Dreams vs. Reality Shake-Up
Here’s what to do and not do when you have a Pluto Square Neptune transit. Below that are some interesting things about this transit.
Avoid During This Transit
- Don’t ignore your intuition- if something feels off, trust your gut.
- Avoid making big financial investments, especially if you’re not sure about all the details.
- Don’t get involved in shady schemes or secretive activities- it’s easy to get misled right now.
- Try not to run away from problems or escape into bad habits like excessive drinking or substance use.
- Avoid believing everything you hear- there’s a higher risk of being deceived or caught up in illusions.
- Don’t put your trust in people too quickly, especially if they seem “too good to be true.”
- Avoid overcommitting to things you don’t fully understand, whether that’s relationships or projects.
- Try not to ignore your mental or emotional health- stress and confusion can pile up fast under this transit.
- Don’t sweep problems under the rug hoping they’ll just disappear on their own.
- Avoid obsessing over spiritual or occult topics to the point where it disconnects you from reality.
Do During This Transit
- Reflect on your beliefs and dreams. This transit can really shake up your ideas about what’s real and what’s just wishful thinking.
- Start a journal or creative project. It’s a great time to explore your inner world through art, music, or writing.
- Let go of illusions or old fantasies that aren’t serving you anymore. Be honest with yourself, even if it feels uncomfortable.
- Pay attention to your intuition- just double-check the facts before acting on any hunches.
- Practice healthy boundaries, especially if you tend to get pulled into other people’s problems.
- Take up meditation, mindfulness, or spiritual practices that keep you grounded.
- Investigate spiritual or psychological healing, especially if you’ve struggled with escapism, addiction, or confusion in the past.
- Reach out for support if you feel overwhelmed. Trusted friends, counselors, or support groups can be really helpful now.
- Notice where you might be resisting deep changes in your life, and try to be open to transformation.
- Clear out old habits, relationships, or patterns that cloud your judgment or drain your energy.
What’s Interesting About This Transit
- Occult Cravings and Psychic Distortions: According to “The Astrological Aspects” by Charles E. O. Carter (1967), Pluto square Neptune can lead to “a peculiar longing towards the obscure and the magical, often resulting in disillusionment or being led astray by dubious mystical authorities.” Carter suggests this transit can trigger a fascination with the occult, but warns it may open one up to deception or self-delusion.
- Subconscious Power Struggles Emerging: In Frances Sakoian and Louis S. Acker’s “Predictive Astrology” (1973), it’s noted this aspect “may reveal hidden subconscious urges and expose the individual to forces they do not fully understand, leading to confusion about control, power, and deep-seated fears or compulsions.” They point out that compulsive daydreams or nightmares (especially involving destruction or vast forces of nature) can come up now.
- Disruption of Collective Ideals: From Dane Rudhyar’s “The Astrology of Transformation” (1978), there’s the idea that Pluto square Neptune can signal “the collapse of inherited spiritual or societal fantasies, forcing the person to either surrender or completely reformulate their faith and values.” Rudhyar sees this as a subtle, slow-burn crisis around what you believe is possible or holy.
- Loss of Faith in Institutions or Leaders: In “Transits: The Time of Changes” by Betty Lundsted (1976), Lundsted writes that this transit may trigger “a disappointment in those, or institutions, you once revered, creating a sense of betrayal by society’s guiding myths or principles.”
- Confusion Between Transformation and Escape: Vivian E. Robson, in “The Radix System” (1958), described this square as “the difficulty of distinguishing between genuine transformation and mere escapism.” People may get hooked on the idea they’re changing their lives, but really, they might just be running away from reality during this period.
- Unearthing Forgotten Collective Wounds: From Grant Lewi’s “Astrology for the Millions” (1940s edition), Pluto square Neptune “may coincide with a period when the individual feels compelled to question or unearth long-submerged collective traumas, which may manifest as vague anxieties or a sense of doom.”
- Dreams Used for Manipulation: Carter, again, in “Astrological Essays” (1945), points out that “under this square, one must beware the tendency to use one’s own, or other people’s, dreams and ideals for manipulative ends, sometimes unconsciously.”
Experiencing This Transit
When Pluto makes a square to your natal Neptune, it’s a kind of cosmic earthquake for your inner world. Neptune is all about dreams, ideals, inspiration, and sometimes delusion. Pluto’s job is to dig deep, unearth secrets, and transform what it finds, often in ways that feel extreme or intense.
