Neptune in Aries: 1st take

Mid-month, Venus stops being retrograde and we'll have a two week period with no retrogrades, then Pluto goes retrograde. Generally, retrogrades make it harder to be productive, but Pluto will be the only planet retrograde for two months, and that's as good as we get in 2025, so if you want to get stuff done, May and June are decent.

Those of you who read/consume more than one astrology source know that Neptune just went into Aries, and Neptune sign shifts are zeitgeist shifts, so the vibe of the times is transitioning from Pisces, which is the most complicated energy, to Aries, which is the least complicated. This is neither good nor bad, it just is. Neptune also isn't done with Pisces: it retrogrades back in there in October and will stay til January, so it's similar to when Pluto switched back and forth last year. We'll get used to Neptune in Aries and then when it switches back, I'm pretty sure at least *I* will be saying "ugh no thank you." I've had enough Pisces.

I am fairly certain that Neptune in Pisces will be known as the time when we got really lost in social media and opioids. Neptune entered Pisces in 2011, so obviously both of those items existed beforehand, but Neptune is the planet of getting lost and Pisces is the sign of getting lost. That math isn't hard, since both those things are easy ways to get lost. I'm sure over the last 14 years we've all gotten lost in something in a regrettable way, in some cases, maybe more than one thing. You can look up where Pisces falls in your birth chart for clues as to where you've gotten lost, and I doubt you would find that information surprising.

Anyway, it's too soon to tell exactly what Neptune in Aries will have in store for us, but Aries happens to be the most masculine sign, and it's the one most associated with taking action. Neptune is still the planet of getting lost. So, imagine the god of war (Mars/Aries) starting a fight based on the wrong idea (Neptune). That's kind of the vibe here. Though I would welcome a return of good rock music, which is strongly possible.

I'm not sure I want to do social commentary on the state of masculinity in our culture these days, but can we all agree that it's not in a good place? Neptune in Aries has the potential to address some of the issues there, but it's more likely to drum up additional illusions about what masculinity means. Alternately, there could be much more of an emphasis on going into the wilderness, roughing it, survivalist activities, and proving yourself: all things Mars loves doing but possibly for Neptune reasons, which involves idealism and/or getting lost. The cowboy aesthetic never really goes out of style, and I'd put bets on that we'll see more of it (though beware of being 'all hat and no cattle': the real cowboys will make fun of you). Regardless, Pisces is the ultimate in passivity, so the break from doomscrolling is welcome, is it not?

Aries tends to think fighting is a solution to whatever problem. Yesterday, I was headed for the water fountain at work (by which I mean 'minding my business'), and I realized that two women from two different departments in my building were having an argument across the hall from each other. Meaning: they were yelling. At first, I thought they were arguing with one another, but as I got closer I realized a young, male Amazon delivery driver was standing there. From what I gleaned, they'd asked him to deliver packages separately to their respective departments, and he'd refused... and then became combative. He was visibly in his 20s, and these women are much older, and I'd put their arm strength at a minimum, so this request didn't seem unrealistic, he'd just decided not to go the extra mile, and also decided to be a dick about it. It devolved into two women (who are both Mars-inclined) chewing him out simultaneously. As he left the building he yelled "I hope your days get worse!" which made me raise an eyebrow, like, this guy was trying really, really hard to be a dick and have Amazon contacted to report bad service. To be clear: I think everyone in this situation was Mars, but the Amazon driver was the most out-of-line and combative.

So to oversimplify: Neptune in Pisces is "I'm upset but I can't put my finger on why" and Neptune in Aries is "I'm upset (for overly simplistic reasons that maybe I should look into more deeply, but I won't)!" Astrologers love to call Neptune + Mars combinations "spiritual warrior": throw a rock, and you'll hit that term, which makes me roll my eyes so violently at this point*. Yes, I suppose it's possible to be completely selfless and fight for what you believe in and save all the children, kittens, puppies, rainbows, and unicorns simultaneously, but people are usually kind of selfish in their motivations. Anyway, I'd put money on a proliferation of stories glorifying the heroism, bravery, etc. of people who probably deserve to be celebrated for their selfless acts, and that's not wrong. It's just that Neptune gasses everything (and everyone) up.

So the TLDR of Neptune is, was, and will always be "don't believe the hype." Except now it's in Aries, so it's photoshopping itself to look more muscular.

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*I wrote this and then the next day got an email about Neptune in Aries: "Aries-like spiritual leadership"