Neptune in Pisces: 2012-2026

Neptune’s natural home is in Pisces, doubling the spiritually evocative force of this planetary transit. Neptune is the ruler of the underworld ... a magical place to be IF you respect its magnitude. You can either float to the intriguing depths of your soul, or sink into the murkiness of your fears. We got a preview of its influence last year, from April 4 through September 16, 2011. Starting today, February 3, 2012, Neptune is back in Pisces and will stay there for 14 more years.

So how influential is Neptune, exactly? The distant planet has been touring Aquarius since 1998. Aquarius is the sign that rules inventions, technology, TV, the Internet, group interactions and popular culture.

No surprise, the Web has gone through revolutionary creative changes during the Neptune in Aquarius era. In 1998, the lack of high-speed Internet in most ’hoods tanked many a hopeful dot com. Thirteen years later, Hulu, YouTube, smartphones, mobile apps and Google are part of our everyday vocab. Thanks to digital editing software, the artistic landscape is no longer limited to the giant movie studios and selective gallery owners. Indie bands can create a buzz without giving 90 percent of profits over to greedy labels. Writers can self-publish e-books, cutting out the middleman.

Reality TV has also had its heyday with Neptune in Aquarius, but your ability to stomach another season of “Big Brother” could come to a screeching halt in 2012. As Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler collect their bloated paychecks from FOX, you’ll think Simon Cowell was the smart one for saying sayonara to “American Idol.” Who doesn’t want to be a superstar these days? Yawn. Stretch. Neptune is known for exposing the world’s seedy underbelly, but during its tour through Aquarius you’ve probably become jaded. From the sex-tape scandals to crimes caught on camera phones, people’s secrets have gone viral enough to make you ill.

“But I still like reality TV!” you insist. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and so do we, but it’s time to explore a new venue. A romp in the sack with Ray J kick-started Kim Kardashian’s career, but the stakes for fame are about to get higher AND lower. As Neptune begins its long tour through Pisces, we may see some truly horrific truths captured by a tiny cell phone. Instead of manufacturing shock value, compassionate Pisces calls our attention to the real-world crises happening around the globe. We may need to cover our eyes in some cases.

This CAN be used for good, however. Take, for example, WorldPulse.com, which has introduced a truly revolutionary way of reporting news, allowing people to report on human rights issues directly from their cell phones.

Get ready for a transformation on a broad, societal scale. As reality stars fall from grace, a new group will be blessed. Mystics, intuitive healers, poets, dancers, dreamers and people on a charitable mission. People who know how to dance between the light and the shadows of human consciousness will be the new world heroes. Therapists and energy healers may soon become as ubiquitous as personal trainers. Ain’t no shame in discussing those issues with a helpful source. It’s much better than airing them to an MTV camera crew!

A cultural renaissance may occur while Neptune is in Pisces. Do you consider yourself a true artiste? Auto-Tuning has made the everyday Joe a music producer, and iPhone apps like “Hipstamatic” have made it easy for anyone to take a cool-looking photo. But some things simply can’t be created with the two-second addition of a digital filter, and with Neptune in Pisces, the true masters of craft will stand out again. The sartorialists will finally get their poetic justice, even if they are using a digital medium for their precious and painstaking processes. Work that transports people through a multisensory experience will be the new rage. Lights! Music! Visuals! Aromas! Textures! Life may feel like a drug-free LSD trip before we know it. The influence of departed fashion icon Alexander McQueen (a Pisces) will be felt as style boundaries are pushed to new extremes.

Bitten by the vampire craze? Don’t weep, “True Blood” fans, but the lauded bloodsuckers may soon be trumped by Pisces’ favorite mythological beings. Fairies, angels, mermaids and other sea creatures will dominate the cultural landscape, influencing the shows you watch, the clothes you wear, the music you listen to ... and then some! Angel Intuitive Doreen Virtue has already blessed the world with her gorgeous series of cards. Her guidance will be more in demand — and in need — as Neptune floats through Pisces.

With Neptune ruling the seas and Pisces being a Water sign, blue will become the new green. The atrocities left behind from the BP spill have opened up conversations about the polluted ocean. There are more “inconvenient truths” to deal with when it comes to conserving and creating clean and safe water, preserving underwater wildlife and keeping beaches safe for swimming. (Check out the documentary “Blue Gold” to see how big corporations are already capitalizing on this.) Cleaning up the wreckage of hurricanes and floods will continue to consume resources, but scientists may invent new ways to predict these storms in the coming decade.