Neptune Retrograde in Pisces 2024 Horoscope: What’s in Store for You From July 2 to December 7
Make the most of the mystical planet’s backspin
Believe it or not, yet another planet is going retrograde, and while we tend to hear that this planetary phenomenon does nothing but wreak havoc, the truth is that retrogrades come with both challenges and valuable lessons. The next planet to go retrograde is providing a healthy dose of reality. Up until the very end of the year, Neptune retrograde 2024 will whisk off your rose-colored glasses you’ve been wearing in a particular area of life (more on that in a moment) and offer wake-up calls.
From Tuesday, July 2, to Saturday, December 7, the planet of spirituality, dreams, the unconscious and karma, will appear to move backward from our perspective here on Earth. In 2024, Neptune retrograde occurs in the mutable water sign Pisces, which is co-ruled by Neptune itself as well as Jupiter, the planet of fortune. The key effect of this transit: If you’ve been swept up in a fantasy, daydream or illusion about a particular relationship, behavior or other pattern or situation in your life, Neptune retrograde will nudge you to face facts that are too crucial to ignore. And seeing the light can lead to personal growth. Here’s what to know to make the most of this five-month transit.
What is the meaning of Neptune retrograde?
Neptune, the planet that oversees dreams and spirituality, has a rational thought-clouding effect, which you might find appealing more often than not. If you’ve been protecting yourself from the cold hard truth of a particularly stressful situation — instead, preferring to feel hopeful, idealistic or even escapist — it could be the planet that’s fueling that point of view. While it’s not exactly a point of pride to bury your head in the sand, self-delusion can be merely self-protective.
But annually, for five months out of the year, Neptune slows down before appearing to move backward from our vantage point here on Earth. And when this occurs, Neptune’s typically fact-blurring effect is put on pause, leaving in its wake reality checks that we might be overdue to take in. For instance, if it’s been clear for some time that a certain friendship is causing you nothing but grief, but you’ve been making excuses or always trying to focus on the bright side versus accept the difficult reality of the matter, Neptune retrograde could make it so that difficult reality is impossible to ignore any longer. When these reality checks pop up, you might need to face disappointment and devote yourself to a period of healing, but ultimately, seeing and accepting the truth can help you evolve mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
And speaking of inner work, Neptune retrograde, like all retrogrades, encourages you to go inward. While direct (or moving forward), the mystical planet supports your ability to engage in external imaginative efforts, like exploring your emotions through an artistic outlet. But when it’s retrograde, you’ll find you can make the most of Neptune’s effects when you’re engaging in self-reflection or self-work that promotes emotional well-being, such as therapy or meditation.
What is Neptune retrograde in Pisces?
Every planet in our solar system moves at a different pace and pattern through the zodiac, and Neptune’s cycle is notably slower than a planet that’s closer to the sun, like Mercury or Venus. Neptune takes about 164 years to make its way through all 12 zodiac signs and spends about 14 years in a sign. And since 2011, the planet of dreams has been in the sign it rules, Pisces, the empathic, emotional, artistic mutable water sign.
When Neptune is direct in Pisces, it works overtime to enhance your imagination, ability to step back from reality and get swept up in a fantasy, desire to heal yourself and others and to dive into highly creative pursuits. But when Neptune is retrograde in the sign of the Fish, it urges you to get real about all the ways in which you might be deluding yourself and, in turn, holding yourself back from true, overdue healing.
During Cancer season and Scorpio season, you’ll gain confidence
On July 21, the vitality-bringing sun in heartfelt, sentimental water sign Cancer forms a harmonizing trine to Neptune retrograde, which can enhance your sensitivity, psychic abilities, empathy and ability to work through challenges that could be coming up for you in your inner work. And later in the year, on November 18, this aspect recurs when the sun is moving through another water sign, dynamic, intimacy-seeking Scorpio.
Go-getter Mars squares off against Neptune to bring more clarity
When action-oriented Mars, the planet of energy, in fellow mutable sign Gemini, forms a challenging square to Neptune on September 3, you could feel disheartened and low on energy, because it’ll be tougher than usual to hit the gas on your goals. But paying attention to underlying forces, feelings and influences now — and dealing with them head-on — could help you to be even more productive moving forward.
2024’s Neptune retrograde in Pisces occurs at the same time as major change-bringing moments
While Neptune is retrograde, we’ll go through the second, change-bringing eclipse season of 2024, which features the lunar eclipse and full moon in Pisces on September 17 and solar eclipse and new moon in Libra on October 2. The September eclipse is not only intensely emotional but involves the same area of life that Neptune retrograde has been shedding light on for you, given that both are happening in Pisces. You could find that by being up for accepting the facts of a certain matter, you’re even more prepared to step into a thrilling new chapter.
Here, how Neptune’s retrograde in Pisces will affect you based on your sign. (Be sure to read both your sun and your rising sign if you know it. If you don’t, you can find it in your birth chart or by using this CafeAstrology calculator.)
