In the span of history, pivots to new eras or generations are usually defined only in retrospect: when we get a certain distance from that time, we can say “this is when the industrial revolution started” or “this is the marker for the start of the Baby Boomer generation.”
If you know how to recognize the markers of big shifts, however, you can identify them on the way in, which helps you to prepare better. You might not feel or see the shift immediately, but you’ll know what to look for.
2025 is filled with many such moments.
March 30, 2025 brings one of these defining moments, when the planet Neptune leaves the great ocean of Pisces and enter the sign of Aries.
If you follow any astrologers online, you may have heard that this is a BIG DEAL. Perhaps you’re wondering why it’s such a big deal, and what it means.
In this essay I’ll share why it’s such a big deal. Tomorrow, we’ll dive into what it means.
Dates for Neptune in Aries
First, let’s look at our timeline. The outer planets spend several months of each year retrograde, so their transition to a new sign happens in stages.
In effect, it works like this:
We get a preview of the planet in its new sign for a few months, followed by an epilogue of the planet in its preceding sign. Then the planet moves back to the new sign and we settle in for the main show. A few months the main show ends, we get an epilogue of that show.
Here are the specifics for Neptune in Aries:
- March 30, 2025 – October 22, 2025: Neptune in Aries Preview
- October 22, 2025 – January 26, 2026: Neptune in Pisces Epilogue
- January 26, 2026 – May 21, 2038: Neptune in Aries Main Show
- October 21, 2038 – March 23, 2039: Neptune in Aries Epilogue
Why Neptune Entering Aries is Such a Big Deal
(1) It is the Beginning of a New Collective Era
In the cycles of the planets, the three outer planets — Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — speak to the collective experience. These planets move very slowly and spend several years in each sign. Their respective transits through any sign leave an imprint on a generation.
Consider what the landscape looked like in 2011, when Neptune first entered Pisces, and compare that to today.
(2) Neptune Changing Signs is a Rare Event
Neptune spends 14 years in a sign, so it doesn’t change signs that often. The less frequently something happens, the bigger deal it is.
(3) We’ve Never Experienced This Transit Before
Neptune spends approximately 14 years in each sign, and takes 165 years to cycle the zodiac. This means that nobody alive today has ever experienced Neptune in Aries before. And it’s the only time we’ll experience this for generations.
While we can look to the past to see what themes arose in its prior transits through Aries, what will unfold over the next 14 years remains a mystery.
That said, we can make a strong estimate about how the landscape will shift.
Come back tomorrow for a look at the core themes of Neptune in Pisces and the anticipated tone shift as Neptune enters Aries.
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