©8-31-2014 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
This is an excerpt from Donna’s 2014 ebook, New Insights into the Astrology Chart, a collection of 25 essays. To learn more, download a sampler of its contents here: SAMPLER 2015 NEW INSIGHTS. The ebook, delivered by email is $15. (order it here: moonmavenpublications.com.)
If you went out shopping, came home anxious, depressed, or angry, and couldn’t shake it for hours, then while you were out, you may have had a hefty helping of what I call the Cosmic Soup.
The Cosmic Soup is the energy of the Collective, an immersion into the field that surrounds the earth and all the Beings on it. It contains the Spirit but also the emotions—good and bad—of everyone around you and of the world at large. In short, it’s the very essence of Neptune.
The current batch of Soup has been split-pea level or thicker in recent months, since we’re in a phase when Neptune is very strong. That’s because transiting Neptune is in Pisces, its own sign—and will be there for a total of 14 years. That pot has been bubbling on the back burner since 2012, but it’s served up in huge tureens during times when we’re more open and vulnerable.
There’s both good news and bad news for those of us who’ve entered the Cosmic Soup through a period of a spiritual growth and psychic awakening of the sort that often accompanies a Neptune transit. The good news is that you come to experience moments of knowing that all of us are one with All That Is.
The bad news is that you soak up more of the collective turmoil during trying intervals like these past several months. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, empathic people can be deeply affected by it. If you have any current issues of your own that collide with the Cosmic turbulence, exposure to other people’s suffering is bound to intensify your own emotional turmoil.
Are YOU Susceptible to Being Immersed in the Cosmic Soup?
Here are some kinds of people who may be flooded by the emotions of others. Will you find yourself among them?
1) If your spouse, mother, good friend, or coworker is deeply depressed and you take a plunge into darkness after you’ve been around them 10 minutes or you’ve had a long, draining phone call from them, then you’ve just had another big bowl of Cosmic Soup.
2) Also suspect that you’ve pigged out on that particular soup du jour if you come home from your job zapped after a day of working with depressed, overwhelmed, and anxious clients, patients, or customers
3) It’s especially true if you’re an empath, a heart-centered type of person, and your work is heart-centered. That would include an astrologer, psychic, healer, body worker, energy worker, or even an aide in a hospital, nursing home, or doctor’s office.
In my earliest days as an astrologer, I’d be so wiped out after a consultation that when the client left I’d have to go to bed for a nap. Putting up shielding techniques before the client arrived made it a better experience–more stamina during the session and less exhaustion after.
4) You’d be prone to a dip in the increasingly-murky collective stew if your psychic gifts are just opening up under transits from this Neptune in Pisces—or if you’ve had them a while but they’re growing stronger under this transit.
Under astrological transits like these, you can be especially susceptible to psychic flooding, because most likely you haven’t yet learned sufficient psychic shielding techniques to handle it.
The thing that’s tricky about being in the cosmic soup is that when the emotions we soak up mirror our own emotions, we don’t realize we’ve taken them on. We just think we’re feeling (sad, frustrated, whatever) more strongly than usual.
5) Or, you may have a strong Neptune natally, and you opened up psychically a long time ago. You do know how to shield yourself but are neglecting it to meet the needs of others. It’s especially likely to happen at times when client demands are especially heavy and when life at home isn’t all that great either.
For anyone who fits into one or more of these categories, this is a heads up—take care of yourself and you’ll be better equipped to take care of others. With conscious work on shielding with tools like we’ll be talking about, you won’t soak up other people’s energies and emotional turmoil, which would prevent their triggering your own issues. Furthermore, people won’t drain your energy, they’ll get what they need from Divine Sources instead.
What Transits make a Dip in the Cosmic Soup especially likely?
Watch for transiting Neptune aspects to the Ascendant (1st house cusp, AKA Rising sign), to planets in the 1st house, to the Sun, Moon, or Midheaven (10th house cusp).
If you’re a beginner and you see a lot of planets in that number range in your birth chart, then to sort it out, you’re probably going to need a knowledgeable person—possibly even a consultation with a professional astrologer.
(I’m retired and don’t answer questions about individual charts here, only general educational questions. For a list of astrologers whose work I know and respect, write to me at moonmave@spiritone.com.)
However, if you fit into more than one of the categories listed above and you’re STILL reading this, it’s pretty likely YOU’RE IN THE SOUP.
For those who are further along in their studies, the aspects most likely to produce an effect would be the conjunction (same sign and degree range), square (90°), trine (120°), and opposition (180°). The range where you’d most likely feel to feel the effect would be from exactly the same degree to 5° either side of that number. Neptune spreads out to a wide range, not being a believer in boundaries.
Readers, are you strongly affected by the Cosmic Soup, and do you know of any other shielding techniques? Share the ones that work for you in the comment section. There’s a great discussion going on there, with lots of good ideas.
