Neptune Retrograde: Regretting the Past, Being Afraid of Future. What about Present?

Neptune retrograde starts on 16 June 2017 at 14 degrees Pisces and ends on 22 November 2017 at 11 degrees Pisces. In astrology, this planet is associated with idealism and imagination, but also with illusions and confusion. Roman god of the sea (the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon), Neptune is the ruler of the water sign of Pisces and of the twelfth astrological house, house of subconscious and deeper emotions.









For some of us, Neptune retrograde can cause distorted reality. Uncontrolled imagination and day dreaming are some problems we may face, from June until November. Each of us needs to understand reality, to overcome illusions and to stop telling lies to ourselves and to others.

Neptune Retrograde: Regretting the Past

To let go of regrets is extremely important, during this planetary transit. Here is a Zen story about regretting the past:

„Once there was a monk who specialized in the Buddhist precepts, and he kept to them all his life. Once when he was walking at night, he stepped on something. It made a squishing sound, and he imagined he had stepped on an egg-bearing frog.

This caused him no end of alarm and regret, in view of the Buddhist precept against taking life, and when he finally went to sleep that night he dreamed that hundreds of frogs came demanding his life.

The monk was terribly upset, but when morning came he looked and found that what he stepped on was an overripe eggplant. At that moment his feeling of uncertainty suddenly stopped, and for the first time he realized the meaning of the saying that «there is no objective world». Then he finally knew how to practice Zen“.









Neptune Retrograde: Being Afraid of Future

Being afraid of future is the other great mistake that prevent us from living in the present moment. Because our subconscious mind reacts better to stories that to pure theory, here is another Zen story, about this mistake of being afraid of future:

„A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him, «Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now». Heeding these words, the warrior became peaceful and fell asleep“.

So, remember:

„No amount of regretting can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future“. (Roy T. Bennett)







