Most of us take old pictures of ourselves and wonder how we could have ever thought that hairstyle was attractive or what were we thinking in our choice of clothing. When I saw the vintage film American Gigolo, I thought this guy owned the coolest clothes on the planet. I wanted to be Richard Gere with every fiber of my soul. But now, watching that movie again, they seem old and out of style. (And sadly, I'm still wearing them!) 

The cycle never stops; each year Cool is defined by something else. (Even the word Cool is now cliché and some young sources tell me that the current moniker used for defining something impressive is Tight or Phat or Fly surpassing the recent rivals Rad and Awesome.)

Do you want to know the culprit in this mind-bending, mind-changing behavior? It’s Neptune! That’s right, the god of the sea and bearer of the original pitchfork is the one who gets to laugh at our slavery to fashion and fickle dismissal of that which we coveted only last year.

In a way, we are hypnotized by Neptune—ruler of hypnosis, fashion, movies, dreams and everything subconscious that colors our reality. We are taken into his watery den and seduced with his mind-altering effect.

Attempting to understand Neptune is very similar to the art of interpreting a dream. Each part of the dream is connected to something deep within us, yet it seems so separate from us. Does the dream foretell something to come or is it simply showing parts of us that we fear or need to embrace? Let's take a brief look at the Neptune effects through history:

Neptune in Cancer: 1902-1916.

The generation born with Neptune in Cancer has strong psychic ties to their country or wherever it is that they consider home. These individuals have a deep running emotion that sees the child in everyone thus creating a tendency for deep compassion especially for the underprivileged or disadvantaged often to the point of fanaticism.

• Carrie Nation wielded her axe against alcoholic consumption (an example of how women extended their boundaries from mother and homemaker).
• The Wizard of Oz hits our consciousness about a girl wanting to return Home (reflecting the importance of the Home to Cancer). She destroys one wicked witch with her home and the other with water (the Cancer element).

Neptune in Leo: 1916-1928.

The generation with Neptune in Leo was born with intense creative urges and romantic ideals sometimes to the point of self-delusion.

• Women no longer wanted to be the broad hipped Mothers of the race (the Neptune in Cancer Generation) instead they taped down their breasts and started to become thin and androgynous with short bobbed hair, setting the new Neptune fashion trend of the flapper.
• Film studio giants emerged in Hollywood, the most classic being MGM whose logo was a big Lion. (sign of Leo)

Neptune in Virgo: 1928-1942.

The Neptune in Virgo generation lived in a time of great change and a thwarting of material opulence in direct contrast to the Grand Leo Era. The material focus is the result of Virgo being an Earth Sign. There were great advances made by looking below the surface of life into the minute details like only a Virgo can.

• Social Security act is passed (a Virgo urge to care for those in need). 
• Margaret Mitchell writes Gone with the Wind depicting life in the South in breath-taking detail (detail being a favorite Virgo pastime) and Neptune creates it as one of the most important movies of the 20th century.

Neptune in Libra: roughly 1942-1956.

The Neptune in Libra generation started having the dream (Neptune) for balance, peace and relationships (Libra). This is the first time we started new ideas of fairness sometimes by going to the extremes of unfairness.

• Libra, being an Air Sign brought many events of flight. World War II was the Air War as Japan launched the largest aerial campaign against the U.S. at Pearl Harbor. 
• Television turns to intellectual (Air) entertainment as The $64,000 Question is introduced and hats seem to be the fashion hit (Libra is Air ruling the Head).

Neptune in Scorpio: roughly 1957-1970.

Neptune in Scorpio dreams of discovering the secrets that lie beneath our awareness. This generation explored sexual variations never before talked about. The civil rights movement, Native American Movement, the Latino Movement and Sexual revolution are but a few of the sub-cultures to emerge from the Scorpion ashes to announce their liberation.

• The Civil rights movement began as Rosa Parks gets arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.
• Elvis Presley is discovered and dubbed Elvis the Pelvis in reference to his gyrating hips.

Neptune in Sagittarius: roughly 1970-1984.

With Neptune in Sagittarius there is a growing recognition that we are not separate from the rest of the world (Sagittarius rules travel) but there were no more territories on Earth to discover so we turn to the Moon.

• Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to touch the moon. 
• Movie blockbusters were all about space exploration, Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and Star Wars to name a few. Carl Sagan of Cosmos becomes a household name.

Neptune in Capricorn: roughly 1984-1999.

The Neptune in Capricorn generation had a harder time accepting the nebulous spirituality and seeming frivolity of the Sagittarius generation. They were actively motivated toward a feeling of a more productive and realistic approach to life. During this period we saw great changes in our ideals. We started turning our attention to the pragmatic issues of Capricorn. family values and dealing with “father.”

• Ronald Reagan brings in an 8 year republican stint as President of the United States (Capricorn favors the Old and he was the oldest president ever elected). 
•  Cabbage Patch Dolls are the rage coming with birth certificates and adoption papers. Movies about families take the spotlight; Terms of Endearment wins 5 Oscars. On Golden Pond deals with Jane Fonda’s relationship with her Father both on the screen and in real life and Yentl highlights the struggles of a woman trying to make it a male dominated religion (with the main song “Papa Can You Hear Me”).

Neptune in Aquarius: roughly 2000-2012.

The Neptune in Aquarius generation is one of children who will hold humanity in a great ideal. The humanitarian nature of Aquarius is seen as we simultaneously bomb a country and send food for the needy. For the first time we are recognizing that we are not separate from our neighbors in other countries but actually need them to co-exist.

• With Neptune again in an Air sign, cellular phones (airwaves) are now the rule rather than the exception and the biggest blockbusters are Independent films (independence being an Aquarian mantra).
• Movies are super-animated and Harry Potter's wizardry makes record sales. (Aquarius rules wizards)

All of us carry Neptune's signature of dreams and magic within us and it continues to influence our sense of fashion (or lack of fashion) as well as our desired preference for the medium that most activates our desire to drift off into fantasy. Imagine while you're reading the cycle of your own Neptune, that you were imbued with those very energies that influenced the world and you may begin a fascinating journey of self-discovery and insight.