A reader asked a great question after seeing someone state on a pop astrology site that when Neptune is on your Sun it can "make me delusional and full of false hopes and dreams." Aside from the fact that the planets cannot "make" us anything, this is the perfect jumping-off point to address some of the issues raised. So today is a brief look at Neptune and the other outer planets' influence.

I told them Neptune on one's Sun can make for illusions, but 'what the fog bringeth the fog taketh away.' Neptune may accompany delusions, but it can also bring glimpses of immortality, the ideal human state, visions of the future, and always a vaster sensitivity to and experience of collective consciousness. It's great for defining who we are in a vaster context of existence, and allowing the timeless human condition to illuminate us. It’s a great time for self-awareness regarding any tendency we have toward procrastination, drifting or self-pitying behavior, “seeing the Light” of the illusion of these in the collective consciousness.

There are also more subtle applications. For example, since Neptune is the spiritual ruler of Sagittarius and Pisces, it can bring to us the spiritual manifestation of the houses where we have those sign energies in tangible ways. Neptune can show us the spiritual energies behind planets we have in Sagittarius and Pisces, whether natal or progressed.

There are other ways Neptune expresses its spiritual energy. For example, Pisces is the second house from Aquarius. Therefore Neptune is the Spiritual ruler of Aquarius' house of wealth, and can bring a sense of how Aquarians can capture money in a big way by giving the world something it wants or needs. If Neptune is the spiritual ruler of our 6th house, it could bring forms of hypochondria, but also ideal forms of work helping us serve some worldly need, or do humanitarian work with animals, or in some job helping the public health.

We can apply these same principles to Uranus and Pluto contacts with important points in our charts. When we remember that Uranus challenges us to individualize spiritually, Neptune challenges us to merge spiritually with others in the larger feeling-field, and Pluto challenges us to see to the core, purify ourselves to the core, and be our unique seed of eternal transformational energies, then we understand the higher ways to respond to these vast “forces beyond individual control.”

Yes, when Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto conjunct one's Sun, it's like being on psychedelics without the psychedelics. When one of these is on our Sun (or Moon, Ascendant, or any planet), we’ll always experience an element of unreality, since these are vast transpersonal transformational energies in the larger field. Still, there’s no better time to experience our purely unique Light/Life than when Uranus conjuncts our Sun. There is no better time to experience our Light within the collective Light field than when Neptune conjuncts our Sun. There is no better time to purify how we experience and express our Light than when Pluto conjuncts our Sun. While things may seem weird in the extreme, it’s the perfect time to embrace our unique Light/Life as a spiritual force in our world.

It would be the same when one of these transpersonal energies conjuncted our Moon, Mercury, Saturn, or any other planet. Uranus conjunct our Moon would bring an electric edge to our personal feelings and daily life, showing us how to individualize our Lunar function. Neptune conjunct our Moon could be VERY dreamy, but also a time when we feel what others are feeling, whether they know it or now. Pluto conjunct our Moon could bring personal losses, but just as easily purify our “package of personality” to make us cleaner and clearer in our emotional expression.

As Mercury’s duality is “Life/Death” in that our ideas either lead us to living awareness or directions which are DOA, remember that at its best Mercury is “the Guide of Souls.” Uranus on our Mercury will lead us to our Soul through unique ideas, while Neptune on our Mercury will lead us to our Soul through seeing collective issues, and Pluto on our Mercury will lead us to our Soul by eliminating all which would block us. It is the same with any invisible planetary contact on any of our visible planets.

When these forces are in motion, either we respond productively or don't, solely based in how trained our planetary responses are. We seldom have an ability to translate these transits into forms of control over the larger collective forces at work. However, if we grow into a larger role to address some need of the world, we can become the agent of transformation symbolized by that planet. Also, if we have one of those planets prominent in our natal chart by house position, we are the living embodiment of those energies whether we're conscious of it or not, and often act as that force in others' lives.

We ALWAYS have an ability to respond productively to the forces showing us it’s time to embrace change. Sometimes the changes are difficult, or seemingly impossible to resolve productively. As I pointed out in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, we only create our responses to what shows up, some of which is generated by another's free will, or the larger socio-economic forces of our world. While we can to some degree create favorable tendencies and manifestations of good things through our thought-forms and affirmations, we are limited by a) whether some thing is or is not true for us, b) our subconscious resistances and negative imagery below our radar screen, and c) what karmas we must resolve before we get to move into a new way to do our Being.

Also, as we grow in our spiritual effectiveness, we naturally grow into a larger role as the anchor of those energies, which we express through our “7 Sacred Planets.” Whether we know it or not, we serve a spiritual role in the lives of others, and may be the vehicle to witness and/or explain the transformational process they’re going through.

However, because Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are invisible, when we do represent the grounded form of a transpersonal planetary challenge to another, sometimes we are perceived in a way where we are misjudged, especially if we don’t play the role as “perfectly” as they would like. That’s why these planetary contacts are truly “nothing personal,” and if they come to visit our Sun, Moon, Ascendant or any other point in our chart, or the chart of a friend or loved one, detach, see the bigger picture in what’s going on, and remember that just because we’re momentarily disoriented in a time of major change, it doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.

When we’re reorienting, it’s best to be in the NOW and wait to judge the process after it’s produced tangible changes in our behavior, feelings, or view. Better to avoid negative judgments, superficial takes, and superstitious opinions about these life-changing chapters of life, knowing that if Uranus is on your Sun and you can’t sleep, there’s nothing wrong. If Neptune is on your Sun and you have a strange feeling of being everywhere and nowhere, there’s nothing wrong. If Pluto is on your Sun and you feel tremendous pressure and/or the need to “shed your skin,” there’s nothing wrong.

As we are Eternals having human experiences, both fully divine and fully human, it’s no wonder that as we become aware that this life is a dream-play, we understand the “unreal-ness” of the times when the long term visits of Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto on one of our planets makes everything weird. If you have a friend or loved one going through a transit like this, please explain that a certain amount of “unreality” is appropriate, while reminding them they will come out the other side of the process spiritually transformed for the better.

If you want to know more, I gave you these articles about 9 months ago. They expand on the principles in this article in far greater depth and are definitely worth a new look, even if you read them last October. We all have outer planets transiting one or more of our planets in our charts from time to time, and though usually weird, are some of the most important spiritual leaps we make. For your reconsideration,

How Astrology Works – Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto Transits

Spiritual Astrology - Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and TransPluto Pulses Define the 4-Fold Spiritual Field and Our Path to Liberation