Retro Neptune in 6th house, not suited for field of Medicine?

Hi All,

I have some queries regarding my retrograde Neptune in the 6th house.

I never paid much attention to this planet's position in my chart, until I was recently told by my friend (an amateur astrologer) that people with a retro Neptune in 6th house should not opt for a career in the field of medicine, i.e, they should not become doctors. She was a bit vague about the reasons, but is this a commonly held notion? If yes, then why?

Now comes the tricky part, another astrologer had told me a long time ago that I must consider a career in medicine....huh?? Again no clear reason as to why I should.......so I'm wondering what's all this flippity-floo! Who's correct? Or are they both wrong? Or is there some merit to their assertions, and how did they come to such conclusions?

I have attached my natal chart. Much appreciate if someone could offer some insights.

Thanks! n Cheers!

Well, what do you want to do? Can you visualize being a doctor? Are you smart enough to get thru med school? Is there something you want to do more?
LIN

@Lin

Nope, no such thing. Being a doctor never entered my mind, and I never asked them any questions regarding my career, they just brought up the subjects themselves. I was just confused because I got two reading that are completely different from each other. I know interpretations can vary, but when these interpretations are poles apart, you tend to wonder why is it so.

Also, what I really wanted to know is if indeed the retrograde Neptune in 6th house warns against a career in medicine. Seemed like an interesting interpretation to me, so I did some research but did not find anything. So just wanted to ask some astrologers on this forum if they had any knowledge to impart regarding this, it'll be cool to learn more

I've read that where Neptune is represents the house where we have regrets, we have to make sacrifices etc.

The ruler of the 6th, the house of daily work is in the 9th so maybe your work could be about teaching, foreign countries etc.

The ruler of MC is Mars in the 7th, well aspected so maybe you work associating with people, on a one-on-one basis, have a business.

Considering you have Sun and Mercury in the 3rd in Virgo and your Chiron in Gemini, communicating is very important for you.
You seem to have a strong discourse (Sun conjunct Mercury) and also many teachers have this aspect.

Could you share what is or you think will be your profession?

@bubuza_dulce

That's interesting what you wrote about Neptune about having regrets and making sacrifices. What about a retrograde Neptune? I've read that retrograde planets in a natal chart represents lessons we have failed to learn in a previous lifetime, so having a retrograde Neptune could be interpreted as our regrets from a past life?...hmmm...not so sure though :/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Virgo the ruler of the 6th house? So the ruler of the 6th house is in my 3rd, correct? I'm a newbie at astrology so if this is a dumb question, apologies

You are correct, communication is very important to me, but this is not reflected in my career. Yes, I do work in the advertising industry but in the media planning and buying side, a field where my brand of communication sticks out like a sore thumb. So I am not where I am supposed to be, I just chalked this up to all the negative aspects to the dominant planets in my chart, Sun & Mercury - squares with Saturn and Uranus, opposition to Jupiter, some negative aspects to Chiron and so on and so forth...ofcourse I could be wrong

I'm just studying astrology so my opinions could need some improvement.

The ruler of a house means the planet that rules the sign where the cusp (the beginning) of the house is. Your 6th house starts in Sagittarius so its ruler is Jupiter who is in the 9th.

I also have Neptune retro. The truth has always been very important to me and still...
My life is full of illusions, I think I understand somebody and after a while I discover it's not true and after some more time I find out I was right the first time! Neptune is about illusions and lies.

Mine is in the 9th and higher education has not been as I envisioned to be (though I managed it) and I am probably the only person I know who hates travelling abroad (Those being 9th house subjects)

But it's mostly about how I lie to myself about ...all.
You could have unrealistic hopes about your daily job, health, routines, pets, co-workers, servants etc.

My illusions are not just about the house where Neptune is but about a lot of things.

You could study your progressions to see if and when some of your planets turn direct, it could mean an easier way to relate to their lessons.

And yes, you have "some" squares and oppositions but they could be for the best! When a planet transits one of your planets involved in your Grand Cross (if we consider Chiron) it energises, activates all the other planets connected there. And it gives you a push to improve your life.

