made besides. His fins rad iate bril-
liant ligh t , the very sun is obscured by ir, and also his eyes shed
such splend our tha t frequently the sea is illumi nated suddenly by
it. No wonder tha t this marvellous beast is the plaything of God ,
in whom He takes His pasrime.?

In teresting ly, Leviatha n in this desc ript ion has become male, because God
has dest royed or made barren th e female parr of the o rig inal u robor ic un ity.
Th is is one way of attempt ing to solve t he pr obl em of Neptune, and it is
not an uncommon one amo ng mortals. Its efficacy outside the domai n of
myth is, howev er, q uest ionable .
Ar th is poi nt it is appropriate (Q introd uce th e Neptun ian image of
the fish. Ti'arn ar is a sea-serpe nt , but she is also a Leviatha n, a g iant fish .
Wherever we see port rayals of the monsters of rhe deep , ancient or mod-
ern , th ey are inva riably a cu rious blend of t he two. Long before th e fish
became one of th e dominan r images of Ch ristianiry, it was linked th roug h-
out Middle Easte rn myth with the figure of th e g reat sea-goddess who pe r-
sonifie s th e origin of life. The an im at ing and fert ilis ing power of wate r, as
well as its q uicksi lver d ivine offsp ring , can be represent ed as a fish; th e
devouring maw of the sou rce can also be im aged as t he fish 's mouth , wh ich
swallowed J onah and spat him out again. Thus th e fish is simulta neously
the phallus of the self-gene racing sea- mot her, her voracious de vou ri ng
mo ut h, and th e god -chi ld t hat she bears and will swallow up again . Th is
imag e of rhe sea-mot her is epitomised by th e Phoenician go ddess
Atargat is, who is port rayed as the "ho use of fishes" with a fish's ta il.
Astart e or Asherah also orig inally had the form of a fish. I II T he life-g iving
fish-mother is the prima l sea that cushions the fish-foet us who is th e
unborn god -a mythic image which reflects our own di rect physical expe-
rience of pre -birth, Life and myth inte rt wine in the hum an embryo, whi ch
beg ins its development as a fish-like entity, with organs sim ilar co g ills
that enable it (Q live withi n th e ute rine waters . Before birch , mother and
child are fused in t he image of th e fish. And th e fish-chi ld em erg ing from
th e waters will ulti mately beco me the red eemer who , as we shall see, car-
ries a special and tra gic dest iny.

9 . l ouis Gim berg , LtgmJ I uf l ht Bible ( Phil adelphi a: Th e j ewish Pu b licati on Society of
Arnen ca. 1 9 ~ 6 ), p. 14.
LO. Erich Neum ann , Tbe O",g tnJ anJ Hw ury u[ C,mUlUIIJntIJ (Pn nceto n. N). Pnn ceron
Universsuy Press, 1954), p . 71.
12 - T1f1 A. STRO t O GIC", :'\.:£ PT U ~ ( ",",0 TH E Q U IS T f O R REOE....1PT IO N

The fish es whi ch art' so familia r (0 ast rologe rs as th e pi ct ori al repre-

senra rion of Pis ces are inextri cably bound up with the an cient myth of th e
sea-mot he r and her divi ne p rogeny. T he sout hern , sm a lle r fish in th e con-
srellat ion is t he son , whose nature and fate we will examine m ore carefu l-
ly lat er ; th e nort he rn. big fish is t he mo t her -goddess who pe rson ifies t he
sou rce of all crea tion . I I Both figu res are relevant to the as tro logical
N ept un e. whi ch li ke Pisces co nta ins an int rinsic duali t y.12 Ti'arn a t is a
chi ld-eater as we ll as a child -bearer, fo r ex ti nc tion awaits eve ryt hi ng whi ch
exists in form . Th is is t he unwelcom e truth whi ch G ilgamesh had to face ,
des pi te his act of heroi sm . The wat ers whi ch give life will also, one da y,
rise up and drown life. Longing and terror live side by side in the rela-
ti on sh ip between th e sea-mot her and her offspring , T i'am ar, Asherah,
Ash rerorh , Ashr ar, Isht ar, Astar te. Ararga ris, Anat h , and Lev iath an are all
variat io ns on t he t hem e of t he g reat sea-mother, p rog eni trix of life and the
ulr ima re dest royer o f all t hat she c rea tes .

The \Vater-Mother in Egypt

E g yp t is as old as Sumeria , and it remai ns a sub ject of scho larly debate
whet her t he Sum eri an cuneiform p receded or follo wed th e Eg ypt ian h ie ro-
g lyph ic. Despite ine vitable cross-fertil isat ion bet ween Eg yp t and th e
Ti g ris-Eup hrate s Valley t hro ug h t rade, in vasion an d mi grat ion , Egypt ian
cultu re and myt h dev eloped as a d istinct and highl y ind ividual ent ity,
sha ped by the unique phenomen on of a virtu all y rainless land , to tall y
depe nde n t for its fert ility o n the wh ims of the mi ghty and tem peram ental
Nile. The complexities of Eg ypt ian m ythol ogy have been a problem to
schola rs as far back as the Greeks, because each Egyp tian city de veloped its
ow n names an d stories and animal associa tions for the various g od s. But
the Egyp t ia n sto ry o f creat ion is a stra ig h t tra ck, leading inevitably to
wat er.
To g er a sens e of the spe cial flavour of th e Egyptian cosm olog y, we
mu st consid er th e miracle of t he Nile; for the land s of Up per and Lower

1 1. The Greeks associated t he cc nstella ncn of t he fishes Wit h Aphrodite (t he Synan Astart e
and Mesopo tamian lsh rar), who p recip itat ed h erself and her son Eros int o (he Euphrates
when frigh tened by rhe att ack of t he mon ster Typhon; t hey became tW O fishes t hat afterward
were placed in the zod iac. Latin cl assical authors, such as Manilius, mad e Pi sces th e fishes
tha t carried Venu s and he r boy out of d ang er. T he big fish was also associated with the m on-
ster t h at was sen t ro de vour And ro meda and was destroyed by the her o Perseus, son of Zeus ;
rhis seems an ob viou s de rivat ion of the Marduk-Ti'amar story. See Rich ard H inckl ey Allen ,
SIJ ,. l\'amtJ: Their u,rr and Mt417i17g (New Yor k: Dover, 1963>, pp. 336-344.
12 In Mamliua ' IlJlrllnlJ m/ ca , PIsces I S under t he g uard ianshi p of t h e sea-g od N ep ru ne-c-
the first doc u m ent ed associati on bet ween th e two. ahh ou!: h the p lanet was not kn own at
(h is orne.
 C Rl AT IQ N - 13

Egypr , apa rr from (he mo re swam py te rrain of (he Delta. have almost no
rain fall--onl y (he yearly inundat ions of the g rear river w h ich fertilises (h e
banks . Sin ce (he b ui lding of rhe H ig h Dam at Asw an , th ere no longer
occur (ho se g rea t annual floods our of w hich crocodiles used (Q wander
casually into the mud -b rick houses of the villages looking for lu nch . Bur
once up on a rim e, by June of each year , t he land had dried our and t he peo-
ple had begun co worry about the next flood. T he n, in m id-July, t he water
wou ld beg in co rise, irrigat ing the low-lyi ng areas near the river bed . ln
early aurumn, (he flood reached its peak . By winter the reced ing wafers
had lefr a layer of si lr , rich in minerals, wh ich fertilised the soil for the
comi ng season 's crops. In sp ring, the crops would be g rowing strongly,
read y for ha rvesting [us r before rhe dry seaso n returned in early summer.
This cycle of the yearly inu ndation entered deeply into the consciousness
of the ancien t Egypt ians and ci rcumscr ibed the ir cosmology. Bur be hi nd
the special characte r of Egyptian myth lies the famil iar arche typal image
of a watery fem inine source .

Each year he [the Egyptian] saw his world dissolve in to a waste of

water, followed by its reappearance, first as a narrow spit or mound
of new land as the flood subsided . Perversely, he interpreted this
emergence as caused nor by the subside nce of the wa te rs but by the
raising of the land. . . , In a short time what had been a barren
hillock showing above the watery wast e was a flourishing thicker
of plants with its atte ndant insect and bird life. . . Out of the
wate rs of Chaos, co ntaini ng the germs of things in inchoate form,
had arisen a primeval mound on which the work of creation began
in the First Time . 13

The Egyptians called the primordial wate rs N un or N enu, and our of Nun
each year rose t he p rimeva l hi lloc k whi ch personified (h e self-ge nerari ng
sun-god Amun-Re, or Ra. U nlike t he Baby lon ian story of Mard u k and
Ti 'arnar , the e mergence of the so lar light from the chthonic darkness is
here an appa rently peaceab le occu rrence; there are no ba trles among the
gods, nor is the wate r-mot her dismembered . It is si mply a cycle, governed
by d ivine law and upon whic h human existence depends utte rly. This
qu ali ty of faralism in (he Egyptian porrrayal of the crearion of the world is
im portant to co nsider from a psycholog ical perspect ive , for not every ind i-
vidual or co llective experie nces the emerge nce of life in term s of the bl oody
com bar of Marduk and Ti 'arnat . Wherhe r suc h passi vity is "healt hy " is a
question to which the re is no easy answe r. There is a st range transie nt
beauty in the Egyptian imagery of creatio n. One of the earliest versions of

13 Cyril Aldred. TIN Eg)pr;a'/J (london: Thames Hudson, 19B4), pp . 7 1-72 .

 14 - TH[ AI TROl O GICA I N [ PT U M AN D TH [ Q U [ IT FOR R[()[\\P Tl O N

(he myth tells t hat be fore th ere was life, t he world was a lim itless dark sea.
O ut of thi s wat ery d arkness rose a la rge, lu mi nous lot us b ud wh ich
broug ht light and perfu me to th e world . The lows beca me a symbol for
t he sun, wh ich seem ed to bre ak fort h fro m th e chaos of d ar k water each
m orni ng as t he p rimeval h illock aro se each yea r from the flood ed river ; an d
t herefore the lows was also a symbol for rhe sun -g od . 14 The visitor [ 0 the
g reat temple at Karn ak , sacred to Am un-R a, can still see in the hypost yle
ha ll a vast forest of co lu mns rising up from th e d ark ness , eac h to pped wit h
t he un fu rl ing petals of th e lot us-flower, reflect ing in ete rna l st one th e m ir-
acle of th e su n-god's eme rgenc e from t he waters.
Nu n is the oldest of t he Egyp tian gods, somet imes split into a cou-
ple called Nun and Nau nct . H ere is a ma le-fe male dyad like T i'a mar and
Apsu. Nu n is a ur oboric water snake, enci rcling t he Ear t h that is born of
it , and a t the end of the world t aking everyt hing born of it back into its
dept hs. The hierogl yph ic figure whic h mean s "G od " in a un ified,
mo no t heist ic sense, a nd whi ch roug h ly look s in Eng l ish lik e "n rr" or "n et-
jer," is very ancie nt, da ting back to the inven tio n of w rit ing; and its (arm
appears in th e nam e Nu n, suggest ing one un ified invisible deit y sta ndi ng
behind all th e m yriad colou rful an imal-heade d images we no rm ally asso-
ciate with ancient Egypt. T his pr imal power is t he chaos of th e wat ers
which p recede s all creati on . Nun is also associated with , or the same as , t he
ancien t Ni le-god H api , called " the Pri meval O ne," who is dep ict ed as a
man with lon g hair and the heavy breas ts of an old wom an . The and rogy-
nous form of H api, combining t he ma le and female life-creat ing forces,
personified th e great river. T he pri mordia l waters were also called mt/hyr,
the "g reat flood ," and were imaged as a cow -the goddess H athor, kn own
as th e "watery abyss of heaven ." Like Ashera h, she was sometimes por-
tra yed suck ling the young prince who would become Pharoah. The aq ua t-
ic and bov ine H arbor, who was capable, like Ti'arnat , of run ning amok and
slaug h te ring all creat ion , was also called Nu t , N et or N eith, Lady of th e
\X'est, who bro ug h t forth her son Ra or O sir is wit hou t a consort-ye t
anothe r image for th e panh enog enic sea- mo t her. N ut, whose nam e is like-
wise co nnected wit h " nt r," that ancient hieroglyph fac God, is wate r above
and bel ow, "mot he r of t he gods," life and deat h , the world-snake wh ich
gene rat es, dest roys and regene rates her offsp cing yearly wit h t he an nual
flooding of th e Ni le. The wa ter [ar is th e h ierogl yphi c symbol for Nut ,
"she who gat hers and pours do wn rain from heaven,"15 Th us, desp ite its

14 . Robert A. Arm our, G &Jl a nd ~f) lhl III An(ltnl Eg)pt <Cairo: Am erican U niver sity in
Cairo Press, 1986 ), p . 1 1.
15. Bar ing and Cashford . TIN M)lh ul ,ht G wlJm , p . 2:>7.
 C REAT IO N - 15

ccm plexiry of names and imag es, Egypt ian myt h, like its Mid dl e Easte rn
counrerparcs, envisaged the origi n of life as a watery cosmi c wom b.
As in [he Sumero-Serni ric my t hs, [he imag e of [he fish appears in
Egypt , too . Th is is not surprising, as where there is water, there are usual-
ly fish; and [he fish in Egyp t, as in th e Middle East , sym bo lised both th e
wate r-mother and her d ivine offspring . Nut was sometimes portrayed in
fish-form, and under [he name H arme hit, her local [id e in [he Delta , she
was called "she who is befo re [he fishes." But [he most importa nt fish sym-
bolism was given co Osi ris, the god-ch ild whom N ut bo re and who ulti -
mately became Egypt's g reat my th ic victim-redeemer, in a Story remark-
ab ly similar co [he story of [h e life of Ch rist . Osi ris, who was po rt rayed as
a fish at his centre of worship at Abydos, is a mo re sophisticated version of
[he pr im it ive sun-god Amun-Ra who arose from [he dept hs of his father -
mother Nun. The myth ic face of [h is complex deity gives us consid erable
insig ht into the more uncomfortable dim ensions of the water-mother's
ambiv alent relationship to her divine child . Osiris was dis membered by
the dark god Set, po rtrayed as a g reat river-snake or crocod ile-the
Eg yptian version of Levia rhan, the dest ructi ve phallic face of the sea-mat h-
er-and his penis was swallowed by a fish . Althoug h he was puc bac k
toger her again , the penis was never found , and one made of clay had co be
substitu ted instead .
Thi s scory suggests, on one level, that the phallu s of the god was thus
the only mortal or corruptible parr of him , since it was made of clay-the
substance out of whi ch the artisan-god Prah formed human bei ng s on his
por ter's wheel. Os iris, although he is d ivine, is therefore vulne rable
through his sexuality. Unlike Marduk or Yahveh , who are imag ed in the
heroic mou ld as conq uerors of the deep , Osi ris could not wi n his battle
wi th the water monster without a terrible sacrifice . H is em ascu lation and
incurable wound provide one of the most vivid and distu rb ing imag es in
the enti re body of Nep tunian myth . For it is through our sexuality that
we are most vulnerab le co the inundation of the waters, despi te the god-
like powers of conscio usness which we mobilise to protect ourselves . The
encroachmen t of [he deep is all [ 00 often t hrough genita l, rather t han sp ir-
irual , feelin g-s-ahh ough [he physi cal union wh ich initi ally seems such a
desirable aspe ct of Neptu nian romantic entanglements is usually antici-
pated as a mere gateway to the more im portan t "soul-union" that lies
beyond . T he qu ality of fatal ism which may be seen in [he Egyp tian s' pas-
sive accepta nce of [he cycl ical flood is also p resent in [he m yt h of Os iris,
who is defeate d by his dark adve rsary and is never fully restored . It is pos-
sible to view these creation myt hs as modes of perception of life experi-
ence; and the person who unconsc iously ident ifies wi th such an archetyp-
16 - 1"1 ASTRO l OGICAl N l eTUN I AND l HI QUI Sl fOR RlD lM r T IQ N

al worldvi cw will, lik e the an cient Egyptian, await his or her fate devoid
of any sense even of temporary power over the regressive pull of th e wat er-
mother. Thus Osiri s, unl ike his hero ic Middle Eastern counte rparts.
remained for rhe Egypt ian s a b it tersw eet and poi gnant god of rhe und er-
world , promising a red em pt ion wh ich could occur only in th e afte rlife, bur
never in m ortal form .

The \Vater-Mother of the Celts

OUf earliest reference (Q th e Celts as a peop le comes not from themse lves,
bu r from a travel acco u nt of Spain and sour he rn Fran ce, quoted in a coast al
su rvey of the sixth centu ry B.C. E. by an ind ividual called Ru fus Avienu s. 16
A round 500 B.C. E. , t he Celts or Kelroi are ag ain m ent ion ed by Hecar aeus
of M ilerus. H alf a century lat er, H erod otus refer s (Q them in co nnectio n
with the source of the Danube River. OU f informa tion about th e Celts and
th eir gods is confu sin g and arises from a number of d ifferent sou rces, both
G raeco-Ro rnan and verna cular Celt ic. Although Celt ic myth was told and
reto ld, an d he roic prose tale s are exta nt (such as th e Ul ster Cycl e and the
/t1abinogion), th e Celts left nothing resembl ing a wr itten rel ig ious chroni-
cle of creation such as th e Enuma Etiib. Instead , we must rely on Caesar's
De Btl/a G al/ira and on th e rich inhe rita nce of Iri sh, Scottish , Wel sh , and
Briti sh folk tales and lege nd s, as well as archaeologi cal evidence, to ob tai n
a glimpse of th e mythic focus of thi s mercurial people. From th ese sources
it is clear that wat er, for the Celts, was/ om et origo , th e centre of th eir spi r-
it ual life.
T he Celts un derstood water as an O the rwo rld element, flui d, m yste-
rio us and life-g iving , but also capricious and destruct ive. Wat er- part ic-
ula rly th e wat er of springs- was, to th e Celt s, a source of healing and
regeneration . We have met this th eme in a more cosmi c form in the
Sumeri an m yth of the Tr ee of Im m ortal ity wh ich g rew be neat h th e waters
of the cosm ic sea . The Cel ts favo ure d rhe m or e eas ily expressed sy m bol of
the magic cauldron to per sonify the healin g propert ies of wat er. For exam -
ple , the Dagda , an Ir ish fertil ity -g od , possessed a m ag ic cau ld ro n of inex -
haustible abundance, rejuv enation, and inspirati on . One dot'S not need to
be a psychoa nalysr to und erstand the cau ld ro n as a womb-shape, rhe bod y
of the wat er-m other who g ives bi rth to all life; and ritual im me rsio n in (o r
d rinking 00 the wat er of rhe mag ic vessel cleanses , heals, and rene ws. But
cauldro ns , for th e Cel ts , were, like the water-mother he rself, h ighly
ambig uous . The C im b ri sacrific ed prisoners of war by slitti ng th eir throats

16 . Miranda G reen, T he GodJ uf 1& Celts (G loucester, England : Alan Sutton. 198 6 ). p _ 1.
 CR£ATl Q N - 17

over cauld rons, and such vessels were regarded as holy; and men were
sometimes sacrificed by being drowned in a rub of water. The mag ic
Ne ptunian cau ldron cou ld , like water itse lf, e m body th e d ual me aning s of
life and death .
The Celts worshipped water to su ch an exte nt char the y ritu ally
deposited their g rea(es( treasures in rivers, lakes, and streams in homage.
A vast hau l of go lde n Cel tic weapo ns and d ress ob jects was fou nd in [he
Th am es; and ot he r rivers-a-s uch as t he Sein e and t he Severn , and lakes in
Irela nd and W ales-have revealed go lden rorques and coins. T h is Celt ic
custo m of throwin g g ifts or offering s into wells, springs , and rivers con-
t inu ed well into Rom an t ime s, as exemplified by t he Rom an city of Bath,
origin ally a Celtic site. Such offe rings were made to [he myst e ry of life
itself, as ir was revealed in (he flowing tides and elu sive depths of sea, lake,
river, and sp ri ng . We may also underst and th ese gifts as a method of p la-
cation of the dest ruc ti ve power of warer, through (he offering up of those
possessions wh ich were of the highest value to the donor. In thi s pract ise
we can see the ou tli nes of another important N eptu nian theme wh ich we
shall explore in g reater depth later: the sacrifice of those outer forms w ith
wh ich the ego is ident ified , both in order to draw closer to the sou rce and
in orde r to keep its capricious anger at bay.
The Celtic personifi cation of water was the g reat creato r-g oddess,
called Danu by t he Iri sh and Don by th e W elsh . She was the morh er of the
Tuatha De Dana nn, [he race of the gods . Her dark face was called Domnu ,
whi ch mean s "abyss " or "deep sea" ; for like th e Ca naani te Asherah and
Loran , the life-giving and life-destro ying aspects of water were carefully
sp lit in Celt ic myth . Danu has g iven her name to many rivers, not only in
England and France, bur also to the g reat Russian waterway, the Don ,
which flows to the east of the Ukra ine down to R ostov , T he Black Sea
rivers D nieper and Dniesrer seem also to have been called after her. But
most sig nificantly of all , she claims the Danu be, in the basin of wh ich
came into being that cultu re wh ich formed the roots of the recogn isable
Cel t ic sryle . The water-goddess also makes her appeara nce u nde r orher
names, in every area where the Celt s settled . In France there is di rect evi-
dence of river-w orsh ip, with a tem ple located at the sou rce of the Seine,
sacred to the go ddess Sequana; the name of the river Marne is derived from
Marr cna, "d ivine mother." The river-names in Britain are also suggestive.
Dee is from Deva , "goddess" or "holy one ." C lyde comes from Cl ora, rhe
"d ivine washerw om an." The Celt ic goddess Br ig an ria or Br ig ir is remem -
be red in [he river Braint in Ang lesey, and Brent in M id d lesex. The Iri sh
rivers Boy ne and Shannon em body t he goddesses Boi n n and Sina inn .
T hese a re all rnani fesrario ns of the g reat Dan u; and it is typi cal of [he Celts
18 ~ T H l A STRO LO GI C."l N lP T U N E AND T H E Q U EST f O R REDEMPT IO N

rhar , insread of leaving us an ancien t epi c such as t he Enuma Eiisb, carved

in sto ne (0 im p ri nt her mem ory on posterit y, th ey have given us in stead
t he nam es of the ever-l ivin g rivers of virtually the whole of Europe to tes-
tify to her power,17 Her flu id character, expe rienced in a perpetually shift-
ing relarionship with na tu re, faithfully reflected th eir own.

. . . Th e feelin g for correspondences-for one thing correspond ing

ro anorher--expressed itself in Celtic religion ; an int uition which
was wit h humani ty from shamanic days. The whole world was
interlinked and inte rrelated , a concep t which is at th e root of
Buddhist rhoug ht too . In Celt ic terms, it took its form as shift-
ing , or meta morphosis. Heroes underwent tran sform ations from
swineherds to crows to sea-mons ters to Irish kings. The wizard
gods shift the ir shape, are invisible at will , and manifest unde r
different forms. .. The material form was never rigid and
auto nomous, as we see it tod ay-never merely a "thing," or self-
created-but always liquid , dancing, filled wirh th e oth erness of
the spirit. O ne t hing could change into anot her because nothing
was final or comp leted-all t hings had infinite potenrialit y.IB

The fish finds its place in Cel tic lore, too , both as a pha llic symbol and as
an image of th e fecu nd ity and life-r enewing properties of water. Salmon
and t rout were sacred to [h e Celts , and th e fishes wh ich occup ied t he heal-
ing wells were seen as g ua rd ian sp irit s and pers onifi carions of t he water-
mother. But th e wat er-m other as fish or melusine was not alway s benign .
The Cel ts had no more illusions abo ut her hung ry aspec t than di d th e
Baby lonians. Although ir m ighr at first seem diffi cu lt to see th e monstrous
Ti'am ar in the d elicious u nd ines of Celtic lore, t he de vou ri ng p ropen sit ies
are t he same. Human d eat hs were never very far away from the lore of
rivers and lakes , for it was wid ely believed by th e Cel ts that t he wate r-
dei t ies reg ularly req uired hum an sacrifice as well as gold torques and
coins. In Scotl and , t he Riv er Spey was said to require one life a year, while

Bloodthirst y Dee, each year needs thre e:

But bonn y Don , she needs none. t?

The W elsh Llyn Gwe rnan and Llyn Cyn wich are t he sub jecrs of simi lar
sto ries of water de ities whi ch need ed an nua l sacrifi ces. When anot he r year
had passed a voice could be heard cryi ng : "T he hou r is come but th e ma n

17. M IChael Senior, MJlhl !sfBritain (Lo ndo n: Gu ild Publi shing, 1979)
1S Ann e Bancroft , O,-igi m u{ tht Sd CrtJ (Londo n: Arkana, 1987), p. 92 .
J 9 J a ne! and Co lin Bord , Sam d \1'1",1"1 (London : Paladin. 1986), p. 150.
 CREAT IO N - 19

is not !" Wheteupon a man wou ld be seen rush ing headl on g into the lake.
having experienced a com pulsio n 10 answer the call of the goddess. 20
From th is rich bod y of Celtic lore com e many folk tales of melusines
and wate r sprites . T he frdtal was a femal e spirit wh ich haunted Loch na
Fide il in Gairloch, and a female dem on known as the IUldtag (" rag ") haunt-
ed the sho res of Lochan nan du bh bh reac in Skye . The glaistig was half-
wom an and half-goat , bel ieved 10 live beh ind waterfalls and at ford s. T hese
creatures 3 tC all m in iatures of Da nu-Domnu the water-mother, exp ressing
her unreliab le nature in a less cosm ic form . It is wo rt h considering o ne of
th ese typi cal fol k tales in its enti rety. Alt hough t he story whi ch follows has
been br oug ht into t he n ine tee nth cent ury th roug h ge nera tions of retelli ng ,
it is t yp ical of the lege nds of female wa ter spi rits wh ich abound in the folk-
lore of Britain , Ireland , and northern Eu rope. Not hing gives us the flavour
of me rcurial magic. beauty, and sin ister seductiveness wi th which the Celt s
imbued their sacred water benet than these characteristic tales ; and per-
haps nothing else can present to us in such a delicate way the amb ig uou s
qual it ies of the astrolog ical Neptu ne, who can read ily be recogn ised wear-
ing a mermaid 's tai l.

T he Cornishman and the Mermaid

O NCE UPON II. TIM E, in an o ld stone co ttag e at Cury near Lizard
Point, there lived a Cornis hma n called Lutey. He was a man of
m idd le years, qui et and soft-spoken, and with his ch ild ren grow n
and go ne he filled th e id le hours fishi ng and collecti ng barrels of
rum , salted bed , brass fitt ings and bales of flax which the sea
washed up from wrecked ships onro the Co rnish rocks. Althou gh
his wife was a fretful woman , he was CO nte nt with the passing days
and years. But his life was destined to change.
On e mist y spring day, Lutey wandered w ith h is dog amon g the
rocks below h is cott age , to see whethe r the sea had washed up any
new tre-asure-s. Suddenly he he-ard a faint cry, so weak it was bare-
ly aud ible above the hiss and th ud of the waves. He followed th e
sound across a heap of bou lde rs that ringed a sm all depressi on in
the sho re. At hi gh tide , the surf flow ed freely in and out. But
when the water was at low ebb , a tidal poo l formed, iso lated from
th e sea. It was a mutable, magi cal place, sh iftin g its boundar ies
with the tide s, and Lutey knew that at such spo ts strang e sp irits
cou ld enter the mortal world . H e peered down into the tide-poo l,
and from the depth s a pai r of sea-g reen eye s peered back at him .
Lutey looked mo re closely. He saw a beauti ful pale face, half-
hidden by coils of reddi sh-gol d hair. At firse he though t it was a
20 .... H II AITRO I O GICAl NEPTUNE AND THE OU EI T fOR RED EMPT rO"

young wom an , but then he saw that at the hips her body fad ed
int o a lon g, smooth , shi mmering, sca ly shape benea th th e wate r.
" Help me!" she whispe red. "H elp me back (0 t he sea. I can g ive
you powers, if only you will help me reach th e sea." Lut ey bent
down and lift ed her from t he wat er. She wrapped her arms arou nd
h is neck, and he carried her d own [Q th e sand . She was as lig ht as
a clo ud.
"Tell me yo ur g reat est lon g ing ," said the merma id . "And you
shall have it , whatever it m ig ht be."
Lut ey looked out to sea, and the n dow n at the sand beneath h is
feet , and said , "I want th e power to heal. I want to break evil
spe lls."
The me rm aid sm iled , an d said , "It is don e. And wh at e the r
b000 .' "
Lutey carr ied her furt he r ou t, until he was in the water with
the break ers foami ng abo ut his kn ees. " I want these po we rs for m y
sons, and the ir sons, and thei r son s' sons , so tha t my fam ily's na me
will be hon oured for all tim e."
"It is done ," said the merm aid . "For your kind ness you shall
have bot h gi fts." As a pl edge she d rew an ivor y co mb from her
lon g hair, and pressed it inca hi s hand . Lut ey felt t he d izzyi ng pull
of the tide. On t he sho re, hi s dog began [Q howl. The mer mai d
pu lled his head d ow n so that he r m ou th was at h is ear.
"Stay with me," she whispered . "T here is noth ing to hold you
to the land ."
Lurey began to st ru gg le to pull her arm s from h is neck . H is
feet slipped on th e sea floor. The dog ru shed int o t he wat er and
pull ed at his tr ou ser leg . Stum bling , he let t he mermaid go , and
insri ncri vely d rew ou t his pocket kn ife. The merm aid gav e a po w.
erfu l kick of her tai l and swam out of reach , for like man y other-
wo rld creatu res she feared iron .
"You have made a foolish cho ice," she said , "bur you are ki nd ,
an d I wi ll keep my prom ise. Farewell! But afte r nine years, w e
shall mee t aga in. " She pl ung ed int o t he deep wat er, and Lut ey saw
her st ream ing , Ilameii ke hair vanish ing int o th e waves. H e
st rug ged (Q the sho re and cl imbed to his cot tage . with t he com b
cl u tche d in one hand and the kn ife in th e ot her.
H is wife was waiting for him at the door. "W hat have you been
up to?" she said . "Soaked to t he skin , and nothing but a bit of
bone to show for an afte rnoon's wrecki ng !"
"It 's a co mb ," said Lurey.
"I t's a row of teeth on a shark's jaw," retort ed hi s wife.
Lut ey looked at th e thing in his han d , and reali sed his wife was
rig ht. Bur he kept it.
 C R( ATI ON - 21

The merm aid 's promise was fulfi lled . Lutey broke th e spells of
many wit ches, saving the livelihood of farmers whose herds were
dying , and healing sick child ren who had been given up for dead .
After a white, he- had no time for fish ing or wreckin g . H is repu-
ta tion as a healer spread far and wide, and t he poor folk came co
him in t imes of tr ouble . W he n they could not afford co give hi m
coins, they ga ve him humble gifes, such as fish oil. or a sto u t
leng t h of rope. One by one, his sons t ied up thei r boats and joined
him . Th e an of healing had com e to the m in th e same mysterious
way. Lutey never spoke of the source of the g ift. But over the years
he g rew more and more withdrawn , and often he went co th e tida l
pool to sit alone and watch th e sea,
One day, nine years afte r he had first met the merma id , he col-
lected his nets and headed out to his boac. H e said to his wife,
"I'm goi ng CO fish ."
Bur it was no day for fishing . Ang ry waves slapped ar the boars
in th e ha rbour, and the sky was dark wit h scudd ing clouds before
a howl ing wind , Lut ey's sons looked at each ot her, baffled . and the
you ng est followed his fathe r to see that no har m befell him . But
no one cou ld StOP Lutey from serting OUt CO sea. Hi s lirt le skiff
bob bed and p itched in the chop, bur he made no move co g uid e
it. The n, suddenly, a bright head appea red from beneath th e
water. Th e mermaid was unchanged , alt hough Lutey was now old,
and his hai r was thin and grey. While hi s son wat ched from shore,
th e merm aid beckoned . Lutey rose to his feet, lurch ing in th e
swells.
"My time has come!" he shouted to his son. Then he plunged
inca the water and was go ne. The merm aid's mag ic endu red
t h rough t he gene rations, and t he Lu reys of Cury becam e
renowned for the ir powers against sickness and wirch crafe. Bur
the mermaid took her payment all the same. Every nine years, as
regularly as th e t ides, one of his descenda nts was lost at sea.2 1

T he H indu Water-M other

W e have exam ined so far the m yths of three g reat cu ltures which have
cont ributed to [he development of [he mod em West ern psyche: [h e M id dle
Eastern , [he Egyp tian and [he Celtic. In all the se, wat er is an imag e of [h e
u robo ric source of life-self-fertilisin g , amb iguous, and reflect ing [he
infant's pre- and post-birt h experience of th e mother as divine nurturer and

21. Based o n a sw ry !pVen in W"'tr Spir;1l in "The Enchanted World Series" (Amsterd am
Time-Life Books. 198 7>.
22 - T tl l ASTROLO GIC AL N[ PT UNI A" D TH [ Q UI l T f O R R([)[ MPTl O "

destroyer. In the Hindu myth of creat ion we will me et these same th em es

yer ag ain , but portrayed with a p hilosophical sub tle ry whi ch can give us
con side rab le insigh t into the inne r world of Ne ptu ne. At t he ( ore of th e
H ind u concep ti on of t he u niver se lies an imag e of rhyt hm ic birth and
ret ur n: life perpetually returning (Q the cosmic sea from whe nce it has
com e, and the b irth of a new universe wh ich itself is eventually dissolved in
rhe primal wate rs. The d eep faralism of thi s Ilindu vision of life is often
un d erst ood as negat ive. H ere th ere is no mag ic cauldro n or Tree of
Immorr al iry to be won , no J ud g em ent Day wit h its Second Co mi ng, no
Parad ise or Valh all a to wh ich [h e souls of th e righteous or th e brave can
ascend for all ete rnit y The ulrirn are reality is the water of non -bei ng .
Different creat ion myths, as we have seen, reflect a different ern o-
t ional ambience-v iolent in the case of th e Bab ylon ians , am b ig uo usly
cooperative in th e case of th e Celr s, passive in the case of the Egyprian s.
This di ve rsity of [One ma y be seen [0 reflect d iffer ing human perception s
of a pr imal archetypal exp erien ce. Viewed in individual psychological
terms, these differen ces dep end upon th e temperament of the per son
undergoing the experience, and hi s or her age a nd stage of developm ent .
Viewed in collecrive te rm s, th e sam e m ay apply. The vig orous Babylon ian
civilisat ion under srood em erg en ce int o life as a cosmi c bat d e, wh ile the
Eg yprians saw it as a peaceab le and ben ign but inevirably cycl ic event over
wh ich rhey had no con t rol, The Celts defined their sh ifting relation sh ip
with th e source through sacr ifice, propitiat ion, and poetry, thus perceiving
humanity as an integral and act ive parr of th e cos m ic dan ce. In H in du
my t h we m ee t what at first seems the bleak est an d m ost passive vision of
all, for hum an life irselfi s an ill usion. Psychologi call y, th is sugg ests a com -
p lete iden t ification with the urobo ric mother of the p re- birch st ate. The
sense of ind ependent existe nce is frail and qu ickly ext inguished , and life is
thu s a dream and a weariness. These sentiments unqu estionably belong to
Neptune's world .
Yet th is rhythmic, oceanic, u nm istakably fema le and essen tiall y
N ep tu ni an vision of th e cosm os ap pears nega tiv e only to a Western mind
which canno t alwa ys see past the immediare rewards and punishments of
an individual life. It is surely a good d eal less negative than the belief rhat ,
d espite the basic inequality of life and the extremely sub ject ive definiti on
of "s in, " we g et onl y one try which will det ermine wh ether we roast for
eterni ty or bas k in Par ad ise with the an gels . M ircea El iade exp resses hi s
own opi ni on on th e ma tt er very succinctly :

I am not sure th at one can call it a pessim isti c conception of life.

It is rather a resigned view, imposed sim ply by seeing the patt ern
 CREATION - 23

made by water, the moon and change. Th e deluge myth, with all
that it implies, shows what human life may be worth to a "mind"
ot her tha n a human min d ; from the "point of view" of water,
human life is somet hing frag ile that m ust period ically be
engul fed, beca use it is th e fate of all forms to be di ssolved in order
to reappear. If "forms" are not regenerated by being periodically
d issolved in water, they will crumble, exhaust th eir powers of ere-
ariviry and finally d ie away. 22

For the Hindu, th e cosm ic sea is rhe Divine Mother ou t of whom all life
em erges . In South Ind ia she is pom ayed with go gg le-eyes, and is called
"t he fish-e yed one ." She is nam ed Mah a-K ali (M ig hty Time) and N irya -
Kal i (End less Ti m e), and she has do m ina ted the cu lt u res of the Ind us
Valley since 2500 D.C.E . When there was neither creation , nor the sun , t he
moon , th e planet s, nor [h e earth , and when d arkness was enveloped in
da rkness, th en the Mother, the Form less One, Maha-K ali, existed alone.
After t he d est ru ct ion of the un iverse, at th e end of each g reat cycle, she
garners th e seeds for her next creat ion . After th e creatio n. he r primal
power d we lls in t he u n ive rse itself. She b rings forth eac h phenome nal
worl d and then pervades it. Bon dage [0 physi cal existe nce is t hu s of he r
mak ing ; b ut so is th e enlig htenment wh ich b rings liberati on . By he r maya
-her illusion o r enc ha nt me nt - hu ma n be ings beco me entangl ed in th e
wheel of reb irth, through th e int ractable umbil ical cord of rheir desires;
t hroug h he r g race, whi ch is t he wisdom att ain ed t hro ug h suffering, th ey
achi eve th eir liberat ion . She is called th e Saviou r, and t he rem over of t he
chai ns that b ind one to th e worl d . Th is g reat Nept u nian water -m other is
add ressed in a hymn from t he Ta ntrasara :

o Mother! Cause and Mother of the World!

Th ou art th e O ne Pr imord ial Being ,
Mothe r of inn umerab le creatures,
Crearr ix of [he very gods : even of Brahm a the Creato r,
Vishnu th e Preserver, and Shive rhe Destroyer!
o Moth er, in hym ning Thy praise I purify my speech.
As the moon alone delig hts th e white night lotu s,
Th e sun alone th e lotu s of t he day,
So, dear Mother, dost T hou alone delight the universe by T hy
glances. 23

22. Mircea Ehade. Pauems In Cumparalil't RtltXlIJn <N ew Yor k: N ew Amencan LIb rary,
1974 ). p 2 11.
23· Quoted in j oseph Campbell . O,.it",al ht" hulugy (London: So u v~ m r Press, 1973), p. 39
24 - H i! AITROL O GIC ,L '<EPT UN E AND THE Q U [1l f O R RED£\I PTlQN

Th e concep t of maya-a term whi ch, like karma, has of late been rather
abused in esoteric circles- is fund amental not only to Hinduism , but also
to Neptu ne, and to t he psychology of th ose who are stro ng ly identi fied with
this planer's worldv iew. Because the mani fest un iverse is unde rstood not as
a real "thing," b u r as an ema nation sp ringi ng from th e cosm ic sea, t he
ma terial world is a tr ansient vehi cle t h roug h whi ch the substance of the
D ivine Mother circu lates. Real ity as we kn ow it is th erefore an illu sion or
a mirage. We , and what we call life, ace Maha-K al i's dream . This is a deep ly
distu rbing idea to th e more concrete Western m ind , co wh ich d reams are
ill usion, and physical objects real. An ind ividual life is nothing mo re than
a d ream amo ng man y, dre amt by t he cosmic sea; and (he events of t ha t life
are th e emanat ions of her substance, JUSt as we believe ou r own dream -
images arise from the hum an b rain . An ind ividual deat h is th us only th e
end of a drea m . Just as a psychologi cally sophist icated Western person
m ight sift th rough a dream to d istill its mea ning, forgeui ng the images
once the essence has been gleaned , so the cosm ic sea d raws the essent ial
meaning from the d ream of a hum an life wh ich is qu ickly forgotten .
The cont rast between th e sed uct ive and ab solute power of the
H ind u D ivine Mother and th e mo nstrous but relative pow er of the
Bab ylonian T i'arnat is a st ri ki ng on e. W hat might 'h is cell us abo u t d if-
ferent human pe rceptions of the same expe rience? Perh aps t he diffe rence
lies in the stre ng t h and solid ity of ego -consciousness in relation to t he
p rima l mo t her. Marduk , matri cid al and maker of th e worl d, is fiery and
m ale. H e is an im age of t he fig h ting powe r and sel f-exp ress ive d rive
w hich alone can wres t inde pe ndent exis ten ce from t he threat en ing regres-
sive pu ll of t he womb. H e also pe rsonifies an extreme pe rsp ecti ve; for if
we ide nt ify w ith t his solar and Martial ego-force, we expe rie nce th e
wate rs of t he sou rce, and all rhe inchoat e lon ging s and need s th ey repre-
sent with in us, as only te rrifying and life-d estroyin g . Th is is one expe ri-
en ce of N ep tun e: It is a de vou rer wh ich mu st be fought , so t hat one's own
reality can be sus tai ned . In th e ast rologi cal birth chart , sq ua res from
N eptu ne to t he Sun and Mars, pa rt icula rly if t he latter are placed in fiery
Ot eart hy sig ns, may reflect t his ki nd of pe rcep tio n. In con rrasr, t he
H indu expe riences the D ivine Mot her as th e only true de lig h t of th e u ni -
verse. The sense of self is so nasce n t and fragi le that it is expe rienced as
on ly a d ream ; th ere is a virtually total sub me rgence of individual ide n ti-
ty in the watery sou rce. One's own life and death are mean ingless, for all
th e mea ning res ides in her. T his is ano ther expe rien ce of Nep tu ne: It is a
stare of cosm ic bliss, against whose transcend ent enor m ity o ne's pe rsonal
(eelings , need s, and values are rend ered insig nifica n t and even con-
temp rib le. In rhe birt h cha rt , t rines between an ang ular N ep t une and th e
 C REAT ION - 25

Su n o r Moon, combined with an emphasis in the eleme n t of water or the

12t h house, may reflect thi s per cept ion . We can no t be certa in ab out
whi ch arr irude will domi nate con sciousness when cons idering Nep t u ne's
placement and aspects in th e hor oscope; th e whole chan need s ( 0 be con-
sid ered as well as exrernal facto rs such as family backgrou nd and t he p re-
sidi ng values of th e cu lt u re into wh ich th e indi vidual is bo rn . Bur we can
be su re t hat , if eit her extr eme dom in at es, its opposite w ill soo ner or later
find a way to invade 'he ind ivid ual's life.
Th e worl d for the H indu is me rely maya , whi ch simply mea ns
"st uff." Maya is also "art ," by which an appearan ce is produced . We can
begin to see wh y 'here a re such close links between 'he Div ine Mother 's
"art" of creating forms ou t of 'his "stuff," and 'he in d ivid ual artist's power
co crea te from the ima g ination . Equally, th ere are li nks bet ween the
maya-stuff and wh at Mesmer call ed 'he "u n iversal flu id " and Jung called
th e "c bjeccive psyche: ' The Divine Mother as ma ya is formless. sel f-gen-
era ti ng , an d t he beg ett er and destroyer of appa re nt real it y, includi ng th e
ind ivid ual ego wh ich is so con vi nced that 1/ has been self-bego rren .
An yon e who has expe rienced the peculiar and synch ron ous manner in
wh ich apparen tly fixed circu ms tances a nd even objects move and shi ft to
br ing th e rig ht experience at the right time will recognise th e magi cal
nat ur e of th is "s t uff" wh ich , to t he H ind u , is [h e o nly real it y. Maya is th e
measuring Out or creat ion of forms; it is also a ny illusion , crick , art ifice ,
deceit, jugglecy, sorcery or work of witch craft. The gods are th em selv es
th e p rod uct ion s of m aya , the spo n taneous crea tions of an undifferent iat ed
di vine fluid .
Thus maya, the Div ine Moth er, produces not only [he gods b ut also
th e u niverse in wh ich th ey opera te . Even th e imag e of Mot her is a tr ick
of maya, for may a has no form of itse lf. It is th e human imagi na t ion
wh ich perceives it as "her," and yet the human imag inat ion ;J her, in pe r·
haps [he pu rest form we can expe rience . T he creative process, be it a boo k,
a pai nt ing, a p iece of m us ic, a p lay, or an inventi ve recipe, is t herefo re not
"me" using "m y" im agi natio n, bu t t he imaginati on expressing itself
th roug h the veh icle of " m y" l ife-which itself is a prod uct of rhe same
pri mal stuff. Art ist s hav e always recognised and im mersed th em selves in
th e sea of th e imag ina tion as a d iv ine sou rce, wh ich is pr obabl y wh y th ey
a re often con side red , and often go, mad . Maya is [he sup reme powe r that
gene rates and ani ma tes the great th eatr ical di splay of th e cosm os.
Shakespeare see ms to have kn own th is secret , whi ch is wh y he sug gested
t hat all 'he worl d is a st ag e, a nd all men and women me rely p layers . Maya
is kn own in Hi ndu teach in g as Shakri , "cosm ic energy." Interest ingl y, t he
word lhokli, or 10kli, is also th e word for th e fema le sexual o'gans. Maya-
26 ~ T HE ASTRO l O G IC Al N EPTUr-..' E AND THE GUn T f O R RED EMPTI ON

Shakt i is person ified as the wor ld-pro recring , fem in ine, ma terna l face of
th e ult im ate being . Bur her cha racter in H ind u myth is, as we m ight
expect, untrustwo rt hy, the Tantrasara notw ithstanding . H aving mot h-
ered th e un iverse, she th en m uffl es her creatu res wit hin the wrap p ing s of
her perishable p rod uct ion, enchanti ng them beyond end uran ce unt il, like
Odysseus ' men on Ci rce's island , they are turn ed int o beast s by their
obsessive craving for redempt ion through the ob ject s upon wh ich they
proj ect her. The aim of H indu ph ilosoph ical though, has always been to
learn th e secret of maya's web , so tha t the h um an bein g m ig ht pass
thro ugh it to a reality beyond the phys ical, emot ional, and inrellecrual
pyrotechnics t har block tru e awareness. T hus it is a phi losop hy wh ich
strives tow ard no nattachrn enr, for maya binds he r creat ions through the
com pulsi ve power of desir e. Mer ely attempting to reject th e stuff of he r
creation th rough asceticism o r repression is a cheat, for th is, too, is
desire- th e desire to be free of de sire, or to avoid being hurt by desire. To
the H ind u m ind , on ly satiat ion and di sillusio nm ent over ma ny incar na-
tions, and a profound recogni tion o( th e cycl ical nature of th e un iverse,
can in the end free one from maya,
Water, in H ind u myth, is the pr im ary ma terialisarion of maya, the
life-ma int ai ni ng essence of the deity, wh o circulates throug h her creati on s
in the form of rain, sap, semen, m ilk, and blood. Th ese are mag ical sub-
stan ces, endowed with the ge nerat ive an d regenerative powers of th e
Divi ne Mot her, T h us J iving in to th e wate rs means del ving int o [he mys -
tery of maya, to quest after th e u lt imate secret of life. Boun d less and
im peri shable, the cosm ic waters are at once th e source of all t hings and
their d readfu l g rave.

Th rough a power of self-transformano n, [he energy of th e abyss

put s fort h, or assumes, individualized forms endo wed with tem-
porary life and lim ited ego-consciousness. For 3 rime it nourishes
and sustains these with a vivifying sap. T hen it d issolves [hem
aga in, wit hout mercy or distinction, back into the anonym ous
energ y out of which they arose. Th at is the work, that is the char-
acter, of Maya, [he all-consum ing, maternal womb .24

H ind u my th posrul ares an end less successio n of crea ted wo rld s which are
[hen swallo wed up by th e prima l ocean from which [hey arose. T he ele-
ments mel t back into und ifferent iat ed fluid , and the moon and stars d is-
solve. There is only a lim itl ess sheer of wat er. T his is th e inte rval of a nig ht

24. Hei nrich Zimmer. MYlhl and Sy",bvh in Indian A ,.I and Cillihu l/an (Princeton, NJ :
Princeton University Press, 197 2), p . 34_
 C REAT IO N - 27

of Brahm a. W at er is also visual ised as a g reat serpent, akin to the serpe nr-
mo ther Ti'arnat . The god Vishn u , preserv er of each un iverse and eq ua lly an
ema natio n of t he D ivine Mother, is portrayed in H indu an reposing on the
co ils of a prodig ious sna ke, the serpent Ananta C'end less"). Inside the god
is a new cosmos. Presently, out of his bod y, he pun fon h a single lorus-
for th e lorus, to t he H indu as to the Egyptian, is t he di vi ne sol ar flower of
eme rgent life-wi rh a rhousand petals of pur e gold . Then Vishn u rnan i-
fesrs t he creat or-god Brahm a, seated at t he cent re of th e go lde n lot us; a nd
Brahm a in rum makes th e new uni verse .
The rivers of Ind ia are full of po tent m yt hology. These rivers are seen
as fema le de ities , food- a nd life-bes towing m others. Their port rayals in
Ind ian an are ind isti ngu ishable from the image of the Divi ne Moth er.
Ga nga , th e godde ss of the G anges , is k nown as th e m other wh o besto ws
prosperi ty and secure s salvation . She washes away th e si ns of t hose wh ose
ashes or corpses a re cornm irred to her waters, and secures for th em a hap pi-
er reb irth. T he Ga nge s is div ine g race flowing in tan g ib le form, sp reading
fert ili ty over the rice-field s, and pouring purity into t he heart s of the devo-
tees who ba t he in her frui tfu l stream . T he Western visitor to In d ia is often
ap pa lled by th e spe ctacle of so man y poo r, dirty people crowd ing into th e
wate r, oblivious co wha tever diseases the y might be spread ing or conn an -
ing . But for t he H indu , mere physical conran with t he bod y of the goddess
Ga nga tr ansforms th e de votee and frees h im or her from maya. The base
ingredi ent s of eart hly nature are transfor m ed, an d morta l flesh beco mes the
em bod imen t of th e d ivin e esse nce of th e highest ete rnal realm .
Hind u myt hs about wate r are panic ularly descripti ve of t he in ner
world of Neptune, for th e wo rld -weari ness and long ing for ob livion whic h
are so often th e expe rie nce of the ind ividual with a st rong natal N eptune
are expressed he re in the most p rofound ph ilosoph ical terms. There seems
(0 be a great affi nity between th e Neptunian individual and t he H indu

wo rldview. wh ich is pe rfect ly u ndersta nda b le if we conside r a dom inant

plane t in t he bi rth horoscope as a lens th rou g h wh ich t he pe rson expe ri-
ences and interp ret s life. Since we all see th roug h our own hig h ly selecrive
len ses , we pe rceive aro und us wha t is esse ntially wit h in ourselves; and
Neptu ne, viewing the endless and often ap paren t ly poin tless cycles of
b irth an d death in a pain- ridden wor ld , comes to the conclusion that it is
the place of life's origi n, rather than life it self, whi ch m atte rs most .
Ident ifica ti on with t he source devalu es t he ind ividual self and the ind i-
vidual life ; nothing matters any more , (or every t hing is illusion a nyway.
We mig h t even formulate t h is longing for dis solut ion in t he cosmic sea as
a death -w ish , although it is not so m uc h an active , ag gre ssive impulse to
self-des t ruc t as 3 yearni ng for t he ob livio n of the sacred ret u rn .
28 - TH E AIT ROl OG ICAl N I PT UN [ AND Till O U I I T f O R REDEMP TIO "

The Greek Water D eities

Grt't'k m yths abo u t th e nat u re and meaning of water im me rse the reade r
in an im me nsely fert ile prol iferation of im ages. Am ong this feast of water
deities we shall find many who can help us to ampli fy the world of
Neptune. The rich complexity of G reek myth does not , however, di sguise
t he essential simplici ty of t he watery source. The pri mal power of the
water-mother in archaic G reek myth was eventually supe rseded by a male
cou merparr. This same transiti on seems to have occurred in the Greek
ru lership of the un de rwo rld, wh ich was first governed by a phall ic female
de ity who was later port rayed as th e phallus alone-the male god H ad es.
But des pite th e event ua l apotheos is of th e Earth-god Poseidon as un ques-
tioned master of th e sea, t he ea rl iest Greek per sonificat ion of th e sea is
femal e, and relat ed to all the earlie r sea-mothers in both per sonal and
transpersonal, beatific, and terrifying , fo rm s. If we wish to understand the
ast rologi cal Ne ptune, we must look further back than th e aggressive and
ramp ant Poseido n. who was in t ime absorbed into th e Roman Neptune
from whom [he planet acqu ired its name.
In th e Pelasgi an creati on m yth , whi ch is the earl iest Greek story of
th e origi n of th e u nive rse th at we possess , 2~ t here was in the beginning
only Eurynome, the goddess of all thi ngs . She rose nak ed out of Chaos-
or, p ur another way, C haos, like th e H indu Maya , formulated itself as th e
god des s- b ur she found nothing subsran riul for her feet to rest upon. In a
str ange echo of G en esis, she d ivided th e sea from th e sky, dan cing alone
upon its waves. In her loneliness she creat ed t he serpent Ophion , mated
with him , and, assu mi ng the form of a dove, laid the Universal Egg our of
which all creation came . T he goddess Eur yno me had many aspect s, one of
whi ch was Eu rybia. rul er of th e sea. She was also Th et is C'the d isposer") or
its variant Tethys; Ce ro or Ce t us, th e sea-m onster who co rresponds to th e
H ebr ew Leviathan and the Babyl on ian T i'arn ar; and Ne reis, who pe rso ni -
fied t he ph ysical elemen t of wate r. \'(fhat ever her names, by now we sho uld
recognise her.
So far, th is creat rix is virtuall y identical with all the figures we have
so far me t. Eurynome's monstrous phall ic face is embodied not only in
Ce tus but also in the serpe nt Ophion, who like Ananta of t he Indians,
Domnu of th e Celt s, and Lotan of [h e Levant, is carefully split off from t he
goddess her self. Bu t by th e tim e we arr ive at H omer several centuries lat er,
the predictable ch ange has occurred . H orner calls th e origi n of life
O keanos, th e beg inn ing of everyt hi ng . T his masculi ne d eit y was a water-
god who posse ssed inex haust ibl e powers of bege tt ing . H is river st ream ed

25 . See Robert G raves, The Gmit Myths (Londo n: Pengu in, 19 55 ).

 « (A li ON - 29

to the ourer rnost edges of the earth , flowing back on itself in a circle like
[he great and endless H indu serpent Anama . Every river, spring. lake.
founta in-indeed , the who le sea-issued conti nually from his m ight y and
eternal ejaculat ion . When the world eventuall y came under th e rule of
Oly mpian Zeus , Okeanos alone was perm itted [Q ret ain his former t id e
and place as a boundary between earthly reality and th e Otherworld . But
Okeanos did not rule alone. H e shared the doma in of the waters with the
goddess Tethys; and Tethys, as we have seen , is the same as [he old
Pelasgian ware r- rnorhe r Eurynome, the original c rearrix . The myth of
Okeanos, as G raves sugges ts, is a later version of the Pelasg ian myth . By
Homer's rime , the wate r-mother had to share her power with her consort ,
who event ually claimed all the credit .
At this pa ine (he G reek water deities beg in [Q subd ivide and multi-
ply, and they could easily fill a volume by themselves. It is wor th rouch-
ing upon one of the oddest of these aquatic figures. for he can help us to
unde rstand other dimensions of Neptune bes ides the primord ial life- and
death-d ispensing attributes of the water -m other. Th e Old Man of the Sea,
called Proteus or Nereus, is male; but he is unquestionably an aspeC! of th e
goddess The tis or Tethys. The name Proteu s means "first man ," and he
embod ies the prophetic power of the primal source. Proteus is a shape -
change r, like the H ind u Divine Mot her: he is fluid and ungr aspable, yet
he possesses the po wer of foreseeing the pattern of the future . Since the
cosmo s in its enti rety eme rges from the water-mot he r's wom b. she natu -
rally knows the sche me of its develop ment and eventual end, because it is
made of her "stuff." T his is an idea later echoed in God 'ts Providence, the
Christian belief that God know s wha t w ill happen to all his creatures.
g reat and small, because he made them.
Prophetic power emanating from wate r is an ancient idea, not limit-
ed to G reek or H indu myth. The Babylonians called the ocean the "home
of w isdom ," and po rtrayed its proph eti c g ifts in the strange figure of
Oan nes, half-man and half-fish , who rose from the Pets ian Gu lf and
revealed culture, writi ng and astrolo gy to human beings. The kind of
prophecy associated with water is d ifferent from the oracular powers of
such deities as Apollo, at mythic hu mans such as Cassandra and Tiresias.
It is not a g ift of intuitive foresigh t, but rather, an inti mate knowledge of
all th e go ings-on of one's children, because the y are not sepatate from one-
self. It is closer to what we m ight call "psychic," because th ere is an ide n-
tit y between creato r and creation. Neptu ne is associated in trad it ional
astrology w ith psychic powers , but this term can be thoroug hl y confusing
and does not help us to clarify what is mea nt by such faculties . Rathe r than
indicat ing a hig her level of pe rsonality integ ration or consciousness,
N eptune's psychism often appears to be connected with a som et imes
jO - T H[ A. ST R. O LO GI(o\ l 1\: r PT U1\. [ o\ l\.' D lI H OU EH FO R RE D E.\ 1P Tl O !\l

destructive lack of ego-boundari es- a blurring of ident it y be twee n self

and othe r, and between the dayli ght world and th e world of the un con -
scious . T his lack of boundaries reflects the psychic fusion of the very you ng
infant with its mot her. It is a com mon expe rience for a mother to some -
how "know" wh en he r child is d istressed or in troub le, or for a child to
"pi ck up " and ace om the mot he r's unexp ressed em otio ns in a fit of anx i-
ety, tempe r o r wi thd rawa l. Such me rgi ng can also occu r whe n an un relat -
ed pe rson drea ms or k nows th ere wi ll be an accident or a natural d isaster-
as th ough th e boundaries have slipped between the ind ivid ual's Saturn ian
ego- skin and th e N eptunian wat ers of the collective psyche. In the fig ure
of Proteus we encounter N eptune's psychism portrayed in myth ic form.
We may swim past th e Nereids , the T ritons, the Sirens , Scylla and
Charybd is, and all th e other ero ti c, en chant ing, wise, heal ing, mon st rous,
and cruel wat er dei ties th at the G reek s desc ribed with such verve and vari-
ety; for all th ese describe wha t we have met alread y in the m yth s of ot her
cult ures. Bur we m ust at last consi de r th e god Poseidon, whom th e
Rom an s called Nept une . This deity in his earliest form was not specifical-
ly associated wi th wat er. A. B. Cook sta tes that "the H ellenic Poseidon
himself was originally but a specialised form of Zeus ."26 Child of the
Tit ans K ronos and Rhea, bro the r (or double) of Zeus and, like Zeus, con-
sort of Deme ter th e eart h- mother, Poseido n was a ferti lity god associated
wit h th e husband ry of sheep, ho rses, and bulls. Lord of earthq ua kes, he was
imaged as a h uge bla ck bu ll who stam ped his feet in his vast cavern
beneat h the eart h, topp ling mount ains and palaces. H is trid ent, befor e it
assumed irs later fish-spea ring form, is related not only (Q th e wand top ped
with a lotus flower which Ze us him self carried , hue also with 71 US· rh un -
derbolr. 27 He was sometimes portray ed hold ing both. T he pre-classical
Poseid on can not tell us mu ch about the astro logi cal Nep tune. But the god
was event ually gi ven th e sea-goddess Am phi trite as a consort; and like so
man y other Greek gods. he g rad ually usurped the powers of his wife. N o
longe r simply a fertil ity god , Poseidon became th e independ ent sovereig n
of th e ocean, and his trident. like the Co rnish me rmaid's comb, becam e
associated with th e reerh of th e monst rous bur de-fanged sea-mo cher.28 By
espousi ng the sea, Poseidon 's orig inally earthy cha racte r seems to have

26 . A. B Cook , Z oo : A S' liJ) in A nm m RtflXiun <New York: Bibl o and Tanne n , 1965 ), p .
l 8 2.
27 . See Cook's d iscussion on th e derivatio n of the m denr in ZtIiJ, pp .786-798 .
28 . A lare Etr uscan chalcedony scarab shows the god you ng. unbearded and in th e act of
stepping inco a chariot. In h is rig ht hand he hold s a t hunde rbolt . in his lefl a tri dent . At
his fee: t crouches a vcry small and t horo u ~hl y cowed sea-monster. (Sec Cook, ZntI, p . 795 .
liJ:: 760 )
 ( R[ ATIO '- - 31

assumed the caprice and unprediccabiliry of h is more ancie nt partner. Thus

he developed in classica l myth as an untamed , fait hless god , wit ho ut moral
qualit ies, ind ifferent to ot her gods, me n and histo ry, rock ing himself in his
own flowing .
Before Rome became a g reat em pire. (he Ital ic tribes, like the Celts,
worshipped many local water deities . Ne prunus was origi nally one of
t hese. Most , howeve r, were female ; the nymp h j utu rna ru led still wate rs
and rivers, while the nym ph Egeria presided over a founta in and grotto in
Latiu m and foretold th e fate of newborn babies. Many of these local
nym phs , usually associated wit h sp rings, possessed the gi ft of prophecy.
The river Tiber was ruled by the god Tiberinus, and co prevent him from
flood ing his banks rhe Vestal Virgins would each year th row rwenry -four
wicker mannequins. the civil ised relics of former human sacrifices, inca his
un r rusrwcrt hy waters.29 Eventual ly the Romans merged their local
Nept un us with th e G reek Poseidon and em b raced Neptune as the un q ues-
tioned ru ler of t he sea. The poe t Man ilius nam ed him as th e guardian of
the constellation of Pisces. Roman artists enjoyed portraying him in sryl-
ish mosaics wit h his consort Amphi trite and a train of nereids, tri to ns. dol -
phins, octopi , aqua tic pu tt i and sea-mons ters such as hippocam ps and fish-
tailed goa ts . Such mosaics, predictabl y, may be seen wherever we find the
remains of Roma n baths. Bur Neptune and his wate ry t ra in , desp ite this
rriv iali sarion , also appear on sarcophagi and fune ral mon um en ts. Franz
Cumo nt points out that these image s were associated with death and the
passage of t he soul from t his world to the nexL Jo Although in th e days of
its glo ry Ro me increasing ly looked re wa rd the celestial reg ions for the
ultima te rest ing -place of the hum an sou l, neverthel ess the more ancient
imagery of the sea, as the place from which we came and co whic h we mu st
one day return, rem ained eternally present be neath the che rished hope of
sidereal imm ortali ty.

The Mythic Meaning of Water

There are many other my ths which desc ribe the orig ins of life ou t of
water, and whic h ponray the ambiguous nature of the wa ter-mother. Even
the muscular tales of northern cli mes preserve [he eternal [heme of water
as a d ivine sou rce of life and d eat h and a gua rdian of d ivine secrets . The
Norse sea-goddess Ran , who clai med her share of human sacrifice from the

29 . Larousse. E1IQd Clptdl<l »[ M} tholCity (London: Ham lyn, 19 75 ).

30 . Franz C u mon t , A JtrolCiD an.d Rdigion AmCln.g tht Gruh a"J RCl11I41/1 (N ew York : Dov er
Publicar icn s. 1960 ), p. 105.
32 - T It E AITROL OG IC AL N EPT U NE AND TH E QU EI T f OR REDE MPT LO N

dra gon-ships, held in he r p alace und er the sea a magi c cau ld ro n w hi ch con-
fer red ete rnal li fe. The Rh ine Maidens of the Nibtlungtnlied hid b en eath
their water s the go ld wh ich Wa gner forg ed into one of the g reaten wo rks
of music eve r wrirr en. Th is im agery is u ni versal and ti mel ess, and we ha ve
seen only a sm all sam p ling of it. Myths of creation om of water a re a spon-
raneou s our po u ring of t he human imaginati on, de scri bing th e ar ch etypal
experie nce of th e sou rce of life. They a re als o po tem sym bo ls of th e sub-
jecrive expe rience of the m other du ring t ha t tim e before and im media te ly
afrer bi rt h wh en t he indi vid ual id enti ty has no r ye r formed . Contained in
th e ir image r), are the inte nse an d overw hel mi ng p hys ical sens ations of the
wom b , th e b irth ca nal, and th e b reas t. And there are also prim al emotio ns,
of overwhelming longi ng and ab ject terror, pie rcin g bliss a nd horrified
revu lsion , whi ch aston ish us as ad ults when they eru pt int o the da yl ight
worl d and p roject t he m selv es upon people an d situa tions. Ir is nor sur-
p ris ing th at many individ uals fin d it di fficulr to cop e with Neptu n ian
emo tions wh en the planer is busy in the horoscope through natal aspect s
or in tr ans it s or prog ress ions; for th ese feeli ng s a rt' cos m ic and infant ile at
t he sam e time . Imag ery as vast as the crea t ion of th e uni ver se sho u ld tell
us t hat we arc dealing with ex perien ces th at do not belong to any t ime t hat
we can " rem em ber," for m emory is t he eg o's t h read of conti nu ity of expe-
rie nce, t he cont ainer of t he sense of "I. "
T h us t he astrolog ical N eptu ne does not tell us about t he indi vid ua l's
p hysical a nd em ot ion al re lati on sh ip with th e pe rson al m other in the sam e
manne r as the Moon in a nat al chart , u nl ess it is rela ted to t his m or e
defined real m th rough nata l aspects to the Moon o r th roug h tenanti ng t he
l Oth hou se. R elat io nsh ip im plies an already existi ng sense of sepa ra teness,
howeve r frai l. Neptu nian feelings art' diffusr: , inchoate, inart iculat e and
t ran sp ersonal in nature- althou gh I am not eq uating "t ranspe rso nal" w ith

"spi rit ual." By th e tim e we expe rience t he Moo n, we hav e alread y been
bo rn , and have beg un to reg ister some sens e of ind ivi du al bodil y and emo-
ti onal indep enden ce in relat ion to a m other w ho is increasingly coalesc ing
as a sep arate en ti ty. Bu t N eptu ne poin ts back to a time when we ha ve not
r et eme rged fro m rhe form less sr uff of p re-exist en ce. T hu s, bearing the
my ths of creation in m ind , we can begin to approac h th e astrologi cal
Nep tu ne by co nside ring rh at , in t he horoscop e, ir symbol ises [h e lon g ing
£0 return co th e SOurce of life, the eternal worl d of wa ter and wom b, w he re

ind ivid ual id enti ty is dissolved ba ck into [h at O th er whi ch ga ve it birth .

The house: in wh ich Neptune is nata lly pla ced can gi ve us consid erabl e
insig ht into that sp he re of life wh ich will carry ou r u nco nsci ous pro jec-
t ions of th is urohoric so ur ce. O ur responses to it s su rrogates m ay reflect a
vas t spec t ru m of em o tions- a poig na nt yea rning for the Tr ee of
 C RI ATIO N - 33

Immortality, or a terrified flight from the incipient Flood, or an irresistible

compuls ion to do ba t tle as Marduk ball led Ti'arnar 10 save h is life and cre-
ate the world . O r we may experien ce a m ixture of all these . A piece of
external reality which others might find relat ively uncomplicated
becom es. rh rough rhe lens of Neptune, filled with strange fantasies,
dreams, longi ngs . terrors, and unkn own powers whi ch point back to the
ve ry beg innings of life. And it is here that we experience a secret ident ifi-
cation with the source whose g reat inten sity, if it is no t made conscious,
wi ll per me ate the indi vid ual's att it ude toward the world and ot he rs,
b ring ing confusion, decept ion and 'he Slrange passivity of th e infant-e-
unless he or she can beg in to explore that secret fantas y and ge ndy peel it
off t he ou te r obj ects, ideolog ies, and people to wh ich it has attached itse lf
All th e m y' hie images we have exp lored descr ibe th e longing we are lefr
with after th e loss of o rigi nal u n ity, and 'he trials and suffering necessary
to recapcure some pan of the healing power of the source. And the theme
of Paradise. lost and one day reg ained, leads inevitably on from the theme
of primal separatio n; (or the reward we seek after death is no different from
the realm out of whi ch we have come at the dawn of life.
 Chapler 2

THE PURSUIT OF THE

MILLEN NIUM

Nour tb« Lord Godhad planud a gardtn In the east, in Eden ,

and there he put tb« man that be had [ormed. A nd tbe Lord
God mad, all kind, of trees growout of tbe ground-s-trees
tbat uere plta,ing 10 tbe '1' and good for f ood. In tbe
middle of the garden were Ih, tree of lif, and Ih, tree of
tbe knqwledge of good and eoil.
- G ENESIS 2:8

- -...- - he m yth olog y of Parad ise is

as ancient and universal as
that of creation. But Paradise
is a human rather than a cos-
m ic affair. It co nce rns the
nature and fate of men and
women, ra ther chan the begi nning of the world; and it also portrays
N e ptu ne 's lo ng ing in a poi gnant v ision of t he so u l's re turn after exile in
the barren was te land o f earthly life. Wh ile the g reat creat ion myths
describe cosmic dramas so vast and ab stract that they are impossible to
relate to in personal terms, the imagery of Paradise is far closer to the
heart . Creation out of water is the image ry of conceptio n and birth; but
Paradi se is the wo rld of the already-born, im mersed in the bl iss o f the
breast. Ou r los t ho me , wh ich can o nly be reg ained o n the oth er side of
dea th, or throu gh the violent int erventi o n o f an apocal ypse, expresses most
poetically the feeli ng - ton e of N ep tune, w ith its yearn ing fo r vanis hed
innocence and the ete rnal embrace of a lo ving dei ty wi th who m we can
d we ll forever.

West of Eden
A ny voyag e alon g the rive rs of Para d ise m ust beg in wirh th at im ag inal
place which is most ce ntral to our W este rn heritag e-the Garden of Eden.
Th e land scap e of Eden bears man y em ot ional parallels with t he prim al
36 - lHE AST RO l OGICA l N EP T UN I AND THE O U EST f OR REOEMPT IO N

wat ery d omain wh ich W~ have just exp lor ed . Bur it contains a motif t hat
does not ap pear in t he sto ries of crea tio n, yet wh ich is ex t remely impo rt ant
in unde rsta nd ing ho w we experience Neptune: the Fall. The "o rig ina l sin"
of Adam and Eve, w hich occu rs not on ly in Genesis but a lso in th e Parad ise
myths of many o the r cul tu res, is rhe chief instrument of alienat io n from
G od and expulsio n from (h e place of bli ss and eternal life. It is o ur sin
whi ch co mes be tween u s and ou r unio n with th e sou rce; and it is ou r si n
w h ich dri ves us to ato ne t hroug h su fferi ng an d sacrifice so that one d ay we
may be forgi ven and allowed re-entry. Althou gh [he deta ils vary among [he
sto ries of d ifferent cultures, it is usually a "wrong " of some kind wh ich
tend s t he fab ric of Paradise an d ushers into being the lon g and [h orny road
of h uma n hi sto ry . Wh ile th ere is no d iscern ibl e conflict be t ween rig ht an d
w ron g prese nted in th e m yt hs of crea ti o n- the y des cribe. very literall y,
"acts of God ," eve n th e b rut al slaying of Ti'ama t-s-t he re is a definite mo ral
stance implicit in the my t hs of Pa rad ise . It see ms hard for us to let go of
the bel ief th at th er e mu st be so me reason why we are Out here. an d no t in
t here . An d it is impossibl e to grasp the am big uous wo rld of Nep ru ne with-
o ur e-xa mini ng thi s mo ral issue m or e close ly, fo r it is intrinsic to the m ean -
ing and expression of th e pl anet in ind ivid ual psycholog y.
It is useful to begin wi t h Eden 's ant eced ents. The tale as it is told in
G ene sis is, pred ict ab ly, paralle led by [he Sumerian- Babylonia n di vine g ar-
den of Dilmun, wh e re th ere was no sickness o r death , and wh ere wil d ani-
ma ls d id no r pr ey upo n on e ano t her.

T he land Dilmun is a pu re pl ace, the lan d D ilmun is a clean

p lace,
T he la nd D ilm un is a clean place, th e land Di lmun is a bri ght
plat e.
In D ilm un t he raven utt ered no cry,
Th e ki te uttered nor the cry of the kit e,
T he lion killed nor ,
T he wolf snat ched nor t he lam b,
U nkno wn was the kid -k illing dog,
Unknown was t he grain -dev ou ring boar..
T he sick-eyed says not "J am sick-eyed ,"
T he sick-headed says nor " J am sick-headed ,"
It s (Dilm un's} old wom an says nor "I am an o ld wom an,"
Irs old man says not "I am an old man ." . .
The singe r utt ers no wail,
By the side of the ciry he ut ters no lam ent . I

I SH Hooke. M,dd/r F..' r/(n1/\f),h"/fJKJ <London : Pengui n. 19851, p . 1 14 .

 TH E PU RSUIT O f HiE ,-\ IU EN NIU ", - 37

In th e begi nn ing , after th e world had been crea ted , t he water g od

Enk i asked h is mot he r Nammu, the primal sea, to help h im fash ion a new
creature wi th some clay, and to set th is creature to work to tend D ilmun ,
th e abode of th e go ds. So satisfactory did th is pro ve that Enk i made ot he r
hum ans, wh o bega n to mu lt iply. For a time gods and mort als lived hap pi-
ly tog et her in the land of D ilmu n. Enk i also created all th e plants neces-
sary for hum an life and p leasu re: cucu m bers, app les, g rape s, figs , and ot her
delic ious t hi ngs. After t he Fall , the story of wh ich follows shortl y, Dilmun
became th e abod e of th e irnrnorrals alone, as it had been before human
beings were c reated . But U rnep ish rim (whom we know be rre r as N oah)
and his wife we re allowed to live there for etern ity after the great D eluge
wh ich was sent to cleanse the sins of the world . D ilrnun's paralle ls to Eden
are obvious . Bur it is inte resting to note that the "o rig inal sin" of the
Sumerian first man is rather different from that of the He brew. Th e myth
of Adapa, whom Genesi s calls Adam , seems to have been very widespread
in the anc ient Middle East; a frag ment of it was even found among the
Amarna archives in Egypt. Adapa and Adam bear sim ilar names. Bu t at
th is poi nt the resemblance end s.
Althoug h a mortal, Adapa was some times portrayed as the act ual son
of Enki , ruler of water and-like so many other myth ic male prog eny of
the water- mother- an image of her phalli c creative power. Enki had cre-
ated Adapa as "the model of man, " and had given him wisdom , but not
ete rnal life. O ne of Adapa's duties was to provide fish for the go ds . One
day whil e he was fishing , the South Wind blew and overt u rned h is boat.
In a fit of rage (Enki had evidently inst illed his creation with a bad tern -
per), Adapa bro ke the win g of the South Wind , and it cou ld no t blow for
seven days. When Anu the high god of heaven observed the absence of the
Sout h W ind , he sent his messenger , lIabrat, to inqui re the reason for it.
llabrat came back and told Anu what Adapa had d one. Anu t hen ord ered
Adapa broug ht before him . Enk i the water god ga ve his son wi se advice on
how he should approach Anu. H e mus t put on mourning apparel and
appear with his hair di sordered and torn , and inve nt a tale abou t his g rid
over t he d isappeara nce of tw o gods from th e worl d of men , whi ch had
made h im unb alanced and thus incli ned to str ike out bli ndly at t he Sout h
W ind . But when Anu offered h im t he b read and water of death, Ad apa
m ust refuse. Everyth ing fell out as En ki had foreto ld; and Ad apa was
regarded with favour by An u because of his p iet y, and was forgive n for th e
incident wit h [he South W ind. T hen An u offered Ad apa the b read and
water of life, wit h the inten tion of co nferring immo rcalicy upo n the man .
But Adapa. obeying his fat her's instruct ions and m isunderstand ing the
nat u re of th e boon be ing offered , « fused it. T hereu pon Anu laughed and
38 - TH f ASTR O LO G IC Al N f PT UN ( AND T Hf ou r sr fO R RlDfMPTl O N

asked Ad apa why he had acted so strang ely. When Adapa exp lained rha r
he had followed the advice of his fat her Enki, Anu told h im rhar by rh is
act he was de p rived of th e g ift of immortal ity. Al rhoug h Ad apa afterward
ruled on eart h with many pr ivileg es and dig nities, m isfortune and di sease
were foreve r afte r (he lor of [he hu man race.!
Th is is a curious ta le; for here t he origi nal sin, rather t han being
Adam 's dis obedience to t he wi ll of God , is too grea t and unt hin king an
obed ience, resul ting in the loss of th e boon of et ernal life for humani ty.
One m ig ht frui tfully sp ecu lat e abo u t what th is strang e rever sal of t he st ory
of Genesis migh t mean . H ave we "falle n" into suffering and death not
because Adam acted independe ntly, but because he b lind ly accepted t he
di vine paren ta l di crare ? H owever theo logically provocati ve th is earlier
sto ry of t he: Fall mi ght be, it was long ag o transforme d by th at dis rincrive
moralit y whi ch characterises Ju dea -Ch ristian cult u re. Paradise, as it is
ensh rined in t he collective psyche of th e Wes t, is represen ted as the or igi-
nal pla ce of bliss w hich we have lost because of th at highl y ambiguous
hu m an at tr ib ut e which Nept u ne so srrenuously avoids : the powe r of indi -
vidual choice.

Wi th the emergence of t he fully fledged ego, the paradi sal sit ua-
tion is abolished ; the infant ile cond ition. in which life was regu-
laced by som erhi ng am pler and more embrac ing, is at an end, and
wi rh jt rb e natu ral dependen ce on that amp le embrace. We may
chin k of chi s paradisal air uacio n in terms of rel igi on, and say that
everyth ing was co nt rolled by God ; or we m ay formu late it erhi-
cally, and say that everythi ng was st ill good and that evil had nor
yet come into the world }

Parad ise as a heavenl y abode which awa its th e souls of th e righ teous afte r
dea t h is as ancien t a mot if as Parad ise be fore th e Fal1.4 It is, as we mi gh t
expeCt, identical in form and emotional ambience to t he van ished Ga rde n
from wh ich t he first man an d woman were driven out by an out rag ed and
im placable deity. The place of ou r origi n, in whi ch we once existed in pe r-
fect fusio n wi th t he divine O the r, is th e sam e as t he place of ou r even tual
return-provided we perfo rm th e necessary deeds and som eh ow redeem
t he origi nal "wrong" th roug h espousing th e correct act ions and beliefs

2. Hooke. M iddlt Eastern My/huff/g) . pp . 56· 58 ,

3, Enc h Neuma nn , T~ Origins and lI iJ/(I')' «[ C tJn U MIJntll ( Pn ncecon. N] : Princeto n
Uni versity Pres s. 19 54 ), pp . 114 -11 5 .
4 . For Oil th orou gh h ist orical exarn inanon of th e im ag es of Parad ise after dea th. see Co ll een
McDa nnel l and Bern hard l ang , H UII -rn : A IItJ/tJry (Lond on : Yale U niv ersity Press, 1988 ).
 TH E PURSUIT O f THE MIL LE NNIUM ... 39

during our sojourn on Earth. Neptune's longi ng pours OUt like a flood in
both d irections : nosta lg ia fo r t he lose home and yearning for the reun ion
that lies som ep lace . some rim e, in a faraway future. For many Weseern
people in th e modern era, the rel ig iou s id ea of an Eden-li ke afterl ife seems
intellect ua lly absurd . But th e nostalg ia and the yearning have not gone
away, and t h e hope of bl issful reunion, now relegated to the unco nscious,
is therefore pr oject ed onto some fut ure point in this life , when the "rig ht "
partner arrives, or the "rig ht" job manifests, or whe n everyt hing somehow
mag ically becom es "all rig h t. " These sen t im ents are huma n and ubiqu i-
tous; we all expe rience them sometimes, T hey are t he charac te rist ic man-
ifestations of the Nep tunian longing, rem inding us that Something will
eventu ally respond to ou r call despite ou r pre sent tribulations. Such feel-
ing s can be ins pi ring and reg enerate hop e, particularly du ring a tryin g
Saturn or Pluto transit . But for the excessivel y Neptune-prone, the vision
of a mag ical afterlife pu rsued in th is li fe- where all the suffering of sepa-
rateness w ill cease and the State of primary fusio n will return-may over-
whelm any capacity to live with the reality of the present .
Th e wo rd "paradise," wh ich we use in the Engl ish langu age to
desc ribe bo t h Eden and the afte rlife (as well as many sensuous or eroti c
experiences d uring life), is de rived from the Persian: pai ri (meaning
"around") and dana (me ani ng "a wall"). Parad ise thu s means "a walle d
enclosure," Thi s wom blik e walled enclosu re contains after death exac t ly
what it contained before birth , In the Western tradition Parad ise is not
merely a p lace wh ere the frai l d isem bodied shad es of t he dead cong reg at e,
as the Elysian Field s were for the Greek s. In early Zoroastrian teachi ng (c.
1400 B.C.E .) , whi ch in fluenced lat er J ewi sh eschato log ical beliefs of the
sixt h century B.C- E. and eventu ally the Christian perceptio n of the after-
li fe , bodil y resurreceion was included, and the walled garden of de l ig hts
could be enjoyed sens ually as well as on ot her levels- as it once was by
Adam and Eve ) In Pauline Christi ani ty the resurrected body is definite-
ly a body, al t houg h it is spi ritu al rather ' han m at er ial. Pau l d id not define
what he m eant by t h is "sp iritu al" qualit y of the new body ; he d id h int ,
however , t hat it woul d not have the anatom y or physiology of th e earthy
body beca use G od woul d d est roy bot h th e st om ach an d [he food in it. 6 In
ot her words, it is a body without the apper ires whi ch caused Adam and
Eve such tr ouble. The d ifferen ce between Parad ise befo re and Paradis e
after lies not in its image ry and feeli ng tone , bur in [he presence of chose
problematic hum an desi res whi ch ensu re that the timeless joy of pre-life

~ , HUJt'tff . p. 12
6. H tJ w I. p n
40 - TH E AIT ROl O GIO l ~ ( PT U N E A>J D TH E OU (IT fO R RW[.'1PT IO "

a nd th e t im eless jo y of afte rl ife are broken by a s pa n of painful in ca r na-

tion and expi ation .
Ge nesis 2:15 makes it qui te clea r wh at condi t ions exi sted in Eden [0

ens ure th e con tinuation of th e state of the orig inal Parad ise:

T he Lord God rook [he man and p ur h im in the G arde n of Ede n

[ 0 work it and rake care of it. And th e Lord G od co m m anded th e

man , "You are free ( 0 eat from any t ree in the ga rde n , but you
must nor eat from t he tr ee of the knowledge of good and evil, for
wh en you eat of it you will surely die ."

Thus, w irh o ur having to elabo rate t he issue at th is po int , we m ay co nclude

th at par adi saical b liss and knowl ed ge of good and evil (or conscio usness,
particularly of th e sex ua l k ind ) are mutua lly excl usive, and th at possession
of the latt er des t roys the former. Consciousness impli es cho ice, whi ch in
turn req ui res defining a separate self which can mak e dec isions based on
indi vid ual values . Th is is t he oppos ite of fusion wit h th e wi ll of God, par-
ent . or collect ive. The knowledg e of good and evil is reall y th e cond ition of
separate ness from the source. Yet , as has been poin ted ou t so ma ny t imes in
both rheo logical and psych ol ogical text s, [he fruit was, afte r all , pu t t here
by G od , JUSt begging [0 be eaten . I[ is pan of the Ga rden ; ir is parr of rhe
h uman cond it ion, and it already exist s in pot ential even in th e waters of t he
womb. For whom has it been created , if no one is to eat of it ? And if h uman
bei ngs are de nied it , wh y th en has God created Adam and Eve wit h the son
of dangerous (or healthy) cur iosity whi ch necessit ates t hei r eventually defy-
ing th ei r maker? And where did the serpent come from in th e first place?
It , too, was crea ted by G od, and is parr of the Garden . Unl ess we wish to
decla re t he God of Gen esis a mali cio us tri ckster or a psychopa t h, rhese are
un answerable question s, although t heologia ns keep on try ing to answer
[he m . Bur char is pe rhaps [he po int nf t he s[Ory of Ed en : Irs mor al qu est ion s
are una nswerable. The natu re of life d ictates tha t we can not remain in the
womb, o r we w ill die , as Mard u k wou ld have d on e had he not gone [0 bar-
rie. W e m ust ult imat ely eme rge as independent physical en tit ies, wit h
instin ct ual and emot iona l needs tha t will soone r or later conflict wit h t he
will of th e mother and force us inr o th e painful expe rience of separat ion.
Seen as a psych ol ogi cal rale , th e loss of Ede n has an ine vicab iliry about ir,
[usr as bi rt h does; and th e self-b lame whi ch accompanies ou r long ing to
retu rn is eq ually archerypaJ , and can no t be avo ided . Everyrh ing depe nds
up on how conscious of it we are , and how we exp ress it in ou r lives.
In H ebrew, [he na me Eden sig n ifies "del ig h t ," o r "a pl ace of
de lig ht ." Ede n is a wall ed garden of d elight , an d ar its heart sra nd the two
tr ees, one of kn owledge and (he ot her of et erna l life, like th e t ree wh ich
 TH[ PUR SUIT O f T H [ MILI[ N NI UM - 41

G ilgamesh found beneath the cosmic sea. From the centre of Eden , four
rivers flow as from an ine xhaustible spring, to refresh the world in th e four
directions. Eden is thus also a watery source, like the H indu D ivine
Mother whose rivers SUCCOUt the Earth. The land scape of Eden is an imag-
inative portrayal of what it is like [0 be a bab y at the breast , at o ne with
the creat rix and nourished without effort or pain. Th e Kabbal ist ic Zohar
makes a curious com ment on the waters of Eden:

.. . The Y [referring to YHWH . the four sacred letters com pris-

ing the unpronounceable name of God) brought forth a river
which issued from the Garden of Eden and was identical with the
Mother. The Mother became pregnam with the tw o children, the
W who was the Son , and the second H who was the Daug hter, and
she brought them forth and suckled them. . . 7

Th is esoteric text draws an unashamedly overt relationsh ip between the

rivers of Eden and th e divine water-mother; and the Son and Daughter, the
first human beings, are her ch ildren . This Son and Daughter, whose names
Adam and Eve mean , respectively, "earth" and "life," broke the rul es and
at e of th e forbidden fruit, and were driven forth from [h e Garden and born
as mortal beings . And God the Mother, fearin g lest [hey should eat of the
fruit of the tree of immortality as well as of th e tree of knowledge, cursed
them , and having driven them out, placed at the eastern gate of Eden two
cherubim with flaming swords which turned every way to guard the way
[0 th e tree o f life . We have gr own coo sophi st icat ed now to tak e as co nc re te
history a walled green garden somewhere east of the Tigri s-Euphrates
basin (or, according to the latest theory, Madagascar), whi ch contained a
serpent who could talk, a first woman formed from the first man's rib , and
two wond rous trees whose fru it s were forbidden by God . But this haunt-
ing image of a lost Paradise lies wit hin each of us. Its antiquity and its un i-
versality proclai m its archetypal nature; Eden is an essent ial hum an expe-
rience, whether it is called Dilmun of the Sum er ians, th e Elysian Fields of
the Greeks, the Land of Eternal Youth of th e Cel ts , Valhalla of the Norse,
the Gra il Castle of med ieval legend , a bottle of gi n, a tab of acid , or th e
embrace of one's beloved . Eden is one of the most powerful myth ic descrip-
t ions of the inner wotld of th e astrolog ical Ne ptune, for it seems th at th e
ind ividual under the spell of N eptune cannot forg et the waters of Par adi se.
N or, it seems , can he or she cease atte mpt ing to sp it out that fruit wh ich
has caused all the troubl e. Th e q uest for readm it tance to Eden can become

7. Raphael Patal, Tht Htbrtu' C udJm (N ew York: Avon Books, 19 7 8 ), p. 127 .

42 - T HE A5T RO I O GIC .... ' Nf PT UNE AN D r u r O UEST fO R Rf D f M P1 IO,

th e preo ccupati on of a lifetime, althoug h not necessarily recogni sed as

such. We have other nam es for Eden now.
T he Story of Parad ise and th e Fall d oes not o rig inate with t he
Israelites: nor is it lim ited ro th e myth ology of Sumeria. Babylon , and
Canaan, from wh ich Ge nesis derived its im agery, And the forbidden fru it
is not always a fruit. For the G reeks , it was fire . The th eft of th e sacred fire
by th e Titan Prom etheu s, echoed in other Indo-European myt hs, resulted
in mankind bein g afflicted with . 11 th e morral woes. Before thi s cora-
strophic event , life was easy and peaceful , and men and wome n lived in a
G olde n Age, in perfect harmony with the Earth and the gods. Prometheu s
was, in fact , t he creat or of hum an bei ngs , to whom he then ta ug ht th e art s
of architect ure, astrology, mathematics, navigation, med icin e, and met al-
lurgy. But Zeus g rew jealous of the increasing talent s and creat ive powers
of these rem ark able creatures, and decided to dest roy them . He spared
them ar Prometheus' urgent plea: but he wit hheld from them the gift of
fi n' , whi ch m ight have made th em god like. Prometheu s, refusing (0 coun-
te rrance this unfair limi t placed on his creat ion's future potentials, stol e a
spa rk from th e fiery chariot of the Sun and bro ug ht it do wn to Earth con-
cealed in a holl ow fennel stalk. Zeus inflicted a horr ible pu nishme nt on
Prometh eus h im self. and retal iated agains t th e human race by send ing to
Eart h the irresisti ble Pandora. W ith her arrived a box, whic h contained all
the Sp ites rbar m ig hr plag ue ma nkind- i nsanity, passio n, violence, g reed ,
treachery, sickness and old age.
This G reek version of the Fall, althoug h very d ifferent in imag ery
from the sin of Adam and Eve, p OSt"S th e same moral dil emma, although
its typ ically G reek heroi c and tra g ic cast are sharply contrasted with wha t
N ietzsche called th e "fem inine affect s" in Ge nesis- naugh ty di sobed ience.
lying m isrepr esent at ion , sed uction, g reed and co ncu piscence. Althoug h
Prom etheus is him self divine, he is a Titan , an earth-spirit like Kronos-
Satu rn, above ordi na ry mor tals yet inferior to the O lympia ns, We m ig ht
view him as a da imon- a perso nified attr ibute of the human soul. In the
G reek figu re of Prometheus, unl ike (he Genesis characters, N iet zsche saw
a bold impie ty, a courageous achieveme nt in de fiance of th e jealou s gods,
H owever, like Ada m and Eve, th e Titan di sobeyed , and he and humanity
were both puni shed ; and the blissful Go lden Age of tran q uillity and abun-
dance that men and women had once enjoyed di sint egrated into the
brut ishne ss of the Iron Ag t' in wh ich- if we are to bel ieve Hesiod-c-w e are
st ill struggl ing .
T he ch ild like stat e of innocence before the Fall is a req uiremen t fur
en joying th e bliss of Paradi se after death , for th e sin of Adam and Eve
mus t be expiated if the cheru bim are to permi t us ent ry. It is wort h not -
 T H [ (lUR \ U I T O f HiE Ml lU N NIUM - 43

ing th at [h e curse wh ich God visit s upon Ad am and Eve consisrs o f [ he

pa in of ch ildbi rth an d t he hardshi p of ea rn ing a liv ing: th e two m ost basic
fea rure s of what we call adul t hood. Becomin g a parent onesel f, and sh oul-
de ring o ne's o wn mat erial respon s ibilit ies, are profou nd srarernents o f sep -
aration from o ne's o w n pa rents and the ph ys ical and e mo tio nal dependen-
cy of in fancy. T he sta re of obedi ence ro th e w ill of G od in a place of per-
feet , chang eless delig ht is t he cond itio n of th e baby at th e b reas t. T he
names Ad am C'ean h") and Eve ("l ife") together succi nc tly descr ibe th e
physica l bod y w ith its vita l life-fo rce, and t h is sugg ests that expul sio n
fro m the Paradi se Gard en is an imag e of phy sical birth its el f. It is also an
image of psy cho log ical maturity and au ro nomy, and th e rel inqui sh ing of
the unco nsciou s and unreflective innocen ce of the pre-pu bescent years,
T he cycle o f transit ing Satu rn aspecting its place in the natal chart is [he
astrolog ical blueprint of [his process. T he journey towa rd maturat io n is
not a straight line from A to B wi th a defin ed "no rmal" procedu re of
gro wth ; it is a w ind ing pat h, circling back on itself, w ith no rmali ty depen-
dent on each pe rson's o wn unique natu re and des tiny. Trying to define
matur iry in terms o f the individ ual is as di fficu lt as try ing co defi ne love .
But what ever its varyin g expressions , at the co re o f this process lies the
psychologi cal necess ity inhe rent in God's curse o n Ad am and Eve .
Beco ming a parent- which does not necessarily invo lve the ph ysical act of
prod ucing a child-is a sym bo l o f perceiv ing o neself not as som ebod y's so n
o r daug hte r but as o nese lf, alon e in the univ erse , responsible for di sco ve r-
ing one's ow n meanin g and purpos e and no long er dependent o n parenta l
(o r co llect ive) authori ty for o ne's ow n values and dec ision s. And sel f-s uffi -
ciency o n the mat erial level is likewi se a sym bo l, refl ecti ng the ab ili ty t o
face life alon e by rel ying on o ne's own in ne r resources. It is jU S[ these ex pe-
riences which the N eptu nian lon g ing seeks to avoi d .
T he kn owledge of good and ev il , and of t he d irty old worl d w it h its
g reeds , limirs and co m prom ises. is the hard-w o n know ledg e of Saturn. It
encompasses [he bu rden of mundane respo nsibilit ies. the pain o f dec isio n-
maki ng , t he co nflicts of love and sexuali ty (we sho uld no t fo rg et
Caprico rn 's randy goat), [he challenge s of alo neness and sel f-sufficie ncy,
and th e frus tratio n of findi ng no permanent answe rs to the inequa lity and
unfairness of life o n Earth , We ig hed agai nst th is, Eden, from Nept u ne's
point o f view, is the o nly possib le choic e, fo r mo rral life is a waste land .
N eptune 's bit rersweer mel ancholy, exp ressed most vividly in mu si c and
poet ry, reflects th e p rofound sad ness of t he exile. The loss of Eden an d t he
stony harshness of the Sarurnian world of incarnati o n are the main themes
o f the Welsh w riter Arthur Mache n, who was born w ith the Sun co n ju nc t
Ch icon in Pisces, and w it h a close oppo sit ion between Saturn in Lib ra and
44 - THE ASTRO LOG ICA L N EPT UNI AND T HI O UEST f O R REDEMPT IO "

a Venus-Neptune con ju ncr ion in Ar ies. Hi s m agi cal , bea u ti fu lly crafted
and deeply disturb ing sto ries are u nfort un at ely not we ll kn ow n co the ge n-
eral publ ic. All of Machen 's tales ce nt re around t he be lief rh ar :

... We dwell very far inland , bu t we have mem orie s of the g reat
Jeep. th e ptlagus va Jl iu ;nul11J Dei , from wh ich we have come.. . to
the Celt t he whole material uni verse appea rs as a vast symbol; and
art is a g reat in caru ar ion wh ich can resto re. [Q a g reat exte nt, th e
pa radi se th at has been lose.8

W hether this is trul y a Celt ic worldview, or th e world view of an individ-

ual wit h a st ro ngl y N ep t uni an nature, is an arguab le poi nt . Perhaps it is
bo th; Ce ltic myth, as we have seen, is redolent of Nep tune no t only in its
wat ery o t herw orl d th em es but in its emotional q ualit ies and th e man ner
of it s p resen tat io n. O n the o ther hand, t he German Romanti c poets of the
l Srh and ] 9 t h ce nt uries espoused th e same vision of life a nd ar t , a nd they
can ha rd ly be call ed Cel ric.? I n th e story called "N ," Mache n offers hi s
vision of Ed en and t he Fall:

.. Mr G lanville often dwelt on a co nseq uence, not gen erally

ack nowledged, of [he Fall of Man. "W hen man yielded:' he woul d
say, "co the m yster io us tem ptat ion int im ated by th e figu rat ive
la nguag e o f H o ly W rit . the u n iver se . ori gina lty fl u id and t il t" se r-
vane of h is sp irit , becam e solid . and crashed d own up on him. over-
whe lmin g him be neat h it s we ight and its dead ma ss." I req uested
him to furn ish me with more lig ht o n th is rem ark able belief; and
I found th at in his op inion. th at which we now regard as stubbo rn
ma t ter was, p rim ally, to use hi s sing ular p h raseo log y, th e
Heave nly C haos. a soft and duct ile su bst ance. which could be
moulded by th e im aginat ion of un corrupted man int o what ever
forms he chose to assume . "Stra nge as it may seem ," he added ,
"(he wild in ven ti ons (as we co ns ider th em ) of th e Arabian Tales
gi ve us some noti o n of t he powers of the homo protoplaJfuJ. T he
pros perous city becomes a lake , the carpet tr anspo rts us in an
instant of tim e, or rather with out tim e, fcom one end of th e eart h
to anot her, the palace rises at a word from nothing ness. Magic, we
call all thi s, while we deride t he possibility of any such feat s; but
th is magi c of the East is but a confused and frag mentary recollec-
t ion of operat io ns which were of the first nature of man , and of th e
fiat which WaS then entr usted to him ."! "

t:L Art hur Machen , Tbr Cul/tcud A rrhlJr Ma ch",. Christop her Palmer. ed . (London :
Duck.....on h. 19 88 ). p . 3.
9 . An explcran c n of th e role of Ne p tu ne In (he d u n s of the Roman nc poe ts and ce rn-
posers. pani cularly aspen s between Sat urn and N ept une. can be found in chapter 10.
10 . Machen , Tht CIJl/tcrtJ Ar,hllr Mach"" pp . 312· 313.
 T H E PUR SUIT O f T H E M i ll ENNI U M - 4S

Machen 's writ ing is a remarkabl e dep ict ion o f the los t Eden and it s
cont rast wit h [he g rey world " inland : ' But perhaps the most powerful po r-
t rayal of t hat "weig h,' and "d ead mass" whi ch crash down on human
being s afte r th e Fall can be found in 'he poe try of T. S. Eliot , for whom
readmi ttance to Eden was eventually soug ht in co nversio n to the Catholic
faith. H is co mplex poem , "T he Waste Land: ' w ith its terrifying invocation
o f a waterless world, is o ne of the g reatest t we nti et h-ce nt ury imag es of
spiritual desola t ion .
In co ntrast to this arid land scape of incarnation, Paradise as a vision
o f future reward inev itably gathers around itself the images of water. Th e
God of the Ol d Testament offers the bli ss of water in [he form of a con-
crete p romi se [0 th e peop le of Israel in Isaiah 4 1:18- 20:

I will open rivers on the bare heigh ts, and fou ntains in the midst
of the valleys; I will make the wi lderness a pool of water, and the
dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the oli ve; I will set in the desert the
cypress, the plane and the pine toge ther; that men may see and
know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the
Lord has done this. the Hol y On e of Israel has created it .

In th e apo cryp hal Books of Enoch, Parad ise is depi cted as a p lace for ' he
ele ct , the just , and the saintl y. It is situated at the ex treme ed ge of heav-
en, and the four rivers of Paradise flow w ith honey, milk, o il and win e .
Th is Paradise is not merely a traer of ve rda nt land promi sed to the
Israel ites; it is an afterl ife , the Land of the Blessed . The messianic , m il -
lenarian vision o f the new world after the cataclys m o f the apocalypse is
earthly and heavenly at the same tim e , and the elect, wh ethe r dead or sti ll
liv ing , wi ll be resurrected and transformed in a world cleansed o f its sins.
We can hear th is message on ma ny Am erican television channel s, alt hou gh
it would seem that , lately as in med ieval times, adm ission to Parad ise does
not require the cleansing o f sins so m uch as the appropriate mo net ary co n-
tribution. But (h e prom ise of Paradise, in th is world o r th e next , is a po w-
erful, seduct ive, and hy pnotic me ssage , for who le soc iet ies no less than
ind ivid uals. O ne has onl y to consid er irs effects in the h ist ory of
Christ ianity, wh ere 'he b lood shed and madness of 'he Crusades and 'he
Inquisit ion , [0 name merely two ep isodes, were spurred on by the guara n-
tee of heavenl y rewar d . Th e same willingness to commit appallingly
bloodrh irsry deeds in ord er to earn [he inn ocent bl iss of a heavenl y womb
after death may be observed in som e non-Christ ian relig ious doctr ines as
well. And i t ma y eq ually be observed in ind ivid ual cases wh ere Neptune
has run amok, and whe re considerable psycholog ical cru elt y and desrruc-
~6 - TH E ASTROLO G ICAl NEPTUNE ANO TH E O UEST FO R R(() I MPTION

riven ess are just ified in a despe rate dfo n CO b ind anot her ind ivid ual in a
state of pe rma nent fus ion .

The Medieval Garden of Delights

T he tradi tion of J ew ish prophets su ch as Ezekiel exerci sed a profound
influence not o nly on early C hrist ian esc ha to log y b ut a lso o n [he hea venly
th eology of the M id dl e Ages. H er e th e ret urn to Pa radise was inextricab ly
link ed wit h ap ocalypti c sp iri tu ality, and was seen as t he reward of th e just
aft er [he m illennium a nd t he Da y of J ud ge ment . Some ex tr acts from t he
m ed ieval literature of Par adi se hel p co nvey t he nat u re of th is N ew
J erusalem . whi ch , de spite th e violenc e of apocalyptic image ry, rem a in s
identical wi t h t he Eden of Genesis and t he D ilmun of [he Babylon ians .
O tfeid of W eissenb urg , a ni n th -century G er m an mon k and poe t , pro mi sed
his fellow rural monasti cs th at after the apoca lypse. "Lilies and roses always
bl oo m for yo u , sm ell swee t and never w ither... . Their frag rance never
ceases co breathe ete rn al b liss into t he soul. "l l T he Elucidation, a w idely
used m o nasti c manu al of t he same peri od, con cu rred: "T he punis hme nt for
sin , t hat is, co ld ness, heat . hai l, storm , ligh tn ing, th und er, a nd ot he r
inconvenien ces will u tterly disappear," and the eart h "w ill be d ecorated
eternally wi t h sweet -sm elli ng flowe rs. lil ies , roses, and violets t hat ne ve r
fade.:"? Urb an visio na ries su ch as Savo naro la also hoped for a b ucol ic
Par adi se, wit h t he additi on of a few ge m -stu d ded walls:

(Th e gat es of heaven] . . . were surrounded by a very high wall of

precious stone s and seemed ro encircle the whole univer se. . . . We
lifted up our eyes and saw a very broad field, covered with del i-
cious flowers of Paradise. l ive crystal streams flowed everywhere
wit h a qu iet mu rmu r. A vast m ult itude of mild anima ls, like
wh ite sheep. erm ines, rabbits, and harmless creatures of tha t sort ,
all whiter tha n snow, p layed pleasant ly among t he different flow-
ers and green g rass alongside the flowing waters.. .. As we were
speaking [co Sr. J oseph ) I d rew nearer the thro ne and saw coming
a countless m ulti tude of infan ts in whitt' wit h fragr ant lit tle pale
flowers in their hands .. . 13

Although o ne mi g h t easily find the emot ional tone of t h is fiftee nth- cen -
tu ry portrayal of Pa rad ise some what cloying , we meet th ese same

11. McDan nelJ and Lang, II t d l 't n , p 711.

12 . lluII't1I , pr . 7 1·72
13. Quoted from "T he Compe nd ium of Revelauon s" by G irolam o Savonarola, In

AprKaJ)'pltf Sptrilua/lt)' , Be rna rd McG inn, ed . (Londo n: SPC K, 198 0), p . 24 1

 T HE PURSUIT O F T HE MILL E!\:NIU" - 47

images- the flowers, th e wate rs, th e ben ign an imal s, the inn ocent chil-
d ren clad in wh ite--over and over aga in in the relig ious literatu re of th e
last twenty centuries. In today's secu larised world the y are no longer pan
of our collect ive vision of immortality; we meet them instead in televis ion
and maga zine advert isement s and rom antic film s; and an extraterrestri al
just off the spaceship m ig ht well be forgiven for imagining that ad m it-
tan ce to Parad ise can be accomplished by using the rig ht sham poo o r eat-
ing the righ t chocolate bar. Lacranr ius, th e third-century Christ ian
rhetor ician who exercised g reat influ ence on th e Emperor Consta nti ne
afrer Ch ristia n ity was officia lly declared [he religi on of [h e Roma n
Empi re, offers his own version :

The sun will be seven times brighte r than it is now. Th e earth 's
fert ility will be opened and it will spon taneously bear the richest
fruits. The mount ain rocks will drip with honey. the brooks will
run with wine, and the rivers overflow with milk . In that time the
world itself will rejoice. The whole of nature, freed and delivered
from the rule of evil, impiety, crime, and error, will be glad.
During this time beasts will not feed on blood and birds on prey,
but they will be peaceful and serene. Lions and calves will sta nd
together at th e manger, the wolf will not snatch the sheep , [he
dog not hunt , hawks and eagles not kil l. 14

U nfort unately these wr ite rs do not tell us whether, afte r th e mi llennium ,

ou r newly resurrect ed "spir itual" bodi es will be capable of feelin g boredom .
Recog nisab le se x u a l des ire, of cou rse, ha s n o p la ce in Pa rad ise ; t h ere
must be no repeat pe rfor mance of Adam 's sin . Yet the re is a curious pru ri-
ence displayed in these medieval descriptio ns whi ch reveals the unm istak-
ab le eroti cism of th e young infa nt . The Elucidation decla res th at in Parad ise
the blessed will be restored to nakedness:

Th ey will be nude, but excel in modesty, and will not blush

because of any parts of their body more than they do now because
of having beautiful eyes.n

And Augu st ine gives one of the best rend itions of what m ight almost be
the medieval answe r to "soft-core porn ";

Both sexes will rise [on th e Day of Judgemenc}, For th ere will be
no lust ther e, which is [he cause of shame. For before they sinned

14. Apu<alypllc Spln/Nalrl, . p. 73.

15. McDannell and lang . lItat"n, p 84 .
48 - TH E A\ lROlOG ICA I N I PT UNI AN D THE OU I I T f OR REDI M PTI O "

they were nak ed , and (he m an and wom an were not ashame d . So
all defe cts wi ll be taken away (rom th ose bodies, but th eir naru r-
al star e will be preserved . Th e female sex is nor a defect. but a nat-
u ral stat e, whi ch will t hen k now no int ercourse or child b irt h.
T here will be female paccs, nor su it ed to the ir old use, but to a
new bea u ty, and thi s will not arouse the lust of the beh old er, for
there will be no lust , but it will inspire pr aise of the wisd om and
goodness of God , wh o bo th created wh at was om . and freed from
cor ru pti on wh at he made. 16

It is u nn ecessa ry to m entio n the o bv ious relation ship between the inno-

ce nt buco lic nud ity of t he med ieval Par ad ise and the effon to • -creare it
in ou r modern "nature cam ps," N akedness in beaut iful na tural surround -
iog s can of co u rse be ea sily achieved . Innocence , however , tend s to prove
m or e elusive .
The m ost beaut ifu l ex p ressio n of th e m ed ieval vision of Paradi se
co mes fro m D ante's Divine Comedy, H ere Parad ise is in separable from the
radiant figu re of Beatr ice . Dant e's image of th e divine so ul , wh o g uides
him throu gh t he nin e c ircles of heaven :

. . . An d I beheld. shaped like a river, ligh r

St ream ing a sp lendour bet ween banks wh ereon
T he mi rac le of {he sp ring was pict ured brig ht.
Ou r of thi s river liv ing sparkles thrown
Shot everywhere a fi re am id t he bloom
And th ere lik e ru b ies gold-e ncr us ted sho ne;
T he n as if dizzy wit h t he spi ced perfum e
T hey plunged inca the enc ha nte d eddy again :
As one sank, rose another fiery pl ume.!"

D ant e 's Parad ise is per ched on th e h ighest peak of Purg atory, envisioned as
a se ries of circles each highe r and m or e rad iant t han t he last ; and all
toge t her for m t he shape of a g rea t rose . In co unt erpo in t to t he ci rcl es of
H ell in the Inferno, ea ch ci rcle nf Paradi se is populated by an incre as ing ly
m or e exa lted kind a f h um an being , Beatrice , Dante 's g reat lov e, wh o di ed
as a you ng gi rl wi t hout eve r havi ng even spo ke n with him , ca n traver se
t hem a ll , fa r she is id ent ica l to t he M ado n na wh o sit s ent h ron ed ac th e ce n-
tre. It is nor Gnd th e Farbe r. bu t God th e Mother who thus truly presid es
ove r Da nt e 's Paradi se ; and her e we mee t undi sg ui sed chat same feminin e

16 llt.J f'tn, I'll 62-63.

17 Dante. Paf',zJ u Q, Ca nto XXX. In T h t PQf'/dhlt Dan/t , Paolo Mila no. ed . (London
Peng ui n, 19 78 ), p . 525 ,
 T H E P UR SU IT or T H E M Ill [ N NI UM - 49

[om t l orig» w hich is ensh rined in the anc ient mythic wat ers ou t of wh ich
life once eme rged . Erich N eumann in Tbe Grear Mother make s th e follow-
ing com ment on Dante:

... T hus in Dante's poem the sacred wh ite rose belonging to th e

Madonn a is the ult imate flower of light , which is revealed above
th e starry nig ht sky as th e sup reme spi ritu al unfolding of the
eart hly. , . And the queen sitt ing wit h her ch ild in her lap,
en throned in the cent re of parad ise, su rrounded by the Evangel ists
and th e Virt ues, is again th e fem inine self as t he creati ve cent re of
the man d ala.If

Th e medi eval Christ ian Paradi se is not simpl y a van ished state of bl iss and
innocence, a once-upo n-a-t ime wall ed ga rden of del ig ht from wh ich
human beings have been barred enr ry because of th eir sin. It is also th e
Kingdom of Heaven, an abode of ere m al peace and redemption after death ,
wh ere th e body its elf is rest ored to it s tra nslucent , irnmorral, prenatal and
un corru pted sta te , T he med ieval Parad ise is a place in whi ch th e dead sleep
in a ga rde n fu ll of flow ers-c-an image wh ich di ffers little from Virgi l's
Elysium wi t h its "coo l m ead ow s wat ered by st reams ," This ima ge is nor
only Bib lical, it is pagan . Greenness, flowers, ge ntle anim als, perfum ed
ai r, and flowing water are the delic ious images wh ich accom pa ny th e
p romi se of resu rrect ion ; and it is perhaps due to th eir ba rely concealed
eroti cism th at th ese im ages began to becom e unpop ula r in rel ig iou s
iconog rap hy afte r the 12th cent u ry, and have reappeared in th e iconog ra-
ph y of rom ant ic love in all th e cent u ries wh ich have followed .

. . . Pa rad ise ceased to be a coo l garde n of Dowers wh en a pu rified

Ch rist ian it y revolt ed against these sensuous im ages and fou nd
t he m su perst it ious. They too k refuge among Am e-rican b lacks .
T he films inspi re-d by N egroes show heave n as a g reen pa st ure or
a field of white snow."?

Ent ry requ iremen ts into [his wornblike ki ngdo m have been int erp re ted
with varying deg rees of flexibility and fanat icism over [he cent uries. Bur
whether th ese condi ti ons include sexual pu riry, lack of g reed , love of one's
neigh bou r o r any ot her co llect ivel y recog n ised virt ue, [hey all po int in [he
same di rect ion : th e relin q u ishing of de sire, which is a statem ent of ind i-

18. Enc h Ne umann , TM Grtat M fJthtT (Pri nceton , NJ _Pnnceton Umve m ry P r("S ~ , 196 3).
p 326
19. Phrhppe Ane s. TM IIfJur (/ OMr Duub <london: AI\('n Lane. 198 1), p . 26 .
so - THE ASTROLOGICAL NEPTUNE AND THE O UEIT FOR RED EM PTIO N

vidual reality and th erefore sepa rative, and (he cleans ing of the stain of th e
physical body, whic h is th e carrier of de sire, Lact ant ius is as knowledge-
able about t he condi tions of ent ry as he is on th e im ag ery of Parad ise itse lf:

The sou ls of me n are eternal and are not anni hi lated by dea th, bur
tho se that were just return home [Q the heavenl y seat of their ori-
gi n, pure, impas sib le. and blessed. O therwise, they are taken [0
those fort unate field s where they enjoy wondrous del ig hts. Th e
sou ls of the wicked , however, because they stained them selv es
with evil desires, hold a middle place between mort al and immor-
cal nature and possess weakness fro m the flesh 's co ntagi on.
Addicted to the flesh's desires and lusts, they bear a certain indeli-
ble stain and eart hl y blot tha t with leng t h of tim e com plet ely
pene t rates them . 20

Th us it is on ly the littl e chi ld w ho can en te r the walled ga rden; and we are

wid to rerum w that state o f wond er, openness , and innocence wh ich we
had before the emergence o f sexua l ident ity at pubert y, or even before bi rth
itse lf. It is useful to reflecr on th e ways in wh ich many parent s project th is
im age of pa radisaica l inn ocence on rheir chil dren, ig no ring the chi ld's
complex ind iv id uality and mak ing him o r her the carrier of redempti ve
potentia l fnr the fam ily. Becaus e of t h is p rofound arche typal p ro jecrion , as
a co ll ect ive we find it extreme ly di fficult to accep t th e face that an indi -
v idua l child m ig ht feel and exp ress jealous y, malice , rage, or sp ite, or
mig ht even be capable of de lib erate crim inal act s. W e assu me that child ren
cannot lie, and when we di sco ver a child wh o beha ves like a malev o lent
adult we begin a hum for th e scapeg oat (usually eit he r a bad paren t o r a
bad g overnmen t w hich is not parenting society prope rly) rath er than suf-
fer our archetypal d ream s of red ernp t ic n to be taint ed by the harsh realit y
of Atth ur M ille r's The Cruciblt Ot W illia m Gold ing 's Lord of fht Flies, T he
m urder in 19 93 of 3- year-old Ja m es Boul ger by two ch ild ren aged 9 and
10 sh ocked the Br itish publ ic, no t only becau se of rh e savage cr uel ty of the
crim e , bur be cause cherished fantasies of childhood innocence had been
irre vocab ly da maged ,
For Neptune, the burden of sin -fi lled eart hly life m ay seem too heavy
to bea r, and renunciat ion is the key wh ich opens the door guarded by t he
angel wit h th e flam ing swo rd. Neptune's lo nging to ret urn to Parad ise is
inevitab ly coupl ed wi t h a profound sense of g u ilt. T his g ui lt is im bedded
in t he experience of the physical body irself-a rhem e wh ich is g lari ng ly
o bvio us in all the re lig io us lite rature abo ut Parad ise . It is no wonder that

20 , Apural)pl'c Spirillia/fly, p. 66.

 TH ( PUR ~ U I T O f TH ( M llll N NIUM - 51

whe n arch et ypal g uilr overwhel ms t he individual's sense of self-va lue,

reunion with the sou rce may ulti mately involve the voluntary (albeit
unconsciou s) destruction of the body- throug h illn ess, add ict ion , or even
death itsel f.

The Other Place

I f Parad ise is the rew ard of th e righteou s, then where do the u nri g h teous
go? N aturally, the string ent requ irements for reunion with the source will
exclude a good many mortals who cannot , or will not, pay the necessary
price-whethe r it is the med ieval Christian ethos of sexual purity, or the
G reek et hos of acceptance of the boundaries of one's fate, or the N orse
ethos of courage and stead fastness in b irde. The nature of the price ult i-
mately depends upon the nature of the O t her who m ust be wooed, and
imag es of the source port ray many faces in myth. But wherever there are
stories of Paradise, there are stories of irs oppos ite. Whether th is place of
suffering is m eant to desc ribe t he m isery of earthly life itsel f, or an ab od e
of ete rnal to rme nt after de ath, the myt holog y of hell is as ubiqu itous as
that of heaven , and as relevant {O Neptune. O ne inevi tably invokes the
other, and bo th are bound to the central axis of wo rth iness and unw orth i-
ness, good ness and badness, sanct ity and si n. Beside the G reek Elysian
Fields, for exam ple, lay the terrifying dark realm of Tan arus, whe re those
who sinned agains t the gods were sub jected {Q eternal torments. Th e
Norse Parad ise of Valhalla, wh ere hero es earne d the right to carouse with
the god s and had every sensuous desire satisfied , was balanced by
N iflhei m, the world o f the ord inary unworthy dead; and this was a place
of b it te r cold and unending night. Its citadel was H el, from when ce our
Eng lish word is derived , and it was presided over by a hideous female
monster of the same name. Ir is interesti ng to note in passing that , in
Elizabet ha n Eng lan d , th e word "hell" was a sla ng ex pression for the female
gen itals. If Parad ise is a ret u rn to the ete rnally lovin g mother of our pre-
birth fantasies, then Hell is the mot her who eternally den ies us, torments
us, arouses our infantile erotic feelin gs, and leaves us to the misery of ou r
unfu lfilled need s.
Myth ic imag es of Hell have a curious sameness, as do myth ic images
of Parad ise. If rhe "won d rous d eligh ts" of whi ch Lacranr ius wr it es are a
strange ly volu ptuou s reward for the unstained , the torme nts of the other
pla ce are equally volup tu ous. The lu rid icon og raphy of t he M iddle Ag es,
wh ich offers us a superfluity of high ly sensuous reminder s of the fruits of
corrupt ion, co nt inues to g reet us in modern horror film s such as Coppola's
mo st recent version of D racula. H ell , rhrou gh our the world's myth ology,
52 - THE AI TROl OGICM NEPTUN E AND TH E O UEI T f O R REDEMPT IO N

is full of po rtrayals of th e frus t rati ons and su fferin g s of th e bod y wh ich has
bee n aband oned to (he torrnen rs of its des ires. Un end ing thirst and
hunger, roasting, beating , p iercin g, tearing a nd freezing, hum ilia ti on and
sha me, lonel iness a nd un ending da rkn ess, be long to the H ell s of every cu l-
ture . If we consid er th ese ubiqu itous fo rm s of p hysical m isery as
metaphors. we can see im me di ate ly how we are un consciou sly describ ing
th e Hell of our inst in ctual need s if they are left unsa riared . Hell is th e la n-
g uage of th e dep rived infant . It is also rhe languag e of a th wart ed
N ep tu ne. W e hu nger for affect ion; we are thi rsty for love; we bu rn wit h
desire; we are pierced with anguish at separation; we are rom apa rt by con-
flicting long ing s; we freeze with lonel iness or rejection by th e beloved .
T he im ag es of H ell em body t he vocabu lary of every conce ivab le emotion-
al and physical de pnvar ion-c-no r on ly sexu al, b ut th ose mo re p rimary
req uirem ents for food , warmt h, safety, and belong ing . H ieron ym us
Bosch's b iza rre and deep ly en ig ma tic tr iptych, kn own as "T he Ga rde n of
Eart hly Deli ghts," d raws th e viewer fi rst int o an Eden -l ik e land scape
where th e first man and wom an walk hand in hand with God; then into a
delicio usly aba ndo ned world where all bod ily desires are sat isfied in one of
the most extraord inary portrayals of erot ic license in the history of pain t-
ing ; and finally into a da rk and te rrifying land scape , lit wirh lu rid fires,
where hu man forms t hrash and flail in t heir to rme nt at th e hand s of
dem ons. Bosch 's paint ing tell s us more about thi s visceral d im ension of
Hel! than five hun d red page s of Lacra ntius. Hell is th e pl ace where we
have been ab andon ed by a reject ing mot her-de ity, without resp ite and
without release. Parad ise is the place where we are at last un ited wit h her,
sinless and ete rna lly at peace, th e senses lull ed with satia tion , asleep in t he
arm s of th e beloved , comforted at the et ern al breast.
In G nosti c reaching , Hell is eart hly life its elf. T his is a more psy-
cholog ically sophist icat ed exp ression of Nept une's senti ments th an H ell
as an ot he rwo rld or und erw orld . I have met many indi vidu als, with
N eptu ne stro ng in the birt h chart , who have art iculated th e feeling th at
th ey "d id n"r wa nt to be he re in t he first place" because life hurts so much .
Both th e G nosti c and th e Ch ristia n H ell descri be the same expe rience of
the pai n of separatio n from the source. The diffe ren ce is that . in G nosti c
th oug ht, Hell only lasts for t he spa n of an incarnat ion; bur in Ch ristian
doctrine, it last s unt o eterni ty. G nost icism was a relig ious movement of
pre-Chrisrian o rig in, with root s in Greece and Persia, bu t ir g rew to
become bo th a competito r and a powerful influence on early Ch ristianity.
T he Gnostic wo rld -view in tu rn passed int o the religi ou s m ovements of
th e Mi dd le Ages throu gh suc h he reti cal sects as th e Ca rhars o r
Alb igensians. It is sti ll in fashio n am ong esot eric gro ups who awa it [ he
 T HE PURSUIT or T HE MlllE N " IUM - 53

m illenn ium as a t ime wh en the horror and co rruption of the modern

world will be transform ed into a new Golden Age of love and br ot her -
hood . He ll as incarn ar ion has always been parr of the inner life of
N ept un e.
Gn osti c myths recount the soul's o rigi n in the world o f light , its
trag ic fall and imprisonme nt as an alien on Earth , irs to rment in th e body,
and its deliverance and ultimate cecum [Q (he celest ial realm . Alth ough
there were many Gn osti c cults, the essential themes are the same . The
soul- the true inner self-is a splinter of a heavenly figure of light. In
Orphi c teaching th is figure is called D ionys us. Long , long ago he was con-
que red by the daimon ic powers of darkness, who tore him into shreds and
di vided up the pieces. These fragments of light were then used by the dai-
mons as rhe "glue" needed to create th e tempo ral world out of the chaos of
darkness; for the y were jealous of the kingd om of light , and wanted one of
their own which they could rule. If ever the imprisoned fragme nts of lighr
succeed in breaki ng free. then the tem poral world wi ll disi nteg rate and
ret urn to its primordia l state o f chaos. T herefo re the daimon s jealously
watch over rhe spar ks of lighr which they stole, and which are now
enclosed in human bei ngs . The da imon s e ndeavou r [ 0 st upefy and int oxi-
cate us, send ing us to sleep and making us forget our heavenl y hom e.
Som et imes th eir att empt succeed s; but som etimes a conscio usness o f heav-
enly orig ins remain s awake. Then [he individual knows that he or she is
impri soned in an alien world , and yearns for redemption . Th e supreme
deity, at so me point e ither in the past or the futu re, takes pity on the
imp riso ned sparks of light , and has sen t-c-o r wi ll send- his so n dow n ( 0
Earth to redee m them . And when th e redeeme r has com pleted his task ,
and all the sparks of light have made their hom eward ascent , the n the
world will come to an e nd and return to its orig inal chaos; and the dark-
ness w ill be left to itse lf. 21
W hat is it that tears ou r origi nal un iry to pie ces, if not the daim on -
ic powe r o f ou r desi res ? In th is strange cos mology we have a rem arkably
clear image of the "orig inal sin- which drove us out of Parad ise. But here
no hu man error is responsible for thi s sin, whi ch was comm itte d nor by
Adam and Eve, but by the daimons. It is as though ind ivid ual desire com-
prises an autonom ous, external dark force whi ch confli cts w ith the "true "
self, and works as an evil fog blinding us to our real nature and place of
origin . Th e stud ent o f esoteric doctrine will recognise imm edi ately the
dual istic and curiously passiv e sent im ents expressed in thi s worldv iew,
whi ch is as modern as it is ancient . Th e studen t o f politi cal philoso phy

21. Rudolph Buh m ann. P,.,,,,tlll'f Ch,.'II'antly (London: T hames Hudson. 1983 ).
54 - THE AS TROLO GICAl N EPT U Ni AND THE () UEST f OR RlD EMPT IO N

may also recogn ise these senr imen ts, exp ressed in oche r ter m s. Today's ren-
d ering of Gn ost ic rhough r m ay be fou nd in m any C h rist ian and q uas i-
Eastern my sti cal sect s. It m ay even be fount! am ong ast rolog e rs wh o
espouse th e view th at we m ust "tr anscend " the baser dim en sion s of t he
bi nh chan, or even th e enti re cha n itsel f, if we are to go hom e ag a in- as
thou g h eve ryt hi ng in th e chart except N eptune has been im posed up on u s
by daim onic pow ers .
Life is rhu s a H ell in wh ich we are u nwitti ng ly imprisoned , and th e
o rigi nal sp iri tual -m ate rnal home is ou r b irth rig ht. G nost ic m yt h p rov id es
us wit h p rofound ins ig ht inr o the su bje ct ive feel ings -alb e it ofte n un con-
sciou s--of th e individual stro ng ly influen ced by Neptune. The G nos ti c
hymn wh ich follo ws phrases t hese feeli ng s mos t exq u isitely:

Who flun g me into Ti bil {the eart hly world] ?

Int o li b il who flun g me?
\'Vha sealed up th e walls,
W ho hurled me into the stocks
Wh ich (h is worl d resem bles?
Who bound m e with t his chain,
So intolerab le to bear?
\Vh o arrayed m e in th is robe,
O f m any a vari ed hue a nd sh al"}(" ?

W ho has cast me into the abode of darkn ess?

W hy have ye snatched me away from m y home, and brough t me
into this prison ,
And incarcerated me in t his sti nking body ?
H ow far are the fronciers of thi s worl d of dar kness?
T he way we have to go is far and never-endi ng !22

After the D eluge

I f my t hs of Para d ise an d H ell are com m on to all cultures, so [00 are myths
of th e clea nsing of th e sins of m ank ind . Th e im ag e of the Flood, sen t by
the gods (0 pu rge Eart h of corru p u on , is as old as the im age of creatio n ou t
of water; it is one of th e m ost widely diffused narrat ives kno wn. Un like th e
indi vid ua l expia tion descr ib ed by medieval theolog ians , whi ch req u ires a

22 . Man dean tu n from rhe Ginza, M. Lidzbarski , rrans., qu ot ed in Rudolp h Buhmann,

Primitn r Ch"iJllantty , p. 164.
 T H E PU RSU IT O F TH E \lI ll EI\.r'\. IU\1 - 5'5

conscious an of ato neme nt. t he Flood is a k ind of in d iscr im inat e g lobal

pu nish me n t, inaug urated by th e god s ra the r th an by the gu ilt y consc ie nce
of one suffering pe rson , and th erefore, in ma ny respect s, more at t racti ve.
After all . one d oes not have to do anyt hi ng excep t wait for it . Alt houg h
t here is archaeologi cal ev idence of major eart hq uakes, volcan ic ex plosions ,
and tid al waves in t he Med iterranean reg ion in th e second mi lle nni um
B.C. E.,21 my t hs of th e Flood app ear in cou ntr ies where it is not possib le for
such natural catast rop hes to occur .14 T hese sto ries are inva riab ly linked
with d ivi ne ang er at hum an transg ression . T he t hem e of a ter rible pu n·
ish rnent which will one day be inflicted on corrupt humanity is st ill wit h
us, somet imes po rtrayed in rel ig ious ima ges of Apocalypse and som eti mes
po rt rayed in the k ind of archety pal anxi et y we exp ress when we ta lk abo u t
the im mi nent d estruct ion of t he p lane t th rough a nuclear holocaust or a
renegade comet coll id ing with Earth. It would seem that th is is th e chief
t heme of Flood my t ho logy : God, or [he god s, or t he g reat oceanic mother,
m igh t init iall y appear to to lerate the sin of d isobed ience; bur event uall y
repr isal will come, and the terror of d estruction and the b liss of reun ion
are fused in t he si ng le image of th e Flood .
Th e Biblical st ory of t he Flood is based on th e Bab ylon ian , wh ich in
t u rn is derived from th e Su me rian . The first accou n t of it in a European
langu age was writte n in G reek by Berossus, a Bab ylon ian ast rologe r and
p riest of Ma rduk . Berossus set u p a school of ast rolog y on t he G reek island
of Cos, and was cred ited wit h teachi ng th e a rt to th e H ell enist ic worl d . In
a round 275 B.C.E . he also wrote a his to ry of his cou ntr y. ti tled Babyloniaia,
beg inning wit h t he m yth of creation and des crib ing t he tale of the f lood .
For a long time Berossus' tale was t he onl y one known in t he West. In t he
last cent u ry much olde r eviden ce has been un cove red . T here are t hree
Assyr ian versions of th e Flood story. The first was fou nd in th e excavation s
of N ineveh, and d ates from t he seve nt h centu ry B.L E. lr forme d parr of th e
Babylonian Epic of G ilgamtJh . tr anscr ibed . lik e [he Enuma Elisb, by t hat
intrep id reco rder of ancie nt my t h, K ing Ash urban ipa l. Th e second
Assyrian version was di scover ed in th e excavat ions at Kuyu n jik, and is very

2 3. Th ere I S some: d rspur e over th e: da ri ng of (he: eviden ce. Th e: volc an ic er up nons wh ich
shea red off it h uge pi ece of t he: island of Sanr onm <Thera), appu r ( 0 have occu rred 10 arou nd
1 ~ O () B.C.E_. fift)· years before th e dest rc cncn of M inoa n C rete . Wh eth er a sing le: volc an ic
erup tIon created a h ug e t id al wave which com crdcd with th e: eart hquake whi ch top pl ed t he
C retan p alace at K nossos, or whethe r a series of erupti ons occu rred In (h e reg IOn , is not yet
determ ined ( Dr, Nanno Mari naros, /\ ,.1 and Rr/' Xllln In Tbrra, At hens. 1984 ).
24 For a co mp rehensive su rvey of Flood m yt hs from arou nd (h e: world , Sl': e TIN FIII" d M ) th,
Alan Du ndes. ed. Berk eley: Unive rsny of California Pr ess. 19 88
56 ~ IH £ ASTRO LOG ICAL NI P I UN £ AND THE QU i ST f OR RED( MPTlO:"oJ

sim ilar to the first. It, roo , was parr of Kin g Ashurbanipal's library. The
third Assyrian version, also from the royal library, offers an inte resti ng
var iarion: Before rh e god s d evi sed the fin al solut ion of the Flood , th ey
punished hum anity with famine, pest ilence , and st erility of the field s, peo-
ple , an d flocks .
Older, Babylon ian versi on s of the tale were fou nd subsequent to th e
Assyrian tablets, The first of the se was di scovered at Nippur, and dates
from th e first Babylon ian dy nasty, c. 184 4 .1 50 5 B.C. E. Very little remain s
of it, b ut ir is old enoug h to te ll us t ha t t he Flood myth pred at es the erup-
tions of Sanrorin i and Crete. Th e seco nd Babylon ian version was d iscov-
e red at Sippar, and is d at ed in t he reig n of K ing Am mi-saduqa of Babylnn,
e. 1702- 1682 B.C.E. The old est versi on of all is Sum er ian, found at Nippur.
This vers ion is echoed by th e Su m eria n King List, c. 21 20· 2065 B.C.E . ,
which d ivides Sumerian history into "before the Flood " and "after the
Flood " periods . All t hese ta les ate id em ical in th eir essenti als. The st ory of
the Flood comes from our earlies t root s, and is as ancient a parr of ou r
mythic heritage as the creatio n of life OUt of water.
Littl e is left of the Sume rian version of the myth , of whi ch only the
lower t h ird of a tab let was fou nd . Bur t h is vest ige tells us th at the gods
decided to bring des rrucrio n upon humani ty because of their clamou r and
disord er. N otwithstanding th e go ds' de cision, En ki the water god, wh o
had created the first hum ans him sel f, ele cted to save them in the person of
one Ziusud ra, a wi se and pious king, who was instructed to bu ild a huge
boat. Th e various Assyru-Babylon ian version s g ive us a fulle r sto ry.
Zi usudra is now called X iusrhrus, Auahasis ("exceed ing ly wise"), or
Ur nap ish rirn ("lo ng of life").21 Ea (t he Babylon ian nam e for En k i) wh is-
pered to U rnap isht im th rough the wall of his reed-h ut that the imm ortals,
provo ked by the god dess Ishtar- whom we have already met under other
names-had de cid ed to d estroy the Eart h by a flood . Urnap ishrim was told
ro build a sh ip in to whi ch he must bring "t he seed of all living th ing s."
Th e d imensions and shape of it were gi ven, accord ing to whi ch it was to
be a perfect cube; and de tailed instructions were offered as to what should
be loaded on boa rd .

Wh atever I had I laded upon her [the ship] ;

Wh atever I had of silver I laded upon her;
Wha tever I had of gold I laded upon her ;

25. D aniel H arnmerl y-Depuy, in Tbe FlooJ ~1 Ylh (p . 59 ), sugge sts [hat [he di fferences in
names among st these versions refer to citi es or epi rher s ado pted by diffe renr regions; bur
rhe Flood hero IS (he same.
 T HE PU Rl U IT O f TH E MILlE N N IUM - 57

Wh atev", I had of all the living beings I laded upon her.

All my family and kin I made go aboard the ship .
Th e beasts of the field. the wild creatures of the field.
All the craftsmen I made go aboard.26

T hen came th e storm . Adad thundered ; N ergal tote do wn th e door post s

of th e gates that held back the waters of the upper ocean; the Anunnaki
lifted up their torches, "sett ing th e land ablaze with th ei r g lare." The
gods succeed ed in terrifying even themselves, and cowe red lik e dogs
again st th e wall of heaven . But th en Isht ar relent ed . and lifted up her
voice and bewa iled her act ion. wh ile th e rest of the god s wept with her.
Th e storm raged for six days and nights; on the seventh day it subsided ;
and Urnapishti m looked Out and saw th at all human life had returned to
clay. Th e Flood m yth of Genesis di ffers from th is ta le only in m inor
de rails-for examp le, the sto rm lasts for forcy days, rather than seve n, and
U tnapishrim is now called Noah . Th ere is one ocher difference worth nor -
ing . T he Babyloni an dei ty who inau gurate s the delu ge is female . whil e
th e th e G od of G enesis is male . Although Ishrar in th e Babylon ian stor y.
and Yahveh in the H ebrew, promise fait hfully never to infli ct such a
doom up on mank ind again . rh is promise is understandably viewed with
some susp icion. From a psychol ogical perspective , the terror of the Flood
still lives in the hearts of th ose who are Neptune-bound ; and in the
dreams of Apocalypse . Mill ennium and Judgement Day. ir may even be a
hoped- for event .
TIl(: Egy p tians, {QO , had the ir myth of th e re tributive d est ru cti on of
humanit y. The sun god Ra sent his emi ssary, the cow go ddess Harhoc, to
slaug hter all living be ings . Here, as in Babylon , the actu al destroyer is the
primal fem ale creacrix. BU[ Ra relented , and devised a plan for the mak ing
of seven thou sand jars of barley beer, dyed w ith red oc hre to resembl e
blood . Th is was poured our on the field s to a depth of nine inches (22 em ).
W hen Harhor saw rhis bloody flood shin ing in th e dawn. reflecring her
ow n face in its beauty, she was e nchanted and began to drink; and even ru-
ally she became d ru nk. and forgot her rage against humanity." The G reeks
inevirably had their Flood as well. sent by an ang ry Zeu s to annih ilate the
human race. In one ve rsion of this myt h, Ze us' fury arose at the impi ous
deed s of the sons of Lykaon, who murd ered th eir brot her Ny kt imus and
cooked hi m in a sou p.28 Bur the best -known version of the Greek Flood is

26. Hooke, MidJ/t fAll" " My,hu/ugy. p 48 .

27. MIIJdIt £:zl',.,." My,huJug). p . 74.
28 Robert G raves. Tht G,.ttlt Myths (London: Penguin , 19 5 5), p xx.
58 ,.. THI AH RO IOG ICA L N I PTUN I AND THI Q UIl T f OR RID IMPTI O N

linked co t he sin of Prometheus, as a result of whi ch Ze us ' d estruction was

unleashed 10 pun ish th e thefl of sacred fire. Apparently Pandora's box was
insufficien t. The Greek Flood hero was called Deukal ion . H e was t he son
of Prom et heus, and was warn ed by his father , as Ea warned U t napis h t im,
10 b ui ld an ark. Deukal ion filled it with victuals and cli m bed aboa rd w ith
his wife Pyrrha. Then th e Sou t h Wind blew; the rain fell ; and the rivers,
rising wi th asto n ishi ng spe ed . roared down to the sea and washed away
every city of t he coast and plain . The ent ire world was submerg ed , and all
m orta l creat u res save Deucalion and Pyrrh a were lost. 29
Perh aps the st rangest my t h of th e Flood comes from th e Indi an
Mahabharata. Th is is the st ory of Manu , a kind of H indu N oah . One day
while M anu sat in th e forest. a fish rose (rom a str ea m and asked for hi s
protect ion aga inst a bigge r fish wh ich desi red [Q swa llo w it. Manu dul y
p laced t he fish in an eart hen ja r a nd tended it carefu lly unti l it became very
larg e. T he /is h plead ed 10 be tran sferr ed 10 th e Ganges; bur when th ey
reached the river, t he fish th e n d eclared that it was coo bi g eve n for t he
H oly Ri ver, and begged 10 be taken 10 th e ocean. Manu oheyed an d
released it inca th e sea, whereupon th e fish to ld h im th at t he d issolu t ion
of th e univers e was a t hand . accord ing (0 th e (urn of t he g reat cos mi c cycle.
Manu was ins t ru cted [Q bu ild a m assive ark, and [Q take w it h hi m all th e
differen t seeds enu m erated hy Brahm an s in days o( yore ; and the fish
p romi sed [Q ap pea r out of th e wate rs as a ho rn ed sea-beas t to a id him du r-
ing the terrible d eluge wh ich woul d foll ow. Manu di d as he was to ld , and
set h is ark 0 0 t he sea . Then t he fish rose up, and Manu t ied a rope to its
horn s. T he sea flood ed th e land . a nd t he re was water eve rywhe re; even t he
heaven an d th e firmam ent dissol ved . Ma nu floated on th e water s for many
lon g yea rs; and when a new u n ive rse was created , t he fish (Owed him (0 the
high est pea k of th e H im avat. Then th e fish revealed itself as Brahma, and
blessed Manu by g iving him th e gift of creati ng a new mank ind .J''
There are ot her Flood my th s, just as th ere are o t her myt hs of cre -
at ion. T hese few g ive us a clea r po rtrayal of th e (ate whi ch awa it s corr upt
humani t y if t he gods becom e angry en oug h. Whal the n are we co n-
frnm ing, in th ese fearful images of heavenl y pun ish men t ? Im plicit in th e
mythology of th e Flood is a n inherent Sense of sin , an d the te rror of ann i-
h ilati on by an e nraged parenr-deiry. T he word "sin " com es from the Lat in
sons, whi ch m ean s "guilty." T he word "g u ilt " in turn comes from th e
An g lo-Saxon gielda n. wh ich m ean s " to req u it e" or " (0 pay a d ebt : ' Sin a nd
gui lt are co ncerned with a debt owed (0 the creato r, the d eb t of life it self,

29. Th, Flood M) /h, p 127.

30 . Donald A. Mackenai e. India n Myth a nd LIKtnJ (Lo ndon : T he G resham Pubh shmg Co..
n.d .I, p . 140, and T hr FloodI\ty th , p. 128 .
 T H E PUR SUIT or THE \\lLL ENNIUM - ~9

which req uires obedi ence and sacrifice to pay off tha t deb t. I do nor need
[0 elabo rate here on th e psycholo gical imp licatio ns of th is debt when th e

archety pal image of th e divine creator is confused with th e personal expe-

rience of the mother who bears us. Any evidence of an independent indi-
vidualit y might invoke a terrible punishment . I have met th is deep but
inexplicable fear in many people in whom Neptune is strong-the fear
that, if one dares to be happy and fulfilled through an "illicit " or "di sobe-
diem " path in life, somehow everythi ng will go horribly wrong , th e Flood
will come, and one will be destroyed . Sinful creatures rhar we are, guilty
of a primal and unforgivable reneging of our debt of life, driven out of our
original paradisaical home, we are perpetually in danger of sinking even
more deeply into corruptio n- at wh ich point a final vengeance will be
inflicted whi ch wipe s out the offend ing life-form urcerly, and paves th e
way for a new cosmos, a new Eden , and a new h um anity.
There is always a survivor, freer of sin th an most, and ther e is always
a fat her-god who warn s [he chosen one ro build a ship . Whet her we inter-
pret th is life-savi ng intervent ion on th e parr of a male de ity as an image of
the protective role of th e father in infancy, or as an image of some prot ec-
tive spirit with in oneself, it is an integ ral part of the Flood myth )1 It is
also an integ ral parr of Neptune, and reflects th e redeemer- role of the lit -
tle male fish: that whi ch stan ds apart from our identificat ion with th e
oceanic source, and whi ch can save us from exti nction in our own prima l
em otional flood. We can beg in to get a sense of how to app roach Neptu ne
when we cont emplate thi s mysterious inn er spiritual protector -who is
him self, like Enki or Ea, [he progeny of th e o rigi nal sea. For [he ark is a
kind of ego-container, a sealed vessel made of wood and pit ch. It is, in
effect , the alembic of [he body-ego , painstakingl y crafted th roug h ordinary
human effort , humble and earthy, but roug h enough to withstand th e fury
of the primal waters . And as all of Nep tune is withi n us-p rimal source,
protective father-god , elected surv ivor and the gr eat emotional inundati on
of the Flood-50, too, is th e ark, which port rays ou r capacity co float on
th e wat ers yet remain dry, separate, and conta ined unti l the de lug e
inevitably abates and leaves us alone in a cleansed world . The ark is an
image neither of repression (for it ride s th e waves, rathe r than atte mp t ing
to dam th em ) nor of d rowning (for it remains safely above [he waters) . It
is a paradox, and we will see mu ch more of ir later.
It is not surprising that, although th ere is g reat terr or implic it in th e
mythic threat of the Flood , there is also gr eat longing . Perhaps it mi gh t
be better after all ; perh aps we deserve it. At least th e guilt, th e suffering ,

3 1. In (11(' Sum erian, Babyloni an. and Assynan vernons of the sto ry (he saviou r-dei ty is
Enki or Ea. (he god of water. In Berossus' version . th e savrour IS th e god Kren os ( Sat u rn) .
60 - T HE A STRO LO GI CA l N EPT U N [ AN D TI l E Q U EST f OR RED[ M P1 10 N

t he lonel iness, and th e sepa ratio n fro m t he sou rce will cease. Th is is a fea r
of deat h and a death -wish at th e same time; and thi s specia l N ep t unian
ki nd of am bivalence toward death is d irectly linked with the sen se of sin
and fleshly corr up tio n wh ich sep arati on breed s. Ad am and Eve hav ing
sin ned once, all humanit y is infected wi th t hei r sra in; and a d own h ill spi-
tal foll ows whi ch can onl y be circumvented by strenuo us individual sacri -
fice and expiati on, or by th e advent of a rede emer, or by a g rand collect ive
p u rg ing which g ets tid of everybody once and for all. We will de al with
t he t hem e of t he redeem er in th e next chapter, and with t he th eme of ind i-
vid ual exp iatio n later on ; but it is now appropr iate to exp lore th e manner
in whi ch th e fear of th e Flood becomes th e hope of th e Apocal ypse, wel-
comed because, despi te the violence of irs imagery. it pro mi ses- for th e
fait hful a t least- a ret u rn to t hat walled garden of del ig h t whe rein flow
t he wat ers of ete rnal life.

A pocalypse N ow
C hrisrian iry has always had a d octrin e conce rn ing t he "last times" o r "end
of day s." C h ristian mi llenna rianism refers co th e belief that afte r h is
Second Com ing , Ch rist wi ll esta bl ish a messian ic kingd om on Earth, a sec-
o nd Ede n , an d will re ig n o ve r it for a t h ousa nd yea rs before (he Last
J ud gem en t. The cit izens of th e messiani c k in gdo m will be th e suffering
faithful ; and th e Second Co m ing wi ll be an Apocalypse. Th is wid esp read
bel ief in an im minen t de srrucr ion and transformat ion of t he worl d , wh ich
is p resently be comi ng as popula r as it was in t he first cen t ury H.C-E ., has
its root s in t he ancient Proph eti cal Books of t he J ews (j esus was J ew ish ,
afrer all). In th ese books, as we have seen, we find t he im age of a new
Palest ine wh ich will be not h ing less t han a new Ed en, Parad ise rega ined
on Earth . But before thi s N ew J erusalem is resto red to th e fait hful, ther e
m ust be a Dar of \'X'rath , when th e su n and moon and scars art' darke ned
and t he heaven s are rolled tog et he r and th e ea rt h is sha ken and t he wat er s
u n leashed . The Flood , desp ite Yahv eh 's prom ise, w ill come agai n. And in
th e m idst of t h is cat aclysm , t he un believers wi ll be judg ed and cast down .
The cen t ral imag e of apocalyptic th ink ing is rhar t he worl d is do m -
inated by an evi l, tyr ann ous power of boun d less destrucriveness, d aimon ic
rathe r than h uman, although hu man beings are it s age nts. T h is ech oes
som e of th e t hemes of G nosticism wh ich we have tou ched up on earlier, for
apocalyp t ic t h inki ng has a strong ly G nostic flavour . The tyran ny of th e
evil powe r will become m ore an d more out rageo us , the suffering s of its
vict ims mo re and more int olerable , unt il sud de nly t he hou r will stri ke
 T H E r U R ~ U IT O f TH E M l ll£ N :".IUM - 61

when th e sufferi ng bel ieve rs a re ab le to rise up and overth row t heir op p res-
sors. T hen th e chose n will in t heir turn inherit dominion over th e whole
earth; and th is will be the cu lm inat ion of all history. T his may at first seem
a far cry from the Flood . But the ancient hero of the Flood , whethe r he is
called Z iusudra, U tn ap ishr im , Noah , Deukalion , or Ma nu , is in effect
noth ing more nor less t han God's chosen. H e is t he sin less one , obed ien t
to the will of God and th erefore conscienti ously payi ng his deb e; and he is
rescued from t he cataclys m of the wate rs wh en th e others are lose. The
Flood to come is simply a repeat performa nce of the Flood tha t on ce was ,
except that the re will be more chose n people on t he ark . In cert ain
Christian funda mentalis t circles th ese are nu mbe red at p recisely 144 ,000 .
T hose who unconsciously ident ify with [he myt hic Flood hero in toO lit -
eral a fash ion are liable to believe t hat they are blameless; it is every body
else who is corrupt and merits pun ishment. H ere we can begi n to see the
ou tli nes of th e ambiguous psycholog y of mart yrdom , wh ich seek s as its
ult imate go al d om in ion over t he who le earth ; wh ich has such st range and
tangl ed roo ts, and is so di fficul t to relinqu ish becaus e of t he absolute
power it promises (and someti mes confers); and which is so fundam ental
to t he inner world of Neptu ne.
Norman Coh n, in his book T he PurJUII 0/ the Mtllennium ,!2 outli nes
wi th g reat cla rity t he com mo n featu res of mi llenaria n sects. First, t hey are
collective: Salvat ion is something to be enjoyed by [he faithfu l as a group .
Second, th ey envision salvation as a conc rete eve nt in thi s life: It is to be
realised on Earth an d not in H eaven ; t he thirst fo r Ede n----or, if one w ish -
es to be unse nr imenrally psycholog ical, the thi rst for that lost fus ion wi th
t he om n ipo tent mother which Freud called p rima ry narcissism- m ust be
satisfied while th e bod y can sti ll enj oy it. Thi rd , millena rian seers be lieve
salvat ion to be imminent . Fourt h, salvation must be total : It will tran s-
form life on Eart h in to a sta te of pe rfect ion, a rest ored Parad ise, And fifth,
salvation m ust be m iracul ous : It will be accomplish ed by men and women ,
bur only through the help , intention , and tim ing of God .
For chose who are ide nti fied wit h the millena rian vision, such bel iefs
are vivid, real . and inarguable. For th ose who are not, t hese images seem
at best harml ess and Strange , and at worst patholog ical and d est ru ct ive. I
am not concerned here wit h t he ulr irnare t ruth o r falsehood of m illen ar ia n
doctri ne, for thi s belo ngs in [he domain of rheolog y, not psychology. N or
does it belo ng in th e domain of astrology, althoug h astro logy has been used
for many cent uries to suPPOrt the m illena rian th ink er 's case for an im mi -

32. Nor man Cohn ,Tht P,mMit uj thi MilltnnJu ", <l ondon: G ranada Pu blishin!i, 1970)
62 ~ T HE ASTROl O GlC.o\ l NEPTU NE AND TH( Q U( ST FO R R( O L" ' PT IO ;,\:

nenr Day of judgem enr. J! But th e apoc alyp ti c vision can also be a highl y
person al fan tasy, albe it u ncon sciou s, whic h lies deep w it hi n t he heart of
the Ne pt une-do m in at ed ind ividua l. M illena rian ism mi ght be un de rstood
in t his cont ext as t he exp ressio n of a profound inne r sense of impotence and
helpl essness in th e face of t yrann ical po wers "ou tside," wit h t he ca m pe n·
sato ry fant asies of div ine vengea nCl' that in evitab ly accompany such pas-
sivit y. T his, as Melan ie K lein obse rved so acute ly, is t he "paranoid -
schizoid " worl d of [he very youn g infant. And alrhough [he suffer ing fait h-
ful who are w ithout si n, t he d aimo nic evil wh ich inflicts terr ib le torment,
and the inte rveni ng pa rent -g od wh o b ring s salvation are in faet wi thin t he
ind ividual hi m self o r herself, Nept u ne is not kn own for irs capacity to
reflect clearly on suc h com p lex int ernal issues. More often rhe dynami c is
acted ou t in ord in ary life. for mart yrs have a way of invok ing con sid erable
crue lty in ot hers . Perhaps one of th e reason s is that those wh o are cast in
t he role of th e tyrann ou s powers understandabl y react ang rily (0 th e
un con sciou s agg ressio n t hey sense wit h in t he perpe tua l victim . Yet th e
expe rience of im pot en ce in life, and im p riso nme n t with in th e body and
th e mund ane worl d, are very real sou rces of suffering for th ose who, lik e
th e Gnos tics, rem ember rheir divi ne home. In t hese mu rky wat er s we
obtain anoth er gl im pse of t he many-head ed N ep tu n ian claimo n, wh ose
racrics may somet imes be mu ch di rti er th an [hey seem , yet whose vision
may contai n t he percep tion of a rea li ty beyon d [he bou nda ries of Ti bi l.
O u r g reatest \X1est ern mill enar ian vision is [h at of R evela tion.

. . . And I stood upon t he sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up
our of the S t"3, having .. . te n horns. . . . And it was gi ven to him
to make war with the saints , and to overcome th em : and power
was give n to him ove-r all kind reds. and tong ues, and nations. ...
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a whi te horse; and he that
sat upon him was called Faithfu l and True, and in right eousness
he dot h judge and make war.. , , And t he armies whi ch were in
heaven followed h im upo n whi te horses, clot hed in fine line n,
white and clean . . .. And the beast was taken, and with him t he
false prophet that wroug ht miracles before him , wit h which he
deceived them th at had received [h e mark of the beast , and them
that worshipped his image. Th ese both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burni ng with brim ston e.... And I saw t he sou ls of them
rhar were beheaded for the wit ness of J esus and for the word of

3 3 See Campion , Tbe G reat Yta d l o ndon : Arkana, 19 94 ), for a comp rehens ive explo rat ion
of millenarian rhinki ng an d its Jinks wit h astro log y th roug h ou t his to ry.
 TH E rUR SUl T O f T H £ Ml lL EN NIU",1 - 63

God , and who had not worshipped the beast. . . and t hey lived and
reigned with Chr ist a thousand years.

Ce rt ain featu res of th is text will be fam iliar-for exam ple, th e beast wh ich
rises up our of th e sea and personifies th e ty ranno us evil powe r th at to r-
ments t he faithful. By now we should recog n ise her. Although th e inne r
issues reflect ed by th is vision wi ll be dea lt wi t h in g reate r dep th in t he
conte xt of ind iv idua l psycholog y in Chapte r 5, it is relevant to reiterate
here tha t th e apocalypt ic st rugg le is ult im at ely a battle aga inst rhe su ffer-
ing of earthly life. Dr iven our of the o rig inal bl issful home by t he fate of
bi rth , flu ng into th e p rison of the flesh , to rt u red by the pain of separat ion
and t he com p ulsive hun ge rs of th e inst incts, the ind ivid ual seek s salvati on
through d issoluti on or t he dest ru cti on of t hat whi ch inflicts such te rr ib le
to rment : the body itself, th e "beast from the sea." The mother-mon ster
Ti'arnar is not only an image of ou r sou rce; she is also an im age of ou r own
inst inct ual nature. T he devou ring mother of infant ile and archetypal fan -
tasy is alive and well in ou r own dem anding flesh and our own hung ry
hearts . T he second Ed en wh ich will man ifest on Ea rt h after t he apocal ypse
is a restora tion of th e o rig inal unity, Yet t he pro fou nd paradox im plicit in
th is v ision is th at t he cht ho nic sea-beast wh ich m ust be dest royed, a nd t he
waters of Parad ise which are th e reward of t he fait hful, are t he same, Both
a re d ivine, and bot h are mother. H ere is an inne r sp lit where g ood and evil,
sin and redempt ion, are ide nti cal wi th each ot he r, wh ile th e indi vid ual
flails in confusion try in g to separate wh at has always been a unity-the
big and li rtl e fishes, creato r and creat ed . go d and mort al, sp irit and bod y.
Th e apocalyp ric end of bodi ly to rment fo r N eptu ne may not be physical
deat h; it may be ill ness, add iction o r madness, excellent sub sti tu tes wh ich
accom pl ish the sam e end . From th is sea of confusion sounds th e eternal cry
for a saviou r who can mak e [he pa in and lonel iness go away. An d so
Nept un e's ultim at e quest ion at last form u lares itself: W hen will m y
redeeme r come ?
 Chapler j

THE ADVENT OF THE REDE EM ER

For tbe tradition which I hat'< rmiv,d of tht Lord and

handeddown to you is tbat the Lordj u u,. on tbe night h, WaJ
betrayed, took bread, gav, thank., brok, it, and said: This 1J my
body foryou; do ibis in remembrance of me. And aft" he had
,upp,d, be took tbe chalice also, and said: Tbis chalice 1J tbe new
testament In my blood. As often as you drink, do fbi! in remem-
brance of me. For as oftm as you eat this breadand drink the
chalice, you Jet/are the death of the Lord, unti l he comes.
-I C ORINTHIANS 11:2 3

edemprion requ ires the ser-

v ices of a redeemer. By it s
very nature, the long ing for
redemption im plies a sense
of something with in from
which one m use be saved-
some sin o r flaw whi ch m ust be exp iated , cleansed , or transmuted . Eve n
wh en th e s in is project ed outwa rd and appears as an evi l o r ty ranny at work
in the worl d , ul timatel y it bel on g s [0 o neself, ackno wledged o r not.
Because thi s sin is felt to be part of the huma n be ing, whether expe rienced
throug h the bod y's appetites, g reedy o r destructi ve feeli ngs, d isobed ience
to the command ments of God or parent, or someth ing as g lobal as [he Fall ,
inte rcession and forgi veness seem (Q provide the only hope of salvatio n.
This must be offered by a figure who embodies a hig her level of puriry,
holiness, or wisdom than one possesses oneself. Redempt ion can, after all,
only come from the emissary of that deity whom one has offended. This is
the natural, inevitable. and archet ypal co nsequence of the sense of sin, even
if it is unconscious. In Neptune's world , sin is bound up with the crime of
separateness, wh ich results in the loss of Eden . It is usually the inst inctu-
al nature. and the mundane world that the body inhabits, which ate held
responsible for this evil. Like rhe Gnostic cults. the Neptunian individual
experiences matt er as the do main of the daimons of darkness. T hus the
redeemer is g enerally envi saged as a figure who , as we might say psycho-
66 - I HE AS 1RO l O GICAI NEPTUNI AND T H E O U EI l l O R REDf M PTIO N

log ically, is not driven by affects . I Ie or she is someone purer, kinder and
more forgiving, asexual or at least not dominated by sexual needs, devoid
of a nger and agg ression, un condi tiona lly lov ing, and perfectl y will in g to
make any sacri fice on beha lf of the lost souls in his or her care. These are
t he at t ributes of the idealised good moth er, seen through the eyes of the
infant , alt ho ug h the redeem er in myth is usua lly, alt houg h no t who le-
hea rredl y, ma le.
Once again ety mology is int eresti ng . The wo rd " redee me r" com es
from th e Lat in redemptio, whi ch is also th e root for the word "ransom ." If
means, lit erally , " to bu y back. " OUf sin constitutes an unpaid debt,
becaus e t he a priori ob ligat ion to ou r creato r has bee n ig no red or violated ;
and our p u n ish me nt is ou r inca rceratio n in th e p riso n of mareri al Iife. The
red eem er will bu y us bac k from our hell of isolat ion, and pay ou r rans om
for us. At th e hea rt of t his quest for red emp tion lies the hope that some
Other will pro vide the ene rgy, subs ta nce, an d suffer ing that will mak e us
feel clean and loved ag ain . T he possibil ity appears to continually elude us
t hat hu man bei ngs , th rust ou t of Parad ise and struggli ng beneath th e bur-
d en of some ob scure fall from grace, a re capab le of findi ng wit hi n th em -
se lves a suffi cient capacity for self-forgiveness and self-love (Q accomp lish
t he act of red em p tion . T h roug hout th e long and turbulent hi srory of reli-
gio n as well as in social, po litical. emo riona l, and sexua l sp he- res of life, W e
have, stubbornly and co ou r great cost, soug ht our salvat ion in someone o r
some rhin g ot he r tha n ourselves.
Even if we believe we have found a redeemer, we are sti ll in t rou ble.
As long as we mu st find someo ne ou tside wh o is wort hier tha n us, we wi ll
soo ner or lat er grow to hate t he one whom we idealise, simply beca use he
or she makes us feel so un wo rt hy. T he only othe r oprio n is co grow (0 hate
ou rselves. T he logi c of idea lisation is inescapable, for it always b ri ngs
un consciou s rage in (O w behind it . So we dism embe r, c ruc ify, vili fy and
cruelly hu milia te ou r redeem ers, because o ur fantasy of th eir perfect good-
ness makes us feel so wret ch edl y bad; or we do th e same to ourselves , offer-
ing ou r t h roats to the sacr ificial knife wiel ded by a red eemer who has
become a tyrant . An d whar of t hose mortals who , rather rhan seek ing a
redeemer out sid e. inst ead t hemselves ide nrify wir h th e archetype, and
mu st find a sinner to save ' It is, in the end , all done wit h m irrors. Those
st renuously saint ly sou ls who o ffer t hemselves up to joyful cr ucifixion in
th e name of savi ng th e un repentant rend (0 make everybody feel horrib ly
ang ry. They are no less den izens of Neptunian Wa te rs, and no less filled
wi rh a secret sens e of sin ; and th eir p uni shme nt is th eir ow n suffe ring at
rhe hand s of th eir flock . N eptune's d rama is alway s an enactmen t between
t he big fish a nd th e Iitrle fish. Sw im m ing b li nd in th ese wat ers, we re nd
 TH E ADVE N T O F THE REOIIM [ R - 67

co select one role for ourselves, and find so meo ne e lse [Q play the other. But
the parts are interchang eabl e.
The search for the redee me r is a fam iliar o ne in the personal hi sto ry
of each ind ividual- particularly rhe individ ual whose bi rth chan is dom-
inated by Nep tune . That there are obliga tions we m ight owe ( 0 some thing
greater than the ego [ do not doubt ; nor do [ question the necessity, at crit -
ical times in life, of relinquishing or sacrificing something in order to
rem em ber and renew the bon d . Th is is the deeper me ani ng of Ne ptune 's
transits and prog ressions in the horoscope. Bur we m istake the outer object
for the inner reality, and not o nly make o ur redeem ers litera l, bu t our sac-
rifices as well. Th at the holy saviour is so often myth ically associated with
the fish. and w ith the wate rs. and w ith Neptu nian o r Piscean qua li ties .
should not be surp rising w hen we reflect on the ancient and uni versal
images of the preceding chapters . Th e di mly remem bered bliss of our
watery sou rce-whether we choose co call it God , mot her, o r the collect ive
uncons cio us -is so ancient and inherent that ine vi tably the redeem er
whom we seek com es am of the water s like o urselves . He or she is human
like us and therefo re subject [Q the suffering o f incarnatio n. Yet somehow
thi s mag ical figure is also mo re than human , lacki ng the com pulsive
insrincruali ry of all pu re ly mortal thi ngs- and therefo re he o r she is cl os-
er to , sent by, or eve n the child of, that parent-dei ty toward whom we
strive . T his redee me r, w heth er a god- man wh o offe rs his flesh to save
huma ni ty like Jesus or O rpheus, or a lo ver who g ives her life to free the
damned soul of her beloved like Senta in Orrf/ttgende Hollander, can only
perfo rm the task through an ac t of lovi ng self-imm olatio n. T he savio ur
must be a vic t im in order to salvag e lost souls.

The Pre-Christian Sons 0/ G od

W hat doe s th is d iv ine em issary look like in myth , and what qual it ies
does he or she embody ' ln Western cultu re, the figu re of J esus is the obvi-
ous place to begin; but we need to look furthe r afield than this, because
the redeemer as the incarnate progeny of dei ty is far older than the
Christian message might suggest. O ne o f th e earliest figures of the suffe r-
ing redeem er can be found , as we have seen already, in Egyptian myth : the
god Osi ris, who is dismembered by his broth er (or mother), and who pre-
sides, sti ll missing his phallus, as ruler of the unde rworld and g uide of the
souls o f the dead . Th e image of the castrated o r ce libate redeemer is o ne
wh ich we wi ll meet in vario us g ui ses in (he figures we are abou t to explore .
Here in symbolic form is the freedom from bod ily tai nt which, for
68 - T H E A STROL O GICAL N EPTUNE AND r ut O U ES T FOR REDEMPTI O "

Neptune. can alone reopen th e locked gates [0 Parad ise. The Catholic
Church is liberal enough to look upon t he story of Osi ris, who is so much
older th an J esus, as a prefig uri ng of irs own doc trine-whic h , although
arroganr, is at least ber rer th an ignoring alt oget he r the ancien t Egyptian
saviour of souls.
In the agony of O siri s, (h e son and double of t he sun-g od, we can
see obvious connect ions with th e cr ucifixio n. and with the parad oxical
ident ity and du ality of G od and Christ . Look ing more d eep ly at this myth
and [h e ways it expressed itself in Egyp tian cult u re, we can unde rstand
th e speci al role of t he Ph aroah as t he tempora l equivalent of th e Christ-
fig ur e (and of the Pop e, t he pontiftx maximus or "g reat m aker of b ridges")
in West ern cult u re. Redemption can not occ u r withou t an incarnati on of
some kind, for other wise there is no pr oof of God's willingness to suffer
for his (or her ) creatures. W irh olH (h is mu tu al expe rience of suffering ,
there is no sen se of un ity with th e divine. For th e Egyptia n, t he Pharoah
was t he morral incarn ati on of th e redeemer Osi ris ; he was both go d and
m an at the same ti me . Wh ile th e god ru led in th e world beyond life, th e
Ph aroah ruled in t his world, sho ulde ring its burden s for the sake of hi s
peop le. Alth oug h this seems an archaic and prim it ive beli ef ro a tw en t i-
eth-century mind , we may forger rhar Ne ptu ne's world -view is indeed
archa ic and pri m it ive, belo ng ing to the dim p re-d awn of history as well
as (0 th e d im pre-dawn of the infant 's world; and we all have N eptune in
th e hor oscope . In our rath er g hou lish journa list ic fascina tion wi th t he
persona l problems and vicissitudes of moder n royalt y, we have fo rgot t en
just what the sanct ity of kingsh ip has really symbolised through out his-
to ry. Th is is why we find these pe rfectly human and ordinary peop le so
fascinat ing, and why we exhi b it a horribl e te nden cy to enj oy seein g
them-a nd perhaps even mak ing them-suffer at (he same t ime that we
ideal ise them .
At th e core of t he sym bo l of king sh ip is the un ity of red eeme r-g od
and kin g . T he ki ng was understood to be a divi ne vessel, rather than a go v-
ern or in the poli tical sense; and in pre historic times this mythic inte rp re-
tat ion of king shi p was enacted concrete ly through th e ritual sacri fice of the
rul er at regular inte rvals to ensur e the favour of the gods , th e ferti li ty of
t he Earth, and t he survival and prospe rity of the people.' The com pell ing
fascinar ion whi ch royalty still hold s for the mode rn world--Jespi re noisy
cla mour ings that t hey are obsolete and spend roo muc h of th e taxpaye r's

I . Unri l [he t went ieth century there was a widel y accepted tr adi t ion in Brita in that the
KIOJ.: or Quee n could cure sk in drseases such as scrofula by the laying on of hand s. Th is is
th e vestige of a ver y ancient be lief in the redem ptive po wer of th e ru ling monar ch .
 TH E ADVE NT O F THE REDEE MER - 69

money-points back to the potency of this symbol of the redeem er of the

nation, morral like the rest of us yet also, mysteriously, the mouthpiece of
the gods, who will buy back the sinni ng people's debt. It is this arch et ype
upon wh ich Hitler fed , allow ing him to cont rol the collecti ve psych e of th e
Ge rman people throug h the ir project ion u pon him of the ancient Sieg fried
myth . Thu s the king is also priest and sacrificial vin im-a messiah, an
"anointed one ."
Th e Eg ypt ian Ph aroah was perc eived as the son of the god Os iri s,
ide nt ical to his d ivin e father yet also hum an and therefore sub ject to
hum an birth and death . He was linked to his spiritual sou rce by a third
ent ity whi ch the Egypti ans called Ka-mutef, "bu ll of his mother"-an
Egypt ian rendi tion of the H oly Ghost , This third ent ity was env isioned as
a kind of invisible life-force, a procrea tive spi rit wh ich infu sed bot h th e
god and the king, and fert ilised th e mother of the Pharoah just as th e Holy
G host late r fertili sed Mary so that Christ might be born . We find no
immaculate conception in Eg ypt, alth ough the mot if occurs elsewhere
outside Christia n doctrine. Devout Christians look to one h istorical event,
th e bi rt h of J esus, as th e advent of th e son of God into th e world for the
rede mp t ion of mankind ; but G od 's prom ise is perpetu ally renewed
through the mi raculous intervention of the Holy Ghost in the ceremon ies
of baptis m and the Mass. For the devout Egypt ian, th is renewal occurred
every time a new Pharoah took the th rone in a cyclical reenactm ent of the
divin e incarnation .
Thi s mag ical process whereby someone mortal becomes the vessel or
carrier for some thing immortal is one of Neptune 's characteristic dynam-
ics in project ion . The ordinary person-fi lm star, g uru, political leader,
pop musician , fashion model , lover-becomes somehow infused with (hat
di vi ne mana wh ich carries the prom ise of redempt ion . To merge wit h the
vessel- sexually , spiritually or bot h- is therefore synonymous with merg-
ing with the god . Th e nature of N eptunian idealisation is really an expe-
rience of pa rllClpallon my JlIqUt with [he redeemer-archety pe. T his process,
by its very na ture, is unconscious; all we are left with is the sense of exal-
tation whi ch comes with merely being in the chosen one's presence. I once
attended a co nce rt g iven by the Searl es at Shea Stad ium in N ew York in
1966, where 40, 000 people shr ieked , fai nted , prod uced spontaneous
otgasms (or at least sounded like the y did ), and would no doubt have lit -
erally rom the flesh of thei r idols to pieces in true Dionysian fashion had
th ey been near enoug h to gain physi cal access. It is difficult ro comprehend
[he intensity of such a mass response in a so-called rational modern world ,
just as we still find Hitler's awesome psychologi cal power as evidenced at
the Nu rnberg rall ies terrifying to acknowl edge. Yet we can learn a g reat
70 - T H E ASTR O LO GI CA L N ( PT U NE AN D TH E Q U E ~ T FOR R ~D[ M P Tl O""'J

deal about it, and about N ep rune. when we consider the myth of the
redeemer incarnat ed in flesh .
It is po intl ess to argue, as some religious historians do , about the
extent to wh ich Babylonian and Egyptian redeem er-g ods, or G reek fig -
ures suc h as O rp heus and Dionysus, in fluenced Chrisrian doer rine .
Obvious ly [hey did . Babylon profoundly shaped jud aism during [he
Babyl onian captiv ity, as we can see in the similar it ies be tween D il mun
and Ede n, between Ut napi shrim and Noah, and between Mard uk 's bat-
tle wit h T i'am ar and Yahveh's with Lev iathan. J udaism was also stro ng ·
Iy affeered by H ell en ist ic th ought , as the kingdo m of judaea was for
some ti me under the eule of the Geeek Ptolemaic dynasty afeer the death
of Alexan dee the G rear , and was th en ruled by [he Roma ns, who brough t
the ir H ell enist ic inhe rita nce to all their conque red territo ries. Moreover,
Egyp tian reli g ious ehemes, as well as influ encing the j ews dur ing their
ti me in Egyp e, passed int o H ellen ist ic sync retism during ehe ru le of ehe
Ptolernies and continued th roug hout the first centuries C. E., in ject ing the
myths and do ctrines of O siris as we ll as those of Orp heus and Dionysus
in to the swelling arteries of Christianity's body of my th. We mig ht also
considee [he Pu rus ha, th e "fir st man " of Ind ian ph ilosop hy, whose body
was sacrificed (0 make the wo rld, and th e Persian figu re of Gay omarc,
another "first man" and son of the god of lig ht , who fell vicri m to t h e
darkness of the worl d from which he mu st be set free throug h hu ma n suf-
fering . Th ese figu res also wou ld have influenced Hell enist ic th ought and
hence early Christia nity. Bur the divi ne red eem er-victim, who vo lun tar-
ily or involuntarily o ffers himse lf o r hersel f up for sacrifice in order to
create the wo rld o r save it from evil, is an archetypal figu re, olde r than
cime, and reflecti ng a profou nd and ete rnal need in the psyches of h u man
bei ngs . Because of chis, it is fruitless to attribute the strik ing simi larities
bet ween Os iris, Arcis, Dion ysus, O rpheus, Mirhras, and Chrisr solely co
"cultural trans m issi on ." On e mi ght even suggest that it is eq ually frui t-
less to speak of "peefig ur ing"- as th ough, our of all these eedeemers ,
only one has a prop er cla im , whi le the rest arc me rely int ui tiv e myth ic
fum blings .
During the two centuries immediately pre cedin g and follow ing
whae most people call the dawn of [he Cheistian Era, and which many
astrologers call rbe dawn of the Pisccan Age, there seems to have bee n a
run on redeemers. Thi s is not surprising , since th e imag e ry and emotion-
al tone of t he zodiaca l conscellarion through whi ch the ve rnal equinoctia l
paine moves is mosr im medi ate ly visible in the new relig ious val ue s
emergin g around the time of its incep tion ; and Pisces is, afte r all, ruled
by Nepeune. Aleho ugh figur es such as the Egypti an O sieis, [he Syria n
 TH f ADVENT O F TH E RED EE MER - 71

Ichth ys, th e Bab yloni an Tammuz and Oan nes, and th e Phr yg ian Att is
stret ch mu ch fu rt her back in to p reh ist ory, th e ir im ages and forms of wo r-
sh ip underwent certa in sig nificant changes ar chis rime ; and an extrao r-
dinary prolife ration of red eemer cu lts occ u rred w hic h s pread with a mys -
tical inte nsity qui te un kn own to the ancie nt worl d at a ny previous epoc h .
The J ewish prophec ies of t he End of Days and th e advent of an imminent
messiah-king were on ly o ne aspeer of t he phenomenon . These new
redeemer-cults, incl ud ing ea rly C h rist ia nity, shared in commo n a p reoc-
cupacio n w ith pe rfect io nis m, vis ionary experience, sexual abst inen ce , and
ma rt yrdom -s-all readi ly recogn isable at t rib utes of Ne ptune's realm .
By t he fou rt h cent u ry C.E. , when the overripe Roman Em p ire was
collapsing beneat h the incessan t pressure of barbarian invas ions and th e
Byzant ine Empire was jusr begi nni ng to u nfu rl irs long and g lo rious th ou-
sand yea rs of flow ering , three of these red eemers vied for t he pos itio n of
the official religion of the Empi re: M irhras. O rph eus, and J esus. Th e first
tw o of chis rr in iry of redeemers ha ve m uch old er root s, Bur by th e seco nd
cent ury R.C.E . , th ey had rad icall y altered t heir earl ie r q ua li tie s and had
become esch atol og ical. T he ir cu lts sp read throu ghout the Emp ire, form-
ing part of the bod y of w hat is now loosel y kn ow n as G nos t icis m . In o t he r
wor ds, th ese we re cu lts whose p romised redem ption from rhe worl d 's co r-
ru p t ion was depe nd ent upo n an inner my st ical expe rie nce of "kno wi ng, "
Bot h cults envisaged the cos mos as a g rea t ba tt leground be tween da rk ness
and light ; and the human body was ma de of th e sub st ance of da rk ness , jUst
as th e human spirit was a fragment of the light. Although some Gnosti c
seers, such as tha t of the Manich aeans, ide nti fied the ir redeem er w ith J esu s
and were th erefor e Gnostic o r "heret ica l" Ch ristians, Mir hra ism neve r
fused w it h it s event ually m ore su ccessful rival. It has bee n rem arked by
m o re rha n o ne h isror ian that :

... If Christia nity had bee n stopped at its birth by some mort al
illness, t he world would have become Mit hr aic. 2

The choice of C h ristiani ty as th e rel ig ion of t he Empire was a polit ical as

well as an inspira tion al busi ness . D ioclet ian's su ccessor , the Em pe ror
Con stant ine, an astute ru le r who was acutel y aware of th e the ne cessity of
maintai ning rel ig ious cohesion in [he Em pire, was pr essed to ch oose that
relig ion wh ich was supported by the mo st pow er ful and pol it icall y inOu -

2. Ernest Renan, A1arr-A llrill n la [i" JII mrmJI anliqllt {Pam : Calmann-Levy, 1923). p ) 79.
Franz Cu mc nr, in Or-irnral RtligirJnJ in Rflman Pagani" n (N ew York: Dover. 19)6 ). makes a
similar observation.
72 - THE AST RO lO GICA l N r PT UN ( ... "" D T H E O U ES T FO R RfOE\,P T IO N

entia! ad herents . In 31 2 C E. he chose Christ, and only th ose with an imag -

inatively heretical be nt migh t fruitfu lly spec ula te o n wha t OUt twent iet h
cent ury world would be like had Renan's "m ort al illness" actual ly
occurred . The more devout might assume tha t there was of course no
ch oice, and th at Constanti ne was d ivine ly guided . T he famous rale of his
vision of {he "sig n of th e cross" in {he sky on t he eve of batrle, and his sub-
sequent dream in which a lumi nous figure- l ater ident ified as that of
Chrisr-s-o rdered him to inscribe the "heavenly em blem of God" on his sol-
d iers' sh ields, is the Christian sto ry of his conversion. But Con stantine
himself di d nor im media tely recog nise these symbols as Ch ristian ; he sim -
ply assumed t hat God, by what ever nam e, was on his sid e. Late r he was
adv ised by influent ial Christ ians abo ut the meani ng of th e strange g lyph
he saw in the heavens (which was in fact a cross with a loop at its top, and
open to several di fferent int erpretat ions); and thus th e Western world
becam e Ch rist ian .

