The astrology of 2025: A year of change

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A few years ago (2022) I wrote this article about the planetary cycles coming up in the 2020s and so far we are right on track:

2023. The entry of Pluto into Aquarius will cement the shift into the Age of Air. I’ll be writing about this in greater depth, but the first few years of Pluto’s entry into a sign typically brings great change and we are likely to see a burgeoning of machine intelligence along with a splintering of the tendency of humans to build hierarchical social structures such as churches and governments. Small revolutionary acts by individuals will continue to become more common, and these will likely eventually take the place of wars between nations. Air is a dry element, and the aridification of the planet will likely to continue.

The cold planet Saturn in the watery sign of Pisces suggests challenges in all areas governed by Pisces: Religion, spirituality, hope and illusion, creativity. In 2023 we will discover the limits (Saturn) of compassion (Pisces) as more and more humans are forced to try to escape their native lands and find refuge in foreign countries. …

2024 will likely be a period of adjustment as we begin to settle into the new reality. Jupiter will enter Gemini to facilitate the interplay between human communication and technology, and enable greater adaptation. However, Pluto will retrograde back into Capricorn between July and December to clear the decks of stuck energies which will inhibit the movement into the New Age.

Pretty much all of this has occurred right on schedule. The shakeup and change of the new reality did not occur as many of us hoped and expected, but it’s undeniable that governments across the globe are being reshuffled and the chessboard is being rearranged. The astrology never lies, but we often look through the lens of our own hopes.

Here’s what’s coming in 2025:

The lunar nodes change signs.  

The Nodes of the Moon are not planets – they are purely mathematical points that show where the path of the Moon crosses the path of the Sun (called the “ecliptic”).  The North, or ascending, node acts as a signpost to take us into the future – it points the way for our soul’s evolutionary growth.  The South, or descending, node is a signpost from the past.  Through the South Node we release people, places and things which we carry with us that are no longer needed.

The North and South Nodes are always in opposite signs, reflecting the polarity of the astrological pantheon, and they change signs approximately every eighteen months or so, marking a global change in focus. For the past 19 months or so the nodes have been on the Aries (North)/Libra (South) Axis, drawing our attention to areas in which handling conflict appropriately (Aries) may mean letting go of our need to be liked in order to maintain peaceful connections (Libra). The nodes move backwards through the signs, encouraging us to continue releasing the past in order to move more fully into the future, and in January the North Node will retrograde back into Pisces with the South Node moving into Virgo, a polarity in which we must let go of our concepts which create order in our mind (Virgo) in order to achieve harmony with the spheres of consciousness which are at work.

This affects the nature of the eclipses.

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Eclipses occur when a lunation (new or full moon) occurs near the lunar nodes, so the nodes changing signs alter the flavor of eclipse season. Eclipses alternate between connecting to the South Node of past experiences and the North Node of influences which take us into a more enlightened future. Since the fall of 2023 the Aries/Libra axis have focused on the dichotomy between an experience of life as a self-directed individual (Aries) relative to our need to compromise in order to achieve successful partnerships (Libra).  The 2025 eclipses fall on the Pisces/Virgo axis; a polarity which can feel somewhat destabilizing since Pisces requires letting go and surrender, whereas Virgo needs to hold onto concrete ideas to create a reality-based life. North Node eclipses push us to grow, and South Node eclipses pull us back into an unfinished experience which needs closure.

Eclipses in 2025:

• March 14 Total lunar eclipse (tight conjunction to the nodes = more intensity) at 24º Virgo on the South Node.
• March 29: Partial solar eclipse & SuperMoon at 9º Aries at the Virgo South Node (out of sign so eclipse energy is weakened).
• September 7: Total lunar eclipse at 15ºPisces on the North Node
• September 21: Partial solar eclipse at 29º Virgo on the South Node.

Mars and Venus retrogrades

Because we observe the motion of the planets from Earth, it sometimes appears as though they are moving backwards through the sky. This is retrogradation; planets which appear to be retrograde are closest to the Earth and therefore affect us in more personal ways (this is also true when a planet is retrograde in the natal chart). When no planets are retrograde, as we had in early 2024, time seems to speed up and things progress quickly; a large number of retrogrades (approximately four or more) slow things down as we tend to look backwards and reassess.

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) spend half the year in retrograde motion so that is not unusual. But in 2025 Mars is already retrograde, and Venus will turn retrograde in March. You can read all about this Mars retrograde here. Mars will turn direct in Cancer on February 24.

Venus turns retrograde every 18 months; in 2025 it will turn retrograde March 2nd in Aries and will retrograde back into Pisces before turning direct again. Venus retrograde periods are good for repairing broken relationships and we often will find ourselves in contact with important people from the past during these times. These are typically not the best times to begin new business or other partnerships, but the fear of starting new relationships under Venus retrograde can be overblown.