Seriously, some of the biggest CEO's of the world (and other successful people) have Grand Crosses and stressful aspects so you shouldn't consider them "negative". Just requiring a bit more attention from you.

Your NN is about becoming more brave, courageous in your career (Aries in the 10th). You could read about it to find more inspiration.

Good luck!

@ bubuza_dulce
"My life is full of illusions, I think I understand somebody and after a while I discover it's not true and after some more time I find out I was right the first time!"....story of my life ......everytime I figure out something/someone (or thought I did), life pulls the rug from right under my feet.....it's gotten to a point I can't trust my instincts or I second guess my second guesses ......but you know what, from what I read of retrograde planets, I though they would act contrary to their natural states. E.g: If direct Neptune indicates subtlety, mystery & illusions, wouldn't a retrograde Neptune indicate clarity or make us more astute at picking up the illusive, at the very least?

Is Neptune a dominant planet in your chart? Are there many aspects to it or does it have aspects with any personal planets or the luminaries? Have these played a major role in your life? The tightest aspects that Neptune has in my chart is Moon square Neptune, and this is one of the tightest aspects in my chart. Even so, I don't think Neptune's energy plays a major role in my life or maybe I don't manifest it. Yeah, there is tension between my emotions and my job and routines and I am mostly second-guessing myself when it comes to my career, but I don't think Neptune is the main culprit here....or has Neptune the master of deception pulled one over me, and I don't realize how much of an effect it has on me?? :S

You have retrograde Neptune in your 9th huh?...bummer...I have retrogarde Jupiter in the 9th...what a killjoy......travel and higher education are hard to come by......although I do live in a foreign country and traveled quite a bit, but not as much as I want

nepredil696 said:

@ bubuza_dulce
I can't trust my instincts or I second guess my second guesses E.g: If direct Neptune indicates subtlety, mystery & illusions, wouldn't a retrograde Neptune indicate clarity or make us more astute at picking up the illusive, at the very least?

Is Neptune a dominant planet in your chart? Are there many aspects to it or does it have aspects with any personal planets or the luminaries? Have these played a major role in your life? The tightest aspects that Neptune has in my chart is Moon square Neptune, and this is one of the tightest aspects in my chart.

Click to expand...

Ha ha! I'm in that point where I've doubted all the ideas about a certain subject and I don't know how to adopt any opinion at all.
But I consider it a good thing because it seems like something that leads to a deeper truth - when you really are not attached to any opinion it is easier to spot the truth, right?

My Neptune is the most elevated planet in the chart - about where is your Jupiter, my chart is in my albums if you want to look at it - and maybe it has a greater influence.
I also have Neptune square Moon but in your case the Moon is the ruler of the chart and I suppose its aspects are more important.

You have it in Libra which could lead you to second-guessing. I also have the ruler of the chart in Libra and I think that makes me undecided in my actions (it's Mars).

The way I understood it (I'm not sure, I didn't study it specifically) a direct planet acts at its best. And at its best Neptune doesn't make you lie to yourself but links you to your ideal, your dreams, which are not lies.
It makes you connected to a more spiritual world. The lies are its "bad" side and appear when it has difficult aspects or it's retro.
The opinions about retro planets I've seen there are different anyway.

The way I've lived it it's true - an ideal that seems hard to reach, confusion, people that lie to me etc.

And I personally know very successful people with lots of retro's - I don't know how they did it but they did it! In Vedic astrology they're considered even stronger (so I've heard).

...And I'm not sure I got what was really your question?

You should see if your planets have turned direct in progressions, at least some of them.

@bubuza_dulce

Okie I've checked out your chart and yup Neptune seems very prominent, unless I'm mistaken it's also part of a Grand Cross - Venus - Saturn - Neptune - Moon. How does that play out in your life? I find Grand Cross and T-squares very perplexing.....just can't seem to figure them out.....I mean what exactly is their purpose? to complicate an already complicated life?....Lemme know how you think the Grand Cross plays out in your life (if at all), and can they be overcome?....and whats more interesting is I think you also have a Grand Trine (Moon-Mercury-Uranus)....ofcourse I could be wrong!! my chart reading abilities are at a level before beginners ......Grand Cross and Grand Trine.....heads reeling...how do you interpret this??