. . . The interest lies less in the vision's occurrence than in the way
in which it was unde rstood : (he Christian int erp retatio n was
planted in the Emp eror's m inJ , and if Ossius, the Spanish bishop,
was already in his company, we must allow for the influence of the
man who was to lead so many of the Emperor's su bseq uent deal-
ing s w ith the C h u rch }

Perh aps the Empero r was di vine ly inspi red . Perh aps he was polirically
inspired , which may or may nor be th e same thing . Bur th e immensely
influ ential Orphic and Mi rhraic cults, as well as the strange culr of Art is
wirh its eunuch priesrs, can help us [0 bri ng th e archetypal image of the
victim-redeemer more clearly int o focu s becau se of rheir recogn isabl y
Neptun ian th em es.

The Mysteries of Mithras

M ithraism m igh t be called the Freemaso nry of the Roman world . N o one
is q uite certai n when and where irs origins lie. The god Mirhras is men-
t ioned in th e Ind ian VedtJ, and was also pa rr of Persian Zoroastrian teach-
ing . H is name means "friend ." He seems to da te as far back as the ninth
cent ury B.C.E . 4 But (he Mithraism wh ich sprang up so vigou rously in the

3 Robin Lane- Fox, Pagam ond Cbriniens (Londo n: Peng ui n, 19 S8 ), p . 6 17.

4 . Franz Cu mo nr's exh aust ive resear ches I n t o Mirh raism in t he COl d}' pa rt of the 20t h cen -
tury we re accepted as I-:0spd un ri l qUilt' recentl y, and Cumcn t armbu red an u nq uest ron-
 TH E ADVEN T O f THI RlD H .VH R - 73

Roman Empi re was ve ry d ifferent fro m th e airy and sola r deit y of the
Vedas. wh o like h is Persian cou nte rpart was pri ma rily an enfo rcer of oat hs
and com pacts , and a sym bol of t he power of t rut h . By the t im e the cu lt
appea red in the West at the d aw n of t he Christian Era, M ich eas had
eme rged as a Hue redeem er in th e sense whic h we have been explo ring :
part man an d part g od , son of the god of ligh t , submitting hi mse lf to the
suffering of incarna tion for th e salva t ion of the world . T he cult travelled
well , part icul arly amo ng sold iers and mer chants, and th e remains of
Mithraeums-t hose unde rground chambers of worsh ip fam iliar to st u -
dents of Roman Brita in-have been found as far north as H adri an's Wall.
T he foll owe rs of M irh ras were bound co no excl u sive alleg iance . but were
perm itted, li ke present-d ay Masons, [Q foll ow any oute r form of re lig ious
observance t hey p leased , Bu t t hey were bou nd by severe vow s of secrecy,
whi ch they appear to have observed with a holy dread . T hanks to th e ir
silen ce, m uch of M ithraic rit es and teach ing rem ains obsc u re to th is day ,
The pa ra llels betwee n Mithras and J esus are obv ious , and it is not
surprising that t he early Ch rist ians found th is cul t frig htening and inim-
ical. Son of the su prem e god of lig h t, M ithras looked do wn from H eaven
and saw hum an it y su ffering at th e hand s of t he po we rs of darkness, In lov-
ing com passion, and acco rd with the wi ll of his divine fathe r, he inca rna t -
ed on Earth , and was born fro m a vi rgi n as a h uma n ch ild at th e wint er
solstice (2 3 Decembe r), with only a few shephe rds as witn esses. Th us, lik e
Ch rist , Mithras pe rso nifies the light of H eaven ente ri ng th e dar knes s of
th e world in the humbl est g uise, on th e dark est day of t he year, It is inter-
ean ng to not e that bo t h M ithras and J esus incarna re u nd er t he sig n of
Capricorn , rul ed by Saturn, t he Lord of t he W orl d, and are bound [0 the
cross of matte r [Q fulfi ll thei r dest iny) Also like J esus, M it hr as had [Q face
many tr ials an d suffe rings in hi s hu man form , and held a last suppe r wit h
hi s d isciples befor e rerurni ng [0 H eaven ; and at the end of the wo rld,

",bly Persian origan and nat ure to th e redeemer-god However, Cum om, despit e hiS bnl-
hanre, displ..yed extr emely suong prejud ices-c-ebc ur "Asiat ic" chinking and culture in
general, and asrrolcg ical/cosrmc the mes an pamcular-c-whrcb rend eo b ligh t [he objecrwi-
ry of bu work. Ne w researches on Mith ras by David Ulansey (Tht O"'Xim ri ,ht Mll h,.alC
M)Jtff'ltl, Oxford . Oxfo rd Umv ersuy Press. 198 9) and Roger Beck (PliJ nrlary GIJJJ JnJ
Plant,a') O,.JtyJ In lht MYJltyltJ IJf M"hr-aJ, Leiden : E. J. Bri ll. 1988 ), among oth ers, have
now challenged Cumo nr's assum ptions . Roman Mirh raum's doctrine of celesna l ascent has
ICS roots In the Hellenistic ccsmic -asrrolcg rcal rradruon. and has many affinit ies not only

wit h Orphu m and Ch ns nani ry but wit h Platomc. Necplato mc ..nd StOIC phrl csophy -e-
altho ugh it bears the name of a Persian god
'). The role of Satu rn In the Muhraic mysten es was extr emel y irnpcn am : th e high est grade
of initi ati on, called the Patty (father). was under the "t utelage" of Saturn SI:'I:' Beck,
PlantliJr") GuJJ JnJ Pial/tid') O,.J fYJ. PP 8') · 911 .
74 - TH E ASTROlOGI CAl ( PT U NE AND r ur O UES T FOR RfDl .""PTI O N

wh ich wi ll arrive w it h apocalypric violence , he wi ll come- ag ain co judge

resur rect ed hu man it y, lead in g th e chosen ones t h roug h a river of fire co
blessed irnmor talir y. Even [he iconog raphy of M irh raisrn and Chr ist ian ity
is eeril y parall el. M it hras was of[en portrayed as a di vine child , ho lding [h e
g lobe of the Eart h in his hand , [usr as the Chrisrch ild in medieval icons
holds [h e royal orb surmou nt ed by a cross.
Bu t wh ere the cen t ral ima ge of the Chri stian scory is t he crucifixion,
in rbe Mirh raic cu lr it is rhe raurocrony, t he slaying of rhe cosm ic bull ,
wh ich was th e first creatio n of th e god of ligh t. T he god ord ered h is son
to sac rifice th e bu ll to make possible th e gene rati on of hu man beings .
M irhr as, in accordan ce with h is fath er's wi ll , set off in p u rsu it wirh his
faithful hound , found [he bull, pulled back its head , g rasped irs nostrils
with his lefr hand and with his righ[ plunged a dagger into irs throat.
From [he blood of [he dead bull sprang corn and oche r life, includi ng [he
hum an race. The lord of da rk ness immediately sent h is servan ts , ch ief of
whi ch were th e sco rp ion and th e snake, to lap up t he life-gi vi ng blood .v
But thi s was (0 no avail, fo r ir sp read ove r t he Eart h. Forever afterward th e
g od of da rkn ess has con tin ually Hied to d est roy mank ind , includi ng in h is
a rsenal of weapon s a g rea t Flood whic h o nce affl ict ed th e wh ole Eart h . Ru t
Mirhras is th e invincible medi at or between Hea ven and Earth . t he friend
of h umani ty who assists [he faithful in [he ir sn ug g le ag ainst [he maligni -
t y of the pr in ciple of evil. Not o nly is he a st rong co mpa nio n in t heir
human tr ials; as t he antag oni st of th e infern al powers he ensu res th e wel-
fare of h is followe rs in rhe future life as well as on Eart h.

When the- ge-nius of corrup tio n seizes t he corpse afte r d eat h, the
sp irits of dark ness and the celesria l messengers str ugg le for the
possession of t he soul th at has lefr irs corporeal p rison. Ir stan ds
trial before Mi rhra, and if its mer it s out weig h its shortcomings in
the d ivine balance it is defended from Ahr iman's agents tha t seek
to d rag ir into the inferna l abyss. Finally it is led in to t he et here -
al regi ons where Orm uzd reign s in eternal light J

6 Ulansey and Be ck (see above ) both s u!:g~ sl rhar rhe pr esence o( the bull. th~ scorpion.
rhe serpent , the dog. rhe raven, and the cup, cbaracrens ric o( rhe Mirhraic iconop aphy c f
r h~ rau roct ony, reflect not a battle between P~rsian god s of light and d ark ness b ut a m ap
of rhe consrellan ons along (he cel est ial eq ua t or be t wee n t he- sig ns of Tau ru s and Sco rpi o ,
vu . bl e at rh e ri me of Tau ru s' hehar al semng An im ag e of cos m ic opposites is rh us pe r-
r rayed wh ich refle crs th e principl es of g en esis ( the earthy f('rtdit y sym bo lised b y Tau rus )
and ap cgene s.s (rhe rel ease from ph ysical form sym bolised by Scorp io) . Bot h au t hors. h ow-
rvc t, ac '~ p r t he premise t ha r ( he Mu hra ic rite s were co nce rned wit h {he redernpuon of t he
soul and in release (rom the forces of eart hl y (are.
7 . C umonr , Orim ,,,1 Rtligi/l1/l in R/lIIJ.:M P" K.MiJ"'. p . 1:>8.
 TH E ADVENT D F THE REDEEMER - 75

Th e Mi tbraic image of the rau rocton y is th e one most fam ilia r co us fro m
surviving statues and paint ings. In itia lly it wou ld seem t hat her e th e
resem b lan ce between M ithras and Ch rist end s; for M icheas underg oes no
cru cifixi on or di sme mbe rme nt , ocher t han incarnati on itsel f. Ir is th e bull
who m ust suffer thi s painful fare, YCt in chis image we can sti ll pe rceive
th e elemen ts of th at pro noun ced ascer icism wh ich infused the natu re of all
t he redeeme r figu res of t his period in history ; for the bull is one of t he
most ancient sym bo ls of sexual po tency an d fe rt il ity, and in its destruct ion
is po rtrayed t he sacrifice or sub li mat ion of th e body's desires. M irhras is
rhu s, afrer all, nor far from Osi ris, who had to sacrifice his phallus, sin ce
t he bull is reall y t he phallic d ime nsion of M ithras himself. Once again we
meet the imag e of cast ration in rela tio n [Q t he Neptun ian red eemer.
M irhras an d rhe b ull are t he refore rwo aspe crs of t he same figu re. The
bull is t he phallu s of the god , sacrifi ced so t hat the spi rit mi gh t be
redeem ed. Unt il th e da wn of the Piscean e ra, sacrificia l gods came and
went, as did th e sacrificial kin gs who were the ir embod im en ts." But the
pr imary fun nion of th ese d eit ies was never ro lead h um an being s towa rd
asceti cism in th e hope of redempt ion and im mo rtali ty. Rather, it was to
promot e abu nda nce of life and th e fertility of Eart h, Even O siris never
called upo n hu ma n beings to abj u re sexual pleasure for th e sake of t he soul,
desp ite his ow n cast rat ion. In the figure of C h rist, t his repud iat ion of the
carnal world is obvio us e noug h . In the figure of Mithras, it is reflect ed in
or
the sacrifi ce t he b u ll, and in the cu lt' s em phasi s on loyalty, fid elity, male
fratern ity a nd t he restrain in g of the body' s desires . As Cu mo nt says:

Of all t he O rient al cults none was so severe as Mithraism, none

atta ined an equa l moral elevation , none co uld have had so str ong
a hold on mind and heart .?

We sha ll see later on that th e cult of O rph eus, in com mo n with M ithraism
and Christ iani ty, also diffe red from th e simple wo rship of a sacrificial god
or god's son to secu re di vine pro tec tion for t he sta te or t he fertility of th e
land . T hese N ep t unian redeemer-god s offe red a new boon : a road to
redemp tion from t he corrupt ion of the body , a clea nsin g of t he si n and
dros s of t he material world, and a reun iting with t he spi ri tu al sou rce in a
b lissful here afte r foll owi ng th e End of Days.
It is th e role of spiri tual saviour wh ich is so hist ori cally new and
imp ortant in relati on to our Ne p tu n ian red eemer-god s. A strange and

8 . See Sir J ames Frazer's T ht Guldt1l RUligh (N ew Yor k: Macm ill an , 19 36 ), whi ch provide s
an e:Xh..usnve anal)'sls of rhe figure of rhe per enn iall y resu rrect ed veg eeanon-god
9. Cumcm. QrltTllal R1ltXi'11I I in R u",.z" PaA'a niI", . p . 159
76 - T H E AST ROLO G ICAL N EPT U NE AN D H' I G U EI T f O R RID E"PT IO N

hopeless sp li t bet ween th e realm o f bod y an d t he realm of sp irit beg an to

eme rge at the dawn of the Pisccan era, which seems [0 be inh erent in
N eptune's world-view. Like the tw o fish wh ich represent the voraciou s
hung ers of th e body and th e red em ptive lon ging s of th e sp irit , bou nd for -
eve r by an unbr eakab le chain, N eptunian du alism expe riences life in a way
simil ar to th at of the anc ien t de vot ees of M irh ras. T he world of Ea rth is
co rru pt and bo u nd by m ortal fa te, while th e world of Sp ir it is inco rr upt-
ib le an d offers th e on ly salvat ion from su ffering . And some t h ing must be
sacrificed , usually int erprete d as the desire nature. Wh eth er th is vision o f
the world is "pat ho logi cal" o r not is a mo ot poin t; the defin iti on o f patho l-
og y reflects the d efin it ion of normality, wh ich is not or iously flexible
depending upo n one's frame of reference . Dual ism is an archetypa l pe rcep-
t ion of life. althoug h not the onl y arche typa l one, and it has dom inated
that epoc h of histo ry w hich has come under the dom ain of the Fishes, just
as it unco nsciously domin ates the psyche of the N ep tuni an indivi dua l. Its
"pathology " is reflected in its destructive expression in ce rtain indi vidual
lives , rather than in its esse nce . It is also an almost exc ruciat ing ly para-
dox ical vision, since heavenl y red empt ion in t he arms of t he d ivine source,
promised as a reward for suffering and sacrifice , is ide nt ical co th e sensu -
ous bliss experienced in the arms of th at very world-body-mot he r who is
t he em bl em of carn al ev il. I, is a psycholog ical trui sm t hat if an indi vid-
ual id en t ifies excl usively w ith one half of a pair of op posites , he or she is
unconsciou sly possessed by th e o the r half. This is most evident in the
Ne ptun ian n ig ht (rom sensuality, w hich ge nerates an image of red em pt ion
unm istakabl y stamped wit h the same sensuali ty. W he n we co nside r the
figu re of M ithras, we can sec that he, in com mon wit h his b rorber-
redeem ers, is one of the representativ es of the l ittle fish, yoked ro the g reat
m other-fish of d esire by t he umbi lical cord of physica l b irch- her destroy-
er yet secret ly th e ot her half of hersel f.

Orpheus the Fisher

M ithraic teachin g was, in part, esc hatolog ical -rhat IS , it p rep ared irs
de votees for a sp iritual exis tence afte r death . Christia ni ty, roc , is escha ro-
log ical, part icul arl y t hose seers wh ich awai t an im mi ne nt apo calyp se. And
Orph ism was eq uall y so , for t he foll owe rs of O rp he us tau ght th at th e bod y
was the comb of the so ul, that earthly life was a testing gro und , and that
the bliss of the afte rlife cou ld be sec ured only by me ans of those teach ing s
a nd ritua ls revealed by O rph eu s th e god -man h im sel f. In early Gree k
m yt h, O rphe us was a T hr acian bar d, urigin all y a p ries t (and pe rha ps the
 THE ADVE N T O F TH E REDHM (R ~ 77

son ) of Apollo , with extrao rdi nary power in his music. As his fig ure devel -
oped over tim e, he was said [0 have refor med th e ecstatic cull of the veg-
eta tio n-god D ionysu s along saner, mo re Apoll oni an lines. D ion ysus is a
very ancient d eity, orig inally a person ificat ion of raw nature who repre-
senred th e birth, g rowt h, decay, and reb irth of th e life-p rinc iple. H e g rad -
ually evolved inro a kind of red eeme r-god (alt ho ug h t he redem pt ion he
offered was in rh is world , not th e nexr ), and like O siris he suffered ; for he
was to rn [0 pieces by the T itans and t hen , rebor n. was d riven mad by th e
jealous y of H era. He offered d ivine ecst asy to hu man beings t h rough sen-
suous abandonment to his un ruly myster ies. to D ion ysus has an impo rta nt
myrh ic relat ionsh ip with Neptu ne, for he pomays m uch of th e chaot ic
ecstasy of t he planet ru n am ok . His sacred subs tance was, after all, w ine.
T he old O rp heus wou ld nor have ob jecred m uch ; he sang in a stare of
ecst asy hi mself. Bur for t he "new" Orpheus who emerged in H ellen ist ic
and Rom an times, th e blatant carn ality and savage ry inh erent in th e
anc ient D iony sian m ysteries were anathem a. O rphe us foun d ed what
J oscelyn Godw in calls "an ascetic and speculati ve D ionysian ism , aim ing
at th e same goa l of release from earthly cond it ions but pu rsuing it in a
more conscious, contro lled and int ellect ual way."t l In ot her wo rds ,
O rpheus cleaned up D ion ysus' image, tr ansform ing t he libid inous cele-
brations of the god of wi ne and ecstasy int o a g rand metaphysical doctrine
of si n and redempti on , and impos ing on his followers an id eal et hic of
pu ri ty and sacrifice.
We do not kn ow whet her O rp heus actua lly existe d . In Rom e he was
viewed as a real person, a sem i-divi ne or div inel y i nspi n-d reacbc r and
avat ar like Pythag oras or J esus; but his mythic lineage impl ies an arche -
typ al, rat her t han a hu man, core. These are of cou rse not necessarily mu t u-
ally exclusi ve; archet ype and histori cal pe rsonage can co incide. What is
now know n as O rphis m, an elusive body of teach ing comp risi ng a complex
cosmogony and a series of req ui rements for "rig ht " living, is much
young er th an th e m ych of th e sweet-voiced bard . Although Orphi sm as a
cult seems to have beg u n, in a frag mentary fashion, in sout hern Italy and
Greece d ur ing t he sixth century B.C.E . , it never achieved g reat popularity
before the lare Hellenisric and Rom an era, because ir d id not accord wit h
Greek collecti ve rel ig ious values. It remained a kind of "fring e" cul t
wh ich- alrhough exert ing a powe rful influ en ce on ph ilosop hers su ch as
Placer-was tOO intensely mys tical co find a home among the official pa n-

10 For a full descript ion of the nature and functi ons of rh e I': ad y Gr eek DIonysus, see C.
Kereo yr. Diun}J III (london: Roudedge &: Kegan Paul. 19 76).
II . J oscelyn God win. M }Jl tr'] RtligifJnJ in Iht Anoml W"dJ (London ' T hame s H udson ,
19811. p 144
7H - Tt tl ASTR Ol O G ICA L N ( P l ll N ( AND HIE Q U EST FOR R ED IMP Tl O~

rheo ns of th e Greek r iry-st ates. Bur by th e time Rome had exte nde d her
rule ove r G reece and th e H ell eni sti c kin g doms , Orpheu s th e singe r had
become O rpheus th e "fishe r of me n: ' H e g rew in sta tu re to become a true
redeem er-victi m, half-h um an and half-di vi ne, virtuall y a dou b le of Christ.
A corp us of un mi staka bly m onot heist ic rel igi ou s d octri nes had g rown
aroun d hi s teach ings, and hi s songs had become hym ns wh ich revealed th e
secrets of t he ori gi n of [he uni ver se, th e nat ure of G od an d th e means by
wh ich th e sou l cou ld tr anscend its bod ily pr ison and ach ieve bl issful ete r-
nal u n ion with th e d ivine . The Nept unian essence of O rphe us lies in :

. th e inti mation th at t he here and th e beyond are nor irrevoca-

bly opposed co each ot he r, th at th ey form one world, that one who
is endowed with a m or e-than- human power of vision (expressed in
the figu re of prophet ic, qu asi-divin e song) or endowed with a
more -than-hum an power of love. can know this g reater whole, can
pass from here to beyond and back agai n, and can "redeem" ot h-
ers, g iving th em thi s same powe r, gi ving th em a " new life" .12

As C hr isr was cru cifie d on t he cross, as t he M irh ras-bull was slain and irs
bl ood pour ed over th e Earth, so Orpheus was corn co pieces by rhe w ild
women of T h race-c-- tb e lit tle fish at last devou red by the bi g one at th e end
of h is t ranscend e- nr hue fare-d cycle . Ri lke, in rhe Sonnets / 0 OrphtUJ, calls
him a "lost god ," a n "u nen d ing rracet-c-rhe clue or go ld en thread leading
to som e larg er my st ery whi ch we mu st pu rsue and recover. i' O rp heus is
here mu ch closer to Ch rist th an to Mith ras, for it is hi s own body whi ch is
dis m embe red , not t he d isplaced symbol o f a cosm ic bull. It is worth
exp lori ng some t h ing of th e Orp hi c cos m ogo ny, for, strang e th ou gh it may
seem even to chose ver sed in class ical G reek my t h , it can offer us addi tional
ins ig ht int o t he na tu re of what O rp hism - and Neptune-means by
"rede m p t ion ."
The O rp hic cosmogo ny is b izarr e, q uire un li ke t he creation sagas
offered by H om er and H esiod . Cumonr an d orhers have suggest ed t hat
Orphism is "uri -G reek ," even "Asiat ic" in con cep cion, bec ause of it s inher -
e nt d ualism . H owever, since it seem s to ha ve arise n first in sout he rn It aly,
it is inaccurate, no t to say arrogant , to b lam e all dualist infl uences on t he
inscr ut ab le East , as th ou g h the y have no t h ing (0 d o with Western ps ych o-
log ical develp m en r and wer e "im port ed " from "out side." Neptu ne exists

12. Charles Sega l, Orphtln: Tbr J\1)'lh Qj lIN Plltl <Baltimore: J oh ns Hop kins Unive rsity
Press. 198 9), p . 35-
13 Rai ner Mari a Ril ke. Sunnm I " Orphan , 1.26 , Jines 9-1 4 , M .D . Herter, Hans , (New York :
Norron, 1962)
 THE ADVE N T O f TH E RfD fI '\U R - 79

In Western horoscopes as we ll as Easter n ones. In the beginni ng of the

Orph ic cosmos, only Time ex isted- a not hi ngn ess or cosm ic void wit h
intell igence-which the Orp hics portrayed as a fig ure wit h a lion 's head.
eagle's wings , and a serpent co iled around a human body eng raved wit h ,
or enci rcled b)', the sig ns of the zodi ac. Time , who was also called Aion,
created th e silver egg of th e un iverse, and out of th is egg bu rst the firs t-
born , Pha nes, who was also called Dionysus. Phanes was a urobor ic, mal e-
femal e dei ry of light and good ness, whose name means "to bring lig ht ," or
" t o shine: '

So far, so good; we have met already the imag e of a first-bo rn,

androgynous god of lig ht who emerges ou t of a void or a watery abyss and
g ives bi rch {O the unive rse. In this way the Eg yptian sun-god Ra rose from
the primal flood , and the H indu Brahma rose from the cosmic waters of
Maya. Orphism repeats the ancient tale . Phanes first created a daughte r,
N yx, or Ni ght. He was borh her fath er and her moth er. W irh Ny x, Phanes
then begar G aia. O uranos, and K ronos, the fami liar Ti rans of G reek myrh.
Kronos in rum begar Ze us, who was rhu s, in effect . the g randchild of
Phan es-D ionysus. But Zeu s could only enter into his dom inion of th e
world by devouring th e p rimal god Ph anes, his g randfarher. The O rp hics
held Zeu s to be the g rearesr god of the age, bur he was nor thei r favou rire
god . Th e favou rite was in fan Di onysu s, but it is here that the Orph ic cos-
mogony beg ins co becom e exceedin gly confus ing , because thi s favoured
Di onysos, unl ike Phanes-Dionysos , was und erst ood co be the son of Zeu s.
However, since Zeus had already devoured his grandfather Phanes-
D ionysos, the new D ionysos was thus both son and g randfather of the king
of the g ods ; and he was reborn as the son of Ze us wh ile still retainin g his
anc ient claim to bei ng the firstborn god of lig ht.
In O rphic teach ing the att rib ute of di vi nity was not somet hing
inhe rent in and excl usive to the person of the god, transm itt able only by
the act of begett ing . It was a divine spark or essence , which could be eaten
and di gested . Th e edi b ility of the deity, and the possibility that di vi ne
essence can be passed on in this way to mo rtal be ing s, are im portant fea-
tures no t only of O rp h ism but also of Nept un e. We need to keep in m ind ,
through out our expl oration of the nature of the N e ptunian redeemer, the
symbo lism of the eucharisric feasr, where the flesh of th e god is eaten by
his followers. It is peculiar nor only to Christiani ty bu r also to Mi rh raism
and Orphism . And we also need to keep in m ind the archetypal desire to
dism em ber and de vour th ose who seem to carry the spa rk of rhe god head .
Th is imag e of metaphoricall y tearing apart and eating the redeemer-s-or
those person s upon whom the redeemer is projected - is o ne of the more
dis turbing featu res of the N eptu nian long ing . It is both archaic and infan-
80 - T H I AIT ROLO GI CA L N EPT UN I AN D TH I Q U i l T f OR RID IMP TI O N

t ile, for in just th is way t he infant ingests the m other's di vi nity th ro ugh
t he b reast. N ep t une 's idealisaric ns ha ve a st rangely voracious q uality, and
I have often he ard th e recipi ents de scribe th e feeling as being "eat en ali ve."
W e also speak of someone we fin d ph ysicall y appea ling in a special way-
ofte n a small ch ild o r a cud dly pet-as being "good enoug h to eat. " H ere
is th e mouth of t he big fish, ready to swallow t he redeemer w h ich she has
created out of hersel f.
Like the G reek Di onysus, th e O rphi c Di onysus suffe red di sm em be r-
m ent at t he han ds of t he T itans. But O rp hi sm 's "un -Greekness" (w hic h is
really a larc 19 rh -cemury academic 's syn onymn for un civilised em otion )
begi ns (0 reveal itself; for the Titans, having torn thei r prey (0 pie ces. ate
h im . Ze us rook reve ng e for t he destruction of hi s son by bl asti ng t he
Ti t ans wi t h a thun der bolt . From t hei r ashes rose t he hum an race, T itanic
and terr ib le in nature-e- m shorr , earthy, and the refore belong ing to the
rea lm of da rkness ra ther t ha n t he realm of light. Yet be cause th e T itans had
eate n th e flesh of the divi ne Dion ysus, the hu man race which em erged
from their charred remains cont ains a go d-essence- frag mem s of that cos-
mi c spa rk of light from Phan es-D ionysus. This vision of humanity as a
dual ity, composed of a dark, earthy side and a ligh t, sp iritual side, is essen-
rial to Orphism . The bo dy (Titanic) is evil, bur t he sp irit (D ionys ian) is
good . T he crim e of th e Titans is the Orphi c Orig in al Sin, t he pa rallel to
(he j ude o-Cbr isria n Fall of Adam . T his bel ief reflects the O rphi cs' deval-
uation of earthly life, for th ey were convinced chat human beings mu sc
redeem th ems elves by repud iating the Ti tan ic in themsel ves and seeking
idenrifi cari on only with the Dionysian . In ocher word s, red empcion lies in
the soul's recollection of and allegiance co its true source , and requires an
utter den ial of th e earthly shel l in wh ich ir is trap ped through th e pro cess
of p hysical bi rch .
The body is rhu s th e pr isun of the soul, whi ch seeks reunion with its
divine source. It is th is reunion to which the rites and rituals of O rp hisrn
addressed them selves. Th e Orph ics believed in an apoca lyp tic heavenly
ret ribution agai nst evil, and espo used severely asceti c practises as a means
of tr anscen di ng th e ea rth ly bod y. Any ind u lgenc e in sens ual pl easures con-
stitut ed a sin aga inst th e world of lig ht , wh ich woul d event ually invoke a
te rr ib le veng eance. This belief in div ine punishment against all that is
T itanic in human nat ure led inevitably [0 an Orph ic concept of H ell , a
place of agony which awai ted chose who repudiated thei r rrue, D ionys ian
nat ure. Certain of the O rphic sects espou sed the idea rhar life itself was
Hell . But for others, H ell was an afredife even more horrib le chan incar-
nati on . Th e O rphi c H ell is very differen t in character to th e G reek
Tarcarus, which was a place of to rme nt reserved solely for th ose wh ose
 TH E ADVENT O F THl REDEEME R ..... 8 1

p ride mad e t hem challe nge th eir allotted mortal lim its. In O rp his rn , t he
gre at sin was not hubris; it was refusal to be redeeme d. Stubbornl y Titani c,
men and women could persist in denying th eir "true" nat ures, attaching
th emselves to the sarisfacrion of the bod y and its desires; and when th e
vengeance of H eaven came at last , th ese unre pent ant souls would be
dam ned forever, in t he rime-h onou red m illenar ian fashio n.

Thei r belief in ret ribut ive justice, in purificatio n and atonement,

caused the Or phics to form a parricular view o( th e hereafter. For
the impu re and the evildoers they created a hereafter of muck and
torment-We mig ht call it hell. T hey were the G reek "d iscover-
ers" of hell. 14

Orp heu s evolved from a gen t le bar d into a g rear "fisher of souls," and is
rhus an u nm israkab le tw in of C hrist-a son of God , incarnated in human
flesh , whose teach ings offer rhe only possib le pat h to redem prion . O rpheus
also echoes the Nep tu nian redeemer's asexuality or castratio n in a different
and m ore rom ant ic form ; he has had a love (Eu rydic e) and lost her, and
spends the rest of his life lamenting . N ostalgia (or th e idealised lost love,
against whom all potent ial new ones are compared and found wanti ng , is a
characteristic pattern of N ep tune. So roo is the flight from th e feminin e,
since th e "new" O rp heus, like Mirhras and Je sus, will not to uch wom en . In
O vid 's MtlamorpholtJ, he is portrayed as hom osexu al. Orpheus th e Fish er
also pro vides us with another Neptu nian featur e in his relati onship to
music and poetry. U nder the influence of Pythagorean teach ing, O rphism
conceived of th e bard's songs as an image of th e Mu sic of th e Spheres, and
his seven-stringed lyre held the key to cosm ic harmony. O rp heus in later
centuries became th e chief symbo l of the creative imaginati on and th e
world of art as a form of Parad ise accessible on th is Earth . He was used in
this conte xt by painte rs such as Gustav Moreau and poets such as Ril ke.t?
The metaphysical pessimi sm of Orph ism is steeped in Neptun ian weari-
ness. Also Neptuni an is th e Sto ry of th e poet's tragic death , fo r, th rough th e
suffe ring he shares with humani ty, he is closer and m ore accessib le chan th e
awesome bu t unapp roachab le fig ure of the di vin e creator. We can share his
songs as well as his g rief. T he victim- redeemer is always O ne of Us .
The di smem be rment of Orph eus, like rhe « ucifixio n of Ch rist ,
marks the end of the m ortal aspec t of th e redeem er. But t he di vi ne aspeet
is released and lives forever -a foreshad owin g of the destin y of the faith-

14 . Walter W II., "T he Orphic Mysteries and the G reek Spinr ." in Tht M ) Htn'J. J oseph
Campbe ll, ed (Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 19~~ ), p . 76 .
I ~ _A fuller explorancn of Neptune in relat ion to the ilrt ist is Given 10 chapter 10 .
82 - T H [ AITR OL O GI C AI N [ PTU N! AN D T H [ O U [I T f O R REDf ,\\ PTI O "

ful. Hi s bodily sufferi ng allows him ro feel com passion for th e suffer ing of
all mortal life. H e knows what it is to sin, because he has been born into
sin-stained flesh ; th us he can identify with and emb race the sins of h um an -
ity, and pay back th e deb t. The word "com passion" mean s "to suffer with : '
No compass ion is possible if one has never tas ted of sin . If th e redeem er
has not been afflict ed as we have, th en we do not believe in t he redem p-
tion he offers; for how can he know, unless he too has been dirti ed and d is-
membered by T itan ic comp ulsions ? And if we ourselves can feel compas-
sion for him, th en we feel kin to him, not merely blind and stup id chil-
d ren who must be led by one altogethe r wiser and more powe rful. When
we beg in (0 explo re t he more personal ways in whi ch t he Nep t u nia n
redeemer is expe rien ced . we can und erstand be tte r why th e peopl e we
choose are always th ose who are woun ded or suffering , never th ose who are
"normal." Pit y and worship blend roger her as one of the most porenr
d im ensions of N eptune's q uesr. J''

Attis and the Image of Castration

Auis never achieved the populari ry of Mithras and O rphe us, for one very
ob vious reason: H is priests were self-casrrared eunuchs. During th e early
Rom an Empire many at te mpts were made [0 suppress th e bloodie r aspects
of the cult's savage rites . Yet th e image of the mut ilat ed god continued to
exercise a peculi ar fascinatio n over a select g roup of believers, The cult
itsel f was very an cient even at th e daw n of the Christia n era . Its original
form, devo ted not only to the beautiful young shephe rd bur also to his
d ivi ne mo the r Cybele, o rig inated in Asia Minor as early as 700 0 H.C. E. • and
was typ ical of th ose chrhon ic religio ns which worsh ipped the G rear
Mother and her short- lived consort as symbo ls of fert ility and th e cycle of
th e season s. Like th e Middl e Easte rn figures ofTam mu z and Adonis, Arr is'
dea t h and rebirth reflect ed th e yearly d eath and renewal of natu re. But th e
cu lt of Arris, like th ose of M ithras and O rpheus, u nd erwen t changes at t he
beg inning of the Piscean era, and the yout hful vegetation-god transformed
into a sp ir it ual redeem er, Hi s self-casr ration-c-o ne of the most unpleasant
images in anci ent my th-is a poig nant symbo l of Ne ptu ne's repud iat ion

16 . f or a clear and com p rehensive analySIS of O rph ic reach lOg and us influen ce o n G reco .
Roman philosophy and rel igi on , See W. K . C. G ut h rie, Orphtlll and G rttk RtligiM
(Princero n. NJ: Pri nceton University Press. 19 9 3>' Th e O rp hi c belief in rein camario n is
pamcu larly relevant to N eptune's world-view. There is som e iron y in rhe fact chat many of
what arc now calle d "Ncw Age" be liefs may in face be "O ld A ~ C' " as they bear such close
sirml arines to th is ancient m yst ery-reli g ion wh ich first arose six centuries before the
Christian Era
 T HE ADVE N T O f TH E RWElMf R ... 83

of sexuality, wh ich can be accompl ished in many sub tle ways by ordi nary
modern people-s-ev en the irrel igious. All is was the son of t he g reat god-
dess Cybe le, "Mother of th e peo ples and th e gods." As he g rew up, Cyb ele
was inflamed with passio n by her child's beauty and made him her lover,
extracting from him a solem n vow of fide lity. For a tim e all was well
between (he incestuo us pair. But one day Arris met a charm ing nym ph ,
fell in love wit h her, and broke his vow by tasting the d el ights of a union
of eq uals. Cybele, in a violent paroxysm of wou nded jealousy, afflicted th e
youth wit h a mad ness born of g uil t ; and in th is de ranged state he d id
penance for his be tray al by cutt ing off his genitals, so t hat he would never
comm it the sin of infidelity aga in. W hen he d ied of his wounds, Cybe le
mourned , and tu rned his co rpse in to a pine t ree, which bec ame the sym -
bol of his ever-li ving spi rit.
T he late r All is mysteries merge d wit h cert ain O rp hic cu lts , and th e
figu re of Cybele was deg raded from an honou red alth oug h amb ig uous
sou rce of life and fert ility to an imag e of th e terrible cravi ng s of t he body ,
wh ich en th rall the spark of sp ir itual lig hr and enro mb it in the dark world
o f matter. U nde r [he aeg is o f (he dawning Piscean Age, Artis ' madn ess and
sacrifice were underst ood not as a renewal of his vow co the goddess , but
as a final solut ion [Q (he problem o f sexual compulsion. The god 's casrra-
cion and death were view ed not as tragedy, but as redem pt ion ; and
although by t he second cent u ry the cast ration was un derstood sym boli cal-
ly as cel ibacy, and th e p riests no long er dan ced t he mselves into ecst ati c
frenzy and self-m ut ilati on on the Day of Blood, the image ry of the origi -
nal rite was ret ained in all its savage ry. So m et imes rhe sacrifice o f a bull
was performed to symbolise the castration, echoing the Mithraic r3U-
rocrony, The worsh ipper st ood be neath a pla tfo rm o n wh ich (h e ani ma l
was slaug htered . so thar th e blood , pou ring dow n upon him from above ,
mig ht su bst itu t e for his own sacrifice , and wash him clean. ' ?
Th e early Chriscians naturally found rbese rices repugrtant , not o nly
for t he obvious reasons. bu t also because, like Mi th ras, An is was a little
too close. The Day of Blood, and all the other attend ant celeb rat ions of the
god, always took place each year d ur ing th e week of t he first full moo n of
t he vernal equ inox, simultaneous w ith the Christia n celebratio n of Easte r.
In the new Christ ian Em pire t he cult was th erefore rut hlessly su ppressed,
even whe re irs rites were un derstood co be sym bo lic of [he very same
th em es p romu lgated in Christ ian teachi ng . All is was also d isturbing ro
early C h rist ianity beca use he was said to be born of Cybele parrhenog eni-

17 . Mun en J. Yerm aseren , Cybt/r and Atlll <London: Thames & Hudson, 19 77 >, pp. lO1·
10 7
81 - T H I A; 1 ROl O GI CAl N EPTUN E AN D HiE O U EIT FOR REDEM PTI ON

cal ly. without a m ort al fathe r. O f all th e Pi scean Ag e red eem er-god s he is
th e m ost alie n ro t he mode rn '\X'este rn sp irit. Yet self-cast ratio n is a pow-
erful N eptunia n m ot if, and it is often enacted on a psych o log ica l level by
those wh o are unab le or unwilling to ca n from t he painful p rocess of sepa-
rat ing from the mother su ffic ien tl y [Q expe rie nce t he sepa rative em ot ion of
pass ion. Passion requ ires e noug h self-form at ion [Q desire someone else as
an ot he r, and one must th erefore risk reje cti on and suffering . The word
passion in fan co mes from the Latin pauio. to suffe r. Passion is t herefore a
form of H ell. N eptune's eroti c yearni ng is curiously passive; fusion con-
rai ns no passion . For the pe rson far ing the dil emma of a powe rful Nep tu ne
com b ined wit h th e st rong passion s of astro logi ca l sig n ificarors suc h as
Aries, Scorpio. or a d omi nant Plut o or Mars, t he symbolic self-cas trati on
o f sexual im po te nce, debiliraring illness, addiction , or general passi vity
a nd self-v icrimisarion in life, ma y seem th e only resolut ion of th e con flict.

The Christian Symbols

M any of th e m ost im portant t he mes an d im ages of t he Ch ris t ian sto ry are
characterist ically N eptunian , and are sha red by other red eem er-fi gures .
T he issue here is not wh et her J esus was or was no t th e " true" mess iah .
Psycholog icall y, all t he redee me r-gods are " t rue." Ch risrian iry, like a ny
ot he r rel igious approach , also has man y va riat ions and hyb rid s, wh ich offer
a d iffer ent emp hasis on, and int erp retation of, the fu ndam en ta l ingredients
of t he sto ry, Ir is th e sym bo ls t hem selves wh ich we muse conside r; for the
archetypal figu re of the vict im - red eeme r, en crus ted with pagan as well as
C h ristia n m ot ifs, will be u nconsciou sly fused wich th ose peopl e, in st itu-
t ions an d ide olog ies up on wh ich we pr oject t he N eptunian lo nging . If we
approach t he redeemer not as a real past or futu re m essiah b ut as an im age
whi ch belo ngs to [h e psyc he of every ind ividu al, [h en [he story of Ch rist 's
b irch, life, crucifixion a nd resu rrect ion , as well as C h risti an ritual , assumes
grea t sig nifica nce as th e en actment of an inne r journey.
\"'hen th e dy nam ic of pro jectio n occurs in rela t ion to t he vict im -
red eeme r, it has a te nden cy to generate some very d istu rbi ng an d often
pa infu l results, especially in t he area of rom ant ic famas y. Fall ing in love
with someo ne whom we secret ly perceive as O rpheus/Altis/Mirh ras/Ch risr ,
and rrying ro estab lish a flesh- and-bl ood relat ionship wit h th at pers on
wh ile u nknow ingly tr ansfor m ing h im o r her into th e b read and wine of the
eu cha rist ic feast , is liab le to create deep hurt and d isillusionm ent . It w ill
also be appare nt that th e sexua l d im ens ion of suc h a relation sh ip , as well as
ordi na ry day-to-da y living arrange me nts, is likely to pose eno rm ou s prob-
lems . Yet mu ch of Nep tune's characte rist ic bew ild erment in pe rsonal life
 TH£ ADVENT O F TH E R[() [( MER - 85

sp rings from (he identification of the archetypal redeem er with indivi du -

als and situati ons in th e everyd ay world . Because of (heir cont inu ing
importance in modern cu lt u re, the Christi an sym bo ls can offer us consid -
erable insight into th e nature of the redem pti on we seek, and the means by
wh ich we seek it.

Virgin Birth
T he virgi n bi n h, whi ch Je sus shares with Mir h ras and Allis, can be u nde r-
Stood. as the latest in a long line of parthenogen ic creat ions of the ocean ic
mot her. Since noth ing exists except her, every t h ing she g enera tes is a vir-
g in b irt h. From a psychologi cal poi nt of view, th e newborn infant 's fanta-
sy-world has not yet accomod ated an eart h ly fat her, for t he com p lete fusion
be tween mother and chi ld precludes any ot her relation sh ip. In t he days and
weeks afte r birth, th ere is no reality ot he r tha n mother; she is th e wh ole
worl d , and the sole gi ver and destroyer of life. One cann ot explain to a tw o-
week -old baby that Daddy 's sperm was act ually pan of the equat ion . Our
in iti al phy sical expe rience is ent irely of th e mot her 's body, and it is a com-
mon fant asy of many ch ild ren that the fath er was really somebod y else, a
myst erious stra nge r, and not the man in t he hou se who is called Fathe r.
Thi s "somebod y else" has an arch etypal backgrou nd , for in m yt h it is
always a god, or Go d . The he roes of G reek myth are in variab ly both d ivine-
ly and humanly eng ende red , and th e di vi ne pa rent is usually th e fat her."
Unt il th e ch ild is old enoug h to un derstand, he or she has no progenitor
other than, in Rid er H aggard 's te rm inology, She Who Mu st Be O beyed .
The fath er is sufficientl y abst ract and tran scendent to offer no t h reat to the
baby 's p rimal bon d with the mother. Modern effort s on th e part of many
fath ers [0 involve th emselves with their ch ild ren's b irt h may be very help-
fu l to [he father, and to the coup le, on [he emotional level; but it is doubt-
ful wheth e r t he in fant is ab le co recogn ise in such an invo lvement t he pr es-
ence of an independent enti ty ou tsid e th e magi c sta te of fusion.
The vi rg in b irth rep resents an inca rnation free of the blemish of car-
nal it y, and therefore free of O rig in al Sin. Mary, herself m iraculously con-
ceived , is wit hout stain, and is t he only fitti ng vessel for th e god- ma n wh o
desce nds from H eaven to "b uy back" manki nd fro m O rigi nal Sin.

Remarkable indeed are the unusual precaut ions which surround

the making of Mary: immaculate conception, extirpat ion of the
taint of sin, everlas ti ng virg init y.. . . By having these special mea-

18. N otable except ions are Ach illcs, whose mot her was t he sea godd ess Thetis, And rbe
Roman hero Aenea s, whose mot her was Venus
86 - TH( ASTRO LOGICAl N EPTU NE AN() THE O UES T f O R R(D EMPTIO N

sures applied to her, Mary is elevated [ 0 the stat us of a goddess and

conseq uently loses some thing of her huma nity : she will nor con -
ceive her child in sin , like all othe r moth ers, and therefore he also
will never be a hum an being, but a god. 19

In this respect the redeem er, alon e among morral creat ures, is free of
Ad am 's cu rse; and Ch ris t's life of sexual abs ti ne nce (wh ich is nowhere
exp lici tl y st ated in th e G ospels, but wh ich Ch urch doctrine has al ways
prese nted as fact ) renders hi m fit to pay the debt for th e fleshl y co rr upti on
of ordinary m ortals .

H e is th e vine , and th ose th at hang on him are th e branches . H is

body is b read to be eate n, and his blood wine to be dr unk ; he is
also the mysti cal body forme d by the congregatio n. In his human
man ifestat ion he is th e hero and God- man , born witho ut sin,
m ore complete and more perfect than natu ral man , who is to him
what a child is to an adult , or an anima l (sheep) to a hu man
being . 20

Th us we, th e psyc holog ical ch ildr en , driven and torn by in st inctual need s,
flail ing to free ou rselves fro m depe nden cy on th e m atern al sou rce yet lon g -
ing at th e sam e t ime to ret urn to bl issful ob livio n, seek t he b lessing and
succo u r of th e one who has sacr ificed t hese bodily com p u lsions, a nd is
th erefore free . But m ust th is sacr ifice be one of li teral suppression or di s-
sociati on, bo t h bein g form s of self-cas tra tion? O r m igh t it be sub tl e r?
"Sacrifice" com es from the Lat in sacer, "holy," and [acere, " to make." It
m eans, lir erall y, " to m ake sac red ." Whar has beg u n as p rofan e a nd corn-
p ulsive m us t be tran sformed into some t hi ng holy and voluntary, It m ust
be in fused wit h a mea ning g reate r t ha n satiat ion or obed ience to d uty, by
revea li ng itself as t he expression of a h igher or deepe r sou rce. T h is is ra t her
different fro m givi ng something up, It is nc r the th ing itself wh ich m u st
be g iven up; it is one 's ide ntification with it.
In ot he r wo rds , to pa rap hra se t he quest ion whi ch Parsifal had to ask
wh en he saw th e G rai l: Wh om d oes it serve ' If t he body-e-Mi rh ras' bull ,
Acris' ge ni ta ls, O rp he us' and Chr ist's morta l flesh-s-se rves only th e ba by's
na rcissist ic need for self-g rati fica tio n, t he n it is nor "sacred." It is sril]
steeped in orig ina l sin, sti ll b arr ed from reconnect ion wit h t he di vine
sou rce, and u nable to offe r any sense of valu e or mea n ing to morral life. We
t hen exis t me rel y to ear, sleep, fornicate , an d die, an d life ind eed beco mes

19 . C. G . Jung , CuI/« ttJ W/",.h . V,,1. I I, PIJe/W/UXJ anJ RtliglM (Londo n: Routledge &.
Keg an Paul, 1973 ; Princ eton, N): Princeton Universuy Press. 1969) , , 626 .
20. CuI/mid \[I(I'f".t J , va. I I. , 229 .
 TH [ AD V[N T or T H[ rU OEEM[R - 87

Tibil because despa ir awaits us when each drunken binge has passed. If th e
body and its pleasur es serve as the vessel for som e deeper centre of th e heart
and soul , th en th e di vine red eemer trul y descends to Earth , and lives with-
in th e human bei ng. Ordinary life is no longer ord inary, for each moment
ma tte rs, and qua lity, rather th an quant ity, is the arbiter of cho ice. Yet th e
flesh cannot embody this deepe r centre if it has been rendere d superfluous
th rough repudiatio n, like Art is' tr ou blesom e peni s. Seen in this way,
Neptu ne's rejection of th e insti nc ts is a cheat. There is no real sacrifice-
only an attempt to escape . We are left wit h a self-inflicted am putat ion ,
resulting in vicri rnisatio n, perpe tual resentment , and inability to val ue life
or oneself.

The Holy Ghost

T he H oly G host is one of th e most complex images of Christian doc tri ne.
Christ is himself th e Holy Gh ost ; the man Jesus is enge nde red by and later
infused with the di vine Christ, and after the man has died, the Christ or
H oly Ghost remains as comforter and red eemer, th e invisible "breat h" or
pneuma whi ch bring s the experie nce of un ity between God and man .
End less th eolog ical argument s on th e nature of th e Holy G host have been
respon sible for some ter rible lesions in t he body of C h risti ani ty over the
cent uries, not least the divisi on between Western Cat holicism and th e
Eastern Orthodox Ch u rch. We can gain greater insight by avoid ing these
argu ments and look ing instead at the Holy G host in early Christian ity ; for
the YOUdl of any reli giou s edi fice has a refresh ing way of offering its sym -
bols sti ll charg ed with th e inner fire of individual revelati on , The G nost ic
Christians int er pr et ed th e H oly Ghost as t he spi ritua l Mother, and u nd er-
stood it as fem inine. Th is is exp ressed in the idea of Sophia, t he Greek
word for " wisd om ."

Where judgments and flashes of insigh t are transmitt ed by

unconscious acti vity, they are often att rib uted to an archetypal
femini ne fig ure, th e anim a or mother-beloved .. . . In view of th is,
the Holy Gh ost would have a tendency to exchange his neuter
designa tion for a feminine one. . . . Holy G host and Logos merge
in t he Gn ostic idea of Sophia. 21

W hat are we dealing with here ? Th is invisib le fem ini ne "breath," which is
an ema nation of the divine, which has the male power to fertilise, yet
whi ch can be sha red and experienced as comfo rt er and unifie r by human
bei ngs, is a d istinctly Neptun ian image. Ir has a g reat dea l in com mon

2 l . ClJl lta td Wvr,b, vu. II , , 24n.

88 - T H E A STRO LO GIC Al N EPT Ur"-I E " N O TI ll O U ES T FOR R E O f \ ' PTI O~

wit h the} li ndu Maya, wh ich ge nera tes t he cosmos and th en is " lefr
behind ," in carnated in hu man bei ng s. The C hrist ian red eem er can red eem
because he has been filled with th is "breat h"; he is born with it becau se hi s
mot he r has been ferril ised by it , rather than by a man; and jt is act ivat ed
by t he rit e of baptism -immersion in wa ter. C h rist passes it to hi s di sc i-
p les, wh o in turn pa ss it to their flock . It is t he q u int essent ial agen t of spi r-
itua l heal ing, ab le to be rran sm irt ed from one person to anot her, capab le
of bein g ch an nelled by the fairh ful who are ga t he red toget her " in m y
nam e," yet b lowing "w he re it Iist et h." visi t ing unexpected g race up on the
unbeliever, ye t so me t imes perver sely el ud ing th e most ard ent devot ee.
This N eptunian "breath," wh ich Jung refers to as " insp irat ion :' is
im me d iatel y recog ni sabl e (0 th ose wh o arc open to th e exp eri en ce of it. Ir
m ay occ u r in t he expected arena of t he rel ig ious rit e, where the group or
cong reg at io n is so meti m es infused with an ine xpl icab le se nse of one ness
wit h each ot he r a nd with some deep er and mor e myster iou s presen ce. But
it can also ari se am ong m usician s and their liste ners. It occurs, too, in the
th eatre, when m agi c may de scend up on pe rfo rm er an d audi ence alike .
The Greek s beli eved th at invok ing it was t he t rue pur pose of t hea tr e as a
sac red ri te. It can ap pea r in the analyt ic or eve n th e astr ological ses sio n ,
at t he m ost u nexp ect ed mome nts when th e ve rbal conte n t has bee n a ny-
thing but "r eligi ous"; it pass es m yste rio u sly bet ween love rs; it can m ak e
it self known in hospi tal s and psychiatri c wards in t he mi d st of pai n and
d espa ir. And it is a not un comm on vi sitation du ring th e creat ive process,
w he n t he im ag inati on beg ins to assume st rang e and numin ou s propor-
ti on s, a nd one en te rs into u n ion wi t h some t h ing whi ch is itse lf th e real
creator. That th e H oly Ghost of C h rist ian doc t rine , imaged as a wh it e
dove, m igh t be re -la ted to t hese other experiences is perhap s a hereti ca l
view po int . But it is the sam e expe rience, invoked th ro ugh the longin g
and mode of per ception that astro loge rs ca ll N ept u ne. It is t he in rer con-
necring "st u ff ' of Maya, interpenetrating all creat ion , suddenly and cap ri-
cious ly acces sible thro ug h t he den se veil of th e se nse s. PUt an other way ,
it is th e psych ol ogi cal experien ce of fu sion wi th some t h ing "o ther" th at
transcend s ind ivid ual ego -bo u nd aries, and offers us a gli m pse of Ed en . I
would not necessarily call it th e H ol y Gh ost. That does no t m ea n that
[h is is an in correct defin it ion. But one m ig h t eq uall y call it Orpheu s'
mu si c, or ka-muuf. o r th e cos m ic sea .

The Mass
The Mass is, amo ng ot he r t h ings , a rite or ritu al int en ded to invok e and
renew the healing an d u ni fy ing exp erience of th e H ol y Ghost . The pan ic-
ipa nrs of the Mass are pur in touch with t he cent ra l my stery of th e
 T H E AD VEN T Of ru t ~[oEEM{ ~ - 89

red eem er th rou gh the consump tio n of san ct ified w ine and wafe rs wh ich do
nor mere ly sym bol ise bur , for rhe bel iever at th at moment , lit er all y become
rhe blood and flesh of C hrist. This is a st range echo of t he Orph ic cos-
mog ony. whe re th e eart hy Titans consume the flesh of th e ligh t-born
Dionysus, thereby impreg nati ng with th e div ine spa rk both themselves
and t he human race wh ich arises fro m the ir ashes . The cent ral impo rtance
of th e ed ibil iry of the god, an d th e tr ansm ission of numm (o r di vinit y)
th rough thi s act , becomes clearer when we observe th e ritu al of the Mass.
The p racti se of a rit ual flesh ly food-offer ing is very ancient and u n ive rsal,
alt hough origi nally rhe slaugh tered beas t (and in earl ier, darke r rimes, rhe
slaug htered man o r woman) was int end ed for the nou rishme nt of t he gods,
and t he smo ke of the burnt sacri fice was bel ieved to ca rry th e food up to
their heavenly abode . At a later stage th e smoke itself was conceived as a
spir irual ised form of food -o ffering . and fro m t h is idea de rived t he use of
incense wh ich is st ill such a fun da mental pa rt of C hu rch rit ual. T he
redeem er- cu lts of t he earl y P iscean era all had a form of Mass or ceremo n i-
al meal , whi ch involv ed t he sy mbolic eati ng and drink ing of th e flesh and
blood of t he red eemer. T h is allowe d th e ini t iate to part ake of th e experi-
en ce of un it y with h im and therefore with t he sou rce. T he olde st account
of rhe sacra me nt of rhe C hrist ian Ma ss is found in I Corint hia ns 1 1:2 3. and
is q uoted at th e beg inn ing of th is chap ter.
W riting abo ut t he Mass is obviousl y very diffe rent fro m th e expe ri-
ence of a beli eving Christ ian actually participating in it. T he N eptu n ian
essence will a lway s elude descriptions, because it is a transient and deeply
subject ive occu rrence. The same mi ght be said abour the feeli ngs we expe -
rie nce when listenin g to a particularly m ovi ng piece of m usic, or a p lay in
wh ich we have become d eeply involv ed . All t he sound s, act ion s, objects
and im ag es wh ich embody the rransrni ssion of the my steri ous pneuma are
by th eir nature t ransient . The state of fusion exist s only as lon g as th e
m us ic cont inues and the play goes on ; it van ishes afterward , bu t has so me -
how changed us. The Mass, that most fundamental of C hristi an rituals, is
int ended to invoke an ex pe rience of the d ivine red eem er, and t urn th e
be liever to ward t he cleansing and expiation necessary to recon nect wit h
him as an et ernall y living . rat her than histor ical , realit y. It is not accide n-
tal that we speak of Mother Church ; an d alth ough ir wou ld be inaccu rate
and un just to d escribe the emot ional po we r of the C hu rch as merel y a su r-
roga te for the pe rsonal mother, man y streams flow into N ep tune 's waters .
Jung has written extensively on th e psycholog ical sig ni ficance of the
Mass,22, and ma ny of his thoug ht s are wort h exam ining here. H e sugg ests

22. See J ung, Cu/lKltd Wur-tJ, Vol. I I , and also Vu/. 9, Part 2.
90 - T HI A>JRO lOG ICA I M PT U M AN D T HI Q U Ell FOR REDEMPTI ON

th at in th e sacr ifice of t he Mass, two di stinct ideas are blended together :

deipnon, wh ich is G reek for "meal," and tbysia, whi ch means bot h "sacrifi ce"
or "slaug hte r" and "blaze" or "flare up." The latter word relat es co th e sac-
rificial fire in wh ich th e g ift-offering 10 rhe g od s is consumed . The former
word perta ins co th e m eal sha red by t hose tak ing parr in th e sacrifice. at
whi ch the god was bel ieved to be p resem . Dripnon is also a "sacred" meal at
which "consecrated " food is eaten . We need to look more closely at this
te rm "con secrated ," for it is in t his co nt ext th at the win e turn s into th e
blood of t he red eem er, and t he bread into h is flesh , "Con secrate" co me s
from th e same roo t as "sacrifi ce"; it means "to ma ke hol y with " or " (0 m ake
hol y rog erhcr," H ow do we make such em inently mundane th ing s as bread
and wine holy ? T he answer is: together. T he an of transform ing one t hi ng
into ano ther through collecrive parriapation fI/)"Jtique does nor occur only
wi thin th e con rexr of the rel ig ious rite. In a more prosa ic cont ext , we make
sacred th e che rished Valent ine card wh ich a long -lost lover has sent us years
before, becau se it em bodi es, for us, the love of th e vani shed one , and un ites
us wit h him or her again . We make sacred t he t reasured objects of our
ch ild hoods , the ted d y bear ens h rined in a cup boa rd or th e lock of baby hair ,
because th ese objects embod y a lost expe rience of inn ocen ce and a recon-
necti on with a lovin g famil y-c-real or imagi nary. Consecrat ion de pe nds
up on the everyda y thing becoming a vessel for something lost , past , tran-
scende nt and invis ible, [0 wh ich th e hear t has gi ven th e sta tus of red eem er.
O n a mor e p rofound level , all reli gi ou s rel ics have been consecra ted,
Alt hou gh th e mode rn in tellect mig h t find it rid iculous to imag ine th at
th e skull of a long -dead mart yr could cu re paralysis or make a barren
wom an ferti le, th e believer's faith in and iden tificat ion wit h the holy per-
sonag e symbo lised by that object t ransfo rm s it into more than a p iece of
bo ne , It has mana, th e tr ansform arive subs tan ce of the gods. It not only
sym bolises , it becomes, for t he faithfu l, t he red em pt ive spi rit of t he saviou r-
saint . When t his inst antaneo us and tot al unity occu rs betw een wor shi pp er,
rede emer and object , t hen m iracles can ind eed occur. Wherh er th ese mir-
acles are d ue to t he "t rut h" of the doctr ine or t he healing power within t he
psyche of t he beli ever is an unanswerable qu estion . Perh ap s what matte rs
is th at , to the be liever. it is tru th . Consecra tio n is indeed a mystery ; and
like beau ty, it is in the eyes of the beholder. Every relig ion cla ims its
m iraculous cu res t h rou gh irs own holy relics and t he names of irs gods ; an d
every rel igion offers very su bstanr ial reasons for accep t ing th at such cures
have actu ally occurred . It would seem th at incen se rises to H eaven what-
ever t he scent ,
Cons ecra tion thus involves th e tra nsformation of mundane substance
int o th e essence of th e red eemer. T he yellowed Valenti ne card t ransforms
 TH E ADVENT O F THE REDEEMER - 91

int o th e absent beloved; the d ust y teddy bea r becomes t he love and
war m th of vanished ch ild hood ; (he sku ll in [he g lass case in [he derel ict
chu rch becomes th e fait h, cou rage, and healing power of th e dea d saint .
We are in t he realm of N ep tune. and have pro jected some t hi ng into t he
object whi ch in (u rn effect s chan ges within us; b ut what ? Bread become s
flesh , wine becomes blood . This involves a m iracle at th e moment of t ran -
substant iat ion. T he b read a nd wine are pe rfectl y ordi nary, an d the p riest is
me rely a m an or, more recently, a woman . T he members of the cong rega-
t ion are h u ma n, t OO, carryi ng th eir everyday b urde n of sin. Bur the ritual
of th e Mass takes th is ord inary re-al ity and tr ansfor ms it step by step; and
at t hat moment , for t he bel iever, Ch rist , th roug h t he H oly Ghost , is pre-
sent in time and space , eaten by the participant and spread ing t he mi racle
of redem p tion t h roug h h is or her m ind, body, and heart. T he Mass creates
a myst ical un it y, infu sing th e living presence of Ch ris t into th e pr iest , the
cong rega t ion, th e b read , th e wine, and the incense . T hus t he rit ual repr e-
sent' in condensed form th e life and suffe rings of Ch rist. T he offe red g ift
is t he vict im-redeem er h im self, as well as th e priesr and the congrega t ion
who offer th emselves: and all are mag icall y un ited . A d evou r C hrisrian
might insist t hat it is ind eed t he br ead and w ine, tr ansfor med at th e
moment of com m un ion, whic h perform the mi racle . Equ ally, it mi g ht be
som e m yst eri ous powe r of th e ind ividual's own psyche, capab le of flowing
our Onto th ese ob ject s and t hus rende ring the m po werfu l. The ob ject
becom es a mag ic ta lisma n, bur th e real magic is in th e believer.

I'TIhe inne r meani ng of t he consec ration is not a repe ti t ion of an

event which occurred once in history, bu t the revelation of some-
rhing existing in eternity, a rend ing of t he veil of temporal and
spat ial li m itati ons wh ich separates the human spi rit from th e
sig h t of the ete rnal. Thi s even t is necessar il y a m}'stery, beca use: it
is beyo nd the power of man to concei ve or describe.U

If such a m yste rious transfor mation issues from th e ind ividual rath er t han
from th e object and the doctri ne , t hen we can extend our field of inve sti -
ga tion furthe r. It is not on ly t he substances of t he Mass, and th e holy relics,
and th e tr easur ed artifact s of ou r own vanis hed Edens thr ough wh ich we
seek red em p tion. We may also seek da rke r Neptu nian su bsta nces, such as
heroin, or alcohol. In th is context we can beg in [Q u nderstand th e rela-
t ionship of Ne ptune co th e addi ct. Add icr ion is a comp lex b usi ness, and
anyone who has ever tried co wo rk t he rapeu tically wit h a hero in addi ct or

2) , CIJII«uJ WIWlJ, V,,1. J J, , xxx

92 - T HE A ~ l R Ol O G I CAl N [ PT Ur-.: E AND T H E QU l~ T f OR RED [~1P T I O :-":

an alcoholic will know that while the right hand of th e add ict claws des-
perat ely for freedo m, th e left is secretly chained to the miraculous redemp-
t ion hidden in the poison . N o amo unt of logi c can penetrate this
N ep tunian world , for th e ob viously desrru criv e substa nce is, for th e ad d ict ,
th e blood and flesh of th e redeemer, capable of releasing him or her from
th e priso n of incarnation and open ing the barred ga tes of th e long-los r
Paradise. For the individual blindl y seeking redem pt ion through a conse-
crated obj ect , sex, too, may becom e a N eptunian drug . In such a sit uation,
sens ual p leasure and relati onship with a pa rtner are not the go al at all, but
rat her, the ob literatio n of lone line ss and anx iety. Partners of individuals
caug ht in th is dil emma have exp ressed to me the un com fortable feel ing
that th eir lover, hu sban d, or wife is somehow "no r there" d uring th e sex-
ual act ; for th is ki nd of sex is not concerned with mak ing love to a real pe r-
son. It is a species of mastur bat ion, coiling back on itself like th e uro boros,
d rawi ng the yearning one back inca th e un consciou s ob livion of th e womb .
Addict ion is usual ly associat ed with subst ances suc h as heroin or
alco hol. We do not ordin ari ly think of a person being "add icted" in this
N ep tunia n way to sexual pleasu re, or to spi ritual d isciplines, or to physi-
cal exercise. We kn ow tha t food can become a source of addiction; the wid e
range of so-called "eat ing disorders " is test imony to th is. I am not sug-
gesti ng th at every com pu lsive eate r or bulimic o r anorexic is really reach-
ing our for somerhing spi rirual. More often ir is mor her who is eate n wi th
th e cream bu ns, an arch etypal "good" mother whose m ilk is not poisone d;
and it is the "bad " mother, the one who has heartlessly closed and locked
rhe gates of Eden, who is vom ited up by (he bulimic and denied by th e
anorexic. But where Nep tune is powerful natally (o r by t ransit or progres-
sion), we need to look at wha t is really bei ng enact ed. Ad d ict ion , like the
ritual of th e Mass, involves a tr ansfor m at ion of ord inary substance into th e
mag ical flesh of the redeeme r.

Baptism
U mil the th ird cent ury C.E., rhe Mass was gen erally celeb rated with water.
T his should nor be surprising ; the redeemer arises out of the waters of the
eternal source, God and mot her combi ned, and his blood is, ult imately, not
red and full of Man ial passions like ours, bur made of the translu cent icho r
of Nep tune. T his water com m union is prefigured in]ohn 7:37 -3 9:

If any man th irst , let him (orne unto me, and dr ink. He th at
believeth on me , as the scripture hath said , our of his belly flow
rivers of living water.
 THf ADvf N T O F T t'll Rf DEE '-H R - 93

Thi s same mot if can be fou nd in] ohn 4:14:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but th e water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water spring ing up into everlasti ng life.

T he eq uat ion of wate r with the rran sforrnarive subs tance of the redeeme r
can be found th rough out both the Ol d and N ew Testaments. It can also be
found later in the redemptive symbolism of alchemy. In these imag es
water is no longer the violent Flood whi ch destroys the wicked, bu t the
life-gi ving flu id whi ch con fers spi ritu al im mortality. The sacred wat er is
equa ted wit h Christ ; it is also equated , as we have seen am ply de mo n-
st rated by pre -Ch ristian my th , wi th the pagan redeemer who rises from
th e waters of th e divi ne oceanic mother. Water is also the H oly Ghost ,
fluid as well as invisible, and it can be found in th e bap tis ma l fane , where
the inner man or woman is renewed and cleansed of evil-just as th e
H indu devotee is pu rified and uplifted by the waters of Mothet Ganges.
Th e ceremo ny of baptism is not , like the Mass, reg ularly performed . It is
offered to the newborn chi ld , inaugu rati ng him or her into the cong rega-
tion and cleans ing the body of the carnal sin of th e parents ; and it is offered
to the newly converted, who like a chi ld enters into a new life, Th e wat er
of bap tism, like th e bread and wine of the Mass, is a transform ed sub-
stance, for it is consecrated . It is not just that chlorinated scuff out of th e
tap , but has become th e flu id body of th e redeemer himself.
T he connect ions bet ween the Christ ian ceremo ny of bapt ism and the
cleansing rites and m yth s of ot her cu ltu res are obvio us. Water, the sub-
sta nce of the prima l creato r, is also th e blood of th e redeemer; thu s wate r
dispe ls evil and restores the orig inal innoce nce of th e pre-bi rt h state .
Folk lore has preserved th e idea of water's efficacy agai nst evil in the old
belief that witches cannot cross water. We even mee t it in Tbe Wizard of
Oz, where Dorothy destroys the Wic ked Witch of th e West by gi ving her
a good soakin g . This archetypal belief can also be seen behi nd th e repeti -
tive hand-washi ng ritua ls of the obsessive personali ty, as thoug h th e
redemptive power of water will somehow cleanse the psyche from its bu r-
de n of (usually sexual) gu ilt. J have known many psychotherapists and
healers who pract ise rhe simple ritual of washin g their hands after a pa r-
ticularly d ifficult session with a pat ient or client. We have arrived aga in in
Eliot' s Waste Land , where the lack of wate r is the lack of connect ion to th e
origin of life, where loneliness and corruptio n and death ent er into the
desert wastes, and where the thu nder and th e cleansing rain are a ba ptis m
which renews through the substance of th e redeemer s body-identical ro
th e substance of the warery source.
94 - THE A~lR Ol O G r CAt N EPT U N I AN D Hl( O U EST FO R JU OEMPTI O N

Crucifixion
W e need now to conside r the cent ral symbo l of the Christia n story, wh ich
present s us with one of th e most porcm im ages of sacri fice in We stern rel i-
gious tradit ion. Crucifix ion is, lik e mos t of the Ch ris tian imag es, a very
old mythi c mot if. In Teutonic lore, the god WOlan hung suffering on the
Wor ld-Tree Yggdrasil for nine day s and ni ne nights , in orde r [0 accom-
plis h his own resurrection . The cross, like th e tree, is one of the most
ancien t sym bo ls of th e Grea t Moth er and of incarnati on inca her fleshl y
world . Th e Tree of Life which G ilgamesh found at the bottom of [he cos-
mic sea, and [he Tree of Knowledge in [he Ga rden of Eden, both belong
to her. So it should nor surprise us tha t the redeemer, hum an and divine at
once, und ergoes his g reatest torme nt throug h bei ng volunta rily nail ed to
th e mother-t ree of matte r, on wh ich th e rest of us are inv olu nt aril y sus-
pended . In th e seventh century Christ was represen ted as th e H ang ing
God , fixed to the Tree of Life like Wotan . Th is image has come down to
us in th e Tarot card of the H anged Man. For Nept un e, it is inca rna t ion
whi ch separates , and mo rtali ty wh ich is th e ult imate suffering . Yet it is
acceptance of this cru cifixion which constitutes the expiat ion of origi nal
sin and the price for read m ittan ce to Eden . Cru cifixion is an im age of
Neptune's im prisonme nt in th e world of Saturn , whose e st rologi cal gl}'ph
is th e lu nar crescent (t he soul) surmounted by a cross. But if the sente nce
is patien tly served, with full ack nowled gement of th e offence, th en it is
also the gateway of return .
T he crucifixion of Ch rist is analogous to the dis memberment of
Orpheus and Dionysus, th e slaying of th e Mith ras-bull, and rhe cast rat ion
of Ar tis. l r is an image bot h of incarnat ion and of pe nance. Th e worl d of
matter, which is the dom ain of Saturn , has the qua li ry of "fourness, " of
wh ich th e cross is th e pu rest represenrar ion. Anythi ng fixed into a qu at er-
ni ty suggests embodiment , for concre te real ity is personified by the four
elements and th e fou r direct ions .U T he real "bi rt h" of the divine red eem er
is not his physical eme rgen ce from th e virgin womb, but the volu nta ry
suffering of his morr al flesh . In Christian doc trine, the crucifixio n is an
event whi ch is forekn own and accep ted . The man J esus embraces this fate
for th e sake of trapped humanity ; and we are presented wit h th e theme of
a compass ionate sacrifi ce, a shared expe rience of th e human lor , offered to

24 . For ancient sour ces on (he symbol ic meaning of th e four. the cross. (he sq uare and the
tetrad, see Plate's Timaeta, Proclus' A ClJmmmtary un Iht First 8 IJfJk IJf Elld id l Eltm tnlJ . Gle nn
R. Morrow, (fan s. ( Princeton , N) : Princeton Unrve rsu y Press. I 9 7lJ). and C am p ion . T be
G rtAl YtP,..
 T H E >\DVENT O F T H E REDEE ,\HR. - 95

redeem th e sins of the childre n of Adam and Eve, From this cent ral sym-
bol we can unde rsta nd a g reat deal abo ut th e strange ly passive manner in
wh ich th e Neptune-dom inate d individ ual so often endu res and even rel-
ishes his or her unhap piness. It is usually as baffling to the indiv idual con-
cerned as to th e astrologer or psychot herapi st try ing to offer help. It some-
t imes seems th at all t he insig hts and posi tive suggesti ons in the world can-
not shift the Ne ptunian 's addi ct ion to pain. Bu t th e redee mer 's will ing
emb race of suffering on behalf of h is errant flock tells us some t hing about
the uncon scious patt ern at work on the pe rsonal level. Whethe r "act ing
our" the my th of th e redeemer's self-sacrifi ce is really a solution to th e pain
of separateness felt so acutely by th ose with a strong N eptune, remains a
quest ion (0 be d iscussed more fully lat e r. Bu t such person al ma rty rdom is
an uncon scious identification with th e redeem er as well as an invocation of
him , however irrel igi ous the ind ivid ual m ight be in conscious life.
It is clea t th at t he th eme of will ing suffering and rel inq u ishment of
eart hly happ iness lies at the co re of th e Ch rist ian vision of redem ption,
T he descend ants of Adam and Eve can only g ain read m ittan ce to Parad ise
by em br acing fully the mi sery wh ich is in flic ted up on t he m by life. At
t imes d urin g the history of Chri stiani ty, this belief in the necessity of vol-
untary pai n took some rather grotesq ue form s, such as th e wh ipp ing riru-
als of th e Flag ell an ts of th e Middle Ages. or Origen 's fam ou s self- castr a-
tion (which seem s less an im itation of Christ th an an im itat ion of Arr is),
Worse, it blossom ed int o the conviction that oth ers' bodies also oug ht to
suffer in order to be saved , with or without their consent, Thus the Chu rch
gave birth to the tortures of the Span ish Inqui sit ion and the ritual burn-
ing of witc hes and hereti cs. Equally, th ere is an awesom e' dignity and
serenity to be found in th e spir it in wh ich th e G nost ically incli ned
Cathars, who believed themselves, perhap s justifiab ly, to be th e only "tr ue"
Christia ns and th e only genui ne inheritor s of [he pre-Pauli ne early faith ,
walk ed singi ng into th e flam es from Montseg ur. There are many more per-
sonal examples, modern as well as ancient , of th ose indi vid uals who have
faced terribl e p hysica l to rm ent an d deat h wit h the calm cou rag e of willing
sacrifice. As usual , Neptune is amb igu ous, and shows both a horr ific and
a bea ti fic face in th e clo ud y waters of martyrd om , Nep tune's e tho s m ay no t
be Christian in a doctri nal sense . Bur it is certainly sacrificia l; and the tran-
scend ence of separateness through volu ntary suffering is a commo nly
expressed senti ment amo ng th ose who are identified wit h this planet's
world- view,
Somet ime s Nep t une's self-im posed cruci fixion is exp ressed th rough
an abju ration of all personal happiness: an att itude that it is "good" to feel
wret ched and dep rived , and [hat in some way th e inner frustrat ion and [Or-
9(1 - nu A\ TRO lOGKA I N [ P TlIN f " N O TH I OlHS l FO R Rl O E\1P Tl O r-.:

menr exper ienced by ahand oning pe rsonal gratification will result in

redemption in this worl d or th e next . The visual dim en sion of cruc ifixio n
is highly suggesti ve. O ne is nail ed by th e hand s and feet, whic h is an
image of paralysis . sin ce one cann ot go anywhere or do anyt hing . Freud
be lieved rhar injury to or am p u ta tion of th e hand s and feet in dream s was
a clear sym bol of castrat ion, since our hand s and feet are the inst rumen ts
of ou r poren cy in life. Cruc ifixion ma y also be seen as an im ag e of frustra-
t ion- the t hwarti ng of t he body's des ires , whi ch results in th e release of
th e sp irit. W e speak of having a "c ross to bea r," implyi ng somethi ng whi ch
cannot be alte red , wh ich is ou r lot or ou r fate , and wh ich will in some way,
if voluntarily shou lde red, make us be t ter peo ple.

T he an of making a sacrifice consists in the first place in g iving

somethi ng which belongs to me. . . . [W]hat J am giving is essen-
tially a symbo l. a thi ng of many meanings ; but, owing to my
unconsciousne ss of its symbo lic character, it adheres ro my ego,
because it is parr of my personality. Hence t here is, exp licitly or
imp licitly, a personal claim hou nd up with every gjft.
Conseq uently the gift always carries with ir a personal int ent ion.
for the mere g iving of ir is nor a sacrifice. It only becomes a sacri-
ficc if I g ive up the impli ed intention of receiving something in
reru m .2)

l u ng 's com men ts on th e nat ure of sacrifice are extrem ely interesting in con-
text of di e dy nami cs of N eptune. H e und erstood the sacr ifice of th e cruc i-
fixio n as a "[ru e" sacrifice. Yer if sacrifi ce is a vol u nta ry martyrdom enact-
ed wit h th e ho pe of redem pt ion, th en it becom es qu ite th e reverse. There
is a per sonal cla im bou nd up with such a g ift , and it is not a sacrifice at all.
It is a deal, an att em pt to barter with God or life. Dist ingui shing th e dif-
feren ce may be one of th e most important factors in working const ructive-
ly with a difficult natal Neptune.
Neptune's u rge toward fusio n necessitates th e g iving up of an ind e-
pendent identity. The body is t he first g reat stateme nt of independe nt
existe nce, for birth irre vocably ends th e term of Eden . Our sk in d efines us
and creates a barrier aga inst t he mother, and the experience of inhabi ting
a body is what ultimately isolates us from her. I have heard man y people
wit h Venus -Nept u ne and Moon-Neptune co nraces in th e bi rt h cha rt
exp ress rh is sent im ent by complaini ng th at , dur ing th e act of love, t he
bod y "g ets in t he way: ' p reven ti ng a state of total merging with (h e other.

25 . J un~, CfJlltettJ WfJ rkJ, v.: I I , p . xxx.

 THE ADVEN T O f TH [ RED EEM ER - 97

For many peopl e sex is th e closest one can ge t to th e sta te of pr ima l fusion.
But despi te pen etrati on, th e physical real ity of the body sti ll perfor ms its
separative fun ct ion. T he only place we can ever experience two hearts beat -
ing as one is in th e wom b . The body 's desi res also separate us, for the;'
de fine subject and ob ject , th e o ne who want s and th e one who is want ed .
Desires bring the intolerable experiences of rejecti on, d isappointment ,
frustrat ion , and lonel iness when the y are met insufficientl y or not met at
all. Nep tu nian redemption lies in the retu rn to unity ; unit y demands th e
sacrifice of a sepa rat e self; and the body seems th e g reat archetypal culprit
whi ch will not relax its g rip on aut onom ous existence. Personal desires of
any kind also becom e culprits, for in ou r gain lies someone else's loss, envy,
or ange r. T herefore we pretend th at we no lo nger want . Yet all this is
barte r, for th ere is always a "payoff ' in min d , a goal in sig ht: Eden at the
end of the thorny road. J ung goes on ro suggest that ordi nary gi ving, for
wh ich no retu rn is received. is felt as a loss rath er tha n a route [Q redernp-
tion . Sacrifice shou ld also feel like a loss, for the ego's claims are not ope r-
ati ve in the gestu re, Christ's cry on the crass-"W hy hast th ou forsaken
me ?,' -is the mom ent of tr ue sacr ifice. If we sacrifice in the hope of
Heaven . th en we mig ht as well not bother, for we sti ll have ou r stake in an
event ual reward . One m ight go so far as to suggest th at it is only when one
gi ves up one's cla im to th e lost Parad ise that any real sacrifice can beg in .
Paradoxically, the thi ng which mu st be given up is the hope of redem p-
t ion itself.
"True" sacrifice thus involve s offering ourselves without hope of
redem ption, ei ther th rough th e act or throug h the recipient. I believe this
to be th e dee pe r meani ng of Ne ptune: What must be gi ven up is not our
hap pi ness, or [he things in life wh ich g ive us joy, bu t rath er, th e ba rter
whi ch we secretl y pe rform in the hope th at someo ne else will redeem us .
Th is is why N eptu ne's transit s so often reflect a rime when we feel we can
gi ve as never before, bu t are de nied any rewards as a result of ou r gi ving .
Usually th e ba rt er has been deepl y uncon scious, and it is the tra nsit of
Ne ptune th at brings the dy nam ic into conscio us awareness at last. W hat
is left after N eptune's deluge is oneself. It is a naked self, vulnerabl e and
unmasked , yet pa radoxically wiser and stro nge r for th e revelat ion of one's
own manipul ativ en ess. Life tends to call upon us to make th is subtl e form
of sacrifice when N eptu ne is act ive in th e chan . If we do not recognise our
own int ern al d ynam ic, an actual sacrifice may be necessary to provide th e
tr igger for realisat ion . But to court suc h external sacrifices eage rly is high-
ly suspicious. As H ind uism has always recogni sed, the desire for nonat-
rachrnent is itself a desire. and the ecstasy of self-im molation is merely
anot her form of addi ct ion , Watch ing N ep tune moving over var ious nat al
98 - THE ASTROl OG IC AL NEPT U NE AND T HE Q UEIT f O R REDEMPTIO N

pl an ets in the cha rt s of as t rolog ical and therapeutic cl ients, I have

obse rved th is process of sacr ific ing a che rished fant asy of rede mpt ion ,
t hrough t he loss of a pe rson or ob jec t o r situ at ion up on wh ich the image
of th e redeemer has been projected. The re always seems to be an oppc rt u-
nity to discove r whe re one has been b art e rin g , and th us to unde rstand bet -
tee t he nat ur e of love, wh ich co ntains respect , in cont rast t o t he urge for
p rimal fusion, wh ich ma y tra m pl e ove r ot he rs' bo u nda ries. T he passage of
a transi t. ho wever, does no t guarantee that we will take suc h an oppo rtu -
n ity. M ore often, the loss enge nde red by Nep tune's difficult transits is
b lamed on the hear tl essness of som ebody else, and a new red eem er is duly
soug ht.

Suitability for Redeemersbip

T here are many kinds of redee mer s, not all of them consciou s of t hei r
roles. Some have offered ge nui ne hope and heali ng ro ot he rs, and some
have prove n to be m ore like T i'arnat dr essed in monastic robes. But
because of th e identificati on betwee n t he redeem er an d th ose he or she
seeks to save, we m igh t expect to tind that t he avatar who teaches the pa th
of sacr ifice, like th e suffer in g who seek red emption , wi ll come st rong ly
under N ep t u ne. It is t h us useful to b riefly consider th e role of Ne ptu ne in
the chart s of t h ree of those who, either t hrou g h t hei r own con scious choice
or through th e de votio n and in ten t of th ei r follo wer s, have ena cted t he role
of t he redeemer in th e 20 th century. The exam ples which follow are not
int ended to p rovi de an inte rp retati on of t he lives and m ot ives of t he ind i-
vid uals concern ed . But t he im po rta nce of N ep tun e in th ese charts. fo rm -
ing a hard aspec t to the Su n, is st ri k ing in relat ion to th ese indi vid ua ls'
world -view and to th at vision of redem pti on of wh ich the p lanet is t he pri -
m ary symbol.
Meher Baba (see Chart 1, pag e 99), one of th is cen t ury 's g reat sp iri-
tua l reach ers, might be co nsid ered a charact erist ic exam p le. H ere th e Sun
is p laced in Pi sces in the l sr house, squ are Neptu ne in (he 4 th . Meh er
Baba's fathe r was a deeply relig iou s ma n who was in his m id -SOs wh en h is
son was born; h is wi fe was on ly 16 . It is unnecessary [0 elabo rate on th e
psyc ho logical imp licat ions of th is background , but it is not su rprisi ng th at
from boy hood Me her Baba possessed a love of solitude a nd med itation . In
191 3, whe n tr ansiting Saturn sta tioned on nata l Neptune an d tr igg ered
t he nat al Sun -Nept u ne sq ua re, he came und er the influe nce of a fam ous
M usl im holy wo man; t hrough her teach ing s he was in culca ted with a sense
of hi gh de stin y, an d went inca a tr an cel ik e sta te for a year . After hi s recov-
ery he st ud ied with a g rea t H ind u teacher. H e founded m any schoo ls,
 TH E ADVENT O f THE R£D[[M ER - 99

M~ r

Chart 1. Meher Baba. Born February 25 , 1894, 4:35 A.M . LMT, 23:54 :00
GMT, Feb ruary 24, 1894 , Poona, Ind ia. Placidus H ouses. Sou rce: Fowler's
Compendium o[ Nati. ititI, ed ited by J. M. Harr ison (London: L. M. Fowler,
1980)
100 - TH E ASTRO LO GIC Al NEPTUN E AND THE Q U E~ T FOR RID E.\1PI IO N

IC I'

Chart 2. Billy Gra ham . Born November 7, 19 18 ,3:30 P.M . EST, 20:30:00
G MT, Char lotte. NC. Placidus Houses. Source: Hans-H inrich Taeger,
[nternat iona les llorOJkope-Ltxikon (Fre iburg , Germa ny : He rmann Baue r
Verlag, 1992 )
 TH E ADV ENT O F T HE RfDElMlR - 10 1

sp readi ng Eastern d octrines in t he W est and W est ern ones in t he East.

From 19 36 ro 1949 he devo ted h im self ro working among [he "ho ly men "
of Ind ia, end u ring g eear hardsh ips. From 192 5 unt il h is death in 19 69 he
maint ained conti nuous sile nce, communi cat ing on ly by signs unt il h is
deat h on 30 J anuary 1969 .
Billy G raha m (see Chart 2 on page 100), th e Amer ican evangelist, is
of a very d ifferent cha racter. It is strik ingly Ma rt ial and fiery in natu re,
with t he Sun in Scorpi o in t he 8 th house, a M ars-M oon con junni on in
Sag ittarius in the 9 t h house conjun cri ng t he Me, a nd Aries on th e
Ascendan t. T h is rathe r ferocious display of energy and int ensi ty befi ts a
man who spent his life crusadi ng passi onately on behalf of h is particular
view of God. H is visio n of salvation is m or e of an heroic battle with the
forces of evil t han a ge ntle d isengage ment from [h e eart h ly world. T he
millenarian sp iri t is stron gl y at work here. Yet t he Su n is once again sq ua re
N eptune, [h is tim e placed in [he 5[h ho use in Leo. O ne m igh t not im me -
di at ely think of compa ring Bill y Grah am wit h Meh er Baba, the gen tle,
introverted Ind ian m yst ic. We are sharpl y rem ind ed of th e very d ifferent
archet ypal ba ckgrou nds of Hindu and Am er ican Pr ote sta nt rel igi ous att i-
t udes; and Su n in Scorpio sq uare Ne ptu ne in Leo in the Sch might be
expec ted to ge ne rate spi ri tu al pyrot echn ics in a fashi on whi ch th e mor e
fluid and in t roverted Sun in P isces sq ua re Neptune in Ge m ini in t he d t h
would never do . Yet th e qu est for redem pt ion im p licit in bot h m en 's
teachings is, in essen ce, the same.
The th ird cha rt is th at of C. G . Jung, a horoscope now well kn own
co students of astrolog y (see Ch an 3, page 10 2). Alth ou gh J un g was in
many respens very m uch a creatu re of th is worl d , and hardl y live d an
ascetic life, nevertheless he dev ot ed much of his extraord ina ry ene rgy and
ab ilities to und erstanding t he roots of the rel ig ious urg e in human psy-
chology. W her he r or not he "suffe red" in th e obv ious sense is arguable, as
he was physicall y heal t hy and marer ially secu re; bur he su ffered internall y
from a sense of te rrib le isolation . Desp ite [he psychiatri c creden t ia ls an d
empir ic approach wh ich m arkJ ung [he scient ist , Ju ng the m yst ic fill ed h is
work wit h a world-view whic h is, in esse nce, as N eptunian as t hat of th e
t wo oven religious teachers descr ibed abo ve. H is preoccu pario n wi rh
rede m ption reveal s its elf in hi s concept of ind ividuat ion as a g oal of life,
reflected in a uni on between ego and Self-th e alche mi cal bu ras gamoJ or
sacred ma rr iage, Once agai n th e Sun , here placed in Leo in th e 7t h house,
is square Nep tune . chis t ime in t he 3rd hou se in Tau rus. The concep r of
rhe collect ive un conscious is closely aki n to-if not act uall y identical
wi th-e-th e an cient Orp hic vision of a un ified living cosmos . D iogenes
Laertes ' quotatio n from the Orphic li te rat u re-c-t'E very rhing comes [ 0 be
 10 2 - TH[ A1)TR O l O G I( Al l'. [ r T U I\. ( A, i'o..D TH [ QU [~ l fO R R [O ~Mr Tl O:\.

A
••

Chart 3. e.G . J ung. Born Ju ly 26, 1875 ,7 :32 P.M. LMT, 19:02:00 G MT,
Kesswil , Swi tzerland . Placidus Houses. Source: Data g iven to me by
J ung's daug hter, Grer Baum ann-Jung , herself an ast rologer. Astrolog ical
source books give varying Ascendants (Iaeger's lntemationales Horoseop«
Lexieon gives 27 Cap ricorn, while Marc Edm und J ones' Sabian SymboII
gives 20 Aquarius>, Fowler's Compendium of Nativuio indicates the same
source as mine and gives the Aquarian Ascendant shown above.
 THE _D\E N T O f THE REDEEME R - 103

out of One and is resol ved into One"26----<:ould easily be applied to J ung 's
phi losophy of psychology. In h is work on alchemy he exp lored in g rear
depth t he idea of t he primal substance wh ich was so dear ( 0 the Orphics
and which resu rfaced as the prima materia of th e alchem ical work s of th e
Midd le Ages and the Renaissance. As Guth rie puts it :

Th is centr al th oug ht [central (Q Orphism l . that everyt hi ng exist -

ed at first tog et her in a confused mass, and th at th e pr ocess of cre-
at ion was one of separatio n and division, with the corollary t hat
the end of our era will be a ret urn [0 the pri rnirive co nfus ion, has
bee n repeated with varying degrees of mythologi cal colouring in
man y religi on s and rel igious philcsophie s.U

For J un g the end of the ind ividuation process d id not lie in a ret u rn to p ri-
mal confusion; it lay in a new integ ration of the psych e wh ich placed th e
Self, not t he ego , at the cent re, healing the ravag es of the "separat ion and
div ision " whi ch lie behind so many hu ma n ills. Thanks to t he ea rthy
emphasis in Jung 's chart , [his is a well grounded Neptun ian vision, more
easily int eg rated into mode rn life. Yet it is Nep tun ian nonethe less. In
Freud' s psycho logy, [here is no redem pr ion ; [h ere is only [h e possib iliry,
throug h honest self-confro nrarion, of accepting and learn ing to live wih
one 's own conflict ing compulsions. Freud never pro mi sed t hat psycho-
analysis would release anyone from T ibil. In j un g's anal yti cal psychology
redem p tion is a possibi lity, if not a guarantee d reward , in chis life . T he
redeemer in his cosmolog y, however, lies within .

26 . Guthrie, OrphtMl 411J G rul RtliguI1I , p 75.

27. OrphtM' a1lJG rttt Rtligiu1I, p. 75.
 PA RT T WO

lilHl1E IPSYCIHIOLO GY
OIF N IE IPT UIN IE

. . . My lin« is in/he mountains. He Jirlks 10 the ground from the rac-

ing mel-band. H, 11""''' tbe holy habit of fawn-,kin; be bunts the
goat and killr it and d,li~hts in tbe raw fl esh. . Tbe ~rotmd [Io u-s
u-itb milk. flou« with u-ine, flows u'lrh the nectar uf bees. Fragrant as
Syrian f rankincense is the fume of the pine-torch ubicb our baccbic
leader holds aloft. . . "Evoe!" be cries, then loudly: "On. y' baccha-
nts. on bright glor} of T moius and its go/den streams, bymn Dionysus
to tbedeep booming of the timbrels; in bacchic[ashton. u-itb Phrygian
fries and call. glorify the baccbicgod. uhile tbeflure, sweet-toned and
boly. plaJS happy anthem, f or the u-iid bands trooping to tbe moun-
tams. / 0 the mountains. " Then indeed the bacchant maid rej oices and
gambols. light-f oored, like a foal by its mother's SId, in th, pastlire.

-EUR IPIDES, Tbe Bacchants

 Chapler 4

THE DISCOVERY OF TH E
UNCONSCIOUS

...These arlful powers of persuasi on m1l11 beput down 10 byste-

ria! for in hy;ttria thert is alway; 50 much fuling and smb a
natural gifl for play-acting that , houever much tbey lie and
exaggerate, bysteria will alwaYl fi nd people gullIble enollgh 10
belirve them. Even doctors art oftm lakm tn by tbeir wilti.
- c. G .J UN G

ep rune 's th em es have

alway s provided inspi ra-
t io na! food fo r the poe t, t he
novelist , the painter, t he
m us ician and th e dram a-
[1 5 (, as we ll as for the

world 's great mythi c sagas. Some of th e m ost vivid ena ctment s of
N eptunian morifs can also be found in healing practises throughout th e
centuries; for inevitab ly the lon ging for redem ption , with it s accom pan y-
ing distaste for incarnat ion , manifests in cha racteris tic fo rm s of mental and
physical illn ess as well as characteristic forms of cu re. Psychology 's ter m i-
no logy is relat ivel y new, and ari ses from a spec ific series of even ts d uring
the 18th cent u ry, wh en what we no w call th e u nconscious was "d iscove red "
through th e wor k of Fran z Anton Mesm er, the founding father of m odern
dep th psych ology. O f course it had bee n d iscovered long before , unde r
ot her nam es. Mesm er himsel f. a student of astrology and of Para cel sian
alc hemy, kn ew th is, desp ite h is cla im to have revealed somet h ing new and
"scient ific" to a dawn ing Enl ightenment . The healing powers of the
Ne p tu nian world, as well as its sicknesses, have always held an impo rtant
place in primitive med icine as well as prim it ive rel igion . To p ursue
Neptune through these waters, inhabited not by ocea n ic mothers and
redeemer- sons, but by very special forms of hum an suffering , we need to
enter throu gh two closely connected portals whi ch remain a mystery even
to twentieth-century med icine and psych ology : hypnosis and hyst er ia.
10 8 - TI ll AI TRO LO G ICAL M PTUNI AND THI O UIIT f OR RW I MP TIO N

H ypn osis as ir is now unde rstood was d iscovered th rou gh th e t rea t-

me nt of hysteria. Bu t hypnosis u nd er ot he r nam es has pl ayed a pa re in
hea ling ever since hum an beings fi rst serried into rr ibal co m m u n it ies.
W itch do cto rs, med icine men an d women, sha mans and priest s have
al ways ava iled t hemselv es of wha t arc u nm ista kab ly h ypn oti c rechn iq ues,
alt houg h rarely ad m it ted as such; and the phen om ena of hypnosis have,
over the age s, usuall y bee n at rrib urcd to th e int ervention of th e god s. We
can see hy pnosis at work to d ay in t he rit uals of Afri can . Pol ynesian , an d
American Ind ian rribes. Th e H ind u faki r on his bed of nai ls, and the South
Pacific fi re da nce r wa lki ng unp er tu rbe d throug h t he flam es, bo t h make
use of hypn cri c an aesthesia, as was perhaps also d one by th e early C hristian
m art yrs. In a nc ient Egypt , th e re were "temp les of sleep "; a pa pyrus of three
t hou sand yea rs ago sets for th a p rocedure whi ch any m od er n hy pnot ist
wou ld ins ta n tl y recog n ise as the usual mer hod of p u tt ing a subject in to
trance. In the Asklep ian templ es of Epidaur us, Pergamum , and Kos the
sick we re pur into hyp not ic sleep , and t hro ug h th e po wer of suggest ion
saw vision s of t he go ds . And Apollo's pyt honesses prophesied from a sta te
of ecs taric tr an ce, w h ich is com m on not on ly co m any modern spi ritua lis t
med ium s, but also to t he som nam b u list ic sub ject un de r de ep hypnosis a nd
t he hy ste ric in th e throes of an hall ucinato ry b reak d own .
Pr im it ive cerem on ial heal in g and in it iati on rit es ree na ct t he g reat
my t hs uf t he tribe, w hi le th e pow e rfu l hy pn ot ic tool s of colou rfu l an d sym -
bo lically evoca t ive costu mes, chancing , music, and d an cin g are wield ed to
u nify t he pa rt icipa nrs into a psych ic whol e. H ol y sh rines such as Lour des
echo th is con ju rat ion; t he im pressive bea ur y of the si te . th e Sprin g a nd rhe
G rotto , (he m ajest y of th e ri tua l. t he pag eant ry of t he p rocessions, rh e per -
petual d rone of p rayer goi ng on ni g h t and d ay, and t he sense of heigh te ned
expectation in the visitor, create th e sam e pa rticipat ion mystique as do trib-
al cerem on ies. In all these hea ling rites, N eptu ne is in ev idence th ro ugh
the psych ic fusi on of healer, patient , com muni ty an d god . We have seen
t h is to be the essen ti al dy nam ic of t he euc haris ti c feasrs of the paga n
red eem er-g od s as well as t hat of rhe Mass. We a re in N ep tu ne 's d om ain
also because rit ual a nd rap port are t he m ost powe rfu l hypn ot ic tech n iq ues
kn own to man kind . T hey break down th e barriers of individual ego -con-
sciousness , pot ent iall y releasing (he Flood , yet also unlock ing the ga tes of
Ede n.
T he ter m hypn osis (from H ypn os, th e Greek god of sleep) was coined
b y th e Scorrish ph ysic ian Ja mes Bra id during t he 18 40 's, coi nc ide nt wi th
the actu al d iscovery of rh e plane t N ept une. But Braid's wor k , im portant
th ough it was for the later d evelop me nt of psychoanaly ric rh eo ry, was b u il t
u pon th e much -mal ign ed expe riment s of rhe Viennese ph ysician Fran z
 THE DI SCO VERY O f TH! UN CO N SCIOU S - 109

Amon Mesmer. The Story of the d iscovery of th is g ateway into (he uncon-
scious, whi ch had such profound ramifi cari ons for psych ology, psychiarry,
medicine. and spiri tualism in the centuries which followed. is a fascinat-
ing one; fo r Mesmer himself was a kind of redeem er-v ictim . H is concep t
of the "universal fluid " is thoroughly N eptun ian ; so were his patie nts ; and
so was the panern of his life.
A b rief inspe ct ion of Mesmer's birth chart (see Chart 4 , page 110)
docs not reveal a strong N ep tune; it is not placed on an angle, nor does it
aspe ct th e Su n, as ir d oes in the charts of Meher Baba, Bill y Graham and
C. G . Jung . It is p laced in its own natu ral house, th e 12rh , bur it makes
no ma jor aspect to any persona l planer except a sext ile to Venus-although
it is semisquare Mercury and Saturn. It is, however, strongl y involved with
the othe r t wo ou ter planets , formi ng a trine ( 0 Pluto and an oppos it ion to
Uranus . From this we may surmise that , alth ough the g enerat ion into
which Mesm e r was born would have been powe rfully affected by collect ive
aspirati ons and ideals symbolised by (h is potent config urat ion of the outer
planets, I he him self, by temperament, was pragmati c (Me rcu ry conju nct
Saturn in Taurus), fe rociously indi vidu al isti c (Sun in Ge min i trine a
Moon -Ma rs conjunct ion in Aqua rius), and inclined to self-aggandisemenr
(Su n opposite Jupiter in Sagirtarius in th e 5rh house). Yet as h is srory
unfolds we shall see t har the development of h is concept of t he un iversal
flu id, and the cheq uered career whi ch established his name in t he hist ory
of psychology, all rook p lace und er powerful transits inv olving N eptune .

The Magician f rom Vienna

M ed ical theory and practice at the t ime of Mesmer's birth in 17 34 were
frankly barbaric. Ahh ough the term hysteria had been coined in ancient
G reece and was know n (Q physicians ever since , conv en tion al met hods or
treatment for those suffering in th is strange borde rland between bod y and
psyc he had degen erated since the last pagan healing temples were closed
in th e earl y cen tu ries of Christianir y. T he 32-yea r-old man wh o in 1766
made his appearance as a qual ified physician in Europe's most lavish capi-
tal was not, ho we ver, ide nt ified wholl y w ith his conve ntional trainin g . In
h is t ravels he had accu m u lated conside rabl e kn ow ledge of an cienr an d
Renaissance th eor ies ab ou t astr ology, alch em y, m agnet ic heal in g , and th e
inte rconnected ness of m ind and body. H e also arrived in Vienn a JUSt as

1. See chapters 9 and 10 for an exam ination of N eptune's cycles In relancn (0 the other
t WO cut er planets
11 0 .... r H! ASTR O LO G IC AL N EP TUNE AND T H I O UEIT f OR RID EMP Tl O "

Chart 4 . Franz Anton Mesmer. Born May 23, 1734 , 8 :00 A .M . LMT,
07:24 :00 G MT. Iznan g , Bodensee. Ge rma ny. Placid us H ouses. Source :
l nternationaln Horosleope-Lexi e on, p. 1039 .
 TH E DI ~ C O V FRY O F THE U N C O N S Cl OU ~ - III

tran sHlng Nep tune, movin g from Leo into Virgo, was approaching a
sq uare [Q his nat al Sun in th e l l th hou se. Meanwhile, tran sit ing Saturn
had moved over the nata l Sun and was approach ing the Sun/Nep t une mid-
poi nt and , before mu ch longer, a conjunct ion with nat al Ne ptune. He
arrive d imbued with a sense of cosmic m ission , to uched by the pneuma of
more m yster ious realm s.
Mesm er d iscovered that he could pUt his pat ient s into a trance state
through the use of "pas ses't-c-sweepi ng movements made across th e sick
person's face and body. He performed t hese first with mag nets , b ut larer
on, as his theories g rew more solid and his ma nner bolder, he used h is own
hands, as mod ern hypn otists do. In rh is state the par ien r-usually a
woman, but not infreq uent ly a man -s-could be brought to a "cr isis,"
involving convulsions and an eru ptio n of violent emot ion, after wh ich
there was an alle viatio n of th e symptoms. Over a per iod of t ime , Mesm er
bega n to accumulate an im pressive list of cures of th ose who had been
labe lled incu rab le by the med ical esrablishmenr . H e also became aware
tha t the trance, th e crisi s and the cure depended upo n a peculiar emotion-
al identification be twee n him and his patient . He called th is ide nt ification
"rapport," althoug h in modern psychoana lyt ic circles it has become kn own
as transference and countertransference. l ung called it participation myJ-
rique-the mystery of psych ic fusion . It is possible th at the tran sit of
Neptune square Mesm er 's nata l Sun du ring thi s peri od may reflect a grow-
ing identifi cation with th e archetypal redeemer-healer, and an increased
recept ivity to this ki nd of psychic fusion . H e wou ld th erefore have been
more ab le to ent er freely int o the unconscious emot ional conflicts of his
patients , N eptune's transits, especially to the Sun or Satu rn , often coincide
wit h periods when "psychic " phenome na occur in an ind ivid ual's life,
because th e skin of t he ego is more porous and one's own de epest yearn-
ings are closer to the threshold of awareness.
Althoug h Mesm er's ap parently mi racul ous successes wit h int racta ble
patient s made him famous throughout Europe , th ey did not endear him to
his colleag ues. As a pe rson of considerable insight and common sense, he
knew he was work ing bli nd ly wi th some extr emely myste rious ene rgies.
Bur as a physician and a man eage r for public recognit ion , he had to have
a respectable theo ry wh ich could sta nd up to the rigourous int ellectual
testi ng of the rime. Event ually he form ulated his doct rine, which could
only have sprung from N eptune's dom ai n. T he whole universe [loared in
an inte rcon necti ng fluid resembl ing ether, and one physical bod y influ-
enced anot her th rough vib rat ions passing along th e cu rrents of this invis-
ible med ium . Th is was the basis on wh ich , following the ancient sources,
he also believed that astrolog y work ed , since [he energ ies of th e plane ts
112 - TH I ASTR OL O GI CAL N I PT UN! AN D THI Q UIS T f O R RED I MPTI O N

were tr ansm itt ed by t he fluid. T he human body in turn con tained and was
influe nced by it as well. Disease was th e result or reflect ion of th e im pro p-
er flow of t his mys te rious su bstance. Ce rtain peo ple had a special gift; t hey
were e ndo wed with a par t icul arly large o r pa rt icularly po we rful amou nt of
th e univer sal fluid . Such an individual (Mesme r, with Su n oppos itio n
Jupiter, considered h im self an em inent example) could influe nce and
rebalance th e magnetic po les within anot her's bod y simply b y t ransm it-
t ing t he invisible substance through bodi ly contact, passes of t he han ds , or
even throug h inanimate ob ject s such as a basin of wate r wh ich had firs t
been "mag netised" (or consecrated ) by t he healer's touch,
Alt hou gh th ere is conside rabl e psyc holog ical if nor physiolog ical
trut h in Mesm er's doct rine. it d id not im p ress th e m edi cal faculty of th e
U ni ve rsi ty of Vienna. In (h e e nd , Mesmer gar h im self inro t rou bl e wit h
a wom an , and had to leave (Own , This cr it ical ep isode in his life occurred
as N eptune moved fu rt he r into Virg o and formed a square [Q his natal
Nep tune . Th e woman in q uestio n was 18 years o ld , and beautiful ; and as
though proving that life really d oes im it at e art , she was cal led Maria
Theresa Parad ies. Maria was fun cti onally blind . She had lost her sigh t at
age 3, althoug h no organi c affl icri on of th e eyes had ever been d iscovered .
She also had considerable musical talent , and her public performances as
"t he blind pianist " had earned her fat he r a pensio n, awarded by th e
Empress Maria T heresa in recogn itio n of her gift. Sad ly, we do not pos -
sess her bi rt h chan . It is p roba bl e t hat she, rather tha n Mesmer, was th e
true N eptun ian, not only from her biog rap hical da ra (and from his na tal
Ven us sexcile N ep tu ne) bu c also from t he facr th at , und er powerful
Nep tun e tr ansi rs, t he my thic tal e of t he vict im-red eem er ofte n enters ou r
liv es through th e agency of ot he r people wh o in som e way pers oni fy t he
planer. Mesmer knew tha t emo tio nal, rather th an p hysical, p roblems lay
beh ind Mar ia's co nd it ion, since her eyes were physically no rma l. W hen
he r parents brough t he r to hi m as a last hope, he ag reed to unde rta ke her
cu re. Ma ria al so suffe red from deep depression and bo uts of d eli riu m . She
had been mal treated by ma ny cruel bur ine ffectua l effons to restor e he r
sig h t over th e years, and t hi s left her fearful. nerv ou s, and prone to seve re
panic attac ks. A hu nd red years later, in Cha rcot's ti me, a woma n wi t h her
sym p to m s wou ld be d iagnosed as an hysteric, and he r emot iona l co nflicts
wou ld have been explo red . In l Srh cent u ry Vienna, she receiv ed no su ch
undersranding fro m th e med ical estab lishment. Mesmer w ok he r in to
h is home as a resid ent patient , purring her int o rra nce eac h d ay and sub-
jecti ng he r to the passes whi ch he bel ieved would tran sfer h is o wn
hea lt hy un iversal fluid to Mar ia's damaged system . H e cook Ma ria
throug h n um ero us "crises..· and grad ually she beg an to disting uis h light
 T HE DISCO VERY O f T HE UNCO NSCIO US - 113

from da rk ness, and to ma ke out , in a b lu rred way. the featu res of her
redeem er 's face.
Bur as is so often the case with hyster ia, the d isap pearance of th e
orig inal sym p to m was foll owed by th e em ergence of anot her. Ma ria beg an
to suffer from vert igo . At th e same time , th e u nderl ying conflicrs in the
family. as well as in Mar ia, bega n to rise [ 0 th e su rface. As he r sig ht con-
tin ued to imp rove , Maria's fat her be came troub led at th e idea of h is da ug h -
tee living in Mesmer's hou se, subject ed [ 0 th e man 's touch and po wer.
Moreover, he r piano pla yi ng suffered , since her newfound sig h t th rew her
into con fusio n and un certainty . If t he piano playing ceased. so would t he
pension. Mar ia's parent s resolved [Q rem ove her from Mesmer's care,
alt houg h th ey refused to ackn owle dge the ir teal reasons. T heir d ecis ion
was o ne wh ich can be seen trag ically ena ct ed time after ti me in p rese nt-
day psychia tr ic wards, where the "identified" patient beg ins [Q im prove
and the fam ily, all of whom are unconsciously im plicated in th e ill ness,
close rank s and pull him or her our of treat ment [Q avoid those lo ng over-
d ue confront at ions which a cure would inevitably necessitate.
When the Paradies parents arrived at Mesmer 's house (Q take Maria
home , she clu ng patheti cally (0 her physician 's coat, refusing co go . Frau
Parad ies erup ted in a frenz y of shou ting and sta m pi ng , d emand ing th e
reru m of her daug hter and accusing Mesm er of sexua l abus e. Herr Paradi es
rushed at him with a sword , Maria, terr ified and to rn in her loyalt ies,
regre ssed into a fit of convulsions. Her moth er seized her and hurled her
against th e wall. Although Mesmer mana ged [0 ge r th em out of his house,
t he y s umm oned th e au t horiries, and M ar ia was forced to retu r n co the
parental home, N ot surpri singl y, she becam e blind again , On e wo nde rs, in
such a fam ily, who is [he real hysteric. A st rong and d ifficult N ep t une in
the bi rt h chart , which is likely in th e case of Maria, not only sug gests rhe
possib ility of suc h prob lems in the ind ivid ual. It also sug gests th at th e
person may carry the hyst eria for a fam ily or even a larger social gro up . Bur
such ideas were nor available in 18th cem ury Vienna. Nep tune had not
even been disco vered yet , nor had family t herapy. Mesmer. paying th e
price for ide nrificarion with the archetype, was struck from the med ical
reg ister and d riven out of Vienna. He mad e his way (Q Pari s, whe re he
hoped th e reception of his id eas wou ld be some what more enlig h tened . By
th is time trans it ing Uran us was moving through G em ini and applying (Q
a con junccion wit h h is natal N eptune and an opposit ion to its own natal
place. H e left Vienna bitterly d isillusioned , and steepe d in t he g loom of
mart yrdom .
Mesm er's career in Paris unfor tun ately follo wed a simil ar story of
pop ula rity among his patients and calu m ny by th e med ical soci eti es.
11 4 - l It! ' I TROLO GIC " N( PTU N( . NO T H( Q UEll l OR REDEMPTIOr-;

Uranus conti nued it s transit over natal Nept u ne and o ppos itio n it s own
p lace, hig hlig h t ing an inn at e sp lit be t ween my sti cal vi sion and scientifi c
understanding . This opposi t ion seems to have been enac ted in th e conflict
Mesm er expe rie nced ex te rna lly. His fame was en ormou s and h is cu res well
docu me nted and inco ntestable, bu t the estab lish me nt utterly reject ed
him . In respo nse he became mo re and mo re flam boyant an d recalcitrant ,
assum ing t he ma n tle of a mis un de rstood ge nius. This is nor an unusual
react ion for someo ne with h is b irth chart co nfig u ratio ns (part icu larly the
Moon -M ar s sq ua re Mer cury-Serum . co m b ined with the Sun-Jupiter oppo -
sirion), since a person with th e SOrt of intensity and inflexib ility described
by su ch planet ary p ictures tends (Q fiercely resen t any arrernpr (Q cu rt ail
his or her freed om of th ough t or act ion , part icula rly by fig u res of au t ho r-
it y. The pla cement of Satu rn in the 10 t h hou se square Mars in th e 7 t h has
an even mo re ferocious resistance to powe r which t he indi vid ua l expe ri-
ences as im posed from wit hou t . The people of Par is in 17 78 , however,
loved t he ir eccent rics. It was, after all , the Age of Enlig hre nme n r, and
U ranus was abou t ro be d iscove red in th ree years' time , Newton and
Voltaire were th e gods of t he eli te. The di scovery of the hot ai r balloon and
th e lig htning conductor supported th e fervent belief that th e h um an mi nd
would soon become master of th e hidde n powers of nat u re, Revolut ionary
unde rcu rrents were also rife, and so were th e unde rcu rren ts of th e occ ult;
for Pari s was also full of fort une-r cl lers, necroma nce rs, alchem ists , and
mag icians. T his occul t sub-cu lt u re was ready [0 welco me Mesm er. Bur he,
torn be t ween my sti cism and science, disowned th em with contemp t, con-
side ring himself a scie nt ist and still det ermined ro gain recog nition for his
th eory of th e uni versal fluid .
Mesmer event ually per suad ed t wo repr esent at ives of the Fren ch
Royal Society of Medi cine to visit his clinic. T hese conse rvative gentleme n
arr ive..d to obse rve on e of th e most bizarre scenes th ey had ever witn essed .
The large and lavishly decorated consult ing room overflow ed w ith peop le
from all walk s of life-arist ocrats in th eir lace and powdered wigs rubbed
shoulders with the shab bi ly dr essed poor. Mesm er, bei ng a true son of
H er mes, was noth ing if not eclectic in his choice of pat ients . In t he cen t re
of the room stood a baquet , a big tu b full of magn etis ed wat er br istl ing
with me tal rod s. Dozens of wo me n stood wit h a hand on one of th e rod s,
some of th em faint ing, some of th em in var ious sta tes of convulsion, some
shrieking and crying, som e scaring blankly in a stare of tran ce. Some were
being carried nff by assistants to th e padded "cris is" room s. All the whil e,
mu sic poure d ou r from a sma ll cham be r orchestra; and over chis
Neptunian bacchanalia p resided Mesm er, dressed in a cloa k of go ld lace
and a pu rple silk su it , occasionally joini ng t he musicians on h is glass bar-
 THE D ISCO vE RY O F THl UNC O NSCIOU S - 1 15

mon ica. All chis was rather too much for the ge nt le men o f the Socie ty.
What was worse , the pa t ien ts were ge tti ng better.
As transiting N eptu ne arrived at the nadi r of the birth chan and
formed a trine to the natal Sun, Mesmer was driv en o ur of Paris. But he
had succeeded in first establishi ng a sch ool, the Socie,,: de I'H armon ie,
where he raugh r p ract iti oners the scien ce (or ar t) of Mesmerism , Alt hou g h
his ow n career rolled speedily downhill , marred by increasing ostracism
and repudiat ion by his d isciples , his schoo l spawne d o ther school s, and the
study and practice of Mesmerism spread through out all the European cap-
itals. Mesmer d ied in obsc urity in a small G erma n town by the Bodensee ,
in 181S. Transit ing Neptune had moved int o Sagir rar ius , opposing irs
ow n place and co njuncti ng natal U ranus, wh ile transiting Plu to had
reached the m iddle of Pisces and formed a T-cross with th e na ral Neptu ne-
Uranus op pos iti on . Perhaps he was g iven the chance to di scover at last the
truth of rhe un iversal fluid . Bur by t he time of h is death, Mesm er ism was
firml y es tablished in what wo uld become, du ring the next ce ntury, the tw o
g reat Europea n cent res for psychia tric research: the schoo l of Nancy and
rhe sch ool of the Salpetriere in Pa ris ,
Mesmer's theory of "animal mag ne ti sm " rem ained high ly questio n-
ab le in th e eyes of th e m ed ical est ab lish ment. Bur some of Mesm er 's d is-
ciples (Oak his wo rk mu ch further th an he himself could ever have done,
for they had no invest me nt in person al vindication by the scientifi c co m-
munit y. Most impo rtant of these later researchers was th e Marquis
Arman d J acq ues C hastene r de P uyseg u r. Th is am iab le Frenc h aristocrat
mag net ised a shepherd boy w ho , unlike the sophisti cated hysterics of
Paris, had neve r heard of the crisis wh ich was supposed to occur dur ing the
state o f trance . The boy, called Viet or, slipped quie tly into a som nam bu-
listic trance -that is, his sense s see med to be alert, even hype ralen , bu t he
was actually in a deep hypnot ic state , com pletely amenable to ve rbal sug-
ges tio n and unab le to reme mb er wh at he had said when he awakened . D e
Puy segu r real ised th at the crisis and co nvulsions wert: unnecessary; they
we re part of Mesmer's g rand j up it er ian thunder-and -lighrning sho w, and
t he patients, em inentl y suggesti b le. oblig ing ly provided him with th e
manifestat ion s he desired . De Pu yseg u r understood that the state of sug-
g esti ble t rance , and the rap po rt between mes meri st and sub ject, we re in
fact respon sibl e for the cu re. Thi s case was the first crit ical observati on of
a hyp noti c subject. De Puyseg ur had di scovered bo rh hypnosis and t he role
of sug gest ion in ir, alt houg h t he name itself had ro wait for James Braid 's
nom enclature nearly half a cent ury later.
A nim al magnetism, after its brief period of publ ic pop ularity at t he
end of th e 18t h century, apparen rly sank out of sig ht , save for the q u iet
11 6 - TtH -\ STRO l O G I( Al I\. EPT U N E "NO T HE Q U E ~ I f O R RED P..,P TIO N

wo rk co nti nuing at the N ancy and Salperrie re schoo ls. But it bred a
st range offshoot. Mesmerism became ide nti fied with th e spi ri t ua list move -
ment which bega n ro e merge in America during the 184 0's (on ce agai n
co incident with the time of the planet Nep tune 's dis covery). Soon the
enti re count ry was in fected by a g reat yearning for contact wi th the spirit
world . Spi ritualist groups, pamphlets, jou rnals , and cong resses prol iferat -
ed . At t he begi nni ng of 18 52 t h is N ep tu n ian wave crossed th e Atl a nt ic,
and wit hi n a year it had inu ndated the whol e of Europe . Seances we re an
e rni ne ntly Nep tunia n affair, requ iring a state of participation mystique
amo ngst th e m embers; ph ysical ph en nm ena su ch as bobb ing tab les, loud
and ex traordinary noises, and m anifestati ons of flu id or "ecto plasm " were
de rigrur: The so m nam bu listic trance was understood [0 be a mediu mis tic
state throug h whi ch d isin carna re entit ies could co mm unicate . Although
the epidemic slowly receded . many spiritualist groups rem ained acti ve,
They are still act ive tod ay. Wh atever one m igh t thin k of thi s N ept u nia n
worl d only d imly lit by th e light of reason - and we will expl ore it more
fully in chap ter 7- it provided invaluable material for those researche rs
into the hum an psyche who went on quietly buildi ng an edifi ce of under-
standing of the dynam ics of the uncon sci ous . Later in the 19 th century,
Bernh eim , a physi cian at th e Nancy school, fu rt he r devel oped de
Puyseg ur 's wor k on som nam b ulism in l ight of J am es Braid's new er inves-
tig arion s inca hyp no t i srn . Bernhe im promulg ated a theo ry of suggestion
in rel ation to the hysterical pa tie nr s whom he puc inca trance . A r the sam e
time, Charcot, one of the g reat in nova to rs of psyc hiatric research , de vel-
oped his own theory of the relation ship bet ween hysteria and hy p ncr ism
at the Salperrier e hospi tal in Paris. Out of this inten sive probin g into som e
of the mo st elusi ve and my ste rious corridors of human suffering event ual-
ly emerged Sigm und Freud and C. G . Jung . The: doors of the uncon scious
were th row n open , and th e era of dep th psychology an d dy nam ic psyc hia-
try had dawn ed .
W hat , th en , is hyst er ia, and wha t is hyp nosis' The former mi gh t in i-
tially seem easie r (Q explain than the latter, since we have apparendy se n-
sible defi n itions in mos t psychia tric tex tbooks . But hyst er ia, like hypno-
sis, is a slippery fish to catch; and ult imately bot h de fy rat ional explana-
tion . We will begin w ith hysteria, which has a most ancie nt pedigree, and
is the Neptu nian malaise par excdlmce. H owever, even call ing it a m alaise
is not really appropriate . Although hyster ia is usually conside red an ill ness
or a "personality diso rde r," it is a property of the human psyche in gener-
al, and ir exists (Q a g reater or lesser degree. jusr as Neptune does , in eve ry-
one. N ep tune run amok in the individual is a vel)' dist incti ve creature. But
because every astrolog ical sym bol reflect s a spectrum of creative and
 T HE D ISC O VERY O F THE U NCO N SCIOU S - 11 7

destru ctive expressions emerging from the same arche typal core, no plan-
et is mere ly "good " o r "bad ." T he so-called rnalefics, Mars and Satu rn, may
p reserve life through realis m, stre ngth , and cou rag e, while the so-called
bene fics, Venus and jupiter. may destroy life through blind naivety, self-
aggrandiseme nt, and waste. Any plane t in excess, ove rwhelm ing other fac-
[Drs in the horoscope , dis plays in ow n peculiar pathology as well as its ow n
peculiar gifts . Unlike the pa ralysi ng rig id it y and defe nsiveness of Saturn,
Ot t he ch illi ng diss ociation and frag me ntation of Uranus, or t he para noid
dest ru ctiveness of Plum, the di stu rbed emo tio nal states connected with
Neptune's more proble mat ic face express, to a greater or lesser degree of
severity, a quality best described as ecstatic. The word "ecstasy" comes
from a G reek root wh ich means " to be beside oneself' or "to be OUt of one-
sel f." Th e Flood is at hand; the sea inundates the land ; the eg o is porous or
only partially formed, and disi nteg rates-wi lling ly or unwilli ngly-i n
the face of ove rpowe ring archaic long ing s fo r fusion wit h a primal sou rce.
Neptun ian ecstasy may be expressed as ex treme emorionaliry, or
t hrough a range of characrerisric p hysica l sym pto ms , only some of whic h
are presen tly recogn ised by orthodox med icine as psyc hosomatic. O r the
state of ecstasy may be a hidden Eden co whi ch the person w ithdraws, leav-
ing others wai ting outside t he walled ga rden , baffled by t he slack serene
counte nance of the satia ted infant. Th ese affects may arise spontaneously
from w ithin , or be indu ced by drug s or alcohol; but the ir feelin g -ton e is
unmis takable . Th e indi vidual is no longer contained w ith in the bo und-
aries of a disti nct identi ty, bu r has blurred and d issolved and flowed away.
Even when d ram at ic and ap parenr l y gen uin e emutional affect s are
exp ressed, one has the sense nor of an indi vidu al who is feel ing the se
things , but of a flood of primal stuff, un con nect ed wi th any coherent iden -
tity . N eptune's ecstasy is that of both oceanic mot her and divine child . It
is a reg ression into prenatal bliss, an oceanic experi ence of un ion with the
deity, and at the same time an eruption of primitive rage at any threat of
separation . N eptunian loss of boundaries is invasive as well as evasive , T he
dis solut ion of the outl ines of the ego-personality not only results in g reat
vul nerabil ity to the Saturn ian world, and a consequent resistance to being
d ragged out int o t he lonely and seating daylig ht. 1, also gene rat es enor-
mou s anxiety, so that the pers on in the gtip of t he overwhel m ing long ing
w ill inadve nant ly try to b reak down the boundaries of ochers , even
strangers, to achieve the fusion he o r she seek s. Thus ochers feel a strange
am bigu ity of response to Nep tune tu n amok, for one tr ies to find a defi-
nite, coherent en ti t y and fails. Inst ead one encou nters a fragile, unfo rmed
thing. Vet t he potency and influe nce of th is unfor med thing is sometimes
quite astoni shi ng , for such a pe rson can wield great power over ot hers
118 - THE ASTROL O GICAL N EPT UN ( AN D T HE OU EST f OR REDlMPT IO ,,"

through the sub tlest of em ot ional means. Alongside the helpl essness of the
infant comes the arch et ypal spell-weaving of th e creato r-go ddess who is
Maya th e enchant ress.
O ne of the most vivid po rtrayals of thi s "art " may be seen in rhe film
Solaris, d irected by rhe Russian And rei Tarkovsky. Supe rficially a science
ficrion story. the film prese nts us wi th an alie n planet wh ich has the power
to m irror back to th e indi vidual all of the deeply buried longings embed-
ded in his o r her unco nscious psyche, and ro manifest th ose longings in
hallucinatory form-to th e ini ti al delig ht and event ual hor ror of the visi-
to rs. This prar ean power to ide nt ify wit h th e psyche of th e other, and to
efforde ssly "beco me" that which the ot her secretly long s for, is one of the
g reatest artist ic and therapeutic gift s of the Neptunian tem peramenc. But
if an essential core of int eg rity and self-hones ty is lacking-and jt will
always be lacking at some fundamental level , if there a re uncon scious
child hond wounds wh ich have not been explo red- then the g ift becomes
a g reat danger. Ident ificat ion wirh an archetype always br ings power. But
the powe r is borrowed , and therefore a cheat and an ult imat e dest royer on
the human leve l if it becomes enme shed with the need to recom pen se what
was lacking in early life . Ident ificat ion with Neptune invokes the seduc-
tive fascination and water-magic of bot h my thic characters-the oceanic
mo ther-creator and th e di vine redeemer-son . But in th e hands of a deeply
wound ed and unfo rmed personality, th is powe r to enc ha nt is used to serve
the longi ngs of the infant, at the expense of everyo ne else-howev er g reat
the g ift. For thi s reason the hysterical personality, as it is know n in psy-
chia try, is equated with the most outrageous forms of deceptio n, manip u-
lation. and em ot ional blackm ail.

The G reek Tradition 01 Hysteria

The G reek term hysteria means "wornbiness." Hysterai is translate d , lit er-
ally, as "the latt er pans ." Th e social prob lems caused by th e vaga ries of th is
myste rious organ are described in a short Hi ppocratic treat ise called About
VirgtnJ,2 in wh ich the author at tributes the physical symptoms of hyste-
ria- paralysis or trem or of th e lim bs, func tional bl indn ess (such as th ar of
Maria Parad ies) and deafn ess, sho rtnes s of b reath, pai n in th e chest, lumps
in the throat, pain in the groin or legs. faint ing fits, skin rashes. d igesti ve
d istur bances, foam ing at the mouth, and various sexual malfunct ions-to

2. For an excellent an.l-Iysis of the G reek approach to hystcria, sec H tT/J;nn and 1I' 1ItT;( I ,
Mary R. Lefkowitz (lo ndon: Duckworth. 198 1>. pp . 12-2:> . in which t he above and e t h er
G reek medi cal works arc qu oted
 THE DISCOVER Y Of Til E UN CONS C IO US - 11 9

menstrual blood whi ch has flowed the wron g way and flood ed the ot he r
organs of th e body, inclu d ing the brain . In other H ippo crati c treari ses, the
womb itse lf is said to wander through th e body, mak ing m isch ief until it
can be b rought back ag ain (0 its p roper place. Yet despite t he ir exrraord i-
nary ign oran ce of fem ale anato my, G reek physici ans were aware t ha t a
peculiar kind of labile o r flui d em oti onality accompanied th ese ph ysical
symproms , d ist inguish ing them from p rob lems of organ ic origi n. An easy
and someti mes violent swing of moods was usually displ ayed. accompa·
nied by u ncontai ned laughing or weep ing or rage, g enerally inapprop ria te
or unrelated to an act ual life situation . H yster ia was conside red mo re like-
ly (0 affect wid ows and virgins [han mar ried wome n, and the tr eatment
usuall y involved a prescripr ion of marr iage and sexual im ercourse-a
pragmat ic and perhaps demeaning, but nevertheless ofte n dramat icall y
effect ive, CUte for the frustrated Neptunian long ing for someone with
whom [Q fuse. The Greeks were well awar e t hat the more t heatrica l man-
ifestati ons of hysteria were pr edomi nand y erotic in origin . even if di s-
guised benea th rei ig ious fervour.

The dis heveled hair, the head tossed back, the eyes tolling, the
body arch ed and tense or writh ing , the sudden cessation and
q uiet -c-rhese ca n be found in the graph ic accounts of Cha rcot 's
ward at the Salperriere, in Arri c vase paint ing s of Maenad s, and in
de scriptions of contem po rary Haitian voodoo rit uals. It is indeed
likely tha t these body movements express a similar meaning in
each case : sexua l excitement and ecstas y, ch ild bi rth. yearni ng for
liberation from restraint , and striving toward fusio n with power -
ful fantasy figures.!

Th e G reeks also u nderstood t he phenomenon of gro u p hyster ia, and

Eur ipides' T br Bacchants rem ains one of th e most terrifying d ramatic
descriptions of thi s collecti ve state. In fact the whole problem of hysteri a
was, to the G reek m ind , a D ion ysian issue, whether in an ind ividu al or a
g roup. The abandonment of th e Maen ad s d u ring th e D ion ysian rites was
perceived as a collec rively sanct ioned, symboli c and ge nerally mo re cre-
at ive exp ressio n of ecstasy th an an individu al experienci ng an hyster ical
seizure. Diony sus , g od of t he invis ible unifYing life-force be hind all man -
ifest reality (whic h Mesmer called the un iversal flu id ), in effect p resided
over t he sta te of ecst asy, wh ich was on ly path olog ical when it int rud ed
upon pe rsonal life becau se of unexpressed and unfu lfilled yearni ngs . In

3. Bennerr Simon, l\ ti nJ a nJ MaJntJ11n Anatnt G ru ,-t (I t haca. New York - Cornell

University Press, 19 78), p . 2 ~ I.
12 0 - TH [ A STROl O GI CAL N [ PTUN [ AND TH [ Q U [ IT FOR RW [ M PTl Q,,"

other words , hyst eria as a n illness was the resu lt of t OO f irr le. rath er than
tOO m uch , D ion ysus. For if th e god was nor g ra nted his due in rhe rig ht
way. he took it in th e wrong on e. In stat es of ecstatic di vin e po ssession ,
tens ion g rad uall y buil t up to th e poin t wher e th e god took over an d th e
person was no lon ger in possessio n of hi mself or herself; an d wh at foll owed
was usua lly nor re mem be red. We meet t his characte risti c amnes ia in peo-
ple wh o have become roar ing dru nk , aba ndoned all pretense of eg o-con-
tr ol , beha ved in a d ist inctl y D ion ysian fash ion , and chen clai m t hat [hey
remember nor h ing the follo wing morn ing . T he behav iou r is d isowned by
the individua l, just as it is afte r a som nam bu list ic tr an ce. Someth ing
else- t he alcoh ol o r the god or the un con scious (or all three)--rakes ove r
for a wh ile. T hi s is a kind of m ini -Flood, whe re t he waters wash th e Eart h
clean and life can begi n again free of t he sins of th e pas t- including th ose
add it ional sins one mi gh t have com m it ted whil e in t he ecs ta ti c state . Thi s
same conven ient forge tt ing occu rs in t he hyst eri cal per sonality after som e
of the more flamboyant out b reaks of emot ion.
The m ad Maen ads of The Baccbants start off as obedie nt hou sew ives
and mot hers u nd er t he rul e of th e rath er too Sarurn ian K ing Penrheu s: an d
t hey are, to say the least , int ensely frustr ated by such a life. Bur t h rough
t he ecstas y of the go d, t hey com e in co nta ct wit h a un iversal an d and rog -
ynous life-force; and th en t hey rise up and app ropriate male fu nctions and
pow c.:rs, leaving thei r loom s and th ei r ch ild ren , tak ing up a rm s and defea t-
ing m en . Th ey act out th eir fu ry toward th e ch ildre n wh o enslave t he m by
rearin g you ng anim als to p ieces, and th ey b randis h t he thyrs us- a rbiniy
di sg uised giant ph all us. Pen rb eu s, th e sup remely rat ion al but em ine ntl y
st u p id rul e r in w hose k in gd om they run amok , threat en s to cap t u re th em
a nd pur t hem to work aga in at d om est ic tasks . As a result he lite rall y loses
h is head , whi ch Freud inte rp reted as a sym bo l of los ing hi s pe nis as well
as his san it y. The rag e hi d de n be neath the emo tio nal ma n ipulat ions of hy s-
teri a is castr at ing and vengeful. Pentheus carries sep arate ness [Q too g reat
an ext rem e, and he pays a terrible p rice. It seem s that th e G reeks, lik e
C harcot and t hose researcher s wh o came after him , recognised hyst er ia as
t he cond it ion par excellence of large- scale a nd con tinu ou s repression -nor of
any ad ult sexual d esi re for a part icular ind ivid ual, but of t he bou nd less
ero t ic long in g of t he in fant for fusion wi t h its d ivine sou rce.

Tirn ias: This new di vini ty whom you ridicule-word s cannot

describ e how gr eat will be his power throu gh out Hellas. . . . He
invent ed t he liquid d raug ht of th e g rape and int rod uced it to
mortals. When they gee their fill of the flowi ng g rape. it stops
t heir g rief. It g ives th em sleep and forge tfulness of daily sorrows.
T hen' is no other medi cine for t roub le. T he libat ions we pou r are
 THE DII CO VERY O F THF U" CO N I CIOU I _ 12 1

th e god himself mak ing our peace wit h t he gods, so that through
him manki nd may obtain blessing s. . . . H e is a p rop hetic god .
Those whom his spirit fills , like people possessed, have no small
p rophetic power. Whenever the god ente rs the body in full
st reng th . he rakes poss essio n of men and makes the m tell the
fu tu re. . . . l ist en [ 0 me. Perubeus. Do not p resume t hat mere
powe r has influence with men . Do nor be wise in you r own d is-
eased imag inat ion. We lcome the god [0 the land , pour libatio ns,
wr eat he you r head , revel. 4

According to Aristo tle, there are three form s of madness : ecstasy (or erot-
ica), ma nia, and me lan ch ol ia. In the first we can recog n ise the hysteric.
Inreresring ly, th is form of m ad ness is associa ted in the Greek m ind with
psych ic po wers, as Tiresias te lls Pent heus in the pJay. The ecstatic m ad m an
or madwoman ca n see visions and p rophesy, like th e Pyt honess at Apollo's
oracle . This is fam iliar Neptunian ground . T he state of ecstasy was thus
closely connected in G reek th ough t [Q imagina tion and the gift of visual-
isati on . T he oceanic world of fant asy and dream bursts throug h the bound-
aries of sense, and the borderl ine bet ween realit y and illusio n collapses.
Neptune's madn ess is a failu re to ach ieve a com p rom ise between t he rat io-
nal and the irrati onal. Or, put ano th er way, it is a failure to achiev e a com -
promi se be twee n th e do m ain of th e oceanic mother and t he lit tle pa tch of
Earth whi ch we call t he ind ividual ego, depe nde nt upon t he fun ct ions of
Satu rn for its su rvival. In hyst eria , poe t ic creat ivi t y- t he po wer to infuse
ind ivid ual h um an expe rience with th e protean un derwater wo rld of u ni-
versa l and un ifying im ages an d feelings - slips ove r into dangerous dis ror-
t ions of reality.

The man who cannot allow himself this suspe nsion of his facult y
for test ing reality cannot enjoy the thea tre, and the person who
allows it too completely is a mad man. .. . Jr may well be . . . that
Dionysus is a god of illusion, and as such eminently sui ted to be
the god of the rhearre.?

G reek t heatr e, like t he D ionys ian revels, was a collect ively sa nct ioned
experience of Neptune. But whi le th e Di onysia n rit es p rimarily served the
needs of opp ressed, fru strated and devalued women , the theatre was ava il-
able to everybody. G reek theatr e was sacred [Q Dionysus himself, and the
acto rs were his servants. The masks they wore an nou nced the ir archetypal

4. Eunpides, T IN B,ucha"tl , In Ten PliZ)1 b) E,mp'Jt.J. Moses Hades and Joh n Mclean.
trans. (N ew York : Bantam Books. 198 5). pp . 286·2 87.
'). Simon. 1t1i"Ja"d MaJ" w ;" 1I,,(;t,,1 GrUft. p . 147 .
12 2 - TH ( AST RO LO GICA L N f PTU l\l f AI'. O THE Q U IS T f OR REOEMPTI ON

roles, for th e Dio nysian experience was meant to be universal, not pe rson -
al. Its chief aim was catharsis, a collective psychic unifica tion like the Mass,
whi ch bou nd performers, audie nce and dei ty in a profo und emot ional real-
isati on of pity for th e lot of human ity and awe before th e go ds . We now
use th e word catharsis to describ e any release of pen t-up em oti on wh ich
serves to clea nse and renew. Th is is Mesmer's "crisis," the flooding of th e
land by the sea. Greek audiences were not as well-behaved as we are now;
they wailed , sh rieked , wep t, cursed , and agonised wi th the ir actors .
Int eresting ly, the Greek word for "acto r" was hypokriltJ, from whi ch we
der ive our word "hypoc rite"--defined in th e Cbembers Tuxntntb Century
Dictionary as one who "conceals his tru e character:' This will readily be
recogn ised by astro logical students as one of the more diffi cult d imens ions
of the N ept uni an nature.
T he Greeks always pl aced th eir tragedi es side by side wi th comed ies,
and thei r comed ies were invariably coarse, phall ic, and ribald . T his, too,
was a un ifying experience, and also part of Dionysus, who governed all
ecstatic abando n, of the sp irit and the senses both. T he hysteria of the th e-
arre and th e hysteria of the Dionysian rit es were profound and soph ist icat -
ed recogn it ions of a god -g iven longing whi ch, if un recog nised and
unlived , resulted in di sease of body and soul, bu t whi ch, if properly chan-
nelled , brough t a regenerative experience of un ion wit h th e univer sal life-
force itself. As it has in modern ti mes become fashionable (Q tu rn our opera
and theatre into arid ideologica l com me ntaries accordi ng [Q the po litica l
persuasion of the di recto r, and to tu rn our religious rit es into flaccid social
event s, it is not surp risi ng tha t today hyster ia has become an ill ness which
belongs in th e domai n of th e psych iatr ic ward.

Hysteria at the Salpetriere

T he pio neering work of Charcot and J anet , and the early researches of
Freud and J un g , centred p rima rily on hysteria. As we have seen , th is psy-
cholog ical explo rat ion of Nep tune's world developed ou t of th e theories of
Mesmer ism which began in th e last decades of th e 18t h century, as part of
tha t ge nera l move me nt towa rd rationalising the m yster ies of life which we
now term th e Enlightenment . From the wri tings of these men we have a
conc ise clinical picture of hysteria . In man y ways thi s body of writing is
now lim ited and o ut mod ed, partly because illne ss, like normality, is a
reflect ion of the cu ltural canon of (he ti me. Yet j( can provide us with con-
siderable insig ht in to Nep tune's path olog ies. Most of the pat ients in th e
wards of the Salpe eriere were wom en, who suffered from soma t ic symp-
 THE DI \ C O VIRY O f T HE UNC ON SCI OUS - 123

toms with no organic cause- paralysed lim bs, blindn ess, unco ntro llable
u em bl ing--or from spells of hallucinat ions , emotio nal fits , muteness, or
other characterist ic hysterical man ifestations. T he nam e "conve rsion hys-
te ria" was gi ven to this g rou p of psychosom ati c p roblems , by wh ich it was
underst ood that emotional dilem mas, suppressed and inaccessible to th e
conscious personality, were "convened" int o bodi ly symptoms symbolic of
th e origi nal conflict. No t su rprisingly, most of t hese supp ressed issues,
when probed th rou g h hyp nosis, tu rned ou t to be ero tic in nat u re, and
linked with paren tal fig ures.
Althou gh Charcot, th e physician, believed [hat the ulr irnate or final
cause of hyst er ia lay in the innate cons ti t utio n of the pat ient, Char cot t he
stud ent of [he soul never lost sigh t of the effect of [he m ind upon [he body.
In one of h is tenu res, he informed his students:

Let us t ry [0 recog nise at least in part th e mechanism of the pro-

ducti on of t raum atic hysterical paralyses. . .. We m ust take a
cour se ap parent ly devio us, and mu st ret urn once more to a subject
which has al ready occup ied our atte nt ion . I mean those remark-
ab le paralyses which have been designated psychical para/ysts.
para/ym dtptnding on ideas, para/yus by imagination. Now. observe,
I do nor say Imaginary para/yul, for indeed these motor paralyses
of psychi cal orig in are as ob ject ively real as those depe ndi ng on an
orga nic lesion; they sim ulate th em as you will soon see, by a nu m-
ber of ide ntica l clinica l characters, whi ch render th eir diag nosis
very J iffi eult. 6

Nothing co uld be more redole nt of Nep tune t han "paralysis by ima gina-
t ion, " for as H ind u ism has bee n telling us for more t ha n twent y cent u ries,
[he "a ll too solid st uff" of th e body becom es fluid and malleable according
to [he will of [he psyche. In [he passag e q uoted above, Charco t is inc hing
his way towa rd wha t lat er became Freu d 's ch ief theory of t he cause of ne u -
rot ic problem s: a hig hly cha rged "com plex" of associated mem ories, ideas
and feeling s whi ch, because of t he ir unaccep table nature, have beco me dis-
soc iated from conscious ness and beg in to sabotag e emoti onal and physical
well-being.
Charcot cont inues:

It is well known that in certain circu msta nces an idea may pro-
du ce a paralysis, and conversely that an idea may cause it to dis -

6. A. R. G . O wen. H)lItf' la. H) pnllJlJ and Heali"g: TIN Wur f III ) -M CharM (Londo n:
Dennis Dobson. 19 7 1), pp. 112-1 13. Charcot's emphasis.
124 - THE ASTR OL O GI C AL N [P I UN l AN D T H E Q U IST ~ OR REDEI...,P Tl O N

appear.. . . In subjects in a stare of hypnotic sleep it is possible to

originate by the method of sugge stion, or of int ima tio n, an idea
or coherent gro up of associated ideas, which POJIW l IN indioideal ,
and remain isolated, and manifest them selves by correspond ing
moto r ph enom en a."

This is no long er such a srarrling idea, for, due {O ou r increasing psycho -

log ical sophisticat ion , we are inclined to be somewhat suspi cio us of ail-
ments which evidence no organic cause, and of the individuals who di splay
such ailments on a regula r basis . The term "p sychosomatic" is parr of ou r
everyday language, although it is generally used to describe som eone else's
illness, not one 's ow n. But we need to rem ember th e enormi t y of this di s-
covery in rhe med ical world of the 19th cent ury, when the power of the
psyche over th e body had been forg otten since pagan ti mes. Freud
exp ressed th e major im portance of thi s insig h t in his obit uary of C harcot:

At one point Charcot's work rose above the level of his general
treatment of hysteria and took a step which g ives him for all ti me
the glory of being th e first to elucida te hysteria. l'FIhe idea
occurred to him to reprodu ce by artifi cial means such paralyses as
he had previously carefully di fferent iated from organic di stur-
bances; for thi s purpose he took hyster ical pati ents and placed
rhern in a sta te of som nambulism by hypnoti sm. He succeeded in
producin g a faultless dem onstr at ion and proved [hereby tha t th ese
paralyses were the result of specific ideas holding sway in th e
brain of the pat ient ar moment s of special dispositi on. With chis
the mechanism of an hysterical phenomenon was for the first tim e
d isclosed ."

Th e hyster ic is therefore a person of d ivided will: the will to lead a fully

functio nal life, and th e will to rema in an invalid , To Charcot 's unsent i-
mental eye, th ere seemed to be a profound stubbornness d isplayed toward
any su ggescion of relinqui shi ng chose u ncon scious "id eas" caus ing all rhe
tr ouble- as th ough th e state of illness and vicrirn isaricn was ult im ately
less painful for the pa t ient chan recogniti on of th e truth about his or her
own feelin gs, and th e challenge of living an inde pendent life, We can read-
ily recognise th e long ing for fusion wh ich is so charact eris tic o f N eptune.
The fishlike slipperiness of rhe hysteric-which can make an otherwise
direct and honest person a habitual hypocriltJ as soon as th e repressed
"complex of ideas" is prob ed too deeply- is a phenomenon every psy-

7. lipuria, HYPflfJ111 anJ IItalt nx, p . 113.

8 . HyJltria. lIypmJ1i l and Htalt nK, p. 123.
 THE DISCO VERY O f THE UNCO NSC IOU S - 125

chot he rapist has en countered. This ma y be th e case even wit h th ose indi-
vid uals who could nor in any way be called " hysterical" accord ing 10 th e
orig inal diagnos tic form ula. In fact , it applies [Q us all , wheneve r Neptu ne
is called upon ( 0 accou nt for itself. Althou g h, in subsequent decades , the
defin it ions of hysteria formula ted by Janet , Breu er, and Freud we re
expa nded to incl ude pu rely psych ologi cal as well as psy ch osomatic m an i-
festat io ns, the unconscious desire to rem ain ill remains a pecu liar feature
of hysteria. It is an extremely co m mo n and extremely human manifesta-
t ion of the Neprun ian long ing to retu rn to th e bl iss of fusion w ith th e
source-c-cared for, benign ly indulged , uncondiri onally loved, and sh ielded
by a suong and capable life-g iver from the terrors of the wo rld "outsi de:"
Another srrik ing featu re of Charcot's hypnot ic experiment s with
hysteria was t he intense natu re of the at ta chmenr between doccor and
patient . As we have seen, Mesmer first formulated th is atrachme nt , call ing
it "ra ppor t"; he beli eved such a sta re o f fusion was necessary [0 effect a
cu re. JUSt wha t the rappo n consisted of, and how ir came into bei ng, was
not im media te ly clea r. Cer tai n ly Mesm er was all tOO aware o f its erot ic fea-
tures (si nce this was w hat go t him th row n out of Vienna), as well as of the
component of dependency and will ing ness [Q be led . What Charc ot fou nd
was t hat the hyst er ical personal ity (or perhap s we sho uld simply call it t he
unform ed one) tended to inevi tably exaggerate the at tach me nr far beyo nd
the usual ph ysician- parient relationship, to the poi nt whe re the patien t
virtuall y becam e an extensio n o f the phy sici an's wi ll. Pierre Janet . formu -
lating his own ideas about Charcot's discoveries, w rote :

This attachment , which develops according to the treatment they

require. reaches ex traordinary proportions if somnamb ulism and
suggestion become part of it. The o ld m agneti sers, who had often,
though with out knowi ng it, hysrericals in charge, not iced it , and
have repeatedly described th is phenomenon . Perhaps we mig ht , in
hono ur of the heroic period of mag net ism , call it the mag netic
.
passion ...9

Bearing in mi nd the state of total identi fication wh ich occ urs in

Neptun ian expe riences, we can see that the "mag netic passion " of wh ich
J anet writ es is reall y an experien ce of psychi c fusion , like th at of t he very
young infant with the m other. T he pat ient, unformed an d un boun da ried ,
merges with t he pers onality of the docror; an d with Nep tune's pec uliar
sensitivity, he o r she intu its wh at is requi red and procee ds [0 offer it--even
[Q the po int of man ifesting those sym ptom s w hich the phy sician has , con -

9- Hylttr;d, H, pnuJ;' and Htd/'ng, p. 173.

 126 - THI ASTROLOGICAL N EPTU N E AND T HE O UEST f O R REDEMPTION

sciously or un conscio us ly, come to expe ct. T his m yster ious abi li ty co pro-
vide the healer with th e righ t sympto m occu rs wi th regularity in many
forms of psychor he rapy today, whether hysteri a in rhe cl inical sense is
invo lved or not. It is wh y so m any pa rients of Freud ian an alysts produ ce
d reams full of rhose oral, anal and phalli c images whic h mea n so mu ch 10
rhe analyst , wh ile rhe J ung ian pracritioner may be asto nished and p leased
at how freque ntly patients recount dreams full of alchem ical processes,
ma ndalas, and symbols of the Self Once again we have entered Ne ptune's
hall of m irrors.
The reason s for Freud 's aband onment of hypn oti sm as a clinical
method is a frequently cold tale. W hile one of his patients was unde rgo.
ing the cathart ic tr eatment unde r hypnosis, she sudde nly, upon waking ,
embraced him with consid erable erotic intensity. Freud decla red lat er rha r
he had, at th at moment, g rasped "the myste riou s elem ent th ar was at wor k
behi nd hypnot ism "- t he "mag ne tic passion " of rhe mesme rists, wh ich we
migh t now, using [he lang uage of modern dep th psychology, call the erot-
ic tran sferen ce. Bur if we aba ndo n ou r cli nica l te rminology, it should be
ob vious that it is no t on ly in th e psychoth erapist's consulting room t hat
such a powe rful movem ent coward psychic fusion occu rs. lr happens every -
where, in every walk of life, and to a g reate r or lesser exte nt in every pe r-
son regard less of sex. Irs oh jecr may not necessar ily be hum an . And the
Ne-ptunian erotic longi ng , which is really the com pelling urge to retu rn to
Eden, is always the mot ivating force.
Today we have a plethora of dia gnosti c labels to describe th e various
sta res of psychic di sturban ce int o wh ich human be ing s can fal l. H yster ia
in psych iatric pa rlance has increasin gl y become a suspicious label, used
more and mo re sparing ly, part icul arl y since the "conversion hysteri c" of
19 th cent ury Par is and Vienn a is a charact er who has vir t ual ly vanished
from [he psychia tri c ward . The hysteri cal personality diso rde r of the twen-
t ieth ceor ury. more often th an nor, involves no ph ysical sym ptoms,
alt houg h ir may encompass extreme hypochondr ia. Tim es have cha nge d ,
mo rals and sexual roles have alte red, and we have new illnes ses now to fu l-
fill a differe nc cult ura l cano n and rhe di fferenr expectations of our docto rs.
Bur perhaps [he hyster ical component of hum an personality, em bedded
somewhere wit hin each of us, st ill displ ays its remark able Neptu nia n elas-
ticity and sim ply prod uces new var iet ies of ecstasy, wh ich are now called
"manic dep ressive psych osis: ' or "schizophrenia," or "fun cti onal autism ,"
o r "epi lep tic personality," or "eat ing d isorder. ' H yster ia may even be ali ve
and well in those illn esses wh ich we are convinced are organic becau se they
have physiolog ical concom itant s and because some of them can kill- such
as heart dis ease, cancer, g land ular fever (known in America as mononucle-
 T H E D ISCOV ERY O f T H E U :"J CO N SCIOU S - 127

osis), mu ltiple scleros is, and that latest ailment which would no doubt
have brought a snort of recognition from Char cor-c-pos r-viral fatigue,
popul arly known as ME .
In Charcot's t im e, most states of mad ness (save th ose wh ich were
di rect ly linked to organic causes such as brain dam age or tert iary syphilis)
were considered under th e broad label of hysteria. Despite recent efforts [Q
isolate a "schizophrenic " ge ne, it is possible that he was rig ht . Th e g reat
mystery whi ch Mesm er and his followers disco vered was the extraordinar-
ily fluid and crea tive quali ty of th e psyche, wh ich can dissocia te at will
from what it finds unbeatable in itsel f, and reproduce its suffeting th rough
a body wh ich appears to be absolutely under its com mand . Ch arcot did not
just hypnot ise hysterics; he also work ed on th ose who suffered from m ul-
tiple sclerosis (a name wh ich he him self coined ). Alth oug h Cha rcot was a
clinician first. and d id not ign ore th e physiolog ical im plications of symp-
toms wh ich were accom pan ied by di scernible bodi ly changes. never theless
he belie ved tha t even apparently organic ailme nt s such as multi ple sclero-
sis had an hysterical component. Today this concep t would offend man y
who suffer from suc h illnesses and view th em as ent irely somati c. But it is
possible tha t Charcot was t igh t.

The Hypnotic Trance

Alr houg h it s broad er sig nificance elud ed them, one of th e most int rig u-
i ng fea t u res of hys te ria reco g n is ed b y t he ea rly M esm eri st s was t h at t he
hyst erical personality is eminently suggesti ble. A powerfu l suscept ibi lity
to hypnot ic command accom panies th e fam iliar spectr um of hysterical
sym pto ms; and t his exag gerated suggestibility , reflect ing an intense "rap-
port" with the hypn ot ist , reveals an important dim ension of th e unbound-
aried pe rsonal ity. The link between extrem e suggest ib ility and hysteria
was part icularl y int eresting to Charcot , who co ncluded th at a pronounced
amenabilit y to hypnor ism-s-ind icared by the capaci ty to slide into a deep
som nam bulistic trance-was ident ical to th e suggesti bi lity involved in
the hysteric 's "conversion" sym ptom . In ot her words. the hyste ric uncon-
sciou sly hyp not ist's h imself or herself int o a pa rt icular somatic condi ti on
as a mea ns of avoidi ng an inte rnal conflict . The specific nat ure of the
somatic cond itio n is "sug gested " by [he special config uration of the ind i-
vidu al's environment and personal needs . Put more sim ply, hysterical
symptoms always seem cu riou sly tailor-made fo r the uncons cious req uire-
ment s of the sufferer. Accor d ing to Charcot , the hypn ot ic trance could ,
therefore, be regarded as a pa thologic al or morb id cond it ion.
12 8 - T Ht A SlR OL O GIC Al N f PTU N[ AN D T H f Q U f ST f O R R fO fMPTl O~

At t he Nanc y schoo l, pa rallel resear ch into hypn ori c suggest ion led
Bern heim to ward d ifferent concl usions. He bel ieved th at hypn oti c sug-
ges tib ilit y was not a condi tion lim ited to the hysteri cal personalit y, but
was a universal psychologi cal ph enomenon wh ich could be produ ced to a
greate r or lesser exte nt in everybody, induced and reg ul ated by suggestion .
Charc ot and Bernheim thus polarised , and for a time engaged in a rath er
violent battle ro define the terrain of hypn osis and it s meaning. Ch arcot
adm itted th at he was not especially int erested in I, petit hypnolim"-the
m inor hypn oti c p henome na whi ch could be p rodu ced in th ose without a
stro ng ly hyste rical d isposit ion . He was concerned with Ie grand h),/JYJo/iJme ,
which was a very obvious aspect of t he partic ular pathology of his patien ts.
Yer if we pu t toget her the researches of t hese tWO impo rta nt figu res in the
early history of psychology, we can set' t hat bo th may be correct. H ysteria
as the reflection of an un formed, plast ic and infantile di mension of hum an
nat ur e exists to a g reater or lesser exte nt in everyo ne, and is perhaps a
pro pert y of the un con scious psyche Itself. Therefore everyone is to some
ext ent suggest ib le th rough the port of entry symbo lised by N ep tu ne in th e
bi rt h chart . But when hyster ia dom ina tes t he per sonality, mas king d eep
emot iona l lesions and ind irectly servi ng rep ressed instinct ua l need s whi ch
can find no healt hier ou tl et , then we can begi n to und erstand it as a
pathology, with it s accompanying extr eme hyp not ic suggest ib ility.

Sugge scibil ity is und oub tedly an art ribure of all manki nd, t houg h
nor [0 th e same exrenr in all. . . . In pop ular op inio n, women are
ge nerally regarded as more suggestible and more susceptible to
hypnosis than are men. T he literat ure is almost unanim ous in
reject ing this conceptio n. . . . All invest igation proves t hat chit-
dren are almost 100 per cent hypn otisable , from the time they are
able ro unde rstand and obey [he necessary instr uct ions up to four -
teen yt·MS. 10

The last sentence of thi s quote, taken from a text on hypn ot ism writte n
nea rly fort y years ago, is wort h cons id ering more deep ly. Althoug h mo re
recent t heor ies suc h as "social compliance" have been offered to explain th e
p heno men on of hyn osis, we are no close r to understa nd ing ir today th an
we we re when th e above-mentioned book was wri tten. Accord ing to t he
aut ho rs, either all chi ld ren are hyster ics unt il age 14 , or th ey reflect a nat-
urally fluid and unboun dar ied q uality wh ich the advent of puberty cur-
tail s. In astro log ical term s, (he psycholog ical chang es of p ube rty are

IC) . Leslie LeCro n and J ean !Jorde aux,ll)p m'WIrI Twa) (Lo s Ang eles: W ,lsh He Boob .
1959 ). p 76
 THE DISCOVER Y O F THE U NCO N SCIOUS - 129

reflect ed by the advent of the first Saturn op position to its own place . We
might reflect fruitfully here on th e lin ks be tween puberty and th e pt im al
couple's expulsio n from the Garden of Eden because of the orig inal sin of
carnal knowledge . Pube rty may be imaged as the eat ing of the forbid den
fruit, because it is a kind of bin h- the eme rgence of a sense of separate
sexual identi ty, and a gro wing consc iousness of sex ual desire.
W ith th is rite of passage comes conflict with the parent of the same
sex, who now becomes a rival. T he pube scen t child can reprodu ce, and can
thus become a parent (o r a creato r-god) in his or her own rig ht. Infantile
fantasies of fusion with the beloved pa rent -god , which have become fixed
through childhood wounding , tend t o resurface at pubeny in a far more
th reaten ing fash ion , because the body is now big enoug h , and sexually
equippe d enoug h, to act O U( the fantasy in an entirely diffe rent form . Th e
accompanying physiological changes are di fficult and frighten ing for
many you ng people, and it is not uncom mon fo r a sensiti ve and imag ina-
tive adolescent to pass th roug h an intensely rel ig ious phase at this time , as
thou gh fleein g th e mon strous advent of th e body 's da rk impu lses th rough
a rerum to the em bracing arms and womb of the god head. It is at th is
junct ure , roo, that most anorexic chi ld ren- usually g irls- beg in to evi -
den ce their com puls ions . We may understo od these, in part, as a flig ht
into a pre- pubescent state, w it ho ut menstruat ion and therefore without
th e threat of mother's enm ity. At puberty, as at phy sical birt h, th e longing
for fusio n makes itself kn own most powerfully because new chall enges
arise in the outer world; and inevitably Nep tune, and the yearning to
return (Q the source, are much in ev idence . It is ofte n (he case ch a r diffi -
cu lt Saturn t ran sits activate N eptunian fantasies as a means of escape from
the pain and co nflict , even if natal Neptun e is not directly affected by the
transit. The Hare of fusion with the mother's psyche is a natural part of
child hood, tot al in th e weeks immedia tely following birt h and th en g rad-
ually d imi nish ing ove r the years, um il the newly sexualised pubescent
body itself destroys the capacity to ident ify with an and rog ynous parent -
figu re who is also the d ivine [om et origo.
The emo tio nal age of the hysterical pe rsonal ity is gen erally a lot
younger than 14 . But the characteristics of hyste ria are appropriate and
inevitable in infan cy and child hood, althoug h extremel y di st urb ing in
adulthood- as the follo wing quotatio ns make clear.

The hyste rical personality di ffers from both the psychot ic and th e
neurotic. Although physically mature, he remains emot ionally
arrested and inadequate bur does not ret reat entirely from reality.
Barred by maladjustment from properly faci ng life, his symptoms
become an excuse permiu ing partial escape. They tend to create
 130 - T H E A ST ROL O GI C AL N EPT U N f AND T H E Q U fST f O R REDEM PTI ON

th e arrenti on and sympat hy which he craves and offf'r an alibi to

avoid work-he is roo ill. Such symptoms art" a shield and he
the refore- takes pleasure in the-m. Th e-y may be- anything such as
the simulatio n of the symp toms of some disease, or the y may be
convulsive atta cks, blindness. deafness, mu tism, paralysis, con-
rracrures, bodi ly pains, ere. While the deception may be delibe r-
ate, more often it is unconscious. I I

It is po ssible to detect in t his paragrap h that cha racte ristic lack of sym pa·
t hy coward t he hysteric whi ch is all roo famil iar to psych iatri sts, ana lysts
and cou nsello rs- nor [Q ment ion th e ch ild ren and spouses of such ind i-
viduals. T his animosity is even more apparent , and bet te r art icul ated , in
t he next quot e:

Th ere are wide differences in hysterical behaviour, but man y suf-

ferers from the cond iti on loudly inveigh agai nst th eir illness, pre-
claim ing to family and friends how miserable they are and assert-
ing that they would do anyth ing to be well again. But the hys-
terical ind ivid ual subconsciously prefers to rem ain ill because he
finds it advantag eous. Therefo re he resists cure. Un like th e psy·
choric, he usually is high ly suggestible and easily hypnotised,
th oug h sometimes resistant. No matter what psychot herapy is
employed , the hysteric finds pleasure in his cond ition, so that cure
becomes difficult . App arentl y relieved , he tend s to relapse. W hen
one symp tom is elimina ted , another crops our. I f his symptoms
are removed by hypnotic sugges tion , which is often readil y
accomp lished , the next day t hey are reanimated, or new ones have
taken the- ir place. Although the cond ition is someti mes cured, (he
hysteric is (he despair of all pr acrit ioners. U

W hile we are relat ivel y com fort able with , or at least not su rp rised by,
manipulation and indi rect bids from ou r child ren for uncond iti onal love
and ab solute atten tion , the same be haviou r in an ad ult is considerably
more unpl easant. Pe rhap s t his is because it circles arou nd a core of power-
ful agg ressive and erotic feelings in the adult wh ich have not yet accumu-
lated such a high un con sciou s charge in rhe chi ld- al rhoug h , in cerrain
cases, extrem ely mani p ulative behavi ou r in a child may arou se violent
anger in parents, teachers and siblings. But we can tole rat e, and emparhise
wit h, a child 's demand for total and all -encompassing love , bot h because
we kn ow th e child need s ou r protection and becau se we kn ow he or she

L1. LtC ron and Bor deaux , IIJP"lJliJm Tuda)', P. 167 .

