Where does disappointment show up in our charts?
I’m not referring to, Oh, I was really disappointed in that chocolate cake. It looked so moist and yummy, but it was dry as a bone.
I’m referring, instead, to the kind of disappointment that comes from damaged relationships or a life that didn’t turn out quite “right” in that fairytale way we’ve heard so much about. Your wife got old and fat, your husband cheated, your kid’s in jail, you lost the family farm, you never made it to Paris. That kind of disappointment.
- Llewellyn Tarot 4 of Cups ~ Cancer/Pisces, Moon/Neptune, Dissatisfaction, Disappointment
Saturn is the likely suspect because he restricts us, binds us. But deep disappointment is more than just feeling bound in that oh-so-special-way Saturn has of keeping things from us.
Deep disappointment is a long death.
We lose hope.
We wither.
We shut down.
We isolate our feelings.
We form a callous around our soul.
All very gloomy stuff, but there it is. We can ignore it all we want, but it won’t go away.
At least Saturn teaches us a lesson. Do we learn from our disappointments? Maybe. What does Neptune teach us? Feelings of disappointment can linger for decades, tinting our psyche. Perhaps we disengage from the source of disappointment or, worse, become resentful. We lose trust. There’s no room for love when disappointment and resentment take up so much space.
If you track the Moon, this square will reappear on September 30th, but with the Moon in Scorpio instead of Taurus. The transit may be fleeting, but the feelings…not so much.
Does Neptune in your chart give a clue to your disappointments?
Is transiting Neptune triggering something in your chart?
Auntie Moon 
Last night, before I knew it, tears run down on my pillow. So, I guess I woke myself up by my own tears and sorrow. Nothing really significant happened during the day – it was just another normal day. But probably the sadness deep down is always there, running like a river in my heart. Hollowness. I have a Taurus Moon in my 9th Hse.
You broke my heart, rainmaker. I hope your sadness lifts today and that you can find at least a few moments of joy. My thoughts are with you.
I really appreciate this post. I didn’t feel the square last night, but I could see how easy it would be to succumb to such feelings. I will try to be vigilant about not allowing this to happen to me.
I have Neptune in Scorpio in the 6th house square my Midheaven.
Vigilant. That’s such a good way to approach feelings such as these, Tammy. Thank you.
This is so thought-provoking, CJ, and I agree that Neptune disappointments run deeper than Saturn’s. Neptune represents our ideals, fantasies, and illusions. (I call the sign and house of natal Neptune “the Santa Claus that never came.” For instance, the Neptune in Libra dreamer that is still hoping to find a soul mate.) Donna Cunningham
The Santa Claus that never came? Donna, that is an amazing description of the feeling. And so much waiting to endure.
You know, you didn’t answer the question. I think I have the answer. The answer to the deep disillusionment and sadness of Neptune is to let go of expectations. It’s hard but otherwise, we just wallow in sorrow and disappointment. As life throws out limitations, the best thing to do is to learn to cope in a new way.
This is a great discussion! I’ve never forgotten a quote I read in one of Jane Robert’s Seth books back in the 70s: “The sole cause of anger is unmet expectations.” I’ve often used that one to sort myself out.
But how can we really be DISappointed if we really never had an APPOINTMENT to begin with? That is to say, we somehow assume or expect something of something if the other person never promised or agreed to do it in the first place and if was onlhy our wish or fantasy. Donna
Sometimes the disappointment comes from promises that are unkept, though. We put our trust in someone and then they don’t keep their word. We might also break promises we’ve made to ourself. Those examples could both fall in the fantasy realm, I guess, but we do want to believe.
So true……!
Yes, absolutely–there are people (guys) who perennielly make promises they have no intention of keeping, just to get what they want fron us. Hopefully, after a few such disappointments, we learn to discern the con. And it’s often in the area of our Neptune house or aspects that we ignore the warning signals because we so want that fantasy fulfilled. Donna
Do you think the Saturn/Neptune conjunction folks were the first openly disappointed group? Part of the Baby Boomer generation, we had more than many, many generations before us. Maybe it was the first television generation who got fed the nightly fairytale of how life was supposed to be (Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, Andy Griffith Show) and fell for it–as you said, the Santa Claus that never came.
yes, CJ that makes sense. The american dream. And it’s even worse for our children’s generation. They can’t even hope to attain what we did.
I’m so glad you brought up Neptune regarding disappointment. I’m not even dealing it with directly myself, but some clarity came about a ‘friendship’ I’ve had since last year – this man seems shrouded in Neptunian idealism/fantasy. I’ve found out it also has been directed at me, and he has stopped contacting me recently, as I’m sure he has finally realized that I have had zero interest in forming a romantic relationship with him. He was in denial about this until something I did IN REALITY recently to make him ‘wake up.’
And that is how to deal with Neptunian disappointments. To look at REALITY. Take a good, hard look at it and see things as they truly are, because then you can work from there to build strong, solid foundations for the future – this is how Saturn comes into play. Sure, real life is painful too, but fantasy is even worse because it brings your real life to a huge standstill, sometimes for years. You’ve gone nowhere in life, you lived some make-believe life in your head, and have nothing but pain to show for it! That is Neptune’s shadow.
Fabulous words, Lindsey! And so true.
I think it depends on how Neptune is acting. As others have said here, sometimes the answer is getting a grip on reality. Sometimes it’s letting go. I know when Neptune transited my Descendant several years ago, my astrologer at the time pointed out that I had to let go and see what happens. As a multiple Virgo and thus practical, efficient, and straightforward, it’s not my style to just let happen! But Neptune works its own way. You don’t push the river. 🙂