Important planetary ingresses

♥ Neptune enters Aries. Neptune’s shift from Pisces to Aries will be a dramatic one. The planet that inspires us to yearn for the divine and transcend the mundane (Neptune) in the sign of the warrior and protector (Aries) isn’t a comfortable placement. I wrote a bit about this here
and of course will be writing more, but this will likely make for unpleasant global relations and a great deal of subterfuge. Watch for heightened espionage activity and a continued increase in misinformation and lack of clarity on a global scale.

Neptune enters Aries March 30, turns retrograde at 2º Aries July 5, retrogrades back into Pisces October 23, turns direct at 29º Pisces on December 11, re-enters Aries January 27 2026. 

♥ Saturn enters Aries. Saturn will enter Aries on May 24th. Saturn is said to be in its fall in Aries; The discipline needed to accomplish Saturn’s urge for structure can be lacking under the impulsivity of Aries. The combination of Neptune and Saturn in Aries, both uncomfortable placements, will hinder effective leadership and could foster confusion in our personal lives. Saturn will retrograde back into Pisces September 1 and will not re-enter Aries until February 13 2026. 

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Still, there are unique and positive potentials in these placements, since Aries encourages us to try something outside of our comfort zone. With Pluto newly in innovative Aquarius, this could help us to embrace the new and enter an exciting new stage in our lives. The inspiration of Neptune could give a boost to our creativity, and Aries courage can help us to manifest with power and confidence. My advicefor navigating these difficult energies is to avoid rushing into anything in 2025. Don’t make impulsive decisions or take reckless actions. Think things through and be sure you have built a good foundation before venturing into the excitement of something new.

♥ Uranus enters Gemini. Since the fall of 2018 Uranus has been in Taurus, the sign that grounds us into a firm reality. Uranus represents innovation and disruption, and during this period the global economic system has undergone a total transformation with digital wallets, crypto currency, farming technology and a fundamental evolution of values. Uranus entering Gemini, the sign of mental function and communication, will bring even more breakthroughs in these areas, something which began with Pluto entering Aquarius in 2023.

Gemini and Aquarius are both air signs, and Uranus and Pluto will be working together to innovate (Uranus) and transform (Pluto) things like cars and other vehicles which take us from one place to another, communication systems such as telephones and televisions, technologies which stimulate the brain and foster communication between the human brain and computers.

Uranus enters Gemini July 7th, will retrograde back into Taurus on November 7 and re-enters Gemini April 27 2026.

Saturn conjunct Neptune

With Saturn and Neptune both entering Aries they were bound to meet up at some point, and your computer will tell you that this doesn’t begin until 2026. However, the two will be separated by only 20′ of arc from early July until early August, and every transit of another planet to Saturn or Neptune will activate this combination.

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Saturn is the planet of boundaries and rules, and Neptune’s role is to blur those boundaries and dissolve those rules but these two seemingly opposite forces can be harnessed for great reward. As an outer planet, Neptune brings transformative energy of creative inspiration and spiritual vision, and when paired with Saturn’s focus on goals and practical implementation, remarkable achievements can emerge.

Saturn was last conjunct Neptune in Capricorn in 1989, just a few days before the fall of the Berlin Wall. To me this really signifies the power of Neptune breaking down old structures (Saturn) which no longer have meaning or are no longer needed. This aspect also denotes the harnessing (Saturn) of inspiration (Neptune)  – Taylor Swift was born with this Saturn/Neptune conjunction and she is a powerhouse of productive creativity!

Neptune sextile Pluto.

This harmonious alignment between Neptune and Pluto is a powerhouse of creative energies and the soothing balm of compassionate change. In a harmonious transit like this we are blessed with the positive traits of Neptune and Pluto: Spiritual insight, transformative power, empathetic leadership, artistic and creative breakthroughs. Although the exact alignment won’t occur until July 2026, in July – September 2025 the two planets are within a degree of the exact sextile before separating again. 

Conclusions

We have known for a long time that 2025 would be a pivotal year; the year everything changes. Political structures all over the world are undergoing profound shifts; technology is advancing by leaps and bounds in ways that we can’t even recognize. When are in the midst of a transformative period such as this resistance really is futile. There are many things that we cannot control when we are dealing with outer planets, planets of fate. But there is still much that we CAN control. We can control our goals, our desires, and own personal transformation. We can envision our own enlightened future in this brave new world. We can learn to open our hearts and face each day with love and gratitude.

I leave you with this quote from Mahatma Ghandi:

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness.”