This is an excerpt from Donna’s 2014 ebook, New Insights into the Astrology Chart, a collection of 25 essays. To learn more, download a sampler of its contents here: SAMPLER 2015 NEW INSIGHTS. The ebook, delivered by email is $15. (order it here: moonmavenpublications.com.)
The links below are to previous posts on Skywriter that will boost your capacity to recognize when you’re going down into the Cosmic soup and to shield yourself against being a psychic sponge. I’ve also listed some articles on boundaries, a common need for those with a strong Neptune.
- Shields Up! Fight Second-hand Fear and Despair!
- Red Clover Essence–A Gentle Antidote to Mass Hysteria, by Sheryl Karas
- “Catastrophobia: What Causes it and How to Heal it” by Diana Stone
- Blending without Drowning: How Saturn Saved a Neptune Type
- Feeling Drained by a Relationship? Cut those Psychic Cords!
- Boundaries, Neptune, and your Astrology Chart—a Refresher Course
- Readers’ Insights into Neptune and Boundaries
- PTSD and Second-Hand Angst: a Healing Resource, by Michele Rosenthal
- EFT-A Self-Help tool for Freedom from Fear
Sky Writer 
Natal neptune is exactly on the cusp of my 12th house in Libra, square Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Cancer, trine Mercury in Aquarius, and sextile Midheaven (and Pluto of course). Since 2005, transiting Neptune has paraded back and forth in conjunction first with my natal Sun, then Mercury, then IC (opp.MC, trine natal Neptune) and is currently sextile with natal Venus/NN conjunction, heading toward an opposition with natal Moon, with major life upheavals in all areas–marriage, children, family of origin, work–in its wake. I’ve been living the life of an almost hermit for nearly 5 years now, feeling ever so acutely the sense of psychic boundary vulnerability like never before. (Or maybe just awake to how permeable I am for the first time in my life.) Only “open” to my children and one close friend. Formerly a therapist, now “off the grid and home with a kid”, writing musicals–quite unexpectedly!
One musical is entitled Narcissist! The Muses are not Amused. About a year ago, a song began in my head–my parents’ words from childhood: Who do you think you are? Over the past year, the song has grown to become the most important song I’ve ever written, for me.
It’s a song about psychic boundaries. It is my shield:
Mother: Who do you think you are;
So peachy keen, reaching for stars;
Father: As if you’d ever soar so far from family;
Mother: As if the apple doesn’t fall proximally!
(speaking) You think you’re so much better than the rest of us!
Daughter: That’s not true! But I do think I’m–
Mother: –Smarter? Yes, you would say that;
Too smart for your own good, in fact;
So arrogant you can’t discern whose fawning’s feigned;
Whose game is aimed to burn you.
(speaking) Oh my dear, you’re so pathetically naive. Don’t you know–
Cleverness comes with a catch;
For even gals –like me– who watched their backs;
Macho machinations set you up to crash;
Those ceilings are not breakable; they’re plexiglass!
Father: And how could you think otherwise?
We’ve told you so; There’s no surprise;
Mediocrity suffices;
Now, don’t go askin’ what the price is!
(speaking) Oh, honey–
Wits and grit can’t guarantee;
Successful flights of fantasy;
Best you grasp reality before it bites your —
Mother: As it did me.
M & F: So, re-do who you think you are:
From peachy keen reaching for stars;
To dwelling in this bell-jar with your family;
Come home, sweet home, our his-and-her own mini-me!
(Then, a comical bit with a chorus of women parodying the parents, followed by the daughter’s solo)
Daughter: I am not my mother, father, sister, brother;
Or some “other”;
Other than the Me I come to be:
The “all-in-only” Me.
And yes, I’m starry-eyed, and eared;
I hear the music of the spheres;
Celestial choirs of majesty;
All singing in the key of me.
It’s not mad or egotistical to follow solipsistic;
Avenues and melodies, attuned to authenticity;
It’s how we do it, naturally;
Ensouled, so through it, we can be:
One for all, but there’s no “One”;
‘Til “Other”‘s grip has been undone.
One in All in All in One*;
Is how the Now was first begotten;
And begot again whenever;
Somebody sings this anthem:
Women from the chorus each singing a separate line:
I am not my mother, father;
Sister, brother;
Or some “other”;
Other than the Me I come to be;
The “all-in-only Me.
Daughter: There’s no simpler way to say this;
We are “all-that-is”, in/of us;
Four dimensional are we;
Linked through Synchronicity;
Wherein reciprocity;
Flows between each All and Me;
As it’s been the Now, it shall be;
All in All, each Me be-ing Me!
Chorus: We are not our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers;
Or some “Other”;
Other than the Me we come to be;
Each “all-in-only” Me.
And yes, we’re starry-eyed and eared;
We hear the music of the spheres;
Celestial choirs of majesty;
All-in-one-sung harmony.
*all-in-one-in-one-in-all” — a fractal
I wish you could hear the melody. The daughter’s solo is a beautiful aria. I sing this song at least twice a day, out loud, and more on the days when I’m feeling ever more permeable.