12.lIyp,,01;J117 Today, p. L68.
 THE DISCO VERY O F T" I UNCO NSCIOU S - 131

will grow up one d ay. When we co nfro m t his im mense, boundless hun g er
in an adult , parti cul arl y a partner, ou r empa thy run s out , We fed trapped
and t hreat en ed wit h lifelo ng suffoca tion . It is also very diffi cu lt to chal-
lenge t he ma nipu lative suffering of the hysteri c withou t feeling guilt y. W e
are, after all, b roug ht up wit h a particular ethos of loving ou r neighbo urs.
and alt hough we usually fail at th is task we st ill like to see ourselves as
nice, de cent folk. Moreov er, Neptu ne in each of us ensu res that we ( 00
need to feel we are loved and accepted, and will not be ex pelled from th e
shel te ring womb of co llecti ve approval. It is upon pr ecisel y th is
Neptunian longin g co be uni versally accepted and loved th at t he hyst er ic's
own Neptunian p ropen sit ies so sha melessl y play.
H yst erical behaviou r in anothe r is unquest ion ab ly u np leasant . No
one en joys feeling used, man ip ulat ed , and devoured , particul arl y when th e
dev ou rer is b usi ly protesti ng th at he or she is reall y be ing lovi ng and self-
sacrifi cing . Su ch a figu re, whe n portrayed in drama or film , never fails to
evoke an int ensel y u ncomfortable respon se in the audien ce. But the ang er
and someti mes overt crue lty whic h ad u lt hyst er ical behaviou r so often eli c-
its from ot he rs m ay also be because we all have Neptu ne h idd en away
som ewhere, and do not like seeing so flagrantly di sp layed th ose infa nti le
long ing s to retu rn to p re-exi ste nce whi ch we work so hard co de ny in
becomi ng "ad ult ," T he indi vid ual who is least to lerant of such behaviou r
is usua lly t he one who suffe rs unco nscious ly from t he same problem , All
t he var ious ga mbits of hyster ia are gea red coward some k ind of "seconda ry
gain "-t he procu ring of love, atte nt ion, care, physical affecti on, sym pat hy,
a nd mate rial su ppOrt , wi t hou t any con tribution on the part o f th e "su ffe r-
er." Bur they ma y equally be seen as effo rts (0 obtain what every human
bei ng wanes . The p rob lem is t hat these effons are exp ressed covertl y, wit h-
out risk ing the rupture of psychic un it y throug h direct and hon est com -
mu nicat ion. Asking for wha t one wanes is a fu nction of Mars in t he horo-
scope; and Ma rs, like Saturn , is a natural polar opposite of Nept u ne,
because it represents t he assertion of ind ivid ual des ires. Th is m eans the
end of fusion. Nept une's tend en cy to want what the ot he r pers on wants is
a character ist ic means of rem ain ing merg ed with th e ot he r's pe rsonal ity. If
t he re are diffe rences, there mig ht be conflict, reject ion and lo nel iness. O r
there ma y [ust be diffe rence s, which for N eptune is bad en oug h . T he
Neptun ian may be hysterical not becau se h is or her need s are un usu all y
path olog ical; t hese needs arc archetypal, a nd em inentl y human. To see
[hem as m erely infant ile is to m isrepr esent a fun d am ent al huma n long ing .
But it is a q uest ion of degree. T he individual with a po werful Nept une
often feels tha t he or she ca nnot bear eve n a slight de gree of sep arateness
or alienation . T he anxiety which alonene ss invok es is alm ost intolerab le,
132 .... IH I -\ HR O l O C;IC.-\l :"o. IP T U :\.f ·\ 1\;0 TH I Q W\ f f O R RIO IMP TlO :,\;

for it co n ju res the bar ren was teland oms ide rhe g a tes of Eden, fu ll of su f-
fe ring and d eath . Th is m ay, in extreme cases, jus ti fy ob ta in ing one's need s
t h roug h an y m eans necessary -s-even a de bi litati ng ill ness w hi ch d est ro ys
one's own freed om as well as that of ot he rs.
Deep hyp nosis may be seen as an hyst er ical cond it ion because it
involves a st ate of fu sion wi t h t he hy pnoti st. The su b ject gi ves up h is or
her au tonom y. and submi ssivel y ope ns (he bou nda ries of rhe ps yche co the
ot her , as t h e baby does to t he m ot her. Al t hou gh so m e practit ioner s of
hyp nosis claim t ha t ve rbal sugges t ion alone accomplishe s hyp not ic
ind un ion- henc e t he m yria d "sel f- he lp " reco rdin g s of a vo ice m on o to-
nou sly intoni ng th at o n e is g ro w ing drowsy an d rel axed - I have spoken
wi th a t:0 od many sens it ive hypn ot ists who freely adm it th a t they expe -
rience a pecul iar sen sati on of descend in g with t he su b ject into th e hyp -
not ic t ran ce . Th is sensat ion is fe lt o n t he bodil y as well as t he psychi c
level. The hyp not ist wh o is in couch wit h h is o r her ow n Neptun ia n feel-
ing s d irect ly experien ces t he psych ic fusion whi ch occ u rs, even to t he
po int of sharing t he som at ic react ion s of the subject. H yp nosis is a joi nt
affair, and reconstr uct s t he origi na l cond it ion of pa ren t -c h ild fu sion in t he
earl y weeks of life.
It is usefu l to exam ine certa in aspec ts of t he phenom ena of hyp nosis.
Som eti m es it seems [flat t he Ne ptune-d ominated personal ity walks about
in a state o f p er p et ua l se m i-h yp nos is, terr ify ingl y su g g est ib le to JUSt ab out
a nyth ing pass ing by. T he concep t of "soc ial co m pliance" does not exc u se
us from ou r sugg estibility as a collec ti ve, wh ich leaves us pain fu lly vul-
nerable (0 m an ipulat ion by religi ou s, com m erc ial, and poliri ca l ins titu -
t ions. The ab il it y (0 be hypnot ised is. as we have seen, a va riable busi ness.
In ge ne ra l, a cert ain d egree of t ru st in or empathy with th e ind iv id ua l hyp-
no t ist is required, in addi tio n to t hat m ysteri ous att ribute of sugges tib ili -
ty. H yp not ist s genera lly ag ree that cert ain k inds of peopl e are extrem ely
d ifficu lt to h ypno tise. The psychoti c, the drunk , and t he drug ad dic t may
po se in su rm ountabl e p rob lems because hypnoti c tr ance req u ires a relin-
q u ish ing of eg o- co ntro l to th e hyp noti st , and in the t h ree co nd it ions m en -
tio ned a bove, there is no eg o left to g ive away. In co ntrast, t he hype rra-
t iona l tempe rament is eq uall y d ifficu lt (0 hyp not ise, al t hou gh thi s is due

larg ely to extreme d efe nsiven ess rat her t han Jack of suggest ib ility. The
suggest ib ilit y is un co nsciou s, and may be ca lled OUt in ot he r life sit ua ti ons
where it is leas t expected- such as t he enchantm ent of fall ing in love.
T he de p t h of a hyp not ic tr ance is measured by certai n cha ract erist ic
responses. T he "hyp no idal" state involves a feeling of rel axat ion or drowsi-
ness, pe rhaps wi th some Ou((cr ing of th e eyel ids . A ligh t hyp not ic tr an ce
is re flected by pa rt ial cat alep sy- i n ot he r word s, th e sub ject can be
 T H E D I I CO\[ RY O F THE U," CONI CI OUI - I .B

instructed to expe rience unusual rig idity in various groups of mu scles such
as eyelids and limbs, accompanied by slo w, dee p breath ing and a feel ing of
detachme nt o r float ing . At t his point t he sta te of "rappo rt " be tween h yp-
no t ist and subject comes strongly into play. In the med ium trance, partial
am nesia and anaest hesia can be induced by the hypnot ist; racrile ill usion s
such as itching , burni ng, or a particu lar taste or smell w ill be acce pted by
the subject as real. In the deep or somnambulistic tran ce, which Cha rcot
belie ved to be a conco m itant to the hysterical personality, th e subject can
open h is or he r eyes, alt hough th e pupils will be dilated and staring, and
hype racut e sensory percep tions can be achieved . Somet ime s clairvoyant or
telepathi c phenom ena occur. Complete amnes ia and anaesthes ia can also be
induced, and quit e biz arre posthypnotic suggest ions will be obed ientl y
followed . Even mo re ex traordinary, the subje ct can be instructed co g ain
con t rol of org anic bodily functions such as heartbeat . blood pressure, and
d iges tion . Blisters can be raised on the skin, and appa rently int ractable
physical sym pto ms such as lifelong pso riasis can be all eviated -implyi ng
that such sy m pto ms are hysterical in the first place . Lost memories from
every stag e of life can be haul ed out from (he wate ry dep t hs, hallucinat ions
occur by sug gest ion , and all spo ntaneou s activi ty is inhib ited and sub ject
to the absolute cont rol of the hypnot ist.
It is di ffic ult for many observers to be lieve that such th ings are actu-
all y happe ning when a stag e hypnotist performs his or her act, and it seems
some how safer to assume that the "g uinea pig s" drawn from the aud ie nce
have been prev ious ly cued to foll ow a script. But hypnot ic phenome na are
genuine and profou nd ly di stu rbing, not least because we s ril l do not
unde rstand the ir real nature and dy nam ics. Bernheim at the Nan cy school
thou ght chat hypn osis was a modified form of sleep . But wh ile conscious-
ness is ent irely suspended in natural sleep, it is de finite ly present in hyp-
nosis, althoug h in a mu ch restricted form . Like an infant with its mo ther,
th e wor ld of t he subject is filled by th e p resence and voice of th e hyp no-
tist. Respirat ion and heart act ion in the hypnot ic state, although some-
what slow e r, are essent iall y the same as in the waking one ; but they are
qu ite d ifferent in sleep. The patellar reflex (knee-je rk wh en tapped ) is like-
wise ident ical in hypnosis and in the waking state, but in sleep there is
alm ost no response to th is stim ulus. Physiolog ically, the hypn oti c trance is
not a state of sleep .
Pierre J anet postulated a com p lex of int erco nnec ted ideas and feel -
ing s -usually linked w ith erotic confl icts centring around a parental fig-
ure- which are rig ourously suppres sed from consciousness , and wh ich lit'
beh ind (he "conflict ing wi ll" of t he hysteric. This results in a ki nd of spl it
in the personal ity, where the unconscious complex takes on its o wn life in
134 - TH I ASTROLOG IC AL N EPT U N E AND T H I O U EST f OR REDEMP Tl O "

d irect opposit ion to th e will of th e ego. Janet beli eved th at hypnosis arti-
ficia lly produc es a simila r spl irting of th e personali ty inca conscious and
unconscious components, with the lat te r assumi ng ascendancy in the hyp-
not ic tr an ce. Bu t th e am enabili ty to being split t hroug h hyp not ic sugges-
t ion depend s upo n t here alread y being a sp lit of some ki nd in th e subject.
Echo ing hi s maste r Charcot , Jane t clai med that th e rep ressed complex
whic h lies be hi nd th e manifestat ions of hyst eria also lies behind t he
extreme sugg esrib iliry characteristic of the somnambu listic sub ject. Since
all hum an beings possess splits of some kind, g reat or small , be tween eg o-
consciousness and the complicated and often conflicti ng needs of the
who le psych e, all human bei ngs have some suscept ibil ity to sug g est ion-
including their own autosuggestion,
Th e rapport which is so impo rta nt in hypnosis is one of the most
mysterious aspects of the phenom enon . Mesmer thought that rapport was
caused by th e ble nd ing of t he u niv ersal fluid s of d oct or and pa tient. Unde r
the influence of a powerful N eptune transit, he defi ned rappon as an invis-
ible substance flowi ng back and fort h bet ween t wo people, or with in a
larger gro up--rat he r lik e the H ol y Ghost . Alrhough hypn ori srs since
Braid have clai med that suggestio n, rather than transmi ssion of some mys-
teri ous "st uff: ' is the tr igge r for hy pn osis. th ere are d im ensi ons of t he hyp-
not ic t rance which affect t he hypnot ist . as t houg h hypn otist and sub ject
had become one ent ity. Mesm er was flamboyant and difficult, but he was
not the crank whi ch later ge neratio ns of psychologists have claimed him
to be. T he curious thing abou t hypnot ic rapport is that the hypnoti sed
subject will on ly respond [0 the sugg estions of the person who hypnot ised
him or her, unles s the re is a di rect instruct ion [0 the subject to transfer
suggesribil ity to a third party. Th is reflec ts a profound participa ti on mys-
tique. If it were really a mechanical response, a hypnot ised person wo uld be
recept ive to any bod y's commands. It is also evident that the subject desires
to please the hypn otist [Q an ext raord ina ry deg ree. and will ca rry ou t
instructions even whe n they arc obvio usly ridiculous, embarrassing , or
unpleasant. T his overpowering desire to please is displayed even if in nor-
ma l life th e sub ject is d ifficuh anJ intract able. There is also a strong urge
to act OUt a part and pretend-to be a hypocrites-and to ident ify w ith the
wis hes of the hypnoti st. Th is occurs even if these wishes are not articulat-
ed , or, stranger still, even if the hypno tisr himself or hersel f is unconscious
of them . The same plasti city applies to the hysteric, who has a most
remarkable knack, throug h some kind of mysrerious osmosis, of obtaining
all kind s of private and often unconscious insights about ot hers, which are
[hen used CO facilirar e the desperate quest for closeness in sorn erim es quite
vicious ways . H ysterical sym ptoms also reflect this play-act ing, for the
 T HE D I ~ C O VER Y O F TH E U N C O N ~ CI O U ~ - 13 5

hysteric w ill produ ce not o nly th e symproffi wh ich procures the maximum
"seco ndary gai n," bu t also the sym ptom wh ich his or her doctor unco n-
scious ly requ ires. Symproms follow fashion , [usr as ski rr lengrhs do . We
are swimming o nce again in the waters of rnorher-in fanr fusion . with the
peculiar telepath ic m irroring that occurs in th is mos t prima l of bo nds .
Methods of hypnocic ind ucti on are them sel ves fascinating to explore .
We are all acquainted wir h the flamboyant passes of rhe st age hypn ot ist
who, like Mesmer in the days of ani mal mag nerism , will g ive us a good
sho w, movin g h is hands bac k and forrh across th e sub ject's face wi th max-
im um theatricalit y. Some ti mes elaborate mechan ical paraphernal ia are
used -flash ing ligh ts, or sp in ning wheels, or some rh ing bri ghr and sh iny
dangli ng from a cha in . T hese im ple menrs are useful in a cabaret . or wirh
a new subject , sim p ly becau se we all kno w rhey are t he too ls of rhe hyp-
not ise The ob jects are them selves d irect sugges tio ns chat hypnosis w ill
inevitably follow, A qu iet voi ce alone can ind uce hypnot ic trance, if the
empat hy bet ween rhe subjecr and th e hypnotis t is sufficient . Bur t he hyp-
not ist 's cricks of th e trade- the maya-w orld of artifice and ill usion-are
nor the only sphe re in wh ich we mu st look jf we are to un derst and how
very unive rsal are the mechanisms of ind ucing hypnosis,
Ritu al is, as we have seen, an immensely powe rful techni qu e for
indu cing a hypn ot ic state, in the individual and in the g roup . Th e ch ant-
ing of prayers, the insistent beat of a drum, the rhythmi c movements o f
dance, all insin uat e their way beneath the boundari es of indi vid ual ego -
awareness, openi ng up the gateway between th e dayli ghr world and the
primal sea. The st robe -Ii g ht s and persistent visceral beat of a dis co are no
less rit ual ist ic and D ion ysian. If we can ext end ou r pic tu re o f hypn osis
beyo nd the caricatu red drowsy su bject in the chair to the tw il ight ebanse-
ment du m tled U mental , the "lo we ring of the th reshold o f conscio usness"
which accom panies reli gio us rites and pol iti cal pageant s of all kind s, we
can beg in to get a g li m pse of Nep tu ne o n the mass leve l. We are all sug-
gestible to t h e world of archetypa l symbols , for such symbo ls open up the
fissures in con sciousness; we read ily g ive up ou r d isr incr ive indiv idual
auto nomy if this uncon scio us subs tratu m of the psyc he is cons rellared .
And with in th is Neptun ian realm , wi rh all ou r in choate hun ge rs and long-
ings for redem pt ion stirred (Q life, we can read ily move from t he uplifri ng
d rama of th e relig ious ritual (Q rhe te rrify ing mass hyst er ia of the poli tical
or social rall y go ne berse rk- whethe r rh is means selling fire to a bla ck
gh et to in the Am erican South, smash ing the shop windows of Jews in
Mun ich , physically assaul ti ng t he work ing colleague who refuses (Q go on
strike , or dem oli shing foot ba ll stadi ums and beat ing up the o the r side's
supporters.
 1 .36 ~ THE ASTR OL O GI CAl N EPTU NE AND TH E O UU T f OR RfOr....' P TlO N

T he rise of the Th ird Reich did nor simp ly and more or less acci-
denta lly "happe-n" as a result of o ne man 's venomous charisma . O n
th e con tra ry, it was carefully conrn ved and meticulously o rches -
tr ated . W ith a frig hteni ng deg ree of self-awareness and psyc ho-
log ical sophis tica rion, the N azi Pace y undertook to acti vate and
man ipu late the rel ig iou s im pulse in the G erman people. , . . It
appealed CO the heart, co t he nervou s system , to rhe uncon scious,
as well as to t he inte llect. In o rder to do so, ir employed many of
relig ion 's most ancient rechn iques-c-elaborare ceremo nial, chanc-
ing, rh ythmi c reper iti on, in canraror y orat ory, colou r and ligh t.
Th e not ori ous N uremberg rallies were not politi ca l rall ies of the
kind that occu r in rhe We st today ou t cu nning ly stage- ma naged
theatre of th e kind , for exam ple, t hat formed an inreg ral com po-
nenr of G reek rel igious festivals. Everyth ing- th e colou rs of t he
unifo rm s and flags, the pla cemen t of the spectators, the nocturna l
hour , the use of spo rligh rs and flood ligh ts, the sense of ti rni ng-
was p recise ly calculated . . . . T he faces of the crowd are stamped
with a m indless beati tude, a vacuous , enthralled stupefacti o n pe r-
fectly intercha ngeab le wit h the faces at a revivalist church mee t -
ing . 13

T h is is a frigh teni ng pict ure of hypnosis on a m ass scale, used fo r th e m ost

d esrrucr ive of pu rp oses. Yet w hen we su hmi r ou rselves co t he deep ly m ov-
ing litu rgy of a rel igi ou s ritual , we are equally offering ou rselves up wi t h
the fairh of the ch ild. Sad ly, we are not always very clever at d ist ing u ish-
ing what is holy from wha t is un hol y. T he wo rld of com me rc ial ad vertis -
ing u ti lises hypn o t ic tec h niq ues, bombard ing the viewer w it h a st rea m of
evo ca t ive and hig hly symbolic images whi ch str ike the Ede n-b utton in
each of us, pe rsuad ing us t hat a particula r product or polit ical cand id ate
w ill b ri ng us heal th , bea uty, love, and un end ing b liss . A ttem p t ing [0 shut
o ur t his inv as ive worl d of evocati ve sy mbols is of cou rse impossib le; and
even if we co uld , it seems t ha t we need, somewhe re in ou r lives , a p lace
whe re the D ionysian long ing can be exp ressed . We need co rake t he Greek
st ory of Pent heus and the Maenad s very seriou sly ind eed, for if we exclude
t he need fo r fus ion from ou r live s. it b reed s ill ness and m adn ess, and h u rls
us into an intolerable wast eland . Undemand ing rha r hyp nosis and hysre-
ria are aspens of life , th at we are all sugges tib le, and t hat rat ionali ty alo ne
cannot g ua ram ee t he efficacy of pe rsonal bou nda ries, m igh r hel p us to fi nd
a place wh ere we ma y ex press Nep tu ne creat ivel y, wh ile at th e same tim e
ma im aining t he hard -w o n ind ivid ua lity wh ich alo ne ca n rruly p roten LIS

U MIChael Baigem. Hen ry Lincoln and Richard Leigh. Tbe Mm /ant( l..,gaq <Londo n:
jonat han Cepe. 198 6), p . 136 .
 TH! D I \ CO V!R Y OF THI UN CON \ CI O U \ - 137

from the in fection of the dem ag ogu e. H id er himsel f tells us where we are
most vulnerable:

At a mass meeti ng . . . thoug ht is elim inated. And because this is

the stare of mi nd I require. because it secures [ 0 me the best
sounding -board for my speeches, I order everyone [0 at tend the
mee tings . where they become pan of the mass, whethe r they like
it or not, "intel lect uals" and bourgeois as well as workers. 1 min-
gle the people . J speak to them only as a mass.'4

Suggestibility, which is a Nep tun ian attribu te, is an inevitable and neces-
sary part of bei ng human, because it reflect s no t o nly ou r psychi c sp lits and
divisions but also our ope nnes s [Q one ano ther and ou r need [0 belo ng [0 a

larger u nity of life. But equally we can understand tha t this suggestibi lity
m ay be li terally let ha l to us, as ind ividuals and as a group. The comple-
me nts £0 suggesti bi lity-those attribu tes of characte r which can balance it
in a consrruc tive rather than repress ive manner- are indi v idual co nsc ious-
ness, in di vidua l values and ind ivid ual self-sufficie ncy. Suggestib ility in t he
ad ult can be creati ve and heart- insp iring . Sugg est ib il it y in th e infant is
necessary and inev itab le . But sug g es ti bili ty in the infant pretending to be
adult is o mi nous, because JUSt abo ut anyth ing can begi n [0 look li ke a
redeeme r.
Astrol ogi call y, the life-sustaining atrrib ur es o f ind iv idu al ide nt ity
are reflect ed primarily by the fu ncti on s of the Su n, Mars, and Sat u rn .
These are the "selfish" planets , demanding self-act ua lisat icn , sel f-asse t -
tion , and se lf-p rese rvatio n. Nep tun e is co nge ni tally incapable o f say ing
"I," thus striking th e not e that Hitl er so loved to find in hi s rall ies. One
of the g reates t weapon s ag ainst autono my is the mani pulat ive wield ing of
the wor d "selfish "- whet he t spoken by a mother to t he child wh o exp ress-
es indepe nde nt th ou g hts and feeli ng s, mu rmured by a lover to the beloved
who has o ther co nce rns in life , o r pronou nced by a po litica l leader to tho se
oppo nents who have dared to en courag e self-relia nce . Accusat ions o f se lf-
ishness strike fear and guilt into the hea rt of th e offe nd ing chi ld , and
li nger o n into adul thood , generati ng a sense of s in around any impulse that
en ha nces t he solidi ty an d self-wo rth of t he ind ivid ualit y. A nd as th e Great
Di ctato r him self tells us , th is is the state of m ind he requires.

14 Q uoted In Tht A!tJJla",( u gary, p 1} 8

 Chapl" 5

T HE PSYC HOANALYT IC
NEPT UNE
H y1/"'0 Juffer maml)' f rom remmn cmm .
-SIGM UND F REUD

y [he end of the 19[ h centu ry.

th e accum ul ati ng bod y of
m ed ical a nd ps yc h iatr ic
resear c h had esrab l ish ed
Importa nt links bet wee n
sta tes of ext reme sugges ti b il-
ity and th e hyster ical di sp osition . A pi ctu re had eme rged of a per sonality
srru r ru re in wh ich u ndevelo ped "pock et s" ex ist in th e psyc he. inde pendent
of co nscio usness. These "poc kets" cont a in feel ing s and m emo ries un ac-
ceptab le ( 0 (he consc ious eg o, whi ch exert a t yran nical rul e ove r th e indi -
vidua l's life t hro ug h vari ou s p hysical and emo t ional sym pt oms wh ich
exp ress t he conflict in sym bo lic forms . We may per ceive in th is conflict
th e coll ision be t ween "sinfu l" com pu lsions and t he nee d for expiatio n so
charact e rist ic of Nepeu ne-c- alrho ug h th e' em pha sis of psychoa na lyti c wor k
is on the perso nal and patholog ica l, rather t han th e arche ty pal an d teleo-
log ical , nature of emotio nal diffi cul t ies . These t heo ries o n hyst eria fo rmed
[he co rne rsto ne foe what lat er be cam e cl assical psy choanalyti c t heo ry. T he
nu cleu s of my th ic images wh ich we have already explo red offe rs us bo th
t he inner lan d scape of th e co m p lex and a g lim pse of its broade r mea ni ng .
A[ the root of [h is peculiarly Neptun ian fo rm of su fferin g lie feeli ng s
and fantas ies wh ich have rem ained in an infa nt ile sta te . Wh ile t he body
gro ws up and th e int ellect de velops, an emotiona l cond it io n remains of
b lissful fusion w ith an all- loving, al l-p ro recn ng parental dei ty. Thi s fus ion
is as ero tic as it is mys t ical. In th e infant's wo rld, t he sensuou s d im ens ion
is as do m ina nt as th e psy chi c expe rie nce of o nene ss, for at this stage of ex is-
14 0 - T HE "STR O t O GI CA.l N EPT UN E " NO r ru O U EST FO R RED IMP T IO N

renee bo dy and feeling s are ind ist ing u ishable. For both en viron me nta l and
cons rirurional reason s, th e ch ild beco me adult C3n nQ[ or wi ll nor confront
the necessary experiences of psycholog ical sepa rat ion wh ich form a bridg e
bet ween the arche typal wo rld of Ed en and th e human worl d of relati onship
and in carn at ion in t he body. T he ego , the cen t re of ind ivid ual personality,
does not fu lly coale sce ; an d the a rchetypal domain of t he sea-de ities pe ri-
od ically or pe rma nen t ly invades ordi na ry life in a sometimes very destruc-
t ive way. Th e d oors of Ede n th en do not open on to a life fert il ised by a
sense of unity a nd m ean ing . They do not open at all, and the core of ind i-
vi dua lity is imprisoned wit hi n the wa lls of th e Paradise Ga rde n .
W h ile th e rest of the pe rsonality m at ur es arou nd it , th is secret in ne r
Ede n, wit h irs nee of immortali ty and its wat ers of ete rnal nou rishmen t ,
rem ai ns an en orm ou sly po we rful influence ove r many of th e indi vid ual's
appa rent ly free cho ices and act ions. Yet becau se it is an inces t uo us u n ion ,
t he re is always a deep sense of sin . When t he ind ivid ual is t hrea te ned by
th e challenges of th e out sid e wo rld , terror and rag e make t hem selves
kn own through sym p toms wh ich auempt (Q manipulate th e enviro nment
into rem ovin g the t hr eat as well as pun ishing [h e sin . Th is is the dy nam-
ic of what th e ea rly psych oanalysts called hyste ria. Ir is also th e dy nam ic
o f N e ptu ne ru n am ok . From the astrologi cal perspective, a powerful
Neptune, co nj uneti ng an ang le or forming m ajor aspects to oche r impo r-
t ant poi nts in t he b irt h chart , such as Sun or Mo on, d esc ribes an innate
propens ity [Q lin g er a very long t ime in Eden . Whether t hi s is "g ood " or
"bad " de pe nds upo n whet he r one can express t he res t of th e horoscop e as
well. The wat ers of Paradise m ay fertil ise ex trao rd inary creat ive g ifts and
g ene rate a heig ht ened se nsiriviry to human suffe ring. Not eve ry person
wit h a strong Nep tune is an hyst eric- u nless we ex tend t he defin ition of
hy ste ria to encompass all manipu lative psycho logical ta ctics aimed toward
fus ion. T hese occu r in eve ry human being and are as m uch the bas is of art
and religi on as th ey are of hysterical sym pto m ato log y.

Breuer, Freud and the Studies on H yst eri a

I n 1888 Freud first began using hyp not ic suggestio n to prod uce recollec-
ti on of repressed m em ories and emotional release in h is pat ients. H e had
spe nt some mon t hs w ith Cha rco t ar th e Salp erri ere , ob serving t he m ast er 's
de mo ns trations of hypn ot ism on hyster ics. H e had also visited N anc y to
learn the techn iq ues of sugges t ion used wit h suc h success by Liebeaul r an d
Bernheim . Bur the real basis of hyst er ical pat ho logy eluded h im . A frien d
of his , Dr. J oseph Bre uer, a Vien na consu lta n t many years h is se nio r, had
 THE PSYCH O AN Al YTI C N ! PTUN ! - 1 41

cu red a gi rl su ffering fro m hyst er ia by a qu ite new pro cedure <alt houg h it
was nor really new at all, since Mesm er had dis covered it a cen tu ry before) .
This procedure was based on th e assum pt ion t hat hys te ria was th e p rod uct
of a psychic tr auma forgo tte n by the patient . The treatment consisted of
hypnot ising the pa tient and calling ou r t he trauma. accompanied by t he
appropriate em ot ional cat ha rsis . Th is cat harsis was ident ical co Mesm er's
"crisis," alth ough Mesme r's patients ena cted it through a violent soma t ic
relea se rat he r than the verbal recapit u lat ion of an in tolerab ly painful an d
subseq ue nt ly repressed child hood event . T he collabo rat ion between Freud
and Breuer, althou gh the two eventually pan ed ways , led to the ult imate
dev elopm ent by Freud of the system of theory and technique to wh ich he
eventu ally gave the name of psychoanalysi s. Although the meaning of
N eptune obvious ly does not include t he entire edifice of psych oanal yt ic
th eory, the flu id, creative, ma ni pula t ive and fan tasy -genera ring qualities,
which Freud and later Jung at tri b ut ed [Q the unconscious, do co ncern us
in rel at ion [Q ou r astrolog ical t hem e. We have me t them ove r and over
again in rhe m ythology of water.
In 189 5 Freud and Breuer join tly published their Studies on HYJttria
'
Th is work cannot be underestimated in it s im po rt ance, as it maps OU t for
th e fir st t im e the basic theory of the esse ntial conscious-unconscious
di chorom y of th e psy che , as well as the p henom enon of rapport (now called
transfe ren ce in th e cli nica l sett ing, or p rojec tio n in ordi nary life). If the
astrologe r's approach [Q Neptu ne is not exclu sively "sp irit ua l," it is usual-
ly mad e via J u ng and h is con cep t of the ocea ni c collect ive uncons cious.
Bu t Freud's early wor k is equ all y if ncr mo re relevant , for it provides us
with an u nde rstandi ng of how the individual expe riences t he oceanic
domain in his or he r pe rsonal hi story and ordi nary deali ngs wi t h life.
Freud is not usually considered a "sp irit ual" w rite r. H e was , by his ow n
de clarat ion , an atheis t, and he is the refore often shun ned in astrological
c ircles. H e is m ore popu lar in po litical c ircles, beca use h is mis trust of rel i-
g ion and h is vision of societ y as a pe rpetua l ba t tleground of antago nis t ic
forces have m ade his theories attractive to many Marx ists. T he spi ritual
appellation is us ua lly given to J ung , w ho is a mo re obvious denizen of t he
so-called New Age . But fo r Freud , t he aweso me crea t ive gen ius of t he id
was not h ing short of numinous . We have al ready seen t hat t he ero t ic
d imension of N eptune is as pronounced as t he myst ical one . It will also be
appa rent , from t he case m at erial given at the end of th is cha pter, that some
un de rst and ing of infan tile as well as my t hic dyna m ics is essent ial if th ose

1. Sigmund Freud and J oseph Breuer, SIMJitJ 0" H ymria <london: Peng um. 1986).
14 2 - Til ! ASTROLO GICAL NEPTUNE AND Til E O UlI T fO R RED EM PT IO "

sufferi ng (rom t yp ical N ep t unian diffi cu lties are to find any crea t ive reso-
lu t ion of t heir confl icts.
Freu d' s views on hyster ia begin wi t h th e hypo thesis t hat the hyst eric
is, fo r cons ti t u tiona l (o r, as we m igh t say. ast rological) reason s, more erot-
ically pr ecocious than ot he rs. Becau se of this basic "ernot ivi ry," or ope n-
ness to sensual and emo tiona l stim u li, th e impact of the pa ren ta l relat ion-
ships hits hard er, reaches deepe r, and last s long er than in ocher chi ld ren.
At pube rty, when t he first differentiat ed sexual faneas ies begin . all t he
chi ldhood me m ori es of fusio n , real or im agi ned . su rface w ith g reat force,
accompanied by correspond ing ly in cense bodil y feelings. If there are deep
hurts and hu m il iations bo u nd up with rhe ch ild 's unfulfi lle d lon g in g s.
these begin [Q set th e (One for th at m an ipulat ive acti vi ty wh ich la ter
becom es "hy ste rical:' Becau se all im pulses an d respon ses of a sensu al ki nd
are felt with suc h intensity, st rong feelings of shame and disgust tend co
coalesce aro u nd any need whi ch reflects t he bod y's autono mo us li fe.
Th us th e com p lex for ms: a com b inat ion of pri ma l incestuous e roti c
needs, ear ly h um il iat io n and di sappoi nt m ent t h rough t hese need s, com -
p ensato ry fanras ies of a st ate of fusion wh ich was in acrualj ry de nie d ,
abu sed, or cu rt ailed too abruptly, and violent rage at hav ing to leave Ede n
too soo n in excha nge for permanent lone lines s and dep riva tion in th e oure r
worl d . This co m p lex, becau se it is so charg ed wit h depe nd ent , e ror ic and
agg ressive feelings and mem or ies, is natu rall y una ccep t abl e to t he con-
scious person ality. It is th e Orig inal Sin of th e body, whi ch the in div id ual
uncon sciou sly blam es for every reje ction by [h e pare nt s a nd subseq uen t ly
by others; and it is repr essed t h roug h shame and self-d isg us t. Later in life,
som et imes at pu be rty a nd som et im es in adu lt hood whe n the individua l
meets som eo ne wh o awa ken s feelin g s of love and e rot ic at t ract ion , t he
respo nse is a violent and app arent ly in sol uble conflict, bec ause t he com -
plex is tr iggered in all its overwhel m ing pr imal power. Long ing colli d es
with fear, erot ic needs with agg ressio n; and thi s provides the occasio n for
the ou b reak of actual illness, o r-if no som at ic sym pto ms are invo lved -
for errati c a nd u nco ntro llable beh aviour u nco nsci ously designed to dest roy
th e relat ion ship by driv in g awa y th e pa rt ne r an d vicrim ising on eself.
At first Freud was convinced th at an act ual ph ysical tra um a had pro-
d uced th e denial . abuse. or dis rorr ion of t he hyst er ic's ea rly eroric need s.
H e assu med rha r late r hyster ical symptom s we re alway s linked sym bo li-
call y to t h is original in jury .

Th e connect ion [ bet ween t raum a and symp tom ] is not so simp le.
It consists only in wha t might be called a "sym bolic" relat ion
between th e precipi tat ing cause and the pat holog ical ph enome-
non- a relat ion such as health y peop le form in d reams. For
 THE PSY C HOA NALY T IC N EPT UN E - 14 3

instance, a neuralg ia may follow upon menta l pain. or vomiti ng

upon a feeli ng of moral disgust. We have stud ied patient s who
used to make the most copious use of t his sore of syrnbc lisarion .J

At t his early stag e, Freud assu med th at t he complex contained memories

of a defin ite event , suc h as parental sexual abuse, or a partic ularly hu mil i-
ating rejecti on .

The memo ries which have become t he dete rm inants of hysterical

phen omena persist for a long time with asto nishing freshness and
with the whole of their affective colouring.... These memories
are not at the pat ients ' disposal. On the cont rary. these experiences
are completely absent from the pat ients ' memory when t hey are in
a normal psychical state. . . . The sp litti ng of consciousness which
is so st riking in t he well-known classical cases under the form of
"dual consciousness" is present to a rud imentary deg ree in every
hyste ria, and ...a tendency to such a d issociatio n, and with it the
emergence of abnormal States of consciousness (which we shall
bring togethe r und er the ter m "hypnoid"), is the basic phenome-
non of this neurosis'>

Finally, the nature of what has been forgmte n-t he Core of the complex-
is sta ted catego rically:

T he sexual facto r is by far the most import ant and the most pro-
duct iv e of pat ho logi ca l res ult s. 4

Th is emphas is on th e infanti le sexual basis of adult psychologic al di stur-

bances is what th e layma n immed iat ely associates wit h Freudian th eory;
and many people feel offended by having so many of their fine r feeli ngs
and asp iratio ns reduced to such a pri m iti ve eq ua tio n. Such crit icism is par-
ticularl y cha racteristi c of the Nept uni an natu re, which hab itu all y avoids
confro ntario n wit h th e realm of th e body and t he im portance of irs insri nc-
rual dr ives. Moreover, Freud 's use of [he word "sexual" is often ta ken far
tOO literally, as a depiction of adult lust. As J ung was reputed to have said,
even th e pen is is a pha llic symbo l; and sexual int ercou rse is only one of
ma ny facers of erode experience . I have been using the word "erotic" rather
t han "sexual " for very spe cific reasons. Whe re we are deal ing with
Neptune, we are nor dea ling with the k ind of physical sexu al activity

2. Sigmu nd Freud and J oseph Breuer. SlIdw fHJ H) ltrr ta , p ~y Brackets m ine
3 . StlJdm on H,J,rr,a. pp . 6n·6 2.
4. StlJdw fHJ HYJ1tria, p. 328.
14 4 - TI1I ASTROl O GICAL N f PTUN [ AND HH O U f ST f OR RlD f 'IP TI ON

whi ch, ast rologi cally, m igh t be associated with Mars or Venus. N or is
N ep tu nian erot icism the same as Plutonian passion. The expe rience o f pas-
sion reflects a consciousness sufficiend y separ ated (Q act ivel y d esire anot h-
er person. Ne p tun e's long ing , as we have seen, does not recog nise th e ot h-
ern ess of th e other. There is norne," or "not me"; th ere is onl y a unity
comp rised of bach . The infant d oes not cou rt t he mother's br easr; it is sim -
ply assumed to be there, as an exte nsion of th e baby itself. T he god Eros,
from whom we d erive th e word "erot ic," was not a god of fornicatio n. H e
was th e personificatio n of a gr eat bind ing and unify ing power in th e cos-
mos. T his de ity is closer to Mesme r's "u niversal flu id" tha n he is (Q lust
and lovem aking .
N ep tu ne d oes not seek int ercourse; it seeks d isso lu tion . Bu t th is
fusio n of self an d sou rce is not a m ere ou r-of-the-bod y state. It is deeply
and u tte rly sensuou s, alt ho ug h it concern s the inclu siveness of one bei ng
rath er t han t he meet ing and mat ing of t wo. The inhe rent erotic p recocity
of t he hysteri c, which is reflect ed quit e succinc tly in t he birth ch an, is a
Neptu nian, rather th an a Man ial or Venusian or Pl u ron ian , affair ; and o n
t he personal level , in infancy, it is exp ressed as an ove rwhelm ing need for
fus ion with the pate nt -figure. Not every baby needs the same th ing . The
stro ng ly U ranian child ma y retr eat from roo m uch emotio nal and phy sical
in rirnacy, and th e strong ly Saru mia n child ma y espouse rout ines and ritu-
als th at sym bolise a secu re paren ta l p resence, wh ile at th e same ti me p re-
serving personal autonomy . If at least some of N eptune's need for o neness
meers a loving respon se in child hood , and th e pro cess of psycho log ical sep-
aration is hand led by the pare nts ge ntl y rat her t han harshly, t hen hyster i-
cal sym p tom ato log y is nor a p reord ain ed fate. W e mi gh t expect instead an
inte nsely acti ve imag inal life, and a need for consta n t close co mpanion-
ship. T hese qua lities are not in any way path olog ical. They simp ly d escribe
a certai n k ind of hu man bein g who is empa the tic, resp onsive, and flu id .
Neptu nian eroticism and emo tio nal ity are different from , but no less val id
o r ap p rop riate t han , any ot he r p lanet ary express ion. Bu r it w ill be ap par-
ent t hat catast rop hic resu lts can arise from th e comb ination of a
Ne p t unian na t ure with a harsh, mani p ulat ive, or emotional ly and sensual-
ly impover ished early enviro n me nt .
Freud even tually bega n to qu esti on his tr aum a the ory. If all the
traumas which were de scribed first under hypn osis and lat er t h roug h th e
technique of "free associati on " had act ually happened to peop le, the n prac-
ti cally everyone he k new had suffered sexual abu se at som e t ime in chi ld -
hood ; and th is was patently absurd, even in Vienn a. He th en expl ored th e
possibilit y t ha t an imagined t rau ma mi ght be as powerful as a literal one .
The "rem iniscences" wh ich he had bel ieved to be t he sou rce of hysteria
 T HE PSYC HO ANALYTIC NEPT U NE - 145

graduall y eme rged as symbo lic fantas ies rather than actual events . The se
fantas ies might be cryst all ised by an event; or t hey might reflect psy chi c,
rather than physical, events, such as unexpressed unde rcurrents of violen ce
in t he fam ily. Fre ud finall y recogn ised that a fantasy may be as powerful as
a phys ical fact , and can evoke an even more crip pl ing sense of shame and
disgust because there is no one to blame excep t one self. Thu s uncon scious
ince stuous feeli ng s on the patt of the patent , combined with "wish-ful fil-
ment" fantasi es of an erotic natu re in the child, may translate themselves
into the "memory" of a union that never rook place .
Th e quest io n of the actual ity of early sexual trauma sti ll preoccup ies
us tod ay. As all eg ed cases of ch ild hoo d abuse conti nue to mu lt ipl y in the
press, our approach has begun (Q polarise in q ui te frighteni ng ways. Some
soci al worke rs, psycho therapi sts , and psychiatrists assum e that all claims
of abuse are li teral. even if the individual has "suddenly" remembe red that
he or she was abused forty years after the event , and has shown a propen-
sit y to be econ om ical with the t ruth in other spheres of life. Other s
assum e that me mo ries of abuse which are unexpectedly reclaimed later in
life are invariably fantasies whi ch serve the darker needs of the patient to
please the therapist , and are also deli berately , albeit unconsciously,
intended to hurt or des troy a parent who has com mi tted no greater sin
than ave rage human insensitivity. The same polarisation occurs in ou r
attitudes toward young ch ild ren wh o claim to have been abused . Either
[hey are lyin g sha melessly, or t hey are too young to be capab le of lying
and must the refore be imm edia tely removed from the custod y of the
accused parent . Child abuse occurs, and more of it than we would like [Q
bel ieve . But it is a far more com plicat ed business than one "evil" parent
per per ra ri ng an out rag e in th e bosom of a happy, well -adj usted fam ily.
Moreover, the rece nt press attent ion focused on the issue offers a wonder-
ful weapon to those who. co nsciously or unconsciou sly, wish to wreak
apocalyp tic veng eance o n a family member who has not g iven them the
ab solu te dev otio n t hey believe they d eserve. Ao d ch ild hood ab use do es
not invariably, no r even co m mo nly, lead to hys terical personality disorde r.
More often it leads to mist ru sr , self-den igration. and a te rrible sense of
bet rayal by t he o the r pa tent , whom t he ch ild feels should have known an d
provided better pr ot ect ion . It would somet imes seem , perus ing the new s-
papers, that as a collecti ve we st ill do not recogn ise the complexities of
the Nept unia n side of human nature , des pite Freud's pioneering explo-
ration a cent ury ago .
We are truly swimm ing in the wate rs of Maya here, for the enti re
phenomen ology of hyst eria g radually eme tge s as a self-g ene rated psy ch ic
affair. N o physiolog ical cond ition is respons ible for it; no sing le early C3 ( -
14 6 - r ur AST ROL O G ICA L N l r T U N ( AND T H [ O Ul~T f OR REDEM P TION

asrrophic event has defini tively created it. It is not that the hys teric con-
scious ly calculates his or her behaviour pattern, nor even that it is "false."
The pain is real , alt houg h its true natur e may lie in subtler waters. It is a
drama played our wholl y within t he inne r im agi na l world of t he suffe ring
individual , and thi s dram a is, on th e dee pest level, t he Story of Adam and
Eve. In every particular, the hysterical personality foll ow s the ancient tale,
from the bliss of origi nal unity to the en try of the serpent, from the eati ng
of t he forbidden frui r to th e ex pulsi o n fro m Parad ise and t he bo dil y shame
and suffe ring o n th e othe r side of th e wall. I would nor be ou trag eou s
en ou gh to suggest rh ar every illness whi ch afflicts hum an beings is hys-
terical in o rigin. Bur J mu st admi t that I wonder about a lot of them . Th e
bizarre wo rld of hypnot ic phe nomena shows us in marvellously th eatr ical
ways how ver y sugg est ibl e is th e body , and how very ob edi entl y and pre-
cisel y it en acts p sych ic confliers. Sn ma ny of our ailm ents ar e hi ghly
manipul at ive, both in natu re and in ti m ing ; and while physiolog ical fac-
tors mu st always be cons idered. so 100 must our pain and rage at bei ng
t hrown our of Eden .

Fusion and Separation

A g rear d ea l o f psy c ho analyti c wrifin g afte r Fre ud is co nce r n ed wi th t he
initia l stages in the fo rmat ion of indi vidual ident ity. Melani e Klein and D .
W. Winn icocc were particularly interested in thi s theme , as bot h worked
analyt ically wi th you ng children . We cannot understand N ept une w ith out
unde rstanding something of the imag inal world of the baby strugg ling co
discover irs own reality. Because we have all been infants, we have a base
from wh ich to explore. Neptunian dil emmas always invol ve something
unfo rmed . Conseque ntly we need to loo k more closely at the developmen-
ta l stages of chi ld hood, and ar wh ar m igh r "g o wrong ," both en vi ron rnen-
rally and wi rhi n t he chi ld himself or herself, (Q d amage th e del icat e bal-
ance between (he Nep tu nian long ing and other fano rs in the personali ty.
W inn ico[( is one of the most accessible of psychoanalytic writ ers, as
he add ressed a nu mber of his published lectures to ordi nary parents rath er
t han excl usive ly to co lleag ues within the th erapeuti c field . Man y of his for-
mulations are extremely valuabl e for the astro loger, wh o ma y work in a
si ng le session with d iems unfamili ar with psychoanalyti c jargon , and who
are unli kely ever to engage on [he prolong ed enterp rise of five-da y-a -week
Freudian or Kleiman analysis .

The place where infants live-a queer place-where nothi ng has

yet been separated out as not- me, so there is not yet a ME. . . . It
 THE PSYCH OA NALYTIC N EPTUN E - 14 7

is not tha t the infant identi fies hi mself or herself wit h the mot h-
er, but rather that no m other, no ob ject externa l [0 th e self, is
k nown; and even chis statement is wrong because there is not yet
a sel f. Ir could be said that the infant at this very earl y stage is
only pote ntial. ~

We may ident ify this "qu eer place" as Ne ptu ne's world, the Eden of fusion
betw een mother and infam . W inn icou also descri bes the first phase of
child hood :

For the bab y, there comes first a un it y that incl udes the mother. If
all goe s well , the baby co m es to pe rceive the m other and al1 ot he r
ob jects and co see these as not -me , so that there is now me and
nor-me. .. . This stage of the begi n ni ngs of I AM can o nly come
co actual ity in the baby's self-es tablishment in so far as the behav-
iour of the mothe r-figure is good enough .... So in this respect
she is at first a delus ion which the baby has to be able to disallow,
and there needs to be subst it uted the uncomfortable J AM unit
which involves loss of th e merged -in origi nal unit , which is safe.
The baby's ego is st rong if th ere is t he mot her's ego support to
make it st rong; else it is feeble.6

In ot her words, it is only if enoug h of th e condi tions of Eden can initia lly
be mer by th e mot her t hat the child can willingly leave the N eptun ian
wat ers and take up th e bu rde ns and joys of an ind ivid ual life.
Winnicou's emp hasis on t he role of t he mother in the formation of
th e " J AM unit " d oes not take into account t he in herent pat tern s which
every ast rolog er faces whe never he or she exami nes a b inh horoscope. But
wherev er Nep tu ne is pla ced , and howe ver d ifficult it s aspects , the diffe r-
ence be tween a Nep tu nian personality ab le (Q cope with its idi osyncrasies ,
and an un for med and helplessly infanti le personality, lies, in large pan , in
th e bo nd ing be twee n mother and child . Problema ti c N ep t un e cont act s
often appea r to reflect the environment , especially if they invol ve th e
ma terna l significarors of the Moon and th e 1Orh house. Yet t he birt h cha rt
ult imately tells us how we respon d to th e wo rld and wha t we pe rceive in
it. Ou r percepti ons may be t rue, bu t th ey are select ive, and our respon ses
are highly indi vid ual. And even with a difficult Neptune, the deve lop-
me nt of t he ego is a process upo n wh ich every new born infant is engaged
and from wh ich every newborn infa nt suffe rs in one form or anothe r.

5. 0 W. WlnnlCOn, Tbe Familya"d I"dit·idual Dn 'tlupmtnl (London: Routle dge 6: Chap man
11.11, L965 l,p 15 .
6. D . W. Winnicou . H umt;1 WhtTt Wt Start F, um (london: Penguin, 1986), p. 6 2.
14 8 - TH E ASTR OL O G ICAL N EP1 U"\l f !\ N O T HE O U I .H FO R REDEM Pl l O N

Plan etary pla cement s cannot tell us wh ether the pe rsonali ty u.'ili su rvive
outside Eden. They me rely tell us along what lines, and wit h what in ner
con flicts and resources. The "not good en ough moth er " may be merely the
unfort unate and unwi lli ng carr ier for many generati ons of fam ily con-
flicts, and we may be faced wit h inhe rited somatic as well as psychologi-
cal dist u rbances which feel like fate because t hey have been at work in th e
fab ric of the famil y for so lon g th at th ey have become virtuall y un avoid -
able. But where t he ind ividual is bad ly da mage d and is also u nd er th e
nega tive comp ulsinn of N eptune, th e kind of help usua lly need ed from
t he psychotherap ist or counsello r-at least init ially- is th e prov ision of a
cont aine r "good enoug h" to help th e infanti le and unfo rmed pe rsonality
to find its feet in life-in other words, an ark. However pro bl ematic
Nep tu ne may be in the birt h chart , th e ind ivid ual is never irrevocably
helpless and doomed to a so-called " karm ic" part ern of suffering . O ne can-
not send in and ge t a new, nicely aspecred or less pro m inen t Ne ptu ne. Nor
should one wish [0 . But one can work wi th th e issue of a mo th er who was
not "good enou g h."
W in nicou 's phrase . "good enoug h mot her," has done a great de al in
th erape uti c ci rcles to alleviat e an implied standard of impossib le pe rfec-
t ion de ma nd ed of mot he rs. T he "good enoug h mother." wh atever her fail-
ings (and co nsiderable failing s may be present) can provide enough emo-
t ional sup port for her chil d to develop inca a reasonab ly in rcg rarcd per -
sonality-Nept un ian o r ot herwise. In th e child who was not born under
the aeg is of a powe rful N eptu ne, fami ly problems may be reflected in other
k ind s of emot ional d ifficu lt ies, sym bolised by orher plane ts . In th e child
who possesses the pec uliarly recep tive, un bou nded imagi na tive and erotic
in te nsit y which belo ngs to N ep tu ne , t he mot her's failure to offer "good
eno ug h" sup po rt will ge ne rally resul t in one or another of th e characreris-
t ic N ep tun ian p roblems .

Th e predom inant feature {of the "good enough mother"] may be

a willing ness as well as an ability on the parr of the moe her to
d rain int erest from her own self OntO the baby. .. . Th ere are tWO
kinds of maternal d isorder that affect this issue. At one extreme is
the mot her whose self-i nterests are tOO compulsive to be aban-
doned... , At the other extre me is the moth er who tends to be
preoccupied in any case, and the baby now becomes her patholog-
ical preoccupa tion. . The pathologically preoccup ied moth er
not only goes on being ident ified with her baby too long , but also
she changes suddenly from preoccupat ion with the infant to her
former preoccupati on... . T he normal mother's recovery from her
preoccupation with her infant provides a kind of weaning . Th e
 THE PI Y(H OA N Al n l ( N [ PT U N [ - 149

first kind of ill mother cannot wean her infant because her infant
has never had her, and so weaning has no meaning ; the other kind
of ill moth er cannot wean, or she tends [0 wean suddenly, and
without regard for the gradually developing need of the infanr to
be weaned ."

Astrolog ically, the "com pulsively self-in te resred " mother mi gh t be po r-

tra yed in th e child 's birth chart by diffi cult aspect s (incl ud ing th e con-
junction) of the Moon with Sat urn , U ranus . or perhaps Mars, or in one or
another of these ind epe ndent planets being placed at the Midheaven
and /or in the 1Orh hous e. The Neptun ian child ma y th en expe rience t he
mother as aloof, withdrawn, ambitious, explosive, irritable, impatient, or
chro nically ang ry. This sometim es reflect s an act ual situ ation, where the
mo th er has strength, determination, ambition and an independent spirit,
but has not found th e courag e o r capaci ty [ 0 express th is side of herse lf as
well as adop ti ng the mothering role. In such cases th e mother may "sacri-
fice" her indep ende nt drive s and ambiti ons because of her o wn inser u ri-
d es. Th en her need for freedom and autho rity remains unconscious, and
her frustrati on is inter pr eted as rejecti on by her chi ld . Some times the child
experiences the mother as frighten ingly incon sistent , show ing affect ion
and love one day and anger and hostilit y the next. Less often, the moth er
may act ou t her indepe ndent nature at the expe nse of the fam ily, and the
child feel s utterly ignored and overlooked . We can never be certa in to what
extent any mother is culpable. But we may identify a fundamental incom -
patib ility between the mother's needs and nature and those of her
Neptunian chi ld . Wh ile any cou nselor need s to be able to ernpa rhis e with
a clie nt's suffe ring, and while the individual need s (0 experien ce cornpas-
sian for him self or hersel f, ultimately the ob ject ive is not pa re n t -bas h ing ,
but rather, the capacity to cope with one's o wn ind ividu al ity in all its co m -
plexit y. The path ologi cal face of Neptune does nor usually beco me a major
life issue unles s there is som e realit y in the child's feelings of emotional
imp overi shment . Bur it is the juxtaposi tio n of these twa (actors- the
covertly or overtly re ject ing mother, and the sensit ivi ty and de pendency of
th e chi ld - wh ich p rovokes the powerful reacti on of refusal to leave the
waters of Parad ise .
The overly "preoccupied" mother-the one who can not relinquish
her own fusion with the ch ild -may be portrayed in th e child's birth chart
by di fficult configu ratio ns of the Moon with Nept une or Pl u to , or with th e
Moon , Nep t une, or Plut o located at th e Midh eaven and /or in th e 10 t h

7. Wmn icott , Tbe Fa",il, and Individual Dnelopmmt, p. I~. Brackets mm e.

150 - T HI AIT ROl O GI CA L N EPT UN[ AND T H E O U EI T l O R REDEMP TI O N

house. This ma y some times reflect a mothe r wh ose own person al ity is
u nfo rmed . and who finds her mean ing th roug h merg ing wit h, and livi ng
th roug h , her offspring . T he ch ild may expe rience th e mother as ma rryred,
dep ressed , or victim ised by life. T he ch ild may also expe rience th e feeling
that h is or her boundar ies are c hro nicall y under at tack, albeit su b tl y,
t h roug h t he instill ing of guil t and a sense of em ot ion al ob liga tion ro th e
mot her. Any effort at for ming a sepa rate iden tiry invokes reject ion and
rep ri sal. O nce again, we ca n never be su re whether t he mother is tru ly as
manip ulative and depe ndent as her child pe rceives her to be. But the chi ld
pe rceives th e mot her 's emotional needs as a dema nd for abs olute posses-
sion . The N eptu nian chi ld , faced with such a dil em ma, ca nno t bear t he
lone liness of rebell ion , and may grow up arrem pr ing to pla cate eve ryone
throug h terror of th e repercussion s of sayi ng " no ," Sometim es bot h
parental images-the wate ry, un for med mother an d th e re ject ing, aloof
on e- appear tog et her, reflecte d by suc h configura tio ns as t he Moon
inv olved in a T-c ross with N eptu ne and Uran us, or N eptune and Sa tu rn.
Th is suggests a mot her wh o is someti mes overl y inva sive, and sometimes
abrup tly aba ndons int erest in he r child . Perhaps [he N eptun ian child
need s a longe r, gentler time of wean ing . Also, a chi ld with su ch conflict -
ing aspects in t he b irth cha n may expe rience inconsis te ncy in th e pare m
because the ch ild is em ot ionally inconsiste nt himself or herself. Bur. as
Win nicou states, (he "good enoug h mot he r" kn ows what th e baby cou ld
be feel ing li ke, and ca n respond with su fficien r sens it ivi t y to her infan t 's
flu ct uat in g need s,
Exam inin g mo re clo sely t he role of t he mot he r in N ep t u n ian prob-
lems d oes not ind ict (he mot her as th e cu lp rit of all N eptu ne's ills. It m ay
be necessary fo r many peo p le to look beyond t hei r pro tective ideal isat ion
of [he paren tal backg round , and real ist ically exam ine [he problems , both
of om ission and of com m ission, wh ich have passed from parent {Q ch ild .
Bur it is th e ind ivid ua l h im self or herself, with an inna te di sposit ion chat
has reacte d in part icular ways to an inevi tably flawed backgroun d , who is
ulti mately responsib le for healing and change. All of us mu st dea l wi th
psychic and som ati c in heritances whi ch our parents had to face befo re us
a nd wh ich have becom e a sou rce of our ow n suffe rin g and blo cka ge ; a nd it
is bot h com passionate and realist ic (0 assu me th at th ere are very few t ru ly
evil pare nt s who willfully destroy t heir child ren. Rat her, there are a great
many who a re as loving and decem as t hey are ab le (0 be, but who a re sim -
p ly u nconscious of conflicts of wh ich th eir child ren are th e un will ing
recip ien ts. Fran ces Tu stin, in he r work on autis m a nd au sri sr ic ba rrie rs in
d ist u rbed adu lts, expresses (h is in a succinct and helpful way. Wh ile we
must always co nsider th e role of a damag ing fam ily inhe rita nce in relat ion
 HiE PSYCH O ANAL YT IC N EPT UN E - 1 '5 1

to the more difficult end of th e N eptunian spectrum , ir is im portant [0

bear what she says in mind .

I have a g reat deal of sympathy for the se [dep ressed} moth ers... .
Such a moth er's depres sion was not usually a clin ical one entail ing
hospiralizarion. It was associated with events wh ich are pan of the
ordi nary vicissitudes of life, which impinged upon a sensitive
mother at a panicularly vu lnerable: time. For example , the famity
may have moved house, or the father may have had to be away
from home a good dea l, or the moth er may be living in a foreign
count ry, or it may be a mixed marr iage (racially or religio usly, or
both), or an emo tionall y import ant relative may have d ied, or
there may be interfering relat ives, or the re may be impo rtant
anniversaries around the time of the child 's bi rt h.
Part of such a mother's d ifficulty seems to come from feeli ng
unsupport ed by the father . (Th is may be a repetition of feelings
from her own infancy or childhood .) Thus, she cli ngs to her child
as if he is still part of her body. She does t his in order to keep
go ing in spite of her dep ression and lack of confidence. This can
happe n both when the child is inside her womb and also after he
is born . She fears the "black hole" of recog nizing his separateness
from her . .
H owever, many relatively norm al mo the rs become dep ressed as
t he result of certai n dist urbed happe ning s, but the ir ch ild ren do
not become autisti c. I am convinced t hat there is something in the
nature of the child which pred isposes him co autism. Thus it has
seemed to me to be mo re fruitful to investigate the child 's contri-
bur ion to his disorder than to concent rate on t hat of the mot her.
We may be ab le to do someth ing about the child , whereas we can-
not change th e mother of his infancy."

T he N eptunian proble ms of hysterical illness, add icrion, and ge neral help-

lessness and vicr imi sar ion in life may st ub born ly resist heal ing wit hout t he
ind ivid ual taki ng into accoun t- and working with-those issues whi ch
belong to early ch ildhood . T h is does not necessarily mean full-blown psy-
choanalysis . The re a re many th erape ut ic app roaches ; and wh ile p ract it ion-
ers of different school s may strong ly cont est each other's t heo ries and over-
all philo sophies, a wide variety of psycholog ical pe rspecti ves can offer last-
ing help if the pr act it ioner possesses the in teg ri ty, sensi tivi ty, and com -
m itment to recog n ise a nd ernpat hise wit h th e inn er realit y of h is or her

8 Frances Tust in. A IIIIU;C B anuf" in N t llrollf Patie nts (lo ndo n" Kam ac Books. 1986), pp .
61· 62
152 - T H E AHR OL O GICM N EPTU I\.; ( AND T H E QU BT FO R REDEMP TIO N

cliem . The sp irit alon e may offer no cu re, alt hou g h t hat is Nep tu ne's pr ef-
erence; Mephistophe les will only exit by [he door throug h which he firs<
ent ered . In th e case of N eptune, thi s door is th e primal paren tal bond .
Usually some kind of th erapeuti c all iance (by wh atever name it is called )
is necessary so that th e ind ividual can face the terr or s of aloneness, em p t i-
ness. and an nihilation . co mpared wit h whic h th e wate rs of oblivion seem
so enti cing. H owever "culpable" th e parents . the essential issues of fusion
and separatio n must ultimately be faced as th e ind ividual's own responsi-
bilit y. The my ster ious fact or of inhe rent p red isposit ion , about whi ch the
ast rolog ical chart can offer so man y useful insight s, may det ermine at t he
outse t whether one becomes th e vict im of the pa t holog ical di me nsion of
Nep tu ne. T he equall y myst erious facro r of individ ual choice may dete r-
mine w het he r o ne will rem ai n so.

On ly if th ere is a good enough mothe r does th e infant start on a

process of developm ent that is personal and real. If the mother-
ing is not good enough the n the infant becomes a collect ion of
reactions to im pingement . and the tr ue self of t he infant fails to
form . . .9

Th is un formed self, because it has not been emo t ionally "weaned ," moves
int o adu lth ood sti ll yearn ing for th e mother who was nor pr es('nt at the
beg inn ing - a safe pl ace of conta inme nt in which th e earliest ge rm of th e
ego can develop. Suc h an individu al, whatever aptitudes he or she has
devel op ed in accord wit h other config urations in the bi rch chart, never
rel inqu ishes the N eptun ian longing ro return to Eden . Pre-exist ence and
post -exi stence, as we have seen in th e myths of Parad ise, are t he same in
the hum an imag inat ion . The long ing to merg e with t he "p rimal object,"
the g ood and om nipo tent mo t he r, ma y be expe rienced as a lo ngi ng for
deat h. N ep tu ne 's death-w ish is nor violen t. It is t he slow sensuous slid e
into d issolut ion offered by psychosis, drugs and alcohol.

At the start [of life) is an essential aloneness. .. . Th e star e pr ior

to t hat of aloneness is one of unaliveness, and t he wish to be dead
is commonly a d isg uised wish co be not yet alive. Th e experience
of the first awakenin g g ives the human ind ividua l th e idea t hat
th ere is a peaceful State of unaliveness th at can be peacefully
reached by an extrem e of regr ession. Most of what is common ly
said and feIr about deat h is about th is first state before aliven ess.!"

9 . WlOn KO{(, Tbe Famll, a"J I"Jm 'Jual Dn 'tlfJpmtnt, p 17 .

10. WIOOi COU , Human N at ure (Londo n: Free ASSOCIati on Books, 198 M), p . 132 . Bracke ts
rr une .
 TH E PSY CH OA NALYTIC N EPT UN E - 153

The state of unaliveness soug ht so intensely by the Neptunian personality

is not onl y an experience of fusio n wit h a mother-su rrogate, or an ecstatic
tr anscendence of self; it is a pte-body state, free of the conflicts and
hungers of th e insti ncts . The com pulsive purs uit of spirituality at the
expen se of th e life of the bod y belongs in the same cont ext as the more
oven death-wish of rhe addict or alcoh oli c, or rhe regressive emor ional ity
of the hysteric. All of these exp ressions reject rhe aloneness and autonomy
of selfhood, whi ch bars th e return to the Paradise Garden. As W innicon
pu ts I t:

There comes a stage at which the child has become a unit,

becomes able to feel: I AM, has an inside , is able to tide his Ot her
instinctua l storms, and also is able to contai n the strains and
stresses that arise in the personal inner psychic reality. The child
has become able to be dep ressed. This is an achievement of erne-
tional g rowrh. U

It is a curious feature of the person und er the compulsio n of Neptune that

th is "true" depressio n- an acceptance of one 's da rk ness, din , am biva -
lence, and sepa raten ess-never seems to happen . The Nep tunia n pe rson-
ality has a very poo r capacity for containing an xiety, and may pan ic in the
face of conflict . blind ly acting OUt emo tions and habitually relying on
others for salvat ion. Nep tu ne also spea ks t hroug h the voice of t he pe rson
who perpetua lly decla res, "But I can't hel p it!" when confront ed wi t h t he
c ha l lengv of co r ua iru ng inten se emotional ne ed s . Alm ost any emotional
experience is perm issible except the dog ged and d reary process of remain-
ing insid e one's own sk in in the face of turm oil. One may ascend into the
cosm ic realm, or descend inro bodi ly and psych ic d isintegrati on ; one may
hurl oneself int o the arms of pa rent, chi ld, lover, spouse, guru, or ideol o-
g y; bu t one strives always to avoid that sto ny Satu rnian g round which
requires tak ing real iry, incl uding one's own, as ir is. Neptune ma y mimic
tru e depression wirh overwhelming feelings of gui lt and self-loat hing ,
and a kind of tra g ic melancholy which interprets life as a vale of tears ; and
it can som et imes reveal a prope nsity for te rr ible self-inflicted pain . Bur
rhe Saturn ian subs tance that forms the core of "I" is rarely accepted as a
possible ark in whi ch to ride the waters . T hu s th e ind ivid ual does nor
learn tr ust in and respect for self, whi ch depends u pon the d iscover y of
the capacity for self-containment . For th is reason it is often hard for
anot her person to feel sympat hy for Nep t un e's suffering. Alth ou gh it is

1 1 \'(IlOnicou .lIfJ"lt IJ l,f.'h~t U', S'a,., F,.fJm. p . 7 2

1 54 - nil ASTROL O GICA L M PT UM A"D TH £ Q U £ST f OR REDEMPTI O N

u nquestio nably real, it also has somet hi ng in it of th e liq uid perfo rma nce
of the acto r, and often lacks th e endu rance and authent icity of Saturn-d is-
tilled g rief.

The Pursuit of Suffering

N eptunian suffering may be bot h self-inflicted and manipulat ive.
Wheth er th e basis of th is is un derstood as th e deep shame of t he incest-
fanrasy, or th e longing to rend er oneself fit for un ion wi th th e deity
throu gh the hu mil ity born of pai n, th e N eptunian indi vid ual often
ap pears flagrantl y in love wit h h is or her ow n mi sery. As Shakespeare's
O th ello declares:

Tbon haj/ not half tbe poscer 10 do me harm

Al Ihave 10 be hurt.

T he hysterical personal ity may un con sciously use pain for man ip ulative
p u rposes, hop ing to at tra ct sympat hy an d p rotection from ochers as well as
d ischarging an in ner obl igatio n for self-pun ishm en t. Th e word we most
often use to describe such behaviour is masochist ic. Masoch isti c behaviour,
w he t he r it is expressed excl us ive ly in t he sexua l ar ena o r as a ge neral p sy-
cholog ical l ife pattern. belon g s to th e world of Nep tun e. At it s core lies a
fam iliar arche t ypal kern el com prised of feelings of shame , a need for exp i-
ation th rough suffering, an ind irect exp ression of agg ression , and a potent
yearn ing for redemption . Masochi sm may be viewed as pa t hology. It ma y
also be viewed as th e pe rsona l enactment of a d eeper, albei t un conscious,
need (0 experience th e suffering of th e hu man cond ition. Both len ses are
eq ually valuable in understand ing Nept une.
Cl in ical interest in masochism dates from th e earl iest days of psy-
choanalysis. In previous epoc hs of history, it was not generally unde rstoo d
as a pathology, because it was so deeply em bedded in th e Christi an ethos .

Before science regarded masochism as a disease, relig ion regarded

it as a cure. Th e med ieval Church considered the sacrament of
Penance part of its general ministry for the "cure of souls." Th e lan-
g uage of the early Chrisrian Penirentials is medical language....
Penance is a "remedy" and "med icine for sin." 12

Defining m asochism solely as a pathology is a lopsided and simpl istic

approach to a highly com plicated issue. When confro nt ing its complexity

[ 2. l yn Cowan, M aJuchiJm: A J u"gia" Vltll' (D allas: Spri ng Pu bl icati ons, 198 2), p. 19 .
 THE P ~ Y C H O ' N ' l n I C " ( PTU N( - \ 55

we are pa rticul arly hand icapped be cau se of its in extri cab le entanglement
w it h th e id ea of sufferi ng as a means of com ing nea re r to G od , che rished
th roughout our W est ern relig ious h ist ory. Bur when an ind ivid ual seeks
help from an as t rologer o r a psychorherapisr becau se he o r she cannot break
a cycle of self-generated physical o r emor ion al suffe ring, then we are fu lly
enti tled to speak of pat holog y because [he indi vidual expe riences ir as such ;
and t hen t he psy ch oanalyt ic frame wo rk beco mes im med iately relevant .
The word m asochism derives from Leop old vo n Sache r-Masoch , who ,
in th e lace 19th century, published several autob iographi cal novellas wh ich
at t racted no ro riet y in Germ any and Au stria due co th eir floridl y po rt rayed
themes of wi lli ng sub missi o n co enslaveme nt , sexual h umi liati o n , cruelty,
and phys ica l and psych olog ical abuse . Althoug h Kr affr-Eb in g co ined [he
term co de note very spec ific form s of sex ual ena ct ment, its use by the psy-
choa nalytic schools is much m ore b road , enc ompassing (h e beh aviou r
called "moral mas ochi sm " de scribed be low .

Moral masochism . . . can pe rhaps be best defined as a lifelong pat -

te rn of u ncon sciou sly arranged difficult ies or failures in mult ip le
areas of functio ni ng . This is the "loser" in our society, the pe rson
who needs to be unnecessar ily encum bered or even to fail. . . . Th e
und erlyi ng sexual g ratifica t ion, ove rt in the pe rversion, is nor vis-
ible to th e obs erver, nor experienced as such by th e patient. U

This is th e cha rac te ristic t he me of Neptun ian vicri m isario n , see n th rou gh
a psychoan alyti c len s. The co nnect io n with sexuality is so me tim es (bur nor
always) h idden , bur th e need for p un ish m ent is obvious. The moral
m asochis t relentlessly au em pt s to satisfy hi s or her in choa te incestuous
longi ngs th rough the pursuit of pa in, sub jugatio n, and hu m il iat io n at the
han ds of au t hori ty o r fat e. W hether we experien ce th is compul sio n in ou r-
selves, or observe it in somebody else, it is a deeply di sturbi ng ble nd of
pleasura ble su ffering , self-p ity, w ill fu l helplessne ss, impot ence, and
rep ressed rage wh ich is ver y d ifficu lt to be ar, co nfrom , and di sentangle .
Freud 's m a jor wr it in g s on masoch ism in clude Tbree EIJayJ on
Stxuality , pu bl ished in 190 5, an d The Economic Problem oj Malochu m, p ub -
lished in 1924 . H is ea rly formu lat ions are cum be rso m e and di fficul t to
read . H e fi rst pos tu lated th e idea of an inverted agg ressive or sad isti c
instinct . and then , lat er on, de velo ped t he co ncep ' of an inna te self-
des tr uct ive instinct wh ich d wel t inherently besid e [he pleasu re- insti nc t in
th e u nconsc ious . Freu d un de rstood masoch ism co reflect a fixati o n , o r

l3 . Stu art S. Asch , "T he Analyu c Concepts of Masochism: A Reevalcano n,' in Re bert A
G lick and Donald 1. Meyers, eds.. M4HtChil1n: Currin' PSJ(hvlflgical Pmpt(l jl'tJ (Hi llsdale,
N] : The Analyti c Press. 1988 ), p 100 .
1 '56 - r ru A\ I ROL OG lC ...1 :,\: ( PTUN ( ...N O Tt H O U EST f O R R(D EM PTION

arresting of de velopment, at a point whe re sr im ularion and erotic excite-

ment were fused with pain, su bm ission, and hum iliat ion . Masoch ism may
be defin ed as pleasu re in pain. Freud event uall y conclu d ed th at t h is fusion
of p leasu re and pain resu lrs from th e terrible g uilt and anxiety invoked by
incestu ous desires. An automat ic need for self-punishment therefore
accom panies any experien ce of pleasurable fulfillm ent . It is a kind of
instant expi at ion which takes place at th e same ri me as the sin, thus for e-
stalling th e vengeance of God or pa rent, while at the same rim e claim ing
t he fo rbidd en Fru ir T his instant expi ation need not occu r solely in the sex-
ua l sphe re, wh ere t he orig inal ince st -taboo has been b reached . It ca n attach
itself to anyrhi ng in life which becom es an objeer of de sire- a pe rson , a
vocational am birion, o r an inner experience of self-esteem and con fiden ce.
T he com pulsive exp iat ion of gu ilt-gene rated masochi sm can m ake us
destroy our relationships, perpe rrate our own mat er ial failures, spo il our
job inte rviews, wreck our creative proj ects, and espouse all kinds of self-
destructi ve and self-de nigrating beh aviour. Ie can mak e us fall in love with
th ose who reject , abuse, and hu m ili ate us, or those whose own man ipula-
tive need s ma ke ou r lives a hell of frust ratio n. We can see its tra cks par-
ricu larlv clearly in t hat sp here of life reflected by N eptu ne's hous e p lace-
ment in the bi rt h horoscope.
Larer psychoan alyti c wr iters arg ued with and elaborated on Freud 's
original speculatio ns. Wilhelm Reich was in terested in the agg ressive ele-
men ts in masochisric beh aviour; he believed tha t masochist ic individ uals
use their self-inflicted suffering to defen d th em selves aga inst th e conse-
qu ences of their rage. T h is prem ise is reflected in the resen tm ent wh ich
sel f-viet im ising beh aviour arouses in others, where sympat hy m ig ht be
expected instead ; for o the rs sense, even if they do no t recog nise, tha t th e
ma sochis t's passiv ity masks far more hat eful feelings. The agg ression
im plici t in masoch ist ic behaviour is a reflecti on , in cl inica l terms, of the
apocalypt ic fanr asy of th e Day of J udgem enr , wh en t he t yran nical evil
rul ers of th e world are pu nished and overt h rown , and th e suffering righ t-
eous inh erit the Earth . Reich saw t he fut ure masoch ist as a person who has
been excessively fru strated or hurt in ch ild hood , b ut in wh om the
int ract abi lity of th e pa ren ts , combi ned with his or her ow n in herent pas-
sivi ty and feat of separate ness , results in deep de fences against th e unl eash-
ing of agg ression. Reich is de scrib ing very succin ctly the feeli ng-rone of a
Mars-Nepr une conflict , often reflect ed by th ese tWO planets in di fficult
aspect along with th eir sig ns borh dom inant. This interna l con flicr is ren-
dered more problematic by "not good enoug h" parent ing . Once agai n we
are faced with a chem ical reacr ion of inhere nt temperament to environ-
me nt. Passive agg ression. so obvi ous in self-vict irnising behav iou r, is,
 TH E PliY(H OA N AlYTI C NEPTU N E - 157

however, very d ifficu lt [Q confront. wh ether in a th erape ut ic or an ast ro-

log ical die m , beca use at th e moment of suc h confro ma tio n the ind ividual
wi ll inva riab ly atte mp t [Q arou se feeli ngs of guilt in his or her persecu to r,
These are often b rillia ntly effective because t hey pre ss the ot her's N ep tu ne-
bu tton as well.
Ka ren H orn ey u nde rstood th e masochist to have est ab lished the
"st rateg ic value of suffe ring " as a defence against feeli ngs of weakness,
insignificance, and ino rd inate need s for affection and app roval. Bu rdened
by a sense of unbearable im po tence in the face of a rejecting o r fru st rar ing
world , th e mas ochis t sub merges him sel f or herself in a D ionysian org y of
tormen t. wh ich, because it is self- infl icted, g ives th e illusion of power and
cho ice. The ecrasy of pai n or repea ted failu re thus becomes a defence
against feelings of utte r help lessness, because one's su ffering appea rs to be
un der on e's own cont rol. It is often ennobled by be ing called "self-sacr i-
fice." This may soun d incredibly pe rverse; but th ere is N eptuni an method
in th e madn ess. H orn ey's descr iption of maso ch ism is evident in the pecu-
liar resistance wh ich t he self-v ict imi sing person d isplays toward any real
help. It is irnporra nr to defeat t he offerings of t he psychorh erap ist , and
even th e ast rologe r, becau se t his p reserves t he ill usion that one is po werful
enoug h to reject ot hers . Most indiv id uals working in th e help ing p rofes-
sions have expe rie nced this resistance at first hand . When de ali ng with
such a c1 iem, a nalyt ically tra ined psychotherap ists unde rsta nd th eir own
feelin gs of help lessness as count ert ransference (t he clie nt wishes to make
th e th erap ist feel t he powe rless ness he or she is trying to avoid feelin g ).
But ma ny astrologe rs, unfami liar w i t h psychologi cal approaches, sim ply
wind up feeling de p leted , frustra ted , and unde rmined, and may over t ime
and repea ted encou nte rs, experience a severe loss of self-confide nce.
Masoch isti c beh aviour is a mean s of assu mi ng om ni poten ce through mak -
ing ot he rs feel guil ty and impot ent t hemse lves. It is also a mean s of assum-
ing contr ol t h rough a proc ess of sel f-inj ury far mo re powe rful th an any -
th ing ot hers can do to inflict harm .

Th e essence of masochism is th e int imate connection between

pain and pleasu re. . . . It is (he seeking or pursui t of psychic or
physical pain , discomfort or hum iliation, where the unplea sure
becomes g ratifying or pleasurab le; bu t either the seek ing or the
pleasure , or both, may be unconscious. Indeed , frequent ly the
masochist , unaw are of his own agency and satisfaction, is con -
scious only of the suffering that is experienced as imposed from
the outsi de by fate or ot hers, who are ang rily b lamed for the pain .
And yet there freq uent ly is no mistaking t he eviden t satisfacti on
in the sufferer's voice, or the gleam in his eyes, as he asserts yet
158 - THE ASTRO LO GICA L N EPTU NE Af'.O Tt-H O UEST f O R REDEMPTI ON

another failure or hu m iliarion , as he snat ches defeat ou t of t he

jaws of v ictor y.U

This is pat ho logy indeed . Althou gh we m ay feel p rofou nd co mpass ion for
the inner suffering wh ich such behaviour patterns reflect, it would be very
difficulr co idealise th ese life-destroying com p ulsions as "selfless, " or
"evolved ." T hey are slippery, m an ipulat ive, and unquesti onably d irty,
a lt houg h em in ently hu m an . When we pe ne t rate beyond the vei l of this
cha racte risti call y N e ptu nian m an ner of deal ing with powe rful b ut unac-
cep ta b le d rives and d esires, we enter t he doma in of t he in fant . It is to be
hoped tha t th e ast rolog ical counsellor can en cou rage t he individual in rhe
grip of self-vicci m isari on to exp lore some of t he d eepe r mot ives for such
be hav iou r, so that a m or e d irect and crea ti ve ap proach to ot he rs and to life
may be ach ieved. It is not espe cially helpfu l to tell suc h a client that hi s nr
he r sacr ifice s a re "ka rmically necessary," Whether they a re indeed neces-
sary on ot he r, m or e sub tl e levels, rem ain s to be seen ; but the truth of t his
can on ly emerge from ho nest confronta tion .
T here is noth in g romanric abou t m asoc h ism when viewed from a
psy choa nalyti c pe rspective. That is pe rhaps wh y so ma ny ast rologe rs are
reluct ant to conside r this approach to Neptune as an important comple-
ment to t he a rche ty pa l , spi ritua l o r p red ictive o ne. H elen Meyer s' pr ec ise
inte rp retation of m asochi sm, give n below, is not a usua l part of astro log i-
cal writing s o n N eptune. YN my analyti c as well as my asrr olog ica l expe-
n ence of N eptun ian indi vid uals has raughr m e t ha t ir oug h t to be .

T he pa in and suffering of masochi sm are payme nt for forbidde n,

u nacceptabl e oedipa l desires and agg res~ io n , ro avoid dang er of
retali ati on , damage and abandonment. .. . Aggressio n is di rect ed
Durward as the masochi st provoke s and invites hu rt and anger
(rom o rbers and with his pain trie s to play on rheir g uilt . 15

Mu st all ou r sacr ifices th en inv ar iabl y be reduced to th is most u nappeal-

ing co re? I am not sugges ti ng th at [hey are . Psych oanalyri c persp ectives,
perhap s becau se of th e ab sence of a po we rfu l Sun- N eptune contact in
Freud 's chart , a re not con cerned wit h redem ption , a nd can th er efor e afford
to be hon est abo ut hum an being s as th ey are . At [h e same tim e, th e psy -
choanalyt ic ed ifice, like any o t her body of psychologi cal t heory, m ay its elf
become a form of rede m p t ion for chose Neptun ian p ract iti on er s wh o

14. Helen Meyers. " 1\ Con sideran on of Treat ment Techni que s In Relation to rhe Functions
of Masochism," in Glick and Meyers, eds., MaJvlhiun: Current PJyllNllJgical Pm/J«ltt'tJ, p_178 .
15. ..A Co nsid erat ion of Treatmeo r Techn iques 10 Relati on to t he Functions of Masochi sm ,"
p 179
 TH! P;Y CH OA NAlYT IC N ! PT U N ! - 159

ad here co irs doc trines as th ou g h {hey were a di vi ne revel at ion .

Co nseq uently, th e ded icated Freud ian may not be abl e to recog nise sph eres
of human expressio n beyond the purely inst inc t ua l. In fanti le ero t ic feeling
could . itself. be expressive of somet hi ng deeper and more u niversal.
Oed ipa l conflicts may or may not be (he basis for th e pat te rns of masochis-
tic behaviou r. Bu t where Neptune is concerned, it is not a bad idea to ask
th e question. T here are mo re mean ing ful di mens ions to Neptunian
masoch ism . But these are usuall y, if not invariably, woven tog ether with
[he pe rso nal family h ist o ry. It would be abs u rd to assu me [hat all of o ne's
spontaneous acts of gene rosity and altr uism are always sublimations of a
sec ret de sire [ 0 su ffer because of Oedipal g u ilt. Bu t th e co m p licat ed chi ld -
hood paue rns of t he masoch ist ic persona lity are in te rmi ngled with the
nobl er aspi rat ions of Neptu ne in a man ner ofte n very difficu lt to d isen-
tan g le. A lon ging to heal the suffering of hu man it y m ay coi ncide wi th a
lo ng ing to heal the su ffe ring of th e mo the r, as well as the sufferi ng of one's
o wn infan cy.

One com mo n genet ic backg round . _. for sado masoch ism is a rela-
tionship wit h a relat ively unavailable, dep ressed mot her, who is
somet imes inapprop ria te ly and overly sedu ctive but m uch of th e
t ime is unr espon sive and une mparheti c...Such mo the rs resent th e
bu rden s of child care. They wish to be the one who is cared for.
T hey envy the ch ild its new chance in life, its auto nomy, capari -
ties. st rengt h , youth, attracti veness.. . . Auron omy is not to be
respected hur dest royed in rhe service of inte nse needi ness. 16

N eptu n ian sensi tivi ty to th e su fferi ng of ot hers is a psycholog ical faer, as

evide nt in child hood as it is in adu lthood . In chi ld hood th at suffering can-
not be perceiv ed ob ject ively; it is hard enoug h fo r eve n a m atu re and per-
spicac io us adu lt to find suffic ient de tac hm ent (Q un derstand it. A baby
cannot look at it s de pressed and disillus ioned mothe r and co ncl ude , " Ah,
well , she was bad ly parent ed he rself and wants [he same kind of hold ing
and cont ai nme nt tha t I want ; so of course she will ask me to heal her pain
and lo ne liness instead of respo nd ing to m ine: ' T h roug h the eyes of the
ch ild , a ll th e world is full of su ffering , because the mo t he r is th e worl d at
th e beg inn ing of life. There is no cu re save to reli nqu ish one 's ow n em o-
t ional need s, in o rd er to ach ieve a semblance of safety in the envi ronment .
Because t he yo u ng Neptun ian in tui ts un spo ken cue s as a good actor intu-
it s th e ebb and flow of th e aud ience's int erest , it is p rec isely th is em otion -

16 . Suoley J. Coen. "Sadomasochrsric Excitement ," 10 Gli ck and Meyers, ('O S. , MaJl.I<h"m"
PJ) (hv/uK,ca/ PerJptUII"tJ, pp . 45·46.
C u m 'l t
16 0 - THf A STRO LOG ICA L N EPTU N E "' N D T H [ Q U [ ST FO R R[ D(.~1PTl O N

all y gifted ch ild who will suffer most from an overly need y mother. The
message is clea r enough: Do not exist separately from me , for without you
I have noth ing and am not h ing, and you are t he only salva tion for m y mis -
t ry an d lonel iness . What recep t ive ch ild could resist such a ple a ? Ce rtain ly
not Neptune's ch ild ren. Id ent ificat ion with the mother also means identi-
ficatio n with her suffering . O ne of the deeper dimension s of " moral
masoch ism" is th at one d are not be hap py, because t h is means leavin g an
orig inal mother- chil d un ity based on sha red vicr im isation and d isap po int -
men t. Ach ievi ng anyt hi ng wit h one's own life is an act of sepa rat io n; and
it is extremel y diffic u lt [Q sep arat e from what one has never had .
Thus t he N ept u nia n ch ild may assume the onerous task of redeem-
ing th e mo t he r. T his can become a th em e in ad ult life, wher e id en t ifica-
tion with t he victim -saviour leads th e indi vid ual into atte mpti ng to "save"
a damaged or ill pa rtner. On e ma y be dra wn into areas o f th e help ing p ro-
fession s whi ch a re te mperamentally un suitab le, or wh ich c rush the sp irit
t hroug h overwo rk , fru str ation or intolerable b ureau cracy-simply b ecau se
one feels com pelled to save a suffe ring pa rent who is secretly an infan t her -
self. This is the d arker dimensio n of N eptu ne's urg e £0 heal , a nd it often
reflect s a mo t her wh o has passed onto he r child 's shoulders th e mantl e of
t he redeemer. It is not surp rising that t here a re so ma ny Ne ptu nian peo -
ple in th e help in g professions; not th at th ey ate so often exhausted and ill
t hemselv es, w it h a m yriad p hysical and emot ional p roblems, poor bo u nd-
aries , and a ten den cy ro ask for roo lit tle mon ey and time for th em selves.
T he line bet ween th e healer and hi s or her help less a nd de pend ent pa tie n t
is a bl u rred one , So, too , is th e li ne between th e helpless and dependent
pat ient and t he helpl ess and de pendent mothe r.
We need to ex p lore more carefu lly t he sp iritua l appella t ion so ofte n
attach ed to th is kind of sacr ificial life, for wh ere we find the prayerbook
we will also find th e p ram . Whet her fo rmulated in conve ntio nal rel ig ious
language or in sociolog ical ter m s, t he com b ination of altruism and infan-
til ism ope rates in com plex ways wi thin t he ind iv id ual iden tified wi t h t he
arc he typa l vict im-red eem er. It tak es a ce rt ain amount of co urag e to ad op t
thi s deepe r perspect ive, beca use self-sacrifice is generally viewed by t he
colle ct ive as the noblest of acts , Swa n Asch comments t hat it has bee n
institut iona lised by the C hu rch for many cent uries in t he form of a d oc-
trine of renun ciat ion an d suffe ring in th is world in exchang e for rewards
in th e next ; and thus it manage s, if th e be liev er is mise rab le e noug h, to
bo rh assuage g ui lt and p rod uce a species of na rcissisti c gratificat ion at th e
same t ime. J?

17. Aw h, "T he An alync Co ncepts of Masochi sm ." in Gli ck and Meyers. eds.. ~f a ll.J(h mn ·

C" ru nl PJ)chological PtrlPtfl i.'tJ, p. 113

 T H E PSYCH O AN A.. l'rT IC N EPT UN E - 1 61

The problem we face here is the di st inction be tween a compassion

which read ily identifies with suffering in orh ers, respond ing with a desire
to heal o r comfort even at one's own expense, and a masoch ism whi ch d ie-
rate s th at such a response mu st be ab solute and preclude any personal ful-
fillme nt or joy. It is find ing a balance which is so tri cky, and whi ch is suc h
an indi vid ual affair. There are no gu idelines for "normality" here. But no
balance of an y k ind can be found if [h e ma soch ist ic d ime nsion of self-sac-
rifice is not explored . Equall y, [he chains-and -whi ps sch ool of sexual
masoch ism , whi ch is not generally viewed as "spiritual" in th e eyes of the
collect ive, may an a deeper level reflect what Lyn Cowan calls a "religious
attitude toward sexualiry't-e-an effort to bring down into th is earth iest of
life's expressions a gl impse of the tran spersonal world of the d ivine waters.
It may also reflect an effort to exp iate th e bodily aggression and narcissism
wh ich are inhe rent in the sexual act , th us rend ering it "sacred " and closer
ro G od .
The ecstasy of suffering is a common theme in mediev al Ch rist iani ty.
One of th e most lurid examples is th at of th e Flagellant s, for whom
penan ce meant corpo real punishment of a g rote sq ue kind, and for whom
pain was so exqu isite that it was transformed int o int ense eroti c pleasure.
An excellent if horrific rend ition of rhis kind of fusion of pain an d plea sure
may be seen in the film , The Devils 0/ Loudon, wh ich remains one of our best
fict ional portrayals of how truly blurred is the lin e betw een the spiritu al
and the eroti c, and between self-sacrifice and masochism .

The Elagellanrs "saw their penance as a collect ive imna rio Cbrisn
possessing a unique , eschatologi cal value." The general populace
also saw them as performing a collective penitent ial act which
would hasten the world to the millennial reign of Chrisr.!''

Th e relig ious ecstasy of suffering is gen erally linked with [he millenar ian
vision, for the sufferer consciously or un consciously await s th e Day of
Judgement when th e wicked will be punished and [he inn ocent gi ve n
powe r ove r the worl d . The Day of Judgem ent may, for many m od ern
Neptunian victim s, have no apparent spi rit ual connotation; it may sim ply
be th e day when (he d ivorce sol icitor manages to take every last bi t of prop-
erty and income from th e erring hu sband, o r th e compa ny from wh ich one
has been made redu nd ant goes bankrupt. This sta re of eager eschat olog ical
expectancy m ay be obs erved in t he ma rtyrlike beha viour of m an)' N ep tune -
do mi na ted ind ivid uals, who can frequently be Seen storing away sp iritual
points for some dis rant , unspecified d ay when all [he sacrifices will be to r-

18. Cowan. J\(aJUlhiun: AJ,mgian Vit'ldDallas : Spn ng Pubhcarions, 198 2), p. 22.
16 2 - T HE ASTR OL O GI CA L 'l r l UN l .• N D TH E oursr FOR R£D IMPTI O N

ted up an d cashed in . It is in t his sp irit that t he desrrucrive m other in stills

in her child an emorio nal deb t wh ich she may claim any time, even post hu-
mousl y. This pattern , deeply un conscious but tr em endously powerful , may
lie be hind the driven qu ality whi ch is a characrerisric of th ose id ent ified
with red eemer-roles. They must save the world all at once , in a dr eadful
hurry, as th ou gh som ewhere in th e background the mother is wait in g to be
repaved for her sacrifices. an d is growi ng im pa tie nt.
Yet beca use we are m orral, and exist in bodi es, we a re t ru ly barred
(rom t he sp irit ual experience of un ity--exce pt in tr an sient mome nt s. The
sense of shame wh ich we expe rience at ou r ow n g reed and self-cent red ness
is, vie wed fro m t his pe rspect ive, app rop riate. The Eden of u nivers al love is
not onl y ou r pr ima ry narcissist ic com p uls ion; it is also ou r h ighest idea l,
and can lift us out of ou r pt'uy self-absorbed live s into a realm of g rea t
beaut y and exa lt at ion. The di lemm a lies in the gap between our ideal s and
our o rd ina ry hum anity, an d in th e ma nn er in whi ch we seek to b rid g e that
g ap. Love a nd art ar e tWO of Nep tu ne's rnosr creat ive cha nnels for bridg e-
bu ild ing. In both realms it is impossib le to trul y taste th e water s of th e
Parad ise G ard en if one w ithhold s. There is in deed som et h ing sacred ab o ut
offer ing freely, without a hid den p rice tag . Eq uall y, th ere is som ething
unholy and co rrup t abou t self- infli cte d su fferi ng aime d at scoring po in ts
in heaven . N eptune is capable of barh .

T he movement from martyrdom to masochi sm is also a movement

from g ui lt to sha me . G uilt beg ins wit h law; shame begins
with realizati on of a g reat er-than -t hou Self. Th e vocab ulary of
g uilt opera tes in term s of tight and wrong , crime and punish-
ment , cu lpability and recrificari on. . . . Sham e belongs to th e
di mension of soul and im p lies the nonexistence of ant idot e, th e
permane nce of defi ciency, th e impossibil it y of rect ificati on. . . . It
is t he sense of perm anent lack, insufficiency, inadequac y which
canne r be made right or corrected by any act ivit y of th e ego. . . .
G uilt is a moral and lega l category ; shame belongs to the religiou s
expe rience of psyche. J'J

The shame wh ich so often forms pa rt of Ne p t une's psychology IS a pro-

fou nd recognition of human flawed ness and inad equ acy. It is connect ed
with h u m ilit y, rat her th an hu m iliation . Hum il ity m ak es po ssib le com pas-
sioo and a sen se of hu man fellowship . Self-hu m iliation, which is th e p rod -
uct of t he da rke r an d more infanti le side of N ep t u ne, can d isg uise itself as
h umil it y; yer it usua ll y results in someo ne else event ually be ing hum iliar-

19 MaJ(j(hiJr7l: I\ ) ungia n V/(/l', P. 80

 T H[ PSYC HO AN Al YTIC N [ PTU N[ - 16 3

ed instead , as th e more sad ist ic un conscious fantasi es of t he ge ntle

Neptun ian suggest.

The Ego Ideal

In 19 14 Freu d fi rst inrroduced rhe concep r of rbe "eg o ide al. " Th is is one
of t he mos t fun d am ent al aspect s of psychoanalyti c th eory, and also an
excell ent cli nica l defi nit ion of t he N ept un ian long ing . In som e astr olog y
texts , Nept u ne is equated with (he collect ive un consciou s and is the refore
arrr ib u red wi th g lobal u ansper sonal pow e rs. But it is im po rt ant ro
remem ber t ha t all t he planets, in astro log ical symbolism , represen t fund a-
menral psycho logical urges. Al t hough rhey are u niversa l or arch etypal in
the sense t hat everyo ne experiences t hem, th ey exp ress, wit hin t he horo-
scope of a hu man bei ng , a pan icular human orien tati on and set of need s.
Th is is {cue of th e Queer planets as well as th e inner. Although Uranus,
Neptu ne, and Plu m are t ranspe rsonal in th e sense t hat th ey reflect a more
collective st rat um of the human psyche, linked with b road gen erat ional
and social movem ents and values , they neve rtheless operate within an
ind ivid ual chart and cont ribu te to the com plexit y of th e individual per-
sonality. T he sim ple equation of Neptune with t he coll ective un con scious
mi sses t he point , since all the planets rep resent someth ing archetypa l and
th erefore all embody the collect ive unconsciou s in one g uise or anot her.
Neptune sym bo lises a long ing and a p redi lecri on for emo t ional and imag-
inal experience of a pecu liarly pr imal and therefore "ot herwo rld" kind .
This realm of experience is very specific, expressed through feelings of
tr ansience and world -weari ness, and through ima ges of redem pti on and
d issoluti on. It com p rises a wo rld-vi ew no more nor less archetypa l t han
th at of any ot her planet.
Th e concep t of th e ego ideal, first described by Freud and later d evel-
oped by Jan ine Cbasseg uet-Sm irgel, can help us (0 formulate Neptune as
a pa rt icular d ynam ic with in an ind ivid ual human being-although th is
dy nam ic, bei ng co llect ive, has also ope rated rhrough ma ny soc ial and rel i-
g iou s m ovements throughout h isto ry.

U nable to gi ve up a sat isfact ion he has once experienced. man "is

not willing to forgo t he narcissistic perfection of his childhood "
and "seeks to recover in th e new form of an ego ideal t hat earl)'
perfection that he can no longer retain. Wh at he projects before
him as his ideal is the substi tute for the lost narcissism of his own
childhood in which he was his own ideal."211

2n. j amn e Chasseguer-Smi rgel, Tbe Ego Ideal (lond o n : Free ASSOCl. [ IOn Books, 198~ ) , p II.
16 4 - H it AS r ROL O GIC o\ l ~ E PT U ~ E A"' D H it QU EH FOR Rl Df,...' PTl Q N

T he "lo st narcissism " of chi ldhood, in wh ich th e baby is his or her

own ideal, is anot her way of describing t he st ate of fus ion be t wee n in fant
and mothe r, in whi ch the in fant ex pe riences t he omn ipote n t life-g iving
powe r of th e mar he r as pa n of irs ow n bei ng . Thi s is t he sea-w omb of
Na m m u an d Ti'amar , in wh ich all life is e terna l. Ie is also Eden . where
Adam and Eve a re a t one wi t h G od , and th erefore parta ke of God 's powe r
and immortali ty. T he myeh ic images of th is pri ma l pl ace convey wi th
g reat eloq ue nce how seducti ve is its lost perfect ion . The ind ivid ual wh o
co m es strongly unde r Nep tu ne is one in who m the pr im ary state of fusion
is never rel inq uished . Freud th oug h t no one ever full y relinqu ished ir, and
astrology co nfirm s his d iagnosis; we all have N ep tu ne ruck ed away some -
wher e in the b irch charco Bur m any people ma nage co co me to terms wi th
the eg o ideal sufficient ly, so that th e gap bet ween per son al real ity and lost
om nipot ence does not ge nerate such to rme n t. Th e asp ira tio n to wa rd th e
ideal m al' rh en be exp ressed by [he individua l in hig hly rewarding and cre -
a ti ve ways.

Mak ing money (or desp ising it ), owning a luxur ious house (or
vau nting a boh emi an lifest yle), dres sing in an amusing or orig inal
way, raising handsome ch ildren, practising a relig ion , taking to
d rink , adopting a partic ular ideology, lovi ng and being loved,
w r i t i n~ an intelligent book , c rea ting a wo rk o ( an ... eac h of these
may rcp rc:sent d ifferent ways of attemp t ing to reduce t he ga p
between the ego and its ideal. Yer it is no less tr ue rhar , over and
abo v(' rhc search for t hese sati sfact ions in th emselves, man is
inspired by som ething more p rofound , somethin g more abso lute,
somet hing permanent wh ich goes beyo nd t he cha ngi ng cont ent,
t he varied and eph em eral form s th at he giv es to his fun dam ent al
desire to find a lost perfection once aga in. Th ese attem pts, wh ich
are but stagi ng poses on a road leading only to dea t h, nonetheless
insp ire man in life. 21

T he q uest for un ion wi t h th e ego ideal reveals its elf in eve ry sp here
of life where we lon g for an ineffabl e, indesc ribab le "somet hing " [hat will
all eviate loneliness an d g rant us immorra firy Th is can be a del icious feel-
in g , an d it seems we a re happy to pay ou r ent ra nce fee to any film whi ch
plays on th is hear tsrri ng with even a relat ive d eg ree of sk ill. Th e m elan -
choly ro man t icism of N ept une makes us love Ch op in's non u rne s, or
Sp ielberg 's Exrrate rresrrial , or C. S. Lew is' N arni a, o r Merch ant a nd Ivo ry's
vanished Edwardian England . These imag es are bo t h deeply enri ch ing

21. Tbe EXfJ JdMl, p . 8 .

 TH E PSYC HO AN ALYT IC N EPT UN ( - 16 5

(alt ho ug h per hap s not "socially relevant ") and profoundl y u niti ng between
human bein gs. The same long ing mot ivate s us co crea te th ings of beau ty
which reconnect us to the perfection we have lose.
If th e search for the eg o ideal is so frust rated and full of sufferi ng chat
t he indi vid ual supp resses all such lon g ing s from consciousness, then life
becomes nothing more th an a preface to death , Worse, CO such an individ -
ual, all th ose who can and d o experience creative ways of p u rsu ing t he ideal
become t he ob jects of envy and hatred . Th is is t he dynam ic of a cert ain
kind of in relle ctual approach to life, wh ich would crus h every t hing non-
fun ct ional, and red uce all aest hetic feeling to ashes. Yet parado xically,
when an individ ual re ject s th e ideal so st ren uously, the bi rth horoscope
inev itably shows t he same p redo mi nance of Nep tu ne. 22 T here is no d iffer-
ence between t he two at co re; enem ies are g enerally secretl y ide nt ical in
ma ny ways. But rat he r th an id enti fying with N ept une's worl d on th e con-
scious level, t he indi vidual may instead try to d est roy it, becau se th e iden-
tificat ion is u nconsciou s and th erefore deeply threat en ing to t he ego. The
person wi t h a do m inant Neptune ma y become a help less vict im of life,
perpetually persecu ted by a worl d whi ch dem ands an im possible degree of
tou ghness and self-sufficiency. Equall y, he or she may become a scoffer, a
scep tic, a virul ent destroye r of all nonrational th ing s, a de nig rato r of
romant ic fantas y, a di alecti cal material ist who woul d red uce everyt hing to
mechani sti c functi oning . G ene rally suc h indi vid uals, through the perv erse
int ervention of "fate," have a visibly Neptunian parent, pa rtne r, chi ld, or
pat ient in to w.
There is an elem ent within th e psychoanalyt ic worl d whi ch has iden-
tified with t his latter. Marxi sm has app rop riated certa in sect ions of the
psychoana lyt ic com mu nit y, p rod ucing a bi zarre form of rel igi ous dogma
di sg uised as "scient ific" psycholog ical and social t heory. Perh aps it is t his
eleme nt which is so u nat t ract ive to the Nept u nian who has em br aced
ast rology and ot her esorerica. and finds th e psychoanalyt ic fram ework
insulting and soul-dest roying . Yet it is clear from the work of suc h writ -

22 . It IS useful 10 rbrs cont ext to cons ider (he bi rt h chan of Franz Cu mont, (he intrepid
researcher of ancrenr mystery cults qu oted in chapt er 3. H u rc na ns owe a gr eat deal ( 0
Cumc nr. His fasci nan on for the myst eoe s, includ ing their astrolc grcal d imensio n, dro v e
him obsess,vely rhrcug bcur his life . Yer he pe rpetu ally de nigrated their wor ld-vie w. refer-
ring to it as "mo nst rous," and at tr ibuti ng ir to some ...agud y "O riental" o r" ASiat ic" inn ux
wh ich ult imatd )· desrroyed the fabric of G reco-R om an society, Cumom could nc r be-ar th e
rdea that hrs beloved G reco- Rema n intellectuals were not really Vict orian Engli shmen (or
Belgians) d ressed in togolS . and th at they espoused a vrsron of realit y which was fundamen-
tally mysti c ~1 and inn nnve. A q uick g lance at th e birt h chart reveals Sun sq uare Neptune
and Moon coru u nc t Nept une. (Source: I nurnat iunalt J H flnJJt vpt u x,tlJ", p. n~ . )
16 6 - TH E AST ROl O GICAL N EPT U N E ' N O THE O UI IT f OR REDEMPTl O "

ers as Jan ine Chasseguet-Smi rgel th at und ersta nd ing and comi ng to terms
with the infant ile d im en sion of th e q uest for th e ego ideal doe s not have
co devalue our need fo r a continu ing co nnect ion with wh at was th ere
before "I" was. There are [00 many myste ries around th e issue of th e ego
ideal co explain it away as "only" th e personal moth er. For one thin g , the
ideal is different for di fferent peopl e, even if they arc siblings and have
shared t he same mother. T his sugg ests nor only an in nate per sonal it y p re-
dispositi on , but some th ing beyond th e personal ity wh ich is close r to
jungs idea of th e Self- both an inbo rn potent ial of indi vid ual complete-
ness, and an ult im ate vision of life's un it y.

In [he last analysis every life is th e realizati on of a whole , (h ac is,

of a self, for which reason thi s real izat io n can also be called "ind i-
vid uation." Allli(e is bound co ind ivid ual carriers who realize it,
and it is sim ply inconceivabl e with out them. But every carrier is
charged with an indi vidua l dest iny and dest ination , and the real-
ization of these alone makes sense of life. 23

W it hou t th is inner sense of indiv id ual des ti ny, t here wou ld not be m uch
poi nt in bo t he ring at all. T he di scovery of a sense of pu rpose is an awesome
a nd beaut iful th ing £0 wat ch happen in ano t her, and a rransforrn ar ive and
life -renewi ng expe rience wit h in oneself The sense o f individ ual d estin y is
perhaps th e most creat ive exp ress ion of th e psychoana lyti c ego ide al, fo r it
is th e reason why we str ive at all.

N o matter what the world th inks about religious experience, th e

one who has it possesses a g reat tr easure . a th ing that has becom e
for h im a sou rce of life, meaning and beauty, and that has g iven a
new sp lendour (Q th e world and to man ki nd . H e has piI/il and
peace. 24

W hat J ung called (he relig ious fu nct ion of th e psyche is closel y related to
thi s inn er st rivin g . Freud 's eg o ide al, roored in a rerum to fusion wirh th e
primal mother, and J un g 's rel igi ou s fu nct ion , roar ed in a sense of some -
thin g o ther th an ego to ward which the hum an being aspi res, are tWO dif-
ferent ways of looking at th e same thing , Both mu st be kept in m ind-
alt houg h ofte n th e role of th e astrologe r, like th at of th e psychotherapist .
is to facili tate awa re ness of t he form er in orde r to free t he lat te r.

23. J ung . CoIlt(/tJ Wlff..tJ. Vol. 12, Pl) fhol"g) & Aleh",,) (London: Routl edge & Kegan Paul.
1968; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1968 ), , 222.
24 . J ung, CIJ/ltatJ WU1'"..tl , VIJI. 1/ , Ps)(hIJIIJg)' & Religion (London : Routl edge & Kegan Paul.
197 3; Prin cet on, NJ: Princet on Universit y Press. 1969), ' 10 5,
 THE P ~ Y C H O A N Al'r T 1 C N EPT UN E - 16 7

The Pursuit of Suffering: A Case History

Chart 5 (page 16 8) is thar of an astrolog ical client wh om 1 will call J uli e.
H er unhappy emo t ional hist ory, and th e self-in flicted sufferin g wh ich for
many years seemed the on ly resolution of it, provide a vivid illust ra tio n of
the dar ker face of Neptu ne at work in th e hum an psyche. jul ie's st rugg le
[0 confro nr and deal with he r d ifficulr ies can reach us a good dea l abou t

how elus ive Neptunian problems can be. Vet ul rirna rely th ey, roo--l ike a ll
human issues-s-can be integ rated , if nor "cured," w ith in a li fe which finds
its rewards on this side of the gate [Q the Paradise Garden.
An Am er ican in ter mi t t ent ly reside nt in Engl and , Ju lie's back -
g round was a privileg ed on e. The eldest ch ild and only d augh ter in a fam-
ily with consid erab le wealth and a high soci al p rofile, she ini tiall y
appeared [Q be the pe rfect chi ld in a perfe ct en vi ronment . Her father was
a highl y success ful businessm an who reti red early [Q indulge himself in
his favour ite pastime of rearing racing g reyhou nds. Her mother, also from
a good family, had recei ved no univer sity educatio n and had never worked
for a living ; but she was clev er, accom plished, and act ive in local chari-
ties. Growing up in idyll ic su rroundings , attend ing the best schoo ls and
fulfillin g all the socia l and acade mi c expect ati ons pla ced upo n her , Juli e
described her childhood as "' b lissfu lly happ y," on th e first occas ion on
whi ch she came to sec: me at the beginning of 19 90 . Her parent s were
"wonderful ," her mother was "perfect, " her farb er was "dashing ," and she
got on with her three brother s "brilliantly." Jul ie alway s sm iled when she
responded to questions . She was attractive, inte ll igent , likeabl e , beauti-
fully dressed , impeccably mannered , and full of charm . When clie nts
rep ort th eir chi ld hoo ds as bli ssfull y happy, and config u rario ns ap pea r in
the bi rth chart such as Jul ie's g rand card inal cross (se t across the angl es
and involving the two parental houses as well as the natal Moo n, wit h a
dom inant and ang ular Neptune presiding ), one may be forgiven for
reserving judgement . Ideali sation is one of the most dee p- rooted and
powe rful of hum an de fences, and is character isric of a wou nded N eptune .
Sooner or later, if the indi vid ual is to heal , the ideal isarions need to be
challeng ed . But th ere must first be a sen se of self suffi cient ly scrong to
live wit hout them .
Julie soug ht an ast rolog ical consu ltation because she was "confused"
about her "di rectio n.' Supported by a generous allowan ce from he r fami-
ly, she had no need to wor k , bur wished to do somer hing wi th he r life. She
then revealed that her ent ire bod y- neck, chest, abdom en, legs, and arm s,
carefu lly co ncea led beneath lon g sleeves, a h ig h colla r, and a long sk irt
wi th opaque tigh ts-was covered in a terrible rash, which had been diag -
 16R - THE ASTRO l O GICAl NEPTUN( AND THE O UES T f O R R£DEMP TIO N

rCl;"
Chan 5. J ulie. Da,a wi, hhdJ for conflJen ,ia li,y. Tropical, PlaciJ us, True
N ode. Source: birth certificate.
 TH E PSYCHOAN AlYTIC NEPTU N E - 16 9

nosed as pso rias is.l > Exp lain ing rh is, she co nr inued smi l ing , as th o ugh the
suffering of her body had nothing to d o w ith her. She had tr ied a g reat
number of alternative t reatments, but noth ing seemed to Stop the progress
of t he rash , w h ich was borh infuriat ing ly painful and also hum iliat ing .
Shame abou t he r body had mad e her re ject any ph ysical intimacy w ith
ano t he r person since the psoriasis had begun two years before . A d iletta nte
devotee of numerous g urus and spiritual d iscipl ines, she had a vague idea
of some ka rmi c de bt w hic h she was payi ng off fro m a former l ife . She
wou ld not co nside r psy ch otherapy as a po ssib le way of approach ing her
diffi cu lt ies. Observ in g th e app roach in g tr ansits of U ranus and Ne pt une to
conjunct natal C hiro n , oppose natal U ranus, and trigge r the ent ire natal
g rand cross, and the m uch slowe r approach of prog ressed Mars towa rd a
square to Chi ron and U ranus and a conjunct ion with the natal De scendant
and Moon , it seemed urg ent that Julie move beyond her defences into the
pain and ange r she mu st be experiencing inside . Clearly a crisis was loo m-
ing which , over the next few years, could make or break her. But she was
not prepared to be he lped on any terms other than those which avoided
self-confrontation.
W ith in a year Jul ie co nt acted me again . She had had a bad car acc i-
denr , and had fract u red her femur, whi ch was not healing wel l. The pso ri-
asis was wo rse . Vag uel y, she implied th at som ehow th is was my fault . H er
parent s were insisting that she come home so that they could look after
her. She had m ade o ne visit back to N ew York. But alt ho ug h her family
had bee n "wo nderful," she admitted to feel ing "cla ust rop ho b ic" and
returned to Eng land with rel ief. She had also beco me engaged to a man she
had known for several years, and who seemed devoted to her. He had a
"slig ht" d rink ing prob lem , but was otherwise "p erfect ." As marriage and
mot herhood we re prospects she had always long ed for (unti l the psoriasis
in truded ), sh e had accepte d h is p roposal. She had first m et h im in t he
autum n of 198 7 , when transiting Saturn was in Sag ittarius square her
natal Venus-M ars conjunction in Pisces. She had not been in love wi th
him , but was flattered by his o bv ious love for her; and he m ade her feel
"safe ." She had taken him across the Atlant ic to meet her parents, and they
had approved of him . The o nly p rob lem was t he prospect of her settli ng
perm anentl y in England, so far away from t hem . H er bo yfriend ha d

25 Th is ski n cornplamt , wh ich is called after the Greek PJurll or "Itch," is one of those ail-
menu with which orthodo x medicine has never co me to terms. It is not uncom mon, but
no org anic cause has ever been established. Sim ilar to eczema, but more virulent, it IS ge n-
erally recog nised to be l inked with stares of extreme stre ss and unexpressed Olgpessive feel -
mg s. Some tim es armbueed to an "allerg ic" react ion. ir is nor clear JUS ( what t he sufferer is
allergi Cto . It may ref lect Ne ptun e's inherent allerg y ( 0 life
17 0 - TH E AITRO LO GICA L N EPT U t-;( A" D T HE Q U EI T E O ~ ~fDE"P Tl O "

ret urn ed to Eng land wh ile she rem ained in Ne w York ro t ry to resol ve t he
con flic t with her parents.
At thi s t im e, in th e wi nte r of 1988, tr ans it ing Plut o in Scorpi o was
stat ionary op po site her nat al Jup iter in th e 7 t h house. Pr ed ict ab ly, she me t
an other m an. For the first ti me in her life, she exper ienced an overw hel m -
ing sexu al arrracrion. a nd t he t W O beca me love rs. Althou g h she was 3 S at
th is t im e, Jul ie's sexua l experie nce had bee n limi ted to he r p rospect ive
fiance- no t fo r any m o ral reason , b ut be cause of an un acknowledg ed di s-
tas te . He r id eas abou t love we re nor merely id ea list ic. bur downri gh t
O rp hi c. Sh e p romi sed her new lover she would g ive up her ex isr ing rela-
tion ship an d co me hom e to be with h im . When she arrived in Engl and she
fou nd she (a u ld no r fulfill he r prom ise . In stead , she suffered t he firsr o ur -
b reak of pso riasis. In d istress and shame she term inat ed both relat ionshi ps,
and had rem ained alone d u ring the t W O yea rs before she req uest ed an as t ro-
log ical consu lta t ion . O nl y aft er con sid erab le pr essure had she conse nted {Q
m arry he r o ld bo yfrie nd , wh en he was fu lly app ra ised of her sk in co nd it io n
an d d id nor seem {Q m ind .
j ul ie's rel uctance (Q discuss he r em ot ional dile m m a, wh ich on ly
e me rge d at [he second m eeting , is as reveali ng as t he nature of t he dil em-
m a itself She tr ied (Q co nceal th e fan t hat th e car acciden t had oc cu rred
wit hin a week of her en gage m ent bei ng form ally anno u nced . T hi s u nfor-
ru na te "co inc idence" of en gage ment and inj u ry, wh ich even J ul ie cou ld not
ig nore, occurred wh en t ran siting Satu rn was con junc t nat al Me rcu ry an ti
sq uare nat a l N eptune, tr an sit ing C h iro n was sq ua re nata l Sat urn, and tran-
siti ng Nep tu ne was app ly ing to co njunct nat al Chiroo in th e 3rd hou se.
O ver all th ese tra nsi t ing config u rati ons hang s th e sug gest ion of fear, long-
ing (Q escape, self-decep tio n and the act ivat ion o f d eep feel in gs of pai n an d
inad eq uacy. N o t su rp risi ngly, she was experienc ing profou nd rel uct ance in
co m mi u ing her self. H owever, her co m men t th at she wasn't " reall y su re
about g et t ing married " cam e as she was walking OUt th e doo r at th e end
of the consultat ion. I sugges te d th at a psycho t he rap euti c ap proac h seem ed
appropria te in t he light of her cont inui ng emot ional confusion a nd inde -
cision. She accept ed the telep hone nu m be r of an an alyt ic co lleag ue . Two
years passed be fore I hea rd fro m her ag a in, an d foun d o u t th at she ha d
acted on t he recommen d ati on.
By thi s ri m e Ura nu s and N eptune were we ll en tre nched on her nat al
grand cros s, t ran siting Plu to sq uar ed its natal p lace, an d p rog ressed M ars
had arrived a t her Descendant and co njun cred he r Moon . Transit ing Sat u rn
had co m p leted its passag e over [ h e g rand cross and was now app roach ing
a co n junct io n with th e natal Sun in Aq ua riu s. J ulie arr ived (or he r t h ird
appointment weari ng dark g lasses wh ich concealed a bad ly b ruis ed eye. In
 THE PSyCHO ANALYTI C N(P TU;\;E - 17 1

the in terveni ng tw o years she had married her fiance, beco me pregnane ,
and mi scarried . Her husband 's d rinking had become excessi ve; he was also
increasingly violent and she feared for her safety. T he fractu red th igh had
healed bad ly, leaving her with a perm anent lim p. The psoriasis was raging
unabated . She had received a prescript ion for anri -depressanrs and had
swallo wed the ent ire bo tt le. waking up in hosp ital with her sto mach
pumped. her throat raw. and her rash on dis play for all ro see. Then she
rang my colleag ue. because it had finally occu rred to her that Neptune's
waters were serving up sharks instead of the fruits of Parad ise. She had
come face to face with her self-vicrirnisarion at last.
Nept un e is pow erful in J ulie's birt h chart . It conju ncts th e
Ascendant . opposes the Moon . squares the Sun, Mercu ry. Chi ron, and
Uran us, and dis poses of th e cha rt ruler, Venus, placed in Pisces in th e 5th
house. Jul ie's pe rception of real ity. and of herself, is deeply imb ued with
Neptunian fantasies of the lost Eden. At heart she is an idealistic soul,
receptive and refined , who has fou nd g reat d ifficulty in coping with an
en meshed and emo ti onally complicat ed family backgrou nd . Perh aps th e
most striking contact in the birth chart is the rising Saturn-Neptune co n-
junction in Libra square the Sun , sugg esting a profound con flict between
her need to g round her aesthetic and spiritual ideals and her longing to
escape from an ugl y and imperfect world . In cha pte rs 10 and 12 th e rela-
tionship of Saturn and Neptune is explored at length , because of the arche -
typal conflict thi s pair of planers symbolises . H ere I will merely emphasise
the diffi cult y that an entire gener ation faces, with this conjunct ion in
Libra squa re Uranus in Cancer, in reconc iling the actuality of the world
with the eve r-p resene vision of the Paradise Garden . Julie is not the first
in dividua l I have met, born in this age gro up , who has sornarised her con-
flier. Satu rn, in tradit ional medi cal astrology, governs the skin as well as
the bones . Her psoriasis and her badl y healed leg injury both suggest poor
bou ndaries and a poor sense of inne r struct ure and solidity. Her rage at
havi ng to incarnate in a world she finds mo re appalli ng than she can admi t
can only be expressed th rough the raging of the rash . Mars and Venu s con-
junct in Pisces, di sposed of by N eptune, reflect a sensuous and refin ed
emot ional and sexual nature. What th is conjunctio n does least well is
exp ress decis iveness and self-assertion. Ju lie has always bee n haunt ed by
the terror of being unlo ved .
T he problem of Ju lie's "wonderful" pa rents is one wh ich she could
not ult imatel y avoid facing . Because both the Sun and Moo n are co nfig -
ured with Neptune, a parenta l inhe ritance is suggested which is full of
infam ile idealisation. Bot h Julie's mot her and father are, in their d ifferent
ways, emotional child ren with a fantasy of perfect ma rriage. perfect par-
172 - THI ASTROl O GICAL ,' '! PTU '' [ AN D 1 " [ OU EI T f O R REDL\\PTl O N

enrhood , and pe rfect offsp ring , all livin g hap p ily in an Eden fu ll of g reen-
ery, ben ig n g reyhounds and fluffy sofr rOy5, Bot h were cush ioned from life
by easily acqui red material security, and rhus neither had (Q face their own
inabi li ty to cope . To them Jul ie was neve r a real child . She was (ather's lit -
tle princess and mother's littl e doll , and her Ne ptunian receptiv ity to the
emotional u nde rcu rre n ts of the e nvi ronmen t made her aware at a very early
ag c t hat beiog p erfecr was th e on ly currency accep ta ble at rhe shop,
Because she was pee n y and cle ve r, she could provide the req uired g oo ds
w ithout apparent effort; and bein g a N eptun ian chi ld , she was always a
fin e actor , The p rice for love was her feeling s and her soul. julie's rag e was
g lobal and ap ocalyp t ic, alt ho ug h she had no in k ling of irs st reng t h ,
Th e Moon had , by secondary progression, moved past the squares to
U ranus and C hi rc o before she was horn; it is poss ible that these separating
natal squares reflect a deep unconsc iou s anxiety and resentmen t in her
mother w hile J ulie was sti ll in the womb . Even in the real Eden , the ser-
pen t had bee n at wo rk , T he prog ressed Moon th en squa red Mercury and
opposed N ep tun e when J ul ie was around five to six mo nths old, and
opposed Saturn wh en she was around nine mont hs old . In these ea rly
months of life the emot ional cl ima te mu st have been ext reme ly stressful ;
it is probable, although I do no t kno w (or certain, that her parents were
quarrell ing o r unhappy w ith each ot he r. Jul ie d id no t m iss any of it. lI er
sense of em oti onal fragi lity is enormo us , and the oute r world is full of hor-
rible threats and dang ers. Th e Moon is at the De scendant , sug ges ting that
J ul ie has always found it hard to ackn owl edg e her own passionate and
agg ressive (Moon in A ries) feeling s. She rends to p roject them elsew he re ,
respond ing li ke a g ood actor to everyone e lse 's emori on al cues .
In add ition to N eptune as a sig u ificacor for bot h parents, her pe r-
cept ion of her moth e r is also refle cted by U ranus at the m idheaven ,
alr ho ugh it is on t he 9 rh house side , Julie d id not expe rience her mo rhe r
as safe, As a chi ld she was a lwa ys full of anxie ry, expeering a catastrophe at
any moment. This st ate of chronic anxiety has remai ned throug hout her
adul thood . O n th e surface ir is not obv ious. But it is on e of t he con tri b u t-
ing factors to th e sk in eruption s, w hich in part reflect her constant appre-
hen sion . Jul ie's im age of her father is also com plicated . He is ideali sed
(Su n sq ua re N eptune) b u r also resented (Su n sq uare Satu rn), becaus e he
seemed to her aloo f, w ithd raw n, and un int erested in her real ident ity . The
Sun in t he 4 t h house reflects her deep bond with th is fath er wh om she
longed for but never reall y had ; M ercury in th e 4 t h reflect s her per ception
of him as clever but o verly critical; and Chi ron, in the 3rd but con ju nc t-
ing th e IC, suggests th at her fat he r is a m an secred y wou nd ed by life, and
capable of infl icti ng g reat hu rt on othe rs as a resul t . She adores and need s
 T HE P SYCH O A. N A. l YTl C N EP 1 U N E - 17 3

and hates hi m , and her subsequen t relati onship patt ern owes m uch co
the se confused and amb ivalent feel ings.
That J ul ie has always been frigh tened of an inti mate relat ionsh ip
wit h a man is clear from her d isint erest un til th e tim e of the tr an sit of
Pluto to Jupiter. Th is tr ans it reflect ed a powerful sexual awaken ing .
Jup iter in Taurus, sexri le to Venus and Mars but placed in th e 7t h house,
sugg ests th at her own joyful sensual ity was proj ected onto oth ers , rather
than exper ienced as parr of her own nature . But th e real astrolog ical sig-
nature of her sexual d ifficulties is t he powerful N ep tu ne, whi ch ensu red
th at she rem ained unform ed as a woma n. The hard lun ar aspens to
U ranus , Nep tu ne, and Chiro n in th is chan seem to describe what
W inn icon refers to as th e "patholog icall y p reoccupied mother," who is
alte rnatively overly involved with her infane and {hen with d raws too
abruptly for th e child to cope. J ulie never go t enough morher-s-eirhe r
because her mother reall y was preoccupied and only fitfully avai lable, o r
because th e mot he r's lab ile em otional rhythms were bad ly mat ch ed to
J ulie's own fluct uat ing moods. From J ul ie's descrip tio n it would seem th at
both are t rue. U nable to internalise a posit ive, consistent , and emotio nal-
ly support ive mothe r-imag e, J ulie remained infant ile herself, and could
only respond accord ing to what others wanted her to be. Her sexuality was
not "inh ib ited ," bur simply undeveloped ; at age 3S her erot ic responses
remained fixed at t he age of arou nd six to nine mont hs old, when (he p ro-
g ressed Moon completed its op posit ion s to nat al Sat u rn and Ne ptu ne.
Despite her "awakening " during th e Plu to tr ansit to nat al Ju piter,
J ulie's g uilt and anx iet y still preclu ded an ongo ing relat ionship th at was
emot ionally and sexua lly fulfilling . H er origi nal boyfriend seem ed safe.
which reall y meant t hat in t his ma rriage she could remain a pre-p ubescent
chi ld . H is p roblem wit h alcohol m irrors bot h pa rent s' u nd erlying hel p-
lessness and chaos. H er marr iage was, in e-ffec t , a fligh t from ad ul thood , an
att empt to cli m b back into [he womb from which she had been expe lled
through her sexual response [Q her American lover. H er conflict manifest-
ed in a mann er wh ich , like most symptoms of psychosoma ti c ori gin , vivid-
Iy described her feel ing s. Her ski n bu rned and itched, and she had to
scratch and tear it to stop the irr itation. The rash also served th e uncon-
sciou s pu rpose of en sur ing . for a time . th at she b roke off all relat ions hips,
thereby avoid ing th e confli ct altoget her. Yet she could not bear lonel iness
eit her, and in th e end chose to marry- against th e pro rests of her own psy-
che, exp ressed th roug h t he car accide nt th at followed her engag em ent . It
is possible th at her mis car riage occu rred for pu rely physical reasons. It is
also possibl e t hat a state of e-xt reme stres s and anxiety, nor to ment ion
ambivalence, may have conrribu ted to any existing organic facto rs. T hat
17 ·1 - TH E ASTR O l O G ICAL "'P T U N( ' !'.D T HE OU EST FO R REDEMPTI O N

her hu sba nd , h im self, had a Nep runan p roble m should nor be su rp rising,
as her own unconscious hel plessn ess and rage we re projec ted onto her pan-
nero H is violence was pro bably exacerba ted by th e kn owledge, albe it
unco nscious , th at she had never want ed him in th e first pla ce.
Trans it s to natal p lanets, su ch as th e Uranus-Neptune con ju nct ion
tr ig geri ng th e g rand cross, tell us when a pa rt icu lar psycholog ical pa tre rn ,
inh e rent in th e b irch chart, is due {or e nact me nt . O ver th e course of a life-
time nat al p laceme n ts a re activated many tim es, reg u larly by m ino r t rig -
gers suc h as th e t ransiti ng Moon , infreq ue ntly by major tr ig gers such as
th e trans iti ng oute r planers . Each t ime , th e same archety pal rhem e is
brough t alive, al thoug h t he external exp ressions may vary and appear, to
t he un reflective ind ivid ual, tot ally unconnect ed . \Xlhar we are beco mes
man ifest through thi s cons ta nt cmry and exit of ou r int ern al ch aract ers
onto th e st age of ou r exte rn al lives. J u lie's relation ship with he r hu sband
began whe n tran siting Saturn squared her Venus-M ar s conju nction, sug-
ge sting t hat she was ex pe rienci ng considerab le lonel in ess an d frustrat ion
at t he t ime she met h im ; and she p robably saw in h im a possible redeemer
for he r unde rlying sense of hel plessness and u n reali ty, When she met he r
lover, a well- aspected na tal J u p iter in Taurus was act ivated , a nd she felt
happy, optimistic, de sirable, desiring , and sexually fulfi lled for the first
ti me in her life. \X'hen t he grand cross was tri gg ered , a long period was
he ralded d u ring whi ch she would have [0 confront the deepes t and most
fundamental conflict of her life. The g rand cross would have been transit-
ed man y t imes by faste r-mo ving plan ets, b ut noth in g as power ful as th is
U ranu s-Neptune tra nsit had occurred before. 26 Becau se th is config uration
is d om inated by the rising Neptu ne , her crisis woul d inevitab ly in voke
t he arche t ypa l vict im -red eemer my th tha t ha s alwa ys been at work wit h-
in her. Sh e had been the redeemer of her family, snuggli ng co keep int act
her par ents' fant asies of perfect ion. She becam e in volved wi th a man
whom she thoug hr cou ld redeem her, but who tu rned our to need a
redeem er hi mself. She had tri ed many g urus and healers, all of whom
promised to offer red em p t ion and th en failed her, She rem ain ed a vict im

26 . Pluto. u anslfmg through Libra, act ivated rhe ~ ra nd cross bet ween 1977 and 1982.
This would have: occurred between ages 24 a nd 29. ar wh ich point Sarurn joined Plur o ar
the end of Libra and completed her Sat ur n ret urn. I do not hav e any info rrnar ion about
what occurred in Julie's life Oil rhis t ime. It mus t have been a d ifficult per iod for her, as th e
issues of p.l. renul separation and the emergence of a defined ind ivid ualit y would have arisen
t hen. However, nata l Pluto is not pan of th e gran d cross, but natal Uranus and Neptune
are . When tr ansit ing planet s recreate the orlt:i na l config uratio n-as here. when t h e rran -
siring co nj uncti o n recapitulates rhe natal sq uare- the unde rlyin g issues can not any longe r
be avoided .
 THE PsYCHOA NAl YT IC NEPTUN E - 17 5

unti l she tried [0 take her own life, and then di scovered that she act ually
wanted to live it.
In t he main , J u lie's th erapeu ric wo rk has been helpful. She is now
divorced , and alrho ug h she will always wal k wit h a limp, [his sym bo l of
bodil y impe rfect ion no longe r seems a terrible affliction. Her pso riasis st ill
occasionally return s, but infreq uently and rarel y with its old severity. T he
inne r chang es wh ich have ge nerated these oute r ones are sub tle r, but
eq ually im po rta nt. J u lie passed throu gh a necessa ry phase of rage an d
hatred roward he r fam ily, accompanied by [h e inev itabl e Neptunian self-
p it y. Bur she has learned ro distan ce hers elf from t he m without dev aluing
rhe feeli ngs of love and need she experiences tow ard them . Sh e recogn ises
that her m other is psych olog icall y you nge r th an her ; th is has g enerated a
sense of com passion both to ward her mo ther and herself. She can also
understand he r ideali sation of her father as a secret lover-redee me r, and her
desperate need to please him as a repud iation of her own mature fem in ine
identity. She can see how developing as a wom an would have pitted he r
aga inst he r mother as a riva l, w h ile rem ain ing psycholog icall y p re-pubes-
cent kep t her "safe." And she is begi nni ng [ 0 recogn ise her "m oral
masoch ism" as a self- infl icted pun ish ment for des ires and needs which she
expe rie nced as frig hrening and u naccep tabl e becau se th ese need s herald ed
separation from the fusion-fantasy of the family.
Julie will remain a romant ic seek ing a perfect union in a perfect
worl d, and will probably always be pron e to idealisat ion and dis ill us ion-
mem o But she has a berrer relationship w ith Saturn now, and is mo re able
to be realist ic without defens iveness . and se lf-co ntained without rig idit y.
She has g reater auth enti city, and he r charm is not mob ilise d as a means of
win n ing love. She will always lon g for t he Parad ise Ga rde n , bu t can fi nd
humour as well as pathos in her long ing . T he p resence of Venus , her chart
ruler, comb ined with Mars in the Sth hou se , and the strong involve me nt
of Mercury with the Saturn-N eptun e conju nction. sugg est that her
in tense ly active fantasy-world need s to be expressed through so me artist ic
form-possibly th rough writing , as Mercury-Nept une is a natural Sto ry -
te ller. Ju lie has sti ll to di scover her 5r h house and recog n ise t hat be aur y,
joy, and creat ive work are as valid a means of redem pt ion as trying [0 save
th e unsalvageable. Like many wounded people who have found some heal -
ing throu gh the age ncy of ano t her perso n , she has talk ed vagu ely of wa nt -
ing to "hel p others ." Desp ire - or pe rhaps becau se of- he r stro ng
N eptune, this would nor ne cessaril y offer her fulfillment . She has spe nt
most of her life need ing to be needed and being what oche rs wanted her to
be. H er Neptu ne needs body, not fu rther d isernbod irnen t in the name of
self-sacrifice. H er parents cannot be blamed for her Neptunian long ing to
17 6 - T H E AST RO LO G ICAl N EPT UN! AN D T H E O U EST f O R REDEMP TI O N

rerum (0 the primal waters, nor for her deep-seated resistan ce to anyth ing
less than perfect ion in herself or in life. These ate attributes of her own
so ul, with which she must come to term s through her own responsib le
cho ices. That she has been able to recognise thi s see ms to me CO be ex cel -
lent testi mony to the fact that N eptune's self-vi crimisarion is not a fate
with which one must live forever.
 Chapla 6

THE LlEBESTOD

Thou art my way; I wand", if Th ou fly :

T hou art my light; If hid, how blind am I.'
Th ou art my Lif «; If Thou withdraw, I di«

-FRANCIS Q UARLES

n th e pr esent era, redem pt ion

m ight not seem th e burning issue
it was a th ousand years ag o. In
West ern cou nt ries one does not
meet many people-save those in
th e priesth ood-who have con-
sciously d evot ed t hei r lives to a quest for uni on with th e divine. The age
of t he g reat m yst ics is ove r, and flagellant s and ancho rites are now ge ner-
ally foun d in th e corrid ors of th e psychiatric hospital, d isgu ised as hyster-
ics and schizop hrenics. When we do en coun ter indiv idual s who appear
more or less sane and well -gro unded, yet who are pr eoccu pied with God,
we rend to beco me slig htly un easy and excessively polite, as t hough (0 0 -
fromi ng an auk. Since th e 19 605 an esote rically inclined subcult u re has
bu rgeoned on bot h sid es of th e Atl ant ic, reflect ed in a p roliferat ion of
g u rus and spiritual commu niti es. This subculture, like th e mystery cults
of [he lat e Roman em p ire, has adopted ast rology as pan of irs world- view,
and t he astrologe r, in turn , receives many clients who seek g uid ance in
(he ir spiri tual dev elopment . This might be viewed as t he modern eq uiva-
lent of the med ieval preoccupatio n with salvation. But today's esoteric
subcul tu re is a small one , and it has helped to gene rate its own isolation
from the collect ive. O ften it refuses to engage in any creati ve dialog ue
with mo re materialisti c per spect ives, reacting to t he rigi d ity of the scien-
t ific worldv iew wit h a rig id ity of its own, and sometimes polarising with
[he mundane worl d like a Ne ptun ian ch ild wit h a feared and hated
Saturnian farber,
17 8 __ rt H "S T RO l O GICAl :,\; ( PTU,,\; ( " N O T Hf O U EST f OR REDEM P T IO N

Collecti ve goa ls are mor e prosa ic th ese days. This is perhaps not a
bad thi ng , since, du e in pa n (Q th e increasi ng real ism of our aspi ratio ns,
the qual ity of life in rhis epoch is vastl y better rhan it was d uri ng th e day s
when th e Second Comi ng was at hand . Although we rend to ide alise the
past (a N eptunian propen sit y, akin to th e Greek myrh of the G olden Age),
in th ose mo re innocent days the average life expect ancy was un der th irt y,
and th e vicissitudes of cons ta nt wars, plagues , and t he ge ne ral violence and
chaos of sociery ten ded ro make rhose thi rty years largely unpleasant. O ur
relat ively sou nd system of justi ce, and the freedom of speech and press
which we now rake for g ranred (sometimes to th e point of absurdity), sim-
ply did not ex ist ; and th e capacity to move from one level of socie ty to
anot her th rough self-mo rivared effon would have bee n unrh ink abl e. A
woman was fortunate if she survived chi ld bi rt h. H er child was fortunat e if
he or she survived infan cy. Any ind ividual who voiced a religi ous opin ion
whi ch d iffered sig nifican tly from th e mai n ecclesiasti cal author ity was
likely ro be burned at th e sta ke for heresy or wit ch crafr. Perh aps red emp-
t ion seem s less u rgent these days because earthly life in Wes tern cou nt ries,
despite characrerisrically Neptunian com plai nts, bea rs less of a resem-
blance ro H ell rhan ir on ce di d.
But if th e longing for redem pt ion is no longer for mu lated in con-
ventional relig iou s te rms , it has not lost any of its eno rmou s po tency.
Tod ay it is mor e likely to be expe rien ced in th e condi tion kn own as fall ing
in love. Although everyo ne oug ht [0 experi en ce this mos t deli ciously tor -
ment ing of human sta tes at least twice, many of th e most unhappy clie nts
I have wo rked with , w rapped in th e fog of a di fficult Ne p tune, express
th eir helpless sufferi ng throug h (he vehicle of romantic love.

Romant ic love is (he single g reatest energy system in the WeSlern

psyche, In our culture it has supplanted relig ion as the arena in
which men and women seek meaning, transcendence. wholeness,
and ecstasy.. . . For romant ic love doesn't just mean loving some-
one; it means being "in love." Th is is a psychological phenomenon
(hat is very specific, Wh en we are "in love" we believe we have
found th e ultimate meaning of life, revealed in anoth er human
being, , . . Life sudd enly seems to have a wholeness. a superhuman
intensity that lifts us hig h above the ordi nary plane of existence. 1

Falli ng in love can be exciting , enriching and transforma rive, and is gen -
erally well worrh th e disil lusio nme nr rhar inev irably follo ws as one faces

I. Robert A. J ohnson, Tbe PJ) (hfJlfJKJ u/ RfJtnant ic LIIl't (l ondon: Routl edge & Kegan Paul,
1984), pp . xi-xii
 THE 1I£8( lT O D - 17 9

the diffi cult task of learn ing to relate ro an oth e r individual. But the re are
peo ple who do not fall in love and t he n prog ress into a fulfilli ng lifelo ng
pa rtne rship; nor do they fall in love twice or th ree times , gaining expe ri-
ence and insigh t with each en cou nt er, before they find what t hey seek .
Instead , they are caug ht on the ago nisi ng hook of a lasti ng obsession wi th
som eo ne t hey cannot have, or ate repeatedly hun and bewilde red by a
series of dis astrous choi ces . O r they are (Demente d w ithin their stable part-
nerships by a succession of brief compulsive enchantments that seem CO
invade life like a fate. generating misery each time. Or they are in love
with th ose who chro nically abuse t hem , or repeatedl y betray them , or wh o,
with the ruthlessness of the infant, demand not hing less than the ent iret y
of body and soul from their loved ones. The vict ims of such en tanglement s
cannot free themselves because the web of Nep tune 's enchantment has
bound t he m in t he peren nia l post ure of th e vict im - red eem er. T h is is oft en
the case wit h individuals who have a hig h deg ree of imag inacion and se n-
sitivity, and who could, and despe rately wish to, l ive happie r lives .
Romant ic love for the m holds no gl ory after th e honeymoon . It is a hell-
ish add ict ion whic h, like hero in or alco hol, eventually destroys hop e and
self- respect. The inte rpretation of such situations as "karm ic ," o r good for
the "evolution of the soul," is worse than useless; it is des tructive. Nor is
t he re any glory in em bracing suc h mi sery "for th e sake of the chi ld ren,"
since it is usua lly t he ch ild ren who inheri t the pattern of suffe ring throug h
being taugh t that relatio nships are a species of Hell . We need to exam ine
why, and how, Neptune can becom e so malevolent in the do mai n of love,
and what the individual m ig ht do to free himself o r he rself from marty r-
dom wit hou t destroying the romant ic visi on whi ch has, inadvertent ly,
gi ven birth to it,

The Ethos of Courtly Love

T he kind of extr em e si t uatio n de scribed abo ve may be reflected by birth
chan placements such as Venus in oppo si tion or square to Neptune ,
Neptune in th e 7th or Bth house with problemat ic aspects, or Su n o r M oon
in diffi cult aspec t to N eptune and co nnected , by rulership or tenancy, to
the 7t h or 8th house. M ars m ay also be involved wit h N eptune, suggest-
ing an add ed element of sexual addiction or masoch ism. Obviousl y these
aspects alone do not "cause" chronic suffering in love. It rakes many
t hread s to weave such a pa([ern , including th e st rands of a particula r kin d
of childhood . It is usefu l to remember psych iatry's term , "overd ererm ina-
tion ,' appl icable to an ill ness o r pathological cond ition whi ch has not one
bu t many root s-s-each of whi ch alone mi ght be a su fficient tr igger, all of
18 0 - l H ( ASTROL O G IC AL N ( PTUN ( ,.,ND T H E Q U I Sl FO R REOf M PTl ON

wh ich toge ther create a sense of irresistible fare. Also, an individual may
pass through a painful Neptunian love-experience when anoth er planer
(usually Venus o r Mars) prog resses into major aspect wi th natal Ne ptune,
or transiting N eptune forms a major aspect to a natal planet (usually
Venus, Mars or the Moon). When the aspen passes, so does the suffering,
and the ex perience does not repeat itse lf. Yet the dy nami c- whether a
"one-off ' or a re peati ng scenario--is the same. In the case of the latter,
because of an innate predisposi tion for cli nging to the g ates of Paradise,
the ind ividual cannot break the patte rn.
Robert J ohn son , in The PI}chology of Romantic Love, tr aces th e phe-
nomenon of our W estern preoccupat ion with fall ing in love back to the
twelfth and th irteenth centuries and th e cull of courtl y love. He describes
the phenome non of courtly love as the eruption into collect ive conscious-
ness of a powerful fem inine archetypal image, previously deni ed by a cul-
ture gro wn roo rigi d and patristic. T he astrologi cal N eptun e is "fem inine"
in its association wi th feeli ngs , imagi nation , and the ocean ic world of
mother-child symbi osis, and it is therefore the sym bol of a un iversal
human emo tional need . Because the themes of co urrly love echo the
themes o f Neptune, it is useful to explo re this strange chap ter of soc ial his-
tory in g reate r dep th before we consider the individual's expression of
N e ptu ne in romant ic enco unters. Courtly love d id not d isappear afte r its
flow er in g in those two creativel y d ynam ic cent uries. It is alive and well in
the unconscious. Like the Gn osti c vision of a heavenl y hom e whic h beck-
ons the spiritual spark out of the darkness of matter, the dream of courtly
love is a fundamental parr of Neptune's world.
\Vle do not know prec isely when cou rtly love bega n as a mod el of
relat ionship. We have inheri ted only the expressio n of its full flowering . in
the song s of (he troubadou rs and the romances of poe ts, such as Chreti en
do Tro yes. T he cent ral mot if of courtly love was the knight who selflessly
worshipped an unobt ainable lady as his ideal. She was his m use, the
embodi ment of all beauty, good ness, and grace, who moved him to be
noble, spiritual, and high-minded. Courtly love demanded-in irs poetry,
if not in its everyday enacrmem -a nonphys ical relationsh ip betwee n (he
lovers. T he b reaching of th e barrier of absti nence destroyed the valid ity of
the bon d , and the knigh r and his lady could never be sexually involved .
She usually had a noble husband , frequen rly mu ch olde r (the ma rriage
would have been arran ged ), to whom she was bound for life. She had prob-
ably borne his chi ld ren. H er sexual and maternal experience d id not
di minish her pu rit y in the eyes of her kn igh t. Bur ir lefr him wit h only the
sexual outlet of "base" women, or an "ord inary" wi fe through whom he
could fulfill his physical desires and breeding obligations.
 TH E l/ EBESTO D - 18 \

Court ly love could nor exist uatbtn mar riage, for t he woma n wou ld
th en become a me re mort al , and no longer a sym bol of th e man 's etern al
asp irat ion . She remained out of reach t hro ug h her ma rriage and her social
position, whi ch was usua lly higher th an his. H e remai ned OU t of he r reach
th roug h his constant absences to perfo rm da ngerous knig htly deeds, as
well as through th e st rict u res of her own mar ital vows . Brooding in the
background of th is fant ast ic union was t he respe cted yet th reateni ng fig-
ure of rhe lordly husband, whose presen ce served as a b rake on th e acti ng
ou t of desi re at the same time t hat it provided a st im ulus for it. There is
nothi ng so sed ucti ve as that wh ich is forbidd en; th is is the im petu s wh ich
g ives the O ed ipal com plex its enormous and prol onged pow er. It was nec-
essary for the cou rtl y lovers (0 keep the mselves aflame wit h pass ion, and
suffe r in te nse de sire for one anothe r wh ich cou ld neve r be sati sfied . T hus,
rhrough th eir suffering , they m ig ht expe rience a higher level of love which
uni ted t hem in th e ecstasy of th e divine world . And , if the kni ght had an)·
ta lent at all, he might wrire some very acceptable poetry.
Viewed from the pe rspective of an appa rent ly sexually freer era,
courtl y love seems at wo rst dee ply pa t hological and perverse , and at best
pointless. or simp ly silly . It is rare th ese days to find a person who volu n-
ta rily pu rsues such a relat ion sh ip because of a specific roma ntic and reli -
gious ph ilosop hy- alt houg h one m igh t see a simi lar patt er n in the rela-
tio nship of the mo nk to th e Virgin , or th e nun to Ch rist . Yet th e u nde rly -
ing dynami c has not left us, and it form s an imp ortant part of Freud 's def-
init ion of th e ego ideal. Although modern love relat ionsh ips are usually
sexual as well as romant ic, thi s does not alwa ys render t hem real. The ele-
ment of un ob ta inab ilit y, an explicit requ iremen t of med ieval cou rt ly love,
is often com p ulsively at t ractiv e to Ne p tu ne, like a flam e to a mot h. O ne
may oft en perceive, in th e suffering individ ual and in t he horoscope, what
is g laringly obvious to everyone except th e vicrim : t he wi llfu l, alt houg h
un con scious, sabot age of an y possibility of forming a relation sh ip wh ich is
workable in everyday life. T his may be th e case even th ough the pers on
cries loud ly th at a commicced partnership is his or her dearest wish .
Someth ing in t he N e pt une -bound individ ual may have an inve st-
ment in fru st rati on and sacrifice, and he o r she has unc ons ciously chose n a
love wh ich is ulti ma tely unobtainable. The barrier migh t be a pri or com-
mi tment on t he parr of ei t her parry, or ge og raph ical d istance, or a rel ig ious
or spiritual code of ethics wh ich prohibits uni on, o r some intractable emo-
tiona l or physical problem which makes the relat ionship permanen tly
u nful filling . Th e elusive lover ma y be phys ically present , and even legally
one's spouse ; but unobtai nabi lity come s in many guises. Sexual d isinte rest,
illne ss, permanent di sabil ity, chro nic infid el ity, alcoholism , drug add ic-
18 2 _ THE ASTROLO GICAL N(Pf UM AND THf Q UEST f O R REDEMPTION

rion , or a caree r wh ich requ ires cons tant tr avel are just a few of the eno r-
mous range of options avai lab le to the dedicated suffere r. Unobrai na bi li ry
may also exi st , like beaut y, in th e eyes of the beh older: If I want mo re love
fro m you th an you ar e h uma nly capa b le of offeri ng , t he n-eve n if yo u do
love me- you are unobt ainable.
If the reader has m anag ed to di ge st so me of t he psyc hoa na lytic t he -
ory present ed earlie r, he or she will no doubt recogn ise here th e famil iar
pa Herns of masochism, mo t ivat ed by a profou nd need CO exp iat e so me sin.
The Oedipal and d eeply incest uo us nature of t he cou rtly love tr iangle wi ll
also be apparent . It generates its own gu ilt and therefore necessitates its
own p u nish m ent . Bur if all t h is seems cru elly u nrom ant ic, we may also
ta ke t he tel eolog ical point of view, whi ch is eq ua ll y val id and equally
appl icable [0 Nep t une . The t wo pe rspe cri ves. mo reove r, are nor mutually
excl usive. Desi re for the u nob ta inab le m ay be und erst ood as an intellig ent
psyc hi c mech an ism , perve rse th ough it seem s, because it ope ns up th e
ga t es (Q t he realm of creati ve fantasy as well as gene rati ng enormous frus-
trat ion and un ha ppiness. T he former m ay provide t he deepe r meaning and
"pu rpose" of the exp er ience, aJrho ugh th e la rrer is t he emotiona l and phys-
ical p rice we pay. But in ord er ro d iscove r th is mo re creative face of
N eptu ne. where t he impossible love be comes a doorway to t he riches of the
in ne r worl d. o ne must first face honestl y the fact t hat one has an invest-
meri t in rhe beloved 's u nobrai na b ilicy; and rhar much of th e sufferi ng has
roots w hi ch screech back [0 th e "family rom anc e" of ea rlies t ch ild hood .
The troub ado ur s of 12t h and 13ch cen t ury P rovence im m ortali sed
t he ethos of cou rely love in thei r son gs , whi ch we re called can zone. Some of
t hese ca nzone we re wr itten by wom en . Co urt ly love was by no means an
exclusively male p u rsui t , any more t ha n Neptune is. The noble lad y, on
paper at least, suffe red JUS t as much as her kni gh t. Fo r those who wish [0
g rasp th e full flavo ur of this strange Neptun ian dream which has cont in-
ued co t rouble us for so many centu ries , it is worth ob ta in ing nor only
tr an slat ions of [he poerry, bu r th e m elanch oly and d iscurbing m usic as wel l,
m uch of wh ich has been beau t ifully recorded by Europea n "ea rly m usi c"
groups . Two excelle nt exa mples are t he Ca mOI de Trobairitz ; record ed by
H esperion fo r Reflexe, and I Trovatori, recorded by I Mad rigali sti di Genova
for Ar s Nova. T here a re ma ny m ore tr oubad our poem s ex ta n t than [he re are
mel od ies; we have inhe rited only ab out 2 50 d ifferent melodies for m ore
th an 2 500 songs. Yet t he poe ms we re m eant to be sung . The music and the
text were woven tog ether in a pe rforma nce of eerie bea uty, ei ther having
bee n com posed and w ritten down separately, or improvised on th e spo t.
1-1 isrorians have often spe cul ated about whet her t he troubadou r
lyri cs, ma ny of wh ich co nt ain sp ecific symbolic "keys," wer e a means of
 THE LlfBflTOD - 183

rransmir rin g certa in he ret ical religi ous teach ing s such as Cat haris m . Th is
Gnost ic Ch ris t ian sec t was rife but for b idden in med ieval Fran ce, and
reflected th e ancien r dualism whi ch we have already mer in the redeeme r-
cults of t he Ro man e mpire. The intricat e pattern of rul es for "rig ht behav-
iour" expressed in the poe try . pa rt icularly in matt ers of love, has a ritual-
ist ic qual icy wh ich echoes , if ic is nor accually pacodying, the rit uals of
Cathol ic worship . Du ring rhe 12c h and 13ch centuries , Eu rope expe ri-
enced a resurgen ce of whac Fran z Cumon c would have call ed " Asiat ic"
t houg ht and feeling . Ir is probable chac chis travelled west ch rou g h the
agency of the C rusaders, who made conran for the firs t t im e in m any cen-
turies with G reek, Byzant ine and H ell en ised A rab lite rary, artisti c, and
sp iritual tr ad it ions, and rediscove red th eir own lost relig ious heri tage.
Fro m the Cachar he resy ro the m yst ical Ch ristian icy which fou nd irs hig h -
est exp ression in "Mar iolat ry" (t he cul c of th e Virg in>, Nept u nia n dualism,
with its powe rfu l red em pti ve vision an d unmis rakably femin ine de ity,
pou red into weste rn Eu ro pe. T h is h isto rical deve lopme nt co nfi rm s
J oh nson's obse rvat ion t ha t cou rt ly love reflec ted an irnporranr shift in t he
collect ive psy che, whi ch th e ast rologe r m ig h t defin e as a N ept u nian inun-
darion. I

It is clear, the n, t hat the twelfth and thi rteenth cent uries w it ~
nessed the breakthroug h into ou r culture of powe rful desires, once
repressed , whi ch now sough t an outl et in th e available forms of
religion, art and lit erature. The permissive profi le of t he Moth er
rose (rom it s p lace in r he unco ns c io us t o invad e the cen tr a l p o r-
tions of o ur mind s)

The canzone of t he tr ou bad our s express a sing le emo tio na l d ilem ma , in

whi ch the joy of love is m ingl ed wit h th e suffering and so rrow of unre-
quited or half-req u it ed passion. The fantast ic and ul timatel y im pe rsonal
nature of [his love is clea rly implied by t he way in wh ich [h e inaccess ib le
beloved is p raised in convent ional, almost empty ph rases-as [houg h all
t he poe ts were crying co describ e the same lady, wh o never emerges as a

2. It is per haps relevant [hat rhe pe riod of the Flowenng of the troubad ours , and of sects
such is the Carhars , was b racketed b y tWo U ranus- N ep tu ne: conj u nctio ns, form ing a com-
plete cycle. The first cc nju ncnon occu rred in 11 26. mark ing the rise or th is world-view;
the: second occ urred In 1308 . when the "Babylonian cap tivity " or the Popes at Avignon her -
alde d a. pe riod or mass per secut ion s Includi ng th e ext ermi nation or the Ca.duts {the
..Albig ensian Crusad e") and rbe dearrucrion or the Kn igh ts Templer.
3 , Paul Z weig , Tht Ht'rtI) flf St'lf- l.M. 't { Pr i n c~ [ o n . N] - Pnncet cn Un iversity Press. t 980). p
94
18 4 _ T HE ASTR OL O GI C AL N EPT UN E AND TH I Q UIl T f OR REDEMPTI O N

real wom an at all. The same qual it y is ev id ent in th ose poems written by
women. The kn ig ht has a cu riou s conven tio nal fla tness, as th ough he were
a type (or an arch et ype ), and nor an acr ual person . T he poet's long ing s and
su fferi ng s are exp ressed ar g rear lengt h; bur the cause of t he anguish see ms
less im portant t han [he effecr . Perhaps [his is th e mai n poi nt of it al l.
What pr eoccu pies [he poet is not [he acrualiry of [he be loved , bur t he
emo tio ns wh ich the bel oved arou ses wi thi n the lover. T he beloved is, in
effecr, a kind of mirror. What [he lover sees is nor a perso n, but a diml y
g li m psed , elu sive essence , a projection of some t hing within himself or her-
self. PUt m ore brutall y, court ly love is a narcissisti c love, as one of (h e poe ts
te lls us h im sel f:

I no longe r have power over myself since t he day she ler me look
into her eyes, inco th at mirror which so pleases me. Mirror, since
I have seen myself in you , my d eep sighs kill rne; and I am lost ,
like t he beau tiful N arcissus who lost himse lf in th e fou ntain ."

In thi s hyp not ic sta te of romanti c enchant ment , what one expe riences is
th e exa ltat ion and omn ipo te nce in he ren t in t he ea rl iest fusio n w it h the
life-bes towi ng mother, wh ich Freud called th e ego idea l. P ut ano t he r way,
one sees in th e eyes of th e bel oved the reflect ion of t hat inner "sou l im age "
wh ich Jung called t he ani ma o r an imu s- a sym bol of t he creat ive p owe r
a nd myst ery of th e un con scious psyc he. Plato p ut it more elega ntly t han
eit her, tw o millenn ia earlier:

Thi s is th e experience that me n term love, but when you hear

what th e god s call it , you will probably smi le at its stra nge ness. .
. . Every lover is fain t hat his beloved should be of a nature like to
his own god , and when he has won him, he leads hi m on to walk
in the ways of the ir god , and after h is likeness, pattern ing h imself
thereup on. ... So he loves, yet knows not what he loves: he does
not understan d , he cannot tell what has come up on him ; like one
that has caug ht a d isease of the eye from another, he cannot
account for it, not realising that his lover is as it were a mirror in
which he beho lds him self. And when the other is beside h im, he
shares his respite from ang uish; when he is absent , he likewise
shares his long ing and being longed (or, since he possesses t hat
coumerlove wh ich is t he image of love)

4 . Z weig, Thtl ftTtJ)' iii St/I·Ut,t, p 96 .

5. Plato, Phatdrlll, in Plalu: C/)IIt(ItJ DialllXlltJ, Eduh H am ilton and Hu nt ingt on Cairns,
eds. {Pn nceron , NJ : Pri nceton Unive rsit y Press. 1989 ), pp . 498 · 501.
 T HE lIfB£ST OD - 18 5

Although th e expe rience of fall ing in love involves many com plex psycho-
log ical fact ors beyond the actu al indivi dual whom one long s for, it is not
merely sub li mation. N arcissisti c elem ent s are inevit ably present when we
fall in love; bu t the transformative pot ent ial of the expe rience is equa lly
obvious and relevant .

More fundame ntally, there also appear [ 0 be chang es in the lover's

sense of self. Love evokes in us something positive; at its bes t it
g ives us a sens e of good ness. rest orat ion , harmo ny, and mu tuali ty.
Because of the way in which each lover sees (he other as his best
self, the worth of each, p rev iously buried or unrealised, is allow ed
[ 0 surface. It is th is good ness toward which love strives. Th e lover

feels expanded, consciou s of new po wers and a newfound g ood ness

within himself. He atte mpts to be his best self. ... The beloved
sees good in the lover, of which the lover was only dimly aware.
Often what allows us to fall in love is the lovely picture of our-
selves reflected in the lover's eyes. That picture enables us to love
ourselves and hence to love anorher.v

T here are impo rtant links betw een th e healing experienced through th e
stat e of bei ng in love and the healing experienced th rough fusion with fig-
ures suc h as teachers, spi ritual or relig ious leaders, counsello rs, and the ra-
pists . Th ese, too, may provide a veh icle for falling in love, althoug h th e
eroti c com pone nt may or may not be co nscious. In all these cases the exp e-
rienee of emot ional unity, particularly with out sexual encou nte r, may
break down the barriers of an ego wh ich is ( 00 rigidly defend ed o r wh ich
has been d istorted into a ki nd o f "false" self, crushi ng the life w ithin . Th en
the Neptu nian wate rs serve thei r m ythi c functi on of dissolving, cleansing,
and renew ing , like the Flood which sweeps away the un righ teous and
allow s hum anity to begi n again .
D ifficult ies arise w hen one tries to remain permanent ly in these
waters. Th is may occ ur if the mirro ring of the lover is the only source of
one's o w n sense of worth . D ifficu lties also arise when the experience is
enacted thro ug h sex. While th is may allow the relat ionsh ip to become
more solid and fulfilli ng on the everyday level, it also breaks apart the pri-
mal bo nd. For th is reason there is a particu lar odium at ta ched to the priest,
g um, or th erapist wh o physically sedu ces (or is seduced by) his o r her dis -
ciple or pat ient . We do not think tw ice about it when it occu rs in other
spheres of life. Bur in these "sacred" contexts it arouses the same rep ug -
nance as child abuse, wh ich on a profound level is precisely what it is. T he

6 Ethel Spector Person , Luvt a"J Fart/"/ Encolinfm <lo ndon: Bloomsbury, 1989 ), P 68 .
 18 6 - Til( A ST RO LO GIC 4,l :"-:[PTU:,\:[ AN D T H [ Q U [ n r OR REO[ o.,1PTI O N

d ifficulty lies in determ in ing whi ch parry is th e child; often it is bot h. We

can recognise in thi s aer th e sym bolic breaching of the incest taboo and the
premature destructio n of a frag ile, elusive yet po tentia lly deeply healing
expe rience. Sad ly, such occurrences are an inevitable part of Nep tune's
world , and belo ng equa lly to th e g uru or counsello r and the d isciple or
client , bo th of whom may be st rugg ling in Ne ptu ni an waters.
T he m irro ring im plicit in courtl y love is no d ifferent from t he mir-
roring which is th e gift of the tal ent ed acto r. It is a pro tean q ualit y, depe n-
dent upon a blurr ing of t he ego 's bou nda ries, whi ch mak es possib le a pro-
found experience of fusion- althoug h [he fusion , cont rary to popu lar
opi nion , is not , in fact, with th e othe r person . O ne can not m irror if one is
[ 00 solid ly defi ned as an ind ivid ual; the more d istinct th e outl ines of one's

own personalit y, the less capable one is of endl essly retleering back to
anot her the diffuse dep th s of his or her own soul. Th is is why certai n stage
and screen "idols," permanently addicted to N eptune's elix ir, invok e so
much inten se ad oration in their aud iences, yet as individu als flail help-
lessly in a fog of depression and lonelin ess, often descend ing int o alco -
hol ism and d rug add icti on because th ey have spent the ir lives m irroring
others bur have never found out who the y actu ally are. Many people, when
th ey fall in love, un consciously begin to perform the t ime-honoured
Ne ptunian ritu al of rransfor mi ng themselves into a m irror for the idealised
soul-image of the lover. T hi s can occur in the most su btle of ways, an d one
is usually q uite un aware of doing it. But th e pro cess inevitab ly requ ires
tailoring one's own indiv id ual nature and responses so that they reflect t he
lover's unspoken red em pt ive needs and dream s. Wat er al ways takes th e
shap e of the ob ject with wh ich it comes in contact . Two peop le engage d in
th is kind of un conscious di alog ue- whic h is really a mutu al effort at
fusion with the source- ten d to gen erate an atmo sphere which feels ecsta-
ric and mag ical to the parti cipant s, but ofte n pro vokes a sense of isolat ion
and irr ita tion in o thers becau se it is so exclu sive and tran celike . All the
world does not , in fact , "love a lover," becau se warch ing someo ne else slip
through the barred gates of Eden can prov oke considerab le envy in th ose
left outs ide. T he French po litely refer to it asfoli, J deux, for it is indeed a
species of m ad ness- if we de fine mad ness as th at state in which the con-
scious ego is inundated by th e archetypal realm . A mother, to ta lly
im mersed in th e expe rience of nur sing her newborn infant, generates th e
same exclusive, trancelike atmos phe re; and many fathers, st ill attached to
th eir own uncons cio us fusio n-needs by a po werful umb ilical cord,
encounter at such mom ent s unexpected ly intense feelings of jealousy, rage ,
and loneliness wh ich they are too ashamed to ad m it , and wh ich may lat er
dam age th ei r relationship with th e child .
 TH I lIEBI STOD - \ 87

Bu t afte r th e hon eym oon , whe rein we feel, look ing in to the magic
m irr or, that the beloved is every ideal that has ever been dreamt of or
wished for, and is obv ious ly the sou l-m are whom we have kn own for m an y
incarn at ion s and have at last fou nd ag ain , we long for dry land aga in . and
begi n to act like ourselves. Then (he "firs t qu arrel" occu rs, and th e serpe m
rears its head in the mids t of the Parad ise Garden ; and we are expel led into
a genuine relat ionsh ip , co make t he best or wors t of it as we wi ll . T ho se
strongly bou nd [0 Nep tu ne. howeve r, doggedly g o on mi rro ring . for t hey
cannot bear to rel inqu ish Eden in favou r of a more pro saic , hum an love.
And since no ind ivid ual is pu rely Neptu nian, nat ur ally ot he r aspen s of th e
personali ty, str onge r and m ore d efined , must be blo cked from exp ressio n
on a mo re or less permanent basis -particu larly th e fun cti ons of the Sun,
Mars, and Satu rn . Ten years on , one is sti ll say ing, "Yes, m y darli ng, I wane
what ever m akes you happy," wh en one really m ean s, "N o , da mn it , what
about m e?" But t he " m e" is neve r spo ken, beca use m irro rs are mu te . The
inev itabl e result of this process, over mo nt hs or years, is deep , corrosive
resent m ent , whi ch in turn find s ma ny covert and someti mes very nast y
forms of express ion , suc h as th ose reflect ed in my t h by the cast rat ing and
devouring faces of th e primord ial sea- mot her. Thus one must depa rt fro m
Eden aft er all. But then it alway s seems to be the othe r person's unfeel ing
nature t ha t has des troyed the ideal love.
T he th eme of th e mirror echoes th e m oth er- infant bond , for it is
through the mirror ing capac it ies of th e mother that the infant g rad ually
di scover s a sense of indi vidual identity. We need a mirror at th e beg in ning
of life in orde r to per ceive ou rselves; otherwise how will we kn ow wh at we
look lik e, or wh at we are ? Once th e outl ines of th e personali t y are inte r-
nally secu re (t hroug h wh at psychoanalyti c lan gu age m ight call introjec-
tion of the "g ood ob ject") , the mirror becomes less an d less u rgent. We
beg in to accept t he separateness of ot he rs and lea rn co find ways of mi r-
roring ou rselves- th roug h ou r dev elop ing tas tes and valu es, ou r wor k and
creati ve pursuits. ou r friend s and colleag ues an d lovers, and ou r relat ion-
ship with ou r own inn er lives. But if t he mother -Win n icou's "not good
en oug h " mothe r- is her self unm othered and u nformed, she ca nnot m ir ror;
for she herself st ill seeks t he mi rro r in whi ch she can dis cern th e outl ines
of her own realit y. T hen she will dema nd that th e child be come her m ir-
ror. In effect , she falls in love with her ch ild (rega rd less of sex), and expe-
rien ces herself as a good, loving , and wort hwh ile person throug h he r off-
sp ring 's respo nse to her. The N eptunian chi ld , who is so naturally g ifted
in th is an, wi ll rapi dl y d iscover t hat faithful mirrori ng is excellent CU f -
ren cy to b uy love and approval. T h us t he pa ttern is set. T he aero r, and also
[he ps ychoth erapist , mu st avail th em selves of t he art of m irrorin g co pe r-
18 8 - THI ASTRO LO GICAL N EPTUNE AN D TIt E QU ES T l OR REDEM PTlO "

fo rm th e ir wo rk su ccessfu lly. Wha r is gene rally no t ack nowledged is that

t he t rain ing begi ns at birrh .? When we conside r th e imag es of th e canzone,
we m eet aga in and again [h e figure of Na rci ssus, who fell in Jove w it h h is
o wn reflecti on in a pool. The We ll of N arc issu s, which figu res in m an y of
the poems, is th e sam e as the Well of Love , which m ay be ta ke n o n the li t-
eral as well as the symbolic level , since the well is also rhe womb . The love
of Nep tune see ks a recreati on of th e p rimal fus ion of infancy, wi t h all it s
ero ti c inten sity, T hus it is ne cessary not to see (h e beloved (00 clearly, nor
to become roo clear oneself.

For to approach th e image (00 closely is (Q break it ; JU St 35 [0

approach the lady roo closely is ( 0 d iscover a real woman whose
em ot ion s can only dis tu rb the sensual solitud e of "true love."!!

N eptune's Hal! 0/ Mirrors

N ep ru nc's domai n is t he in terface betwee n m yth and infan cy. It is t hus
usefu l to co ns ider th e image of t he m irro r as it is expresse-d in rhe my rhol-
ogy of the red eemer-cults at th e da w n of th e Piscea n era. Inevit ahl y, it fig-
ure s p rominentl y in early Gnosr ic text s. In th e poetry of co u rt ly lov e , the
mi rror of [h e beloved 's eyes reflect s ba ck to t he lover a prec io us so ul-
essen ce wh ich wou ld o t herw ise rem ain m ired in th e d arkn ess. Bur in
Gn os ti c teach ing , th e mirror in g of narciss ist ic love is tr each erous. fo r it is
an image of th e Fa ll. Wh eneve r N ep tune makes irs appearan ce in the
rea lm of lov e , a deep amb iva len ce arises . Is th is a true so ul uni on , which
w ill li ft m e into th e light ? O r is it a sed uc t ive enchant men t w h ich w ill
d rag me into t he darkn ess, b reed ing pain and suffering ? In one of th e
Gnostic m yth s of creation. primal m an, ha ving been created by G od, lived
as a p u re ch ild of t he lig h t , until he beca me bore d and id le. T hen he asked
G od fo r th e power to rul e an d create in hi s own righ t. God g ran ted the
req uest , with u nfortu na te co nseq ue nces .

H e [p rim al ma n] wh o had full po wer over th e world of thi ngs

m ortal and over the irrati onal anima ls bent down t hroug h [he
H arm ony and having broken t hro ugh t he vaul t showed ro lowe r
Na tu re the beau tifu l form of God . When she beheld h im who had
in h im self inexh aust ible beaut y and all rhe forces of th e Gove rno rs

7. For a pen et rating explorat ion of [he early narcissist ic woun ding of [he healer. cou nsello r,
and the rapist , see Alice Miller. Tht Drama fJf Bring a Child (London- Vm .go, 1987).
8 . Z weig. Thr lIt'w y of Stlf-Lur.'t, p . 98.
 HIl lIE BE5 TOO - 18 9

combi ned wit h t he form of God , she smiled in love, for she had
seen the reflect ion of th is most beau tiful form of Man in the wate r
and its shadow upo n t he earth. He too, seeing his likeness p resent
in her, reflected in the wate r, loved it and desi red to dwell in it.
At once wit h the wish, it became reality, and he came to inhab it
the form devoid of reason . And Na ture, having received into her-
self [he beloved , embraced him who lly, and [hey mingled : for [hey
were inflamed with love.?

H ere [he human sp iri t , th e divine chil d of light , sees reflected in [he d ark
wat ers of N ature its own rad iant beauty, and is trapped in inca rn ation
throug h irs encha nt ment wi t h its ow n image. Th is st range Gnos tic tal e
presenr s us wit h a dynamic whic h can occu r be tween mot he r and in fant,
as well as between lovers . T he mother (Natu re) has fallen in love wit h th e
d ivine pote ntial of he r chi ld (sp irit), who is also her longed -fo r red eemer;
and t he ch ild in turn falls in love wit h t he reflec tion of h is or her d ivin i-
t y in th e mothe r's eyes . Being idealised in this way, whet her by pare n t,
ch ild, lover, disciple, or patien t (or even a whole crowd ), is an extremely
sed uc tive expe rience, because it makes us feel glo riously healed of ou r
flawed hu manity. Becau se we believe we can redeem (he loved one, we
ou rselves become lovab le, and there fore rede emed . We are filled with rh e
ecstasy of d ivine omnipote nce, and t he verda nt land scape of Ede n unrolls
before our eyes.
Every human being occasionally needs a little of this N eptun ian k in d
of love . part icu larly wh en one has been hurt and u nde rm ined . Som e peo-
pIe, however, are add icted to it , for wir ho ur it th ey cease to exist. Yet th e
cost is far high er th an t hey can poss ib ly imagine . It is, indeed, rhe Fall in
its most su b rle and p rofound form , for it lead s to a Hell of emptiness and
secret self-loat h ing . Yet what Ne ptu n ian, longi ng for th e ga tes of Ed en to
be op ened once more, can resist it ? Cloaked wi t h the ma ntl e of idealisa-
tion. it is ha rd for the indi vidu al to accep t h is or her ord ina riness, for t he
ord inary can not ente r Parad ise. As every relat ionship, ove r t ime , reveals
human iry and diminishes rhe fantasy of pe rfect ion, it ma y become neces-
sary to have a reg u la r "fix" of ado ration fro m a fresh, un spo iled sou rce. T his
is one of th e classic pa t te rns of Ne p tu ne in love. It is nor due to fick leness
or cold ness, bot h of which it may resemble in [he eyes of t hose whom the
indi vidu al has hurt.
Man y Nep tu ne-bo und peop le feel th is des pe rate need to be idea lised
rat her than loved as the y are. They fear [hat being seen mean s ultimate

9 From the third century PU;m411J", q uoted in Tbe H"tJy u/ Stl/ . LoI't. p . 11. Brackets mme .
190 - TH E A\TROLO GiCAL N EPTUN E AND TH E O U fl T f OR RID E." PTl ON

rejection . So m etim es the ideal of perfect ion is assoc iated w it h physical

beauty; so met imes it is associated with sp irit ual qualities; sometimes it is
soug ht in an u nco ndi tio nally lovi ng heart. In what ever way the indi vid ual
im agi nes his or her o rdinary humanity is insufficient , a co m pu lsive que st
[0 be what no huma n be ing can ever be may corrod e t he possibi li ty of ha p-
pi ness. As m ight be expe cted , th e worl d of th eat re , film, and pop ular
music is full of such ind iv id uals. The need to be idea lised may not be (he
so urce of any pa rt icul ar talem , bur it is undoubtedly the source o f the co m -
pulsion to be famous. Marilyn Monroe, with Neptune in Leo con junc t the
Ascen dant, trin e Ven us, and op posite a Moon -j up iter con junction in
Aq uarius in th e 7 t h ho use . is an exce lle nt exam ple of th is dy nam ic. In a
d ifferent way, [he helping p rofessinns also suffer from it. Con vent ion al
med ical practi tio ne rs are not exe mpt ; o ne can be ideal ised as a saviour as
well as a beauti ful beloved . And th e phenomen on of th e patient in love
wit h hi s or her psycho th erapist is no mo re frequent tha n th e ph enom enon
of the woman in love with the pl asti c surg eo n wh o has given her back her
you t h, o r th e cripple d so ld ier in love wi th the att endant nurse wh o helps
him to walk again. It m ay eve n be th at, since we all have Nep tune in the
birth chart, we all need to play th is role in som e way, however sm all , in
every im po rtant lov e rel ation sh ip. W hen we can no longer play it, we are
di m ini shed .
The need to id en ri fy w it h an arche ty pal imag e in order to fee l lov-
abl e is called , in psychoanalyti c termino log y, a narcissisti c woun d . Th ere
is no sense of be ing real and worthwh ile in o nese lf; there is o nly the de s-
perate craving to ado re and be adored , so that o ne can lov e onesel f in the
m irror of th e love r's eyes. Yet idea lisation casts a lon g, da rk shado w. To the
exte nt t hat we feel flaw ed , sinful, co rrupt and unwo rthy, o ur ideali satio ns
of o the rs increase; and to t he same ex tent we need to be idealised in orde r
to feci of valu e. N eptu ne is always ready to o ffer its romant ic mag ic w he n
we despise ourselves, and the most trag ic Neptu nian ent ang lem ents I have
observed have occu rred when nei th er pa rey had any sense of self-love. T he
beauty o f romant ic lo ve is, in itse lf, nei ther patholog ical no r destruct ive.
It is one of life's g reat gifrs. Bur when [he ind ivid ual's self-esteem and self-
image are d am aged , or wh en he or she is unfor med and frig ht ened of life,
roma nt ic love o f the Nept u nian kind can lead to com pulsive pa t te rns of
p rofound sel f-d eg rad at ion . T hen g reat rage, d estr uctive co sel f and ot hers,
may follow in (he wake of sha ttered d reams. A relat ively stro ng eg o can
cope with t he inevi table hum an isat ion o f the lover and of o neself; for o ther,
eq uall y wo rthwhile , emo tiona l ex pe riences take the place o f ideal isat ion
o ver time . A nd th e ego's adaptatio n to o ute r life ensures (hat the be lov ed
w ill be recog ni sed from the ou tset as a person as well as a beaut iful image .
 Til l U1M H O D - 191

Thus som e healthy ide alisa tio n remains, as pan of o ngo ing love. For {he
ind ivid ual d omi nated by Neptu ne, howeve r, t he ot he r is not real at all ; for
on e is nor real to on ese lf.

