Rebel Reverence: Neptune in Aries, 2025-2039
The impact of 2025’s astrology is already swiveling heads. You may have caught wind that each of the outer planets will transit new zodiac signs this year. 2025 is the first full calendar year in which Pluto will transit Aquarius. By March, Neptune enters Aries for a 14-year stay, and Uranus enters Gemini for 7 years beginning in July. This sort of triple outer planetary shift occurs once in an astrologer’s lifetime if we are fortunate (or unfortunate – who’s to say?).
Herein, we shall devote our focus to our nebulous, enchanting friend, Neptune. For the full 2025 overview, including the shifts of the nodes, Saturn and Jupiter, I would direct you to my article, “2025: Astrology’s Epochal Year,” which serves as a 2025 (and beyond) Road Map. You can find that article by following the links below.
First, let’s cover some basics.
Neptune spends roughly 14 years in each zodiac sign. In total, Neptune’s orbit around the Sun spans 165 Earth years, twice the length of a human lifetime.
Neptune’s first visit to Aries endures for 7 months, spanning from 3/30/2025 – 10/22/2025 before briefly returning to Pisces for a final goodbye. Neptune officially locks into independent Aries on 1/26/2026, remaining in the cardinal fire sign until 5/21/2038! At the tail end of the 14-year sojourn, Neptune takes a final dip into Aries from 10/21/38 – 3/29/39.
Neptune's presence in each sign shapes what mesmerizes us culturally – from music, fashion, the arts, architecture and film. We move away from the fantastical and spiritual currents of Pisces and into an age of sharper motifs. Aries emphasizes simplification, the glory of strength, the valor of personal determination and a distinctive intellectual virtue.
Our Current Neptune Era
Departing from a mystical sojourn through ethereal Pisces (2011 – 2025), an era which turned more people onto astrology, tarot, and yoga, Neptune in Pisces encouraged us to pursue our own unique connection with the divine. Dissolving the guardrails, Neptune in Pisces helped spirituality become more accessible. Magical Creators began sharing bite-sized astrology forecasts, equinox tarot spreads and simple meditations. From YouTube yoga to “The Instagram Witch” and the “TikTok Astrologer,” DIY divinity was born. People realized how easy it was to create their own unique practice which works for themselves; it didn’t have to cost anything to learn or practice. However, this also raised some ethical issues. Now that anyone named Luke could call themselves a shaman, the boomerang of Neptune in Pisces brought about necessary conversations about cultural appropriation and respect for traditions. Following the yoga boom, we also saw mass exposes of fraud and sexual abuse from within the industry. In the astrology community, we also discussed the importance of training and the adherence to ethical standards.
Beyond the magic, Neptune in Pisces also supported more widespread acceptance of alternative medicine and plant medicine. From the legalization of cannabis to harnessing psilocybin to treat PTSD, to journeys to the jungle to sip ayahuasca – more people turned toward tinctures and diets which could prevent additional visits to the doctor.
We can expect a sharp contrast when Neptune enters Aries. Trading chaturangas for kettlebell squats, personal trainers will become the new yoga teachers of the era. Fitness will be the new high and a symbol of desirability. Fitness will reflect the alluring characteristics of the Neptune in Aries era: strength, sweat, determination and defiance. Yes, you heard me, defiance. People who have time to get ripped and eat healthy typically have a lot of free time – a status symbol in today’s time-impoverished, overworked world. Additionally, in today’s climate, the pursuit of health is an act of defiance within a system in which sickness is more profitable.
Neptune in Aries applauds the solider and the rebel – the bold, outspoken, brave enough to challenge the system anti-hero. Here, the line between archetypal hero and villain blurs. Neptune in Aries praises the risk-takers, the trailblazers, and the adventurers. Tradition isn’t a good enough reason to stay on the path we’re on. The old scripts don’t work, and no one cares anymore. Caution to the wind, we aspire toward new and better ways. Neptune in Aries often brings a crisis of leadership – who will lead? Neptune in Aries brings rebellions. In fact, within one day of Neptune’s ingress into Aries, the American Civil War broke out. This is the Neptune return of the confederate rebel flag and the ultimate network of resistance, the Underground Railroad. Despite the Confederacy’s very brief existence, the reverence for the rebel flag persists in some pockets of the nation to this day. Neptune provokes this effect. I suspect that the new brand of MAGA Americana Camp isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Neptune in Aries will cast a new aura of influence upon fashion, arts and culture. Say goodbye to the Neptune in Pisces pillow-y, flowy garb and say hello to utilitarian wear and track suits. Angularity is in, tailored shapes are in, and shoulder pads? Probably making a comeback. Ready-to-wear clothing was popularized under Neptune in Aries one cycle ago – as well as starched collars. Music will likely become more experimental, and a new wave of punk will likely emerge. While the Uranus-Pluto trine will make way for a more chaotic social media environment, Neptune in Aries will invite people to thrill seek offline. Hiking is in. Off-roading is in. Becoming radicalized is in. Defiance is in. Anger is justified and passivity is out.
