Astrology and Navigation: Neptune and delusion

"...Take care that your communications come from a need to improve on matters in a healing way and not from the pain of your primal damage. Neptune conjuncts Chiron long term and this can foster illusions about our primal damage or the inability to see it for what it is...-from Satori's post "Emotional Intelligence"

Photo Credit: Ben Heines from Flickr

We have a sun-break in the woods. For however brief it is a welcomed reprieve from Neptune, god of water. Our weather is temperate in comparison with much of the rest of the US continent. Here the wintry edge is barely frosty, but we are damp! The shift and drop of temperature and the chilly winds create an atmospheric condition I experience as fog: my ears plug and I lose my balance. When I lose my balance my feet feel it. I do hear with my feet. My little toes are the navigational markers that receive the brunt of this fog. No longer flat and anchoring, the two little ones curl from years of being caught on ill-placed chair legs or corners. They've been broken and mended into odd angles. Satori's post above got me thinking (Mercury) about the long-term conjunction of water(Neptune) with Chiron (the deep wounds). Neptune and Chiron conjunct in my 2nd House in Pisces (Neptune-ruled). What I value now is becoming foggy.

"Neptune, at its core, is neither good nor bad.  It’s the part of us that yearns for spiritual awakening and to transcend this reality.  When you do awaken to the spiritual side of life, it may take many years—or even lifetimes—to deal with it in a bal­anced way. The novice seeker is prone to false trails, self-delusion, and ideas that are quite strange.
During many Neptune transits, an important task is to sort out, either by careful thought or bitter experience, what is of value and what is false among spiritual teachings. Since Neptune rules both psychic experience and fraud, there are many phony or misguided occultists and self-styled gurus. Using psychic powers and finding your way among spiritual teachers is like learning to walk all over again, only more difficult. With all that fog, who can see where to plant their feet?- Donna Cunningham, "How strong is your Neptune?"

I observe the adaptations Nature makes as part of the nature of being alive. It helps so much to be surrounded by the Tall Ones. They tower round us and if I'm not careful I slip on the human-centric and believe all trees are the same. Outside the vardo window the Tall Ones teach me differently. The Pine who guards the corner south-west corner rises tall in the sky. But, only when you look at her from a distance do you see how she is bent at a distinct angle stories above us? As the winter rains saturate the forest the rotting Tall Ones turn to giant mush and windfalls are common. Out on a walk this morning I spied the Red Alder that toppled into the neighborhood road blocking passage for our neighbors below. We rallied to the phone calls for help only to find that a chain saw and male muscle was unnecessary. The pulpy tree broke into manageable chunks under the foot and clear-headed thinking of our neighbor the nurse.

In my life, the times like these when my balance is awkward, it is so important for me to navigate patiently ... more slowly, and consciously. Accidents and injuries are magnified under these conditions. I wiggle my toes and the littlest one says, "We know!" What is it I value now as my 65th birthday approaches? Reading Donna Cunningham's missive about Neptune, I think of the Portland-based astrologer I came to know via the Internet and appreciate the broad application of heaven's angles.

"...The Mercury Neptune square is concerning and is likely to be more problematic than the eclipse as it's very easy to be undone by your own thinking. The truth will be obfuscated under this aspect, and let's face it, it's hard to navigate a sea of lies.  People will be easily misled this week. In many cases they'll mislead themselves, so if you tend to delude yourself by nature, be extra careful this week. Er... don't believe everything you hear!  - from ElsaElsa's Heads Up! Free Weekly Newsletter beginning Thursday, November 9, 2012[ to subscribe go to www.elsaelsa.com]

Neptune is making his presence known on our home planet. Slow moving yet unstoppable, the nature of water (Neptune) is impacting the eastern coast of the US. Hurricane. Snow. Water and wind. Astrology is informing me on many different fronts and to sort them I put the ideas here being aware that I could easier mislead myself. Tucked into two pair of cotton and wool socks my feet are warm and dry. My curly baby toes nestle against their straight and grounded sibling appendages. Not left to fend for themselves they navigate with some surety. I listen as I navigate ... sea of lies? Maybe, maybe not.

How well are you navigating today? Where is Neptune and Chiron conjunct in your chart?