Projecti on of tnt" lover's ow n self-d evalua t io n o nto th e belo ved is

one of the most com mon of all fact ors in the di seq ui lib rarion of
a love relat ionship . Perhaps the easiest of all mech ani sm s ( 0
understand , it is best sum med up in Groucho Marx's famous d ic-
tum : "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a mem ber."
Translated [a the realm of love, th is simply means rh ar if t n t'
lover has sufficien tly low self-esteem , he regards anyone wh o
t ruly loves him as by definiti on defi cient, want ing in taste . ...
T his same mechan ism , of course. accounts for the rom ant ic allure
of th ose who app ear somewhat unapproachable or reserved , who
possess what one might call the att ractiveness of narcissistic di s-
tan cing . 10

Neptu ne, be ing fluid , will happ ily play the role of either the lover or t he
bel oved in th e cou rtly love d ynami c. These roles, as in a ha ll of mi rrors,
are secret ly inre rcha ngeable. Nep tune is bo th the big and little fish, bot h
th e red eemer and th e chao s of the passion s from wh ich we seek {Q be
redeemed . N eptu ne is both Art is and Cybele , M it hr as a nd th e bul l,
Orph eu s and th e m ad women wh o tear h im {Q p ieces. Neptu ne can even
pla y th e role of the dece ived h usband in th e dr ama of cou rt ly love, for he
(or his fema le equi vale nt, th e decei ved wi fe) is as im por tan t to t he un fold-
ment of th e sto ry a s t he passiona te but frustra ted O edipal coup le. Th u s it
is d ifficult to k now, wh en confront ing a horoscop e p lacement such as
Neptu ne in t he 7th house, or Ven us in opposit ion to Neptu ne, wh ich char-
acte r wi ll be one's own chos en role, and whi ch wit! be offered to ocher
actors who equally hav e a need to part icipate in t he d rama. This d ynami c
becomes apparent in synas t ry, where it is nor un common co find [he sto ry
of cou rd y love reflected not o nly by the config u rat ions of N ep t une in [h e
indi viduals' nat al chart s, b ur a lso by contact s betwe en ocher planets and
Neptune acro ss t he two charts . There are frequently prog ressions invo lv-
ing Neptune as we ll, from one chart to t he othe r- for exam p le, one per-
son's progressed Sun arri vi ng at the con junct ion of ano the r's na ta}
Neptune. And a tra nsit of Neptune may often be obse rved tr igge ring natal
pla ners in both horoscopes. Undemand in g somerh ing of Neptune's inner
world , one may anticipate the nat ure of the srory, alt hough not the choic -
es ultimatel y ma de.

10 . Person . Lv,,, .", J FQttfUI Encuu" ttrS. pp. 190- 19 1.

19 2 - THE ASTRO LOGICAL N( P I UI\; E AND TH( O UEST f O R RfOE MPTlO N

For exam ple. if my natal Venus con junct s your natal N ep tu ne , then
in my presence you may expe rien ce- thro ug h th e medi um of my affect ion
for you (Venus), o r (if we have never mer) simp ly throug h some innate
qual ity in me whi ch you find pleasing -a profoun d longi ng for fusion
wi th the pr im al source (Neptune) . If th e transits are powe rful eno ug h, you
may feel spi ritually and erotically inspired (Neptune). Equally, you may
feel ang ry and threat ened by the streng th of you r ow n long ings. If a rela-
tionshi p devel op s, you will try to mirror back to me (Neptu ne) what you
beli eve I desire and value most (Venus). Yet at the same tim e your (ear of
losing your auronomy (N eptune), and your resen tm ent at having co efface
yourself, may lead you into sub tl y att empting to undermine my sense of
self-wo rth (Venus). You may even entertain fantasies of seein g me hel pless
and humi liated (Neptune project ed) , because , co nsciously or unco nscious-
ly, you feel this way yourself. Neptune, always mirroring bu t never di rect,
may, despite its idealisat ion , eventually hurt and frusrrar e Venus, because
of the rese ntm ent wh ich such de pend ence engenders wit hi n. Yet if the
relation sh ip fails, Neptune wi ll blam e Venus for bein g decepti ve and
manipul ative. And if my Neptune, in turn , opposes you r Venus or your
M oo n , then the idea li sation and the d isillus ionmen t wi ll be reciprocal.
T hen we will have played out the pa in-ridden dream of courtly love . And
if, fu rther, bo th our birt h chan s reflect an innate predi sposition towa rd
Neptunian g ifts and N eptun ian problems, then it will probably not be the
first time, for eithe r of us, that such a dream has bloomed and di sinte -
g rated, leaving rag e , di sillusion ment , and self-pi ty in its wake.
In Ju ng 's wo rk, the anima-type (he does not mention the animu s-
type, but we may draw our own concl usio ns) is described in relation to the
process of mirrorin g . Th ere are , he suggests , those wom en who, because of
cons titutional as well as en vironme nral reasons, do not experience a solid
sense of self. Instead , they ident ify wirh the archetypal fig ure of the anima,
the eternal fem inin e , whi ch is myth ic , and represent s, in part, the redemp-
tive potential of the uncon sciou s. Such an ind ividual therefore acqu ires
po wer of a kio d, for she is often irresistible to many peop le. Iden t ificat ion
with rhe anima gene rates a fascinating and seductive aura, which appea rs
ro offer eve rything to eve ryone; and there is usuall y a queue of despe rate
bur un req ui ted pursuers lined up outside the doo r, each one seeking the
fulfi llm enr of an ineffable dream .

It {the mother-compl ex in a woman} leads co idenrificarion with

the mother and to paralysis of the daughter's femini ne initiative.
A complete projection of her personality on to the mother then
takes place. . . . The daugh ter leads a shadow -existence, often vis-
ibly sucked dry by her mother. and she prolongs her m other's life
 TH[ lIfB flT OD - 193

by a son of co nti nuous b lood tr an sfusion. These blood less maid-

ens are by no mean s im m une to marr iage. O n t he co nt rary. despite
their shad owiness and passivity, they command a high p rice on
the ma rriage ma rker. First , t hey are so ('rop ey that a ma n is free co
impu te to t hem anythi ng he fancies . In add it ion , th ey are so
uncon sciou s that the un con sciou s pu ts out count less invisib le feel-
ers. veritable octopus- ten tacles, th at suck up all mascul ine projec-
[ions; and t h is pleases men enorm ously. . Th e girl's not orious
helplessness is a special arrracrion.U

lung is here describing th e psychologi cal backgr ound of a Nept unian

recipe for ma ri ta l d isaster : an un conscious complex whi ch result s in a
woma n 's inab ilit y [ 0 separate fro m th e mother and to form as an ind iv id -
ual in her own rig hc. Des pi te th e face that Jung described what he
obse rved in Swi tze rland in an earl ier and less socially "en lig h tened" e ra,
h is ob servatio ns have not dated . I have me t m any wom en with th is d iffi-
culty, alrhoug h these days rhey are by no means always the helpless crea-
tu res l ung pon rays. Many have concealed rhe problem, from rhem selves
as well as fro m ot hers, with a competent an d self-sufficient pers on a. Yet
they rem ain un formed . Th ey may spend a lifet ime sacrifici ng their per-
sonal fulfill ment , nor (Q the morh er herself (for she is ofren conscio usly
despised as a role mode l), bur (Q the mo rher's sufferi ng su rrogates , includ-
ing th e lovers, hus bands, friends, child ren, and clients rhey secretly hope
to redeem and be redee me d by. T h is kind of patt ern, overt if t he rest of
t he ho roscop e reflect s a m ore depende nt t em perament, cove rt if it does
not , is ofte n reflected by d ifficu lt Moon - N ep t un e com b inat ions in th e
natal chan .
J un g goes on to de sc ribe wha t he calls an "overdevelop ed Eros,"
wh ich may ar ise wh en a woman fig hts [ 00 violen rly to free her self from
mat ern al bondage . If the ego form s rigid defen ces while th e u ncon sciou s
cord to th e mother remains u nbroken , it ma y prod uce not only th e mi li-
tant fem in ist (u ncom mon in jung's ti me) b ut also the fem me fatale or
"killer bimbo" so despised by rhe feminist movement . T his unscrupul ous
wrecker of m arr iages is in fu ll flight fro m a mothe r who is pu rely ins t inc-
t ive, essentially unfor med, and unmis takably Ti'a rnar-li ke . The mother is
in tu rn th e da ugh ter's ow n und eveloped instinctual and emotional natu re,
which irself remains hun gry and unform ed ; but ir gers pro jected onro th e
chosen man 's wife.

11 C. G . Jung , Cul/ tatd W(If'.tJ, Vol 9. Pout t , Tht A,.(htlyPtl ""J 1mCtJl/« tt t't U ,,(tJ "J{ w ~ ~
(London: Rout ledge & Kegan P,IUI, 19 59 ; Princeron. N): Princeton Univ ersuy Press.
1968). , 169 . Brackets m ine .
194 ~ I Hl AST R.O LO GIC AL N EPT U NE ANO T HE Q UI ST f O R REDEMP TIO N

The reactive inte nsification of the dau ghter's Eros is aimed at

some man who ought (0 be rescued from rhe preponderance of the
female-ma ternal element in his life. A woman of this type insti nc-
tively intervenes when provoked by the unconsciousness of the
ma rriage part ner. She will d istur b that comfortable ease so d an-
gerous to the personality of a man but frequentl y regarded by him
as marital faithfulness.... A woman of thi s type directs th e burn-
ing ray of her Eros upo n a man whose life is stifled by maternal
solicitude, and by doing so she arouses a moral conflic t. YC't with -
ou t th is rhere can be no consciousness of person al ity.R

Ir may initially seem difficult Co unde rstan d how the "hel pless" wom an
can have so mu ch in commo n with the femme fatal e or with th e wom an
who violen tl y reject s all collective sym bols of fem inin it y in t he name of
ideo log y. Yet it will be appa ren t, wit h some rhoug h r, that t he first and sec-
ond types described will inevitably naviga te th eir fateful meecing with
each other avec th e torm ented body and psyche of the man desired by
bach . And th e chird, mnre often th an nor, is th e daughter born of the first
woman's ma rri age, who spe nds her life fighting th e helplessness and vic-
rim isario n she iden ti fies not merely with mother but wit h all woma n ki nd .
Nep tun e favou rs tr iangles. an d t hey are of a ver y specific ki nd .
Ident ificat ion with th e primal mother can generate, in any Ne p tu nia n
wom an, a lack of defi ned iden tity whi ch compels her to alw ays expe rience
herself in relation to an O t he r whom she can mir ror. Neptune is equall y
hap py to play th e d evot ed and de ceived wife, or the lover who is doomed
co ultimate frus tr ation ("I k now he loves me, but he JUSt won '[ [eave her
because of the child ren") . And N eptune will also play t he victi m of an
opp ress ive pa tr iarcha l world , whose m ilitant ange r conceals th e fact th at it
is not the fat her o uts ide, bu t t he mot he r inside , who is th e tr ue op p resso r.

Neptunian D isillusionment
W hat happens when the un obcainable object is act uall y ob tained ? Th ose
with difficult N eptune contacts co Venus, Mars, Sun, at Moon will prob-
ably know the answer: di sillusionment. Som et im es chis di sill usionment is
exp ressed as "tu rning off ' to the beloved's body. Seen up close, nighc afte r
nig hc, it is no lon ger magical , but merely human and getring older; and
th e lover, once so inflamed by th e famasy of ero ti c d eli ghts t hat m ight one

12. ColltOtJ U'/,,,.kJ, Vol. 9. Pan 1, 1 176 - 177 .

 T il l WalST OD - 1 9~

J ay be h is o r hers, now notices with cr uel insist ence t he Spot on the

belo ved's ch in , the supe rfluous hair on th e uppe r lip, the slig ht "spa re
ryre" aroun d th e middle, the b ad b reath in the morn ing. Perfection can
only be sus tai ned in th e world of fantasy; and when one fantasy plummets
from heaven li ke Icarus on his broken wings, t hen an other fantasy must
take irs p lace. The wo rld is full of un happy m iddle-ag ed women wh o have
bee n ab an doned in exchange for nub ile young flowe rs. T h is is in parr
because th eir husbands cannot cope with th e p rocess of age in g in their
wives' bodies or, mo re impo rt ant ly, in th eir ow n . It m ay also be , in parr ,
because some of th ese women , like the ir van ish in g spo uses, are t hemselves
addi cted ro t he d ream of fus ion , and have nev er beco me indi viduals in
th ei r own right. T hey may therefore cease to int erest a partner because
th ey are not interesti ng to thems el ves. Ag eing imp lies mortal it y, and there
is no pl ace for it in Eden ; nor is an indi vid ual iden t it y welcom e. In the
realm of N ep tuni an love , one of the g reatest sou rces of suffering for both
part ies is thi s inexp licab le and often pe rm anent loss of sexual feeling in th e
face of the loved one 's physical actual ity. Bodies, no mat ter how beautifu l,
g et in the way of prim al fusion . They cons tellate the an xiety of th e incest-
fantasy and its possible dreadfu l consequence s; and they als o const ell ate
th e fear of death .
Someri mes N eptune 's rom ant ic com p lexities are expressed as impo-
te nce or lack of physical response, and th is may occ u r as soo n as th e
beloved is actua lly sexually avai lab le. It is common enoug h in the early
stages of a love affa ir, whe n expectat ion collides with anx iety, and th e
prospe ct of intimacy invokes the spen re of rejecti on . Bur some t imes it
remains as an o ngo ing problem . Or one m ay be intensely aroused by a
partne r who is sec re t ly despised-a prostitute, or someo ne from an " infe-
rior" social or racial group--buc one finds on eself uni nte rested or inca-
pa bl e with th e pe rson to whom on e is emotionally co m m irred . J u ng
referred to this dilemm a as t he result of a "split " ani ma or animus, be cau se
e rot ic feelings move one way and ideal isation another, and it seem s they
are doomed never to meet in the same ind ividual. This is a not un common
way of kee p ing at bay the an xiet y inherent in t he incestuous ele ments of
Neptu n ian at rrac rion . It is m iserable not onl y for the partner, but als o for
the indi vid ual suffe ring the probl em . He or she m ay be b u rde ned with
conside rable guil t and shame, and may event ua lly be d riven by thi s g u ilt
to inflier g rea t hurt without m ean ing to do so.
T he split bet ween bod y an d spi rit is fu ndamental to N eptune's d ua l-
ist worl d-v iew. Exami ned from a psych olog ical rather t ha n a m ythi c pe r-
specti ve. we are ba ck in th e domain of the ego ide al. But the orig inal uni t y
of ero ti c and emot ional experien ce has been severed . This may occu r wh en
19 6 - Tt ff ,$" H RO l O G IC Al N f P TU N ( AN O T H I O U EST f O R RrrJE\ 1PT IO N

th e early relat ionsh ip between mot her an d child has been sexualised- i n
other words, whe n the mother beh aves in a sed ucti ve fashion , arousing for-
bidde n feelin gs in her chi ld which are te rrifying in t he ir po wer and impli -
cations. This is not the same as child abus e. Suc h seduct ive behaviour is
usually completely unconscious, and is not accompanied by acti ve physi-
cal interference of any kind . It may occur wi th a chil d of eit he r sex, for it
is undi fferent iated erot icism rather than act ive sexual desire. It may arise
because th e mot her is unhap py and frustrat ed in her marri age, and find s
the expe rie nce of breast-feedi ng , close skin cont act and emot ional intima -
cy with her baby highly arous ing . Ir may also arise when t he mot her pe r-
ceives in her ch ild a redeem er for her own suffering, and inst inct ively t ries
(0 bin d th e child through un conscious m ani pula tion of his or her emo-

t ional and erot ic need s. It is a common enoug h ph enom en on, g iven our
gene ral collect ive ig no rance of our own dee per selves. But it may leave
long -las ti ng sexual scars on th e Neptun ian ch ild , who already carries an
overdeveloped sense of sin. T he incest-ta boo is a frag ile ba rrier , and it is
d ifficult enoug h for any child to cope with ero tic feeli ngs and the anxiety
wh ich th ese feel ing s enge nd er. If th e mother br eaches th e taboo herself,
u nconsciously t u rn ing her child int o a fant asy-lover, th en t he ch ild
become adu lt may fin d t he proxim it y of ero t ic st imu lat ion and d ependen-
cy needs tOO t h reate ni ng to bear.
Some times N eptunian disillusionm ent is not specifically sexual, but
creeps in like a miasm a, g rad ually generat ing the feeli ng th at th e rela-
ti ons hip has lost it s "mag ic." The beloved is no lon ger an ador ing and
perenn ially attent ive d ivine parent ; increasing ly, there are mom ents when
he or she now has othe r int erests , or is in a bad mo od , or has revealed seri-
ous hu ma n failings. W orst of all, th is ex- redeemer may turn out to req uire
redempti on, too. lie or she has ceased to m irror, and th e prom ise of
Parad ise has turned our to be a cheat . The sense of separati on wh ich en sues
may in voke an intolerab le loneli ness, wh ich can only be assuag ed by find -
ing someone or som ething else to provide the necessary dose of fusion . Or
it may invoke terr ib le an ge r and bi rrern ess.

There is, of course, an enormous range in the nat ure and fate of
idealisarions in love. At one extreme are the unrea listic and prim.
itive idealisarions, at th e other the more d ifferent iated and realis-
tic kind . To the deg ree that idealisations are unrealistic and neu-
rotic, they are more likely to break down over time, and to gener-
ate a good deal of rage as the y do 50. 13

13- Person, Lot" a,.J Faltl ",1 £,u(Ju nltTl, p 19 Y

 THE IlEBfSTO D - 19 7

N ep tu nian ideal isat ion-the proj eerion of the redeemer onto th e

beloved-is not int ri nsically "neuroti c." But it is cert ainly u n realisti c, in
that no human be ing ( an pro vide div ine salvation for us. Anot her indi-
vidual m ig ht be th e catal yst for inspiration and an open ing of the heart ,
or
wh ich gi ves us a g limpse Nep tune's heal ing waters. This is the most cre-
at ive face of Ne ptune in love. But it is not t he ind ivid ual who is t he
redee mer; t he redeemer lies wit hi n. Idealisar ions wh ich , when shat te red ,
leave ut te r d espair and darkness in th eir wake , are idealisarions which have
overwhel med reality because t he ind ividua l neve r wa nted a real parrne r in
the first place. This is often the th em e of th ose who "love too mu ch ,"
alt houg h ir is arguable whether rhe emotions involved are th ose of love or
somethi ng mu ch more pri mal. T he Iiebatod of Romant ic literaru re-s-t he
love-death which W agn er expressed so exq uis itely in Tristan und lsolde, and
wh ich Nept une always hopes co find in hu man relationship-is eq uall y
not "neu rot ic. " But it is primal. It s a rcha ism lies in its archetypal na ture ,
for th is kind of "love" is really disso lution in the waters of oblivion . Erot ic
passion is the gateway co it, not th e enaccm enr of it. Dis illusionment is its
price. If the disillusion ment is great enough , and the personal ity [ 00
unformed (Q contain th e rage and pai n, the price may also be death. There
is nothi ng romantic about t he individual who has com m itt ed suicid e (on
one level or another) because t he beloved has go ne, or th e ind ividual who
destroys (on one level or ano t he r) a n un fait hful pa rtner. T hese acts d o nor
spring from an y g lamo rous Pluto n ian crime de ptlJJian. Th ey t'xpress t he
apocalyptic destruct iveness of an aban doned Neptune.
Balm for inevitab le Nept u nian romantic disillusio nment can some -
rim es be fou nd in t he realm of th e imagination . The creati ve pr ocess is
very like falli ng in love, yet requires individu al inte rpretation and t he
earthy di scipline of tra nslat ing vision into real it y. Neptun e's ideal isa rion s,
becau se rhey belon g not to th e ot her but to ou r own sou ls, are perh aps
ulrimare ly "meant " to be expre ssed in creati ve forms . All of us ca rry ou r
chi ld hood longin g s as superfluou s bagga g e on ou r backs , and m ust find a
way to walk up right d esp ite the weight. But unlike Dante, N av alis,
Berl ioz, or Donne, we m ay not easily find th e courage to exp ress ou r di s-
appoi nt ed d reams th rough vehicles such as poetry or mu sic, because we
are afraid of reveal ing our lack of "t alent" in the eyes of a crit ical collec-
t ive. Yet we m ust try, for the sa ke of ot hers as well as ou rsel ves, even if we
pu rsue our creati ve effo rts in p rivate and lock away th e resu lt s. Tran slat ing
N ep tune from emot ional pa t ho log y to creariviry is no mea n (ea t , and
tak es eno rmo us effo rt . Neptune in each of us is always ready to co m plai n
t hat our relat ionsh ip s have let us down. At t he t ime, such co m pla in ts
sound legi timate; but they are very d ifferent in ton e and m ot ive from the
198 ,.. T HE ASTROLOG ICAL NEPT UNE AND THE QU EST fO R REDEMPT ION

recogn iti on of d eep -rooted inco m pa t ib ility. Yet th e postu re of d reary ma r-

t yrdom is no solu tio n eithe r; it is on ly t he ot he r side of N eptu ne 's coin.
Learn ing to d isti ng uish between oneself, th e loved one and the di vi ne
sou rce may. for th e Neptun ian , provide a more mod est bur mo re wo rka b le
form of red em ption .

N eptune in Love: Two Case Histories

T he love lives of famous acto rs arc generall y steeped in N ep tune. This is
in part becau se t he ector is so often Nept unian ; t he professio n is eminent-
ly N ep tuni an; and romantic idealisat ion inevitably forms part of the
att ract ion be t ween rwo "stars" who are accus tomed co pla ying jus t abo ut
every on e excep t th em selves. Relationsh ips bet wee n sta rs often beg in o n
(h e fil m or stage set , wh en th e tw o acto rs are pe rformi ng t he role of lovers.
Su bsequently th ese relation shi ps may un leash fie rce p rofession al com p eti-
ti veness as well as d eep disi llu sion men t, reachi ng heig hts of bea u ty and
ecstasy inaccessible co th e rest of us, yet ofte n pl un gi ng into a da rk abyss
of emotio nal and physical viole nce, ad d iction or madn ess. Th rou gh t he
lov es and so rro ws of th e fam ous we enjoy vi ca r io usly so m e o f the en chant -
rnen r and g rande ur of Ne p tune's oceanic realm . Even in thi s jade d pr e-m il-
lenni al decade, with soc ial, polit ical, and enviro nmenta l concerns de mand-
ing our u rg en t at ten tion , we are st ill fascinated by t he rise a nd fall of
Neptun ian love.
T he b rief h istor ies of t wo famous celeb rity marriag es of th is cent u-
ry- Laur ence O l ivier and Vivien Leigh , and Richard Burt on and Elizabeth
Taylor-s-c an reveal a goo d deal abo ut N eptu ne at work and play in t he
domain of romant ic love. These liaisons no lon ger have th e pow er co shoc k
as they once d id; they happened a long time ago, and belong to an era
when t he abando ning of husb and s a nd wive s was a serious b usi ness. Yet
t hey tell a timel ess slOry. They do not offer us t he p ru rient sleaze of more
recen t celeb rity scand als, for they are close eno ug h to t he dream of cOUC(-
ly love to p reserve a kind of rom anti c in nocence to ward whi ch we are
inclined , these days, to disp lay a carefully cultivated veneer of cynicism .
There are also eerie co rrespo ndences bet ween these tw o l iaiso ns . T h is is not
surp rising , si nce we are d eali ng wi t h an arche typa l paneen rbar-s-once
unleash ed- foll ow s its own cou rse d esp ite t he conscious effort s of t he par-
ticipant s. Both relat ion shi ps were lon g . lived ; som ething conside rab ly
mo re solid t han N eptunia n d reams of Eden kept these coup les rogerher.
 TH E lIEB f lTOD - 19 9

Yet bot h marriag es were fraug ht with Nep tune's partcrns of ill ness, b reak-
down, alco ho l problems. violent quarrell ing, infid el ity, ecstatic passio n
and terrible di sillusionment . Neither p rodu ced offspring, alt ho ug h both
cou ples d esperatel y desired a child from the un ion. Bot h relat ionsh ips
ended with each half of t he couple finding a new love. But in th e case of
both couples. o ne partner never really recover ed from the breakup o f th e
marriag e. and d ied a few years later.

"Larry and Viv"

An extensive life history of eith er Laurence Ol ivier or Vivien Leigh
would be inapp rop riate here ; the reader is referred to the relevant biogra-
phie s. Perhaps more revealing are the films these g ifted act ors made ,
whi ch rank am ong th e very best whi ch the cinema has ever produ ced .
Leigh suffered for mu ch of her life from manic depression , wh ich grew
mor e severe as she gOt older. Wh ile th is mad e her perso nal life hell (and
Olivier's as well) , it infused certa in of her perform ances w it h g reat power
and mag ic. The best of rhe se are her roles as Scarlett O 'Hara in Gone with
tbe Wm d, and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Olivier has
man y fine Stage and screen performances (Q his credit, but panicularly
evo cat ive is his first film role , the tormented Hearh cliffe in Wu/hering
Heights. When an actor's astrological makeup is matched [Q the pan he
plays, ext rao rd inary rhings can happen . The asrrologi cal srud enr can learn
mu ch abo ut Pl uto from this actor 's rising Plu to sq uare Saturn, im pecc a-
bly match ed [Q a character created by an author wh o had Pima con ju nc t
Saturn , ruling and trine a Scorpi o Ascendan t in her o wn birch chan. (See
Cha rts 6 and 7 on page s 200 and 20 1.)
O livie r and Leigh , both amb it iou s youn g actors, both al ready mar-
ried and with a child apiece, met du ring th e Christ mas of 19 35, when
Ol ivier was 28 and Leigh 22 . They fell passionarely in love. Tran sit ing
Neptune, hovering around the middle of Virgo, made a stat ion in 16
Virg o, close to O liv ier's natal Moon and trine his natal Mars in Capricorn
in the 8t h house, N ept une also formed a square ro his A scendant . Over the
foll ow ing months, as the affair blossomed , Neptune conti nued to move
back and forth across th ese natal positi on s. Such t ransits are nor unusua l as
[he refle ct ion of a passio nate and intense ly rom ant ic inv olvement, pan ic-
ularly an "illicit" one. The houses tr ad it ionall y associate d with love (5t h)
and sexual exp ression (Brh) are involved , and transit ing Neptune's con -
juneri o n w ith the Moon sug g ests the eme rg ence o f ecsta ti c longi ng s from
2 00 ... T H E A,ST RO t O C ICAL N EPT U N E A, ND T H E O U EST f OR RED EM PTIO N

Chan 6 . Laurence Oliv ier. Born Mar 22 ,1907 ,5:00 A.M . GMT, Dork ing ,
Engl and. Tropical. P lacid us, True N ode. Source; l ntrm at ionales HoroJkopt-
Lexieon.
 THE IIEBE5TOD - 20 1

Chart 7 . Vivien Leig h. Born N ovembe r 5, 19 13, 5:30 P.M . LMT, 11 :3 7

A .M .G MT, Darjeeling , Ind ia. Trop ical, Placidus , True Node. Source:
Internal /ona les HorOlkope-Lexrkon .
20 2 - TH £ ASTR0 10G IC .... L f\.: EPT U.... ( A~ D THE O U fS I f O R RED EMPl lO N

th e very early st ages of life. Neptune was also act ive in th e progressed
chart . The progressed Ascendant was within a deg ree of conju nct ion of
prog ressed Neptu ne, while the p rogr essed MC was trin e natal Neptu ne. It
would seem th at you ng Laur en ce, whet her he consc ious ly wished it or not ,
was abo ut to face th e Flood .
Lord Olivier 's birth chart is not scrik ing ly N ept unian . Neither Sun
nor Moon aspect s Neptune, nor is th e planet pla ced on an y of the angl es.
W ith Pluto risin g sq uare th e Moon, it would seem th at mu ch of his charis-
ma de rived from the slightly si nister sexual magne ti sm of Pluto, expressed
t hro ug h th e nim ble intellect , ph ysical ag ility, and techni cal bri lli an ce of a
Ge m ini ascendant. Olivier 's Sun and Mercury are, however, in the l Zth
house, the natural house of Neptune, sug ge sti ng a pro fou nd receptivity to
th e wat ery world o f the collect ive psyche. H e could play an yone becau se
he could ide ntify w ith everyo ne. N atal N eptune is also exactl y conj u nct
Ju pite r in Can cer, and Jup irer rules th e 7t h house; and th is con junct ion
opposes t he nat al Mar s-Uranus conj unct ion in Cap rico rn in th e 8 t h hou se.
In relationship and sexual matters, therefore, we ma y exp ect to find
Neptune's rom ant ic idealism and longing for fusion, pitted ag ain st a
some t imes ruthl ess eleme nt of self-will and a form ida ble ability ro d isen-
g age from any ent ang leme nt wh ich t hr eatened personal auto nomy. In fact
one of Leigh 's main disappoint me nts was t ha t he wi thd rew from her sex-
ua lly--oste nsibly because his work took all his energy, but pr ob ably also
because her em ot ional demands tri ggered th e Mar s- Uranus conju nctio n
and drove him int o ab ru p t retreat. G iven th e eart hy and self-contained
bias of O livie r's chart , th e Mars-Uranus con ju nct ion would be easie r to
exp ress, while t he mo re vulnerable and myst ical q ualit ies of N eptune
wo uld be projected in to h is acti ng and onto his wo men . Wi ch tr ansit ing
Neptune's passag e across th e nat al Moon , he met his own chaot ic long ings
em bod ied in th e flesh.
Vivien Leigh 's chan is also not striki ng ly Neptunian . H ere, coo, th e
Sun and Moon m ake no aspects to N eptune. Bur N eptune is on an angl e,
con junct ing t he IC from t he end of the 3rd house. It also conjuc rs Ma rs,
one of her 7t h· house ru lers. Ne ptu ne also forms a wid e sq uare CO Ven us,
her chart rul er, and ir tr ines Mer cury in th e 7rh hou se. Fin ally, it opposes
Uranus ar the Me. We might expec t thar she, tOO , would exp ress N eptune
through her relationships. But an angular N eptune is more pot ent th an
one placed in a succeden t house, and th is cha n favours N ept une because it
is so do mi na ted by the elemen t of water. There is in fact a g rand wat er
trin e, inv olving the Sun, Pl uto, and Chiron. Three planers in Ca ncer, one
in Scorpio and one in Pisces sug gest chat th e realm of feelin g would be
m uch more access ible and overtly expr essed than it is in Ol ivier's charac-
 THI 1I£8E IT O D - 20 3

ter. Moreover, only Ju p iter is placed in an eart hy sig n (alt ho ug h the

Ascend ant is in Tau rus). reflect ing a nature which might expe rien ce diffi-
culty in accomodaring fantasy to th e limits of exte rna l reali t y.
Leig h's h isrory of psychoti c breakdown may be linked to ma ny dif-
fere nt facto rs in the b irt h chart . No si ngle pla cem ent or config u rat ion rep-
resents th e "sig nature" of her manic depressive illn ess. He r innate fixity
reflects great st reng th. bu r also suggests th at , on ce set. her desires and
go als could coll id e violently wi th realit y. With natal Mars con ju nct
Nept un e, she m ight resort to out rag eously mani p ulat ive beha viour to
wear t he oppositi on do wn . The con ju nct ion of th e Moon and U ranu s at the
MC , and Nept une ar th e IC , reflect many difficu lries with her parents,
whose own marriage must have seemed [Q he r constan tly on t he edge of
breaki ng down . T he Moon-Ur anus conju nct ion also describes great ten-
sion and anx iety whi ch , roored in ch ild hood , might p lague her all her life.
T he conju nccion of Mars and Neptu ne in Can cer in t he 3rd hou se port rays
a perception of realit y eas ily dis ror red by moods and fantasies; a nd deep
dependency on others' love and approval m ight in te rfere wit h her capaci-
ty for d ecision-mak ing . T he sq ua re between Saturn and Chi ron describe s
feelings of deep perso na l inade q uacy (Sat u rn in rhe 2nd) and lon el iness
(Ch iron in th e l l rh) , W hen she mer O livier, tran siti ng Nep tune was set -
ti ng off t his natal Saru rn -Chi ron square, formi ng a close squa re to Satu rn .
At th e same t ime, tr ansitin g Pluto was mo ving back and fort h across natal
Ne ptu ne. Because N ept un e's p lacem ent at the Ie is related to Leigh 's per-
cep tio n of her father, it is worth noting that th is man was a chron ic p h i-
land erer. H e was also an amateur act or, and she adored h im . 11 T he adv ent
of O livie r into her life coincid ed wi th her progressed Venu s approachi ng
the Descenda nt -a tr adi tional sig nificaror of love and marriage . Bu t th e
meet ing also occu rred un der th e tr ansit of Pluto over nat al Neptune, and
was t hus linked wi t h t he activ ation of dee p longings for an idea lised bur
elu sive pa rent whom she had neve r really reached .
The love affai r, at first secret bu t late r pu rsued in full p ublic view,
lost none of irs intensi ty d uri ng th e years before [he couple m arr ied . T his
is nor surprisi ng, as Nep tu ne is usually at its best when love is full of anx-
iety and expectancy. N ep tu ne and marriage can somet imes be a di sastrous
combina tion, as the t roubadou rs knew very wel l. O livier des cribed th e
relat ionsh ip as "pu re, d riving , uncontainab le, passion ate love." n Ne ither
succeeded in ob ra ini ng t he qu ick di vorce they hop ed for, and ultimatel y
both abandoned th e ir ho mes , the ir parrners and th eir chi ld ren <0 live

14. Alexand er Walker, VW"l1 (London: Ori on Books , 199-1), p . 4 3.

I) . Alexander Walker, V'l,j,n, p. D4 .
20 ·1 - TH E A,\IR O LO GI( AI l\. { PTU~ ( O\ ~ D T H ( O U EST f OR R([) ( M PTl O'"

roge rh er. Duri ng t h is period t rans iti ng N eptu ne and t ransit ing Plu to co n-
t inu ed t heir respect ive con ju nctions wit h O livi er's Moon and Leig h's
N ep tune. M ean wh ile, transi ting Saturn mo ved inro oppos itio n wi th
O livier's Moon and squa red his Ascendant. Desp ite his state of e nc han t -
m ent , he su ffered consid erab le pain a nd rem orse over the br eakup of h is
dom esti c life. Leigh appeared t o suffe r no rem orse at all. Tran siting Ch iron
was movi ng ove r he r nata l Satu rn , wh ile t ransi ti ng Ne ptune co nt inued [0
sq uare it. Bur t hese unhappy aspect s of sorro w and uncertainty d id not , at
th e t ime, find emo t ional exp ression . H er m ood s, alt houg h lab ile, had not
yee reached th e seve rity wh ich would later resu lt in sed atio n, hospitali sa-
tion and ECT. Wh at ever g u ilt an d sorrow she expe rienced (she had , afte r
all , had a Cat ho lic u pbri ng ing) , she supp ressed any sig n of it. Duri ng th is
pe riod, Leigh achi eved t he professio na l g oal she wanted m ost- t he pa rr of
Scarlett O 'Hara-bur she hated H ollywood, where t he cou p le we re cu r-
rently living . The affair was nor srig rnar ised there, as the Bu rto n-Taylor
liaison was late r t o be. If any t h ing , "Larry and Viv" we re pe rceived as a
b rave an d sh in ing light at a time when th e worl d was desc end ing in to t he
d arkn ess of war. In D ecember 19 39 , the Ame rican m agaz in e Photoplay p ro-
du ced t he foll ow ing N eptunia n obs ervati ons:

They each have a child wh ich perh aps t he-y will never be permi t-
t(OJ to se e aga in. T hey may have (0 listen to some p reuy severe
things said about th em, the Eng lish not bei ng inclin ed (0 mi nce
(t heir word s ab out ] such m at ters. Larry and Vivien care te rrib ly
abo ut all th at. There is a passion and a vita lity t hat touches both
of them , that makes them carl' terribly about all th ings. But t hey
care mor e for each ot her. T hey care more for each othe r t han th ey
do for money or careers or friend s or har sh words or even life
itself. 16

Ol ivier an d Leigh fin ally marr ied on 3 1 Aug ust 194 0 . Transiting Plu to
had now m oved off Leigh's nat al Ne ptune and en tr enc hed itsel f a t th e IC ,
formi ng an opposit io n to na ta l U ranus. H er en ti re world was being
des t royed and rebu ilt . Transit ing J upiter m ad e a station in 15 Tau ru s,
oppos ite t he natal Sun, co n ju nct t he Ascendanr , and opposite p rog ressed
Venu s, reflecting her g reat expectatio ns. But transit ing Satu rn , m oving in
con ju nct ion with transit ing J up irer, also m ad e a srarion in 14 Taurus. The
new ma rriage wou ld b ring restri ct ion , hurr and dis appointmen t , althoug h
she d id not k now it at th e t im e. Tr ansiti ng Chi con had now tak en the
p lace of tr ansiting Pl u to a t the end of Cancer, and was con ju nct her na tal

16 . Alexande r W alker , V". itJ7. p 178 - 179

 THE Llf Bf STOD - 205

Neptu ne when rh ey married. T he h idd en link be tween her fat her and her
new hu sba nd was once ag ai n em phas ised . Meanwh ile, t ransit ing Neptune
now began to move back and forrh square O livier's Pl uto and opposi te hi s
Saturn . Always in co nt rol of h is life, he was now faced with a situation over
wh ich he had no co nt rol. H owever, t ransit ing U ranus was approachi ng a
conju nctio n to h is natal Mercu ry an d Sun . T his co n junction , cakin g near -
Iy t hree yea rs to com plete. saw h is career reach its peak .
A, first Nept une 's mag ic waters showed no sign of sha rks . But Leig h
was inconsistent in her work, and was often savage d by t he cri tics . H er
emotio nal lab il ity becam e m ore p ronounced . According (Q Alexander
Walker:

Vivien made a discovery around chis time... t hat was to stalk her
amb itions and eventually upse t her emo tio nal balance for the rest
of her life. She found that the role she had JUSt p layed was coming
betw een her and the next one she had to assume . Whenever she
had com mitt ed herself to a parr over a lengthy peri od.. . then she
found it hard to shake off the experience, pu r it out of her mind,
even erase the dia logue from her memory. In lat er years... she
overlaid the roles she played so that they accum ulate d like differ-
ent ident ities, stacked out of sig ht and mi nd while times were
benign , but suddenly and uncont rollabl y repossessing her in some
cycle of crisis.! "

Repeat ed m iscarr iag es also plagued her. It was after [h e second of t hese, in
J un e 1944 , t hat she suffered her first ma jor psychot ic b reakdow n. D urin g
th is pe riod transiting Pluto, havin g comp leted it s opposition to U ranu s,
moved int o opposition with the nat al Moon , making a sta tion on t he
Moon-U ranus midpoint at th e time of th e breakdown . Transiting N eptune
stati oned in square to natal Pluto , wh ile transit ing Saturn conju ncre d it.
Transi tin g U ranus moved in to square with nat al Ch icon, wh ile tr ansit ing
Ch iton stat ioned in squ are to its own natal pla ce. This formidable array of
aspects reflects deep pain , anxiety, confusion, feel ing s of terribl e inadequa-
cy, and an eruption of savag e emotion , incl ud ing grear rage . T hese feelings
probably e ncom passed not only t he loss of a ch ild , b ur also t he ea rl ier sep -
ara t ion from her daug hte r and ex-husband, as well as mu ch old er pain
related tc her farher. The d ream of redem pt ion had some ho w fai led to
materialise. Leig h 's manic and de p ressive sta tes came with inc reasing fre-
q uency over th e next few years . Ol ivier , u nable to com p rehend wha t was
happen ing ro her, t ried to be suppo rt ive, b u t failed to provide [he absolu te

17 Vtt'it'l'l . p _ 184 .
20 6 - T H E ASTRO LO G ICAL N (P TUN [ .... N O TH E QUHT FO R RED EM PTI ON

and un conditional love she deman ded . In 1949 she announced to him that
she no longer loved him , and em barked on an affair with th e acto r Pet er
Finch . Transiring N eptu ne now approached a con junction with her natal
Venus; redemption bec koned ag ain, th is rime through anoth er redeem er.
Neptu ne was also formin g squares ro Ol ivier's Ju pite r-Neptun e opposi te
Mars-Ur anus . The roma nce wh ich had beg un with tr ansitin g Nept une's
benig n aspects now collapsed und er its challeng ing ones. The coup le did
not d ivorce, bu t they spent less and less rime rogerher. Leigh 's affair with
Finch co nti nued, on and off, th rough a period of increasing ly severe break-
downs. Transit ing Saturn and transiti ng Nep tune now formed squares ro
Leigh 's natal Mars-N eptun e conjuncrion. O livier made no fuss over her
affair, but mad e him self availabl e to help if she needed hospit alisati on . It
is a test imony to Taurus' capacity [or end urance that he manag ed , in the
m idst of thi s N eptun ian nightm are, to maintain bo th his sanity and th e
hig h quality of h is work. U ltim ately he instig ated a d ivo rce , coincide nt
wi th his meet ing wi t h J oan Plowright , who later became h is third and last
wife. The di vorce occ urred in Decem ber 19 60 , when transiting N eptune
slowed down for a station in II Scorpio, co njunct ing Le ig h's Sun and tri ne
O livier's Jupit er-N eptu ne. For Leig h, th is Neptune transit suggests a final
b irre r d isillusionment , and the rel inquishing of a lifelong d ream . Despite
a new relat ionsh ip , her increasing ill heal th and subseq uent death only six-
and-a-half years late r, from a com bination of tuberculosi s and excessive
medicat ion, sugges t that , once the gates of the Parad ise Ga rden were per-
manentl y closed , there was not much poi nt in go ing on.
When the charts are com pared , Ne ptu ne is, as m ight be expec ted,
ver}' activ e in the synastry. Leig h's N eptu ne is closely square Ol ivier's
Venus. She idealised his beauty and g race, and probably also responded to
{he aura of lone liness (Venus in the l Zrh hou se) wh ich was such a major
part of his mag net ism . Probabl y she felt he need ed rede em ing- as no
doubt , wit h Venus in th e 12,h , di d he. Her Neptu ne is also co njunct his
No rt h N ode in th e 3td house, suggest ing th at she also idealised his power
to reach ot hers th roug h his gi fts of verbal exp ression . O livie r's Nep tu ne is
in cum square Le igh 's Venus. It is also trine her Sun . H e idealised her, tOO,
not only for he, beauty but also for her emotiona l depth an d com plexity.
Earlier in this chap ter, I sketc hed a typi cal dia log ue involvi ng Venus-
Neptune cross-co ntact s be-tween tw o charts . We may see it here enacted in
real life. Ul tima tely O liv ier felt devoured by his wife , and became inc reas-
ingly detached in the face of the manipulat ion he experienced th roug h her
consta nt breakdow ns. She in turn felt di sill usioned and betray ed by hi m ,
and her g rowing rag e made her more and more unm anage able. Ir is prob-
able that, althoug h she initiated th e end ing of th e relationsh ip throug h he r
 TH[ lIfBfST OD - 207

affai r wit h Finch , on some level t h is was meant as a prod (Q revive his pas -
sion. H is tolerance of th e affair mu st have seemed to her th e ult im ate
insult. The re are, of course, many other synast ry con tacts besides the t wo-
way Venus -Ne ptu ne arrangement . Some, like Olivier 's Moon t rine Leig h's
Ascend ant and sextile her Su n, are con rac rs wh ich t rad it ion ally sig nify
harm on y and com pat ib iliry, O thers, such as O livie r's Moon squa re Leig h 's
Saturn , are trad iti onal augu ries of frict ion and emot iona l d isco nte nt . But
the power fu l Venus-Neptu ne exc ha nge, seen in t he context of the Nep t une
t ransi ts and prog ressions active at rhe time they became involved , reflect
all the t he me s of Nept u nia n romantic love- i n ecstasy and its birrer dis-
appo int ment , its glamour and its tra gedy, and its spectrum of expe rience
rang ing from the sordid ro the ineffab le.
Finally, ir is wo rt h briefly examining the composite cha rt fo r t his
rela tio nship. for it b rings (he cross-aspens of Venus and Nept une into
sharp focu s. In the composi te. the tWO p lanets a re conj unc t (C ha n 8, page
208), They are also opposirion Uran us, refle ct ing not on ly t he cha racreris-
ti c pa ne rn of ro mant ic idealisat ion and disi ll usionme nt, but also a conflict
be tween th is long ing for fusion and a powerful impulse wi thin t he rela -
tion ship (0 m ainta in auto nomy at any cos t. The compos ite Venus-
Nept une conj u nct ion falls on Leigh's Mars; th e myth ic nature of th e lia i-
son pr ovided not only a powe rfu l sexual stimula nt for her, but also a
des tructiv e un derm ining of her ind ependence and powe r of de cisio n-m ak -
ing . Alr ead y in clined to di stort the world around her, she was part icul ar -
ly incapa b le of see ing things clearl y when she was in her hu sband 's com -
pany . Com po site pla ceme nts form ing close aspect s to th e nat al planets of
t he peopl e involved can reveal in extremely prec ise ways the m anner in
which the ene rgy of a relation ship affects t he indi vid uals conce rned . The
com pos ite Venus-Ne ptune falls on Olivier's N orth Node. In th e com pos -
ite chart t he re is also a n exact sq ua re between the Moon and C hi to n: th is
composi te con figu rati on co ll ides wit h Ol ivier's nat al Su n . The m ar riag e
fu rt he red his caree r, bu t its emot ional co mp lexit ies in jured his sense of
self-wort h and th warted h is Tau rean need for sta bili ty and a peaceful pri-
vate life . T he t ransits to and from N eptu ne in t he composi te cha rt are also
relevant . At th e t im e th e cou ple marr ied , t he tr ansit of C h iro n co n junc t-
ing com posite Venus-Neptune de scr ibes both t he romant ic fascina t ion and
the mu tual hurt whi ch bo und these people tog ether. C hi ron by tr a nsit
often serves as a tr igger, b ring ing int o rna reral isarion issues which are still
lat ent or u nforme d . I have seen it perform th is funct ion in bo th indi vid ual
chart s and com posites; it has an earthy quality whi ch , not unl ike Saturn,
crysta llises hu rtfu l and helpful po te nt ials alike . T he lu bestod of t he com -
posite Venus- N ep t un e bec ame an actual ma rriage when tr ans iting Chiro n
20 8 - T HI AI TROlOGt(Al N EPT UN IAN D T H E O U EIT f O R REDEMPTI O N

Chart 8. Composite chart between Vivien Leigh and Laurence O livier.

Tropical, Placidus . Th is composite chart, as well as Chart II, is based on
midpoints for every pair of nata l chart placements, includin g ASC, MC ,
and house cusps.
 TH E II fB flT OD - 209

con junc red it. When t ransm ng Sat urn opposed the com posite Venus-
Nept une , t he marr iage and th e /i,bmod ended , ground do wn by th e intr u -
sion of harsh reali ty. Ar the ti me of Leig h 's deat h, tr ans it ing Neptune
moved into an exact squa re with th e composite Sun . The marriage for-
ma Uy ended when transit ing N eptune conjuncted Leigh 's Sun ; it ende d on
a more profou nd level when it squ ared the co mposite Sun. Th e sad ter rn i-
natio ns of bo t h t he relationship and of her life were Steeped, as was t he
entirety of the ma rriage , in th e path os of N ep tune's longin g to go hom e .

"Pock/ ace and Fatso"

The Story of Richard Bu rto n and Elizabet h Taylo r does nor invoke t he
same sense of romant ic trag edy, pe rhaps in pan because as actors they
never achiev ed the same professional Sta t u s . Th e Bur rons' life togethe r was
ofren dev oid of any suggest ion of self-cont rol, and ir is d ifficul t to feel th e
empat hy one does with Ol ivie r and Leigh. T h is may be due in part to
Taylor 's irrep ressib le ma ri tal career, whi ch made her nororious, bu r robbed
her of dig n ity, and perhaps, roo, because of th e num ber of t ru ly siUy film s
both acto rs made in thei r long careers. However, N ept une is even more
activ e in th is relat ionship. lt is thus hardl y su rp rising th at t hey fell pas-
sionately in love while playi ng Antony and Cleopatra in a film of sha me-
lessly Ne ptu nian excess, some t ime s referred to as the wo rst of a bad g enre
o f "{its and togas " epics. Th e fi lm itself was no do ubt initia ted unde r a
dom inant Nep t une and a ret rog rade M ercu ry, as i r rook fou r year s o f
chaos- i llness , actors sig ning on and o ff. d irect ors and scriptwrite rs
appearing and d isappearing , and se es built , moved , des t royed and
rebuilt-a- before any filming even too k place.
Like Oli vie r and Leig h, Burron and Taylor wert" bot h marr ied with
fam ilies whe n t hey became involved . (See Charts 9 and 10, pages 2 10 and
21 1.) Bu rt on 's ma rriage was solid and tr ad itional; Taylor already had a
string of husba nds behind her, When th ey filmed the ir first scene tog et h-
er in January 196 2, transit ing Nep tune was stationary in 13 Sco rpio , co n-
juncring Taylor's Moo n and triggering he r natal T-cross o f t he Moon with
Jup irer and Chi ron. Here is rhe same tr ansit of Neptune ove r th e Moon
that O livie r exper ienced wh en he me r Vivien Leig h. Transiting Plu to was
moving bac k and forth across Taylor's Ne pt un e, opposing her Mars-Sun -
Mercury co n junctio n. Transiting Chirc n co n junn ed t he Mars-Sun -
Mercury and o ppose d her N ep tune. O bsess ive em otional inte nsi ty and the
herald of a de epl y wound ing ex perien ce a re both sugge ste d by these pow -
erful tr ansit s invo lving natal Neptune. Taylor's bi rth chan is in fact dom -
inated by Neptu ne. The Sun con juncts Mars as well as Mer cu ry in Pi sces ,
 21 0 - t ur ASTROLOGICAL NLPTU NL .AND TH L DU rST FO R RFDLMPTI O N

A
"

Chart 9. Elizabeth Taylor. Born February 27, 1932, 2:00 A.M . G MT,
Lond on, England . Trop ical, Placidus, True Node. Source: lnternationales
Horoseope-Lexieon .
 THE lIfBISTO V _ 2 11

Cha rt 10 . Richard BUrton. Born N ovomb or 10, 192 5, 1 1:0 0 P. M. G MT.

Ponrrh yd y(on. Wa b . Tropical. Placid u. . Truo Nodo. Source. I nr<r-
naflonaltJ HoroJkopt -u xikon.
 2 12 - T H E ASTROLO GI CAL N [ PT UN f AN D TH £ O ULST f O R RED£MP TI O N

and all th ree are opposi te natal Neptune. N eptu ne also closel y squares the
Ascendant . Th ere is no Venus- N ept un e contact in thi s chart; instead we
find an exact Venu s-U ranus conj unc tion in Aries in the 4 th hou se . Th is is
mo re anarchic than it is rom ant ic , and sugg est s an intense but hig hly
unsta ble bond with her farher in early life. W ith rhi s child hood issue unre-
solved , and wi rh Sun , Mars and Mercury, rule r of th e 7rh house, opposite
Neptu ne, she so ug ht her redemption through the various me n she married
and t hen di scarded or lost. Deeply vulnerabl e, she carried many early em o-
tional wounds relating 10 her mot her, reflected by the natal Moon's T-
cross. She has demonstrated more rhan a lirrle of t he hysteric's pred ilect ion
for vicrirnisarion and chronic ill ness, and drink (as well as comp ulsive eat-
ing) was no less attract ive to her than to Bu rt on. \'(then she met hi m, it is
sig nificant that th is em battled Moon was trig g e red by transit ing
Nepru ne. Perhap s she felr, like Cleopatra must once have do ne, that her
redee mer had at last arrived , mot her and father rolled into one. David
J enk ins , Burton 's broth er and rhe aur hor of a recent biography, comments
on the striking paralle ls betwee n Taylor and Burton and the histo rical
characte rs they portrayed . H e qu ote s the Shakespea rean schola r, R. H .
Case, w ritin g about Shakespea re's Anton y and Cleo patra:

Admittedly it is far from the noblest kind of world, as the two

main fig ures are far from human nature at irs noblest. But , bei ng
what they are, they are by their mutu al passion lifted to the high -
est pitch co wh ich they are capable of soaring. It is the merest
fatuity of oralising to deny the name of "love" to their passion, and
write it off as "mere lust." N o doubt it is not the highe st kind of
love; it is completely an egoisme a deux, and has no power to
inspire anything outside itself; bur it has in it somet hing that
should be an element in the highest kind of love; and at least it is
the passion of hu man bei ngs and not animals, of the spirit as well
as the bodyl "

H oweve r rid icu lou s the Bu rto n-Taylor marriage m ight later have see med,
at irs c urser it cont ained all the poi g nancy and beau ty so eloq uently
described above .
Bu rton's bi rth chart also reveals a preponderance of Neptune. It is
conjunct the' Ascendant in Leo; it squares the Sun-Saturn conjunc tion in
Scorpio; it sexriles Mars; and it forms a g rand trine wit h Venus and
Chiron. Virt ually every sphere of Burton's li fe was affecred by the rom an -

l B. David j enkins. Ritha rd Bert on: t1. B "Q/h~ RrmnnbtrtJ (Londo n: Arrow Books, (9 94 ),
pp .1I 3· 114
 T HE lIEBESTOD - 21 3

ticism and redemptive longing of Neptune, and with its prominent posi-
cion at (he Ascendant his interaction with the ou tsid e world was power-
fully coloured by his ow n self- my t hc logisi ng . He wanted to be not hi ng
less th an everyt h ing . It is generally agr eed t hat he possessed an exrraordi -
nary talent . Ho wever, alcohol seemed to possess him . H is g naw ing sens e
of inferiority, suggeste d by th e Sun-Saturn conj u nctio n in the 4 t h house
and connected with his father and his humb le origi ns, seem s (Q have pe r-
petually to rmented hi m . Nep tune rising in Leo provided the compensa-
ti on : Th rough fame he coul d be a k ind of Pars ifal , t he savio ur of his
wound ed father (who was also a heavy drinker), his mot her (who mart yred
herself into an early gra ve), his num erous sibl ings , and his early poverty
and hardship. Unlike Olivier, whose rising Plum in square [Q Saturn
reflect s an int ense self-suffic iency, Bu rt on needed despe rately co be loved .
When he mer Taylor on the Cleopatra set, transit ing Neptu ne was sra rio n-
ary exactly sexrile his Moon and trine his Pluto. Hi s prog ressed Ascendant
meanwhi le had reached an exact conjunction [Q [he natal Moo n; and [he
progressed Moon in Caprico rn formed an exact trine to progressed
Ascendant and natal Moon , and an opp osition [0 natal Pluto. T he trans it -
ing stati on of N eptu ne t riggered these impor tant progressed aspects . Th e
prog ressed Sun had moved in to a trine to N ep tune which was precise to
one minute of arc ar th e ti me the couple fell in love. Burt on probably expe -
rie nced a dep th of passio n, em ot ional vulnerabi lity, needi ness , and myst i-
cal cert aint y he had never allowed him self to feel before. In t he face of
aspects like t hese , one is incl ined to que st ion deeply the meaning of the
wo rd "choice," Transiting Satu rn , how ever, had for the last year been mov -
ing back and fonh opposi te his natal Neptune from the 7th house; no w it
com ple ted its final opposition, in company w ith transi ting Ju piter and
transiting Mars. Romant ic fantasy and ex travagant d reams coll ided wit h
t he reality of what he would have 10 give up if he abandoned his former
life and foll ow ed hi s hea rt into Nep tune's wate rs. One of the earliest indi -
cato rs of the price to be paid was that his daugh ter Jessica, w ho had alw ays
suffe red from com munication difficulties (later diag nosed as autis m),
wit hd rew total ly when he left his wife, and never spoke again .
H aving disencu mbered th em selves of existing part ners, Burton and
Taylor ma rri ed early in 19 64 . Transiting N eptu ne now mad e anot he r sra-
rion, exactly on Burton's natal Saturn -Sun conjunction. H is inst inct ive
sense of self-defence was lowered; his fanrasies were heigh tened ; redemp-
tion was at hand . Burton's Sun-Sa turn conjunct Taylor's Moon reflects a
bond far more solid than any Neptun ian lnbenod. N or long befo re h is
death , and eig ht years aft er he and Taylor had divorced for the second t ime ,
he told his b rot he r th at "If I live to be a hun dr ed , I'll always love t hat
214 - T HE ASTROLO G ICAL N EPT UN E AND T HE Q UI ST EOR REDEMPTION

woman ."19 But it seem s that N ep tu ne injected an impossible idealism int o

the relationship , drawing tWO charism ati c but d esperately hungry people
into a dream that neither could sustain. The transit of N eptune over
Burton 's Su n-Satu rn also reflects th e breakup of his home and th e tr ag ic
w irhdrawal of h is da ugh ter, for wh ich-perhaps wron gly- he carried a
sense of te rrible rem orse for the rest of his life . At the time of the marriage.
Neptune's station was still close (Q Taylor's Moon, conti nu ing the exalted
emotional sta re which began with their meeting two years earlier. Uranus
had now mov ed into ea rly Virgo an d con ju ncted her N eptune, opposin g
her Sun-Mercury conjunctio n and squaring her Ascendant. This reflects a
feeli ng of exh ila rat ion and freedo m from th e om ni p rese nt pathos of th e
natal Sun-Neptune, with its deep- rooted sense of melancholy, viccimisa-
rion, and loss. Both Taylor and Burt on we re dete rmined [0 flout the
g loo my prognosti cat ions of their shocked pub lic , and insisted that they
would be laugh ing in twenty years' rime when the marriag e was still bliss-
fully happy,
Their respect ive Nep t u nian p rob lems ensure d, how ever, that rhe
public, wh ich never reall y forga ve th em , had t he last laug h. Alcoh ol
proved a curse to both of them . So did the ir apparent inability to contain
their hosti le rivalry and p ropensity for flor id scenes. Like Ol ivier and
l e ig h, they long ed for a child to seal the union ; hut Taylor, followi ng a dif-
ficult birrh in an earlier marriag e, had bee n advised to have no more chil-
dren, Burton , desperate for a son (he had had two daughters by his first
w ife), added th is to his grow ing list of disa poin trne nrs. Taylor depen ded
mo re and mo re on sleep ing pills as we ll as alcohol ; Bu rt on was by now a
comm itt ed alcoho lic. In the late summer of 1973 the couple agreed to a
separation. Transit ing Neptune now made a station close to Taylor's
Ascendant and Burton 's Mercury, and mo ved into square wi th her Sun -
Neptune opposi tion. N ei ther cou ld find the streng th or clarity to make a
permanent endi ng . For the next three years, wh ile Neptune meandered
th roug h rh e first decana re of Sagi tta rius, th ey flu ctuat ed , d ivo rcing ,
remarrying , and fina lly divorci ng for the second t ime in 197 6 . At thi s
time , transiting N eptu ne squared Burton's Moon, recap itu lat ing in a
hars her form th e sexrile it had made when th e couple first mer. For h im ,
th e worst disi ll usionme n t occu rred when they finall y pa rted , For her, ir
had probably occurred earlier, when transiti ng Nep tune squa red her natal
Sun -Ne p tu ne opposition. Yet alth ough bot h found ot he r pa rt ners before
Burton's death in 1984 , neither was ever deth roned in the other's affec-

19 David Jenkins, R;(ha,.d B""JM: Ii BffJlht"f Rtmnnbn-td, p. 211H

 THI IIfBfSTOD - 215

[ions. One can only feel pity for his tw o subsequent wives , neither of
who m was allowed to forger t he lost love of th e gr eat Nepcunia n d ream.
T he synasuy be tween the two charts once again hig hligh ts Neptune.
Burton's Neptune is widely trine Taylor 's Venus-Uranus conjunct ion. He
ideal ised both her beauty and the int ense self-w ill whic h earned her such
a bad reputation am ong the actors and di rectors she worke d with . Taylor's
Neptune conj u ncrs Bu rt on's Moon. T his is a mo re potent and far more d if-
ficult con tact . She idealised his emotional sensi tivity and refine ment, and
wanted despe rately to be what he needed he r ( 0 be; yet at th e same rime
she left h im feeling swamped, un derm ined , and betrayed . Her Neptune
also trines his Venus, and as wit h Olivier and Leigh, we see once aga in the
int ense idealisation each one tr iggered in t he ot her wi t h these mutual
Venus -Neptune contacts, But Taylor and Burr on wer e tWO invete rate
N ept un ians, accust omed from b irt h to their own int e rnal chaos, and were
mo re sympathetic to each ot her's weaknesses. Th us th ey were bette r able
to ensure that th e mag ic remained in t he relationsh ip for m uch lon ger. In
fan it neve r really lefr. Olivier and Leig h were in many ways tem pera-
men tally opposite, a nd were lim ited in their capa city to empath ise. Burton
and Taylo r, bo t h with a wate r sign Sun in diffi cult aspect to Neptune, were
very ali ke .
Th e Venus-Neptune synastry exchange is high lig ht ed in th e Bu rton-
Taylor composite cha rt by an opposition between Venu s and Neptune
(Chan 11, page 2 16). T he composi te Ven us is in close oppositio n co
Bu rt on's N eptu ne , and th e in te nsity and some times overt hyster ia of th e
relat ionsh ip no doub t helped to underm ine his sense of reality and con-
t rib ut ed to h is ret reat into a magical, larger-th an -life world . The ext rava-
gant jewels, such as the K ru pp diam ond , which he presented to Taylor in
the early years of th e marr iag e, reflect t his in creasin g immersion in fanta-
sy; the se ornaments would nor have looked out of pla ce on t he set for
Cleopa tra . T he com posite Neptune. like Taylor's nata l Neptune, opposes
her Ma rs-Sun-Mercury conjunction , for m ing an almost exact op posit ion to
her natal Mars , This sug gests that t he ecstatic emotionalit y and erot icism
of t he relationsh ip st irred not onl y sexual desir e bu r also deep anger and
com pet itiveness in her, and t his rage was acte d ou t t h roug h man y florid
and well -publ icised rows . Their nicknames for each ot he r-" Poc kface"
and OO Farso"- are bo t h affect ion ate and vic iou s. Partic ularl y po ig nant is
the tr igg er of com posite Venus to Bu rt on's natal Ne pt un e square Su n-
Saturn . N o matter how th e cou ple tr ied to sort t heir pr obl ems our, the fail-
ure of t he relat ionsh ip com po u nded Burton's own sense of personal failure,
leaving him even more inclined to escape through alcohol and, even tua lly,
dea th, In the eig ht year s following the ir fina l parting , Burton inc reasing -
21 6 ~ TH ( ASTROL O GI CAL N EPT UN E AND T H E Q U EST , O R REDEMPTI O N

M ~I'

IC, r
Chart 11. Compos ite cha rt for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Bur ton .
Tropical, Placidu s.
 THE LlEBf lTOD - 21 7

iy assu med t he victi m's man d e, suffering from various physi cal disab ilities
and un dergoin g several pain ful ope rat ions on h is spi ne . as well as follo w-
ing t he alco ho lic 's cha racte ristic slide into p hysical d isinteg rat ion.
Alt ho ug h th e cause of dea t h was diag nosed as cereb ral haem orrhage, th e
real cause was an overdose of Nep tune .
Bur to n died on 5 Au g ust 1984 . Trans iti ng Pluto at t his rime had
just com pleted its last passage over his natal Mars, having stat ioned t here
a month befo re. His sense of [rus rrar ion and defeat m ust have been over-
whelming. Uranus made a statio n squart to Taylor 's Sun and conj u nct her
Ascendant . Tran siring Chiron sat at her Descen dant and also sq ua red her
Su n. This powerful rransiting U ranu s-C h iro n opposit ion also crossed
Bur ton 's natal Mercu ry in the 4 t h hou se. The im pac t of th e configu ration
on Taylor 's chart reflec ts clea rly her g rief and loss, and th e degree [ 0 whi ch
she was sti ll bou nd to hi m , even th oug h t hey had bee n div orced for sever-
al years. Burton 's deat h, like Vivien Leigh 's, was not an oven suicide.
Physical illnesses such as tube rculosis and cereb ral haemorrhage are not
usuall y at t rib uted to more su btl e causes. Bu t t he body and the psyche are
not so easily separable int o tig ht , dist inct compart men ts, especially when
we are dea li ng with Neptune. Burton 's drinking habits, like Leigh 's
depe nden cy on med icat ion , could ul t imately lead to only one outcome.
Taylo r, in many ways the more resil ient of the two. has su rvived very wel l.
The real tragedy lies in th e wast e of a g reat talent . For th is th e marriage
cannot be enti rely blamed; for it was part and parcel of Burton 's lifelong
cou rt ing of that sta te of ecstatic dissol utio n wh ich, for man y Neptunians .
is the only possib le resolut ion of th e weari ness of mon al existence. H e
himself arti cu lated the darke r d imensions of Nept u ne better t ha n an y
biog rapher or astrol og er ever could .

The horror is that it {alcohol} is so available, so convivial, so nice,

JUSt su ring in a bar and watching someone pour. I started (0 d rink
because I couldn't face going on the stage with out one. It stead -
ied the nerves- and later it broke t hem.

If you call it self-destruction, in my case it's because the gro wing

pains are caused by reaching for the g rave.

You see, it 's not really my fault: it's the valleys and t he pithead s.
~fy backgr ound is there and I'm the victim . I am the authentic
dark voice of the tort ured part of my world . Although J like to be
thought of as all -machism o and tough Welsh rugby-playing . and
able to do anythi ng wit h my own tWOhand s- and yes, take on the
world too-that isn't t he reality ar all.
 2 18 - T H E ASTR O LO G ICA L N EPT UN E AND T HE O U EIl FO R RH1 FMP TI O N

The real it y is chat t here is a fundament al weakness in me, and that

wh ole ima g e is merely superficial. I need a woman to pull me our
of char weakness. And a woman always has, whether it was Sybil
or Elizabe t h unt il it got rat her foolish, or Susan and now Sally.

It has taken the se delicate , fragile, beauti ful but str o ng -m inded
ladi es to save m e. 20

10 . David je nkin s, Ruha rd Bur/Q1I: A B rul hw RtmnnlKrtJ . quo ted on pp. 186-1 8 7.
 PART THREE

N IElP l i UIN IEANID lllHl1E

COLLIEClill VIE

. . . }our sbepe that u'ere uont / 0 he so meke and tame, and so smal
eaters, nou :as I beare iaye, be become JO great derou.erers and 50 try/de.
Ih.ll the)' eate up. d nd noallou- doume the Z'try' men them selfes.

- SIR TIIO MAS MORE. Utopia, Book I , p. 23 .

 Chapl" 7

THE ESOTERIC NEPTUNE

D tctptive art tbe teachings of Esprdienr Truth;

Tb e Final Truth II that on whIch I medna te.
- M ILAREPA, "Twelve Deceptions"

ysrrcrsm is an am big uous

word . G enerall y applied
by those who co nside r
t hem selves realises [0 those
who seem oblivio us to the
wo rld aroun d them , it is
also ut ili sed by those who consider themselves normal agai nst those who
seem with drawn from proper social co ncerns. A mystical arrirude is also
ofren eq uate d with g ull ib ility, wooll y-m ind ed ness, and ig norance of prop -
er scient ific principles. A lone and unbefriended , myst icism d raws susp i-
c ion not only from the scientis t, the businessma n, and the academic, but
also from the cle rgy. Although every formal relig ion . ancient or mode rn,
contains mys tical elemen ts, within the exot eric body of these re lig ious sys-
tem s myst icism is, and has always been , viewed with mistrust if not OUt-
rig ht condem natio n. The mystery cu lts of th e Roman world , includ ing
early Christianity, were perce ived as dangerously subversive not only [0 (he
conventional rel ig ious edifice of (he rime bur, even more im portantly, [0
rhe author ity of th e Stare itself. Alrh ough the phi losophical backgro und of
such teachings has alwa ys appealed co a certain element of th e ed ucated
intelligents ia, mystery cults of a redempt ive and m illen arian kind have,
rhr oughout the ages, been favou red pr imari ly by [h e poor and the down-
trodden; for (hey prom ise som ethin g beyond (he wretched inequalitie s of
(he tem poral world , as well as offering solace for lonel iness and the bitt er
aftermath of personal tra gedy.
 2 22 - TH f ASTROl O GI(A.l .'\i f PT U N ( A. N D l H E O U ESl FO R RfO EM PTl O N

The polarisa t ion of the- m ysrical pa t h w irh o rt hodoxy is inev itabl e, as

th e ins p ired indi vid ua l vision of a reach er, messiah , guru , o r avat ar is inte r-
p reted , re interpr et ed , su itabl y edited a nd eventua lly embed ded as dog ma
in the st r uct u re of an estab lished reli gi o us hi erarch y wh ich op poses any
new , "he rerira l" vi sio n . Fir st -han d pe rso nal rel ig iou s experience has always
car ried g reater aurh enr iciry t ha n t he seco nd - hand offering s of col lee rive
reli gi ou s au t ho ri ty. On rh c other hand , t he d octrine of a seasoned rel igious
in sti tuti on is less lik el y to be di st orted by t he chim ae ras of t he m ysti c's
persona l pat holog y. T he arche typ al po la risatio n of esoteric and exot e ric has
carried o n int o our present ti me. As ea rly Chrisrianiry onc e was CO Ro me ,
so too are K ab balism to exo teric J uda ism , Su fi ism to exoteric Islam , and
th e N ew Ag e sp ir itu al co m m u nes to exote ric Ch ristianity today.! Suc h
sp lits reflect the ete rna l st ru gg le between Neptune and Satu rn , as intri n-
sic to nl igi ou s in sriturion s as it is to in di vid ua ls. Indeed . certa in my st ery
cu lts or my stica l pat hs a re co nscious ly intende d to be su bve rsive , and ofeen
travel hand in hand with a po li ti cal and social ideolog y whi ch an rici-
pa res--{) r t ries to create rh roug h ir s o wn anarchi c power-s-the apocalyp t ic
ad vent of t he M il le nn iu m .

The esote ric o r sp irirual world view stands in sharp co nt rast to the
co nsens us worldvi ew, which is basically ma teria listi c. T he eso te ric
perspecti ve rep rese nts a defin it ion of reality t ha t is diamet rically
oppos ed to th e o ne by which mo st people live the ir lives in our
post mode rn worl d . Most im portan t . th e esote ric perspect ive also
repr esents an alte rnati ve mora lit y that is felt by many to be no
moral ity at all, b u t rat her th e negati on of mor al values.?

T he wo rd my st ic co m es from th e G ree k word mJIIOJ, a pri est of t he my s-

ter ies, o r mysrmos, a secre t relig iou s Cerem o ny. Th e Chambers Tueminb
Century Dictionary defines mystic ism as ".. . t he hab it o r tende ncy of rel i-
g ious t houg h t and feeling of t hose w ho seek di rect co m m un io n wit h G od
or the d ivine : fogg iness and u nrealit y of t houg ht. " This inrerpretat ion of
m ysti cal experie nce is charact erist ic of t he way s in whi ch all th e enig rna r-

1. For a disturbing account of modern polarisation. evident in the escalat ing mut ual pro -
jecrioos leadin g up [0 the destru ct ion of the Branch Davidian cu lt at Waco. Texas on 28
February 199 3. see Wilham Shaw. Sp)ing In G" ,,, LAnd (london : Fourt h Esta te, 1994 ). Sha w
cu es the headlines m the Bru ish Press afler th e shoot -out and con fla!= rarion. and states rhar
··...T hey all repla yed th e same p lot You na . mnocen r and vulnerable Vi cti ms are suckered
Into g iving up th eir mone y. hom es. lifesl yles and famil ies to sati sfy the thirst of a power-
crazed devil. an evil sexual predat or. who will event uall y lead them to th eir doom" (p . xiii ).
2. Ge org e Peuemein , Hflly Mad"m (London: Arkan a, 1992). p . xix.
 THF ESOH RIC N FPTUN F - 22)

ic rribu raries of N eptu ne's wat e rs are viewed . Either one aband ons oneself
to th e ecsta ti c experience with com p lete trust and a bl it he d isrega rd if not
d istaste for rat ional explanat ion, or one remains profound ly scept ical of a
realm of experience whi ch is so patently subj ective and open to th e most
appa llin g mi suse, manipulatio n, and infa nti le self-del usion. The g rounds
for scep tic ism 3 fC certainly valid . It is ha rd, for exam p le, to reconcile th e
exalt ed m yst icism of Ra jneesh , who clai med to be en lig h tened, with th e
fleet of ni nery-rh ree Rolls Royces and the 64,OOO· acre esta te wh ich he had
acq u ired by th e end of h is life. Yet the grou nds for fait h are also valid , in
Rajneesh's power [Q awak en and heal as in ocher examples of what Geo rge
Feuerst ein call s "holy mad ness." As Bernadet te of Lourdes was reput ed ro
have said , for th ose who belie ve in God no explanat ion is necessary ; for
t hose who do nor, no exp lanation is possibl e. And as for "fogginess and
un realit y of t ho ug h t ," many a good m yst ic m igh t well affirm that t he G od
with whom one seeks [Q me rge is a good deal more d ifficult [Q describe
than the o rt hodo x could ever imag ine.
No plan et owns exclusive rights [Q spiritu ality, and every planet has
its own ap p roach to th e d ivine . T he planetary gods of anc ient ast rology
were unde rstood to be personifi cations of at tribut es of th e One; and any of
t hese pla net s, dominant in an ind ivid ual horoscope, m ight p rovid e a valid
(if incomplete) worldview and an ap prop riate route to what Plato called the
"eternal realities ," Ja mes H illm an defi nes archetypes as " mod es of percep -
tion," which is an excelle nt way of understand ing the man ner in whi ch a
planet work s whe n it is st rong in t he birth chart. One pe rceives and eval-
uates th e world through the lens of t he archetypal pattern which is closest
to one's own m ind , bod y, heart , and soul. The Mercur ial individual can be
as deepl y spi ritual as anyone else, but the bri ght light of th e numin ou s ma y
reveal itsel f in th e mi racle of human t hou ght, speech. ing enuit y, and crafts-
man sh ip . The Saturnian person, too, may be d eeply spiritu al, but ma y
esche w t he senti men tality which personalises God, instead recog nising the
pr esence of de ity in th e im m ut able laws whi ch underpi n [he mat erial u ni-
verse. H ence G auqueli n, in his statistica l work. found th at Saturn culm i-
nat ing was a characterist ic of t he horoscopes of scient ists , some of whom
evide nce th eir own form of worship in th e pursuit of scient ific truth . The
Pluron ian may d iscover the div ine in th e abyss, th rough t he compulsive
work ing s of passion and fateful encounters, or t h rough th e wisdom of th ose
instinc ts which sup pon us when we can no longer su ppon ou rselves. The
Man ial per sonal ity rna}' to uch th e di vine in t hose inspired acts of courage
and valour wh ich are as un expected as t hey are noble; the J upiterian ma y
pursue th e clues of a meani ng ful cosmos th rough the dawni ng recogn it ion
that every life experience teaches a lesson in t he g rowt h of the soul. U ranus,
224 - [ H E AST ROL O GIC AL N EPTUN E AN D T HE Q UEIT l OR REDEMPTION

like D escartes, may di scover d eity in th e human power of reason and the
unquenchable human sp irit of progress. Chiron may glimpse the face of
god in the pow er of human compassion co heal that whi ch life has wound-
ed. And Venus may experience a higher or deeper reality in the wonders of
musical or mathematical harmony and symmetry, or in the manifest beau-
t y of nature and th e human form .
Because there are many ar chetypal modes of per ception , there are and
always have been many religi ons exis ti ng in the world; for each religion
also partakes of a particular archetypal perspective whi ch resonates with its
adherents bur may invoke indifference or eve n ani mosity in thos e for
whom its vision of deity is deeply inappropriate. N eptune is no more spir-
itual tha n Me rcury, or Saturn, or Mars , for it is not the One-merely one
of t he planers. and rhus refleering one particular ar chetypal perception of
t he di vine . This perception is unquesrionably mystical. in that it depends
up on an inn er emot ional st at e of fusion. and experie nces deity as an un con-
dition ally loving maternal sou rce-s-e ven if rati on al consc iousness ascribes
a mas culine name and a ma sculine face. The Neptunian is no follower of
orthodoxy, although he or she may pursue-c-or become-the charismati c
g ur u who enchants his or her followers with the promise of eternal blis s,
in thi s world or beyond it. Yet even when Neptune enters the church,
mosque, synagogue , or temple dressed in collectively acceptable clothes,
th e mot ivating power lies not in the intellectual appeal or moral force of
traditional doctrine, but in the ecstatic experien ce of being taken ou t of
on eself. This approach to religious experience was beautifully exp ressed in
the 16th cent u ry by SI. John of the Cross , in t he poem he called "Verses
written aft er an ecstasy of high exaltation":

So borne alof t, so drunken-reeling,

So rapt uias I, so su'eft away,
Wlthm the scope of "me or feeling
My sense or feeling could not stay
And m my soul I felt, revealing,
A Unit that, though its sense «er naught,
Transcended knowledge with my thought.
The wisdom Without understanding
IJ of 10 absolute a force
No wise man of whatever standing
Can ever stand against its course,
V nless they lap its wondrous source,
To know 10 much, though knowing naught,
They parr all knowledge with their thought.
 THE Esa nRI C N EPT UN E ... 225

Thi s summit all so stttply touers

And is of exa llma so high
No human fa(ulti" orpow",
Can tvtr to tbe top come nigh.
WhonJtr with i ll Jlttp could vie,
Though knowing nothing, would transcend
All thought, forM" without end.

. . . If l OU would ask, what is its essence-s-

This summit of all sense and knlJU'ing:
It comet from /ht Divinnt PrtJtnce-
Tbe sudden sense of Him outf/ owing,
In Hi; g rtal d rmency btl/owing
Tbe gift that I",." men knowing naught,
Ytt paHlng knowltdgt with tbeir thought)

Throughout 51. John 's poems runs th e implicit suggestio n t hat what he
has experien ced not only transcends knowledge , but is in fact inaccessible
(0 the o rd inary person , however inrelligenr or de cem . unless he or she can

"tap its wo ndrous source ." This implication of a mystery which the recip-
ient cannot or will not exp lain tends to arouse conside rable m istrust and
antagonism among those who are, deliberatel y or inadve rtently, made to
feel excluded from t he mag ic circle of N eptu ne's pri vileged initiates.
N eptune has a remarkab le gift for arousing ange r and even cruel ty in och-
ers, while (usually) espousing a relig ion of love. Thi s is in part because the
mystical vision is, as Feuerstei n states, often diametri cally opposed co the
conventi onal morality and soc ial hierarchy of the tim e. It is also incli ned
toward spiritual eli tism combined with po liti cal egal itarianism-a t least
in terms of the establishment it challe nges , if not wit hin irs own ranks.
But Neptu ne's propensity to attract ridicule or persecuti on in the religious
sphere- whether one is a 15th century adept of the Bre thren of the Free
Spirit, or a 20th century sannyasin -may have deeper roots, as it does on
th e personal psycholog ical level. T he self-imposed rel ig ious mart yrdom of
the esot ericist is often closely linked with the possession of a mystery from
wh ich others, less spi ritually worthy or evolved , are forever deba rred ; and
such an arr irud e conceals all the infant's und iluted fant asies of godlike
omnipo tence .
G iven th e p red ispositio n of N eptune to feel v ict im ised by earthly
life. the possess ion of spiritual privi lege can prove irresistibly attract ive,

3. PW",l fJj Sl.j fJh" fJj tix Cross. trans. Roy Campbell (Glasgo w: William Collins Sons & Co,
19 79 1, p . 3 1.
 22 6 - T il l ASTR O LO G ICA l N [ PTU N [ AN D Til l O U£ ST f O R REDf M P TIO N

a nd offers a satisfactory com pensation for all one's suffering , weakness,

impotence, an d hopel essness. No rman Co hn , d escribi ng t he m yst ical sects
of t he Mi ddl e Ages, st at es [h ac

. . . T hose who att ached th emselves co such a saviou r saw them -

selves as a holy peop le- and holy just beca use of th eir unqua lified
sub m ission to th e saviour and the ir unq ual ified de votio n (0 the
escha tol og ical m ission as defined by him . T hey were h is good
children an d as a reward th ey sha red in his supe rnatu ral power.f

Identi ficati on with the pow er of t he lead er or g u ru is not only a charact er-
ist ic of med ieval my srical cu lt s. I r m ay be seen in m any eso teric cu lts and
sec ts tod ay. T he relat ionsh ip bet wee n t his rel igious at rir ud e a nd Freu d 's
d escr ipt ion of p rim ary narcissism is obvious . Yet des pite th e swam p like
e mot ional a t mosphere wh ich o ften accompan ies t he loss of persona l
bou nd aries, t here is e normous po we r to heal bot h self and other s in that
di rect inner co m m u nio n wit h Something or Someo ne- wha tever nam e we
choose to gi ve it - w h ich is pan and parce l of t he m ysr ical exp erie nce . The
leaders, and t heir person al m oti ves and et hics, m ay be h igh ly q uestionab le.
But t he m em bers of th e sp irit ual com mu nity ofren invoke ext rao rd ina ry
personal tran sfor m ati on s through t he m erg ed int ensity of th eir devot ion .
An d rher e is also a ver y p ragmar ic reason why the my sr ic does nor com -
muni car e hi s or her experience: it is, mo re ofte n th an nor , in co m m u nic a-
b le. The secrets of t he my steries are secre ts not merely becau se no one wi ll
reveal t hem , b ut some t im es beca use no one can .
N ep t un e has always cont ri bu ted its pa rt icu la r flavou r to relig ious
m ovem ents th roug hout t he cent u ries) Th is is nor ro say t hat any part icu-
lar cult, sect , o r denom ina t ion is excl usively Nep tu n ian . By th e t im e it has
orga ni sed it sel f as a sect it has already beg u n [0 partake of Sat u rn 's StrUC-
tu ring propensi t ies, and its doc tri ne may include elem ent s of o t her arch e-
t ypal pe rspec t ives, suc h as a Mart ial cr usadi ng spi rit, a U ran ian im pu lse to
reform society, o r a Pl u t on ian com pul sion to d est roy t he foundat ion s of
o lde r, more est abl ished rel igious ed ifices. Rat he r, t he m yst ical lon g ing has
a lways form ed pa rt (albe it someti m es secre t) of every collect ive re lig ious
inst it u tion , as well as the essence of ma ny in d ivid ual journ eys. T he ecs ra-
t ic redeem er-cu lts of th e late Rom an Em p ire were larg ely d om inat ed by

4 . Norman Coh n, 1·& PJlma l II! sbe Mlll f'lntJlm (l ondo n: G unada Publis hing , 1978), p . 8Y
5 . See Cohn , T be PJl r-tulr v/ lht M,-I/tnn'-Jl m. <is we ll as Bernard Levin , A Wfft'IJ Elullhn-t
(London: J onath an Cape, 1994), and Colleen Mc Dan nell and Bernhard l ang, H eaven : Ii
H m qry (London. Yale Universit y Press, 1988 ), (or excellent cbservan ons o( (he pursuu of
Paradise th roug h relig ious history
 THE E ~ OTER IC N( PTU N l - 227

th e Neptunian long ing for fusion with the divi ne. Early Christianity was
imbued with Neptune, and ulti mately formed the pri ma ry cha nnel
through wh ich the rede mptive aspir ati ons of th e incoming Piscean era
could flow.6 The structure of the Church , with its complex hie rarchy
developed since the reign of the Emperor Const anti ne, is no long er
N eptunian, bu t has becom e a Sarumia n edifi ce-s-especially at the time of
writ ing, when it would appea r th at the prese nt Pope is dete rmined to
reta in a rig id ly Satu rnian approach not only towa rd women, sex, and b irth
control bu t also toward astro logy and psychoana lysis.J Chr istian myst i-
cism is still alive and well with in both Cat holic and Protestant churches;
bu t it is viewed with extreme caut ion , lest it brea k our of bounds and
underm ine the st ructure so labou riously bu ilt. A fascinating analysi s of the
role of myst icism-and psychis m , wh ich is its adju nct-with in the mod -
ern Angli can chu rch is insig htfully present ed in a series of novels by Susan
Howarch.H T hese novels are recommended to any reader who finds , as I do ,
th at theolog ical di scussion about myst icism , withou t considering th e psy-
cholog y of th e human bei ngs who expe rience th e Neptu nian di men sion of
reality, may fail ro com municate either th e natu re of the expe rience or it s
possible ram ificat ions.

N eptune in the New A ge

The esote ric N eptune is alive and well in many of roday's alterna tive spir-
it ual movements. as well as in images wh ich are an cient bu t sti ll have the
power to move us, The Sang raal or Holy G rail is one of th e most power-
ful. complex, and perenn ial of all the myriad Nept unian images of salva-
tion. We have alr ead y met its antecede nt s in rhe magi c cauld ron of im mor-
tal ity hidden be neath th e my thic wate rs of crearion; and its womb like
shape faithfu lly reflects the fem in ine nat ure of the source of life in who se
possession it lies. The G rail, pagan in origin , was event ually absorbed int o
Christia n mythic imagery and became the cup from wh ich J esus dran k at
the Last Supper. But the d imens ion of med ieval Christ ianity from whi ch

6. See C. G . Jung , CulltntJ WfII'.v. Vul. 9 Pa'" 2, A icln . in pamcula r the ch apt ers " The Sig n
of the Fishes" and "Th e H ist orical Sign ificance of th e Fn h," In which he di scusses th e sym-
bo lism of th e fish and th e vic tim- redee m er figure In relati on to earl y Ch nsnaru ty
7. Th e lat est Vatican Encyclical indicat es rh ar visits (0 either astr ologers or psycho.. nalyst s
arc particularly serious offences aga inst Church d octrine . '
B. See Glimr;ng lwwgtl , Glil1f1f11'lJ lIl PIJU ,,"l, SCilndaluli1 RiJkl , and Ul ,iWlil lt P,.,Ul. all wm ren
by Susan H cwarch . Glil1f1CdfjIlI PUll'"' is pa rti cularly concerned with th e rol e and p robl ems
of the myst ic w ithin th e ch u rch .
2 28 - T H E AST RO LOGI CAL NEPTLlNl" ND TH E QUl ST FOR REDEM PT ION

th e G rail leg end s sprang,9 full of Nep t u nian dualism and yearning , had
lon g bee n conside red heretical by an increasi ng ly Saturn-domi nated
C hu rch; th e b loody Alb ig ensian Cr usade was intended to wipe all tr ace of
it frum t he Christia n worl d, The Gra il thus came [0 be associate d wit h a
hid den, and forbidden , esoteric t rad it ion . and for some mystery cu lts
roday, pa rt icula rly in Grea t Britain and France, it rem ains th e q uintesse n-
tia l image of spiritual salvatio n. So indest ru ct ibl e is its sym bo lic powe r
t har, as well as pro vid ing th e mo ti f for Wa gner's last and great est ope ra,
Pnrsival, it can even take th e form of a n ar chaeologi cal reli c d iscovered by
Ind iana j ones .!"
Th e origins of the G rail legend are repu ted by certai n 20t h- cent u ry
esoteric sect s to lie in early G nost ic C hristian ity, I I It is im poss ible to
eit he r prove or d isprove such a cla im, itse lf cha racte ristic of N ep tu ne. We
know a considerable amoun t abou t t he Gnost ic lit er at ur e of th e first cen-
tu ries of t he C hristia n e ra, bur none of it mention s th e G rai l leg end . O n
the othe r hand , th e essent ial qua lit ies of the legend , particularl y its
emphasis on moral p urity, suffe ring and transcende nce ove r th e p hysi cal
wo rld, reflect ma ny of th e funda me ntal th emes of Gnos tic teach ing , in
sp irit if nor in lett er. On e of the characte rist ics of t his an d ot he r
Nep tu nian spi ritua l moti fs is t hat t he Grail seems to it s ad here n ts to
belong to a sing le arcan e "t rad it ion" han d ed d ow n secre tly over m any
cen t uries-e- n spi ritual sou rce from wh ich each successi ve gene rat ion can
rediscove r t he eterna l reali t ies. Th e feeling of fam il iar ity, of "com ing
home, " whi ch so often accom panies Nep tun ian mystical experien ce is
usually exp lained b y t he assu m pt ion that it is abso lute trut h , hidden fro m
those wh ose e yes have been blind ed by ma te ria lism bu t immedi at ely
recogni sable [0 the spi ritua lly d iscern ing. Ce rta inly Nept un ian d ua lis m
and t hemes of redemptio n have bee n wit h us for a very long time. But
rath er th an see any sin gl e one of its moti fs as be lo nging to a cont inu ous
oral a nd written tradi ti on some tim es spu riously clai med, it m ig ht be
more helpful to u nde rstan d Nep t une 's mys rical worl d as a rche ty pa l and
t he refor e pe rpetuall y recurrent wh er ever t here are huma n be ing s -
whether they transmit a specific body of teach ing s or not. The un ive rsal -

9. The first luera ry men t ion of th e G rad IS in Wolfram von Esch enbach's Paruva l, but in
this poem if IS an alc hemica l "sto ne. " not a cu p. The imag ery of t he c up wou ld ap pea r (Q

come from Ch reti en de Troves

10 It shoul d be not ed that , despi te the apparent ly "adolesce nt " nature of suc h film s as
inJlallJ } uno and ,ht Hul) C'"all, t heir appea l co p eople of all ag es and ed ucat ion al b ack -
grounds is testimony t o N eptune's po we r to evoke responses at a profound collect ive level
1 1 Isab el Coop e r-O ak ley, Ma Jl)nry and MtJifl 'al M pticinf/ (Lo ndo n : T he osop h ic al
P ub lishing House , 19( 0 ), p 1"l5
 TH E ESO TE RIC N EPT U N E - 22 9

icy of Neptunian motifs- the necessity for suffering and sacrifice, the
sharing or abjuring of person al possessions, the absolut e obedie nce to the
cult leader or gu ru, the imminent des t ruct ion of the world . the Seco nd
Coming o r sim ilar advent of a spiritual avatar or supe rnatural bei ng , the
anni hi lario n of t he wicked and the salvat ion of [h e elecr-s-rnay be read ily
seen amongs t a wid e variet y of present-day g roups and cults, despite each
one's claims to the tot ally uniqu e and indisputable cosm ic vision offered
by t he founde r. A good example is th e Em in , esrablished in 19 72 wh en
transit ing N ept une first enter ed Sagittarius. Its founder . a working- class
Londoner na med Raym ond J ohn Scherrenlieb , wh o call s h im self "Leo"
(afrer his Su n sig n), is perce ived by hi s follo wers as a dem ig od. H e has
produced an im mense outpo uring of mysti cal texts , strong ly influenced
by rhe H ind u cos mology whi ch he absorbed wh ile se rvi ng in Ind ia in the
RAE About t his cu lt W illiam Shaw sta res:

At the centre of thei r bel ief is the not ion that they have estab-
lished contact with a vast, powerful "unseen world" that the
ancient civilisat ions knew about, but which we have lost touch
with because of our blind reliance on science, rationality and
industrialisation . . . . The Emin exude a pre-millenarian love of
impending disaster. 12

Claims of an ancie nt mysti cal tradit ion formed an esse nt ial pan of so me of
the sp iritual movemen ts of the first half of th e 20rh cent u ry, such as the
Th eosophi cal Societ y and the Lucis Trust. Th ese tw o, lik e the more recent
Emin and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, were cer-
tain ly strong ly influe nced by Eastern doctrine , and many concepts funda-
ment al to the ancie nt H indu tradit ion, such as karma, maya, and the exis-
tence of Masters or Adepts, were g rafred-c-ofren naive ly--onto West ern
Christian esot eric thought. O ther g roups cl aim their origi ns in the Cel tic
spi ritual tradit ion. St ill others, such as the Jesus Arm y. are recogn isabl y
Christ ian, but resembl e the med iev al Christia n myst ical com munes more
rhan rhey do t he m od ern Cat ho lic or Prot estant churches. Th er e are srill
stranger Ne ptun ian waterways in th is epoc h of new redeeme r-cu lts . Th e
Aeth erius Society, fou nded by George King, cla ims thar its guru rece ives
his wi sdom d irectly from ex traterrestrials. But whatever the esoteric tra-
dition cl aimed , and wha teve r the d ivi ne source of the channelled w isdom ,
[he u nderly ing t hem es are t he sam e.
In the main, the majority of esoteri c group s and practices would
seem to se rve a valid and valuable functi on for those who are com m itted

12 . Shaw. Spying In G""" Land. pp. 24 and ~2 .

230 - TH f AS f RO l O G IC A l ;,,\; EPT UN E AND 1 H E Q U EST FO R RfO l.".\ PTlO N

(0 them . This functio n may nor always be a sense of conn ect ion with a

higher reality ; ir may also be the much mo re fundamenral issue of hu man

com panionship in the m idst of unbearable loneliness and hopelessness.
\Xl hether rhis com panionship is real or illu sory is one of Nept une 's g rear
conund rums. Those with a sceptical tu rn of m ind m ig ht suggts t that the
cult is a poor and often dangero us replacement for the more "normal" sense
of family. Yet how many fam ilies are free of deception, exp loitation , and
the illus ion of loving bonds which conceal far more destruct ive "agendas"
It is easy to focus on the damaged ind ivid ual, in need of help for obvious
psycho log ical problem s, who is manipulated into quest ionab le bel iefs an d
behaviour which un de rmi ne his or her fragi le hold on sanity. Every cu lt
has ex-m em bers who are hap py ro offer sto ries of dis ciples who have gone
mad because of the pressures placed upon them by the g roup and its g uru.
The que stion remains whethe r such ind ividuals are really push ed over the
edg e by the culr, or whether th ey were going that way anyhow and would
have fragmented in whatever co mpany they found them selves-and ,
moreover, wound up in the arms of a di sint erested psych iatric establish-
ment rather than the often more und erstanding and com passionate
em brace of fell ow believers.
Some eso teric cults seem to the nonbel iever harmless bur patently
si lly, such as the strange commune which form ed in Cornwall around the
am big uous figu re of H oly John . For two years in the late 198 0s th is small
community of peop le, whom W illia m Shaw describes as "a co llec tion of
m isfits, hippies and new age t rave llers who saw themse lves as the dispos -
sessed of Britain ,"U settled themselves in primi tive hu t s in an abandon ed
quarry on the bleak Cornish headland of Ken idjack. The re, under the
increasing ly authoritarian guidance of their leader, a former antiques deal-
er who had experienced a vision while serving a prison senten ce for m inor
d rug possessio n offences, they worsh ipp ed a great eart h godd ess called the
Lady and her co nso rt Pan, who were go ing [Q return to rule Britain and
save ir from im pendi ng eco log ical disaster. There wou ld be floods, and
some of the land would be lost forever; all cars would be clai med by the
waves; the unjust would seancr; the old world wou ld perish and a new
Arthuria n age would dawn ; and the ancient myrh ic land of l yonesse would
rise from t he waves. Bur whe n the declared tim e of the m illenn ium
arrived, Lyonesse failed to emerge from the sea. For a while the cult
rema ined in th e area, bu t g rad ually th e di sillusioned foll owers di spersed .
The ent ire episode can be dism issed as fool ish and pathet ic. th e romanti-
cised pow er-dream of an unstable indiv idual foisted upon a g roup of

13. Shaw, Sp)'ing in G lifU lA nJ , p. xii.

 THE EI OTERIC NEPT UNE - 23 1

gullible and psychologically infa ntile seekers. N o d ou b t thi s is tr ue . Bu t

as al ways with N ep t une's wo rld , the individuals involved experienced
th ings whi ch t hey, and pe rhaps we t OO, canno t di smiss so eas ily. Shaw
qu ot es a form er cu lt mem ber called Ni ck:

O ne night. .. he had a visio n of ext raordi nary clarity whil e sta nd -

ing on the cliffs. Th e moonlight sudde nly filled th e sky, and he
saw a family tr ee, with his parent s at th e bottom, and a stra nge
succession of histor ical figures spreadi ng up through [he sky. He
seemed (0 hear a voice tell ing him, "All th ese faces, all these pee -
ple lived so that thi s mom ent could happen.. .. Be a light and a
hope and a heart . " 14

Lyonesse, and Holy J ohn, turned our to be an ut ter di sappointment for

Nic k; bu t th e vision. an d its ina rg uabl e in ner emo tio nal truth , rem ained.
Other esoteric g roups are mo re sini ste r. A very few are frank ly terri-
fyi ng , for th e tea ch er-d iscipl e relat ion shi p w ithin them is oft en fra ught
not only wi t h the Neptunian participation myItiqu , of hyp not isr and hig h-
ly suggesti b le su bj ect, b ut also with th e darker com pu lsions of a ren eg ad e
and pa ranoid Pl u to , com mo n to lead er and d isciples alike. Such groups can
lead not on ly to mi raculous "cu res" and rransfortn at ive expe riences , but
also to tr agedies suc h as be fe ll t he People's Temple in Guyana, wh en the
members com rnin ed su icide b y drinking cya nide with th eir leader, Jim
J ones, on 18 November 1978 . Terrifying, too, was the sect of rhe Branch
Dav idi an s, led by David Koresh, many of whose members were killed by
bulle ts or fire wh en FBI age nts attempted [Q pry them loose from their
chose n messiah . And in th e aurum n of 19 94 , m ember s of t he Sw iss cult
know n as the Sola r Tem pl e burn t them selv es to death with th eir leader.
Yet even with suc h frighten ing exam p les of N ep tunian devot ion go ne hor-
rib ly wron g , question s rem a in about where th e real responsibi li ty lies. It
is fashi onab le, in an era wh en cu lt s are p rol iferating , for an anri -cul t est ab -
lishmenr to pe rceive eso te ric com m un iti es as riddl ed with "m ind con t rol"
techniques w h ich u nder m ine the free will of th e membe rs, and red uce
the m to t he status of abused and exploited vict im s. W e are in a t ime of
ne w wi tc h-hu nt s, as pre-millennial ten sion rises and th e Neptune-bu tton
is pu shed in all of us. Sha w points Out th at:

When any cult ru bs up against a hostile outer world, attitudes

become hard ened and bridges are burned . Attacks only serve to
confirm everyt hi ng th at people beli eved in the first place.D

14 . Shaw, Sp)';ng ;n Guru l.dnJ. p XIX .

I ~ . Spylng ;n Guru L m J. p . 16 3.
2 ., 2 . . T H F " STRO LO G I( AL N I PT U ' 1 " NO T HI O U EST f O R REOI M PTI O N

He goes on to suggest that the tragedies of the People's Tem ple and the
Branch Divid ians m ight have been exacerbated , if not wholl y caused , by
th e pa ranoia of the ami -cult sta nce su rro u nd ing th em .

Cu lts' paranoia abo ut the outside world feeds on the outs ide
world 's paranoia about cults, whi ch feeds on cults' paranoia. It's a
dog chasing its own tail. 16

T he "d ep rogram mi ng " techniques cu rre nt ly fash ionab le in Am er ica are

aime d at b reaking t he mem ber's emotion al bon d s to t he cul t , som eti mes
through viole nt means . T h is oft en results in the former m ember becom ing
a viru lent ant i-c u lt ex po nent, wh o feels he or she was abu sed and ex p loi t-
ed . N eptu ne the d evot ee b ecomes N ep t une projected , as th e individual
learn s to ident ify with Sacurn ian conservat ism aga ins t N eptu ni an subve r-
sion ,

Encou raged to believe the th erapy ideology of th e vict im and t he

abuser, the y come to believe th at th ey never chose to join a cult ,
t hey were simply hyp not ised or coerced inca it. All t he comp lex
relat ionshi ps of fait h, love, mu t ual tr ust th at t hey had sha red , and
worked so hard at with ot he r cul t members were a tr emendous,
cynical lie. . . From a vict im 's viewpoint, what once felt like
affec t ion ca n soo n loo k lik e exp loi t at ion . . . 17

We are tru ly in Neptu n ian waters now ; for who is exp loit ing wh om ? And
wh ere d oes t he t ruth lie? Th ose wh o com e strongly unde r N eptune m ay
respond by em b racing it s realm wit h en t ire hea rt and sou l, at t he ex pe nse
of ind ividual values and freed om of cho ice. Or t hey m ay st rugg le violent-
Iy aga inst th e threat en ing pu ll of th e wa ters by p ro jecting t he mos t
dest ruct ive d imensions of N ep tu ne onto a su ita b le scapeg oat , and the
world of esote ric cul ts provides an excell ent hook . Nept u nian g u ru an d
N ep tu n ian d iscipl e join ha nds an d hea rt s in a m ut ua l coll usion wh ich pro-
vid es t he expe rience of fus ion both so bad ly need. Th e only tr ut h we a re
likely to find in th e end is t hat it is hum an to b e desp erate, an d to at temp t
to find thro ug h orhers -be they leaders or followers- the acceptance,
love, an d salva tion one ca nnot fino wit hin . Our despe ration p u ts us in
g reat peril , as well as eng endering com passion. Shaw pu ts h is obse rvatio ns
very succinc tl y, and m y own expe rience over th e years puts me in tot al
accord with h im :

16 . Sn",g In G un, La nd, pp . 19 1 and 204

17 . SPY' ''?' in Guru Land , p 19 1.
 TH E ESOTER IC N ! PT U N E - 233

Afte r a year of wat ching peo ple join cul ts I have yet to see anyo ne
lured in by anyth in g ot he r than their ow n hu nger co believe. U'

Higher Planes
Channelling is a popular spi ritual phenomenon . It comp rises the trans-
m ission of wisdom teaching s from other plan es of existen ce, generall y per-
ceived as "hig her." Chan nelling ma y come from di sem bodied en tities such
as d isincarnare Masters, from help ful extraterrestrials, or from an impe r-
sonal source such as th e "Akash ic Records" or "memory of nature." The
wisdom teach ings thus procu red form t he basis not only for ma ny new
cults, but also for deviatio ns from a mo re collec tively app roved body of
teaching, because through (he channelled message a pa rt icu lar ind ivid ual
is m iraculously given a new and more en lig htened vision of the spi ritual
path . The te rm channe lling is used because the individual clai ms to be
merely a vessel or chan nel for unconta m inat ed knowledg e from the u nseen
world . Channelling is not new, any more th an any Neptu nian phenomenon
is. The Delphic O racle channelled Apollo's cryp tic answers (0 mor tals'
q uestio ns while in a d rugged tra nce, and (he Sybi lline Books so belo ved of
the Rom ans were prophecies of (he futu re channelled by women who , by
any cu rrent psychia tric evalua tion , were in a pa tent ly hyste rical sta te .
Somnamb ulist ic su bject s in Mesmer's time occasio nally issued st reams of
stra nge pro noun ceme nts-so me t imes spo ken in a foreig n lan g uage
un known to t he subject in th e waking sta te-w hile in [he hypno tic tran ce.
"Speaki ng in ron g ues'' is an ancient exp ression of channelling which is still
alive and well in ma ny Ch ristian sects , pa rticula rly in th e sout hern states
of America . Med iumsh ip, whethe r of dead relat ives or wise disin carnare
teachers, is a form of channelli ng wh ich achiev ed notoriety du ri ng t he spir-
itualist movement of t he mid- 19 th cent u ry, and is still pra ctis ed tod ay.
Psychics, su ch as Edgar Cayce.' ? channel informat ion on p revious lives,
claimi ng (0 receive the ir kno wledge from a universal et heric o r astra l
"record" on wh ich all hu man exper ience is imp rinted. The t ransm ission
may occur when th e perso n is in a tr ancelike sta te or, less frequen tly, whe n
consciousness is p resent but has voluntarily "stepped aside" to all ow t he

18 . Sp, ing In GMrMLand, p. 18 "5-

19 . See J ess Stearn, Edgor Coyct: Tht Slttping Pr/lphtl (New York: Bantam . 198 3). for mfor-
man oa on Cayce and hiS work . Cayce. who had th e Sun. Mercur y, Venus and Satu rn in
PISces. and Ne ptune conj unct the Moon in th e 9th house. provid es us wit h a good astr o-
logical example of a Neptunian mdrv rdual pursuing Neprur uan work
 234 - THE A. STROLO GICA. L N EPT U:-..r ( " NO THE Q UEST FO R REDEMPTION

spi ritua l voice to speak . Cha nne lli ng is wholehearted ly accep ted in man y
esote ric circles, apparently connecting th e channel and the listener o r read-
er with a hig he r life-sou rce. It is also, not surprising ly, an object of scepti-
cism or even rid icule amo ngs t th ose who have observed with concern th e
eno rmo us gap so ofte n existing be tween th e reput ed sancti ty of the source
and the que stionable characte r of th e human channel.
It is diffi cul t , for example, to reconcile Al ice A. Bailey's rather smu g
morality and th inly di sg uised racism with th e Ch ristli ke nature att rib uted
to her teach er, th e Tibeta n. The aforeme nt ioned Leo, founder of th e Em in,
claims to possess hidden powers as a result of his channelling : he can cure
leukaemia an d bone-m arrow cancers. In an inte rview for the Putney and
WandJworrh Guardian he tol d a repo rter, "I reckon I'm abou t th e most bril-
liant ma n you have ever me t .'?" G eorge King , th e foun der of th e Aetherius
Socie ty, received "Th e Com m unica tion " from his beloved ext raterrestrials
in 1954, when he was do ing the washi ng up in his Maida Vale beds it :

A crisp voice that seemed to come from inside his head boomed :
"Prepa re you rself! You are to become the Voice of th e
Int erplanetary Parliamenrl'V !

Som e of these people, alt houg h not all, may be laug hin g all the way to the
ba nk . Some exp ress bare ly concealed racial or relig ious bigotr y in a form
for whic h they claim no person al respo nsibility. Yet we do no r really know
what channelling is. Those who respon d to chan nelled teachi ngs ide nti fy
t he sou rce as belong ing to a high er spiritua l di mens io n of existen ce. The
teachin gs them selves arc some tim es incred ibly elabo rate and ba rely com-
prehe nsi ble (t ry. for exam pit'. readi ng T he Secret D octrine in bed over a cup
of hot chocolate). In many, if not all, instances of chan nelli ng . there is no
consciously calculated atte mp t to dupe. Whatever the material is, and
wherever it co mes from , the channel is not awa re of bei ng fam iliar with ir
and is ofte n unab le, in an ordi nary waki ng state, to formulate suc h com-
plex ideas or artic ulate them so clearly.
Channelli ng is not lim it ed excl usively to teachi ngs; om- m ay also
channel energy. Many spiri rual healers claim that they are m erely vessels
fo r Go d's love and lig ht , wh ich pass th roug h th em and int o th e sufferer,
working ma g ic on the d iseased body and m ind . What ever th ey are do ing,
it ofren work s--despire the bew ilde rment and irritatio n of th e ort hod ox
m ed ical esrablish rnenr. Once agai n th e N eptun ian state of psychic fusion,

20 . Spying In Guru iAnJ , p. '>0.

2 J . SpyinX in Guru iAnJ, p _9'> .
 THE rso r r u c NEPTUNE - 23 5

att ributed [0 wha tever god or pow er, appears to co nstellat e within t he
indiv idual some thi ng whic h defies the known laws of matte r and medi-
ci ne. Group m ed itat ion is also often ai med at cha nnell ing positive hea l-
ing ene rgy. and t he participation mJ1tique among group me mbers frequent -
ly amounts to more th an the su m of the pa ns . T hese spi ritual or relig ious
healing expe riences need to he considered in cont ext of t he wor k of
Mesmer and Charcot, for the state of psych ologi cal fus ion with [he heale r
may provide t he lon ged-fo r an rido re ro th e o rigi nal po ison ed wound of
childhood separat ion . We do nor k now how d eeply such early wounds
m ight be im p licated in phy sical illness, nor can we yet assess the de gree
to whi ch return ing to a pre -birth sta te of coral acq u iescen ce and trust
might sh ift an apparently inc u rable sickness-whether th e energy chan-
nelled is indeed divine or, equally my st eri ous, t he powe r of hu man love
and com passio n. Or perhaps these two are really the sam e. Sp iritual heal-
ing is ne it her false nor a sham; but it esch ews the issue of ind iv idual
respon sibility. When a cure is att ributed CO God working through th e
heal er o r reacher, many other th ing s ca n be attributed as well , some of
them h ighly destruct ive. Recognitio n of just what k ind of power is reall y
at work may hel p to offset t hat un con scious identificat ion with div inity
which so often afflicts Neptu nian teac hers and healers as well as thei r di s-
cip les and patients.
T her e are importa nt lin ks between channell ing, as it is u nde rstood
in esote ric circles, and the process wh ich occurs when the art ist "step s
aside" to allow an im ag e or idea to com e fort h . Many wr it ers, pain ters.
sculptors, actors , and musi cians describe th e peculiar sensa t ion t hat a work
is creat ing itself, a nd th ey are m erely c rafts men wh o are t idying it up for
ext ernal consu m p t ion. Moza rt composed as t houg h he were taki ng d icta-
t ion ; he "listened " to musi c which he cou ld hear in his m ind . Berlio z
cla imed th e same experience; so di d Noel Cowa rd . Schumann somet im es
wrot e in a state of trance, and believed t he sp irit s of Sch ubert an d
Mendelssohn gave him mu sical th emes in h is dre am s. Some t imes th e artis t
will attri bute a d ivine sou rce (Q t he auto nom ou s c reat ive power wo rk ing
t hrough h is o r her human eyes, ears, and ha nds . N eptune's relationsh ip
with t he artist , and its placement in the horoscopes of the artists m en-
t ion ed above, art' explored m ore deepl y in chapter 10 . Bur it is relev ant
here to co m men t upon t he close relat ionshi p bet ween spi ritu al chan ne lling
and art ist ic creat ivity. T he differen ce, and it is a cr it ical one, is th at th e
art ist conscio usly participates in th e wo rk, shaping and hon ing it so t hat
it is ul t ima te ly th e pr oduct of a partnership bet ween ego and O th er ; and
failu re is accep ted as part of th e lim its of being huma n. In channe lli ng, no
suc h partnership exists, and th erefore no responsib il it y is tak en for good or
 2 36 - r ut ASTROLO GICAL N EPT UNE AND THE O UEST f O R REDI MPTIO N

il l. Ap art fro m the deep di sillusionment that failure in this con text can
engender, there is the g reater dan ger of inflat ion on the pan of (he healer,
loss of di scrimination and jud gemem on th e part of th e pa tient , and a
mu tua l de pendency wh ich can undermine th e lives of bo t h.
It is difficu lt to exam ine a phenom en on as sensiti ve as cha nnell ing
wi th ou t offe nd ing someone . Som e of its eleme nts are clearl y bound up
w it h an hyst er ical sta re, whe re ext reme d issociat ion has occu rred be t wee n
ego and un cons cious , and where th e unconscious has take n on an
autonom ous nature, as th ough it were an "en t it y," O ne can easily poke
fun at some of th e fu rt her reaches of the eso te ric com m u nit y in Ca lifo rn ia,
whe re the re are so ma ny Hindu Ma st ers, Am eri can Indi an ch iefs,
extrater restrials, wise C h inese manda rins, and deceas ed relat ives queue-
ing up {Q rra nsm it (h eir wisd om, (h at one won d ers wh ether (here is such
a chin g as ast ral air rraffic con trol. Yet th ere is a m yst er y here, not CO be
di smi ssed so lightly. Ce rtai n channell ed wor ks have g real psyc ho log ical
power , an d speak to th e heart as well as th e intell ect. They reflect an
archetypa l worl d-v iew wh ich is consiste nt and read il y ident ifiable. The
wo rld-v iew is N ept un e's, and the messag e is th at we are all O ne . Bur the
log ic of t he languag e and the cosmo logy make s that O ne ap p roacha ble by
th e m ind as well as th e feelings . Examples of this more sop h isricared k ind
of channell ing are the Seth books produced by Jan e RnbcrlS ,22 and the
some t ime s unreadab le bur nevert hele ss d istu rbingly resonant work of
Al ice Bailey , When such books are read with some psycho log ical insight,
and one p uts aside o r trans lates inro other, more accessible terms the spe-
cialised jargon pecu l iar to chan nelled wo rk , t here a re p rofound t ruths {Q
be found-which is clearl y why th ese work s hav e th e pow er to move so
many people.
In her autobiog rap hy Bailey d escr ibes her fi rst expe rience of be ing
"con tac ted" by th e Tibetan, th e Mast er who se wisdom she clai med she
chan nelled .

I heard what I though t was a clear note of mu sic which sounded

from the- sky, t hroug h the hill and in me. The n I heard a voice
which said, "T here are some books which it is desi red shou ld be
written for the pu blic. You can write (hem . Will you do so?"
W i(houc a moment 's not ice I said , "Certainly nor. I'm not a
darn ed psychic and I don 't wane to be dr awn inro anyth ing like
that,-zs

22. See Jtlh JptJV (Englewood C1 ,ffs, N) : Pren t ice Hall , 19 74 ); TbeGwl fJ!j ,mr: A Pl).hi.
ManijtltfJ (Eng lewood Cliffs, N) : Prent ice Hall , 1984) .
2 3. Alice A. B.iley. AII'tdJifJg r-aphy (N ew York: Lucis Publuhin g Company, 1951). p. 16 3.
 TH E EI QTlRI C NEPTUN E - 237

Aft er refus ing {he "vo ice " a second rim e, Bailey states that she finally
agreed to t ry, and rece ived the fi rst chap ters of her fi rst wo rk, Initiation,
Human and Solar . She goes on to ins ist char:

The work I do is in no way relared [ 0 automati c writing . . . . I

assume an atti tude of Intense, posi tive attention . I remain in full
con t rol of all my senses of perception . . . I si mply listen and rake
down the' words that I hear and reg ister the thoug hts wh ich are
droppe d o ne by one into my brain. . . . I have never changed any-
ching that the Ti bet an has ever given me. If I once did so He
would never d ictate: [0 me again.2'4

Bailey is unusual in that she claimed [Q be conscious du ring the process of

channell ing . She is not unusual in clai ming to be th e hu mble vessel of a
h ig her source o f wisdom who wi shes his, he r o r its teach ings to be acces-
sib le to a blind and b lundering humani cy in need of otherworldly gu id -
ance . Given Neptune's propensi ty for ident ifica rion with redeemer-figu res ,
it is probable t hat m an y of those who clai m to channel h ig her wisdom or
energ y suffer the sam e deep se nse of helpless iso lation afflicti ng those they
seek to help. The lives of many psyc hics and mediums are fraug h t wi th ill-
health, unhappiness , and vieti mi sation o f o ne kind or another. Bailey and
Cayce are two characreris ric exam pl es . Rather than assumi ng that the
high er source de ma nds an ill and su ffering channel, we m ight cons ide r
t hat 'he channel, in orde r to ident ify with th e archet ype of th e redeemer,
unconscious ly ne eds to exp erien ce vi ctimisat io n as part of the psych ol og i-
cal packag e. Like m any artist s, they ma y fear that g ivi ng up the suffering
will take- away the divine co nnect io n. Th e valid ity of this v iewpo in t is
o pen to se- rious qu esti o n. Yet m ost ind ividua ls I have m er who possess, or
claim to possess , the gifts of the channeller cum the ir backs o n any
though t of psycho logica l exp lo ration , or a therapeut ic approach to the ir
problems . Apparen tly it is preferable , at least fo r the Neptunian, to mai n-
tain a secret se nse o f d ivi ni ty by remain ing uncon sc iou sly ide ntified with
th e su fferin g red eeme r. Like t he myth ic Achilles, who chose b rief but
undy ing g lory over a long bu t u nspect acu lar life, Nept un e will gladly
embrace the burn ing -grou nd for a little taste of the waters of th e source.

T he Oceanic Peak Experience

T ranspers onal psych ology is a relat ivel y new field of explorat ion . Du ring
th e 19 60s and 19 70 s Rober to Assagi oli, Ab raham M aslow, Charles Ta rt ,
 2 .18 - T HE A\T RO IOGI CA l N EPT UN F ANO T H E O U EIT FOR REDEMPTI O N

Vie ror Fran kl . and Ira Prog off all con rri bu red t heir insig hts (0 a growing
body of resear ch an d in rerp re rario n.O T hese m en in (urn built upon a
founda t ion laid much earl ier by j un g , wh o emphasised th e autonomy o f
the religi ous instinct and was p repared to ack now ledge spi ritual experi-
ences on th eir own ter ms, rather t han solely as an expression of pr imary
narcissism . T he quest for a legi ti mate psychology of (he soul also owes
mu ch to t he qu asi-polit ica l, qu asi-myst ical worl dv iew of the 19 60s
flow er ch ild ren and t heir p reoc cupation wit h drug -i nduced al te rnat ive
states of consci ousn ess and Easte rn practises of m ed itat ion and yoga . In
th e field of transpersonal psyc hology, an atremp r has bee n ma d e to bridge
th e ancient Neptunian d ivide between the p raye rboo k and the p ram by
a pplying empiric met hod s of research and ana lysis wh ile acknowled g in g
t he real ity o f expe riences which by th eir ver y nat u re de fy rati onal under-
sta nd ing. Sometimes this atte mpt to unite psycholo gy and religi on has
prod uced impossibly idealistic psychotherapeu tic app roac hes wit h a will-
ful disregard for t he da rke r sid e of hu man motiva tion . Sometimes it has
p rovide d inspi red insig hts into t he validi ty, meani ng , and tran sform ariv e
powe r of al te red stares of consc ious ness . In t he astro logica l wo rld,
rran sp erson al psychology has always bee n mo re appea li ng th an t he psy-
choanalyt ic approach . Intell ige nt psychot herapi sts of all pe rsuasions a re
able to recogni se t hat ma ny differ ent maps are need ed to ex plo re t he
un cha rted w ilde rness of the h uman psyche. Astrol og ers likew ise need
mo re th an o ne m ap if th ey ar e to ex p lore t he un cha rted cu rre nts of
N ep tune 's waters,
As in ot he r schools of psycho logy, th e rranspersona l approach is not
enti rely unified in te rms of its p hilosop hy, t heo ry, or prac rice. But th er e are
cert ain ge nera l cri te ria about whic h various rran sper sonal t her ap ies seem
to be in ag reement . A cent ral te net is the life-en hancing tr an sformation of
cons ciousn ess wh ich ca n resu lt from th e ind ivid ual's enc ounte r ""it h a
deeper or hig her level of real it y beyo nd th e ego's bou nda ries. Tran s] rsonal
expe riences co me in man y shapes and gui ses, b ur most a re no flori d .
W hile many people have encountered t hem at some t im e in life, t hey may

25. Those interested in rhis field should see (he fcllcwmg: R. AssagioJi, PI)Chll/) "lhtJiJ
(New York : Vik ing Peng uin, 19 7 1), and Thl Aa of W,ll (New York Vik ing Peng uin .
19 74 ); A, Maslow, Tllward a PIJChlllCigy uf Bting (New York: Van Nostrand Reinb old . 1968).
and Tbe Farlht1" Rear!xl of H e man Natlm (New York: VikinG Pengui n, 197 1); C. Tare,
"Scientific Founda tions for t he Stu dy of Altered Stares of Consciousness," in J III/rna/ Ilf
TramptrJtlnAl PJ) rhllltlf), 19 72. 3; V. Frankl. The "'/,11 10 Mea"'''K (New York : NAL Dutton.
1988), and Tht U"cllmcilJI/1 GuJ (N~ w York: Touchstone Books, 1976); and I. Progcff T IN
Symbolic a"d lht Real (New York : McG raw-Hili. 196 3). A ccm preben sive bibliograp hy of
early work in (he field can be fou nd in TranrptrJtI"al P,yrhtll lJK). see foom cee 26 .
 T H [ [ SQ T IR IC N [ P1 U N [ - 2 .,9

nor recogni se th e natu re of the expe rience-s-only the result ing feel ing s of
being healed , su ppo rted and in [Ouch with a new sense of mea ning .

These experiences can be understood as immed iate existentia l

proof that Someone or Somet hing cares, no matt er whether the
carer is conceived as a religious or nonrelig ious force, as God , Life,
or Na t ure... . Transpersonal experiences often come dur ing peri-
ods of stress and despair; the peak rises di rectly from the abyss.26

Anot her fundame nta l tene t in the transp ersonal app roach is the idea tha t
we are dua l in natu re. We have an ego-a "litt le" self-and we have (or,
more accurately, our ind ividu al pe rsonalit ies are th e expression 00 a hig h-
er or com plete self wh ich is th e true centre of our being and which we meet
dur ing experiences of a transpersonal natu re. T his large r self is the source
of our "dest iny" and ou r sen se of meaning in life. Paradoxically, whi le it is
th e essent ial core of uniq ue ind ivid uality, experien ce of it g ives us a deep
feeling of relationship with and com passion for othe rs. As long as we are
identi fied solely wit h t he ego , we ace im prisoned , isolated , and separated
from our own centres. But when th e ego brea ks down thro ug h illness,
st ress, d rug-i nduced alte red states, powerfu l d reams, inte nse emotio nal
upheaval, or volunt ary phys ical or psycholog ical practises of a particular
kin d (such as yoga, meditati on , gu ided fanrasy, o r acti ve imag inat ion>, our
nar row identificati ons are t ran scended and we become conscious of some-
thing other within us wh ich heals, renews , clean ses, and restores our bel ief
in life as a place of goodness, beauty, and mea ning .
This du alist interpret ati on of the human bein g is of course not new.
O ne- can find it in Plaro ,27 and many of th e magical exercises of the early
Neoplatonists, such as Plot inu s, Proclu s, and Iam bl ichus, were di recte d
toward achieving what we m ight now call a pea k experience. So was
Marsilio Ficino's "natural magi c" as practi sed d uring the Ren aissance.t''
Bur the reason why transpersonal psychology is called psycholog y is tha t,
since [he 1960s (when Nep tune was transit ing th rough Scorpio), [here has
been an att empt to observe, record , and catego rise altered states of con-
sciousness, nat from th e Standpoint of an a priori faith or relig ious cos-
mology, but from a tested body of knowledge of psychological dynamics

26 . J oseph Fab ry, MUse of the Tra nspersc na l in Lcgo rberapy," In Seymour Boors tei n . ed ,
Tramp" sonal Ps.,{hoIogy ( Pal o Ah a , C A: Scie nce & Behav iour Books, 198(1), pp. 8~ - B6
27 . Sec in particu lar t he PhatJ"JlJ and th e TimatJll, wit h rheu di scu ssio ns on the dual nature
of th e sou l
28 . Sec Frances A. Yates, Gio..k "o B" JI" fJ ""J thr H m fltti{ T"JJtt"", (London Routl edge &
Keg an Paul , 19 64 ).
2 40 - T HE A.STR O LO G ICA.l NEPTUI'\,; ( "NO T HE o ur ST FO R RE D1M P n o»

and t he d irect testi mony of the individ uals concerned . Psycholog y itself,
of course, may be simply anot her, more sub tle kind of religi ou s cosmo lo-
gy, as the anti-t herapy lobby claim s. T he gap betw een the scientific ed i-
fice of psychoa nalysis and the chan nel led esoteric teachi ngs of Al ice Bailey
is not so g reat as one mig ht think . But wh ile th ere may ulti mately be no
such thi ng as objective observatio n of such highl y subjective ph enom ena .
at least wit hi n th is branch of psychology some effort is being made to
marry N eptune and Saturn, and d ispense with th e Neptunian convict ion
that reaso n is th e enem y of faith .
Transpe rsona l experiences occu r most frequ ently at moment s of great
cris is. T hey are sometimes associated with th e difficult passage throug h
puberty . Bur such expe riences are more typ ical of m id-li fe, when th e estab-
lish ed ego ide ntity may have becom e roo rig id and can no longe r allow
room for undeveloped di me nsio ns of the personality to eme rge . Ir is not
coin cidental that, d uring the decade beeween the ages of 38 and 48 - th e
most commo n period du ring wh ich t hese exper iences occur-we all
un dergo th ose three g reat astrol ogi cal cycles which comprise what is
euphem ist ically kn own as m id- life crisis: Uranus oppo sing its nata l place,
Saturn opposing its nata l place. and Nep tune sq uaring its nata l plac e.
From the perspect ive of rranspersonal psycho logy, th e patte rn of difficul t
symptoms at th is cr it ical period of life may reflect [he hid den orchestra-
tion of the larger self. Dep ression , loss of meaning , physical illn ess. and
even psychot ic breakd own ma y imply not a deep underlying pathology
bu t a creat ive force which is seeki ng to break down outworn life patterns
and attitudes. T hu s what was prev iously experienced as norm al ity may.
thro ug h rig idity and overidenrificario n, have become life-destr oying; and
what is d iagn osed as illness may in fact be the unp repossessing surfa ce of
a secret healing process. Many prob lems whi ch. in a psych oanal yt ic frame-
work, could be at rribu red to the li nge ring and sti ll suppurating wounds of
chi ld hood may, viewed from thi s perspec tive , be the outwa rd sig ns of a
profound spiritual crisis whic h must be recogn ised and valida ted for what
it is, if life is to move forward creat ively. Th e long ing for redempt ion may
ar ise because one cannot accep[ life as it is. Equa lly. it may arise because
too much "realism," coup led wit h a reluctance to face one's own reality.
have tendered life stagnant and d isconnecred from the wellsp rings of the
heart and soul.
T here are ma ny kind s of transpersonal experience. and no t all of
them are states of fusion with the source. Since every planet has irs own
form of sp iritua lity , th e nature of what lies beyond the pe rsonal m ay not
be revealed in th e same way to every indi vidual who encounters what
 THE ESOTIRI C NEPT UNE - 24 1

rranspersonal psycholog y calls the larg er self. Some peak exper iences are
of the mind rather chan the heart, and carry with them an awesom e reve-
lation of the secre t patterns underlying life. It might be possible , as some
Freudian, Kle in ian, exist ent iali st , and even Ju ng ian analyses of my
acqua intance do , to vie w the whole app roach of transpersonal psychology
solely as a cons tr uc t, or a sublimated fantasy of returning [ 0 the womb.
Such a one -sided attit ude reflecrs the de fe nsiven ess of a frig hte ned Satu rn.
Transpersonal expe riences can be th reaten ing ( 0 Sarurnian indi viduals,
not only because of the h ighly individual nat ur e of the encounter (which
canno t be measured or statistically evaluated ), but also because there are
some very myster ious d imensions of the human psyc he wh ich lie beyond
the cont rol of the personal will. It may not be necessary, or even accurate.
to call these di mensions spi ritual or divi ne . How ever, the y are unmistak-
ably rranspe rsonal-s-beyond the pe rsonal. N eptune can be g limpsed most
cle arly in that form of cransperscn al experien ce wh ich is known as "ocean-
ic." Th e essenc e of w hat is experienced is not N eptu nian ; bur the quality
of the expe rience is. Th e chief proble m with oceanic experiences is that
they are ex tremely diffi cult to com municate w ithout soundi ng like a
1960s flowe r-chi ld stoned on hashi sh. U nlike hash ish , suc h experiences
also ten d to be addi ct ive, and , because th ey are redolent of Eden , th ey
mobilise not only th e heal ing pr ocesses within the psyche b ut also irs
lurk ing infanti lis m . It is the Neptunia n indi vidu al who is most prone to
this kind of transpersonal exper ien ce, and, not surpr isin gly , also the
N ep tuni an who may find it most difficult to inte grate the experience
afterward .
In his essay. "Transce nde ntal Meditat ion as an Adjunct to Th erapy,"
H arold H . Bloomfi eld cites an exampl e of the oceanic type of peak expe ri-
ence in the case of a wom an he calls Anne . In her words:

It was incredible. I opened my eyes [ 0 find the room filled with

light , a golden g low that left everything fresh and radiant. It was
like I saw the world again for the first time. It brough t me to
tears, Everything was so beautiful. so precious. I felt sanctified and
made whole. Life was profoundly good; wars, bickering , and com-
plaints seemed silly. Love, un iversal love, was the only reality. . . .
Buc I wasn't chinking. I just knew. The re was no fear- just light,
love , and a peace that defies all description . It was all -enco mpass -
ing ; time stood still , each moment seemed infin ite and blissful. .
. . But as great as the feeling was while it lasted (ir lasted fat about
eight hou rs and chen gr adually receded over rhe next ten) that's
how crushed I felt when it left. It was worse than if I had all at
2 42 - T HE ' ITR O LO G ICAL N EPTUNE ' NO TH I O U I I T FO R REDI MPTI ON

once lose my hu sband , chi ld, paren ts, and best frie nds . I felr lik e
I had bee n cast Que, had the doo r co the spi ri t ual kingdom
slammed in my face. I felt un worthy, more so th an I had eve r felt
befo re. My existence seem ed shallow and futi le wit hout that larg-
er loving awa reness.J ?

Bloomfield goes on to state that after such an ecstatic state . ". . . when th e
knowing ness and experience of life's oneness, love, and joy begi n 10 fade,
a personal crisis may ensue :'}OThe heali ng po tential of this kind of expe-
rien ce is obvio u s. I ts real na t u re is a mystery and cannot be red uced sim-
p ly co a fanta sy sta te a f fusion w ith a d ivine mothe r-creat or. The aweso me
in te llige nce revea led, which makes sense of a pr evio usl y m ean ingless and
incom p rehensib le life patte rn , is, if not divi ne in th e co nvent io na l rel i-
gious sense, ce rta inly be yo nd any capabi li t y of th e co nsc io us ego. But th e
add ict ive prope rties of the ocean ic peak exper ience, pa r t ic u la rly for an
ind ivid ual who already finds life roo Tihil -Iike, are eq ually obvious.
In t he viv id description given above , Neptu ne is exp ressed with
great cla rity, bo t h in t he nature of t he experience of o neness and in t he
nature of th e s uffer ing an d g u ilt w hen the d oo rs to th e Paradi se Ga rden a re
afterward slam med sh u t in on e's face. It is at prec isely th is kind of junc-
tu re t hat the w isdom of a m ore red uct ive approach can be so vi ta lly neces-
sary, in co m b ina t io n w ith va lidation of t he expe rience ; for th e se nse of
wo rth lessn ess an d d espair po rt ra yed in the ab ove exa mp le is generally
linked wit h older, d eeper ch ild hood iss ues and a d ist urbed process of se p -
aration in th e ea rl ies t years of life. It is he re t hat Nep t u ne mos t needs
Saturn's rea lism and co nta inm ent . Sadly, it is also he re tha t ma ny help ers
wo rk ing in the rranspersonal fie ld cannot g u id e the ind iv idual to an inte-
g ra ti on of the experie nce in to everyday Jife, o r a d eeper unde rsta nding of
why he o r she feels so gu ilty and bereft . Ins tead , t hey stri ve to ins truct t he
pe rson in how to recla im t he ocean ic experie nce t h roug h techn iq ues wh ich
t ran scen d o r o b litera te eg o-consciousness. Neptu ne 's inte rnal dyna mi c is
t ha t of pe rmanent ad di cti o n to Parad ise . In the oceani c pea k experience we
can sec no t a sym bo lic su bs t it ut e for fusion with the source, but the t hi ng
jtself- a sta te of a ltered co nsciousness wh ere t he boundar ies have slipped
and one has re-ente red the Garde n afte r bi rth and this side of death . Th e
doma in which provides th is exp er ien ce of hea ling is not itself N ep tun e .
W e d o nOC kno w wh at it is. Bur th e psych ic fun ct ion wh ich all ow s us (Q

29. Harold H. Bloomfiel d , "Transcendental Medirau on as An Ad junct (0 Th('fAPY: ' in

Boorsre m . Trdnrp"llJnd/ PS)(hCl/(Jg) , pp. 132-1 33.
30 . "Transcend ental Mcd u auo n as an Ad jun ct ru Therapy," p 13"
 THE El on RIC NEPTUN E .... 243

gli m pse it in an oceanic way is symbolised by Neptune in the birth chan .

whether th e experience is spontaneous or induced by Ecstasy or LSD.
Neptunian, too , is th e insistence that that world , and not this one, alone
merits value and commitment , and that the ind ividual ego-personality is
unw orthy, irrelevant, and past it s sell-by date. Neptune opens the door co
ecstati c experiences of d issolution . Bur it also makes us add icted to them,
polarising us aga inst earth ly life rath er than allow ing us to underst and
bo t h di me nsion s of realit y as parr of th e de sig n of t hat same larger self
wh ich one has JUSt encountered .
Th ere are man y techni q ues withi n t he field of rransper sc nal psy·
chology intend ed to help th e ind ividual exper ien ce the rranspersonal
domain . Some invo lve d rug s, others breathing exercises, and st ill o the rs
the use of th e imagi nati on in visualisati on techniq ues. All may be effective
for certain individuals at cert ain times. W ith out disci pline, d iscri m ina-
tion, and insight into th e mot ives beh ind th e qu est-s-on the part of bo th
th erapist and c1 iem -all can be dangerous on many levels. The borde rs
between tr an spersonal psychorh erapy and th e pseud o-psychotherapy p rac-
t ised by some spiritual commu nes and sects are unguarded , and no pass-
PO rtS are requ ired . Because N eptune play s such a large part in th e psy-
chology not only of (hose attracted 10 such ap p roaches as clien ts, b u t also
of those who themselves become practit ioner s, the fusion-state whi ch
seems so desirable may or may not be life-enh an cing . The unhappy indi-
vidual who has "dropped out" and spent many years livin g in a Raj neesh
ashram , and who th en moves out into life with a new sense of con nect ed-
ness and self-respect, may be wiser than the ind ividual who appe ars
monthl y at th e psychiatrist's door for anor her bou le of an ti-depressanrs-
and wiser, in fact , th an th e psychiatrist who prescribed th e med icati on in
the first place. He or she may also be wiser th an th e patient faithfu lly
reponing five tim es a week for his or her eleventh year of psychoanalysis.
Equall y, suc h comm unes can be amb igu ou s Eden s for the psycholog ically
unbo rn, and some individ uals rema in wit hin their wombl ike walls long
afte r the waters have grown cold, just ifying their inert ia by the excu se of
grea te r en lig hten ment. As usual, we can no t kn ow, nor jud ge . Everyth in g
depe nds upo n the indiv id ual, whether healer or healed . It may, however,
be appropr iate to suggest , once aga in , th at Nept une has the po wer 10 heal
what Nep tune woun ds. T he oceanic peak exper ience may ult imately pro-
vide the sense of unconditional love tha t the damaged Nept unian seeker
most long s for. And t he gli m pse of Ed en beyond th e bo un da ries ma y be
neithe r infant ile nor an escape from life, but rather, a tr ue vision of what
lies be hind life-nor merely before b irth or afte r deat h, b ut at all t ime s
and etern ally present.
244 _ TH[ ASTROlO G ICAl N [ PT U N[ AND TH[ O W ST FOR RED[MPTION

The Rise of the Guru

Although the guru has been a familiar and respected figure in India for
many centuries, we must thank John, Paul, George, and Ringo for intro-
ducing this concept to the West on a mass scale. Even though Madame
Blavarsky's Theosophical Society attempted to graft Eastern philosophy
and Eastern te chniques of spiritual advancement onto 20th century
Christianity, the Theosophical Society's elitist cosm ology and questionable
internal politi cs never appealed to more than a small minority of spiritual
seekers. Bur with the advent of the Maharishi and the Transcendental
Meditation movement, reinforced by Timothy Leary 's injunction to (urn
on , tune in and drop out, an entire generation of young people in America
and Europe began, during the late I%Os , ro espouse a worldview whi ch
might be called Neptunian . Assessing the implications of this tremendous
cult u ral and spiritual revolution must in large pan be done in a discussi on
of Neptune's expressions in politics and the art s, each of whi ch is covered
in its own chapter. But the Indian guru is still with us in many shapes and
guises, ranging from th e su blim e to the ridi culous to th e oven sham ; and
th e promise of enlightenment and transcendence of the ego has not lost
any of its attractions for th ose with a dominant Neptune sin ce it first
arri ved on these sh ores in the wake of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band .
Enlightenment is, in con text of the East ern mystical path, a state of
dis idenrificarion from th e eg o. Feelings, thoughts, and physical sen sations
are all dimensions of ego-consciousness and therefore distract awarene ss
from the reality that lies beyond . Even the sense of "I" is a d istract ion .
Enlightenment , perceived by the Western seeker adopting Eastern di sci-
plines , ar ises from the d eep realisation of th e illusory nature of separative
material existence. This reflects th e Hindu idea of maya. What the ego
per ceives as reality-s-even the ego's consciou sness of itself-is me rely the
dream of the great cosm ic sea. The state of bl iss which is experienced
through union with the cosm ic sea severs all attachments of the passions,
and allows the individual to achieve an extraordinary serenity devoid of
conflict and desire. The meditative and yogic practises of the guru are
aimed at helping the ind ivid ual co free himself or herself from th e grip of
identification wi th external reality, and ult imately from the fantasy that
there is any such thing as " I. " This is Neptune raised abov e all other plan-
ets, to the status of Final Truth. The state of non-being is pr eferabl e to any
experience of temporal reality, however joyful .
The question has frequenrly been raised whether blending the very
d ifferent psychologi cal approaches of W est ern and Eastern cult u res can be
 TH I EI O TERIC NI PTUN E - 24 ~

of value for the WeSl ern psyc he t hroug h a body of teach ing s wh ich , in
essen ce, d evalues the indi vidual . In th e W est t he impo rt ance of ind ividual
consciousness and self-express ion has arisen in the same organic fashio n,
Q U[ of th e deepest st rata of th e collective psyche, that th e im portance of

nonarr achrnent has arisen in the East. W e mi ght even g eneralise and co n-
sider th at We stern spi rit ua lity is roo ted in a solar app roach .J! whil e t hat
of th e East is unmistak ably Neptunian. Differem cu lt ures seem [0 devel -
op alon g di fferen t archetyp al pathways, perc eive th e nature of th e divi ne
differend y, and have th eir ow n uni qu e cont ribu t ion (Q make in (h e histo -
ry of human relig ious develop me nt . N o one ap pr oach has all th e an sw ers.
W estern spi rirualiry, em braci ng cert ai n N eptunian p recep ts bur neve r los-
ing sig ht of the ego's im po rt ance as a vessel for the soul, is fundamentall y
d ifferent from the Hindu t rad it ion of m aya and freedom from th e w heel of
karm a. In th e West we have always li nked th e real isat ion of de it y wit h t he
impo rtance of recreating hea ven on earth t h rough ind ividual effo rr ; ind i-
vid ual lives and indi vid ua l acts of se rvice are impo rta nt. Nep tune's lon g -
ing for rede m p t ion an d fusion with the sou rce of life ma y pe rm eate bo t h
Eastern and W est ern myst ic ism . But the successful integrat ion of t he two
app roach es in the West seems co dep end upo n wh eth er or not t he experi-
ence of the rran spersonal realm can be eart hed in eve ryday life, allo wing
the ind ivid ual ro partake of bo th wo rld s. Intelli gent g u rus kn ow this, and
are ca refu l to adapt East ern spir itual pra ctises to the needs of th e W est ern
psyche , Su ch awareness may, however, elude the Neptunian d iscip le wh o
is de term ined to sacr ifice the eg o once and for all, in order to escape th e
pain of life.

Rajneesh and the A shrams

The sp irit ua l movem en ts of the 1970s an d 19 80s were m ain ly ini t iated
by Ind ian gu rus t ransp lant ed int o the W est , a nd arrracred large numbers
of u nhappy and d isaffected you ng people who fou nd t he Satu rn ian ele -
ments of W esrern cultu re int olerab ly pa in ful , op press ive, and m ea ni ngl ess.
The era of th e g rea t g ur us occ u rred, as mi gh t be expected , with N ep t u ne's
transit t hroug h Sagittarius, and seems to have largely passed with t he
advent of t he pl an et in to Ca pricorn. But so me elem en ts are st ill with us ,
and some p raccises- such as Transcend ental Med it at ion-have beco me so

31. Th is may be observed in the importance of {he sun-god as cosrnocraror in t he earliest

religious myth s of Mesopotami an, Egypti an, G reco-Roman. Teut onic. and Celtic cultures.
Even the figu re of Ch rist, altho ugh in most respects a tr ue Neptuni an victi m -redeemer, is
solar in his assocrati ons with ligh( and with (he celest ial realm, in his power t o conquer (he
legions of Hell, and in [he individ uality of each 50ul IO his care.
 2 46 - 1"1 AITR Ol O GICA L " I PTU," I AN D 1" 1 QU fIT f O R RlD f M PTI O N

Me •

rc II
Chart 12. Bhagw an Shree Rajneesh. Born Decem ber II , 1931,5 : 13 P.M.
1ST, I I:43 :00 GMT, Kuchwada, ] ubal, India. Trop ical, Placid us, True
Node. Source: Data (rom a personal contact .
 T HE E~ OTERIC N EPTU NE - 247

thoroug h ly adap ted co Wes tern needs t ha t, conven ed co a Capricorn ian

value -system , they are taug ht co business executives as a highly effective
means of allevi ati ng SUess. T he N atural Law Parr y in Great Britai n is a
superb exa m ple of th is fluid movement of N eptu ne from Sagi tta rius int o
Cap ricorn ; T M has now en te red Br it ish poli tics. It is wort h exam ini ng t he
phen omenon of one of ou r most famou s gu rus mo re carefu lly-not co
determine t he ult imate validi ty of the g u ru or h is teachings (w hic h is
probab ly im possible excep t on an indi vidual basis), b ut to u nders ta nd
Neptune more fully.
Cha rt 12 (page 246) is that of Baghwan Shr ee Rajneesh. known co
his dis cip les as Osha. He was bo rn Rajn eesh Chand ra Mohan in 19 31 , in
a sma ll villa ge nea r ]abalpu r, Indi a. The elde st in a family of seven br oth-
e rs and five siste rs. he was b roug ht up by h is wealt hy mate rnal g randpar-
enr s, who spo iled h im . H is g randfat he r's death lefr Rajneesh devas tated ,
and he became a loner, shying away from inti ma te co ntact . H e expressed
his isolatio n later by stating t hat he had ". . . never been in itiated as a
member of socie ty-I have remained an ind ivid ual, aI00[:';2 H e claimed
[ 0 have had his first expe rience of ecstatic consciousness tsamadbi } at age

7 . H e also stated th at h is full enlig hre nmenr occurred in 19 53, at age 21,
on th e day of th e sp ring equinox. After thi s "exp losion" he was no longer
ide nt ified w ith his body. It is worth noting in passing th at on t his dare,
amongs t ot her po werful planeta ry moveme nts , tr ansit ing U ranus made a
sta tio n wi t h in a degree of exact opposit ion to th e natal Moon in th e Srh
house, t rad itionally the hou se of 'death. '
Enligh te nm ent notwithstanding , Rajneesh cont inued his acade mi c
career. H e att ended Saug ar Universit y and rook a maste r's degree in phi -
losophy in 19 57. For t he next nin e years he taught philosophy, on ly
resig ni ng h is p rofessors hip to devore himself to regenerating h uma nity's
spi ri t ual life . Duri ng a lecture series in Bom bay he an nounced [Q a
shocked audien ce, steeped in H ind u puritanism , that sex was natura l and
di vine . It was here that [he seed of the op position to his reaching work in
Ind ia was pla nred . H e made him self even mor e u npopu lar by refe rrin g to
Gand hi , whose cent enary yea r was be ing celebrated, as a masoch ist , a
H ind u chauvinist and a pe rvert . Afte r a per iod of travell ing, Ra jneesh set-
tled down wit h a sma ll following of spi rit ual seeke rs. In 19 7 1 he began
to call him self Bagh wan , mean ing t he incarnate God . H e moved to Poona
in 1974, and by 19 79 his thr iving ashr am had two hundred pe rmane nt
residents, the g reat majorit y of whom were foreign ers. The Raj neesh

32. Raioeesb . D,mtfu;unJ Bl) unJ tht Known (Los Angeles: Wisdom Garden. 1975, p 156
248 - TH E ASTROLOGICAl NEP TUNf AND T HE O Ul ST l OR RED L\1PTJO N

Founda t ion in India then ar rem p red to purchase a small valley [0 relocate
th e growi ng number of di sciples, but th e In di an gove rn me nt bl ock ed th e
pu rchase . In 198 1 Rajn eesh rook a vow of silence. T his dev elopment co in-
cided wit h a secret move (0 the U nited States. To secu re residency, he
married a Greek m ill ion aire's daughter. who was an Ame rican citi ze n.
Du ring th is unse td ed rim e, wh en Rajneesh was acc rui ng an increasing ly
vast inter national follo wi ng, as well as increasing prob lems w ith g overn-
mental authorities, it is worth not ing that transit ing Nep tune, now in
Sagittarius, had arrived in co n jun ctio n with the natal Sun and then
moved across the D escend ant int o the 7 th house, wh ile transit ing Plu to
was in exact squa re co the eX3(( natal Sat ur n- Pluto opposition . Th e for-
mer transi t nicely des c ribe s the sen se of divine m ission wi th whic h he was
imbu ed; the larre r, the man ner in whi ch he p itt ed himself aga in st the
forces "om there: ' as recalc itrant and defens ive as he him sel f was.
T he Ra jn eesh Fou ndation acqu ired a 64 ,OOO-ac re fa rm near
Ant elop e, O rego n, whi ch at that t im e was a ham let of forty people . Plans
for the furtive consrrucrio n of a ci ty, Rajneeshpuram , aim ed co hou se fifty
thou sand d iscipl es, were set in moti on and agg ressivel y pursued . Some
$ 120 ,00 0 ,0 00 was pouted into t h is p rojec t. The ash ram's amb it ion s in
lo cal po licies co m b ined w ith an inc reas ing ly b lu nt mili ta risti c
demeanour, and ce rtain crim inal activi t ies even tually led to inves tiga-
t ion s by po lice, t he FBI , and im mig rarion offi cials. In 19 8 4 Ra jneesh
broke hi s vow of sile nce . A year la te r he began accu sing hi s chief execu-
t ive, Ma Anand Sheela, of a wide ran ge of crimes. O n 16 Sep tembe r 1985
he decla red the end of "Rajnees hism ," leav ing thousands of followe rs di s-
o rie n ta ted and di si ll usi oned . Rajneesh was b ri efly jailed , gi ven a ten-year
su spended se nt enc e, and finall y expelled from t he Un ited Sta te s. H e left
for Ind ia, wh ere he d ied in Januar y of 19 9 0 , when tr ansit in g Nep t une,
hav in g m oved back and fort h ove r nata l Mars, Mercury, a nd Venus,
reached the cusp of the 8 rh hou se and approa ched a conjunct ion wit h the
natal Moon .
Rajnee sh re main s an enig ma . H is lifesty le and personali ty wer e fu ll
of startl ing co nrradi crio ns. As Geo rge Feuerstein pu ts it:

Here we have a g uru who, by his own admission, was not in his
body ; who decla red that he did not wish to create followers, yet
for years served as the spiritual head of thousands of men and
women , de manding their exclu sive de votion ; who presented him-
self as a renunciate hut hated having photog raphs raken because
of his baldness ; who favoured the rich and influent ial and encour-
aged the acquisition of a fleet of9 3 Rolls Royces; who claimed to
he fully enlightened yet felt the need to regul arly use nitrous
 THE I I OTIRI C N EPT UN E - 249

oxide and com pulsively watch videos to dis pel his bo redom ; and
who perm it ted a gr oup of power-hungry women to run his large
orga nisatio n and his own life. H

One mig ht expec t N eptune to dominate th e horoscope of a sp iritual

g u ru . In Ra jneesh 's case it is extremely prominent; but it is evenly
marc hed by ot he r facrors . Alrh ough Neptune closely conjuncrs [he IC
and forms [Cines co Mars, Mercury, Ven us, and the Moon , as well as a
sesq u iq uad rate [0 Saturn and a semisquare to Pluto, the disposiror of the
chan is Saturn and th e d ominant element is earth. Vision, imagination,
subtlety, receptivity to others' unspoken feelings and ernori onal needs,
and t he manipulari ve gifts of a fine publicist are suggested by Neptune's
benig n aspects to Ma rs, Mer cury, Venus , and the Moon . Also evident are
a deep sense of homelessness and a yearn ing to create a worldly parad ise
in whi ch to live , refle cted b y Neptune ar the base of the cha rt . Bur the
ove rall st ruct u re of Rajnee sh 's birth cha rt is based on a fire -earth polari-
ty, wirh the g rand tr ine of Sun , Uran us , and Jup irer balanced ag ainst the
weig ht of seven planet s, one of them the chart ruler, in the elem ent of
eart h. It is easy [ 0 dis miss Ra jneesh as an extreme ly clever "conman," an
inventi ve tr icks ter who packaged N eptune attract ively for the g ulli ble
We st ern psyche and lau ghed all [he wa y to the bank . There is undoubr-
ed ly mu ch truth in th is assessment , but it is not the whole picture . The
g rand trine in fire com bi nes the intuitive verbal g ifts of Jupiter in Leo in
t he 3rd house with the energ y, intellectual breadth and commun icat ive-
ness of [he Sun in Sagit ratius on [he cusp of th e 7 th, and th e: un com pro-
m isin g iconoclasm of Uranus in Ar ies in the 11rh . This is a charism at ic
configu rat ion wh ich g uarant ees that, desp ite a propensity for cons ider-
able arrogan ce and self-aggrandisement , he was an inspired teacher and
th inker. Shrew d , worldl y and aut ocrati c, h is stelfium in Capricorn. dom -
inated by Sat urn and wit h the Moon-Saturn con junction opposing Pluto.
would ensure that he wo uld keep his real mot ives to h imself and tolerate
no law ot her than his own. One might expect such config urati ons in th e
chart of a po werful political leader or business entrepreneur. On some lev-
els Rajneesh was both .
Ne ither th e man nor hi s cont inuing influence can be explained away
by simpl y decl aring him a chad aran . N or is the en igma solved by claim -
ing that he was an enlig htened Master persecuted by the evil forces of a
materialistic society. I have no personal allegiance to Rajneesh, and have
never been involved with, nor at tracted to, either his teachings or his

33 Feuersrem, Hili , MaJ1Im , p . 65

2 50 - THE AST RO LO G IC AL N EP1UN E AN D TH E o u rvr f OR RfDE ,\,P lI O N

ash rams . But m y expe rience of many clients wh o ado p ted [he way of (h e
sannyasin and at te mpted to integ rat e th is into their lives, wit h varying
deg rees of success o r failu re, has demonst rated t hat we can lear n mo re
abo u t Neptune's g ift s as well as its d ange rs if we attempt to understand
th e ph enomenon of th e Rajneesh movem ent fro m a coole r, mo re ob ject ive
perspec tive. Wh ile the man himself may have balan ced Nep tu ne wit h
worldl ier attributes, his foll owers ofte n d id not ; his message was
N ept u nia n; and most import a ntl y, so roo was t he deep collect ive hunger
wh ich spaw ned th e p rol ifera t ion of so man y N eptu n ian co m m un ities
formed in h is nam e.
George Feue rst ein is ope nly critical of Rajn ecsh , ou tli ni ng the m ost
des truc tive d imen sio ns of life in th e ash ram . Thi s may be becaus e he has
cas t a m uch -n eed ed ob jec tive eye on the cu lt; o r it may be becau se his
alleg iance, by h is own admissio n, is gi ve n to another g u ru . O r it may be
both . On e culp rit for the unpleasant by-produ ct s of ashram life appears to
have b een Rajneesh' s au t hor ita rian treatment of h is de vote es. Th is is
reflect ed , in part , by th e pow er fu lly controlli ng M oon- P lu to-S atu rn con-
fig u rat ion in th e b irt h cha n, tr igg er ed at [he t im e he acqu ired t he pr op -
e rt y in Orego n and began dreami ng of hi s futu re ci ty. H is autocratic arri-
rude is also suggested by t he grandi ose and self-m yt ho log ising tend en cies
of th e g rand fire t rine . Accord ing to Feu erstein , Rajeesh t urn ed h is own
ash ram into a k ind of lab our cam p , de manding enor mous effort a nd
absolu te sub m ission. Th is left many devotees sic k and exhauste d , un ab le
(0 mak e sound judg ements, a nd , in som e case, d riven [0 su icide , In

Rajneesh 's own wo rds :

. . You become id iotic. You look like an idio t ! People will say
that you have becom e hyp noti sed or somet hi ng, t hat you are no
longer your old self. T hat is tr ue; bu t it is a kind of shock . And
good , because it will destroy the past. ... T hat is th e whole mean-
ing of sannyas [renunciation] and discip leshi p: t hat your past has
been comp letely washed away-your memory, your ego , you r
identi ty-all has to go. \4

Alth ough Rajneesh was roo Sarur nian to eschew worldly achievement like
Meher Baba and other g urus, he certainly knew how to press the Neptune-
button in h is discip les. After th e collapse of his sp irit ua l em pi re, many of
h is devot ees found t hemselves in a deep psycho log ical crisis, real ising that
t hey had lived like autom at on s . G urus can be add ictive, and t he habi t is

34. Cited in HQly Madnm , p. 67.

 TH E (son RIC EPT UNE - 25 1

not easy to kick . But we are ba ck again co the im possible q uesti on : Where
does the responsibil ity lie ? W ith the guru o r the disci ple? N eptune's lon g -
ing for redempti on is clearly visible in the passivity of many of Rajneesh 's
followers, for he remained-and still remains- an em bod iment of th e
d ivine sou rce for which they longed. I< mi gh t be argued th at this st age of
depe nde nce is necess ary in t he gu ru -d isciple relati onship. and that , if the
g uru is truly en lightened , he or she wi ll be able to lead t he d isciple be yond
the rnother-in fanr bond into th e real isat ion of an inner so urce of wisdom
and bli ss. Equ ally, it m ight be argued th at it is th e individual's respon si-
bility co discove r hi s or her own internal tr uth .
To put hi s di sciples in [ou ch with t he ir emot iona l blo cks (or, as
Feuerstein su ggests, their resistance to t he g uru), Ra jneesh d eveloped a
var iet y of t he rapeu t ic tech n iques designed to p roduce a carharsis, follo wed
by th e desired rran sformar ion o f conscio usness. It is usefu l here to recall t he
work of Mesm er, wh o, lik e Rajneesh , was dee ply aut ocra t ic and de m anded
absolu te sub m issio n from his patients , Also like Rajneesh, he a imed co
produce an identical cathartic "cri sis ." Some of Rajneesh 's therapeu ti c
intensives st retc hed over several da ys a nd invo lved verbal abuse , g roup sex ,
and phy sical violence. Those wh o refused CO part icipate were considered
egoc ent ric, frigid, and ant isoc ial. Su b t le and ob vious coercio n was rampant
in th e ashram . Neptune's form of d om in ati on t hrough g u ilt, so d ifferent
from th e unashamed bullying often di spl ayed b y Mars or Plu to . is evident
in th e accusat ion that th ose wh o d o nor obe y the g uru are selfis h and sp ir-
itually un evolved , and will be ost racised by th e com m un ity.

Once the collect ive {cult ) has been formed , no one da res b reak
ran ks and say, "H old on. W ha t we're d oing is really st u pid ." O nce
you've starte d tearing up realit y, and reb uild ing it in a d ifferent
shape, you d on 't wane to step ou t of line or th e wh ole pr ecari ou s
st ruct ure will crumble.J?

Collusion notw ithstandin g , th e weak -willed gav e way under suc h

ostracism , unable to cop e with isola t ion from th eir fellow s, and duly
exposed th emsel ves t o experiences for w hich they we re ofte n ne it her em o-
t iona lly nor mo rall y su it ed . Ra jneesh was also not ave rse to helping h im -
self to [he female d isciples in th e ash ram . H e selected th em accordi ng to
the ir breast size, and only larg e-breasted women cou ld hope to joi n the
elite grou p of h is "m ediums ." Such pra ct ises inev it ab ly led (Q accusat ions
of abu se and brainwashing, both by ou ts id e obse rvers and by di sci ples wh o
252 - r u r ASTRO LO G IC Al Nf PT UN E AND T Hf Q U£ST FO R R£O EMPT IO N

had managed to defect. Thi s particu lar scenario is not unfami liar -it has
existed in N ep tu nian ecstat ic sects and cults since ancient times-and
sim ilar accusat ions are regul arl y (and often just ifiably) made against many
current alterna t ive religi ous and spiritual com munitie s. As Feuerstein
poin ts our :

Wh en practised by a spi ritual teacher on his crusting d isciples, it

is not holy madness hut an unforgi vable transgression. W hile
Rajneesb's posit ive influence on thousands of hopeful spiritual
seekers cannot be deni ed, th ere can also be no doubc that his lack
of d iscrimi natio n and his personal id iosyncrasies and wiles caused
considerable damage to many individ uals. . . . Of all the contem-
porary gu rus, Rajneesh bears perhaps the greatest responsibilit y
for warping the Western public's image of the g uru-d iscip le rela-
tionship.. . 36

As one reads the ancient tale ret old , one m ight well ask how so ma ny peo -
ple could be so utterl y deluded as to bel ieve such an indiv id ual was
enlight ened . But one m ight well ask th is abour many sim ilar ep isodes in
relig ious and political hist ory. One mi ght even risk damn at ion and ask th e
qu esti on abo ut Sr. Paul, or t he Pope. "How could you have m isled me ?"
cries Neptune. Yet Rajneesh's "med iums" were as eage r fo r sex wi th th e
m aster as the master was for sex with t hem ; and th eir own mot ives were
hard ly in nocent, gi ven all we have learn ed about Neptune's O ed ipal lean-
ings. W isdom lies not in da mning th e failing s of th e g uru- and in
Ra jneesh's case th ose failin gs are many and obvious- bur in recogn ising
the ove rpowering long ing for redem pt ion , spiritua l and infant ile at the
same ti me, wh ich led so ma ny peopl e to volunt arily rel inq uish any ind i-
vidual sense of self-wort h and self-d etermination. When is th e g uru truly
en lig hte ned , and when is he or she as wounded and lost as th ose who
crowd into the ashram seeking salvat ion ? And are these th ings m utually
exclu sive? And does it matt er anyway?
Perhaps the only answer to th ese q uestio ns lies in how on e copes
with one's own N eptune, Those indiv idu als who passed th roug h t he
Rajneesh experi ence wi th positi ve results o utnumber those who emerged
feel ing mani pulated an d injured . Ultim at ely th ose who S[[OVe to deal with
th eir own dependen cy issues were in a posicion to extract what was worth-
whi le, while find ing th e stren gth to ext ricate th em selves when roo mu ch
was asked of th em . O r, put another way, the y sim ply g rew up , and we re
able to view Rajneesh and his teac hings from a more ob ject ive perspective,

36. Feuerstein, IIvly MaJnm , p . 69 .

 T H f f l OTfR IC N f PT UN f - 253

w ithout hav ing to u t terly de ny whateve r value t hey fou nd in it. This is t he
archetypal process of sepa rati ng fro m t he d ivine pa rent , w it h all th e
inevitable d isill us ionme nt of discovering chat this caretake r, far from
bei ng an immo rtal and o m n ipo ren r sou rce of life , is simpl y a perso n w it h
failings . who got som e th ings right and ochers wro ng . Ir is possible chat
o ne of th e challeng es of Neptun e is the necessity o f learning that , in the
end , we cannot blam e o ur g urus, messiah s, and polit ical leade rs for our
m isery ; for it is we wh o have chosen th em and th en b li nd ly foll ow ed , with-
out su fficient individual evaluati on of the ir teachin gs and pol ici es. When
our guru s fail us , we di smember them . But then we are left with our
ancient hunger and our remarkable capacit y to create yet another messiah
who can lead us back to t he Parad ise G ard en .
Th ere are sim ilarities betwee n Ra jneesh 's teachi ngs and the theor ies
of Ju ng and rransperson al psychology, as well as a m ore than passing
resem blance to elements of th e We stern my st ical trad iti on goi ng back to
th e spi ritual co m m u nes of the Midd le Ages. Part icularly ill um ina ting is
Ra jneesb's state ment th at :

You may have murdered, you may have been a thief, a robber, you
may have been a Hid er, a Ghenghis Khan, or some body, the: worst
possible, hue rhar doesn't make any difference . O nce you reme m-
bet yourself. the light is there and the whole past disappears
immedia tely) ?

Th is not o nly m irrors th e forg iveness ex te nded to the sinne r by Chr isc, but
also echoes Jung's di ct um that we mu st co nfront , and perhaps even act o ut
for a time, the darker d imension s of the personali ty in o rder (0 becom e
whole. Rajneesh understood the Western psyche and the problem of a
rampant Nep tun e far more astu te ly than is ge nerally realised . He mani p-
ulated his disc ipl es shameless ly. But he also poss essed enough vision [0
create wombl ike co nt ainers in wh ich lo nely, lost , and damag ed so uls co uld
find co ntainment and protect ion unt il they were capable of taking g reater
responsibili ty for the ir o w n lives. Th e darker, more d estruct ive el em ents
with in t he ashram s, and w it hin Rajneesh him self, a te unmistakabl e an d
repug nant. But were th ese com munes trul y less moral or effect ive th an the
wards of the local psy chi atric hosp ital, where the onl y solu tio n to
N eptune 's woes lies in enforced medi cat ion and even ECT co numb the
te rri fied desperation of the psychologically unborn' And was Rajneesh

37. Rajneesh , T"nlra: Tht Sltpr"nt Unb Jla ndi ng (Poe na. IndIa: Rajneesh Foundation.
19n ). q uoted in Hf)'] M"d ntJI. p . 6~ .
2 54 - T H[ AIT RO LO GICAL N EPTU NI AND T HE Q Ui l T f O R REDE'IP T fO N

tr ul y more au tocrat ic and inflated than cert ain org anic ally orien ta ted psy-
ch iatr ist s wh o, medi call y train ed b ur utt erly ign orant of the therapeuti c
en co un ter and the reali ty of th e un concious psych e. st ill believe in an
absolu te defin irion of normaliry? The old concept nf asylum (from th e
G reek , meaning "inviolable"), as a place of proceccion from the da ngers of
th e ou tside world, can no longer be ap pl ied [0 ou r psych iatric in srit ur ion s
by any st ret ch o f t he im agina tion. as th ey are de sig ned (Q keep t he sick in
rathe r than t he wo rld our. Yct oft en a ram pant Nep tune, wi th irs
chameleon-like range of psycholo gical probl em s, can ben efit enorm ously
from the exper ience of asylum- an ark in whi ch the fraug hr passage inro
an independe nt person ality can rake p lace wi t ho u t th e censu re of {he ou t-
side world . It is a fun damenr al tenet of psychotherapy thar much of the
he aling occu rs beca use th e clien t or pa tie nt can expe rien ce in t he t herapis t
the non judgem enral parenr he o r she could nor find early in life. W har we
have never had , we cont inue to lon g for. In the womb of th e Rajneesh
ashram, dev o id of boundaries and tolerant of every dark ext reme of hum an
behavio u r, many experienced an un condition al accep tance of th e infanr
th ey had bee n and , on some level , still were.
There wer e Ra jneesh d iscip les wh o cou ld nor leave t he womb. It is
easy to b lame him for ma nipulat ing these fragile sou ls. Yet th ey would no
doub t have rejected life anyway , w ith or w it hout Rajneesb -c-alr hc ug h th ey
m ight have been far more d est ru crive to th em sel ves and to o t he rs if hero-
in, crack , or alco ho l, rather than rh e ashram, had been the only N eptu n ian
subs tances availab le . And wh o can say whet he r Rajn eesh 's cla im to
en lig h ten me nt was true or false ? The peak experie nce may fade away, and
rranspersonal states are, like Neptune, flu id and p rone to van ish in th e
o rdi nary cou rse of living . Neptune's visions of oneness are not carved in
grani te , but are written in wate r. .M oreover, th ei r recip ients do not com e
exclus ively fro m th e ran ks of t he nice and norma l. The un an im it y of d ress
and lifestyl e within th e ashram also fed N eptune's hun ger for fusion in
pr ecisely th e same way th at fashion tr ends do ; such visibl e uniform ity cre-
ates a sense of emotional con nectedness wi th a vast internat ional family of
fell ow seekers and suffere rs. W hen we arc in uniform , we arc no lon g er
alone; we belong . \'V'irh th e passage of N eptune through Cap ricorn , we
have g row n mo re soph ist icated about what t he g u ru migh t offe r.
Ren eg ad e sp iritual seer s and cu lts always have and always will be with us ,
bur we seek our redempt ion now und er different names, suc h as "co m m u-
ni ty spi ri t" and "t he caring society," As N eptune moves int o Aquarius we
will no d ou bt find new g urus, d ressed in po li tica l and scienti fic ga rb,
th rou gh wh ose en lig h te ned wisdom we can pu rsue "the si lver apples of the
m oon, the golden apples of th e su n."
 Chapkr 8

NEPTUNE AND GLAMOUR

Fashion. Ihough Folly'J ,hild, and guidt o[[ooh,

Rules e'en the wisest, and in learning ruin
-GEORGE CRAB BE

ashion, like Neptune's waters,

is forever in flux . Ir is virtuall y
im possible 10 pred ict fashion,
for it is made of the scuff of
dreams and can vanish as magi -
cally as it appeared, giving way
[0 another, equally inexpli cable fashion . Sociologists may make relevant
obse rvatio ns abou t the econ omi c, pol it ical , or social (actor s whi ch lie
behind why vast numbers of people should, for no apparent reason, spen d
their hard-earned money on a ce rtain style of garment , regardless of
wh ether it loo ks good on them or nor ; and then dis card the treasured talis-
man because a new fashion has come along as imperative and soul-con-
sumi ng as the previou s year's was in its rime . Th e advent of the m iniskirt
in the 1960s, for example, was part of a much broader social movement
toward greater sexual expressiveness . Astrologically this broader context
was reflected not only by Neptune's transit through Scorp io, but also by [he
powerful conjunc t ion of Uranus and Pluto sexrile Neptune wh ich occu rred
during that decade . BUI sociolog ists do nOI usually have access 10 such
inside informatio n. Th e soci olog ical perspect ive only touches the surface of
the en igma of fashion ; and trends can be linked co external factors suc h as
econom ic booms and recessions only in a synchronistic, rather than a causal,
way. Why sho uld sexual freed om sudde nly become fashionable when, only
a few years befo re, virginity was the sine qua non before marriage? And why
should a particu lar "look : ' such as the m in iskin , convey that statement of
freedom berrer than some ot her, equally erotic look ? And-perhaps mos t
25 6 - T HE ' STRO' O G IC" "' EPT U NI " 'D T HI O UIS T l O R REDEMPTIO N

im ponant ly for ou r exp loratio n of N epr une-c-why do so ma ny ordin arily

sensible people beco me infec ted with an overwhelm ing com pulsion to par-
t icipat e in thi s m ass longing to share in the fashi o nable dream ?
Fash ion is freq uen tl y th e -su b ject of mockery, part icu larly by th ose
who feel impe lled to forcibly assert indiv idualit y in (he face of the collec-
rive. Yet ind ividual ism can itself be fashion able, which ma ny ind ivid ual-
ists fail to appre ciat e. The reader may recall that w ry wisdo m po rtrayed in
a part icu lar scene in Monry Python', Lif' of Brian, whe re hu nd reds of peo-
ple , cro wd ed o u ts ide the door of t heir chosen me ssia h's abode , cham in
uni son , "W e are all ind ivid uals !" Fash ion m ay also be an o bj ect of co n-
temp t amongst th ose who cons ide r th emselves in tel lectually, spi ritual ly, or
morally above su ch mea ning less, banal, or selfish t rends . Yet bei ng ideo-
logi cally op posed [0 fashi on is also, in certain ci rcles, fashionable acco rd-
ing to th e te nets of th e ideology, and makes t he same k ind of sta tem ent of
collective membershi p as th e Armani sui t or t he G ucci scarf d o in
London 's Sloan e Square. Reject ing fash ionable makeu p and clo t hing on
suc h grou nd s pr oduces a curiously unifo rm brigade of fashionable unfas h-
ionables wh o tend to look as mu ch like each othe r as do the overd ressed
manneq uins on a cat walk. Ultim ately we are all infected by fashion in one
way or anot her, wh eth er we reject it o r em b race if. Pol icies and relig ion
also fo llow fash ion , al t houg h chose possessed of t he absolut e t ru tb at any
po int in time may be reluct ant to adm it that th e energy wh ich fuels t he ir
convict ion is drawn from an ever-chang ing collective participation myniooe.
Astrology, itself, has go ne in and out of fash ion at various epo chs of histo-
ry, and th ere are fashio ns with in astro logy, tOO, that dicta te wheth er th e
student wi ll ru sh ou r ro buy a copy of W ill iam Lilly, plu nge into J un g ian
analysi s, or str ugg le to learn ancient Greek .
Fash ion, like wate r, slides awa y when one tries to define wherein its
mysterious po wer lies. W ho sta rts a (fend ? Who dec ides whether a certai n
hemline , colou r, makeup technique, hairst yle, song , film , or novel will sell
to mill ions ? And if suc h a magi cian can be found, wherein does his o r her
power lie? H ow do certai n indi viduals, be th ey d ress d esigners, filrn-rnak-
ers, music ians or writers, "know" th at [ uranic Park wi ll be the film of
199 3, while James Bond is past his sell-by d ate? Blam ing (he advertisi ng
indust ry for "caus ing " (he success of a part icu lar product is absu rd; adve r-
tisi ng is fash ion 's mouthpiece, not its creator. Ad vert ising , too, is subject
to t he di ct ates of fashion--one has on ly to watch a series of television ad s
from t he last t h ree or four d ecades ( 0 obse rve how th ey echo th e chang ing
mel od ies of t he P ied Piper's call. No amou nt of advertising , how ever m uch
th e market is flood ed, will force peopl e to buy what doe s nor ma ke t heir
heart s sing ; and clever adv ert isers mu st be possessed of an int uit ion as for-
 " EPTUN ! AND GLAMO UR - 25 7

midable as the creati ve indi viduals wh o de pend upon advert ising cam -
paigns to dis sem inate their creat ions. When W~ try to grasp th e bones of
fash ion they melt away like N eptu ne's dream s. Yet th ose industri es d epen-
dent on fashi on-parcicularly clothi ng , cosm et ics, film .and po p ular
mus ic-generate vast and extremely tan gible piles of cash wh ich have
m ade those wh o stumble u pon th e Melusine's secre t weal thy beyond thei r
wildest d reams .
While th e t erm fashi on mig ht seem demea ning wh en used to
de scribe rel ig iou s or spi ri tua l m ovem ent s, neverthele ss we can obse rve
th e powerfu l dy na mi c of m ass psychologi cal identification at wor k
behi nd t he rap id sp read of any cult or re ligious movement . During th e
reigns of the Anto ni ne emperors in the 2nd cent u ry C.E., redeem er-c ul ts
were in fashion . At prese nt, sp iritual chan nelling is fashi onable in some
American circles, while fundamental ist C h risti an ity is fash ionable in
others. W hen o ne is emot ionally ident ified with a parti cula r collecti ve
viewp oint , it is offensive to hear it called a fashio n. Yet anyone who has
atrended a gi ant pop concert such as Woods rock will recogn ise in th e
hyst e rical ecstasy of rh e audi ence some t h ing clo se ly ak in [0 the hyster ia
wh ich occ urs at many po li t ical rall ies and reli g ious g ath erings .
Ind iv id uals cease [0 be ind ivid ual. T hey no longer have an opi nion ; th ey
are possessed by the opi nion.
Th e relationship between the pop star and the guru is a close one.
Alt hough we may not recogn ise, in our decision to pur chase a rugged pair
of Levi jeans, N ep tu ne's unmistakab le long ing for red empt ion th rough
identificati on with some vani shed Satu rruan G olden Age of the Wild
West, nevertheless it is of a piece with other sym bolic objects and
images- N eptunian tal ismans- wh ich belong to our dreams of salvatio n.
T he "period" count ry cottage with thatched roof and roses ent wi ned
around th e door does not, as Neptu ne conti nues its passage thro ug h
Capricorn , make us th ink abou t th e cost of insuring thatch, the proble ms
of ill-fin ing windows and lack of pro per insu lat ion, the recalcitrance of
plann ing officials, o r the necessity of spraying th e roses every fort nigh t
aga inst b lacks po t and g reenfly. It prom ises Parad ise regained . P ropert ies
such as the se, desp ite the high COSt of th eir renovati on and maint enan ce,
have never been in such demand in the Brit ish housing market as they are
now.' Such fashionable d reams cha nge the ir ima g ery, if no t thei r fu nd a-

1. At [he t im e of wricing . dis cern ing b uild ers all over Bne ain. watch ing pr ospecnve bu y-
ers turn ing t heir backs on m odern h ousing estates with all mod , cons. , h ave now raken co
recr ean ng "t radiuonal-st yle" new ho mes using tradit ional m ate rials, suc h as Coeswc ld
stone and recycle d Vict ori an bricks
25 8 - THE ASTROLO GICA L NEPT UNE AND T HE O UIS T f O R REDEMPTION

men ta l em ot ional conte nt , roug hly coincident with Nept u ne's t ransit
t hro ugh th e d ifferen t zodiacal sig ns. Al t houg h we w ill alway s yearn and
dream , th e symbolic fo rms th rough wh ich th e red eem er beckons shift and
shape-c hang e and rake on, for a t ime, th e su bstance of Leo 's noble
Arrh urian vision, Virg o's self-effac ing humi lity and id ealisatio n of servi ce ,
Lib ra's d ream of perfect love in a per fect and conflict-free society, Scorp io's
transforma rive passion and [lirr ar ion with d eat h , Sagitta rius' evolution ary
op cim ism and quest fo r u n iversal knowledge, o r Cap rico rn 's lo ng ing for
th at van ished G olden Ag e, twent y or fifty or a hu ndred th ousand yea rs
ago, wh en we all kn ew wh at was right and what was wrong. and there was
no "yob cu lt u re," and g iant shoppi ng malls did not mar t he pest icid e-free
land scape of Eden .
Fash ion is t he m arketp lace exp ression of th at elusive q ualit y we call
glamo ur, W hen we try to be fash ion ab le, we hope {() become g lam oro us .
G lam our belongs (Q Neptu ne , and is as diffi cu lt to define, G lamo u r
enc hants us; t he word itse lf is a corrup tio n of th e M idd le English gramaryt
o r mag ic, wh ich hol ds us in irs spe ll. T he g lamour of th e acto r, th e po p
sta r, the cha risma tic politician or the football hero is su b tle, inv isible, and
not rep roducible t hroug h any artifi cial means. O ne ca nnot consciously cre-
ate g lamo u r; th e aud ien ce may be po li te but d oesn 't buy tickets ne xt t ime .
Like fash ion, g la mo ur, too , d epends u pon t he uilgei' l of t he epoc h.
Cop yi ng a star's hairstyle, c!orhing , makeup, or man ner will not gi ve us
g lamour, alt houg h the enormous p rofits ge nerated by th e clothing and
cosmet ic indus tr ies are test im on y to the fact th at , even t houg h we k no w
thi s, we con ti nue [0 put ou r faith in t he impossib le.
G lamo u r is not Iim ired to yout h. Like Shak espea re's C leopa tra :

Agt cannot WIth" ber, nor custom stale

HtT infinttt J a rlft) .2
l

G lam our is also ambivalent. An im portant d im en sion of irs po wer is that,

like Nep t une , it cont ains apparen tl y irrecon cilabl e op posi tes , Good ness
and bad ness , in noce nce and co rrup t ion, sp irit ua lity and carnality flu id ly
cha nge p laces within o ne nat ure. Reall y nice peo p le are not us ua lly g lam -
orous. O nce ag ain, Shak espea re's C leopa t ra offers us insigh t in to t h is pa ra-
d ox:

. . . Dtber U'omtncloy
The 0PPt/;/tJ they/ted. but sbr "10k" hungry

2. Th is and [he lines chat follow are from Shakespeare's A n/u,,) and Clt upal ,.a . An II, Scene
ii , lines 23~ -239 , in The Cumpltf( lJ'v,.kr u! V7t11w fI Shaknptar, (London: Octo pus Boob ,
Ltd ., 1980)
 N EPT U NI AND GLAM O UR - 2~ 9

Whtr't most Jht Jal is/ itl : f or nlot things

Become rhtmJt/wJ in ber.

