Neptune is a dreamy, dozy, foggy planet regularly associated with addiction, escapism and substance abuse. Astrologers see it all the time; this principle works in practice.
It will no doubt come as a great surprise to my readers to learn that yours truly was once more intimate with this shadowy face of Neptune than you would expect from so civilised a fellow! But it is true. It can happen to the best of us! ;-)
I have the Sun located in the 12th House of my natal chart (in both western and Vedic astrology). Modern western astrology considers Neptune the ruler of the sign Pisces, which as the 12th sign of the zodiac, corresponds to the 12th House.
I also have Neptune in the 1st House ("I am Neptunian") if you look at my western astrology chart. Furthermore, Venus and Neptune are in Conjunction in my chart, and in terms of Vedic astrology Venus is my Ascendant Ruler. So, you see, I couldn't help it!! ;-)
Anyway, I want to tell you a true story.
It was early in June of 2004 that one evening, after much hearty merrymaking at a friend's birthday party, myself and a few of Neptune's other loyal subjects gathered for some (if I must call a spade a spade) marijuana smoking. Well, the pipe that was proffered on this historic occasion had a rather large bowl, so that lighting it good and proper called for a stout hearted smoker. I was such an one!
As the pipe was offered there may or may not have been a warning attached, but even if there had been, I considered myself far too experienced to need or heed such drivel. I was feeling strong and feisty (much wine had been quaffed during the preceding hours), and like a fearless Viking I motioned to have the pipe sent my way so that it could be ignited without further ado. My companions obliged.
Well, I not only lit the pipe, I took a mighty big puff thereafter for good measure.
A few moments later, quite suddenly, I felt extremely peculiar, unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I thought at first that the fellow who had filled and who passed me the pipe, and who is a self-declared alchemist of sorts, had cast a spell on me! What else could this be? I tried to push this ... this... weird stuff out of me. It was like some boiling, bubbling liquid. It seemed to be working for a moment and then it totally flooded me.
I ran!! I just had to get away from where I was and had no idea what else to do.
Well, I ran straight into a fence in the pitch dark night and rebounded onto the ground. Then I just sat there looking up at myself floating in the sky, while looking down at myself sprawled on the ground. I prayed for reassurance that the sane world I used to inhabit still existed out there somewhere, even though I would probably never be able to return there again. There are no words to describe the experience...
To cut a long story short it was not marijuana I lit up so lustily that night. It was a plant called Salvia Divinorum , or "Diviners Sage". Don't try this at home!!
Here's an extract on Salvia Divinorum from the Wikipaedia:
"Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner’s Sage,[2] ska María Pastora,[3] Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is a powerful psychoactive herb which can induce strong dissociative effects. It is a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family.[4] The Latin name Salvia divinorum literally translates to “sage of the seers”.[5] The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning “to heal” or “to save”.[6]
Salvia divinorum has a long continuing tradition of use as an entheogen by indigenous Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions.[1] The plant is found in isolated, shaded, and moist plots in Oaxaca, Mexico. It grows to well over a meter in height, has large green leaves, and hollow square stems with occasional white and purple flowers. It is thought to be a cultigen.[7]
Its primary psychoactive constituent is a diterpenoid known as salvinorin A[8][9]—a potent κ-opioid receptor agonist. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state this way. Salvia divinorum can be chewed, smoked, or taken as a tincture to produce experiences ranging from uncontrollable laughter to much more intense and profoundly altered states. The duration is much shorter than for some other more well known psychedelics; the effects of smoked salvia typically last for only a few minutes. The most commonly reported after-effects include an increased feeling of insight and improved mood, and a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature—though much less often it may also cause dysphoria (unpleasant or uncomfortable mood).[10] Salvia divinorum is not generally understood to be toxic or addictive. As a κ-opioid agonist, it may have potential as an analgesic and as therapy for drug addictions."
At the time of this event Transiting Uranus was about to turn Retrograde and was within 1 degree of a Square to my Natal Neptune. Uranus Square Neptune can translate as "sudden hallucination" as well as, perhaps, "liberation from dependency".
Although the intense phase of the experience lasted only a few minutes, I felt quite shaken for days afterwards. It is perhaps no coincidence that just a few days after this jolting reality meltdown I stopped smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and very soon thereafter I stopped drinking completely, and it's been that way since.
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