The Epilogue of Neptune in Pisces
A Fog Lifts…But From What?
Here in the Winter of 2025 a peculiar sense of ambiguity permeates, both in events – will they or won’t they? – and also in the larger narrative explanation of what this all means and where it leads us. To understand what is happening now is a great puzzle maze of shifting borders and directions, unsolvable on its face. That is unless you have The Calendar at your disposal, in which case structure and clarity can be found in the misty forest we seem to be traversing. Accordingly the present moment can be referred to as the “Epilogue of Neptune in Pisces” because that is what it is.
Neptune is a slow planet that spends around fourteen years in a given sign, the present one being Pisces. All slow planets, by virtue of their long transit periods, produce “eras” wherein their significations persist for long enough to establish norms that we come to accept as permanent. The times prior are so long in the past that they are of “another time” and there is no reason to believe that the present conditions will suddenly change. That is incorrect, but when the times will again change is treated as a great unknowable and the domain of speculators, grifters, and fools. Instead of listening to those amateurs or our own ephemeral perceptions we are much better served by consulting The Calendar because it offers an objective, unchangeable, and inalterable set of criteria with which to understand the moment. As you will see this behavior is somewhat out of step with the times we have been in. So let us now examine those times and we’ll see if you can put together why that is.
The nature of planetary movements – wherein they sometimes appear to enter a retrograde motion (moving backwards in the sky), creates a buffer or transitional season at the beginning and end of these longer periods of their transit through each sign. The first of these buffer seasons acts as a kind of preview of the coming longer period while the one near the end of the transit acts as a wrap-up of what came before. That first period – the initial ingress of say, Neptune, into a sign is what we will call the Prologue. It introduces some themes and lets you know what sort of thing is coming up in the approaching new ‘era’ before you actually enter it into it fully. The final period – when Neptune has retrograded back into a sign after having previously left it – is the Epilogue. This season serves to punctuate and summarize the preceding fourteen-year period and it provides understanding and judgment of its themes. Those themes are no longer developing or upcoming but are things that have already happened and are now reaching some degree of finality. During the Epilogue we are typically shown the answers to the questions that have developed over fourteen years, showing us exactly what has been going on while pointing us toward what it will mean going forward. It is in the Epilogue that we learn the consequences of the ‘era’ gone by.
This structure exists for all long planetary time periods but to understand any individual one it is necessary to examine the specific nature of the sign it occurs in as well as the planet itself. Think of the sign as a territory through which that planet is traversing. The territory has particular physical characteristics and the planet is an active party, with its own way of doing things, passing through that territory. For example consider a territory that is muddy and strewn with rivers and mountains versus one that is a long and flat desert landscape. Now send a traveler through that territory in a vehicle fitted with giant mud tires. In the first territory they will have a much easier time because the tools they have at their disposal are well-suited for the terrain. In the second they will experience serious challenges because their ways and means are ill-suited for the terrain. In our discussion Neptune is that traveler and Pisces is that terrain. To achieve some degree of understanding of the “Neptune in Pisces” era we need merely examine the territorial traits of Pisces and the ways of action of Neptune, then make some inference about what their interaction is likely to produce.
Starting with the territory let’s examine the sign of Pisces. Remember that signs are elemental so Pisces and other signs cannot be described as anything other than what they are. Pisces is not “like” something else it is Pisces. Interpreters of the Calendar already understand these elements well and use many shorthand keywords or tells to refer to and identify them but there are some useful criteria that serve as guidelines worth noting here. To evaluate a sign we can use four base criteria: the element, the ruling planet, the modality, and the polarity. In the case of Pisces these are: water, Jupiter, mutable, and feminine. Each of these criteria provide data about one aspect or another of the sign and combining them allows us to infer specifics about the nature of the sign/element and how to recognize it. Importantly these criteria act as guardrails which ensure compatibility of interpretation between different parties. With that in mind, let’s review what has been previously said here about Pisces:
While that is the broadest description of Pisces we can zero in on a few key factors that will help us to discuss the territory. Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac and is ruled by the planet of Jupiter, which deals with understanding and is known to affirm. It is mutable water sign so this is a territory where things are very flexible and changeable, where boundaries are permeable and are generally seen as unimportant. As a feminine sign is it of a receptive and reflective nature, as opposed to generative and active. During any period of time with heavy Pisces involvement we can expect to find themes of acceptance, belief, faith, cosmology, and general understanding of things and the world (and the truths of the world). Being the final sign of the zodiacal cycle Pisces is where conclusions and judgement about the entire cycle are found.
