Living Astrology: Neptune Retrograde

As an astrologer, it’s amazing when I see planets act on the world stage. Right before my eyes, I see the planets embody themselves within people, in events, in situations. Just as the planets are in aspect above us in the Heavens, I observe the same aspects mirrored in the affairs of nature here on Earth.

“As Above, So Below…”

On June 12th of this year, Neptune stationed retrograde. On that day, I was scheduled to arrive at the Renaissance Hotel to style a bride’s hair for day one of her two day Indian wedding. Mercury was also wrapping up his retrograde, so I made extra care to double check all of the details. I wanted to avoid any miscommunication and to ensure that her expectations of our arrangement would be met. I spoke to the bride over the phone a few days prior. Usually, the bride will have a “trial run” for her hair and makeup prior to the wedding day to ensure sheer perfection on her special day. Initially, I expected the bride to meet me at the salon for the trial run, and to be on location for her wedding day. Well, thanks to the awareness bestowed by the planets, I was able to discover that she needed me on location for both days, and adjust my schedule accordingly.

Whew, I dodged that one!

I left the salon, rushing to the hotel, as it began to rain. Neptune, ruler of the Seas, often brings rain. Poseidon was a wrathful God in many Greek myths. So with Neptune, it’s usually a bit heavier than a light rain. Think, storms, hurricanes, floods. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when rain began pelting down on my windshield. I arrived at the hotel on time, but the bride was running nearly 30 minutes late. Luckily, the bride arranged with the concierge to let me into her bridal suite to set up. I felt weird loitering in the bridal suite before the bride, but it quelled my fears about being late for my next appointment back at the salon.

To be honest, I was annoyed at this point. But Neptune has a cloaking mechanism. Things are not always as they seem. The bride turned out to be really cool, and not as uptight as other brides (Trust me, I see my fair share of bridezillas in my profession). So in this case, Neptune fooled me in a good way.

The bride gazes out the window as I’m styling her hair. “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow for the wedding. Tonight is fine, since we’ll mostly be inside.”

Conversation is going well. I figured maybe she had heard a bit about Vedic astrology from her family, so I mentioned my bit on Neptune and rain, then elaborated further, “But Neptune also rules dreams of all kinds, so it’s still a great weekend for a wedding. You’re marrying your dream man; your dream is coming true.”

“Wow,” she paused. ”My name actually means ‘dream’.”

You can’t make this stuff up!!!!!

The following day, I arrived once again at her hotel for wedding hair and makeup. Neptune was also still present, raining heavily. There was a miscommunication about how long the other stylist and I were scheduled to stay. The bride was initially really worried, but we ensured her that it would work out and that her day would still be perfect.

A few of her guests were supposed to fly in from Chicago, but their planes were delayed due to fog!!! Seriously? I was surprised, but not surprised. Indeed, Neptune rules fog, but a plane delay in June? I’m sure that’s not all that common. Gotta love astrology.

The bride looked immaculately beautiful; saintly, divine. Have you ever seen an Indian bride? Neptune is the higher octave of Venus. She exuded happiness and love. Beaming. It didn’t matter that not everything went as planned.

We left the hotel, now with the Sun shining over the wet sidewalks. It was all in good timing. Neptune was merciful and stopped his rain for a bride whose name means “Dream.”