the death of neptune & a new spirit of the age
the old god fades into the ether as a new god is reborn from a sea of flame.
A New Age: Neptune in Aries, 2025 -2039
If you keep up with astrological news, you’ve probably heard a lot of chatter regarding Neptune’s ingress into Aries. Neptune moved out of its home sign of Pisces on March 30, 2025. It’s a pretty big deal, considering that this outer planet takes approximately 164 earth years to make one revolution around the sun. Neptune spends about 14 years in each sign (roughly) and therefore each ingress into a new zodiac sign is the only time we will collectively experience its energy shift (unless one day humans extend their lifespan to 200 years).
Neptune, the planet of illusion, dreams, and spirituality, is the most abstract and enigmatic of planets - because he represents all that is unknown.
Neptune is otherworldly, inspirational, intuitive, subtle - but can also be deceptive and tricky. You have to be careful in Neptune’s waters - they can tempt you into disillusionment and even addiction.
In my years of studying astrology, I have always felt drawn to Neptune and studying its influence in the chart. Because it’s an outer planet, it’s considered a generational planet, and therefore the sign is less important for the individual, instead painting a picture of the general climate the person was born into.
For instance, I was born in the 90’s, while Neptune was in Capricorn. Most people born from 1984 - 1998 will also have Neptune in Capricorn in their chart, at varying degrees, as it slowly inched through the sky. This means that simply interpreting Neptune in Capricorn will run the risk of being too broad or vague, if you don’t also take the conditions of the planet, house placement and aspects in the chart into consideration.
Rather than study Neptune on a personal level in the birth chart, I have always been fascinated by the planet’s ability to embody the spirit of the age, or the cultural zeitgeist, on a collective level.
When we look back at history, we can see relatively clear ‘ages’ that defined the collective mood or attitude of the time. Neptune will often embody this, as the ‘Spirit of the Age’ bringing themes from the sign it’s currently residing in.
Neptune’s influence is so subtle, you may never notice it - like putting on a pair of tinted sunglasses and then forgetting you have them on for the rest of your life. You go on living, every day, hardly noticing the colored tint on the sky. Forgetting that the sky’s true color is blue, and that the world was much brighter. Your eyes adjusted, and you view the world through this new lens. Maybe, every once in a while, you notice colored light refracting in the corner of your vision, but it’s gone as soon as you notice and you forget in the next moment.
0 Aries Point: A Portal
While Neptune changing signs is alway cause for observation and reflection, this particular ingress is even more important. The planet is experiencing a symbolic rebirth, as he has completed one cycle through the zodiac. While the zodiac is a continuous circle, it is generally agreed that 0 Aries is the “beginning” point. The zodiac can be interpreted like a life cycle, where Aries is the newborn child, and you can observe phases of life through each of the signs. Pisces, the last of the 12, is the end of the zodiac and therefore represents the culmination of life, the death process, and the return to source.
There’s something extremely magical about a planet moving through the portal of 29 Pisces and into 0 Aries, as these degrees literally represent the death and rebirth process.
If we follow this thinking, then the Neptune we are experiencing now at 0 Aries is a completely transformed, newer version of the planet that we have not experienced before. We also have an additional layer of meaning, because Neptune is the ruler of Pisces. As Pisces is his natural domain, not only is he reaching the end of his symbolic life cycle, but he is leaving his home, his place where he is most comfortable (the watery depths) and entering into a completely new world that is both unknown and uncomfortable to him (the fire of creation).
So what does this mean for us?
Well, there’s a ton of speculation because no one really knows. We can refer back to the last time Neptune was in Aries to seek out themes. There are many other astrologers covering this topic, so instead my intuition brought me to a different period in time, the mid 20th century when Neptune was in Libra.
My belief is that Neptune’s function as the Spirit of the Age is to capture the collective’s ideals and mood of the time. Are people more conservative? Religious? Progressive? These shifts in ideals come from concrete events and are typically are reaction to real world issues and problems. This both creates the blueprint of what makes an era unique and noteworthy, while also setting the stage for later historical events, as the collective philosophies of the people will always eventually effect the political happenings of the future.