Historical Transits of Neptune in Aries
4/13/1861 – 4/7/1875
4/30/1697 – 2/12/1712
5/14/1533 – 2/27/1548
3/26/1370 – 3/17/1384
1206 – 1220
1042 – 1057
878 – 893 CE
715 – 729 CE
551 – 566 CE
387 – 402 CE
224 - 238 CE
60 – 75 AD CE
Last year, I spent many moons researching the past 2000 years of Neptune in Aries transits. Apart from imagining how Neptune in Aries could show up in the present era, I was curious to learn more about Neptune in Aries’ historical impact on culture, trends and fashion. This research was generative, provoking and illuminating.
The full scope of my historical research is presented in my 2-hour webinar, “Iconoclash: Neptune in Aries,” which you can download here:
As the spirit of the transit often begins to emerge in tiny flickers prior to the ingress where they will eventually heighten, fully ablaze - I am already beginning to see these Neptune in Aries themes emerge. For our purposes here, I’d like to bullet point a few core themes which continued to emerge throughout my historical research.
#1: Who is the leader?
This was by far the most overarching and consistent theme through each Neptune in Aries epoch. Traditional astrology names Aries as the place where the Sun (leadership) is exalted and where Saturn (order, caution, respect for the past) falls. As such, Aries gives rise to revolutions and rebel leaders. Neptune has a mesmerizing effect, lending the aura of celebrity to the ones who rise against the grain. Congruently, Neptune blurs and dissolves, often creating a crisis of leadership. We see this energy arise in two columns. The first features the rise of a rebel leader who unites various territories under a new empire. The second features division, namely, the chaotic fractioning of an empire. In either case, a unifying question arises: Who will lead the pack?
The American Civil War broke out in 1861 within 24 hours of Neptune’s Aries ingress. Upon Lincoln’s election, rebel states began seceding from the Union, forming the Confederacy. The Confederacy elected their own President, Jefferson Davis. For many States, there was a crisis of which side they should take, and for citizens, a question of who their president should be?
1871 brings the unification of Italy from several states and territories. Motivated by a rise of nationalistic pride and a desire for Italian independence (and a reach away from femininity to embrace machismo ideals), the movement to unify Italy was born. By the time Neptune enters Aries, territories have been liberated from Austria and Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia is named Italy’s King. However, it’s not until 1870 when the Italian movement captures Rome – their ultimate conquest – and solidifies their national identity with Rome as their capital.
1871 also sees the unification of Germany. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing sense of nationalism and pride grew amongst the German confederation. Motivated to unify, Otto Van Bismarck orchestrated a series of wars which led to the formation of the German empire in 1871, crowning King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the nation’s leader.
Moving to another era, 1701-1714 encompasses the dramatic War of Spanish Succession. Unable to produce an heir of his own, the “Bewitched King” of Spain dies. On his deathbed, he mysteriously denounces the intended heir (his Austrian nephew) and appoints to his French nephew as the new heir to the Spanish throne (who happens to be Louis XIV’s grandson, and thus the heir to the French throne as well). This creates quite the cacophony amongst European nations, deeply concerned with the balance of powers in Europe. Paralleling a war for control of American territories, a series of wars ensue on both continents (also involving American Indigenous nations). Eventually the French child is crowned King of Spain but must relinquish inheritance of French throne. Meanwhile, territorial borders are agreed upon in the Americas by the Europeans.
King Henry VIII’s notorious 16th century bloodbath is provoked by the pressure to produce a male heir. Again, this is an issue of “who will be king?” Defying the will of the Catholic Church, King Henry VIII launches his own church, the Church of England, which will allow him to create his own rules. In a time where the Pope held as much power as the King, this radical act severed many faithful worshipers from their own mystical king, the Pope.
In 1206, the Mongol Empire is formed by Genghis Khan, unifying Mongol tribes from modern Russia, China and Mediterranean regions.
In 69 AD Nero is cast out of Rome, bringing about the Year of Four Emperors, a distinctive crisis of leadership in Rome
The Great Schism? Turns out there were two! And each occurred while Neptune transited Aries. The first in 1054 divided the Catholic Church into East and West (Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, respectively), each with their own Pope. The second schism of 1378 creates a divide within the Western Papacy with the creation of a 3rd Pope in France. This is eventually resolved, however, it weakens the power of the papacy, which helps make way for the individualistic ideals which shape the Italian Renaissance. More on this in a moment.
#2: Rebellions and Uprisings
Aries is ruled by Mars, the original provocateur. Mars is defiant, contradictory and rebellious, while Aries represents pioneering, individualism and the spark of pursuit. Aries beholds the trailblazing spirit.
The American Confederates of the 1860’s were alternatively understood as rebels. The flag is commonly dubbed “the rebel flag.”
1712: a group of enslaved people revolted in NYC from being auctioned off at Wall Street.
1712: the Huillche uprising in Chile against the Spanish conquistadors.
The famous Ako Incident occurred in 1703 when a Japanese Samurai is provoked to drawing his weapon upon an elite and is punished by death. In protest, 46 of his loyal samurai allies avenge him, then commit ritual suicide in an act of devotion and defiance. This striking and rebellious act comes to define Japanese culture by their respect, nobility and honor.