Glam our is also not based upo n physical beauty , although sexual charis-
ma is often a majo r aspen of it. But the erotic fasci natio n of the trul y
g lamorous is not eas ily d efined . Man y g la morous people are any thing bu t
physicall y attractive in the co nventional sense . The g lamo ur of the late
Aristotle Ona ssis, for examp le, cannot be arrrib u red co any cla im co clas-
sical good look s; in most photog rap hs an d film footage he strongl y resem-
bled a toa d who had not yet been k issed by th e right princess . Yet a great
many wom en- includ ing gl amorous ones such as Maria Call as and
J acqu eline Kennedy-found h im sexually fascinating, and his wealth was
nor a su fficie nt explanatio n for the pot ency of the spell he case.
T he impact of t wo of th e m ost g lamo ro us ico ns of th e lat e 19 50 s,
Elvis Pr esley and Br igi tte Bard or (wh o rose to fame in 19 56, ju st as
Ne ptune entered Sco rpio), ca nnot be d ism issed simply by calling them
beau riful or sexy. Many acto rs and singers are beautiful and sexy. b u t have
vanished w ith ou t trace afte r one pe rformance or one hit so ng . Presley
cou ld look horribl y seed y, particu larl y as he gm o lder, Bard ot in her you t h
was m ore feral than classically beaut ifu l. T ry ing [Q defin e t he elusi ve
quality wh ich made these two peopl e so g lamo rous is ex t re me ly d ifficu lt.
In pan , we mus t look t o th e prevailing N eptune transit (Q un derstan d
what fascinated the pu blic, for the unexpecte d popu larity of a new star is
usuall y related co the newly eme rging co lle ct ive fantasies of whi ch that
scar is an e-mbodi m en r. Th e sex ap peal or
bo th Presley and Bard o r w as
related to their o ven , agg ressive, so me what shady and slig hdy crue l sex-
ual aura, wh ich ful fill ed the dream s of the collect ive as N eptune moved
out of Libra and into Sco rpio. Both stars hi nted at coarseness, amorality,
the breaking of taboo s, and the possibi lity of sadistic and masochist ic ele -
merit s in the ir croci , e ncounters. Bar d o rs first b ig film, And God C ,.taud
Woman. identified her wi th the re m prress who goc Adam , and the w hole
human race , into te rribl e trouble. Presley conquered bo th hearts and
groins all ove r the world with his port rayal of a convict in the film
j ailhouJt Rock.
Th e airy eroti cis m of Libra, root ed in an amb ien ce of postwar fairy-
ta le p rett iness and eleg ant charm, had worn itself Out by the mid- 50 s, and
t he collect ive lon g ed for so met h ing with a bit mor e punch . Redemption
no w required a fall en an g el. If sex appeal is an ele ment of glamour, we
need to look nor on ly at the g lamo rous ind ividual's Neptu nian gift (or
m irroring the secret erotic fant asi es of the collect ive; we also need to
understa nd how it refl ect s the archetypal clu ster of feeling s and images
rep resen ted by (he zodia cal sig n th rough wh ich Neptune is pass ing .
26 0 - T H E ASTR O LO GI CAl N [ PTU"' I AND THE O UE~ l f OR RIDEMPTI O N

Pr esl ey, for example. had the Su n trin e Nep tu ne in h is bi rt h chart, wi t h

Jup it er in Scorpio sex rile bo rh .? At t he height of h is caree r, th e transi ting
Uranu s-Pluto con ju nc t ion in Virgo moved onto his N cprune and trined
hi s Su n , whil e tran sit in g Nep tu ne. sext ile to the rran siring Uranus-Plu ro,
con ju nc ted his Jupiter in Sco rp io and sext iled hi s na ral Sun , Thus th e
pow erful co nfig u ra t ion in [h e heave ns, refl ect ing t he uitgeiIt of (he 60s,
al igned with h is nata l co nfig ura t io n, and he eme rged from t he obscuri ty
of drivi ng a truck co be come one of (he ch ief person ifica tion s of g lam ou r
in h is t ime.
Glam ou r is intima te ly bound up wi th th e capa city (Q intuit and po r-
tray feeli ng s and images wh ich are uni ve rsal, cyclically repeati ng , and ful-
fill the u nconsciou s dream s and long ing s of the co llective psych e at any
g ive n epoch, G entlem en in th e age of Rubens would hardly have fou nd
Twiggy g lamo rous; she wou ld simply have seemed starved or in th e throes
of some terribl e wast ing di sease, W e no longe r find th e heavily jowled,
p ast y-faced ladies of rhe Geo rg ian age g lamoro us; they look to us like
Ki ng Ed ward poraroes in lace, In rh e 194 0s everyone smoked and d rank,
and it was thoug ht g lamoro us to behave like Hu m ph rey Bog art and be
louche. N ow t he smo ke r has beco me a leper, the M arlbo ro Man is antisocial
and illicitly app rop riates N H S fun d s, and it is gl am oro us to be so sq ueak-
ing ly clean and po li rically co rrect th at on loo kers are bli nde d by th e da zzle
of the ha lo's lig h t.
N epru ni an s a re ofte n ex tre mel y g lamo rous to th ose of t heir own
epoch . This te lls u s noth ing ab out t heir real identit y, their val ues, t he
de gree of pe rsona l integrit y rhe y possess , or th eir mo tives, opini ons. a nd
be liefs. They are g ifted a t lUning in to wha t the worl d need s th em (0 be,
and m irror ing it in precisely th e way a small b ab y m irro rs th e un spo ken
needs and expec rarions of the mother. These collec t ive need s ch ang e
acco rdi ng to rhe e ra, but t here w ill alway s be peop le who have the capac-
ity to pe rso n ify them . Some ti mes thi s m agi cal Nept u nia n gift is com -
bi ned wirh real and eve n aweso me talent . So meti mes it is lik e th e sto ry
of th e Em peror's clothes. N eptune is not an in d icato r of tale nr in t he birch
chart, bur rath er, a statem ent orthe po we r to arou se ot hers' dream s. We,
th e d ream ers , d eepl y tou ched becau se our own Nep tu nes are vib ra t ing in
sym pa t hy, do not care to kn ow wh ar is be hind th e g lamorous im ag e ou r or
idol s; nor d o we ap pl y th e sam e di scr iminat ion as we m ig hr to other, less
da zzlin g public fig ur es, Strip rhe g lam ou r away and rhe p ub lic a re disap -
po inted in t heir da rling; let the actor, t he poli tic ian , t he gu ru, rhe ar risr,

3. Brrrh dara (rom J. M , Ham son. ed .. FrJ/(1t,. j C"mptn J ilim IJf N at n-nus (Londo n' L M
Fowler & Co.• 1980,) p. 2 37 .
 N EPT UN E AND G LAMO UR - 261

or the mem ber of t he royal fam ily reveal ordi na ry human fai lings , need s,
and foib les , and the response is not compassion but rage . Th is is wh y, in
part, we feel im pe lled to bl ood ily dis m embe r ou r glamorous Neptun ian
ido ls, lik e the Tit ans did D ion ysus, when we sme ll th e od our of fallibili-
ty. l e is also, in turn, the reason why Neptune's chi ld ren wit tingly or
unwi ui ng ly pe rpet ua t e their ow n myths, even if it ne cessitates de cei t fu l
me an s; for they know well char it is nor understanding but savagery that
will be unl eashed if they, lik e P rospero, b urn th eir magi c boo ks.

Glamour by Transit:
80 years of Neptune through the Signs
N EPTUNE TRANSITS TH RO UGH LEO: Sep tem be r to December 191 4 ,
Ju ly 19 15 to March 191 6 , May 191 6 to Sep tembe r 1928, and February to
July 1929.

Maisie was horrified when she saw the new boyish li ne in 1923!
But she managed it at th e COSt of her health and looksl'l

The horror of t he First W orld War sharrered existing social values and
tr an sformed conve nt ional sexual roles . Many women broke with the pas t
and pu rsued new dream s and goals, and th ose seeking a life outside th e
home wer e encouraged by t he succ ess of the s uffrag erres . W om en had
proven th e ir worth du ring t he war; trad it ion al feminine pre occupat ion s
were questio ned in t he face of a g rowing emphasis on individual self-
exp ression ..Marg aret Sanger and M ar ie Sropes cam paig ned for wide r access
to bi rth cont rol. Marr iag e was no long er inevi tab le, for one in seven men
in Brit ain had been killed in th e war. Pol it ical con sciousness and a st imu-
lating working life were dee m ed attract ive alternatives to marriag e. Man y
wom en chose to express t heir new em ancipation t hr ough dressing as much
like men as poss ible , in smoking jacke ts , waistcoa ts, neckt ies, and tailore d
suits . The imag e was meant to convey streng th, po wer, and ind ivid ual ity.
The p revai li ng st raig ht , sim p le line eventuall y led to what Vogu, descr ibed
as "a rage for th e proper culture of [h e body, and the determ inat ion of
modern wo m an to look as yourhfu l as she can ."? Sunbathing in revealing

4 . Angus W ilson. FIJ1' Whum Iht C/lKht TIJ/IJ. quoted in Jane Mulvagh. VOgNt H IJIIJr') of 20th
C(fIt" ? FaJh,un (Lond on: Viking Press, 1988 ), p _48 .
5. Ja ne Mulvagh, VagNt HiJlory 0/ 20lh ( t nt" ? Fasbion, p. 52 .
2 62 - T Hf AST RO LO GIC AL N1 P TU N f " -, U 1 l1f G UI l T f O R RfD lMPTI O N

swimw ear became a craze , and th e couture evening froc k becam e almost
excl us ivel y a dan ce frock or coc ktail nut fit-c--d iap hano us , figur e-revealin g ,
extremely decollete, and, above all. a garment (0 have fun in. Obvious the-
atrical makeup was worn and even appl ied in public. Breast s were ban-
daged out of sight, and short skirts focused atten t ion on hosiery and shoes.
Th e Brighr Young Th ings personified postwar morallaxiry, new decadence
and g liu ering individualism.
The war also gal van ised the fledgl ing Amer ican film ind ust ry into
actio n. Betw een 191 4 and 191 8 the mak ing of film s was, understa ndably,
no r very high on the li st of priorities for European countries . T hus by the
end of th e decade Hollyw ood was firml y established as rhe centre of th e
industry, and th e era of the great film stud ios was born . Hollywood in thes e
early days carried the aura of a royal enclave- an elite community of beau-
tiful , famous men and women , each ant' a sun around whom admi rers and
lackeys orb ited , all of w hom knew each ot her and ente rtained each other
lavishly at wild and extravagant panics. Stars were meant to look and act
like pr inces and p rincesses for th eir adorin g publ ic; and, like royalty, the
studios formed a feudal hierarchy amo ngs r themselv es wher e co rporate lo y-
alt y was paramount. After the war, European filmm akers bega n to wake up
as wel l. The Ge rman ex pression ist move ment in film , cul mi nat ing in The
Cabintt of Dr. Caligari. po rtrayed the extemalisarion of th e inner wo rld
w ith all its powerful em otions and fantasies . Wh ile N eptune in Leo
presided over the star-cult in Ameri ca, it fostered a different but equally
dramat ic kind of self-e xpression elsewhe re. The Russians, led by Eisen st ein
in his films S/rikt and The Ba//leJhip Potemhin, were de velopi ng advanced
techniq ues in film edi ting and montage, wh ich could co nvey emot ions
more pow erfully rhan tim e-bound linea r seq uences. Abel Ga nces g lorious
five-hour cinematic biography of Napoleon, one of history's best-know n
Leos, was fini shed in 1927, when transiting Neptune co n junc red the Sun
in Napoleon's birth chart and th e long-deceased Empe ror en joyed a g lam-
orous renaissance. Thi s film is the finest exam ple of the new silent fi lm
techn ique s, and is g ene rally con side red one of the bes t films ever m ade.
Finally, in [h e same year th at th e French epic was completed, the en ti re
industry was revolution ised when Warner Brother s launched talkin g pic -
tures wirh TheJazz Singer. As long as film s had been silent th ey were int er-
nationalJy com prehe nsible . Th e advent of so und brought with ir [he prob-
lem of d ifferin g lang uages; and each country bega n to develop irs own
highly indi vidual contributi on to the cinematic art.

NEPTUN E TRAN SITS THRO UGH VIR G O : Sept ember 1928 to February
1929,July 192 9 ro O crober 194 2, and April to Aug ust 194 3.
 N( PT UN { AN D GLAMO U R - 263

There are many pit falls. for every detail m ust be rig h t. . The
righ t shoes have to be- worn and also the necessary swank . You
must no r wear an African neck lace un less you wear it with an air;
you m ust be cocksu re in you r Saint T ropez shep herdess hat. You
m ust nor blush wh en your Led erh osen are remarked upon .v

As economic disas ter loom ed on the hori zon, hemlines d ropped and mod-
esdy covered p reviously p rovocative kn ees. The tall, slender, eleg ant ail-
houet re emerged as the ideal of fashio nable beauty. Linger ie and di screet
corset ry were essential [ 0 a smoo t h body lin e. Wom en roJled th eir sroc k-
ings over a g arte r rat her th an usin g th e d readed suspende r belt , whi ch
could cau se u nsig htl y bu mps under c1orhi ng ; perfect ioni sts had underga r-
ments made fo r each gown co avoid th e sligh test wrinkl e. Style ceased ( 0
be t he prerogative of t he pri vileged few, as magazines, newspapers, and
films co mmuni cated fash ion info rmatio n to all sections of society. In t he
United St ate s the ready-t o-wear ind ust ry bu rst int o flow er , an in g eni ou s
and practical Me rcurial respon se to th e fin ancial pin ch . Superbly tailored
women's su its co pi ed the im m aculate cu t and refi ned techniq ues o f Savile
Row men 's tailors. Lo nd o n coutu re develo ped a reputation fo r well-made,
p rac tical , casu al clothes . Econ om ic d epression and seve re unempl oyment
d ented the co u tu re in dust ry 'S profits, but througho ut the 30s the spo rts-
wear ind ustry was hug ely su ccessfu l, in recog n iti o n of a sho rte r work in g
week and g rea ter outdoo r ac t ivity. Aesthetically, fash io n ma rured-c-rrivi -
aliry, ex hibi t ionism an d ex t ravag ant fr ills were "ou r. " The clean, elegant
draperies of class ical G ree ce and the Fren ch Direccoi re we re revived for
eve n ing wea r. Ame rican VogUt ad vised th e new superwom an to be :

. a co m bi nacion of a fash ionab le beauty and a Byzant ine

Mad onna. _ . _ The b rave and clever face looks out with wisdom
an d eag erness at th e world of work. Toiler. sp in ne r, she neve rt he-
less ret ains the grace of a lily.?

Barry N orman com ment s that [he 19 30s rep resented [he go lden age of [he
Amer ican film ind ustry ." T he re was not mu ch European co m pet itio n :
German y, havi ng driven ou t or exte rminated m o st of its creati ve peop le ,
was increasingly abso rbed in making propaganda film s, and so was Ita ly.
France tried to establish an int ern at ional film festival at Can nes bur had to
wait unr il afte r the war. Th e great H oll ywood studios, runn ing like pow-

6. Cecil Beaton, qu oted in J ane Mulvag h, V"gMt lliJlfJ? /If 20th CrntM? Falhl /ln (Londo n"
Viking Press, 1988 ), p. 84 .
7 . V"gMt Il JJl/l? fJ! 2 01h Ct ntM? Falhiun. p. 88 .
8 . Barry Norman, 100 Best FrI",l uf lht e rnill') (London: Chap maru. 199 2). p_ 16
2 64 - T H E ~I TR OL OGI C~ L " EP T U N I ~" D TH E OU I I T l OR REDEMPTI O N

erfu l and effic ie nt m ach ines, co nt rolled th e ind us try, and films we re
devi sed w ith spe cifi c stars in mind : G able , Tracy, Cagney, Coo per, G arbo ,
Dav is, Crawford, and man y m ore. T hus tail or-m ad e li ke a Savi le Row sui t ,
th e sk illed , elega nt , st ylis h fil m s of this peri od-su ch as Gone with the
Wrnd-have fou nd their way on to eve ry list of fil m classi cs. Subtle and
int ricate pl ots m att ered ; Alfred H itc hcock p roduced T he Th irty-Nine Step,
and The Lady Vani,h" . Int ell ige nt and t ho ug h tfu l scripts matt ered ; novels
such as Wuthtring HeightJ were plundered for film mate rial. Virgoan inge-
nuit y and preoccupati o n w ith moral duty foun d their way not so m uch
into film t hem es (wit h, perhaps , t he nota b le excep t ion of The Wizard of
Oz ), as int o th e devel opin g craft of film m aking . H oll ywood becam e an
international melt ing -pot . import ing foreig n 3 ([ OeS, d irectors and produc-
e rs with true Mercurial ecl ectic ism . In Brita in, John G rierson made his
ow n co nt ribu t io n by founding the Brit ish docum entary mo vem e nt .

N EPT U NE TRAN SIT S T H ROUG H LI B RA : O crobc r 194 2 to Apr il 194 3,

Aug ust 194 3 to Decembe r 19 55 , an d Ma rch to Oc tober 19 56 .

Mind my du veryne d ress above all! It's gelded silvy, the newe st
sextones with p rincess erre-ct.?

\X1an im e aus te rit ies mad e any fashion ot he r tha n th rift and patrioti sm d is-
ti nctly un fashi on able . But d irect ly afte r the wa r, clot hing styles began to
pander to society 's yea rni ng for the peace and eleg ance associa ted wi t h [a
belle {poque, b y reviv ing th e Edwardia n style. In an und erstandabl e react io n
to the demand s of war, women now wanted to be perceived as deco rat ive
lad ies of leisu re. H igh lig ht ing thi s mood of romance, Vogue in 19 4 6 p re-
scored its co llect ions with backdrops modelled after Bouchard and
Frag onard painti ng s. Not on ly were fashio ns unas hamed ly p rett y; they
were also ex tre me ly fussy. All the littl e accessories rnarrered -i-corsers,
ope ra pumps, coc ktail hats, g loves and pa rasol s- and all had to be in ha r-
m o ni si ng co lo urs . D io r w as the morni ng star of t he fashio n world .
Britain's newly elec ted Labour gove rnme nt tri ed hard to co nv ince the
co unt ry that unnecessary luxury was unpatri oti c and was tefu l; but
N ep tu ne in Libra won. and D ior 's New Look was on the Briti sh stree ts by
th e end o f the decade . T hi s Ne w Look co incided wi th a ret urn ro th e tra-
dit ion al fema le lifestyl e of m arriag e and m otherhoo d . T he wasp-wai st ed,
b ig -breasted , w id e- hipped si lho uette procla imed t he fert ilit y of th e pos t-
war baby- boo me rs; wid e in nocen t eyes and chi ld ish rosebud m out h (o n-

9 . J ames Joyce , Finntgan ! U'-a.tt, qcored in Jane Mulvag h , VPgMt HiJtury Pi } Olh CtnIM')
FaJhi"" (Londo n: VIking Press, 19 MB), p . 12 2 .
 NEPT UNE AND G LAMO U R ~ 26 5

[Casted srarth ngty with vol uptuous Venusian form . T he co rset indus try
boomed as art ifice, like alche my, pe rfected what natu re had lefl imperfect:
an evening dress could vi rtually stand up on its own .
Under the Nazi occupa tio n French cine ma more or less stood st ill,
for every script had co be approved by G erman or Vichy censors. Germ an
cine ma, largely in t he hand s of Goebbels du ring th e war years , was, as
Barry Norman pu ts it, "Iit t le less than disguscing."1 0 But the use of film
as propaganda was by no mea ns uniq ue [Q Ge rmany. In Britain the ene my
was unashamed ly parodied in such film s as Tbe GOOIt Sup, Out, wh ile
rhrillers such as Tbe 49th Parallel were aimed ro help the war effort . Noel
Cowa rd 's In Whi ch W, S....., Caro l Reed 's Tbe Way Ah,ad, and O livie r's ren-
di tion of Shakespeare's Henry V ext olled Briti sh heroism and resil ience .
After the war, fil m stud ios cried [Q win back aud iences lost [Q the en tice-
ments of television, by pou ring the ir money into m usicals and epic s wh ich
made rhe world seem b rig ht and beautiful agai n. T he luscious (bur often
historically inaccurate) costu mes and set s for bi bl ical epics suc h as De
Mille's Tbe Ten Commandments and W yler's Bm Hur (where it was made
clear co audien ces t ha t God and nice people always triu m ph), comple-
mented th e luscio us frivol ity of Anni, G,t You, Gun , Oklahoma, Kill M,
Kau and Sm gin' in th, Rain. Qual ity of acting d id not really ma t te r, and
scripts often desce nded co new depths or banali ty. Visual spec tacle, bea u-
tifu l stars, and a sp lendid sound track were all that was requ ired, and Libra
the propagandis t became Libra the purveyor of delect able fantasies. From
Britain came all the me mo rable comedies-Kind Hearn and Coronets, The
Lavender H "I Mob, Whnkty Galore and The Man In tbe Whll' S UII. O ne was
reassured that ge ntlemen were gentlemen and lad ies we re ladies; and vil-
lains were always instantly recognisabl e, and invariably came [Q bad ends .

N EPT UN E TRAN SITS T HROUGH S CO RP IO : Decem ber 1955 co Mar ch

1956, October 19 56 CO Ja nuary 19 70 and May ro N ovember 19 70 .

Wow! Explode! The Sixties . It came to life in a pure, exaggerated,

crazed out, wham , wham, wow way. The Beat les, Hendrix, ) oplin,
the Velvet Underg round exploding so wonderfully. I I

In th e late 50s, fashion defi ed parems, society, and even gravity, The
miniskirt, born on the streets and climb ing its way into the couture salon s,
was an impassioned statement by yout h against its elders, ruthlessl y

rJf thl ( mtll'), p. 18.

10 . lO (J Btlt FtI"lJ
11. Bea y Johnson , qu oted anJane Mulvagh. Vogllt HiJtury 4 20Jh CVltll? FOJhio" ( Londo n:
Viking Press. 1988 ), p 238 .
266 - TH E ASTROlOGICAl N EPTUN E AND T HE (JU EIT fOR RWEMP T IO N

enc apsulati ng a new gene ratio n's ang er aga inst the hypoc risy and supe rfi-
ciality of the postwar years. Yo uth, as a m at ter of co urse, has always been
rebellious. But this part icul ar rebellion had an unmistakably Scorpion ic
slant. Why co uldn 't g irls look ag g ressively erotic and rake the sexual ini-
d at ive? After all , co ntracept ion was in their hands. Why should viol ence
and death be masked und er a pol ite ve neer, whe n every o ne knew what life
was really like ' The bear generation "d roppe d our " in Green wich Village,
em ula ting th eir idol s, J ack Keroua c, Wi lliam Bur rough s and Allen
Gi nsbe rg; in Paris depressed Exist entialists read Sante and Camus and
congreg ated on the Left Bank to questi on not onl y de Ga ulle's conser-
vatis m bur also existence itsel f. Fashion ph ot ography left the arid artifi-
ciality of the stu d io and moved on to the streets . In the m idst of thi s fash-
ion "yout hq uake" rock and roll burst forth with its cvertly sexu al beat ,
first in th e prov ocative bum -wr iggl e of Elvis Presl ey and later in a proli f-
eration of Pluconian pop g roups dedi cated co emo tional , sex ual, and nar-
co t ic excess. Tunes with tides such as Sympathy for the Devil and Nineteenth
Nervo us Breakdown repl aced Sweet Embraceable You. Many o f these musicians
(such as Jimi H end rix, Jim Morr ison, Br ian J ones, and J ani s J oplin) die d
from drug overdoses as Nep tune moved in to the las t degrees of Sco rpio
w it h a sting in its tail.
T he g lamour of sex, da ng er and death was also evident in the cinema.

By now rhe children of the postw ar baby boom had come of ci ne-
ma-going age and their tast es were not those of t hei r parents.
Th ese afrer all were rhe Sw ingi ng Sixties, an era of permissiveness,
demos, yout hful rebelli on and Vietnam , and this younge r genera-
rion was looking for film s that reflected the mood and emo tions
of the tim e. Penn caug ht that mood with Bonnie and Clyde. De nnis
Hopper with Eary Rider , Sam Peckinpah with Tbr Wrld Bunch,
Mik e N ichol s wit h The G raduate. G eorge Roy H ill w ith Butch
CaJJidy and the Sunda nce Kid. 12

Th e po uring, sul try Brig it te Ba rdor arrived, alon g with Marilyn Monroe,
J ayne Man sfield and a trou pe of eq ually pou ting , sultry Ital ian st ars such
as Cl audia Card inale, Moni ca Vitt i and Sophi a Loren. In Ital y, Felli ni
moved into his flamboyant period with La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2 and SatYr/ con.
Viscont i produced The Damned. The da rkly da ngerous appea l of th e Ja mes
Bond film s (beg inn ing wi th Dr. N o in 196 2) brough t mov ie st ardom to
the darkly dangerous Sean Connery, while Brit ish cinema produ ced such
bro odi ng classics as Look Back ill A nger and The Loneliness 0/ rhe Long

12. 100 Best F,bm tJ!rht Cenlury, p. 31 .

 N EPT UN ( A!\lO GLAMO U R . , 2 6 7

Distance Runner. In Sweden th e film ind ustry was dom inated by the enig-
mali c Ingmar Bergman , who , amongSl many other films, dire cted T hrough
a GlaJJ Darkly, Tbe Silmct, and [hal g<ealesr of Scorp ion ic cinemat ic
visions, Tbe Seventh Stat. In Ge rmany, Ra iner Wemel Fassbinder mad e an
energeti c emry in to the world of cinema with Low is Cold" than Death.
Also [r om Sweden came Vilgor Sjc man's I A m CuriouI: Ytllow, which was
so sexually expl icit that it was regard ed as virtually porn ographic. In
Amer ica, J ohn Schlesinger's M idnight Cowboy, in which Jon Voigt plays a
country boy com e co New York to offer sex for sale to lonely women,
became the first Xvr at ed film ever co win th e Academy Award .

NEP T UN E TRA NSITS TH RO UGH S AG ITTARI US: J anu ary to May 1970,
November 1970 to J anuary 1984 and June to Novem ber 1984.

Gend er-bending . Hu h! It 's a game. Young people undersrand that

to d ress like a tart- doesn't reflect one's moral srance-s-perhaps
th ose jolies madame: in little Chand suits are the real tarrs? I'm
offering equa lity of sex appeal. 13

T he "me" decade, as Tom Wolfe called it , com menced as N eptune looked

coward di sranr horizons. Fashion choice had become 50 wide that wom en
could d ress exactl y as they wanted , with no need for con sistency in self-
im age ; th e whole concept of "fashionable" was moving our of th e hands of
the couture houses and int o the hand s of anyone who wished to ma ke an
imag inative personal srarernenr. As N eptune moved int o Sagi tt ariu s, fash-
ion maga zines encouraged th e "gypsy" look. No t conte nt co dr aw on only
one ethnic source, Am er ican fashio n soug ht g lobal inspi ration , and skirts
could be an y leng th anyone liked as long as t hey were comfo rtab le. The
bra and th e corset , those gr eat artifi cial const ricto rs of th e fema le bod y,
began to disappear from fashion photog rap hy and event ually (rom
wom en's ward robes . M ix-and-ma tch classics alte rnated with do-n-yourself
ethnic style, ushering in a new era of relaxed and no-fuss d ressing. The
more ostentatious sig ns of wealth-large jewels, lavish fur s, and sho wy,
ext ravagant clorhes-s- were cast aside . Wilh a gro wing awareness of th e
thr eat to en da nge red species, fur became more and more unfashionable,
Int o th is newly enlightened world came the gu rus and esoteric cults of th e
197 0s, and fash ion became spiritual as sp irit uality became fashionabl e.
Female stars owed th eir appea l not merely to their faces and bodi es, but to
a pub licly procl aimed social and spiritual conscience. Shirl ey MacLain e

13. j ean -Paul Gaul ne r, q uoted In J ane Mulvagh, VllgMt fl tJlfJry II! 2fJl h Cm tMry FtlJhlfJ1I
(london : Vlkmg Press, 1988 ), p. 342.
268 - H H AST RO LOG IC AL MP TU " I AND TH I Q U il T f O R RID I ,\\PII O 'J

wrot e book s abo u t m ed it ati on a nd reincarnat io n , wh ile t he mu lt i-sexed

David Bowie earned fame a nd fortun e with an album called Ziggy StarduJI
and the Spiders [rom Mars.
C inem a embraced th e bou nd lessness of th e u n iver se an d t he im ag i-
narion . In 1975 the then 28- yea r old St even Spielberg , hi s nara l Sun in
Saginarius finely a rtuned co the incoming Neptunian trans it , direct ed
j aws, and a new an d much you nge r film audien ce was di scover ed , ag ed
berween 12 and 24 and not incli ned to penetr are t he g rear conu nd ru ms of
life.

. . T hey were interested neit her in subrexrs no r in po lit ical or

socia l messages; what t hey wan ted was an io n, excitement, th rills,
violence, sex and laugh s. 14

Jaws became the most lucrat ive film ever mad e- a tide, howeve r, which it
only held briefl y. G eorg e Lucas' take -home pay was even m ore ga lact ic
after t he world wide success of Ster Wan and its seq uels . It q uickl y became
clear [Q film makers in t hese ] up iter· str uck yea rs t hat if a film was g eared
[Q th e right aud ience- a you ng, thr ill-seek ing audi ence---one virt ua lly

had a licens e to print mon ey. The d irect or Peter Bogd anovieh des cr ibed
thi s pe riod as th e c ra of "t he juven ilisarion" of film. Incessant , restl ess
movem ent was passed off as an io n , and the staple de no uemen t of eve ry
th riller o r adventu re Sto ry was a wi ld chase or gene ral mayh ern . D The
celest ial PUtT" aeternus also p resided over t he era of t he e nd less sequel -Polia
Academy IV and Friday the Thirteenth VII- and th e ad vent ure b lock buste r
packed wit h special effects and slam -bang acrion -c-the "India na J on es"
trilog y, the Back 10 tbe Future tri logy, t he Superma n quartet , Gbostlsatrn,
GrNnlins and Romanci ng the St one. More th oug h tfu l cinema was al so p ro-
d uced , bu r inevi tably wi t h a un ive rsal or p hi losop hi cal sla nt : Cnppola's
Apocalypu N ow, W ood y Allen 's A nnie Hall, an d Spielbe rg 's CIa" Encounters
01 the Third Kind, followed by rh ar q ui nt essentia lly Sag it rar ian film of all
ri me (no t only in th em e b u t in profi r-it b rou gh t in $7 00 m illi on ), E. T.

NEP T UNE TRAN SIT S TH ROU GH CA PRICO RN : J anuary to J un e 1984 ,

Novembe r 1984 to Feb ruary 1998 and O ct ober to Decembe r 1998 .

Yesterd ay I saw a young wom an down in that stree t. She looked

very ch ic in her Chane! suit and the bu tto ns and the bag and th e
belt and t he shoes. And yet twent y years ago her mothe r was

14 100 8m FilmJ fJj lh t C t nl " r'), p . 32 .

15 . 1O() 8 m FilmJ fJj l ht C rnl flr'). p H
 dressed exactly the same, and her g rand mother fon y years before.
That's incred ible. You see, Chand understood what at t raction was
all abou c.16

"Power dressing " with enormous shoulder-pads arrived and expired as [he
world economy first boom ed and then crashed. T imeless, well-tail ored
classics from Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren, good for many years of
wear, replaced the annual extravag ance of a "new look"; and Caprico rn's
endemi c nostalg ia bega n to [u rn cout u rier eyes back toward the pase.
Un de rsta te me nt superseded dis play in o ther sphe res of life as well as d ress.
O ff-road veh icles , free-rang e eggs and organ ic g arde n ing became th e fash-
ionable statements of g reen consc iousness and the tradit ional count ry
life-even if peop le lived in th e cit y and never drove the ir "desig ner ta nk s"
anywh ere more challenging th an th e local st reets . "Natural" ing redie nts
mad e a product sell; the Body Sho p began to und er m ine t he profits of th e
g reat cosmetic houses . Economi c recessi on , combined with a g rowi ng con-
sciousness of world pove rty and ove rpopulation, made high fashion
unfashionable; it now seem ed self- indulge nt unless it was sim ple, d iscree t,
and ma de of natu ral fibres such as cashme re and silk. World leaders all
dressed in g rey su its and looke d uniforml y respectable . Th e "olde r
woma n" g ained a new g Jamo ur, spurred on by hormone replacem ent ther -
apy and Am erican soap series, such as Dallal and Dynasty; the expe rienced
charms of the self-sufficie nt fort y-plus, like a good wine, exercised mo re
sub tle and last ing appeal t ha n th e nub ile "b im bo" with litt le experience
and less brains; and in telev ision "sitcom" famil ies housewi ves were
replaced by work ing wives and dedi cated career wome n, imm aculately
Armani-c1ad, who made their chauvinist bosses look like foo ls.
In th e cine matic world, the b ubb le of the blockbuste r finall y bu rst
wi th the comi ng of [he recess ion. Th e old form ulae ceased to work; no one
knew any longe r how to predict a box office hit. Big advent ure s to ries. fan-
tasies, crime and g angs ter epi cs no longer appealed to the crowds. Barry
N orman wryly point s ou t that aud iences were no doub t becoming more
discerning as mone y goc righrer.! ? Merchant and Ivory cornered the O scars
with beau tifu lly crafted period pieces, such as A Room with a View and
Howard', End, recalling a lost Saturn ian G olde n Age; and Stephen
Spi elberg, as ever attuned to those inv isibl e Neptun ian currents, moved
effortlessly from the jup iterian wanderlust of Ind iana J on es t hro ug h t he

16. Moue Be ha n, qcored In J:.ne Mulv:.gh. Vug.., H m V') u! 2()th e m/Ii? Fa.hllHl (London:
Viking Press, 1988 ), p. 342.
17. 100 8m Films uf /ht Cmlliry. p_45.
27 0 - T H i ASTR O LO GICA L ~ r r TU " J( -\N O T H E O U ES ! ' O R RI D I .\1PT IO'J

paleolit h ic d eligh ts ofjurmJ;c Park and on [0 the deeply moving h isto ri-
cal pa tho s of Scbmdler', LiJI . Kevin Cos me r's Dances u,lth Wo/r!(J rew rote
Am er ican hi st ory with a m ore authent ic vo ice , as d id O liver Stone's earnest
JFK . The Silence of the Lambs m ad e us a ll aware of the psych opat h in ou r
m id st , whil e Ken Leach's 1994 prod uct ion of lAdybird, lAdybird m ad e us
all aware of the social se rvices in our m idst -wh ich some t imes am oun ts to
th e sam e t hi ng . In t hi s increasingl y socially conscious era of N ept u ne in
Caprico rn , Nor m an says:

. . at the star r of t he decade [the 1990s] ir was ce rtain ly not ice-

able that t bere had been some kind of atr emp t to reflect a mor e
caring at ti tud e tow ard peop le... at least it 's an improvem ent on
the ever-escalat ing violence and in ma ny cases the greed -is-good
ethos of r he po pu lar successes of th e 19805. 11'1

N or man also suggests that one of th e most int e rest ing develop m en ts of
recent yea rs is the for ceful em ergence of b lack fil mm ak ers inca Am eri can
cine m a. In 19 91 th e re were n inetee n bl ack film s in prod uctio n in
Am eri ca- b lack d irecto rs, actors. wr iters a nd o fte n pr od ucer s-c-r eprescn r-
ing m ore t han had been m ad e in th e wh ole of the p revio u s d ecade, Sp ik e
Lee and h is follow ers have create d film s whi ch po rt ray t he cu lt u re, pr ide
and problem s of b lack peop le in Am e rica Ok S perceiv ed by b lacks rhe m -
selves, and nor by "p in k and wh ite H oll ywood libe rals" wirh to ke n black
acto rs wh o del iver som eon e else's li nes. It is p rob abl e, as Nept une com -
p le tes its transit t hroug h Ca p ricorn , tha t t he sam e ph en om en on will occu r
wit h ot he r racial and et h ni c groups in Eu rope as we ll as Am eri ca. T h is is
the era of cinem a nor only as Mer ch ant and Ivory period nosralgi a, b ur also
as a tr en cha nt observa t ion of soc ial reali ry without alleg iance [0 an y par-
t icular po li rical part y plat form . It is [0 be hoped t hat p re-m ill en nial pa n ic,
with its att e nd ant ex trem e responses to co llect ive p roble ms, w ill not ab o rt
t he creat ive chi ld ren th is new c inem a is bring ing to bi rt h .

Glamour as a Destructive Force

F ash ion and ci nema , as well as popu lar m usic, are visib le collect ive m an-
ifestation s of Neptun ian g lam our. They are more t han m ere ligh r-h ean ed
entert ain me nt or na rcissisti c sel f-ind ulg ence. T hey are a necessary cu rren t
in whi ch we im m erse ou rselves [0 experience un it y with t he coilecti ve of
ou r ow n ti m e. They are the m ou t hp iece of ou r u nexp ressed d reams. Bu t
g lamou r is de eper and mo re am b ig uous even t han this . In 1950 Al ice

l B. t ao Bn t FilmJ IJj /ht e m/u,." p . ~o_ Bu ckets mine

 '\" EPTU i'.:[ A0.D Gt " "'10 U R ... 2 71

Bailey wrote a book called G lamour: A World Prob/em. I ') Alrh ough Bailey's
work reflects he r pa rt icular sp iritual ap proach. nevert heless he r ideas about
g lamo u r are won h perusing becau se th ey h igh lig ht many N eptu nia n
issues in an ext rem ely conc ise (albeit negative) way. Accord ing to Bailey,
g lamo ur is a da ngerous and corru pt ing quali ty whi ch m ust be eradi cat ed
or t ranscen ded be fore real sp iritu al insight can be g ained .

One of the ap test sym bols by which one can gathe r some pictu re
of th e nat ure of g lamour is to pictu re th e astr al plane. .. as a land
sh rouded in a thi ck fog of varying den sit ies. The ordinary light of
th e ord inary man, which is sim ilar to the headlights of a car and
t heir self-sufficient blaze, serves only (Q intensify th e problem and
fails to pene tra te into the mis ts and the fog . . . . The condit ion of
fog is revealed - bur th at is all. So it is on th e astral plane in rela-
t ion to g lamour ; t he light which is in man, self-ind uced and self-
ge nerated , fails ever (Q penetrare int o or to dissipa t e t he g loom
and the foggy m iasm ic cond irions. T he only lig ht which can d is-
sipare the fogs of gl amour and rid the life of irs ill effects is t hat
of t he soul. . . 20

Bailey's vie w of g lamo u r is pecul iarl y ant i- Nept u ni an. des p ite th e fact that
many of he r follower s in t he last fou r de cades have respon ded wi th charac-
teri sti c N eptun ian de voti on to th e vision of redem pt ion she offers. H er
wricing s have t hem selves become sp irim ally gl am orous. in a m anner she
herself deride d , N evertheless she is un compromi sin g abo ut th e relatio n-
sh ip bet ween g lamou r and emo rio nal need , and th e ex teut to wh ich we
m us t suspend ou r pow ers of int ellect ual di scr im inat ion in order to respond
ro th e call of g lam ou r.

G lamour and emo tio n play int o each ot her's hands and feeling
runs so st rong usually in relat ion to g lamour thar it is im possibl e
to bri n ~ in the lig ht of knowledge with ease and eff('([iveness. 2 1

Desp it e Bailey's condem nat ion , it is possible (0 enjo y gl amou r-c-one's own
or tha t of ot he rs- wi t hout eit her fall ing into a da ng erous enc hant ment or
violen tl y ripp ing eve ry sh red of mag ic from one's life. We need g lam ou r
because it tr anspo rt s us int o t he myth ic world . where colou rs are b rig h te r,
feelings are m ore in te nse, and life has a qu ality of lum inosit y a nd beauty
wh ich com pensa' es for th e dr ear ine ss and difficu lry of ord ina ry dai ly su r-

19 Al.u · A. lJ ;u l ~ y, G la mour: A WQrlJ PnJhltttl (Lond on: LUCli Press Lrd.}, 19')11
20 G/~ ",,,ur: A Vl'vrIJ PrtJblt", . p 139 .
21 G/~ ", ,,u r :" !J.',,,,IJ Prublt ttl. p . 14')
272 - TH i ASTR Ol O GI C Al N EPTUN E AN D Til l O U EST f O R REO £MPTI O N

vival. W it hOUt gla mour ou r souls hunger and thirst . and without glam-
orous peop le we have no mirror in whi ch to per ceive the d im ou tli nes of
ou r own deepest archety pal long ing s. Royalt y has always been one of the
chief hooks for t he collect ive proj ect ion of glamour. because-c-d espire ou r
kn owled ge of rh e failings of indi vid ual royal pe rsona ges- we un con -
sciously retain an awar eness of t he arche typal relat ionship of kin g shi p with
th e d ivi ne. For th is reason count ries with out royalty. such as Am erica and
France . tend to respond to g lamo rou s politi cal figu res as th oug h th ey were
royalty (t he Ken ned y famil y provides an excelle nt example), and are com -
p ulsively fasci na ted by th e royalt y of ot her nat ions in a man ner wh ich
belies the ir po litical reject ion of t his "anach ronistic" instit u tion. W hen
t he Pr ince and Pri ncess of Wales visit ed Australia, th at bastion of
intractable republican senti me nt , a mill ion people travelled to see the m as
t hey jou rneyed from city to city. Andrew Monon reports:

At t imes th e welcome bord ered on frenzy. In Brisbane where

300,000 people packed together in the city centre . hysteria ran as
high as th e baking 9 5 deg ree tem pe rarure.R

As wit h all N ep tu nian issues, d eal ing sanely with glamo u r seem s to be a
q uesti on of balance--of reta ining ind ivid ua l values wh ile findi ng pleas u re
and nour ish ment in its elusive de lights. Otherw ise w e.' becom e ent h ralled
at the expe nse of ou r ind ivid ual moral choices, or become t he vic ious oppo-
nent s of every th ing we secrerly long for. Bailey lists what she consid ers to
be th e typ ical g larno u rs, and t his list is d ist urbing ly app rop riate becau se
so ma ny of th ese sp heres of life are linked to N ep tune 's d reams . O ne might
even go so far as to suggest th at, when anot her pla net aspects Nep tu ne, the
ot her planet 's own do ma in becomes t inged wit h gl amour. and it becom es
mo re difficult to app reciate and exp ress its energ ies in o rd inary everyday
ways. I have ext racted some of th e g lamo urs from Bailey'S list 2l and fol-
lowed rhem wirh possib le asrrol og ical and psychological connections
whi ch m ight provide food for th oughr. The reader wi ll no dou bt fond t hat
most if nor all of the m apply to him o r her personall y, because Bailey 's lise
of gla mours, althoug h nor explicitly asrro logi cally related , really d efines
how N eptune ope rates within all of us.

T he gl amour o f physical srrengrh, Ph ysical st reng t h may not be a

Neptuni an issue, bur gl am orisin g it is, W e idealist' ou r athletes and ou r

22. And rew Monon, Diana: lin- Tne 51u1) (l.ondon: MIchael O'M ara Books l.rd.. 199 3), P
84.
23 Ba rley, G lam /J" r: 1\ W/lrlJ Pruh!, m, pp . 120 - 12 3.
muscular film stars , or our own fit bod ies, because physical prowess im pl ies
divine pot ency. One of the attributes of d ivinity is power, and a physic ally
strong body, lik e an om nipo tent dei ty, can protect us from life's terro rs.
The baby needs to feel safe and secure in the parent's physical em brace, and
in infanc y the expe rien ce of a seriousl y ai ling mother can be terrifying
because there seems to be no bastion against the abyss of extincti on . Also,
regardl ess of justifiable protests from the wom en 's movem en t. we stub -
bornly conrinue to idealise the physically "perfect" specime n of woma n-
hood-s-despire the fact that our defi nitio n of perfection shifts accordi ng to
Neptune 's transit th rough the zod iacal sign s. 24 Perfect ion in any epoch ,
however, usually includes the attribu te of youth, sug gest ing that not onl y
streng th bUI also the fanrasy of immo rtality is bound up with this ki nd of
glamour. Venus-Neptune and Moon-Neptune contacts have a definite rela-
tionship with excessive idealisatio n of the phys ical body, another 's or one's
own, especially if the app rop riate houses (2nd or 61h) are involved . So does
Neptu ne in the 2nd or 6lh house, particularly if the overall emphasis of the
birt h chart is weighted in the eleme nts offi ce and air. Eating d isorde rs suc h
as anorexia and bulimia may, in part , be rooted in a powerful need to retu rn
to th e ut erine waters, of wh ich bod ily perfect ion , with its accom panying
suggestio ns of om nipo tence and immor tality, is a potent sym bo l.
The gla mou r of isol ation, o f al oneness, of aloofness. T his g lam-
our has been personified in the 20lh century by film stars, such as G reta
Garb o, J ames Dean , and Clint Eastwood . who embody the mag ic of the
outsider and the renegade. Such figures are really imag es of the archetyp-
al scapegoat , rhe victim-redeemer who di splays digni ty, nobil iry, courage,
and even saintl iness, de spite th e brutal rejection of the collect ive. T he
loner, when we meet him or her in film s, novels , or in publ ic life, exercis-
es a pecu liar fascinat ion over th e tro ubled souls of those who expe rience
themselves as ou tsiders, as well as those who secretl y feel they have "sold
out" in orde r to belong . The psycholog ical links wit h family scapegoaring
and an isolated child hood are obvious. T here is a long lin eage of myt hic
figu res who embody the glamour of isolari on, from Orpheus to Je sus of
Na zareth . It may be reflected by Sun -Neptune or Sarum-Neprune con-

24 . lr IS exrremely educa nve ro observe how the def imnon of beauty as expressed by film
stars changes accordi ng to Nep tun e's tran sit . Compare, for exampl e. rbe steamy deligh ts of
Bn grn e Bardcr and Sophia Loren. at th e peak of th eir careers when Neptune moved
[hrough Scorpro. with the alecge rhe r more wholesome and downn ghr "nice" image of
Dons Day when Neptune was in Libra; or with the boyish charms of Julie Cheune whe n
II ente red Sag ur arius No w rhat it has entered Capricorn a certain myst ique has formed

around the "older" woman, wbo-c-hke J oan Collins- is assum ed ro improve, like a good
vintage, with rime.
274 - T H E AITROlOG ICAl N EPTU N E AND THE O U El l l OR RED EMP TIO""

(act s, especiall y if more introverted sig ns suc h as Scor pi o , Capri corn or

Virgo, impo rta nt Saturn and Pluto cont acts, or strong 8 t h or 12t h house
placements accompany (he dominant N eptune.
T he g lamour of t h e love of bei ng loved . This g lam our is related
to the ch ildhood experience of con d itio na l love, an d what Al ice M iller
refers to as the "narcissistic wound ."2') On th e most fu nd amental level, it
is pan of the pa tt ern of th e sensi t ive (often N eptunian) chi ld who has been
broug h t up fro m in fancy to bel ieve he or she m ust fa it hfully m irro r t he
mother's emotional need s in order to m erit love and accepta nce. In ad u lt -
hood , when o ne is not bein g adored an d needed by others , on e feel s hol -
low, emp ty, unreal, and u nwort hy. The sense of perso nal identity, wh ich
depends upon som e de gree of m irro ring by (he mothe r in ea rly life , never
has a chance to develop without bein g inextricab ly linked with th e urgent
need to pl ease ot hers' expectations . The g la mou r of t he love of bein g loved
is a g lamo ur whi ch seems co particularly plagu e borh the therapist or
counsellor, who need s a depend ent and ado ring client , and the film or pop
sta r, who dep end s up on an ado ring aud ience, to define h is o r her realit y
and worth . It may also surface in personal relatio nships, where (he heady
experie nce of the othe r pe rson's passionat e idealisat ion, rather than a gen-
uine mutual app reciati on of each other's indiv iduality, form s th e basi s of
th e bo nd . Su ch relation sh ips in evit ably develop seri ou s diffi culties wh en
t he stage of idea lisati on is over and the relat ionsh ip seems to have lost its
transcendent qual it ies. The love of bein g loved reflects profound identifi -
cat ion with a glamorous im age, wh ich serves as a su bsti rure for a solid
sense of sel f. It is part of t he reason why "celebrity ma rriages" so ofren have
a lifespa n of only a few weeks or months . Astrologi cally, thi s g lam our may
be reflected by strong Ven us-N ept une contacts, as well as Nept une pow-
erful on th e Ascendant or Midh eaven of t be chart , along wit h confi gu ra-
tions suc h as Sun -Saturn, Venu s-Saturn or Sun-Chi con wh ich sug ges t deep
feeli ng s of pe rso nal inadeq uacy.
The glamour of self-sa crifice. We have look ed at some len gt h at
thi s part icular issue. Ir is especially prevalent in the helping professions,
and may also be d ominan t in fam ily li fe, whe re one or anot he r fam ily
member-usually th e mother- just ifies all kind s of invasive and desr ruc-
rive behavi our in th e name of selfless love. It is also linked hi stor icall y
with relig ious mart yrd om , and is ofte n take n as a sure sign of th e t ru th of
a pa rti cul ar rel igio us o r polit ical viewpo int . Another of Bailey's glamour s,
the glamour of self-p ity, is relat ed to th is issue. As a collecti ve, we are
especia lly prone to (h is g lamo ur, and rarely pau se long enough [ 0 consid -

2'). See Ali ce M iller, Thr Drama Qj Rtin,: II ChilJ <Lo ndo n: VHaj.::o , 19 8 3)
 i"'[ PTU N [ " N O Gl " MO U R - 27~

er th e secondary ga in involved in some of the more florid act s of self-sac-

rifice performed in others' names. If someone can be seen (Q be "doing
good" for others, and evident ly suffering for it , we tend (Q ignore whatev-
er else they m ight be doing , in our longi ng (Q perceive them as holier th an
average. This is one of the most characterist ic of Neptune's glamours, and
astrol ogi cally may be reflected by Sun -Neptune contacts in part icular,
especially if the chan is weighted in the eleme nt of water- alth ough
Neptu ne on the Ascendant may also cont rib ut e (Q the sen se th at one's own
individ uality is not worth culti vati ng or expressing . The glamou r of self-
sacrifice in love may also be sug gested by Venus-N eptune aspects , or a
st rongl y aspected N eptune in the 5rh or 7rh houses.
The glamour of active scheming . T his is one of th e more ambi g u-
ous features of Mercury- Nept un e. Mercury -P luto is not averse co extreme-
ly subtle ma noeu vring, but Pluto is not co ncerned wit h g lamo ur; one's
survival appears to depen d on secrecy and camou flage . I have me t many
indi viduals wit h Mercu ry-Neptune cont act s, as well as N eptune strong ly
aspecred in the 3rd house, for whom successful decepti on cons titu tes a per-
sonal thrill rath er th an a necessary defen ce. Giv en sufficie nt insecurit y,
reflected by oche r cha rt factors, and g iven the rich fund of imag ination and
inventiv eness reflected by Mercu ry-Nept une con tacts . the ind ivid ual may
enjoy com plicati ng situations and making fools of others for no reason
other th an to de monstrate his o r her own superior cleverness and de xte ri-
ty. When such a pro pens ity shows itself, one m ust inevitab ly conside r the
psychologi cal phenomenon of compensat ion, which usuall y accompanies
deep feelings of confusion and in relfec rual infer io rity. Th ere is another
d ime nsion to th is g lamo ur which Bailey seems CO have overloo ked or
neg lected to ment ion . This is the incl ination to create elabora te web s of
cosmic con nections and int erconnect ions wh ich prov ide the ind ivid ual
with a sense of being in couch wit h "hig her realities" whi le excludi ng the
less evolved. T he possession of spiritua l secrets is linked with what Bailey
calls th e g lamou r of wisdom , and it is a part icular problem for th ose
involved in esoteric sub jects . It is not solely a charact erisric of Mercury-
Neptune. but may also be reflected by Sun-Ne pt une (one does not feel real
or wort hwhile unl ess serv ing as a mo ut h piece for th e d ivine), Mars-
Nep tune (feelings of help lessness or impotence are compensated by the
possession of higher knowledge), and Jupiter-N epr une (a sense of absolute
moral rig htness tenders self-qu est ioni ng superfl uous).
The glamour of creative w ork w ithout true m otive. It is un clear
just wha t Bailey means by "true moti ve." But it is characte rist ic of
Nep tu ne to justify many things in the name of being creative, even if
nothing is ever produ ced , or if the product is meaningful only to its ere-
276 -- T il l ASTROl O GICAl NI PTU NI AND 1 HI OU I IT fO R RlOlMP T IO N

arn e. M an y Nep ruoi ans ide ali se the facult y of fantasy, a nd assume exe mp-
t ion fro m the dem an d s of ordi na ry life (Q be t he inh eren r rig h t of t he
imag inative te mperam en t. This g lam ou r ma y be re lated (0 Sun -Neptun e
and Satu rn -Nept un e aspects, and perha ps also wi t h a st ron g ly aspecred
Neptune in t he 5t h hou se, espec iall y in a chart weig ht ed in th e ele me nt of
fi re. It form s the basis of t he nor un co m m on co nvictio n t hat a creat ive pe r-
son ality oug h t to be em ot iona lly as well as fin an ciall y subsid ised by ot h-
ers. T he fan that every indi vid ual possesses the capaci ty for some form of
pe rsonal creat ive exp ressi on , and can us ually find a way to nu rture t h is
while resp ect ing worldly bou nda ries, may not en ter in to th e eq uatio n.
Another dimens ion of t h is gla mo ur is t he need CO identify wit h th e an ise
as a fig u re of power and m agi c. T h is is ano ther exp ression of fusio n wi t h
th e di vin e crearrix, wh o con ju res life ou t of th e void. It is possi bl e rhat
some d eg ree of nar cissism is necess ary if one is (0 create an yth ing at all. As
usual , it is a qu esti on of balance.
The g lamo u c o f con fl ict, wi th th e o b je c t ive of im poss ib le ri ght -
eous n ess and p eace . Thi s g lamou r has ge ne rated m an y wa rs over th e
ages , a nd ma y be see n in variou s p laces in ou r mode rn wo rld . It is link ed
co what Bailey ca lls t he g lam ou r of fanati cis m . The H oly W ar, beloved of
rel ig iou s co m m u nit ies of various persuasions throug hout h istory, m ay also
reflect thi s g lam ou r, wh ere m arty rdom for the fait h, and as dest ruct ive a
conflag rat ion as possible, supe rcedes m ore reas onable goals, such as m ut u-
al cooperat ion, respect be tw een com m un it ies or nat ion s, and a be t ter lif(·
for t he ind ivid ual. It is some t im es cha raere rist ic of N eptu ne to p rov oke
violent conflict s and crises be cause one feels alive and importa nt on ly when
in t he throes of a m orral st rugg le, suc h as th at of Mard uk and T i'a mat . O ne
is th us link ed to th e myt h ic wo rld , whe re di vi ne heroes and heroines reg -
u larl y ind u lge in ecs ta t ic warfare in t he name of an im possibl e ide al. The
glamo u r of conflic t is also linked ro t he g lam ou r of the death -wish , whi ch
we have ex plo red earl ier. The noble cause, wh en steeped in Ne p tuni an
long ing , may di sg ui se the ind ividual' s need to jus tify h is o r her exis ten ce
th ro ug h identifi cation w ith t he ma rtyred vict im-red eemer , rat he r th a n
t hroug h a hum bl e but m ore ge nu ine cont ribut ion to th e we lfa re of others.
T h is g lam ou r m ay be reflect ed by Mars-N ep tune comb ine d wit h j u piter-
N ep tu ne, and per ha ps by Neptu ne stro ng ly aspect ed in t he 9th house. It
ma y also form pan of th e per sonal vision of Su n -N eptune, when othe r fac-
to rs in t he cha rt (such as an em pha sis in Ar ies or Sag itt arius, or a 9 t h house
Mars) sugges t an in nat e crusad ing sp irit .
T he g la mou r of p sychic p erception ins tead o f int u itio n . W e
have exa m in ed t he na tu re of N eptu n ian psych ism in some d ep th . Despi te
t he fact t ha t psych ism is often accom panied by a pa infu l lack of pe rso na l
 N f PTU N ( ":'\: 0 Gl " ,\' O U R - 2 77

boundaries, and may reflect an unformed and even hysterical rather than
an evolved individuali ty, amongst spiritu al groups there is an enormous
amount of g lamour arra ched (Q the ability (Q experience psychi c man ifes-
tations . Many esote ric cults, such as the Emin and the School of Econom ic
Science, offer "training" in certain features of psychic development , such
as the abil ity to see auras. The usefulness of such apt itude s, in terms of the
individual o r the society in whi ch he o r she lives, often appears to be ove r-
looked or ig nored; psych ic phenome na in thems elves seem to partake of
the odou r of the prom ised journey home. Th at such phenomena occur is
inarguable in rhe face of the multitude of record ed experiences. Bur why
should th ey be glamorous > Perhaps the y seem so (Q man y people becau se
t hey ap pear (Q demonsrrate a special relat ionsh ip wirh t he d ivine worl d of
the source , and may be the closest one feels one can come co that state of
sp irit ual fusion which is th e goal of rhe mys tic al pat h. It is also possib le.
althoug h distin ctl y u ng la rnourous, that for some individuals psychism
provides a secret sense of union with the maternal source, and confers safe-
ty, protect ion , and parental favour. W hatever spiritu al evolution may be
about-and it is defined in as many ways as there are indi viduals- the
idealisati on of psychi sm does not appear to offer anythi ng construct ive or
helpful to any body. least of all to t he psych ic. Most psych ic p heno mena are
inrerest ing primarily because they provide a de monstration that ocher lev-
els of reality exi st beyond the material o ne. When psych ic man ifestat ions
become g lamorous. rather than t he basis for intelligent quest ioning an d
invest igati on , we may find astrolog ical sign ificators such as Moon -
Ne p t u ne. M ercury -Neptune, or Jupit er-N eptune, along w i t h a birth chart
emphasis in the eleme n t of water, or N ep tune st rong ly aspecred in the 4 th,
St h, or 12t h house.
The glamour o f materiality. Materiality (or materialism ) is a prob-
lematic term, since it is often used by those who find it difficult to co pe
with the responsibil it ies of everyday life against those who have managed
[0 carve a place for themse lves in the mundan e world. It is a word fraught

wit h po lit ical overtones, and can somet imes form parr of th e "politics of
envy" so characteristic of N eptu nian ideolog y. Materialism may also be
used (0 describe the value system of the hard-headed scie nt ific thinker,
who refuses to acknow leg e any reality other than that which can be m ea-
sured and defined by instruments or statistics. T hus materiality has
become a word with many per jcrat ive connotations. In using it, Bailey
may mean the glamour of the world of form-the fascinati on not merely
of money and worldly power, but also of the phys ical manifestat ions of the
divine rather than the d ivine itsel f. This is the pan icular g lamour not only
of th e scientist. bu t also of a ce rrain t ype of ast rolo ger. wh o is so beda zzled
278 - TH E AI TRO LOG ICA L N! PT UN! AND TH E Q U EI T l O R RWE M rTl ON

by his or her abi lity to predict even ts or am ass statist ics th at any sense of
th e in ner worl d and the psycho logy of the indi vidua l vanishes ben eat h a
m ounrain of t echn iques aimed at conc rete results , Saturn-Neptune con-
tacts may be rel at ed (0 this g lamo ur, as well as a birth cha rt in wh ich
Neptune is powerful , bur earth-an elemen t u ncongenial to th e
Neptunian world-is dom inanc. 26
The gl amour of se n t im e n t al ity. Sentimentality is a d ifficult word
to define, The Chambm Tuentietb Clnlury Dictionary offers th e following :
". . . Co nscious ly work ed up or partl y insincere feeli ng ; d isposit ion (Q
wallow in sentime nt ; affectatio n of fine feel ing ; sloppiness." Because sen-
rirn enr aliry app ear s co express a refin ed em ot ional natu re, it is har d to
view it ob jecti vely when one is ind ulg ing in it oneself. All th ose b irt hday
cards wi th cu dd ly kitten s, che ru b ic ch ild ren , and old -fashio ned roses are,
in our society, coll ect ively sacro sanct and a sym bo lic reflectio n of "good -
ness" suc h as we hav e see n in th e med ieval descript ion s of H eaven . W e sen -
rim enr al ise chi ld hood and m otherhood to t he point wh ere both child ren
and mo thers a re made to feel ap pall ingl y abnor mal if t hey are nor behav-
ing lik e characte rs in a Walt D isn ey cartoo n: we sent ime nta lise love to t he
po int wh er e we are no lon ger capable of hon est interact ion ; and on ly W ,
C. Fields, w ho cle arly di d not suffer from ( hi s parti cul ar g lamou r, co u ld
have m ade (h e rem ark t hat any one who ha ted dogs and ch ildren couldn 't
be all bad . Bur w he rein lies (h e g lamou r of sent im ent ality? Pe rhaps it is
connect ed wirh th e N eptunian art of th e performer, wh ose hi ghl y stylised
expressi ons of feeling repl ace a genuine indiv id ua l respo nse. If we all di s-
pla y feel ing in ritua list ic and socially approved ways, we a re loved and lov-
ing , an d we be long . Astrolog icall y, sent ime ntality m ay be lin ke d wi t h
Venus- Nep t u ne an d M oon -Nept un e, espec ially in a b irrh cha rt where a ir
and wa te r (pa rt icula rly Ca ncer, Libr a, and P isces) a re emp hasi sed, and
where the individ ua l valu es of Venus an d (he individual emot ional
responses of the M oon are overwhel med by t he need co have one's need s
accepted by fam ily an d soc iety. The g lamou r of senti m enta li ty is imbued
wit h image s of purit y and swee tness redolent of Lacranrius' po rt rayal of
the afte rl ife, wh ich wi llfu lly exclude bl ood, flesh, passio ns, and the often
divisive natu re of indi vid uali t y itself. Sentimentality m ak es us feel closer
(0 Parad ise. for ir is not m erely st ylised feeling ; it is feeling st rip pe d of its

power to incarnate. No t su rp risi ng ly, the Ne ptunian nature m ay be

extremely sent im enta l, but may rema in deep ly confused about t he recog-

26 , S~~, for exa mple , th e chan of Franz Cumont, chap ter 3. p . 92 . H is fascinati on wah
pagan asrrologi cal symbols was restr icted to th e archaeologica l ob jects on wh ich thes e sym·
bo is appe ar; the underlying meanin g and accompanying world -view baffled and angere d
him .
 N ( P TU r'\I ( 1\NO G l " ' 10U R. - 27 9

nit ion and exp ression of indi vid ual feel ing responses.
The g lamour of World Saviou rs and Teachers. We have exam -
ined th is phenomenon in th e preced ing chapter. T he Neptunian longing
may att ach it self to a figure who seem s to offer salvat ion, part icularly if
obed ience co a pa rt icul ar creed or set of d isciplines removes th e painful
b urd en of ind ivid ual reflectio n and choice . The g lamou r of be ing a Worl d
Saviou r or Teacher spri ngs from th e same root. I do not associate any pa r-
t icular astrolog ical aspect with this glamour, since it seems to be intri nsic
to Nep tune's dyn am ic in every ind ivid ual. alth oug h Neptune in th e 9 th
house or J upiter-N ept un e cont acts, co mb ined with a good dose of

-
Sagitcariu s or Pisces, may contri but e to the propen sity.

T hese are onl y a few of the g larnours in Bailey's list , which is really a com -
p rehensive list of N ep tun e's foibles. T he re is probably no such rh ing as a
human bei ng who does not evidence one or another, if not most, of th e
irems covered . Readi ng Bailey's list of gl amo urs is like read ing a psychi -
atric or med ical text book: by the time one has finished. it is clear th at one
is suffering from every thi ng . Bailey's g lamou rs could be inte rpreted as a
dep ressing indic tme nt of human nature, for which g lamour has always
been and sti ll is an ad dicti ve d rug which can insinuat e itself into every
sphere of life. Where we are g lamo rised , we are blind , as ind ivid uals and
as a collecti ve. Vee it is doubeful whethe r any of our g reae works of arc
would have been created, o r our heritage of religiou s and spi rit ual vision,
or ou r scientific and social achievemen ts, were we not all pron e co (he
enchantme nt of glamou r. We cannot sim ply dis m iss it as a corrupti ng
force, or, as Bailey suggests , an impe d iment co true spiritual wisdo m . The
assum ption chat there is such a ching as rrue spiritual wisdom is, itself, a
facie ad m ission of the pervasive influ ence of g lam our. We cannot escape
our need for g lamo ur. But we can view ou r own suscep ribi li ries with
humo ur and irony. And we can also learn co adm ire as well as exhibi t
g lamour, with out selling ou r souls.

A Case History in Glamour: the Princess of Wales

H owever one mig ht feel about t he Brit ish royal fam ily and th e fraug ht
marriage be tween the Pr ince and Princess of Wal es. few would arg ue t hat
Diana possesses gl amou r. She has proven th at she is capable of arousing
public adorati on not only in Brita in, but all over th e wo rld. Many q ues-
[ions have been raised about the au thenti city of her shining publ ic image,
for alt houg h this image has some corrobo ration in real life, Diana, like
man y Ne pru nians, is also capable of arousing profound suspicion and di s-
28 0 - THE A~ TRO LO C; ICA L N fP 11IN { AND r Hf o u r sr FOR Rf O Efl.1r Tl O N

like . In the med ia, and by her friends, she is often presente d as a 20 th cen-
tury saint, CUt from th e cloth of Mother Teresa, a deep ly caring and com -
m itted person and th e passionate spokeswoman for all life's unfort una tes.
Her close friend Carolyn Bart holo mew sta tes:

"I'm not a terrib ly spiritual person but I do believe th at she

[D iana] was meant to do what she is doing and she certa inl y
believes th at. She was surrou nded [before her wedding to Prince
Charles] by this golden aura which stopped men from going any
furt her, wheth er they would have liked to or not, it never hap-
pened. She was protected somehow by a perfect light. " 27

Seen from t his pe rspect ive, she has bee n t he blameless victim of an u nfeel-
ing and un faithful husband and a rig id ly convent ional fam ily hierarchy,
and her rebell ion has been perceived as (he expression of a courage ous and
generou s-hea rted spi rit bar rling against an antiq uated syste m th at badl y
need ed a shakeup. Andr ew Mort on's unasha med ly biased biograp hy, pub-
lished when the royal marr iage scandal was at its heig ht , has do ne a g reat
deal to crystallise "Saint Diana" in th e m inds of the pu blic. Mill ions of
women see her as th eir role mode l.
The othe r D iana, em body ing the dark er face of N ep t un e, has also
arrracred media att ent ion, prim arily amongst those journ alis ts who have
perceived a carefully calculated pattern in the riming and natu re of the
various sto ries that have ap peared in th e press. Diana saves a vag rant from
dr owning-c-coi ncidental ly, JUSt afte r t he enormo us size of her annual
expe nd iture on clot hes and cosmetics has been publ ished in the pape rs.
Dian a ap pears on the even ing news at a cultural event in H yde Par k, wear-
ing a stu nning and hig hly reveal ing black cockta il dr ess-nor long afrer
she has announced rhar she no longe r wishes to mak e publ ic appea rances
and , coincidentally, on the same nig ht a sympathetic docume nt ary abou t
her husban d is being aired on te levisio n. Di ana protests vehem entl y
aga inst press invasion of her pr ivacy-a-bu t soon after is photog raphed at a
secret rend ezvous with a well-known tabloid jou rnalis t. T his mo re suspect
D iana has bee n describ ed as an emot ional in fant , so hun g ry for love and
att ention that she will engage in any amo unt of decepti on and m anipula-
t ion of th e medi a to ge t ir. 2H Enraged because he r hu sband has refu sed to
be swallowed u p in t he overwhelm ing flood of her emot ional needs, she

27 . Mon on, Dia na: //f'r TrlJt S/~ '). p 4 :>-

2B. T he case of the anonymous "nuisance" telephone calls to O liver Hoare. [raced back [ 0
(h e Prin cess of Wales' p riva te telep hone. h it (h e Brirish pr ess d u r i n ~ th e late su mmer of
199 4 and caused a num ber of iour nal isrs. and members of the public, to reco nsider th e
sta ined -g lass saint they had previous ly idealised .
 N f PTUN fA" ND G LAM OU R ' " 28 1

has, according to this less salubrious interpretation, embarked on a subtle

and particularly dirty campaign of reven ge intended [Q undermine Prince
Cha rles' popularity, if no t his future kin gship. The "hell hath no fury like
a woman scorned " D iana is apparently m utuall y exclu sive with th e
"Mot her Teresa" D iana. Seen from t h is darker perspective, Di ana will be
cont ent with noth ing less than her husband 's abdication and the passing
of the throne ro her eldesr son, Prince William . Her publi c image would
appear to be carefully contrived to push the Neprune-butron in her ador-
ing publ ic, for she has repeatedly consrellared the archetype of the victim-
redeemer with the consummate skill of a fine actor. So g lamo rised are her
admirers in th e face of her apparent altruism, com passion, and ste rl ing
qua lities of motherhood, that he r husband must inevitab ly seem a callous
and brutish creat u re in com parison. Charles' inability (0 app reciate Diana,
and his undem on strative manner to ward h is chi ld ren in pub lic, are rhus
blam ed on h is own em otional failing s. Monon quot es her friend J am es
G ilbey:

"She th inks he is a bad fathe r, a selfish farber.. . . When I spoke

to her about ir [a press photograph of the Prince riding wirh the
child ren at Sandr ing hamJ she was literall y having to contain her
anger because she thought the pictu re would represent the face
that he was a good farher whereas she has the real Sto ry: '29

As with so many examples of wives inj ured by "erring " husbands, D iana 's
own nature m ighr have some bea ring on her hu sband's rejecti on of her. But
t he "hell hath no fury " Diana d oes everything possible to ensu re t ha t thi s
consideration does nor enter th e pub lic m ind .
We d o not kn ow wh o th e real D iana is. We may clai m t hat we d o
not care; bur newpapers print wh at reade rs wish to read, and she is al ways
in the news. We may never kn ow who she is, an d nor may she, herself, for
it is im poss ible co wh olly fath om the feelings and motives of th e
Neptunian personal ity. Di ana has a uniq ue ab ili ty ro polar ise people , and
t hey respond with eirher adorati on or repu lsion . It is enti rely possib le
t hat bo t h images of her are accurate, and th at this is o ne of th e deeper
sources of her g lamou r. Her ext remes are very ext reme , and to many peo-
ple she embodies either the best or the worst of [h e fem inine ar chetype.
If she wer e better defined as a pe rsonality, sh e wou ld not attract such
powerful p ro jections ; if she were an int ellect ual rype she wou ld be
ig no red or de spi sed by the average tabl oid reader. But her qual it y of
unformed ness , and her coyly sed uc ti ve manne r, com b ined with wh at

29. Mort on, Diane : H" T r il l Story, p. 123· 124.

 282 - TH I AS TRO lOG ICAl N £rT UN ( AND TH( O UC\T f O R R!D £MPTIO N

Chan 13. Dian a, Pri ncess of Wales. Born J uly 1, 1961 , 7:4 5 P.M. BST,
Sandring ham, UK (52N5D, DE3D) . Tropical, Placid us H ouses, True N ode .
So urce: Im erna /iol1a /n HorOJkope-u xicon.
 :'\j( PT U N ( ~ N D Gl ~ ," \O U R ~ 28 3

Monon calls "he r very o rdinariness,"}O contribute to her gl amo ur . H er

fluid and instinctive swings from hysterical manip u lat or to com passion-
ate healer are bot h d isturbi ng and fascinating, and she appea rs to offer no
apolo gy for her ambiguity. De liberately or u ncon sciously (and mos t like -
Iy the latter ), like Marilyn Monroe before her she has managed ro corner
one of the g reat a rche typal roles in t he human drama.
Th e b irth chart of rhe Prin cess of W ales l l (see C ha rt 13 on page 28 2)
reveals an Ascendan t of 18 Sagittarius . N icholas Cam p ion, in his book
Born /0 Reign, states:

By the mid-eigh ties Diana had fully developed the freedom -lov-
ing qual ities associated with th is sig n, including the confiden ce to
devel op her regal duties in a manner not ant icipa ted by
Buckin gham Palace. She began to exp ress her private disappoint-
ment in Prince Charles through pu blic compe ti tio n, discovering
tha t she, rather t han h im , was capabl e of arousi ng public adora-
tion. 32

But however freedo m- lovi ng and ind epende nt the Ascendant, th e Sun in
t his horo scop e is in Can cer, trin e Neptune in Scorpio within a degree of
orb , formi ng pan of a g rand water tr ine wh ich also in cludes Ch iron in
Pisces. N eptune is placed in th e 10th house, reflect ing the ima ge she p re-
sents to the world, and , throug h its trine to t he Sun , t he values she espo us-
es as an individual. Despite th e powe rful , st ub bo rn , self-willed , and d own -
rig ht anarchic contacts withi n t he cha rt-pan icu larly th e T-cross involv-
ing Uran us conj u nct Mars conju nct Pluto (Mars = Uranus/Pluro) opposing
the M oon and C h iron (Ma rs s Moon /Ch iron ) and sq ua re Venus
(Mars e Ven us/Plu ro}--Diana has consis te ntl y ap peared co ot hers, and pe r-
haps to herself. as N eptun ian . T he characterist ic passivit y and self-marty r.
dom of Ne ptune ma y be gl impsed in her com me nt that :

"T he night before rhe wedd ing I was very calm, death ly calm. I
felt I was the lamb to the slaughter. I knew it and I couldn't do
anyt hing about it.·'33

Morton goes on to say:

)0 _ Diana: 11" Trllt 5111ry . p. 69_

31. Chan sou rce: H ans- Hi nnc h 'Iaege r. l ntrma nonaln f/ l)ruJklJpl' !..lx/ krm (Freib u rg ,
Germ any : Bauer Verlag, 1992 ).
32. Ni cho las Ca m pion. Burn t lJ Rtign· T h.. Aur /J/I)gy uf E" r/JptJ R/J.,a/ Famt!"J (Londo n,
Chapmans, 199 3). p . 1 ~ 9 .
33 . Dia'4J: 11" Trill 5tll1'}, p 6 ')
2 81 _ THE ASTR O LO GI CA L N EP T U N f AN D THf Q U f lT f O R RIDEMPTI O N

She is a host ag e [Q fort une, held cap tiv e by he r p ub lic image,

bound by the consr iru nooal circu mstances of her u nique positio n
as th e Pr incess of Wales and a pr isoner of her day co day life) 4

A nd o ne of her astro log ers, Fel ix Lyle . is q uo te d as saying t hat :

O ne of the worst th ing s that hap pen ed ro her was that she tim put
o n a pedestal whi ch didn't allow her to develop in the directi on she
wanted bu t one whi ch has jorcrd ber [ 0 be concerned abou t image
and pe rfe({ion ,"3'5

These exce rp t s convey t he same me ssag e . Dia na is in no way responsibl e

for the pa in ful di lem m a in whi ch she has fou nd hers elf; her psych ologi cal
d ifficu lties have been "ca used " by (h ose arou nd her ; she is a vic t im . d om-
inated and nea rly de str oyed by exte rna l forces beyon d he r co ntr ol.
Rare amo ngs t com me n tato rs. Ni ch olas Ca mpi on sugges ts th at her
horoscope is that of a mi litant fem inist ) 6 Most p sychologi cally incl ined
astrologers wo u ld recogn ise th at not o nly fero cious ind epend ence of spi rit
is reflect ed by th e above-me n tioned co nfig urat ion , bu t a lso a d eep and
u nrelent ing ang er towar d th ose who t hwa rt her will o r even ask for co m -
pro m ise. T here is also a profo und int e rn al co nflict be t ween powerfu l secu -
rity need s (Su n in Ca nce r, Venu s in Tau rus, Moon in th e 2nd house) and a
fierce d et erm in at ion to remai n in control of he r envi ron me nt and of he r
life. Bu t th e o uter wo rld doe s n ot see int ernal horoscop ic aspects such as
th ese. It sees t he ang les of t he cha n , and if it steps back an d loo ks at the
overall d ire ct io n of her life, it sees t he Sun , along w it h its d ominan t plan-
et ary as pects . T hus a pu b lic interested in mo re t han t he sha pe of her leg s
w ill recog n ise t he g rand wat er trine invo lvi ng C h iro n and N ep tu ne , a nd
pe rceive the arche typal im ag e of the victim- healer.
P lanet ary co nfig u rat io ns d o not descri be a n exte r na l fa te im posed
up on us fro m w ithout. They reflect ou r ow n characte r, wh ich in tu rn lead s
us---con sciou sly o r unco nsciously-to create o r find in t he oure r world
w ha t we a re in t he in ner on e . And it is charact e r, roo , whi ch mak es us
respo nd to external eve nts wi t h h ig h ly ind ividual interp retat ion s and
reacti ons . It is psych olng ically val id to view D ian a's ch ild hood as pa inful
a nd emo t ionally dep ri ved , d esp ite the ou te r tr ap p ing s of wealt h and posi-
t io n , and to u nd ers ta nd he r b at tl e wi th buli m ia in t hi s co nt ext, par t icu -
la rly in light of he r sens it ive and vu lner able Ca nceria n and N ep tuni an

34 u,«, p. 133.
35. Ibid., P: 94 . Italics mine.
36. Campio n, Burn 10 Rt ign. p. 148.
 N EPTUr-.; E A:,\; D Gl A,\.10 UR - 28 5

nat ure. It is equ ally valid [Q recogn ise that much of the world experiences
child hood deprivat ion of one kind or anothe r. Bu t a chart such as Diana 's
suggests not only a boundless need for absolu te and un conditional love ,
bur also a nature whi ch does nor read ily forgive or forget insul ts and
injuries, and which is inclined to blame ot hers for the conseq uences of her
own choices. Both viewpo int s are true, and bot h describe the respo nses of
a wounded Ne ptunian with a Mars-Pl uto conjunct ion opposite Moon and
Ch iron.
The d isint eg rati on of D iana's parents' marr iage when she was 6 years
old was undoubte d ly a deepl y traum at ic event for her. Accord ing to
Mort on :

A quart er of a cent ury later, it is a moment she can sti ll pictu re in

her min d's eye and she can still summ on up the painfu l feelings of
rejection, breach of trust and isolat ion that the break-up of her
parent s' marriage signifi ed to her. 37

It is worth noting that, at th is critical tim e in her child hood , trans iting
Nept une was in Scorpio and moved on to her nata l T-cross, opposing natal
Venus and sq uaring natal Moon and Ura nus . The "pa infu l feelings of rejec-
t ion , breach of crust and isolation" are characteristic of thi s d ifficu lt
Neptune transit. Lacer, other planers followed to ope n up rhe old wound .
Transiting U ranus in Scorpio tr iggered the T-cross throug hout 1980 and
1981 when Prince Charle s was court ing he r, maki ng its final station here
JUS t after her ma rriage; and tra nsi ting Chi coo in Taur us trigge red it dur-
ing 1982 and into 198 3 when , du ring and after her first pregna ncy, she
suffered from severe dep ression , violent fits of jealousy and a recurrence of
her bul imia , and made her now well -publicised su icide attempts . Pluto
rransirin g through Scorpio finally reached th e T-cross in 1992-199 3, coin-
cident with her formal separat ion from the Pr ince of Wales and the publi -
cat ion of Morton 's book . It is also worth not ing that Prince: Cha rles' Sun,
placed in 22 .25 Scorp io, falls di rectly on this repeatedl y barte red T-cross,
suggest ing that , however he might have behave d , he was a perpetual
remi nde r to her of a painful inte rna l conflier whic h was first expe rienced
exte rnally at age 6 when her mother left her father for anot her ma n. When
we need to heal something within ou rselves, we un consciously pUt ou r-
selves over and over again int o th ose situations which present us with what
we do nO I wish ro face. How we deal with this appa rent bad fare depends
upon our capacity 10 look inward , and upon the perception of life wh ich

37. D,..l12a : HrY' Trill Slury. p. 9

286 - TIt( ASTROL OGIC AL N If'T U N E AND TH E QU EST f O R REDEMPTI O N

reflects our in nate d isposi tio n. In most respect s D iana has app roached he r
dil emma th rough th e perception s of N eptune.
G lamour can not be att ributed to any pa rti cu lar configu rat ion in a
b irrh chart . Bur to use psyc h iatry 's phrase of overdet erm inanon, a com b i-
narion of many fact ors, eac h in itself fascinat ing , ma y p roduce it.
Nept u ne's capacit y to m irro r ba ck to us ou r most secret aspi rat ions, long-
ings , and wounds is an im po rtan t ing red ient in D iana's g lamour. She
seems ro speak to the hun ch ild in all of us; herself wou nded a nd de pri ved
of affection a nd loyal ty, she h ints at th e possibi li ty t hat t he victi m can rise
up and overcome h is or he r suffe ring th rough cou rage and compassion. She
also cons rellares th e protective inst inct in her admirers. H er ap pa rent help-
lessness and lack of emotiona l bo u nda ries stands in sta rk co ntrast (0 Pr ince
Charles' aloofness ; for howeve r h un and wounded he may feel, he is bound
by th e nature of hi s personality, as m uch as by his up bringing (Sun in
Scorpio, Moon in Taurus trine Satu rn in Virgo), to maintain dig n ity and
self-co nrrol .t" The g rand wate r tr in e in Diana's chart is also a config u ra-
ti on whi ch may be relat ed to g lamo u r -pa rt icu la rly if it in vo lves
N eptune. G rand trines are highly am b ivalent fig ure s in a b irth cha rt ,
reflect ing a natural apti tude or talent in t he sp he re of th e plan et s a nd sig ns
invo lved . Th is inna te ap tit ude - i n Di ana's case , an ab ility to insti nct ive-
ly u nd erstand the e motiona l need s of orhe rs- may be used creatively or
dest ructi vel y, or both . If the lane r. t he ind iv id ual usually gets away w it h
it , beca use th ere is no in te rna l co nflict whic h m ight p recipi tate an exter-
nal battle. The em oti on al gi fts that Di ana possesses mak e her nor mer ely
emparher ic, bur virtually psychic. 39 They also make he r deeply manipula-
tive, and allow her to p lay on oth ers' need s and d rea ms in an effortless way.
When a g rand trin e ap pears in a chan fraug h t with more turbule nt con -
tacts, as th is one is, th e indi vid ual will usua lly " h ide" in t he grand t rine
and proj ect t he rest onto su itable "hook s" for as lon g as poss ib le . T h is cre-
ates po larisati on , both within t he person and in t he oute r wo rld . This
ext reme di choto my is pan o f D iana's g lamou r.
When tran siting Pl uto moved into conjunc tion wit h Di ana's nat al
Neptune in 198 6 , along with t ransit ing N eptune in Cap ricorn arr iv ing in

38 . It would appea r that , throug h his appea rance In a revealing television docu mentary as
well as th rough the recentl y pu blished biog raphy by J onath an Dim bleby, Prince Charles
has courted (he public as vigorously as has. his wife. However, in bot h these production s,
there is a remarkable absence of b lame offered 10 terms of the breakd own of th e marriag e.
Dig nit y and self-cont rol have been main tained th rough out.
39. Morre n cites two exampl es of her psych ism: She experie nced and art iculated a power-
ful premon ition of her fathe r's severe Str oke in December 19 78 , a day before he suffered it ;
and she suddenly "knew," and ag;;IIn arti cu lated . rbar Prince Charles' horse Allibar wou ld
have a heart arrack and di e. A few mom ents later th e horse suffered a massive curonary
 ~ E PTU l\;l " N O GL A, M QU R - 28 7

op posit ion to her nata l Sun , it is probable that she fina lly rel inqu ished any
hope t hat her marr iage could be saved . Important planet ary movements
such as these, involving ba t h natal and tran sit ing N ep tune, ge ne rally
b ring (0 t he su rface of consc iousness not only one's deepes t and oldest
Nep tu nia n fan tasie s of perfect love and fusion, but also a pro found and, in
Plu to's case, final, dis int eg rat ion of t hose fant asies. These transits may
also, in th e process , release gre at rage. T he Sun tri ne Neptune in t he birch
chart also describes t he roman tic ideal isation and deep disill usio nment
D iana felt toward her fath er, who must him sel f have seemed to he r a vic-
tim- redee mer who had fallen into th e hand s of a wicked fairytale step -
mothe r; and Charles fulfilled this same patt ern in her adu lt life whe n he
fell into the han ds of Camilla Parker-Bowles. Charles' relat ionship wit h
Camill a Parke r-Bowles is the expl icit reason given for Diana's bitte r d is-
appo intment in him. But whome ver she had marr ied , and whateve r he had
or had nor don e. she would have expe rienced t hese transits of Pluto over
Nept u ne and Ne p tune opposing th e Sun at t his junctu re of her life. The
pai nful proc ess desc ribed by th ese astro log ical sig nificarors says more
abou t her own dreams and expec rario ns, and abou t her com plex bond s
wit h her father, mo the r, and stepmot her. t han it does about any action of
her hu sband 's. N o t ransit simply descr ibes an exte rnal event. By 1989 ,
when rumours of her estrangement from her husband were becomi ng more
intense, t ransit ing Ura nus and Saturn joi ned transit ing Neptune in oppo-
siti on to he r natal Su n. H er d isillu sionm ent now crysta llised int o a deci-
sion [0 b reak free from t he hu rt and opp ression of th e marr iage . But , from
[ he p sy cholog ical persp ec t ive , t hi s g lamorou s fai ry -rale m arr iag e to a
glam orou s fairy- ta le prince was never a ma rriage in the first place. It was
a grand fantasy , a Nept un ian IitbtJ/()d, a glorious o re-am rising from th e
complex che mi cal reacti on of a romanti c nature to the bitter hu rt s of
child hood , and doomed because it could never incarnate in the real worl d .
 Chapla 9

T H E POLITICA L N EPTU N E

Tbsa I do, f ully, penuad« me "!fe, Ihal no ,quail and JUI"

distribution of IhingI ran b, mad" nor that perf,,,, u·",lth,
Ihall ner be among men, onla ibis propritty be , xdtd and
bannn bed. But as long as it Ihal contmeu; 10 long sbal
remame among tbe molt d nd ba r part of = n th, hevy,
and inevitable burrkn of povtrly and u r. n chednes.
---S IR THOM AS MORE , Utopia

,..-., r-- he lay person newly intro-

duced [Q astrology g enerall y
finds ir difficulr [Q comp re-
hen d the mys te rio us syn-
chronici ty between histo ri-
cal events and the dis covery
of a new planer. Nor o nly have U ranus, N eptune, and Pluto so me how
seemed to acq uire the "rig ht" my rhologi cal nam es, [he ir e n t ry into the
sphere of hu man consciousness has coincide d wit h the emergence of po lit-
ical, soc ial, artis ti c, scientific. and religious upheavals and chang es wh ich
faithfull y reflect the nature of (he planet. It is nor that the princip les sym -
bo lised by these plan ets are new . They have been expressed throughout
hist ory, on a cycl ical bas is, by individuals and nat ion s. Placin g them in the
ho ro scopes of people wh o lived and died many cent uries ag o has y ield ed a
great deal of insig ht , not o nly int o the meani ng of the "new " plane ts, but
into issues in these indi viduals' lives which may be inexp licab le in terms
of personal character. Bur at the rime of a p revio usly unknown planer's dis -
covery, its exp ression has a new force wh ich is often revolutionary because
collective co nscious awareness , albei t crude. has at last caug ht up w ith it.
The d iscovery of Uranus in 1781 , for exa m ple, was flanked by t wo
g reat revolut ions : rhe American (I776) and rhe French (I 789). Both of
these co nfli cts we re roo ted in what astrol oge rs have co me to recog nise as a
characteristically U ranian idea- the assu mpt ion o f funda me nta l and
inal ienable hu man rights as the basis of soci al and pol iti cal stru ctu re. Bo th
nations espo used a Co nstitu ti on and a B ill of Rig hts to stipu late just wh at
290 - T H [ ASTROLO GICAL N ! PT UN ! ANO H l[ O U! sT f OR RLD [MPT IO N

these inalienable righ ts were. Demo cracy- th e right of a people CO pan ic-
ipare in irs own government-is not a new concepL Th e G reek philoso-
ph ers wro te extensively abou t it; t he ancient G reek city-sca res at te mpted ,
wi th varyi ng deg rees of success, to embody i t .! But th e Greek democratic
state was, in the end, a dem ocracy for th e elite ; foreign serrlers, slaves, and
women had no vote . All animals are equa l, as George Orwell once said , but
some a re more equal t han ot he rs. Switzerland . th e world's old est exist ing
de rnoc rat ic scare, was founded in 1291 ,2 a goo d five centuries before the
d iscovery of U ranus. Bur the Swiss Everlast ing League of Schwyz , Uri and
Unrerwalden was a co nfede rat ion, nor a de mo cracy as we would now
un derst and ir. As m ig h t be expec ted of an en tity with its Su n in Leo , th e
Everlasting Leag ue reflect ed an intensely indi vidual isti c approach to go v-
e rn me nt, root ed in its own u nique and im med iat e need s rath er th an gen-
eral ideo logi cal cons ide ratio ns, a t a ti me when m uch of th e rest of Europe
was still un de r the th um b of the Holy Roman Emperor. Th e di scovery of
Uranus, howe ver, coincided with a new collective level of u nde rstanding
of the concept of de moc racy. Altho ugh the French Revolution degenerat -
ed into a bloodbat h, and alt hough man y of the world's leaders sti ll ig nore
th e democr atic ide a in practi ce , th e great Uranian affirmat ion of human
rig hts cont in ues to mo tivate nations and peop les,
It is nor surp rising, th erefo re, tha t , at th e t ime of Neptu ne 's di scov-
ery in 184 6 , th e Rom ant ic Movement had not only powerfull y affected
Euro pean li terature, art, rel ig ion and sens ib ility\ it had also ge nera ted a
new and intensely idealistic vision of a sp iritu ally un ited Eu rope , Unl ike
ea rl ie r aspi ratio ns of conq ue ro rs suc h as Alexander, Au gustus .
Charlemagne, and Napoleon , t his drea m of a me rgi ng of dive rse peoples
was intended not to satisfy t he expansionist ambi tions of a ru ler, but to
make man ifest in societ y th e spi ri tu al unit y of all human beings. The term
"U n ited States of Eu rope" was firs t used in a spee ch g iven at Rou e n on 25
December, 1847 , by a lawyer named Vesiner. Ir was picked up by the
international press in the following year. This fundamentally pacifist and
rel ig iously mot ivated movement th en began to sp read rap id ly acro ss

1. Fifth- century Arhens, d ur in g the rime of Pericles, pe rhaps carn e cl osest to the democ-
rat ic ide al . Bernard levan, In A Wur-Id £ IJtu,htrt (Londo n : Jonat han Cape, 1994 ), stares th at
, Solon , Cleis rhenes. Pericles; t hese me n . , . not only tu rned a poor and backward ci t y
int o o ne of rhe m ost im po rt ant ce nt res o( the Aeg ean and in do ing so laid down nor JUSt
a syste m of laws and civil relat ions th at was a m odel o( th~ kn ow n worl d , b u r also bu ilt
t he Hag ~ on wh ich rhe g lories of G reece wou ld be duplayed . .
2. Chan sou rce: Nicho las Ca mpion, T he Book 0/ W(If'ld f{uruJ(uptJ <Londo n: Aqu arian Press,
1988).
3. S~ ~ chapt er 10 for a fuller d iscuss ion of Neptu ne's relat ionsh ip to rbe Romannc
Movement .
 THE PO LlTIC"L N EPT UN E - 29 1

Eu rope , resulting in the form at ion of groups and cong resses suc h as the
Peace Socie ty of G reat Britain (founded in 1850). Victor H ugo, addressi ng
one of th ese peace cong resses in Paris in 18 50 , said :

A day will come when you France, you Russia, you Eng land , you
Germany, you all, nat ions of the cont inent, without losing your
dis ti nct ive qua lit ies and your glor ious ind ivid uality, wilt forge
you rselves int o a closer and higher unit)'_ _ .. A day will come
when t hese two g reat groupi ngs that face each ocher, the Uni ted
States of Ameri ca and the Un ited Sta tes of Europe, will join hands
across th e seas, exchangi ng th eir goods, th eir trade, th eir ind ust ry,
th eir art s and th eir gen ius, recla im ing the world, colonising th e
deserts , imp rov ing creat ion under th e gaze of th e Creator.'

A prophet as well as a vision ary, H ugo had the Sun con junct Venus an d
Pl uto in Pis ces, sesq uiq uadrat e Neptune risi ng in Scorp io. and Me rcu ry in
P isces t rin e Nept u ne.') Later, in an arti cle en t itle d "The Fu ture" published
10 1867, he added :

In t he twent ieth cent ury the re will be an extraordinary nat ion.

Th is nation will be large, which will not prevent its being free. It
will be illust rious, rich , th oug htful , peacefu l, friend ly towards th e
rest of human it y.. . . It will be called Eur ope in the t wentie th cen-
t ury; and in (h e centu ries that follow, t ransformed st ill more, it
will be called Hurna niry.v

W hen i[ was first sighted by [he astronomer J. G . G alle, on 23

Septe mber 1846, N ept un e was in exact con ju nct ion wi t h Satu rn in 2 5
Aq uar ius." T h is is (h e sort of occ u rrence astrol ogers find extremely edi fy.
ing , as Satu rn trad iti onally rul es th e p rincip le of an ch oring ide as , feel in g s,
and im ages in conc rete form . T he Sat u rn-Neptune conjunction meant:
more, howeve r, t ha n [he physical di scovery of the el usive plane t , as we
shall see. At [he rime [h e concept of [he Uni ted States of Europe was pub -
licly announced at the end of 184 7, trans iting Nep tune had moved [0 28
Aquari us, whil e Saturn had moved into 7 Pisces, still within orb of con-
junc t ion . N ep t u ne finall y moved into P isces, it s ow n sig n , in th e spring of

4 . jean-Bapnsee Durccelle . E",.u~; A HiJlflry fli in PtflpltJ, Richard Mayne. tr ans . (Londo n:
Oxford Un iversity Press and T hames & Hudson. 199m . p . 324 .
~ . Ch art sour ce: Birth certi ficate, data published In rhe Gauque h ns' collectio n, in Fvwlt1"s
CumpmJ1UTn uf Naltl'tlttS (Romford, Essex: L. N . Fowler & Co , 198 0), P 148 .
6. Duroceile, E",.upt : A H islury u/ it, Ptopln , p . 324 .
7. Saturn was 2 ~ . ClB Aqcan us. Neptune 25 .53 (Chan source: Inlf'fnaliunalts Horuslopt
U Xl. UTI. p. 1126.>
29 2 - THE AHRO LO GI C Al N f PTUN f AN D Ti ff Q UlIl f OR RW f M PTI O N

1848 . Although Nep tune had mat erialised. th e United Sta tes of Europe
did not . Eighteen fony-eigh r turned our [0 be a year of massive insu rrec-
ti on , revolution and wa r across the continent . fired by inchoate nat iona list
dreams as mysrical as (hose of th e pac ifist movement which str ug g led [0
dampen th e flames. In Paris, Sicily, Naples, Flo rence, Rom e, Tur in,
Venice, Pi edmont , Berl in , Vienn a, Pragu e, Stockholm , Copenh age n,
Madrid , and Bu dapest , go vernme nts to pp led, local poli tical messi ahs pro-
lifera ted lik e ga rde n weeds, and the populace took to the streets . Fam ine-
know n to hi story as th e G reat H unger- raged in Irelan d . Marx and Enge ls
pub lished th eir Communi" Mani! m o, which th ey had written unde r th e
Saturn-Nept u ne conjunction . A. J. P. Tay lor stat es that ". . . The revolu-
tions of 1848 sig nalized the end of respeC[ and established orde r, bot h at
home and in foreign affairs.'?' Neptune. with its intrinsic and ap pa ren tl y
irreconci lab le d ualism , had arrived in collect ive consciousness with a
venge an ce.
Just as rel ig ion may be full of pol iti cs---one has only (0 conside r th e
histo ry of the Catho lic Church- so, too, can poli ti cs be full of rel ig ion.
Even Ronald Reagan recog nised t his when he decla red to an ecumenical
prayer breakfast of 17,000 peopl e in Dallas [ha t ". .. Religion and polirics
are necessarily related ." 9 Messiah s and rule rs t hroug hout history have
appea red ro th ei r followers to be vessels for th e d ivine; but whereas th e
ruler embodi es heavenly power and authority, t he messiah will always
clai m to be th e spok esman and redeem er of th e downtrodde n. W henever a
tr ad iti onal way of life has b roken down and faith in tr ad it ional valu es has
been eroded , th e Nep tun ian messiah-polit ical, spi ritual, o r, mo re usual-
ly, a complex mi xt u re of th e t wo--w ill flou rish amo ng th e poo r and
opp ressed , prom ising not only salvat ion in heave n bu t pow er, wealth, and
vengeance for past g rievance s here on Earth. We have exami ned the psy-
chology of chis theme in the my thology of th e m illennium and the phe-
nome non of th e gu ru, We need to look at it again in th e context of specif-
ic political ideolog ies- part icularly those with a millenar ian ti nge . T he
po litical exp ression of (he longing for redem p tion is not lim ited to the
subversive cults of th e early Rom an Empire , or t he radi cal polit ico-rel i-
gi ous mov emen ts of t he Middl e Ages; it was alive and well in t he 19t h
cen t u ry and is alive and well wit h us now. And as we approach another
mi lle nnium , we, too, are seeing ou r traditional values erode d and ou r tra -
diti onal ways of living dest royed .

8 , A.J . P. Taylor, T h, Strugglt j vr MaJttry in f urop" 1848 -1 915 (Londo n: Ox ford Umve rsiry
Press. 1954), p . xxii.
9 . Q uot ed In David N icholls, Om ) and O/Jmm~tl()f/ <London' Roude dge, 1989 ), p . 2
 TH ( POLIT IC" N [P TUN [ - 293

The Dual Nature oj N eptunian Politics

Arnold Toynbee, in A Study of History , mak es som e relevant observat ions
on the characterist ic respon ses of a society threatened by th e d isint eg ra-
t ion of exis ting structures and values. He sugges ts that th e experience of
"spirit ual u ncertai nty " an d "moral d efeat " in a nat ion may pro pel its cit-
izens in to pu rsuing "a ut op ian chimera as a subs t it u te for an in tol erab le
p resen t ."! " In JUS t t his way d oes the indi vid ual in th e throes of un cer-
taint y and defeat often tur n to Neptune's worl d , and Nep tune's mag ic tal-
ismans, because life has becom e intol erabl e. In th e twin movements of
archaism and fu tu rism, Toyn bee states , can be seen tWO apparently OP PO -
sire. but fun dam entally ut op ian (or Nep tuni an), collect ive a[[em prs to
escape realit y.

In both these utopi an moveme nts the effore to live in the micro-
cosm instead of the macrocosm is abandoned for the pursuit of an
ideal world which would be reached-suppo sing that th is were in
fact possible- witho ut any challenge to face an arduous change of
spiritual clime. II

Accord ing to Toynbe e, th is d ual ut op ian substi t ut e for a realist ic app roach
to exist ing social and econom ic problems decl ares itself eithe r in an
attem pt to retu rn to some imag inary pas t G olde n Age . or in a frenzied leap
toward a fant asy future wh ich ign ores th e ad just ments and comp rom ises
necessary to create a tolerable p resenc. One can see t his dualism in t he
polit ical events of 1846 -1848-che flying leap in ro [he futu re exp ressed
by th e Peace Movement. ami ds t th e di si nteg ration of Europe in to local
wars and revolut ions root ed in d reams of a noble nat ional pas t. O ne of th e
p rincip le impulses toward th e archa isric form of u top ian ism . says Toynbee.
is t he "vi rus of nat ional ism":

A community which has succumbed to this grave spiritual mala-

d y is apt to resent its cultural debt to the civilisation of which it
is itself merely a frag ment . and in this frame of mind it will
devote a great part of its energ ies to creati ng a parochially nation-
al culture which can be declared free of foreign influence. In its
social and poli tical instit utions. its aesthetic cultu re. and its reli-
gion, it will tr y to recaptu re t he ostensible purity of an age of

10 . Arnold 'Ic ynbee. A SlllJy uf HiJllJf') (Londo n Oxford Un ivers ity Press and T hames &
H udson . 1972 ). p _ 245
11. A SlllJy uf Histury. p . 24 5.
294 - Til l ASTR O LO G IC AL N ( P T U N ( AN D r ur O Ur Sl ( O R RU J ( M PTI O N

national indepe ndence prior to the one in which it finds itself

incorp orated int o th e larger society of a supranat ional civilisa-
t ion. 12

Toynbee cites the rise of Naz i Ge rma ny, with it s focus on th e "ancient
essence of G erm anism ," as a p rime exam ple of vio lent arc ha ism . One can
p resen tly obse rve eleme nts of t h is pheno m eno n in t he form er Yug oslavi a,
as well as in the Middle East. In it s most ex tr eme form , vi olent archaism
may en compass genoc ide as a m eans of ensur ing "o stensi b le p u rit y."
Ast rol oger s ofte n associa te th e ph enom en on of H itle r's asce nt to
power with th e sym bolism of Pluto, a nd ce rta in ly thi s planet 's d iscovery
coincide d not o nly with t he rise of the N azi reg ime but wi th an enti re
po rtfo lio of d ic tat o rs incl ud ing Stal in , Fran co , .M ussolin i, and Arrat ur k .
Yet it is po ssible that in astro log ical c ircles Pluro is blamed for much that
is N ep tun ian or, a t t he least , a head y Neptu ne-Saturn , Neptu ne-U ran us or
Neptune- Pluto cock tai l. D ict ators are noth ing new; t he y ha ve always been
with us and are with us sti ll. In orde r to com prehe nd why a nat ion allow s
it self to come u nd er the powe r of a di ctator, w e need to look not on ly at
t he collecti ve psy ch ologi cal cu rrent s of the t im e, b ut a lso at the cha ract e r
of the na t ion . The recep t ivity of th e "sp irit ually un cert ain " and "m orall y
de feated " Ge rma n people ro H itl e r's g litt ering promise of salva t ion was in
m an y respect s N e p runi an . t ' H e was t heir longed-for messiah , th eir sola r
Sieg fried , and th ey we re hi s obed ient d isci pl es. Hi s " Final Solut ion " for
th e rest orati on of an ancient a nd im ag ina ry Ary an p u rity m ay have been
Pl u roni an, or, perhaps m o re accur at ely, Sa rurn ian in its ruthless abso-
lutism . Satu rn is, afte r all , t he archet ypal tyrant of my th , wh o swallowed
his ch ild re n to pr ese rve his ete rnal rul e. T he b irt h cha rt of t he Th ird R ei ch
p roud ly d ispl ays a Su n-Sat urn co n ju nct ion in th e 10 t h hou se; and H itl er,
h imself, also had Sat u rn in th e l Oth , con ju ncr ing the M idb eaven . Bu t h is
message , and t he sou rce of his gl am ou r, were m essian ic in nature. The
term "nati onal soci alism" is, itself, an excellent ill ustrat ion of Toynb ees
t hesis. Int erest ingl y, in H itler's birth cha rt th ere is also an un aspeet ed
N ep tu ne-Plu to con ju nct ion, suggest ing t he p resen ce of a po ten t b rew of
red em pt ive yea rn ing s mixed wi th t he co mp ulsion to utterly destroy exist-
ing st ruct ures, ferme nt ing in t he collect ive psy ch e at th e tim e he was born .
About th is cycl ical conju nct ion of N ep tune-Pl ut o, whi ch occu rs every 492
yea rs, th e au t hors of Afundane A strolQgy state :

12 . /\ SIMJy uj HiJlury. p. 24 Y
13. See the chan of the Wt:imar Rep ublic . d ISCUSSr-U later in thi s chapter. with u s natal
Sun-Ven us conju ncnon in Scorpio sq uare Nept une In Leo .
 TH{ PO LITI CA L N { PT U N E - 29 5

Bot h planet s have to do wit h the deep unconscious/superconscious

of the collective, to an opening up to higher, t ranscendent collec-
tive ideas and ideals. We would sugges t th at in some sense they
relate to the higher ideas and ideals of the t ime, and to the larger
spirit ual, cosmic and hum an purposes which are coming inco
manifestatio n. As noted , this cycle sets the tone of the unde rlying
and compelling aspirations of the tim e. 14

H itl er, bo rn und er rhe con junct ion, was able to emb ody and give voice to
the se "com pelling aspi ratio ns," altho ugh his pa rti cu lar int erp retatio n of
them could hardly be called "hig her."
As di st inct from th e violent archaism of Naz i Germany, Toynbee
describes the "g entler but no less corr up ti ng " archaism of rhose who seek
to combi ne Rousseau's call to return to Nature with the vision of an older
and alleged ly more uncomplicated era of Western history. T his often sub -
tly el it ist , bu t apparentl y more sym pat hetic, Neptun ian politi cal perspe c-
rive clearly reflect s th e lon g ing for th e lost innocence of th e Para d ise
G arden. A profound inne r sense of corru pt ion and sin is equa ted with th e
corrup tion and sin of the ou ter world . But whether violent or gentle ,
archaism wo rks to ward t he resto rat ion of the prim al Eden by gett ing rid
of t he serpent , who is inva riably pro jected on a scapegoat. T his can be con -
st ructi ve: when the serpent appea rs as chemic al pollution and the des tru c-
tion of th e environ me nt . It rapidl y becomes a prob lem when th e serpeor is
proje cted onto all technol ogi cal and ma rerial advan ces regardl ess of
wheth er they improve th e q uality of life: and ir becomes a da rk Nept un ian
Flood when th e serpen t is ide ntified wi th any racial, rel ig ious, social or
nat ional group which appears "infer ior," or is pr ojected on to anyone who
seems d ifferent in opi nions, lifestyle. sexual tast es o r appearance. Archaism
is as common am ongst pol itical groups wh ich idealise a past Golden Age
as it is amongst sp iritual groups whic h idea lise a lost esote ric t rad it ion . It
is not a new phenomenon . It may lean to the rig ht as ofte n as it does to
the left . It also bears a dist inct , alth ough gene rally unrecogn ised , fam ily
resem blance to what Toyn bee calls futurism .

The vain hope tha t, if reality is denied with sufficient force. rhen
ir will cease to be actua l, is also at the root of the fururist form of
utopiani sm. T he mi llennarian vision has been one of the common-
est manifesta tions of futu rism at periodic time s of local crisis in the

I ·t MIChael Bargent , NIc ho las Cam pion and Charles H arvey. J\ I,mdJ llt A n rulug) (londo n
Aq uarian Press. 198 4 ). p. t 78
296 - l H! AI T' O i OG leA, Nl PTU NI AND THl O Ul I l r OR REDfMPT IO N

history of the Western Civilisatio n, bu t the aberratio n can also

express itself in less spectacularly rel igi ous terms. We ace most
familiar with futurism tod ay in irs current g uise of political revo-
lution- a co ncept that . . . denies the necessity of undergoing all
the pain of experience (pathti mathoJ) by claiming that the inter-
mediat e stages between present mi sery and potent ial happiness
may be leap-frogged with o ne massive str ide far into the future.' ')

Nep tu ne's realm is always a hall of m irrors. T he cornrnunisr, dri ven

by a utopian dream of a perfect world , is locked in mutual hatred with th e
fascist who is d riven by an equally utopi an d ream of an equall y pe rfect
world. Th eir me thods are often iden t ical. and all that dist ingu ishes them
from each ot her is (he defin ition of the serpen t. T he M ilitant Left and the
Nationa l Front fight in t he streets of Lond on ; Arthur Scarg ill and
Marg aret T hatch er hurl insu lts at each o the r; Ton y Benn preaches agai nst
t he ti ght-wing "d ecay of Britain " whi le J ohn Major, on t he ot her side of
the H ouse, d ecries the left-wing "yob cult u re"; and Ne w Ag e Travellers
engag e in fisti cuffs with t he dee ply xenophobic local vill agers on wh ose
private land they aspire to ho ld th eir festivals . An ti ove r it all looms {he
miasma of pol it ical correctness , whi ch threaten s to muzzl e bo th right , left ,
and ce nt re in the name of ye t anot he r, eq ually u to p ian dream . It sho u ld be
apparen t by now th at Neptu ne, co nt rary to popu lar astro logi cal opin ion.
do es not necessaril y sym bol ise the poli ti cs of the left. Instead, it reflecrs a
particu lar pol iti cal app roach whi ch is deeply im bu ed with the romanti c
vis ion o f Parad ise lost and regained th rough the c reatio n o f a perfect soci-
ety. N ep tunians can gath er o n ei the r s ide of the po litical fence , depe nd ing
up on Other birth chart facto rs w hi ch des cribe th e- individual's tem pera-
ment , va lue s, and perso nal defin it ion of the perfect society. Charles de
Ga u lle's rom anti c nati on al ism (he had Su n and Mercury in Sagittar ius
oppos ite Neptu ne, Moo n sex rile N eptune , and Mars co njunct J upiter trin e
Neptune ), o fte n crit icised fo r be in g tOO dic tatorial, was as utopian as To ny
Berm 's romanti c soci alis m (Su n in Aries trine Neptu ne in Leo in the 12 t h
ho use, jupiter qu in cunx N eptune and Saturn sq uare N eptune), whi ch is
eq uall y dictato rial. D espite the faer that N eptuni an leaders and poli t ical
philosophers m ay despi se o r even attemp t to des troy each e ther, they have
mo re in commo n than they realise . T hey are recognisable na t by their al le-
gi ance to left o r right, but by th e g loba l vision , emot iona lity, poet ry, and
shee r infanti le blindn ess wh ich so o fte n co lo ur their politi cal viewpoint . Ir
is impossibl e to keep t he Neptun ian longi ng our of poli tics. It ma y be 1"'s-

I~. Toynbee. A Study oj H istory, pp . 246 -247 .

 T H! POLI TICAL N EPT UN E - 297

sib le to recog nise wh en one is d isguised as (he othe r, and to balance

Nep tune with ot her pe rspectives th at make at least parcial inca rnatio n of
t he vision poss ible wi t hou t a p hysi cal or psyc holog ical bloodbat h.

Neptune and Utopian Socialism

The Ne pt u nian natu re of roma nt ic nati onal ism , rooted in t he longi ng for
a lost Golden Age of racial or nat ional p urity and self-sufficiency, is not
usually ackn owledged by astrologers. N eptune's roman tic social ism is
more readi ly recog nisable, and is equally ancient. Both pol it ical perspec-
tive s partake of the lon g ing for redem p tio n.

Escapist utopias inclu de all th e world wide myth s. legends and

folkl ore about gard ens of Eden, golden ages, Elysian fields, land s
of Cokayg ne, and other mo re-or-less primiti vistic paradi ses sec in
remote rimes and p laces: and all the sophisti cated literary adapta-
t ions of this t heme , from the O ld Comedy of At hens to contem-
porary science (inion. The utopia of recons truc tion, on the ocher
hand. is a serious po litical theory and peculiarly Western . It is a
persistent tr adit ion of speculation about the possib ility of a per-
fen society, which defi nes perfection pr imari ly as th e removal of
social conflict . 16

Those in te rested in u top ianism as pol it ical t heo ry ge nerally begin with
Plato , who appea rs to have invented th e concept, if not th e word . Bur t he
Greeks were creat ing visions of ideal societies long before Plat o. Doyne
Dawson , in Cities of tht G ods, defines tw o aspec ts of t he utopian t rad it ion.
T hese are not necessar ily seq ue nt ial in time ; bo t h may occur in any epoch ;
bot h exp ress the po litic al Ne ptu ne; and each may subtly underp in the
ot her. Th e first aspect is "folk " utopi an ism, which includes my t hs and fan-
tasies of messian ic expecrarion su ch as we have exp lored in earlie r chap te rs.
T he second aspen is "political " utopianism- the social , realistic, and
recons t ru cti on th eor ies of phi losop hers bot h anci en t and mode rn . Daw son
divides thi s second category of utopianism into tWO fur t her gro ups: classi-
cal utopian ism, su ch as t hat offered by Plato and h is imi tators , in wh ich
the ideal society is described as a theoretical sta nd ard , and mod ern utopi -
anism (which is JUSt as ancient), in which t he ideal society becomes a p ro-
g ram me for politi cal act ion .' ? Whe th er the ut opian pol itical vision is

16 . Dcyne Dawson. C" " l of th, G odJ (Oxfo rd : Oxford Universu y Press, 1992 ), p . 3.
17. Citlfrt/ th,GW/s , p. 5
2 98 - T HE AST ROL OG ICAL NfPT UN E AND TH E O UIS T f OR RWfMPl rO N

meant to be an inspirational id eal o r a wo rk able pl an fo r soc ial ch ange , it

is the belief in the possibi lity of perfen ion- rhe "removal of social con-
flict"- which reveals the unde rgrou nd waterways of Nep tu ne's dreams.
Dawson next di vides Greek utopi an literature acco rd ing to th e cate-
go ries of folk and polirical. Folk urop ian themes of a mythic and messian-
ic kind may be found . for exampl e. in both Homer and H esiod .

In th e beginning, the immor tal s who have the ir homes on

O lympus created th e golden generation of morral people . Th ey
lived in Kre nos' time , when he was the king in heaven. Th ey lived
as if they were gods, their hea rt s free from all sorrow , by them-
selve s, and wi thou t hard work or pain; no mi serable old age came
th eir way; their han ds. th eir feer. d id not alter . The y took th eir
p leasu re in festi vals, and lived without [roubles. When they d ied ,
it was as if th ey fell asleep . All goods were theirs. Th e fruit fu l
g rain land yie lded irs ha rvest to them of irs own acco rd ; rhi s was
gr eat and abunda nt , whi le th ey at th eir pleasure q uieti }' looked
after their works in the m idsr of good rh ings. 1H

T h is is, of co u rse , rh e Greek ver sion of Eden , and o ne m ay di smi ss it as

merel y a poet 'S visi on of lost inn ocen ce . But H esiod 's G old en Ag e is not
o nl y myth ; it is also m or al and soc ial co m m enta ry. present ed as (ab le ,
which powerfully influenced th e "cla ssical " o r "hig h " polirical ut o p ian ism
th at foll ow ed . The t rans la tio n of the myt hic G o lden Ag e inca a mod el fa r
an idea l stare is the messag e: of Plato's Rtpublic, as we ll as of the C y n ic and
Stoic ut op ias of th e 3 rd cen t u ry B.C.E . In these pe rfect soc iet ies, N ep t u ne's
worldv iew is read ily ap pa re nt , for pr operry-c-t ha r g reat symbo l of in de -
pendence and self-s ufficien cy- is inv ar iably ca m m unal. This co m m u nali-
ry may extend even co the abolit io n of se parate hou seho ld s and perman ent
marriages; sexual partners ar e also co m mu nal , an d ch ild re n a re to be ra ised
by all. T he t heme of com munal ownership. which is as alive and well in
20 th ce nt u ry socia lism as it wa s in Pl ato 's idea l vision , is deep ly embed -
ded in Neptun e's pol itical et hos, and m erits furth er exa m ina t io n . It is a
very an cien t precepr, wh ich was pract ised in [h e Pythag or ean co m m u n i-
t ies of th e 6rh century B.C. E. • as well as in early Ch rist ianity. We find II
artic ulated in A ClS. 2:44-4 7 (King J ames Version):

All whose fait h had d rawn th em rogerher hel d everyt hi ng in co rn-

mon: [hey woul d sell [h eir propert y and possessions , and make a

18 . H esrod. Wvr.t.r a"J Da) J, 109 -1 19 , tr ans Ric hard Lat tirn or e, q uoted in DAwson , Citia
fJj tht GfJJJ, P 13
 THE POLI TIC AL NEPT UN E - 299

general d istrib ut ion as the need of each req uired . W ith one mi nd
they kep t up t heir da ily att endance at th e temple, and , b reak ing
bre ad in p rivate hous es, sha red their me als with un affected joy as
they p raised G od and enj oyed th e favou r of th e who le people . And
day by day the Lord added to t heir n um ber those whom he was
savin g .

And again in Act s, 4: 32-3 5:

The wh ole body of beli evers was un it ed in heart and soul. N ot a

ma n of them claime d any of his possessions as h is own, bu t every -
th ing was hel d in com mo n, wh ile t he apos tl es bore wit ness wit h
g reat po wer [0 the resu rrect ion of th e Lord Je sus. T hey were all
hel d in h igh esteem ; for th ey had neve r a need y pe rson amo ng
th em , because all who had p rope rty in land or houses sold it ,
b rought the pr oceed s of [he sale, and laid [he money at t he feet of
the apos t les; it was then di str ibuted [0 any wh o stood in need .

And in t he 2 nd cent ury C.E. we find it eloque ntl y ex pressed by

Ep ip han ius :

T he rig h te ousness of G od is a k ind of u n iver sal fairness and

eq ual it y. . .. Ther e is no d isti ncti on betw een rich an d poo r, peo·
pie and go vern or, st up id and cle ver, female and ma le, free me n
and slaves.. . . But th e ab o lit io n, co nt rary to d ivine law, of co m -
mu nity of use an d eq uality begar t he th ief of d omesti c an im als
and fruit s. 19

Likew ise we find it enacted in t he h ipp ie enclaves of the 19 6 0 s, as well as

in the Ra jneesh as h ra m s and othe r spi ri tu al co m m u nes of the 19 70s and
19805 . N eptune's m yst ical vis io n, d ressed in pol it ical ga rb . emerge s in
co nven t io nal po li ti cs as a prog ramm e of st ate-o wned ind us t ry and th e
en fo rced red istributio n of wealt h .
Ther e is g reat e mot io na l po we r in Ep ip ha n iu s' v isio n o f G od's fai r-
ness and equ al ity, reflect ed in human society by comm u nal owne rsh ip . O n
one level, we m ay read ily pe rceiv e its jus t ice an d inn er trut h ; fo r co m m u-
na l o w nersh ip is t he visible sym bo l of ou r u n ity w it h each ot he r and ou r
recogn it ion of the value o f eve ry hum an life. Yet whe n faced w ith t h is
essen t ial p recep t of Neptu nia n bound lessness in eve ryday m att ers, its
arch ety pal ju sr ice m ay b e tempe red by a sense of th reat and opp ress ion ,

19 . Epiph anies. MiJCtllanm : 3.2.6- 7, quoted in Dawson, CllltJ "f the GIIJ" pp. 26'5-266
30 0 - THE A~TR Ol O G lCAl N EPTU Nf AND T H E O U ES T FO R R£D EMr r IO N

dependi ng up on wheth er it is our own money and property wh ich are

abou t to be d ivide d and shared . In additio n to the inevitab le practi cal
p roblems of an eq uality enforced by law rat her th an by hea rtfelt ge ne rosi-
ty, we may also pe rceive an un pleasant whiff of primary narcissism risin g
(ro m the underground stream , which declar es tha t one is mo the r's div ine
child and is the refore entitled to everything, regardless of cont rib ution or
charaerer. Here as elsewhere, th e myst ical and [he infanti le join hands in
Neptune 's ins isten ce on th e abo lit ion of p riva te ownership.
Understa ndably, we are confused by ou r own ambivalent respon ses to such
an ostensibly nob le po litical vision , and opt instead for any one of a vari-
ety of comprom ises. Dawson calls these compromis es "low" (or modern )
uto pianism . Here the image of th e ideal societ y is in tended as a critique of
existing insti tutio ns, as well as a mode l for more modest , realistic refor m s.
In "low" utopianism , Ne ptu ne and Sarurn are held in careful, althoug h
constanrly shifting , balance. T he ideal society is acknowl edg ed as a wor-
thy asp irat ion , which springs from th e nob lest di mens ions of the human
sp irit ; bur th e vision of pe rfect ion is ackn owledged as an im possib ilit y in
any foreseeable future .
Alrhou gh descriptions of "high" utopianism may be found in Plato's
Republic, it is clear from the overall natu re of the work tha t th e poli tical
vision of th e Republic is insp irational rather than pract ical, and is inte nde d
to open the mind and heart rather than be tr anslated into a pol irical pl at-
form for action . In t hc [ A W l , Plato offers his versio n of "low" utopianism,
m uch of whi ch cou ld be literall y enacted as a means of social improve-
m ent . Nevertheless, his ideal state , even in th e "h ig h" utop ian form which
is presented in th e Republic, is int ended to be JUSt , rat her than Eden -l ike,
It pa rtak es as mu ch of Sat urn as of Neptu ne. He g ives t he ind ivid ual ci ti-
zen's hap piness litt le thoug ht , excep t in terms of the happ iness appro pr i-
ate W a lit' as a m embe r of a certain class.

Plato's society has offended and continues to offend many, because

he is frankly and unapologeti cally inegalita rian .. . he lacks th e
not ions of equ al human wort h and di~ n i [ y th at stand behind the-
ories of hu man rights. 20

He is also sceptical of achieving the JUSt state throug h prog ressive legal
reform , h ut sug ges ts th at it can only be crea ted th rough a to tal change in
people's mi nds and heart s- a g reate r consciousness of h uma n nat ure such
as need s a long trai ning to produce, T his is a long way from true

20 . ) lilt" Annas , An Int mducttrm til Platll'l Rrpkb!lc (O xford . O xford Umv ernry Press, 198 2J,
p p . 172 lind 18 3.
 THE PO ll TI C ... l N EP T UN E - 3 01

Neptu nian utopian ism . Better education, rat he r than revolut ion , is for
Plato the ins t rument of gradual social change; and it does not matte r if the
jus t society is an u nattainable ideal as long as it serves as an id eal for th e
[usr person to try to realise in his or her life. For Plato, it is the individ-
ual , nor the mass , who is u lt imately responsible for any be t rerrnent of the
world , N ep tun ia n romanti c sociali sts are , in th e end , u nlikely to der ive
muc h sati sfaction from hi m .
T he essent ial text for all Neptunian pol it ical th in kers on the left is
Sir Thomas More's Utopia, T his grea t ph ilosoph ical rom ance was written
in I S16 , by a man who had t he Su n in Aqu ari us in close squa re to
Neptune conju nct th e Ascendant .U Pr ed ict ably, Neptune was transit ing
t hroug h Aquarius, con ju net ing his nata l Sun and sq ua ring his natal
N eptune, when he wrote the book . More was t he first write r to use th e
word ut opia ; in Greek it means "nowhe re." H is wo rk offers us a mode l of
an ideal society which-although somet imes subject to conflict - is m irac-
ulously purged of envy . Every mem ber is joyfully willing to em b race his
or he r neighbours goo d fortu ne in the nam e of th e publ ic benefit. More s
vision is bo t h "h ig h" and "low' utopian ism, for it is meant [Q inspi re and
also [Q be acted upo n. It is as far from pract ical fulfillment no w as it was
five hundred yea rs ago, for it is as willfully bl ind [0 the com p lexi ties of
hum an nature as any archaic d ream of a lost G o lden Age . Yet , fortu natel y
or unfortuna tely or both , More's uto pia n vision will not: leave us . It has
been responsible for many wars , deat hs, and acts of barbaric crue lty; it has
helped to crea te th e appa lli ng tyran nies of ru lers suc h as Stalin , Mao , and
Pol Pot ; b ut i t has also inspired ma jor social changes wh ich have pr ompt-
ed us co rrear each ocher far more nobl y and com passionately than we
mi ght have be lieved possib le.
T he word "soc ial ism " first appeared in Euro pe at [he be ginni ng of
th e 18 305, wh en transit in g N eptune was leav in g Cap rico rn an d en te ring
Aq uarius (as it d oes in 19 98). As we have seen, N eptune's pa ssage
t hrough t he signs reflects a flu id and sh ift ing im age of wh ere red em pt ion
lies. Whe n it moves through Aquarius, Eden seems to beckon th roug h
id eals of social progress and the submergence o f individualit y fat the ben -
efi t of t he g rou p. Sit T homas Mote wrote Utopia when N eptu ne passed
through Aq uar ius in th e 16 t h cen t u ry. When i[ transited [hac sign in the
19th cen t u ry, a new kind of u rba n and industrial povett y was ri fe, engen-
dered by t he industrial revolut ion; and ind ividuals with a soc ial co n-
science looked for a rad ical solutio n to {he desp erate conditio ns in wh ich
so ma ny peo ple lived . T he same archetypal vision rose [0 meet t he m as

21. Chan source FfJu l « 'J CfJ mpmJium fJj N a l Jl'l t ttf , p. 2 11.
., 0 2 - "lIiE ASTRO LOG ICAL NEPT UNE AND THI O UEl l f O R RWIMP T JO N

had risen to meer More. "Socialist" was the te rm used [Q des cri be th ose
seek ing to refor m socie ty and improve th e lor of what Saint -Simon called
"t he mo st numerous and t he pooresr c1ass .un Somet imes ega lit arian and
some times collec rivisr, social ism became [h e bitt notre not on ly of th e
indus rria l bo u rgeo isie, b ut also of th ose peasa n ts who , like man y of
rcda y's farmers , understandably wished to ret ain own ers hip nf rhe parc h
of land (hey had spe nt [h eir lives cult ivanng . Yer roma ntic sociali sm as a
phi losop hy d id nor arise from an an gry and op p ressed working class; ir
was, u nt il the 18 50s , advocated pr ima rily by compassionate and , for th e
mos t pan , pacifi st intel lect ua ls who espou sed a qu asi-re ligious visi on of
a pe rfect society. The vio len ce of ana rchy and revo lu tion did not become
pa n of irs official creed un ril Saturn joi ned Neptu ne in Aqu arius in 1846
and presided over th e creation of t he Communist Ma nif eJlo. In Fran ce,
Charles Fourier, t ypi cal of t hese "gent leme n" soc ialists, proposed a series
of u topi an co mm un it ies or "phalanste ries, " mad e up of ca refu lly chose n
men and wo me n de voted to various tr ad es, which he believed would
event ua lly form an id eal soc iet y. In a lin Ie-known chap ter of Am er ican
history, one of Fourier's followers, Et ienne Cab er. sent a g roup of 1,'5 00
of t hese m en and women to Texas to form a pha lan st ery whe re all prop-
eny was com m unal. Th e exp erimen t proved an u tte r fail ure. Between
1840 and 18 50 , there were aroun d thirt y suc h com muni ti es in the
U nited States. The mass of Am er ican opi nion remained ind ifferen t to
t hem . H
The rom antic socialism coi ncide nt with Ne p tune 's tr ansi t t h rough
Aqu arius in th e 183 0s and early 184 0s was a passionate, com passiona te,
reform ist , and my stical socia lism . Althou g h it may now seem an anachro-
nism smacking of uppe r class noblesse obltge, it s propo nents sti ll exist today ;
Tony Berm, who ga ve up h is hered itary peerage to become a Labou r l\.fP, is
a good example. \~ith th e advent of Marxist socialism, an enti rel y d iffer-
ent and altogethe r more ruthl ess eleme nt ente red t he arena of N eptunian
po litics. Ironi call y, Marx can not be considered a Neptunian by any stre tc h
of t he imag inatio n. Alt houg h Neptune was conju nct Uran us and squa re
Pluto at the time of his bi rth , it makes no ma jor aspects to any pe rso nal
planet , nor is ir prom inen tl y placed on any ang le of the cha rt. 24 As a poli r-
ical philosophe r wi th rhe Sun and Moo n in Tau rus, Marx adopted the
mater ialism of Feuerbach and t he di alect ical ideas of H egel , p resenting
histo ry as a vast p red ete rmined moveme nt whose d rivi ng for ce was class

22 . D urocelle. F.Mrllpt: A Hi ulIt) 11/ .11 Peoples, P. 302.

23, ENrClpt: A Hil/ fI1) if itl Peoplrs, pp- 303-3 04,
24. Chan sou rce: Fouler's C(JmptnJiNm II{ Natt1"tln , r 20 1.
 THI PO LIT IC AL "'PlUN! - 30 3

war. He believed th at the proleta riat would g row ever larger by absorbing
most of the m iddle a nd lower m iddle classes. Whe n it had realised its own
u ni ty and streng t h , it would sei ze power by revolut ion . Marx co nsidered
h is soc ialism "scient ific." T here is lir rle if any thing of eit he r com passion
or mysr icism in it. Yet as a pro mise of sa lvat io n it push ed t he N eptu ne-
button in a vast number of the world 's poor-as well as the power-burto n
in certain of th e world' s aspi ring dic tators, begi nning with Lenin, who
qu ickly recog nised its ma rket appe al.
T he m essage of Marx ist socia lis m is revolutionary an d violent.
Perhaps , lik e H itl er, Marx was the m outh p iece for h is own ge ne rat ion's
dreams of apocalypt ic redem pt ion, reflect ed by th e natal comb ination of
N eptune con junct Uranus and sq ua re Pluto. H e may al so have bee n
exp ressing h is pe rsonal g rievances against parent s, society, and re ligious
background through an appa rently "object ive ' political ph ilosoph y. T he
au tho rs of ,\ 1undant A ltrology relate Ma rxist socialis m (Q th e cycle of Sat u rn
and Nep t une. The co nj unc tio n of t hese r wo planets occurs every 36 year s.
Marx did nor ha ve t hem in aspec t. Bu t as we have seen, a Saturn -Neptune
conjunc rio n presided ove r t he writ ing of the Communist Man iftlto. Under
the next con junc tio n in 1882, t he ma in socia list parties in Europe were
establ ished; and the Russ ian Revolut ion occu rred u nder the subsequent
conjunctio n of 19 17. Sta lin died under 'he followi ng one, and Soviet influ-
ence ex te nded in to Africa and t he Th ird Wo rld . T he Soviet Unio n col-
lap sed u nde r th e m ost rece nt con junc t io n in Ca pricorn, wh ich occ u rred in
19 89 , w hen Uranus also en tered Capricorn and joined Neptun e as it had
do ne when M a rx was born . 2 )
T he co nfig u rat ions of Sat u rn and Nep tune are celes t ia l ma rke rs for
those ju nct ures in history wh en effons are m ade -someti m es viole nt ,
som eti me s pea ceable-to m ake Eden incarna te . Aspen s between t he tw o
planet s are part icularly relevant to the ar ts and to art ists , and are d iscussed
in t hi s co ntext in chap te r 10 . A general psychological int erp retation of
Sarurn-Nepr une in the indiv idual chan is gi ven in chap ter 12. Bur some-
thing also needs to be said about the psychology of ' he politics which
emerge when these two planers are inv olved wit h each o t her. Because
Saturn sy mbol ises , am ong st othe r things. ou r need, bo t h as ind ivid uals
an d as a collecrive , [Q su rv ive in [he materia l wo rld, it is by na t ure a defen-
sive plane t , gea red no t to wa rd cha nge o r progress, b ur to ward prese rvi ng
t hose syst ems and st ructu res wh ich g uarantee safety and the preserv ati on
of auto nomy and au thority. Satu rn is deepl y concerned with cont rol, for

25 SC'C' BaigC' nt . Cam pion and Harvey, Ab"ik", IUlro/ugy. p . 18 2 .

30 4 - TH [ ASTR OL O GI CAL N EPT UN E AN O fHE O UEST FOR RfD [\IP Tl O,"

control is our chief mean s of survival. If we can conrrol ou rselves, our bod -
ies, ou r feel ing s, our envi ronm em, our relat ionships, our econ om y, and
perhaps even our futu re, then we are nor so vuln erable (Q th e vicissitude s
of life. At its best, Saturn is a healt hy realist, rough , urban e, and self-suf-
ficient, mak ing the best of the world as it is, rat her th an dream ing of how
it m ight be or might once have been.
The stro ng ly Saturn ian individ ual or collective is usually well-
eq ui pped to cope wit h wh at ever life b ri ngs becau se of a good ada pta t ion
to th e demands of th e present , and an inbu ilt resistan ce [0 senti men ta lis-
ing about th e future or th e past. At its worst, Saturn is a tyrant : the need
to cont rol overwhelms all other urge s and creates abso lute d ict atorship,
whet her of an ind ivid ual psyche or of a nation . T he person who has ide n-
cified tOO strong ly with Saturn may att em pt to deny or sup press every
tra ce of dep enden cy, vu ln erability, or d isorder; so too maya nati on with
the planet p rom inent . N eptune's long ing is wha t ren ders us most depen -
dent , vulnerab le, and d isord erl y, and least eq u ipped 10 cope wit h the
stresses and st rains of dail y ex istence. T hu s th ese tw o planet s, when in
di rect aspect , will engage in a profou nd , alt hough ofte n un con sciou s,
str ugg le. Som et im es thi s results in g reat creative g ifts and a rem arkable
capacity (Q mak e vision man ifest. Mor e often it resul ts in one or othe r of
the fund ame ntal prin cipl es th e planets rep resent bein g fo rced und er -
g ro und and pro jected elsewhere. Saturn is th en imp risoned by it s own
fear, d oomed eternally to pa t col th e walls, wast ing its g ifts in a fru itl ess
search for the su bversive forces wh ich it can never w holly stam p out. And
N ep tun e is im prison ed by its own passiv it y, d oom ed eternally to pl ay th e
pe rsecut ed vict im, wasti ng its gifts in a fog of self-pity and vag ue apoca-
lypt ic dr eam s.
T he pol iti cs of Sat urn -Neptune are oft en extreme, particul arl y
with the conjunction and hard aspects. From whichev er side they begin ,
left o r righ t , th ey becom e curious ly simi lar as [he)' proceed to enact th eir
archetypal roles. N ation al socialism or sociali st narional ism , a rose by
an y ot her nam e would sme ll as swee t; th e redeemer of the downtrod den
collec tive rises up to over throw the persecutor and then becomes th e
new persecuto r of a new down trodd en collective whic h m ust then seek
freed om th rough yet ano th er redeemer. Whet her the sub versi ve scape-
go at is the G erman na t ion after t he First Wo rld Wa r o r t he Ge rman
J ews, th e Bols hev ik revolut ionary un der th e Cza r or rhe d isside nt intel-
lectu al under St alin, Sat urn -N eptune al ways requires a persecu tor and a
victi m .
W hen th e plan ers are in "soft " aspect it may be easier; th e extremes
are nor so violen t . Yet the characte rs in th e sto ry are th e same. We do not
 H H POLI TIC "l N [PT U 'v ( - 30~

need to rely solely on observing th e Saturn-Neptune cycle co see how th is

panicu lar form of Ne ptun ian redempt ion has man ifested in history, We
can also look at the charts of individuals and politi cal institutions that are
especially pro ne [0 th is perspect ive of life and societ y. For example, Arthur
Scarg ill , one of the rnosr vociferou s of modern Brit ish politi cal figures with
a ryranr-v icrirn perspect ive, has Satu rn and Nep tun e in oppositio n.26 Tony
Ben n has them in squa re.j ? N eil Kin nack , who as lead er of rhe Labou r
Parry sough t more moderate means of anchoring the N eptunian vision,
has them [[ine.28 The Br iti sh Labour Party was first born und er an oppo -
sition of Sat urn and Neptune, and coalesced to for m the Parli amentary
Labour Part y when Saturn and Neptu ne were rrin e. 29 But lest th e reader
think that th e Saturn- Neptu ne vision of persecuto r and victim is limited
only ra those on rhe pol it ical left , it shou ld be rem em bered that t he
Ayat ollah Khamein i had Satur n and Nept u ne in op posi rion .t '' and so d id
He inr ich H immler. ll
The "reform ist" socialism favoured by European nat ion s, with it s
emphasis on g radu al im provement through leg islation, is incompatible
with the violent ideology of Marx ism , and owes more to the influence of
19 th centu ry rom anti c social ism than it does to th e Communist Manlle r/o.
Nep tu ne will once aga in be ent ering Aq uarius in 1998 , but it will not be
conjunct ing Sat urn ; and as history tends to repeat itself in its archet ypal
themes if not in its Concrete man ifestations, we may expecc th e gentler
utop ian vision of Sir Thom as More to rise u p with as much power to
en chant as it has don e before. There will , of cou rse, be other Saturn -
Neptune conjunct ions; and [here will be ot he r epoc hs in [he histo ry of [he
future when tyrant and vict im are locked in [hei r ferocious em brace.
Communism , however, is not likely to ret urn to us in [he shape we have
seen, for alt hough N eptune's drea m of redemption is eternal, the fo rms
rhrougb wh ich it attempts to manifest are nor. Like Hitler 's nation al
socialism , Marx ist socialism was a drea m conj ured up by a most
un Neprunian dreamer, proffered to those whose own un fort un ate circum -
stances, inchoat e Neptunian long ings, and ord inary human anger and envy
ren de red them susc ept ib le to the m illen ari an vision of apocalypse and the
promise of redem ption on earth .

26 . Cbar r source: In /~ndl 101Z4ltJ HllrlJJl upt Ltxil lln , p 1344 .

27 . Chan source: Ibid., p. xxxx.
28 Chart source' Ibid.• p . 8 58
29_Chart source Tht B (,HJ~ u{ 'Wf/rIJ HIlfW' fJPtJ. P 33) ·336
30_Chart source: Inltrnal' o1Z4ltJ Hllt1IJ ~lIpt u xil un, P 855-
31. Cha rt source: lbid. , p. 748.
306 - TH E AI TROlO G ICA l NEPTU NE AND T HE O UEST f OR REDE MPTI O N

The Psychology of N eptunian Socialism

P sych olog icall y, th ere are three ma jor eleme nt s in N eptun ian socialism . A
psyc hological app roach d oes no! im p ly t hat it is "rig h t" o r "wrong " as an
ideo log y, an y mo re th an th e Neprun ian percep tion of deiry is "rig ht " or
"wrong " as a reli gi ou s overview. Ne ptune is merely on e of eleven p lane ts.V
But Ne p tu ne's world -vi ew ma y colou r an indi vid ual's po li t ical co nvict ions
JUSt as it m ay co lou r othe r d im ensions of life. The first element in th is
world -view is undoubtedly com passio n, born ou t of a sense of id entifica-
t ion with ot he rs' su ffering: th e in stinct ive recognition of th e cond it ion of
all human bei ngs . regard less of wealt h, posi tio n. [alene, o r apparent use-
fulness [Q society. The second is a sense of some deep er or spiritual d ime n-
sion in life (not necessarily Ch risti an), wh ich d ig ni fies h uman suffering
and pro vides a rel ig ious and moral framewo rk for polit ical idea ls. T he
th ird is prim ary narcissism , wh ich breeds a panicularl y virulent kin d of
envy. At best , envy, a ubiq uitous human characterist ic, may in some indi -
vidu als act as a catalyst fo r th e de velopmen t of talent s and the energet ic
pursui t of pe rsonal goa ls. Bur when m ixed with roo much of Nep t un e's
waters, it may result in th e basic premi se, th inly dis gu ised as pol iti cal the-
ory. that if I can' t have it, you should n' t have it either. Th is assumptio n
arises. in pan . from a sen se of furious im potence and vicri misario n-a
helpless chi ld's response to life's un fairn ess and real ity's lim ita tion s. In
More's Ut opia, the element of envy is lackin g . In real life it remai ns a fun -
damental pa rr of h um an natu re, which has always succeede d in spo iling
Ne pt un ian soc ial experiments suc h as Etien ne Cabe r's phalansteries .
N ep tu nian politics is more often than nor an un easy m ix of the three
ingred ient s men tion ed above, and it is some t imes very diffi cult to di scern
which is dominant.
The vision of hum an un ity, with it s concomi ta nt em phasis on a car-
ing and comm itted response to collective need , is, in itself, one of the rnosr
insp iring pr oducts of t he hu ma n heart and sp irit . Bu t like all Nept un ia n
prod ucts it contains a funda mental resist ance to being tr anslated into
everyday te rms . T he deg ree of comprom ise necessary to anchor th is vision
in work abl e ways, wh ile respect ing the pe rsonal bounda ries of ind ividu als
at every level of societ y, forms the rock upon wh ich po liticians and po liti-
cal parries have foundered th rough out history. Som et im es t he N eptun ian
vision incarnates mort' or less successfu lly, as in th e case of th e Beveridge
Rep ort of December 194 2 , whi ch led to the form at ion of th e Br it ish

32. I am incl ud ing C h ito n, wh ich has ia own pa rt icu lar wo rld -view o r anh erypal mode of
pcrcep uon
 THE POli TiCAL NI PTU NE - 307

National He alth Service. It is possibl e that, at th e time, th e presid ing tran-

sit of Neptu ne tr ine Saturn (as well as trine U ranus and sexrile Plu to) cre-
ated t he rig ht b lend of id ealis m , real ism , and innova ti ve chinking ( 0 p ro-
vide a workabl e formula . Whatever it s fa il ing s and limi ta tio ns , the mere
exis tence of th e NHS is testimony [0 the power of Neptun ian vision CO
change society. Those m em bers of the British public wh o spend their tim e
biuerly complaining about its impe rfectio ns would ga in co nside rab le
insig ht in to their own N eptunian expectati on s of perfect m othering from
t he experie nce of fall ing ill, without su rplus funds, in a cou nt ry wh ich
does not possess such an iru ti rurion.
But eq ually oft en N eptunian politi cal effor ts fa il. T he pol icies of the
Labour go ve rn me n t duri ng the early 1970s resulted in th e paral ysis of t he
econo my by stri kes and , with tax rate s as h igh as 9 0 percent, a large num-
ber of Brit ain 's most gifted professionals , from doct ors and scient ists to
artists and musicians, leaving rhe country in search of a place of dom icile
where rhey were entitled co keep and spend more than a tenth of th e
salaries th ey earned . T he poor, d esp it e these policies perpe t rated in their
name, rem ained poo r; th e fun ds thus acqu ired from th e "haves" som ehow
never reached th e pockets of th e "have ne ts," bu r were d issipated in an
increasingl y un wi eldy edi fice of bureaucracy.
Pan of the dilemma of N eptun ian social ism lies in th e unconscious
infanti le element present in th e Nept un ian political vision, wh ich is inex-
tr icabl y bound up with each individual 's own long ing for redemption . Ir
is not difficul t to see how the yearning for an uncond it ionally loving and
su pportive parent-god can metam orphose int o th e vis ion of an un con d i-
t ionally lovi ng and supporti ve Stat e. Ir is also possibl e to see how th ose
who claim to rep resent the downtrodd en, ide nt ifying with th e fig ure of
the redeemer, beg in to myt holog ise th eir own goodn ess and , in the ligh t
of this g reate r glory, forget abo ut th ose th ey were int end ing to redeem .
Mot her, after all, can on ly have one favou rite chi ld . In extreme cases this
may reach the po int whe re the fund amental underlying at t itude is no
longer one of real em path y for one's fellow men and women. bu t a
de mand for an ever-presen t b reast to supp ly milk in th e form of ha nd outs,
and a corrosive resentment coward th ose who are sel f-sufficient enoug h to
find it for them selves. N or is it d ifficult to recogn ise the fam ily resem -
blance bet ween th e charismatic g u ru who needs need y Neptun ian fo llow-
ers and th e cha rismatic politici an who need s need y Neptunian vot ers.
T h is is the d arke r ele m ent in N eptun ian pol it ics, an d it has bee n ap p ro -
priately called th e "poli t ics of env y." Politi cal part ies on the left have
often (and somet imes just ifiabl y) been accused of shameless man ipul at ion
and even approp riatio n of public fun ds unde r th e g uise of "be tte r cond i-
308 - H I[ AITRO LO GICAL N[PTUNl AND THE OU[ I T f O R REDEMPT IO N

rion s (or t he poor," espe cially in local in ner city gove rn men t. Sad ly, t h is
p roblem. whi ch is so often linked with personal g rievances and personal
chi ld hood wounds, ca n become so des tr uc ti ve t ha t ot he r, more gen uinely
concerned ind ivi d uals within th e pa rey framewo rk a re no long er tru st ed
because of th e ven om of thei r co lle ag ues toward anyone who is not a
recognisable victi m .
At t he rim e of w ri ti ng. t he p he no me non of "polit ica l co rrec t ne ss"
is sp reading across N orth America, an d has even pe rva ded the Saru rn ian
bast ion s of Briti sh socie ty. Although the Un it ed Sta te s has never even
flirted, let alo ne cond ucted a love affai r, wi t h (rue social ism .J> Neptune
has entered the Am er ican poli t ical ar ena in t h is m ost cu rious gui se.
The re is m uch to be said for an inc rease d pu blic awa reness of t he rel i-
g ious, racial, and socia l sensitivi ties of othe rs, an d t he e rad icat io n ofb la-
ran d y offen sive racist and sexi st t erm inol ogy fro m m ed ia and publi ca-
tio ns is, in pr inciple, some t hi ng whi ch a ny inte llige nt indi vid ua l woul d
applaud . Bur a line appea rs to have been cro ssed wh ich th reatens to sub-
m erge us in sh roud s of Nep tu nian fog . An ar ricle published in Tbe Times
in J u ne 19 94 offers a n excel len t illus t ration. It reported the case of an
excessi vely ove rwe ig ht wom an who threaten ed to tak e her local cine m a
to cou rt becau se it had not provided do ub le-si zed sea ts for peop le roo
large to fit in to ordina ry ones. Ind ivid uals l ike her , she claim ed , had the
sam e rig h ts as o t her, t h in ner folk ; and su ch an oversig h t co nsti tut ed pe r-
secut io n of a m in or it y. No doub t my de sc ri p ti on of th is case will provoke
ang e r in t he politically correc t reader. So be it . But are ot hers reall y
respon sibl e for accom odating the rage an d envy of t hose wh o are pe rfect -
ly capable of facing and wo rki ng wit h thei r own personal comp u lsion s?
H er e is the infa n t d em and in g t ha t mot he r, in th e fo rm of societ y (a nd ,
u ltima te ly, th e t axpay er), g ratifi es unquestioni ngly and un conditionall y
t he need s of [h e unfo rm ed pers onali ty whi ch d oes no t w ish [ 0 be bo rn . I
do nor hav e [he b irth horoscope of rhe partic ular ind ividual de scribed in
The Times, but I am ce rt ai n th at N ep tu ne is very st rong in it , In
Nep tu ne 's watery world , per sona l g rief and anger to ward t he m ot her who
has nor pr ovided enoug h can be easily tr ansformed int o a po lit ica l pe r-
spect ive whi ch seeks a scap egoa t- any scapeg oat- for one's expulsion
from Ed en roo soo n .

33. T he De mocra ti c Parcy, considered by many Americans to be too " lef(," is roughly
eq uivalent in I U pe rspect ive and policies (0 {he more moderate elements of t he Brit ish
Con servat ive Part y. Many British peo ple wou ld con side r the mor e conserva t ive elemen rs
of (he Repu bli can Party dc wn n g h r fascist.
 T H ! POLITIC AL N EPT UN ( - ;09

N eptune in the National Horoscope

If a do minan t Nep tu ne in an individ ual hor oscope can give us insig ht into
the special social and po litical atti t udes wh ich the pl ane r reflects, so, tOO,
can a do minant Neptune in th e horoscope of a nat ion . The sphere of what
is known as mundane astro logy is as valuable a source of insight in to
N ep tu ne as any pe rso na l horoscope; for an yth ing born at a cert ain mom ent
partakes of [he qual ities of that m om ent, whether ir is a hum an being or
t he po litic al ent ity of a nat ion )4 T he sam e psycholog ical laws opera te
withi n t he collect ive psyche as withi n t he ind ividual. Conce pts such as
Rousseau's body po litic or 'he Ge rman Volkml, or "fol k soul" are pa ral-
lel led in psycholog ical lang uag e by Jun g 's d escripton of the col lecti ve
u ncon scious, embod ied and expressed as clea rly by indi vid ual nation states
as by ind ivid uals. .

Such a theory as th is assum es th at all th e members of a nat ion

share a commo n fund of th oughts wh ich have been acqu ired in,
and transm it ted th rough , histo ry, and a common will t o cont inue
living together as a nati on in the futu re. Therefore, when a nation
organises itself int o a stare it is expressing th e cu rrent stage of
de velop me nt of that collect ive fund of rhoughrs, memories, hope s,
fears and wisbes-c-rhar is, the collective unconscicus.J?

T he anal ysis of a nati on 's cha rt can reveal with g reat acc urac y the psy-
cholog y of chat nati on-c--jt s inna te t alents, irs st re ng t hs and weaknesses,
it s fears , irs aspi rations , irs conflicts , it s com plexes, its defe nce m echa-
nis ms, an d it s che ris he d m yths and values. In d ivid ua ls living wit h in th e
collect ive fabric of a nat ion al e nriry may be m ore or less in flue nced by the
g ro up psych e surround in g them , depending upon th e exten t to wh ich
they ident ify with t hat collect ive or have str uggled to form a relat ively
independen t se c of values . Bur even th e most st ro ng ly defi ned indiv idual
will , consciously or un con sciousl y, be shaped and affecte d by 'he "com -
mon fund" of th e whole of wh ich he o r she is a pall-no, least th rou gh
th at lon gi ng for fusion of whi ch Ne ptune in 'he ind ividual chart is [he
p rimary symbol. For [h is reason the ast rolog er musc always bear in mind
the collective into whi ch a person has bee n born , to u nd erstand [h e sup-

34 . For an excelle nt inr rod ucncn [0 t hi s sp here of astrolog ical work, SCt Baig enr . Ca m p ion
and Harvey, M'mtknt Aurtdugy
35. MuJant Au,.ulllgy, p. 98.
)to - H n ASTR O l O GI CAL NfPlllN ! AND TH f OU ES T f OR RfDU...1PTI O N

port or conflict offered by (hat co f lect ive toward the ind ivid ual's own
journey of unfold ment .
Like an ind ividual, a na tion may be mo re or less conscious. Some
nat ions are rem ark abl y un conscious, and their popu lation is easily ma rup-
ulat ed and co ntr olled by th ose powe rfu l pol iti cal and rel igi ous figures
who appea r to embody th e repressed elements , dark or lig ht of the col -
lecrive . In rhe same way, an un conscious indi vid ual is open to manipula-
tion and contro l by those peopl e and institution s wh ich ep it om ise rhe
hidde n di m ensions of hi s or her pe rsonal ity. In this fashion, as we ha ve
seen, Ge rmany afte r the First Wo rld Wa r invo ked H id er, for he was the
mouthpi ece for irs collec ti ve yearn ing for red em pr ion .J'' The conscio us-
ness of a nat ion depend s upo n th e developme nt of consciousness (and
therefore the devel opment of d iscri m ination , reflect ion. and sel f-suffi -
ciency) amo ng st th e ind ivid uals who form tha t nat ion. Like an individual,
a nation has a set of goa ls and valu es (the Sun ), a characte rist ic ma n ner of
expressing itse lf (t he Ascendant ), a persona wh ich it p resent s to th e rest
of th e world (the Me) , a set of securi ty need s (the Moon ), a de fence sys-
tem (Saturn), an agg ressive inst inct (Mars), a mode of com m un icat ion
(Mercury), a concep t of happiness (Ven us), and a set of ideal s which pe r-
mea tes irs legal and religious st ructu res (jupi te r). A na tion also has a
vision of prog ress (Uranus) and a funda mental compulsion to su rvive in
th e face of ext ern al or inte rnal threat (Pluto), Nicholas Campion sugge sts
that th e "ruli ng class" of a nat ion is repr esented by the Sun and Ju piter,
whi le th e "midd le" and "work ing classes" are gove rned pri mari ly by th e
Moon . .H T he national Sun mar also be understood [0 reflect th e kind of
lead ersh ip th e people tend to conscious ly choose o r u nconsciou sly invo ke,
wh ile th e Moon reflects th e in stinctual needs and cha racter isti c emo tion -
al respon ses of the populace.
A nat ion also has a long ing for redemption , reflecte d by irs natal
Neptune. It is in th is sphe re that na tions, like peopl e, are capable ofborh

36 . Hider's natal Saru rn conjuoceed N eptune in the natal chan of [he Weim;a r Rep ublic
wh ich elected him in Chancellor. Impcrram hnk s will invall ahly be- foun d between the
chart of a nat ion and t he chart of an indi vidual who assum es leadersh ip over that nat ion. A
compar ison of t he birch horoscopes of American presidents wit h th e American natal chart
reveals fascina ti ng insigh ts into w hy each indr vrdca l has been elected . wha t t he cc llecnve
has projected ont o him, and why he m ay or may not be able to fulfill these expectat ions. A
good example is Bill Clint on, whose rising Mars-Nep tune con junction in Lihra falls on the
Ame-rican nata l Satur n. In H ider's case. the collect ive sough t it s redempti on through him,
and was led astr ay; in Cli nton 's case, It might be- sugg est ed th at he un consciously soug ht
his own rederopnon th roug h ach ieving (he Presidency, and was led astra y.
37. Baigent, Campion and Harvey, Mlm d4nt A llrQ/agy, p . 103.
 THE POll T IC.\L N EPT U NE - 3 11

th eir noblest asp irati ons and their mos t appalling del usions. In M unda ne
Aura/agy, th e au tho rs provide a useful defi ni tion of Neptune's role in the
national horoscope .

Nept une is associated more than any other planet with subver-
sion, perhaps because of its rulership of ideals and links wirh the
"ideal society." Hence it rules socialism, and all new visions and
dreams of the perfect society, and the people who promote such
d reams. It represents the need of a collective [0 be perfect. but it
can also rule delusions and therefore disillusion, glam our. the
arcs, fashion, a nat ion's self-image and the image presente d to
ochers. . . . Because of its associations with confusion and delu sion
Nept une can also rule war. . _ _ Neptune also rules scandals, the
results of confusion and deceprion.J't

In shore, this planet in the nat ional psyche operates in precisely the same
fashion as it does in th e ind ividual-and across the same wide spec trum ,
depending upo n the planets wh ich Nep tune aspens. A nation becomes
"deluded " when it loses (or has never possessed) its sense of individual
identity and self-wort h, and begins to seek redemp tion through an impo s-
sibl e ideal that devalues or dest roys other, d ifferin g approaches to life.
T he Neptu nian long ing may not be a ma jor factor in a national bi rch
horoscope , JUSt as it may be relat ively obscure in the ind ivid ual hor oscope
(as it is in the bi rt h cha rt of Karl Marx). Thus Nep tu ne's d reams may not
dom inate overall collective values. A good example of this relative
"absence" of Neptun ian vision is th e horoscope of th e Un ited State s, in
which Neptune aspects neither Sun nor Moon (Chart 14 . page 3 12).
Neptune here is widely conjunct th e Me from (he 9 th house, and sq uares
the natal Mars in Gem in i in the 7th. But I would not call chis a Neptun ian
chart, especiall y since the re is no Sun-Nep tu ne contact and therefore no
inclinat ion to expect salvation from govern ment or to pe rceive th e leader-
ship as sem i-d ivine. Ame rican asp irations are Ju pjterian rath er th an
Neptunian. as mig ht be expe cted from a Sun-J upiter conjunct ion and a
Sagirraria n Ascendant , and are focussed not on the subme rgence of the
indiv idua l in the mass psyche but on eq ual opport unit ies for every indi-
vidu al: healt h, wealth and th e pursuit of happiness. There is no collective
phi losophy of suffering and sacrifice in the name of the public good. Any
nat ion whi ch so ferociously protect s its citizens' rig ht to possess firearms
can hardly be viewed as Neptu nian . Al th ough [he USA has more tha n its

38. MilT/Jan, Iwrvillg), p . 22 4 .

 N
3 12 _ n -H A)TROl OG ICAl r-.o f r l LJ Nf AND THf O Uf ST f O R RfOEMrll O

MC&'

)--(

Chan 14. Th e Un ited Stares of America. July 4, 177 6, 5:10 P. M. LMT,

22: 10:00 G MT, Phi ladelph ia, PA (39N57, 75W04). Tropical, Placidu s
Houses, True N ode. Source: Th, Book 0/ World Horoscope).
 l it I no u nc « " I PT UN I - 3 1.\

share of cu rious and ofte n fanati cal rel igi ous cults (Ne ptun e is, after all , in
th e 9 th house of th e nat ional char t ), N eptunian mysticism . in both re li-
g ion and politics. has a lway s rema ined isolated and pan of a di spossessed
subc u lt ure . The po we rfu l and rath er frig hte ni ng influen ce of fundame n-
talist Chri st iani ty on po liti cal decision - maki ng is Sar u rni an rather t ha n
N eptun ian in natu re, and would seem (Q reflec t t he close Su n-Saturn
sq uare in the nati onal chan . De spite [h e im po rta nce of rel ig ious be lief,
Amer icans have never aspired to ward a uto p ian vision of societ y. T he spe-
cial flavou r of Neptun ian po liti cal ide olog y th at we have been explo ring
has al ways bee n anat hema to th is inten sely individual isti c nati on , wh ose
bogeyman for most of the 20 rh cent ury has been the threat of Neptunian
"subversion " from t he Co m mu nis t bl oc.
In di rect contrast it is useful to exa m ine th e horo scope for t he
People's Repub lic of China (Chart 15, pag e 3 14) . When the proclamarion
of the cent ral g overn m ent of t he ne w rep ubl ic un der Mao Tee- ru ng t ook
p lace , the Sun and Mercur y were both con ju nct Neptune in Lib ra . H ere is
a na t ional ent it y whose spe cific formu la ted goals and values are en t irely
Neptunian ; and even th e p resen t Uran us-Neptune conj u nct ion . wh ich
seem s to have to ppled the rul ing edifice of every com mu n ist state across
east ern Eu rope, has not succeed ed in d et hro ni ng the N eptun ian ideals
wh ich are in st cin sic to mode rn China's format ion . While a full u nd er-
stand ing of the com p lexit ies of modern C h inese history requ ires grea ter
specific polit ical and econo m ic k now ledge of th e country than I posses s, it
is nevertheless possible, even wi t h limi ted informa tion, to reflect on the
peculiarly Neptunian pa rad ox of the m assacre of one million peasan ts
wh en th e com m u n ist government of t he Peop le's Republi c came to power
in 19 50-5 1. Th e near-deificarion of Mao, th e leader of the Marxist revolu-
t ion , also reflects t he conjunctio n of Sun and N eptu ne , sugg est ing that t he
nat ion 's politi cal leadersh ip m erge s with an image of th e red eeme r wh ich
is transpar en tly , if u ncon sciously, religious in natu re . The t ransi t of P lu to
over t he na tion 's Su n-Nep tu ne con junct ion , extend ing from 19 75 co 1978,
coincid ed with a prot racte d struggle be t wee n th e Mao ist s and t he
Revi sionists, and Mao's Cul tu ral Revolut ion cam e to an end . In the m id -
dle of this transit . on 9 September 1976, Mao died . Yet despi te his dem o-
t ion to seconda ry red eem er sta tu s, the na tion has not altoge ther rep ud iat -
ed his ph ilosophy; nor will it as long as no ma jor revolut ion occ u rs to p ro-
vide t he coll ecti ve with a new b irth horoscope .
A final example is wort h considering : t h ree charts wh ich reflect three
vastly different stag es in th e polit ical evoluri on of Germany. Th e first chart
is that of th e Wei ma r Republ ic, proclaimed on 9 November 19 18 afrer the
abd ication of Kaiser Wi lhe lm II , when Neptune was statio nary in th e
 314 - T H [ ASTR O LO G ICAL N [ PT UN [ AND TH[ O U EST l O R RED[MP T IO N

~fi .?' I~-++++f---\ \----+---1 j:( IS\;

Chart 15. People's Repu bli c of China. October I, 1949, 12:00 P. M. CCT,
04:00 :00 GMT, Beijing , China C39N55, 116E25). Tropical, Placid us
H ouses, True Node. Source: Tbr Book of World Horoscopes.
 TH E PO li T ICA L N EPT UN ! - 3 15

heavens (Chan 16, page 3 16). The Imperial syste m in Germany came co
end in the soc ialist revolu tion wh ich swept the country and resulted in a
new national enti ty- federal rather than a central ised un itary srate-with
a Sun-Venus conj unction in Scorpio sq uare N eptune in Leo in irs birth
horoscope . The intense but unfocussed emorional idealism of this nat ion-
al ent ity, born out of a vag ue dream of natio nalis m and freedom from the
Imper ial yoke, at last found irs redeem er in Jan uary 1933 , when H itl er
was appoi nte d as the last Chancello r of the Weimar Repu bl ic and a tran -
siting Sun-Sat urn conj unctio n oppo sed Ne ptune in th e Republ ic's birth
chan . As we have seen, H ider's natal Saturn in Leo falls on the Wei mar
Republic's N eptune; thus he seemed, at first, to embod y and incarnate t he
people's long ing for redemption .J9
T he next chan (Chan 17 , page 31 7), reflecring th e bir th of Naz i
Ge rmany, offers us the ve ry different energy of a Sun-S at urn conjuncti on
as a symbol of the national ego. Ge rmany only became a uni tary cen-
tralised State with the advent of the N azi regime , and , ironi cally, under
Hitler's rule [he CO Untry en joyed th e on ly period of real politic al unity in
its history, unt il irs recent reunification . Mercury is also con ju nct Saturn
in t his chart , reflecti ng th e rigi dity of th e N azi ideo log y. N eptu ne is, how-
ever, subd y acr ive-c- ir is qu incunx both the Sun and Saturn, and trines
Venus in Capricorn . T he myt holog y of the Naz i era, which approp riated
the mythology of the Romant ic Movem ent of the previous ce ntury for its
own purposes , was full of apocalyp tic vision and Sturm und Dran g-
nowhere so evide nt as in that repellent ge nre of "an " whi ch idealised the
physical glories of the Aryan physiq ue. T he "thousand-year Reich ," wirh
its eag les, its effic ient road system and its monum ental arch irec ru re, was
also an atte mpt [Q resurrect [he images of ancient Roman impe rial g lory-
a Golde n Age wh ich would rerum unde r H id er's rule . Th is too was, in its
fashion, a Neptu nian reg ime, and ev idenced the t yrant -v ict im pa t te rn so
characce ristic of Satu rn-Nept une run amo k in the poli tical arena.
Th e t hird chart (Chart \8 , page 3 18) is that of the Germ an
Demo crati c Repu bl ic. East Germa ny had been subjec t to Soviet ad m in is-
tration since 194 5, but it was not proclaim ed an independent st ate unt il
1949 . Here the Sun in 13.54 Libra closely conjuntlS N eptu ne in 14 .53
Libra, alon g with Mercu ry; and the ut opian d ream returned in the form of
rhe presidi ng commu nist gove rnment . As the Sun symbo lises the leader-
ship in a nat ional chart , wh ile the Moon reflects the people, th e oppositio n
of the Moon [Q the Sun-Nep tune conjunctio n sug gests a deep internal co o-

39 . See my comments o n N epru ne-Sarum conracrs In syna.srry on pp.464 -4 6 7 .