By: Judith on August 31, 2014
at 4:31 am
Wonderfully written and expressed, Judith. Thanks for sharing it with us. One of the ways Neptune is expressed is a creativity that comes from suffering, which then uplifts others and helps them to sort out what they themselves are going through. Donna Cunningham
By: Donna Cunningham on August 31, 2014
at 4:41 am
Thank you, Donna. I am happy to share it and appreciate your gracious response.
By: Judith on August 31, 2014
at 7:13 am
Hi Judith love your song. I see you posted it last year. I can relate totally. I too have Neptune strong right on my natal Libra Sun conjunct my fourth hose cusp square my Cap moon and Cancer Asc.. I am a baby boomer too with pluto in Leo.Like Donna wrote long ago how there are so many frustrated entertainers in our generation cause that pluto in Leo is all bout the show must go on and all the drama that goes with it. I know the struggle to make a difference in the world all too well. I know the parents and siblings echo in our ear asking all the time (Who do you think you are Mr Big Shot). Don’t know if you know the song but your song reminded me of it and I had to write to tell you to keep up the work. You are talented and must use it to help others just as Donna reply to you said. I have been into astrology all my whole life and have been a fan of Donna’s forever. She is great and I wrote recently after she sent me the e book on mothers and daughters. I have read and reread her stuff forever. We are living in a time where women are finding our power but also have to learn not to let it get out of balance.(my Libra Sun talking) I know all too well how hard it is to not let especially our birth families keep us down. I have an older sister who I have to fight with and about sibling rivalry everyday. But it will not stop me and you either. Keep up with your muse and use Neptune to your advantage. Take care.
Shirl
By: Shirl on September 25, 2014
at 10:58 am
Hi Shiri,
Thanks so much for your vote of confidence! Great synchronicity too! I’m just on the verge of taking my creations out into the world to find backers so your words of encouragement are especially appreciated right now. Funny thing–today is spot on my second Saturn return and honestly, I don’t know how much this “go for it’ inner prompting is fuelled by the imminent Mars-Uranus-Jupiter in fire signs trine and how much has to do with my practical Saturn reminding me that once I get three pieces of work published/performed I’m eligible to join the local writer’s federation’s health and dental plan! Ah, the mix of the sublime and the sensible!
By: Judith on September 26, 2014
at 7:10 am
Sorry, Shirl–didn’t have my reading glasses on and I misspelled your name in my previous post!
By: Judith on September 26, 2014
at 7:12 am
Right now Neptune is transiting my 6th house and my work always shows me what’s happening with the collective because of the calls I get. The psychological climate these days is that people don’t seem to listen or allow what’s being told to them to “go in.” They ask the same questions over and over and don’t hear the answer. Allergies are epidemic and vague symptoms that seem unconnected, but actually are, are being overlooked. People focus on the wrong things then overlook the obvious. Nothing is ever enough. The ability to “connect the dots” is nonexistent, and there’s such a flood of it I’m beginning to realize that it’s the state of the world. People are confused, angry, pout, etc. One woman described her sister as, “the eternal victim.” We’re going to have to help ourselves out of our own illusions. Right now I’m focusing on the spirituality of beauty and leaning towards philanthropy, culture, and the arts. I picked up my paint brushes and pastels again. I want to add something of value to the world but if people won’t help themselves, well–good luck..
By: Sherry Lockwood on August 31, 2014
at 6:53 am
Neptune is transiting my sixth as well, and I can relate to what Sherry is saying. Everyone seems to need me to act as a stabilizing influence at work and I’m just weary of it. I try to stay grounded any way I can. Meditation is high on my list of things to do.
By: Jack M on September 2, 2014
at 3:31 am
Thanx Donna:) great post as usual….yes, it’s affecting everyone around me, but then I’ve got it nearly conjuncting my Sun-in-pesky-Pisces…very aware of self-healing methods, thanx for the timely reminder to activate them!!
MWAH!! xx
By: ukastrologer on August 31, 2014
at 12:45 pm
Hi Donna,
Transiting retrograde Neptune is in my 7th house and in opposition to my Mercury at 3 degrees Virgo in the 1st house with a (currently) 3 degree orb, but tightening. Needless to say I’m DEEP in the Cosmic Soup, lol. And because I’m also experiencing my 2nd Saturn Return, I’m looking at re-structuring everything, especially the way I communicate and think.
On a suggestion for protection, since I also have 6 planets in the 12th house, I need LOTS of it. One of my favorites is a grounding mp3 developed/recorded by Evolutionary Astrologer and Channel, Tom Jacobs, which can be found on the front page (right side) of his website at http://www.tdjacobs.com and is free. It’s about 13 minutes long and helps to GROUND me, preventing me from absorbing everyone else’s … schtuff.
Another protective device (also recommended by Tom) is the stone Tiger Iron, which can either be purchased from Tom or from websites such as HealingCrystals.com.
Hope this is useful.
