Hi, I’m Sam Reynolds

Over the years, I've long thought about how to describe Neptune succinctly. Of course, the nebulous planet would resist that from me and others. But when has resistance ever been a complete deterrence? Then, the other day, I thought of Neptune as a boomerang, and it resonated with me. That doesn't mean I've found a pithy way to describe every aspect of Neptune. I haven't, and that would be delusional, i.e., Neptunian. Perhaps I'm getting an image of a hunter-warrior or a sporting tool as an association with Neptune since it has moved into the sign of Mars, Aries, over the last few months. This prompted a modest dive into boomerangs, and I learned way more than I thought I knew. That may be true for you. I found this article the most helpful online. For starters, I didn't know that there were returning and non-returning boomerangs. I thought all returned. The Britannica article says, "Returning boomerangs were used only in eastern and western Australia as playthings, in tournament competition, and by hunters to imitate hawks for driving flocks of game birds into nets strung from trees. The returning boomerang is generally considered to have developed from the non-returning types, which swerve in flight." Also, boomerangs, as throwing hunting clubs, weren't just developed in Australia, as I had thought. It's a tool that has been documented as being used in ancient Egypt, by indigenous peoples of North America, and in India. However, considering the boomerangs of Aboriginal Australia, my connection with Neptune makes more sense. Both returning and non-returning boomerangs are often beautifully ornate and are used in some religious rituals, accompanied by songs and chants. This, of course, hints at the lofty, otherworldly, and artistic sense of Neptune. Neptune, as I generally describe her (I made her trans about 20 years ago), lends herself toward intuition, imagination, illumination, illusion, and, by default, delusion. However, with Neptune, things are not as they appear. What's more, there is a projection effect that eventually comes back to us, like a returning boomerang. It either comes back to us as one of the I's for Neptune that I listed above or as a delusion. Intuition is a two-fold process, though many think of it as only one-sided. You either receive an input or project an output and get something back that's clarifying or wrong. Imagination is similar but a more active cultivation of your creativity. Illumination can come from feeling a sense of union with a sense of being or wisdom that seems beyond you. Illusion can be an inaccurate projection or reception. Similar to an illusion, a delusion is a more sustained false belief or judgment. Yet, all versions of these conceptions of Neptune reveal how we're out of tune with a current reality. What's fascinating to learn about returning boomerangs is not only do they have the ability to return to the thrower when not hitting anything, but they're used more for imitation and misdirection toward another end, like driving flocks of game birds into nets. These hunters become more like magicians, and this gives us a clue more about Neptune. Another word we can use for Neptune is 'enchantment.' That's a word that's frequently on my mind because I live in the US state of New Mexico, which has been dubbed "The Land of Enchantment." The phrase is even on many of our license plates. It's doubly funny for me since Neptune is directly on my midheaven here for my relocated chart or Astro*Carto*Graphy. It can be either delightfully enchanting to meet someone or encounter something, or it can be a nightmare. I'm sure we've all had our fair share of both. But what's key, like the flick of the wrist required to throw a boomerang so it returns, is all in how we're paying attention or not. And the truth is sometimes we don't want to pay attention. We sometimes wish to stay with the enchanting dream. And that's when reality itself acts like a boomerang, sometimes hitting us, especially when it's the reality to which we're not paying attention. We often fail to realize that we're inattentive hunters who've not noticed or forgotten that the misdirection was intended for another purpose. If you have Neptune prominently in your astrological chart, or you're undergoing a Neptune transit, then it becomes doubly important to reflect on her boomerang effect. (It's also okay if you're a bit disoriented by my use of the female pronoun for a planet named for a Roman male god. I mean, that's Neptunian.) It's only when you're not paying attention that you're likely to get whacked somehow. And it's equally possible that you can use Neptune, like many Aborigines, for evocation, positive misdirection with intuition, imagination, enchantment, or fun without any harm at all. Just stay alert and attentive. Perhaps that's all Neptune truly desires of us.

In the picture above, you’re looking at recipients from 2024 (upper left), 2023 (upper right), and 2016 (lower left)