316 .... TH E ASTR O LO GI CAl N EP TU N E AN [) TH E OU fS T f OR RfO EMPTl O N

Chan 16. Ge rmany, Weimar Repu bl ic. Novembe r 9. 1918, 12:00 P.M .
CET, 11:00 :00 GMT, Berlin, Ge rmany (52N3 0, 13E22). Trop ical,
Placidus Houses, True Node. Source: The Book of World Horoscopes.
 TH I POliTI CAL NEPT UN E - 3 17

Chart 17. Germany, The Third Reich. January 31, 1933, 11: I S A.M . CET,
10:15 :00 GMT, Berlin, Germany (S2N30 , 13E22). Tropi cal, Placid us
H ouses, True Node. Source: Tbe Book of World Horoscopes.
3 18 - T HI A\ TROl O GIC Al N [ P1U N! AND T HI Q UI lT f O R RID IM PTf O "

Chan 18. German Democrati c Republ ic. October 7, 1949, 1:17 P.M.
LMT, 12:17:00 G MT, Berlin, Ge rmany (52N 30 , 13E22). Tropi cal,
Placidus Houses, True N ode. Source: l ntemat ionales Il orolkope-l...exikon.
 TH I PO LITIC ' l N[ PT U" I - 3 19

flier betw een the government and the needs of the po pulace . Th e Wall was
bu il t not so m uch to keep people our as to keep them in. Compound ing
the tension and ins tability in th is chan is Uranus , placed in 5.01 Cancer,
square the natal Sun -Merc ury-Neptune. The G DR opened its bo rders in
1989. when transiting Saturn and Neptun e we re exactly conjunct in 10
Caprico rn, wi th tr an sit ing U ranus close beh ind in 2 Capricorn, opposite
tra nsiring jup ite r in 10 Cancer and tra nsit ing C hiton in 16 Cancer. Its for-
mal demise came , however, w ith the reun ification of East and West
Germany on 10 January 1990, wh en t ransi ri ng Sat u rn was in 18 .49
Caprico rn, rransir in g Ne ptun e was st'ill conjunct it in 11 .4 9 Capricorn ,
the transiting Ascen dant was in 12 .21 Cap ricorn, and transit ing U ranus
was in 5.4 3 Cap ricorn , All these tra nsits were sq ua re th e fragi le GD R
natal Sun -Neptune wirh its ill-fared utopian dreams . And transi ti ng
U ranu s was also exactly opposit ion t he G D R Ura nus, the ape x of the nat al
T-cross of Sun- Me rcu ry-Neptune, Moon and Uranu s, suggest ing that the
m id- life crisis wh ich soon er o r late r comes to us all, individ ual o r co llec-
tive , was particu larly expl osive in its effects-as it so oft en is for the pe r-
son wh o is wedd ed to N eptune's vision and then discove rs that life isn't
li ke that after all. T he chart for the ti me of reuni ficatio n is also , o f co urse,
the birth chart fo r the new Germany. The utopian lega cy is st ill in evi-
dence. T he Sun is sq uare Neptune, which conjunc ts t he Ascendant along
with U ranus and Saturn . The Moon is in Pisces. It is to be hoped th ar t he
new Ge rma ny will be ab le to bu ild construct ively on it s histo ry of
N eptu nian vision and failed N eptu nian d reams .
 Chapler 10

EPTUNE AND THE ARTIST

. . . For MtrCy hal a human heart,
Pity a human fac"
And Love, tbe human form divine,
And Peace tbe human dress.

. . . A nd all must kne Ih, human form,

In beatben. turk , or j ew;
Whtrt Mercy, Love and Pity dwell
Tbere God il duelling 100.
- W i lli AM B LAKE, T be Di vim l mage

rt and magi c arc cl osel y

allied . T he po wer ro make
somethi ng out of not h ing , to
create worlds from t he elu-
sive scuff of th e im ag ination,
is an act wh ich-s-even to
th ose who reg u larl y engage upon iI- parta kes of a numinous elem en t : The
arti st has always hel d a spec ial and ambi g uous role in myth an d legend -
as prophet, outl aw, mouthpiece for t he gods. tool of daimonic forces, and
vict im of bo t h hu man and di vi ne retribu t ion. The myst ery of creative
po wer is increased by t he tain t of rhefr, for the ar tist's ab ility to make
somet hi ng ou t of not hi ng tr ansform s him or her int o a god, thus enc roach -
ing upon the jealously gua rded pr eserve of heave n. Prom et heus' terrible
fate is as fund amental [ 0 the m yth of th e art ist as is his ennob lem ent as
di vine cultu re-b ri ng er.

Myt hology credi ts the art ist with two types of achievement-that
he form s being s, and that he erects build ings that reach int o the
sky or th at rival the dwelli ngs of th e god s in size and grandeu r.
Both of th ese activi ties infring e upon the preroga ti ve of th e gods,
bot h provoke puni shme nr .!

l . Ernst Kn s and O ne Kurz, ugmd. MYlh a"d Magi{ ,,, ,ht lmagt of Iht A"liJI (Stamford,
CT: Ya l~ Universiry Press, 1979 ), p . 84
.) 2 2 ~ r iu AHROt O C,I( Al N EP T U N ( " NO T Il ( Q U ES T f O R Rf D E\1 P TIO i\,'

Man y length y comes have been wr itten on th e subject of th e arti sr , and

from every conceivable pe rspec t ive-aest heti c, rel ig ious, sociolog ical, psy-
chologi cal, and pol iti cal. Conflict cont inues un abate d about the na ture of
art, what makes an art ist, whet her or nor psychologi cal illness or dam age
is necessary for creativ ity, whe th er or not the art ist is "divinely" inspi red,
and whethe r the artist is generated by th e times or whether th e tim es are
heralded, and even sha ped , by th e power of artis ti c visio n. Eq ually rnysre -
rious is why art sho uld possess suc h power. Jung sugg ests:

T he impac t of an archet ype, wheth er it takes th e form of imm e-

diat e experience or is expressed through the spoken word , sti rs U ~
because it summ ons up a voice th at is stronger th an our own.
Whoever speaks in pri mord ial images speaks with a thousand
voices; he enth rals and overpowers, while at th e same time he lifts
the idea he is seek ing to express ou r of the occasional and the
tr ansito ry into th e realm of th e ever-enduring . He tr ansmutes our
personal dest iny int o the destiny of mank ind , and evokes in us all
those beneficent forces that ever and anon have enabled humani-
ty to find a refuge from every peril and to outli ve the longe st
night... . That is the secret of great art , and of its effect upon us.
Th e creative p rocess, so far as we are able to follow it at all, con-
sists in the unconscious act ivatio n of an archetypal image. and in
elaborating and shaping (h is image into the fin ished work. By
g iving it shape, the artis t tr anslates it into [he lang uage of t he
present , and so makes it possible for us to find ou r way back [0
th e deepest spr ings of l i fe ':~

One mi ght expect th e art ist to merit g rati tu de for help ing us to "find ou r
way back. " Yet he or she is reg ularly m isrrusred , vilified and sometimes
even des troyed by [he very collecti ve whi ch has been moved and inspi red
by t he artistic vision. Pe rhap s thi s is becau se t he "activation of an arche-
typal im age" can ge nerate d iscomfort or even em ot ional upheaval in th e
reade r, viewer or lis tener; and su ch an inn er awaken ing may be unw elcome
to a consc iousness that resist s chan ge, Perhaps art ist s th emselves are also
responsible for th eir own cru cifixi on , for suc h close proximi ty to [he arche-
typal do main brings with it many psycho log ical problem s. As Salieri di s-
covered in A madeus. the art ist , far from bei ng a pe rfect vessel for di vi ne
insp iration. may feel , speak, and act in anr isocial, anarchic, and chao tic
ways whic h t hr eaten estab lished orde r, The zeitgeist wh ich speaks through
the artist is not always well-behaved. Accord ing to Thomas Mann :

2. C. G . Jung , "O n (he Relanon of Analyt ical Psychology [ 0 Poetry." CIJ/ltettd \f//)1"kJ, VIJI.
15. Bollingen Series XX (Prin ceton. NJ : Princeton Universit y Press. 1966). ' 129 -13 0
 N ( PT U N ( AND T H ( ARTIST - 323

An will never be moral or virtuous in any polirical sense: and

progress will never be able to put its tru st in art. Ir has a funda-
mental tendency co unreliability and treachery; its delight in th e
outrageously irrati onal , its predil ection for the "barbarism" that
begets beauty, are indestructible. . . An irrati onal force, but a
powerful one; and mankind 's att achm ent to it proves that
mankind is neith er able nor willing to survive on rationalism
alone)

An, it wou ld seem , IS like Neptune: elusive, subversive, mag ical , and
stu bbo rnl y resistant to being tam ed.
Ast rologi cal int erpreta t ion gene rally acccords N eptu ne some con-
nect ion with th e arti st. Some astrologe rs even define it as rhe plan et of cre-
at ive im aginati on, th ereb y imp lying that o nly those with Nept un e stro ng
in th e b irt h chan are abl e to be tr ul y creative. This belief is easily chal -
leng ed by a pe rusal of any collect ion of "not able nat ivit ies," in whi ch
innume rable examples ma y be found of art ists of every persuas ion over th e
ages whose birth charts reflect th e creative power of other planers. In fact
any planet has its own creative contri bution to mak e, and can reflect a par -
ti cular form of artis t ic vision- just as any plan et has its own form of sp ir-
itu ality. Bur a dominan t Neptune in th e b irt h horoscope reflect s a special
receptivity to certain feelings and imag es arisi ng from th e dee pe r and
more un iversal levels of t he psyche. These feeling s and im ages are con-
nect ed to th e primary theme s of fusion. redemption and return to th e
sou rce. What th en m ight Ne ptun e's actu al role be in the creati ve pro cess,
and in th e life of the arti st ? Can it be lin ked with any part icula r arti sti c
medium or school of art? And can th e unique creative abilit ies of N eptu ne
be consciously enco uraged to develop in construct ive rath er th an destr uc-
tive ways?

The Artist and the Unconscious

Fantasy is a creat ive act ivity which is essential to child hood , as the infant
g radually leaves its psychic fusion with the mother and beg ins to fun ct ion
as an inde pendent being . Fantasy serves a tr ansiti onal pu rpose; it fills th e
dark void between th e safety of the matern al em brace and the lonel y,
frighte ni ng wor ld of aut onomous existen ce, by generating images and
feelings which build a bridge between th e two. W hat psychology calls the
"transitional ob jecr-c- rhe rattle, the night- lig ht , th e cuddl y toy-

3. Tho mas Man n. Pro,;ridCO"lra Wag"tr, Allan Blun de n, trans . <London : Faber and Fabe r,
198) . p . 6)
324 - r ur AST RO LOG ICA L N £PTllN £ AN D lH£ O ll £ST fO R R£D £MPTI O N

beco me s a lit tl e piece of m ot he r when gi lded with the stuff of fantasy.

allo wing th e ch ild to survive the d ark night alone. Thus some of t he or ig -
inal na rcissis tic sense of power and pocen cy is ret ain ed , becau se fant asy
tran sforms t he terror and humil iatio n of hel pl essn ess and pe rm it s t he pos -
sibi lity of closen ess and separate ness at the same t im e. The bat tle w ith th e
drag on and th e g lo rious promi se of th e hieros gamol, th e sacred marriage
wh ich awai ts th e hero at the e nd of t he q uest , a re my thic im ag es wh ic h
por tray eve ry infan t's str ug g le to ac hie ve independence fro m the mot her
and rela ti o ns hi p w ith her as a sepa rate be ing . But fantasy m ay be cu rt ailed
in its de velopme n t , The mother may be roo depe nd ent on he r ch ild 's co n-
stant arren cion . or m ay be so distant th at the chi ld experiences intole rable
insecu rity each rim e he or she cries to ret reat into th e inne r wo rld . Then
t he essenti al p rocess of separation is never co m p leted . Difficu lti es usuall y
en sue late r in life when (h e ch ild , now ad ult , faces the experience of soli-
rud e. This is an issue freq uent ly dealt wit h in psych oan alyt ic texr s,4 and
has great relevan ce (Q th e inabi lity of m any indivi d ua ls to g rant them -
se lves the t im e, space, and privacy necessary to en te r th e imag inative
realm . T he terrible a nxiety some people expe rie nce whe n attempt ing any
creat ive wo rk is di rectly link ed to t his di lem ma .
Ne p t u ne's p rob lem is not th e in abil ity to fanr asise, bur the pr edi lec-
ti on to fanras ise [00 much . Separa tio n is a lon g er and m or e pai nfu l process
for th e Nep tune-dominated ch ild . The cransi tional world bet ween the
infa nt and th e mo the r beco m es (he tr ansition al wo rld betw een t he adu lt
a nd t he p rom ise of red empti on . This m ay be one aspec t of N ep tu ne' s cre-
at ive u rge; fantasy becomes a mea ns of ach ieving fusion with the di vine
sou rce. Bur it m ay also provide a means of avo id ing auto nomo us exis-
ten ce. The faculty of fantasy, rather th an serv ing as a sou rce of creat ive
im ages and ideas, becomes an escape from real it y. O fte n t he N ept u n ian
ca nnot b ring h is o r he r fantasies to b irth in form be cau se t he fantasy
wo rld remains a su rrogat e womb, st at ic rather th an flow ing, a pl ace of
painless ob liv ion rat he r th an a brid ge be t wee n h uman and di vine . To
anc ho r Neptune's world in form means relin q u ish ing the pri ma ry narcis -
sism wh ich provid es th e in fant with it s sens e of go d li ke o m nipote nce .
Even if th e b ridge is b ui lt . and th e image incar na ted . th e N ep tun ian
art ist m ay be unab le to de ta ch h im sel f or herself su fficien tly to see th e
wor k in perspective ; then one remains t he unap pr eciat ed geni us whose
creative p rod ucts, how ever crude or flawed, are exempt fro m t he need for
refinem ent o r t rans la ti on into a languag e othe rs ca n u nderstand .

<1 See t he work s of D \YI. WJnn JC on , espe cially PI.qing anJ RealIty (Lond on : Penguin.
1980 )
 I\iEPTU N E ~ ND T HE ARTI ST - 325

W inn icott , in describing the case of a par ienr addicted to unprod ucti ve
fantasy, sta tes :

As soon as this parienr began to put something into practice, such

as to paine . . . she found the limi tations that made her dissatis-
fied because she had to let go of the omnipote nce that she retained
in the fantasying .?

A strong N eptune in the birch cha rt is not, as some astro logers assume, an
infallible sig natu re of creat ive ability. Too often it is a sig natu re of add ic-
tio n to fantasy, whi ch-like all addict ions- reflects a deep reluctance to
ent er Sat urn's earthly do main . The creati ve impulse is present in every
child . If there are any ast rological sig nificaro rs for [h is fu nda m enta l urge,
t hey are [he Sun an d Sat u rn . because [h e embodyi ng of [he st uff of fanta-
sy is a functi on of the de velopi ng ego- consciousness. Incarn at ing fan tasy in
mate rial form is the means by wh ich th e ind ivid ual renders pe rmanent the
bridg e betwee n non -being and a defined identity.
A st rong N eptune provides access to archety pal images and feel ings
which be long to t he m yth olog y of Parad ise. The Neptunian's fant asy
world, when em bod ied in arrisric forms, has the power to strike deep
chords of universal human suffering , loneliness, and long ing fo r eternal
bl iss. But the creat ive im pulse-the urge [Q incarna te th e fantasy wo rld-
is an act of affirmi ng life. W ithout thi s, Nept une's retreat into famasy is
an act of repudiating life. Far from gen erating th e creat ive impulse, it may
fuel a desire to d well wit hin the womb of th e Parad ise G arden. rath er tha n
risk the loneli ness and mortality tha t wait out side th e gates. This is th e
dile m ma of the Neptu nian artist , who often exper iences a pro found in ner
conflict between wishi ng to be born and wish ing to be unbo rn. T his is
especially pronounced in th ose artist s who have Sun- Neptu ne and Sat ur n-
N eptune conracts-c- partic ularly the hard aspect s- because each creative
act cont ributes to th e process of sepa ration from th e source. When
N eptune is link ed to these two planets, the art ist must incarnate his or her
fantas ies; yet every effort is a step away from t he wellsp ring of life . and is
t herefore a k ind of d eat h.
Planets wh ich aspeCt th e Sun in th e natal chart brin g their imag es
and qua lit ies to ou r per ception of w ho we are and what makes our lives
mean ing ful. Becau se the Su n symbo lises [h e ind ivid ual's sense of pe rsonal
ident ity, its aspects--even more than its sign-refleer at tri butes and
archetypal perceptions wh ich are experienced as "who I am " and "what my

5. Pla"1Jg and Rialll) , p 35.

326 - T H E AITR OL OG ICAI N EPT U NI AND TH E O U ! IT f O R R[D EMPTI O N

pu rpose is." The Su n is rh us a m ost impo rt ant faeroe in term s of (he in di -

vidual's vocal ion (as distinguished from his or her job , wh ich may nOI be
the same thi ng ), for we find fulfillment in pursuirs whi ch can offer us th e
m ax im um op porrun iry [0 exp ress th ese inne r feelin g s of ide ntity an d p u r·
pose. The predominance of Sun-N eptune aspens in some of th e indi vidu -
als ment ioned in ea rlie r chap te rs, who m I have referr ed [ 0 as "Neptuni an, "
is un de rstand ab le in this co ntext. The long ing for red em pt ion comb ines
wit h the sense of indi vid ual ide nt ity to produce a person wh o makes a
vocation ou t of N eptune. H e or she needs to find Duelers wh ich ba ch offer
a redem ptive m essage [0 ot hers (such as pol iti cs, th e arcs, or the "ca rin g "
professio ns), an d provide a sense of pe rso nal redempt ion th rough m ergi ng
wit h som et h ing g reate r t han oneself.
W it h N eptune-Saturn , however, it is nor a cast' of wa nt ing to be a
mus icia n, a poet , a heale r o r a pol it ical ph ilosop he r. It is a case of having
to be, in orde r ro cope w it h th e constant int ern al conflict be t wee n the
st ruct u res and lim its of eart hly life and th e chaot ic flood th at wa its beyond
Satu rn 's bou nd ar ies. Those with Satu rn st rong ly aspecti ng an oute r pl ane t
are pe rpe tu ally buffeted by collecrive psychi c forces which rhey must find
some way of de aling w ith . Sat u rn- Nep tune is an aspe ct wh ich is often asso -
ciared wit h dep ression, feeli ngs of fear and forbod ing , p hobias , and addi c-
t ions of one kind or ano rher.s T h is is t he da rk face of t he aspect . In m an]'
cases th e individual ident ifies wi t h Sat u rn's values , expe rie nces N ep t une 's
wo rld as a terrib le threat , an d e rect s m assive de fences agai nsr it. Wh ar is
feared insid e m ay t hen be projected outside , gene rat ing the characte rist ic
free-floating anxiety and sense of be ing undermi ned by invi sible forces
(com m u n ists, New Ag e Travellers, con tag ious di seases) wh ich so often
acco mpany t his co mb ination of planets in the birt h chart. Ce rtain physi-
cal and psych osom atic ill nesses a re also linked wit h t he com b ination , par -
ticularly those which ace linger ing , di fficult 10 dia gn ose and rend er th e
ind ividual helpless-the body's way of expressing a conflic t which [he
ind ividual expe rience s as inso luble o r is uncon scious of in t he first p lace,
Saturn , rat her t han N ep tu ne, m ay also beco m e the proj ect ed ene my, if t he

6 . See, for exampl e" Robert Pellet ier, Plonns in A Ipta (West Chester, PA: WhH ford , 19 74),
P: 3 19 : ". . . You will endure extr eme to rment in your persona! relationships, because you
will find I( incrcasingl y d ifficult to d istingUish the honest from the Insincere . . . Th IS could
represent severe financial and emot ional losses . . . Beware of dep ressive moods , for they
may make you vulnerable 10 psychosomat ic illness." See also Reinhold Eberrin, Tht
CumhiMli&n fJj SUlfa,. InfIlltnm (Aalen, Germ any: Eberrin-Verlag, 1960), p . 176 : ".
Suffering , renun ciation . ascet icism ... pain ful or torm enting emo ti onal inhi bi ti ons, under -
m ining circumstances also Icading to a srare of ill ness easily, neuroses or d iseases wirb caus -
es di fficult to ascertain: '
 N [ P T U N E AND TH l~RT1H - 327

ind ivid ual ide nt ifies with N eptune's world . Tony Benn , th e Labou r MP, is
an excellent example of this; th e nata l Sun is trine N eptune , forming th e
basis of his conscious political values, wh ile Saturn, wh ich sq uares both
Neptune and th e Moon, is pro jected ou tward and ret urn s to meet him as
the heartl ess and opp ressive forces of class and capi ta lism . There is just as
much anxiety and pronen ess to depression present in such a case. Man y of
the artis ts dis cussed later followed th is more anar ch ic path, al igning th em -
selves with romantic socialism and per ceiving any symbol of aut horit y-
social, religious, po litical , or arti st ic-as th e enem y.
So mu ch for the dark side. Some elements of fearful ness and depres-
sion are likely to be pre sent even with the ben ign aspects , and even if th e
ind ivid ual has found product ive ways of wor king with the inevitable and
archety pal conflict between t he needs of Sat urn (for struct ure, stabi lity,
permanence. ground ing in fo rm , and self-sufficiency) and the needs of
Nept une (for ecstasy, me rging, d issolution, redemption , and return co the
source). But fo r very good reasons Saturn-Neptune is also know n as the
"art ist's aspec t" becau se th e appa rently mut ually exclu sive worlds of ph ys-
ical form and bound less imag ination can meet , albe it im perfectly, in the
artis t's creat ion. It is th e only sphe re of human endeavour where fant asy
and real ity can spea k co each ot he r with out amp uta ti ng vit al elements of
bot h. Saturn-Neptun e may also gra vita te towa rd politi cs or the more mys-
ti cal side of the helpi ng professions . These may prov ide a workab le bal-
ance. But the poli t ical arena is too fraug ht with envy, g reed , and frustr a-
tion to accom oda te the lost Paradis e of Nept une , and the wo rld of spiritu-
al heal ing is roo fraug ht with physical pain , di sease and death . In th ese
spheres Neptune may suffer too much , lead ing to bitte r d isillusionment .
In art , N ep tune has to tolerate impe rfect ion; bur it does not have to g ive
up ete rni ty.
Does thi s mean that every person with a Saturn -Ne ptu ne cont act
oug ht to be an art ist ? Obviou sly no t; some peopl e simply do not possess
arti st ic talent , and some are more str ongly draw n by other, eq ually im po r-
tant pursui ts in life. Yet those with Satu rn- N eptune will, sooner or lat er,
need to come to term s with the gap between th e world of vision and the
world of form, for neither will ever leave them alone. Veh icles othe r than
what is convent ionally conside red artis tic may in fact be eq ually consid-
ered art . Ast rolog y is, after all , more of an art than a science, and many
ast rologers find th at t he "eternal realit ies" which astrol og ical sym bolism
describes, contained with in the orderly panerns of the horoscope , possess
th e same urgency, magic and mean ing th at mu sic did (or Mozar t. Depth
psycholog y is also more of an art than a science; and th e doma in of d reams,
act ive imag ina tion, and th e chaos of th e unconsciou s psyche, held within
528 - T HE ASTRO LOG ICA L N EPTUNE AND T HE OurST fO R RfO EMPTI O N

th e st ructu red contai ne r of th e th era peut ic process, can also provide a

meet ing g round for the two ancient enemies. To work construct ively with
Satu rn-N ept une, we may need co reassess what we call art. If we can recog-
nise as art any field of end eavour wh ich requ ires th e same dedi catio n, ski ll ,
and im ag ination th at mu sic and painting , poetry and dram a do, th en , yes:
every person wit h Sat urn-N eptu ne needs , some whe re in life, to be an
anise
It is not surp ris ing th at many of the art ist s d iscussed belo w have
Saturn-Nep rune contacts in the birth cha rt. O ften th is aspect accompanies
Su n-Nep tu ne, as well as Moon-Neptune or Ascend ant-Nept une contacts .
Satu rn- Neptune is as important in shaping th ese artists' di rection in life
as Sun -Neptune, and pe rhaps even more so, becau se when Saturn is
involved th ere is a sense of urgen cy and personal suffering born our of co n-
flin---e ven with the tr ine and sextile-c- wh ich de ma nds some ki nd of res-
o lut ion. It may be Saturn's aspects, more than the Su n's, which ultimately
desc ribe th e sph eres wh ere we can develop our gr eat est gi fts , and- in th e
case of the ourer planers- where we are most closely anu ned to the cu r-
rents of our times. W it h Satu rn-N ep t une, Nep t une's ocean ic world, wh ich
is bot h a sou rce oflife and a place of death , mu sr be incarn at ed in th e ind i-
vidu al's life.
Erich Neuman n offers a psychological inte rp retat ion of th e artist
whi ch ta kes us di rect ly int o N eptune's warers.? Usi ng Leonardo da Vinci
as an examp le, he suggests th at th e art ist is, by inhe rent character, part ic-
ularly allied with the archetype of th e Great Mother, and is therefore mo re
attu ned to the life of the collective un conscious-with all the attendant
psycho log ical d ifficult ies invol ving persona l boundaries and sexual ide nti -
ty. In this view, child hood experiences of wounding are nor responsible for
ge nerating creati ve talent , any more than th ey "cause" serious psych olog i-
cal problems; rather, an inherentl y ope n d oor to rhe unconscious psych e
increases the probability of chi ld hood wounding, and no ind ividual wh o
has one foot in the archet ypal dnma in is likely to escape psycho logica l
problem s in adj ust ing ro th e physical body and the demands of everyd ay
realit y. In de scrib ing Leonard o, N eumann sta res:

He was always closer to the infinite than to the finite, and 10 a

mysterious, symbolic way his life was lived in th e myth of the
Gr eat God dess. For him the figure of the Spiri t Father, of the
g reat demiurge and fecund atin g wind god, always remained sec-

7. Erich Ne uma nn . A rr and shr CrrarllY U nro/'IJClfJUl (Princeto n, NJ: Princeton Unive rsu y
Press. 19 59 ).
 N( r T U N ( A~ D TH ( ARTI ST - 329

ondary to the G reat G oddess. who had chosen the child in the era-
die and showered him with her gifts, who spread her spirit wings
over his life as she spread them over the world , For Leonardo the
yearning co ret urn to her, his source and home, was the yearning
not only of his own life, but of the life of the whole wc rld .f

He then q uores Leonardo himself:

Behold , the hope and the desire of goi ng back co one's country and
of returning to the primal state of chaos is like that of th e morh
to the light, and of the man who with perperuallo ngi ng looks for-
ward wit h joy to each new spring and ro each new summer, and
co the new months and the new years, deeming that the th ings he
looks for are tOO slow in com ing; and he does not perceive that he
is longing for his own destru ct ion. But this long ing is in irs qum-
ressence th e spirit of the element s, which find ing itself imp ris-
oned as the soul within the human body is ever longing to return
to its sender. . . 9

Ne uma nn does not stipu late whet her his thesis applies co th e fema le
art ist. N or does he acknowled ge th at there are ocher archety pal domi nants
with in the collecti ve psyche besides th e maternal one. Th e eq uat ion of col-
lecti ve unconscious wit h G reat Mother seem s to be de rived from the wo rk
of J ung , for whom the un conscious possessed the num inous q ualiti es of an
oceanic deity. But jung's int erpretation of real ity was coloured, as every -
one's is, by th ose plane ts st rong ly aspcct ing the natal Sun . Because it is
through the Sun that we de rive a sense of personal meaning in life, we
experience the plan et s closely related to the Sun in th e birt h chart as
infused with pur pose and life.giving power, and-c-consciously or uncon -
sciously- these planets shape our perception of the di vine. This is the
deeper mean ing of the word "vocat ion ," wh ich comes from the Lati n vocare,
to call. It is, in essence, the call of God , Th e Sun in j un g's horoscope is in
exact square to N eptun e.
In man y cases N eumann's psychologi cal po rt rait of the art ist is accu-
rate. But it is limi ted to those art ists who draw chiefly on N ep tu ne's
waters for their sou rce of insp iration and image ry. G ene ralisati ons are not
always helpful, but it is possible tha t th is kind of art ist ic vision is more
easily exp ressed thr ough music. Leonardo has no Sun -N ept un e or Saturn-
Neptune cont act ; the planet s form ing aspects to hi s Sun are J upit er (by

8 . Art Iu d l IN C rta liw U ntOflJCitlll l, p. 79.

9. A rt a nd tht C r M t l l 't U nW UC;tlllJ, pp. 79-80.
330 - TH E ' I T ROl O GrC ' l N EeT U NE ' N O 1 HE O U I IT FO R RfOEMeTi ON

sext ile). Saturn (by oppositi on) and Pl u to (by sq uare ). N eptu ne is certai n-
ly not obscu re in t h is b irt h cha rt ; Mercu ry opposes N eptune and is placed
on t he Sat urn /Nept un e mi d po int . Mars is sesquiquadrare Nep t u ne ,
J up iter is q u inc un x N ept u ne and Ven us trin es it, and th e Moon an d th e
chart ruler. Jupi ter. are in Pisces (see Cha rt 19 . pag e 33 1). O n th e ern o-
dona l lev el, Leon ard o was cle arl y Nep tu ne 's ch ild . H is wo rk , howeve r,
does not speak to us of red e m pt ion. But the frequency of Su n -Ne pt u ne an d
Satum-Neptu ne co ntacts am ongs t composers who , as Neumann puts it .
were "closer to (he infini te than th e finit e," is st rik ing , as we sha ll see later
on . The ot her t wo oute r planers also fig ure promi ne n tly in t he charts of
a n ises, but p rima rily among st wr it ers and painters. That a write r, no less
t han a scie ntis t, may be moved by th e U ran ian rat her t ha n t he N ep tun ian
spi rit is dem onstrate d by figu res such as W. B. Yea rs (Su n con ju nct
U ranus), Lewi s Ca rro ll (Su n con ju nct Uranu s), J ean Co ctea u (Su n square
Uranus), Katherin e Man sfield (Su n (f in e U ra nus) and Ch arl es Di ck en s
(Sun sq uare Uranus). Plu to , roo , can inspire g reat poets su ch as G oethe
(Sun square Pluto) and Mil ton (Su n tr ine P luto). The dis tinctive imag ery
and ar ch et ypal t hem es of Pl u to are un mistakab le in t he chief a rt ist ic cre -
ations of t he se tw o w rite rs: Faust and Lucifer. Some a rt ist s, suc h as H en ri
Mat isse (Su n sq ua re N eptune, Su n op posite Uran us, Sun trin e Plu to)
appea r to be in spi red by all th ree ou te r planets . Alt hough th ere a re exce p-
t ions, su ch as Ern est H em ingway (whose only sola r aspect is a squa re co
J upiter ) and G uy de Maupassanr (whose on ly sola r aspect is a trine CO
Satu rn ), all three oute r pla net s appea r over an d over agai n in rel at io n to the
Sun in th e chart s of g reat art ists of every pe rsuasion . III
It wou ld see m th at thes e ou ter planet cont act s are th e d riving force
behind a g rea t num ber of art ists whose works exe rcise influe nce or at tract
accla im beyo nd th e ir own cu lt u res and epoch s. The d om ina nce of U ranus ,
Nep tu ne, and Pl uto in th e domai n of th e a rt ist is no t su rp rising if we
un der st an d the ou ter planet s to reflect broad movem ents within th e col-
lect ive psyche rather t ha n indiv idual values roote d in pe rso na l experience .
In t h is se nse N eum a nn 's case is proven : th e artis t is indeed th e m outh pi ece
for t he collect ive psyc he . W e can not , how ever , equate th e p rese nce or
d eg ree of a rtis ti c ta len t wi th oute r pl an et activi t y in the b irth cha rt. J ust
as all sq uares m ay be rec tang les w hil e nor all rectangl es are sq uares, art ist s
with po werfu l oute r p laner aspens co the natal Sun m ay possess a u n iver-
sa l vision rat her th an a perspect ive circu m scr ibed by the ir cult u ral cano n;
b ur nor eve ryo ne with a powerfu l oute r pl anet aspecring the Su n is an

10 . AI! charts (rom J. M. Harm o n, ed .. F fl l dtr 'J C"mpttJdiurn 4 Nat itJltm (Londo n: L M
Fowler, 198f) }
 NEPTU N E ' NO TH E .RTl IT - 33 1

Chan 19. Leonardo da Vinci. April 15, 14 52, 10:30 P.M. LMT, 2 1:46 :00
GMT, Vinci, Italy (4 3N4 S, lOE56). Tropical, Placidus Houses, True
N ode. Source: InltrnarionaieI HoroIkope-Ltx/kon.
332 - HH ASTR.Ol O G ICAl N EPT U N E AN D TH E Q U E ~ l f O R R.EDEMPTl O :"O

art ist . MOSt , in fact , are nor. We are no close r co un derstand ing th e asrro-
logi cal signatu re of the artist 's gifr. Alt hough man y efforts have been made
wit hin astrolog ical circles co identify th is signature, ranging from Sab ian
symbols to 5t h har monic charts, [ have never been im pressed by th e
result s. I rem ain conv inced t har ar t isti c ta lent , like intelligence, is t he
myst erious propert y of that whi ch incarn ates and expre sses it self t hrough
t he time-bou nd an d ea rthbou nd med ium of an indi vid ual personalit y and
an indiv id ual birt h cha rt , Factors suc h as hered it y, enviro nm ent , and indi -
vid ual choice may also play thei r pa rt in nou rishi ng or sti fling an artis tic
g ife. W e can only d educe th at, when art isti c vision is pr esent along with
t he capac it y to grou nd it in form , a d om inant Ne ptune in th e bi rt h chart
(especially if it is related to t he Sun or Saturn) may po int toward the spe -
cia l arche typa l perspective most likel y to colour th e them es of t he artist's
wor k-as Pluto so obvious ly does in th e works of Goet he and Mil ton,
In Neumann 's view th e arti st "exp resses and gives (orm"ll co th e p re-
siding zeitgeist of th e epoc h, H e or she may follow a g iven cu ltu ral canon
and p rodu ce wor ks whic h embody th e conscious values of a particu lar soci-
ety or social class . In t his case th e wor k m ay be conside red great, not only
in t he art ist's own ti me bu t in subseq uent epochs; but it is nor likely (0 be
p rophe t ic o r revolu t ionary. O r he or she mi ght rebel agai nst t he cult u ral
canon, dri ven by un cons ciou s forces whi ch are bot h persona l and co llec-
tive, b ring ing to birth a v ision which d irectl y challe ng es and ma y even
tr ansform t he relig ious, poli ti cal , arrisric , or social I /r/ / UI qu o. T his is espe -
cially th e case when [he Sun or Sat urn contac ts an outer pl anet in t he bi rth
chart. W hen seen wit hin t he con text of his or her own era, suc h an artist
may not be judged as "g reat," and ma y appea r subversive. Work s may be
ba nned or burne d . W hen viewed from what Neumann calls "an enhanced
consciousness," [h e work may be redi scove red an d reevaluat ed by future
gene rations wh o are able to recog nise its importance. T he t ime less qua li-
ty of many g rear works of arr depends, in parr , upon rhis enhanced con-
scious ness, wh ich extends beyond the cult ural canon of [h e epoc h, I[ also
depends u pon t he en han ced consciousness of th e art ist who finds insp ira-
[io n in th e archetypal, rat her t han th e te mpo ral, realm .
Ne ptu ne is clearly [ he mov ing spirit in th e work of ma ny art ists.
Read ing rhe poe t ry or viewing t he painti ngs of W ill iam Blake, who had
(he Sun t rine Nep tu ne and Satu rn sq uare N ep tu ne. is not a bad introdu c-
tion co th e planer's mysteriou s d oma in; nor is listen ing co the mus ic of
Chopi n, who had the Su n, Ven us, and Plu ro in Pi sces sq uare N ep t une , and
Saturn conju nc t N eptu ne. We can expect N ep tu nian th em es, feeli ng s, and

11. Neuman n, A rl and lht Crwtu't UnCUnUI f.lUJ , p. 94 .

 NEPT UN E AND THE ARTIST - 333

imagery to appear regularly in the creative products of those artists whose

birth charts reflect such aspens. Th e planer may also preside over a m ajor
cultural flowe ring , as it seems (Q have done during the Rom ant ic
Movement of the 19th century. In thi s case we may expect Ne ptune co fig -
ure prom inently in the charts of those artists who initiated and shaped the
moveme nt ; and we may also expect N eptune's ineffable world to prov ide
the main focus of the movement's artistic philosophy as well as its cre-
ations. From such expl orations we can learn a great deal about the inner
world of the ind ividual in who se birt h chart Nept une is strong. We can
also learn about those great Neptunian collective currents in history which
have shaped ou r own ind ivid ual lives.

The Romantic Movement

The idealisation of the artist , and of art, reached its apotheosis 10 the
Romant ic Movemen t which swep t across Europe and Russia from the lar-
ter pan of th e 18th cent ury ro th e m idd le of [he 19[h. N ot surp risin gly,
this move ment was at its peak JUSt before Neptune's actual dis covery.
Although the Romant ic Movem ent is inextricably linked with the nation-
alist and social ist pol itical movem ents described in the last chapter. it was
in essence an anti-rationa list cultu ral revolution whose fundamen tal tenet s,
as exp ressed by the artis ts who identified with it, were unm istakably
Neptu nian . T he Romant ic visi on perceived the world as a si ng le livi ng
organism, in which na tu re was the veil and vessel for the mysterious work-
ings of deity. Th e world was thus filled with magic, presided ove r by inv is-
ible dai mon ic forces which could only be apprehended through t he whole-
hearted em brace of the irrational. W here the Uranian worldview of the
Enligh tenment valued human beings for their capacity to reason and to
transform society throug h the power of the intell ect, the Neptunian world-
view of the Romant ic Movement valued human bei ngs for thei r imag ina-
tive and spi ritual aspiratio ns, emm ional dep th, and artistic creativity.
H istor ical move ments such as th ese can ge nerally be linked with the
sym bolism of outer planet s, or combina tions of outer planets with each
other, because suc h movements ar ise from the stuff of [he collect ive psyche
and only become indi vidualised throug h the creati ve efforrs (and personal
planets) of each artist. Every poet, painter, com poser, novelist , and drama-
tist of the Romant ic Movement expressed the universal Neptunian themes
in high ly personal ways. Some identi fied almost total ly with the main
tenets, while others attempted to synthesise certain elements with oth er
artistic approaches. Goethe, for example, was st rong ly identified wi rh the
Romanti c Movement in his youth, produ cing first a play, Gb1z von
33 4 - T HE ASTRO LO GI C AL NEPT U N E AN D T H E O U EST FO R REDEMPT IO N

Berlicbingen, wh ich marked rhe en t ry of Sturm und Orang (sto r m and stress)
into G erman literat ure, and t hen a roma n t ic novel , Die Leiden del jllngtn
WertherJ, wh ich att racte d th e same kin d of mass p ubli c respon se asj uraHic
Park recentl y d id on it s cinem a rele ase. H ad there been such a t h ing as
Young W errher tee-sh irts available at (he t im e, no do ub t they wou ld have
sold very well . But by the time G oet he reach ed matu rity he had moved o n .
and Fau st can not be called "Romant ic"; it encompasses and tr an scend s all
t he famili ar artist ic catego ries. G oethe, u nlike most of his cont empo raries
in t he Rom ant ic Movem en t . was not N epr u ne-domi nated. V Alt hough the
natal Moon is in Pi sces in sesq u iq ua d ra re to N ep tu ne , P lu to is far m ore
powerfu l in his b irt h cha rt (as rul in g p lane t, pl aced in it s own sig n in t he
1sr house a nd sq ua re the Sun in Virg o); a nd t he sob riet y of an eq ua lly
strong Satu rn (closely conju nct (h e Ascendant , tr ine th e Moo n, and dis -
posi ng of Mar s in Cap rico rn tr ine t he Su n) increasing ly d isciplined t he lit -
e rary excesses of hi s you t hful roma nti cism . On t he ot her han d , Will iam
Blake, wi t h the Su n in Sag ittariu s in trine to Nep tu ne in Leo in t he l st
hou se, and Saturn in Aquarius opposi ng Nep ru ne. U rem ained loyal all h is
life to the Romant ic vision , mai nt ain ing that t he hi ghest a im of an was to
exp ress th e ine xp ressible, th at poe cry mus t ne cessarily be obsc u re, and th at
"t he worl d of Im aginati on is the world of Ete rn ity,"! "
W e ma y begi n to u nd erstand the relat ionsh ip of N ep tu ne wi th a rt
not on ly th ro ug h an ex plo rat ion of th e indi vid ua l psycholog y of t he a rt ist ,
b ut also through an exam ina t ion of Nep tu ne's favou ri te chap te r in th e h is-
tory of a rti st ic endea vou r. W e m ust fi rst p lace t h is chap ter in it s appropri-
ate hi storical context.

The word "romant icism " can have mo re than one meaning . On
th e one hand , it may he used in a narrow and fairly specific way
to refer to .. . t he current of cultu ral and int ellectu al forces wh ich
prevailed after the decl ine of the Age of Reason and was in pa rt a
react ion against t he values of t hat age. . . . O n t he ot her han d , the
word "romant icism " may be used in a broader sense to desig nate
a certain character or sp irit in art which can be cont rasted with th e
classical by reason of it s freedo m from forma lit ies and conven-
ti ons, it s pursuit of the tr ut hs of feeling and imagi nation, its
inward ness and sub ject ivity! ~

12. Chan source: FlIl"'tr'J ClImprnJi"m fJf N a l i l1i t i rl , p. 122.

13. Ch an sou rce: l nl trrldt i ()na ltl /{urfJJk()/,r. Lrxil!()n.
l4 . Q uoted in Maurice Cransto n. Tbe Romantic M ()l'tmtnt (O xford: Blackwd l Publuhers,
1994). p. 51.
15. Tht R fJ11l<Jn l;( M fJl'1'mtnl, p 138
 N [ PT UN { A ~ D TH[ " RTlH - 33')

The most funda me nt al d imension of th is "charact er or spi rit in art " is mys-
t ical rath er than convent ionally religious, and is eloq uently de scribed by
Richard Tam as:

God was rediscovered in Romanti cism-not th e God of ortho-

doxy or deism but of mysticism , panthei sm , and immanent cos-
mic process; nor th e juridi cal monot heistic patr iarch but a d ivin-
ity more ineffably mysterious, pluralistic, all-em bracing , neutral
or even feminine in gender; not an absentee creator but a num i-
nous creative force with in natur e and with in the human spi rit . 16

If Nept une "rules" any particu lar sphe re of art , it is surely the art of the
Romantic Movement.
Born in 1712, Je an-J acques Rou sseau was rhe first of th e g reat
Romantics . Predictably, Neptune is powerful in his birth chart ; pla ced in
Taurus in th e 12th house, it closely conjuncts the Moon and sextiles the
Sun . Ir also squares Saturn as well as Jup iter (these three form aT-cross),
and is sern isquare to Venu s. And Nept un e is also trine a Uranus-Pluro con-
junct ion in Virgo, wh ich- lik e the similar Uran us-P lut o conjunct ion in
Virgo wh ich occurred in the I960s- presided over a total and sometimes
violent t ransform atio n of collecti ve think ing and social consciousness in
rhe first decades of th e 18t h century. The Uranus-Pluto conj unction of th e
early 18th cent ury was [fine Neptune in Taurus; that of the 1960s was sex-
tile Ne ptune in Scorpio . In the radi cal social and metaphys ical vision of
the "flower- children" of the 20th centu ry can be seen echoes of Rous seau 's
Romantic ph ilosoph y-the return to nature and th e natural, the impor-
ta nce of passion and ima ginat ion, the reject ion of the arid ity and spi ritu al
impo verishment of industrial isat ion . Such cycl ical con figurati ons of ou te r
planets bri ng many synchro nous social changes in thei r wake. Bu t thei r
g reatest and most sign ificant impact is ge ne rated many years late r, by
those bo rn und er the config uration with th eir personal planets closely
linked . In th eir hands lies the task of incarnat ing the new vision.
Rousseau , with Sun and Moon both involved in the U ranus-Neptune-
Pluto config uration, and Saturn in squ are to Neptune. was one of th ese.
(See Chart 20 , page 33 6.)
Rousseau is generally cred ited with introd ucing the Romantic
Movem ent into th e cu ltu ral histo ry of Europe, with the publication in
1761 of W nou",lI, Hi/oii' -the or ig inal "romant ic novel." Before he
un leashed his novel on an unsuspect ing publi c, however, Rousseau had

16 . Richard Tamas. Tbe Pauiun uf lht WtJI"" l\ ti nJ(New York : Harmony Books. 1991) . p.
J7J
33 6 - T HF ASTRO LO GICAl N I P r UN E AND TH[ O UFST FOR Rf Of MPTION

Chart 20. Jea n-Jacqu es Rousseau. June 28 , 171 2, 2:00 A.M . LMT,
01: 35:00 GMT, Geneva, Switzerland (46N1 2, 6E09) . Tropical, Placid us
H ouses, True Nod e. Source: lnternationales Hom kope-u xikon.
 N EPTU N ( AND T HI ARTI ST - 337

been am using hi mself by adumbrating a new philosophy of music. H is

chief oppo nenc was Jean-Philippe Ram eau, [he g<ea< French spokesman
for the classi cal musical tr ad iti on . Mu sic in m id-18 th- century Paris-as in
most of Europe (with the exception of Ital ian operaj-s-was academ ic,
aurh oritarian and el it ist, proclaiming the sp lend our of kings and the tri-
umph of orde r ove r chaos. Rameau , a com m it ted Platonist in his bel ief
that musi c, m athematics, and geometry arose from t he same cosmic order,
insis ted th at t he purpose of music was not sim p ly [Q please th e ear , bur [Q
gi ve the listener kn ow led ge of rea lity an d provid e, rhro ug h t he testi mo ny
of hearing , a confi rm at ion of the rat ional order of creat ion .

W hen we rhink of the infin ite relat ions that the fine arts have [Q
one another, and to th e sciences, ir is only logical [Q concl ude that
they are governed by one and the same pr inciple. Th ar principle
is harm on y.I?

Rou sseau did not agree. Music was fundamenrall y differenr [Q marhe m ar-
ics, he arg ued , an d human be in gs were gove rned nor b y reason , but by pas-
sion . An d although music m ig ht be th e first of rhe arts, its ru ling p ri nci-
ple was nor harm ony, bur melody.

Music can d epi ct th ings we cann ot hear , wh ile ir is impossible for

the painter t o paint things we cannot see; and it is the great
gen ius of an art which act s only by movement, [0 use movement
even to provide the image of repose. Slumber, the calm of night ,
solitude, even silence are among the scenes that mu sic can depic t.
Som et im es sound produ ces rhe effect of silence, so meti mes silence
ehe effect of sou nd . . . . The art of th e musician consis ts in sub sri-
tur ing for the invisib le imag e of t he ob ject , th ar of th e movements
wh ich irs presence excite s in th e m ind of the spectator . .. . No t
on ly does t he m usic ian move th e waves of t he sea at will , fan rhe
flames of a fire, mak e str eams flow, rain fall and torrent s rush
down , he can magni fy th e horror of a burning desert , darken the
walls of a dungeon , or he can calm a st or m, softe n th e air and
lighten th e sky, and sp read, with his orchest ra, a fresh breeze
through t he woods. 1M

In other word s, never mi nd all the arid inrell ecrua lising about the clock-
wor k order of th e cos mos and [he su prem acy of reason and progress.

17. Cranston, Tbe Rumant;, Mwtmtnt, p. 7.

18. Ibid , pp . 7-8.
33 8 - TI lE AI lROL O GI(AI Nl PTU NI AND TI lE OU I IT f OR RfD I \l P TIO N

Real it y is nat ure and th e hum an heart ; [h e purpose of arc is to con nec t m en
and women with the rranspersonal forces of rhe natural world , which th ey
have lost thro ug h ind ust rialisat ion and sc ience; th is connect ion can on ly
be accomplished t hrough t hei r feeli ngs ; and th e expression of feel ing is
ach ieved most purely and g loriously t hro ug h melod y. Inart icul ate and
c rude th ough they m ig ht have been in an art ist ic sense, we can see t he
same sent ime nts bei ng expressed by the rock gro ups of th e 1960s.
T he inn er images wh ich Rousseau bel ieved could be invoked
throug h melody are those of an Eden un spoi lt by the corr up tio n of hum an
civilisation. Ro usseau himself had a dee ply relig ious nature, bur th e objecr
of h is worsh ip was nat urc- parr icu larly th ose wi ld lan d scapes unt ouch ed
by human hand s.J? T he land scape of Eden whi ch Rou sseau conjured
p roved a sour ce of in sp irati on an d renew al in pai nt ing as well as in music
an d poetry. H is musical t heories paved t he way for t he ope ras of Gl uck a nd
Mozart. 1..A nouvtllt H i /oi fl was fict ion "d ressed up as fact (Q se rve , like
m elod y in m usic, as t he true vo ice of feeli ng,'? " co m m u n icat ing a pro-
found understand ing of h um an ex perience in all its im m ed iacy and inten-
sity. It s influence on liter ature was eno rmo us and pe rm ane nt. Rou sseau 's
social t heor ies found t hei r way int o th e g rea t pol it ical m ovem en ts of th e
followi ng cen tu ry. both soc ialist and nat ionalist. H is ow n life tOO was
hig hly coloured by N eptune; he identi fied closely with the archetypal fig -
u re of th e vict im -red eem er, an d suffered accord in gly at th e hands of soci-
ety, C h rist, to h im, was not th e Son of G od but a human be in g like hi m -
self. a ma n in whom a ll t he d ownt rodden of t he world we re prefig u red , a
good m an ill-used .
T he Rom ant ic Movem ent had its heroes and its conq uerors, JUS t as
class icism did ; bu r wha t was d ist inct ively N ep tu nia n about it was the fig-
u re of t he anti - hero, t he victi m, th e m an of SO t rows lik e Rou sseau h im self.
Poets , claimed Shelley, a later Rom anti c, are:

. fYddl td mID pOtlry by U'1"ong ;

Th,y learn in mfftr ing toba t ,h,)' tea ch in long. 2\

Rousseau 's ideas spread to Ge rm any, wh ere th e Rom ant ic M ovem ent
found its m ost po werful , eloq uent , a nd contro versia l voice. O ne of th e first
to promulga te th e new philosophy was J ohan n Gottfried H erder, a
Lut heran pasto r who claimed th at knowledge of God could be attained

19 . Tht RlJrnantic MCI1'tmtnt, p . 16

20 . lb;J., p. 12.
2 1. Percy Bysshe Shelley. "J ulia n and Madd alo," D 43 . OxjrJrd V iajunary of Qllula l 101lJ
(Londo n: Oxford Umversi ry Press. 194 1).
 N ! P TUN E AND T H E ARTI ST - 339

throug h a consc iousness of oneness with the whole. Herder's birth chart
reveals Nep tune rising in Cancer, sem isquare the Sun and sextile Saturn
conju nct Mercury." He wrote a book called Tbe Origin of Languagts, in
wh ich he elaborated Rou sseau 's notion by sta ting th at th e first human lan -
g uag e was poetry. the (Cue voice of the heart. He rder, in (urn , had a pow-
erful influence on t he you ng Goet he. Another of the earl y Romantics
swept along by the flood was the poi g nan rly N eptunian poet N ovalis
(born Friedrich von Harden berg ), "an u nblem ished cham p ion of ot her-
worl dl y idealis m ."2J In N ovalis' birth cha rt , the Sun in Taurus in the 2nd
house tr ines N ep t un e in Virg o in t he 7t h." Reflecting this placement of
Neptu ne , his concep t ion of love was entirely ot he rwo rld ly, echoi ng th e
courtl y dream s and m ystical/i,btstod of th e t roubadours of t he early M iddl e
Ag es. The great pass ion of his life, Sophie von KUhn , was only 13 when he
became engaged to her, and 1S whe n she d ied . In the course of his short
life, N oval is' philosophical q uest for th e absolute became a genui nely reli -
gious quese. H e believed th at , since et ern iry could be reach ed through
imagination and imagination was the realm of poetry, jt followed that the
poet kn ew more abo u t u lti mate truth than th e phi losop her who d isci-
plined imagi natio n by rules of log ic. The true home of the poet was in a
lost Golde n Age. sometimes in the futu re , somet imes in a distant foreign
land . N aval is defined romamic ism as "g iving a hig her meaning to the
ord inary and the appearance of infinity to the fini te."25 To him [he visible
and invis ible worlds were one, and life was di stin g uished from death on ly
by his preference for the latt er. H is Hymns to Night express not only the
Romantic's yearni ng fo r the infi n ite . but an unamb iguous longin g fo r
ob livion- che "sleep that is an ete rnal dream ."26 He died of consum ption
at age 29 . Transiting Saturn's approach to its natal place ev idently sig -
nalled to him that it was time to go hom e.
T he impact of the Movement on music was extraordinary. W ith in a
decade, roug hly 18 30 ro 1840, th e enti re harm on ic vocab ulary of mus ical
composition changed . Compose rs suddenly began using seventh, ninth and
even eleventh cho rds, altered chords and chromatic as opposed to classical
diatoni c harmony, The Romantic composers reveled in unusual tonal corn-
binatio ns, sop hist icated chords , and dissonances wh ich wou ld no doub t
have d riven poor Ram eau, had he still been alive, to pl ug his ears . T he effect

22. Chan SOU[( t:: I ntffM t/ IJfldltJ H IJ"IJJkIJpt -uxjJwn .

23. Cransto n. Tht R IJmant;c i\{ 1If't mtnt, p. 35.
24 . Chart so urc e: I ntt'1"TUtl lJffaltJ H IJ"IJJI IJpt . l..o ;iI IJ"
2'). Cran ston . Tbe ROmAntIC h 1wtmtnt. p 37.
2 6 . T ht R IJmJ nllc M IJt'tmtnt , p , 37.
340 - THE ASTROLO GICAL N EPT UN E AND THE Q UEST FOR REDE MPTI O N

was rich. sensuous, colou rfu l and redolent of t he infin ite . Because t he m usi c
was closely allied 10 and inspired by Rom aoric lit erarure, it expressed SIO -
ries of human and supernatural passion and yearnin g, rather th an fulfill ing
Rarneau 's demand for ha rmony, precis ion, and orde r. The early Rom ant ic
composers looked chiefly 10 Carl Maria von Weber as thei r leader, and he as
well as his music fulfilled most of th e Romantic criteria. Born with
N eptune tr ine a Sarurn-Pluro conjunction in the 6th house , he was a sick-
ly, consump tive man with a congenitally diseased hip, who walked with a
limp rh roughour his sho rt bur colourful life. H is opera, Der Freiubtaz, com-
posed in 1820, was unlike any ocher opera that had ever been written, with
its "mystery and en chantment , its evocatio n of the power of evil, its nature
painting and sheer colour, its power and imagi nat ion ."·27 Although Weber's
mu sic is not as pop ular today as it was im mediately after his dea th , his
impact on th e Rom antic composers who followed him-Mendel ssohn,
Berl ioz, Schumann, and ultimately, Wagn er-was enormous.
Inevitably Ge rm an Rom anti cism, pe rmeating not only t he arts bu r
also t he u niversiti es, began to infecr poli t ics. It played a major pan in the
revolut ions and insu rrect ions of 1848 , and its influ ence contin ued to rever-
ber are mu ch further int o rhe fut ure wirh incalculab le resulr s. It is for thi s
reason that, in recent times, rhe Ge rman Romant ic Movem ent has come
in ro bad repute, be cause t he roma nr ic nat ionali sm which first emerged in
th e lat e 18th and early 19th cent uries as t he vision of a spirit ually u nit ed
Vaftrland eventually found irs way inro (he music of Wagner and Ri ch ard
Strauss and ult im ately int o t he propag anda of H itl er. During th e cou rse of
wor king on th is chap ter, I happe ned to hear of t he synch ronous opening of
a festi val in London celebrating th e Ge rman Rom an t ics.J'' including nor
only an exhibirion of paintings but also lectures an d concerts by com posers
from Schumann to Wa gner. Included in rhe publi city for thi s festival was
a short art icle in Tbe Times, titled "Delicate dip lomacy for [he fest ival,"
wh ich said :

Romanri cism is a polirical hot poraco in Germa ny. The Romanti c

moveme nt was closely intert wined wit h narionalism , and in
Germany since the Nazi era nariona lism has seemed to be irre-
rrievably "brown-sta ined" , . ,

T he article then goes on [Q q uot e H enry Meyric H ugh es, o ne of th e cu ra-

to rs of rhe H ayward Gall ery's cont ribut ions to th e fest ival:

27. Haro ld C. Schonbe rg, Tbe l ilTS uf tht Great Cornpust'fl (london: Abacus, 1992), p- 118.
28 . The exhibirion opened on 29 September 1994 .
 N EPTUN E AND TH E ARTi ST '" 34 1

This is the first major exhib ition of German art since the [Berlin]
wall came down, and it's on a touchy subject . .. . We soon found
that no German instit ution could dare to take it on. They were
willing to help as long as it remained a Brit ish initiative.29

The Romanc ic German poers and composers of t he 18th and 19th cen-
tu ries can hardly be blamed for the appalli ng use H ider made of the myth s
and visions th ey invoked . The Romant ic Movem ent may equall y be
blam ed for th e socialist and com munist movements whi ch foll owed it,
since rom ant ic phi losop hy could. as Toynbee states, move in either archais-
tic or futuristic d irections with eq ual ease. But th en, who is to bla me ?
Neptune always carries with it th e siniste r odour of subversio n. and the
unleashing of th e red em pt ive long ing , with out th e contai nme nt of
Satu rnian realism and d iscrim inat ion, can open the ga tes to the Flood on
a collect ive as well as an ind ividual level. And we can also und erstand bet-
ter the irresisti ble power of H itler's promise of salvatio n if we recogni se
that it had been yeasting in the collective psyche long before, encapsu lat-
ed in th e Romant ic dream of a nat ion clean sed , spi rit ually redeem ed , and
uni ted th rough the art ist ic outpourings of its proph ets.
Elsewhere on th e Concinenc, the Rom ancic Movement found an
extraord inary range of art isti c spokesmen . France produ ced H ugo (Sun
sesquiquadrare Neptune) and Balzac (Sat urn trine Neptune) along with a
remarkable collection of composers including Berli oz (Moo n conjunc t
Neptune) and Massenet (Sun square Neptune, Moon trin e Neptune,
Neptune conj unct Ascendant); Russia prod uced , amongst others, Pushkin
(Saturn trine N eptune) and that quintessential Neptun ian, Tchaikovsk y
(Sun squ are N eptune, Saturn sextile Neptune); and a host of ot her poets,
painters , and com posers eme rged in Spain, Italy, Switze rland , and th e
nations of Scand inavia. No Eu ropean coun try escaped th e irresist ibl e flood
of Rom ant icism . South America was set alight by Rom antic revolution s,
beg un by Colo mb ia's Simo n Bolivar. On ly in Am er ica was rhere no real
eme rgence of a Rom ant ic Movem ent . This may possibly reflect th e relat ive
obscur ity of Neptune in the Ameri can birth chart . Cranston suggest s:

T he U nited States was too much the creat ure of the

Enligh tenment , its culture tOO profoundly shaped by eigh teenth
century rarionalism and empir icism for romant icism to be read ily
app reciated th ere.3°

29. Th, Tim' I, 24 Septem ber. L994.

30. Cranston, Tht Rumantl( M cnt'Wlt"nt, p . 145.
34 2 - T H E AITRO I O G lCAI N EPT UN I AND TH I QU IlT f O R RIDI M P TI O N

Also , Am erica's powerful P uritan tradiri on was inimi cal (Q the free flights
of the im ag in at ion encouraged by a Romanticism roo ted in rhe Cat ho lic
myst icism of th e European M iddl e Ages. Ralph W aldo Eme rson migh t be
conside red a Rom ant ic writer in t he European sense, b u t even he disguised
any incipi ent Neptunian Rom ant ic incl ination s under t he term "rranscen-
de n ralisrn ." Yet iro n ically, in th e 20 t h cent u ry, America p rovided the chief
vessel for the most ubiq ui rou s Romant ic arc form of all: the cinem a.
The Rom antic Movement in Britain was altoge ther more sobe r th an
it was in G erman y, although its expo nen ts often were not. It can be traced
back to th e philosop her Ed mund Bur ke (Sun sesq uiq uad rare Nept un e.
Moon squa re N eptune), who, althoug h he was a savage crit ic of Rousseau's
pol iti cs, nevertheless echoed Rousseau 's rom anti c ideals. In A Phi/OJophical
Inquiry into the Origins of our Ideal on the Sublime an d the BeautIful. he at tacks
rat ionalism and pos tulates tha t what is g reatest and nob lest in th e arts is
the infini te. Arc m ust add ress the imagi nat ion, not reason; through imag -
inatio n an must reach th e passions; clarity in an is an ene my (Q enthus i-
asm and d irect experience of th e sublime. Poetry, he goes on to state , is
su perior to paint ing because it can bette r render obscurity and am b igui ty.
The sub lime is th at whi ch arouses deli ght. Feelings of fear are part of
delight , whic h is unconn ecte d with reason or mo ral demands.
Here is N eptune undi sg uised. Burk e had enorm ous influenc e on the
poets who foll owed him . in part icular Blake (Sun trine- Nep tune).
Coleridge (Sat urn conju nct N eptune), Wordsw orth (Saturn sem isq uare
Ne ptune), Shelley (Satu rn op posit ion N ep tun e), Keats (Sun conju nct
Neptune) and Byron (Moon sq uare Nept une, Satu rn tr ine Nep tune).
British novelists du rin g rhe 19 d1 centu ry, however, rema ined resist ant to
the Romant ic Movem ent , with th e not able except ion of Em ily Bront e
(Satu rn sq uare Neptune) when she wrot e Wut hering HeIght s, In the main,
British pai n ters eq uall y did not (fUSC the incalculable resul ts of wh ar the
Fren ch sym bol ist poe t Arthur Ri m baud (Sat u rn sq ua re Nept une) lat er
de scribed as "the systema tic derangement of the senses" in the pur suit of
the sub lime. T he Romant ic Movement did not reach its full flower ing in
Britain un t il after it had begun to d isinteg rate on the Conti nent , and t hen
it em erged in surprising ways during the Victorian era, when one mi ght
have least expect ed it. Yet Queen Victoria herself, with Neptune con junct
Uranus, trine Venus and Mars, and sq ua re Saturn in Pisces, was herself
deeply rom ami c 3 1; and it should not be su rp rising that Rom ant icism in

31 , H er Ide ali sa t ion of Pnnce Albert, an d t he ex t raordi nary leng th s [0 w hi ch sh e pur sued
"conr an" with hi s spi ri t aft er his death, reflect her ow n Neptunian in cfin anons . So ner o-
rious was he r ob sessio n wit h Albert 's P U1t mortem wherea bouts r har , as (he sto r y g oes, whe n
t he Pnme M in n rer Disraeli lay d ying and was in for med (hat the Q ueen was wa it in J.: o ut -
 N (P T U ~ 1 " NO TH I ARTIST - 3 4 .~

Britain ult imately reemerged through Vict or ian G othic architecture, the
Pre-Raphael ire movement begu n by Da nt e Gabriel Rossetri (Sun tr ine
Neptune, Saturn opposition Nep tu ne). the Art s and Crafts movem ent of
William Morr is (Sun sext ile Neptune, Saturn (fine Neptune) with its
attendan t poli rical phi losop hy of rom antic social ism , and finally th e music
of Elg ar (Sat u rn trine Nept une) and rh e Eng lish romant ic composers who
followed him in to the 20 t h cen tury ,

Neptune and the English Romantic Composers

English Romantic music is nati onal isti c in the mysti cal sense of an essen-
ti al invisible "En gl ishn ess" of th e spirit; but it is not pa rt icula rly po litica l.
It d raws its insp iration from native folk mu sic and myth , as well as from
earlie r Euro pean Romanric composers. Chro nologically we can beg in wit h
Sir Edwa rd Elgar, who was born in 18 57 . All his life, and for many years
afterward, Elgar was thought of as the musical embod imen t of impe rial-
ism - primarily becau se of those ma rches such as "Pom p and
Circumstance" which, through no wish of his own, became hits which per-
sonified the g reatness of the Briti sh Em pire. Mode rn film make rs also have
mu ch to answe r for in thi s regard . because of the habitual use of Elgar's
mu sic as a backd rop to films , such as Gre)Jtoke, portraying Edwardia n aris-
tocrars g lid ing abo ut thei r stately hom es, But fortu nately th is image of
Elgar is g rad ually changing . Ian Parrott, in his biogr aphy of Elga r, q uotes
an earlier portrait which describes him as:

. .. a neurotic , withdrawn d reamer, cut off and infinitely sad, "He

encountered snobbery, both social and artistic, and it wounded
him . . . . Somewhere .. . something or someone wounded him so
deeply, so irreparably, that he never fully recovered . . . he bu ried
the secret of th is wound in his heart . It showed itself only in the
anguish and solitude of certain passages in his music:' ,32

In his yourh Elgar was influ enced by th e Ge rman Romant ic composers,

partic ularly Schumann , Mendelssohn , and Chopin. Echoe s of Brahms,
Strauss, and Wag ner can also be heard in his work and in t he size of th e
orchestras he used . Bur like Goe the a hund red years befo re him, Elg ar can-
not be defined solely as a Romantic compo ser. He is someti mes referred to
as "post -Ro mantic," wh ich means rh ar he lived and composed too late to

SIde to pay he r last respe cts , he said, "Do n' t le t her 10 ; she 'll only ask me (0 rake a me s-
sage [0 Alben :'
32, lan Parron , Elg"r(London :J . M. Dent & Sons, 197 1), p 2,
344 - TH E ASTR O LOG ICAl N EPT U N! AN D T H E O UI S T f OR REDE\1P Tl O N

be a pa rt of th e Romanti c Movem en t 's official tim e-span, bu t was inspi red

by th e same musica l spi ri t. In fact h is wo rk ("ncom passes and tr anscen d s all
(he usual arrisrir categories. We may therefore assume th at , like Goe t he ,
hi s b irth cha rt is not d om in at ed by N eptu ne ; only th e tr ine be tween
Satu rn in P isces and Ne ptune in Ca ncer gi ves us a hint of th e ocean ic
worl d of the tr ue Romant ics. JJ As we sha ll see , how ever, the con tac ts of
Satu rn and N eptune appear o ver an d o ver ag a in amongst t h is un ique
group of En g lish composers .
Aft er Elg ar, D eliu s is t he most important (and (he m ost Ro m ant ic)
of th e group. In his bi rth chart t here is no so lar conran w it h Nepr une.I"
Bu t P isces is rising , and N ept u ne is in t he l sr ho use exactly sexrile t he
Moon. Saturn in Virgo opposes Nept u ne, whi ch is on t he midpoint
betwe en Venus and Chi ron in P isces; and th is powerful and d eeply melan-
choly configuration is vivid ly exp ressed th rough Del ius' m usic. H e began
life in 18 6 2 as a weak and sickly infant, and ended it bli nd and paralysed
by t he fin a l stages of syp h ilis at t he ag e of 72 . His life was colou rfu l and
un convent ional ; his worldv iew was, by hi s own adm ission, pagan and pan-
t heis tic; h is tem perament , espec ially in lat er adu lrhood, was diffi cu lr and
int ract abl e . H is mu sic is su btl e, ethereal, strong ly influenced by th e
melan chol y archa ic chord al progressions of folk m usic, and, fo r some cri t-
ics, tOO nebu lou s and lack ing in defi nite form . Delius re ject ed all the
esta blished forms, and felt only disdain for th e academician 's approac h to
mu src .

do n't believe in learning harmony or counte rpoint . Learning

kills instinct. ... For me, mu sic is very simple . It is the expres-
sion of a poetical and em oti on al narure.D

To De lius a "se nse of flow" was th e only thin g th at mattered . Scho nbe rg
states th at hi s m usic has an exq uisite refinement , ofren with an u nde rcu r-
rent of trag ed y.J 6 Si r Tho m as Beecham d escribed h im as [he " last g reat
apos tl e in ou r rim e of romance, em ot ion and beau ry in music. "37 O f hi s
various work s th e titles in th em selves reveal his Rom anti c p reoccu pat ions :
Sea Drift, 'Xlalk 10 Ihe Pa radi" Garden, Summer Nigh l on tbe River, Over tbe
Hill, and Far A way. P erh ap s m ost poignandy Nep t unian is hi s o pe ra, A
Vii/age Romeo andJ uliet, in whic h th e you ng hero and hero ine d rown t hem -

33. Chan source: Intrrnat"",aln HvrfJJkfJpt-LuikfJ n, p . 459

34 . Cha n source: IntrrMtifJl'laln HfIf'&Jk&pt-Ltxikun, p . 387 .
35. Schonberg , Tbe Lives fJj tht G r-Mt CCJmpfJJrrJ, p . 451 .
36. The Lioa /)[tht Great CCJmp/)JrrJ. p. 4~ 2 .
37 . Sir Thomas Beecham. Fr-t~;tk DtlillJ (London: H ut chin son , 1959), p. 22 1.
 N EPT U N ! AN D TH! ARTI ST - 345

selves rathe r than suffe r separation . Transcribed below is (he libretto for
'he en d of [he opera; [he dialogue and stage di rections, no less cha n rh e
mus ic, perfectly cap t u re Neptune's anc ient longing . Del ius h im self
d escribed the wor k as expressing not only roma ntic love but also "panrhe-
ist ic mysti cism ," and stated th at "[he mu sic {at th e end] can sugg est the
deep an d enfold ing waters." j"

A Village Romeo and Juli el

[The rising moo n floods ' he dista nt valley with a soft and mell ow lig ht .
something mys te rious has couched t he ga rden with enchanr menr .]
BOATMAN [in the d istan ce, g radu ally d rawing near] :
Hall eo, halleo! in the wood s the wind is sighi ng.
Hall eo, halleo! down stream our bark is glidi ng.
Heigh-he! wind, sing low, sing low.
VR ETCHE N : H ark ! th is is th e Gar den of Paradise. Listen ,
the angel s are singi ng .
SAU : N o, ir is only the boatmen on the river.
BOATMAN [nearer] :
H omesteads round about us scattered
Where folk live unti l they die .
Ou r home is ever cha nging-
Travellers we a-pa ssing by.
H e , tr avell ers a-passi ng by.
SALJ: Travelle rs we a-passing by? Shall we also d rift do wn t he river ?
VRETCHEN : An d d rift away for ever? I've had that tho ugh t (his
many a day. We can never be united , and wi tho ut you I cannot
live. Oh let me then di e wit h you !
ShU: To be happy one shore moment and the n to d ie-were that
not eternal joy?
SAU and VRE T CHEN :
See the moonbea ms ki ss the me adows,
And th e woods and all th e flowers,
And th e river softly sing ing
Glides along and seems eo beckon .
Listen! far-off sou nds of mus ic
Wak en trembl ing ech oes, moving,
Throbbi ng , swelling, faintly dying .
W here t he echoe s dare to wander,
Shall we two not da re to go?
See, our marriage bed awaits us.

38 , Arth ur Hutchings, DJ;1I1 (londo n: Macmillan &: Co., 1948 ), pp. 125· 127 .
346 - THf ASTRO lOG ICAl NEPTllN f AND THE Q UEST FOR REOr.',P TIO N

[T hey go towards the hay-laden boat . Th e D AR K FIDDLER appears upon t he

verand ah of the in n, p laying wild ly o n his fidd le.]
VRETCH EN : See, my ga rland goes before us. [She plucks
the nose-gay from her bosom and casts it on the river.
SALI jumps in to the boat and casts loose.]
SA L!: And I throw o ur lives away! [He wi th draws rh e p lug from
the bottom of the boat and throws it into the river; then
sinks down upon the hay in VRETC HEN 's arrns.]
BOATMAN [in the far dis tance] : Ho, travellers we a-passing by!

Ralph Vaughan W illi ams follo wed Elga r by fift een yea rs, an d D el iu s
by ten. Vaugh an W ill iams d id not act out the trag ic d imensi on of
Ne ptunian romanti cism ; he managed to finish his N inth Symp ho ny only
a sho rr time before his death at ag e 86. Hi s famil y had money and he was
nor a victim of ill ness o r ill-fated love. But N eptune is not o n ly pow erful
in the birth cha rt (Sun o ppo sitio n N eptune , Saturn square Nep tu ne) bur
is also aliv e and well in his music. Despite the strong N eptune, Vaug han
W ill iams was neve r able to ide ntify tem peram entall y w it h the Sturm und
Drang of the German Rom anti c school; perhaps he was roo balanced and
sane a personalit y. He rejected the G erman 19th -century traditi on in
favour of the Englis h folk song an d t he cho ral heritage of El izab et han
mu sic. H e wen t "i nro rhe field " to collect native music in as pure a sta re
as it could be found, for he had intens ely nationalis tic feel ing s abou t
mu sic-nor for purposes of poli tical propaganda, but because the ancient,
uncluttered melodi es and archaic chordal progressions seemed to him co
embody an essential English ness of the sou l. Despite th is deliberat e nar-
rowing of the sou rces of musical inspi ration, he always managed to avoid
what Schonberg calls "Ye Tea Shoppe'' schoo l of music. Hi s com positions
are not pretty-s-t he symphonies are "rugg ed affairs wi t h a strong dose of
disson ance"39-but th ey are strange , eerie. po ig nant and dis tu rbing .
"Every composer," Vaugh an W ill iams Stated, "cannor expect co have a
world-wide messag e , but he may reasonably expect co have a spec ial mes-
sage for his own people. "40 For Vaugh an Will iams, th e artist as mouth-
pie ce for the co llect ive was co ntai ned within a realistic apprecia tion of the
limirs of o ne indiv id ua l's lifesp an and capabilities.
Vau ghan W ill iams was follo wed by Gustav H olst , Rog er Q u ilter ,
Arnold Bax, Frank Bridge, John Ireland , Arth ur Bliss, Edward Alex ander
Ma cDowell, Peter Warlock (w ho was born Ph ilip H ese!t ine- t he cho ice of
nomme de plume is revealing ), G ranvi lle Banrock . H e rb ert Howell s, William
W al to n, a nd finall y, Si r M ichael T ippett , bo rn in 19 0 5. Man y if nor mnst

39 . Schonbe rg. T ht Li l"tl (if tht Grtal C mnpIJltr1, p. 455

40. Ibid.. p. 4 ~ 4 .
 NIPTU NE AND T HE ARTI\T - 347

of these com posers are not well known outside Britain . The issue of the ir
g reat ness, or lack thereof, is bes t left to the mus ic critic and the mu sicol-
ogist. W hat unites rhern is the ir ident ificat ion w it h the music and mus i-
cal philosophy of the Romancic Movement . For th e reasons previo usly
gi ve n. we mi gh t expect co find con tacts between Sun and Nep tune and/or
Saturn and N eptune in these birth (h ans , as we have with Elgar. Del ius ,
and Vaug han W ill iams. Such a yardsti ck may seem ( 00 crude and simp lis-
tic; what about Neptune in relati on (0 the other planers, especi ally
Mercury and Venus ? What about midpoints and harmonics? Th ese ace
obviously important. But if any ind ivid ua l conscio usly links himself or
herself with a Neptunian worldview such as the Romantic Movement, it
is proba ble (alt houg h not inevitab le) that the Sun and /or Sarurn, th e plan.
ers whi ch define the individual ego, will be closely involved wirh
N ep tu ne. Lack of com p lete birth data also pr esents a handi cap; when no
Ascendant is known , and th e posir ion of t he Moon has a 13-degr ee range
of possibili ties , such a simp le yardstic k becomes necessary. An d it is also
reasonable to assu me that, if an individual wi th such astrolo g ical sig na-
cures as Sun- N ep tune or Sat ur n-N eptu ne is mu sically gifted . his o r her
mu sic will mo st likely express recogn isabl e Nep tu n ian feeling s o f my sti-
cal yearning , melancholy, and bo und lessness- recognisab le not merel y by
me, bu t by er irics, biog rap hers and musicologi st s-rh ro ugh wh at
Rousseau was ple ased to call the po wer of melody.
A survey of the above- me nt ioned Eng lish Romant ic com pose rs,
based on Sun-Neptu ne and Saturn -Neptune aspects, thus runs as follo ws .
Elg ar, as we have seen , had Saturn t rine N eptun e. De lius had Saturn oppo-
site Nep tune . Vaughan W illi ams had Sun oppos ite N eptun e, and Saturn
square Ne ptune . Hol st had Sun qu incun x Neptune , and Satu rn square
Neptune . Quilter had Sun o pposi te N ep tun e. S ax had Sun opposite
Neptune. Bridg e had Sun exactly sex tile Neptune. Ireland had Sun sq uare
Neptune . Bl iss had Sun sext ile Neptu ne. and Saturn square N ep tune .
MacDowell had Sun sq uare Neptu ne, and Saturn opposi te Nep tune.
W arlock had Saturn sesq uiquad rate N ep t une . Bantock had Sun t rine
Neptune . H owells had Sun sesq uiq uad rare N eptune, and Satu rn trine
Ne ptu ne . Walton had Sun squ are Neptune, and Satu rn qu in cunx
Neptu ne . And Tip pett (who is srill alive at t he time of writi ng ) has Sun
oppos ite Neptune.v'

4 l . All birth dates and years are from Elgar. up. (i t . Complete bin h data on a few of these
composers is available in (he Int~na tl fJfJa ltl HvruJkupt · Ltxik fln and F/JI, ·/~ 'J Cutn/HnJuun I
have used [he foll owi ng o rbs: for cc nju nccic ns, squares, rnoes and apposu ions, 10 degrees;
far sexriles. 6 deg rees; for quin cu nxes and sesquiquadrst es, 2 deg rees . These are (he orbs I
normally use in chan inrerprerano n
348 - T HI ' I TROLO G IC ' L NEPT U" I ' NO THE Q Ui l T l O R REDI MPTIO N

I do not know the statistical probab ili t ies of every ind ividua l in thi s
g roup of Engl ish rom ant ic composers exhibiting either Sun -Neptune or
Sat u rn- Nep t une aspects or, in six cases out of fi fteen , both . I am not
Mich el Gauquel in , nor am I con cerned w ith "proving " th rough statistics
the link between Neptune and Eng lish Rom ant ic mu sic. I have simply
fou nd what I expec ted to find. gi ven the nature of Neptu ne and the nature
of th e mu sic. Most revealing of all is G ust av H oists suite, The Planets, in
wh ich the compose r offers us a d irect musical interpreta tio n of N eptune
itsel f. N o ast rologer concerned with understand ing this planer should
neg lect listen ing to H ol st's "Neptune." As a correct birch time is available
for H olst, we may note that, in add ition £0 the Sun-Nep tune and Satur n-
N eptune contacts ment ioned above , he also had the Moon in square [Q
N eptune·' It is likely that he unde rsto od the symbo lism of the planet not
o nly imellecc:ually, b ur at a profou nd emotional level as well.
As in every sphere of ar risric endea vour, the definition of a "great"
com poser is ex treme ly e lusive . Ulrim ately we are faced with the judg e-
ment of com mon conse nsu s, wh ich must rely on a sufficient amount of
tim e elapsing - N eumann's "enhanced consciousness't-c-before it can be
even cautiously trusted . Si mp ly because a lot o f requ ests have poured in to
BBe Rad io 3 afte r a part icular piece of m usic has been played , t his does
not mean the composer is g reat; he or she is sim ply pop ular thi s week , o r
th is momh , or th is decade. Ne ptune transitin g throug h the sig ns, as we
have seen, reflect s the trend s of fashion, and "hig hbrow" m usic no less than
"pop " mu sic follo ws fash ions . Elg ar jo ined the heap of m usical d iscards in
the ch illy light of the neocl assical age, with its revul sion ag ainst rornanr i-
c ism- parcicularly d uring the modern ism of the 1920- 1940 period , wh en
transiting N eptu ne formed no major aspects to the presiding U ranus-
Plut o sq uare and cri tics exalted th e strident di scords of Strav insky and
Bart ok . Until th e 1960s , when tra nsit ing U ranus and Pluro form ed
ben ign aspects co N eptu ne as they had done when Rou sseau was born ,
most musicians wou ld have ridi cul ed th e very idea of Elgar being an
imp ortant compose r. Th ere is the addi tio nal facto r of a com poser's social
and po litical relevance to a particul ar culture; Wagn er was expe lled from
Ge rmany in his ow n tim e, but was extremely pop ular in the Na zi era
becau se the leadership identified itself wi th Sieg fried .
Even th e defini rion of "art " is a fraug ht one. W hy should Bob Dylan
(Neptune trine Sun, Moon, Jupit er, Satu rn, and U ranus) be considered less
of an artist than Mend elssohn? H is mu sic was no less a mout hpi ece for
Am erica in the 196 0s rhan Mendelssohn's was for Victor ian Eng land .
 M rTU NE "'..D T H E ARTIS T - 349

Longevit y of popularity seems to [ell us some t h ing abou t the unive rsal
appea l of an a rtist, although it may not ind icate a tale nt g reater than Oth-
ers. Craftsmans hip alone does not connot e greatness; craftsmanship com-
b ined wi th un iversa l popularity still does not give us a n acceptable defin-
it ion ; craft smanship, u nive rsal and long-li ved popularity, and in novative
style rogerher may begi n co approxi ma te wha t we are seeking . But even
t hen we are floundering, because th ere a re arti sts whose work may drop
out of historical consciousness for no reason other th an that-because of
financia l, socia l, or po litical difficu lties, or a self-effacing naru re-they
were not gi ven sufficient exposure during or afte r thei r own lifetimes, and
com mo n consensus can on ly vote in favou r of what it knows. And our def-
initions of art also depe nd upon a collective concen sus which , still imbued
with pre-Roma nti c elitism , tends to rep udi ate creat ive prod ucts suc h as
et h nic folk music, as well as "hyb rid" am tainted wi rh t he sin of being
com mercial (e.g. , relevant to everyda y life), such as the composi t ion of film
m usic and the vast world of int erior, furn itu re, fashion . scen ic and costume
design .4J
Neptune is promi nent not onl y in the charts of the Romant ic com -
posers, but in those of most composers who are considered g reat. T his
should not be su rp rising , because mu sic. of all the arti stic med ia, is the
closest to N ept u ne's flu id world . Romant ic mu sic m igh t embody rh e
most obvious exp ressions of Nep tunia n feeling because it is t he most
mel odious and the least confined by form al structures. Bu t mu sic itself is
essentially Ne ptunian. Un like painting, scu lp tu re, poet ry or fiction ,
music is the artist ic med ium par excel/met of participation mystique. T heatre
per hap s ru ns a close second . But theatre de mands the respon se ofthe inte l-
lect as well as th e emot ion s: one cannot listen (Q a play while ign o ring t he
word s. One can , however, respond powerfully to mu sic-s-even opera-
without having to understand th e intellectual and structu ral d im en sion s

4 3. "G rear' com po sers have ofren had the ir wor ks pillaged for use In film s, as Elg ar's w.l,S
for G rqJtfl kt. Being dead , th ey are nor in a posit ion to obj ect if the film is mvr al, nor IS
th eir g reatness bes mi rch ed by suc h pos th u mous apprcpna ric n of t heir materi al.
Unfortunately, musically illitera te cinema aud iences all over the world kn ow Mah ler on ly
as th at chap who d id the theme tun e for Death i" Vtniu . Will iam Waho n, one of rhe
Engli sh Roma nti c com posers , wrote th e sound tra ck for Lord Olivier's film of Htnry V
However , he was adm ired and respecte d as a seriou s composer before this venture; Oliv ier
him self chose Walto n to wr ite the mu sic because he consid ered the com poser a genius : t he
film, made at th e end of Worl d War II, was part of the national war effort ; and the scrip t
was, afte r all, wnn en by W illi am Sha ke spea re . Composers who begin th ei r ca ree rs w r i tin~
for tilms , however. are usu all y kn own on ly by rhe br ief cred it wh ich flashes on and off ar
t he begi nning (or end ) of rhe film . Th eir compo siti ons, howe ve r subli me. are rare ly t reat -
ed sencusly by crincs or per formed in concert halls
35 0 - THE ASTROl O GICAL N EPTUN E AND TH E O UEST fOR R!DE M PTI ON

of it. It speaks di recdy [0 th e heart and soul. It s emotional immed iacy and
tr an sience only part ly exp lai n why it has (h e effeer it does . Mu sic has been
used by po litica l and reli g iou s leaders since rim e immemor ial (Q b ring
people tog et her a nd move {hem in a particular em otion al d ireetion-
somet im es in su b lime, sometimes in viciously des t ructive ways . The
sol emn ity of a mov ing hym n and the brassy pyrot echn ics of a go od match
are tw o obvio us exam p les. The ub iquitou s pr esen ce of (he "natio nal
ant he m" is testim on y to how importan t mu sic is in bo ndi ng a nati on
toget her for g ood or ill.
Why does Elga r's Ce llo Conce rto make us feel me lancholi c, wh ile
Papage no's openi ng aria from The M agic Flute lifts our sp irits ' Why do
d iffering rhyth ms p rovoke di fferent phy sical as well as emotional respons-
es? Rhythm , eve n mo re (han me lody, is pe rhaps (he mos t basi c di mensio n
of th e m ag ical powe r of mu sic, for we sha re th e rhythm of th e mother' s
heartbeat while sr ill in th e womb. T he body fun ct ions acco rd in g to th e
pri ma l rhythm of t he heart ; so [00 do t he cycles of the seasons funct ion
acco rding to the p ri ma l rhythm of the eart h's revolut ion arou nd the su n;
so too do t he heavenly bodies move in rhyt hm ic patterns . H ere we are
ente ring Py th agor as' m yst ical cosmo s, where music , beg inn ing as nu m ber
an d m anifest ing as rh ythm and harm ony, is t he essen t ial attribu te of the
On e. Although t he Roman tic composers were mo re concerne d with di rect
emotional experience tha n with any int ellect ual th eory of the cosm os,
m usic was always close ly all ied w ith astro logy in th e ancie nt wo rld , for
th ey were see n as tw o aspec ts of t he same pr incipl e. Mu sic was also a fu n-
d amental dime nsion of th e physi cian 's art at (he g reat heal ing sh rines of
t he G reco- Roman worl d , where Apollo t he lo rd of m usic and his son
Askl epios tog et he r symbo lised t he powe r of cosm ic "sympath y" [Q cu re
t he suffe ring soul.

Somehow, Moaarr's symphony, rather than relling us about joy, ere-

ares joy. The mu sic is a zone of joy. How is thar possible? T he
G reeks knew the answer: mu sic and the hum an soul are both
aspects of t he eternal. The one stimu lates the othe r powerfully and ,
one might almost say, with scientifi c precision, thanks to the essen-
tial kinship of th e two. Of an evening at the opera, if the mus ic was
beaut ifully performed, we say, "It was sublime, a transcendent
experience." Th ese words have become emp ty figures of speech,
but they arise from the deep- seated human need to feel a connec-
tion wit h t he Absolute, [0 transcend the phe nomena l world .44

44. J amie James, Tbr Afklte uf tht SphtTtJ (BOH on and london : Lrrd e. Brown, 1994 ), pp
17- 18.
 N EPTU N E " NO THE ARTI ST - 35 1

Mu sic couches us so po werfully because it reaches t hat in us wh ich longs

for fusion with t he sou rce, bypassi ng the sepa rative inte llect and uniting
us in t he sha red vision of lost innocence and th e sou l's rightful ho me. In
th is sense Rousseau was rig ht , and mu sic is t he h ighest of t he a rts -th at
is, if an is assessed sol ely according to Nep tu n ian values. The walk to t he
Paradise G a rde n may not be the onl y dream wh ich human being s can
drea m ; bu t it is the dream th at N ep t u ne nurtu res w ithin us. It is also pos-
sib le th at jazz, even more th an Romant ic musi c, is the mu sic closest to
N eptune's heart because it involves all th is and more. The jazz music ian
im provise s, moving spo nt aneously with th e flow of the music and with the
ense m b le with whom he or she is pla yin g , bound only by the loosest of
chordal and rhyth m ic structures. Before we learned to write or even invent
lang uage , it is p robab le that we sat around t he campfire th umping ou r
feet, ba ng ing bon es on stones and ulul ating tog et he r.
Some com posers, Rom anti c or oth erw ise, fit ou r imag e of th e
N e ptun ian t rag ic g en ius . T he sad tr io of Mozan , Sch ubert and Sch umann
illus tr ates the point. All di ed young , all suffered or were vict im ised in one
way or anothe r, and all had bot h t he Sun and Moon in ma jor aspect to
Ne ptu ne . Mozan, and Schumann also , had stro ng Satu rn- Neptu ne con-
tacts . Is a tr ag ic life and an ea rly dea t h, as well as a Nept un ian mus ical
vision , the n t he inevitab le expression of a dom inant Neptune? Composers
such as Vaugh an Will iam s teach us otherw ise; Ne ptune can be con tained
with in m usic, but does not have to run amo k in life . Yet mu sical examples
of the N eptunian victim-redeemer are horribly frequent. One of the sad -
dest was Al exander Scr iab in (Su n squ ar e Ne p t u ne, Saturn square
Nep t une), who seems to have id entified almos t com p letely with the
Ne ptu nia n m yth . As a yout h his love of C hop in was so great th at he slept
with a volu me of th e com pose r's mu sic u nde r his pillow. As he matured ,
his m usical id eas became more obscu re and my st ical; he read N ietzs che
(Su n t rine N ep t une, Sat u rn sq uare Neptu ne), d evou red the writ ing s of t he
T heosoph ists, and began to conceive of m usic as a m yst ical ritual. As h is
com positions becam e increasing ly st rang e, so d id he. H e became a com -
pu lsive ha nd- washe r, and wou ld do n gloves before to uch ing money.
N a rcissistic to an astonish ing degr ee , he spe nt end less hours looking for
wr inkles on his face and sig ns of bald ness on hi s scalp. H e d evelop ed
extr eme hypochon dri a, and overindulged in that favourite Neptun ian tal-
isman, alco ho l. H e kept notebook s in whi ch he record ed an undilut ed
vision of N eptune's world :

Somet hing began to g limmer and pul sate and thi s something u/as
one. It trem bled and gl im mered , but it was one.. . . Thi s one was
all with nothing in oppo sition to it. It was everyt hing. I am every-
352 ... TH E A, S TROLO GI ( Al N EPT UN E AN D 1 H E OUf SI f OR REDE.\,PT IO N

thing . It had the possibility of anything, and it was not yet Chaos
(the thresh old of consciousness). All history and all fut ure are et er-
nally in it , All elemen ts are mixed, bu t all t hat can be is there.4 ~

Even tua lly Scriabi n be came convi nced th at he was abso rbed int o t he
rhythm of t he un iverse, an d began to id ent ify wi t h God . Cons tan t ly
pl agued with money troubles, he pl anned a g reat musical work called t he
MyIlerium, a "cataclysm ic opus as synt hesizi ng all th e arts , load ing all se ns-
es into a hypn oid al, m an y-media extr avaga n za of sound, sigh t , smell , feel,
dance , deco r, orches tra, piano , sin ge rs, lig ht , scu lp t ures. colo rs, visions."46
T he MY1ttTium involved th e end of th e worl d an d th e creatio n of a new race
of h uman b eings , and was [0 establ ish Scri ab in 's g reatn ess in th e eyes of
the p ub lic. He declared th at he was im mort al, the t rue Messiah , and want -
ed t he M yJttr iu m performed in a hem isp her ical tem ple in Ind ia. Before he
had a chance to wr it e the wor k , however, he di ed of b lood poison ing , the
result of a carb u ncle on h is lip , at 4 3 .
Certain com posers, suc h as Debussy, had neither Sun , Moon, no r
Satu rn in aspect to Ne pt un e, and do not fit ou r fantasy of th e mise rab le
a rtis t 's life. St ill ot hers with a dominant N ept un e, such as Vaughan
William s, lived relativel y stab le lives, but exp ressed N ept u ne throug h
their mus ical g enre. The qu estion of wh ether N eptu ne describes th e m us ic
or [he life-pacrern is a fascinati ng issue. Perh aps th is depend s, in t he end ,
on whet her th e individ ual exp resses Ne p t un e o r is overwhelmed by it ; or,
put another way, wh ether one ca n t ran slate t he ineffable int o one's own
languag e, rooted in per sonal exper ience and val ues (as di d Vaughan
W ill iam s), or wh ether o ne ident ifies so closely with the archet ype , and is
so u nwilling or u nable to experience an ind epe nd ent ego, t hat one is
"fated " to enact the a rchety pal tr ag ed y of t he vict im -redeem e r (as di d
Scr iab in ). But wheth er the life was tr ag ic or serene, an ex rraord ina rily h igh
percenr ag e of strong Sun-Neptune, Moon-Neptune and--o nce ag a in-
Satu rn - N eptu ne aspects appears am ong st the chart s of g reat com po sers.
Most of th e co m pose rs list ed on pages 353 -354 have at least one an d ofte n
all th ree of th ese concacts . 47 T h is l ist is obviou sly inco m p lete , and t he
read er may wonder why h is or her favou rite co m poser is mi ssi ng . Bu t even

4:> . Scho nberg, Lit'tJ lll lhi Great CtJmplllt"fJ, p. 461 .

46 . Lit ·t1 01 1M G rMt Cllmp"Jtr1, p . 463 .
47 . Chart sources are the Inltrnatilmalt J 1I"""1~1if>t u x, l lln, Foul tr 'J Cllmpt nJillm, and Lois
Rodden, lwrll-Dala IV (AFA, 1990 ). Only date and year are available for a few on the list ,
but th is does nor preclude list ing Sun- Nep tu ne and Sarum -Nep rune cont acts . I have emi r-
red t hose composers already covered, such as Mozart. Schubert, Scriabi n and t he Eng lish
Romant ics. O rbs are as given in NO(e 4 1.
 N [ P T UN [ >\Nf) T H [ AR TI ST .... 35 3

Al beniz: no Sun -N ep tu ne, Moon- N ep tune o r Saturn-Neptune contacts;

Ba ch: Saturn opposi te Neptune, Moon con ju nct Neptune (and
Venus/M ercury /Neptu ne co nj un ct in Pisces in l Zth);
Barber: Sun tr ine N ep tune, Satu rn sq uare N ep tune, Moon sesqui q uad rare
N eptune ;
Bartok: Moon squ are Neptune;
Beethoven : Moon sq uare N ep tune;
Bellini: Sun co nju nct Neptune;
Berlioz: Moo n conjunct Neptu ne;
Boccherini: Sun trine Neptune , Moo n opposite Nept un e;
Boule z: Sun sesq uiquad rare N eptune, Saturn square N ep tu ne;
Brahms: Satu rn trine Nept un e;
Britten: Sun trine N eptune , Nep tune con ju nct Ascendant ;
Bruckne r: Sun tr ine Nept u ne, Satu rn q ui ncunx Ne p tune;
C har p e n tie r: Su n square N ep t une;
Co ates : Sun sq ua re Neptune;
Co p land: Sat urn opposite Neptu ne, Moo n sext ile N ep tune;
Coward: Sun oppos ite Neptu ne, Saturn opposite Neptune;
Del ibe s: Saturn sq uare Neptune, Moo n sq uare Neptu ne;
D on izeu i: Serum tri ne Neptune;
Dukas: Sun oppo site Neptune, Moo n sexrile Nep tune;
D vorak: Sun qui ncu nx Neptu ne, Moo n sexri le Neptu ne;
Falla: Su n q uinc u nx Neptune , Saturn seni le Neptune;
Faure: Sun sq uare N ept une , Satu rn con junct N ep tune;
Fenby: Satu rn tri ne N eptune, Moon squa re Nep tu ne;
Franck: Saturn tr ine N ep t une;
Ge rs h w in: Su n square Neptu ne, Moon trine Neptune;
G link a: Sat urn sexri le N eptu ne;
G luck: Sun sexrile Neptune, Saturn tr ine Ne ptune, Moon sexrile
Neptune ;
Gounod: Su n opposite N eptune;
Goossens : Sun co njunct N eptune , Saturn tr ine N eptu ne ;
Gri eg : Sun tr in e Neptune;
H andel: Sun con ju nct N ep t un e (in Pisces in 12th) , Moon tr ine Nep tune ;
Haydn: Sun sen ile Nept un e, Nep tu ne opposite Ascend ant ;
Henze: Satu rn sq uare N eptune;
Hindemith: no Su n-N eptune, Moon-Neptune or Saturn-Nept une cont acts;
Jan ace k : Sun trine N ep t un e, Satu rn square Neptune;
Lalo : Sat u rn tr ine Nep tune;
Liszt: no Sun-Nept une, Moon-Nept une or Saturn- Ne prune contacts (b ut
N ep tu ne conjunc t Ascendant );
Mah le r: no Sun-Neptune, Moon -Neptune or Saturn-Neptune con tacts
(b u r Pisces Ascen dant wit b Neptu ne in l st hou se);
35-1 - rru ASTRO LO CoI CA l N l r T U N E AN I> THE o ui sr f O R R ( D(.~\ P H O N

Massenet : Su n square Nept un e, Moon trin e N eptune (a nd Ne ptune co n-

ju nct Ascend an t);
Mess iaen : Sun qu in cunx Neptu ne, M oon con ju nc t Neptune;
Meye rbccr: Sat u rn oppos ite Neptune;
Mussorgski: Sat u rn sexrile Nept u ne, Moon sesq uiq uad rare N ep tu ne;
Ni elsen: no Sun-Nept une or Saturn-Neptu ne co ntacts;
O ffe n bach : Su n opposit e Neptune, Satu rn sq ua re Neptune, Moon qui n-
cu nx N eptu ne;
Orff: Su n q uincu nx N eptune. Saturn sesq uiq uad rare Neptune, Moon n-ine
Nep tu ne;
P aganini : Moon square N eptune:
Pou lenc: Sat u rn opposi te N ep tu ne;
Prokovief Saturn sq ua re Nep tune;
Puccin i: Su n sq uare Neptu ne, Moon tri ne Neptune:
Ra chmaninoff: Saturn sq uare N eptune;
Ram eau: Saturn oppo site N eptune, Moo n sq ua re N ep tune , N ep tune
opposite Ascen da nt ;
R avel: no Su n-Neptu ne or Satu rn -Neptu ne contac ts (b ut Nep tu ne co n-
junce Ascendant and Sun/Moon /Mercury in Pisces);
Rcs p igh i: Su n sext ile Nept u ne;
R irnsky- K orsakov: no Sun -Nep tu ne, Moon -Nep tune or Satum-Neprune
cont acts (bur Su n . Moon. Mercury and )upi rer in Pisces);
Ro ss in i: no Su n -Ne pt une o r Satu rrt-N ept un e ron racts ;
Sai n e-Sae n s: Sat urn sq uare N eptune;
Sa t ie : Moo n squa re Ne p tune;
Sca rl atti: Sun trine Neptu ne;
Sc ho nbe rg : Sat urn sq ua re N ep tune;
Shcsra ko v ich : Satu rn t rine Nep tune;
Si bel iu s: Sun n in e Nept u ne, Satu rn q ui ncu nx Neptu ne;
Stock h aus en: Sun exactly co nju nct Neptune;
S tr a uss (j ohan n t he Elde r): Moon sq ua re Nep tune;
St rau ss (j ohan n [he Young er ): Su n (i n Pisces) [C ine Neptu ne , Sat urn sex-
tile N ep tune;
St rauss (Richard ): Moo n qui ncunx Nep tune, Sat ur n opposite Neptu ne ;
St rav in sky: Sa t urn co nj unc t N ep t un e , Moon sexrile N ep t u ne;
Tcha ik o vsky: Sun sq uare Neptune, Saturn sexri le N ep t u ne;
Verdi : Su n sextile N ep tun e (and Neptune co nj unct Ascend ant );
Villa Lo b o s: no Su n-Neptune or Sarurn -Nepr u ne co n tact s (b ur Nep tune
co nj u nct Ascend an t);
Vivaldi: no Sun-Neptune or Saturn-Neptune co nt act s;
W agn er: Moon sext ile N eptune:
W olf: Su n conjunct N eptu ne.
 N ! PTU N ! AND T H ! ARTI ST - 355

wi th out them , t he overwhe lmi ng pr eponderan ce of po werful Nep tu ne

cont act s CO the lu mi naries a nd Saturn , as well as th e Ascen d ant , makes its
ow n statement .

A Case History: Robert Schumann

Al the lime of Schuman n's bi rt h:· one of the g real cyclic alignments of
th e outer pla nets was lak ing place, and it was nor a hap py one. (See Chan
21 , page 356 .) Neptune, tra nsit ing in Sag irta rius , was conjuncring
Saturn, and both squa red Pluto in Pisces. We know somet hi ng of
Neptu ne in Sag it ta rius firsthand because it tr an sited here in t he 19 705
and early 80 s, coincid ing with a burgeoning spirit of opt im ism and spir-
itual and economic expansiven ess. But in th is most recent t ransit . Saturn
did not conjunc t N ep tu ne until t he tw o reached Ca pricorn ; nor did Plu to
square it. T he config u rat io n pr esiding over Schuma n n's bi rch sugges ts an
epoch whe n restless asp irations of an expansion ist and quas i-religious
kind - t he begi nnings of roma nti c nat ional ism--co llided with a powe r-
ful collect ive co mp ulsio n to dest roy all structu res and systems th at had
go ne before. Vague opt imism about a g lo rious futu re was challenged by
a dark sense of fatalism and tyran ny; an d th e harsh real it y of th e worl d ,
reflecte d by Saturn's involvement in th e Neptune-Pl u to squa re, dem on-
str ated the impossibilit y of maintaining romant ic idea ls in th e face of
human d estr uctiveness. In 1810, Napoleon was rampaging across Europe ,
bi ting off larg e ch u n ks of the Ger man st a t e s in his qu est for a u nited
Empire. In respon se, Ge rmany was swept by a vio lent wave of patriotic
anti- impe ria l feeli ng, fired by its own b urgeoni ng roman t ic nat ionalism .
In to th is battleg round Schumann was born, with t he Sun in Gem ini
opposi ng N ep t u ne and Sat u rn and sq ua re Pl u to . Mars was also in Ge mi ni,
conju nct ing th e Sun , opposi ng Saturn and sq uare Plu to . Although his
essent ial natu re was refin ed , reflective and conscientiou s (Su n in Ge mini ,
Moon in Virgo , Capricorn Ascendant ), Schuman n was inherently open, in
spite of hi mself, to th e savage collective u nde rcu rren ts at wo rk in t he
world around him .
With Schu mann , Rom ant ic mu sic came to full flower. H e was the
first of the completely anriclassical compos ers, and his mus ic d ispen sed
almos t ent irely with the old forms . M9re th an an y other composer- more
even than C hop in, whose mus ical forms were also to a larg e ext en t ant i-
classical (and who was born u nde r th e same Saru rn-Neprune -P lut o con-

48 . Chan source: F/1u /~ 'J CtlmpmJ" mz IJ! Sailltittl , p. 2'9

3 56 - T H E ASTROlOG ICA L N EP TU N E AN D T HE Q U EST fOR R!DEMP TI O N

Chan 2 1. Robert Schu mann. Born J une 8, 18 10, 9:10 P.M. LMT, 20:20 :04
GMT, Zwickau, Germany (50N44 , 12E29). Tropical, Placid us, True
N ode. Source: Fowler's Compendium of N ativttut.
 NEPTUNE AND THE AR TIST - D7

fig u rario n j-c-he establ ished a m usical aesthetic that verged on irnpres-
src rusm .

Mood, co lour, sugg esti on, allusion-these were important co

Schu mann , much more important than writing correct fugues,
rondos, or sonatas. Invariably his mu sic has a capricious and unex-
peered turn , a kaleidoscopic texture and emot ion, an intensity of
personal utterance that can be measured only in astronom ical
units. Nat urally every pedant and academ ician in Europe prompt·
ly set Schumann up as a whipping boy. To them his works were
the end of music , a sign of the degenerac y of the time s. H is music
appeared strang e, formless, anarch ic. from [he void.49

Schuman n was a Romant ic not o nly in h is mus ic, but in h is tem-

perament an d the pattern of his life . He was gentle, introspective, ideal-
istic, and closel y ide nti fied with the Romanti c literature of the age. H is
fat her, who was devoted to th e Engl ish Romantic writers, was by profes-
sion a book seller and publisher. Surround ed by Sir Walter Scott 's novels
and Byron's poet ry, th e bo y th us b reat hed a thoroughl y Neptunian liter-
ary at m osph ere throughout h is you t h . The darker side of Neptune was
also at work w it hi n th e psychi c fabr ic of the family, H is father suffered
from wh at was called a "ne rvo us dis order," and was anyth in g but s table
in his las t years. H is si ste r Em ilia was a men tal and ph ys ical defecti ve
wh o event uall y committed sui cide. Even as a you ng man, Schum ann was
afraid he roo woul d becom e in sane . This obsession pursued him through-
ou t hi s life .
As a youth, Sc hum ann was devot ed co the work of the Romantic
writer and co m pose r E. T. A . Hoffma nn, wh ose surreal tal es the French
com poser Offe nba ch later set CO musi c. H offmann had been born w ith the
Moo n in Pisces and a g rand trine between a Pluto-Sun-Mercury conjunc-
t ion at t he Me, N eptune in the 5[h hou se, and Uranu s in [h e 12th) OThe
fan rasric elem en t in H offman's work influenced Schumann's music for the
rest of his life, H e also ido lised [he works of the Romantic writer Jean Paul
(R ich te r), wh o had declared [hat mu sic alon e could ope n the ult imate
g ate s co the Infin ite . Desp ite Schumann's obv ious ded ication to mus ic and
li terature , h is mother insisted that he rece ive the requi site clas sical educa-
[ion (hi s fat her had d ied wh en he was 16); an d he , never one [Q fight back
u nd er pr essure, obed ien tl y set ou t to study law at age 2 1. N ep tu ne, how-
ever, had claimed hi m from b irt h ,

49 . Schonberg, TJH L,vtJ IJ/ lht Great CompostrI, p . 138-1 39 .

50. Cha rt SOUla : Inu rnat junaltJ lI uruskupt-uxil un.
3 58 - T HE ASTRO LO GICAl NEPT UN E AND TH E O UEST f OR REDLMPTl O'-

If ever a composer was doomed ( 0 m usic it was Rob ert Sch umann.
Th ere was somethi ng of a G reek traged y in t he way mu sic reached
int o his crad le, seized h im , nourished him , and finall y des tro yed
hi m . From th e begi n ning his emot ions were oversrrung , ab no r-
mally so. H is m ind was a de licate seis mog rap h u pon wh ich music
reg istered viole nt shocks. .. . H e him self once described how, as a
ch ild he sto le at night co th e piano and pla yed a series of chords,
weep ing birt erly all th e wh ile. . . . W hen he heard of Schub ert 's
death he wep t the whole nigh c.~ 1

At university hi s surreptit ious m us ical pract ice occu p ied mor e ti me t han
t he legal st ud ies on w hi ch he was sup posed to be e ng aged . At th e sam e
t ime, he broke a fin ger o n a fin ger-st ren g th ening cont rap t ion . rui n in g h is
chances of becom ing a pe rformer ; compos iti on t h us be came a necessit y as
t he onJy outlet for hi s m u sical gife. H is first composi tion s were pu b lish ed
in 18 31. D ur ing t his pe riod , tr an siting Sat urn in Virg o opposed h is na tal
Plu to , sq uared nat al N eptune and Saturn , and sq ua red natal Su n and M ars.
Far from m ourn ing th e d ea th of a pot en t ial p iani st 's caree r, he saw t he
whole world ope n ing up to h im :

O n steep ness nights I am conscious of a m ission which rises before

me like a di st a nt peak . . The spri ng itsd f is on m y d oorst ep
looking at me-it is a child wit h celesti al blue eyes.'S2

O ne mi ght suggest that , as t ransiting Satu rn moved over th e na ra l T-cr oss,

its inc arn ati ng power b roug ht his life's d irect ion to b irth.
D uri ng t he ea rly pe riod of h is m usical t ra in ing , Schu man n became
a p up il of the g reat p iano pedag ogue Wieck , w hose da ug hte r Cl a ra , th en
a ch ild , larer became h is wife. They marri ed in 184 0, jus t after tr an sit ing
Sat u rn had retu rned to it s natal pl ace and tr an siting Uranus had arrived
on nat al Pl u to to trig ger t he nat al T-cross. C lara, roo , was a n arti st , and
o ne of th e most accom pl ish ed p ianists of her tim e; an d she was largely
responsib le for t he wo rld 's k nowled ge of he r h usba nd 's compositions . One
of th e happ ier con fig u ratio ns in Sch um an n 's bi rt h chan is t he grand wate r
tr ine of Venus in Cance r in th e 7 t h house, t rine U ran us an d Pl ut o . It is
possible th at th is con fig u rat ion reflect s some t h ing of h is ex peri e nce of
love and m arriag e. H is wife was not on ly a wife a nd m ot her, but also a
friend , working colleag ue, muse and professio nal agtnr. Sch onbe rg calls
rhe marr iag e id yllic, a u nio n of tw o extraordinary m ind s. Cla ra stabil ised

5 1. Schonbe rg, Tbe Lives IJj Iht G reat Composers, p. ( 31) .

52. ThtU wl lI!IIu G reaI Cllmpll1tr1 . p. 14 2.
 N[P fU!"'-.:f AND THl ARTl \T - 359

Rober t's life; he inspired hers.B T hey made several concert tou rs roge rh-
er, and she proved an invaluable influence on his work. In true Geminian
spi rit, Schuman n also took a lively pan in the m usical life of his day,
foun d ing and edi ting a m usical pape r and leading another of his fello w
N eptunia n Rom antics, Frederick Chopi n, into th e ligh ted ci rcle of public
recogn ition .
As a composer Schumann earned serious recog nition in his lifetime,
and as a crit ical autho rity he exercised large influence. Yet he was a haunt-
ed soul. T hroug hout his adult life th e obsessive fear of insani ty g nawed at
him, in part because of the family inheritance and in pa rt because of his
own int ernal conflicts. Fear of madness is not umyp ical of Saturn-Neptune
(never m ind ' he addi tional problems of th e square from Pluto): I have
encountered it in varying degrees in many clie nts born under the Saturn-
Neptune conj un ctio n of 19 52- 1953 (when Uranus was also sq uare them
bo th) . Suc h fears may be emphasised in a cha n wh ich reflects a conscious
emp hasis on rationali ty and self-control, as Sch umann's Sun-Moon-
Ascendant combi nati on does. The faint bur omnipresent sou nd of
Neptune's waters, lapping agai nst th e protective walls of Satu rn 's ego-
defences, can invoke g reat ter ror of th e watery depths, within or wit hout.
1, is a fear of one's ow n chaos and longing for oblivion. Schum an n ide nti-
fied th e subve rsive enemy as internal, and attri but ed it to th e fami ly his-
rory of insta bi lity. In fact he m ight have been eq ually justified in project -
ing it outside, since th e whole of Europe was beg inn ing [Q disi nt eg rate by
th e ti me he reached maturit y. Schumann , who lived th rough the g reat
erup tion s of 1848 foll owin g th e di scovery of N eptune, seems to have been
one of th ose psyc holog ical "scap egoats" whom R. D . Laing was won t co
idealise-a helpless vessel for the madn ess of th e world arou nd him . If the
arti st is the mouth piece for collect ive visions and aspi ratio ns, he or she
may equally be th e mout h piece for collective psychosis. Schu man n hi mse lf
said that:

I am affected by everythi ng that goes on in the world-politics,

literature, people-I think it over in my own way, and rhen I long
to express my feelings in music. That is why my compositions are
sometimes difficult to understand , because they are conn ected
with distant interests; and sometimes unorthodox, because any·
th ing that happen s impresses me and compe ls me to express it in
music.H

53. Tbe Lila Q j Iht Grwl CUmpQ/trl , p . I·H .

~ 4 . ThtLll'tJ u/ thtGNat CumpfJIrrJ, p.1 46 .
360 - TH [ AST RO LOG ICAl N [ PT UN [ AND THE OU EST f O R RlD fM PTI ON

In thi s srarernenr he expressed a Romantic articl e o f faith, ech oin g N av alis '
statem ent that "t he soul of th e individual should be one with th e soul of
t he world ." Th e problem is that the sou l of the wodd may, from ti me to
t ime , itself be mad .
Som e tim e around 18 51 , Schumann began to lose control. He ex pe-
rien ced hallucinations, and heard harmo nies from heaven . O ne nigh t he
imagined that t he spi rits of Schu be rt and M en delssohn had b rou ght h im
a th eme, and he leapt out of bed to wri te it down . Like Will iam Blake, he
had vision s. U nlike Blak e, he coul d nor live with rhern . As h is mind
became progr essively unba lanced , he withdrew inro his own world . H e
heard in his inne r ear an incessant A that prevent ed hi m from talk ing or
t hink ing. Al ways qui et and intro ve rted, he spo ke less and less. H e clai med
tha t angels were dicr aring music to him , wh ile devils in the form of tige rs
and hyen as were t hreatening h im with hell. In 18 54 he attem p ted suicide
(not for th e first time) by th rowing h im self off a bridge into t he Rh ine. Al
his ow n reque st he was in carcerated in an insane asylum, dying two years
lat er ar age 46. During th ese sad last years of hi s life, as the water s flood-
ed the land, rransit ing Neptu ne in Pisces conju nc red natal Pluto , sq uaring
it s ow n place and th en squaring natal Satu rn, Sun , and Mars. Th e m usical
genius whi ch had incarnated when transit ing Saturn trig g ered the natal T-
cross , and beg an 10 be recognised by th e larger world wh en Uranus reach ed
the same place , ended wh en transiting Neptun e arrived th ere and calle d
him home at last.
The q ues ti on of wh ether an art ist mu st su ffer as d rast ically as
Schu ma nn to produce g rea t work is o ne to whi ch th ere is probably no
answe r. It is th e w rong qu estio n, altho ug h it is perpe tua lly asked abou t
g ifted bu t torme nt ed so uls w ho die young . Schumann identified alm ost
to tally with th e archety pa l real m from whi ch he d rew his insp iratio n; he
li ved on ly nom inally in th e physical world , desp it e father ing eight chi l-
dren and m ain taining an increas ingl y success ful career. H e w as Neptune-
haunt ed , and the watery aby ss perpetuall y wai ted ben eath his feet ; even
mu si c co uld not release him from his mi sery. Like Naval is, he was in lov e
w ith oblivion, alth ou gh unl ike Nava lis he was no r so hon est ab out it. If
Sch umann had lived in t he mod ern era and been th oro ugh ly an al ysed ,
woul d he have gon e o n com pos ing ? P robabl y. Ther ap y does no t cu re a
person o f hi s o r her essent ial bein g ; at best , it prov id es an increased and
m ore int egrat ed consciousness whi ch allows th e individual to understand
and co pe better w ith confl icts wh ich are a fundamental part of hi s or her
nat ure. Bur Sc humann 's nature was inextr icably bound to rhe co llect ive
currents of the world in w hich he liv ed , because of the po werful aspect s
 NEPTU NE AND THi I\RTIST - 36 1

of Nep tun e and Pluto to his natal Sun and Saturn (and the squa re between
Neptune and (h e Moon) . The tormen t which h e suffe red canno t be attrib-
uted sole ly 10 Neptune: the sq ua res fro m Pluto 10 [he Sun , Mars ,
N eptu ne , and Saturn reflect a na ture prone to obsession and te rrified of
its ow n hidden savage ry, and the oppos it ions between Saturn and the Sun-
Mars con juncti on suggest great pe rsonal insecurit y and di fficult y in
establishi ng a sense of pe rsonal worth. But the Ne ptune-Saturn co njunc-
tion, the N eptune-Sun opposi t ion and the Nept une-M oon square all por-
tr ay an ind ivid ual ps ychic ally porous an d acutel y att uned 10 t he bo und -
less redempt ive long ings of the Neptun ian wo rld. Sch um ann may have
had a choi ce about the exten t to whi ch he submerged his o wn ident ity in
the spirit of the time . But if such a choi ce truly existed in a cultu re w hich
had not yet inven ted psych ology and wh ich ideali sed [he self-immolation
of the artist as victim- red eemer, he ev ide ntly preferred the Romantic
alternative. If he had been born in the modern era a di ffere nt zeitgeist
would no do ub t have clai m ed h im . H e mig ht have been a pop st ar, or a
film act or. The U 11g';'1 of [he 20th cem u ry has brought us psych ology and
soc iolog y as a means of orientatin g ou rselves amids t the confusio n of the
ti mes; in Schuman n's e ra the Romant ic Move ment provi ded the more
colourfu l solu ti on of self-my tho logising, ecstasy, trag ic suffe ring, lon g ing
for oblivion and the c reation of art as a means of fusion wi th the di vi ne .
Schumann needed 10 be a suffering artist, rathe r tha n a psycho log ist , a
spiritual healer or a Labour MP. H e was shaped by the Romant ic
Movement as much as his mu sic shaped it ; he cannot be ex tricated from
his archet ypal rnat ri x. Misery, mad ness, and an early death we re as essen-
tial for the myth of the t rue arrist of his era as was the my sti cal vis ion .
Mozarr and Schube rt had preceded him on this path ; many others were to
follow before the Romant ic zeitgeist exhausted itself. Neptune notwith-
stand ing, such ext reme suffering may not be necessary now.

-
What is a poet? He is a man who experiences unusual mental
states which may somet imes make him appear eccentric or fren-
zied, as if he is losing touch with what is ordinarily called sanity.
His work is often composed in the course of such experiences, or
immediately after them , and may nor be comprehensible even to
himself. Poetry rhar orig inates in states which appear to resemb le
ecstatic possession often seems to carry a kind of authent icity
which makes it both illu minating and dis turbing. Yet those
artists who ill uminate and disturb most profoundly are often
destroyed by the divine creative energy.
36 2 - T H E AST ROL O GICAl N EPT UN ( AN D TH E OU I I T f O R RlD EMPTI O N

What is a p oet ? H e is o ne wh o m ust su ffer d isintegrat ion before

he can reveal beauty and [rut h . Wirhour chis per sonal d ism em -
berment his work canno r attai n th e oracular aut ho ri ty of tr ue
poetry. The voice of the poet who has undergone death and dis -
m em be rment m ay indeed become oracu la r, urrering p rop heti c
t ru th s that are t im eless and u n iversa l. n

55 . Eh saberh H enr y, Orphtlls With lI iJ [.Jilt: P ~try a"J ' hi Rtnt1l'al fJj Lil t (Beu te l: G B'
Bristol Classical Press. 199 2). pp. 152. 164 .
 PART FO U R

lrHllE NIEPl rUINIE

COOIKBOOIK

If ;1 almost certain tha t [isb U 'aJ amongst rhe[irst fo odenou-n / 0 man.

And nothing hal changedin man's attitude toward fis b since then: it
is as milch i n demand Iud,, ) as alu-a ys, if not more JO. its uealtb of
protein and lack of fat (particularly in [mb u-at er[isb) makin g it an
ideal f ood f or today , healthier di ets. Fi,h is also light and easily
digestible. and is rhtref(Jrr oft en liJed as a constituent oj special.
im 'alid or infan l diets.

- A mon /\ ffJsi ma nn'j Fish Cuisi ne

 Chapter II

NE PT UNE IN THE HOUSE S

You Itt me J/anding here besid« you, and bear my voice;
bUI I tel] you Ihal all Ihm IhingJ-yu, from that star tbat
bas jUJI shone out in tbe Jky 10 Ih. JOlid ground btntalh our
fut- I Jay tbat all tbese art bUI dreams and sbadou«:
tb«sbadou» tbas hid. Ih. rea! uorld from our eyes. Thm is a
rtal uorld, bUI it is bryond IhiJ glamour, and tbis vision,
btyond these "chases in A"QJ. dreams in a carter, "
beyond them all as bryond a veil.
- A RTHUR M ACHE N, Tb e G reat God Pan

.--, r-.... he house in whic h Neptune

is placed in th e birt h horo-
scope is the arena of life in
wh ich we seek redemp-
tion-the "real" world
beyond th e veil. If we wish
to und e rstand Neptune's varying expressions throug h th e hou ses , we need
to bear in m ind its archetypal core. Every planetary symbol po rtrays an
essenti al meaning, distinct from that of any othe r planetary symbol , and
consistent whatever the level of expression-physical, emot ional, intellec-
tual, imaginative-in outer and in ner life . N eptune portrays our long ing
for Eden . This longing renders the individual's ego-boundarie s porous, and
the ocean of th e collect ive psyche seeps in. Through N ep tu ne we seekfom
et origo , Parad ise lost and Parad ise to be one day rega ined . In our yearni ng
we also sense our danger, and fear the devouring Ti' amat-morhe r who will
swallo w us while we reach for the succouring Mary-mother who will inter-
cede for our sins. Where Neptune is placed in the b irth horoscope , we are
both redeem er and redeemed. We may identi fy uncons cious ly with those
who are helpless vict ims , and fail [Q recog nise the secret li nk between the
victim and his or her persecu[o r. We may seek [0 save these vic tim s, who
are secretly the same as our own wo unded sel ves, from a dest ructi ve po wer
in [he world out side wh ich also lie s hidd en within ou r own souls. And we
long to be released from suffering by a redeem er who is in fact th e prop-
erty of our own souls. In the sphere of life described by N eptune's nat al
566 - TH I ASTROl O G ICAl NI PT UN! AND THI Q UI lT f O R REDEMPTl O "

house , we find ou rselves in a hall of mirrors, heal er, perse cutor and vi ctim
all at once-whi le pe rhaps g limpsing , th rou gh th e experie nce of compas-
sio n, a sense of un it y which offers redemption from the lonely pris on of our
mo rral existe nce .
W here we m eet Nep t une, we are incli ned to lose our obj ectiv ity a nd
our sense of separateness . We a re bot h bli nded and bli ndi ng to ot he rs,
dec ep tive and dece ived , b ut alw ays pu rsu ing the go a l of fus ion at t he e nd
of t he road -s-even if we d en y su ch feeling s. W e cease to be indivi d uals, and
merge wit h the co llecti ve Sea. Bot h the open ing of the heart and the emas -
cu lat ion of th e w ill can occu r with t he loss of ind ivid ual bou nd aries .
Sacrifice, often co ncrete , m ay be required ; but ultim atel y it is ou r d ream
of redemp tio n whi ch m us t be sacrificed before we can beg in to differenti-
ate between our cherished fantasies and wh at is reall y our t her e, and cease
ou r self-v icri rnisa rio n. Th is is th e great challenge of Neptune. P roject ive
iden tifi cation-the arr ribu rion of b its of ou rselves (Q an ot her and t hen
experienci ng fusion with that othe r on an unconsc ious level- is the na t-
u ral p rocess of N eptu ne. An d because, in Nep tune's wo rld , we do no r dis -
tingu ish between I and thou, we may not recogn ise ou r lo nging for
red emp t ion in t he objec ts and peopl e with whom we have fused .
In [he following paragraphs, these ge neral observa t ion s of N eptune's
exp ression in th e houses of the horoscope a re applied house by hou se. But
t he pr inci p le remains the same throu ghout . A hou se is a neutral a rena of
life, w hic h we fu rn ish accord ing to t he na tu re of ou r own su bs ta nce.
Mani l ius described a horoscopi c house as a templum, and t his a ncient te rm
can be helpfu l in u nders tanding what the ho uses m ean. I Templum is also
t he word for a temple, wh ich in M an itius' ti me was an e mpty bu ild ing or
d esigna ted sacred area , devoi d of num in osit y unt il t he cult sta tue of th e
god was placed within . Throug h each ltmplum of the bi rth cha rt we expe-
rience, through th e p laners pl aced there, t hose gods or ar ch et ypal powers
wh ich are in fact th e intelli g ent patter n ing of our own sou ls.

N eptune in th e 1st H ouse

The po int of th e Ascen dant is the poinr of birth, an d the l st hou se, the
nat ur al house of Ma rs, represent s t he en try of the ind ividual in to the
wo rld . It is not only th e ph ysical expe rience of b irth , but every birth wh ich
occ urs throughout life--cve ry situa tion in whi ch , th rou gh an an of inde-

I. Mamli us, A JJrUf/UmICd, Book II, lines 85 6·967, G . P. Gould, tr ans . (Cambr idge: M A:
Harvard Universit y Press, and Londo n: Wi lliam Heinem ann Ltd .• 1977 ), pp . 151 · 159 .
 " [ Pr U N E '" THE HO U SE l - 36 7

pende nt w ill , we au cm pt [Q im pose ou r o wn personal rea lit y o n the world

o utsi d e. T he l st house th erefor e de als wi t h th e individual's sense of po te n-
cy and effect iveness in ou te r life. The m anne r in which we exp ress th is
po tency is ide ntical wit h th e ima ge we have of t he oute r world ; ou r meth-
ods match ou r p ro ject ions. bec ause wh at we see in th e enviro nmen t is act u-
ally our own inte rpretation of ir. Ove r th e cou rse of ti me , our pe rcep tion
of th e wo rld th us shape s th e wo rld , vind icati ng OU f preco ncep t ions.

We at trib ute co life the qualities of the sign on the Ascendant or

any planets nearby . It is the lens t hrough which we perceive exis-
renee, the focus we bring into life, the way we "b racket' the
world . And since we see the world in this way. we invariab ly act
and behave in accorda nce with our vision . W hat 's more, life ob lig -
es our expecta t ions and reflects ou r own point of view back to us. 2

Neptu ne in t he IS[ hou se, espec ia lly w ithin 10 degrees of t he Ascen d ant ,
poses an im me d iate d ilem ma, for th e nature of Neptune is anti t het ica l to
th e nature of Mar s. W her e Mars seeks to assert it s po wer over life, Ne pt u ne
seeks to avoid b irt h . Where we expe rie nce N ept un e, we fee l helple ss and
im po tent , for we are in th e han d s of powers g reat er than o urselves . The
exper ience of physica l b irt h m ay be felr by t he perso n w it h a IS[ hou se
N eptune as a pro cess in wh ich he o r she has no voli t ion and no cho ice. It
is th e mo th er 's wi ll , o r perhaps th at of t he d octor o r m id w ife , but not one 's
ow n; and th e arche ty pal Mart ial com po ne nt of str ugg le inhe rent in th e
I

b irt h process, is oft en cu rious ly absent . I have seen t hi s place ment in t he

chart s of many peo pl e wh ose mothers were drugged into un con sciou sn ess
duri ng the b irt h process, and both mo t he r and in fan t sha re in th e w rpo r
and lassit ude whi ch resu lts . The whole expe rien ce t akes p lace, as it were ,
u nder th e wat er. Later in life , th e ind iv id ual te nd s to de al w ith ex terna l
real ity w it h (h e sam e lassitude and passivi ty. Nep tune in the l sr may
secre tly feel em ascula ted and deeply anx io us w he n co nfro nt ed w ith choic-
es an d challe ng es th at requ ire a defini te decisio n o r act of w ill-part icu -
larl y if there is a ny risk of sepa rati o n or lo nel iness. Some ti m es o ne ado pts
inste ad a str ange fat alism , as th ou gh life is unrea l any way and therefo re not
wo rth strugg ling w it h . Eschewing of pe rsonal respon sib ility may und er-
min e effort s to est abli sh a co herent life direct ion . Both goo d and ill a re
"meant to be: '
Inst ead of real potency, N eptu ne in the 1st may generate false pore n-
cy as a defen ce aga inst viet im isat ion . T he ind ivid ual may use h is o r her

2. Howard Sasporras, Tbe Twtll't HfJIIJtJ (l ondon: Aqua rian Press, 1 9 8 ~ ), p 38 .

368 - T HI AITR OLOG ICA L Nl PTUN I AN D T H E OUIS T fO R REDEM PT IO N

gifts of em path y and imaginati on [Q become wh at t he world expe cts,

acqui ri ng powe r t hro ug h enc han ring, pleasing , and mi rro ring the emo-
tional needs of ot he rs. T his behaviou r m ay mask a personality of consider-
ab le st reng t h; a 1st house Nep rune may be accompanied by t he Su n con -
ju nct Pluto in Scorpi o, for example, or th e Sun squ are Saturn in Cap ricorn .
Bur t he st reng th may not be visib le, nor even recog nised by t he indi vid-
ual. Neptune in the 1st often reflects g ifts of ta ct and sub rle diploma cy;
one navigat es rathe r tha n shapes th e oure r world . The needs of ot hers take
on th e shape of th e redeem er ; to me rg e with others in an ecstasy of mu ru-
al pleasing is a form of redem pt ion. Everybody likes a rising Nep tu ne, for
it aim s [ 0 please, and often em bodies t he magical fasci nati on of Lu tey's
mermaid . Prob lems arise when ot her factors in th e cha rt , less fluid and
undefi ned, begin ro fid get and g row angry behind Nep tune's efforrless
charm .
Neptune in t he 1st has a rep utation in astro logical texts for blind-
ness and self-dec ep tion . Ebenin menti on s "hype rsensiti veness, confus ion,
a person wirhou r aims or obj ect ives.", This is unde rst andable because
Neptune p rojects a my t hic experience of redemp tion onto th e en viron -
ment and t he people in it. Every pe rsona l in teraction wi th anot her indi-
vidual th us becom es a potent ial expe rience of salva tion; and clarity, jud ge -
ment and initia tive dissolve as a result. But t his des tru ct ive extreme of
self-effaceme n t can only occu r if t here is no sense of self to ba lance
Nep tune 's long in g . If one has one 's own feelings and values, t he need for
oche rs will not swa llow up th e ou rlines of th e iden ti ty. N eptu ne in t he l sr
is often t he spec ial g ift of t he acrc r; Mar ilyn Mon roe and Richard Burro n
a re tWO of ou r most famous, and saddes t, exa m p les. The tra g edy of t hese
two ta lented and charismatic people's lives lay in thei r lethal ten de ncy to
identify almost totall y wit h th e arche typa l image project ed upon them by
an ador ing pub lic. Any sense of worth was found on ly in t he illu sory Eden
of drugs and alco hol and, in Mon roe's case, appa rem suicide through an
ove rdose ." The challe nge of a l st house N eptune lies not in any intrinsi -
cally malevolent property in t he planet, but in th e task of balancing its
chameleon-like inclinarion s wit h a health y dose of self-va lue and self-
p rese rvatio n.

3. Eberein, T ht CombinaliM 01Sltlla" Inlbunm (Fne burg, G ermany : Eberrin Verla!:. 1960 ),
p so.
4 W hethe r Monroe took her own life or was "helped" remains a myste ry. If [he latte r, nev-
ereheless her involvement wirh the Kenn ed ys. and her reckless r hr~ a ts ro publicly reveal
derails of t his involvemenc, consu tut ed a more su btl e form of self-destru ct ion She was, lir-
e-rall y. out of her de pt h in [he world of polit ical inreigue wh ich surrounded her at the end
of her life-
 NEPT UN E IN THE HO USE l - 369

Neptune in the 1" can also be the special gift of the coun sellor or
healer, because of in unique capaci ty (Q enter in to the feelings o f o thers.
Bur th e indi vid ual may become addi cted to th ose who ate needy. Th is is a
chronic probl em w ith many peopl e in the help ing professions ; their secret
dependency upon others' dependency upon them causes them to overwo rk ,
undercharge . ig no re thei r perso nal needs, and ult imate ly build up an eno r-
mou s uncon sc iou s reservo ir o f ang er and resentment to ward de mands
which they cannot refuse. Th ey often be come sick themselves, and are in
despe rate, albe it un adrn irred , need of help for their own problem because
the ir proble m is the same as their patients '. Some whe re alo ng the way, the
ordinary everyday self has been lost in th e name of saving the suffering .
Behind this characteristic pan crn. we can see the secret identity of
redeemer and redee med. with its accompa ny ing los s of contact wi th the
reality o f pe rsonal lim its . It is no d ifferent in kind to the dil emma o f the
film star, w ho may no lon ger remember what it was li ke to live without
fresh inject ions of Eden-stu ff to feed the increasing ty ranny of th e hab it.
Nept une in th e l st house, ung rounded by a solid ego, can suggest a
deeply man ipulat ive personality. Th is man ipulariveness is not directed
toward a calculated goal, however, unl ess co lder, more self-serving chart
facto rs en list it s po wer; it is utilised to secure the experience of fusi on .
Redempti on , for a l sr house Neptune , lies in the feeling o f po wer over the
environment ; but th is power lies in powerlessness, wh ich enlists o thers'
sympathy and support. Thus the individ ual may develop a pattern of vic-
rirni sarion wh ich makes him o r her the passive partner in a series of diffi -
cult rel atio nships. The more one is needed, the more secure o ne feels , If the
ind ividual can also exp ress some direct ness and honesty, then Neptune's
sensi tivity and mag ic are an eno rmous asset to the personality. If there is a
good enoug h sense of personal boundaries, the n Neptune w ill not unc on-
sciously invade the boundaries o f o thers. The manner in wh ich Neptune
expresses itself th rough the I st hous e de pen ds g reatly upon how the rest
of th e chart is handl ed-particularl y Mars, the natural ruler o f the house,
and Saturn , th e natural complement to Neptune. One of th e d ifficult ies
with Ne ptu ne placed in th e l st is th at , g ifted acto r that it is, th e capaciry
to charm and please begins in child hood . One learns one's cues from the
moment of birt h, In adul th ood, if th ere is no one aroun d to provide the
mi rror of Na rcissus , th en the individ ual may feel increasingly isolated and
unreal.
Nept une in the I s t is someti mes associated w ith drug and drink
problem s. It is also connected w ith certai n illnesses which invo lve a deg ree
of helplessness and depe nd ence upo n ot hers, and in its most virulent form
it is usuall y linked wi th those ling ering , wast ing co nd itions that require
3 70 - T Hf ASTRO lOGICA L N f PTUN f AND T H I Q U f IT f OR Rf Dl .' IPT IO'l

th e bed or rh e wh eelchair for prolonged pe riods . I have m er Nep tu ne in

the l sr house in cases of multipl e scle rosis, "pos t-vi ral fatigu e," ex treme
alle rgic reactions, pso riasis, and asth ma, as we ll as the usual add ict ion di f-
ficu lr ies.? Although m ultiple sclero sis is usually, in terms of current me d-
ical theory, cons idered organic, it is usefu l to remember Charco t. Retreat
into the secret pleasures of illn ess and addi ction seems, in parr, to sp ring
from feelings of impoten ce and unreality, whi ch afflict the in d ividual
when he or she expe rie nces the lon el in ess and harshness of life. Illness m ay
rhus p rovi de a sym bo lic rerum to the com fort ing wat ers of th e wom b,
wh ere all need s are un co nd irio nally m er. Because se lf-assert ion always
involves the risk of alienati on and aloneness, the expressio n of Mars may
be strenuo usly avo ided . Bur it may be exhibited uncon sciou sly in [he fierce
dema nds which debilitat ing illn ess and add iction make on friends and
fami ly, and , on the posit ive side, in the often extraordinary b ravery shown
in the face of a paralysing disea se. But N ep tun ian ail me nts rna)' exhib it a
h ig h ly m anipul ar ive com po nent in th e timing of th e out b reaks. Others
must ad just to t he ill pe rson emo rio nall y as well as ph ysically, and th e su f-
fere r usually req u ires a hi gh de gree of ca reta ki ng , nor u nl ike a sm all ch ild .
T his is of course neith er consc ious nor calculated . But there is sometime s
an eleme nt of hidden inten t or "secondary gain" in these "mystery" ail-
men ts whose physical causes st ill elude med ical understand ing . Pe rhaps,
too, we do not look often enough at the rage beh ind such ailments. T his
rage may be not only the result of incapaci tat ion , but also one of the fac-
to rs in its cause .
Th e openness and respon siveness of a risin g Neptun e is a rich and
magi cal g ift. Whether this g ift expresses itsel f through a creative medium
such as acting or singing , or through an equ ally creative med ium such as
healing , or rhrough a less ob vious but eq ually valu ab le gi ft of ge nt leness
and empathy in human relation ships , the ind ividu al with N eptune in the
l st hou se is no r inhe rent ly "afflicted " b y som et h ing whi ch perma ne n t ly
ruins his o r her capacity to cope wit h life . But the primordial ene rgy of any
oute r plane t ult imatel y needs to be cont ained and expressed by a robust
ind ividual ego, if it is not to become destructiv e to life -and no r merel y
one's own life . Th e inner solid ity of the personality decides in the end
wh ether the g ifts of a l st hou se N ept un e wi ll lead to the wat ers of ob liv-
ion or the waters of life .

5 , See chapter y for a case hi sto ry, It hardly needs sU ling lhat (he p lacernenr of N eptune
in [he l st is not in itse lf an indication of these or any other ph ysical illnesses, But when
such illne sses are present, N eptune's longing is often one of (he psychologi cal facto rs
involved .
 N EPT U N E IN l H ( H Q U H S - 37 1

N eptune in the 2 nd H ouse

A s the l sr house is conce rned with potency, the 2 nd is concerned with
material auton omy. and the format ion of those personal values which pro-
vide us with our inner stability and cont inu ity. The natural house of
Taurus, ruled by Venus , reflects t he physical body and ones capacit y ro
feed, clot he and sustai n oneself in th e world, mater ially and psycholog i-
cally. Money is our primary collective sym bol of self-value, for the price we
place on what we produce is also the value we place on ourselves .

The task at hand is the further elaboration of who we are, the forg-
ing of a more solid sense of "I" or the personal ego. We need more
defi nition. more substance, a greater sense of our own worth and
abilities, We need some idea of what it is that we possess which
we can call our own, We also should have some notion of what we
value, of what we would like to accrue or gain so that we can
structure our life accord ingl y.s

In th is eart hy realm , N ept une can be aw kw ard and diffi cu lt. The issue of
material autonom y stands in total co ntradictio n to Neptune's lack of
boundaries. The beginnings of individual ident ity in early life arise from
the body's sensatio ns, the first of these bein g hunger and its satiation. Th e
body is rhus rhe primary bu ilding block of the inde pende nt ego . It is use-
ful in this context to conside r Freud's extremely unNeprunian theory of
anality -that stage of a child 's developm ent in whi ch the ability to con-
trol the m uscles of the sph in cte r, and the newfound sense of cont rol wh ich
arises from voluntary rather than inadve rtent defecation, lay the g rou nd.
work for larer feelings of sel f-cont rol and self-su fficiency. The bod y pro-
vides us with ou r sense that we can co ntain the chaos of our emoti onal
needs; it keeps us safe, Know ing that we can stand alone generates self-
respect and the confide nce to cope with material life.
Nep t une in th e 2nd hou se is generall y associated with financ ial d if-
ficu lr ies. Man y ind ividuals with th is pl acem en t ch ron icall y struggle with
the sim plest material demands. They are ofren creatively g ifted yer some-
how unable ro "make end s meet," o r lose what th ey have earn ed through
a kind of blindness or disregard for managing the mo ney th ey earn . But
money problems are only a sym p to m of the Neptunian sea of feelings and
long ings that lies bene ath . I have heard too many esoter ically inclined

6. The Tu.,/t., H fJIIJtJ, p 43.

372 - T H E AST ROLO GI C Al N EP TU N E AN D T H E O U EST f O R RfDE" P TIO N

individuals protest that they cannot help thei r financial mess "because"
Neptune is in t he 2nd house. T hey may comp lain of being victimi sed by
a mercilessly materialistic world, yet collude with this process by unde r-
valuing their own skills; and someone else will ofren wind up paying-
one's pare nts , o ne's pare nee, or the taxpayer. Nept une 's secret ide n rifi ra -
tion of vict im wit h rede emer may u nderpi n t his pattern . A baby tig h tl y
assumes the availability of food and physical pro tection, for there is as yet
no sepa rate eg o whi ch can thin k in term s of "min e." Bu t when an adult
unconscious ly carries such an assumption, many material troubles may
ensue . The com pass ion of N eptune may be eq ually in eviden ce in th e 2nd
house, for the sense of un it y wi t h othe rs may im pel th e ind ividual to g ive
away eve rything if someone els e is in g reater need . And there is often a
profound sense of empathy w ith those who tru ly ( 3 0 0 m cope.
A 2nd house Nep tune' s will ingn ess (Q freely share resources and sub-
stance is both heartfelt ge nerosi ty and at the same a co mp lex e nactment of
th e moth er-ch ild bond . If th ose wi th N eptune in th e 2n d w ish to ma ke t he
most creative use of thi s challe ngi ng placement, the ph rase , "1 can't hel p
it ," mi g ht frui tfu lly be banned from speech, to be repla ced by th e mo te
honest , '·1 won 't help it ," o r, ·'1 am afra id to help it ." N eptune in th e 2nd
may generate financial d ifficu lties partly because the ind ividual does not
wish (Q have auwnomy. N eptune longs to have the sins of material ism ,
sensuali ty, g reed , and envy (all aspects of the darker face of Venus ) expia t-
ed, so that the delights of Eden can be enjoyed without gui lt. Th e ind i-
vidual wi th N eptune in the 2nd may speak of needin g to wo rk at some -
thing "meaningful " or "hig her." This is in many ways appropriate. for
with Nept une placed here o n e's most valuable resou rce is an insti nctive
sense of the oneness of life . Yet pu rsuit of a "hig her" vocat ion often means
that money is scarce ; the "meaning ful" th ing m ay be un saleable, or, more
frequently, th e perso n does no t wo rk very hard to put it in to market able
form , And lu rk ing beneath may be N eptunian feeling of weakness and
help lessness , and th e d eep-tooted bel ief that one does not deserve mareri -
411 com fort thi s side of the ,g rave .
T he 2 nd house is often desc ribed as th e hou se of talent s and
resources, and plan ets in the 2nd sym bolise those natu ral gi fts wh ich ,
welded into concre te forms, provide one with a livin g at the same time as
a sense of personal value . N ep tune in the 2nd can manage this as we ll as
any othe r planet , whi le retaining its necessary contact with the oceanic
realm; one does not have to rema in poo r to do it. Neptune speaks to the
rede m ptive lon g ing in all of us. Translared into form, N e ptune in th e 2 nd
can reflect a capacit y to develop self- worth and material independence
 N EPT UN E IN T HE HO USES ~ 373

through the pract ical exp ression of the ima gin at ion and the sense of unity
with life. The creati ve capacities of the Hindu god dess Maya-the sha p-
ing of "stuff ' into forms of beauty -are often innate w ith Neptune in the
2nd . The eroricism and sens it iv ity of Neptune may find its way into such
talents as mus ic and dance. and N eptune's idealism may be bes t exp ressed
t hrough wor k wh ich bet ters th e lives of ot hers . But the Ven usian earth of
personal value mu st be we ig hed agai nst Neptune's gl obal vision; otherwise
one rem ains a g ifted baby in need of a caretaker, and wi ll ing caretakers
may be in sho rt sup ply. The d iscipli ne of Saturn is also essent ial to ba lan ce
a 2nd house N eptu ne. How can a mus ician make music, if he or she can-
not be bo the red to learn th e notes, t he scales, the arpe g g ios, and the d evel-
op ment of an indi vid ual st yle'
N eptune in the 2nd house require s an honest confronta tion wi th the
old incest uous probl em of orig inal sin. because Neptu ne so readily projects
the viscera l end of its spectru m upon flesh , and th e 2nd ho use is extreme-
ly fleshl y. A l st house N eptune, badl y in need of all iance with Martial
assert ivenes s, often man ifests as illness or helplessness on a pe rsonal level.
N ept u ne in th e 2nd, badl y in need of alliance with Venusian self-appreci-
atio n, may exp ress itself as finan cial vicr irnisarion and the pain of unl ived
or un recog nised talent s. Yet the indi vidual is often as unconsciously
devouring as those whom he or she accuses of gr eed-s-Ti 'am ar man ifest ing
in Taurus' earth- world in the usual N eptunian hall -of-mirrors fashi on .
Some extreme ly nasty di vo rce proceedin g s can arise from N eptune run
amok in the 2nd house, wh ere the "injured " partner, who previously made
no effort to be independent , suddenly want s noching less chan everythi ng
in recompense. If one is honest enoug h to face the challeng e of balancing
Eden and eart hly reality, th en gen u ine financial as well as ps ycho logi cal
auto nom y can be bu ilt upon those imag inat ive and empat he tic g ifts wh ich
are Ne ptune's special provin ce. Bur it is nor a good idea to be above suc h
base th ing s as money when N eptune is in [he 2nd house . Th is merel y
ensures that [he responsibil it y for gcering di rty hands always falls on
someone else, who may g row tired of paying the bill s. When N eptu ne is
placed in any of the eart hy houses -and part icu larly in th e 2nd , th e eart h-
iest of t hem all- "spirit uar' may not always be a helpful term . Even if one
earn s ones living th rou gh being a vicar or a psych ic, t he ope rative phrase
w ith the 2nd house is tam ing one's livi ng . On e cannot achieve th is w ith -
out recogn ising that the Venusian realm of one's body, one's sensua l plea -
sures, and one 's mater ial needs is no less sacred than the cosm ic sea w hich
gave the bod y b irth .
374 - T H£ AITRO LOG ICAL Nf PT UN £ A.' ID TH ! Q U £IT f OR R£D£'IPTI O N

N eptune in the 3 rd House

The 3 rd hou se is usuall y associa ted with ed ucatio n, com m u nicati on and
spee ch. It represents th e world of the mi nd , and in pa rticula r t hat aspect
of the mi nd wh ich looks out into t he envi ronme nt a nd wa nes to kn ow (he
names of th e my riad th ing s wh ich it e ncoun te rs. The 3rd hou se reflect s th e
facu lt ies of pe rceptio n, catego risatio n and expression. and t he ind ividual 's
need to acqu ire knowledge of t he worl d a nd its compo nents as a means of
coping wit h life. H ow we un dersta nd t he world around us, and how we
formu late ou r experience of chat world , are reflected by th is house; and so
are ou r expe riences of early schoo ling and interac tion wit h sibli ngs and
pee rs, whi ch shape ou r definitio ns of realit y and colo u r ou r men tal 3 [ (1-
tu des in ad ult hood .

We wa nt [Q g row and explore. Ak in to ch is is the de velopme nt of

langu age and t he abi lity [ 0 commu nicate and name things ....
Most psycho logists affirm th at a true sense of individualit y does
nor develop uncil language is learned ."

Language , and the capacity to ide nt ify a th ing as itself and not some t h ing
else, belong to our ability to form ideas about life. Ideas, no less t han sen-
sua l ex pe rie nces , define us as o u rse lve s , d iffe re nt from others . I n the y rd
hou se, a ile has th e idea of a "chai r," wh ich exists ind ependentl y of an y
physical encounter wi th a particular chair and allows us [0 recog ni se chairs
when we see th em . As we nam e and categorise objects, so roo do we name
and categ o rise human beings, beginning with ourselves. One is d ifferent
from others beca use one has one's own th oughts and ideas; and the greate r
the different iation of one's ideas, the more sharply outl ined one become s as
an ind ivid ual.
For some peopl e, th e pleasu re of for mu lating an idea, and the urgent
need to do so as a mean s of affirmi ng individuali ty, often out weig h th e
impo rt ance of th e ph ysical and emot ional expe rien ces whi ch gave rise to
th at idea . Eq ually urgent is the desire to com m unicate the idea, as a mean s
of measu ring one's real it y against tha t of othe rs. Th us th e 3rd hou se pro -
vide s a sepa rative fun ction , for once a person develops an idea and speaks
or write s it . it belo ng s ir retri evably to that person , and becomes an expres-
sion of hi s or her identit y. In thi s sense Mercury, th e na tu ral ruler of the
3rd , is as antithetical CO Nep tun e's long ing as are more obviously egoce n-
eric planers such as Mars and Satu rn . One of th e most powerfully t rans-

7. Tht 7kt lt't H fllIW , pp 48 -·19 .

 N EPTUN [ IN TH l H OU ~E ~ ..... 37 5

format ive ingredients of psychotherapy is the formulati ng and ar ti cular-

ing of inner exper iences, for th is releases the individual from the secret
container of the womb, where everything is implici t and undefi ned , and
allow s the li gh t of separate ide nti ty to stream in throu gh the mag ic rnedi -
urn of words.
The vague ina rticu lateness so oflen d isp layed by a 31d house
N eptune , which is frequently misin terpreted by teachers as lack of in rel-
lig ence or poor co ncentratio n, may be unde rstood as a powerful, albei t
unconsc ious , effort to prevent the sepa rati veness ge nerated by words and
ideas , O ne of the mos t typi cal dynamics of a 3rd house Neptune is absent-
m inded evasiveness; the indi vidu al remembers only those thi ngs wh ich
wi ll not des t roy the longed-fo r fusion , and is reluctant to say any thing
wh ich might ge ne tale d isco rd or d ist ancing . Somet imes t his mech an ism
ma y ex lend 10 our rig hr du pli ciry; Neptune in 'he 3rd can reflect an ele-
gant and chronic liar, alth ough it is not lying in the calculated sense and
its object is not to defraud anoth er person. N eptune's dish onesty is mo re
ofte n self-decei t (i f! pretend ir isn't there, m aybe il wi ll go away), and the
mot ive is avoidance of co nfrontation. Thus it passes under the g eneral
u m b rell a of " hale hurt ing ot her pe op le's feeling s," or, equally ofte n , "I' m
rea lly no' very clever, so cou ld you please do m y t hinking and spe ak ing
for me ?"
A more creative facet of this dy nami c is Neptune's propensity t o
"think in pictu res," Emotional ton e and image constitu te me mory, rather
'han a link ing of ideas and co nce pts , Nep tune's gi fts in th e 3rd ho use may
range from a photographic memory to considerable ta le nt in poetry , sto ry-
tell ing, and paint ing . Th ing s in the world outs ide do not have name s o r
concepts; they have feeling -tones and colours and shapes , and are remem -
bered for their universality rathe r than their perso nal relevance. Instead of
uti lising ideas to define differences be tween se lf and others, Neptune in
the 3rd uses imag es to highl ight si mi larities and ind uce shared feelings .
BUI 'he ind ivid ual with Neptu ne in th e 31d may be willfull y woolly, and
will ofte n p lead the '" can' t hel p it " refra in in 'he face of h is or her appal -
enr inability, more appropriately terme d unconscious refusal, to think
clearly and speak honestly, Nep tun e in the 3rd may h ide beh ind a m ask of
apparent inabili ty to understand . But no plane t in the 3rd, or any other
hou se, indicates the quotie nt of inte llige nce 01 lack t he reof II on ly po r-
trays t he approach an individual lakes toward formulati ng and expressi ng
ideas abo ut life. Nep tune's approach, because of its rel uctance to incar-
nate- in wo rds as much as in body- may be to avoid the who le issue of
thinking altogel her, O ne is sim ply a bad st udent , one is lacking in con-
centr at ion , one is dyslexic. Or one formulat es a vague ideology abou t the
376 ... ru t ASTROlOG IC AL N EPT UN E AND TH E OU EST f OR REDEMPTIO N

evils of th e inr ell ect , and heaps cont em p t upo n t hose wh o value cla rity. O r
one appea rs so imp ressionable t hat the firs t idea t hat com es ou t on
T hurs day de pends upon whom o ne last spo ke [Q on We dn esday. All of
these are N eptun ian smokescreen s.
The mag ic ing redien t which can release th e wond erful im age-mak-
ing capaci t ies of N eptune in th e 3rd hou se in a life-enhancing way is
Mer cur ial clar ity. W ith out it , Nep tune's long ing may u nde rm ine com mu-
nicati on with ot hers, including th e capacit y to learn as well as th e capaci -
ty to speak. Without cla rity, one is both seducible and sed uct ive , a nd the
di alogue between oneself and others is rarely hon est . Ne ptune is particu-
larly talented at im ply ing and inferr ing . This is a rare g ift for a creati ve
writer. But inferences can woun d deep ly and even viciously, whi le being
dis own ed or d isclaim ed th e next d ay, on th e gro und s th at the ot her person
has mi sunderstood . N eptune in th e 3rd m ay feel victimised by ot hers' mi s-
un derstand ing . Yet others' ange r usua lly sp rings from th e hurt of un seen
arrows wh ich N ept une has un con sciously let fly. If one can not speak what
one feels an d think s, one cannot expect to be un derstood ; and isolation and
lonel iness are th e common result s of th is willful inart icu late ness. Then one
awaits the red eemer who can understa nd w ithout words. Yet t he ind ivid-
ual with N ept un e in the 3rd, who makes some effort to express it in Ian-
g uage ot hers can comprehend , may more t han any other be a person

. . . of special emot ional sensitivity, shaped hy his (o r her) o w n

experiences and act ions as well as from observation and awareness
of th e world . H e [or she] has a pa rt icu la r talen t which enables him
[or her] [0 express human emotio n in forms which bring pleasure
f O others. This gift is so mysterious that it is assumed to be of
divi ne origin . W hat he [or she] creates can be recog nised as
Beaut y and Truth , and what he [or she) gives [0 his [or her) heat-
ers is a sense of affinity in human experience whic h-s-even when
the experience is intense ly painful-brings a deep personal fulfil-
ment .8

N eptune in the 4th H ouse

T he 4 th house is tradi rionally associated wit h roots, home, and fam ily
backgro und . T here is a cer tain amount of controv ersy about whet her this
house repre sents th e expe rience of fath er or mot her. I do not wish to dea l
here with th is controversy; it is covered surficientl y elsewh ere, and the

8. Elizabet h H enr y, OrphtlJJ With /I iI u ti (Bristol: Bristo l Classical Press, 1992 ), p . 26 .

 N lP T U N ( IN T HE H O U sn - 377

inrerp reta t ion which foll o ws reflect s my own v iew , that the 4 th house is
the do main of the fat he r, bo th persona l and, perhaps m ore importantl y,
archetypal. Father, when viewed th rough the lens of myth, embodies th e
realm o f the spi rit, the invis ible progenitor wh o rules in heaven and con-
t inues to look after his childre n even when they are unaware of it . This
spiritual father is a repeat ing morif in the legends and myth s of every cul-
ture ; he ma tes with mortal women and bree ds a race of heroes who enact
the divi ne w ill o n Earth . H is invisib il ity, and the co nferring o f a sense o f
destiny on h is offs pring , co m bine to make the do mai n o f the 4 t h hou se o ne
of mystery, where some thing hid den mu st be sought. The archetypa l
fath er provides rhe eternal spark of div ine life which ani mates th at body
from wi thi n. In a particu lar indiv idu al's life, th is expe rience of a spi ritua l
rathe r than a co rpo real source m ight be linked mo re wi th the mot her, if
exceptional circumstances occur in infancy. But o rdi narily we experience
an int imate bodily relationship wi th the mother because of bei ng born
from her body, while the father s physical d istance confers a qual ity of
unknowabil ity on him . It is th is unknowab ility which is reflected in the
archetypal image of the hidden proge niror who embodies the ult imate
meaning o f one's life journey.

The sense of a "me-i n-here" provided by the Ie and 4 th house

lends an inner uni ty to all thoug hts, feeli ngs, perceptio ns and
actio ns. In the same way that we are biologically self-mai ntain ing
and self-reg ulat ing, the Ie and 4th hou se serve [Q mai ntain the
individua l cha racreri srics of (he self in a stable form .?

W hen Neptune is placed in the 4th house, the place of redemption is the
realm of t he spi ritua l sourc e, embodied in t he personal father. Because we
project the fig ure of the redeemer, who bo th suffers and heals , into w hat -
ever house N ep tu ne tenants; (his vict im- sav iou r w ill pe rmea te the expe ri-
en ce o f the fathe r and co lo ur the individual's emot ion al ani tude toward
him . Reality seems to con spi re with thi s projecti on , as it usuall y does with
pare ntal sign ificators in the birth chart ; for often in one's childh ood the
father is physically absent th rough separation, d ivorce, or dea th , or has suf-
fered inord inate ly, or is em ot ionally or physically ill. Th us he may prov ide
an excellent hook on which to hang the proje cti on , and the closer Neptu ne
is to the re, the more obvious this hook seems to be. O ften the fathe r will
him self be strongly N eptu nian, with a bi rt h chart em phasis in Pisces or
the l Zth hou se , o r N eptun e do mi nant thro ugh conjuncring an ang le o r

9 . Tht Twtlw H Ol/m , p ~5 .

3 7M - THI ASTRO l OG IC AL N IPT UN[ AND T H [ O U IS T f OR RLD[MP T IO N

aspe cri ng t he Su n or Moo n . Tbe elu sive' , inaccessib le qua lities of Nept un e,
perceived in th e pacem, seem (Q mi rror back [Q (he ind ividu al the lost
magi c of (he Paradi se Garde n-s-eve n if these feelin gs are un cons cious.
Id eali sat ion pl ays a large pa rr in t hese feel ing s. Co m passion fo r th e
vict im , and yearning for th e heal ing to uch of t he red eem er , a re often pow-
erfu l com po nen ts in the em orional bo nd with th e fat he r, who m ay we ll
have po ssessed unusual ima ginat ive gifts--even if th ey we re not acknowl-
edged or exp ressed . There is o ften a g reat sad ness arou nd t he expe rien ce of
t he fat her, because he seeme d un avai lab le or un com muni cat ive. If one d oes
not ack nowled ge th ese com p lex feel ing s. t here may be a conscious at ricude
of a ng er or di sinterest. But th e quest for a lost spiritual hom e in th e (arm
of a farher-su rrcgare-c-ofie n a g u ru or sp irit ual reacher -s-c an becom e a
m ajor m ot ivati on in t he indi vid ual's life, with ou t any recogn it ion of th e
role the pers onal fat he r p lays in th is lon g ing . T his does not m ean t hat the
p u rsuit of a more tr ans cend ent realit y is m ere ly su bli ma ted love for the
fat her. But if t he bel oved sp irit ua l fat her is soug ht in su rrogate for ms, t hen
N ep tu nian d isill usion m ent will ge ne rally ensue. A wom an with N ept un e
in t he 4t h m ay seek t he father-r edeem er in the (arm of m arried or ot her-
wise una vai labl e men, wond ering wh y suc h a pattern occurs in he r life, an d
faili ng to recognise her d ee per feelin g s for a fat he r wh om, on a conscious
level, she professes ro dis like or d esp ise. A m an wit h N ep tune in th e 4 t h
may try ro com pensat e, t h roug h a sho w of strengt h and rat ion alit y, for
wh at he expe rienced as a weak and di sappointi ng fat he r. Th en he ma y
wonder why he feels lost and de pr essed despite his ex te rn al ach ievem ents,
failing to recog n ise h is lon gi ng for a fat he r wh om he be lieves let h im
down. N ep tune's idealisat ion is filled wi t h poi g na nt yearni ng . Wh en any
p erson with N ept u ne in th e 4 t h d ismisses the fath er as unim portant ,
unlovab le, or u ninteresting , th e re are gene rally mu ch deeper issues at work
be neat h .
A sense of rootl essn ess m ay pl ague t hose w ith N ep tu ne in t he 4 t h .
N o p hy sical ab ode is home ; no village, cit y or cou nt ry is the pl ace whe re
one tr ul y belo ngs. This stare of div in e di scontent may p rod uce a wa nde r-
e r wh o travels every where bu r set tles now he re. Dreams of findi ng , or c re-
at ing , a perfect en viro nment ma y becom e a m ajo r life goa l. It is useful to
con side r the 4 t h hous e N eptu ne in t he chart of Raj neesh (see chap ter 7)
in thi s cont ext. Yet althou gh t he Neptunian lon g in g for a realm wh ich
does not exist on eart h ma y be pa inful, it can also allo w the indi vidu al to
avoi d t hose rig id and clan n ish ident ificat ions w ith neigh bourh ood and
nat ion wh ich b reed so mu ch prejudi ce and intoleran ce. M ost important-
ly, jr can open (he doo rs to a sense of con nect ion with a ll l ife, reg ardl ess
of t he ob lig ati ons of fam ily, na tio n , or race. The sad ness of Ne p t u ne 's
 "f PTUNE I" THI H O U SE S - 37 9

homelessness can, to a g reat ext ent, be mit ig ated by a lunar expe rience o f
clo seness wi rh ot hers , especially those no r bo un d b y bl ood . Id ea lisat ion of
th e fat he r may be ex pr essed as id ealisa ti on of fam ily life. wh ich often
[urn s out (Q be d isappoint ing . The greater o ne's expectation s o f the fam -
ily as a sou rce o f redem pron , the more painful th e disillusionment o ne
may have to face . One ma y need to find a family of ano ther kind , born of
friends hip and emoti onal affinit y, whe re o ne can exp erience the realit y of
ordi nary hum an SUppall a nd affeer ion . Alrhough th e teal home may be
over t he h ills and far away, the home of eve ryday compa nionshi p ma y. for
N eptu ne in t he 4 t h , be fulfill ing e nough to render t his worl d a sat isfyi ng
place.

Neptune in the 5th House

The 5th hou se is tradit ion all y assoc iated w ith child ren and creat iv ity. Bur
the "children" o f the 5 th hou se are no t necessarily bio logical, and our b io-
log ical child ren are represe nted here n o r in the contex t of o ur capacity for
parenti ng. but as those phys ical creatio ns upo n wh ich we pro ject our inner
images of im mo rtalit y and speci alness, T he 5t h house m ight mor e app ro-
pr iately be called th e hou se of t he inne r ch ild. for it is th e a rchet ypal image
of the d iv ine chi ld that stands behind the sense of specialness associated
wi th the Sun , th e natural rul er of the 5t h , and the u rge to "p lay" and spon-
taneous ly exp ress o ur chil d li ke hearts . The 5th ho use is thu s as "re lig ious"
as the 9t h, and perhaps mo re so, sin ce the pu rsu it of mean ing as refl ect ed
by the 9 th is larg ely intellectual in natu re , wh ile the expe rience of inner
di vi ni ty, which we encounter th rough the 5th , in bo th ou r chi ld ren and
our creati ve efforts, is d irect , unrned iared , and irrefutable.
T he d iv ine child w ho m we mee t w hen N eptu ne is in th e 5 th is the
Ch rist-child. t he Mirhras-ch ild , the pro geny of heaven an d th e sou rce of
our red em ption . Creati ve expression may thu s becom es a means o f salva-
t ion , for throu gh ir we can leave th e da rkn ess of the mat erial world and
ente r int o un ion with the source of life . But in order to pursue thi s kind
of creativ e sp irit we may feel impe lled to suffer; for creativi ty alli ed to a
5th ho use N eptu ne carries w ith it the poig nant visi o n of the Romantic
poets. Th e arti st must su ffer for his o r her creat io n, and is redeemed by it;
yet the artist is also the mouthpiece for the divine, and carries th e role of
the redeemer o f society. We sho uld not be su rprised to enco unter N ept une
in th e 5rh in th e charts of poelS such as E. T. A. H offmann , for whom cre-
ative express io n was nothing less than the express io n of God him sel f, o r F.
Scot! Fit zg erald , wh ose novel, The Great Gatsby; is reall y a novel-length
38 0 - H II ASTROl O GIC Al N f P1UNI AN D 1 " 1 O U I IT f OR REDIMP T IO N

interpretati on of Neptune in the 5th . Tota l im me rsion in the imag inal

realm co nsti tu tes fusion with the deity; re-emerging inca ordinary life is
an expu lsion from Ed en, and a ki nd of de at h .
The Srh hous e is also known as th e house of love. Love as des c ribed
by the 5t h is, however, a reflecti on of t he Sun as lifegivet, and not specif-
ically sexual; no r it is a relations hip betw een equals, Solar love is an
un bou nd ed rad ianc e wh ich po urs OUt toward people and objects as t he Sun
itself sh ines upon t he Earth. Our 5t h hou se "love affairs" are no t rea lly
concerned with ot her people as ind ividuals . We em bark upon them in
order [0 experience our lovi ngn ess coward those who orb it around us as
th e Earth does arou nd t he Sun . T hro ug h ou r recognition of ou r own capac-
ity (Q love, we g li mp se that w hich is god like in ourselve s. Neptune in (h e
'5 rh conjures the lov e of the troubadours, fo r whom the bel oved is a mir-
ror, and the exper ien ce of pass ion is the g ateway [0 union with the ineffa-
ble . Th e lover him sel f or hersel f scarcely m att ers. Eber rin , in describi ng
Neptune in the Sth. me nti ons "a love of beauty and arr...wastefulness,
self-g lo rifica rion , mi sd irected passion , sed ucrion."10 Ir is hardly surpris-
ing that N ep tune's passion might be "m isd irected ," as the othe r person is
me rely a m irror in whi ch the indi vidual g li mps es the immortaliry of his
or her own soul. Wi th such a profou nd idea lisation of love , one is likel y
(Q disp lay a certain lack of dis crim inati on in one's choice s. Nept une in the

5th may be utte rly in love with bei ng in love. Yet love and suffering may
live side by side, for it is through the experience of love that we, the suf-
fering ones , are redeem ed , and offer redem pt ion to others who suffer.
Neptune in the 5th is someti mes linked w ith dec ept ion in love , ei ther as
perpet rator or v ictim . Thi s is also not surprising , du e to the ext reme ide-
alisatio n and propensity for di sillusionment whi ch Neptune br ing s to
rom ant ic encounters.
Plan ets in th e 5eh descr ibe what kind of thing s we are most natural-
ly incli ned to create ; the experien ce of divini ty through a 5th hou se pla n-
et will exp ress itself in the form of the dei ty we encou nte r. Nep tune's most
characteristic creative products are those wh ich link us to the oceanic
sou rce of life , A 5th house N eptune may, g iven suffic ient cont ainm ent ,
contribute to an arrisric talen t best exp ressed through med ia suc h as
mus ic , poe try, and drama. As ou r children ace also ou r creation s, we may
bring N ep tu ne's victim-redeemer myth ology into the do main of our prog -
eny, This can create many diffi culties, since ch ildren ace no t me re exten-
sions of our solar creat ive power, but are ind ividuals in thei r own righ t,
wit h a Sun and a 5th ho use in their ow n natal charts . With Neptune in th e

10. Eberri n. Tht Combination fJ/ Sulla,. lnjllit1!(t1, p. '51.

 NEPTU NE IN T HE HO USE S - 38 1

5t h, we may id ealise ou r child ren to suc h a degree that we canno t dis ce rn

th eir independent reali ty. Then we may tru ly suffer, sin ce the chi ld will
probably resin th is obliteration of his or her own identi ry in one way or
anothe r. Many indi viduals wi th Neptu ne in the 5t h percei ve in th eir chil -
dren the light of the ir o wn potencial di vinity, incur the even tual reject ion
of t hei r child ren, and feel martyred and vict im ised as a teSUIL Neptune in
the 5th may also perceive parent hood itself as marr yrd om-s-rhe p roof of
loving self-sacrifice . O r o ne m ay try co play redeemer to a chi ld wh o is per-
ceived as helpless and vulne rable. Yer th e parent wit h Ne p tu ne in the 5t h
ma y him self or herself secre tl y seek redem pt ion through th e child' s love
and dependence.
T he Neptu nia n th eme s of sacri fice and suffering ma y take other
forms in relation to offspring. Because Ne ptune's reluctance ro define
boundaries may bring a quality of deep unconsciousness co love affairs,
"accidental" pregnancy-s-e ven in t his modern era of readi ly available con-
traception-is ODC uncom mon . Neptune in the 5th may someti mes be
connected with an un happy exper ience of abortion, as a resul t of this kind
of unconscious ness . Someti mes the "accidental" pregnancy co nst itutes an
instinctive means of bi ndin g a pa rt ner whom one is frig htened of losing;
and a marr iage bu ilt upo n su ch a foundation may be fraug ht from th e out-
set wi th a sense of e nt rap ment, bo ndage , and vicrim isarion on the parr of
both people . T he child who is born of th is unio n may be lieve , as child ren
usually do. that he or she is responsibl e for all [he parent s' subseq uen t
unhappi ness and fru st ratio n, and m ay react by beco mi ng the sort of bu r-
den guaran tee d (0 make a martyr out of the parent. O r the parem s may
ultim ately separate, and , if [he usual acrimonious custod y battle ensues,
Nep tu ne in the 5t h may feel d eeply vicrirn ised -s-e irher by th e bu rden of
being a si ngle parent , or by having the child take n away. In these situa-
tions, no one w ins. It is inapprop riate to seek a culprit in such cases, as
Neptune's despe rate need to find fusion is not usually recog nised by a
young person caug ht in the th roes of an apparent g rand pass ion . But it
may be helpful to d iscern, beneath Neptune's incli natio n to bow to some
mysterious "karma," a panern buil t upon unconscious choices and long-
ings which are, ult imat ely, th e individ ual's own ,
Nep tu ne in t he 5th may occasionally be linked wit h unwelco me
child lessness, or with a physi cally or mentally hand icapped or ailing child .
In these cases one canno t "blame" Neptu ne. Such unh app y situations also
occur w here there is no plane t in the 5th, or an apparentl y ben ig n plane t
such as Jupicer. T he co ncl usion sugges ted by astrologi cal ev idence is that
it is not t he bu rden of an ill or hand icapped chi ld which is described by
Neptu ne; it is the exp erien ce of a par ti cular kind of suffering whic h the
38 2 . . T H E AST RO LO GIC AL N EPT U N E AI';D T il l Q U EST FOR REDEM PTI O N

parent is pred isposed to unde rgo . Because we are all di fferent, individuals
respo nd in varyi ng ways CO th is kin d of li fe challenge. Som e parents are
angry, and some are resig ned ; some insritu t iona lise the child as quickly as
poss ib le, while others keep the ch ild perm anently at hom e even if ot her,
healthier ch ild ren suffe r by the de cisio n. Because no one can fu lly kn ow or
judg e anot her's situation , no one can decide for anoth er which of many
op ti ons is "right ." For Nept un e. a profound se nse of gui lt and a lon g ing
for red em pt ion th rou gh su ffering may d ictate that [h e "rig h t" opt ion is
th e path of martyrd om . N eptune in t he St h . when linked with th e chal-
lenge of raising a handi cap ped ch ild, d escribes th e m yth ic back g rou nd of
sorrow and salva t ion which the parent, rather than the child , is likely to
cat ry wi thi n. Co mpassion and [he ope ning of [h e hea rt ma y be the rewar ds
of the expe rience. So, too , may be a deepened sense of reli g ious or spiritu-
al awareness. And so , roo , may be the self-i mmolating propensit ies of the
martyr , for whom suffering throug h one's child may one day provide a
passport into Parad ise. Consciousness of one's feelings is extremel y impor-
tant-nor least fo r the sake of the child . In the case of those who desper-
ately long for children but cannot have them , it is possible that some hon-
est questioning abou r the despe ration might be of value . If Ne ptune in the
Sth perce ives children as a vehi cle for redempt ion , then inabi lity to bear
them m ay ind eed seem a lifelnng senten ce of exile fro m Par ad ise. It m ay
not be so when the desire for children is linked with less g lobal needs,
wh ich cou ld be parti ally if no r com p letely met by ot her m eans. Self-pity
may in such cases not be the most construct ive expression of Neptune in
the Sth. Somet hing more wise within the individua l may be seeking to
express the redem pt ive long ing s of Nept une th roug h some ot her, noncor-
poreal k ind of ch ild .
Wh en Neptune is in the St h. creative out lets are esse nt ial. fur real
people such as lovers and offspring cannot carry th e mythic idealisations of
Nep tu ne w ith out eventua ll y fall ing off [hei r ped est als. Nep tu ne's com pas-
sion and sensitivity may reflect a g ift for interacting wit h child ren, and not
only one's own. But the planer's most benign expressio n in the natural
house of the Sun is ultimately th rough those creative vehicles wh ich can
offer an im med iate experience of th e m yst ery wh ich lies em bedded with in
[he sense of " I." "Children," "speculation," and "love affairs" seem easier-
at least initially-because they are instinct ive and do not require reflec-
tion . Creative work dem ands the disc ipline of Saturn and the self-de fini-
tion of the Sun, wh ich N ep tu ne resist s. Yet paradoxically, it is throug h cre-
at ive effort [h at N ept une 's red emptive lon gi ng can be Fulfill ed , at least in
pa rt , t h rough d iscovering t he div ine chi ld wi t h in.
 NEPT UNE IN TH E HOU IEI - 383

N eptune in the 6th House

T he 6t h house has always had a poo r press. Generally equated with d u ty,
service , and health, it has also suffered the indig ni ty of bei ng g iven ruler-
ship over small animals. Bur th is house wi ll not yield up its secrets with -
our OU f considering the nature of Mercury, its natural ruler. Me rcury has
many functi ons in my th . But whateve r he is doing -guarding travellers,
hel ping thieves, acti ng as me ssenge r for the Olymp ians, inve nti ng musi-
cal instruments, or guid ing the souls of the dead-he is the god of bor-
ders , interfaces and connect ions . The 6 th house is the interface between
what is above and wha t: is below. Alth ough it is earthy, it is also the arena
where every th ing we have developed t h rough the preced ing five house s is
g iven form and anc hored in everyday life.