I think I have a Grand Cross....or a T-square, not sure which one [Sun/Mer, Uranus, Jupiter, Chiron(?)]....some say Grand Cross others T-square....and since I don't understand these configurations very well, I can't comment on how they play out in my life.

How do you read your Chiron....in the 1st house or in the 2nd....Chiron in the 1st house seems interesting...I guess self-discovery is very important to you? I have a friend with Chiron in the 1st house and he's always had an intense need to find personal meaning in existence, and everything thing he does.

I have a question about Neptune's placement in my chart.....it's in my sixth house....and in this house I have both Neptune and Uranus. How would you interpret this? Now, all my life I had major confusions regarding my career, since I was a child I could never answer the question 'what do you want to be when you grown up'.....as I could never define a career for my self. Do you suppose the energies of these planets in the 6th house could lead to these confusions. Or should I just look to the 10th house and MC for career?

nepredil696 said:

@bubuza_dulce
...a Grand Cross - Venus - Saturn - Neptune - Moon. How does that play out in your life? I find Grand Cross and T-squares very perplexing......I mean what exactly is their purpose? ...Lemme know how you think the Grand Cross plays out in your life (if at all), and can they be overcome?....and whats more interesting is I think you also have a Grand Trine (Moon-Mercury-Uranus)......Grand Cross and Grand Trine...how do you interpret this??

Click to expand...

Hi, Nepredil696,

A Grand Cross is seen as a source of extreme tension whereby various aspects of the personality (represented by the planets) are working at cross purposes that serve to nullify each other. This pulls the native in many directions, ultimately leading to indecisiveness and an inability to produce concrete achievements. It is said to take extraordinary effort to overcome the conflicts in a Grand Cross.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_cross_(astrology)

I have a Mutable Grand Cross. I read somewhere that means a karma of ignorance. I also have SN in Aquarius in the 11 which would mean I have spent the last life (at least) pursuing mental goals and in this life I should learn to follow my heart more. These two don't seem to match the way I understand them... So is the ignorance the problem or not? Or maybe I should rise to a superior level of understanding...

I don't know how this Cross plays!

The description for it suits me well, I could succeed in a lot of things but there's always something preventing me.
I have a Grand Trine which is also a part of a Kite :

http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=387484

which should give me some help.
The Trine is about emotions because is in water signs and the Cross seems to be emotional too, involving all my "sensitive" planets - Moon, Venus, Neptune - in combination with the harshest one - Saturn and being mutable.

The problem of the chart seems to be that I feel to much and I am unstable, running from one problem to another.

A Cross and a Kite? Someone talented but this doesn't serve them much...

nepredil696 said:

I think I have a Grand Cross....or a T-square, not sure which one [Sun/Mer, Uranus, Jupiter, Chiron(?)]....some say Grand Cross others T-square....and since I don't understand these configurations very well, I can't comment on how they play out in my life.

Click to expand...

Some astrologers use Chiron and thus you seem to have a Grand Cross and others, more traditional, don't and you have a t-square...

I think it's important how you feel about it and it's possible to feel the whole Chiron - thing...

nepredil696 said:

How do you read your Chiron....in the 1st house or in the 2nd....Chiron in the 1st house seems interesting...I guess self-discovery is very important to you? I have a friend with Chiron in the 1st house and he's always had an intense need to find personal meaning in existence, and everything thing he does.

Click to expand...

My Chiron falls in the 1st or in the 2nd house depending on the house system I use and so I look at both its interpretations.
I have a strong need for meaning but it could come from other parts of the chart as well...

Chiron in the 1st/2nd and in Taurus I would say it's about self-worth because the Taurus and the 2nd house is about values.

Discovering my self-worth, teaching others about it etc. I've been taught I needed to prove myself in order to be loved and I suppose I don't feel worthy of love (without doing anything at all) even now.
I've tried to be "the most intelligent", "the most beautiful", "the most needed" actually whatever it meant and I've discovered it means nothing.
I could be the president of the United States lol and that particular person that I'm interested in could not care less about it.