Neptune is the mirror, reflecting the collective human psyche back on itself.
Neptune in Libra: The Reign of the Suburban Housewife in the Mid-20th Century
Neptune moved out of Virgo in 1943 and into Libra, the sign of relationships and partnerships, where it stayed until 1957. In America, we know that this was post WWII era, when life and culture shifted dramatically from the reality of war to the idealization of the “American dream.” A dream which included traditional family values, strict gender roles, and the glorification of the nuclear family. After so many families had been torn apart by war, it makes sense that culturally, Americans would try to course-correct, moving towards preserving legacy and family values as they rebuilt.
*I would like to pause here to state the obvious- I am not a historian. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what was happening in the mid-20th century. This is just a brief overview to further illustrate a point.*
The 1950’s saw traditional ideals reach a new peak with increased focus on gender roles. With Neptune in the Venus ruled sign of Libra, it makes sense that women’s role in society, marriage, and the value that was placed on wives and mothers, were both idolized and scrutinized under this transit. Stay-at-home housewives came under intense, oppressive scrutiny, even as the world rapidly shifted around them. As the world modernized, women saw their freedoms regress post-war, and this began to crack holes in the foundations of long-held traditions.
Much of the dissatisfaction of the time came from very real shifts in cultural ideologies that characterized the first half of the 20th century. Women’s rights had been a battle that had slowly gained traction for decades, and progressive movements were on the rise. WWII actually enabled women to take on more responsibilities outside the home, as they had to fill in for men who left for war.
Imagine experiencing new freedoms and opportunities, then having them taken away once the war ended. The loss of freedom changed how women viewed their roles in society, which allowed dissatisfaction to fester under a perfectly picturesque exterior.
This invisible psycho-spiritual battle lived in the collective unconscious, while also bleeding into the cultural mood of the time. This is where we find the enigmatic nature of Neptune.
This time period saw a ‘bubble effect' happen while Neptune was in Libra. It was a last -hurrah for old, traditional ideologies and gender norms, as society attempted to force women to revert back to an ideal that never existed. It was only a matter of time before that perfect bubble burst.
Here is where we see the dark side of Neptune, like an endless fog that will never bring clarity. Society could not rebuild on a foundation that no longer existed. The women of the 1950’s were fundamentally changed, mentally and spiritually, after living most of their lives in wartime. They were not their mothers and grandmothers. Society thought they could placate them with consumerism and modern gadgets, and pretend like the world wasn’t fundamentally altered. This push-pull of idealism vs. reality, and an inability to accept what is, brings out the dark side of Neptune. Disillusionment and addiction were on the rise, symptoms of a society that needed change.
Neptune’s attention on Libra themes brought disillusionment and uncertainty to the very foundation that society was attempting to rebuild itself on.
We now understand how many women of the time were forced to stay in unhappy marriages, where alcoholism, untreated PTSD, extreme dieting, cigarette addictions, abuse of narcotics and other painkillers were considered normal and acceptable facts of life.
There’s a reason Scorpio comes after Libra - the partnerships and connections fostered through Libra must go through a deepening process, to alchemize and reveal the soul-deep truths and lessons to be learned.
At that time, we (as a collective society) learned that women no longer were content with being kept at home, that they needed to finally be seen as equal members in society. Change happened very slowly, and many of the trad-wife stereotypes persisted into the 60’s while Neptune had already ingressed into Scorpio. However, looking back we understand that there was a cultural revolution brewing that would forever shift the roles of women in the 60’s and 70’s. Every planet had its role to play, and we saw real, world-altering events once Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto got involved in the story.
In some ways, Neptune’s passive role as zeitgeist can be seen as the unlit match, or dry grass in a summer drought. Seemingly innocent, potential energy that will not change anything on its own.
Neptune funnels emotion into the collective, sometimes decades before anything actually manifests. Culture and ideologies shift, sentiments change, and the collective spirit stirs.
