Hello, everyone.

I received a letter today from a reader who has become a client.  We’ve been working together lately as she goes through some business uncertainty and transitions.  Of course these transitions are reflected in the transits of planets affecting her natal chart.

"A Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse, 1905. (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

When a person is facing a major issue in their life, reflected by a transit of the outer planets to one or more of the inner planets, it will affect several areas of their life at the same time.  And even if not specifically transiting an area of the chart related to business, a major reconfiguration of your personal life is bound to affect how you conduct your business during the transit.

The Set-up

As it turns out this client’s current transit couldn’t be more impactful on her business life.  Natally, she has Saturn in the 10th house and it is squaring her Ascendant.  Remember, Saturn is the principle of contraction, of bringing visions and inspiration into the material realm, of making it real.  The 10th house is the house of your most public self, which for most people is their career and reputation.  Saturn is very comfortable in the 10th house and generally speaking a person with Saturn in the 10th is focused on making a name for themselves through their own hard work.  They invest time and energy into building their reputation step by step.

When this dedication to career and business success shown by Saturn is natally squaring the Ascendant, as this person’s is, this march toward success in the outer realm is part and parcel of the person’s self-image.  It is completely inseparable from how they feel about themselves and how other people perceive them.  And yet with the square the fit is not a comfortable one.  With Saturn squaring the Ascendant, it’s almost like they have a military general inside calling their marching orders and that officer will brook no opposition from the contented or fanciful.

So this is a tough set-up and one that my client has grappled with and made the most of.  She runs a small creative business with about 10 employees and is used to the cycle of work hard and win; work harder and win more; work harder still and win still more.

The Mermaid calls

And along comes Neptune.  Neptune is crossing that Saturn point in her chart in the 10th house.  Whenever Neptune makes a strong appearance in a chart, it is time for a change.  Not a sudden change brought on by technological progress (Uranus) or crisis (Pluto) but more from a lingering sense of disillusion or confusion. 

Neptune transiting Saturn is like our military general has been assigned a mentor by the powers that be and the mentor turns out to be a hippie artist mermaid who whispers to him to take off his uniform and join her in the warm sea.  Do you think he just says, OK, let’s go?  No.  The seductress’ song is the enemy of everything he has built to this point, every structure and accomplishment that has made his life respectable, safe, and stable. 

But the forces of the outer planets are strong, and since they are ultimately about the evolution of humanity as a whole rather than upholding our idea of personal success, they eventually engulf us.  There are really only two choices: to consciously invite Neptune’s long visit or to resist and be overwhelmed by seemingly external forces that dissolve the structures of our life.

Sacrificing Doing for Being

Neptune requires us to sacrifice some part of ourselves, something we think defines us, in order to grow in our understanding of our place within the larger coursing life.  Saturn is about doing; Neptune is about being.  If we are normally the type who sets one goal after another, always reaching to improve and perfect, then taking our hands off the wheel and letting life drive feels completely foreign.  Adrift within confusion, lack of clarity, and doubt about future direction, we grab at one “solution” after another, only to have it melt away in our hands.  Neptune’s transits are long and it takes a while to recognize that our old methods don’t serve anymore.  Each time we think we’ve found our direction, the destination becomes unavailable or we realize it’s illusory.

So what do we do during a Neptune transit?  We keep it simple.  We journal or paint or pray.  We develop a receptive state of mind.  In our business, we do what’s in front of us.  We explore the opportunities that come our way without investing too much.  We take notice of our community.  We look for ways to serve others.  We recognize we are adjusting our intuition to a new beam; we don’t trust too easily or too soon.  We use our lawyer and accountant to review the paperwork.

And we listen for the muse.  Remember that general?  You know that once he enters that mermaid’s warm embrace he’ll be most happy he did.

Are you feeling dazed and confused in your business?  Are you having a Neptune transit?  Share your experiences in the comments.  And if you’re not sure, see the box at right to send me an email and I’ll let you know if Neptune is visiting you.

For the basics of Saturn and Neptune, see these posts:

Saturn

Neptune

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Have a question now? Email it and let’s get started!