The Astrological Fog Will Clear When Neptune’s Retrograde Ends

Think, if you can, all the way back to last June, when the summer of retrogrades kicked off in earnest. Not only did that month see Mars, the planet of action and decision-making, go retrograde — it also saw Neptune, one of our solar system's more mysterious outer planets, hit its annual backspin, too.

Given its distance from Earth, Neptune's influence is less immediate than, say, our planetary neighbor Venus, but its retrograde has nevertheless left a mark on us in the last five months. Maybe you've felt more in touch with your creative side. Maybe your dreams have been particularly vivid or prescient. Even if you can't pinpoint any direct effects from Neptune's retrograde, it likely slapped a slightly more tranquil, rosier tint over your regular worldview. That shade will lift this Saturday, November 24, when the planet of imagination goes direct.

In the same way that Neptune's retrograde isn't completely bad or good, its direct period will similarly have its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, you may feel more grounded in the real world once Neptune is direct. This planet's retrogrades like to shoot our thoughts into the clouds, making practical, rational reasoning harder to come by. Sensible earth signs, for one, may be downright relieved come Saturday.

On the other hand, if you were enjoying the heightened sense of creativity and intuition that came with Neptune retrograde, Saturday may be a bit of a bummer. You can ease into the transition, however, by keeping a journal or record of what this Neptunian retrograde brought you. If you had a breakthrough at work, continue to work with that sense of motivation. If inspiration struck for a passion project, make sure you write down your entire vision now. You can still bring your brilliant ideas to fruition now, even if they don't spring forth fully formed from your imagination.

The one way in which we'll all benefit from Neptune going direct is the extent to which we'll get out of our own heads. As much as getting in touch with our internal selves can breed creativity, it can also prompt more feelings of self-doubt or the desire to overanalyze situations that didn't go our way. If Neptune's retrograde had you feeling a little too self-aware, you can relax now and turn your focus outward.