Going Where We've Never Gone Before

The word unprecedented is so overused these days; it is, however, accurate to describe how 2025 is to unfold.  Mankind is in the midst of the most pivotal growth spurt in history.  We are evolving from homosapien to homoluminous; meaning:  shifting to a heart and soul-centered way of living, where mind is the servant, the instrument and tool of the heart, rather than the other way around.

This is the most significant jump in human development since man evolved from Neanderthal to cro magnon.

What began notably in 2020 with the Covid pandemic continues to play out.  If we learned anything from that, hopefully we learned not to take anything personally, and to look for silver linings of which there were so many.  Likewise, the most helpful approach to 2025 is curiosity and wonder, rather than fear or its counterpart victimhood. 

And 2025 asks us to be intrepid, gentle and compassionate.

With these watchwords in mind, let’s take a look at what is in store for the ever-unprecedented year ahead:

From the outset, the year demands (or invites) change.  With Powerful Pluto opposing Motivating Mars, we are pushed out of our comfort zones.  The old ways simply will not work.  Pluto joins the Moon in avant garde Aquarius from Day One. Now in Aquarius through 2043, Pluto prompts our invention, innovation and non-mainstream approach to life.

There is no rush. All three interior planets Mercury, Mars and venus will be retrograde, back to back, now through mid-April, giving us ample time to feel into how we can reinvent ourselves and rise to the demands posed by 2025.  Take advantage of these slow motion planets because by the end of April, shock and awe greet us at nearly every turn.

What makes 2025 so cosmically unusual is the planetary changing of the guard en masse.  Fully five outer planets change sign within eight months-time.  This is very rare indeed. Why?  Planets beyond Mars move very, very slowly, especially the outer three. From November 2024 through July 2025, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto will shift energetically.  We move from earth and water to fire and air elements, turning from practical, grounded and intuitive (earth and water signs) to creative, innovative, idea-oriented and communicative (fire and air signs). You will feel these shifts.

Our lived experience at the beginning of 2025 will be incredibly different than by the end of the year.

So it is really important to sink into the interior planetary slow-going afforded us during the first few months. January opens with Motivating Mars retrograde motion.  Mars is the gas pedal of the zodiac, the kick in the pants to get us out of bed in the morning.  Retrograde, Mars turns our energy inward, focusing on self-nurturing, home, family and ancestral patterns as it cycles through Cancer the Crab from January 4^th through April 17^th.  Deep in mid-winter, it is a convenient time for this passage.

Our energy feels sluggish through the end of February.  Watch for lack of motivation and general inertia.

Key themes with Mars retrograde in Cancer are:  food, family, self-care, diet and digestion, house, residence, home improvement projects, ancestors, hospice and life endings, maternal figures in your life (mom, sisters, aunts, grandmothers), psychological conditioning and programming, biological inheritance, nation, country.

Thursday, January 30^th:  Game Changer Uranus turns direct motion.  You may feel a marked gear thrust forward.  In Taurus, Uranus awakens our values, self-worth, skills and talents, relationship to money and all resources.  Notice where this is active for you.

February is a remarkably quiet month cosmically speaking.  I strongly recommend taking advantage of the calm before March madness descends!   Generous Jupiter turns direct motion in Gemini on Tuesday, February 4^th.  Jupiter is the titan of abundance, learning and expansion.  In Gemini, communication flows more easily; information you are seeking or sharing is readily available.

Monday, February 24^th:  Motivating Mars finally turns direct motion!  Notice how your energy picks up steam.  Where we felt lethargic, Mars now lights a fire under us, actively urging us to tend to our self-care, family, our home, elders, and how we cook and feed ourselves.

Enjoy the last week of February when all the interior planets are briefly direct motion to book travel plans, sign major contracts and documents, purchase large ticket items.

March Key Dates:   Very busy cosmic month

Sunday, March 2^nd Valuable Venus turns retrograde in Aries.  Watch temptation on all fronts: tempting love affairs heading nowhere and impulse buying things, especially luxury goods that you do not need.    Also watch for all variety of relationships from the past resurfacing:  old friends, relatives, romantic partners.  Venus is retrograde March 2-April 13^th and it is not a great time to initiate any relationships or launch businesses.

In the midst of this stretch, Friday, March 14^th delivers the first eclipse of 2025, a total lunar eclipse in Virgo.  Health, wellness, service, work, habits, practices and routines move front and center now.  We are asked to surrender what we cannot control.

The very next day, Saturday, March 15^th:  Messenger Mercury turns retrograde in Aries until Monday, April 7^th.  The great news is we get both Mercury and Venus retrogrades out of the way at the same time!  Watch for communication snafus, heated arguments and misunderstandings, overpromising things you cannot commit to, avoid signing major contracts or key documents, and hold off on booking travel plans or buying phones, tablets, laptops when possible until mid-April. 

Life kicks into overdrive with the second eclipse on Saturday, March 29^th, a partial solar eclipse in Aries.  Look where you are incited or invited into action?  Standing up for yourself, defending the vulnerable, and/or trying anything new to you, be it methods, exercise, travel, food, methods of thinking, and more are on the table now.

Underscoring the urge to explore the untried and new to us is soulful Neptune’s shift into pioneering Aries on Monday, March 31^st.  Neptune is the planet of the soul, dreams, the subconscious.  Ephemeral Neptune is not especially comfortable cycling through Aries, the first sign and first fire sign of the zodiac.  Its key phrase is I AM. Rules the head, identity, self, war, conflict, battle. Known for physicality, leadership, athleticism, initiative, impulse, lack of follow through, action, doing (not being), up for/willing to try anything.  Personality type:  the Warrior, the pioneer, the executive, the Great Initiator. The best possible combination of Neptune in Aries is pioneering solutions benefitting all of mankind; the downside is religious zealotry.

By the end of May, Taskmaster Saturn joins Neptune in Aries.  You will surely feel the fire under your fanny and your feet when these two join forces!  This duos inspires and commands our soul craving something brand new, what we’ve never done before.  What is that for you?

Monday, June 9^th Generous Jupiter moves into nurturing Cancer the Crab for the next full year.  Exalted in this maternal sign, Jupiter offers endless silver linings to any challenges we may endure.  Look for the helpers, as Mr. Rogers said.  Earth angels abound if you only ask for assistance.

Just after the 4^th of July holiday, change agent Uranus moves into communicative Gemini.  Aligning to Pluto in Aquarius, watch for smoother connections, proliferating idea exchange, technology developments, and surprising solutions to stubborn long-term problems.

It is important to remember that the planets impel, the do not compel; meaning, you have free will and choice how you respond to planetary stimulus.  Joy and light are my personal words for 2025 and offer a way for me to rise up and greet what crosses my threshold.  What are your words for the year ahead?

 Of Special Note:

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