The 4th House represents several things: our past, upbringing, and what keeps us comfortable. The 4th House is in the bottom of the chart, and it often provides a strong starting point and foundation for the native to work upon as the native grows up. Planets in the 4th House show the person investing part of themselves in maintaining this foundation.
Those with Neptune in the 4th may not have a truly correct and tangible idea of what their foundation of life is like. The foundations and values they were built up with can be a lot of things, but at the same time, nothing at all. These foundations and values may have been brought up by their family, or through the native’s past experiences. The native’s family and past are often secretive, yet confusing. With this confusion, a lot of the effects the native has gained from their past and family seeps out without the native consciously knowing.
The past of the native with this placement is hazy. The native may not talk much about their family, past, and upbringing because the native doesn’t know the past clearly. If the native does talk about the past, the native can fabricate stories and lies unconsciously, only noticing after the words have spilled from the mouth. Since the past is unclear, the native may be desperate and put on rose-colored glasses, thinking that an inaccurate view is better than no view at all.
There could be thoughts that a false foundation and past is better than none at all. The self after all can be built and strongly influenced by the foundation of the 4th House. If the native does not have a base, how can the native have a strong sense of self? The native can subconsciously and desperately seek for a past and family to cling onto to maintain a sense of self, even if it doesn’t exist. However, with this lack of existence, having Neptune in the 4th can provide the opportunity for the native to develop a foundation that is truly creative and true to themselves.
The family the Neptune in the 4th native may have grown up in was hard to describe. It may be hard for the native to know what was expected of them in the family, since the expectations can go from one extreme to another without the native noticing it. Perhaps the expectations are known, but the native has no idea on how to fulfill those expectations. These expectations depend on the sign ruling the 4th House.
The image of the native’s family can be very hazy for the native. One of the parents may have worked hard to maintain a certain image or ideal, and if the image and ideal wasn’t fulfilled, the parent may have tried to cover up that fact by putting on rose-colored lenses. Perhaps the native saw their past and family through rose-colored lenses. After all, secrets were never told, and a beautiful image may have been strongly maintained for the sake of tangible existence.
The arts may have been a strong factor in the native’s family. Perhaps one of the native’s parents was artistic, creative, and compassionate. The parent may have been influential in an understated manner or through the undercurrents of the family dynamic. However, one of the parents may have had a strong use of substances. Those with Neptune in the 4th may have had to take care of one of their parents due to the parent being unable to care for the native. One of the parents may have been very secretive and also manipulative, often making a strong tie to the native. There is often a strong tendency of victimization throughout the family.
Those with Neptune in the 4th House may dream of a home, past, or upbringing they never got. Perhaps they know what their past and upbringing looks like. They may dream of a comfort that doesn’t exist, a home that is impossible to realistically implement. Having Neptune in the 4th House can provide a native a strong base to be creative, sacrificial, and loving to others. However, the native can struggle to establish boundaries in other areas of their life, since they were raised in a life with little to no boundaries in the first place.