What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Aries
Neptune retrograde in your spirituality zone brings your attention to the ways in which you might be less than honest about caring for your mental and emotional well-being. Now’s your chance to acknowledge the truth about difficult wounds that you’d do well to address and be more proactive. Welcome opportunities for introspection and prioritize your inner peace, and you’ll be right on track.
Click through for more on Aries.
What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Taurus
Neptune retrograde falls in your networking and friendship sector, which spotlights the underlying truth about platonic bonds that might not be what they seem. It’s possible that your connection to a particular team, community or even group of old friends from your past just isn’t serving you as well as it used to — or, perhaps, it never did. Getting real about this can be painful, but it could also make room for acceptance, forgiveness and moving forward.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Gemini
This Neptune retrograde highlights your career zone, which means its time to face realities related to your professional path that you tend to brush aside. Perhaps the ultimate goal you’ve had in mind for a while now just isn’t aligned with how you now define success or higher-ups you used to respect and admire aren’t actually the role models you had hoped they’d be. Either way, spending time reflecting on these themes now can lead you to the best next step.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Cancer
This Neptune retrograde is happening in your adventure and higher-learning zone, which can drum up uncharacteristic wanderlust and cravings to get out of your comfort zone. You might find that you generally quiet this urge because it doesn’t feel realistic to pursue, but during Neptune retrograde, it’s tougher to resist, which could actually lead to personal growth! You’ll also be flirting with new perspectives and philosophies, both of which could broadne your horizons.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Leo
Neptune moves backward through your intimacy zone, allowing you to get clear on what could be holding you back from feeling fulfilled in your sex life as well as in terms of joint resources you share with a loved one. Exactly how comfortable you are within these close bonds is more apparent now, and you’ll be empowered to voice and fulfill your truest desires. And if you’ve been wanting to get a straightforward read on the current state of your savings, earning or investments, you’ll find you have the wind in your sails now.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Virgo
Neptune retrograde happens in your partnership sector, which removes your rose-colored glasses within your one-on-one relationships, whether with a friend, loved one, significant other or business partner. You could find that if you’ve been buying into a particular narrative about this person and/or your connection that simply isn’t built on concrete ground, the reality of the matter can’t help but rear its ugly head now. At the same time, when it comes to people you share a truly solid connection with, you might find this transit lends itself to enjoying even deeper bonding opportunities.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Libra
Falling in your wellness and daily routine zone, Neptune retrograde requires you to face the facts about how you’ve been going about your everyday hustle and caring for your health. You could find that you’ve been putting others first in a way that is sacrificing your self-care and well-being and resentment has been creeping in. Or, because this sector also involves our day-to-day work, you could be noticing cracks in the foundation of your job or relationships with colleagues. Either way, accepting the reality of the matter now can only help you improve the situation.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Scorpio
With Saturn retrograde falling in your romance and self-expression zone, you’re about to get real about just how much room you’re making in your life for fun, playfulness, creativity, joy and spontaneity. If you’ve been feeling stressed because you could use more downtime and opportunities to follow your heart, Neptune retrograde will nudge you to do something about it. Prioritizing time with loved ones now can be especially fulfilling.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Sagittarius
Neptune will be retrograde in your home zone, so prepare to see the truth of an ongoing matter related to loved ones, emotional wounds, your actual domestic space or sense of security. While this might sound daunting, getting a lay of the actual terrain you’re dealing with in this part of your life can end up feeling informative and, in turn, empowering. You will do well to tune into and trust your intuition to figure out the best way to navigate bumps in the road that arise in this part of your life.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Capricorn
Neptune moves backward through your communication sector, bringing your attention to how you’ve been expressing yourself, learning and engaging with friends and colleagues. It’s possible you’ve been pursuing paths in this area of your life that aren’t entirely in line with what you want in your heart of hearts. Or you could simply be inspired to let your imagination and spirituality shine more than usual when interacting with others while Neptune is retrograde. In short, you’ll feel more aligned with your cerebral energy.
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Aquarius
Neptune will be retrograde in your money zone, which means you’ll gain clarity around financial matters — the ways in which you’ve been earning and bringing your skills to the table on the job — as well as your values and your self-worth. This could sound intimidating, but it can also be truly productive to take a step back and become more aware of what’s real and what’s possible versus what’s not. And it could leave you feeling more confident about what you deserve to go to bat for!
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What Neptune retrograde 2024 means for Pisces
Neptune, one of your ruling planets, will be retrograde in your sign, which boosts your awareness around how you’ve been representing yourself, your self-image, your confidence and passion projects. It’s possible that particular fears, insecurities or delusions have been holding you back from standing as fully in your sense of self as you’ve wanted to, but this transit allows you to identify and potentially even blast past those feelings. You’ll nurture your faith in your own abilities.
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