That's one of the main lessons in the chart, from wherever it may arise.
I am a talented person, I can adapt and learn a particular thing, but this will mean nothing to the person I love, making me feel, despite of all the efforts and sacrifices (the Moon) worth-less. The lack of worth comes from the fact that all the things I ever did didn't bring me true love which made me equate the things I can do and finally myself with zero.
I probably should not estimate my value upon the love I receive (which means in fact what "others" think of me) but on a different system which should not be based on "others" or anything unstable.

I don't know how to solve the lack of the received love, I just let go of the people that don't appreciate me but the ones that follow are the same.
The solution - being alone? I have friends, family and I interact with people but lately I haven't let anyone in my heart because it seems pointless.

I have learned that if someone doesn't love you then they just don't and you should let go. Love comes freely or doesn't come at all.

nepredil696 said:

I have a question about Neptune's placement in my chart.....it's in my sixth house....and in this house I have both Neptune and Uranus. How would you interpret this? Now, all my life I had major confusions regarding my career, since I was a child I could never answer the question 'what do you want to be when you grown up'.....as I could never define a career for my self. Do you suppose the energies of these planets in the 6th house could lead to these confusions. Or should I just look to the 10th house and MC for career?

Click to expand...

http://www.cafeastrology.com/articles/neptuneinhouses.html

With Neptune in the sixth house, you may easily gloss over the details of managing day-to-day affairs. Perhaps you have adopted a personal philosophy that life means more than just sticking to routines, making lists, and organizing bills to pay. However, avoiding or ignoring these basic responsibilities can lead to much confusion and chaos, as well as guilt. You might give in to co-workers too easily, or not take credit for your own hard work. You might have inflated ideals regarding being helpful to others. You want to help others unconditionally, but if you don't draw some lines and boundaries, you could feel put upon. Or, you could feel helpless when it comes to managing your daily affairs or work, and often depend on others to save you from these tasks. On the level of health, you might have mysterious health complaints that are hard to diagnose, sensitivity to drugs, or allergies. These might be related to the aforementioned guilt.

http://www.cafeastrology.com/articles/uranusinhouses.html

You are likely to enjoy work associated with science and technology. Working, especially day-to-day stuff may be more of a chore to you than most. Your freedom loving instincts propel you to seek out work that allows you the most personal freedom. A regular eight-to-five kind of job is likely a turn off for you. Your work desk will usually resemble a disaster area.

From what I've read it seems you just don't like a regular job. You want an ideal schedule which could give you freedom or you're just dissatisfied with you daily job because you're idealistic about it. You may want something "unusual", different, exciting etc. But that's the daily job.
The career and the daily job are not the same for everybody. Some people do what they need to do for a living but that's not their ideal career.

As I see it, the 6th is what you do to get by and the 10th is what you really want to do or "the career" in the long run.

The 6th is the environment,the workplace. And judging by Neptune and Uranus you want to run away from there and be free, do something out of the ordinary.

In conclusion, to find the career you would love you should look at the 10th, and you even have the NN there so you're looking in the right direction

I also have Neptune in the 6th house (Capricorn). It's not retro, though.

I think that the placement has a great potential in the medicine field, although, I can also see how it wouldn't be very beneficial. People with Neptune in the 6th house are sometimes known to get sick quite easily--which might be something to think about if you're going to be around contagious people.

Personally, I can't really stomach any kind of medical profession. I don't like to see sick people.

