Neptune Retrograde: July 4-Dec 10

Ah, Just a Gentle Dissolve of Illusions, Nothing Major. Except Maybe Everything.

On July 4, Neptune turns retrograde in the deep spiritual waters of Pisces, in the lunar mansion or nakshatra called Uttara Bhadrapada — an energy that dissolves superficial coverings to reveal the underlying spiritual nature of everyday life.

Neptune symbolizes spiritual longing, illusion, and the mystery of the deep ocean. It represents the yearning to merge with the divine — and the temptation to drift into fantasy. When Neptune turns retrograde, it draws closer to Earth, intensifying its influence and turning its energy inward.

The last time Neptune passed through this part of the sky was in 1862, during the heart of the American Civil War — a time of profound national reckoning. Now, once again, we are invited to ask:

What illusions have shaped our world? What must rise now to protect the very foundations of humankind?

Uttara Bhadrapada: The Waters of Grace and the Foundations of the Future

 

The deity of Uttara Bhadrapada is Ahir Budhnya, the wise serpent of the deep — a Rudra who surfaces to breathe and connect the hidden with the manifest world. His shakti, or sacred power, is varshodyamana: the rain-bringing power that stabilizes the world through growth, magnetism, gravity, and grace.

In this part of the sky, the spiritual and the material are not separate. As Vic DiCara writes:

“Uttara Bhadrapada is ideal for dissolving superficial coverings to reveal the true, enduring, real nature of things… This teaches us an important lesson about the false dichotomy between 'spiritual' and 'material' things.”

Here, we are reminded that behind the forms of this world — behind social systems, the body, and the breath — lies a sacred architecture. Perhaps even the subtle forces described by modern science — like quantum entanglement, gravity, and light — are manifestations of Ahir Budhnya’s ancient intelligence.

This is a time to go inward and reconsider what we believe is real — not to escape the world, but to refine our understanding of it and bring that understanding into every thought, word, and action.

Ahir Budhnya, one of the eleven primary Rudras, is said to have created 80 million secondary, trident-bearing Rudras to safeguard the world. Perhaps that myth is not a tale of the past, but a call to the present.

You may be one of those Rudras — not called to violence, but to clarity, courage, and spiritually informed action. To protect the vulnerable. To speak truth. To stand firm in dharma. To become a vessel of fierce compassion in a time of great uncertainty.

Indra’s Net and the Turning of the GazeI

 

In the sacred image of Indra’s Net, the universe is an infinite web. At every intersection hangs a drop of water, and each drop reflects all the others. Nothing exists in isolation. Everything mirrors everything else.

When Neptune turns retrograde, we are invited to turn inward — to observe what reflections we’ve been gazing into, and whether it’s time to shift our focus. This is a time to reorient our gaze, to see ourselves and the world from a new angle.

This is the spiritual essence of Uttara Bhadrapada — not transcendence, but transparent embodiment. Not bypassing the world, but becoming clear mirrors for others so they may awaken too — not because we teach them, but because we reflect their truth with gentleness and presence.

A Collective Reflection

 

This transit does not operate in isolation — and neither do we.

You may want to ask yourself, or explore in conversation with a trusted friend:

What illusions still guide our collective story?

• That we can be safe while others suffer 

• That liberation is personal, not collective 

• That power lies in domination, not devotion 

As long as there is injustice, no one is truly free. As long as illusion clouds our vision, the foundations of the world remain unstable.

This is not a time to retreat into personal peace or spiritual superiority. It is a time to rise as spiritual protectors — as the 80 million Rudras who understand that what we do now will shape what comes next.

What Might This Look Like in Your Life

 

Depending on where Pisces sits in your chart, Neptune retrograde may bring:

• A quiet release of idealized relationships or spiritual expectations 

• A reevaluation of dreams that have served only the ego 

• A deepening of spiritual identity — one that moves from “me” to “we” 

• A commitment to reflect rather than react 

This is the energy of dissolution and return — a call to go inward, touch the eternal, and bring that insight back to the world, grounded in love and responsibility.

A Meditation with Neptune

 

You may wish to meditate on the Pavamana Mantra, from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

Asato ma sad gamaya

Lead me from the unreal to the real

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

From darkness to light

Mrityor ma amritam gamaya

From death to immortality

Repeat this over and over aloud and silently. Let it change you from the inside out.