The last thing you probably want to hear is that another planet will soon appear to be travelling backward and disrupt things for nearly five months, no less, with Mercury retrograde barely in the rearview mirror. The spiritual and dream-related planet Neptune will be in retrograde from June 28 to December 3.
Unlike Mercury’s backspin, which often leads to misunderstandings, flashbacks, and the urge to wrap up loose ends, Neptune’s backspin is more interested in offering reality checks in any area of life where you might be wearing rose-colored spectacles. The upcoming few months may be filled with intense emotions and spiritual development, especially since the retrograde is occurring in Pisces, the sensitive, intuitive mutable water sign.
The following is your guide to maximizing Neptune’s retrograde in Pisces in 2022.
NEPTUNE RETROGRADE DEFINITION First, a brief introduction to Neptune and what its retrograde motion signifies. Neptune, the planet of spirituality, dreams, and the unconscious, is arguably the astrology’s most enigmatic planet. Additionally, how it works has a bit of a two-pronged effect: Neptune will motivate you and stimulate your imagination, creativity, empathy, and desire to cure yourself and others while it is going ahead (also known as “direct”). Neptune also encourages delusion, in addition to illusion. It will obstruct reason, making it more difficult to distinguish between what is genuine and what is not. The planet can also make you idealize a wide range of things, from relationships to health-related plans, in a way that can hide the reality. You can be unaware of an underlying toxic relationship with a workout partner, mentor, or personal trainer, for instance, that isn’t truly beneficial to you.
Neptune does, however, appear to be travelling backward from Earth’s perspective once a year when it turns retrograde. According to NASA , the planets in the solar system often appear to move through the stars from west to east, but occasionally they start to appear to be moving from east to west, a phenomenon known as apparent retrograde motion.
The planets’ speeds, positions, and rates of rotation around the sun all play a role in this optical illusion. Taking 165 years to complete one orbit around the sun and the whole zodiac, Neptune is one of the solar system’s slower planets. It stays in each sign for around 14 years. The third-closest planet to the sun is Earth, which makes one orbit of it every 365 days. It appears that the planet is going backward when Neptune passes Earth in its orbit. Neptune technically moves backward for around 40% of the year because each retrograde period lasts a little more than five months.
The planet of dreams’ tendency to generate haze is lessened during a Neptune retrograde, and for just over five months, you’ll be inundated with reality checks. Additionally, much like with any retrograde, a planet’s seeming backward motion tends to change the direction of its effects, making them internal rather than exterior. Neptune retrograde encourages you to look inward and may help you overcome any mental or spiritual obstacles that have prevented you from achieving your long-term objectives. Neptune direct may inspire you to dive into dream journaling, a mindful running routine, or pour your emotions into an artistic project. Additionally, you’ll get a chance to revise any ongoing project involving your creativity and mental health. If your current exercise regimen or therapy is stressing you out more than you may have realized, you may decide it’s time to change.
THEMES OF THE 2022 NEPTUNE RETROGRADE ON WELL-BEING Neptune is the ruler of the mutable water sign Pisces, represented by the fish. Additionally, the twelfth house of spirituality, karma, the unconscious, and private concerns is ruled by both Pisces and Neptune. People with Pisces sun signs or other personal placements are typically very sensitive, creative, and even psychic. They frequently delve deep into their own emotions as well as the emotions and energies of those around them. And they have a singular emphasis on helping and healing everyone they come into contact with, whether it be a close friend or a total stranger.
In turn, Neptune retrogrades in Pisces, which have occurred yearly since the planet entered its home sign in 2011 and will continue to do so until 2025, force you to consider how you’re taking care of your own emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Neptune retrograde happens every year, however the planetary aspects or weather change from year to year. On October 12, 2022, the planet of spirituality will align with Mars, the planet of action, in Gemini, which could cause low energy and make you feel like you’re going against the flow. Now is the time to adhere to your current plan while practicing patience and diligence. Then, in November, immediately after the second, change-inducing eclipse season of the year, Neptune will make harmonic trines to numerous planets in fellow water sign Scorpio. As a result, it will be difficult to ignore persistent emotional problems, and dealing with them head-on can be incredibly restorative.
HOW TO USE THE NEPTUNE RETROGRADE IN 2022 TO THE FULLEST Neptune retrograde will enable you to identify the facts in any ongoing, perplexing scenario because it forms trines to Scorpio around the same time as eye-opening eclipses, with sympathetic Pisces leading the charge of this astrological event. You’ll then want to put that knowledge to use in order to better look after your overall wellbeing. Here are a few strategies to take use of Neptune’s backspin regardless of your sign.
BE HUMANE TO YOURSELF. Pisces are known for being extremely sensitive and harsh on themselves. It’s time to amp up your self-care, and not just in terms of making sure you emphasize active recovery in between your hardest workouts because Neptune is retrograde in the sign of the Fish and dishing out reality checks left and right. Actually, this might resemble exercising self-compassion, which Neptune and Pisces both want to teach you, especially when you feel like you’re failing or are uncertain.
ADOPT TO YOUR REALITY Perhaps you’ve been inspired by an influencer who consistently dominates really challenging circuit training or boxing exercises that leave you feeling mentally and physically spent. Or perhaps you’ve been visiting a wellness professional who isn’t quite providing the outcomes you expected when you made the appointment. Neptune’s retrograde in these circumstances may bring “OMG” moments that ultimately help you see the cold, harsh truth for your own benefit. It’s important to pay closer attention to your intuition and the universe right now than you normally would so that you can let go of any habits, viewpoints, or romantic relationships that aren’t what they seem to be.
Lean toward activities that encourage emotional and mental healing. When Neptune is direct, its dreamy influence frequently acts as a buffer, security blanket, and warm escape from aspects of life that aren’t quite enjoyable to accept. And when all of that is gone, you could start to miss the cozy salve of delusion. Identifying what is upsetting you and then determining why it is bothersome will help you get comfortable with the unpleasant instead of seeking escapism. For therapy, meditation, and especially mindful exercises like yoga or Pilates, this might be a really fruitful time.