@Skyseer

"I think that the placement has a great potential in the medicine field, although, I can also see how it wouldn't be very beneficial. People with Neptune in the 6th house are sometimes known to get sick quite easily"......very interesting, this might explain why my friend told me to stay away from the medical field.....I guess having a retro Neptune might increase my susceptibility to illness and disease......which is weird because I hardly ever fall sick....I don't catch sickness that easily, I haven't had a cold or flu in years....but when I do fall sick its a real doozie and it would last longer than normal....but then I bounce back healthy as ever ......the major illness I had was an epileptic seizure, but my friend said that was more to do with Uranus in 6th house with connection to Mercury.....something to do with unexpected nervous disorders :/

@bubuza_dulce

I also have a Mutable Grand Cross/T-square....I guess for me this translates as not able to focus my energies or talents, its scattered all over the place, it might make me a jack of all trades but a master of none.....sometimes this seems like a good proposition, sometimes not. I feel like I'm pulled in many directions, which makes me directionless. I believe the main players in my Grand Cross/T-square are Mercury and Uranus....the mental planets (emphasis on mental )....too much going on in my head, too much probing, analyzing, contemplating and fantasizing, which leads to indecisiveness and missed opportunities....heck I don't even know what an opportunity is anymore, I don't think I'll be able to recognize an opportunity if it bit me in the a**. I know I should avoid living in my head too much, but its just so much fun and I like it a lot

The theme of you're Grand Cross seem to be about your feelings and emotions, also your Sun and NN is in Leo in the house of creative expression, which means it is essential that you carve out your own individual and creative path and not to worry about what others think of you, I guess with a SN in Aquarius could result in rationalizing away your feelings and becoming too involved in other people's baggage while ignoring your needs. So I guess you are right, building the confidence to follow your heart seems best for you, but the Grand Cross does throw stumbling blocks along the way. Insecurities and indecisiveness regarding your emotions, feelings and intuitions, and also having Saturn the 'grand-daddy' of restrictions in the mix could prevent you from doing the very thing that you are meant to do - trust in yourself and follow your heart. With Chiron in your 1st/2nd house self worth is a big theme/preoccupation for you, maybe you invest yourself a bit too much in attaining worth, rather than in self. The concept of self-worth is a strange one to me...how does one measure self-worth? I guess there are many different ways.....measuring self-worth through others and how they feel about you could be one way, and I guess it works for many people. However, for you maybe a different route is suitable....just keep doing things that you enjoy and like....be a bit more selfish - you already had a previous lifetime of other people's problem (SN), now it time for yours - and keep delving deeply into all matters of the heart...slowly but steadily confidence build, you take more risk and hey presto your having fun and feel **** good about yourself that self-worth becomes immaterial. I know all this is childishly simple and glosses over all the toil and turmoil.....but hey you have a Sun and NN in Leo in the 5th house......I believe you can afford a bit of child-like enthusiasm to move along in life

The way I see it, Chiron shows your wound which you cannot heal for yourself, but you can heal for others, so I believe you could be a great teacher of self-worth because you dealt with your own issues about it.

Thanks for the answer, it was so nice!

”maybe you invest yourself a bit too much in attaining worth, rather than in self.”

That is so interesting and if I understood correctly what you said, it is true!
With a Pisces Moon boundaries are something hard to get (maybe that's why that Saturn is the apex of a kite - to help me build structures, boundaries). My "self" is hidden or unclear to me.

And about the NN in Leo in the 5th - it should be the easiest placement of all - go out and have fun! But I still put the needs of the collective before my own, partly because I am not aware of my needs or my ego, partly because I don't allow myself to have needs. Because that would make me a "bad" person or because - and this is THE REASON- there is a lot of guilt coming maybe from other lives (which should have been fine if I had worked for the collective) because it's too much to come from this one.

I feel a great deal of responsibility and guilt, like I had done something "very bad" in the past and now I have to redeem myself by helping others. If just "fool around" and I don't have some "serious activity" I feel guilty. And it's beyond reason.

My mind is like the Queen of Hearts - "She's murdering the time! Off with her head!!!"

@bubuza_dulce

Sorry for late reply, was too caught up with work

Ah guilt, a very familiar feeling for me growing up, and still is to quite an extend.....there have been plenty of times I would tell myself "why on earth are you wasting other people's oxygen???"