Blessings,
Kat Starwolf
By: Kat Starwolf, Astrologer, Tallahassee, FL USA on August 31, 2014
at 1:22 pm
Thanks, Kat, and the others who are adding their techniques. Not every tool suits everyone, so it’s good to see an assortment of shielding tools. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on August 31, 2014
at 3:33 pm
As soon as Neptune entered Pisces, it was within orb of opposing my natal Pluto in the 12th. It also formed a trine with my natal Neptune in Scorpio on the cusp of my 3rd – which is conjunct Mercury-Jupiter. Neptune, Mercury and Jupiter are the rulers of my chart’s four angles.
I’ve had so many amazing, life-changing experiences since Neptune entered Pisces I’ve lost count. To be fair, many of them have been healing and rewarding. Personally, I’ve uncovered secrets (Pluto rules my 3rd house cusp) I always sensed but never expected to have validated while I was alive. I’ve also had more than a few illusions shattered, something I attributed to Saturn’s transit through Scorpio. These days it’s harder than usual to keep a secret from me. It’s as if someone is whispering in my ear, leaving me clues to follow.
As far as the collective, with the veil as thin as it is, waves of emotion wash over me and catch me off guard. I can feel the collective grief, which in some ways is easier to bear than the collective delusion, denial and blame. My way of coping has been to practice discernment – I can usually recognize when the feelings aren’t mine and, whenever possible, I try to remove myself from pointless situations, even if it means withdrawing into solitude. There are people, places and triggers I’m better off avoiding.
I’ve always been sensitive, but this is different, I can feel how connected we all are and also how *endless* – which has been overwhelmingly sad at times. The knowledge that I’ve been here before and thought of my having to return again and again has been spiritually humbling. Though it would be comforting to believe differently, looking around at the world, it seems we repeat the same mistakes over and over.
By: LB on August 31, 2014
at 5:44 pm
Sometimes when I’m feeling psychically depleted by someone or something going on in the cosmic soup, I find a walk or ride through the forest or along the ocean helps, followed by something nutritious to eat.
I like your idea of swimming, Donna. When I had a better bathtub, baths used to help too. Also a good gentle cry accompanied by prayer. Genuine tears can be very spiritually cleansing, more so for me than burning sage or using crystals, or any of the other visualizations I’ve tried. I realize they work for some people, but maybe because they’re too abstract, most of the time I don’t feel much difference. Inspirational music, art and even movies help too.
My natal Moon in Aquarius squares my Scorpio Neptune -and my natal 4th house Saturn in Sag is at the midpoint- so identifying the source of my feelings and then gently surrendering them to God through faith has always been very healing for me. Sometimes I have to be willing to sit with the feelings and/or the mystery for a while.
By: LB on September 1, 2014
at 8:17 am
Good suggestions, LB. For me, a nice smelling shower gel is an uplift. I don’t think I could handle essential oils for this purpose, though–they permeate the space and to me can seem intrusive. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:41 am
thank you so much for both of your posts. they were very helpful and validating to me. we have similar sensitivities and your practical advice is quite helpful!
By: helena on September 1, 2014
at 7:18 pm
I once had the ultimate cosmic soup experience involving negative Neptune that finally evolved after years of b.s into positive things ( I have Neptune Ascending square the Moon on the MC, 2 planets in twelve and Jupiter in Pisces Retrograde and a water predominance, so I know from Neptune,so to speak.
My experience was thus: I took, shall we say, assorted mind-warping chemicals and went to that uber Neptune immersion, a Grateful Dead concert. While I was at the concert, I sat there saying to those around me: I am in the cosmic soup; I am a cosmic sponge, I absorb all around me and then you wring me and it comes back out. LOL! Cosmic, dudes & dudettes.
That, thankfully, was many years ago. I am no longer that stupid.
The current Neptune transit, which is in my 5th House near the 6th Cusp and is almost upon my Natal Jupiter opp. Mercury in 12 has been weird dreams and one health complaint after another. As soon as one gets better; another pops up.
Befitting someone with all that watery emphasis, my shielding is baths! Epsom salt baths, swimming, etc. and eating seafood.
That and prayer and talking to God.
