Musings on the USA Neptune Opposition May 2021-March 2022

Images - like on television, film, electronic devices - are physical forms of Neptunian actions - they glamorize, mystify, inspire, enchant us. 

In October 1938, Neptune in Virgo was motivated by Mercury in Scorpio, who was motivated by Pluto in Leo, who was in mutual reception with the Scorpio Sun. 

Neptune -> Mercury in Scorpio -> Pluto in Leo <-> Sun in Scorpio

This chain of action very clearly has a strong sexual component to it - Scorpio & Leo - the two most sexual signs of the zodiac. Sex is power. Power is sex. And television has certainly brought these topics into every household throughout the world. Our subconscious is full of ideas of what is sexy & who has sex appeal. And the Virgo archetype is associated with the work of becoming the “perfected” human form - a Virgo always looks for what can be improved. 

Is it any wonder why our society is so obsessed with glamorizing white, thin & able-bodied individuals? Why these bodies have been featured more on American television than others? Why these are the bodies we imagine when we think of models or the "idealized" human form?

But here we are - at the Neptune opposition - and the body positivity movement is amping up. Victoria’s Secret, a company who has profited off of selling the image of the “perfect” feminine body and has contributed to inflating this subconscious body ideal within our psyches, has recently announced its newest collection modeled by a dynamic & diverse group of women, of all shapes, skin tones & ages, including Jirau, a Puerto Rican model with Down Syndrome (4.) 

The opposition of the outer planets mark important moments in our history - yes, returns are important moments too, but you can’t see Returns…just like you can’t see the New Moon. It is when we’re at the opposition do we see the results of the cycle. 

This is only one physical & societal culmination of the USA’s Neptune Opposition…we could also look at the evolution of work environments, healthcare, routines, relationships with pets/employees/mentors since October 1938. (Virgo and the 6th House are associated with work environments, unequal relationships, health and labor.) Or even mental healthcare and the abundance of drugs (Neptune) that have been created to treat various mental illnesses/disturbances.

On October 24, 1938, the US forbid child labor in factories (5.) A year later, the federal standard work week began to shift to 40 hours (it started at 44 hours,) and federal minimum wage rates rose from 25 cents/hour to 40 cents/hour by 1945 (6.) Federal minimum wage has arguably been one of the top Virgoan topics of discussion in our present day...along with our elusive healthcare system and the glamorization of productivity.  

Another major Neptune in Virgo topic of concern: we're seeing the criminalization of the transgender youth and their parents in a few US states. Virgo is a mutable & Mercury ruled archetype, like Gemini. Gemini is associated with the ability to hold multiple thoughts - more than one. Virgo is associated with the ability to hold multiple physical forms. Androgyny is often associated with the Virgo archetype. Neptune is associated with the urge to surrender or let go - someone who is transgender feels disconnected from the physical form they were assigned at birth and undergoes a process of letting go of their original (some may say "God given") image so they may embody their idealized human form...which I imagine is a highly spiritual process that requires a lot of faith and transcendence. Though, it is Neptune in Virgo's shadow that creates problems for transgenders - puritanical spirituality and fear of the unknown forms. Some people, most likely those who hold puritanical ideals, do not like gender ambiguity - it makes them uncomfortable. So, rather than reflecting on their discomfort and allowing people to live their lives, they react aggressively - physically, verbally, judicially, etc.

On July 4, 1776, Mars was transiting the sign of Gemini and was making a near exact square to Neptune in Virgo. Mars is associated with our instinctual selves, our direct movements, assertion but also aggression, anger, war, and masculinity. And the US has Mars in Gemini square Neptune in Virgo - which begs the question: as a country, are we overly defensive against imagined abuses to our sexuality/masculinity? Are we repressed in our sexuality? Do we have a societal issue of unconsciously acting out our anxieties about our sexualities (7?)


Sources:

1. The History of World War II: The War Started in October 1938
2. Wikipedia: Television
3. 1939 New York World's Fair
4. Victoria’s Secret newest collection features diversity like never before
5. What Happened on October 24 1938
6. New Floors and Ceilings in the Minimum Wage: 1939
7. Pelletier, Robert. "Planets in Aspect: Understanding Your Inner Dynamics." 1974. Pages 159-160.