Over the last 10 years, reported cases of depression have been soaring globally. Not only that, it has moved from being a taboo topic to being widely discussed in society and the media. Why is this? There’s an astrological reason – NEPTUNE’S progress through PISCES.
Neptune connects us individually and collectively to the Divine. Pisces is the most deeply intuitive Sign, the most overtly mystical in the Zodiac. Neptune moved into Pisces, its natural home, in 2011, (for the first time in 165 years), and it stays there until 2026. Pisces AUGMENTS Neptune – all the positive and all the negative powers of that planet.
While Neptune gives us access imagination and profound spiritual insight it also creates individual and collective delusion, addiction, conspiracies, foggy thinking and the gentle but inexorable dissolving of all structures (Pisces and Neptune are Water elements). With Neptune there is no announcement, no big event. It subtly arrives like an evening mist. And gradually dissolves everything around us we think is important – our certainties, our treasured dreams, our relationships. As individuals we often go through a period of despair, maybe even depression, age of 40-43, around the time of our Neptune Square. The depression is usually short lived and leads to deep re-evaluation and the birth of new values.
With Neptune in Pisces, the entire planet is being affected by the subtle but increasingly powerful ramping up of the Neptune effect. It’s behind the rise in Global Spirituality, the resurgence in astrology and tarot and a wish to connect with the energies beyond the third dimension. But also: the rise of depression, the public discussion of depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder disorder, opioid and social media addiction, disaffection with the structures of the corporate world, unfounded conspiracies, the unveiling of true conspiracies, paranoia and “fake news”. Thanks to the Neptune effect, no one knows what to believe any more.
All of this is happening for a reason.
Neptune is a global transformational planet. It’s role (like that of Uranus, Pluto and Saturn) is to break up global structures and belief systems that are tired and failing. It is forcing us to spend more time being comfortable turning inward and trusting our intuition. Do we like who we are? If not, why not? Do we really believe everything we are told by our governments? Our peers? The images being fed to us on Facebook and Instagram? These are the difficult questions Neptune is inviting us to answer as a society as well as individually. A lot of people are resisting this invitation and clinging to the image of themselves and their society that they believe is the ideal. And many sensitive souls are really being knocked off balance by the negative manifestation of this Neptune energy. But given Neptune is in Pisces until January 2026, how do all of us, not just those with depression, get through this period?
We have to work creatively with this Neptune energy. Neptune wants us all ultimately to be more accepting of who we really are, and to listen more to our intuition. A first step towards hearing our intuition more clearly, is to (re-)learn to feel SAFE again. That involves finding some time we can devote solely to ourselves and exploring who we really are. It might involve watching uplifting youtube videos or visiting / Zooming friends who are a positive influence; journaling; meditating. A great way to learn to feel safe is to listen to a guided visualisation. As we listen and allow our imagination to take over, our respiration slows, the hyper-vigilance is turned down, our body gets a moment of true REST. I recommend Michael Samuels’ book Healing With The Mind’s Eye for those interested in recording their own guided visualisations.
With time and a bit of commitment, we can tune out of the white noise, release what we no longer need, and tune into the higher vibrations of the Neptune archetype: love, trust, empathy, acting on divine insight and contributing to our communities.