When you’re floating on a fluffy white cloud, when it feels like you’re stoned though you know that you’re not, when you have to pinch yourself hard to be sure what’s happening is real – we all know exactly what it means. You’ve fallen head over heels for ‘Mr/Miss Perfect’!

But wait a minute, there’s also a little voice telling you it’s too good to be true – and sure enough, it’s unlikely to last. Some day soon you’ll come crashing down to earth with a horrible thud and find that Neptune – love's dreamweaver/great deceiver – has made a fool of you once again!

 

Bubbles Have a Tendency to Burst

Let’s get things straight – not always that easy where tricky Neptune is concerned. On the one hand, this is the planet associated with love in its purest and its most intensely romantic form, a love that is based on our highest hopes, our loftiest ideals, and our most cherished dreams.

 

But it’s not all sweetness and light with this planet. In astrology, Neptune is also well known for deception, delusion, betrayal and let-down – maybe because, in affairs of the heart, things are never quite as they first appear and bubbles always have a tendency to burst.

The Muse Behind Every Sad Love Song

Sounds a bit tragic? Well yes, but then the big lesson of Neptune is that unless it is of the selfless, unconditional kind, love usually ends in pain. The muse behind every sad love song, through our suffering Neptune brings us closer in touch with our creativity – and thus with our true, spiritual selves.

Sex? Well, as you might guess, there’s not necessarily a lot of that going on here. In fact our libido is often noticeably weakened under the influence of this planet as it gently leads us away from the physical plane towards more elevated levels of being. 

That said, when sex does happen under the influence of Neptune, it tends to be very special indeed, meeting all the promises held out in romantic fiction! This, in its highest form, is sacred – or tantric – sex through which we achieve at-oneness with our lover not simply in a carnal sense, but also at a soul level. 


Love of the Unconditional Kind

Yes, you’re probably getting the picture now. Neptune is essentially a spiritual energy, and as such the love it engenders is an unselfish love that asks for little in return – an unconditional love that is capable of sustaining itself under all circumstances – a love that recognizes the divinity in the other person and sees only the good in them. 

Right, well here’s the big catch and where we often get ourselves into major trouble: In inspiring us to focus on the best in someone, Neptune puts us at risk of ignoring their faults and failings, seeing them not as they really are but only as we would like them to be.


When the Rose-Tinted Glasses Fall Off

What happens, though, when our rose-tinted glasses eventually fall off and we have to confront reality? Well, firstly we’re likely to complain bitterly that the other person has changed in some way – whereas the only thing that has genuinely changed is our own perception and awareness. 

Then, when the disillusionment gets too much to bear – because Neptune tends to make us a bit wimpish – instead of bringing our grievances into the open, we’ll be on the look-out for a sneaky exit. And so it is that one lie leads to another, and we’re soon caught in a tangled web of deception that suffocates everything in its wake.

Staying Grounded While Holding Onto the Dream

So how to spare ourselves all this bad karma? Most importantly, whenever this planet is a strong factor in a relationship – whether by astrological cross-aspect, by transit or in one or the other person’s birth chart – then honesty is key. To survive a Neptunian love affair without getting our heart broken, we have to be willing to face the truth – about ourselves, about the other person, about the relationship – however hard that may sometimes be.

At its highest level, Neptune symbolizes platonic love in its true meaning of ‘love for the individual that inspires contemplation of the universal’. But in order to reach such heights, the two people must also have their feet firmly planted on the ground. They must be able to accept the crude realities of their earthly relationship, while still holding onto their celestial dream.