Turning to the traveler let us first remember that Neptune is a destroyer. With the planets there are two core groups – those which form and create events/time and whose who act as a solvent dismantling the bonds already formed by the other planets. More politely we could describe the second group as planets who add by subtracting. These planets all do the same function more or less, but they vary in their method and manner of performing that action. In the case of Neptune it is known to “dissolve.” It is frequently described as being an illusory fog, soft focus, or delusion which obscures that which is real, solid, or permanent. Neptune will always obscure perception and it will always eventually dissolve that obscured perception. The key is that Neptune is using illusion to reveal the stark, cold, bare bones truth.
If you have ever experienced something which seemed promising and solid slip through your fingers seemingly out of your control that was probably the influence of Neptune at work. It is often subtle and without fanfare but always very effective. The thing which seemed one way to you was not and Neptune is merely disabusing you of your false notion. While this is often experienced as disappointment Neptune is occasionally a rather positive experience. It is neutral and will happily dismantle your false and destructive notions just the same as it will strip away your better fantasies and dreams. Neptune is applying a solution and its manner of taking action is to first obscure, then dissolve what cannot or should not withstand it, then move on leaving you with the results of its work.
Neptune takes 165 years to complete a full cycle around the zodiac so it is always somewhere, doing something, in fourteen-year increments. It is the constant presence of Neptune’s actions against the territory of that sign during those fourteen years which creates the Neptunian part of the ‘era,’ and in our recent lives we have been subject to this in the sign of Pisces. The Calendar stacks many cycles atop each other and their combined influence creates the full picture. Which parts of the era are attributable to Neptune in Pisces can be difficult to know as they are happening (Neptune’s fault) but it is in the Epilogue portion of the cycle that this changes, so let’s explore the structural element of this to understand why.
Firstly, the Prologue of Neptune in Pisces was from April 4 through August 4, 2011. During these four months we could expect to find various themes, topics, and story-lines emerge that would prove to be foundational, persistent, and important for the duration of the period. After that time Neptune regressed to the previous sign of Aquarius, only returning to Pisces on February 3, 2012, thereby beginning the core Neptune in Pisces period. On March 30, 2025 Neptune entered the following sign of Aries, returning back to Pisces on October 22, 2025, beginning the Epilogue of Neptune in Pisces. This lasts until January 26, 2026, after which time The Calendar moves on to the Neptune in Aries period, not returning to Pisces again for 150 years.
Let us to note that the specific dates are important. According to The Calendar these boundaries are significant and we must interpret things accordingly. If it occurred between August 5th, 2011 and February 2, 2012, it was not Neptune in Pisces. This is unambiguous and applies similarly to the March 30-October 21, 2025 season, which was also not Neptune in Pisces. In our interpretation of Neptune in Pisces these interstitial/transitional moments can be useful in providing a contrasting season within the longer period, during which time we can make note of what becomes notably absent. If something novel is introduced during the Neptune in Pisces period and then seems to almost immediately dissipate when Neptune leaves the sign it is a strong indication that it is a pure product of the Neptune interaction with Pisces – a kind of side effect of the dissolution process – rather than a creation likely to have long-lasting impact. These things exist in order to effect the destruction of something else so when Neptune exits the sign that which propels them exits as well, presumably because Neptune’s task of destroying is more or less complete or at least set thoroughly into motion.
In regards to the Neptune in Pisces era itself we can infer many things using just the significations of the sign and planet as already discussed. Combining a territory where things are very permeable, changeable, and which is associated with conclusions and affirmation of faith we can expect that major topics being dissolved by Neptune in that time will relate to beliefs, cosmology, and people’s general understanding of the world, namely what they accept to be true about it. Neptune’s mode of action is to apply the fog, the soft focus, and delusional certainty. It is not difficult to see that in Pisces it will find a very ripe terrain, one that is highly susceptible to Neptune’s ability to alter how we perceive things. We can expect such a period to be highly deceptive and to change and generate belief systems at an astonishing clip. This is a time when people will embrace concepts, ideas, and views of the world with little resistance, and then fervently affirm them. It is certain that such a time period will create fashionable new religions, leading people far from previous paths in the process. It will feature the dissolution of things like boundaries, discipline, and traditions. The ease of crossing lines considered substantial in the past is greatly increased as Neptune casts its fog over the lines and obscures the reasoning that created them in the first place. At the end of the period most of these new beliefs and perspectives will rapidly dissolve, seeming even foolish in retrospect.
