Neptune retrograde in the natal chart is more common than inner planet retrogrades such as Mercury and Venus. About 40% of people have natal Neptune retrograde, so it is less feared and less harmful than having a retrograde inner planet. That being said, Neptune retrograde natal still has karmic repercussions and a definite influence on soul growth due to the spiritual nature of the earth.

Natal Neptune retrograde suggests that some area of life is so painful that you prefer to escape this reality through your imaginary dream world. Likely, this tendency to avoid pain through illusion is firmly rooted in tragic past life experiences such as torture, where your only option to escape physical pain was to transcend from a physical to a more spiritual plane of existence.

This earlier experience of spiritual pain relief was probably so intense and overwhelming that it became imprinted in your soul memory, in the DNA of every cell in your body. Past life crises like illness, false accusation, and victimization will often be repeated to a lesser extent early in your life. You may notice you are subject to gossip, scandal, or slander.

I associate religious persecution with natal Neptune retrograde. Throughout history, the Roman Catholic Church alone has accused, tortured, burned, drowned, and massacred countless millions of pagans, Protestants, Muslims, and many other innocents.

No matter the reasons, you come into this life with some justified fears and anxieties. Although not as natural or extreme now, specific experiences will trigger those more painful memories. Your natural reaction is to eliminate the pain by accessing that higher spiritual dimension. The quicker, the better, and you probably don’t care whether it is through meditation, prayer, imagination, or drugs.

The release of pain-relieving hormones in your brain is addictive, so you could quickly resort o escapism more often and for less critical reasons over time. You may use illness to gain sympathy or avoid life’s harsh realities. Perhaps you are more subject to confusion and deception than most or tend to become involved in intrigues and scandals.

False accusations and victimization will exacerbate your fears and anxieties around groups of people or specific people. Other karmic issues associated with Neptune retrograde in your chart could include misdiagnosed or mystery illnesses with the associated blame or guilt; or institutionalization for crime, mental illness, or religious mania. Feeling isolated from society is common for many reasons.

Natal Neptune retrograde is likely to play some role in the case of the accuser, inquisitor, or torturer. However, I expect that Saturn retrograde guilt and Pluto retrograde misuse of power would play more prominent roles in these stories.