If astrology works—and I, your astrologer, think it does at least 70 percent of the time—2025 is going to be a year like we’ve never seen before. The year begins with retrogrades galore and peaks with all of the outer planets changing signs.  To help prepare you for what’s ahead, I’ve made a primer to 2025’s Astrology. This includes the major themes and transits of 2025, as well as a guide to the best topics for each zodiac sign, the most challenging topics for each zodiac sign, and when each zodiac sign is going to be the main character. Grab a pen so you can mark your calendar!

Remember: what’s going on in the sky interacts with everyone’s chart differently. Some transits might be a big deal for you and others might pass by without you noticing much; a transit that’s easy for you might be extra difficult for a friend. Knowing what’s coming helps us prepare not only individually but collectively. Astrology, at its best, is a tool not only for judging the quality of time, but also for understanding how our individual experiences relate to the collective.

Now let’s get into 2025.

• Courage in Self Expression
• Rediscovering Interdependence
• Practical Magic
• Local Abundance
• Warp-speed Collective Change

• Transit: Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer
• When: December 6, 2024 – February 23, 2025
• Who This Impacts the Most: Aries, Cancer, Leo and Scorpio

2025 begins as 2024 ends with Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer. Mars retrograde periods force us to slow down and pause before we act. With Mars in Leo (the sign of the performer) and Cancer (the sign of the nurturer), the point of this retrograde is to rebuild self confidence and cultivate compassion. Boldness and courageous acts of service are rewarded during this transit. But also: think of anything that happens during Mars retrograde as a first draft or a dress rehearsal. The point is to let go of perfection.

Mars stations direct on February 23 and slowly moves forward again, leaving its retrograde shadow on May 2. The first four months of the year are a chance to experiment and throw ideas up against the wall to see what sticks. This is less about “finding the answer,” and more about figuring out the best place to begin. At the end of this period in May is when we can move forward with confidence in our ideas and direction. Don’t rush the process.

• Transit: Venus retrograde in Aries and Pisces
• When: March 1 – April 12, 2025
• Who This Impacts the Most: Aries, Taurus, Libra and Pisces

Venus retrograde is a time to thoughtfully reconsider all things love, money and aesthetics. Yes, this is a time of situationship breakdowns, but it’s also an opportunity for relationship glow ups and personal transformation. Whether you’re rethinking your style, navigating an emotional connection, or reviewing your relationship with money, the goal is to move toward healthier interdependence.

Venus retrograde follows a regular 8 year cycle. The last time this transit occurred in Aries and Pisces was March-April of 2017, there was then a key halfway point in March 2021. Reflect on these periods for clues about what’s to come. Use this period to journal, have conversations with friends, or explore these themes in therapy. The goal isn’t just to review what’s no longer working but to create space for what’s next.

• Transit: Eclipses in Pisces/Virgo
• When: March & September
• Who This Impacts the Most: Pisces and Virgo; honorable mention to Gemini and Sagittarius

On January 11, 2025, the lunar nodes will move into Pisces and Virgo, kicking off a new eclipse cycle. With Pisces and Virgo as our guides, we’re learning to balance the practical with the spiritual. How can we let go of rigid structures? How can we prioritize intuition? 

Eclipses happen every six months when the sun and moon align with the lunar nodes, and in 2024 we had a preview Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on September 17. Now in 2025, we get to see how these stories play out for real. Get ready for the biggest control freak in your life to let go for once. And for the biggest space cadet in your life to find a solid container for her dreams.

• Transit: Jupiter in Cancer
• When: June 9, 2025 – end of year
• Who This Impacts the Most: Cancer, Pisces, Sagittarius, Aries, Libra and Capricorn

The transit I’m most looking forward to in 2025 is Jupiter’s entrance into Cancer on June 9. Jupiter—the planet of expansion and abundance—is said to be exalted, or an honored guest, in Cancer. Jupiter in Cancer is about finding relief in one’s own comfort zone. Great success and big leaps are possible close to home and amongst familiar faces. This transit brings generosity and feels like a feast with friends. One of the highest highs of this transit comes on June 24 when Jupiter goes into the heart of the sun, bringing just the right amount of indulgence and renewing our faith in what’s possible.

• Transit: Pluto in Aquarius, Neptune enters Aries, Saturn enters Aries, Uranus enters Gemini
• When: All year, but will feel most potent in June through August
• Who This Impacts the Most: Everyone!

Not to leave the most dramatic point for last, but 2025 is a year unlike any we have experienced in our lifetimes. Not one, not two, but all of the outer planets change signs. To get into what each of these shifts means on its own would be four different essays, but the gist is: expect warp speed change on a collective level. The astrological influences present this year have similarities to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the social upheaval of 1968, and many other turning points in history.

• Massive technological breakthroughs
• Rebellion & revolution
• Old structures falling apart to make way for something better
• Equal parts idealism and disillusionment

These influences will continue through the rest of the 2020s. But by early 2026, it will be a very different world.

If you know your rising sign, reading for that will provide the most accurate insight.

Subscribe to Jaime Wright’s newsletter for more musings on the stars.