Through 6th house issues we refine, perfect and purify ourselves,

and ulcimately become a be t te r "channel" for being who we are. U

The 6 t h house is as myst ical as the l Zth , for both are concerned with th e
synt hesis of eart hly life and what lies beneath or beyond it. In the l Zth ,
whic h is Neptune's natural house, we move away from incarnat ion in orde r
to merge with th e d ivine sou rce, t hro ug h th e b reaking down of indiv idual
boundaries . In the 6th , we move away from the source in order co defin e
our lives through the bound aries and ri tu als which em body that wh ich we
have left be hi nd . O ur 6 th house "d ut ies" are nor me rely worldl y tasks, bur
something sacred , w hich, lik e a rel ig ious ritu al, orders rhe cosmos and
ensu res a sense of co n ne ct io n wit h a larger life . 6 th house "service" is not
concerned w ith help ing o t he rs in the ordinary sense, for it is nor others we
serve; it is God or the gods , whose natures are best exp ressed through those
task s and sk ills which embody divi ne meani ng . Th is work of b ui ldi ng
bridges between earth and heaven is not always, or eve n usually, co nscious
in the indi vidual. For that matt er, nei ther are any of the activities of the
othe r hou ses, in terms of th eir deepe r levels . But planets in t he 6 t h behave
in rituali st ic and apparently obses siona l ways because we atte mp t co orde r
and incarnate their archetypal energ ies and pan erns in ord inary life . And
as any member of the cle rgy knows, the transpersonal powers are bes r
channelled and contained within the fabric of ritu al.
When N eptune is in the 6 th, the deity who seeks incarnatio n is the
ocean ic sou rce. This is an int rinsic dilemm a, because Neptune is not

II . Saspon as, Tht Tu"tll't HUIl1tl. p. 69

.1 8 4 - TH E ASTROLOGICAL NEPT UNE AND TH E OUEST FOR RW E." PTION

inc li ned { O suffer t he bo u nd arie s whi ch the 6 rh hou se im poses .

Consequen tly we ofte n see its less at t ract ive man ifest ati on s. O ne cha rac-
teristi c exp ression of N ep tun e's watery form lessness is hyp och ond ria,
where t he ind ividual fears th e influx of invisi b le cha os, a nd p ro ject s it onto
'he bod y t h rou gh fantasies of faral d isease. N eptune in t he 6 t h may also be
link ed with m ysterious ai lments th at elude ort hodox medi cal d iag nosis or
tr eatm ent . Such ai lments may be larg ely, if nor entire ly, psycholog ical in
nat u re, exp ressing N ep t unia n feel ing s of lon g ing and helple ssness on th e
som at ic level. The body irse lf may (eel N ept u ne-p rone, and hig h ly se ns i-
rive co intrusio n from t he envi ronment . Alle rg ies and sk in cond itions suc h
as ecze m a and pso riasis a re nor un com mon, suggesti ng an in ab ility to kee p
t he oute r world out. The eleme nt of st ress reflected in such sym p to ms m ay
also be connect ed with N eptune, for th e indiv idual may feel helpless and
victimised wh en con fronted w it h t he tasks of everyday living . Rather t ha n
findi ng vehicles t hrough wh ich [Q incarnate t he N ept u n ian longing , he or
she ma y flee fro m th e threat of th e wat ers. T hen t he body exp resses
Nep tu ne's needs and feeling s, in characte ristic ways, Ebert in, in h is
descrip tion of N eptune in t he 6 t h, ment ions "mag netic healin g po wers,"
as well as "a pat holog ical sensit iveness." Bot h th ese at t ribu tes reflect
Ne p tu ne 's po rous ness and inclin at ion to fuse wi th aliter object s in a state
of participet ion mystiqur. T he healin g po we rs o( Nep tune in rhe 6 , h may be
real, bu t th ey m ay also prove a sou rce of g reat suffe ri ng, a nd it is u rge nt
t hat person al bou ndaries are establi shed if th e ind ivid ual wishes to avoid
abso rb ing t he conflict . stress, a nd pain of t hose he or she is seeki ng to heal.
Any indi vidua l with Nept une in th e 6t h who is in volved in t he hel p ing
professions needs to be ext reme ly clear abo u t th e deepe r motives invol ved
in such wo rk; fo r t he longi ng to look afte r others may be lin ked with one 's
own un con scious feel ings of ill ness, helpl essness, and vicrirn isar io n in th e
face of a chaot ic and d isord erl y world .
The 6 t h house is also tr ad ition ally associated wit h work, as th e dis-
charg ing of ou r d aily tas ks is a symbolic enactme nt on t he outer level of
who we arc on the inner one . But the idea of work as a sacred act has long
si nce left our concious ness, and wo rk for us today is merely a mean s of
earni ng mo ney, T he pol it ical id eal of each ind ivid ual hap pi ly contrib ut ing
to t he who le according to his or her ski lls reflect s N ep runes u top ian vision
at wor k thr oug h th e 6 t h hou se. The hu m ility of t he Buddh ist sage who
accepts "men ial" tasks in a spi rit of tr anq u ill it y d oes not arise from an y
spirit of servilit y or desi re to "do good ," It reflect s t he awareness t hat in
t he least of mundan e rituals may be g lim psed th e di vin e orde r wh ich
sta nds beh ind all m anife st life. Su ch service may not involve ot hers d irect-
ly, and may be best expressed through sk ills or crafts whi ch chan nel t he
 NEPTUNE I N THE HO UI EI - 385

creat ive powe r of the im ag inat ion . Neptune in t he 6 t h may also idealise
work . T hi s may create d ifficul ties if one works wi th ot he rs, or for a large
organ isat ion . Not eve ryone pe rcei ves work th rough Neptu ne's red emptive
vision, an d one m ay be prone to expl oitation . One m ay also find it hard to
dea l wi t h prac tical matters in hon est and straig htfo rwa rd ways . H er e
dece ive r an d deceived join hands in th e worki ng p lace ; for th e indi vid ua l
may becom e t he passive recipi ent or the un conscious per petrator of con-
siderable dis ho nest y and ma ni pu lation. due to carelessness, will ful b lind-
ness, and inabi li ty [0 recog nise ord inary li m its. Ne ptune in th e 6 t h may
also carry th e dream of redempt ion to excess, and th e person m ay feel he
or she shoul d no t have to work at all.
T he com b inati on of oppos ites can be ex tre mely reward ing , if one is
ab le 10 find a bal an ce bet wee n th e ext remes . Nep tu ne, as th e nat ura l rul er
of P isces and the l Zt h ho use, has an inhere nt antipa thy toward Virgo and
the 6t h . It is easy to pol arise, and ei the r try to eradicate Nept une's t hreat
of chaos (whic h may resu lt in ph ob ias, allerg ies, and hypochondria) or seek
10 avoid t he req u irem en ts of daily life (w hich m ay resu lt in feel ing vic-
t im ised by t he demand s of t he bod y and t he mu ndane world). Neptu ne in
the 6 t h g ives irs best when one understa nds th e na ture of ritual , and th e
sacred ness of th e he re and now. With some houses of the horoscope- for
example, th e 7t h- we recognise the impo rtance of t he pa rt icula r arena of
life. W it h ot he r houses, we have forg ot ten , or have never d iscover ed , t ha t
th e affai rs of th ese hou ses are as valuable, sig ni fican t and ne cessary to our
inne r well- bei ng as ot he r, apparently more exc it ing acti vit ies. Wh en a
hou se is tenanted by a pla ne r in th e birth chart , th is sphe re of life beco mes
a templu m inhab it ed by a dei ty. Mor e consc ious ness is req u ired of us than
by an untenanted house. P lanets in t he 6 t h ask us to acknowledge ou r
int ercon nect ed ness w it h the invisible world, and d o what we can to ex p ress
t he relat ion sh ip in th e rit uals of ou r everyday lives. With Neptune in the
6t h , the invisi ble wo rld is ocean ic and full of yearn ing. If t his vision can
be g iven form thro ugh cra fts , sk ill s, and rit ua ls , t he n t he experien ce of
un it y with life can resu lt in savou ring each m ome nt of it, and each aspect
of physical existe nce, as fu ll of beauty and m ean ing .

N eptune in the 7th House

W hen N eptune appears in th e 7t h hou se, the dream of Paradise becomes
the vision of pe rfect un ion , in wh ich t he ind ividual can be con tained ,
no ur ishe d and uncond it ionall y loved fore ver. T h is visi on is not always con-
scious. Man y individuals, in · who m the rat iona l fu nct ions are strong ,
38 6 - TH£ ASTROLO GICAL NEPrUN E A"JD THE O UEST f O R RLDEMrTI O"

rem a in u nawa re of suc h expec tat io ns, and will ve hem ent ly d iscla im any
such need . N evert he less t he patt ern enacts itsel f acco rdi ng [0 th e an cien t
myr h , experie nced t hrou g h pro ject ion . The wat ery b liss of Ed en may the n
appear as the suffocat ing maw of th e big fish , since bot h are dimen sion s of
Nep tu ne ; and t he fam iliar cry m ay be heard of not wa nti ng to be devou red
by a need y and dependent partn er. Confusion is an approp riate wo rd co
de scr ibe the pa rad oxical feeli ng s N ept u ne in th e 7 th refl ects in relat ion-
ship. The confusion springs from the individu al' s unconscio us qu est for
redemprion t h roug h an d by ot hers .
W ith N ep tu ne in t he 7 t h , t he search for t he redeem er m ay be lit e r-
ally enacted . N eptune in the 7t h can be pred isposed to m arrying a pa rent al
surrogate, mot her-fat her in one, who afte r a t im e beg ins [Q devou r like the
b ig fish ; then th e red eem er app ears as a lover wh o , oft en c reat ive b ut
wounded by life, needs saving and offers salvat ion at the sam e time. The
t WO fish are th us divided , like Ash erah and Lot an , an d the indi vidua l p ro-
jeers bot h. Equally often, the part ner or spouse is a vict im . In "saving "
such a part ner lies the hope of one's own redem pt ion. Ne ptun e in th e 7 th
may rhu s pl ay th e "strong " part ner to a weak mate- the alcoholic, th e
d rug add ict , th e individu al with serious emo t ional problems-thereb y
avoid ing the reality of o ne's own weakne ss and frag ility. But if one encoun-
ters som eone st ronger, then the little chil d eme rges, and th e appa rent
streng th collapses, reveal ing th e chaos and vulnerab ility beneath . Neptun e
in th e 7th is not doomed to di sappointing relati onships, nor condem ned
by "karma" to relinq uish th em altog ethe r. But th e ind ivid ual may evi-
dence a marked reluct ance to face th e issues invo lved . T he di fficu lties
caused by a 7t h house Saturn, U ranus. Pluto, or Chicon may also beg in
wit h projection; every plan et in th e 7 th house usually does. But once it
becom es apparent that a pa tte rn is at work, th e indiv idu al is usually will-
ing ro exp lore wh at is reall y goi ng on . N ot so wi t h Nep tune , wh ich can-
not b ear too brigh t a ligh t.
T he ind ividual who seeks redem pt ion in th e arms of another m ay
also p lay th e lover , cheerfu ll y b reak in g up othe r people's rel at ions h ip s in
the na me of "saving " the poor ma n or woman who is trapped wit h such a
te rrible part ner. O r he o r she may be the de ceived spo use. Neptune in th e
7 th house en joys tr iangles. Beh ind the noble salvat ion of other lost sou ls
lies a hu ng ry chi ld , who want s nothing less th an everythi ng from a parr -
ner, yet who may be unwilli ng to face th e enorm ity of such needs, no r the
despa ir of not hav in g th em me t. H el p ma y lie in a stro nger relat ion sh ip
wit h Saturn , whose real ism can reveal one's own manipulati ve ploys as well
as providi ng th e self-sufficiency necessary to find Eden some where other
than in one's partner. N eptune in the 7th may be a g ifted cou nsello r, or a
 N ( PTU N E I"\; T HE HO USES - 387

rruruster co the needs of ot hers; and thi s is perhaps a more appropriate

vehicle for the expression of the mythic redeemer in human relationshi p.
Bur there can be no healing , of self o r of others, as long as the unconscious
infant bedecks mortals in immortal garb.
Nep tune in the 7th may be addi cted to the pursuit of the unob tai n-
able, for the glamour and elusivene ss of what we can no t have promises
endless possibilities of salvation. On ce we have established a flesh-and -
blood relat ionsh ip, N eptu ne cannot sustain its ideali sarions. Thi s dynam-
ic often lies behind the propensity [0 select the beloved from th e ranks of
the already married or the sexually disinclined, o r eve n from the ranks of
the priesthood . It may also fuel the self-destructive impulse whi ch impels
many people with N eptune in the 7t h to eschew all hope of a happy rela-
tionship, suffering in an unhappy one because one m ight earn o ne's reward
in some distant fut ure before, or even after, death . The incli nation toward
self-sacrifice so ofte n d isplayed with N eptune in the 7th may conceal very
murk)' wat ers. Ultimately th e sacrifice requ ired may not be personal ful-
fillment, but rather, identification with the redeem er and the redeemed .
Wi th N eptune in the 7th , we need to experience its long ings , aspi-
rations and mag ic through ot hers. Perhaps we also need Neptun ian people
arou nd us. Arrracr ion [0 those of an artistic or mysti cal persuasion may not
be the same as attract ion to the psycholog ical infant who m irrors our own
infanti li ty. As our own internal balance grows , our attractio ns chang e,
althoug h the archetypal core remain s the same. The 7th house is also nor
limit ed co the intimacy of a spouse or lover. It is sometimes called the
house of the publ ic, because it reflects our em ry into the world of others
and our ways of inte racting with them . Planets placed in any ang ular
house tend to find thei r expressio n through events and people . Neptune in
the 7th depend s upon others to unfold its story, for we require our mirrors
to be li teral. All of the characters in N eptune's drama--devouring ocean-
ic mot her, di vine redeemer, and suffering vict im-are usually projected, at
one tim e or anot her du ring the cou rse of life. O rher peop le g enerally
belong to one of these three g roups, and anything in bet ween tends not to
be notic ed . Society, too, can be divid ed according to this triad, for
Neptune in the 7th may d isplay strong pol iti cal inclinarions. Neptunian
idealisarions may be expressed primarily in public life, and may confer not
only the ability to sense the needs and sufferings of the collect ive, but also
a remarkable blindness [Q one's own aspirations to power.
It is imp ortant for those with Neptune in the 7th, who choose to
move in such an arena, to be honest about rhe deg ree of subject iv ity
involved in their percept ions of society. The N eptunian leader may easily
become the N ept unian victim, torn apart-metaphorically or even phys i-
388 - T H E ASTRO l O GI C AL N EPT U"E AND TH E O U EST f OR RID E\lP Tl O N

cally- by the crowd , An interesting examp le nf th is in th e mode rn world

is Erich H onecker, th e Marxist leader of East Ge rmany before th e fall of
the Berl in Wa ll. H o neck ers chart revea ls Nep tune co n ju nc t t he
Descendant , 3 degrees from the cusp .l? Alt hough techn ically in the 6 th
hou se any planet th is close (Q the De scendant will be exp ressed throug h
I

the 7th . Ini tially H onecker saw him self. and was perceived , as the saviou r
of th e East G etman people. By th e time the Wall was dismantled at th e
end of 1989 , he had becom e the scapegoat of the peopl e, fo r his me th od s
were ide ntic al w ith those of the fascist powe rs he had so virulenrly
oppose d. Hi s self-b lindness is characterist ic of th e darke r side of Nept une;
for he becam e th e very th ing he hunt ed , and was the dest royer of th at
wh ich he sought to save .
Perceivi ng o the rs th rough the len s o f N ep tun e's lo ngi ng is an
amb ig uous gift. It can reflect rem arkabl e sensit ivity to t he pulse of th e
wo rld "o ut there ," as well as (0 those indi viduals wi th whom one co mes in
clo se con tact. Such respo nsiveness can be expressed in m any creat ive and
healing ways . But Neptune 's suffering throug h och ers, wh en placed in th e
7 th, is largel y self-created . It arises from a mi xture of idealised fantasies,
infant ile need s, and the nature of the peo ple wh om one calls upon to par-
ticipa te in one 's drama. D isill usionme nt wit h ot hers is the natural product
of a 7 th ho use N eptune. It is th e indi vidu al's capaci ty to deal with th is d is-
illu sionm ent, rhrough suffi cient recognition of one's own and oth e rs' lim-
its , which de term ines whether or not Ne ptu ne in the 7th w ill create a life
of v ictimisa tion or of rich and reward ing relationsh ips . N eptune is neve r
co nte nt with prosaic int eracti on . The g lory of the t heat re m ust infuse life,
for all the world is a stage and Nept une in the 7th is the chief actor. ~o
so lu rion will be found by suppressing Neptune's long ing , for it wi ll mere-
ly ent er throu gh the back door, and appear in one's partne r or in an
un grateful public who have turned against th eir idol. Perh aps th e secret
lies in allowin g oth ers to be bo th m ythi c and human at rhe same tim e .

Neptune in the 8th House

T he Brh house, li ke the 6 th, has had a bad press , although for very diffe r-
em reasons. It is ge nerally viewed with app rehension , because of its asso-
ciation wi th death . It wou ld be fooli sh to argue that this house has no bear-
ing on dea th, because anyone who has explo red the char ts of those whose
lives have been prematu rely ended wi ll be acquaint ed with an em phasis of

12 . Chan source : Hans-H inrich 'Iaeg er. lnlrr1U1liflfl4lt1 Hu"uJJ.upr.u xiJ.. M (Frerbu rg .
German)': Verlag Hermann Bauer. 19 92 ), p . 760.
 N { PT UN { IN THE HQU!>£\ - 389

one kind or another in this house. Bur whether we are dealing with the
act ua l death of the body, o r wi t h t hat wh ich lies be yond t he bod y, is a com -
plex issue. The 8 th house is concerned wi t h the invisi ble underpin nings of
physical real it y. Th is includes not only what ex ists after th e body ceases,
but also what exists during life , beneath the body's sensory perceptions of
material ex istence . Planets in the Brh house tend co express themsel ves as
th ough they were d ai mo nic force s erup ting from a h idden realm . Physical
death , as the outcome of such an erupt ion, may sometimes occur. Equall y,
ot her kinds of deaths may en su e. Whereas t he 2nd ho use is concern ed w it h
those values which we acquire through the conti nuous experience of liv-
ing, the 8t h concerns those junctures where we mus t bow to what is hid-
den , in life or in ourselve s, so that life can be transformed . In this contex t
it is po ssible to view physical death as one of many possib le leve ls on wh ich
the process of breaking down and rebuilding, initia ted th rou gh the wor k-
ing out of hidden pat te rns, may be enacted. There may also some times be
an elem ent of uncons cious collusio n when plane ts in the Srh are expressed
through physical death. The death-wish m ay arise not o nly fro m con-
frontation with apparently irreconcilable co nflic ts, or from inverted
destructive im pulses, but also from an inst inctive repudiat ion of life. It is
in th is latter conte xt that we need to consider Neptune in the Srh.
Planets in the Brh house, because they em erge from unk nown levels
of the psyche, often sha rrer ex isting co ndi tio ns and provoke g reat anxiety
and di st ress. A n exa mple of t his is t he cha rt of t he P rincess of Wales, d is-
cussed in ch apte r 8 . W ith Ma rs, P luto. and U ranu s co n juncring in the St h,
forces apparen tly be-yond her co n t ro l seem to have dominated her life. The
breakup of her parents' marriage was one expression of the conjun ction ,
although it would be more accurate to suggest that it describes her violent
emo t ional respon se to thi s loss of emotional and material secu r it y.U Her
attacks of bulima are another exp ression of it; comp ulsions possessi ng their
own des tructive life have shattered the peace of borh mind and body. The
tragedy of her marriage is a third expression--once again, not in terms of
a literal descriptio n of events, but as an imag e of her own respo nses to a
situ ation she could not conrrol. Each tim e she experiences these 8 th house
planets, a life crisis heral d s a kind of death and th e necessity of est abl ish-
ing a new life.
N eptune in th e Sth is often experien ced in a sudden an d com pu lsive
way. N eptun e's inchoate lo ng ings may erupt into consciousness with irre-
sistible power, because the ind ividual is unaware that he or she is feeling
them . The yearning for the sou rce may take the form of a literal courting

13. With the present high divorce rate, a g reat many people experience thu kind of
upheaval early in life. I have observed innumerable examples with no planer in (he 8th .
390 - TH E AITR O LOGICAI " EPTUNE A'- O TH E OU IIT f OR RWEMPTI O N

of ob livion-as is often the case in death s caused by drug overdose . A sad

illustration of this is the pop sin ger Janis Joplin, who di ed in 1970 from
an overdose of heroin . In he r b irr h chan , Neptune, wh ich form s a g rand
trine with the Su n , Mer cury, Saturn, a nd Uranus, and also sq uares t he nat al
Moon , is placed on th e Cli SP of th e 8th bou se.!? N ept un e's q uest for th e
waters of Eden was enacted in her life as well as her d eat h in a part icul ar -
Iy poigna nt way. A mo re horrific exam ple is th e c han of Jim J ones, t he
leader of th e People's Temple cult, who com m itted suicide with his di sci-
ples in 197 8 by drinking cyanide, II Here we also find Neptune in the 8th,
b ut its on ly m ajor aspect to ot he r plan ets is an exact trin e to Mercury in
the 4t h. Th is chart is nor Neptu ne-d om inated. as is J oplin's; the Su n con -
ju nccs Ch iron in Taurus, tr ine s Satu rn , sexriles a j up ieer-P luro conjun c-
tion , and squa res Mars in Leo. These con figu rations reflecr a mu ch to ug her
and m ore forcefu l nature. Yet when it was no lon g er possible to exer cise
abso lute power, Neptune pointe d th e way hom e. When N ep t une is placed
in the 8th, th e redeemer may appear as death itself.
Ebe rrin refers to N eptune in th e 8th as "states of d epression, wrong
do ing , sta tes of sic kn ess wi t h in th e soul or within t he mind as d istinc r
from physical suffe ring o r iliness."16 Certai nly Neptune in the 8 th is con-
nected with ce rt ain ki nd s of dep ression or "sou l sick ness"; in suc h a sta te,
no dou bt . J ani s J opl in wok her ow n life. Bur we need (Q u nde rsta nd what
k ind of depression o r sickness we are dealin g with, if we are to work wi th
th ese issues m ore conscious ly and not simply be vi ctim ised b y th em .
N eptune's d epression is the lon elin ess of the exi le . In t he indi vid ua l wh o
is in (Ouc h w it h suc h feel in gs, Neptu ne ma y reflect a bit tersweet melan -
chol y, cycl ical rath er t han cons tan t , wh ich-because it is conscious-s-ca n
be exp ressed acco rding to th e person 's capacity and talent s. But the re is no
com pu lsive e rup t ion; one already kno ws one wou ld rather go ho me . Many
ar t isrs find insp irat ion in thi s p rofound sadness; it is a fundamental pa rt of
N eptune's wo rld- view. Bur when Neptune operates un con sciously, the
"so ul sickness" may e me rge sudd en ly, wit h ove rw helming force, and th e
ind ividual m ay react wit ho u t reflect ion to th e ca ll of th e water s. Becau se
these primal feelin gs throw int o sha rp relief th e bl eakn ess of mo rta l life,
th ey may herald th e possi bili ty of (and th e need for) a major cleansi ng of
one's life, with a rel inq u ish ing of old arritudes and attach me n ts wh ich are
bl ockin g t he h eart and sou l. N eptune in the 8 t h , trig ger ed by tr an sit or
p rogressio n, m ay thu s be the prophetic har binger of de ep and constr uct ive

14 . Char t sou rce: l nt~nl<l t ltJ rw/~J II lJrI1Jkl1l't.I..o .,k,m . p . H17.

15. Ch.tr( sou rce: Inlrrnat;l1naln H /J "/JJk,,~-Ln;klJn, p . HI '1.
16. Ebemn . Tbe C"mhrnallfm III Su lla,. Inf/lltnftJ. p . 51.
 N EPTUN E IN TH E HOU H S - 391

life changes , to ward wh ich feelings of dep ression and yearni ng are an
inevitable and natural response-provided the ego is stro ng enough to
recogn ise the value of the exper ien ce.
The Brh house describes those junc tures in life when we mu st , like
the serpent , shed an old ski n and renew ou rselves. An indi vidual with this
house em ph asised will ge nerally expe rience several "incarnatio ns" wit hin
the space of one, for the course of life is ofte n punctuated by major crisis
points where d rast ic renovat ion s are necessary. Tranq uil contin uity usual-
ly eludes th ose wirh a heavily tenanted 8rh. It is th rough such crises [hat
we become aware of something deep er than rhe mundane world of cause
and effect. We encount er an unde rly ing invisible reality wh ich remi nds us
that the ego is not really master of all it surveys. Planets in the 8t h tell us
how we respond co th ese cris is poi nts , and th e emo tio nal stat es we are liable
to experience, althoug h we attribu te these to th e externa l agen cy appa r-
enrly responsible for our upheaval. W irh Neptun e in [he 8th, ou r crises
may Cent re around issues of separation . loneliness, and helple ssness; ou r
responses are likely to be full of sad ness and long ing ; and th e mover we
g limp se be hind the actio n is the oceani c sou rce of life, wh ich has expe lled
us from Eden and now beckons us home.
Sexuality reflected by the 8th house is an expe rien ce in whic h we
relinq uish ou r autonomy and are "penetrated " or "possessed " by something
other than th e conscious ego . The 8 th is concerned with th e loss of th e
power acqui red in the 2nd through indi vid ual au to nom y and th e est ab-
lishin g of personal value s. Whe n we are open to another pe rson during th e
sexual an , we are no longer in control . In Elizabethan Eng land th e sexua l
act was called th e "li ttle deat h." U nless we fake our responses, we are taken
over by insti nct ive forces whi ch are borh us and not us, experienced
throug h th e pa rtner. Neptune in the 8th may reflect an add ict ion [Q th is
loss of self. T he sexual act may itself become th e longed-for redee mer; th e
moment of ob livion in the m idst of o rgasm becomes the mo ment of
reu nion with th e di vine.

Physical inti macy is also a respire from loneliness... . Some may

also feel that giving themselves sexually is a way of serving, pleas-
ing or even heali ng ochers. It can also bea very convenient way of
escaping from problems in other areas of life.! "

Nep tune in th e 8 th may reflect a gi ft for ecstatic pleasure. Equally, in a

chart whi ch is Nepr une- resisranr, one may come [Q fear one's own vuln er-

17_Saspcnas. T IN Tu'tlz" lI oliltJ. p. 30 11

39 2 -- T H [ AST RO LOG ICAl NEPTU NE AN O T H E OU EST FO R RE DEMPT IO N

ability, and m ay try [0 close the doo r instead . Ne p tu ne in th e 8th may be

associated with sexual inhibiti on as ofte n as it is with sexual ope n ness,
sin ce not everyone is able to allow such vulnerability without becom ing
defensive. If Neptune in th e 8th house is repudiated , it will pr oject itself
on to the partner, who may be experienced as emot ionally and sexually
dem andi ng o r devouring . O r o ne may un consciousl y choose a panner wh o
is sexually impotent o r unable to function, th ereby avoiding vulnerability
with out hav ing to admit one's own fear. Neptune in the Sth may also sur-
face in chat de ep lo neliness which lies behind che "de pression" or "soul
sickness" wh ich Eberlin describes.
The long ing for th e invisibl e can carry its own considerable g ifts.
Because th e bo u nd a ~ i es betw een ego and unconscious are flui d , one may
have ins ight int o feel ings, images and long ings wh ich belong to th e col-
lective, resulting in an apti t ude fo r psycholog ical or psychi c work which
penetrates far beneath the strata of the individual person ality. Th e un con-
scious itself may ap pear as th e redeem er, and dream s and fant asies may
possess ext raord inary mean ing and power. N ept une in the 8t h is most da n-
gerous whe n we are oblivious of it within ourselves, or wh en we are so
identified with it that we are obl ivious of ourselves . The longing (or di s-
solution is not pa tho logic al; it is arche typa l. Perh aps it is also not possib le
for any person to judge whether ano ther ind ividual has th e tig h t to pursue
th at longing on its mos t literal level. But if life is chosen over death,
Ne ptune in th e 8 th can be a tru e ini tiate of th e myster ies.

N eptune in the 9th House

N eptun e's m yst icism is at home in J upiter's temphon, pe rhaps because the
source of life is usually recognised as dei ty, an d nor pu rsued thro ugh sur-
rogat es. Yet the 9 th house is concerned with more th an what we norm ally
define as relig ion, since all avenu es coward a broader und erstanding of life
belong (Q its dom ain . Man y of th ese, such as higher ed ucat ion, travel, and
publishing , may never involve any recogn isable relig ious aspi ration . It
mig h t be more app rop riate to d efin e th e 9th as that arena of life where we
develop a wor ld-vi ew or ph ilosophy wh ich allows us to int eg rate OUt pet-
sonal expe riences with universal pa tte rns. Religi on performs th is functi on
th rough a concept of God; th e social, polit ical, psycholog ical , and ph ilo-
sophical q uest ioni ngs of other 9th hou se spheres of int erest perform it with
an understand ing of life in whi ch everything is related co gene ral princi -
ples. The 9 th is th e sphere where we seek (Q und erstan d th e laws under-
pin ning existence, whether these are inte rpreted as di vine, human in the
 N EPT UN I IN T HE HOU IEI - 393

psychologi cal sense, human in the legal sense, or socio-economic. When we

do turn our faces toward the di vine. the nature and intentions of the deity
we perceive will be defined, in large pan , by planers in the 9th house.
Wh en Neptune is in the 9 th, God is experienced as an oceanic di vine
source. Regardle ss of one's relig ious upbring ing , God as Love is the de ity
wh ich Neptu ne in the 9 th most often recogn ises. Redemp tion may be an
oven relig ious or spiritual them e, for N eptune is not incli ned toward those
approaches which strike a balance between human and divine through
experiencing th e dei ty in life. Heaven and hell mat ter to Ne ptune in th e
9th, and so does the millenarian vision of an end to suffering and evil. But
Neptune is not simpl y a Chr istl ike deity of endless compassion. It is also
the maternal source, which can pun ish, devour and destroy; and terro r of
God may be as act ive in th e psychology of Nep tu ne in the 9t h as the yearn-
ing for redempt ion. Sacrifice and suffering may form a major pan of
Nep tune's rel ig ious eth os. So may spiritual exclusivi ty. Rel igi on does not
necessarily sig nify redem pt ion. but may be a means of living the best pos-
sible life in accordance with divine will . Certain approaches with in
Judaism , for example. are co ncerned with the relation ship between the
human being and God in terms of "right " behaviour, and do not promi se
any ulti mate fusion w ith the deity; a life lived righteously is its own
reward.
Eberrin describes Neptune in the 9th as "the faculty of presenti-
ment ... inspiration, an excessive fantasy and imag inati on, self-dece ptio n
thro ugh a lack of the critical faculties ."," This could apply to Neptune
anywhere. But one of the chief problems of Neptune in the 9 th is a ten-
dency [Q pr o ject spiritual and moral auth ority onto others, so that one
becomes the blind foll ower of a creed whi ch may or may not be funda-
mentally approp riate or healthy for the ind ividual. Ne ptune in the 9th
may also claim knowl edge of absolute religi ous truths whi ch , if they were
simp ly true for the believer, would offer no d ifficult y; but they may be
forcibly shoved do wn others' throats because of one's uncon sciou s identi-
fication with the redeemer. Neptune may also project redemption onto
God . Th is rna)' sound perfectly appropriate, as it is the basis of most
Christian aspiratio n. But we may need to ques tion the assum ptio n that
God is an ever-atte ntive and uncondi tio nally loving mot her, who exists for
rhe fulfillment of all our personal needs , and who will forgive us no mat-
ter what SOrt of subhuman behaviour we adopt. Th is kind of God is par-
ticularly att ractive ro those who wish to eschew responsibili ty for th eir
actions and choices in everyday life, bur who, if they att end church regu-

18 Eberl in . Tht Cumhinatitm uf Sttlla ,. l nflt~tnm, p_ ~ I .

394 - T HE ASTRO LO GICAL N EPTUNE AND TH E OU EST f O R REDEM PTIO N

larly or ba re th eir souls in t he co nfessional, expect (Q be excused , sim ply

because th ey "believe," for bea t ing th e ir wives, t yrannising the ir ch ild ren,
k icking the ca t , an d pract ising eve ry possi bl e form of b ig ot ry a nd in to ler-
ance to thei r fell ow human being s. Th is is th e d ark er face of a 9 t h house
Neptu ne. whi ch m ay, lik e certain fun d am ental ist sects in Am erica, resort
to high ly quest ionab le m ean s in order to en lig hten t hei r igno rant fello ws
abo ut th e revelati on s to whi ch th ey lay claim . Et h ics have nn pl ace in
t hese N ep tu nian waters; nor do sim ple hum an cou n esy and respect fo r
othe rs intell ige nce , rig h ts , and boundaries . T he redee med ha ve t hem-
selves beco m e self-appointed red eem ers, who, far from being C h ristl ike,
resem ble m uch more th e monst rous Ti 'am ar, pe rpe trat ing in t he nam e of
th e redeem er psychologi cal and even p hysical at rocities l ? which cou ld
never be found in t he teachings of Ch rist him sel f.
Co nt ained by an ego whi ch is capable of reflect ion , N ep t u ne in t he
9t h can prov ide sp iri tu al and art isri c inspirati on of a m ovin g an d aut hen -
t ic k ind . The "facu lty of present im ent " of whic h Ebe rt in speaks is the
exp ressio n of N eptune's psych ic prescien ce-i rs capacity [0 enter inca t he
emo tional cu rren ts of th e collect ive psyche with an intu it ive vision of a
nascent future. Insig h t inca the un foldin g of histori cal events and th e
mean ing or pu rpose of hum an de velopment may be one of t he gifts of
N ep tun e in t he 9t h, wh ich p resides over th e art ist as prophet and mouth-
piece for t he moral and relig ious di lem mas of th e collect ive. A good exam-
ple is G oet he , who spea rheade d th e G er man Rom ant ic movem ent and pe r-
sonified in Faust not only t he archetypal di lemma of th e art ist, b u r also a
p roph et ic vision of t he fu tu re of his own nati on . In his cha rt Nep tu ne is in
Cancer, placed exact ly on th e cu sp of th e 9 rh, for m ing a g rand wat er trine
wit h J up iter in Pi sces and Pl u to in Scorpi o. Anoth er good exam ple is Bob
D ylan , t he m us ical p rophet for an enti re ge neratio n of A mericans.
Exp ressed t h rou g h creati ve vision, N ep tune in t he 9 t h t ranscend s t he
bou nd aries of one's own cu ltural canon, articu lat ing u niversal t he mes of
h um an suffering an d longin g .
Ne pt u ne in th e 9t h may di sp lay a p redi lectio n for myst ical sp iritu-
ality, and may offer it s alleg iance to a g u ru o r a p hi losophy req uiri ng the
sacr ifice of possession s or former at tach ments . Spir it ua l commu nes ma y be
especially at t rar rive to N eptune in th e 9 t h. N eptune's idealisati on of spi r-
it ual or relig iou s leaders may lead to dee p d isillu sionm ent when enlig ht -
enm ent or salvat io n is not immediately ach ieved . If t here is insufficient
capacity to sift teach ing s t h rough one s own experience and value syste m,
N ep t u ne in t he 9 t h m ay di sp lay a dang eous g u lli b il ity. Vet a phi losop hy

19 . Consider. for example, the m urder by a fundamem alisr Christia n of the su ff in rwc
abortion cl inics in America in December 1994
 "' EPT UN E I" THE HO USEl - 39 5

of loving obed ience [ 0 God may be an approp riate path. Th e unio mystico is
not merely a fanras y for N ep t u ne in [he 9[ h; and whil e eleme nts of pri -
mary narcissism will inev itably be present in one's hoped-for re latio nship
wi th dei ty, deepl y moving transpe rsonal experiences of an oceani c kind are
no t uncomm on . T he challe ng e lies in d iffe rent iati ng bet ween the d ivi ne
source and the mo rral teacher who purports (Q be irs mou thpiece, and in
ensuring that one's narcissism does nor generate a secret inflation whi ch
unde rmi nes (he ego's relationshi p to the outer world .
Travel is readit ionall y one of t he do ma ins of th e 9 t h house.
Indi vidu als with an em ph asised 9th hou se are ofte n renew ed and invigo-
raced by trave l becau se th ey are ab le co acqu ire a di fferenr and b roade r per -
spec rive on the ir personal lives. Tra vel as expe rienced in the 9 th house PUtS
us in couch wit h a wider world , full of d iverse at ri rude s, languages , cus-
to ms, and lifestyles wh ich heighten our sense of life as a mean ing ful wh ole.
For N e ptune in the 9 th , travel may also prov ide the prom ise of salvatio n.
Neptune's deep sense of exi le means that home can never be found on
Earth, because one's true hom e lies beyond it, Thus Nepr u oe in the 9 th
may be perpetually on the road, searching for the perfect culture, or the
perfect landscape. Places may be ide alised , pareicularly th ose which con-
stitute a pilg rimage, as Lourdes does to the devour Cathol ic, or Poona to
the foll owers of Ra jneesh . D isappointm ent and disill usion ment may
accom pany ph ysical arrival at th e dream-p lace. But Ne ptu ne in th e 9 th
may also possess the gi ft of infusing foreig n p laces wi th a mag ic and mean-
ing th at eludes the pragmati c t raveller. Peopl ed with the fant asies and feel-
ings of N eptune's watery world, even the din and disorder of coaches full
of vol uble to urist s cannot destroy the beauty of the inner vision , projected
onto external realit y.
Because Neptun e is li nked with redempt ive theme s, which we inter-
pret as "relig ious" in accordance with the world-view of the Piscean Ag e,
we may im ag ine that we see a purer form of sp iritu a lity whe n N ep tun e is
in the 9 th house, Yet we need to remem ber that collect ive defi nit ions of
G od are not ete rna l; the y are peculiar to a particula r epoch . In studyin g
rel ig ions suc h as Buddhi sm , wh ich pred ate th e Chr istian era, or " pagan"
ph ilosop hical systems, suc h as Plato n ism , one is str uck by the lack of
N ep tunian yearning and suffering . Th ese approaches we re , and , to much
of the world's populat ion , still are , as valid a perception of relig ious truth
as the Christian doct rines the West has espoused since the reign of
Constant ine , Neptune in the 9th is neithe r more nor less rel igi ous than
any ot her planet in the 9 th, But it appears to us more religi ous because it
is occupied wirh themes of redem ption and sacrifice , in wh ich conte xt we
define "t rue" rel ig iou s feeling . Equall y, Neptune's heartfelt and some times
frig ht en ing ly unreflecti ve pro pensi ty to iden tify absolute ly with its chosen
39 6 - TH E ASTRO LOG IC AL NEPTUN E AND THE OLHST FOR Rf OfM PTl O N

redeem er may make rhe Nepruruan worsh ippe r seem more sp irituall y
com m it ted . T hi s also is a pe rcep tio n coloured by a P iscea n wor ld -vie w,
wh ich eq uate s sp irit ual comm itm ent with ob edi ence to an externa l sou rce
of relig ious authority. N ep tun e in the 9 t h is a nat u ral visiona ry, and can
reflect a p rofou nd int ui t ive gras p o f h igher or de e pe r realit ies .
U ncon tained. it can b reed fanati cism . Yet a si nce re belief in th e g ood ness
of deity is inhe rent in a 9 t h house Neptu ne, wh et her in a nation or an ind i-
vidua l. M uch d epends upon wh ethe r consc ious ness, in a pe rson o r a peo-
ple, can ba lan ce N ep t u ne's moving vision of a loving sou rce with reflec-
t ion, obj ect ivity, and ord ina ry com mon sense.

Neptu ne In the 10 th H ouse

T he l Oth house is com plex, for it is not solely concerned wit h caree r,
ach ievement and Status in th e worl d "our t he re." T his last of t he angul a r
houses also reflects a very special d imension of mother, or the mo t her-
archetype. It is mot her as form-give r and mothe r as physical wo rld . W h en
an infant emerg es into life, th e mo t her's physi cal reali ty fo rm s th e peram -
erers of t he u n iverse; physical moth e r and mater ial wo rld are t he same
rh ing . T he boundaries of mot her's bod y, and th e co nfines of moth er 's laws,
ul rimarely form wh at we perce ive as t he bou nd aries an d confines of th e
m unda ne world we inh ab it ; and what we p ro ject int o th e wo rld , we t he n
eng age wi t h, artem p ting to g ive shape (0 it in t he form of a "car eer." Every
infanr meets a part icular archetypal compone nt in th e personal mot he r,
apparen tl y em bod ied by her. T h is com po nent later colou rs t he ind ivid ual's
percep tion of wh at is expected by th e larg er worl d , and how one m ust p re-
sent onese lf to ge t on in life. It is a kind of in heritance, but it is not an
obje ctive portra it of t he mother. Rat her, it is a po rtrai t of somet hing we
ex perience firsr in th e mat ernal relati onsh ip , and later in our efforrs (0
establ ish ou rselves as ind epend ent adu lts in a world fu ll of lim its and law s.
Th e issues reflected by ou r I Orh hou se planets shape our assumpti ons
about ou r place in societ y, the cont ribut ion we can make, the social issues
we cham p ion or d o battle w ith , an d the persona we ado pr. l r is not t he pe r-
sonal mot her 's behaviou r, but rat her, t he' my t hic imag e she em bodies for
her ch ild , wh ich dom ina tes ou r pe rcept ions . The ma te rial goals we espouse
are rhus profoundly linked wit h ou r early expe riences of maternal li m irs
and bo u nda ries .
N ept un e in t he l Oth may perceive t he wo rld as a p rison cam p for
t hose who need redeem ing . T he mo t he r in suc h cases usuall y appe ars to
he r chi ld as a victim , uncondit ionall y loving yet th e undeservi ng bea rer of
 NEPT UN E I" T HE HO USES - 3 97

life's unfairness and pain . This is the mater dolorosa whose tears cleanse the
sins of humanit y, and whose suffering demands devoti on and lifelon g rec-
ompense . If this image is late r transferred onto the world. the world seems
full of m isery; hence N eptune in the l Orh often gravit ates toward the help-
ing professions, as a means of giv ing shape to the archet ypal partern. Bur
N eptune in the l Oth may also perceive the mot her as an hysteric-t he
gapi ng maw of th e big fish, who, as Alexand er th e G rear once puc ir,
dem ands an exorb itant rent for ni ne months' lodg ing . The mother may
appear to exhi bit the cha racteristi c psycholog ical di fficulcies of Ne ptune,
nor yet emerged herself from the ut erine waters . She may be ill-defined as
an ind ividual, crying to live for and th rough her child . Neptu nian ideali-
sati on and long ing for fusion may exist in bot h mot her and ch ild ; bot h
may share a d ream of perfect un ion . where no loneli ness or conflict can
destroy th e t imel ess bl iss of Eden. Fulfilling mother 's need s, and late r, the
world's need s, consrit u tes salvati on . Bou ndar ies are blurr ed , and th e child
may feel called upo n to be not only red eemer, b ur also fish- food , ro be
born e, nurt u red and chen swallowed up .
Neptune's sens itivity to unspoke n maternal cues may be expre ssed to
t he collective throug h that other favou rit e Neptun ian calling , t he world of
stage and screen. In the participation mYl/ique bet ween performe r and aud i-
ence, N eptune in the l Oth can recreate the state of primal fusion , d rawing
nourishme nt from a positive respo nse, and experien cing deep feeli ngs of
loss, anxie ty, and despai r if the audie nce rejects the offering . Th e collect ive
thus becom es the embodiment of the sou rce, life-gi ving in its love and
approval, life -th reatening in its wrath . Neptune in the l Ot h reflects a
deeply amb ivalent relationship wi th the collective, as it does wi th the per-
sonal mother. In becoming what "they" want and need (whic h is the same
as what mother wanes and needs), Neptune in the 10 th secures the illus ion
of uncond it ional love , Yet the "beast with many heads," as every Roman
emperor knew, is as liable [0 turn on its redeemers as it is to worsh ip them .
Shakespea re add ressed many of his plays to this theme , in particul ar
Coriolanus. N ep tu ne in th e l Ot h, th rough irs actor's gi fts, may appear
gl amo urous and m ysteri ous to the public. But eq ually, it may incur vic -
rirnisarion. throug h an unconscious identi fication which unleashes the
myth of t he vict im-redeem er in m und ane life. A good exam pl e of chis
dim ension of Nep tune in the l Orh may be fou nd in the chart of th e
Princess of Wale s, exp lored in chap ter 8 ,
Eberrin mention s "st rang e objectives," as well as "t he at ta in ment of
one's objecti ves by crooked means."20 Because of N ep tu ne's feel ings of pas-

20 . Ebernn . T be Cumh"uJIIIJ'I of Stt/la r Influ mw , p . ~ I .

398 - TH£ ASTROl OG ICAL N£PTUNf AND T Hf O UEST f OR R£D£MPTI O N

siviry and helpl essness, o ne may feel that one's progress in life is nor with-
in one 's own hands. An att it ud e of fatalism may accompany any effo rt to
plan a fu t ure, and the individual may dri ft from one job to anot he r, moti-
vated nor from withi n but by whatever help appears th roug h th e age ncy
of ot hers. Thus one be com es a sm all child , cont ent to ful fill the mother' s
am bi ti ons and expectatio ns, eager co please, bur experiencing no in ternal
impet us to m ake an ind ependen t choice. For some with Neptune in t he
10 th , vocat ion is a necessity rathe r rh an a cho ice, d ictat ed by u nconsciou s
compulsions wh ich-whether int erp reted as infan ti le, spi rirua l, or a Com -
bination of th e rwo--will tolerate no othe r opt ion. O th ers with N ept une
in t he 10 th expe rience th e worl d as roo vast , confusing an d overwhel ming,
and th ere is not enoug h "I" to claim a place based on cons cious voli t ion .
Neptune in th e 1Orb ma y thus transform into society's victim, one of life's
"losers't-c-nor through lack of ability, b ut th rough an obscur e masoch ism
wh ich prefers ma rt yrdom CO a defi ned ident ity. In such cases one may con-
sciously feel victi m ised by oppressive social forces (conservat ive govern-
ment, pa triarchal at ti tudes, capitalism , or ot her good hooks for Saturni an
projections), and wait fo r the m illen nium when the wicked are overt h rown
and th e meek in herit th e Eart h .
If one ident ifies with the vict im -redeeme r as out law (as most messi-
ahs are in the context of th eir social m ilieu), chen one may feel tha t deceit
is necessary to achieve anything at al l. There may be an urgent need not
only to act subversively, but also to be foun d out ; rhe ind ivid ual may
unconsciously arc hitect th e means of his or her ow n downfall th roug h leav-
ing clues of d isho nest acti vity, or th roug h becom ing involved with a d is-
honest colleag ue or bu siness panner. T here may also be an assumpt ion of
certain exem ptions-one is "above" the laws of th e society in which one
lives. Neptun e in th e 10th is some times associated wit h scandal. A rather
flo rid exam ple of th is kind of N ept u nian self-sabotage is Chuck Berry, t he
Am erican pop com poser and per former. Berry ach ieved im mense popu lar-
ity du ring th e I % Os and 197 0 s t h roug h his d ist inct ive blend of hard rock
and COUnt ry and western m usic, with su ch hits as "M abe lline" and "Joh nn y
Be G ood ." H e achieved even g reater success with t wo films , Go,J ohnny, Go
and Let the GoodTime! Roll, and won th e Gram my award in 1984 . In his
bi rt h cha rt N ep tu ne is placed in Leo in t he l Ot h house, sexn le th e Su n in
the 12th and for m ing a T-cross by sq uari ng Satu rn in the l sr and Mars in
the 7t h. 2 \ At rhe ag e of 18 he was jailed for th ree years for car th eft , and
in 1962, whe n he was 36, he was sent enced to another three years for ta k-

21. Cha n source and biogr aphies ! mformari on: A " rvJala I V (Tempe, AZ : Amer ican
Federari on c f Astr ologers. 1990). p 17.
 NEPTU NE IN T HE HOU SES - 399

ing a 14 -year-old prostitute across state lines. He served. yct another four
mont hs in gaol for failing ro pay $ 108, 00 0 in incom e rax, and in 1988 was
charged with bear in g up one of his back-up sing e rs. Whatever was eati ng
at Chuck Berry, fame and fortu ne did not cur e it. The nature of his career
ad mirably suits his I Ot h hous e Neptune, for he was o ne of an exclusive
pantheon of success fu l pop singe rs wh o fu lfilled th e d ream s of an entire
ge nerat ion. Yet he ensu red his ow n persecut ion at the hands of the law. It
is possi ble that the natal N eptune-Mars-Saturn config uratio n expressed
itse lf in t hi s compulsive pat tern , with th e role of Saturn played by th e
police and the role of Mars p layed by his own uncontrollable violen ce.
Ne pt un e in t he 10rh may be nobl y insp ired to serve the co llecti ve,
or it m ay be d iabolicall y insp ired to cheat the collecti ve. O r it ma y do a
little of bot h . N eprune in th e 10th neve r loses th e g ifr of rhe hypocriw . O ne
may not be particu larly N eptun ian in ot her respects , bur the world w ill
project Neptune o nto the indi vidua l because the indiv idual pro ject s
Neptune onto the world. There is usually an element of pa rticipa ti on mys-
tiqu, in rhe ind ividu al's professio nal an d public life, an d an elem ent of
d rama in th e role he or she p lays in t he eyes of th e world. This ma y not
always be a big world-not everyone with Neptune in t he I Oth is
"famo us"-bur one ten ds to g et noticed , becau se of a magical quality of
mirroring whi ch activates the fantas ies of those who do not know the per-
son well. On closer contac t , thi s my stery may van ish . It is those w ith
Neptun e in the 1st o r th e 7 th who remain elusive even in close relation -
ships. But wh ether N ep tu ne in the 10th attract s calum ny o r idol isarion, it
has eno rmo us pow er to att ract , because of its eno rmo us intuiti ve insight
into the inner workings of the collective. In the hands of a relat ively co n-
scious individual, self-aware en oug h not to ident ify w it h the m ythi c enact -
mem played OUt on the public stage, th is power to arr racr may be put in
the se rvice of g reat g ood to socie ty, or, at the very least . g reat pleasure
offered th rough the ex pression of creati ve talent s. But the necessary ing re-
dient of self-awareness can eme rge o nly from an honest confrontatio n with
the redem pt ive themes surround ing the rel ation sh ip wi th the mother.
W it hout t his insig ht , Nep tune in th e l Orh ma y becom e t he victi m of
int ernal an d ex te rnal collecti ve forces ove r wh ich th e ind ivid ual tr u ly has
no cont rol.

Neptune in the 11 th House

The 11rh hou se is som et im es called t he hou se of hopes and wi shes , and
some times the hou se o f gro ups.
4 00 _ THE ASTRO LOGICAL NEPTUNE AND THE Q UEST FOR REDIMPTIO N

At its d eepe st level , t he 11th house . . . repr esen ts t he atr em p r to

go beyond our ego-identity and become something g reater th an
what we alre ady arc. The ma in way of achieving th is is [0 iden t i-
fy with something larger t han the self-such as a circle of friends,
a g roup. a beli ef system or an ideolog y.2I

T he l Orh house is concerned with th e collect ive in an L thou relat ionsh ip ;

we develop skills, talents, posit ion, or aut ho rity which we then offer to a
world (and a mother) "out there ," Th e world can respond positivel y or
negarively, but----even when Ne ptun e is in the 10t h- it is sti ll "out there,"
T he 11th , ( 00 , is conce rned wit h the collecti ve, b ut we relate co it d iffer-
entl y, We join th e larger human fam ily of which we are a pan, throug h
shared ideals and asp irati ons. This not only g ives meaning to our effort s,
but also provides relief from the lon ely path of self-formatio n. which cul-
m inates where the horoscope culmi nates, at the medium coeii of th e chan .
I n the 11 rh , we arc no long er alon e; we bel ong . Around us are th ose like-
mi nded souls wh o-c-w herher they share our taste in televi sion or ou r taste
in ph ilosophy- valida te wh o we a re by t hei r acceptance of us. " I" becomes
"we," and ou r liv es tak e on a m or e broad context through m erg ing, on t he
mental level, with the society in which we live. Much has been w ri tten
about "g roup conscio usness" in esote ric and hum anis ti c psycholog y ci rcles.
It is som et imes held up as a n ide al towa rd wh ich the indi vidual sho ul d
asp ire. H ow ever, g roup co nsciousness may no t be quite so g la mo rous.
W hen t he group ge ts tog ether for a spot of football hooliga ni sm or K u
Klux K lann in g , o ne can hardl y speak of a mo re evolved conscio us ness. Yet
suc h act ivi t ies also reflect th e 11 t h hou se. Our chosen group , lik e ou r c ho -
sen fri ends, is a measu re of ou r ow n idea ls and values, echoe d in a larg er
enti ty. Any nobilit y we mi g h t b rin g ro thi s arena of life de pends on wh o
we are, and how we respo nd to na ta l pl anets pl aced in t h is house.
N eptune in the l l rh needs a g roup to which it can belong , Th e
g roup-e- whether professional, neighbourly, ideolog ical, spi ritua l, or a
"hobbies" club---is the source of redem ption , with out which the ind ivid-
ual is losr , be reft, a nd lon el y; indi vidual p erson al, p rofessional, and cre-
at ive achievements me an nothing wi th out th is la rg er con rexr. Ne p tun e in
the 11 rh m ay reflect an acute soc ial co nsc ience and a hi g h sen si t ivity [ 0 the
emot ional needs of the collect ive, and this may lead to a lifelong comm it-
me nt to serve the hum an fam ily. Redemption is t hu s fou nd t hro ug h th ose
who need redemp ti on , for we a re saved t hro ug h t he act of saving ot he rs.
The elements of N ep tu ne's altru ism are mi xed, an d cont ain bot h in fant ile

22 , Sasponas , T ht Tutl w H fJIIJtJ. p. 92.

 NEPTU NE IN THE HO UI EI - 401

needs and a genuine respons iveness to the in rerconnec ted ness of all human
beings. But unl ess one is able [Q cope with lonel iness, idealisatio n of the
group ma y submerge the individual in a collect ive which erodes per sonal
values and personal integrity. Eberrin mentions "t he search for soul-unions
. . . nobl e aims and aspi rat ions . . . a person who is influe nced easily by
other people."2J "Soul-unions" of the l lrh house are not em otional or sex-
ual love-matches; th ey are a meet ing of m inds and spi rits whi ch, for
Neptune in the 1 1th , provides an antidote co the loneli ness of incarnatio n.
The basis of N eptune's quest is not pe rsonal fulfillment; it is the sense of
one's pe rsonal life being dedicate d to a large r goal, and the partn er should ,
ideally, be involved with one's work or share one's spiri tual or politic al
beliefs. Ne ptune in the l l th may find it hard to tolerat e relati onsh ips
where the partnet (or friend> is emot ionally comparible but has d ifferent
goals. An inte resting reflection of this d ynam ic on th e non-personal level
is th e chart of the founding of Alcoholi cs Anonym ous, whi ch seeks to offer
help to th e ind ivid ual through identification with a gr oup of fellow suf-
ferers . Here Neptune is in Virgo in the l l th house, oppos it ion Satu rn ,
trine th e Sun , and conju nct th e Moon . 24 We can gain no clearer insight
int o Neptune in th e 11rh house than rhrou g h th e chart of a g roup itse lf.
Nept un e in th e l l rh is often a pol it ical ani mal. One m ight expe ct
the individ ual to d ispl ay ut opian tenden cies, and one would be right. But
the dream of ut opia is not limited ro the polit ical lefe. N eptune's longing
for Eden, expressed through th e 11 th, conju res the dre am of a perfe ct soci-
ety. The definition of perfection, and the means by which ir is ro be
attained , may be found as easily in romanti c nati onalism as in romantic
social ism . The nati onalism may not be panicularly rom ant ic. For example,
Neptune appears in the 11rh hou se, conjunct ing Plu to , in th e chan of
Jos eph Goeb bels, Hi tler's chief of propaganda.O This exam ple is not
meant co suggest th at Neptun e in the 11rh, in itself, is responsibl e for th e
path th is man took in his pursu it of power. But Goebbels was u nu sually
sensit ive to, and therefore remarkabl y able to manipulate, th e collecti ve
cu rrent s around him. He was ab le to serve H itler's dream th rough his own
pecul iar intuitive gi fts, because he knew JUS t what kind of G erman y th e
peopl e un consciously wanted. Mon strous th ou gh he was, he was also ut ter -
Iy com mi tred to creat ing his vision of the perfect society, and bel ieved he
was just ified in perpetrating any means ro ach ieve it. N o doubt the con -
juncrion of Nept un e and Pluro con tri but ed to the rut hlessness with whi ch

2,. Ebem n, TJx Cumlll1Wlum o/S,,1/4,.- lnjlMt1ZftJ, p. Sl .

24. Chart SOUIC(' : InJmwt,ufI4 l' J Il flf'OI~Qpt Ltxdwn. p M .
25. Inttrn4I1IJn4lu HuruJlopt Ltxikun, pp . 649.
402 - lH E ASTRO LOGICA L NEPTUN E AND TH£ Q UEST FOR RE OlMP T IO N

he discharged h is [ask. Although this is a frig h tening exam p le of Nepru ne

run amok in th e II th house, ir is different in d egree rather th an in kind
fro m a ny ind ivid ual who, in pursuit of his or her own redempt ion , is d et er -
m ined to "convert " ochers to a part icu lar vision of perfect ion. It may tea ch
us some t hi ng salutary abo ut Nept un e's longing , project ed Onto society
wit ho ut the mediating power of personal integrity.
More often , N eptune's utop ian dreams are t hose of sha red resour ces
a nd respon sibil it y, person al a nd govern men tal. for th e weaker members of
society. Th e wh ole is more importa nt than its pa n s. Historically, tran sit s
of Neprune through Aquar ius coincid ed wit h th e wriring of Thom as
More's Utopia and Marx 's Communi" Manif" to. As the 11 t h house is t he
natural house of Aq uariu s, these works offe r us a taste of N ept une's mos t
ty p ical pol itical vision wh en it is placed in t he 11 rh . U nity be t ween peo -
ple is the worl dl y exp ressio n of d ivin e love, and red empt ion is possibl e
on ly wh en hum an it y acknowledges its common fellowsh ip . If th e ind iv id -
ual can balan ce thi s exalt ed vision with suffi cient real ism, th e dream s can
be g iven form and can p rovi de the basis for valu abl e cont ribu t ions ro the
im p rovement o f others ' li ves. If N ep t u ne is uncomained , the indi vidual
may ident ify wh olly with th e role of the redeem er, and ma y sti fle or injure
ot her, eq ually important personal needs . One may also find oneself bitter-
ly d isillu sioned wh en socie ty t u rns Out not to want t he salvation on offer.
N eptu ne in th e 11rh may lack d iscr im inat ion in th e choosing of id eolog-
ical coll eag ues, and one may find on eself th e victim of a collect ive whi ch,
init iall y offer ing redemp tion, later tu rns out to be a devou ri ng mon ster,
demanding ab solute obed ience from irs ran ks.
Esoter ic o r sp iritu al com m u nit ies are often att ract ive to N eptune in
th e 11rh . So, coo, is the perceptio n of a parti cul ar spi ritual path as th e
mea ns of hu man it y's red empt ion. For exam p le, Nep tune is in Leo in the
11 rh hou se, conj uncring J u piter, in th e chart of Pope J ohn Pau l (P" N o
ot her pon tiff in history has produced a "mass marker" noo k pr each ing
Cat ho licism to a sp irit uall y unenlightened collecrive.?? The since ri ty of th e
Pope's com m it men t to his fait h is unq uestion able. The approp riateness of
it for t he wh ol e of human it y is h ighly qu esti ona ble. H ere N ep tun e in t he
11 rh offers itself tirelessly and wholeheartedly to the task of redeeming
ot hers, wi thout conside ring th e possibil ity that redempt ion, like all of
God's creati on, m ay come in many (arms . N eptu ne in t he l l t h is not
intrinsically drawn to the mon ast ic life . Th ere is too much need for direct
involvement in human spi rit ual evolution. The life of socie ty is also th e life

26 Chan source: Inurnot ilJnnln HO'-lJJkopt uxikun p. BOB.

n . Pope J ohn Paul II, Crossing rht Tbm bold if HQpt (Londo n: j onath an Cape, 1994 )
 N f PTU:\lE IN THE HO U SES - 403

of the fam ily. writ large and no longer de rerm ined by ties of blood . O ften
hurt and d isillusion men t with the actual fami ly, and parricularly with the
mother, may lead co a mother-child relationship with the g roup to wh ich
the ind ivid ual with Ne ptune in the I I th become s attac hed . As for who
plays the mother and who the child, we are once again in N eptune's hall of
mirrors. On e may be either; but one is always secretly both .
Friendship s of the 11 th house are roo ted in shared inte rests or ideals ,
and may conta in little emotional interaction of a personal kind . When
Nep tune is in the l l th house, however, friendships tend to involve intense
emotiona l unde rcu rrents, because of Nep tu ne's long ing to merge . Special
friends may appear as redeemer-figures, without whom one feels be refr and
Outcast. Th is can cont ribute to deep and enduring bonds ; but it may also
prove claust rophobi c to those whose natures requ ire more breathing space.
N eptune can be intensely possessive, as a child is of the mother, or as a
mother is of her child . The symbio ric natu re of N eprunian friend sh ip may
also create much pain and dis ill usionme nt , because N eptune's idealisations
may result in feelings of berrayal if the friend is nor wholl y and utterl y
devo ted . On e may also try to redeem friends who are vict ims of life;
N eptu ne in the 11rh ofren di splays a powerful attraction towa rd "strays"
whom everyone else has gi ven up on, and also toward those who are ill o r
are later lost throug h trag ic circumstances. These patterns reflect the vic-
tim- redee mer myth at work within the fabric of thi s most impo rtant
dimens ion of human relat ion ship . N ept une in the 11 th can describe feel -
ings of unity with friends wh ich are myst ical in their inte nsity, involv ing
not only wholehearted devoti on and co mpass ion but also a ge nuine will -
ing ness to make any sacrifice. Such friendsh ips may take us as clo se to the
gates of Eden as it is possi ble to arrive in this life. We may have to pay a
high price in suffering for such privi leged g limpses of the divine sou rce.
Bur Neptune in the 11th is not likely to begrudge t he price.

Neptune in the 12th House

In the 12th house, N eptune co mes hom e . In the waters of its own tem-
plum, we may observe it uncont ami nated by the outer world and the
th ings and people in it. The 12th house, like the 6th and th e Bt h, has had
a ha rd press. It is also, like Ne ptune, difficu lt to de fine. Traditionall y
known as the house of imp risonment , confinement and self-undoing . it is
a source of anxiery to ascrolog ical st ud ents who dis cove r natal planets
placed t here and , hav ing availed the msel ves of olde r text books , draw dire
concl usions.
404 ~ T H£ ASTRO LO G ICAL N£P1 UN£ ANO THE out vt FOR RED£MPTI O N

On its most underly ing level, the 12rh house . .. repr esent s (he
urge for di ssolution which exists in each of us-rhe yearn ing (0
rerum ro t he und ifferenr iared wat ers of the womb , (Q the orig inal
stare of unit y. 28

Becau se th e 12th d escribes t he ind ivid ual's personal exper ien ce of t he

source. it is con cerned w irh inherirance . Bur it is nor parental inheritan ce
as de scribed by [he 4th and l Orh, Our 12[h house lega cy takes us much
fu n her back, in to the realm of wh at th e Chi nese call t he an cesto rs. H ere
lie ou r deepes t roots. in terms of race. relig ion . nat ion al orig ins. and the
cult u re ou t of wh ich th e: fam ily line has sprung. Even if we repudiate this
lon ger past , and ide n ti fy only with the present and [h e life we have carved
for ourselves in th e world, the 12rh hou se is always th ere to rem ind us rhar
we are t he inherito rs of ima ges, myths, tr aditi on s, feelings . a nd dream s
whi ch belong nor on ly to ou r parents bur to ou r g randpa rents , g reat-
g rand pa rents , a nd the "stock" from whi ch we have sp rung . From th e l Zt h.
t he g hosts of the d istant past come back ro haunt us-the family "skele-
tons in th e closer," th e forg otten reli g iou s ort hod oxy of a g reat-g rand fa-
the r, th e lon g- supp ressed story of the great-aunt's sui cid e and th e g reat-
great-grandmoth ers "second sight ," th e poverty of [h e imm igr ant , and the
reli gi ou s pers ecution of rwo hundred years before . The daimons of forg ot -
te n pla ces inhab ir th e 12th as well-th e COUnt ry Iefe be hi nd long ag o , [he
folk t u nes, th e ances tra l totems of t he tribe. And furth er back even than
this lie the primord ial myths of human ori gins and human devel opment.
To all thi s, planet s placed in th e natal 12th hou se are att u ned . It is not sur-
pr ising th at, u ned uca ted as we are about t he reality and po wer of th e
un con sciou s collect ive psyche. th e 12th house gives us so mu ch tr ouble.
Ne ptu ne in th e l Zt h is a tr ansm itter of t he rich ness, da rk ness. and
lig h r of that whic h came before us. The l Zt h is [h e house of pre-b irt h, and
therefore also describes the per iod of [he mother's pregn an cy, wh en we
were cont ained within th e ut erine wate rs. As a med ium for t he archet yp-
al th emes of [he an cestral coll ect ive. N eptune in [he 12th is particula rly
attuned to feel ings and ima g es of suffering and redemption. Religious
issues wh ich belon g co t he famil y inheri tance are likel y to pro ve particu-
larly pow erful, and it is important for the ind ivid ual to learn someth ing
abo u t hi s or her sp irit ual heritag e; if these themes are dominant in th e
fam il y psyche, [hey wi ll no r leave the ind ivid ual wit h N eptune in [he 12t h
alon e. If un con sciou s. N eptune in th e 12th may prove compu lsive and
overwhelm ing , threatening to eng ulf th e ego wirh the power of irs yearn-

2B. Saspo rras, rs. Tu ~" ., H uuus" p . 9 8,

 NEPT UN E IN THE HOU IE I - 4 05

ing, which is really the power of many long-dead individuals each co n-

tributing his or her own longing to an ever-increasing psychic imperative.
The powe r of the imaginatio n. and the capacity to express images in cre-
ative form, may also be an urgent theme of th e family inheritance, and
artisti c vehicles may need to be found for fantasies which are olde r and
larger than those of the individual. It is not surprisi ng that this house is
called the house of sel f-undoing ; if we are unconscious of th is vast an ces-
tral long ing to go home, we may ensu re that we are dragged home in spite
of ou rselves.
Ebe rt in mem ion s "mysticism, reverie and artisti c pursuits . . . the
inner or psychic life is open to external influence . .. a craving for drugs
and narcotics."29 An inclination toward retreat, reverie and mysticism is
what we might expect when the individual experiences the pr imal long-
ing unadulterated by any sur rogate. T he gift of recepti vity to such power-
ful redemp tive images is also [he gift of the anise Com mit me nt (Q a rel i-
gious or spi ritua l path may offer consolation to Neptune's melancholy and
world-weariness, and may provide a mean s of redeem ing not only one's
ow n loneliness but the victims of the past. Neptu ne in the 12th may
shoulder the burden of redeem ing family sin and unhappiness, and is par-
ricularly prone to identification with the suffering saviour. For chis reason,
the ind ividual with Neptune in the l Zth, if un conscious and unform ed,
may become the scapegoa t or vessel for fami ly conflicts wh ich go back over
many generations. Certain forms of mental and physical disintegration,
which embody an accrued family backg roun d of m isery and d ifficulty, may
be: connec ted [0 Neptune in the 12th if the individual cannot contain his
or her inne r experiences. It is in this contex t that we may link drug addi c-
tion [Q thi s placement of the planet.
The collect ive unco nscious, with its endless fertile stream of arche-
typal dreams and fantasies, may also become the symbol of redemption for
Neptune in the l Zrh. One may become addicted to the creative powe rs of
the psyche, recreating from relationships with the ou ter world in o rder to
partake of th e universal waters of the sou rce. The individual may see him -
self or herself as a Christ-figu re, come to save the suffering world . This is
nor the ideology of the 11th , with its vision of a perfect society, but rathe r,
absolute emotional identifi catio n with life's victims. Because politics can
sometimes provide an arena throug h which relig ious feeling may be
expressed , Neptune in the 12th may contr ibute to a political philosophy
which champions the unde rdog, because the famil y inheritance has uncon -
sciously compelled the ind ividual to redeem a hidd en past. It is usefu l to

29. Ebernn . Tbe CumbinA'iun »[S"Uar In/ lJunw , p . ~ \.

40 6 - THT ASTR OlOGI CAL N IP T UNI AND I H I Q UEST FO R R[[) I MP TI O N

recall th e bi rth chan of Ton y Benn , th e Labou r MP, in this context.

Neptune is pl aced in th e l Zrh house with th e nat al Moon , and both are
sq uare to Saturn. In his repud iat ion of his in heri ted peerage in order to
serve th e polit ical left,; OBenn made a gestu re [hat is not merely political.
It is also a sta tement of a profound ob lig atio n to redeem somet hing w ith-
in hi mse lf, whose roots stret ch back well before his own birth and into t he
fam ily history.
The lin e between Ne ptu ne in the l Zth as visio nary, anise, and heal-
er, and Neptune in the l Zth as add ict , invalid or psychotic , is very fluid .
Neptu ne placed in this house teaches us a good deal abou t our extremely
limited and sometimes down right st up id definitio ns of sanity. The mysri-
calor "oceanic " pea k exper ien ce is not unco mmon with Neptune in t he
l Zt h , and it can be redem pt ive and life-enh an cing. Yet t he indi vid ual may
also be so overw he lme d t ha t he o r she ide ntifies utterly wit h bei ng God's
mouthpi ece. This may, in certain conte xts, be approp riate; Ne ptu ne in th e
l Zt h is more likely t han mos t co recogni se the essent ial divinity in the
whole of life. It is only when pr imary nar cissism domina tes the stage, and
no one else is g ranted t he sam e status, that we may begin to worry.
N eptune's apparent m adness may be emi nently sane, al t hough at tu ned to
t he inne r rat her th an t he Durer world . But t here are some indiv id uals wi t h
N eptune in t he 12t h, part icularly if it for ms st ressful aspect s wirh im por -
rant pe rsonal plan ers, w ho are unab le to maint ain their boundaries against
t he floodi ng of t he collecti ve psyche. T hey may act our t he tra d itiona l
meani ng of th e 12t h house, and spend th eir lives permanen tl y or int er-
m ittent ly confined .
T he ind ividual wirh Neptune in (he 12th may nor cons ide r hi m sel f
or hersel f in need of help, and may in fact not need it at all, un less he or
she is a da nge r to o t he rs, or is th e vicrim of comp ulsions beyond per sonal
cont rol. Neptune's ete rnal enemy is also N ep tune's et erna l friend , and a
lit tle Sacurn ian realism can g o a lon g way in assist ing a 12th house
N ep tun e flou nder ing in deep waters- al th ough roo mu ch Saturn m ay pro-
voke the very flood [he individu al is seeking co avoid . Perh aps eq ually
important is th e fun ction of Mercu ry, t he nat u ral rul er of rh e 6th house. It
was j ung's bel ief [hat , when wor ki ng wi t b those inundated by archetypal
images and comp ulsions, an un derstand ing of the symboli c na tu re of th e
materia l could prove rem ar kably healing in assisti ng t he individual ro nav-

30. For [hose reade rs u nfarmli ar wit h [he peculiari ne s of Brit ish politics, a rir led ind ivid -
ual may not serve as an elected mem ber of the House of Commons. He or she may, how.
ever, serve in th e House of Lords. Although members of t he House of Lords may be align ed
wit h the politi cal lefr, Tony Benn could not pr ornu tg are his socialist ideals thro ugh t he
House of Lords in the manner to wh ich he felr called, and so sacrificed his inheritance.
 NI PT UN I IN THI HO UI I I - 407

igate the cu rrents . Even if a breakdown occ urs, the pe rson's capaci ty ( 0 use
rhe exper ien ce con st ru ctively may depend in parr o n comp rehe nding what
happened in clear psych ologic al terms. Understandi ng is especiall y im por-
[ant for those w ith Neptune in the 12th and a chart in wh ich air or earth
is emphasised, because, as the fairy tale of Rurnpelsrilrskin cells us, kn ow-
ing the name of something demyst ifies it and rend ers it approachable.
Mercury, in his mythic role as g uid e of sou ls, can offer a system of support
for Neptune in the 12th which, although intellect ua l in nature, provides
a very useful form of ark .
H oward Sasportas com ments that "Neptu ne is sHong in its ow n
house.'·j l The challenge lies in contain ing and wor king w ith its streng th
in ways which allow life CO proceed rather than disintegrate. Definitions of
normality and sanity need to be carefully questioned in relation to this
most receptive and imaginative of Neptune 's house placements .
Sometimes periods of withdrawal, or even a kind of dissolution, may nec-
essarily alternate with period s of active inv olvem ent w ith the outer world .
Only th e ind ivid ual can d ecide what balance is app ropriate . But Neptune
in the 12 th, becaus e it reflects an ancestral inhe ritance much g reater than
the individual, w ill not tol erate sup pression. The N eptun ian longi ng for
redemption and return ro th e sou rce of life has probably been su pp ressed
o r deni ed for m any generat ion s; and , as Harry Trum an on ce said, for the
person with N eptune in the l Zrh, "the b uck stops here."

31 Sasportas. Tht Tu'tll't H veus, p. 306 .

 Chapler 12

NEPTUNE IN ASP ECT

Penrheus: They Jay that a stra nger hal errned, a wizard,

a sorcerer fr om Lydia, witb f ragranl golikn mris and ruddy
fait and JptliJ of looe in bis tytJ. He spends bis dayJ and
nigbts in tbe company of young women, prtltnding 10
init iate tbem in Iht baabic myJltritJ .. . 1J tt not tnough
10 makt a man hang himulf in agony-lhiJ insolent tflron-
I try, tbis mysterious stranger?

- EU RIPID ES, Tbe Bactbanu

ep tu ne 's v is itat io n upo n

other pla nets in the horo-
sco pe is li ke that of D ion ysus
upon Pen the us, Like the god
of The Bacchants, N ept u ne is
subtle, enc ha nti ng , and d is-
tu rbing . It requires a respon se more comp lex than rigid co ntro l (which is
Penrheus' bell ige ren r sta nce) o r unt hi nking obei sance (whic h is (h e co ndi -
t ion of th e m ad Bacchants ). Th is al ien being demands respect , wh ich ,
paradoxically, involves self-respect; recogn ition of the value of self-aban-
do nment wi tho ut blind immersio n in it ; and a relinquishi ng of con t rol
contained wi thin carefully defined bo undaries, wh ich allows bot h d isci -
pline and ecstasy. Such paradoxical requi rements may be less d ifficult than
they see m . Many art ist ic exp ress io ns can fulfi ll them. So can any deeply
felt an of ritualised wo rship . So, tOO ,· can any invol veme nt w ith another
person , in wh ich co mpas sion and emotional in ti macy are balanced by a
sense of o ne's own need s and limi ts. Bur Pentheus, like all of us at o ne rime
or ot he r, doe s nor ma nage [his terribly we ll .

Pmtbeus: These orgies of yours, what form do [he y ra ke ?

T he Sl rang" : It is unlawful for profane mor tals to know them.

Pmt htus: W ha[ p rofit do [he y afford to [he votaries?

Tbe Stran gt r: lt is nor rig ht for you [0 hear, but they are worth
knowin g .
4 10 - T HI ASTRO LO GICAL NI PIU N f AN D TH E G UIS T f O R RI DfMP TIO N

Pmtbeus: You g ild t he tale well , to make m e cu rious.

T be Strdngff: The god 's o rgie s loat he th e man who practises

im pi ety.

Pm tbeus: You saw th e god clearly. What like was he ?

Tbr Stranger: W hat like he p leased ; it was nc r for me to di ctate .

Pmtheus: Again you side -s tep ni m bl y, and avoid th e po int.

T be St ranger: Talk wisd om to the st up id and th ey will th ink you
fooli sh'

Pentheu s embod ies bo t h th e great st reng t h and th e g teat faili ng of eg o- con-

sciousness . H e is both solar and Saturn ian. He tr ies (Q alle viate h is anxi ety
first by req uest ing sim p le ans wers, and only afterwa rd with an asse rt ion of
aurhor iry, Yet he asks th e god th e wro ng qu estions; and so, perhaps, do we.

N eptune and the Inner Planets

An y aspe ct between tw o p laner s de scribes a relati on ship bet wee n tw o liv-
ing en erg ies, bot h val id and necessary 10 t he ind ivid ual, and bot h incli ned
to de ma nd th eir own way. T he most imp ortant dimens ion of int erpret ing
an aspect lies nor in whe t her it is "easy" or "d ifficult, " but in wh et her, and
how, th e t wo p laners m ig ht esta b lish a wor k ing partn ersh ip wh ere-s-even
if they some t imes fig h t -th ey are ult imately honoured within th e con-
taine r of a sing le self. It is here th at th e role of consc iousness is so impo r-
tant , becau se it is th e arb iter between chose warring psych ic com puls ions
wh ich the ancien ts underst ood as fate. Bu t like a vision ary, wan der ing
be wi lde red and ina rt icu late amo ngst more ext raverted folk, Ne ptune does
not eas ily form a work ing partnersh ip wit h ot he r planets . T he Moon
u ndersta nds some eleme n ts of N eptune's language , for th e need for em o-
ti onal closeness p rov ide s com mo n g rou nd . But t he M oon, sym bo lisi ng
fun d menra l inst inctu al needs, will not pract ise volunta ry self-im mo lation .
Venu s, of whi ch N eptune is some times called th e h ig her octave, can also
understand N ept u n ian language ; th ey share th e sense of exalt at ion wh ich
ar ises from any g lim pse of beau ty, in id eas or in th e worl d of form . Bu t
Venus wi ll not foll ow N eptu ne int o {he waters of ob livion ; it desires plea-
su re, nor exrincrion. The Su n can converse with N ep tu ne about th e pur-
pose of life; b u t t he Sun wishes to serve th e divi ne t hroug h active em b od -

1. Eur ipides, Tht Bo{(JutnlJ, from Ttn Pia'll by EliriplJtl, t ranslated by Moses Hades and
J ohn Mckean (New York: Bantam, 1960), p_290.
 NEP TUN E IN ASPECT ~ 411

ime n r, not passive sacrifice. Ju pit er can also pass time with Neptune. They
share the rule rship of P isces, and both seek experience of a reality beyond
earthly lim its. But Jup iter's relig iosit y is root ed in ph ilosophy, not in
fusion with the divine , and its perception of a purposeful cosmos results in
a knowledge of life's bounty and a capacity to express personal goals with
confide nce and fait h. For Nep tu ne, life is to be transcended , not explored ;
and knowl edg e, however universal, interferes w ith the unio mystico.
Mercury will co mmunicate with Neptune only if Neptune's visions can be
translat ed into concepts and creative skills. Chiron can share N ept une's
awareness of human suffering, hut it seeks healing through unde rstanding ,
not the cessation of pain throug h non- being . And Mars and Saturn wou ld
rather not speak to Neptune at all.
N eptune's aspects to the inner planets symbo lise an intrusio n from
the rwilighr world of the cosmic wate rs int o the daylight worl d of indi-
vidual identi ty, herald ing the impo ssibility of ord inary co ntent ment in the
sphere of life g overned by the other planet. The visitation of Neptune
upon the inner planets , all of which are concerned with the needs of the
individual personality, is neither good nor bad; it is sim ply a statement of
a certain daimon of indivi dual dest iny, rendering the personality more
porous to the redemptive long ings of the co llect ive , and requ iring a par-
ticula r kind of effort in exchang e for the vivifi cation of life it provides.
This daim on cannot be ign ored or repressed . O the rwi se it wi ll, sooner or
later, rise up like a tidal wave, from with in or from wi thout, to underm ine
[he structures of [he personality, psychi cally and often phys ically. Equall y,
if it is allowed to overwhe lm the eg o-serving functi ons because of a lack of
coherent boundaries or an absence of respect for the ordinary self, the ind i-
vidual's potency in life is destroyed through his or her inabil ity to accept
separateness . Then one is helplessly in the g rip of the moth er-complex,
however eso teric the label one g ives it; and one becom es a vict im of life
and of oneself.
D ifficult aspects to Neptu ne may indi cate either ex treme, depending
upon the ove rall chan picture of wh ich the aspects are a pan. Both
responses avoid [he challenge of living with loyalty to the enti rety of on e-
self- the prerequ isite for all successful separation. Neptune does not have
to play Dionysus to th e ego's Penrheus, dest roying the found atio ns of ind i-
vidu al sani ty and self-sufficiency. No r does one have to be a full-ti me pro-
fessional Bacchant , helplessly d riven from one emo tional affect to the next ,
or one redeem er [ 0 th e next , [he passive vict im of one's own bl ind depen-
dency. Neptune can be experienced as a g reat creative force, expressed in
forms which honour bo th the oceanic realm and the individ ual's bound-
aries and worldly needs. W ith a powerful Neptu ne one may never be "nor-
4 12 - TH E ASl ROlOGICA I N EP-' liN E AND T HE Q U ( \ T FO R RED EM PT IO N

mal," whatev er th at is-but one is likel y co be extr emely int erest ing and
ali ve. It is inevitab le th at we w ill make m istakes with N ep t un e-some-
times many t im es, and sometimes te rrible ones-before we beg in to dis-
cern th e possibil ity of an outcome which does not echo the ending of The
Bacchants, with one's head paraded at th e end of a pole. In youth we may
only feel that somet hing invisi ble erodes OU t clarity and will , leaving us
un happy and confused because life is not like Eden. We may lack the
Saturn ian roug h ness and solar confidence to to lerate suc h disappoi nt -
ments ; it all hurts too much . Lat er, when Saturn has return ed to it s ow n
place , and later still , when Uran us opposes its own place, we are more ab le
to thi nk of th e rig ht q uest ions.
For the indi vid ua l who is tOO defe nde d , N ept une's presence is fright-
ening ; for th e individual with weak boundaries, it is addict ively bl issful ,
like Novalis' fatal long ing for obl ivion . Some times both respon ses are expe-
rienced at once. If there is no individual sel f to stand between N ep tun e and
t he planets it aspects , th en N eptune may do what D ion ysus does to
Penrheus; or t he individual neve r becomes a full indi vidual, and remai ns,
in a part icular sphere of life, ete rna lly hungry and un born . Alt hough we
need not take Euri pid es' po rt rai t of the god as an ind ication of any cruel and
cap ricious Nept unian intent, it is useful to rem embe r never theless.

T be Stranger: Let us puni sh this ma n. First d rive him from his

wit s, make him a litt le mad. If he is in his right min d , there is no
chance of his ever consent ing to pm on a woman's dress. But if he
is d riven out of his mind he will pu t it on . . _ He shall come to
know Dionysus, son of Zeus, who is every bit a god , terribl e in
power, hut to mankind most gem Ie. 2

Neptune-Sun Aspects
A ny man's death dsminisbes 111f,
because I am involvedin Mankind;
And IhtrefrJ1't never lend 10 knowfor wbom tbe belltolls;
II tolls f or tbee. )

When Nept un e asp ects t he Su n in the birt h cha rt , th e need (or individ-
ual self-expression and the longing for th e formlessness of preb irth are
(a rced into di alogue. The subjec t of (he conversatio n, consc ious or uncon-

2. Tbe Baabo nn, p _ 300 .

3. J ohn Den ne, "Devotions." an t» Oxftld O;(I ;onary of QUlJlalltlnJ (London: Oxford
Un iversity Press. 1940, 186 :28 ,
 NEPTU N( ''I ASPE CT - 41 3

scious, is the purpose of one's life. The Sun and Neptune ate un easy bed -
fellow s, an d it ge nerally rakes a t least unt il the t ime of th e first Saturn
ret urn for the ind ivid ual to beg in co fath om how [Q live wit h th is d is-
turbing cohab irario n. That it is possib le is suggest ed by [he Greeks, who
coupled the tw o gods in thei r joint shrine at Delphi , presenting th e wor-
shipper with an alternat ing rhyt hm of sola r cla rity and chrhon ic ecs tasy,
each with its own pan of the year set aside for the ap propriat e rit uals.
Because the Sun symbolises t hose values and goal s whi ch develop full y at
mid-life, forming t he bedroc k of the ind ividual's sense of personal destiny,
t he Sun-Neptu ne ind ivid ual needs to incl ude the Neptunian world in his
or her chosen pat h in life. Otherwise . nagg ing d iscontent , disillusio nment ,
and apat hy m ay unde rmine everyt h ing one t ries to d o.
All the aspect s-c-hard and soft - req u ire some expression of th e pre -
b irth realm through an ind ivid ua lly developed m ed iu m , pr eferabl y (but
not necessaril y) one whi ch can be pursued as a vocation or profession .
Incl ud ing th e Neptun ian world mi ght soun d sim p le. All one has to do ,
ap pa ren tl y, is t h in k tra nscendem t hou ghts . But th e Sun is a d yn am ic for ce
which seeks ro exp ress an d acrua lise; it must rad iate out int o life and ma ke
some impact, however sm aJl, on t he ou te r world . If the per son is to avoid
the illusory com fort of an escap ist "sp iritualit y," he or she must find a veh i-
cle that offers an outlet fo r Neptune 's sen su al and em oti onal thea tri cal it y
as well as its lon g ing for fusion wit h the div ine. Most importantl y, th is
vehicle m ust be individual. Doc tri nes, however beautiful and worthwhile
[hey m ig ht seem , are not individual, u nless they are processed t hroug h
one's own experience and values.
Sun -Nep tune may sig nify th e musician , th e actor, the composer, the
playwrig ht , t he writer of poetry and fict ion, th e pa int er, the film -maker,
(he ph otographe r, the astrologer, t he experim ental scient ist wh o rel ies
upon insp irat ion as well as empiric resear ch .t o r the th erapist , cou nsellor,
or t eacher wh o works with the p roduct s of t he im ag inati on in orde r to
heal. Neptu ne may also feel at home nurt ur ing or red eem ing an envi ron-
m ent wh ich echoes Eden. Neptune's emparh y with human suffer ing an d
longing ma rks the Sun-Neptune individual's creati ve endeavours with a
quality of universa li t y; he or she can comm un icate in a language eve ryo ne
unders tands. These form s of expression a re sola r as well as oceanic; they
have body, alt houg h [hey are fluid ; rhey necessitate consc ious effort , dedi -
cat ion , ind ivid ua l cho ice, sensual co ntact and imagery, and a sub tl e inter-

4 , A good example of N eptune expressed in the field of science is Th omas Alva Edison, who
had the Sun and Nept une closely con junct in Aquarius, both also in an our-of-sig n con-
junc ricn with Satu rn in Pisces Chart source: J M. Harm on, ed .• Fou-ler's CumpmdiJnn 1,11
N" ,illi,i tS (London: L. M. Fowler & Coo. 1980). p _9 1.
4 14 - T H E AITROL OG ICA L NIP TU N[ ANO [ H E O UII T fO R R[[)IM PTI O N

relation ship with rhe rest of life. Neptune makes the Su n-eg o porous, open
to the waters of (he unseen world. Bur the unseen is not JUSt transcend ent
light; it is also primal darkn ess. If one tr ies to befri end th e litrle fish with -
ou t th e big one, th e d arkn ess may rise up through othe r chan nels: alcoh ol,
drug addiction, compulsive eating disorders , sexual difficulties, or dis-
ab ling and disintegrating me nta l or physical illness. O r it ma y be expe ri-
e nced through projection , and by som e bla ckly humourous quirk of fate
one's pa rtner o r ch ild will embody all th e murk ier N eptun ian ele me nts
that one mos t stron g ly re pud iates within onese lf. The Sun-Nept une pe r-
son, li ke Penrheu s. may init ially succeed in ban ni ng th e go d , b u t ma y end
up m arrying a man ic depressiv e , an hy st eri c , o r an alc oholic, o r g iv ing
birth co a lit t le D ionysus who becomes a d rug addi ct when he g rows up .
The ind ividual with Sun -N eptune longs to experience bei ng "taken
our of " him self or herself, throug h an act of voluntary submission co some-
thing g reater or high er. The Sun is the natural ruler of the Srb ho use, and
th is house is conce rned not o nly wit h creative effo rt, but also wi th love. In
bot h the act of love and the act of creative ex pression we mu st be truly
naked , if we wish to offer a ge nui ne reflect ion of ou r innermost selves. One
cannot fake it in ei ther realm and then hope (0 experience the Sun's sense
of personal aut hentic ity. But being naked is nor the same as "giving up the
eg o." It is the state of being most ge nuinely oneself, w ithout defenses and
disgui ses. Those common d reams in which o ne discovers onesel f naked , in
the mid dle of a crowd in a publ ic p lace, portray the painful expe rience of
self-exposure- the loss of an acceptabl e persona or soc ial role. Th is solar
need for the expression of a unique self, even in the face ofloneliness o r co l-
lective disapproval, need s to be held in balance w ith Neptu ne's longing fo r
dissolut ion. If the Sun is swamped , then individuality can on ly make itself
known through COVert channels-c-sym p roms wh ich justify one's uncon-
scious demand to be not iced , o r a relation ship patte rn in wh ich one's spe-
cialness is measured by the deg ree of victi mi sarion suffered at the hands of
a "selfish" and do mi neering partner, child, parent , or friend . If N eptun e is
sup pressed , sym p roms « fleeri ng one's help lessness a nd dependen cy may
appea r, or one may be repeated ly drawn to those wh o are the mse lves help-
less and victim ised . And one may expe rience an intol erable long ing fo r
something unknown and unseen-a long ing for dissolution whi ch can only
be satisfied by an act of wha t older astrology text books call "self-undoi ng ."
Sun -Neptu ne, like all solar aspects , de scribes on e's percep tion s of the
perso nal father. The indiv idual may have experienced a "vanish ing " father,
who was emot ionally or physically absent , o r ailing and weak . There is
often profound uncon scious idealisation of the father. H e may have been
N eptun ian himself, and his birth chart may reveal Sun -Neptune or Moon-
 'J [ HU N E IN AIN CT - 4 15

Neptune contacts , or an angular Neptune, o r an em phasis in Pisces.

Creative imaginatio n and psych ic receptiv ity may have been strong in the
fath er's nature, and perhaps in the male line going bac k over several gen-
eratio ns; but often the se attribures have remained und eveloped. o r are
mask ed by more ma te rialist ic conce rns . The fathe r's life may appear [Q
have been wast ed, its crea tive potent ials d issipat ed in alcoh ol, wom ani s-
ing, depr ession , ill ness, or repeated financ ial failure. On some level th e
fathe r. inaccessible yet fascinat ing, da mag ed yet pr om ising t he ecst asy of
fusion , belove d yet a fai lure to h is offspring , may ap pear as a Ch risr- fig-
u re-3 redeem er h im self in need of redemp tion , hid den behi nd o r d riven
away by a more p rosaic wife.
T he personal farher, melded wit h rhe arche typal fat her, is a symbol
for every ch ild 's sense of confide nce and crea t ive power. This is wh y we
expect so m uch from ou r fathers , who will inevitab ly ge t it wron g in one
way or another becau se th ey a re morral. It is also wh y th e Sun in th e horo-
scope seems to personify what has been " inhe rited " from the father as pan
of t he raw ma terial of one's own indi vid ual dest iny. The myth ic hero 's
quest is invariab ly th e ext ernalisat ion of an at tribu te embod ied by his pa r-
e nt-god .? Any planet aspecring the Sun points to a particular facet of th e
fat her-archetype, which it is the individual's "task" to confront and express
as creatively as possible . The N eptunian fat her is th e di sm embered
Orpheus or th e wounded Gra il King, rendered impot ent by life's harshness
or by his own burden of human sin . The internalised fath er-figure provides
the rudiments of a sense of purpose, JUSt as th e inte rnalised mother pro-
vid es t he rudim ents of an instinctiv e trust in life. Th e N eptunian father is
a sp irit wh o has not embod ied himself in life; and his ch ild is left co find
h is or her ow n model for con fident livi ng . It is not su rp rising t hat many
Su n-Neptu ne ind ivid ua ls take a long time to do so.
There a re often co nsid erab le c reati ve potent ials inherited from th e
fat her. I have met ma ny Su n-N ept une people whose fathe rs wer e ta lented
acto rs, mu sicians, writers and painters, although frequen tly these fath er s
cou ld not make their talents work in oute r life, or abandoned the ir g ift s,
or never ex pressed th em at all once th ey em ba rked upon ma rriag e and
fat herhood . The ind ivid ual with Sun-Nept une may pay for t h is dream er -
fathe r with a g naw ing intern al sense of impotence. Sooner or later, he or

Y For exampl e. The seu s, son of the bul l-god Poseidon , was req uired to slay the Minota ur.
rhe bull-head ed mon st er wh o symbo lised h,s father' s conflict wub King Mi nes. Rom ulus.
son of the war-god Milts. was req urred ro kill his mo re viole ne brot her Rem us. who had
anempred ro m urder him . These heroes m usr, in effect , confront the darker f<lce of th e del t)·
who engende red t hem, thus redeermn g somerhing In rhe god himself.
4 16 - TH I AI TROLOG IC Al NIP I UNI AND TH I O UII T f OR RW EMPTIO N

she w ill have [Q dev elop self-confi dence "fro m scrat ch," because th e pe r-
son al fat he r cou ld nOI offer a sila ng enoug h exampl e. W e ate all handi-
capped by somet hing someone d id not do , because th e personal pa rem s are
people and not arche t ypes. Su n-Neptune does not connote a be rre r or
wor se fath er th an any ot her. N or do horo scopes ma ke any ob jecti ve com -
men t on whet her the pe rsonal father or mother is loving or unl ov ing, good
or evil, conscious or un conscious. Parental significaton in a birth chart rtf/tet
an arrhetypal pattern, experienced f irs/ in the parent, Su n-N ep tu ne pon rays the
patt ern of th e victim-red eemer, th e ani se and th e visionary. The vani shing
father beco mes th e vanish ing god , whose em brace we seek beyo nd life. FOI
wo men wi t h Su n- N ep tu ne , idea lisat ion of the father ma y mean t hat , when
one falls in love in ad u lt hood, ir will be with someone one can not hav e, on
one level or anot he r. Or a wom an may repudia te all relationsh ips with
men , because un consciously none can compare wit h th e di vine fat he r
whom , on t he conscious level, one may have d espised . Men with Sun -
N ep tun e m ay t ran sfer these feel ings ont o wom en who , pe rsoni fying the
d ivine matern al sou rce, elude or dev ou r t hem ; or onto ot her men, in whom
th ey u nconsciously seek th e beloved spirit-fat her who vanished once up on
a tim e. Enormou s im agi nat ive and creat ive pote nt ial is reflected in Su n-
Nep tune con ta cts . Bur if one is to expr ess th at pot ential, one must bui ld
a st rong vessel to cont ain th e sac red wine.

Neptune-Moon Aspects
Bu t i n her U'th sht st Ili dtltghts
To wta ~'t tht mirror's magic ughn ,
For ofttn tb ro' tht si/tnt nighlI
A f untral, with plumer and lights,
And music, went to Cam elot:
Or when the moon was overbead,
Came t wo young kn en la ftly u,t d:
"I am half sick of sbadoun, " said
The lA dy of Sbalou. 6

N ep t une and (h e Moon have much in com mo n. Bot h rule wat er sig ns,
and bot h are conn ected with mot her and mothering , and t he need to
bel ong . Em pathy, k indn ess, d elicacy of feel in g , and a highly developed
imag inat ive faculty are often reflect ed by Moon -N ep tu ne con tacts in th e
birth horo scope. Eq uall y, th ese contacts have a repu tatio n fo r unhap pi ne ss,

6 , Alfred , Lord T~ n n Y5 0 n , "T he Lad y of Shalorr." in TbeOx/urJ LIbrary uf EngliJh P~If)' , Vol.
III. J oh n Wain , ed . (Lo ndon, G uil d Publi shi ng, 1989), p B l .
 N EP T U N E IN A\P!CT - 41 7

particularly through physical illness and rel ationship diffi culties. The
Moon, watery th ou gh it is, is als o full of body, represent ing the ind ivid-
ual's insti nctu al needs . Because (he Moon is so intensely personal, it
describes very speci fic requirements for phys ical and emotional content -
ment. Personal needs define an individual as clearly as more aggressiv e
so lar or Mart ial demands . There is always an ''I' ' beh ind the Moon , albe it
an instin cti ve one, just as there is beh ind the Sun ; and Neptune is the
ene m y of "I." Finding a workable balance between the individual needs of
the Moon and the uni versal longi ng s of N eptune may requ ire ensuring
that the desire to merge with others does not overwhel m the expression of
one's own feeli ng s, d esires, and bod ily needs; but that, equally, d ependen-
cyan mater ial and emotional security doe s not stifle the long ing to move,
emo tio nally and imaginat ively, beyond the sphere of "normal" fam ily life.
Suc h a balance can be achieved o nly if on e is will ing to dis pense w ith the
gla mo ur of sel f-sacrifice, and can learn to restrain an inherent propensity
for emotional mani pulation and marryrdom . Some reflect ion on early em o-
tiona l expe riences m ay be helpful , particularly in relat ion to the pers onal
morher, of whom the Moon is the chief astrol og ical sig nificaeor.
Nep tune 's "d ivine dis content " will push the Moon's inherently clan -
nish focus beyon d the bounda ries of one's im m ediate sp he re of life. The
combi nat ion can thus reflect deep compassion for the needy and fearful
feelings com mo n [Q all human be ing s, panicularl y lonelin ess. Moon -
N eptune unde rstands others' need for unconditional love, and itself need s
suc h love in return ; and there may be a profound sense of being linked not
just co a few friend s and family members, but to the whole suffering
world . Yet w ith out some validation of one 's o wn personal emori onal
requirement s, th e ind ividual may become the resentful servant of othe rs'
dem and s, eterna lly hungry yet offering himself or herself as food for every
hung ry mouth that comes along . With Moon-Neptune, the need to be
needed can dom inate the whole of life. Somecimes the boundless hunger of
Moon-Neptune remains unacknowledged by the consc ious personality,
part icul arl y if th e chart exhibi ts a more self-suffic ient ou tlook through an
emphasis in air and earth , o r a dominant Saturn or U ranus. Th en one may
expe rience Moon -Ne ptune through a needy, de mandi ng , or ill partner or
child; or professiona lly, t hrough th ose whom one is attem pt ing ro help or
hea l. An unconsc ious Moo n- N eptu ne may also be exp ressed through the
phys ical body, wh ich becomes the vo ice for th e inarticul ate infant who
can not exp ress hun ger and vu lnerab il it y in any ot her form .
The Moon reflects both th e early experience of bondi ng be t wee n
mot her and chi ld , and th e nature of the archetypal maternal inheritance.
Irs positio n and aspec ts in the birth chart des cribe , often with g reat preci-
sion, the emotional cli mate of infancy. Lunar seco ndary progres sions offer
4 18 - THI AITR O LO GICA L N I PT UN I AN D TH I O UI I I f OR RW LMPTI O N

valuabl e insigh ts , becau se any luna r aspect with a plane t (0 wh ich t he

Moon is ap plyin g at birt h will come exact w it hin nin e mo nt hs afte r birth .
An y sep arat ing aspect will have been exact at some poi nt w irhin the nine
months p reced ing bi rch . In other word s, prog ressed lu nar aspects cover a
pe riod roug hly (rom gestation co nine mont hs afte r o ne's arr ival in [he
world . For exam ple, a Moon-U ran us conj uncr ion wh ich is apply ing ar
birth and , by secondary progression, reaches exactitude four month s after
birch , sugg ests experiences of di sruption or insta bi lit y, emo tio nal or p hys-
ical, in th e fou rt h month of life. The ch ronic anxiety which often afflict s
the Moon-U ran us pe rson in adu lthood may rhus reflect a dim ly rem em -
bered experien ce of un certainty or u ph eaval in infancy. U nd ersta ndi ng th e
conn ection bet ween typica l Moon -Uran us fea rs projected into the futu re
(fan tas ies of aeroplane crashes, exploding ga s boilers, sudden separations) ,
and emoti onal experien ces from the past, can help th e ind iv idu al to cope
better with his or her di stu rbin g expe ctat ion that everyrbing is about to
go ho rri bly wro ng .
In th e same way, Moo n- N eptun e aspens de scribe pa st experiences
wh ich may transl ate th em selves into fu tu re expe ctations. T he Moon-
Neptu ne person may have bee n t he "favou ri te" child, en joyi ng a spe cial
and mys te rio us bond with th e moth er, and assumi ng , in ad ult life, th at
loved ones will p rov ide constant and absolute emotional nou rishment .
Being th e favou rite may also carry a h igh price . Favou rit e child ren are
ofte n th ose in whom t he pa rent pe rceives, not th e chi ld 's real ident ity, b ut
a chance to live his or he r own unfu lfilled life over ag ain . T his is cert ain ly
fusio n, but at consid erable cost to th e chi ld, who may find tha t, in adult-
hood , he o r she feels lone ly and unreal without incessan t emotional reas-
su rance . The sacrificial ten d encies of Moon -N ep tu ne are sometimes a
mea ns of atte mpt ing to recreate the early state of fusion. Moo n- N ep t u ne
in irs more difficult expressions may be linked with drug and alco ho l
add ictio n, as well as eating diso rders . T his is not surprising if we und er-
stand t he hunger for such substances as a yearning for an u ncond it ionally
loving mother-sou rce. The compu lsive element s of Moon -Neptu ne 's
hu nger suggest th at, rath er th an expe riencing a solid pe rsonal mother, o ne
has expe rienced instead an ecstasy of mutual feed ing wit h an arche typal
fig ure of tr em end ous emotiona l power. Moo n-N ept u ne may reflect the
expe rienc e of a mo ther who has suffered greatl y, often at th e hand s of a
"bad" hu sband . Somet ime s (he suffe ring is link ed wi t h non personal issues
like war, or poverty; or th e mother may be ph ysically or emotiona lly ill
when [he child is young . W hat ever [he ch ild hood situ ation, t he archet yp-
al vic ti m-redeemer, who is also t he sea- mot her T i'amat , may obscure [he
perso nal mo t her 's actual iden ti ty and character.
 f".O ( PTU ..... E IN ASPE CT - 4 19

This com b inat ion of be ing swall owed up yet "selflessly" loved m ay
g enerate a deep sense of g ui lt-c-o ne of the chief pl agues of Moo n-
Ne ptune 's inne r world . This g u il t, expe rie nced by t he child become adu lt ,
may be trigg ered by any "sel fish" act wh ich involv es purri ng oneself, not
one's mother or moth er-surrogates, first. Moon- N eptune does not indi ct
th e mother as be ing a "bad " pa rent . Usually, the worst that can be said is
th at she may have been a psychologi cal child herself; and ch ild ren of any
age, from two weeks to eighty years, tend to be very difficult when their
needs are not met. We cannot give our children what we do not possess
ourselves; and if in adu lthood we are still seek ing Eden , we will probably
try ro find it through our offspring . But to th e Moon -Neptune child ,
acutely sensitive to any emoti onal shift in others, the moth er's u nhappi-
ness may assume myth ic proporti on s; and one feels im pelled to redeem her
suffer ing . In ad u lt hood , Moon-Neptune's chie f to rme nt may be a vague
but ab id ing sense of gu ilt , whi ch arises as a result of any expression of
emo tional independence. O ften, beneath the idealisations surrou nd ing the
mother, there may be deep ange r, because the Moon -N eptu ne ind ividual
feels unseen, unfed , and profoun dly mani pulated . It is very imp ortant for
Moon-Ne ptune to learn to say "N o : ' Th is entails moderatin g the extreme
senti mentali ty wh ich ofte n accom panies any experience of love. Moon -
Neptune needs to be the Moon first , acknowl edging the primary value of
ones own physical and emo t ional well -b eing , be fore sho u lde ring the
respon sibility of fufill in g t he needs of ot hers.
Along with empath y and responsivene ss, Moon-Neptune can exp ress
an extremel y refined sensuo us ness and an exq u isite appreciarion of touch.
smell, taste , colour, movem ent, and sound . Any or all of these can find
their way into creative work of various kinds, if the rest of the chart is in
accord . So sensitive is the body that Moon -Neptune may be linked w ith a
propensity for allergi es of all kinds, particularly those involving food. T he
world outside the Parad ise Garden may prove too coarse and abrasive , and
the body exp resses the revulsion of the feelings. Addict ions and alle rgies
are tw o d imens ion s of the same Neptun ian d ilemma. If one can provide
enoug h inner mother ing to counteract the extreme vulnerabili ty wh ich
Moon -Neptune expe riences whe n faced with th e harshness of t he worl d ,
then allergic reacti ons may be at least partly overcome . But the sensitivi-
ty wi ll always remain. Moon -Neptune's refinement can also con fer great
charm, tact , and gentleness, expressed both sociall y and in any help ing or
teachin g milieu . In rbe personal history of Moon -Neptune there may have
been coo much mother and coo little mothering . Yer behind th is personal
dilemma lies the greater human dilemma of intrinsic isolat ion, and the
absol u te depend ency wh ich can exist between famil y members, hurt by
1 20 - ·TH f A \ IROL O GI CAl Nf PIUN f AND TH E our sr f OR RrDf M PT IO N

life and fea rfu l of aband onment , who seek Eden in each ot her. Moo n -
N ep tun e, more rhan any other planetary conran , understands most deep ly
th e rraged y of hum an loneliness.

Neptune-Mercury Aspects
Imagination.' IIfl ing up iliff!
Befort the tye and progrtlS of my song
Li ke an unfatht't"td vapour-h"t that Pouer,
In (I II the might of its endowments, ( a m i
Athwart me; I was 101/ as in a cloud . . . 7

E be n in refer s co th e com b inat ion of N ep t une and Me rcury as "[he imag -

inati ve faculty."H Amon g st its posit ive featu res he incl ude s an ab unda nt
imaginatio n and a g rasp of su btle correlat ions; amon gst irs nega tive atr rib-
ur es he lists faulty jud geme nt , con fused pe rcep tio ns, a nd t he tenden cy to
(ell lies. Mercury, god o f th ieves and lia rs, availing himself of N ept u ne's
em ot ional pow e r a nd g ift of fantasy, may weave encha nti ng un rr u rhs ,
reOect ing the gifted story teller as well as th e gi fted deceiver. Storytell ing
is, after all , a for m of decep t ion; we are led int o a world whi ch, for a rime,
we find u t re rly beli evable, u mi l we remi nd ou rselves th at it was reall y "fic-
tion" afte r all. Mem ory, [ 00 , is sto rytelli ng , for we recall t hose incid ent s
wh ich affect us emot iona lly, wh ile forge tt ing t hose wh ich have not
tou ched ou r souls . For Mer cur y-Neptu ne, t ru t h may be flu id a nd flexib le,
and imagi n ing s may be as real as literal event s. Is an h isto rical novel, su ch
as The Mark 01 Apollo by th e late Mary Renaul t. less true than a scholarly
history of 5t h-cen tu ry Athen s? Is H omer 's Iliad untrue because th ere are
go d s in it, as weJl as the warlike deeds of men ? Th e classics p rofessor at
O xford m ight claim that the novel is un reliable because th e author "made
up" many thing s; th e h istory is trust worthy becau se it is based on facts.
Bu t , as any M ercur y-N eptune pers on kn ows, "fan s" are as ope n [() sub jec-
rive interp retat ion as a dr eam .
M ercury as psych opomp dra ws from Neptun ian wat e rs the power of
incant ation and rit ual, and a n u ncanny insig h t into th e h idden reaches of
th e hu man sou l. For Mercu ry-Nep tu ne the in ne r wo rld is as real as, or
mor e real t ha n, t he worl d of ob jects; sym bols and imag es have a substa nce

7. Wilham Wordswon h, "Crcssmg (he ..... lps." m Tbe Raith Bag, Seamus Heaney and Ted
H ughes, eds. (London: Faber and Faber, 1982), p. t 16.
H. Ebe rl in , The COmhlflaJl f)17 of Sulla,. I'If/"mm {Frei bu rg , G ermany: Ebertin Verlag, 1960 ).
p 116
 NEPTU N E IN ' SPECT - 4 21

whi ch mat erial su bstance, devoid of colou r and feeling , lacks . T he u nspo·
ken th oughts and feelin gs of ot hers a re more tang ible than what they are
wear ing , or t he colou r of their hair. T he gifts of Mercu ry-N ept un e are
myri ad , and are m ost in ev idence wh en t he indi vid ual atte mp ts to tr ans-
late N eptu ne's flu id real m in to langu age wh ich can be un derstood by th ose
who are land locked and have no access to the waters of t he p ri mal sea. T he
language may not alway s he words ; it may be images, or it may be music.
But Mercu ry- N ep tu ne at irs best is t he br idgebuilder be twee n Eden and
th e out er worl d . conveying messages fro m one to t he ot her, abl e [0 to uch
heart s and m inds through com m unic ati ng an incom m u nicab le realm . The
p roblem is t hat the ind ivid ual may not always be able co di stinguish
bet ween the t wo worlds. Like a b ilingual translator who cannot rem em ber
any lon ger which language he or she is speak ing, Mercury- N ep tu ne m ay
beg in to replace rat he r than enhance oute r expe rience wit h its ow n imag-
in ings, and , worse sti ll , be lieve its own lies, confusing ou ter and inner
worlds so that o ne's pe rceptions of peop le and events are hopelessly di s-
rorted by one's own rede mptive long ing s. Because Mercury-Neptu ne
requires a sHong ego as med iato r, it may, if the pe rsonal ity st ruct u re is
frag ile, move tOO far into t he world of fantasy as tru t h, and truth as th e
enact ment of one's perso nal fantas ies. For th is reason Mercury-Neptune is
associated not only with the delibera te te lli ng of un t rut hs, b ut wit h se ri-
ous delusions. The ou ter world may increasingly be overshadowed by
my t hic scenarios . O t her people, as well as oneself, then have no roles to
play, ap art from Ti'arnat or C hrist .
Placed midway between an exte rnal world whi ch is vast and alien to
us as solita ry being s, and an inner world whi ch , although ours, is also
everyone's and therefore equally vast and alien, we mus t reg ister objects
and experien ces, feeling s and images, ide nt ify wh at th ey are and wh ere
the y come from , group th em accord ing to whether t hey are benig n or life-
threaten ing , and fo rmulate what they mean to us on man y level s. Mercury
hold s in its keep ing our capacity to be conscious of ou r own existence, For
t his reason the med ieval alche m ists elevated Me rcu rius to th e status of that
which pe rforms t he t ransfo rmation of hu ma n lead int o hu man go ld . One
of the mos t profound and di stu rbing ways of gai ning insig h t into Mercu ry
is to work with severely au tist ic chi ldren , who have appeared to put [he
planet into cold swrage. Little or no com m unic ation passes from the au tis-
tic child to [h e ou ter world , nor does any exter nal event int rud e upon [h e
child's enclo su re in ute rine waters . Em ot ion al experiences cannot make
the ir way past th e ba rr iers to prod uce recog nisab le respon ses other th an
ter ror or rag e, O n some level we all have elemen ts of autism with in us,
where t he lines of com m un ication have broken down , or where ou r pe r-
422 - THE ASTROLO GIC AL NEPT UNE AN D THE QUEST f O R RED[ MPTIO N

cep tions are no longe r of wh at is t here, but are of what once was the re, or
of what one belie ves is t here. Mercu ry's aspens [Q ot her plan et s can sug -
g est not only where we are abl e to bu ild bri dg es between different worlds,
but also wh ere we are un abl e to contact any world outs ide the one in wh ich
we are imp risoned . Mercu ry-N ept u ne (a n p rovide a channel be t ween t he
imag ina l realm an d th e intellect , an d between th e indi vid ual and th e
ocean ic sou rce. Equall y, it may reflect b roken bridge s and severed tele-
phone lines, where t he indivi dual is locked into the Parad ise Garden and
can pe rceive nothing out side its walls except t he th reat of extinct ion.
If Neptune swamps Mercu ry, one's dealing s with ot hers may be
deeply d istor ted by one's own imag inings . Any thi ng is justified , inclu d-
ing th e most flagrant forms of dece it , in order [Q pr eserve th e fant asy-
world from int rus ion by othe rs' th oug h ts, feel ings , and wish es. One
remembers th ings st range ly; conversat ions that (Oak place never took
place, word s were said whi ch were never said, and motiv es are att rib u ted
(0 ot he rs, Ti' amar-Iike in their d est ructi veness or C h risrlike in their sanc-

ti ty, wh ich exi st o nly in t he eye of the beholder. This may not lessen
Mercury-Nept un e's power (0 use the lineam en ts of th e arche typal world {Q
conju re with . The pact, th e novelist , and th e musician may be just as g ift-
ed , even if th ey are terr ible liars. But Mercury may also tr y to st ifle
Nep tu ne. terrifi ed by the fear of irrat ionalit y or even insani t y, and may
wield th e weapon s of th e int ellect to comba t t he long ing s and d ream s
wh ich seem so dan gerou sly undermin ing to "object ive truth ." Battling
agains t Nept u ne's inu nda tion, Mercu ry may try to sup press all imagi na -
tiv e leanin gs . This often resul ts in un consciou s slippe riness- an unfor ru -
nat e tr ait of t hose who doct or stat istics and conceal informa tio n in order
to pro ve a scientifi c or polit ical (ruth . Accompanying t his ten d ency is t he
inclin at ion to pro ject Nept une onto th ose who appear g ullib le and irra-
tional. This dynamic was g lo riously di splayed in the famou s art icle pro-
du ced several years ago in T he H umanist, in which a number of "em inent"
scien tists chee rfully d istorted , m isinterpret ed. or negl ect ed to men t ion
Ga uque lin's labouri ous statis ti cal work, in order to d ispro ve ast rology-
which was declared to be a mass of lies and d isto rti ons . Mercu ry-Neptune
is most creative when the indiv idual can recog nise, and be hones t ab out,
his or her inclination to blend fantasy and fact int o a m ore inclusive per -
cep tion of reality.
Educat ion p resen ts a specia l set of challe nges to Me rcu ry-N ep tu ne.
Cu rrent valu es emphasise th e p resenta tio n of faces; linea r, rath er t han asso-
ciative, (h ink ing is required ; universit ies demand specialisation. Plat o's
idea of ed ucat ion- t he reawakening of t he soul's me mory, synt hes isi ng
ma t hema rics, ast rolog y, ph ilosoph y, g eome rry, m usic, and physical d evel-
 N EPT UN E IN "SPECT . . 42 3

opment in a g rand design m irroring the in rerconnecred ness of the cos-

mos-is not , at present, popular in Wes tern schools . In some British com-
prehensive schoo ls, a diffe rent malaise has struck; "elitist" aspiration s
toward academic exce llen ce have been shelv ed in favour of what is called
"self-exp ression" in the classroom. Th is has very li ttl e to do with the
imaginal world of Mercu ry-Nept un e, or wi th educatio n in any sense ; it
sim ply justifies not bot hering to learn how to spe ll, punc ruare, or speak
in coherent sentences, and it deals with the di lemma of the intellectual
diffe rences between people simply by p retending these differences do not
exist. Th is current trend not withstanding, education in our present soci-
ety defines truth in very spec ific ways wh ich are acceptable to a scie ntific
establishme nt . T hese ways are often deeply alien to Mercu ry-N ep tu ne,
who may be accused of dayd reami ng, laziness, or even " learn ing disab ili-
ty," because one finds the truths whic h flow through the int erst ices
betwee n the facts truer than the facts themselves . Educational insti tutio ns
do not usua lly value the story te lling g ift s of Mercury-Neptune as t hey d o
the pains raking researches of Mercury-Saturn or the practical skills of
Mercury-Mars . As a result , Mercury-Neptune may suffer from deep feel -
ings of intellectual inadequacy, caused in part by the collision of its own
mode of percepti on with the collecti ve mode enshrined in the cultural
canon. The gift of m im icry, another of Mercu ry-N ep t un e's talents, may be
splend id for the actor but is not going to earn the ordinary pupi l top
marks. More likely it will earn him or her the accusation of plagia rism ,
which may or may not be justified.
For the individual with Mercu ry-N eptu ne , the m edia tion of con -
sciousness is critical. Some reflection may be needed abou t wou nds which
have accom panied early edu cat ional experien ces. T here may be equally
potem wound s arising from the Mercu ry- N ep tu ne child speak ing a Ian-
guage which the parents cannot or will not understand. Th e imaginative
ch ild , speaki ng in symbol ic tongue, may be punished for lying before any
lies are ever told, or may be accused of stupidi ty or mental laziness because
symbo lic lang uag e is, by its nat u re, ind irect and ob lique . Mer cu ry-
Nep tu ne is a master of inference, implication and the double-mtmdn . Th is
may be exp ressed in an unselfconscious way by a child who , withou t mean-
ing W , slips beneat h the parent's defensive barriers, and provokes unwa r-
ranted anger and retaliation . U lt imatel y the individual wit h Mercury-
N eptune needs to understand the nature of his or her talent s and liab ili-
t ies. Cla ri ty, mental di scipl ine , and the will ingness to recognise t har com -
mun ication is ineffect ual unl ess it is in a language others (an understand ,
may be imp ortant lesso ns whi ch Mercury-Neptune needs to learn. Earthy
as well as co nceptual truths need to be ho nou red beside Neptune's ocean -
4 24 ... THE AST ROl O G IC Al N EPT UN E AN D T H E Q UEIT r O R RID I M PT IO N

ic and cosm ic truths. Mer cu ry-Nep tune has t he capaci ty to recog nise man y
facets of truth, but d epend s upon consc ious ness [Q di stinguish between
t hem , so th at each can he exp ressed in its ap prop riate place.

Neptune-Venus Aspects
I pUfl ued II maiden and clasped a reed.
G ods and men, we art all deluded thus .'
II break s in our bosom a nd tbm Wt bltt d. 9

The cont acts of N eptu ne and Venus are th e most romant ic of aspens, In
(he colloquial as well as th e historical sense of th e word . Venu s doe s not
desc ribe love on t he emot ional level ; rath er, it port rays an idea l of love
wh ich embod ies what [h e ind ivid ual perceives as beaut iful and worth-
while. Venusian relat ionship all ows us to d iscover our values; what one
loves, one secretl y is, and it is t hese qualities wh ich form th e bed rock of a
sense of personal worth . Aspecring ocher inne r planets, Ven us w ill find its
vision of be auty embodied in th e peopl e, obj ects and expe riences of every-
day life . The expression of individua l valu es through persona l tast e creates
feel ings of com e m m em, and each d ay ca n provide happ iness th rough the
pleasu res of th e senses and t he de lig hts of hu man compani onship.
N eptu ne, unlike Venu s, ten ds coward ch ronic un happiness, for nothing in
t his world , however beaunfcl , can com pensate for the lost wate rs of
Parad ise. Two characteristic ma nifesrar ions of Ven us-N eptu ne arc "d ivine
d iscontent" in m atte rs of love, and interfe ren ce with th e capacit y for pe r-
sonal happiness . If th e lover is no t perfect , one feels be t rayed : if th e envi-
ronment is nor pe rfect , one becomes d epressed : if society is not pe rfect, one
despa irs; if th e body is nor perfect , one long s to sh rink it , enl arg e it ,
facelift it , d isgu ise it, or, if all else fails , destroy it- for anyrh in g less rh an
the seamless beauty of Eden cannot be born e.
Venus-Nep t un e is ofren associated wit h sexual magnetism and
sed uct iveness; examp les such as Brig itte Bard ot and Marilyn Mon roe
ab ound in th e world of film . But havin g [he kind of charism a which allow s
one co be all th ing s co all peo p le m ay not be a promising aug u ry for futu re
stab ilit y and cont en t ment . The ind ividu al may un con sciously ide nri fy
with t he victim-redeemer through his or her sexualit y, seeki ng co d iscov-
e r a solid sen se of self-wort h by offering h imself or herself co those wh o

9. Percy Bysshe Shelley, " Hy mn of Pan," in The OAjllrd Dicrtonary oj Quo/aliI/TIl (Lond on:
Oxfo rd University Press, 194 1>, 494 :2.
 N EPT UN E ' " A\P fCT - 4 25

have been wou nded by life. Co mpass ion, an d even p ity, may be po wer fu l
components in what the ind ividual defines as love . Venu s- N eptun e may
also be drawn coward those who seem co offer redem pt ion ; it is the aspect
par excellence of the pursuit of the unobtainable. Ideals of love may be con-
joined with them es of suffering and sacrifice, and only a relationship
involvi ng pai n and exp iat ion is felt to be aut hentic. T he poe t ry of cou rtl y
love is never far from Venus -N eptune's d rea ms . N or is t he O ed ipal t rian-
gle of cou rtl y love eve r far from Ven us-N ep t une's psych olog y. Venus con-
cerns rivalry as much as harmony, because one cannot defin e one's own
worth wit hout contrasti ng oneself with others. The triangl e-form ing
propensities of Venus are as ev iden t in life as in the goddess myt hs. But
the com mon or garden variety Oed ipal triangl e wh ich, if we are to bel ieve
Freud. is an everyday part of chil dhood experience , looks rather more dra-
matic in the Waters of N eptune's world . The paren t whom one seeks to
claim is the d ivi ne source; and the Oed ipal sin is nat mere illici t erotic
desire, bu t a long ing, th rough fusion, for t he omni poten ce of t he god head .
As P lorinu s once wrote . "O ur conce rn is no r to be sinless , but co be
God ."lOVenu s-N ept une does not desi re a mo rtal partner in whose mi rror
its own values can be reflecte d ; it seeks un ion with the dei ty. O nly here can
absolu te beaut y an d pe rfectio n be found .
Because the perfection of Eden shim mers behind Ve nus-Nept une's
aspirations in love , ph ysical perfect ion , or the lack the reof, may become a
major theme in the ind ividual's relationship patte rn. Venus-Ne pt un e may
experience an unwilling but inexo rable (urn -off as soon as the partner is
discovered to be physically flawed . Someti mes di sillu sionme nt can follow
only one sexual encou nte r; some times it de velops over ti me , as the partner
shows th ose sm all bur u nmi stakeeb le signs of age ing wh ich challenge t he
immortali ty of Parad ise . Th e fantasy of perfect sexual un ion is ofte n so far
removed from the mechanics of the physical act that the latter may prove
a deep d isappointment ; thus dis illus ion ment is neve r far away, nor is the
hurt and ange r of a partner who cannot understand why he or she is being
reject ed sim ply becaus e of ex isti ng in a physical bod y. One of the most d if-
ficult di mensions of Venus -Nep tun e is no t the indi vidual's own pronene ss
to dis content-s uch states of melancholy may be viewe d as parr of the
et hos of sac rificial love-bu t rath er, t he suffer ing caused to ot hers, wh o
may not recog nise t hat t he problem does not lie in the ir ow n ph ysical or
sexual faili ngs . T he perfect ion wh ich Venus-Nep tune seeks may, how ever,
be gli mpsed in arc, and it is here that the aspect expresses one of its g reat-

10. Plcnn us, E,,,,raJJ. Stephe n MacKc:nna. tran s <Burdette. NY Larson Pcblicanons.
199 2), 1. 2. 6 2-3.
426 .... TH I ASTROLOG ICAl N(PTUN E AND TH E o ur sr fO R REDEM PT ION

est resou rces. Even if th e ind ivid ual is not m usicall y talented , th ere is us u-
ally a deep feel ing (or m usic, wh ich tou ches one's longing (or ab solute ha r-
mo ny and fulfi lls many of Ve nus- N eptu ne's most insistent yearn in gs.
Poetry, paint ing, fict ion, and drama (00 may conj u re the lost Ede n wh ich
seems (0 beckon in the bel oved 's face and t hen van ishes all (00 soo n. A
peru sal of the charts of well-k now n a rtists reveals an abu ndan ce of Venus-
Nep tune contacts, alt hough th e impetus for creat ive work can not be
at rribu red (() this combina tion . If th e impe t us is nor rhere, Venus-
N ept un e may reflect th e aes the te and lover of an -pan icu la rly rhar
Romanti c art whi ch reflects Neptune's redem p t ive d rea ms .
Because Ven us is tr aditi onally exalted in N eptune's sign , m u ch has
been w rit ten about t he harmony bet ween th e two p laners, and th eir ( on-
neer ion with unive rsal love. Em pa thy for humanit y, panicu larly life's vic-
tims, a nd a sense o f m yst ical ide nt ity wit h th e who le of na t u re, a re ofte n
exp ressed , finely and sensit ively, in Venus-Neptune's inter acti on with the
world . Equally often , Ven us-N ept un e reflects a bou nd less rolerance a nd
com passion for th e object of it s ideali sed love- sometimes to the poin t
whe re th e indi vidua l is will ing to p ur up with all ki nds of hu n and humil-
iation. Nep tu ne's lack of " I" softe ns Venu s' in he rent vanit y and p ride , and
t he ind ivid ua l may be genui nely forgivi ng and ext rem ely kind . Bu t t he
dark er aspen s of Neptune's wo rld are never far away, and one may also
divide one's affections between an idol ised Mad onna and a d esp ised
Ti'a rna r-c-o r their male eq uivale nts . Venus-N eptune may d ispl ay extreme
cruelty and callo us ness toward th ose who receive th e proj ectio n of th e p ri-
mal sea-mo nst er, wh ile at th e same tim e expressin g extrao rd inary com pas-
sion an d u ns tin ting gene rosi ty to ward t hose who receive th e p roje cti on of
the victi m -r edeem er, Ven us-Neptu ne's universal love ma y rem ain, lik e th e
speed lim it on It al ian motor ways, an idea l towa rd whi ch one aspires. Men
may transfer Neptune onto an ideali sed mother-s pouse wh o is able to
claim th eir devori on a nd t hei r pi t y bur not th eir sexual passio n; suc h a
bond is fraug ht wi th feeling s of g uilr a nd ob ligat ion, com po unde d by the
incli narion to p u rsu e Venu sia n satisfact ion in m ur k ier terr ain. The
prope nsi ty for triangles may somet imes be more prosai cally O ed ipal th an
t he poet ically incl ined Venus-Neptune indi vid ual mig ht wis h to recog-
nise. Women ma y t ran sfer eithe r planet onto a riv al , or on to a woman wh o
(0 th em represents an id eal of sexua l arrracriveness or sp iritu al femi ninity

rh ey feel they lack . Or one may identify wirh t he aspeer at th e expe nse of
ot her facto rs in t he cha rr, th us doom ing onese lf to bei ng loved nor as a
wh ole woman bu t as a mermaid or a melu sin e wh o mu st retain her magi c
and my stery or be aba ndoned by Venu s-N ept u ne lovers wh o are tr apped in
rhe same myrhi c web.
 '\; (P T U~ l I',,-S P(( T - 427

With all these potencial p itfa lls , Venus-Nep tune possesses and can
creat e ext raordinary magic. Irs del icacy, poetry, and romant ic sensibi liti es
genera te exalted visio ns of love and har mon y which may find th eir way
inca creative producrs g raced w it h g reat bea u ty. T he deep u nh app iness
wh ich the aspt'ct so ofte n reflects in per son al life is no t , con t rary to Venu s-
Nept une's own view, a ka rm ic inevitab ilit y, or the sig nat ure of a hig her
spi riruali ry, More often, ir is the product of an Oedipal conflict st rong ly
colou red by N eptu ne's m yth ic dream s, and rema ins a psycho log ical
inevi tabi lity only as long as its dynami cs are u nconscio us. Yer however
psych ologi call y sophist icated th e ind ivid ual migh t be, Venus-N ep t u ne
will oft en avoid any in t rospect ion about the nat ur e of irs own relat ion sh ip
pat tern s. unl ess th e pai n becomes very severe, O nly t hen will one consid-
er a perspective ot he r th an the roma nti cised tr aged y of cou rtly love, W hen
q uestio ns are finally asked , th e ast rologe r need s to be able to offer some -
t hing ot her t ha n " It's you r karma ." If th e indiv id ual can bui ld a sufficie nt
sense of self-worth as an ordi nary morra l, and does nor de mand t he impos-
sib le from loved ones, Venus-N eptu ne can find contentme nt in occasio nal
g li m pses of Eden, w it hout req u iring it on a dai ly basis. T hen one can fu lly
enjo y the gift of infusing ordi nary life wit h exq uisi te beauty, and trans-
formi ng t he eve ryd ay inte rchange between tw o people into a wor k of an .

Neptune-Mars A spects
I will a round unvarniJh'd tait delner
Of my whole course of love; wha t drugs, what charms,
W hat conjuration. and what might)" magic,
For nab proceeding I am charg'd u-itbal ,
I won bis daughttr. 11

T he cont acts of Mars and N eptu ne have bee n m uch ma lig ned in ast ro-
log ical lire raru re. Eben in me ntio ns "weak ness," as well as sic kness, addi c-
tion, disli ke of work, and fanatic ism . He concedes th at inspi ratio n m ight
be a pro duct of th e benign aspe cts, but is clea rly relucta nt to find anyth ing
p leasant in t his com p lex pairing of planers. P The "hard" aspec rs in pa r-
t icular are associate d wirh sexu al abuse and black mag ic. T he creat ive
d imension of Mar s-Ne p t un e is sometimes described , bur is usually li m it-
ed to {he actor or m usician ; and t he conta ct is of{en seen as dang erous, to

I I. Shakespeare, O,JNllu. Act I. Scene iii. lint s 72- 76 , Tbe CfJ mplttt \1"'Qr.h u/ WIlliam
ShaktJptdrt <Lond on: O ct opus Book s Ltd .. 198()).
12. Ebemn . Tht Cumblnatl fJ n QI SUlla,. InjlutfJetJ, p I ~l l .
428 - 1 "1 , Il RO l O GIC AI N EPlU NI AND THE G Uill f O R RIDE."eTl O N

be fough r agai nst or "t rans cended ." T here is no doubt t hat Mars-N ep t u ne
can manife st in problemaric ways. So can any Neptu ne aspen; or, for th at
matt er, any planetary aspect at all. Bur we need to look be nea t h Mar s-
N ep tu ne's behaviour patterns to the meaning at t he core, ro understa nd
U'hJ t his contact ap pears wit h regular ity in the cha rts of t hose with serio us
drin king o r drug problem s, as well as seriou s physical d isab ilit ies of th e
Neptunian kind . Mars is the Sun 's figh ting arm: th e fun cti ons of agg res-
sion and desi re are fundame nta l to indepe ndent physical and psychologi-
cal life. By wanting something, and becoming angry if frustrated , a chi ld
begins co separate from [he origi nal fusion wit h th e moth er, and forms a
sense of his or her own body -idemiry and personal pot en cy. In th is sense
Mars is lik e the Babylon ian fi re ~god Mard u k, who batt les [he sea-mo t he r
to crea te th e wor ld . We become ou rselves first th rough what we want , and
our p rima ry desires are phy sical , passiona l, and life-defending. long before
solar consciousness tran sfor ms raw libido in to what we call go als an d aspi-
rat ion s. Talking about ide nt ity on an abstract level is insu fficient ; soo ner
or lat er one will be called up on to make a sta nd and fight for one s auron -
am y in oute r life. If the fun cri c n of Mars is ailing , one cannot p rop erl y sep -
arate , an d one ma y experience diffi culty in accuali sing whatever goals an d
wishe s emerge in adult life. O r one ma y di ssociate alroge rhe r from d esir es
anJ agg ressive feeli ng s, pushing them into the unconsciou s whe re they
feste r at leisu re. This bu ried rage may th en be exp ressed covert ly tow ard
others, or int er nal ised again st onself.
Blaming parents for "creari ng" chis p rob lem is roo simpJiscic an
ap pr oach . Alt houg h the chi ld hood enviro nme nt ma y exacerba te Mars con-
flict s, seeds m ust fall on fert ile soil in orde r to sp rou t. Mars-N eptune
inh erently avoids any overt exp ression of the will , becau se of N eptune's
lon g ing for fusion . Eden is a wo rld wit hout Mars, for ange r an d oneness
are mutua lly exclusive; in Pa radi se t he anima ls do not eat one another. N or
is individ ual initiati ve, t he natu ral ou tg rowth of desi re, welcome in th e
G arde n; it is construed as diso bed ience . The fusion is b roken ; th e orig ina l
sin is com m itted ; and exp ulsion from t he g arde n follows inexo rabl y from
th is t ran sg ression . Oedipal de sires are a si n in Ede n, not because of t he
erot ic fusion th ey de mand, but because mot he r or fathe r will nor cou nte-
nance com pet ition. Mats-N ept une will th erefore seek to fu lfill its de sires
while ensuri ng t hat no one is offended . Neptune's recept ivit y co collect ive
feeling t ransforms Mars; instead of th e rh ug g ish warri or of Homer's Iliad
he emerges a subtle magi cian , who u nderstands (h e power of participation
mystiqse and t he enorm ou s appe al of the word "we." Mars-Neptu ne can
ente r others' d ream s and longing s, expr essing "I want" wit h such deli cacy
that it seems th at everybody wants it. Th is can be a g reat g ift , exp ressed
 N EPT UN E IN ASPE CT - 42 9

m ost typ icall y in Neptunian arenas: the arts and the therapeutic field . It
may also be a g reat asset to th e po litic ian and the mil itary leader. In all
t hese fields, the ab ility co invoke participation myuiqut is ne cessary. The
ector must be attuned to th e audi ence; th e therapi st or counsellor must
have compassio nate identi ficat ion with the cl ient . as well as the abil it y to
d raw out feelings a nd insights in a subtle and no nag g ressive way. The
po litical or military leader m ust inspire the hearts of his or her followers ;
wit hout thi s, the imposit ion of d iscipline will only provoke rebellicn.J>
Mar s-N eptune. like Dionysu s, is a seducer ; but sometimes , as a collective,
we need to be seduced . This longing lies at th e core of religious wor ship,
as well as the cat harsis of th e mu sical or th eatrical performan ce . It is a feel-
ing of shared asp irat ion , without whi ch we are abandoned in t he waste-
lan d , alone and without hope . In the world of Mars-Neptune, th e ecstasy
has a goal.
T he d ilemma lies in t he int eg rity of that goal, and how i[ is pur-
sued . Mars ' in nat ely self- centred desires, when diluted with Neptun ian
water s, m ust include ot he rs if th e individual's needs are [Q be fulfilled ,
Th us de sire is pu rged of sin , because it is, oste nsi bly , aim ed toward every-
one's sa lvat ion . This is the spirit of the Crusades , in which appall in g bar-
barity was sanct io ned in the name of redempt ion , and in which the face
of T i'arnar is visible beneath [he holy trapp in gs. Yet it is also the sp ir it of
an Ale xander Dubcek (w ho had Mars sexrile Neptune), fighting selflessly
for his COUnt ry. H ero ic martyrdom has many faces , some of them closely
allied co terrorism and g en ocide , and som e of them deeply noble . If other
aspect s in the birth cha n sug gest deep feel in gs of inferiority and ina d e-
quacy- usually represented by a troublesome Saturn or Chiron-then
Mars-Neptu ne's ma g ic may be enl isted by th e infant , and becomes both a
means of avo iding rejection and a means of acq u iri ng powe r, without
shou lde ring eit he r th e responsibil it y or th e conseq uences. Aggress ion
m ay then be masked by apparent doc il ity ; and [he rage wh ich lurks
be neath t he su rface may beco m e the ch ief factor be h ind drug and alcohol
addi ct ions, wh ich reflect an ger and vengeance against life as much as the
desire to escape life. W hen a well - lit channel cannot be found for Mars-
Neptune's romanti c her oism-poli ti cal , mil itary, scientific, artisti c- i t
ma y be sought in darker waters. Mars-Neptune ma y also elect , like
Cha rle s Manson (who has them in exact con ju ncti on), to play the ant i-

13, N apoleon , for example, had Mars and Neptune conjunct in Virgo. Lord Horatio Nelson
had the m square (Mars in Scorpio, N eptune in Lee). The Emperor Augusrus , who was one
of the gr eatest pohncal rnanipula ecrs in history, had th em sexrile (Mars in Taur w , Nept une
in Cancer). These men ach ieved power not through the impositio n of brut e force, but
because (hey were loved and idealised
4 30 - TH E ASTROl OG ICAL N EPT UN E AND T HE O UEST f O R REDEMPTIO N

hero , wh o d estroys othe rs and h im self rath er than endu re th e d reariness of

a dece n t but ung lamorous life.
For M ars- N ept un e, agg ression and desi re can no t easi ly be di rected
out ward in to life, because of t he fear of sepa rat ion th is invok es; it ma y
seem bette r not (Q des ire at all. Sexua l di sin te rest and g eneral apat hy are
com mon accompaniments ro alcoholism and drug add ict ion. T he dea t h-
wish is obvious in t hese exp ressions, and so is th e eleme nt of masoch ism ;
if one merely wanes to exit th e stage, one can find less painful, drawn-our
means . Mars-Neptune is also linked wit h sexual m asochism, as well as its
reverse , th e desire co infhcr pain . Th is confusing med ley of inverted
d esires, g u ilt. lon ging for fusion . rage, a nd impot en ce, reflect s a pow erfu l
but t h warte d iden tifica tion wit h th e heroic red eeme r-vi cti m. It aris es not
fro m any ins t rinsic Mars-Nept un e "evil, " but (rom a person al it y wh ich is
tOO infa nt ile (Q meet th e challe nge of ex pressing th e m yth in creat ive and
life-en ha ncing ways. Im pot ence can br eed cr uel ty, as any rap ist know s.
The same may be said of Mars-N eptune's "black mag ic." It is d ifficult to
d efine thi s te rm in a ny sensib le way, for one is rem inded of a D enni s
Wheatley novel , w ith inca nt ations (Q Asm od eus and t he rem ains of sac ri-
ficed chickens in rhe basem en t. Yet t he re will always be peo ple who are
happy [0 avai l th emselves of N eptunian mass vu lnera bilit y to ach ieve t he
power th ey want; mo st po litic ians dabble in a little of it, one way or an oth-
e r, alt ho ug h usually w it hout t he chicke ns. Polit ical slogans a re a form of
incantat ion, and poli tical symbo ls a re a species of a m u let . Black ma gi c
may be ob se rved in a nyo ne who , because of his or her own wou nd s and
insecu riti es, man ip ulat es the u nco nscio usness of anot he r to achie ve t he
pr imal om n ipo tence wh ich N eptune secretl y craves. Wha t diffe rentia tes
Mar s-N ep tune black ma g ic from Mars-N eptune wh ite ma gi c is th e con -
sciousness of t he ind ivid ual, and the personal int eg ri ty wh ich he o r she has
manag ed to bu ild .
Idealisa ti on of sex may also be a Mars-Nept un e p reoccupati on . T he re
are many dei t ies in myth , bot h ma le and fem ale, who do not merely p ro-
create but wh o , with t heir im m ense g lamo u r and ferti lity, gen erate races
of he roes, and are irresistible to mort als and god s alike. T hese im ag es tell
us somet hi ng of t he sexu al fantasy-world of Ma rs-Nept u ne. Someti mes, if
com b ined w it h wou ndi ng Sat urn or Ch iron aspects to Ma rs, Venus, or the
Moon , Mars- N ept u ne can reflect th e Don J uan of ei t he r sex, perpetually
seeki ng sexua l conq uests to affi rm his or her d ivin it y. M ore often , it
reflect s t he consta nt fant asy of such conquests, whi ch can g enerat e a sense
of d iscontent and fru strati on in pe rson al relationsh ip . If the fears a nd inse-
curit ies are g reat enoug h , th e ind ivid ual may expe rien ce such a vast ga p
bet ween fant asy and real it y t hat sexua l sat isfactio n on th e ea rt hly level
 N ( PTUN ( IN A\ PECT - 431

ceases co be att ractive at all. Mars-Neptune may reflect the celibacy of th e

monk or nun -nor only from a sense of spir itual vocation, but also because
un ion with G od is p referable ro uni on wi rh flawed mortal flesh . Equall y,
Mars-Neptune, because of its ext reme sensi t ivity to deeper psych ic cu r-
rents, can be an exqu isitely sensuous and sensi ti ve lover, abl e co con ju re
the delig hts of Eden ; sexual pleasu re, rat her tha n earni ng expulsi on from
the Parad ise Ga rden, becomes t he ch ief mea ns of rerum . Whe n Mars -
N eptu ne goes wron g. it can go horribl y wrong . Yet wit hou t its whi te
mag ic, we wou ld have a sad ly im pover ished worl d ; for th er e wou ld be no
art ists to b ring us ou r Dionysia n ecstas y, nor imaginat ive lead ers, teac hers,
scientists, or healers to help us achieve our collectiv e dream s.

Neptune-]upiter Aspects
To ur a WQrld In a G rain 0/Sa nd
And a Heaven in a Wad Flouer,
Hold Infinit y in tbepalm of your hand
And EltT"lly in an hour. 14

T he co- rulers of Pisces sha re a tas te fo r t he boundless. W hen jupiter and

Neptune are in aspect , the longing [Q exte nd oneself beyond m aterial and
morral confines may take ma ny forms; but it is, above all, th e signa tu re of
the d reame r and th e visio nary, who possesses bot h a heart felt aware ness of
life's u nit y a nd a foolh ardy naivety abou t life's li mits. Even t he m ur kier
dim ensions ofJ up iter- N ep tu ne have no malev olence or meanness in t hem .
But they ma y reflect an u ncon scious psychic infla tion of vast propo rtions,
and t he individual may be so identified with a sense of d ivine mis sion that
ord inary boundaries-c-o ne's own or chose of ot hers-c-a re utt er ly ig no red .
Eber rin describes the com b ination of jupjter a nd N eptune as "apparent or
seem ing happ iness"; he also me nt io ns ideal ism, love of hum an it y, m yst i-
cism, and an interest in arc. Am ong its nega t ive qu alit ies he cites "a pe r-
son easily seduced ," and "a n incli natio n to specu lat ion and wast efulness."
Amon g its better arrrib u tes are "a merciful and com passionate nat ure" and
"ga in wit hou t effort ."D jupiter-Neptune is the b right and innocen t pro g-
eny of the gods , who never wish es anyone ill, but who ma y expe ct too
much from life, on ce too ofte n.

14 . William Blake, "Aug uries of Innocence," in TiN P"'K"m B')Qk (Jf Engbsb VtrJ I, J ohn
Hayward , ed . (London: Viking Penguin , 1964), p . 24 3.
1~ . Ebemn . Tht C(Jmbi nalifJ1l (Jf Sttll arlnjl"",m , p . 164.
432 - TH f ASTRO LOGICA L N EI' l UN E AND T HE O UEIT f OR RW EMPT ION

Jup iter is t rad iti onally associated with relig ious inclinations, and is
oft en defined as "fait h ," It symbolise s ou r need to experience life as mean-
ingful and benign; we are wat ched over by Something or Some one and,
even if pa inful or unfortunate experiences befall us , we can sti ll ben efit
because we are "meant " to learn and g row. Becau se Jupiter ope rates ar a
rati on al as well as an intuitive level, it is not necessarily reli gious in the
sense of foll owing a pa rt icular creed . T he propert y d eveloper or cu rrency
speculato r may be ext reme ly j upirerian, although enti rely irreligi ou s; the
d esire, and capacit y, to gam ble presupposes that luck or goo d fort un e,
ope rat ing as a basic principle in life, will soone r o r lat er rum its benign
eye on oneself. The dr eam of some thing for nothing is a Jup iterian d rea m .
Life always has a par of go ld at th e end of th e rain bow, a nd if one kee ps on
loo king , one will eventually find it. Th e root s of chis psychologi cal atti-
t ud e are p rofound, and ind eed rel ig ious , alt houg h sometimes in an
unworldly and ch ild like way. J upirer ian beli ef in lu ck also p resup poses a
sense of specialness-why me, and nor som ebod y else?- which expec ts,
and some times receive s, th e bounc y of the un iverse without visibl e effort .
T he belief th at ot hers mi gh t have to work for what the y have, bur that
one's own posit ive expectations will br ing in th e goodies free, is emi ne n t-
ly j upiterian . One deserve s the best simply because on e is; and if th e best
does nor come, th is mu st mean that it is not yet o ne's t urn, or one is meant
co be leaming spec ial lesson s-after whic h everyt hing will com e rig h e.
W it h th is dee p-root ed sense of life's ulr imate reward , one can be ge nero us
and open -heart ed , for th ere is no need for d efen sive acts of self-p reserva-
ti on. If one is wat ch ed over, one can be p rod igal in [h e gi ving of self and
obj ects . And if only othe rs could see th is g reac truth about life, th ey too
woul d abando n t he ir weapons, throw open their door s and wall et s, and
recog n ise th e be nig n dei ty wh ich look s after all living thing s.
If J u piter is cu rt ailed in its expres sion, pa rt icu larly by too m uch
Sat urn, we d o not beli eve in t he Tooth Fairy, luck, or a benign cosmo s, and
life is revea led as dreary, arid , and hard . When we ident ify with jupiter at
t he expe nse of ot her, eq ually valid worl dvi ews, we assu me chat life has no
limits, and will never st rike us down . And if it d oes, th is must be due co
some h ig her plan wh ich, although presently incomprehensi ble, will nev-
e rt heless o ne da y be reveal ed . We ma y also assu me th at ot her peo p le's
bou ndaries, erect ed in self-de fence, are at best sup erfluous and at wor st
pathological; and we m ay convince ourselves that we have (he right to pass
moral judge menc on chose who seem less ge nerous and humanitarian in
sp irit th an ou rselves. W ith j u piter- N eptu ne, chis worl dv iew, with bo th its
b righ t and dark eleme nts , may be taken co excess. Jupiter inflames
Ne ptune's longing , and Ne p tu ne raises Jup iter's eyes beyond th e N ati on al
 N EPTU N[ IN AI P[ CT - 4 33

Lott ery co th e celest ial realm abo ve. When th e intu iti on of a be nig n cos-
mos is allied with the lon ging co merge with th e source of life, hard-won
Saru rn ian wisdom may be viewed wit h cont em p t. Gene rosit y is ge nui ne
and unstinring , but so is oppo rtunism . An oceanic, uncond it ionally loving
deity presides over all creat ures, great and small, and the message con-
stantly rransm iu ed through every mys te rious syn ch ron icit y of event s is
th at Ed en 's gates stand eterna lly open to th ose wh o rema in unatt ached to
the things of this world . Paradoxically, thi s att itude can be all ied with
am b it ion and strong mat er ial d rives. But when it is, t he achie veme nt s and
th e mo ney may mea n lirrle; w hat rnarr ers is th e proof of one's lu ck and spe -
eialness, demons t rated over and over aga in in each su ccessful g am ble .
In religious matters, jupiter- Neptune's god is a deiry who combines
the comp assion and lovingn ess of Christ wit h the jolliry and bounty of
Father Ch ristmas. J up iter-Neptu ne is a deeply myst ical configu rat ion,
alt houg h ir may operate comfortab ly within th e chan of a convinced
agnos tic or at hei st, wh o u nconscio usly tra nsfers h is or her m ysti cism to a
kind of magical opera, ion in rhe world of form . During the early 1970s,
when Ne ptu ne tr ansited throu gh Jup iter' s sig n of Sag itta rius, an esoteric
cult became fash ionable in America which promul gated the simp le cham -
ing of a rnan rrarn , whi le visual isin g one's g oals. W ith ut te r in nocence, it
was pro claimed that , if one chant ed wh ile p ict u ring . say, a new BMW
52 5i (indi cate preferred colour), the though t-form would gather energ y on
th e erhe ric p lane and, in one way or anoth er, th e ca r woul d m anifest . The
school of " positive t hink ing ," so popular in Am erica, owes mu ch to
j up irer-N epr une: for, as Shakespea re's H aml et decla res,

Therr is notbmg n th" goodor bad, but thi nki ng maktJ i f 10. 16

The power of visuali sati on and positive t hi nk ing forms an im po rta nt ele-
ment in Ju p ite r-N eptune's wcrl dv iew and arra y of gi fts, In st inctiv ely
aware of t he capac ity of th e imaginat ion to influen ce life on many levels,
jupirer-N eptune may practice a form of ge ntle mag ic, wherein the image
and the symbol d raw to th em selves the substance of material life, and
reshape life in the gu ise of one s d reams. jup irer-Nep tun e is often deeply
respon sive to the symbolic , and ever aware of th ose stra nge juxtapo sit ions
of event s which th e cyn ical call coincidence, but wh ich J up iter-N eptu ne
kno ws to be t he sign atur e of di vine int ent . On t he crea tive level t he aspe ct
ma y cont rib ut e its imag inative g ifts throug h man y di fferent art ist ic

16 . Shakespeare, Hamln, An II, Scene ii , lines 254 -255 . Tb e C/J",pltlt WorkJ ,{ W,II,a",
Shalw pu rt (London: Octopus Books Lrd., 198n)
434 ... T H l ASTRO LO GIC AL N lI'l U r"{ A!'i D lHl Q U E ~l f OR REOEM P1 IO "\l

medi a. Ju pit er- Nept une's mag ic is also in furiat ing to th ose made of eart h-
ier stuff, because it often works. J u piter kn ow s t he secret of how one 's own
op ti mis m and generosi ty ca n im pel oth ers to respond in kind ; and
N eptune k nows th e secret of how truly Ouid and malleabl e "reality" is.
Th e magic may also fail because it coll ides with t he reality of ot hers, who
may stu bbo rn ly refuse to be ent iced . J upiter-Nep t u ne's visualisatio ns may
also fall foul of th ose fundamenta l Saturnian laws of life which no ind ivid-
ua l power of posit ive thinking can move, O ne of th e better exam ples of
bo t h the mag ic and th e self-delus ion of Jupiter-Neptune may be see n in
th e life of Mary Baker Eddy, the fou nd er of Ch ristian Scien ce. H er horo -
scope cont ains a Su n-Jupiter squa re, with J upiter at t he Ie trine Nept u ne
plac ed on t he Ascend ant . t? For those who have been ab le to heal th em-
selves accord ing to her p rinciples, she is a true redeem er. For t hose whose
deaths (incl ud ing chi ldren whose parents d id not giv e th em the oppo rt u-
nity to choose) have occurred th rough willful refusal to accep t medical
assistance in the face of severe ill ness, th is vision is not m erely arrogant,
bur destru ctive to life. Behind th e childli ke J up iterian faith in G od's
bounty may lu rk th e boun dles s inflati on of N ept uni an p rima l na rcissis m ,
wh ich can walk on wat er, and conq uer dea t h itself.
Neptune's poignant melancholy ma y be rendered less opp ressive
th roug h its contact with J upit er. One ma y even laugh while on t he cross.
The longing for di ssolution becom es not a yearni ng (or pre- bi rch ob livi on ,
b ut a q uest for ete rn al joy. Jupi ter may b ring the best ou t of N eptu ne, and
can balance Ne p tune 's endem ic sad ness wit h th e bel ief that one may enjoy
the blessings of the cosmos even whi le end u ring incarnat ion. Myst ical
without masochism, Jupi ter-N ept une is not inclined to pursue pai n as a
mea ns of redempt ion. Yet th e emo tiona l excesses of th e hysteric ma y owe
mu ch to Ju piter-N eptune, for it can be intensely D ionysian in its love of
self-abando nme nt and th eatr ical di spl ay. T he love of richn ess and ritual
ma y be exp ressed in a deep apprecia tion of colou rs, sounds, scent s, text ur es
and tastes in which one can utte rly lose oneself. It will be appa rent wh y
th is aspect, if it can be con tai ned by a solid ego -st ruct u re, is of enormo us
value to any individual working in th e arts . Eq uall y, we mi ght bear in
mind the em pero r N ero, who, with th e Sun and Pluto in Sagi tt ar ius,
exactly conju nct the Ascendant , and Jupi te r, Neptu ne, and the Moon
involved in a clo se T-cross, exp ressed some of (he most flor id em ot ional
and art ist ic excesses the world has ever seen. I S H ere no lovin g hurna nir ar -
ian insrinc r is to be seen, alt ho ug h we may witn ess what hap pen s whe n a

17. Chan source: J"Urnall rma lt l II lfffllkopt .UXlkllff. p. 45 1.

18. Chan Source: JnltTTJatirm altll1orOlkupt-ux ik on, p. 1126. Ne ro's final words [0 hisrory dur-
ing his assassinat ion express th is configurat ion eloquentl y: "W hat a g reat art ist dies in me!"
 N [ PT U N [ IN ASPE CT - 4 35

mortal in a pos icion of power identifies with a god . Jupiter-Nepcu ne, like
all othe r aspects , needs to be taken in the cont ext of the whole chart and
the other plan ets [ 0 whi ch it is linked. It may cont ribute its universal
vision and boundless longing (0 love, creati vity. material achievement,
humanitarian work, o r spiritual pursuits. Equally, it may conrribure irs
remarkable capacity for self-delus ion and self-aggrand isement to all these ,
ge nerating heartbreaking losses, disappo intments, and tragic acts of self-
undoi ng . As is usual with any Neptune aspect, everything depends upon
the individual's capacit y to bui ld and sail an ark.

Neptune-Saturn Aspects
G od A ppear! and God u Llghl
To tbosr poorSou" who du.1I in N igbt,
Bur does a Human Form DiJplay
To tbose who D wtll in Realm! o[ Day. 19

I n th e pairing of Saturn and Neptune lies one of life's most fundament al

conflicts. Form and formlessness collide , (Q create either the gift of incar-
nating vision or rhe refusal to be psychol ogically born . In chapter 10 the
d ilem ma of Saturn and Neptune in relation to th e anise is disc ussed at
some length , and these observations are app licable co the combination
whether or not the ind ivid ual is involved in conventionally defined artis-
tic work . Saturn-Neptune may also be deeply identified wi th political
ide als of a utop ia n k ind . and the Saturn-Neptune cycle is associated with
th e rise and fall of com munism. Political parri es, by their nature, reflect
Saturn-Ne ptune, as they seek to trans late social vision into concrete form .
It is ther efore nor surp rising to find Saturn trine Neptune in the chart of
the UK Labour Parr y, and Saturn sesq uiqu ad rate Neptune in the chart of
the UK Conservati ve Parry.20 On the individual level , the same issues
app ly; one may be forever buffered by the conflict be tween mortal lim its
and Nep tune's boundless vision of redemption from suffer ing . An enti re
generation was born be tween 19 51 and 19 53 with Saturn conjunct
N ep tune in Libra. and this g rou p. in mid -life as the m illennium arrives,
can pro vide th e ast rologe r with considerable insight in ro the mean ing of
Saturn-Neptune on a broad scale. Whatever Saturn touches is drawn down
into the worl d of form ; whatever Nep tune touches is drawn into dissolu-
rion in the wate rs of pre-bi rth. Satu rn-Neptune reflects a lifelon g ambi va-

L9. Wil liam Blake, "Aug uries of Inn ocence," lines 130 . L32 .
20 . Chan sou rce Cam pion , T IN Book u/ WQr/J H(JTfJJ(Qptl (Lo ndo n : Aquarian Press, 198 8 ).
pp. l14· 336
4 36 - TH E ASTROLO GICAL M PTU" I "'D THE O U I I T fO R RW I MPTlO",

lence, wh ich at rim es m ay drive t he ind ivid ual into overt o r covert effort s
to escape, and a t o t he r rim es d emand s that ima g inati on is expressed in
du rable and m ean in gfu l st r uc t u res. Eberr in mention s "su ffering , renunci-
ar io n , asce t icism . . . . The read iness for sacr ifice , ca re-tak ing of o t he rs ,
self-restra int , caut iousness, vision, also p revision ."2l T he "ha rd" aspect s
(incl ud ing th e co nj u nctio n) ofte n reflect a te nd en cy to ward vicrim isari o n .
Yet this combination of plan ets may not requ ire suffering and renuncia-
ti on ; self-i m molation m ay be o nly o ne way of dealing with a co nfl ict
whic h invo kes a ch ro ni c and profo und sense of perso na l sin .
We tend to experi ence Saturn pr imar ily throug h pro jecrion, unt il we
are able to recog nise ou r areas of de fensiveness, fear, and m isrrusr, Sat urn 's
de fences are erected pr imaril y against helplessness, which is, in large part ,
a N eptu nian experience. We also te nd to project Ne ptune, unt il we are
willin g to exp ose the infa nt with in, Neptune's escapist tactics are di rected
primarily aga inst sepa rate ness, wh ich is, in large part , a Saturn ian expe ri-
ence . T he stro nge r rhe ego, th e m ore fr ig ht eni ng Neptu ne beco m es; th e
more we cling to the ut erin e wate rs, th e more fri,ght ening Sat urn becomes.
Man y ind ividuals wh o have these planets in st rong aspen project one and
ide ntify wit h th e othe r-someti mes for a lifet ime, unless personal unhap-
pi ness leads to self-q uest ioni ng . N eptune ide nti fies wi th the q uality of
being loving , ope n and com passionate towa rd others. Need iness is not pe r-
ceived as hu m iliat ing , but as the mark of a gend e and empat hetic sou l.
Sat urn ident ifies with self-sufficiency, collect ively acceptable be haviou r,
and the cont rol of chaotic emotions and moods . Boundaries are not seen as
defen sive or cold , but as t he necessary accoutreme nt of an honourable and
respo nsible atrit ud e coward life. Both , of course, are rig ht, althoug h th e
ind ividual may be hard pressed to realise if.
Thus Satu rn-N ep tu ne may hold str ong poli ti cal views to left or to
righ t , an d the enemy is perceived in g lob al term s. Law, order, and t he
preservati on of trad it ional values must be achieved at any price; those on
the fringe of societ y (usually th e young , o r members of a racial m inorit y)
are su bversive , laz y, d rug-ad d ict ed , irrespo nsib le, and in need of harsh di s-
cip line. Alrer narively, eq ua lit y m USI be ach ieved at any price , and t hose
who des ire sta b ili ty and w ish 10 ret a in w hat th ey have Wa l ke d fo r (usual-
ly th e m id dl e and uppel cl asses, o r member s of a racial m a jo r it y), a re pel-
ceived as g reedy, sel fish, in hu man , and deservi ng of dest ruct ion or- at the
least- an enforced red istr ibuti on of th eir property. energy and time. It
will be obvious how much deep hatred th is polarisation can genera te. T he
traged y is th at the po larisation exists first withi n the ind ivid ual, who th en

2 1. Ebem n. Tbr Combinanon o/Sttllar I f/flu t 1/m , p _ 177.

 " [P TU N[ IN ASP[ CT ... 43 7

proceeds to invoke it in th e wo rld outs ide. Nata l Satu rn despises th e claw-

ing finge rs of Neptune, wit h irs wh ine of '" can't help it , it's everybody
else's fault. " Natal Ne ptu ne recoils from th e icy control of Saturn , wit h irs
snarl of "Stop wh in ing and get on w ith it." Satu rn-Nepru ne may speak in
either voice . Even withi n th e astr olog ical and psychological fields. one
may see th e planets lined u p in barrle forma tio n, evolving complex ph ilo-
sophical justifications for what is essentially a pe rsonal st rugg le. For th is
com bination co yield irs enormous g ift of acrualising vision s and dream s,
one must first dis cover t hat bot h voices are with in oneself.

Neptune-Cbiron Aspects
Ay, in th, vtry ttmpl, of Dtlight
Vtil'd M tlan choly hal h" soora n sbrine,
Though seen a/ nom Jaw him wholt S/rtnUOUJ rangut
Can buru J oy'J grapt against bis palart fint;
Hn soul shall taste tbe sadnm of h" might ,
And bt among her cloudy trophitl hung. 22

The sense of being wound ed by life is com mon to us all. There are man y
kinds of wound ing , and many astrological sig nificarors which reflect expe-
riences of hurt, d isap pointment, frustration , and lonel iness. O ne of life's
chief wou nders is Saturn , whi ch describes the sense of being deni ed som e
fundamental ingredient needed to develop confidence and self-worth . Th e
pain cf Saru rn is personal: it can usu ally be rel at ed to earl y life expe riences
whe re-so mer imes t h roug h circu mstance, and someti mes throu gh
par ent al failure to recogn ise the needs and valu es of th e child-s-o ne learn s
to prot ect one's vu lnera bilit y with d efences which themselves may cause
more woun di ng later in life. Saturn is d ifficult , but is amenable to indi-
vid ual effort. W hil e one can not alt er th e past, it is possible to build a sense
of inner soli di ty and aut hen ticity wh ich heals the pain of what was lost.
Chiton's wounding is rather different, Unhappy experi ences, although per-
haps tr iggered by ind ivid uals, hint at a larger collective wound which , by
its nature, is not curable in the cou rse of one lifet ime. Chi con reflects back
to us the flawed and un fair nature of life, without th e relief of any mea ns
of u ndoing what has been done to our own bodi es and souls. When we
experience Chiron, we face that whi ch cannot be healed. We can only
attemp t to acquire a philosophical attitude wh ich allows us to learn from
t he pai n; for Chiron's woun ds are th e pr od uct of ge nerations of human

22. John Keats, "Od e to Melancholy," in Tin Pmglli" 8 00. fJI E"glish Vmt. p 298 .
438 - TH[ ASTROLO GICAl "' EPTU NE ' ND 'H E O UES T l OR RID IMPTI O N

blindness, and leave us feel ing irrevocab ly scarred . Th e loss of in nocen ce is

not red eem able. Once it has go ne, it has g one forever. Sereni ty is a wort h-
whi le subst it ut e, bu r it is not t he same th ing . When Chiro n asp ect s
Neptu ne, rhe longing for redem ption acquires a new and passio nat e
urgency. and may result in an ongoing and desperate search for some thing
wh ich w ill pro vide escape, if not healing . O r one may adop t a mart yred
resignati on which erodes faith in l ife. C hiro n-Neprune can yield ext remes
of b itterness and despe ratio n. Less com mo nly, as in [he case of H elen
Kell er (who had the m conjunct in Tau rus in th e 6 th house),') it ma y yield
a courage and accep ta nce of pain wh ich transcend both reaso n and belief,
yet wh ich arc extrao rdi narily heal ing co all who come int o th e individual's
p resen ce.
T he na tu re of Chiton 's pain is prob lema t ic (0 man y peopl e involved
in th e heal ing and cou nsell ing fields, because recognition th at some t h ing s
cannot be chang ed appears (0 cons t it u te an admissio n of defear. In th e eso-
teric co m m u n ity. such a per ception arou ses ange r, because it challeng es
Nep tunian fantasies of u lt ima te salvat ion and th e ma g ical tr ansform ation
of suffering . In this respeer Chiron is as mu ch the enemy of N eptune as
Satu rn is. Ir shares mu ch in common wit h Satu rn in its req u irement for
th e emb race of life as it is, rat her th an as it m ight be, Chiro n may some-
rimes exp ress its challenge in the sphere of physical hand icap o r in jury.
W hil e we m ight be ab le to work on bot h a p hysiologi cal and a psycho -
logi cal level w ith man y ki nds of ill nesses, th ere a re also physi cal co nd it ions
wh ich no amou nt of effor t will alter. T hey may be cong en ital, o r t hey may
be du e [Q inju ries which are no one's "fau lt." They are parr of th e t rag ic
di me nsion of hum an existence, a nd th e challenge s th ey pose, bo t h to th e
sufferer and to th ose aro und h im o r he r. are eno rmo us . N eptune may
respo nd w it h vio lent inte nsi ty (0 suc h un earned h uman mi se ry.
Identi ficat ion with t he archetypal si nne r can g enerate a corros ive sense of
g uilt and "bad ness.' Iden rificarion wit h the d ivine sou rce ca n gene rate
fanta sies of being "chosen," Id ent ification wit h th e arche typ al victim can
gene rate overwhe lming self-p ity, and a deep -rooted convic t ion that others
sho uld be made to pay for one's su ffering ; or. more com mon ly, a frantic
search for a method by wh ich th e ga tes of Eden can be for ced open and th e
su ffer ing m iracul ou sly cu red . This is why medieval healing sh rines and
"q uack" clinics have always been so full of de spe rate and desp erately di s-
appo inted souls. The exte nt to whi ch Go d is p repared to intervene is, for
Ch iron -Ne pt u ne. an ong oi ng debate .

23. Chart source: [ntrrnatnma les Jl lJrflJk lJpt l.l xil./)n , p . 844 , Bli nd and deaf from birch, K ~II ~ r
was on e of [he 20 th cent ury's most remarkable exam ples of an indi vidual who hved a
dyn ami c and meaningful life despite seemingly insu perable handica ps.
 NEP TUM I" ASPECT ". 4 39

The wou nd ed healer, perso nified by Chi ron, m ay at firsr seem iden-
t ical to [h e d ivine vic ti m- red eem er. But Chi ron's role in myt h is th at of a
reacher, not a messiah. In G reco-Ro man rel igion th e centau r never
achieved th e red eemer-cul t sta t us of O rpheus or Ask lep ios -pe rhaps
because his half-bestial nature p recluded any clai m to bei ng a prototype of
the perfect human being. Chi ron, de spi te h is fantastic shape, is si m p ly too
huma n [0 merit redee me rship. T he individual who identifies with Chiron-
Neptune may indeed become a healer. But if Neptune unde rmines
Ch iton's realism . com passion-and a genuine desire to heal and educare-s-
may be infect ed by the boundless inflation of th e omnipo te nt infant . One
has been chosen ; one's woundedness is "meant" and is th e signatu re of
God 's favou r; on e ca n accompl ish anyth ing . If one's efforts fail, one may
fall into a terrible p it of bla ck rage an d despai r. The darkest d ime ns ion of
Chiron-Nep rune lies in it s p redi lect ion for emotional poison, wh ich may
gene rate fant asies of apo calypse because th e anger is so global. Others
oug ht to suffer too. In myt h , th e centaur is wou nded in the hip or th igh -
the an ima l, not the div ine, hal f. Chi ron's sense of in jury may be associat-
ed wit h bodi ly imperfectio n or ugl iness. Nept u ne, inheren tly op posed to
the bod ily world , may respon d with an overwhelm ing sense of sin, and a
compulsion to t ranscend th at wh ich is mo rral and impe rfect. Chi ron's
experience of isolation from th e g roup is ofte n lin ked with issues involv-
ing social or racial discri mina tio n, or th e plig ht of im mig rant parents or
g randpa rents . Th ese are prob lems which are univ ersal, and wh ich are fun-
dament ally un solvable on any level other th an g reate r collect ive con-
scicusncss-c-a process that is lik ely to take an ext remely long ti me , if ir
rakes place at all. The experience of exclusio n, if ir does not lead to exclu-
siveness, can be a powerful gene raror of compas sion , as well as a sp ri ng-
board for th e kind of inn er self-sufficiency that Neptu ne lacks. In this
respect Chito n-N eptune can be enormo usly strengthening to th e person-
aliry, alt houg h th e individual may need to expe rien ce ma ny extremes
before he or she make s peace with hu man nature and with the world .
Chi ron 's world-i rrevocab ly lost innocence, di fferent ness, wou nded-
ness, loneliness-s-demands that we enlarge our percept ions of reali ty, and
gain sufficient d istance from ou r victirni sarion to see it in a broader per-
spective. Neptu ne brings to these fundame ntal h um an expe riences a
world-weary longi ng for redemptio n from earthly suffe ring . Neptune may
overwhelm Ch iron 's laborio us efforts to make sense of suffe ring , th rough
con juri ng fanta st ic dreams of salvat ion and vengean ce. Neptune may also
it self be overwhelmed by Ch iron 's de fensive ange r, and th e ind ividu al may
cease to feel p it y for anyone but h imself or herself. Yet if one can hold the
midd le g round between these tWO plan ets , bo th so profound ly connecte d
with th e m yst e ry of hum an suffe ring, C hiron can offer Neptune a much
440 - T I' l ASTR O LO G IC AL N I PT UN f AND T H E O U IST f OR RED EMPT IO N

needed real ism and to lerance of life. N ept u ne can in t ur n offer Ch iron t he
vision of a caring un iverse, whi ch ma y not alleviate , yet whi ch can gi ve
me an ing and dignity to, per sonal u nhappiness. Ch iron -Nep ru ne may con-
tr ib ut e many insigh ts and gi fts to th e ind ivid ual who wishes to address th e
problem of suffering through involvem ent with ochers' d ifficult ies -
whether thi s is active involvement in the caring pro fessions, or creat ive
work which exp resses both th e de spair of humanity and its dre am of t he
longed.for return .

