Neptune Retrograde Is Bringing Overdue Reality Checks, According to an Astrologer

While planetary retrogrades really don't deserve all the blame they get, it's possible Neptune retrograde, which happens annually, is the reason you have to face some cold, hard truths. Even if you don't consider yourself a hopeless romantic, idealist, or someone whose head is perpetually in the clouds, it can be tough to contend with reality checks. After all, everyday life is stressful — we deserve to wear rose-colored glasses, don't we?

It bears noting that this effect of Neptune retrograde, and especially Neptune retrograde in 2024, could be challenging to recognize. Because unlike Mercury retrograde, which is a faster-moving planets, Neptune moves slowly, taking 165 years to make one trip around the sun and the zodiac. It also spends approximately 14 years in each zodiac sign. Still, it's quite possible to notice the effects of Neptune retrograde, especially if it hits your birth chart.

Named for the God of the Sea, Neptune, the planet of spirituality, dreams, the unconscious, karma, and all things mystical, fuels your imagination, empathy, and creativity. But it also clouds your perspective, sometimes in a way that's actually quite welcomed.

If you're not exactly ready to face the facts about a particular relationship, behavioral pattern, or responsibilities you need to take on, Neptune's the planet that makes it possible to tell yourself everything is OK. But when Neptune is retrograde, which occurs for about five months per year, it has a very different influence.

Read on for the meaning of Neptune retrograde, and details on how the planet of dreams stands to affect us as it moves backward in 2024.

In 2024, Neptune will be retrograde in mutable water sign Pisces, from July 2 to Dec. 7. Neptune has been in its home sign of Pisces since 2011. Next year, it will move into Aries, which will signal a major shift in all the areas of life that Neptune has an influence on, like how society experiences spirituality and aspects of life that involve illusion, like social media.

In order to get a sense of what Neptune retrograde means, it's helpful to understand how the planet of spirituality functions when it's direct (aka moving forward). Neptune's purpose is to cloud rational thought, for better or worse. Though it's obviously not helpful or healthy to perpetually delude ourselves about, well, just about anything, life would feel extra tough if we had to constantly face harsh realities.

It can even be healthy to take timeouts from the everyday grind to express yourself creatively, get lost in daydreams, or enjoy your favorite form of escapism, whether that's reading fantasy novels or role-playing with your partner. In any of these cases, Neptune is the planet running the show.

But when Neptune is retrograde, it's tougher to ignore challenges occurring in whatever area of life the planet is activating. (You can get a sense of what that is by reading your horoscope below and zeroing in on your rising sign.) You'll need to face the reality of the matter, which can be grueling, to be sure, but also provide the opportunity for growth.

Just like other planets' retrogrades, Neptune's retrograde flips the switch from the external to the internal. While Neptune is direct, it can inspire you to explore your imagination and express your spirituality in outward ways, perhaps through your favorite artistic outlet or by trading notes on heartfelt beliefs with like minded friends. But when Neptune is retrograde, you're nudged to navigate the themes of the planet mentally and emotionally. Whatever comes up for you during this period might be smart to explore in therapy or another healing, therapeutic modality, like mindfulness or meditation.

When it comes to Neptune's 2024 retrograde, people who have their sun or other astrological placements in the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces will feel it more than others. If you want to get even more specific, see if any of your "big six" (sun, moon, rising, Mercury, Venus, and Mars) birth chart placements fall around 27 to 29 degrees of a mutable sign. If so, you'll feel this one more than most.

Here's how the 2024 Neptune retrograde will affect your zodiac sign. Be sure to read your rising sign as well as your sun sign.

While Neptune moves backward through your twelfth house of spirituality, Aries, you'll be feeling like carving out time for more self-work and solo self-reflection. You could uncover deep, meaningful truths about your psyche and psychological wounds that you're now committed to and capable of healing.

While Neptune is retrograde, Taurus, it moves backward in your eleventh house of networking, which can dole out some overdue fact checks about your community as well as friendships, teams, and groups you associate with. You may find that your values really aren't as aligned as you thought they were. It's time to do some inner work that will allow you to connect with people who actually share your principles and feel like home.