I have also been helping a person who has now some of the same problems I had years ago. (minus the chemicals, TG) I am trying to show her how I got out of my confusion and started living a more fulfilling life,
By: MEL810 on August 31, 2014
at 9:09 pm
For me, too, water is an important way to clear my aura. Showers, yes, but the deepest cleansing is swimming. After a one-hour swim, my body and aura feel squeaky clean, and my mind is at peace. I’ve recently stepped it up from once a week to twice, quite possibly in response to the turmoil in the Cosmic Soup. The difference in my body, mind, and spirit is amazing. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 5:29 am
Hi Mel8. I’m laughing at your comment 🙂 It comes very close to the bone for me…I have very similiar placements….Stationary 12th house Neptune in almost partile square to Moon conjunct M.C. Neptune is also the apex of a T-square, with Mercury in Pisces, along with Venus & Sun. So about as watery & empathetic as you can get while still occasionally being functional 😉 I also instinctively rely on water – long showers twice a day, swimming in the Summer, long walks round isolated coast each weekend. etc. Am also meticulous about purity of what i eat & chemicals in environment, or i get ill very quickly. Also found the only people i can share a house with, without the other persons energy drowning mine, have both been peop’s with exact Sun / Neptune aspects & if i don’t live by the water, i have to live somewhere with a big garden / lots of nature round me. Living in a boarding school dormitary with 20 other people was my idea of hell., as would an inner city apartment
By: Malo Merkin on December 21, 2017
at 12:35 pm
Having Neptune and Sun in Sagittarius in my 12th house and a Mercury too (depending on house system), I have had my share of Neptunian confusion in my life. Over the years I learned the concept of healthy boundaries better, but it is still a concious process to set them up.
With Neptune in Pisces I get more open to “good” energies, I learn to choose better what I take in, and it gets easier to let go.
A bath in sea salt water, maybe with a few drops of Lavender essential oil, helps a lot.
When my place feels like energetically “too crowded”, I burn some camphor first and open all windows afterwards to let the stuck energy out that is not supportive. The I use some incense with rose or olibanum to invite helpful, light and supportive energies and beings.
Regularly I cut psychic chords and attachments. To do that, I move my hands around my body to feel the spatial dimension of my aura. When I feel chords / string-like connections that run out of it, I move them with my palm and collect them over the solarplexus. I hold the bundle with the left and cut it with a “knife” of transforming light, with the intention not to cut relationships, but to transfrom the relationships into more free and healing and loving ones. I let the chords ignite in healing and loving fire, they disappear, and I close my aura over my solarplexus.
Since I practice these techniques, I feel much better energetically.
By: Emerging Pattern on September 1, 2014
at 1:38 am
Thanks for reminding us about the psychic chords (?cords). It’s a huge, toxic, and major way of getting immersed in other people’s stuff. I must go add the article about cutting the cords to the list above. Donna
PS. Both cords and chords are definitely Neptune, but one is music (heavenly chords?) and the other had to do with being plugged in to whatever kind of energy. I just always get confused about which is which.
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 5:32 am
Maybe “chords” is more about the energetic resonance with others, while “cords” are more the linear connection… (It is even more confusion for me: English ist not my first language…)
By: Emerging Pattern on September 1, 2014
at 5:48 am
… yes, and they tell me it is written all over my face, thus I must spend a great deal of time alone to rejuvenate…
By: Henrietta Choplin on September 1, 2014
at 4:50 am
So comforting to know that I am not going crazy.
My friends as well. Progressed Sun in Pisces,Moon in Scorpio conjunct transitting Saturn….am empathic. What works for
me is active meditation, walks, exercise, playing piano,…..
Have had trouble sleeping and too easily get distracted…..
Essential to put up protection. There is a stone called KYANITE
which protects. Also essential is ALONE time….
Blessings to you,
Molly K.
By: Molly on September 1, 2014
at 6:21 am
I’m with you there, Molly. As a 12th type, I always need silence and solitude to stay centered and do the work I do, but lately I CRAVE it!
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:30 am
Thanks for the heads up, Donna. With Neptune rising I have to pay attention to this.
By: Barehand on September 1, 2014
at 6:35 am
Hi, Barehand, good to hear from you. Yup, the soup is mighty thick just now. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:28 am
Excellent, Donna. As an empath with Neptune opposing my ascendant and squaring my midheaven I am definitely in the soup. I also count on swimming as a remedy — preferably in salt water. I cleanse my energy field mornings and nights, asking that any energies that are not mine be released direct to Source, and filling the space with divine energies. I utilize EFT as required and find Jo Dunning’s energy techniques helpful. I stay away from people for the most part & spend time with nature, particularly birds. I really appreciate your words of wisdom.
By: Luana on September 1, 2014
at 8:13 am
Hmm, that’s interesting that you find salt water better at clearing, Luana. I struggle with an addiction to salt–my family used it heavily on everything, even things like melon or grapefruit. And I do find myself craving it when the Soup is intense.
Much later, I discovered that salt is used since ancient times for protection in certain cultures (Italian) and when drawing Wiccan circles for ceremony. One way I was taught to use it was to draw a line of salt across each window sill to keep negative energies from entering from the outside. I haven’t done that in a while, but should give it some salt. Sea salt would be best and purest, I would think.
One of my major shields I haven’t mentioned is that the minute I go out the door, as I wait for the elevator, I surround myself with an egg of ultraviolet light and ask that it be of some particular density, depending on how I feel at the moment, usually about 10, higher now. Ultiraviolet is the shade that black light balls were in the disco days.)
Great discussion Folks! I’m glad I reposted this article. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:51 am
Donna, It is interesting that you mention the salt addiction thing. Most people probably have more problems with sugar addiction than salt. However, for the longest time my mother put salt on melon, tomatoes, grapefruit, etc. She finally gave it up. I have lately had some salt craving. Must be the soup!
