General Placement and Parental Influence
Placing Neptune in the fourth house is not an especially comfortable celestial position, yet the planet is not entirely at odds with Cancer, the natural sign of this house, and planets here are both strong and angular. The father is often described as eccentric, perhaps unreliable, and possibly prone to drink or mental instability. The native's early life may well have been unhappy due to abnormal conditions at home.
As a child, the native likely felt out of sympathy with the environment. Solitude held great appeal, and there was little desire for the company of other children. The imagination was populated with fantastic beings from another world—invisible playmates—and dreams were often strange, fascinating, and yet frightening. There was no fear of being left alone in the dark; on the contrary, the child felt free to pursue its own inner life only when parents left it to itself. The fairy world may have seemed entirely real, and any attempt to disillusion or punish the child for its strange ways could result in serious mental harm.
Persistence into Adulthood
In some cases these tendencies persist into adult life, though in a modified form. The native may enjoy solitary, contemplative sports such as fishing, and his chief pleasure may lie in long, lonely rambles at night in deserted places. Although unusual, these characteristics are not to be viewed as objectionable in any way. Provided the personality is strong and the mind well-balanced, such peculiarities can be very helpful—much of the world's best thinking is done under similar conditions.
Death and the Grave
The fourth house also refers to the grave, and those with Neptune here may die far from home in strange places and perhaps under very extraordinary conditions. Those familiar with the secret history of the great know the amazing story of the death of President Félix Faure, who had this configuration. There is not necessarily any indication of violent death, but mysterious circumstances are not unlikely—in one case it may imply a public funeral, in another a post-mortem, and in yet another a burial at sea.
Inheritance and Property
Inheritance is another matter connected with the fourth house, and here Neptune must be regarded as decidedly unfortunate, for the planet is always tricky, and the principal virtue of any inheritance is that it should come smoothly and straightforwardly without bother or worry. But if Neptune is here, particularly under afflictions from Mars or Jupiter, the inheritance may be contested on all sorts of flimsy and fantastic pretexts, and delays or even partial loss (in bad cases, total loss) may be expected.
All things pertaining to the earth itself and to hidden things within it are also indicated by the fourth house, and here again Neptune is not propitious. The native is very likely to be tricked in dealings with real estate, building speculation, or mining propositions. Such affairs, however open they may seem on the surface, will have certain hidden disadvantages that only appear later, when the mischief is already done.
Health Cautions
Those born with Neptune in this position should be extremely careful not to play tricks with consciousness. They may suffer severely from insomnia, but must on no account seek relief from narcotic drugs, even those reputed most harmless, for there is a peculiarity in their constitution that may make a dose others could take with immunity fatal to them. Surgical operations, even of the slightest character, are also to be dreaded, especially if Neptune is afflicted by Mars or if Mars himself is weak in the horoscope. A mere scratch might bring on blood-poisoning, and for larger operations the utmost precaution should be taken in administering anaesthetics.
Old Age and the End of Life
The fourth house also describes the end of life. Persons with Neptune here may expect a somewhat lonely old age. They will probably outlive those near and dear to them, and this may bring a strong tendency to melancholy. The mental forces may be impaired; in particular, memory will become very weak and unreliable. The native is not likely to settle in one place but will move about aimlessly, driven by the curiously childish impulses associated with certain types of senility—yet such gradual decay need not be unhappy. The second childhood will be full of pleasant fancies, possibly similar to those that characterized the early years, though naturally modified to some extent by life's experiences.
The fourth house also indicates the mother-in-law, and the student may refer to what is said about the mother in the tenth house, as similar remarks will apply.