Neptune's retrograde falls in your tenth house of career and public image, Gemini, causing you to open your eyes to tough truths related to your professional path. It could be that the road you've been doggedly pursuing simply isn't working for you anymore, because, well, your heart just isn't in it. Or you might realize that the higher-ups you've been seeking recognition from just aren't worthy of your energy. Getting real about any intuitive message like this can set the stage for greater fulfillment and success.

Neptune retrograde is happening in your ninth house of adventure and higher learning, Cancer, which can cause you to reflect on your big picture philosophies and desires to find grass that's greener beyond what you already know. It could be that any restlessness you've been feeling is rooted in deep-seated, unexplored emotions. Your willingness to be vulnerable and do the work to heal can ultimately lay the groundwork for personal growth.

Neptune's retrograde occurs in your eighth house of emotional bonds and intimacy, Leo, encouraging you to look at the reality of your closest relationships. If you've been putting a rom-com filter over a problematic situation, it's time to get a bit uncomfortable and manage whatever's been going awry for a while now. This is also the sector of joint resources, so it may also be time to get real about shared finances and come up with a workable game plan.

Neptune's retrograde activates your seventh house of partnership, Virgo, so it's time to face the truth underlying one-on-one relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or professional. You love to be of service, are adaptable, and work so hard, but putting your nose to the grindstone isn't exactly a solution now. Instead, turning inward and understanding your own values and boundaries is necessary to ensure that you're showing up in partnerships in the healthiest possible way.

Neptune's retrograde occurs in your sixth house of wellness, Libra, so you'll be looking at the realities of your day-to-day routine and how you're tending to your well-being. If you've been pushing yourself to the point of burnout or refusing to say "no," this moment is an opportunity to acknowledge it's time for change, and those changes could be rooted in doing work around how you define and value your health and productivity.

Neptune is retrograde in your fifth house of romance and self-expression, Scorpio. This transit is all about being honest with yourself about your relationship to spontaneity, creativity, owning and sharing your voice, and connecting with friends and loved ones in a fun-loving, lighthearted way. It could be that you've been working so hard that all of these empowering aspects of life just aren't getting enough airtime, so you'll do well to explore how you can make more room for well-deserved joy.

This Neptune retrograde is happening in your fourth house of home life, Sagittarius, which means it's time to reflect on emotional wounds, what brings you a sense of security, and any other family- or domestic sphere-related issues that you've been brushing under the rug. Whether you're realizing that patterns you grew up with are affecting your love life or you have yet to truly express your deepest needs to loved ones, getting real with yourself — and then, your nearest and dearest — could prove healing.

Neptune's retrograde is in your third house of communication, Capricorn, and with the planet of spirituality in this already creative, curious zone, your imagination has been soaring. But while Neptune moves backward, you could be stirred to find ways to apply your imagination, spirituality, and dreams to practical circumstances. For example, you may be more apt to share your intuitive feelings in a direct, to-the-point way with friends or to apply a longheld daydream to an ongoing collaborative project.

Neptune moves backward through your second house of income, Aquarius, which means you'll be looking at your moneymaking game plans and financial picture through a new, more realistic lens. If you've been pouring time and energy into income-boosting strategies that simply don't align with your values or aren't reflective of your self-worth, now's your chance to be honest with yourself about that and move in a more satisfying — and ultimately, rewarding — direction.

Neptune is retrograde in your sign and first house of self, Pisces, so you'll be encouraged to face the facts related to how you've been thinking about your "personal brand" and presenting yourself out in the world. It could be that how you're showing up for others isn't quite in line with how you feel about yourself, and this period is for digging into any disparity there. You can also devote more spiritual energy to nurturing your inner well-being and cultivating more self-love.

Maressa Brown is a journalist, author, and astrologer. Her areas of expertise include writing, reporting, and editing lifestyle, pop culture, and parenting content that's both conversational and substantive. In addition to contributing to POPSUGAR, she writes for a variety of consumer-facing publications including InStyle, Parents, and Shape, and was previously an editor at Cosmopolitan and CafeMom.