I have high BP & kidney problems and must restrict it.
Sodium and sugar are so embedded in American prepared foods that our society now has an addiction.
By: MEL810 on September 1, 2014
at 5:32 pm
Rest. Chanting NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO. Music, especially Oscar Peterson, Billy Joel, classic rock, jazz. Water therapy ( swimming, bathing, showering, drinking lots more water). Allowing friendships to end or peter away. Selective big/small kindness (paid a friend’s airfare to her sister’s funeral). Always, great bedding. Avoid alcohol.
I’m a Moon in Pisces, 25*, and tr. Neptune opposes n. Venus, 6* Virgo. I’m under siege, incredible dreams AS USUAL, so I use all these remedies in measured amts.
By: Judy on September 1, 2014
at 8:18 am
Great suggestions, Judy.
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:32 am
Hi, I am a few years away from transiting Neptune hitting my natal mess (neptune is the focal planet of a t-square and in my grand trine) but I have noticed a few things as Neptune entered my 6th house. The cosmic soup is definitely felt at work especially with certain pisces co-workers, very similar to what sherry was wrote.
I think that in some ways negative neptunian people can be just as big of bullies as others. There is some serious passive aggressiveness on top of misunderstandings,lying,blame passing,misdirected anger, oversensitivity and taking non-personal things personally …add alcohol and substance abuse and oh boy!
The first step for me was to remove myself from the social circle of these co-workers, just having a bit of distance was so helpful! It seems so simple but it actually took a bit to figure out.
A positive thing I noticed as neptune entered the 6th is pets! I have gotten a reputation as someone who can help with animals…from catching escaped bunnies, taming feral cats, fostering troublesome dogs. For me working with animals is very grounding, I feel that as you nurture them they nurture you. Many people around here (including myself) have taken in more cats, even those who are not really cat people.
I have always felt that dogs guard the physical home but that cats protect the psychic space and after a hard day I do notice that my cats will stay close to me.
By: Vanessa Lo Piccolo on September 1, 2014
at 8:48 am
Yes the workplace can be a big source of psychic bombardment. You’re with them through a bigger chunk of the day than you spend with family, and the intense stress of today’s high pressure jobs can be contagious. (Especially if the job itself is aimed at relieving clients’ stresses/problems on top if that.)
Finding shielding techniques that work for you, and using them consistently from the time you arrive until you depart is really, really important now. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 1, 2014
at 10:38 am
I’m also of the 12th: moon in 12th w/ natal Neptune conjuncting my ascendant which is currently being trined by transiting Neptune which is also opposing natal Pluto and soon after will conjunct natal Jupiter (& if I count Donna’s 5 degree orb it’s already in effect).
I’ve always been sensitive but, yes, things are amped up to a whole new level. I’ve been getting headaches & other physical sensations from other people’s thoughts, especially family members who I don’t have the luxury of completely distancing myself from.
I carry pink quartz and black tourmaline together in my pockets and clutch them in my sleep. Will now try the other stones that have been recommended. Sea salt in baths has been vital to clear other people’s energy off of me as well and Epsom salts also have been helpful. I still do some of Donna Eden’s exercises from her book “Energy Medicine” which remain invaluable.
I spent most of August near the ocean and after 10 days my aura seemed to naturally cleanse itself, but I also felt so vulnerable I was afraid to drive and ended up walking and biking everywhere. I use my iPod quite a bit to create a boundary when I am in close quarters with people who’s energy I don’t want to absorb.
I never paid any attention to stones and crystals before but now feel I couldn’t survive without their help. I am going to print out this blog and all the replies and read every single article on the recommended list. Thanks again, Donna and everyone, this is so helpful and timely.
By: helena on September 1, 2014
at 8:13 pm
Hi, Helena. I think that we 12th house folks have a hard time with the Cosmic Soup, as we tend to want to be away from the outer world a lot, almost monkish sometimes. I find myself staying home more of late, and that it’s hard to go out, unless I go with a good friend. Listen, I don’t know if you’ve been on Skywriter long, but we’ve made a special study of the 12th house, and there’s a series of 15 articles. Use the onsite search engine on the top right hand side to find them. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on September 2, 2014
at 12:36 am
We must have been born during the same time period, Helena. You related to my experience (shared in my comments), just as I can relate to yours.
I’ve had regular headaches too. They last for days, which is very unusual for me – the only other time in my life I had persistent headaches was when I was a toddler (or so my mother told me). This more recent wave of headaches began around the time my sensitivities started to change and seem to come in cycles as I gradually adjust to this new, more intense way of perceiving. They’re becoming less frequent now, hopefully yours will ease up as well.
Though I didn’t mention it in my previous comments, the heaviness I feel is relieved whenever I’m able to share my gifts with others (transiting Neptune in my natal 6th), usually relative strangers who’ve been placed in my path (or I in theirs) for a particular reason in that particular moment in time. These brief, sometimes intensely emotional encounters refocus my energy and remind me how connected we are.