We must understand that the territory through which Neptune traverses is being destroyed. This a clean-up operation which separates that which is deeply rooted and structurally sound from that which is flimsy and easily carried off in the fog. New concepts enter during this period in order to supplant previous ones that lack the structural integrity to resist it. At the end of the period the great majority of those new concepts will themselves be revealed as false, temporary, and illusory. As soon as they depart from relevance – typically in the last parts of the time period – we are left with what was before, now stripped, buffed, and starkly revealed in a clear light. The first opportunity to identify the results and consequences of a Neptune period come when the planet moves onto the next sign. This was the Prologue period of Aries that we enjoyed(?) in the middle of 2025. During that time the fuel of Neptune was withdrawn from the Pisces territory and many things ran out of propellant as a result. That which quickly fell-away during the Aries Prologue is almost certain to disappear completely once the full Aries period begins in early 2026.
Themes which drove the core of the Neptune in Pisces period will emerge loudly again during the Epilogue season, at which time they will be subject to a sort of judgment on merit. If it originated post-2012 it is likely of this era and if it is being featured loudly during the Epilogue period it is certain to be so. Further, actions people take in this time are likely to be direct products of the new paths they set upon during the preceding fourteen years. For those who have embraced now-fading delusions this can mark the final comeuppance of those ideas. For most, the shedding of the newly acquired ideas had begun prior and will be more or less completed in this time. The epilogue period serves to wrap-up the fourteen-year arc of Neptune in Pisces. It shows us what went on and reveals quite a bit of the why. It demands that we reconcile this before proceeding onto the next territory, the wildly different Aries.
The end of Neptune in Pisces will mark the end of many great deceptions, lies, and unsustainable beliefs. The experience of Neptune departing is one of a fantastical, wishful perception fading and being replaced with a clear sense of the real and measurable substance behind that idea. Often it will be much less appealing than it previously seemed and sometimes it will prevail, but it will always be different. It is possible to not be deceived during this time, and to have acquired new and fruitful ways of thinking about the world, but it is also uncommon for that to be the case. Neptune is here to destroy and for the past fourteen years it has been applying this activity to Pisces and all that which is formed under it. Now, in the Epilogue of Neptune in Pisces, we are being shown what is really behind the curtain.
Disappointment is a personal favorite keyword for Neptune activity. This must also be balanced with the more optimistic perspective – that which we believe, affirm, and trust has been challenged by this transit and our ideas and perceptions in that area will become much more reliable in the future as a result. This is because the future is more realistic, less hazy, and less porous. In many ways we’ll find ourselves missing these times – they made up a significant portion of our lives – but we’ll also be very relieved to see them go. Neptune in Pisces is a very challenging period because it dissolves that which is oldest and most rooted. Pisces, being the ending sign of the zodiac, is a place of conclusions. To have those conclusions debased can be like losing the ability to steer your ship, sending you drifting in whichever direction the waves have in mind.
At some point over the last fourteen years you probably found yourself on an island somewhere or in some way, carried there under powerful currents which seemed to meet little resistance. In these last weeks of Neptune in Pisces it will become more clear why that was, what your time on the island was about, and how the experience changed the direction you are facing now. And then all at once at the very end of January you will come to appreciate that the entirety of the fourteen years was itself a great island adventure. In response to this you can expect rapid and significant changes to occur come Spring. Some of it will be shocking at first but quickly we’ll come to see that it is all much more normal than what we’ve become used to. It will also mark a return to a brand of stability that seems nearly forgotten after so long.
Neptune has many tricks – one of them is to hide things from us while it does its work – and Pisces is a difficult territory to have hidden for so long. A key feature of Neptune leaving will be the removal of a great impediment from Pisces and the result will be a restoration of clarity around Pisces themes. Next year pay attention when you notice that something is “back” after what feels like an eternity, because that will most likely be Pisces.
