Jupiter square Neptune: addiction is always a choice

Let’s be honest. Is there any among you who can say they are not addicted to anything? I certainly can’t. Whether it be a glass of wine of an evening, a favourite television show, facebook, exercise, marijuana, food, martyrdom, relationships, sex, admiration, video games, romance novels, cigarettes, chick flicks or pornography, we all crave that delicious dopomine rush and sometimes we crave it more than others.

During Jupiter square Neptune the lure of addiction can be particularly strong. Neptune in difficult aspect makes us prone to escapism, we try to transcend the hardship and mundanity of our reality through illusions and fantasy. On the other hand afflicted Jupiter is all about excess. You can understand how things can easily get out of hand.

With Jupiter square Neptune for most of this year, many of you will be feeling the lure of addiction quite strongly. This is particularly the case if you have planets or points between 13 and 21 degrees of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces). It may also affect you more strongly if you have Neptune or Jupiter afflicted in your natal chart.

In my chart, for example, transiting Jupiter is conjunct natal Neptune at 17 degrees Sagittarius. This means transiting Neptune is squaring its own natal position. It’s been a tough year for me (see my post on Saturn conjunct Pluto for details) and I’ve certainly been indulging in a little more escapism than usual. This isn’t in itself wrong. However it’s important to recognise when a behaviour we label as self-calming starts to become self-harming.

Jupiter square Neptune: where are we at right now?

A Jupiter square Neptune transit occurs once every 3 to 7 years. Due to retrograde motion the planets can make between one and three contacts. This time round it connects three times: on 13 January, 16 June and finally on 21 September. Right now we are still experiencing the impact of the second contact, with Jupiter at 16 degrees Sagittarius and Neptune at 18 degrees Pisces. Both planets have already turned retrograde, turning us inward in our perspective.

Now that Jupiter square Neptune has made its second contact, and retrograde motion is giving us pause for reflection, you, like me, may be experiencing a kind of awakening. Perhaps you’re noticing where you’re using certain behaviours or substances as a means of avoiding or denying your own truth. Perhaps you are recognising how, although escapist behaviours give us a little respite from our troubles, afterwards they return with greater force.

When Jupiter square Neptune makes its final contact in September, perhaps we will be able to harness its energy in a more positive way. Neptune can bring us into a deep understanding of the oneness of all things, while Jupiter expands our horizons and allows us to grow. Both are currently in the signs they naturally rule so there is great potential here to use this transit for our own growth and development.

Working with Jupiter square Neptune

Our society has a taboo around addiction. Most people are unwilling to admit they have a problem with it because to do so would open them up to feelings of shame and judgement from those around them. Over time addiction has been labeled as a sickness, a mental illness and even, in the case of many drugs, as a crime. This is very unhelpful because in order to overcome addiction we need to acknowledge it.

Because, despite how powerfully it may have you in its grasp, addiction is a choice. It may be the most difficult choice you will ever have to make. But it is still your decision. Either you give your power over to escapist behaviours or pull that power back and choose a path that leads through hardship and into wellbeing.

Jupiter square Neptune is an opportunity to look closely at how you deal with difficult emotions and hardship. Do you look things full in the face and take on life’s challenges with courage and conviction? Or do you do whatever you can to avoid those painful feelings, that difficult conversation? Are you girding up your loins or hiding like the proverbial ostrich with your head in the sand?

Overcoming addiction is hard. Sometimes asking for the help and support we need to overcome it can be even harder. However the rewards of once again living from a place of clarity and empowerment make the hardship more than worthwhile. I for one want to live my life in awareness. How about you?

How is Jupiter square Neptune affecting you?

Do you, or have you ever, struggled with addiction? Have you found the current Jupiter square Neptune transit exacerbating these tendancies? Please share your experiences below so we can all learn and grow together.