Neptune: Living in Dreamland

Neptune: Living in Dreamland

When we awake from the dream of separateness and the addiction to the drama of the story-line of our lives, we awake to the idea that we’re all mystics living in a dream-world we create. Our perceived story—our ego, that small self with all its ambitions, aspirations, victories and defeats, is living a drama that sucks us in. It seduces us into believing that our daily rituals in the “marketplace of life” are all there is.

At the mountaintop level of observation, “liberation” is found by unsnarling this small ego from its sticky co-dependent relationship to others, self, and work. Beyond the Ten Commandments, “opinions” get confused with ego righteousness…so perhaps it is in the recognition of our addiction to drama that we become free—for isn’t it here that we accept our powerlessness, our limitations, and the messiness of the human condition?

I’ve come to feel that it’s here in this recognizing and releasing of our addictions, especially to drama (Neptune) that we make ourselves more available to Spirit. Here is the highest octave of Neptune’s expression: a non-dualistic spirituality. We catch a glimpse of Oneness. It’s a vantage point that doesn’t use words such as good/bad, win/lose and even higher vs. lower. Unfortunately, the mountaintop view may be the highest Truth, but it’s not so accessible in daily life here in the valley below. Perhaps too often we have lost trust in our path up the mountain, and suffered too many falls.

We know that the Soul wants to grow and deepen, and accepts all situations as rich spiritual lessons, or gifts in disguise. Yet the ego doesn’t easily accept that we live in a meaningful universe where accidents and coincidences are actually synchronistic lessons---situations through which we are stimulated to greater awakening. When things become too painful the ego often dismisses difficulties as being random or evil events, other people’s faults. It’s then that we risk missing the underlying message or meaning an event may have for us. It may be as deceptively simple as increasing our compassion.

Neptune is the planet of divine love and compassion, and also the planet of illusion and disillusion. We can get lost in it, just as we can drown in the ocean. Neptune is the trickster or magician as well, as it seems to require from us that we release and let go even those things, people and situations that we hold dear. Eventually we must release our own lives.

In releasing attachments to our personal stories and by reframing the story of our life from the point of view of the Self rather than the ego, we liberate ourselves from pettiness. It seems like a good idea. And as Andy Rooney might say: “I think I’ll give it a try.”
Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

The Rainmaker. Where do I find what I need?

Do you remember this story?

"There was a great drought where Wilhelm lived; for months there had not been a drop of rain and the situation became catastrophic. The Catholics made processions, the Protestants made prayers, and the Chinese burned joss sticks and shot off guns to frighten away the demons of the drought, but with no result. Finally the Chinese said: We will fetch the rain maker. And from another province, a dried up old man appeared. The only thing he asked for was a quiet little house somewhere, and there he locked himself in for three days. On the fourth day clouds gathered and there came a great storm and the town was so full of rumors about the wonderful rain maker that Wilhelm went to ask the man how he did it.

He said: “They call you the rain maker, will you tell me how you made it happen?” And the little Chinaman said: “I did not make the rain, I am not responsible.” “But what have you done these three days?”

"Oh, I can explain that." He said. "I come from a country where things are in order. Here they are out of order, they are not as they should be by the ordinance of heaven. Therefore, the whole country is not in Tao, and I am also not in the natural order of things because I am in a discorded country. So I had to wait three days until I was back in Tao, and then naturally the rain came.”

There is so much wisdom in this little story, that it reminds me of a secret hidden in a little box. The rainmaker reminds us that we find what we need when we come back into "the Tao" or the natural order of things. When we balance our lives; when we come into peace with ourselves. The mystery is that although only we can do it for ourselves, there is also a whole community involved--we are not separate beings, but find our hope, help and inspiration through each other.

Whether we are coming back into alignment with our personal "Tao" or helping a friend or community do that, let's remember that there is a synchronistic alignment between psyche and soul, and nature and the world. When we extend ourselves to help another, we also help ourselves.

And again, the astrological correlate is in the balancing of the North and South Nodes--we come into our personal balance by self-understanding, and there's nothing more helpful for that than being aware of the "balancing point" between our astrological Nodes. Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

Venus Retrograde, Rethinking Relationships, Money and Time

Venus is making the turn from retrograde to direct this Friday—so we’re in the last few days of rethinking, re-feeling, reviewing, repairing, and refreshing all things Venusian. Yes, all those words beginning with “re” apply for Venus retrograde as well as Mercury retrograde. Venus doesn’t turn retrograde again till the autumn of 2010, and what we are primarily called to review now is our attitude towards relationships and beauty and money.

These are the things that fall into Venus’ realm. (Interesting too that money falls there, and one could say we use money to bring more beauty and fullness into our lives…but it’s also related to priorities and power. That’s when Venus prefers to hand over the reins to Mars, as she turns back to her relationship mode and turns to her friend and asks: so, how are you doing?!)

So, how are you doing? Do we ask that enough of each other and then wait to hear the truth? Or are we hiding our true Self, and not really wanting to tell our truth or hear the other person’s stories? There’s such a stress towards thinking positively about the “art of possibilities” and re-imagining oneself in one’s life (coupled with the desire to feel only good feelings because we feel that less than nice feelings are wrong, bad or don’t measure up) that we unwittingly turn away from our “compassion” and the ability “to suffer with another” which relates to the root meaning of compassion.


