TRANSCRIPT Ep. 283 | Solar Eclipse + Neptune in Aries: Boom!

TRANSCRIPT EP 283 (3.24.25)
Solar Eclipse + Neptune in Aries: Boom!

Hello, invisible friend, April here, and the date today is March 24th, 2025. Welcome to Episode 283 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. This week – and what a week it is! – Mercury retrograde connects with the Sun and Pluto. Venus retrograde returns to the gentle waters of Pisces and conjoins Neptune at the tail end of that sign. We bid a fond farewell to eclipses in Aries with one last solar eclipse in that sign. And if you haven’t taken to your bed by the end of the week, welcome Neptune to Aries for the first time since 1861. Plus, I answer a listener question about how having many retrograde planets in your birth chart might impact your life.

Mercury conjunct the Sun (March 24, 2025, 12:48 pm PDT)

The week begins with Mercury retrograde in a conjunction with the Sun on March 24th at 12:48 pm Pacific Time, at 4º24’ Aries. This conjunction is a time for deep self-reflection, an opportunity to closely examine how you’re managing things in your life. It can be kind of hard to see yourself clearly when Mercury is so close to the Sun, but while there will be time later to seek perspectives from others, now is the moment to focus inward and to connect with what you know and feel to be true about yourself.

Use this time to reframe the challenges in your life in a more positive light. Pay close attention to how you speak to yourself, because this can greatly influence your mindset.

When a planet comes together with the Sun within 17’ of orb, it enters a condition called cazimi, meaning “in the heart of the Sun,” where it’s considered extremely powerful. And when Mercury is cazimi, we can have these keen insights and analytical breakthroughs, so it’s a good time to tackle these kinds of issues. The cazimi period is on March 24th, between 9, 10 am and 4:27 pm Pacific time. For more details on this cazimi condition, check out the listener question from episode 259, and we will link to that in the show description.

Mercury sextile Pluto (March 25, 2025, 3:02 pm PDT)

On March 25th at 3:02 pm Pacific Time, Mercury retrograde makes a sextile aspect to Pluto at 3º27’ Aries and Aquarius. Now, this is the second in a series of Mercury sextiles to Pluto, with the first occurring on March 5th and the final one will be on April 20th. So, this is kind of a three-part story of Mercury and Pluto.

Mercury governs our thinking, communication, how we interpret our experiences. When it comes together in an aspect with Pluto, it can reveal harsh truths; and if we’re not careful, Pluto’s influence can lead us to view our lives through a very negative lens.

Pluto is a planet of obsession, compulsion, addiction, and during this transit, it’s helpful to channel that kind of intense energy into outlets that can absorb and focus this mental energy in a productive way. It’s also an excellent combination for research and for working with topics that it’s very hard to get to the root of. Because you will have the patience and insight now to get to the bottom of things.

Venus retrograde enters Pisces (March 27, 2025, 1:41 am PDT)

Venus retrograde enters Pisces on March 27th at 1:41 am Pacific Time. She was previously in Pisces between January 2nd and February 3rd, then entered Aries and turned retrograde on March 1st, so now she’s revisiting Pisces territory until April 30th, and this could be a time when we revisit some matters of love or money weren’t quite concluded during Venus’s previous time here.

Typically, Venus in Pisces brings up themes of indulging in the latest trends and fads, often leading to overspending. But it is a time for donations to charity, enjoying nature, creating music or art, and having fun with friends. And ideally, we may come to realize that the best things in life are indeed free.

However, when Venus is retrograde, we may feel more introspective than sociable, and be a little more selective about who we spend time with, what we purchase, how we spend our time, based on what truly brings us joy.

The Sabian symbol for this ingress, 30 Pisces, A rock formation like a face, is idealized by a boy who, as he grows up, begins to look like it, reflects the idea of becoming our own ideal. There’s no right answer or perfect version of anything. Everything is shaped by how we feel, or what we think we should be, and we create our own ideal through this process.

Venus conjoined Neptune (March 27, 2025, 6:13 am PDT)

Venus retrograde makes a conjunction with Neptune on March 27th at 6:13am Pacific Time. Thanks to her retrograde period, Venus is making a series of three conjunctions with Neptune. The first was on February 1st, and the third comes after Venus is direct again, on May 2nd. This transit can bring challenges to partnerships because we may have illusions about what we need, or a lack of clarity in the relationship, and that can come to the forefront. Now, sometimes relationships dissolve, which is a very Neptune process, when one or more partners realize that they’ve grown apart or they don’t share the same vision for the future. Relationships involving money can also undergo significant review during this time.

