Neptune operates on a glacial timeline. Its orbital period is 164.8 years, meaning it takes roughly that long to travel through all twelve signs. That works out to about 13.7 years per sign -- so when Neptune moves, it stays put for a generation or more.

On March 30, 2025, Neptune crosses from Pisces into Aries. It will travel through Aries until October 22, 2025, when it stations retrograde (appears to move backward through the zodiac). This retrograde pulls it back into Pisces, where it will linger until January 26, 2026. Then it turns direct and re-enters Aries on that date, remaining there until October 21, 2038, when it stations retrograde one final time. Neptune then slips back into Pisces again on October 21, 2038, and makes its final return to Aries on March 23, 2039.

So the full Neptune in Aries cycle spans 2025-2039, with two brief returns to Pisces along the way. Think of it as three chapters: a prologue (March-October 2025), the main story (January 2026-October 2038), and a brief epilogue (March 2039).

Why retrograde? Neptune's retrograde motion isn't real motion -- it's an optical illusion. As Earth orbits faster than Neptune, it overtakes the distant planet, making Neptune appear to move backward. During retrograde periods, Neptune's influence becomes more introspective and internal. The key takeaway: 2025 is a taster. The real transformation begins in 2026.

Neptune in Aries is a call to spiritual courage and idealistic action. Here's how to work with it without getting swept into delusion.

Do: Dream boldly. Aries brings courage to Neptune's visionary realm. If you've been sitting on a spiritual practice, a teaching, a calling -- this is the transit to act. Neptune in Aries favours pioneers: the person who starts a new meditation group, publishes a controversial spiritual book, or leaves a conventional life to pursue an unconventional spiritual path. The key is grounding your ideals in lived experience, not theory. Aries doesn't entertain abstractions for long.

Do: Pioneer spiritual paths. Neptune dissolves boundaries. Aries hates boundaries anyway. Together, they encourage you to explore spiritual territories that feel fresh, uncharted, maybe even slightly dangerous. Tarot, plant medicine, energy work, mythology -- whatever calls to you. Neptune rewards curiosity; Aries rewards courage. Combine them and you get a capacity to explore without the paralysis of doubt.

Do: Act on inspiration. This is the time to move with your intuition. Aries doesn't dither. If you feel called to something, Neptune in Aries is asking you to test it, not endlessly deliberate it.

Avoid: Impulsive escapism. Aries is direct and fast-moving. Neptune is slippery and boundless. Together, they can create spiritual bypassing -- using ideals as an escape hatch from real life. Just because something feels spiritually transcendent doesn't mean it's good for you. Use discernment. Test your ideals against reality.

Avoid: Identity confusion. Neptune dissolves the self. Aries is all about the self. If you're not careful, this transit can leave you spiritually adrift, having lost your moorings in the search for authenticity. Ground yourself in a spiritual community, a practice, a teacher, or a set of values. Don't let the fluidity of Neptune sweep away your actual foundation.

Avoid: Aggressive idealism. Aries can be combative. Neptune + Aries can create spiritual zealotry -- the certainty that your way is the only way, the need to convert others, the righteous anger at those who don't see what you see. That way lies spiritual warfare, which nobody wins. Hold your ideals lightly. Let others find their own truth.

Neptune in Aries is rare, brief, and potent. What you pioneer in these early months of 2025 will ripple through the next fourteen years. You're being asked to imagine a new version of yourself, to question old certainties about who you are and what matters, to act on inspiration even when the outcome is unclear.

This is 2025's spiritual theme. Saturn is finishing its work in Pisces, pushing you toward maturity and responsibility. Uranus is entering Gemini, reshaping how you think and communicate. Jupiter is moving between Gemini and Cancer, expanding your reach and deepening your roots. Into this mix comes Neptune, insisting on vision, courage, and idealistic action.

The invitation is clear: be brave. Dissolve what no longer serves. Act on what calls you. By the time Neptune settles into Aries in 2026, you'll have discovered something essential about yourself -- something you couldn't have known without this brave, disorienting preview.

The spiritual awakening is beginning. Welcome it.

