The Jupiter-Neptune Conjunction
Photo by Elijah Hiett on Unsplash
The Jupiter Neptune conjunction is upon us, exact today. Exact dates don’t matter so much, as astrology transits work like a wave in the ocean. The energy builds, crests, and recedes. This one has been in range since early March and will ride through mid-May. Its influence will return again for November and December 2022.
This is a rare event to have the co-rulers of Pisces (Jupiter and Neptune) conjunct in the sign that they rule. Jupiter-Neptune conjunctions happen about every 13 years, but the last one in Pisces was in 1856.
Jupiter and Neptune together in this sign are amplifying the Pisces archetype. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, so is associated with endings. During Pisces times, things often come to a natural end. It might be a relationship that is no longer healthy (or never was). It might be a job situation that has become untenable. It might be a belief that guided us in the past, but no longer reflects who we are.
Understandably, we may experience endings as loss. It can be hard to accept that we need to let go. But Pisces teaches us to trust that we are being guided and cared for, even if we can’t perceive it at the time.
I have this conjunction right on my North Node in Pisces. When I saw this coming down the road, I knew that something in my life would be coming to a close. The North Node being about what we are here to learn—but does not come naturally. For me, it is about acceptance. So I anticipated the lesson on my plate would be about this.
Sure enough, this lesson came in the form of a long friendship ending. My friend wrote an email wherein she was cruel to me, in response to something I did that upset her. But rather than opening up a dialogue or being willing to talk it through, she said: “don’t contact me–I’ll contact you.” I was not allowed to defend myself, to explain my side of things, or to ask any clarifying questions. I was berated, then shut out. (Of course, this also happened during Mercury in Aries!) The Jupiter-Neptune in Pisces lesson seems to be that I have to accept that I will not get to justify myself, and that the friendship is likely over. And yet, the more that the days go on, I see that it was time for us to part ways. There were many red flags along the way, which I ignored. I’m still angry, and accepting my own anger is part of this Pisces North Node time for me, too. I am working to let go with compassion.
But this transit is not all about loss and endings. Jupiter shows us where there are gifts. Jupiter is about abundance and opportunity, and it is pointing to Pisces as the archetype in which to find that right now. Neptune is about how to connect with something bigger than ourselves, how to find a sense of oneness.
Jupiter also points out where we have been settling for too little. The things we have been settling for have been blocking the ability to receive. These next couple of months are revealing to us that which we need to release in order to make room for more abundance. Wherever this conjunction lands in your natal chart will tell you the area in which you are asked to release limited mindsets so that you can expand into a more abundant experience.
A note on the word abundance here: Jupiter in Pisces is not inherently about the type of abundance we measure with dollar signs or material things. It is about a wealth of spirit, in which we feel on course with our life and in tune with our soul’s plan.
Neptune is the drive to find meaning through connection with something beyond ourselves. When we engage Neptune, we ask: How can I best be of service? Neptune is about moving beyond the egoic concerns that hold us back.
There is a shadow side to everything, and of course there is to this transit as well. Jupiter and Neptune can amplify the worst traits of each other, and of Pisces. Empathy and sensitivity are heightened. Hence, escapism is a problem right now. It’s understandable. There is more suffering than any one of us can bear in just one glance at the headlines. But escapism is a temporary fix, and one that steals our joy as much as it seems to give us a moment of relief. We always have to come back to the life we inhabit, and the longer we have numbed out, the harder the re-entry will hit us.
We are called upon to trust that there is a big picture that we may not understand at this moment. The lesson of any Pisces time is to surrender, and to trust that events in our lives are unfolding exactly as they should.
Questions for reflection:
Is there something that I have been holding onto that I know I need to let go of? (My intuition has been telling me I need to let go of…)
How can I show up for myself with compassion around this release or ending?
What are the gifts that might arise from letting go of this (situation/person/belief)?
What are some ways that I can take care of myself during this extra-empathic/sensitive time?