N eptune and the Outer Planets

The cycles of Neptune's aspec ts to Ur anus and Pl uto are th e sig nat ures of
powerful changes in th e collective psyche. These aspecl S have bee n b riefly
exam ined in chap te rs 9 and 10, in relat ion to pol it ical and cult ur al move-
men ts . Th e cu rrent s reflect ed by t he config uratio ns of N eptune with t he
oute r plan ets may be political, rel ig ious, scien tific or arrisric, T hey hig h-
lig h t th ose epoc hs in histo ry when t he collective longing for redempt ion
allies itsel f, or conflicts violen tly, with in novat ive socia l and scien tifi c
chang es and powerful compu lsions co destroy an d rebu ild exist ing ways of
life. There are tWO levels on wh ich t hese planeta ry asp ects exp ress t he m -
selves. T h e firs t is their im med iat e refl ectio n in the world . The seco n d is
th eir sign ificance in the ind ivid ua l birth cha n; for it is t hose born u nd er
th ese g reat cycl ic m eeting s who ul ti mately carry t hei r mean ing into
end u ring ma nifestat ion.

N eptu ne-Uranus A spects

T be reasonable man adapn hi mJt!f to tbe world: t ht un reasonable om ptr-
sists III tryi ng to adapt the worldto himul[ T here/ ore all progreu depends
on the unreasonable ma n. 24

The cycle of N eptu ne and U ranus lakes app roximatel y 172 yea rs, fro m
conju nctio n to conjunctio n. If we view any part icular conju nct ion as th e
beg inni ng of a large r cycle, th e en t ire cycle retu rn s co within 6 de g rees o f
its starri ng poi nt every 2 1 con ju nct ions, or 36 00 year s. O In th e 20 t h cen-
tu ry, a U ranus-Ne p tu ne conjuncrion occu rred in Cap ricorn . It beg an at

24 . George Bernard Shaw, "Maxims (or Revoluno nisrs." in T h( Oxl flrJ D i a i lJna ry vi
Qllvtal i cmJ (Londo n: O xford Unlv(:rSlty Press, 194 1), 490 ·3 4.
25 . See Baigenr. et ai, M lln Ja fl( I\JtrlJllJgy <London : Aquarian Press. 1984), pp. 178· 180
 N EPT U N [ IN ASPECT - 44 1

th e end of 198 7 , reached exactness in February 199 3 , and con tinues with-
in orb of con ju nctio n, with both planets moving into early Aquarius,
un ti l th e beg inn ing of 1999 . The preceding conju nction of Uranus and
Neptu ne was exact in 18 2 1. Earlier ones occ u rre d in 16 50 and 1478/7 9 .
As with all transit s, the great collect ive movements of wh ich this major
configu ration is a sym bo l do nor suddenl y appear when the aspect is
exact . T hey have a long ge stat ion , usually heralded by sig ni ficant harb in-
ge rs, just as, in the indi vidual's life, dreams and mean ingful co inc iden ces
may herald , sometime s years before , a major life crisis wh ich peaks when
th e transit does. Because U ranus- N eptu ne refle cts a lon g h istorical cycle .
any import ant aspect between them will ech o, build on, cha llenge, and
embody t he histor ical themes refle cted b y ear lier aspects. Like one of
th ose repeat ing musical/,irmarifI whi ch weaves in and ou r of the fabr ic of
Wagn e r's Ring, Ura nus-Ne ptune portrays a recurring relat ionship
between human ing enuity, invent iven ess, and des ire for progress , and the
equa lly human longing to abandon the su ffering of life and find redemp-
t ion beyo nd it. U ranus-Neptune is ut opi an in nature , alth ough the kind
of utopia env isage d may vary accord ing to wh ich of the tw o planers dorn-
mar es.
The conj unct ion of 14 78/9 coi ncided with th e dawn of the European
Renaissance . The prog ress ive social and scientific vision of Uranus , com-
bi ned w ith the im aginative inspiration of Neptune . tend s co produce rev-
olutionary chang es in political, religious , and artist ic though t, and there is
no better exam ple than the great cultural flowering we call the
Renaissance. T hose born und er the co n ju ncti o n grew up co inaugurate and
parricipare in the Reformati on, wh ich , with irs more enlig htened visio n of
deit y, was an inevita ble outg row th of the intrus ion of Renais sance
Pla toni c, Ne opl aron ic, and Hermeti c rel igious, phi losoph ical. pol it ical
and scientific th ought into the med ieval Catholic world . Martin Luther
was born unde r th is U ran us-N ept une conjunct ion, wh ich, not surprising-
ly, was in Sag ittarius, the tradit ional province of relig ious and ph ilosoph-
ical th ough t. The cycle of 1650, once again in Sag ittarius, is harder to
de fine in terms of a si ngle ma jor mo vement such as the Renais sance . In
Britain ir coi ncided wirh rhe behead ing of Charles I and the establish in g
of the Com monweal th under O live r Crom well. It also reflect ed the eme r-
gence of the Baroq ue movement in an, arch itecture, mu sic, and li terature.
And there was an intellectual and scie ntifi c revolut ion , tOO, challeng ing
the decreasing pow er of the Ch urch, wh ich eventually led to the dawn of
the Enl ighrenment .
The cycle of 182 1 coi nci ded with t he death of Napole on and the rise
of rom ant ic nationalism and romanti c soci alism in Europe. The se mov e-
44 2 - THE AST ROl O GICAl N [ PTUN I AN D T H [ o urs r [ O R RfD EMP Tl O N

ments led to th e ind epend ence of former Spa ni sh a nd Po rtug uese Sout h
and Central Ameri can colon ies, as well as th e e me rge nce of a Eu rope of
asp iring inde pende nt nat ion-st ates. It also reflecte d t he flowe rin g of th e
Romant ic Movem ent in arc. U nder t his conju ncti on, also in Sag irta riu s.
were born Karl Ma rx and th e g reat Romant ic composers, C hopi n and
Schuma nn . T he conj u nctio n of 199 3, althoug h we a re still perhaps t oo
close to it to asse ss it pro pe rly, has co inc ided wi t h t he collap se of (h e Iro n
Cu rtain and th e establishment of a united Eu rope . O n relig iou s and cui-
rur al level s the effect s have yet to be c1arifi ed . 2G Unde r the aus pi ces of t hi s
conju nct ion we have also en tered (he age of comp ute r technology : and th e
event ual conseq uences of rhi s, econom ically and soc ially, are at present
incalc u lable.
It rem ains [0 be seen wh at th e child re n born u nde r t h is co n ju nc tio n
wi ll do w ith the ir b irthright in th e 2 1st cent u ry. Key hi stori cal fig ur es
suc h as Lut her, Marx, and Schuman n embod y th e revol uti onar y and utopi-
an nat u re of Uran us and Nep t u ne in ways wh ich most of us, hap pily o r
unh app ily, can not ever hope ro do. T he ot her aspeccs of U ranus and
Ne p tune. occu rri ng bet ween th e cycl ical conju nct ions, also coinci d e with
g rou ps of indi vidu als who are responsive to t he basic th eme but exp erience
it with g reater ease or g rearer conflicc, de pe ndi ng up on th e aspect. An
o p pos ition of U ranus and Ne ptune occu rred at th e end of 19 04 , in
Cap ricorn and Cancer respect ively, con tin uing un til ) 91 2. A sq ua re
bet ween U ran us and N eptune, from Cancer to Lib ra respectively, occu rred
in th e early 1950s. A tr ine, moving from Taurus/Virgo in to G em ini /Lib ra,
occurred fro m 19 39 to 19 4 5, co incid in g pr ec isely wi th th e years of W orld
W ar II. This latter d em onst rates t hat th e tr ansiting trines of t hese planers
do not necessaril y reflect peace and harm ony- at least , not at th e t im e.27
All th ese grou ps are, on a collect ive level , called upon to deal wit h an
in heren t conflict bet ween the power of th e human in rellecr ro transform
rea lit y and th e yea rn ing of t he hu m an heart to find a n al toge th er d iffer ent
reality. To th e exte nt t hat t hese aspects are linked w it h inner plan et s in t he
b irt h chart - part icu larl y Su n, Moon, an d, perhap s m ost im po rt ant ly,
Saturn-the ind ividu al will enact t his archetypal conflict in his or he r ow n

26 . The liLS( rim e (h e co nju nct ion was exact ncar [h is d eg ree' o ( Cap ricorn 09.33) W oLS in
t 70 7 6 .C. E., when t he ancien t Mi noan cu lt ure co llap sed and t he "b arb arian" He llen es
brough t new god s. a new po litical m ap, and a new cult u re to t he Mediterranean world .
2 7. Parad oxicall y, m any of t he m usician s wh o inau g u rated t he "fl owe r p o w et .. movem ent
wh ich blosso med in t h e 19 60 s were bo rn u nd er (hIS tr ine , such iLS Bo b Dyla n and J oh n
Len non . The id eals of t h is gene rat ion- love, pea ce , Eastern p h ilosoph y and a renewed and
mo re sp iri t uall y en lig ht ened societ y-fi rst emerged u nd er rhe tr ine, am id st t he ch aos o f
th e war.
 NEPTU NE IN ' SP[ CT - 44 3

personal life. The issues reflect ed by th e inner plane rs are then likely to
assume an inten sity and dra matic importance which ind ivid uals lacki ng
such aspects might find diffic ult to understand .

Neptune-Pluto Aspects
I m tl a tra vellt r from an antique land
Who laid: Tw o vast a nd trun hlen Ilgs of JlO'lI
Sta nd in the desert. Near them, on the sa nd,
Half Junk, a shattered viJagt Lies, wholt f rown,
A nd wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that i ll sculptor well thou passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on tbae it/tie! thing),
Tbe hand that mociud tbem, and tbe hrart tbat fed:
A nd on the ptcuJlal rhtJt u 'OrdJ appear:
"My name is Ozymondras, king oj kings:
Look on my "'orb, y' Mighty, and ""pair! "
N othing !Jtsim remains. Round the tUcay
0/ that (%J/al W1"tck, boundless and bart
The lone and 1e1Jt1 sands stretchfar awa)'.2M

T he conjunct ions of N eptune and Plu to occu r every 492 years. The last
one was exact in 189 1-1892 in Ge mi ni, and it was un der this conjunction
that Hitle r was born . The previ ous conjunc tio n occurred in 1399 . The
autho rs of M undane A str ology sugges t tha t these g reat celestia l events rep -
resent the seeds of new worl d-views, and that th e most recent one herald-
ed the" . .. present accele rati ng move towa rds a globa l cul t ure." 29 This is
an opt im ist ic view, and may be a correct o ne in the long term . As I have
no direct experience of indi vid uals born under the con junct ion (there are
none living ), I cannot evaluate its natu re from di rect encounter. Th e
example of H itl er suggests that the combination of redem ptive yearning
and a com pulsion to utterly annihilate the old order may result in a pow -
erful millenarian vision , with nothi ng less than the end of the world
req ui red before Ede n can be regained . A ge ntler version of Nept une -Pl uto
can be observed in th e prolonged sexrile be twee n th e two planets, whi ch
has phased in and ou t since 194 1 (when Nep tu ne was in Libr a sexti le
Pluto in Leo) and which will continue until 2035 . When Nep tune moved
into Scorpio, it con ti nued to sext ile Pl uto in Virgo; when it moved into

28 . Percy Byssbe Shelley, "Oayrnand tas," in Tbe OXl lJrJ Llhrary IJI Engluh Pllttry . Vol. II,
John Wai n, ed . (l ondon: G uild Pub lish ing , 1989), p . 4 36 .
29 . Baigenr et al., MMnda"t lum.dIJO . p. 178.
441 - T H f A l r ROl O GICAl N f l' l U N f AN D THE Q U[ST f QR REDfM PTI O N

Sagirrarius, it formed (he sexti le (0 Plut o in Libra. At the t ime o f writin g.

th is sexrile conti nues betwee n N eptune in Capricorn and Plu to in Scorpio.
T he phenomeno n of a prolonged sex t ile occu rs because , when Plu to moves
through th e autu mna l signs (Virg o, Libr a, Sco rpio , Sagi ttariu s), it is cl os-
er (0 (he Su n and its o rbi t is faste r than wh en it is at the oppos ite e nd o f
the zodiac; and for a tim e it "paces" N eptune. mov ing at roug hly the same
sp eed .
W e are not ye t in a posi tio n to vi ew the mean ing of th is 1DO -year-
lo ng transit ob ject ive ly, alth ough it m ight be said [0 facilitate the vision
of globa l cu ltu re born unde r rh e co nj u nc ti o n at t he end of the 19th cen-
t u ry.Neptune-Pl u to appea rs to ex press itsel f primarily on the religi o us
level-Hitler promulgated an esse ntially re lig iou s, eschato log ical vision ,
disguised as politics-and the period of the sextite may well prove to be
an epoch in history when ou r understanding of God , and our attitud es
toward divi nity, undergo massive and irrevocable changes inaug u rated
under the conjuncti on of 18 91 but dissemi nated under the sext ile in the
late 20 th and early 2 1st centu ries. T he autho rs of Munda ne AJl rolog)' po int
our that the conjunction of 1399 coi ncided with powe rful m ille narian sen-
timents , and marked {he end of t he feudal socie ty and Catho lic world -vi ew
of t he M id dl e Ag es. A n earl ier co n ju nct ion of 4 11 -4 12 C. E. her al ded the
en d of the pagan world , wh ile th e co nj unction of 5 79- 575 B.C.E . coincid -
ed with {he emergence of Pyth ago ras, Buddha , and Lao Tze , and the daw n
of classi cal G reece. These issues are fascinating to explore, and im poss ible
to defi ne in any sc ientifically accep table way. Religiou s movements
rhr oug hou t history flow, like N eptun e's waters, th rough invisib le under-
gro und channe ls, rising some rimes as a heali ng spring and some times as a
destruct ive deluge . Everyone born since 1941 has some connect ion wi th
thi s com bination of planets, since the sex t ile has bee n weaving its way
t h roug h virt uall y t he enti re second half of t he 20th cent u ry. Because we
are accusto med to quest ion ing ex isting rel igious ed ifices , we take relig ious
co nt roversy for g ra nted . The reli gi ou s co nfl icts of th e lat te r p art of the
20 t h ce ntury, inv olv ing no t o n ly C h rist ia nity but also Islam , ar e deep an d
challe ng ing, b ut t hey a re part of t he fab ric of ou r wo rld , and th ose born
after the last \X'orld War cannot recall a time when they did nor exist. For
th is reason it is d ifficult {Q make ob jective observations about an aspec t
wh ich is so deeply em bedded in our psychic reality.
 Chapler IS

EPT UNE IN SYNASTRY AN D

THE COMPOSITE CHART
Till a' tbe ita' gang dry, my dear
And the rock! melt wi' the sun;
I wililuv, thee "ill, my dear,
W hil, tbe sand, 0 ' "!' shall run.
- R O BERT B U RN S

...- ......-"" he expe rien ce of me eting a

soul -ma re has been form ul ar-
ed in a myriad ways over th e
ages . The psycholog ical writ-
ing s of th e 20th centu ry have
at tem p ted co explain the
ph enomeno n in rational terms; but they have on ly succeeded in illumi-
nating spec ific asp ens of it. Ou r experiences of mysti cal fusio n with ano t h-
er per son have an ee rie sense of faredness whi ch , wi th hindsight , seem s to
reveal an awesome intelligen ce at work . In such relati onships, Neptune
will usually be found busily at work between th e tw o natal o r progressed
charts , and in th e com posite chart as wel l. T his deep level of uni on with
anot her is, for m any people, the mo st beaut iful , m ovin g and t ransform a-
rive event that can occur in life, even if it g ene rates suffering . Whatever
parental complexes m igh t be at work (and th ey always are), an d howev er
d isappo int ing the d en ouement (a nd it frequently is), th e apparently tele-
pat h ic q ua lity of com m u nicat ion between peopl e, wh en Neptune is act ive
in syn ast ry, provides irrefu ta ble testimon y, for the romanti cally inclined,
of an alt ern ative and more sacred di me nsion of reality. This other reality
hin ts at th e eternal life of the soul, the indest ruc ti b ili ty of th e bonds of
love over aeons, and t he promise of wisd om and g race arising out of pa in
and loss. If the personali ty is un form ed , th e collapse of t he d ream can be
utt erl y devastating , fo r it const it ut es a kind of exti ncti on . Bu t if the fun c-
tion s of Saturn and th e Sun are reasonab ly well-integrated within (he pe r-
44 6 - T HI AST ROlOGI C AL N I PT UN I AN D THI O UIIT l OR RIDIMPTI O N

sonali ry, one can find sufficie nt self-con rain rne nr and realism co cope wit h
any disa p pointm ent or sorro w wh ich m ig h t ensue, and can anc ho r
N eptunian expe rience as a pe rma ne n t and creati ve di me nsion of one 's life .
For many ot her people, romantic in the colloq u ial rath er than t he
phi losoph ical sense , soul-union is a delighrful bur ep hemeral phase of
encha nt me nt. It may g row into mature love, bu r rnore freque n t ly ends in
d isillusionment and co mp let e withd rawal of interest . It is to be enjoyed
and savou red, but not ( 0 be taken seriou sly, lest on e win d up looking a
fool. One ind ul g es in it , bur signs noth ing . Th is is an appa ren tly se nsi b le
and balanced way of d eal ing with Neptu nian relat ionsh ips. but it m ay
back fire badly later o n. To hon our D ionysus and avo id winding up like
Penr heus, ooe needs to be able to be foolish aod , like the Fool of the Taro t,
step off th e cliff's edge wi th only vision and the voice of the chil d like heart
as guides . Althou gh m asked by sen ti me nt , Saturn with in us may retain it s
tyranni cal conr rol, rat her than serving as a cont ainer fo r in ner ex pe rienc e .
Th en th ere is no clean sin g bapti sm of N eptune's wat ers, a nd no re newal of
life; and there may be a very angry god wairiog in th e wings. For maoy
ind ivid uals wor k ing in the help ing professio ns , sou l-u nio n is me rely t he
p ro jec tio n or t ransfe rence of idea lised pa rent al [antas ies. Those who have
paid [00 h igh a pr ice for Neptu nia n love in ch ild hood ma y d efine sou l-
unio n as a tem po rary and po tent ially dest ructive sta te of lu nacy which , at
best , one avoid s, and at worst , one recove rs from as soon as possib le. Saturn
m ay try to eradi cat e N eptune altoge t he r, exe rcising its da rke st m yth ic
functi on as cas tra to r and devou rer. Yet th e loss of Nep tu ne fro m relat ion-
shi p results in a wasteland of boredom and emo tional iso lation, ofte n
resul ting in depr ession and eve n ill ness, becau se t he well spri ng of life has
run dry.
Neptune st rong ly inv olv ed in synast ry ofte n d escr ib es t he experien ce
of " t ravell ing uni tedly." H owever, thi s t ravell ing m ay occu r un co nscious-
ly. O ne may ex per ien ce su ch a sta te and not recogn ise [he idea lisatio n and
psychi c ide nrificarion whi ch characterise it. Becaus e Neptu ne's p rim al
fl ood is frig hteoi og to many peop le, one may only registe r ioexplicable
ange r, fear, o r a desi re to in ju re or d estroy, T he N eptu nian dynami c in
synast ry does no t inevitably p roduce a love- match or a sex ua l u nio n. It
may also be exp ressed between teacher and pupil, o r g uru anJ di sci ple, o r
pa ren t and chi ld . It m ay also occ u r be tween frie nds, or bet ween an acto r
and members of t he audien ce, or a dead writ er and an ad mirin g read er
perusing t he work a cent ury lat er, Som et im es di sta nce, or lack of oppo rtu -
nity [ 0 t rans la re t he relati onship in to everyday terms, enhances, or is even
necessary for, t he feelin g of a p rofound meet ing of sou ls. The expe rience of
soul-u nion m ay p reclude sexual COnt act . T he relationship m ay be unco n-
 NEPTUNE IN IY N ~ITRY ~N D THE COMPOIITE C H~ RT - 447

sciously arranged by one or bo th parties so th at sexual consum mati o n is

incomplete o r d isappoin t ing, o r is curtailed throug h insurmo untable ci r-
cums tances . T he presen ce o f some o ng oi ng or ult imat e frustration for o ne
or both peo ple is often parr o f N eptu ne 's expressio n in synast ry,
Neptunian love is no less impo rtant and valid wh en it arises from the
hu ng ry ch ild t han when it sp ring s from th e soul. But with th e form er, less
salubrio us behaviou r pat te rns may underm ine a clos e bond . W ithin a
Neptu nian re lat ionshi p. the loosening o f ego-boundaries inv o kes lon g ing s
for fusion with an omnipotent and unconditionally loving source.
Psychol og ical insig h rs can be partic ul arly valuab le if one or bo t h indi vid -
uals has difficul ty in coping with being a separate individual. Examining
issues of unconscious martyrdom and manipulation can help (0 break a
rep eat ing patt ern of self-de st ruc t ive passivit y, whet her one is p layi ng th e
big fish or rhe lirtle one. It can also illuminate areas where id ealisa tion
inte rfe res wirh th e de velop me nt of greater self-sufficiency. Failing to con-
sider this perspective ofren results in helplessness and rage, which, karma
notwit hstand ing . can leave the individual bitter and deeply disi llusioned.
Any Neptunian inte rcha nge with another person will point out to us.
often painfully, where we are still unborn.
W ho [h en is t he red eem er, an d who the red eem ed ' Wh o is the
deceiver, and who rhe deceived? W ith strong Ne ptune contacts be tw een
two charts. it can be either person. because-as with all cross-aspe cts-c-o ne
person's feelings and actions n-igger react ions in the other, and both find
themselves in the hall of mirrors. If a man's Saturn opposes a woman's
Venus , e it he r or bot h m ay u lt imatel y mt li ct hu n . Sarurn feels th re a te ned
by Venus' easy g race and sensuality. and rhe man may reject the woman as
a self- protect ive device. Or his insecurity may cause him to behave in a
critical and demanding fashion. which eventually drives his Venusian part-
ner to seek affeerioo elsewhere. Venus may be "blamed" for lacking suffi-
cient depth to understand Saturn's complexity. But the real srarring-poi nt
for th ese unhappy but horribly common scenarios lies wit h the Sarurn per-
son's unconscious feelings of fear, envy, and desire to simultaneously pos-
sess and crush, In a sim ilar fashion, the starting-point for enchan t men t and
deceit lies with the Neptune person. who perceives a redeemer and expe-
riences a flood of primal long ings. N eptune may try to play whatever part
is required , including t hat of t he red eem er, in ord er to be loved and healed .
Yet one may simultaneously feel inundated, powerless, and chronically
resent fu l in th e face of such deep depend ency. It is ofte n th e ot her person
who is "d ece ived " or "blind ed " by Neptune's mirroring propensities. and
e nds up bei ng hu rt . Yet it is N ep tu ne wh o is tru ly b linded , by a fusion of
primordial inner image and actual other. Because Ne ptune g limpses in the
448 - THI ASTRO LOGICAl NI PTUN I AND TH I OU IH f O R RfD I MPTfO N

face of th e oth er t he longed- for salvati on from eart hly pain and loneli ness,
one ma y refuse to permit t he eme rge nce of a real flesh- and -blood paren er
OUt of the fog . In the face of such de mands, t he parmer may becom e dec ei t-
ful or evas ive, rather t han risk invok ing Nept une 's pa in and rag e.
N ep tune alw ays responds (0 ano t he r pe rson's plane ts as Nept u ne.
T here is no ambiguity here. Bu r the expression of Neptune contacts
be twee n charts de pe nds large ly on the conscio usness of both people, as
well as on ot her planets invo lved . An ind ividual w ith Neptu ne conju nct
Saturn, who mee ts the soul-mate through t he conju ncr ion of th is pair w ith
Sun or Moon in t he o the r's cha n, may fall blissfully in love. But t he nag -
ging fear of failure and reject ion , reflecte d by a tro u blesome Sat u rn, may
p rovoke an in tense need for self-cont rol. and cause t he indiv idual to beh ave
in an ext remely callous manne r. H e or she may find excus es to abandon t he
be loved, afte rward blami ng t he intox icat ion on th e ot he r's sed uct ive
ma nipulati on . T h us Neptune may first be experi en ced as an overwhe lm -
ing emoti onal flood, and t hen spa t out as a proj ecti on. In cont rast, an ind i-
vid ual with N ep tu ne conjunct th e Moon in Scorpio, t rine Ven us in Cancer
in th e 12th house, likew ise rneer ing rhe soul-ma re in th e birch chart of th e
other, may loyally cont inue valida ting t he beauty and meaning of rhe
experience long afte r t he love r has go ne away. T he n it is t he ot her who
plays th e decei ver, and N ep tune th e victim , because th e primal flood of
feeling, acceptable and natural fo r th e Neptune person, t rig ge rs pan ic in a
pa rtner who feels t rapped . Ne pt une reflects our openness to experiences of
fusion with a p rimal sou rce, and ou r yearn ing for redemp tion from th e
p rison of mo rtal iry. When someone comes along whose birth chart stro ng-
ly tr ig gers th is most vulnerable place w ithi n us, anyt hing can happen,
from th e rid iculous to the su blime.

Neptune-Sun Aspects in Synastry

B ecause the Sun is th e great life-giver, it is the creat ive pow er of t he Su n
person whic h trigge rs the N ep tu ne person 's longing . \Xlheth er t he Sun is
natal or prog ressed, th e dy nam ic is t he same ; with th e forme r th e fascina-
t ion may be l ifelong , wh ile the latter may be tra nsient . N eptune expe ri-
ences in t he Sun a vit al it y and unique ness whi ch , even if the Su n is
unaware of it , seems to pro mi se hope, joy, and salvation. Nept un e,
u nformed and ind ist inct, basks in t he lig ht of th e Sun's stre ngth , Even if
one has always seemed inde pe nde nt and ind ivid ualist ic, th e close asp ect of
another 's Sun ro one's Nep t une will bre ak open th e seals th at protect th e
ego 's bound aries. Id ealisati on of th e Sun person's "d ifferent ness" and self-
 N EPTUN E IN SYNASTRY AI'\.D TH E CO MPOSITE ( HART - 44 9

exp ressiveness is a freq uent response. If ot her planetar y cross-aspects are

harm onious, Nep tu ne 's idea lised love may deepen int o a convict ion t hat
t he Su n pe rson is part of one's own in ner bein g , one's deepest core. and
absolu tely fun damen tal to one's life. N ep tu ne th e hypocrlUJ may the n set
about t rying to fulfi ll all the Su n's needs-the chief of these be ing an ador-
ing aud ience which app reciates the Sun's indi vidualiry. Th us a part icular
relat ionsh ip patte rn may ensu e, in which t he Sun plays t he ge nerous cre-
ativ e lover and Ne p t une t he self-effacin g and devoted mi rror. This comb i-
nation of pla nets in synast ry has a Pyg malion-like flavour, for t he Su n
always loves a proteg e. Th e dynami c is elega ntly port rayed in Hexagram
13 of th e I Ching, which in J ohn Blofeld 's rranslarion is called "Lovers,
Beloved , Friends, Like-Minded Persons, Un iversal Brot herhood ."

Th is hexag ram indicates th at someone weak comes to power,

occupies the cent re of the stage and responds to the creative force.
Such a one is called the beloved. What is described in t he above
text is the work of the creative principle, which has a st rong refin-
ing influence.. . . A stro ng and g ifted person must sooner or later
take t he helm and guide that weaker person. 1

T he combinat ion of Sun and Nep tun e can be up lifti ng and inspiri ng to
bot h peop le. But th e nature of th e aspect matt ers, as does th e state of both
plan et s in th e individ ual chart s and the state of consciousness of both ind i-
viduals. The "soft" aspects allow ecstatic and insp irat ional feel ings to flow
betw een people with out diffi culty, for th ey are usuall y low -k ey, and not
compulsive. Ideal isation is not d est ruct ive, if it is rooted in t he ot he r per-
son's genuine q uali ties. Although it m ig ht be exp lained psychoana lytical-
ly as a recoll ect ion of orig inal fusion wirh t he mot her, Plat o u nderstood it
as th e recollect ion of th e soul in the pr esence of t he beloved . Idealisation
can ma ke us want co g ive of ou r best .
T he conju nct ion of one person's Sun to another's Ne pt u ne is t he most
powerful of the aspects. If exact , it is d ifficult co avoid th e sense tha t [he
relat ionship is fared or karm ic. The Sun feels a compelling obligarion [Q
protect and support Neptu ne, and N ept une experiences the Sun as a
redeemer. Th e Sun person may be convinced that he or she is total ly
responsible for the Neptune person's happiness and well-being . W irh close
sq uares and oppos itions, t he at tr act ion may be equ ally int ense; b ut impos -
sible expect ati ons, combi ned wit h m isu nderstand ing of t he ot her, guaran-

I. f Chi"g. Tbe BlNk of Cha"gtl . J ohn Blofeld . tr ans. (londo n: Mand ala Books, 19M ), pp
114·1 n
45 0 - TIll ASTRO l OGI CA L :\;~P IU N ( A ~[) t ur (J lJ{ S l FO R RED I t-.1PT IO:\!

tee som e d isappo int me nt . Because (he "ha rd " aspens suggest an in na te
conflict be t wee n N ep tu ne's bo un d less need s and the Su n's ind ivid ual real -
it y, the Su n pe rson ofte n feels, after a ti me, d rained and used ; and
Neptune's d reams may be easily shat te red th e moment rhe Su n t ur ns
attention elsewhe re, o r is revealed as me rely hu ma n and "selfish" afte r all.
A m ut ual sense of di sappointm ent may occur with t he "soft " aspe ct s
as well. Bur wh en th e tim e for d isillusionment arr ives, it d oes not nece s-
sari ly herald eit her th e end of t he rela tio nship or the end of th e crea tive
inte rchange wh ich Sun and N ep tun e can ge ne rate toge t her. Both peopl e
may be willing to recog nise wh at is happeni ng, ta lk the issues t h roug h,
and ma ke t he necessary com pro m ises and adj us t ments . Bu t fo r Neptune,
expuls ion (rom the Paradi se Ga rde n can seem too g reat a loss, because it
req ui res acceptin g th e real it y of th e o ther person, as well as sho u ld eri ng
some of th e responsibility for redempt ion oneself. Somet ime s Neptune
[u rns away in rag e, seeking a not he r, ma n: rel iab le red eem er ; and
Neptune's rage, lik e Ti 'amar's , can be gl obal. O r th e per son m ay d ecid e
t hat all such states are really adolescent no nsense afre r all, and m ay espouse
cyn icism as an an tid ore . N eptune may also com e to be-lieve that th e onl y
way to reclaim th e Su n's love is to become even need ier an d more d epen -
dent. Th us t he N ept une person may unc o nsciou sly become a ch ronic vic-
ti m , ill , helpless, and cli ng ing, in ord er to rem in d t he Sun of the
red eemer's ob ligations . The n t nt' Sun, at first flatte red and ple ased to be
th e life-g iver, may begi n to feel manip ulated and vam p iri sed . O r
Neptu ne's sense of dis illusio n me nt may not be great enoug h to me rit
b reak ing off th e relat ion sh ip , but may just ify a little cheating on the side.
Finally, Ne pt une may accuse t he Sun of d eliberately ta king adva ntage of a
vulne rab le and needy pe rson, at (he mome nt of g reat est weakn ess .
T hese unatt ract ive manifestat ion s of Su n-Nept une in synast ry are
mo re likely to arise if t he Neptune person has li tt le sense of sepa rate indi-
vidual ity, an d at tempts , like m istletoe, to live off h is or her hose.
Difficu lti es may also arise if t he Sun person is unco nscious of h is or her
own power-d riv e, and perceives t he Nep tune pe rson as his or her own cre-
ation. Beh in d all OU f personal responst s to each other, there lies an a rche-
rypal background sym bo lised by any st rong cross -chart aspect -s-es pecially
one involving an ou te r p lanet. T he archet yp al backgro und beh ind Sun-
Neptu ne con tact s is t hat of di vine creator and de penden t offspring .
Whet he r t he Sun person is male or female, th e radian ce of th e redee mer
mate ria lise'S before Neptune, bea ring t he H oly Grail and pee ring ou t
t hrough hum an eyes . And whe ther th e Nep tu ne perso n is male or fema le.
one's long ing is th e pai nfu l soul -yea rn ing of all mort al creat u res crying our
for redem p tion from (he p rison of ph ysical incarna tion. \'V' hcn archetypal
 j'\,; EP TUN l IN ~)'i'\;AHR)' 4..' 0 TH l CO M PO~ l n ( H 4.. RT - 4 ,) }

d ramas are played our be t ween individua ls-s-and wit h strong synas t ry con -
tact s, th ey always are- we do nor often turn around and walk away, We
m ay ru n awa y, frig htened by th e power of what mi ght be un leashed . Bu t
th e play will be repeated with ot he r actors, for we must ul t ima tel y live ou t
ou r m yths on one level or anot her. Wi t h som e effort to ach ieve a wor kab le
balance be twee n Sat u rn ian real ism , so lar self-defin it ion, and idealised
N ep tunian de vot ion , th e Sun can serve as a m od el of self-confid ence and
self-exp ression whi ch facilita tes the acru ali sing of Nept une's ima g inat ive
g ifts. And N ept u ne can offer the pri celess boon of helping th e Sun feel less
isolat ed on th e lon ely heroi c journey of becoming an ind ivid ual.

Neptune-M oon Aspects in Synastry

C ontact s betwee n Nep t u ne and the Moon involve man y d im ensions of t he
arche typa l experience of mot her. Th is enco m passes a vast speer rum of emo -
tional states, from t he infa nt's fusion -need s to th e feeli ng of be ing loved
and needed which is so essent ial to us all. A g reat d egree of mutu al d epen -
den cy may be reflecr ed by th ese cont acts, an d also d eep m ut ual em pat hy.
Often th ere is a po werfu l need on th e pan of bo t h people to nurt u re. che r-
ish and even "save" each ot her from the loneliness and dark ness of th e
worl d " Out there." But these aspects can also reflect very murky un dercur-
rent s, t h rough un wi ll ing ness to be an ything excep t mother an d ch ild for
each other. Neptune experiences the Moon as an id ealised com fon e r and
cont aine r, to t ally respon sive to all the u nvoi ced need s and lon gings of th e
child wit h in . N ep tune 's feel ing of being held and cont ained in a k ind of
womb-state tr an scen ds t he ge nde rs of th e peo ple invo lved . The Moon,
because it is related to th e body and the inst incts , has an eart hi ness and
stabi lity wh ich ma ke N ept une feel safe. N eptune perceives in t he Moon
person (even if a m an) t he matern al redeem er of one's earl iest d ream s and
fantasies. T h is redeem er u nd ersta nds wit hou t expl anat ions, has com pas-
sion regard less of th e seve rity of one's tr ansgression , loves without judge-
ment and test ing , an d will always be th ere to provide em otional warmth
and shelt e r, food and forg iveness.

T hou IipJ art thint -thy &wn JU'U / smiles I Jet,

T he tame that Ojl in childhood solaced me;
Voiet only [ails, tlu, how distinct thr;' Jay,
"Grieve n OI, my child, (halt all thy jean a way! " 2

2 , W ill Iam Cowper, "O n (he Receipt of My Mother's Picture O ur of Norfolk," '[ h, Ox/urJ
LlbTp f) of F."glnh Plitt') , Vol II, J ohn Wain, ed . (londo n : G uild Publishin g, 1989 ), p .171 .
-152 ~ THE ASTRO l O GICA l N EPT UN F AN D T H E Q U EST f O R RED(MPTI O N

The Moon may respond posit ively (0 thi s role of mother ing-at least ini-
tia lly- because th e need to be needed is a fu nda me n tal aspe cr of t he lu nar
side of us. T he Moon will often sense Ne ptune's vulnerability and help-
lessness, even if th e Neptune perso n has succeede d in mask ing it from oth-
ers and even from himself or herself. N ept une feels t hat, at last , one has
found a perso n to whom one can reveal one's whole heart. Much heal ing
can eme rge from thi s cro ss-aspect , espec ially if th e Moon person's earl y life
in volved emo tiona l dep rivat ion . In experiencing the maternal role, t he
Moon pers on may redeem his or her ow n chil d hood , as well as provid ing a
cont ainer for Nep tu ne's long ing s, Th rough rhis conneccion wi t h a pow er-
ful healing arche type, Neptune-Moon contacts in synast ry ma y create a
pro fou nd and las ting bond of em pa t hy and t rust whi ch can help (0 assuage
t he hurts in bot h peop le, and redr ess t he wounds of t he fam ily pao;c.
Problem s m ay ari se when any separate ness is t h rearened by eit her pany.
N eptu ne may become roo d epend ent on th e Moo n's special empathy, feel-
ing lost an d bewild ered at th e intrusio n of friend s. spouse, o r even one's
own child . If the con ran occurs between a couple who have a child , hun
and unha ppiness may arise around the issue of the child 's claim on the
Moo n pa rent , because t he Neptune parent wish es (0 be t he best -loved
child himself or hersel f. Ne ptune is nor jealou s in th e usua l sense; jealousy
is too ind ivid ual and passionat e an emo tion . Lack of ob vious jealousy in
t he Nept un e person may in fact be a sou rce of resent me nt for a panner w ho
feels devalued by it. T he Ne ptune pe rson may sim ply feel be reft and
emp ty, and may, from t his place of hope less passivity, beco me ext reme ly
manipulative in orde r [0 recla im t he Moon 's att ent ion . T his ma y be
reflect ed in failure, dep ression or illn ess- all unconsciou sly ge ared toward
reesrabl ishing rh e primal fusion of mot her and chil d .
The Moon is itsel f capab le of conside rable possessiveness (Ca ncer
bei ng equ al CO if nor more incense t han Scorp io in th is respe ct). T he Moo n
person may also feel an exclus ive claim , resentin g N eptune's need of ot h-
ers and desiring to be th e one and o nly careta ker of t his special , mag ical
child . The Moon may expre ss its possessiveness in very concrete ways,
dem and ing t he Nept une person 's constant physical p resence. Neptu ne
may feel overwhelmed, bo th by th e Moon 's d em ands and by the feelings of
dependency wh ich t he Moo n pe rson invokes; and th e Nept un e pe rson may
beco me ang ry and frigh te ned , and reject rhe Moon , O r, d isill usioned by
t he Moon's own need iness (t he redeem er is not supposed to need anyth ing
him sel f or herself), Neptune may feel agg rieved and betrayed , and jus< ify
d eceit or retaliation. Sometim es th e cl imat e, in a relat ionship involving
Moon-Neptu ne cross-aspects, can become somewhat humid and swam p-
like . Doth peop le may resort to man ipu lation in order to preserve closen ess
 N lPTUf\,;E IN SYNAH RY AND THE CO""' POSIH CHART '" 453

in the relation ship; neith er person may be aware of doing so. The Moon
may secretly wi sh Neptune to remain permanently chi ldlike , and may
resent any independ en t endeavour wh ich could herald the end of the sym-
bios is, or any happiness in Neptune's life that has not arrived there
throu gh the Moon person 's agen cy. The Moon person ma y unc onsciou sly
t ry to undermine the Neptune person's confidence, emphasising Neptune's
weakn esses and underplaying irs st reng t hs. All the rewards and problems
of th e mother-child bon d may be enacted in th is cross-aspect ; and gende r
is not relevant. The contact may occur betw een male and female partners,
homosexual partners, friends, or an actual parent and child . Sometimes the
parent's Neptune and th e chi ld 's Moon make a strong cross-aspect . Then
the parent's own unformed ness may reach out to the child, who is uncon-
sciously called upon co parent the parent.
Moon -N eptune cross-aspens can create an exquisite feeling of OO twi n_
ship"-the sense of a "sou l-fami ly" wh ich tr anscends biolog ical bonds .
Moon- N eptune contacts can generate a safe, warm, and trust ing at rnos-
phere whic h su pports bo t h peo ple th rou gh life's d ifficult ies. The relatio n-
ship has more of th e am b ience of "soul-friends" th an of "sou l-lovers ," and
may contain conside rable idealisation of each others' imagi native and sen-
sitive qualit ies. It can beco me cli ng ing and claustrophobic if either person
is unable to sustain an indepe ndent individuality apart from the relation-
shi p. If the aspect is "hard ," th ere is more likel ihood of im possible ideali-
sation, a mutual mi sunderstanding of needs , and greater disappointment
and resentment . N either planet is kn own for its directness, and the di sil-
lusionment and hun are rarely expressed ov e r t ly; therein lies the potent ial
destructiveness of the contact. Moon-Neptune cross-aspects can offer nour-
ishment, peace , and a healing of many early hurts. Acted ou t uncon -
sciously, they can also unleash between tWO people the devouri ng maw of
the ancient water-m ot her. T heir exp ression depends in large pare upon
whet her the r wo indi vidua ls have manage d, at least to some ext ent , to cut
the umb ilical cord in th eir own lives. If ei the r or both have not, then soon -
er or later t he b liss of Eden will be disru p ted by the serpe nt of possessive-
ness, manipulacion, and deceit.

Neptune-Mercury Aspects in Synastry

In th e enchanced eyes of N eptune, Mercury becomes Mercurius, alchemi-
cal work er of magi c and psychopomp of sou ls awaiting rebirth . Neptune
experiences, in Mercury's cleverness, dexterity, versatility, and winged feet,
an elixir which can persuade [he frowning angel with the flam ing swo rd
to relent , just thi s once. Even if the Mercury person is not inte llec tually
454 - T H E AST RO lOGI CAl ," EP r UN E A"D r H E O UEST l OR REDEMPTION

inclined . nevertheless N eptune may idea list" one or anot he r of t he

Mercurial at trib ut es, physi cal or me ntal, an d see in the Mer cu ry pers on t he
friend, comp anion . and gu ide who can formulate answers [Q all N eptune's
un exp ressed quest ion s. Nept un e, in rurn , can open Mercury 's pragmati c
eyes [Q th e m yst er ies of (he heart a nd t he ima gi nati on. Often the dialogue
bet wee n th ese two is poe ti c and in sp ired ; for M ercur y can g ive voice [Q th e
u nspo ken feeli ng-wo rld of Neptu ne . T he ch ief problem is rhar both pl a n-
ets, gi ven th e right (or wrong ) circums tances, can be shameless liars-
N eptune because of its m irro ring nature and need [0 please at all cos ts, and
Mercu ry because, to the g od of tri ckst er s and thi eves, tr uth is a relat ive
bu sin ess.
A k ind of tel ep ath ic com m un icat ion ma y occu r be t ween rwo peop le
when t he aspect is close, part icul arl y wi th t he con ju nct ion. Nept une may
intuit t he d irect ion of Mercury 's th ought s, and Mercury ma y spo ntaneou s·
ly art icu late som et h ing upon wh ich th e Neptun e per son has been ru rn i-
nating . An ext raord in ary example of th is exchange is the relat ion sh ip
betwe en t he co mpose r Freder ick Del ius and Er ic Fcnby, h im self a com pos-
er, wh o for several years served as Delius' "amanuensis" whe n the olde r m an
lay b lind and paralysed in (he fina l stages of syp h ilis . D eli us comm uni cat-
ed his final composi ti ons t hro ug h hu mm ing melodies an d shou t ing out
notes; Fenby recorded these abbreviated messages and tr anslat ed t he m inca
m usical sco res. Am on g st other powerful synastr y con t acts. Penb y's
Mercury and Ascendant co n ju nct Del ius' N ep tu ne.3 N ep tune may also
becom e dependent on Mercury's capacit y for logi c an d me m ory ; as in rh e
case of Del ius an d Fenby , N ep tu ne may be th e g ifted b ut chi ld like art ist,
and Mercu ry the ag ent or persona l secretary. M enan d er once wro te t hat t he
intelle ct in every m an is G od . Wi t h Mercury- N eptu ne contact s in syncs-
try, Mercu ry's int e llect may be , fo r N eptune, div inel y in sp ired . Me rcu ry, in
tu rn , loves an au d ience so de eply app reciat ive of its cleverness; for if
N ep tune is an hypocriteJ , Mercur y is a srand u p comed ian. U nfortu nate ly
th is can some ti m es resu lt in th e Nep tun e person feel ing stu pi d, hel ple ss,
and in artic ulate in t he p resence of Mer cu ry's talents , and frightened of th e
m ental o r pr act ical acumen whi ch evokes such feelings of depend ency a nd
idealisat ion. Mercu ry's Virg o-face, com pe tent and efficient in deali ng with
t he affairs of eve ryd ay life, can wear th e g arb of th e redeem er as read ily as
its Ge mini-fact' wit h its spa rk ling inte llectual mob ility.
Over ti me , the N ep t un e pe rson . eage r to please and read y (Q absorb
Mer cu ry's ide as, modes of speech , gest u res. ann man ner ism s in ord e r (Q

, . Delius"( han IS dis cussed In chapt er 1o . Fenby's chan IS gi ven In l nltrnalltJl'/a/tJ HIJr-uJl: I,I" -
Lexikon, p. ~39 . Ken Russell d rarnan sed th e relano nshr p in a film called SlinK tJf Summrr.
 N EPT UN E I'" \YNA\T RY AND THE CO A\PO I ITI CHART - 455

preserve emotional int imacy, may sup press his or her ow n mental and
practical gifts. Neptune may rely increas ing ly on Me rcury ( 0 o rgan ise t he
affai rs of life an d a nswer all th e questio ns , cos mic o r tr iv ial. T he Neptune
pe rson m ay also sho w a prope nsi ty to say what Mercu ry wane s [ 0 hear.
Sensing falseness o r hypoc risy, Me rcury may d eve lop an instincti ve m is-
(CUSt of Neptune, for the god of th ieves and liars is himself adept at Spot-
ti ng u nt ru ths . Mer cury m ay also grow irri ta ted and im pat ien t w ith play-
ing a cross be t ween a secre ta ry and a guru, and may feel frus trated by
Nep t une's apparent abse n t - mind ed nes s and m e ntal laz iness . The n
Mercury may inad ver tan rly wound N eptu ne w ith offhand cri ti cism , whil e
N ep tun e ma y. in [urn, begi n to lie outright, try in g de sperately to pl ease
and to avoid Me rcu ry's at tac ki ng tongue. The Neptune perso n . if suffi-
cie ntly frig htened by th e power Mercu ry w ields ove r his or her thoug hts.
may try to sabo tag e Mercu ry, by d isru pting plans. throw ing a fog of con-
fusion over important di scussions, and crea ti ng general chaos . Alt hou gh
th ere is no overt erotic con notat ion in th e conta ct be tween th ese planet s,
Neptune's lon g ing for fus ion is itself ero ti c; and th e Neptune perso n m ay
find t he mind of the othe r beautiful and sed ucti ve.

So smooth, so sweet, JO sil v'ry is thy voter,

A s, (ould Ihty hear; tbe damn'd would make no nOIJe,
B UI Irurning 10 thee (walking In thy chamber}
M t ll mg mt iodiouJ words, to iut rs 0/ amber. 4

If t h is aspect occu rs wit hi n a love-rel at io nsh ip, it m ay refl ect an incen se

fascination . But lack of di rectness, parti cu larly ab out em ot io na l matt ers,
can gene ra te m an y problem s. Mercury may fear speak ing ou t because of
N ep tun e's ext rem e sens it ivity to anyt h ing co nst rue d as reject io n ; and
N eptune m ay avo id con frontat ion becau se wo rd s t hem sel ves are instr u -
ments of separatio n .
It is t h roug h words th at we commu nicate wh o we are an d d efine ou r
view po int to the wo rld . Once someth ing has bee n said, it canner be
un said, and m ay create di fferences o r even q uarrels. Alt hough Mer cury's
sig ns are bot h ca pab le of ca lculated un tr u t hs. th e Mercu rial ind ivid ual is
awa re of it , and can exercise t he functi on of d iscri m ination . In orde r to lie
well . on e m ust be able to distinguis h trut h . But truth, in Neptu n ian
wat ers, is a fluid business, because it reflect s t he feel ing s of the momen t.
Recalling wha t was said last week is an exer cise of Mercurial m em or y.

4 . Robert Herrick, "Upo n J ulia's v oice." in Oxf urJ DictJuna? uj Q UlJt a twnI <l o ndon : O xfo rd
Uruversuy Press. 19 4 1),2 47:14
4 56 - T H F A.STR O t O GIC i\ 1 N EP1 U N I AN D r H( o u r sr f O R RED EM r n O N

Neptune often cannot rem em ber what was said last week , becau se it was
only words; and an yway rhe emot ional sit ua tion has changed in the mean-
time. Or one th ough t one said it when one did nor ; o r one remem bers hav-
ing said somet hing else. Ne ptune can infuria te and frus t rate Mercur y wit h
this ap parently ind ifferent att itude toward verbal com mu nicat ion, and the
Mercu ry person may fail co un dersta nd that words are not g iven hig h pri-
ority in Neptu ne's domain . Mercury's langu age , though subtle, is p recise.
N eptune's language hines, infers, im pl ies, and invokes, concealing far
mo re than it reveals. One of the most positiv e outl ets for this com bina t ion
in synast ry is a shared crea t ive pro ject, where N eptune's im agery and feel-
ings can gain st ruct ure and substance throug h Mercury's clar it y and di s-
cr imi nation. In creati ve wo rk their di fferi ng modes of percept ion and
expression can find com mo n g round where both are valu ed . If Mercury
does not underesti mate Neptune's int elli gen ce o r become impatie nt with
N eptu ne's circu lar thinki ng , and if Nept un e is will ing to ta ke responsi-
b ilit y for its own words and ideas, th e creat ive flow can be magi cal. Even
if th e aspect is diffi cul t . it m ay reflect th ose rare occasions where two peo -
ple really can write a book, a scree nplay, o r a musical compos ition toget h-
er. Equally import ant ly, Mercury and N ept une can preserve mag ic in
everyday comm unication; and this may ult imately outl ast more ro manti c
bur less viabl e long -term d reams.

N eptune- Venus A spects in Sy nast ry

N cpt une-Venus co nt acts are as romanti c in synasrry as they are in the
nata ] chart. Venus is borh sensual and aesthet ic, reflecting it s d ual ruler-
ship over Tauru s and Libra; and ir is thi s comb ination of physical charm
and me nta l g race whi ch powerfully consrellares Ne ptune's longi ng . T he
sexua l d ynami cs of thi s cross-aspect may, howeve r, pose certain difficu ltie s
in a love-relat ion shi p. Ven us-N eptune exchanges have p rovided inspi ra-
tion for poe try and fict ion since time immemo rial, for th e ancient conflicr
of carnal versus sp iritu al is ofren im plicit in [hem , as is the pain of illi cit
desire. N ept un e di ffers from Venus because it reflects devot ion to an ide-
alised im age, rather than ap preciati on of one ind ividu al for another, sepa-
rare ind ivid ual. N ept une often [anrasises the physical consum m at ion of
love as a m ysti cal unio n; bu t [he mo re coarse aspects of th e sexual act , wi th
it :.. noises and smell s, and the transie nce of its pleasu re, may seem a viola-
t ion of somet hing sacred. As Caru llus o nce wrot e, after co itu s all an im als
arc sad. Venu s ma y infla me Ne ptu ne's fant asies, bur may have co wait a
long t ime before Ne pt une d oes anythi ng about them ; and N ept un e may
even run away at th e crit ical mome nt , or inexplicab ly cool off d ur ing or
 N EP T UN E IN ~YN A STRY AI'>.JD T H E CO MPOS I Tl C H",RT - 457

afte r the act of love itsel f. Ven us' appreciati on tends to be eart hie r (even if
placed in an airy sig n>, and more relared ro rhe qu alir ies of the ocher per-
son, includ ing the q ualiries of th e other pe rson's bod y; and Ven us loves
being ado red for her own body as well. Ne prune loves rhe soul in th e othe r.
Venus simply loves th e ocher, and wants to show it in every possib le
hu man way, T his can generate exq uisite tenderness between two people;
but it may ge nerate bi tte r disi llusionment as well.
Some times Venus-Neptune relat ionships are not "consum mated" in
a physical sense, or may prove a disappoi nr men t on this level. One of the
pa rrners may, from the outset , seek sexual solace elsewhere and indulge in
considerable deceptio n; or the sexual relationship may be limi ted or sev-
ered becau se of prev ious obligations. Some ti mes the cross-aspect occurs
berween people who are sepa rated by the conflict of different racial or rel i-
g ious backg rounds . o r who live in differenr count ries and are unable to
uproor. Some times one person is will ing , but th e othe r has taken relig ious
vows. Yet Venus' power to invoke Ne ptu ne's d reams arises from an erotic
fascination which is firm ly root ed in the body. Nept une 's ideal isatio n may
mak e th e Venu s person feel more beauti ful and worthwhile; th e exper ien ce
of having one's Venu s st rongly aspecred by a lover's Ne pt une can be, at
least ini tially, wonderfully healing ro many child hood woun ds, and may
assuage th ose feeli ngs of physical flawed ness wh ich every human bein g
experiences. Venus- Ne ptune in syna:it ry may refleer the state of being "in
love" par excellence, and a close aspect between th ese planets is often st rong
enou gh to burn throug h previou s comm itme nt s and overt urn even a hard-
bitten Saturn 's cyni cism about love and life. Som e of the feelin g of Venu s-
N eptune is superbly exp ressed in t he poet ry of J oh n Donn e.

W htn tove, with one another JQ

lnurmammates two souln,
That abler soule, which thence doth flou',
Defectl of lomhnme cont roules.
Wtt then, wbo are this ntu' souie. kn()U',
0/ what we are compos'd, and made,
For, th'A tomitJ of u'hich we grou',
Are JoultJ, whom no changt can inlJade.
. . , And if some lover, Juch as wee,
Have heard this dialogue of ont,
Ln him Jtill maria UJ, ht shall see
Small change, when wt'rt to bodieJ gont )

5. Jo hn Donne, "The Extasie." from Tht Pm guin BfJfJ! Q

j Englll h Vm t
4 58 - 1 H f A ~ T R O IO G I C A l NIP T UNI AN D TH f G UI lT FOR RID IM PTI O N

H ow ever, these feelings of eternity and the un ion o f sou ls ma y pro ve

to be so o verw helmi ng tha t the Ne ptun e person unco nsciously avoi ds the
sex ual acr-e-al thoug h not fantasies about th e act . N eptun e's lo ng ing for
di ssolution may create a profou nd reluct ance [0 partic ipare in the ind ivid -
ual give and take w hich the act of love requires. The Venus person may
then beg in t o wonder what has go ne wrong , and may become more direer
in initiating physical con tact , somet imes expressing oven seduct iveness. If
Ne ptu ne becomes too fearful of losing cont rol, then Venu s may be accused
of sexual ma nip ulat io n, and N eptu ne may becom e insufferabl y mo ral and
project all those shamefu l bodily long ings on to th e baffled and hurt part -
ner. Because Nep tu ne is co nnect ed w ith o ur mos t prim al feel ing s to ward
t he mother, N ept une 's erot ic fascina ti on ma y carry an incest uo us o r ill icit
taint; and the g ui lt arising from suc h un consciou s feeli ng s may cause the
N eptune perso n (Q percei ve Venu s as an archetypal temp ter o r te m ptress.
If there have been d isturbances in th e N eptune person's relati on ship with
the moth e r, such a response , after th e initial att ract ion, is nor uncom m on.
N eptu ne may react to the terror o f fall ing unde r Venus' sexual po wer by
find ing fault with Venu s' physical reality. Neptu ne may find th e fantasy
preferable to the wart on Venus' left shoulder, or th e three g rey hairs, or
the slig ht bul ge wh ich appears around the waist and hips after an enjoy-
able holiday. Th is may herald loss of sexual interest , or pursu it of another
erotic objec t wh o prom ises to be closer to the idea l- unti l th e new love-
object turn s OUt to have a wart on t he rig ht sho ulder, o r flat feet. O ne of
the most unhappy d im ension s o f Ven us-N ep tune co n ta cts lies in thi s
N ep tun ian fl ight from th e bod ily reality of Ven us' lo ve , for it can lead to
conside rable pain . So me co nsc iousness o f w hat lies behind the se defenc e
me chanisms may hel p bach peopl e to work w it h the di lem ma ; Venu s can
learn g reater com passio n and se nsitivity, and N eptu ne (a n learn g reater
appreci atio n o f the physical d imension of love.
Eq ually, N ep tu ne may respond 10 the power of Venus fascinat ion by
atte m pting 10 bind Venu s, first th rough trying stren uously 10 please, and
then through sel f-viet imisa tion . Neptu ne may arrernpe to black m ail
Venus into g reater de claratio ns of love and loyal ty, beco mi ng needy and
clinging, or even ill. Venus in my th is nor a particularly patient or com-
passionate goddess; she is vain, capric ious, and int ent o n her ow n ple a-
sures. Venu s wi thin the indi vidual may react to N eptune's manipulati ve
ploys w ith increasing distaste , and a tenden cy to look el sewhe re fo r a le ss
pathe t ic co m panio n. This unfo rtunate scen ario may be g li m psed in thos e
established relat ion sh ips where on e partne r suffers rejection and hum il ia-
tion in full knowledge of the ot her's infidel it ies, unable to break th e g rip
of the ideali sation , and co llud ing w ith the pa rtne r's acting our o f arch e-
typal Ven usian sha llo wness and d isloyal ty" H er e Venus plays [he role of [h e
sed uce r an d deceiv er. O r th e Ven us person ma y simply walk OU[ , angry an d
hu rt , leav in g N eptu ne be reft with all irs lo ng in g s unfulfilled . victi m co
anot he r's sex ua l w ile s. The su b tle ry, co m plexity, and inte nsity of Ven u s-
N ep t une contacts in synasrry em ph asise t he im po rt ance of ego-bo u nda ries
and emo t ion al di rect nes s, so th at bo t h peop le can deal w ith t hei r respons-
es hones t ly and sensit ively. Ven us ca n offer N ept une th e o pport u n ity t o
b ri ng exq u isite and in sp ir in g emot io ns in to physical life; Venus' earthie r
love and capacit y for co nt ent ment can help Nep tu ne to heal mu ch of it s
dee p lo neliness an d d istas te for inca rn atio n . W ith Ven us-N ept une cross-
aspen s, sexua l love may become a veh icle for ecsraric feelings of un ity with
all life . N eptune can o pen Ven us' hea rt wi t h a co m pass ion ba sed nor o n
ind ivi dual me ri t bu t o n th e sad ness, beauty, tr agedy, and nob il it y of a ll
human love.

Neptune-Mars Aspects in Synastry

B ecause M ars and N eptune a re anti t he t ical in nature , it m ig ht in it ially
seem that stro ng cr oss-as pects betw een t hem are inva riably p rob lemat ic.
Some descrip t ions of th is pa ir ing are dow nr ight si ni ste r, im p lying t hat th e
N ep t une person lead s th e M ars pe rson int o cor ru pt ways. But desp ite it s
bad press , th is co m b inat io n, creat ively hand led, may event ua lly p rov e
mo re fulfilling fo r bo rh peop le than , for exa m p le , M oo n-Neptune, wh ose
reg ressive p ull ma y be claustrop hob ic in a sex ual o r par en t -chi ld rel ati o n-
sh ip , o r Venus- N eptu ne , wh ose ex t re me rom ant ici sm may nor tol e ra te
age ing o r o rdi nary h um an foibles . T he ten sio n and ant ipa t hy between
Mars and N eptu ne can some ti m es become de structi ve, leadi ng to cr uelty
and vict irni sari on w it hin a rel at ion sh ip . Eq ually, it may ge ne ra te en or -
mo us excitement , e nerg y and creat ive ent h us iasm- p rovid ed t he re is some
co nscio usness of th e d yn am ic invo lved .
N eptun e pe rcei ves in M ars' stre ng t h and vigo u r t he red eemer as her o
o r hero ine- to ugh , pote nc, dec isive , and capa b le of m ak ing thi ng s happen
in t he wo rld . Even if M ars is p laced in a gen t le o r non aggressiv e sign, suc h
as Ca nce r, Lib ra , o r P isces, and even if t he M ars pe rso n fee ls any t h ing b ut
her o ic, t he N ept u ne per son wi ll st ill ideal ise Ma rs' co urageo us spi ri t -
alb ei t exp ressed in a sensi t ive and tact fu l fash ion . Nep t une loo ks to M ars
as a ki nd of cham p ion : the o ne who will fig hr ones barrles , prot ect o ne's
vulne rability, rake on the wo rld , and pe rhaps " rake " o nese lf as wel l. T he
sexual att ractio n be t ween N ep tu ne and M ars ma y be very po ten t , bur t he
fant asies are rat he r d iffere nt from chose be t ween N eptu ne and Venu s.
1\ 60 - l H£ AST RO l OG ICAl NEP1 UN £ A ,~D TH E O t Jf .H fO R REor.~1rT J O ,'\,'

N eptune long s [Q be dom inated b y (he supe rio r str eng t h of Mars, alr hou gb
such feelinI;s are of(en deeply emba rrassing to ackn owledge on a cons cio us
level because of t he vulner ab ilit y involved . A man whose Nep tune is in
d ose conjunct io n wi th a woman's Mar s, and wh o is used [Q seeing himself
as the sexual initia to r, may find it di stu rbi ng and threaten ing to d iscover
that he lon g s for a reversal of role s, and some t imes feel s-and en joys feel-
ing-s-depe nden r and helpless beside her.
Mars, in turn , tend s to flou ris h in the role of cham pion a nd protec-
to r, and th e Mars perso n may feel st rong er, more po te nt and more fulfilled
beca use t here is a wo rthy cause to fig ht for. Mars will hap p ily play [he
knig ht, and N ep tu ne the d amsel in dis tr ess; regardl ess of ge nder, t his is
th e a rchetypal d yn am ic be hi nd th e aspect. Mar s is Sf. Geo rge, or Per seus,
o r J eanne d'A rc, full of clu msy bur since re compassion, ready to strik e
d own t he d rago n and rescue t he prince or p rincess fro m dange r, imprison-
ment or t he world's lack of und er stand in g . Nept u ne can invoke a greater
sense of power in Mar s; Mar s can invok e an awareness of frag ility a nd orh -
e rworld liness in Neptu ne. So far, all is well ; Neptune. ins p ires Mar s (0
gr eate r visio n, and Mars provides Neptune with a shi eld agai nst rnisfor-
tune. But because we so often find N ep tu ne frig h te n ing and d angerous to
t he ego's need for co ntr ol, t he N eptune per son may refuse to ack nowledge
h is or her de pe nde ncy, o r may experie nce deep u ncons ciou s env)' of Ma rs'
to ug h ness and sex ual powe r. Secret fear, envy, and depende ncy may pro-
vok e N eptune to underm ine Mars' in iti ati ve and self-co nfid ence, in hig h -
ly mani pulative ways whi ch fru strate th e Mars person and fan ange r and
even violen ce. Ma rs ca nnot fight un de rwate r and , whe n ba ited , prefers t he
efficacy of a si mp le punch or sho ut ing match. Eq uall y ofte n, Neptu ne ma y
become addi cted to bein g led ; and Mars may event ually becom e weary of
alway s havin g to wear sui ts of arm ou r wh ile N ept une relaxes in yet anoth-
er warm bath .
T he sexual charis ma of M ars, as pe rcei ved by Neptune, m ay seem
untr ustwo rt hy and dangerous. because t he p rotector mi gh t , at any po int .
go off and proten or conq uer someone else. In an effort to bind t he M ars
pe rson, Nep tune ma y t ry to obtai n p rotecti on through failu re, ill ness or
vicrimi sari on , or may u nconsciou sly und ermine Mars' pote ncy rhrough
sub tle forms of reject ion a nd evasiveness which keep Mars feel ing un ce r-
rain and confused . N eptune can th wart Mar s' need for clea r-cut actio n,
ask ing Mars to make th e decisions, and t hen sabotagi ng t he results . O r
Nep tune may resort to sexual coyness and deceit , baffl ing Ma rs' crude r bu t
more hon est approach to sexual ma t te rs. Ne p tu ne is adep t at producing a
classic "N ot tonight , bur maybe to mo rrow " scr ip t ; M ars is refused , b ur
never directly, and t he eager kn ight is kept hoping and wait ing , in creas-
 NEPTUN E IN SYN A, STRY A, r'\:O THE CO.\ 1POSIH ( HART - 46 1

ingly furious and frustrated, wh ile Nept une plays virg inal, tantalising , or
a peculiar com bination of the two, Ongo ing frustration may d raw cruelty
and violen ce from Mars, as bear-bait ing will draw savagery from the bear,
Behind th is sad ena ctment is the N eptune person's deep fear of losing his
or her champion, whose strength and sexual magnetism are so ideal ised ,
and wirh our whom one m igh r fall int o rhe abyss, The less t he Neptu ne
individual is able [Q hone stly express his or her ow n capacity for aggres-
sion and creative potency, the darker the undercurrents are likel y to be.
T he highly charged exchange of th ese two planets in cross-aspect can
generate not only eno rmous sexual pleasure and fulfillment, but also
inspi red creative vision in both individuals. Ne ptune's imagi nation can be
d irected and earthed by Mars, in lovemaking and in creative p rojects ; and
if this contact occurs bet ween two peop le who work tog ether, it can be a
wonderfully productive and rewarding com bination. It is perhaps mos t
diffi cult between pa rent and child , particul arly if th e child is N ep tu ne and
t he pa rent Mars ; for th e Oedipal dy nami c may be colou red by dar ker
themes. T he fainrly sado- masoc hist ic edg e of Mars-N ep tun e may be har m-
less and even highly pleasu rab le between adults, but can be extr emely
destruct ive enacted with in the family fabric. Neptune possesses t he gift of
sub tle frustratio n, which can invoke violence in a violent Mars. Feelings of
g uilt and shame may exacerbate the confusion. Yet it is not inherent ly
patholog ical to idea lise one's parent or one 's child---erotically or otherwise.
Patholog y enters when there is unconsciousness and a bl ind act ing our of
emoti ons. Mars-Ne pt un e in synasuy may reflect covert sexual manipul a-
tion, sub tle cruelty, and the loss of respeC( fo r one's own and the ocher per-
son's bou ndaries. Yet Mars-N eptune conta cts between charts are not "dan-
gerous" or "bad ." To offer irs best, Mars-N eptu ne requ ires a g reater deg ree
of self-awareness than many other syn ast ry aspects. But the rewards are
worth (he effort.

Neptune-Jupiter Aspects in Synastry

Fellow explore rs of othe rwo rld ly realm s, Jupiter and Nep tu ne 10 cross-
chart aspect can reflect a p rofound sense of sha red relig ious or spiritual
commitment . Jupit~r's que st for mean ing , and its opti m istic vision of a
benig n cosmos, can offer Nep tune buoyant validation of its vag ue and
inarticulate yearnings, wh ile Ne ptune's heartfelt sense of life's unity can
deepen jupirer's speculative approach to the num inous. W hen the co ntact
works in th is way, it is ennobling, uplifting , and positive in its cont ribu-
t ion to both peop le's confid ence and fai t h in life. T he Jupite r person may
462 - T H E A\ TRO LO GI CA l N EPT U N E AND T HE Q U EIT f O R RID EMP T IO N

be inspired to see k and provide answers for N eptu ne's chronic moral con -
fusio n, and m ay also respond to Neptu ne's deep vuln erabil it y, iso lation and
mel ancholy by offering a more joyfu l vision of life's goo d ness and bounty.
N ept une , in (urn , may project onto Ju p iter the wi se redeemer- teacher wh o
can reveal life's mysreries in inte ll ig ible ways, and who can be trusted to
nego tiate a place in Parad ise for both.
N o t surp rising ly, th e co ntact can also [Urn o ur [Q be a so re case o f the
blind leading the bl ind . Roth planets resent th e lim its of mu ndan e reali-
ty, althoug h for di fferenr reasons, an d both may d isrega rd th ese lim its in
th eir pursu it of th e sublime. J u piter may cajole N eptu ne into fo lly, pa r-
t icularly of a fina ncial kind, thro ug h present ing g lorious fut ure plan s
w hich are no t o nly uno btai nable , but may fly in the face o f o bv ious ma te-
rial and even leg al boundaries. N eptu ne , pl ayin g mir ror (Q Jupi ter's
g randiose schem es, may feed Ju pite r's natural propensity for infl at ion , and
the N eptune perso n may offer himself or herself as an obedient de votee and
d iscip le rather than a reali st ic partner and necessary occ asional cri ti c. If
neit her pe rson is incl ined to ex press the Piscean wo rld , eit her arti st ically
or spiritu ally, the planet s may collude unconsciousl y, and ate liab le to lead
each other int o g reater trouble. In th e do ma in wh ich th ey bo th ru le, th ey
are at hom e, and the ir excesses are not so dest ructi ve . \Xlh en pu rsuing G od
in th e fo rm o f worldly am bition, t hey may co nstellat e a m u t ual naivety
whi ch is underm inin g o r even do w nrigh t dange rous to bot h peopl e's mate -
rial stability and adapta ti on ro the out e r wo rld .
Jup iter- N eptune co nracts in sy nastry can be rich and ferrile o n the
artistic level. jupit er's ge nerous sup ply o f encou rageme nt and oprimism
can help N ep t u ne to fi nd the courage to express inne r visio ns and ideas.
N eptu ne 's devotio n and ideal isat ion can hel p Ju pi ter to exp and int ellectu -
all y and imag inat ively, and the Jup iter perso n may t ry out ne w p rojects
whic h he or she would be fearfu l of pursuing withou t N ept une's empathy
and loyalt y. Just as each planer may st im ulate the other's se nse o f a deep er
and w ider universe, they may also st imu late each o the r's imaginati ve fac-
ulties , If th is can be expressed in creati ve fo rms, the result s can be extra-
ord inary. On t he emot io nal level , the mutual st im ulati o n may be mo re
am big uous . Because N eptune perce ives the redeemer in Jupiter's be nevo-
len ce , th e N ept une pe rso n may come to ex pect a co nstant and un failin g
su pply of good ness , g ene rosity, and wi sdom . Other, eq ually im porrant
qua lities in the J upiter pe rson may be igno red, und errated , o r rejected as
Nep tu ne bli nd ly pursues Jupit er's promise o f salvat io n. Th is co ntact is nor
intrinsically concerned w ith person al em o tion al respon ses, bur it may
com plicate o ther, more cle arly e mot ional issues betwe en t wo peo ple . If, (o r
example. a man 's N eptune trines a wo ma n's J up itt'r and o pposes he r
 ~H r T U ~H , ~' ~Y :"J A H RY A.N D THE (O M rO~IT E ( H ART - 463

Saturn , his idealisation of her wisdom and beneficence may ma ke it hard

for him co ad m it the feelings of frusrration , hurt , and anger gen erated by
the Satu rn-Neprune conracr . Later on, as the relationship progresses, his
sense of d isillusio nmen t may be far g reater, because it took so long to be
acknowledged .
Th e dark side of the coin of faith is fanati cism , and Jup iter and
N eptune can sometimes encourage each other to assume the mantle of
absolut e knowledge. Ne ith er planet is inclined to apply discrim ination co
intu itively sensed bel iefs, and consequently both people may feed each
other's certainty that they possess ultimate spiritual truths . This may not
necessarily be a bad th ing; such a convicti on may lead to a decently lived
life, and an involvement in the bett erm ent of ot hers' lives as well.
However, Jupiter is a natural proselyriser, and with Neptune's indi scrirni -
nate encouragement the J up iter person may try to ram the voice of his or
her particu lar God down others' hapless th roats. W hile N ep tun e is a hyp-
ocntes, J up iter can be a sham eless hypocrite. An int erestin g exam ple of th is
kind of interactio n is th e syna.s try between J im Bakker, th e Amer ican
evangelist , and his wife, Tamm y Faye Bakker.? Bakke r's natal Jup iter,
which con juncts natal Mars, is in 1 Aries, oppos ite his N ep tune in 2S
Virgo. and also opposire hi s wife's Neptune in 29 Virgo. Hi s Mars, in 29
Pisces, is exactly opposite her N ep tune. T he d uplicat ion of nacal and
synastry aspects involving Nep tune will inevitab ly occur wi th th ose born
only a year or tWO apart , d ue to Neptu ne's slow movement. Th is does nor
alt er the essential meaning . One meet s outside what one is within . Jim
Bakk er bu ilt up a TV m ini stry whi ch broughr in $12 9 milli on a year. only
to fall from g race in May 198 7 with pu bl ic exposure of his sord id priv ate
life. Both Bakker and his wife had beg un life humbl y, and with deep reli-
gio us convict ions. By th e lare 1970s rhey were living like Easte rn poten -
tates. T he sto ries of his private affairs, includi ng homosexual liaisons, were
compounded by a tr ial for 24 CO UOtS of fraud and conspiracy. He went to
prison as a result. Tamm y Faye Bakker was not sent to prison, althoug h she
had establ ished her own extr amarital curriculum as well as a reput ed
add icrion to prescriprion drugs. All this cannot be bl amed solely on th e
J up iter-Neptune contact s. Bur the natal and synastry aspeclS between the
tWO planets no doubt contributed to th e Bak kers' arrogant assum pti on
that th ey could ge t away indefini tely wirh rheir hypocrisy and fraud . The
aspects also would have fuelled th e shared relig ious com m itment wh ich
brough r them together and formed the basis of their careers.

6 Source of cban s and biog rap hical informati on : LOI S M . Rodden. A JlrtJdala V (Los
Angeles: D.Ha Ne ws Pre ss. 199 1), p p . 7· 8
4M - TH E AST ROLOGI CA L N EPTUN E AND T H E Q U EST f O R REDE ,\\rT IO "

Jupiter and Neptune share a gift of visi on and a love of excess . As the
old nursery rhyme tells us, when th ey ate good , they are very, very good;
bur when th ey are bad, the y are horrid. Jupiter, th e teacher and phi loso-
phe r, can infuse joy and pleasure into Neptune's melancholy dream s; bu t
J upiter th e gambler and megal omaniac may drag Neptune along with it
into a downward spiral of self-undoing. Neptune, th e victim , may man ip-
ulate Jupiter's generosity and good faith , whil e Neptune, the devot ee, may
lead Jupiter's self-myrholog ising to dangerous extremes. Yet Neptune, the
art ist and visionary, may gently gu ide Jupiter beyond the realm of intel -
lectual spec ulation and intui tive hu nches , [Q the heart of the m yst ery
which both so assiduously seek.

N eptune-Saturn A spects in Synastry

T he meeting of Saturn in one chan with Nep tune in the other is a meet-
ing of archetypal oppos ites. Th e di lemma of psycholog ical separat ion is
int rins ic co the com bi natio n. [0 a close rel ation sh ip invo lving Saturn-
Neptune con tac ts , th e th orny task of learn in g to be both "I" and "we" ma y
dominate other issues. N o other ( ross~as pecr of Neptune (exce pt , perhaps,
Chiton-Neptune) is capable of generati ng such feat, defensiveness, and
uncon scious reraliarory tact ics be twee n indi viduals . Yet ifbo rh peo ple are
able (Q find a workable com prom ise between the d isparate needs and val-
ues symbolised by th ese planets, no other cross-aspecr is as effecrive in
facili tati ng the develop men t o f self- suffic ie ncy whi le preserving th e se nse
of a greater un it y. Rel ation ships invo lving Sat u rn-Nep tu ne a re in m any
ways a paradig m of the majo r th em es of th is boo k , since Nep tune can on ly
really be understood in con tex t of Saturn , and vice versa. It is hi ghly appro-
priate for the theme of th is chapter th at transit ing Satu rn, tradit ionally
exalted in Libra (the sign associated with relati on ship) , con ju nc red
Neptune in Libra between 19 51 and 19 53; and th e individ uals born
under t his co n junct io n, wh o are, at the t im e of writ ing , in th eir early to
m id-4 0 s, have lately endu red no t only anot he r Saturn -N eptune co njunc-
tion in Capricorn (early in 1990), in square to their natal Saturn-N eptun e,
bur also, mor e recently, the transiting con junct ion of Uranus and
Nep tun e, also squate th eir nat al Saturn-Neptune. These people have
taught me a great deal about th e challenges of Sat urn-Neptune combina-
tio ns, bot h in th e ir individua l l ives and in their relatio nships wi th each
o the r. It is to thes e clie nts and analysands in particu lar that l ow e man y
of th e obse rvat ions wh ich follow.
N eptune perceives redemption in Saturn 's strength , worldl iness, and
paternal contain me nt. It does not matter if the Saturn person is a woman,
 N EPTUN E IN SYN , STRY 'NO THE CO MPO SITE CHART - 46 5

or feels diseinctl y unw orldly and uncontained . Neptune may respond like
a vulnerable child to the prom ise of someone more wi se, more earthy, and
better able to carry mundane responsibilities on robust shoulders. Saturn's
talent for su rvival may be idealised because it can protec t N eptun e from
the darkness and chaos of both inner and ou ter wo rlds. Even on the non-
human level, th is respon se can occ ur. In just th is way d id Neptune in the
birth chart of the vuln erable, unfocused Weimar Republ ic respond to
Adolf Hitler's natal Saturn ; the redeemer had arrived. Saturn, in turn , may
be fascinated by Neptune's elusive charm , wh ich hints at an emotional
richness and imaginative fert ility that the Saturn person may feel he or she
lacks or can not expre ss. Saturn may be flatt ered by Neptune's dependency,
and may happily offer th e g uidance and protect ion which Neptune craves .
Parronisati on may strong ly colour the Saturn person's attitude , but this is
no r, at least in the begi nning, felt by N eptune as demean ing . N or, in the
beg inning, is it felt by Saturn as a burden . We all want to bel ieve that we
are strong enoug h to take charge of our own lives, and we are all vulnera-
ble, through our Saturn, to som eone else's need for d irect ion. The role of
adviso r and prote ctor makes Saturn feel to ug h and confident , and is an
exce llent, if tem porary, ant idote (0 Saturn's perennial sense of personal
inadequacy. The relationship of these planets is not, however, one of
equ als; it is that of Svengali and Trilby. Through Satu rn's eyes, Neptune
seems lose and fragi le. The Saturn person may generously offer support ;
but he or she will also claim the right, like the wealthy patron of a poor
artist, to make Neptune's choices and direct Neptune's talents . It is at thi s
point that the contac t may beg in to gen erate conflict .
Because Saturn symbo lises the urge to anchor the unformed in form .
it responds [0 the energ ies of ot her planets by seek ing (0 ground and struc-
ture them . Th is requ ires a lim iting of possibil it ies. which is one of the
meaning s of Saturn's mythic castratio n of his father U ranus. Castration
impl ies that no further offspring can be produced . Endless fertil ity is cu r-
tailed; o nly what exists now, in the present , is real. When Saturn turns this
limi ting and earthing funct ion on Neptune, it is doo med to frustration.
For a time , the N eptune person may be acqu iescent . But althoug h
Nep tune takes the shape of that whi ch contains it , it will not tolerate tOO
much definit ion. Scenti ng the threat of im prisonment , Neptune may
become increasing ly elus ive and chaotic, defy ing all Saturn's effort s to
obtain com mi tment and consistency. The Neptune person may gradually
keep more and more of his or her real feelings, thoughts and fantasies
secret and apart from Saturn 's grasp. Neptune the hypomw may also begin
to deceive, althoug h thi s is usually through obliq ueness rath er than calcu -
lated lying. Ne ptune th e hysteric may utilise illness, physical or psycho-
466 _ TH I ASTROLOGI CAL " r PTUNI AND THI O UIS T fO R RID I" PT IO N

log ical, to lodge an in art icu late p rotest ag ai nst incarcerat ion. Sat u rn, in
( urn , m ay sense th e escape of its be loved qua rry, and m ay beg in to un con -
scio usly exe rcise t hose charact e rist ic m anoeuvres designed co rend er t he
ene my impote nt : d est ru ct ive cri t icism, di sinte rest , em oti ona l or sexual
rejecti on , a u thori ta rian beha viour, possessi ve ness, and a ge ne ral atm os-
phere of g loom and negativity whi ch leaves Ne pt une feeling incap able of
offering , or find ing, any joy or inspirat ion. N eptune's D ionysian excesses
a re frowned up on or for bidden ; N ept une's my sti cal dreams a re ta ken on ly
half seriously, or ig nored altog ether.
The N eptune person may experience hum iliation , and the feeling of
bein g dominated an d un de rm ined . But Nept un e's p rot est s a re rar ely
di rect. T he Nepru ne perso n, d rawn [0 Saturn because of a sense of wea k-
ness and vulnerab il ity, m ay fear co nfront ing th e Satu rn pe rson , because t he
protector might go away. Nep tun e's anger may be exp ressed by becoming
a burden to Satu rn through ill -health , or by underm in ing Saturn 's confi-
den ce with am bi gu ou s e mo t ional rcspon ses o r sexua l wi t hdrawal. If t hese
parcern s are to be avo ided , bot h peop le need to be honest w ith each ot he r.
T he N ep t un e pe rson need s to q uestion h is or he r own hel p lessness, tak ing
g reater respon sib il it y fo r d ecisions and actions. T he Saturn person needs co
face h is or her fear of reject ion a nd loss, learn ing ro tru st ra th er t ha n con-
fin e. Env y is often a sou rce of g reat suffering for Satu rn , alth ou gh it is lI SU ·
ally u nconscious; whe re we feel inadequate, we a re incl ined to e nvy t hose
wh o ap pea r [0 have wh at we lack. Env y ma y cause t he Sat urn person to
attempt co keep th e N eptu ne person ch ild like and dependent . T he
Ne ptune person may need to confront tha t infantile aSPt"ct of th e pe r so n~
al i ry wh ich , despite ot he r, st ro nge r cha rt p laceme nt s, neve rt heless has
asked to be d omi nated . Nep tun e's favou rite crit icism of Sat u rn is, "You ' re
t ry ing to co nt rol m e." Mor e t ruth ful wou ld be the admissio n t hat , Saturn 's
incli nati on to do m inat ion notwithstan ding , N eptune wanted a cont roll ing
paren t in th e first p lace.
W hen Saturn -Neptu ne be twee n charts goes wrong , it tend s [0 go
bad ly wrong . Becau se t he co m bi natio n act ivates ch ild hood hurt s, long -
ing s. a nd frustra tions, t hese m ay eru pt in an adu lt relat ionsh ip wit h
frig ht en ing em ot ion al po we r. T he intens it y of an ger and desire to infl ict
hurt may be very hard for both people to bear, for they may love each ot he r
deepl y. However, Saturn-Neptune, although inclined to generate dist urb-
ing psych olog ica l responses in relati onship, can also generate eno rmous
healin g powe r. N ep t un e can offe r t he waters of Ede n co Saturn 's wast eland ,
b ring ing renewal and a sense of ho pe and fait h , Sat u rn can offe r Neptune
eno ug h safe ty and st abili ty for Nept une co risk expres sing its vision in cre-
at ive for m s, The wou nd ed Neptunian , resistan t to incarnat ion b ut su p -
 N EP TU N E I:'\: \yNAS1RY " NO TH E CQ."', PO SIH C H ART ~ 46 7

port ed by another's strong Sat u rn , may fin d confidence in h is or her o rd i-

nary hu ma ni ty, and be will ing to make th e occasional focay outside Eden 's
gates. And the wounded Sat u rn ian. cynical and m ist rustfu l, may d iscover
th at it is possible, at least someti me s, (0 relinq u ish cont rol and allow th e
healing waters [Q make the desert b loom .

Neptune-Cbiron Aspects in Synastry

N eptune and Ch iron p rovide mirrors for each other's wounds. When tw o
peopl e hurt by life meet and di scover empathy for each othe r, th e resulr
may be rran sform ariv e for bo t h. An y love wh ich develops, wh ether sexual
or not , will be root ed not in a fantasy of per fect ion , bu t in a recognition of
each ot her's essential hum an it y. Bot h pl ane ts reflect deep sensiti vi ty to
life's d ifficu lries and inequalities. and both usually carry a family inheri-
tance of pain and di sappoint ment . O ne of the fruits of th e contact is th e
exrraord ina ry com passion bo t h people may feel to war d each orhe r. This
fru it req uires a good deal of effort if it is no t to sh rivel wh ile still g reen
and un formed . It is possi bl e to be coo in love wi t h pain and su ffering co
perceive oneself and ot he rs in any balanced perspe cti ve. Ne pt une and
Ch iro n may be inclined to get together in corners, whis per ing about how
awful life is. Famil iar wit h th e pos tu res of martyrdom , both may react-s-
nor only ro the world . bur ro each ocher - as rhe perp etrator of all th e pain.
Even at its best, Chi ron-Neptun e may provoke mutual hurt .
N ept une 's pro pensi ty for vict irnisat ion may rem ind C hi ron of it s own
resent ment and frustrati on ; Ch iron 's dee p -rooted anger ma y rem ind
N ept une of its own dis tas te for life. N eptune ma y idea lise C h iro n as a
sh ining example of just how beastly life can be , thus cons tant ly invok ing
in C hiroo a sense of how bad ly created one has been , and unde rm in ing t he
p hilosop hi cal att it ude whi ch is one of Chi ron's mos t creat ive att ributes.
Such an id ealisat ion of suffering can be extremely de st ruct ive; it is like
consta nt ly remind in g someo ne wit h a phys ical hand icap of his or her
weakn ess, m isfort un e, and pe rma nem vicri rnisar ion . Some ti me s, th is may
be im portant and necessary ; on a constant basis it becomes soul-des troy-
ing , The ideal isat ion of pain is nor un com mon when Nept une-Chi ron con-
racts appea r between the cha rts of therap ist and clie nt . lr does noc really
matter wh o is Chiron, and wh o is Neptune. Th e client may have an unco n-
sciou s investment in remaining ill or unhapp y, because th e therap ist will
cont inue [Q show em pat hy and concern; the th erapi st may have an un con-
scious invest ment in [h e cl ien t rema inin g ill or u nh appy, beca use the th er-
apis t will th en cont inue ro be needed, and can con ti nue to proj ect h is or
468 - TH E AST ROlOG IC AL Nf r lUNE AN D THE QUI ST f O R REDfMr TI O N

her o w n wou nded child onto the client. In thi s hall of m irrors, no one is
allowed to get bet te r.
Both pl an ers ma y dis p lay savage defen ce m echan ism s to protect
themselv es from hurt . Chi ro n may unleash sarcasm , de st ruct ive critic ism ,
and abrupt em otional w ithdrawal in t he face of N eptune 's passive m isery,
thus pushing the N eptune person fu rther into self-pity and vict irnisari on .
Chicon can exhibit the ferocity of an animal in pain. In myth , Chiron was
a w ild hunte r, before his suffering transformed him into the archetypa l
healer wh om astrol ogers and therapist s love [0 inv oke . On e m ay su rm ise
th at , at first , he d id not respond politely to bei ng woun d ed ; any in ju red
an ima l will react wit h inscincrive viol en ce, if it possesses th e capaci ty to
do so. C h iron 's in cli nation (Q wit hdraw may mi x badly w ith N ep tun e's
some t ime s invasive e mpathy; although incl ined CO self-pi ty, Ch ircn prefe rs
ro nurse irs wou nds alone . Ne ptune , in turn, may respond co C h iron 's
aloofness w ith its favou rite weapon, the infliction of g uilt . Neptu ne may
also tr y to in vo ke C hiron 's role as healer, by becom in g ill and hel pless , We
tend ro assume, if we offer someone suffi cient empathy, t hat the person
will be g ratefu l a nd will respon d in k ind , N eptu ne likes its offering s to be
paid for in increased emotio nal closeness. There is no plan et less capable of
allowi ng this k ind of intimacy rh an C h iron . Man y therap ist s and cou nsel -
lors are fam iliar w irh th e cl ient w ho, when sy m parhy and understa nd ing
are offered , reacts w ith savage ang er and a desire to infl ict hurr. In close
personal relat ionsh ips, Chiro n may not offer emp athy for emp athy. It may
offer rag e instead.
G reat person al int eg rity and honesty are necessary, if t wo people are
to get the best from this combination . Chi ron needs to de tach sufficient ly
to recogn ise that joy, as well as pain, is the leg acy of all human be ings ;
equally imp ortant, rhe Chiron pe rson req uires sufficienr self-awa reness ro
recog nise when un happiness m akes one unconscious ly savage . N eptune's
inclinat ion t o su ffer c ruel t y sile ntly m ay exacerba t e Ch iron 's problem;
such be haviou r m ay ap pear selfless and com p assiona t e, bu t only serves to
increase Neptu ne's narcissist ic identifi catio n wi th the redeem er who is d is-
mem bered by those he o r she is seek ing to save, Even if bo t h peo ple bel ieve
th at suc h hurtfu l intercha nges a re good for th e sou l, th eir ch ild ren , forced
to witn ess the emotional carnag e, may not ag ree . Attem pting to solve
one's ow n prob lems through help ing ot hers is valid enoug h; it is one of the
fundamental reasons wh y anyo ne goes int o the helping profess ions. fring e
or orthodox . 1£ also form s th e basis (or many love relat ion ships based upon
com passion as well as att ract ion . Some zod iacal sig ns -particularly
Ca nce r, Pisces and Virgo--need to be needed as a fu nda m enr al aspect of
the ir natu res, and are happ ier with a flawed human they can care (or than
 N[ PTU N[ IN SYNAITRY AND THE CO MPOSITE CH ART - 46 9

wit h a semi -div ine be ing who can manage pe rfectl y well alone . But with-
ou r cons cious ness of Chiron-Neptu ne's dy nam ic, one ma y pe rpe tuate th e
ot he r's sickness, or one's own, in the name of healing . Neptune and Ch iron
may co llude in a sha red ph ilosophy of sufferi ng. Wh ile th is may acccm-
pany incense rel ig iou s or spi cicual com mi tme nt , it may also do deep dam-
age to oche r, mo re joyful di mensions of life.
Relat ion sh ips in volv in g C hi ron- Nepru ne contacts are often deep and
enduring-provided nei t her indi vid ual ru ns away from t he im portant
issues wh ich the combin ation reflects. Al t houg h some hun is usually
in volved, th is is the case with any bond wh ich p recipi tates changes in con-
sciousness and ou rlook . Chi roo and N ep tu ne ace d rawn co each other for
com plex reasons , incl ud ing a need on th e pa rt of bo th people to heal som e-
thing old and pai nfu l whic h has lain b u ried ben eat h appa rentl y "no rmal"
adaptat ions (Q life. If Chi ron's bitrerness or Ne ptune's ma nipul at iveness
are unleashed wit hout awareness, it may pro voke an escalati ng sense in
both ind ivid uals of ent rapment , resentme nt and the desi re co p uni sh .
Every d ivo rce soli citor has files full of such cou ples, who see m incapable of
parting without terrible spite and b ir rer m u t ual recriminat ion . The pri m -
itive nature of the emotio ns reflect ed by bot h th ese pla nets may compe l
ordi nar ily ni .e, de cem peop le co inadverten tly engage in gross dis ho nes ty
and frig ht eni ng vindi ct ivene ss, be cause primal wound s an d longings have
been act ivated . Yet th is combinat ion of planers has pro fou nd heal ing
potential- if t he challenge is recog nised and mer.

N eptune Aspects to Uranus a nd Pluto in Synastry

W ith in a nata l cha rt , Neptune's aspe ct s to Uranus and Plu to refle ct ge n-

e ratio na l needs, aspi ratio ns , and long ing s that link th e ind ivid ual with t he
artist ic. religi ou s, sc iem ific and po liti cal It/tgt/Jt of hi s o r her era. Neptune
con rar ring U ran us or Pl u to in syn astry may reflect bot h peo ple's involve-
ment in t he issues of their gene ratio n, since an y ind ividual wi t h , for exam -
pl e, Neptune sq ua re U ranus will have Nept une squa re ( he nata) Uranus of
( he other perso n if (hei r ages are simila r. Th is k ind of synas t ry be co me s
un iquely releva nt if one indi vid ual's inner or pe rsona l pl anet s are involved
wi th outer pl aners in th e na tal chart , and are th erefore invol ved wit h the
sam e outer pl aners in the b irth chart of the other. Generational issues the n
beco me pe rso nalised , and find t hei r way in to th e intellect ual, emotional ,
or sexual dynam ics of the relat ion sh ip . Bur beyon d suc h ind ividu al
excha nges, eve ryone in ou r ow n age group echoes ou r na t al config uratio ns
of ou te r planet s in t he ir synasrry wi th us . T hey suffe r t he same con flicts
47 0 - TH [ AST RO LOG IC AL N [ PT UN [ AN D T H E O U EST FO R REDEMPTI O N

and share the same vision , because they he-ar the same colle cti ve d ru mbea t .
When challenged by those of diffe rent age groups, wirh ou ter p lanets in
con flict with ou r own , we may then experience generational differen ces,
and eve n gene rational antipathy.
For exam ple , th ose born in Europe or Am er ica bet ween 1905 and
1911 , with U ranus in Capricorn op posite N ep tu ne in Can cer, sha red in
com mo n t he experience of bot h W orl d Wars, one in chi ld hood (when t hey
may have lost a parent) and one in adul t hood (when t hey may have lost a
spo use, sib li ng, or child ). T hey also passed through th e eco no mic d epres-
sion of th e early 19 30 s, and , in Europe, t he dev astat ion and food sho rt age s
of the postwar per iod . T hus t wo people bo rn w ith in these years, form ing
a relationsh ip , may ins tinct ively empathi se not only wi th each ot her's
expe riences o f hardship and loss , bu t also w ith each ot her's co nfl ict
be t ween visions of prog ress and di sillusio nment with life , since U ranus in
each chart will also oppose Neptu ne in th e othe r's. Such a coup le may find
ir d ifficult to emparhise w ith those born in the early 19 50s, wh o have
N ep tune in Libra sq uare Uran us in Cancer. A father from the earlie r
Neptune -U ranus co nfig uration , w hose natal N ep tun e squa res his so n 's
Neptu ne and co n juncrs [he son 's U ranus , may find that th e so n's emorion al
inde pend en ce and resistance to fam ily bo nds (U ranus in Cancer), sha red by
many oche rs of th is age g roup , is extrem ely challe ngi ng r o the fath er's ide-
alisa tio n of sacri fice and fam ily com rn umen r, reflect ed by N ept une in
Cance r. Th e dreams o f such a father and son may seem hopel essl y incom -
patible , Whe re th e father pe rceives dedicat ion (0 home, fam ily, and nation
as the route to redem pti o n . the so n may turn hi s back on wh at he percei ves
as unnecessa ry suffering and emo tional claustropho bia, o pt ing instead for
a str ing of ide alised relat ion sh ips (Ne ptune in Libra) because salvatio n
seem s to lie in findi ng the perfect partner.
T he involvement o f pe rsonal planets in such cross- chan co nfigura-
t ion s bring s the co llect ive issues ho me to roost. T hen we are dealin g nor
JUSt w ith d iffe rences or similari ties between g ene rational ideals and need s,
but with pe rso nal a tti tud es wh ich collide with , or support , t hose of t he
larger co llec tive. A n individ ual bo rn w it h the Sun conju nc t N ep t un e in
Virg o , wh ose ideal isatio n of wo rk and service , shared by his or her gener-
ation, is su ppo rted by a pe rsonal com m itm ent to livin g a useful life, m ay
find the apparent irresponsibilit y and egocent rici ty o f a pe rso n born w ith
Moo n conjunc t U ranus in Sag irrarius infuriating and "w rong "- no t mer e-
lyon an emot ional level , but o n the level of o ne 's fund ament al world-v iew.
Equally , a mot her born w ith (he Sun in Scorp io square Plum in Leo may
find ir hard [0 re lat e to her daug ht er born wi th Ven us con ju nct Nep tune
in Sco rpio . Al th o ugh t he co n junct io n of (h e mot her's Sun w ith the daug h-
 N EPT U N E IN SYNAST RY AND T H £ C O .~ POS 1 T£ C H " RT ... 47 1

ter's Venu s may reflect deep affection and adm iration, the mother's strug-
g le to exp ress her own power and ind ivid ualiry may coll ide wirh her
daug hte r's incense idealisation and emoti onal neediness. T hose born with
Pluto in Leo, as a generation, ident ify self-exp ression with surv ival; th ose
born with Ne ptune in Scorp io, as a generation , idealise emotional and sex-
ual fusion. Th is conflier, although not personal, may create deep misun-
derstandings and hum wh ich are only part ially explained by the behaviou r
and conscious arrit udes of either ind ividual. Generatio ns may be irrevoca-
bly at war in terms of th eir needs and d reams.
It is comm on to find Ne ptune cont acts with U ranus or Plu to
between the charts of parencs and child ren, as well as th e charts of par tners
whose ages are d ispa rate enoug h to produ ce different out er planet co nfig-
urat ions. For exam ple, many of those born dur ing th e 1960s, whe n
Neptu ne was in Scorpio, had , in th e 198 0s when the y were in the ir 20 s,
child ren born with Pluto in Scor pio. What to the parent is a romantic
dream of rede mption th rough incense emot ional and sexual encounter may
be, to the child growing up in t he next centu ry, an issue of survival- unro-
manticised , unsent iment al, and involving ru thless collecrive acti on
mobilised in th e face of necessity. Th ese child ren have Neptune in either
Sagirtarius or Cap ricorn , and will d ream di fferent dreams. There is noth -
ing either innately pathologi cal o r innate ly fated about such cross-con-
tacts. JUSt as no two ind ivid uals are ide ntical in th eir needs and values,
neither are tWO collective g roups separated by age and the movement of
th e outer planet s into d ifferent sig ns. More understand ing of thi s migh t
help th e co mmon assum ption th at there is something wrong with those
older or younger th an us because they do not see th e world in the same
way. Neptun e's aspects to the other ou ter planets across tWOcharts describe
ge neratio nal differences which involve the collect ive redem pt ive fantas ies
of the N ep tun e indi vidua l, matched or m ismatched with t he survival
insti nct s and social and politi cal ideals of th e Pluto or Uranu s indi vid ual.
It wou ld be inapp ropriate as well as impossible for us to expect our par-
ents and our chi ldren to want the same things we do; the world has
changed in th e meantime, and so has hum an consciousness. Th e better the
personal dialogue , the more mu tua l understanding and broadening of
vision bot h peop le can achieve.

Neptune Aspects to the Angles

T he angles of th e chart are an image of the "cross" of ma tt er inca which
we incarna te. Unlike th e planets, th ey do not symbolise acti ve energies or
dr ives within us; th ey portray the substance of which we are made , physi-
472 - THE AIT RO l O G ICA l " EP r U N E AN D THE O U EI T f OR R£DEMPTI O N

cal , emo tional , and int ellectual, both ind ivid ual and inherited , through
whi ch [he planers ar e expressed in th e world . The ang les are rh us a kin d of
fare, because we a re circu mscribed by [hem in rim e and space. All the
houses of the horoscope are determined by the ang les, and so , roo, is the
placem ent of the planet s in the houses; thus our encounte rs w ith the arche-
typal realm are tran slated inca the events of everyday hum an li fe . Th e
phys iog nomy of th e individual is also reflect ed by th e sig ns whic h a re
placed on the two axes of the chan , and planets whi ch conjun ct these
angles-from ei ther side-rend ro express their energies in con cre te forms.
On t he most profound level , the angles port ray [h e structure of inca rna-
tion , sym bo lisi ng (al t houg h no t in a lite ral, chronological way) th e ener-
g et ic emergence of life at dawn , the culmi nation of po wer at noo n , the
adju stm ents and comp rom ises made as prime passes into maturit y at sun-
set, and , at m idnigh t, the return hom e .
W hen one person's Neptune aspeer s any of the ang les of anorher per-
son's chare- part icularly by conjunct ion (w hich auto matically includ es an
opposirion to the opposite ang le) or sq uare-Nep tu ne may idea lise the
phys ical real iry of t he or her pe rson, perceiving his or her body, perso nali ry,
backgrou nd, manner of engaging with the world , and place in soc iety as a
source of redemp tion and a solace for lonel iness. Th e ang les of the cha rt do
not , however, express their o wn energ ies in respon se . The y rece ive
Nept une's longing like a ligh tning rod. The indiv idual w hose Midh eaven
is receptive to Neptu ne 's d reams may embody those d reams th roug h caree r,
fami ly backg rou nd or positi on in society; but he or she may also feel und e r-
m ined and confused by Neptune 's ideal isat ions, which may trigger earlie r
parenta l experiences. Th e person who se D escendant receives N ept une's fan-
tasies may feel grea ter empat hy towa rd ot hers through the emotional
intensi ty of th e bond , bur may also find ir hard to express ind ivid ualiry in
[he face of Neptu ne's depe nd ency. Any plane r in one bi rt h chart , placed on
ano t her person 's angl es, will respond to th e othe r's physical reality by offe r-
ing its own characte rist ic en ergy. If N eptune is expre ssed by an individual
who can balance fasci nation w ith understand ing , then the recipient may be
nour ished and ins pired by Neptune's devot ion . If Neptu ne is expressed by
an ind ivid ual wh o is st rugg li ng ro cling to the fant asy of Ed en , th e recip -
ient may feel swam ped , smot he red , deceived , or in vad ed b y N eptune's lack
of bou nda ries . An d N ept un e ma y perceive beauty and g race, bur may fail
to recognise that the other has need s and drives wh ich wi ll , sooner or later,
shat t er the ilJusion of pe rfect ion .
A sad but instructive examp le of N eptune's inte rchange wit h the
angles of anot her's chart is the rel ation ship of the Prince and Princess of
Wales. Prince Charles' natal conjunct ion of Neptune and Venus in Libra
 N EPTUM IN SYNA\TRY AND T HE CO MPOSITE CH ART - 47 3

conjunc rs Diana's M idheaven in Libra, and sexriles her Ascen dant in

Sagittarius . Althou gh th e Nept une-Mid heaven synastry contact is a wid e
conjunc tion, it has nevertheless played its part in th e at t racti on and sub -
seq uent bitter di sillusionme nt whic h has beset this marriage . Pr ince
Cha rles' ven us-Nept un e con junction does not harmonise with ocher fac-
roes in his horoscope. His init ial ideal isatio n of his wife's beauty and ap par-
ent k indness and openness , exp ressed by th e Lib ran Midh eaven and
Sagi ttari us Ascendant , rap id ly led ro a growing sense of bein g dec eived
and d isap po inted . Diana has hersel f, in rum , fel r deceived and d isappoint-
ed by her hu sband's apparent callousness; her Neptune conj u ncrs h is
Mercu ry and opposes h is Moon. Many other synasrry facto rs have con-
rribured ro th e d ifficulti es of this ma rriage. But N epr une-M id heaven and
Neptune- Ascendant contacts are nor u ncommon in relation sh ips based as
much on public image and sta nd ing as on real knowledge of each ot her.
Neptune in one cha rt contact ing th e Ascendant /Descendant or
MCil e axis in th e orher is not intri nsically eit her good or bad . Ir makes a
sta te me nt about fascinatio n and idea lisat ion, bu r nor abou t what will hap-
pen as a result. Such aspect s are nor in th em selves d ynam ic in the way th at
cross-aspects be tween planets are, and we mu st th erefore co nsider th em in
th e cont ext of th e plan et ary cross-aspects, which ult imately de termi ne
wh at kin d of energ ies are likely to be unl eashed in bar h people. N ept un e
aspecring th e ang les, g iven sufficient am ity between othe r planet s, can
conrribure to a relationship in which th e magi c of romantic love or ere-
ative or spi ritual inspira tion can remain an ongo ing magi c. Gi ven suffi-
cient anti pathy bet ween other planets, N eptune aspecring [he ang les may
cont rib ute to Neptune's g rowing sense of Parad ise slippi ng away, and an
increasin g feelin g of di sillusionment, unhappiness, and resent me nt . T he
redeemer cannot redeem , nor will he or she accep t N ep tun e's offers of
redem pti on . As all synast ry combinati ons are a m ixt ure of the tWO, we may
expect both results , in d ifferin g proportions. And as all Neptune cross-
aspects, includi ng th ose [Q the ang les, depe nd on [he consciousness and
int egrity of the tWO ind ivid uals concerned , we can never be certai n which
fish we will meet on ce th e image is pene trated and the act ual human
beings emerge from Neptu ne's watery d reams.

N eptune in the Composite Chart

T he longi ng for redem ption can be as po werful in a relati onship as it is in
an ind ivid ual. Even if two peop le are, in te rm s of th ei r own birth charts,
not parti cularly Neptunian , it is possible nevert heless for a composite
chart to reveal a powerful Nept une . Because the composi te chart de scribes
47 4 ,... rt H ASTRO l O GIC Al N EP r UN f AND THI O Ul S-r f O R RJ OB, W rr o .'

th e q ualit ies of th e relati on ship itself, th e individuals may be draw n inro

a bo nd which gen erates far more Neptun ian d reams than th ey would eve r
count enance if [hey had never met . Most powerful is a com pos ite in wh ich
th e Sun mak es a strong aspect to N eptune, for the n [he essential goal s and
meaning of th e relati onship are coloured by N eptune s longing for fusion
and flight from th e pain of th e mort al world . Such relati on sh ips are often
based on shared spiritua l or art isti c com mi t ment. If thi s kin d of conta iner
can be pro vided , darker Neptun ian elem ents may not prove roo g reat a
problem . Where no such cont ainer exist s, th e relati onsh ip may req uire
some form of abnegation whi ch , with or without the consent of th e indi-
vid uals, deni es th e possibil ity of it s bein g sustai ned in the world of form .
Sornet irnes the relat ionship cernes into being throug h shared g uilt , or an
obliga tion such as an unpl an ned preg na ncy. It is not surprising that . when
a bond is roote d in mutual un consciousness, it may prove d isappoint ing .
O fte n th e di sappointment is sexual--one or both parr ies cannot or will not
allo w physical consum ma t ion-c-o r sexua l fulfill ment is cu rtailed by the
pr ior and un breakable com m it ment of one of th e ind ivid uals to somebody
else. A stro ng composit e N eptune may also reflect a fantasy relat ion sh ip
between a film o r pop star anJ an adoring fan who can never hope to meet
the ido l out side th e worl d of d ream s.
N onsexual relat ionsh ips of the Nep tu nian kind are someti mes
described as "Platoni c." T hi s is probab ly an inapprop riate term, as Plato
him self, althoug h postulati ng a love whi ch sprang from soul affinity as th e
high est form of h uma n bond , was not averse to enjo yin g his lovers sexual-
ly. A relat ion shi p d ominat ed by Nep tu ne may not permi t the same plea-
sure to its pa rt icipant s. Behind th e appart"n{ inevitab ility of sacr ifice may
lie th e inevitab le Neptunian issues of idealisation and identificati on with
the pr imal sou rce of life , This d oes not mean that com posite charts with
Sun-N eptune cont acts always reflect d isappointment and di sill usionment .
They may reflect a compassionate and inspir ing bond wh ich ope ns th e
heart s of both people. But Ne ptune offers its most creat ive fact" if a cha n-
nel can be found for its d reams- a joint com m itment throug h which the
long ing for redem ption can be shared with out ei ther person projecting roo
much on th e ot her. Whether th is is a spi ritu al path, an arti st ic proje ct , or
a hum anitar ian effort , such a focal point is essential to ge t the best from
such an aspen in th e composite chart.
Ven us-N ep tune, Moon -N ep tu ne, and Mars-N eptun e aspens in the
compos ite may prove t ricki er, because it is harder to d isengage on e's
d reams and idealisarions (rom the pa rt ner. Such a relation ship may init ial-
ly ge nerate extremely high emo tional and sexual expect ations; when (he
reality prov es ro be me rely h uman , bot h people may experien ce deep di s-
 N EPT UN E l""'l ~YN A ST RY A"-ID T HE C O M r O ~l n C H ART ... 4 7 ~

appo intment and resentm ent . T he " hard" aspens are usually harder,
because one may experience the gap between fantasy and rea li ty as
unb rid geab le. Strong Neptune contacts CO othe r planets in a co mposite
chart make it difficu lt (Q achieve cont en t m ent in th e sp he re of life g ov-
erne d by th e o t her plane r. The exa ltatio n whic h is often expe rienced m ay,
sad ly, no t ou tlast t he in it ial stage of falli ng in love. One o r bo t h people
may un con scious ly try (Q play the red eemer; the rel at ion sh ip itself m ay
seem (Q offer redemp ti o n for indi vid uals wh o have been hun in love in t he
past . Extreme dependency m ay cau se both peo ple to beco me d eepl y
m ani pu la ti ve and di sh onest w ith eac h ot her. The p it fall s are o bvio us , and
po tent ially ver), pa infu l. It is possible that , if a co mposi te sho ws a d orn i-
nant b ur badl y aspected Neptune , o ne m ight th ink tw ice abou t entering
suc h a relationship. Yet su ch is Neptune 's irre sis tibl e sed uct iveness th at ,
even whe n forewa rne d, one is like ly to fall under th e sp ell.
Mu ch d ep ends u po n how t he composite Neptune aspects p lan et s in
each ind iv idual's b irt h charco If, for exam ple , t he co m posi te Neptune is in
Lib ra, and op poses o ne pe rson 's natal M oon in Aries wh ile co n ju nct ing the
o ther's natal M ars in Libra , the ideal isat io n and emot ional depe ndency of
th e rel at ionsh ip m ay prove inv asive an d cl aust rophob ic to t he Moon pe r-
son wh ile erod ing the self-d ete rm inacion of the Mar s pers o n . Yet for a
r ime, and even from rime (Q rime. if the rwo ind iv iduals are su ffici ently
able to ge r o n wi th each othe r, thi s co m pos ite Nep tune m ay prov ide
moments of intense and de ep ly moving inti macy fo r th e M oon , and del i-
cious sexua l intoxicatio n for Ma rs. Bur because th e co m po site Nept u ne
rr ig ge rs an o pposit io n between natal M oon in one chart and natal Mar s in
t he o t her, any fee lings of d isill usionme nt o r mut ual dece it a rising from
shat te red N eptu nia n d reams ar e likel y to be foll ow ed by anger an d quar-
relli ng .
Because th e planets in a co rn pos ire chart can no t be " processed " in t he
same way th at an indiv idual ca n work with and d evelop d ifferent levels of
ex p ress io n of pl ane ts in t he birth cha n , co m posite chart s have a cu rio usly
fated feel ing . I d o not believe that they determ in e th e futu re of a relati on-
sh ip. But bac h peo p le m us r learn to live wit h a ce rta in parre rn of ene rgies ,
whi ch is co ns rellared wheneve r t hey intera ct. Every relati on sh ip co nt a ins
elements of rede mpt ive lon ging , since eve ry co m po site chan has Neptune
in it. The yea r ni ng (0 be sav ed an d healed by another's love is a fund a-
me nt al aspeCt of human inte rchange, and can prov ide so me of t he m ost
exq ui site and meaningful di me nsio ns of tWO people's encou nter w ith each
ot he r. Nep t un e's lon g in g is m ore po we rfu l in so me co m posi tes th an in
Others, and it may, as w ith an individual, d ominate th e co mposite chan .
Then we ma y speak of a N eprunian relat ion ship; and as lon g as we rem ain
4 76 - THE AIT ROl OGlC Al NEPTUNE AM) THE O UEIT FO R REDEMPTIO N

bonded [Q t hat pa rti cula r individual , a Ne pt unian relationship it w ill

remain .
Yet t he awa reness of bo t h people. and the ir capaci ty to com m u n icate
wit h each ot her on intellectu al , emo t ional, and sex ual levels, ca n m att er
g reatly in ter m s of Ne ptune's eventual effects . Just as we can find a focus
fo r a co mposite Neptune in shared com mi tment s whi ch bring Neptune's
world alive in creat ive form s, we can also enh ance a com posite Satu rn . by
est ab lishing a reas within a relationshi p whe re we are sel f-su fficie nt ind i-
vidual s, each contributi ng str eng t h and auth entici ty to mutual sp heres of
reponsib il it y and t he bu ilding of a secu re ma te rial structu re. As in t he
charts of individuals , Saturn in the com pos ite cha n is th e com plemen t and
cont a iner of N ep tune. A nd it may be appropriate, wi t hi n the cont ext of a
relat ionsh ip , to expe rience not only Neptune's di si llusi on me nt and decei t,
but also Neptu ne's arche typa l role of offering solace for the pain of m o r-
tali ty. In many ways we a re each othe r's redeeme rs, albe it w it h feet of clay ;
and Neptune's m essage in the composite chart may be that, soo ner or lat er ,
we ma y need to relinq u ish cont rol, not only of ou rselves but of each ocher,
in orde r to expe rience th at com passionate cleansing and ren ewal whic h is
Ne pt u ne's special g ift.
 CONCLU SION

...- .. ' - - " here are many ph ilosophical

approa ches [0 astrology.
Althou gh the y may some-
times seem to conflic t in
ime rp rera ric n and tec hnique.
all are rooted in a si ngle sym -
bolic syste m whose lang uag e has rem ained consistent throughou t the cen-
turies of its deve lopment: and each app roach has som ething of value to
offer th ose individuals who are d rawn to it . From the time of its em ergence
in Babylon and Greece, astro logy has always provoked d ifferent respo nses,
from the ast rologer no less than from (he public. We may find th e ete rnal
conu nd ru m of fate and free will d iscussed and arg ued in th e writings of
G reco-Roman astrologers as well as in th ose of the med ieval Church
fathe rs and the Renaissance philosophers. Plato despised the use of astrol-
ogy in div ination, bur worsh ipped t he intell igent orde r of t he cosmos as
reflected in the living energies of t he heavenly bodies . Ze no bel ieved th at
ever yt hing was fated by the planets, but t hat the hu man bei ng could
choose to ad opt an at ti tude of de tachme nt whi ch led to inner sereni ty.
Ptolemy declare d t hat astrol ogi cal predict ions could sometimes go wrong.
because hu man choi ces as well as m istaken interpretat ion s m ight alter t he
events reflected in the heavens . Ci cero dithe red over th e issue, cha ng ing
his m ind in tWO di fferent rrearise s and even tually coming to the con clu-
sion thar the heavenly bodi es influe nced bur di d nor impel. Ploti nus, fol-
lowing Plat o in recog nising (he abso lute impo rta nce of heavenly geo me-
47 8 - lH E A ~TR O l O G IC A l N I PT UN l Af'\<O Tt H O U [~ 1 FOR R£D E~1 PTI O r-.:

try, conside red d ivinat ion an unfit occu pat ion for th e true ph ilosop her.
lambl ichu s, like Mars ilio Ficino who foll owed a mi llen nium later, was no r
averse to em ptying a little astrolog ical magi c {Q help fate ch ange its m ind .
Any arg um ent s arising today ab out th e role and nature of the astrological
an have been heard man y t imes before.
For this reason th ere is no "rig ht" astro log y, in rhe sense th at an
astro loge r mu st espouse ab solute fata lism , absolut e belief in free will,
N eopl at on isrn , Christian ity, Will iam Lilly, Alice Bailey, Ju ng , exist enr ial
psycholog y, or any of the hybrids in bet ween as a prereq uisite for di scov-
ering in ast rolog ical sym bolism insig hts of valu e and impo rta nce to o ne-
self an d others. Lately, th e pre-m illen nial tension which seems (Q have per-
rneat ed every level of societ y would ap pea r to have infected astro logy as
well as ot he r profession s. J ust as religi ous funda mentalism an d t he frag-
me nt ing of uni fied vision int o inte nse polit ical, scient ific, and spirit ual
sect arianism have ar isen as a defen ce agai nst profound insecu rity o n a co l-
lecti ve level, so, (QO , has astro logi cal sectarianism appeared , declari ng wh at
is "pu re" as op posed to "impure, " and whar is "trad it ional" as opposed to
"ersatz :" Ir is pa rti cularly un fortu nate to observe ast rologers ind ulg ing in
thi s kind of frag me nta tio n when (hey the mselves are under threat from a
collect ive increasingly scapegoat-o rient ated and desperat e to root out th e
cause for so much widespread unhapp iness and loss of hope and meaning .
The ast rologe r can, perhaps mor e (han any counsellor o r advis or at th is
ti me, offer sensib le insights into wh y we are in th e state we are, and what
we may ant icipa te in th e ensu ing decades. To make thi s kin d of cont ribu-
tion, it may be necessary to un de rstan d more th an one approach to the sub-
ject , even if one does not uti lise it in practi se; and it may also be necessary
to und erstand that approaches alien to one's own world-view an d areas of
com pe tence ma y be eq ually if not more val id for indi viduals d ifferent from
oneself. N ep t u ne's long ing for red ernpr ion, un leashed partir t hrough irs
ongoing conjunct ion with Uranus , and partly th rou gh the inevit abl e psy-
cholog ical ten sion s of a changing millenni um and a chang ing astro logi cal
age, has infect ed us all; and we all yearn for ab solute answers, at a time
when any ob ject ive answer will inevitab ly be cont am inated by our h idden
fears and dr eam s.
For (hose astrologi cal student s and pract iti oners who perceive
N eptu ne in term s of inevitable man ifestat ion, or in term s of karm a, th is
book may be not only inappropri ate , but even offensiv e. Equally, (here are
a g reat man y astro logers, nor to m ent ion t heir clients, who are nor co nt ent
10 be to ld th ey mU51 suffer, bUI who seek u ndemanding and possib le ways
out of the webs in wh ich th ey have becom e enta ng led . For such ind ivid u-
als, a psych ologi cal approach to N ep t une is necessary. Psycholog ical pe r-
 CONClUSION t'!"'O 479

spectives on Neptune do not necessitate Freudian, Jungian, Kleinian, exis-

tentialist , rranspersonal, or any other specific school of psychological
exploration. They require respect for the inner as well as the outer human
being. No one of these psychological approaches can give us the complete
story on such a complex and multilevelled symbol. Nor is psychology
alone sufficient, even if one can perceive value in all these different view-
points; for as we have seen, esoteric maps may be of value as well . In the
end we may need to understand psychological as simply "of the psyche,"
which means, in effect, of the human being and what the human being
experiences. Even the transit of Neptune which coincides with the leaking
washing machine is psychological, in terms of the manner in which we
deal with such an event, and the feelings we experience when we discover
that the kitchen floor is flooded . Attempting to extract a pure astrology
from the individual psyche which experiences astrological symbols in
inner as well as outer life is a highly questionable pursuit, since we are
then left with an astrology devoid of relationship to human emotional,
physical, intellectual, imaginal , and spiritual experience. In such a vacu-
um, Neptune's parciclar brand of inflated redeemership thrives .
Although Pluto is the outermost of the planets, at present it is orbit-
ing closer to Earth . It is possible that Pluto, although "newer" in terms of
the year of its discovery, may be more accessible to us <although perhaps
less attractive) because, despite its underworld and secretive connotations,
it is not conducive to illusion. We may experience revuls ion or fear in the
face of Pluto's uncompromising ruthlessness , which is after all the law of
survival in the jungle of life and death; we may recoil from the compul-
sions within ourselves wh ich feel like face, and which strip away our
defences through the power of their absolute necessity. But in Pluto we can
see what we are facing, even if we do not understand it, or find it inimical
to personal moral or religious values . Where Neptune is concerned , we
neither see nor know what we are feeling, because what is rouched within
us belongs to a time before we were conscious of any "I." Certain current
social and religious trends clearly reflect Neptune's quest for redemption,
in both bright and murky waters . We are more conscious than ever before
of the value of all life, and, as a collective, more involved wi th the fate of
the unfortunate-whether human or animal. We have also lost the
bedrock of our traditional moral and religious structures , and in the chaos
which has ensued , we are groping for reassurance in ways which breed
intolerance, bigotry, violence, and hatred . In the 20th century the spirit of
N eptune has fuelled the Geneva Conv ention , the United N ations , the
European Union, famine relief to Africa, and the welfare state. It has also
fuelled the Holocaust, and all our current forms of scapegoat ing ranging
480 - THE ASTROLOGICAL N EPT U N E AND THE O U EST FOR REDEMPTI ON

from Neo-Naziism to the strictures of the politically correer. We seem to

have forgotten that we have a choice.
It is not that Neptune is malevolent or malefic. Any malevolence
attributed to the planet is the malevolence of human beings, blindly
unleashing their yearning for a primal dream . We would all like to be
redeemed, and we would all like someone else to do it for us . The client
would like the astrologer to provide the redemption, and the astrologer
would like to receive redemption from the practise of his or her arc. We
seek redemption from our therapists and counsellors, our doerors , our
politic ians, our families, our lovers and spouses, our children, and whatev-
er we define as God . Neptune's greatest challenge is not whether redemp-
tion is possible, but whether we are prepared to take responsibility for our
ind ividual part in it without pun ish ing somebody else . It may be, as Pluto
leaves Scorpio and enters Sagittarius at last, that as a collective we are
ent ering a critical per iod for the reevaluation of our religious and moral
values . We may therefore expect obsession as well as soul-searching, and
the urg e to destroy as well as the urge co tr ansform . In such a climate, not
knowing what Neptune is doing within us guarantees some extre mely
unpleasant forms of social as well as personal upheaval in relig ious , moral,
and legal spheres. Redempt ion may indeed be at hand . But if it is, on
whatever level, and in whatever parcial or com plete form , what, we m ight
ask ou rselves, are we prepared to do to get it ? And whi ch of Neptune's
man y faces will we cast in th e role of our redeemer, as th e m illennium
comes to a close ?
 SOURCES OF BIRTH DATA
TH E FOLLOWING LIST cites various sources of birth data for the charts used
in this book. Contemporary astrologers know that birth data may be spec-
ulative, or, even if relatively reliable , may show a variation of up to half an
hour in authoritatively recorded times . Even a hospital birth certificate
cannot guarantee absolute accuracy . The horoscopes in th is book are not
being used to prove astrology by statistic means, nor as a method of deter-
mining specific events which might require great precision as to the
degrees of the Ascendant , MC, and house cusps . They are meant to illus -
trate various psychological patterns present in people and in the world,
which reflect Neptune's particular ambience and world-view. Some vari-
ability as to time in many cases, and even the speculative nature of some
of the data, will not alter the major aspect configurations involving
Neptune, nor will it alter the transit and progression configurations suffi-
ciently to merit a different interpretation. Using such data is perfectly
legitimate and helpful when the purpose is to illustrate psychological
pr inciples rather than the timing of specific events. Readers should be
aware that the data attached to famous people and events may also change
according to new research. The following sources of data are not exhaus-
tive, but g ive interested reaaders a place to start the search.

CHART 1. Meher Baba (25 February, 1894,4:35 A .M . LMT, 23 :54 :00 GMT
on 24 February, Poona, India). My source was Fowler's Compendium of
Nativities, edited by J. M. Harrison (London: L. M . Fowler, 1980).
Harrison gives the source as a biography, The Last Days of Merwan S. Irani .
Hans-Hinrich 'Iaeger's exhaustive compend ium, lnternattonales Horoskope-
Lexikon (Freiburg, Germany: Hermann Bauer Verlag, 1992) lists Meher
Baba 's chart as Group 3, meaning that sources are not given by other com-
pendiums and therefore the data cannot be properly evaluated ; it may be
unreliable but equally it may be relatively accurate. He gives 4 :35 A .M .
LMT as the birth time, but ind icates the birth place as Bombay, Lois
Rodden's Astro-Data 1I cites 25 February, 1894, Bombay, India, 4 :35 A .M .
LMT as well. Rodden says that Kraum in Best of the National Astrological
journal (1979) cites 5:00 A.M . LMT from a private source. Rudhyar (in
American Astrology, March 1938) also cites 4 :35 A .M. LMT as the official
birth t ime, slightly rectified , Marc Edmund Jones in The Sabian Symbols in
Astrology (Aurora Press, 1993), also gives 4:35 A.M. LMT. I would not
judge this chart as speculative, but there may be up to 25 minutes varia-
tion in the birth time.
482 -- THE A STROL OGI C AL N EPT UN E AND THE Q U EST FOR REDEMPTI O N

CHART 2. Billy Graham (7 November, 1918, 3:30 P.M . EST, 20 :30:00

GMT, Charl otte, NC). My source was 'Iaeger's lnternattonales Horoseope-
Lexikon. Taeger lists this chart as Group 1, ro be considered relatively reli-
able because the birth was registered or recorded . Lois Rodden in Astro-
Data II cites the same data , from Gauquel ins Book of American Charts.

CHART 3. C. G . Jung (26 July, 1875 , 7:32 P.M . LMT, 19:02 :00 GMT,
Kesswil, Switzerland ). Various sources for jung 's birth time are mentioned
with the chart on page 102. Taeger g ives the birth t ime as 7:2 0 P.M . LMT,
and lists it as Group 3 (no sources g iven in the compendiums). He also
notes that there are discrepancies between the various compendiums , vary-
ing from 7:20 P.M. to 7:41 P.M. LMT. More data and sources are mentioned
in Astro-Data II , p. 32 1. The variable here is around 20 minutes . I think
that jung 's daughter, herself an astrologer, must have checked this infor-
mation.

CHART 4 . Franz Anton Mesmer (23 May, 1734 , 8:00 A.M. LMT, 7:24 :00
GMT, Iznang , Bodensee , Germany) . The data is from Taeger's
lnternationales Horoskope-Lexikon, which cites it as Group 3 (no sources
g iven in th e compendiums). 'Iaeger's sources are given as follows : Th e
Penfield Collection, Los Angeles, 1979, via Maurice Wemyss, Notable
Nativities, London: 1938; Lois Rodden, Astro-Data II (Rodden g ives 8 :00
A.M. LMT but indicates that the data is speculative); NCGR journal, via
McEvoy ; Preuss , Gliickssterne-Welche Gestirnshonstellati on haben Erfolgreicbe
(Baumgartner Verlag , Hannover, Germany), in which the birth time is
gi ven as 5:00 A.M. LMT, produc ing an Ascendant of 14 Gemini; and
Osterreicbiscbe Astrologische Gesellscbaft, whi ch also gives a 5:00 A.M . birth.
Because of the d iscrepancy of three hours, this data should be treated with
caut ion; but the interpretations of natal aspects and of transits over the
natal chart do not alter.

CHART 5. Jul ie. Data withheld for confidenti ality, but the data is from a hos-
pital birth certificate and should therefore be considered relat ively reliable.

CHART 6. Laurence Olivier (22 May, 190 7 5:00 A.M. GMT, Dork ing ,
England). Taeger classes this chart as Group 2b, meaning th at the source
is from biographies . He coons iders this data fairly reliable, although open
to some question . No discrepancies are mention ed in his list of sources,
which are : The Penfield Collection, Los Angeles, 1979; Jacques de Lescaur ,
Encyclopedia of Birth Data, Vol. 6, 600 Personalities, 21 Mayljune, Bruss els ,
1988; Lois Rodden , Th e American Book of Charts (Astro-Data II) (San D iego ,
 SOURCES OF BIRTH DATA -- 483

CA : ACS Publications, 1980); Grazia Bordoni, Date di Nascita lnteressanti ,

Vol 1. CIDA , Turin .

CHART 7 . Vivien Leigh (5 November, 1913, 5:30 P.M . LMT, 11:37 :00
GMT, Darjeeling , India). Taeger classes this chart as Group 2b, derived
from biographies, which give "sunset" as the birth time. As with Olivier,
he considers this time as fairly reliable although open to some question .
He indicates a discrepancy with Marc Edmund Jones, who cites no birth
time in the index of The Sabian Symbols in Astrology (Santa Fe: Aurora Press,
1993), but gives an Ascendant of 27.30 Virgo. There is also a discrepancy
of 14 minutes with Lois Rodden in Profiles o/Women (Astro-Data 1) (Tempe,
AZ : American Federation of Astrologers, 1979), who gives 5:16 P.M. LMT
and states that the data is cited in biographies as "sunset ." There seems to
be some conflict about when sunset occurred in Darjeeling on the date of
birth . See also Grazia Bordoni , as above, The Penfield Collection, as above,
The Astrological Association Data Sect ion, and Deutscher Astrologenverband
Datenbank.

CHART 9. Elizabeth Taylor (27 February, 1932, 2:00 A.M. GMT, London ,
England). Taeger lists this chart as Group 2p, from an autobiography or
autobiographical statement, and therefore to be considered fairly reliable .
His sources are given as follows: Lois Rodden , Data News, 1989, via biogra-
phy containing a personal statement, in which she gives 2:00 A.M.; Mercury
Hour, ed . Edith Custer (Lynchburg, VA), which concurs ; Rodden, Data
News, 1988 , again cited as derived from a personal statement. It should be
noted that Rodden , in Astro-Data 1, originally gave the birth time as 7:48
P.M., but amended this in two issues of Data News . Penfield gives 8:00 P.M.,
and Jan Kampherbeek, Cirkels (Schors: Amsterdam , 1980) gives 1:30 A.M.
The 2:00 A.M . time cited by Taylor herself is probably fairly reliable .

CHART 10. Richard Burton (10 November, 1925, 11:00 P.M. GMT,
Pontrhydyfen, Wales). I have used 'Iaeger's data. He lists this chart as
Group 4, a jumble of diverging birth times, and it should therefore be
treated with great caution. He gives as his source Marc Penfield, The
Penfield Collection, in which 11 :00 P.M . is cited as from a "personal source."
Lois Rodden, in Astro-Data 11 (San Diego, ASC Publishing, 1980) quotes
the Astrological Quarterly, Summer 1967, in which Beryl Sidney gives 8:26
P.M., while G. Kissinger, in Dell Magazine, December 1975, gives 5:55
A.M . Grazia Bordoni, Date di Nascita lnteressanti, Vol. 1, gives 7:58 P.M. and
cites Rodden as the source . Because of the questionable nature of the data,
Neptune conjunct the Ascendant mayor may not be accurate , however
484 -- THE ASTR OL OGI CAL N EPT UN E AND THE Q U EST FOR REDEMPTI O N

much it seems to "fit." But the aspect picture remains the same, including
the extremely important Sun-Saturn conjuncrion square Neptune.
Significant Neprune aspects in the composite with Taylor also remain the
same, and the transits and progressions are equally operative and relevant.
CHART 12. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (11 December, 1931 , 5:13 P.M. 1ST,
11 :43:00 GMT, Kuchwada, India). My data is from a personal contact
involved with the Rajneesh movement. Taeger gives a time of 6:00 P.M .
1ST or 12 :30 :00 GMT, and lists the chart as Group 2p, an official state-
ment issued co him by the Rajneesh Centre in Poona. This still produces
a Gemini Ascendant, but shifts the Moon-Saturn conjunction into the 7th
house. He considers this data fairly reliable. Lois Rodden, in Astro-Data V,
gives 5:13 P.M. 1ST, based on a statement from the Ashram in Edwin
Steinbrecher, PrivateData Collection, New York . Heinz Specht, Astro Digest
(Eberrin Verlag) also gives 5:31 P.M. 1ST. There is a discrepancy of 37 min-
utes between 'Iaeger's data and the others, includ ing my own source. It is
possible that the Ashram issued two different birth times, either due co
confusion, or for obscure reasons of its own .

CHART 13. Diana, Princess of Wales (l July, 1961, 7:45 P.M. BST,
Sandringham, UK). Taeger lists this chart as Group 2m, a statement from
a family member. His sources are : Astrological Association Journal, London
(which states that the time was given by Diana's stepmother); John &
Peter Filby, Astronomy for Astrologers (p . 233, ind icating data was given by
Diana's mother); Lois Rodden, Astra-Data III (time given by the mother).
Everybody seems to agree on this data, including official sources at
Buckingham Palace. It should be created as fairly reliable.

CHART 14. The United States of America (4 July. 1776, 5:10 P.M . LMT,
22: 10:00 GMT, Philadelphia, PA). Nick Campion , in The Book of World
Horoscopes, gives a lengthy discussion of the various charts used for the
birth of the USA . This horoscope was first published in 1787, eleven years
after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, there
are two rival "Sibly" charts in circulation, one set for 4 :50 P.M. LMT, the
other for 5:10 P.M . LMT. I have used the latter. The reader is referred co the
relevant text in The Book of World Horoscopes (Bristol, England: Cinnabar
Books, 1995). Although this data should be used with caution, it may not
be as dubious as many astrologers think .

CHART 15. People's Republic of China (l October, 1949. 12:00 P.M. CCT,
4:00:00 GMT. Beijing, China). This is a "noon" chart which I have taken
from The Book of World Horoscopes . According to Nick Campion, the official
 SOURCES OF BIRTH DATA - 485

proclamation of the People's Republic of China was made on this date, but
the time is not verified, so Campion used a noon chart. However, in the
new edition of The Book of World Horoscopes, Campion uses a chart given by
Charles Carter in An Introduction to Political Astrology, set for 3: 15 P.M . CCT,
the time Carter asserts the broadcast was issued making the proclamation .
This time gives an Ascendant of 5.57 Aquarius, and an MC of 27 .09
Scorpio . The Sun-Mercury-Neptune conjunction falls in the Srh house .
However, Campion states that he has not been able to verify the evidence,
so the 3:15 P.M. time is not reliable. I have preferred to use the noon chart
because the relevant issue is the Sun-Mercury conjunction with Neptune ,
not the degree on the Ascendant. An entirely different chart is given by
Taeger, for 21 September, 1949, at 9 :30 A.M. CCT. This is the data for the
opening session of the Chinese Peoples' Political Consultative Conference,
at which Mao Tse-tung proclaimed the Republic. However, in accordance
with the principles of mundane astrology, this chart does not describe the
moment when the Republic became an official entity; that had to wait
unt il the formal proclamation to the public. See Campion's comment s on
this chart on p. 117 of The Book of World Horoscopes.

CHART 16. Weimar Republic, Germany (9 November, 1918, 12:00 P.M .

CET, 11:00 :00 GMT, Berlin, Germany). Source : Campion's The Book of
World Horoscopes . Data in the earlier version of this book was based on the
announcement of the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the proclama-
tion of the Weimar Republic by Scheidemann, the socialist leader , outside
the Reichstag . Although sources indicate the time was 1:30 P.M. CET,
Campion used a noon chart because the sources were not reliable. In the
new edition of The Book of World Horoscopes, he uses the 1:30 P.M. chart,
despite the questionable sources. Taeger cites 2:00 P.M. CET, and gives as
sources Astrolog (ed . Bruno Huber) and Astroiogiscber Auskunftsbogen, both
of which give 2:00 p .m. He notes the discrepancy with Campion, Herbert
von Klockler's Astrologie als Erfabrungswissenscbaf) (988), E. H . Troinski 's
Private Data Collection, and Meridian (Freiburg), all of which give 1:30 P.M.
Because the sources cannot be verified , I have preferred to use the noon
chart, since the relevant issue is the Weiman Republic 's natal Neptune
conjunering Hider's natal Saturn.

CHART 17. The Third Reich, Germany (31 January, 1933 , 11:15 A.M.
CET, 10:15 :00 GMT, Berlin, Germany). This chart is given in both edi-
tions of The Book of World Horoscopes , and is based in part on Hermann
Goering's written statement: "On Monday, the 30th January, at 11:00 in
the morning , Adolf Hider was appointed Chancellor by the President, and
486 - THE ASTR OL O GICAL N EPT UN E AND THE Q U EST FOR REDEM PTION

seven minutes later the Cabinet was formed and min isters sworn in ."
However, another account states that Hitler first insisted on a guarantee of
fresh elections, delaying the proceedings until 11: 15 A.M ., when he was
finally sworn in (joachirn Fest, Hitler) . Although there is a discrepancy of
15 minutes, I do not consider that this renders the chart unreliable or spec -
ulative. Goering is undoubtedly a reasonably accurate, although unpleas-
ant, source ; but he may have preferred to delete the demand for fresh elec-
tions because it would have made Hitler look petulant .

CHART 18. German Democratic Republ ic (7 October, 1949, 1:17 P.M .

LMT, 12:17:00 GMT, Berl in, Germany). According to The Book oJ World
Horoscopes , the GDR proclamation on th is date included the regions sub-
ject to Soviet administration since May 1945 . Campion g ives a noon chart
in the absence of reliable time data. Taeger gives 1:17 P.M. CET, which is
the chart I have used. His full list of sources is as follows : Kosmobiologische
Jahrbllcher (Eberrin Verlag); E. H . Troinski , Private Data Collection ; Astrolog
(wh ich gives 1:45 P.M. CET); and Glenn Malec, International Horoscopes,
which gives 11:00 A.M . CET. The 1:17 time should be treated with cau-
tion, but th e relevant Sun -Neptune conjunct ion opposite Moon and squ are
Uranus does not alt er within the di screpancy range of2 hours 4 5 minutes.

CHART 19. Leonardo da Vinci (15 April, 145 2, 10:30 P.M. LMT, 2 1:46:00
GMT, Vinc i, Italy). Taeger lists this chart as Group 3, sourc es not named
in collections, and the chart therefore mayor may not be reliable because
the sources cannot be verified. H is sources are : Thomas Ring , Astrologische
Menschenkunde (Freiburg , 1956), Reinhold Ebertin , Pluto-Entsprecbungen
(Aalen, 1965), and Kampherb eek's Cirkels-800 Horoseopen van Bekende
Mensen (Amsterdam: Schors, 1980), all of which give 10:30 P.M . LMT.
Penfield gives 10:00 p.m. and states that th e source is Leonardo quot ing
his father's di ary, in which th e tim e is g iven as "t hree hours after sunset. "
Lois Rodden , in A stro-Data II , g ives 9 :40 P.M. Because of the or ig inal
parental source , this data is probably relatively reliable, giv en the variable
range of 30 to 50 m inutes, wh ich does not alter the ma jor aspect patterns.

CHART 20 . Jean-Jacqu es Rousseau (28 June, 171 2, 2:00 A.M. LMT,

1:35 :00 GMT, Gen eva, Switzerl and ). Taeger lists th is chart as Group 4 ,
whi ch means it is unrel iable, as there is a big discrepancy between the
times g iven . The chart should th erefore be treated with cauti on. He quotes
the following sourc es: The Penfield Collection, whi ch g ives 2:00 A.M . and
cites the Gemini Ascendant via Barbault ; Thomas Rin g, A stralogiscbe
Menschenkunde (Freiburg, 1956), whi ch st ates " time unknown" ; and
 SOURCES O F BIRTH DATA - 487

Jacques de Lescaur, Encyclopedia of Birth Data, Vol. 7 (Brussels , 1989),

which gives a time of 6:30 P.M. LMT from J. P. Nicola. Despite the ques-
tionable birth time, the powerful natal Neptune doesn 't change its aspects .

CHART 21. Robert Schumann (8 June, 1810,9:10 P.M . LMT, 20:20:00

GMT, Zwickau, Germany). Fowler's Compendium of Nativities gives the
source as Thomas Ring, Astrologische Memchenkunde (Freiburg. 1956).
Taeger classes this as a Group 1 chart, meaning that it is from a register or
birth certificate and is therefore relatively reliable. Taeger gives the time
as 9:20 P.M. LMT, and cites Lesley Russell, Brief Biographies for Astrological
Studies (Newcastle: Astrological Association) as his source for this time. He
also cites Rodden, Astro-Data lll , as giving 9:30 P.M., and lists Penfield,
Leo and Jones as also giving 9:30 P.M. There is a discrepancy of 20 min-
utes among these times, which could shift the degree of the Ascendant by
around 3 degrees ; but I would consider the chart perfectly viable in terms
of examing Neptunes position and aspects.
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A an imus, 184
abaissernent du niveau
mental,1 35
About Virgins, 118
achievement , 396
Adam, 36, 37
and Eve, 36 ,42 ,43,
53,95 ,164
fall of, 80
Adapa, 37
add iction, 91, 15 1,326,
419
Adonis , 82
advent of the redeemer, 65
Aerherius Society, 229,
234
ageing , 195
Akashic Records, 233
Alb igens ians , 52
alchemy, 93, 107
Alcoholics Anonymous,
401
Aldred, Cyril, 13
alembic of the body-ego,
59
Allen, Richard Hinckley,
12
allergies, 384 , 419
altered consciousness, 242
alternat ive states of con-
sciousness
drug-induced , 238
Amphitrite , 30
Arnun-Ra , 14, 15
Amun-Re ,13
Ananta, the serpent, 27,
28,29
Anath, 9, 12
anger, 467
anima, 184
animal magnetism, 115
INDEX
an ima -type, 192 Assag iol i, Roberto, 237 ,
238
Annas, Jul ia, 300 Astarte, 9, 11, 12
Anu , 37 astrology, 107
apocalypse now, 60 Atargatis,9, II , 12
Apollo , 29, 77 Atrahasis, :>6
Apsu , 7,14 Arris, 70 , 71 , 82 , 83 , 85,
archetypal 191
modes of percept ion, image of castration, 82
22 4 Augustine, 47
tempter or temptress ,
458
world of Eden, 140 B
Aries , Philippe, 49 Bacchants, The, 119, 120 ,
ark,59 121
Armour, Robert A., 14 Baghwan Shree Rajneesh ,
Arroyo, Stephen, xv 223 ,245,246,247
art, 25 , 321 ashrams, 299
artist Baigenr , Michael , 136 ,
and unconscious , 323 295 , 309, 310, 440,
idealisati o n, 333 443
artist ic Bailey, Al ice A., 234 , 236,
talent, 3 30 237,240,271,272
vision, 322 Bakker, J im, 463
Ascendant, 367 Bakker, Tammy Faye, 463
Asch, Stuart S., 155, 160, Balzac, 341
198 Bancroft , Anne, 18
Asherah ,9, 11 , 12, 14, baptism, 88, 9 2
386 baquet, 114
Ashrar, 9, 12 Bardot , Brigitte, 259, 42 4
Ashrorerh, 9, 12 Baring, Anne , 9, 14
aspects Beaton , Cecil, 263
Neptune-Chiron, 437 Beck, Roger, 7 3
Neptune-Jupiter, 431 Beecham, Sir Thomas, 344
Neptune-Mars, 427 Berm, Tony, 296, 302 305,
Neptune-Mercury, 420 32 7,406
Neptune-Moon, 416 Berlioz, H., 341
Neptune-Pluto, 443 Bernadene of Lourdes, 223
Neptune-Saturn, 435 Berossus, 55
Neptune-Sun , 326, 412 Berry, Chuck, 398
Neptune-Uranus, 440 birth chart
Neptune-Venus , 424 American , 341
498 - THE ASTROLOGICAL NEPTUNE AND THE QUEST FOR REDEMPTIO N

strong Neptune, 325 Catullus,456 Laurence Olivier, 208

Blake, William, 321, 332, Cayce, Edgar, 233
342 ,431,435 celibacy, 83
Blofeld, John, 449 Celts, 16
Bloomfield, Harold , H ., CelO,28
241,242 Cetus, 28
Bohan , Marc , 269 channelling , 2 33, 234,
Boinn , 17 235 , 236
Bolivar, Simon , 341 Cha os, 28
Books of Eno ch , 45 Char cot ,). M., 120, 122 ,
Bord, J anet and Colin, 18 123,124 ,127,1 34 ,
Bordeaux, Je an, 128, 130 140
Bosch , H ieroynymus, 52 Chasseguet-Srni rgel,
boundaries, loss of, 11 7 Jan ine , 163, 166
Brahm a, 27 Chaste net de Puysegur,
Braid, James, 108 , 116 Marquis Armand
Branch Davidi ans, 231, 232 Jacques, 115
breathing exerc ises, 243 ch ild abuse, 145, 196
Brethren of th e Free Sp irit, Ch iron, 22 4, 411 , 43 0
225 Christ, 70
Breuer, Dr. J oseph, 125 , cruc ifixion, 8 1
140 ,141 ,143 Christ ian
Bront e, Emily, 342 millenarianism, 60
bull , 75 , 19 1 symbols, 84
Bultman, Rud olph , 53 Christ ian Mass
Burke, Edmund, 342 sacrament, 89
Burn s, Rob ert , 445 cinema , 270
Burr on , Richard , 198 , 209, Clota ,I 7
2 1 I, 2 16, 368 Cocteau, Jean, 33 0
Byron, 342 Coen, Stanley)., 159
Coh n, Norman, 6 1, 226
Coleridge, S. T., 34 2
C collective psychic unifica-
Caber, Et ienne, 30 2 rion, 122
Campion , N icholals, 6, 6 1, communicat ion, 37 4
28 2, 283, 290, 295 , com mu nit ies
309 , 3 10 esot er ic, 40 2
canzone, 182 , 183 sp iritual, 402
Carroll , Lewis, 33 0 comp lex, 14 2
Cashford, Jules, 9 , 14 composers
Cassandra, 29 English romantic , 343
castrat ion , 94 composite chart , 445, 475
mythic, 46 5 Elizabeth Taylor and
Carh ars , 52, 9 5 Richard Burr on , 21 6
catharsis, 122 Vivien Leigh and
Neptune, 473
conjunct ion
Moon -Mars, 109
Moon-Uranus, 418
Saturn-Neptune, 291
Cook, A. B., 30
Cooper-Oakley, Isabel, 22 8
cosm ic sea, 2 3
court ley love, 18 I
ethos of, 179
Cowan , Lyn, 154 , 161, 199
Cowper, William , 4 5 1
Crabbe, George, 255
Cranston, Sylvia , 33 7, 34 1
creat ive outl ets, 38 2
"cross to bear," 96
crucifixion, 94
Curnont , Franz , 31 ,72, 75,
165 , 278
Cybele, 8 2, 8 3, 191
D
Dag da, 16
daim on , 42 , 53
Dante, G ., 48
Danu, 17
Danu -Domnu, 19
d 'Ar c, Jeanne, 460
da Vinci, Leonardo , 33 0 ,
331
Dawson, Doyne , 29 7
Day of Judgement, 46 , 161
death-wish, 152 , 389
Debussy, Claude, 352
de Gaulle, Charles, 29 6
Deli us, Frederick, 344,
34 5,4 54
Delphic Oracle, 233
deluge
after, 54
myth ,23
de Maupassanr , Gu y, 330
Demeter, 30

depress ion, 240, 326
deprogramm in g tech-
niques, 23 2
destiny, 411
de Troyes , Chretien, 180
Deukalion,-58, 61
Dev a,1 7
d iagnost ic label s, 126
D ickens, Charles, 330
D ilmun , 4 1, 46, 70
di vine garden, 36
D ion ysus , 70, 79, 80 , 120,
42 9
disillusionment , 197, 388
disintegration, 405
dismembe rment , 94
d ivine chi ld, 37 9
Di vine Mother, 25, 26, 27
Domnu, 17 , 28
Don (W elsh creator-god-
dess), 17
Donne , J ohn , 4 57
drugs, 243, 369
Dubcek, Alex ander, 4 29
Dundes, Alan , 55
Durocelle, Jean -Baptiste ,
291
D ylan, Bob , 348, 394
E Dem ocrat ic Repub lic,
Ea,5 9
Eberrin , Reinhold, 326,
368 , 380, 384, 39 0,
39 3, 39 7 , 4 0 1, 4 0 5 ,
420,4 27, 4 3 1, 436
ecst asy, 121 , 126, 327 , 429
ecstat ic
consc iousness, 246
experience, 223
trance, 108
Edd y, Mary Baker, 4 34
Eden , 35, 40,4 1, 70
quest for readmittance ,
41
Edi son, Thomas Alva, 4 13
education, 374
Eger ia, 3 1
ego , 235, 23 9
ego ideal, 16 3, 165 , 184
Elath ,9
Elgar, Sir Edward , 34 3
Eli ade , Mircea, 22, 2 3
El iot , T. S., 4 5
Eloh im ,10
Elysian Fields, 39 , 4 1
emasculat ion, 15
Emerson , Ralph Waldo,
342
Em in, 229
Emperor Augustus . 429
Enk i, 37 , 56, 59
enl ightenment , 12 2
Enuma El ish , 6 , 7, 8 ,1 8 ,
55
Ep ic of Gi lgarnesh , 55
Ep iphan ius, 299
Eros
overdeveloped , 19 3
eternal realities , 22 3
Euripides, 119, 121 ,409,
410
Eur ynome , 28 , 29
Ezeki el ,46
F 3 15 , 318
Fabry, Joseph, 2 39
Fall , 36 , 37, 42
falling in love, 185
family, 376
fantas y, 324
fashion , 255 , 257 , 264 , 270
fatal ism, 39 8
Fenby, Er ic, 4 54
fertil ity god, 30
Feuerstein , George, 22 2 ,
24 8, 249, 250, 252
Fic ino , Mars il io, 239
fideal, 19
INDE X - 499
financial difficulties, 371
fish , 18
fish child, 11
Fitzge rald , F. Score, 37 9
Flagellants, 95, 161
Flood
Greek,58
myths , 55 , 57 , 58
fum tl origo, 3, 16 , 49, 129,
36 5
Four ier, Charles, 30 2
Fox , Rob in Lane, 72
Fra nk l, Victor, 238
Frazer, Sir J ames , 75
Freud, Sigmund, 116, 12 2,
124 ,125,139,140,
141,14 3,155,156,
16 3
friend sh ips , 40 3
fus ion , 146
G
Gai a, 79
Galle,). G ., 291
Garden of Eden, 129
G auquel in, M., 2 2 3 , 422
Genes is, 9 , 36 , 40
creatio n m yth, 10
German
The Th ird Re ich, 31 7
Weimar Republic, 31 3,
316
Gilgarnesh, 8, 9, 94
Gi nzbe rg , Louis , 11
glamou r, 258, 260, 272
as destruct ive force,
27 0
of active scheming, 27 5
of conflict, 276
of creative work w ith-
ou t true mot ive , 275
of iso lat ion, 273
500 - THE A ST RO LOG ICAL NE PT UNE AND THE Q U ES T FOR REDEM PT I O N
of the love of being
loved, 27 4
of material ity, 277
of psychic perception
instead of intuition ,
276
of self-sacr ifice, 27 4
of sentimental it y, 278
of World Saviours and
Teachers, 27 9
Gnostic Christ ians , 87
Gnostic ism , 52
God
t he Mother , 4 1
Godwin, Joscelyn , 77
Goebbels,Joseph, 401
Goethe, Johann, 33 0, 394
G old ing, William , 50
good en ough mother, 148
Graham , Billy, 100, 101
Grail , 86
Casrle, 4 1
K ing , wounded , 4 15
legend, 228
Graves, Robert, 28 , 57
Great Mother, 94, 329
archetype, 328
Greene, M iranda , 16
guilr,419
guru
rise of, 244
Guthrie, W. K . C , 10 3
H ho ly shrines , 108
Hades , 28
Haggard , Rider, 85
half-m an and half-fish, 29
H arnrnerly-Depuy, Dan iel ,
56
H anged Man , 94
Hapi,I4
Harrison ,). M ., 26 0, 33 0
Harvey, Ch arles , 295 , 30 9 ,
3 10
hash ish , 24 I
Harbor, 14,5 7
Harrnehir, IS
healer , 36 9
heal ing, 107
Hec araeus of Milerus, 16
He idel , Alexander, 7
HeI,51
Hell , 51, 54
Hemingway, Ernest , 330
H enry, El isabeth , 362, 376
Hera , 77
Herder, Johann Gottfr ied,
338
Herodotus, 16
Herrick , Robert , 455
Hes iod , 78, 298
Golden Age of, 298
fanati cis m, 463
bieros gamOJ, 324
higher planes, 2 3 3
Hillman, James , 223
H immler, Heinrich , 30 5
Hindu
creation myth , 22
H ider, Adolf, 29 4 , 29 5,
310,315 ,341,443,
465
Hoffman, E. T. A., 357,
379
Holst , Gus tav, 348
Holy Ghost , 69, 87
Holy Grail, 227
Holy John, 230, 231
Homer, 28 , 78
homosexua l, 81
Honecker, Er ich , 388
Hook e, S. H ., 6 , 9, 36, 38 ,
48
hopes and wishe s, 399
Horney, Karen, 157
Howarch, Susan, 227
Hughes , Henry Me yric,
34 0
H ugo , Victor, 291 , 34 1
humiliation , 466
Hutch ing s, Arthur, 34 5
hypnosis, 108, 12 3, 132
hypnoti c
sleep, 108
t rance , 127
hysteria, 108 , 109 , 116,
119,120,1 2 1,1 26,
128,129,140,141
at the Salperriere, 122 ,
145
Greek tradit ion, 118
stud ies, 140
hyste ric, 124
hysterical , 123
behav iour, 131
illness, lSI
person al ity , 154
Iambl ichus, 239
Ichrhys, 71
Ilabrar , 37
im agi nati ve facul ty, 420
imprisonment, 40 3
inarticulateness, 37 5
International Society for
Kr ishna-Consciousness,
22 9
Ir ish fertil ity -god, 16
Ishrar , 9 ,1 2 ,5 7
J
Ja mes, Jam ie, 350
J anet, P ierr e, 125 , 133,
134
jealousy, 452
Jenkins , David , 212 , 214,
218
Jesus , 67,71 ,73,85
Jewish pr ophecies
End of Days, 71
Johnso n, Betsy, 265
Johnson, Robert A., 178,
180
Jonah, 11
Jones , Jim , 231, 390
Jo plin, Janis, 390
Joyce , James, 264
Julie, 167, 168
Jung, c. G ., xii, 86, 89,
96,10 1,102,107,
116,122,141,166,
192 , 19 3, 227, 238,
253, 309 , 322, 329
jupiter. 411
K Lincoln, Henry, 136
Ka-rnuref, 69
karma, 447
Keats , John, 34 2, 4 37
Keller , Hel en, 438
Kelroi . 16
Kenidjack, 230
Kereny i, C. 77
Khomeini, Ayacollah,
305
Ki ng Ammi -saduqa, 56
King Ashurbanipal, 6, 55
King Geo rge, 229, 234
King Lise, 56
Ki ng Min os, 415
Kin nock, N eil, 305
Klein, Melanie , 62 , 146
knighr, 184
Koresh, David, 231
Kraffe-Ebing, 155
Kris, Ernst, 321
Kronos , 30 , 79
Krenos-Saturn. 42
Kurz, Otto, 321
Kuyunjik
excavations , 55
L
Lactanrius, 47, 50
Lady and Pan, 230
Laing , R. D ., 359
Land of Eternal Youth, 41
Lang, Bern hard , 38,46,47
Leary, Tim othy, 244
LeCron, Leslie, 128, 130
Lefkowit z, Mary R., 118
Leigh , Vivien, 136, 198 ,
199,201,208
Levant, 6
Leviathan, 9, 10, II , 12,
28 , 70
Levin, Bernard , 290
lieba tod , 177, 197
Lilieh,9, 10
Lilly, William, 256
longing for redempt ion,
xiv, 297
Loran , 9, 28, 386
locus, 14
love affairs, 380
Lucis Trust, 229
Lykaon, 57
Lyle, Felix , 283
Lyonesse, 23 1
M "m e" decade, 267
Mabinogion, 16
Mache n, Arthur, 43, 44,
365
Mackenzie, Do nald A., 58
Maenads, 119, 120, 136
magic , 321
magical substa nces, 26
magnets, III
Maha-Kali, 23 , 24
Major, J ohn, 296
malefics, 117
Manilius, 12,31,266
manipu lative act ivity, 142
INDEX
Mann, Tho mas, 323
- 50 1
Mansfield, Katherine, 330
Manson, Charles, 429
Manu, 58, 61
Mao Tse-tung, 313
Marduk , 7,8, 10, 13, 15,
24,33,70,428
Marinaeos, D r. Nanno, 55
Mars, 131, 137, 187
Mars-M oon conjunction,
101
Mars-Neptune conflict, 156
martyrdom, 9 5
herioc,429
Marxism , 165
Marx, Karl, 303, 311
Maslow, Abraham, 237,
238
masochism , 154 , 155,156,
158
masochi stic behavi our, 154
Mass, 88
Massener, Jul es, 341
mass psyche, 8
Matiss e, H enri, 330
Macrona, 17
maya, 23, 25 , 28, 88 , 145,
244
Maya-Shakei , 25
McDan nell, Coll een, 38 ,
46,47
Medi eval Garden of
Delighcs,46
meditation, 23 8
Mehe r Baba , 98, 99
Mephis toph eles, 152
Mercury, 411
conjunct Saturn, 109
Mesmer, Fran z Anton, 107,
108, 109, 110, 112,
114, 119, 122, 125,
134,135,141,144,
233
Mesopotamian myth, 5
502 - THE ASTROLOGICAL NEPTUNE AND THE QUE ST FOR REDEMPTI ON

messiahs, 292 Nelson, Lord Horatio, 429 Neptunian

methyr, 14 Nenu , 13 child, 150
Meyers, Helen, 158 Ncptunc, 24, 27, 29, 30, d isillusionment, 194 ,
Milarcpa, 22 1 32,50,131,163,191 , 196
millen nium , 35 240 , 289, 290 , 29 1, ecstasy, 117
Millcr, Alice, 188 ,274 479 father . 415
Millcr, Arthur, 50 l sr house, 366 g lamou r, 270
Milton, John , 330 2nd house , 371 love-expe rience, 180
Minotaur, 415 3rd house, 374 politics, dual nature of,
miracles, 90, 9 1 4 th house, 376 293
Mirhras , 70, 7 1, 73 , 85 , 5th house , 379 sensit ivity, 159
19 1 6th house , 38 3 socialism, psycholog y
mysteries, 72 7th house , 385 of, 306
modes of perception, 223 Bth house , 388 sufferin g, 154
Monroe, Marilyn, 190, 9th house , 392 talismans , 257
368, 424 10th house , 396 Nereis ,28
Moon, 410 11th house, 399 Nere us, 29
in a natal char t, 32 l Zrh house, 403 Ner o, 434
Moon-Neptune, 96, 352 and rhe arrisr , 32 1 Nct, 14
combinatio ns, 19 3 aspects to ang les, 471 N eum ann, Erich, II , 38,
More, Sir Th omas, 289, dual ism , 76 49, 328
301 ,305 esoteric , 221 Niflhcim, 51
Morris , Will iam , 34 3 glam our. 255 Nir ya-Kal i, 23
Monon, Andrew, 272 , 280 hall of mirrors. 188 Noah , 37 . 57, 61.70
mother-goddess, 12 hard aspen to Sun, 98 nonsexua l re lationsh ips .
mul tipl e sclerosis, 370 in aspect, 40 9 474
Mulvagh, Jane, 261, 263, in houses, 365 Norman , Barr y, 263
265 ,269 in love, 198 N ovalis (Friedri ch von
music, 337, 339, 350, 351 in national horoscope, Hardenberg), 339
mystcry cults, 221 309 numcn, 89
mystica l in New Age, 227 N un, 13, 14
cults, 226 inner planets, 41 0 Nut, 14, 15
ident ity, 42 6 myst ical vision, 299 Nykt imus, 57
longing, 226 mythology of, 3 Nyx , 76
mysticism, 221, 433 and outer pla ners, 440
po litical, 289
psychoanalytic, 139 0
N themes, 107 Oanncs, 29, 71
Nam mu, 6, 7,37 ,164 urgc to heal, 160 oceanic peak experience,
N ancy schoo l, 128 and utopian socialism , 237, 243
N apoleon, 429 297 Oedipal desires, 428
narcissistic wound, 190 worldvicw, 68 Okeanos, 28 , 29
Nauner , 14 Neptune-dom ina ted ind i- Ol d Man of the Sea, 29
Nazi Germany, 315 vidual,95 Olivier, Laurence, 198 ,
N cit h,14 N eptun e-Saturn, 326 199,200,208
 INDE X - 503

Ophi on ,28 Patai, Raphael, 10 ,41 Progoff, Ira , 2 38

origin of the world Peace Society of Great Prometheus, 42, ~8 , 32 1
Babylonian myth, 6 Britain , 291 Proteus , 29, 30
Sumerian myth, 6 Pelasg ian psoriasis, 16 9
original sin, 129, 142, 373 creation myth , 28 psychosomatic, 124
Orpheus, 70, 71, 77, 78, Pelletier, Robert, 326 Prah , 1~

81, 191 , 41~ Penrheus, 120 , 121 , 136, Ptolemy, 4 77

dismemberment , 81 4 09 pubert y, 129
the fisher, 76 People's Republic of China, Purgatory, 48
Orphi c 3 13, 3 14 pursu it of t he unobtain -
cosm og ony, 8 9 People's Temple, 23 2 able, 387
cosmos, 79 perfect union , 38 ~ Purusha , 70
Original Sin, 8 0 Perseus, 4 6 0 Pushk in , A. S. , 341
Orwell, George , 290 Person , Ethel Spector, 18~ ,
Os iris, 14 , 15, 16,67,68, 191,196
70
Otfrid ,46
personality integration , 29
phallic symbol, 18
o
Quarles, Francis, 177
Othello, 1 ~4 phallus, 15, 28 , 7~ , 120 Queen Vict oria, 342
Other, 23~ Phanes,79
other pla ce (Hell ), ~ 1 ph ob ias, 326
Ouranos,79 Piscean Age R
Owen, A. R. G ., 12 3 da w ing ,83 Ra , 13, ~7

P iscean era, Ra jneesh

dawn of, 76 dis ciples, 2~ 4
p Pisces, 12 Foundation, 248
Pan, 230 planetary pla cements , 148 Rameau, jean-Philippe ,
Pandora, 4 2 Plato, 184,223,239, 30 0 , 337
box , ~8 4 77 Ran , 3 1
Par adies, Mari a Theresa, Plorinus , 239, 425 Reagan, Ronald, 29 2
11 2 p neu m a, 87 , 89 red eem er
Paradise, 3 ~ , 38, 39, 43, polit ical parries , 43 ~ cas tra te d,67
4~,46, 48 , 4 9 , ~1, ~ 4, Pope John Paul, 4 02 celibate, 67
66, 9~ Poseidon , 28, 30, 41 ~ search for, 6 7
Paradise Garden , 162, 18 7 , post-viral fat igue, 370 redeemer-cults, 188
2 ~ 3, 3~1 , 4~0 Pre-Christian Sons of God, redeernership
parent 67 suitability for, 98
becoming, 43 Presley, Elvis , 2~9 redeemer-vi ctim
parental sign ificar ors, 416 prima materia, 4 divine, 70
parenthood, 38 1 primal substance, 3 redempt ion , 6~, 177, 327,
Parrott , Ian , 343 primordial sea-mother, 18 7 4 11 ~
Pars ifal, 86 Pr in ce Charles, 472, 4 7 3 long ing for, 10 7
part icipation m yst ique, 6 9, Princess of Wales , 27 9 , redempt ive themes, 39~
90 , 108 , Ill, 116, 282 ,284,38 9,39 7, Rei ch, W ilhelm, 156
23 1, 23~ 472 ,473 reli gi on , 392
passive aggression, 1 ~6 Proclus, 239 Renaissance , 441
504 -- THE ASTROLOGI C AL NEPTUNE AN D THE QUEST FOR REDEMPT ION
Renan, Ernest, 71 Scargill, Arthur, 296
Rhea, 30 Scherten Jieb, Raymond
Rhine Maidens, 32 John, 229
Rilke, Rainer Maria , 78 Schonberg, Har old C, 340 ,
Rimbaud , Art hur , 342 357 ,358
ritual, 135 Schuman n, Robert , 355,
Roberts, Ja ne, 236 356
Rodde n, Lois M., 463 Scriabin , Alexander, 35 I,
romantic 352
enchantment, 184 sea-mother, I I , 12
movement, 333 sea-serpent , 11
rootless ness, 378 Segal, Cha rles, 78
Rossetti , Dante Gabriel, Self, 166
34 3 self-castration, 84
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques , self-pi ty, 438
335, 336 self-undoing, 40 3
ruler s, 29 2 Senior, Mic hael , 18
separation, 146
Sequa na, 17
S service, 383
sacred fire Set , 15
theft of, 42 sex
sacred marriage, 324 idealisat ion, 4 30
sacred rite sexual
theatre , as, 88 charisma, 46 0
sacred sit e, 6 compulsion, 8 3
sacrifice, 17, 97 freedo m , 255
Sr. Geor ge, 46 0 inhibition , 39 2
St. Jo hn of th e Cross, 224 sexuality, 15, 39 1
Salpecriere, 140 Shakespe are, xvii , 4 33
samadhi, 246 Shakri, 25
Sanger, Margaret , 261 Shaw, George Bernard, 440
Sangra al, 227 Shaw, William, 222, 229,
Sasporras, Howard, xv, 230 , 231
36 7,37 1, 374 , 377, Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 342,
38 3,391,400,404 , 443
40 7 skin condi tio ns, 384
Satu rn, 94,131 ,137,187, Simon, Bennett, 119 , 121
240 Sinainn , 17
Saturn -Neptune, 327, 328, smo ke
347 , 348 , 352 of burnt sacrifice, R9
conracrs , 325 socialism , 30 I
politics , 304 Marxist , 30')
Saturnian individual, 304 "reformist ," 30')
Savanarola, G irolamo, 46 socialist, 302
Societe de I'Harmonie, 115
Solar Temple, 23 1
soul-family, 453
soul -mate, 44 5
soul-union, 15
Spanis h Inquisition, 95
speaking in rongues, 233
spiritual communes , 299
spiritual ist gro ups, 116
sp lit between body and
spirit , 195
stability, 327
Stearn, Jess, 233
Sropes , Marie , 261
str uctu re, 327
suffering , 139
and relinquis hment , 95
pur su it of, 154, 167
suggestability, 137
Sun, 13, 187 , 326,410
in Scorpio square
Nept une, 10 1
in Pisces square
Neptune, 101
N eptune midpoint , III
opposite Jupiter, 109
square Neptune, 98,
101
sq uare N eptune , rran-
sit, 111
Sun-Neptune, 347 , 348 ,
352
contacts, 325
Swiss Everlasting League of
Schwyz , 290
synasrry
Neptune, 44 5
Neptu ne aspects to
Plut o, 46 9
Neptune aspectS to
Uranus . 4(;9
Neptune-Chi ron
aspects , 46 7
Neptune-] upire r
aspect s, 461
 INDEX - 505

Neptune-Mars aspects,
459
Transcendental Meditation,
245 v
Valhalla, 41, 5 1
Neptune-Mercury transformation, 91
aspects, 453 transit Venus, 224,410

Neptune-Moon aspects, Neptune, 97, III Venus-Neptune, 96

451 Neptune through Verrnaseren, Maarten j., 83

Neptune-Saturn Capricorn, 268 Vestal Virgins, 31

aspects , 464 Neptune through Leo, victim-redeemer, 81, 84 ,

Neptune-Sun aspects, 261 398

448 Neptune through Libra, myth ic , 15

Neptune- Venus aspects, 264 virgin birth, 85

456 Neptune through Vishnu, 27

Sagittarius, 267 visual isation , 433

Neptune through techniques, 243

Scorpio , 265 von Eschenbach, Wolfram ,

T Neptune through 228

Tammuz, 7 1, 82 Virgo, 262 von Hardenberg, Friedrich,

Tarkovsky, Andre i, 118 Pluto, 39 , 163 ,289 339

Tamas, R ichard , 335 Saturn, 39, III von KUhn, Sophie, 339

Tart , Charles, 237 , 238 transitional object , 323 von Sacher-Masoch ,

rauroctony, 74 , 75 transpersonal Leopold, 155

Taylor, A . j. P, 292 experiences, 240 , 241 von Weber, Carl Mar ia,

Taylor, Elizabeth , 198, psychology, 237, 238, 340

209,210,216 243, 253
Tchaikovsky, P. I., 341 Tree of Immortality, 8, 9,
telepathic communication,
454
16, 22
Tree of Life, 94
w. X
Walker, Alexander, 204 ,
Tennyson, Lord Alfred, Tuatha De Danann, 17 205
416 Tust in, Frances, 151 water, 21 , 28
Tethys , 29 as source of healing, 16
Thatcher, Margaret, 296 magnetised, 114
Theosoph ical Society, 22 9 , mythic mean ing , 13
244 u pr imal,59
Theseus, 415 Ulster Cycle, 16 with transformative
Thetis , 28 , 29 unconscious substance, 9 3
rhyrsus, 120 discovery of, 10 7 warer-dei ties
Ti 'amar, 7-14, 24, 27 , 28 , United States of America, Greek,28
33 , 36, 7 0, 164 ,4 29, 312 water-goddess, 17
450 Universal Egg, 28 water-mother
Tiberinus , 31 Uranus, 163 ,223,240, of Celts, 16
Tires ias, 29, 121 289,465 in Egypt, 12
Titan , 4 2 uroboric water snake, 14 Hindu , 21
Tortuous Serpent , 9 utopianism, 297, 300 in Mesopotamian
Toynbee, Arnold, 293, Utnapisht im, 9 , 37 , 56, myth,5
294, 296 58, 61 , 70 wh ipping rituals, 95
506 .- THE ASTROLOGICAL NEPTUNE AND THE QUEST FOR REDEMPTION

Wilhelm II, Kaiser, 315 Wordsworrh, William, 342 Yeats , W. B., 330
Wili, Waltet, 81 Wotan , 94 Yggdrasil ,94
Williams, Ralph Vaughan, wound ing, 437 yoga, 238
346 Xiusrhrus, 56 Zeno,477
Wilson, Angus , 261 Zeus, 29 , 30,42,57,79,
Winnicott, D. W., 146, 80
147,148,152,153 , Y.Z Zimmer, Heinrich, 26
325 Yahveh , 15,57,70 Ziusudra, 56, 61
women, 261, 263 Yates, Frances A., 239 Zweig, Paul , 18 3, 184
Liz Greene is the author of many books, including
the classic Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil.
With Howard Sasporras, she has also written a
series that explores psychological astrology; these
titles have become important texts for anyone
studying Jungian psychology as it relates to th e
symbolism found in astrology. Greene also teaches
seminars internationally. She is the co-founder of
the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London.
Greene currently resides in Zurich, Switzerland.