Relationships are deepened when we can allow ourselves to hear the call for help even if it’s not asked for specifically, or even if it’s hidden beneath “everything’s fine.” Chances are its not.


When we are afraid to hear and feel each other’s pain—or when we don’t take that extra few minutes to really listen and respond to others, we lose the chance to deepen our friendships. Venus retrograde is about rethinking who, when and where we can be really honest with…who can we trust? Unfortunately, some people are so busy trying to survive and live in this climate of fear and scarcity that they don’t feel they can give another person the time to hear their joy or their sadness.

Venus is asking us to rethink this now. Maybe someone reached out to you these past few months when Venus was retrograde, and perhaps you were too busy to respond with compassion or engagement. Or maybe it was reversed, and you actually need to move towards—or away--away from those people who don’t respond from a place of compassion and intimacy; “in-to-me-see.”


Do you ever think of your Nodes as being a relationship axis---thinking of them as two people inside yourself who have different agendas and life styles? Can they begin to relate better? Can you reach for your North Node highest qualities and retrieve the gold in the shadow of your South Node? There are no good/bad guys here; it’s more about clearer and deeper ways of relating….Venus’s realm. Something to consider.
~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Jan Spiller's "Astrology for the Soul" and Elizabeth Spring's "North Node Astrology"

Jan Spiller’s “Astrology for the Soul”and Elizabeth Spring's "North Node Astrology"



There are some strange ideas on the Nodes floating about out there in the cyber-world, however Jan's theories are well founded in the fundamental principals of Western astrology. Elizabeth's book, North Node Astrology, also picks up on Jan's thinking with her understanding of the Nodes, but adds to it the light of Jungian astrology. Both women see the Nodes as an axis that sheds light on the karmic lessons and aspirations and intentions of the Soul. However, some of the more fundamentalist Vedic Indian ideas that are "out there" in cyber-space are so claustophobic and disempowering, that they engender fear in fate and destiny. Be careful of these literalist positions that deny your free will and pigeon-hole your fate.

As the author of a new book on the Nodes--"North Node Astrology; Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose," Elizabeth gives Jan a lot of credit for her research in this book. The rest of us stand on her shoulders and take what knowledge and wisdom we have picked up along the way, and add to what she has done.

The Nodal story that is embedded within your astrology chart can be compared to a spiritual mandala that you can keep coming back to for spiritual guidance. It's a growing exciting field, but we need to stay on track with a wholesome understanding of the Nodes as an expression of compassion, Jungian “compensation” and karmic lessons—not as malefics and fate-embedded points. They hold some of the most delightful and numinous secrets of the soul's journey. ~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Saturn Transits, Donna Cunningham's North Node Astrology Review

Author and astrologer, Donna Cunningham writes: “A couple of years back, I happened onto a blog created by astrologer and Jungian therapist, Elizabeth Spring. I was so taken by her wise, insightful, and heartfelt writing that I sent her a fan letter and have followed the evolution of her work since. She has recently published an excellent book, North Node Astrology: Rediscovering your Life Direction and Soul Purpose. It’s clear and readable for students at any level of astrology. The following is an excerpt, reprinted here with her permission.”


It has often been said that under strong Saturn transits one can choose between exhaustion and depression—some choice! It implies that because Saturn is often about doing hard work in the real world that exhaustion is the better choice— indicating as Mark Twain once said: “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” It doesn’t need to be so tiring. So what are the tools needed to successfully navigate Saturnian waters? Here are a few ideas:


1-Be Discerning. You are at a time now when you understand things you didn’t understand even last year. Use your new wisdom to make wise choices based on clarity of intention. Dream into your future and discern the path through the woods. Here is where the quotes: “Know thyself” and “Nothing in Excess” become relevant. At these times there is a necessity to pull back from the excesses of your younger years and to know what you can and cannot do.


2-Take Heart. Find ways to reach out to others and be humble enough to ask for advice. If your marriage is in trouble, ask yourself the questions: Is the relationship the true source of dissatisfaction, or is it the repository of my own misery? How much am I projecting my insecurities onto my partner, and not taking responsibility or even listening ‘with heart’?


3-Go Deeper. Superficial “all or nothing” solutions can be a quick fix and Saturn doesn’t like quick fixes. No quick decisions: instead, hold the tension of the opposites and conflicts within yourself till you see the emergence of a new idea. Then, and only then, is it time to stretch beyond your comfort zones to new places of thought and action. As was said so many years ago:
“Dig deep; the water–goodness–is down there. And as long as you keep digging it will keep bubbling up.” Marcus Antoninis


4-Take Action. Saturn ultimately rewards those that act and depresses those who procrastinate. In ancient texts, Saturn was sometimes seen as a devil who made a hand signal that said: “All that you see, is all there is.” That’s the devil’s lie. Prove him wrong.

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(Ironically, springtime itself is somewhat Saturnian, in that we must wait for the warmth and "action" of May and June...in the waiting we are tested to hold our faith of renewal and rebirth. We too are like the seeds in the packet; waiting to be planted and nurtured. And in time, we must do all these things--taking action, and digging deep, discerning weeds from emerging flowers...all things coming in their time....) ~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com