This transit can seriously shake up your world view, beliefs, and even your senses of hope or despair. Old fantasies might crumble. Secrets could surface, both from your own subconscious or even in your daily life. It can feel a little like being tugged into a shadowy underworld where nothing stays as it seems for long.
You might notice you’re questioning everything you once believed in. Sometimes, it’s like the universe is stripping away comforting illusions, or forcing you to see what you’d rather keep hidden. There’s a lot of potential for confusion, obsession, and sometimes even paranoia if you aren’t grounding yourself.
Challenges during this transit
- Trust Issues: It’s really common to feel like people (or even the world itself) can’t be trusted right now. You might have a nagging suspicion that things are being hidden from you, which can make you feel isolated or adrift.
- Losing Your Bearings: Sometimes you lose sight of what’s real and what’s imaginary. There’s a risk of falling into escapism (think: overuse of substances, bingeing TV, excessive daydreaming) because facing reality just feels overwhelming.
- Extreme Sensitivity: Your empathy and psychic radar might go through the roof, but without healthy boundaries, it can lead to feeling drained or invaded by other people’s emotions or problems.
- Obsessive Fears: Some folks get caught in anxious loops, especially about being deceived or misled, or worry that something bad is going to be revealed.
- Creative Blocks: Creative inspiration can dry up or feel weird and confusing, so if you’re an artist or writer, you might wrestle with strange changes in your process or taste.
Opportunities during this transit
- Deep Transformation of Beliefs: This is a wild opportunity to let go of old, limiting ideas about the world, yourself, and spirituality. If you’re willing to surrender some old ideals, you might discover something much truer and more powerful beneath the surface.
- Psychic or Creative Breakthroughs: Even when inspiration feels blocked, if you stick with it, you can end up cracking open whole new levels in your art, music, or intuition.
- Cleansing and Release: Pluto can help you “detox” old emotional baggage, especially from times you were deceived or you deceived yourself. There’s a lot of healing available if you’re honest and brave about what needs to go.
- Facing Shadows: There’s deep power in facing your fears and the scary parts of your imagination. This can lead to new self-acceptance and wisdom that sticks with you long after the transit is over.
- Helping Others: Sometimes, learning firsthand how hard confusion or despair can be makes you more empathetic and able to help or guide others who are struggling with similar things.
How the Sign of Transiting Pluto Modifies This Transit Square to Natal Neptune
Read the one for the current sign of transiting Pluto.
- Transiting Pluto in Aries: This might make the confusion or fogginess of the transit feel more urgent, impulsive, and even aggressive. It could push you to break through illusions really quickly, sometimes in a dramatic or confrontational way.
- Transiting Pluto in Taurus: The confusion may center around money, possessions, and stability. You might feel like your values or sense of security are getting shaken, and it’s harder to hold on to what makes you feel safe.
- Transiting Pluto in Gemini: Misunderstandings in communication or issues with information could get blown up. Uncovering the truth behind confusing messages might become a major theme- watch for secrets coming out in conversations.
- Transiting Pluto in Cancer: There could be a deep sense of emotional confusion or changes within your home or family life. Emotional boundaries might feel tested, and old family secrets could surface.
- Transiting Pluto in Leo: Your self-expression and creativity could go through an intense transformation. You might deal with confusion about attention, recognition, or even ego issues, especially in how you want to shine.
- Transiting Pluto in Virgo: This could trigger anxiety about health, routines, or work. The urge to “fix” things that feel unclear might make everyday life feel stressful or overwhelming.
- Transiting Pluto in Libra: Relationships and partnerships might get extra complicated. You could have trouble seeing where others stand, or power struggles can play out in more subtle, confusing ways.
- Transiting Pluto in Scorpio: The confusion could go deep, stirring up hidden fears, secrets, or psychological patterns. There’s a magnetic pull to face taboos, obsessions, or even mystical experiences.
- Transiting Pluto in Sagittarius: Your beliefs, philosophy, or sense of the big picture may get challenged. It might be easy to feel lost about what’s true, or to chase after strange new ideas in search of deeper meaning.
- Transiting Pluto in Capricorn: This can bring up confusion about career, authority figures, or long-term goals. The urge to control or restructure things may backfire if you’re not totally clear on what you actually want.
- Transiting Pluto in Aquarius: You might question your place in groups, friendships, or society. Social changes or group dynamics could be powerful but feel a bit disorienting, especially if you’re trying to find your tribe.
- Transiting Pluto in Pisces: The surreal, spiritual vibes are turned way up. Boundaries may dissolve altogether, leading to either real spiritual growth or just plain old confusion about what’s real and what’s fantasy.
Nancy Dault
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