Neptune operates on a glacial timeline. Its orbital period is 164.8 years, meaning it takes roughly that long to travel through all twelve signs. That works out to about 13.7 years per sign -- so when Neptune moves, it stays put for a generation or more.

On March 30, 2025, Neptune crosses from Pisces into Aries. It will travel through Aries until October 22, 2025, when it stations retrograde (appears to move backward through the zodiac). This retrograde pulls it back into Pisces, where it will linger until January 26, 2026. Then it turns direct and re-enters Aries on that date, remaining there until October 21, 2038, when it stations retrograde one final time. Neptune then slips back into Pisces again on October 21, 2038, and makes its final return to Aries on March 23, 2039.

So the full Neptune in Aries cycle spans 2025-2039, with two brief returns to Pisces along the way. Think of it as three chapters: a prologue (March-October 2025), the main story (January 2026-October 2038), and a brief epilogue (March 2039).

Why retrograde? Neptune's retrograde motion isn't real motion -- it's an optical illusion. As Earth orbits faster than Neptune, it overtakes the distant planet, making Neptune appear to move backward. During retrograde periods, Neptune's influence becomes more introspective and internal. The key takeaway: 2025 is a taster. The real transformation begins in 2026.

Neptune in Aries is a call to spiritual courage and idealistic action. Here's how to work with it without getting swept into delusion.

Do: Dream boldly. Aries brings courage to Neptune's visionary realm. If you've been sitting on a spiritual practice, a teaching, a calling -- this is the transit to act. Neptune in Aries favours pioneers: the person who starts a new meditation group, publishes a controversial spiritual book, or leaves a conventional life to pursue an unconventional spiritual path. The key is grounding your ideals in lived experience, not theory. Aries doesn't entertain abstractions for long.

Do: Pioneer spiritual paths. Neptune dissolves boundaries. Aries hates boundaries anyway. Together, they encourage you to explore spiritual territories that feel fresh, uncharted, maybe even slightly dangerous. Tarot, plant medicine, energy work, mythology -- whatever calls to you. Neptune rewards curiosity; Aries rewards courage. Combine them and you get a capacity to explore without the paralysis of doubt.

Do: Act on inspiration. This is the time to move with your intuition. Aries doesn't dither. If you feel called to something, Neptune in Aries is asking you to test it, not endlessly deliberate it.

Avoid: Impulsive escapism. Aries is direct and fast-moving. Neptune is slippery and boundless. Together, they can create spiritual bypassing -- using ideals as an escape hatch from real life. Just because something feels spiritually transcendent doesn't mean it's good for you. Use discernment. Test your ideals against reality.

Avoid: Identity confusion. Neptune dissolves the self. Aries is all about the self. If you're not careful, this transit can leave you spiritually adrift, having lost your moorings in the search for authenticity. Ground yourself in a spiritual community, a practice, a teacher, or a set of values. Don't let the fluidity of Neptune sweep away your actual foundation.

Avoid: Aggressive idealism. Aries can be combative. Neptune + Aries can create spiritual zealotry -- the certainty that your way is the only way, the need to convert others, the righteous anger at those who don't see what you see. That way lies spiritual warfare, which nobody wins. Hold your ideals lightly. Let others find their own truth.

Neptune in Aries is rare, brief, and potent. What you pioneer in these early months of 2025 will ripple through the next fourteen years. You're being asked to imagine a new version of yourself, to question old certainties about who you are and what matters, to act on inspiration even when the outcome is unclear.

This is 2025's spiritual theme. Saturn is finishing its work in Pisces, pushing you toward maturity and responsibility. Uranus is entering Gemini, reshaping how you think and communicate. Jupiter is moving between Gemini and Cancer, expanding your reach and deepening your roots. Into this mix comes Neptune, insisting on vision, courage, and idealistic action.

The invitation is clear: be brave. Dissolve what no longer serves. Act on what calls you. By the time Neptune settles into Aries in 2026, you'll have discovered something essential about yourself -- something you couldn't have known without this brave, disorienting preview.

The spiritual awakening is beginning. Welcome it.