At the heart of Venus related issues is often a lack of faith in ourselves, and Neptune’s healing influence can ameliorate that. By the end of this transit, you may gain a clearer sense of your own worth, encouraging you to let go of things and people who drain you.

While this can be a time of some emotional clarity, it’s also a period when sudden infatuations can arise, so we have to proceed with some caution because we may not be seeing this situation clearly.

On a positive note, this transit can offer a great opportunity for creative projects, and maybe you’ll pick up something that you were starting on back in February and take it to the next level.

Aries New Moon / Solar Eclipse (March 29, 2025, 3:58 am PDT)

Now for the Moon Report, and we begin, as always, with the most important lunation of the week. This week, that is the Aries New Moon Solar Eclipse on March 29th at 3:58 am Pacific Time. It’s at 9º 00’ Aries, on the Sabian symbol 9 Aries, A crystal gazer.

This is the final eclipse on the Aries-Libra axis until 2032. And since April 2023, these eclipses have highlighted a period of self-discovery and transformation. The eclipses in Ares and Libra have emphasized the dynamic between the self and others, urging us to embrace independence, challenge, and courage, while releasing the tendency toward over accommodation, indecisiveness, codependence, and basically just saying yes too much.

This eclipse is connected to past eclipses near this degree on March 29th, 2006, and March 29, 1987. If you look back in your life around those dates, especially if you have a planet or point in your chart very close to 9º Aries, you might see a continuing thread between things that were happening then and the important issues in your life at the moment.

Look, especially at the house placement in your chart of 9º Aries, because this will indicate an area of life where things are being churned up and change is very possible. I think of eclipses as describing the process of change, of letting go of what’s represented by the Moon’s south node and propelling us toward the possibilities of the north node.

It’s worth pointing out that Mars, which is the ruler of Aries, is still in the sign of Cancer, and that could tone down the brashness of Aries quite a bit. Plus, it’s interesting, once we get to the last eclipse in the pair of signs, we can see how much we’ve learned or how much we have left to learn from that period of eclipses.

I think it’s telling as we get ready to go into Neptune entering Aries, which I’ll talk about later, and then later Saturn moving into Aries, and we’re moving into this intense Aries shift, and I’m hoping that we have learned some things since the North Node and the eclipses have been going through Aries. And that hopefully we will learn that it’s important to fight for what we believe in, but we have to be careful that fighting does not take over everything.

The Sabian symbol for this eclipse, A crystal gazer, emphasizes the subtle mind, the way that we grasp things instinctively, and I think instinctive is the word I like for Aries and for the fire signs, where there is a strong intuition that comes almost from the body itself, about what we need to take care of and what needs to get done.

There is so much energy in the chart of this eclipse confined in just about 15 degrees of the zodiac between Saturn at 24 Pisces and the Sun and Moon at 9 Aries. And it will feel very much that way, I think, that we have a whole lot of concerns clustered around a very narrow area of our lives, and may feel the strong urge to throw a bunch of things out and completely start over. It’s a tendency we probably want to be a little bit careful with.

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This is the New Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that will unfold over the coming three years, so this eclipse is powerful not just in the here and now, but in the next few years as well.

The First Quarter in this lunar phase cycle will come on December 27th, 2025 at 6º17’ Aries. So, if you’re making intentions or plans at this New Moon, about starting something new, about pioneering into a new direction, that is the time, at that First Quarter, that we’re likely to see some kind of action or movement on what we’re thinking about at this New Moon.

At the Full Moon on September 26, 2026, at 3º37’ Aries, we will see how far we’ve come, how far we have left to go, and what we might need to do in order to better prepare ourselves for completing these plans. And the Last Quarter in this Lunar Phase family is on June 26, 2027 at 5º21’ Aries, and that’s when we have a moment of truth, when we take a final action to complete this cycle and possibly to demonstrate what we’ve learned from it.

Void-of-Course Moon periods

Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week. On March 24th, the Moon in Capricorn sextiles Neptune at 8:01 am Pacific Time, is Void-of-Course for only 24 minutes, and then enters Aquarius at 8:25 am. Void-of-Course periods that begin with the Moon sextile another planet speak of an opportunity or an invitation. And when this practical Capricorn Moon makes a sextile to Neptune, there’s the opportunity to take everyday chores and practices such as washing the breakfast dishes and elevate them to a kind of spiritual experience.

A friend tells me that as a kid, their friend’s mother had a sign in the kitchen that read “Thank God for dirty dishes,” and that implies gratitude for having food in the cupboards with which to dirty the dishes. Make that kind of gratitude a habit during this Void-of-Course Moon period.