By: LB on September 2, 2014
at 8:38 am
Reblogged this on The Desert Astrologer and commented:
A most insightful piece from Donna Cunningham at Skywriter. I think the soup is thickening as we move towards eclipse season….
By: The Desert Astrologer on September 2, 2014
at 7:48 am
I have a “theory” about Neptune’s affect in my chart. Here’s my chart info:
I have Neptune conj. my ASC (Libra) and a 12th House Moon (Virgo).
Currently, Pluto squares my natal Neptune and transiting Neptune opposes my Moon.
Other chart info: I have a 2nd House stellium + SN (Scorpio) squaring an 11th House stellium (Leo).
Have worked my a… off a lifetime to feel I’m of worth (2nd House) and that I belong somewhere (11th House). Actually was starting to feel “on my way”, healed. But all of that pretty much has disappeared. Am so doubtful of my self worth and having something of importance to offer and feel very separate, actually invisible, not part of or belonging.
All of this in spite of deeply creative expressions in my life (am a musician,
an artisan, a channel..and bloody well-educated to boot.)
My guess, esp. after reading comments above, is that the Neptune transits to my chart have essentially dissolved the defenses I’d put in place to function…even if some were valuable, valid, necessary. And that may be a big part of why I feel back at “square one”.
Does my idea make sense?
By: Lynn on September 13, 2014
at 6:47 am
Well, many Neptune transits are a kind of bottoming out on patterns related to natal Neptune that no longer serve you. With Neptune on the Ascendant natally, you now may be quite tired of the old pattern of being self-effacing and hiding your gifts, for they haven’t gotten you where you deserve to go with your creative work.
Lynn, I’m forwarding an article that I got in an email today directly before I opened your comment on my blog. That’s no coincidence! It’s from Yamile Yemoonyah, an artist who writes about how creative people can promote their work. I think there’s a lot to what she is saying, and since it’s one of a series, try looking at the other pieces she has written. She’s at: http://CreativeWebBiz.com . Donna Cunningham
By: Donna Cunningham on September 13, 2014
at 1:30 pm
Donna, you nailed it. Haven’t heard that interp. of Neptune transits, I try to please EVERYONE. And, God, do I hide. I’m sickened by the pattern. Thank you for reading between the lines.
Trying to sell my “creativity” is exactly the prob. Yamille’s article is penned for Neptune space cadets like me. I really don’t care abt. $$. really,, but when somebody buys lets say a pair of earrings i’ve laboured over to make beautiful (in my eyes!), or signs up for a reading ( in which I’m soo sure I can bring hope), I feel like I can take on the world!!
The $ I recv. is like gold and somehow tells me I’m more than ok. With an infusion of cash (even $20) I become totally obnoxious, joking, feeling like I’m really important, a bit much, but soo much me, such a Scorpio! Transformed, again.
I can feel a bout of it coming on, just from reading your note!
(Hope elicits same response in me as cash!)
Thank you. Just what I needed, and “they” knew it all along.
Lynn
By: Lynn on September 13, 2014
at 4:39 pm
Lynn, I also have a 12th house moon (libra) and Neptune conjunct my ascendent (Scorpio), and have also experienced decades of hard-won psychological work and new healthy patterns feeling completely dissolved in the past 3 years and I too find myself feeling like I’m back at square one. When I shift my consciousness “I” am still here, but not in an embodied form–it’s more like I’m merged with air and atmosphere instead of body. I’m next to and surrounding myself as opposed to inhabiting my body. Actually experiencing myself as quite vast and not at all limited to my body. When I paint I see the contours of “me” on the page, which is usually a landscape! I’m aware that the survival of Gaia depends of humans expanding our identity to include the earth itself, and this seems to be happening to me quite naturally, so I’m trying to not freak out and just go with it when I can. In the human world I often feel like an outsider and like I don’t belong, but again when I can employ that shift in consciousness I feel tremendous belonging on a level of Gaia, like some kind of psychic reorientation is happening on a global scale, and my spirit is becoming part of a planet-wide organ system, all coming together to restore the health of the planet. So I guess I’m saying be open to finding yourself existing in different forms, that “you” were there all along.:-) This is a mystics worldview and doesn’t pay the bills, I realize, but can provide some tremendous psychic relief and even joy
By: helena on September 14, 2014
at 12:58 pm
Oh, Helena, thank you so much for this post. Reassuring, confirming, someone who has an experience similar to mine.
My connection to the Divine compels me in a way I can’t express,
except I know I can bring an infusion of hope to others…It’s just my lack of self confidence that stalls me like a brick wall. Have Chiron conj. my Scorpio Sun (in 2nd Hs.) plus a stellium of Pluto/MarsSaturn in 11th sq. my 2nd House…so the brick wall feeling prob. is’t surprising.