In the 16th century, the protestant reformation rejects the almighty Catholic Papacy. Both King Henry VIII and Martin Luther publish bibles in vulgar English, allowing the holy word to be more widely accessible. This is an overt middle finger to the Catholic Church who have maintained the Bible’s Latin print, reserving knowledge of its contents for literate upper classes.
Paralleling the American abolitionist movement, the 9th century Zanj Rebellion begins with Neptune in Pisces, but escalates during Neptune in Aries. Historian and Astrologer Umar al Tabari describes this uprising as the most brutal and vicious of all disturbances in Abbasid rule – and one of the bloodiest and most destructive rebellions in West Asian history. The rebellion ended mass slavery in this region for hundreds of years.
In 387 AD, Emperor Theodosius increases taxes in Antioch, which leads to a peasant uprising in which public buildings are set fire. Tensions simmer, leading to the order to burn all pagan buildings in Alexandria, including the Library of Alexandria. The eternal fire kept by the Vestal Virgins is extinguished. Theodosius, though a massive tyrannical dick, still qualifies as a rebel during this time. He instates Christianity as the official state religion of Rome, during a time in which Christianity is still relatively new and controversial.
#3: The Magic Allure of Individualism
Neptune in Aries periods feature a growing skepticism of prevailing cultural or religious tonics. Emphasis returns to the power of individual will.
The Italian Renaissance’s roots emerge from the humanist ideas of Francesco Petrarch – that one can become self-realized, take ownership over certain aspects of one’s circumstances and that the power of human will can shape a life. These ideas radically challenge concepts of fate and the will of God. Interestingly, this paradigm also contributes to the revival of astrology which begins to reach beyond a deterministic framework. Medieval astrological remediation becomes very popular during this time, for example. Humanists value logic, reason and the pursuit of knowledge – all of which pose a threat to the era’s stranglehold of blind faith in religion. Yet, Petrarch insists that rationalism and personal responsibility can go hand in hand with Christianity, and that together, can spiritually elevate humanity.
Did you know that the Lincolns held seances at the White House? The rise of Spiritualism in the 1860’s affirmed the existence of the afterlife – and allowed folks to experience spirit firsthand. Those who experienced seances and mediumship could concoct their own philosophies of the spiritual realm beyond the word of the gospel. Punk spirituality at its finest.
#4: Fashion:
Neptune in Aries will streamline and simplify fashion. The Union Army contracted Brooks Brothers in NYC to create uniforms for the soldiers during the Civil War. From there, ready-to-wear men’s clothes began to replace custom tailored garments. At several points in history, material shortages during wartime have simplified styles by necessity. And yet, soldier fashions have also influenced civilian fashions. Silhouettes become sharper, often broadening shoulders and lengthening the shape. Neptune in Aries simplifies fashion for convenience purposes as well – most notably, the bustle’s replacement of the wide crinoline hoop skirt in the 1860’s, which narrowed the silhouette and gathered volume in the caboose. Certainly, with gym culture on the rise, the booty is for sure due to make a comeback. We might also expect military-influenced designs to become more popular– perhaps camo makes a popular comeback, or at the very least, monochromatic athletic wear. One thing is for sure, clean girl aesthetic is here to stay.
Conclusion:
In many ways, the Neptune in Pisces era piqued our curiosity for the divine. A generous portal for the diversity of human experience, Neptune in Pisces reminded us that we are spiritual beings having a human experience – and that existence in all forms is sacred. We could understand this era as one which was generally progressive. Neptune in Aries will likely facilitate a rubber band effect, shifting the allure toward rugged rebellion and masculinity. It should be noted that masculinity is not inherently problematic. When masculinity threatens to overpower versus empower – or dominate versus protect – this imbalance is often a misuse of energy. My hope is that Neptune in Aries takes the allure beyond the “tough guy” façade and into deeper revelation surrounding the true nature of heroism. This might be a tall order.
Reverence for the rebel will reign. We can already see it with the widespread worship of anti-system leadership. Credentials are no longer important – it’s about who has the biggest set of wrecking balls. I am not certain Luigi Mangione would have garnished as much collective sympathy 10 years ago. The Saturn-Neptune conjunction will occur on his natal Venus at 2 Aries in early 2026. The Saturn-Neptune conjunction often corresponds with a collective disillusionment or lack of faith in the system. Regardless, here we see the ability of Neptune in Aries to enamor us by those who push back against the system and urge us to question: is the rebel a hero or villain? With this in mind, we can expect punk motifs to reemerge in music and pop culture. The revolutionary spirit encourages creatives to take new liberties and risks. May Neptune in Aries embolden us to live more authentically, to cultivate personal responsibility and empowerment – and to revere true freedom over shock value.
Big Blessings,
Catherine
Neptune in Aries + You
I’d love to chat more about how Neptune in Aries will impact you, personally.
Let’s connect on how this transit will enchant your chart during your next astrology reading.