Neptune Retrograde is here to shatter illusions this election season
Why I'm staying flexible and trusting the process. Neptune is retrograde July 2 – December 7.
A US presidential election while Neptune is retrograde in Pisces (July 2 – December 7) is a silly cosmic joke because our current landscape looks like:
Growing distrust in media and politicians
Increased online deception, attacks, and cyberstalking
Conspiracy theorist (or realist) movement ramping up
Increasingly lifelike deepfakes
LARPing to manipulate votes
AI likely playing a big role in shaping public opinion
Astro 101
Neptune Rx in Pisces feels like searching for a small sunken object (truth) in a murky swamp littered with garbage (falsities):
Neptune concerns illusion, deception, and delusion, along with ideals, dreams, and the spiritual dimension of life.
Pisces, at the end of the zodiac, becomes an amorphous amalgamation of every sign and experience. Pisces struggles to discern boundaries and can be swept away in indiscriminate compassion and fantasies.
Retrogrades show backwards motion, returning to where you once were, taking a second look at things.
Neptune has been in Pisces since 2011, and is now moving through the final degrees of the sign, indicating a culmination of Pisces’ lessons.
Interpretation
We have to learn how to discern what’s real from fiction, in an age when so much is not what it seems.
For example, lately I’ve seen a number of social posts from people claiming to be switching sides (from red to blue, or vice versa). Which of these accounts are authentic and which are deceptions or psy-ops meant to manipulate mass sentiment?
National elections are now taking place on a globally accessible stage where the entire online world can contribute their opinions and rhetoric, whether authentic and well-intended or not.
Deceptive identities and contrived propaganda are common and bolstered through artificial intelligence and tech.
Increased reliance on social networks for truth coupled with growing distrust of traditional news outlets leaves many beholden to the algorithm, validating validation and clinging to constructed echo chambers.
So many of us are shaped by what we see on X, TikTok, Meta, etc and don’t take the time to verify information because media consumption moves so rapidly. Or it’s not even possible to verify (e.g. a buried claim from a whistleblower).
We need to be willing to reexamine what we “know” and dispel the illusions that keep us from truth and clarity.
Enter: Mars in Gemini
In the coming weeks, warrior planet Mars is moving through the chatty, intellectual, and dualistic sign of Gemini, meeting up with Jupiter who will expand his efforts.
Mars in Gemini is known for intellectual debates and verbal jousting, as well as gossip and slander. This is the realm of wielding words and knowledge as weapons. We have a lot we’re compelled to say to one another, but our expression is more likely to be impassioned or inflammatory at this time.
We aren’t necessarily reliable now either. Gemini is mutable, meaning that whatever we’re fighting for today could be different tomorrow. Moreover, the planet of communications Mercury will soon be retrograde, signifying changing ideas and plans.
Example
Here’s a prime non-political example from recent events:
Following (but unrelated to) the wake of grooming allegations of MrBeast associate Ava Kris Tyson, another former associate published a nearly hour-long video on July 24 exposing MrBeast for rigging his “authentic” videos, running illegal and misleading giveaways, and selling fraudulent signatures.
Previously, YouTuber and internet personality MrBeast, or Jimmy Donaldson, has been celebrated for his squeaky clean online persona, extravagant giveaways, and acts of service embedded in his viral videos, like cleaning up 34 million pounds of trash from the ocean and planting 20 million trees.
He even received massive online support for an unofficial (he’s only 26) bid for presidency thanks to his wholesome image:
MrBeast’s “good guy” and philanthropic persona is now called into question, even being labeled a liar (Neptune Rx in Pisces) thanks to inflammatory claims and info-sharing (Mars in Gemini).
Conclusion
The safest bet under this astro-weather is to stay flexible. Opinions are in flux this election season as new information and perspectives will continue to emerge.
Let’s strive to keep an open mind, resist jumping to conclusions, and challenge assumptions — only by shattering the illusions can we awaken to the truth.