On March 26th, the Moon in Aquarius squares Uranus at 3:15 am Pacific time. This is a longer Void-of-Course period, Void-of-Course for nine hours and 16 minutes, and then enters Pisces at 12:31 pm. There’s a conflict inherent when the Moon is square another planet at the beginning of a void period, and we can see people being kind of erratic in their actions or really opposed to change. Use this Void-of-Course period to get in the habit of seeing things from other people’s point of view and making changes accordingly. It’s good to be reminded that the world does not revolve around us personally.

On March 28th, the Moon in Pisces makes a conjunction with Neptune at 1:30 pm Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for just six minutes and then enters Aries at 1:36 pm. When the Moon comes together with another planet in a conjunction, there’s an assimilation of the energies and messages of that planet. The Moon, Neptune, and Venus retrograde are all sitting here at 29º Pisces. Mercury retrograde is right there with this conjunction at 0º Aries.

That’s quite an emphasis in one area of the sky, and it would be really easy to let ourselves get emotionally overwhelmed. Stifling powerful feelings with substances, or thoughtlessly spending money, clearly are not the healthiest coping mechanisms.

It’s okay to take a time out every once in a while. It’s okay to get in the habit of doing that, just staring out the window, fantasizing about some lovely place that you would like to visit. Use this Void-of-Course period to get into the habit of taking these short breaks to just daydream a little and to give your mind an intermission from reality.

And on March 30th, the Moon in Aries squares Mars at 3:18 am Pacific time. This is another longer void period, 9 hours and 58 minutes, and then the Moon enters Taurus at 1:16 pm. We’ve got another conflict: the Moon is square Mars. And it’s safe to assume this day is going to be pretty intense with a solar eclipse in Aries that happened just the day before, Neptune moving into Aries during this void period in the midst of grumpiness and confusion.

We can use this Void-of-Course period to settle our emotions, get in the kitchen, cook a new recipe, throw ourselves into chores or exercise. These are activities that you can do on your own, which the Moon in Aries enjoys, and have a domestic feeling about them, which is nice for the Mars in Cancer. Just be mindful of your movements, what you’re doing with your body, in order to avoid any accidents or even injuries.

Mercury retrograde enters Pisces (March 29, 2025, 7:18 pm PDT)

Mercury retrograde makes a pair of aspects on March 29th. First, it enters Pisces at 7:18 pm Pacific time. And when Mercury retrogrades into Pisces, it almost immediately will make a conjunction with Neptune, which is not terribly conducive to logic, especially with Mercury in Pisces, the sign of its detriment.

Under these conditions, it’s really important to be cautious when we’re driving, walking, biking, moving around, and engaging in activities that might require a little more focus and clarity than Mercury in Pisces can muster. Mercury retrograde in Pisces can also make us more likely to avoid sensitive conversations, either out of concern that we might hurt somebody else or fear that we might be hurt ourselves. During this retrograde in Pisces, it’s a good idea to take naps, focus on revising and reviewing creative projects like art or music or writing, and allow space for reflection and refinement.

Mercury conjoins Neptune (March 29, 2025, 7:46 pm PDT)

Mercury’s conjunction with Neptune is at 7:46 pm. They come together at the very last degree of Pisces, a position that really perfectly captures the essence of confusion and a lack of clarity.

Neptune is like a sponge. It absorbs all the information that Mercury brings, so it’s important to be cautious about the sorts of messages that we expose ourselves to. This is a transit that just isn’t ideal for tasks that require rational thought or analysis. You can do it, but you have to work a bit harder.

It lends itself a lot more easily to matters that require fluidity and intuition. There’s a high potential for creative breakthroughs. So again, now is the time to really dive into your artistic and intuitive pursuits.

Neptune enters Aries (March 30, 4:58 am PDT)

On March 30th at 4:58 am Pacific Time, Neptune enters Aries, and this is a biggie. It marks its first time in Aries since it was last here between 1861 and 1875. Neptune’s initial ingress into Aries at that time was on April 12th, 1861, and history buffs will recall this as the day that the American Civil War began.

It was fueled by extreme idealistic differences. “Idealistic” is a Neptune word, and “war” is an Aries word. This time around, the shift occurs just one day after that final solar eclipse in Aries, and eclipses are times of change, with Neptune potentially helping to dissolve the superfluous. Aries is the sign of the pioneer and the warrior, and it only takes with it what’s necessary for the journey ahead.