Had a walloping Kundalini exp. 25 yrs. ago which resulted in me contacting the “heavens”…becoming a channel/medium. Soo unsettling at first, but now just who I am, a mystic. And strangely engh., that’s where I do belong. I have 4 ancient ones who are with me. ( always have to get extra chairs at table in restaurant to accomodate them!!) We converse anywhere, everywhere. When I bemoan not belonging, that comfort me so and tell me I belong with them and not to worry.
Thanks again for telling me how things are for you. We share a lot. Hope all goes very well for you.
By: Lynn on September 15, 2014
at 10:04 pm
Interesting that this topic came up now. For the last month I’ve been struck by how tragic public events deeply affect me personally (in life-changing ways)(e.g., JFK assassination, 9/11, a local plane crash), even though I have no direct connection. A friend posited that it might be b/c my Moon is at a world point (0d 54′ Cap/cardinal) and my 3rd and 9th house cusps (published communication) are squared by my Moon. So I’ve been looking at Lunar returns and been struck by their relevancy. However, I have become so upset at world events I try not to expose myself to news. Now, I also see the Neptune connection. Transit Nep was at station for about a week in June when my mother passed on (which has freed me to openly study/talk about astrology), is conjunct my natal Venus (focal point of a yod), quincunx my natal Nep which is the focal point of my natal T-square, square my natal Uranus, all while Pluto (sextile to natal Nep) is conjunct my natal ASC, not to speak of the the transit Uranus-Pluto square affecting my ASC and so-called benefic Jupiter quincunx my ASC also. Hiding from the world stage is not the most positive response I could have chosen, but I have been able to study and talk about astrology more openly and to try to gain a spiritual understanding of myself and my relationship to the world, looking at how they affect me in a more detached way and not drown in the cosmic soup.
By: Bob Miller on September 14, 2014
at 9:00 am
Thanks for sharing how the turmoil has affected you, Bob. The events are quite terrible–I was torn up for a week when that plane was shot down and 12 of the most significant researchers on AIDS were lost there on their way to an international conference on AIDS.
You know, dealing with a parent’s passing is a huge process that lasts about a year. It is also often a time when the wall between here and the other side is wide open for many of us who are psychically sensitive. Do give yourself all the time you need to grieve and remove yourself from the mainstream–it’s a healthy and healing way to take care of yourself. Donna Cunningham
By: Donna Cunningham on September 14, 2014
at 11:26 am
Thanks much, Donna. I guess her death hasn’t really hit me yet; I’ve just been taking advantage of the freedom from all the religious restrictions I used to feel (more Neptune/Saturn,lol). She WAS 103 so her passing was not unexpected but I will let myself grieve eventually, I think. AND learn to appreciate her other qualities as she definitely gave me an appreciation of the spiritual, though not in the same way she experienced it. It has allowed me to reconnect with some family and be more open to discussing our common experiences of family members-a potentially spritual/healing process. I enjoy your “interactive” website and have even made a new friend through it. Thanks
By: Bob Miller on September 14, 2014
at 11:55 am
I find spending as much time as possible outdoors is key to clearing my cosmic cobwebs. Standing under the big sky; walking in the woods near by; I sleep in a tent in the driveway pretty well every night from late spring to mid-fall. (I have an 11 year old who hangs out there with me –it’s a cabin tent –so that’s my excuse for the neighbours!) It’s kind of paradoxical in a way. My response to feeling the contagion is to “expand” even more into it–to feel one with the vastness of the outdoors, rather than retreat inward. Like in yoga–when feeling off-balance in a standing pose, the reflex is to pull in but it’s the reaching out further, thereby enlarging the gravity base of support, that helps one to re-balance. I think of the sky as a giant still-point that re-sets my brain; like hitting the refresh button.
natal Neptune 12house cusp Libra 29 trine Mercury Aqu 28; square Jupiter/Uranus conjunction Can 22/25; sextile Pluto Leo 26
By: Judith on September 16, 2014
at 2:24 am
Thank you Donna for your wonderful articles about Neptune. I translated them into Russian and shared with my readers on my web-site. I do hope you don’t mind it.
I’m from Ukraine. And in my country Neptune now is even more active than squre between Pluto and Uranus, despite the war.
By: Elena on December 7, 2014
at 9:34 pm
Hi, Elena, I’m glad for you to share the information. Just please include a link to my blog so they can find more of the articles. And put this bio at the end of the articles:
About the Author: Donna Cunningham is an award-winning astrologer with a Master’s Degree in Social Work, over 40 years experience as a professional astrologer, and a solid background in flower essences and other healing tools. Donna is the internationally-known author of 15 well-received astrology books, 20 years of advice columns for Dell Horoscope, and thousands of astrology articles. She has written the only known reference work on stelliums—The Stellium Handbook. These articles are reprinted from Donna’s popular blog, Skywriter.
By: Donna Cunningham on December 8, 2014
at 3:39 am
Thank you Donna. I’ve done it.
By: Elena on December 8, 2014
at 5:07 am