Get ready for the final pass of 2019’s most tricksy and challenging transit: the mutable square between Jupiter and Neptune. This is your final test to see whether you’ve mastered 2019’s lessons concerning the ability to discern real from fake, fact from fantasy. Luckily, this time around, Mars and Pluto will be there to help us ‘keep it real’ and stay focused on where we want to go, despite any temptations to drag us off course or escape to Neverland…
Think back to mid-January (13th) and mid-June (16th), as well as 2006 when we experienced the opposition between these two planets for parallels. For many, these periods coincided with a series of painful wake-up calls when our favourite fantasies, delusions and escape tricks were ripped away from us and exposed for the lies, false masks and emotional crutches that they were.
Naivety and gullibility, or alternatively fear and anxiety, may have been what drove our behaviours – something we may not even have been consciously aware of.
Whatever the motivation, these periods brought many of us face to face with the truth of where we may’ve been:
- Harbouring unrealistic expectations of situations or other people (think slick sales pitches and infactuations with future-fakers)
- Addicted/co-dependent/overly attached to outside sources/substances/relationships for validation
- Looking for someone/something outside of ourselves eg gurus, false religious/belief systems to solve our problems, rescue/save us.
- Lying to ourselves or others about self-defeating habits, addictions, escapist/self-indulgent behaviour (eg. lack of self-discipine, wanting the easy way out)
- In denial/refusing to take responsibility for our actions or decisions (think victim mentality, or martyrish behaviour)
- Wasting/leaking time, energy or resources on hopeless causes, unproductive pursuits (eg hedonism) or thankless people (i.e. narcissists and manipulators)
- Leaving our reputation or immune system open to attack/smearing from debilitating illnesses, or by dishonest/judgemental/hypocritical people;
- Being too trusting, gullible or naive.
Boundaries or a lack thereof, may have been a large part of the problem. Another contributing factor may have been ignorance, confusion, denial or out-and-out deceit which meant that we were flying blind, unaware of certain key facts (some of which may have been deliberately withheld from us).
Mercury Retrograde
This lack of clarity was only exacerbated by Mercury’s retrograde spells in March and July, which led to communication breakdowns, analysis paralysis and touchiness. However, if we are honest with ourselves, part of us may also have been indulging in wishful thinking, sticking our heads in the sand, afraid of what we might find if we looked at things too closely.
Eclipses
Then eclipse season kicked in, bringing us face to face with our unconscious habits and triggers – the hidden wounds that had made us so susceptible to denial and manipulation in the first place. As a result, many chose to go inwards and do some serious soul searching; making a concerted effort (especially at the Virgo New Moon) to introduce healthier patterns, perceptions and habits, and let go of lingering hurt and old, possibly even ancestral wounds.
Now, as we build up to this third (and final) chapter in the Jupiter-Neptune story on 21 September, you could be presented with a chance to test out your newfound coping skills/knowledge, process recent experiences and integrate any clarity/insights that emerge after all that pain, grief, loss, disappointment and confusion.
Don’t be surprised if temptation once again slithers into town – just to see if you’ve learnt your lesson. However, this time around, you should see it coming because you’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt. You know where your weak/blindspots are – the vulerabilities that made you such a sucker last time around, and the price you’d have to pay if you allowed yourself to get derailed again. So you’re probably going to be less keen to play that game.
Saturn: Boundaries
Saturn will also be direct, giving you the maturity and self-discipline to question people’s claims/proposals/motives more closely, introduce safeguards and protections, eg stronger boundaries and put the brake on any impulses you may have to throw caution to the wind.
What’s more, the cosmos will also be sending reinforcements in the form of a grounding earth trine between courageous Mars and powerful Pluto on the 19th. Use this potent energy to boost confidence and focus, strengthen your willpower and resolve, and keep you firmly on course, so that you are not triggered or thrown off balance like you were before.
Forewarned is forearmed.
The key is to stay grounded and keep things real. And to be fearless in shedding/cutting away anything or anyone that harbours even the faintest whiff of pretense/fakery/false promises. As long as you remain focused on where you are going – and remember the truth – which is that you cannot depend on anyone other than yourself (and Source) for your happiness and wellbeing – you’ll be fine.