Neptune, the planet of ideals and dreams, brings with it the vision that either an individual, a movement, or a nation can save the world. Taken to an extreme, this Aries Wild West vision can undermine humanity’s capacity to work together to build societies and to support a vision of collaboration. Neptune in Aries may bring deluded or unbalanced thinking, leading some to seek forceful solutions – Aries – to problems that we all share, the tendency to fight first and ask questions later.

Neptune will be in Aries through 2039, and it’s going to be an interesting ride, especially after Saturn enters Aries as well on May 24^th. On the plus side, it encourages us to look at ourselves as heroes of our own story; that within ourselves, we need to find the courage and the proactive solutions that we want to see.

Listener Question: Lots of Retrogrades in the Birth Chart

In this week’s listener question. Listener Stephanie writes: “What have you learned from all the charts you’ve read of people with many retrograde planets in their birth chart? All the planets in my natal 7th, 8th, and 9th houses were retrograde at the time of my birth, including natal Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Just typing this, I’m feeling a headache.”

Well, I hear you, Stephanie. From the rest of your email, it sounds like you and your family have been going through a lot. And with both Mercury and Venus retrograde in the sky through early April, I can imagine that things might not be flowing too easily.

I have some perspectives on retrograde planets in the birth chart. They may or may not be shared by many of my colleagues. But it seems that when a planet is retrograde, the directive is to look inward for guidance about the matters related to that planet. So, for example, Jupiter retrograde tends to suggest that you’re a person who was just born with fairly certain ideas about things like religion, philosophy of life, when it’s the right time to take risks. You may not be inclined to solicit ideas from others about these matters. On the one hand, this means that you have a good, certain sense of where you stand in these areas, and that you can be a very original thinker. But on the other hand, sometimes it’s helpful to get a little insight from others.

It’s worth noting that the planets you mentioned are all retrograde for much of the year. Jupiter is retrograde for about four months per year, Saturn for about four and a half months, Uranus and Neptune for five months, and Pluto for about five to six months. It would be a lot more unusual to not have any of these planets retrograde in your birth chart. And I very commonly see in client charts that people have several of them retrograde.

I think that the more retrograde planets you have in your chart, the more inclined you are to think independently and to be guided by your own instincts. Which I think sounds great, but of course, it is important to let ourselves take in input from people that we trust and respect.

The houses of the chart that you mentioned are related to close personal relationships, the support you receive from others, and matters like education and travel and philosophy of life. Especially in the case of the 8th house, one might feel that the only way to get support you can rely on is to provide it for yourself, and this obviously can have a complicating effect in relationships.

It’s also important to note that in the days following your birth, retrograde planets will often have turned direct. That can indicate an important shift related to that planet’s matters in your chart and the matters of the house of the horoscope where that planet is placed. If you have Uranus retrograde in your birth chart, but then it turned direct 30 days following your birth, you will see that influence at the 30th year of life, according to the system of secondary progressions, which equates each day after birth to a year of life.

You can find this easily. Just get the ephemeris for the year that you were born, begin at your birthday, and count forward until you see one of these planets change direction – it’ll be indicated with a “D” if they were retrograde planets and turn direct – and that number of days is the number of years that it took for this planet to turn direct in your chart. You’ll usually find something pretty significant at that year related to that planet. In this case, Uranus symbolically turning direct might mean that you would be a little more outwardly rebellious in life, for example.

Retrograde planets in the chart tend to be a little like retrograde planets in the sky in that often we aren’t even really aware of them until the planet changes direction in the progress chart, or sometimes even when the planet that’s retrograde in your birth chart is changing direction in the sky, because you may be more sensitive to these kinds of changes in direction than other people might be.

But if you’re currently experiencing a lot of difficulties or struggles in some area of life, I’d be more likely to look at the transiting planets and how they are impacting your birth chart, especially Jupiter through Pluto changing into a new house of your chart, or making a close aspect, especially a conjunction, square, or opposition to a planet in your birth chart.

Stephanie, I hope that that helps. I tend to regard your multiple retrograde planets as actually something to feel pretty good about to a great degree, as long as you remember that you don’t have to handle everything on your own.

If you have a question that you would like me to answer on a future episode of the podcast, please leave a voice message of one minute or less at speakpipe.com / bigskyastrologypodcast. Or send an email to me at April (at) Big Sky Astrology dot com and be sure to put “podcast question” in the subject line.

Donor Thanks

Well, it’s a big week, but that’s everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, please be sure to subscribe or follow the show in your app of choice. It really helps others find the show. And leave a rating or review. And I hope that you’ll help spread the word by telling an astrology loving friend about the podcast. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at BigSkyAstropod.com.

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That’s it for this episode. Join me again bright and early next Monday, and until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars!