2025 Horoscope: It’s the grand finale before the rise of a new world order

Grace McGrade is an intuitive astrologer and priestess based in Los Angeles. She is the host of the podcast Bitchcraft: Spirituality for Bad People. For more astrology, read her guide to rising signs and moon signs.

2024 ended in unmistakable Aquarian fashion: with drones and celestial anomalies spotted across the skies, growing discourse about aliens beneath the ocean, and the glorification of Luigi Mangione, a romanticised murderer with a noble, collective cause. A surrealist cultural and political landscape lies ahead, as Pluto has barely begun his journey through the most unusual of the air signs, preparing to pervade the realms of humanity and technology by shock.

2025 is the year for finding your mission. While it shouldn’t necessarily involve murdering any CEOs, it’s the year to champion the underdogs, as we rise to harness individual power to contribute to a collective cause. There is an emphasis on Aries and Pisces, representing the spiritual and the physical – where realms of the imagination merge with reality, gearing us up for instantaneous manifestations. It’s a paradoxical period of endings and new beginnings, as all the outer planets inch into new signs, blurring the lines between the ethereal and tangible. 

Despite all this, we start off the year in an unusually hesitant mood, with Mars retrograding in Cancer until February. In March, Venus proceeds to peddle backward in Aries, amplifying romantic issues with a cyclical game of relationship Jenga. Although some of us might be heading into a more single spring, we are happy to be free of the baggage interfering with our independence in 2025.

This year calls for new leadership, as Neptune and Saturn prepare to enter trailblazing Aries in the spring. Neptune, the slow-moving planet of creativity and confusion has been in Pisces for the past 13 years. Neptune tends to make us idealise the characteristics of whatever sign it’s in, and in Pisces, we valued the archetype of the compassionate go-with-the-flow mystic. We saw a widespread interest in the psychic and spiritual, where everyone became a TikTok seer. Neptune in Pisces reminded us of the importance of fluidity and inclusivity and taught us that everything can fall on a spectrum – but also inundated us with misinformation, blurred realities, and a propensity for victimhood. Culture has appeared to have stayed in an echo chamber, as we romanticised and recycled eras of the past. Film, photography and imagery have been put on a pedestal over reality, for Neptune in Pisces kept glittering illusions far more appealing than the facts. In this romantic haze, it’s become increasingly difficult to separate the real from the virtual.

When Neptune moves into Aries for the first time since the 1800s (the American Civil War), we embark onto brand new cultural terrain, compelled to draw inspiration from the archetype of the warrior. Neptune in Aries is straightforward: it wants us to take action and initiate with purpose. No more escapism or denial. Historically, Neptune in Aries has been associated with religious wars and revolutionary causes, heeding the call of an all-encompassing spiritual mission. This steadfast dynamic energy inspires creative pursuits the likes of which have not been seen before, while anchoring us into the more psychic aspects of our identities.

When Neptune enters Aries on March 30, there’s no more sitting on the sidelines: action and instinct become essential to actualising our dreams. We become the main characters in our respective journeys, guided by gut impulses. We idealise defiant trailblazers, freedom fighters and heroes. Digital myths may turn madmen into martyrs (i.e. Luigi Mangione) and cultural trends could revolve around boldness and bravery. We may see fads revolve around athleticism, heroism, masculinity and youth. Action flicks, sportswear and risk-taking in fashion and art become the norm, and brash movements are favoured over Piscean submission. If Pisces was the antiquated seer, Aries is the warrior-child, charging ahead with the temperament of a toddler – blind to consequence, eager for first-hand experience.

Thankfully, structured Saturn’s ingress into Aries on May 24 offers a grounding influence over this new terrain, pushing us to become more responsible by pointing out the areas in which we need to grow up. Saturn in Aries encourages us to harness our power by committing to our creative missions while slapping us on the wrist when we are too impulsive, chaotic or selfish. The combination of these two planets emphasises self-discovery and autonomy, helping us pair dreams with action.

We have already had a taste of these themes thanks to the Eclipses of 2024, as the North Node in Aries guided us all to forge ahead solo, separating from the codependent dynamics that perpetuated people-pleasing. We learned how to be more assertive and direct. Relationships were a major theme in 2024, but 2025 emphasises healing and closure. On January 11, the North Node of Destiny (what we are learning) moves from Aries into Pisces, encouraging us to use our intuitive and imaginative faculties. With the South Node (what we are letting go of) in practical Virgo, we are encouraged to break patterns of self-criticism, worry and workaholism. The major eclipses of 2025 fall on the axis of Virgo and Pisces, with Virgo residing over the physical and Pisces connecting to the spiritual. These catalysing celestial events will provide us with a higher connection to source, helping us surrender perfectionism as we learn how to trust and follow the divine plan. Don’t overthink it. Dream and Do.

After a year in Gemini, Jupiter moves into Cancer on June 9. As Jupiter is the planet of luck, wisdom and expansion, this shifts our focus from the mind to the heart, enhancing our ability to feel. This isn’t just good news for Cancers: it’s the perfect time to build a dream home and cultivate a strong sense of stability. Wisdom can be gained through exploring ancestral history and examining how our upbringing shaped us. This transit also may lead to reforms with rent control, home ownership and women’s rights. Overall, Jupiter bestows an energy of empathy and emotional depth, allowing us to attract good fortune by being compassionate and caring.

Uranus is the rebel planet that provokes us, often with sudden rude awakenings. Since 2018, Uranus has been in Taurus, shaking up our monetary systems and sparking conversations around bodily autonomy. We’ve had upheavals and disruptions around Roe v Wade, trans-rights and medical tyranny. We’ve seen upgraded values and increased bodily intelligence – as if our somatic senses are louder than ever.

When Uranus enters Gemini on July 7, we undergo a deprogramming of conscious thought, as lightning-fast revelations and a rapid-fire exchange of ideas promote free thinking. As Gemini is a dualistic sign, we could see extreme vantage points and an interest in shocking or provocative information. This could create a polarising global atmosphere as conversations will likely take on a revolutionary tone. Freedom around information will become a major topic of conversation, especially around social media and privacy laws. We will no longer fear offending others and will fight against censorship. Technological advancements are to be expected, particularly concerning transportation. Air Taxis? Hovercrafts? 30-minute flights from New York to LA? Not that far-fetched when Uranus is in Gemini.

Pluto, the planet of the underworld, continues to awaken us through its transit through Aquarius. We have the opportunity to use technology for both collective advancement and detriment, as quantum leaps forward catalyse us into an era eerily reminiscent of a science fiction film. Hidden technology operating behind the scenes comes to light, as we confront the looming superpowers of AI and mass surveillance. However, Pluto in Aquarius grants us the freedom of information, potentially letting people on the fridges of society come into power. It is the end of the predictable, as 2025 is the grand finale before the rise of a new world.