There's an interesting blog that I read - 'feeling guilty for no reason'. They were exploring the concept of feeling guilty unnecessarily, and if the root cause of this feeling is a an inflated ego, i.e. if guilt really is a form of reverse egotism. This rings true for my brand of guilt, and I believe the guilty feeling is mainly from my 5th house Saturn squaring my Sun, and Sun opposite Jupiter. However, as I was reading the comments, I came across one comment that said some very interesting things about the planets, especially Neptune's influence of the feeling of guilt. I thought it might shed some light, so I pasted it below:

from Tima:

"I believe guilt is an exclusively Neptunian phenomenon if we have to place it astrologically.
Neptunians suffer from Saviour, Victim, Martyr complexes compounded by the innate “at oneness” of the planetary force and the lack of “boundaries” it might produce.
As for Elsa’s advice I think it’s “right-on-ness” can be attributed to the part in which she says,
“If you did it, fix it.
If you didn’t do it, forget about it.”
That immediately sets boundaries, and that is the Neptune cure, the Pisces cure (the opposite sign on Virgo)…boundaries, boundaries..
Of course, Neptunians are inflated by nature but the real true word should be “diffuse”..I mean feeling “one” with everything…well in the wrong dose at the wrong time…can truly muck up perspective..that’s why it is balanced (hopefully) by a perception of one’s individual part..which implies having vigilant boundaries…
What’s interesting is the use of the word “inflation” which for a “guilty-prone” person would essentially…just make them feel more “guilty”..which is an interesting, probably unconscious tactic, almost Homeopathic, like..give a big dose of guilt…and now the punch line…”get boundaries for god’s sake” feeling others people’s pain and misery and getting into others people’s design kinda defeats the purpose of individual embodiment.
In any case, only a person with Neptunian aspects can feel “truly” with the real meaning of the word “guilty” ..
Now the other Planetary aspects react to guilty making in different ways, but it isn’t “true” guilt..
Plutonians- The “core” isn’t the real guilt feeling-not inflation, it’s the subtle feeling they let something slip out of their control. The motivation isn’t real guilt.
Uranians- The “core” isn’t “guilt” because “guilt” is a deep “feeling”, not a perception or mentalization
Saturn-Can turn to guilt if Neptune prompts, but here we see the sense of duty, social pressure etc as the motivation…not inflation.
Jupiter-Here would be religious, piousness and the word inflation here would not be Homeopathic, Jupiter is truly inflated (here we can use the word)….but a true Jupiter influenced would never feel “guilt” deeply..they can inflict guilt…and move on to other “concepts”…and even if felt for a moment would be quickly dashed aside in order to invent new concepts. The motivation being “concept-creation”
Mars-Well, it would obviously just react to the “guilty-making” probably never indulging or having a true FULL experience of martyr-like Neptunian guilt
Venus- Would kinda just smile like a Cheshire cat.
Mercury-Would babble on about who guilt-ed whom
Moon-Would just moan in hurt, without again feeling the full “guilt” force but use it as a “launch” to suck
I’ll leave out the Sun because it just IS."

Hi nepredil696,

I understand how the guilt can come from an inflated ego!

For me it's like - "other" people have done bad things - destroyed the planet, ruined their relationships etc. and I understand they did it, not me and they should be responsible but "I" am better then them and not only I would never act the way they did but I'll also clean up their mess, too!

That means not accepting my "shadow", not allowing myself to make mistakes, behave foolishly, having a hard time forgiving myself. Because I don't have to forgive myself for the little things I have done but for all the mess humanity has done because someone has to declare themselves responsible and since so many don't do it, I step up and say - "It's me, I did it, I'll "pay" for it!". And with that, all the suffering can end because someone dealt with the consequences.

Sometimes I understand that by acting like this I don't allow other people to learn their lessons (by dealing with the suffering they created), but it's hard to tell when I should help and when I should let them solve their problems alone.

I have even granted myself forgiveness- I have forgiven myself for everything, just everything in general, I said I forgive myself for whatever I did whenever that happened. I am also careful to do what I really want in order not to regret it afterwards. And if I regret something I try to make amends as fast as I can and don't think about it. But from my actions I can tell I punish myself sometimes. And "sometimes" it can mean years.
I try to become more aware of my true motivations but there's always another motivation underneath and so on.

Have a good day!