Neptune holds space for dissent,
for questioning,
for wondering if there’s more, or if things could be better,
for dreaming.
Then, maybe years later, Pluto or Uranus move in and light that match, setting the world ablaze.
It’s truly remarkable how in the final moments of a cultural movement, the collective flips the mirror back on itself and exposes its darkest shadow. No sooner did we see the glorification of the modern housewife with shows like “The Donna Reed Show” and “Leave it to Beaver” than the dark side appeared, in shows like “The Addams Family” and “Stepford Wives.”
Bringing it back to 2025
We’ve had a ton of energy on the Aries/Libra axis over the few years - with the Nodes, Chiron, and now Neptune and Saturn moving toward Aries. As someone with a Libra stellium, its something I’ve tried to observe as these transits have fallen right on my ASC/DSC lines. (that energy can be intense, baby!)
If there’s anything I’ve learned about the Aries/Libra axis, its that the overall theme are not complicated. Self vs. Other and relationships/connections will pretty much always be the focus. Aries/Libra doesn’t need to be more abstract than that, because relationships are such a hugely important aspect of how we experience the world.
However, this doesn’t mean that the challenges of Aries/Libra are not complex. This axis point can actually make you confront some of the most difficult questions when you experience a transit. Why? Because human relationships themselves are complex and layered. Confronting issues within your marriage, partnerships, families or friendships can be emotional, stressful, and often require strategy.
Aries energy challenges you to put yourself, and your needs first. There is something primal about Aries - it is rooted in our most basic need to survive, and therefore is connected to our instincts and our drive to be first. Libra, on the other hand, is the denial of self for the sake of the other. It is learned behavior, the desire to collaborate with others for a collective goal or purpose. It puts those instinctual desires aside in the hope that the other person, group, or even society as a whole will provide in ways that you as an individual cannot. It is essentially putting faith in a system.
This push/pull of self vs. other is the central question and game of Aries/Libra. Every move, every question will come back to a final motivation - “Does this benefit me, or does this benefit everyone around me? What am I sacrificing for the sake of others? How can we compromise?”
This is the first time since 1943 that Neptune has returned to the Aries/Libra axis, and already women’s roles in the family and society are again under scrutiny.
A New Generation of Housewives
Right on schedule, we’ve seen a ton of discourse online and in political spheres around the rights of women. Many of them rights we have taken for granted in our lifetime, but are now under scrutiny by society.
A recent wave of conservative and fundamentalist Christian sentiment, coupled with general feelings of uncertainty, has created the recent phenomena of the return of the ‘Trad Wife.’
In social media and in pop culture, we are seeing young women who have essentially embraced the role of the mid-century housewife. ‘Trad Wife’ content on social media highlights (and sometimes glorifies) the stay at home mother, who is supported by her husband, and often features domestic tasks like cooking, cleaning, sewing, and parenting advice.
And to be clear, I don’t have a problem with women who live the trad-wife lifestyle. Hell, there are some days I wish I could quit my job and be a ‘kept’ woman. While on the surface, this type of content seems pretty harmless, there can sometimes be an hint of propaganda to the content that is being shared.
I believe this is the first time since the 1950’s that a sub-sect of the younger, female population has embraced the values of the conservative trad wife, instead of the progressive views that largely dominated previous generations. There is already quite a bit of reactionary discussion on the topic, especially highlighting how the two movements (1950’s and today) differ in some very fundamental ways, and I will add some additional articles for reading as a comment at the end of this article.
As people glorify these trad wives, we do need to acknowledge that most have inherent privilege to even choose this lifestyle. Housewives of the 1950’s and prior had to choose marriage because there weren’t other options. They couldn’t open a credit card or bank account, or buy property without a man. And that is not a reality we want to return to.
As much as I hope the glorification of the “Trad Wife” is just a fad, the truth is that Neptune in Aries may continue to force us to revisit this theme throughout its transit. It is probable that varying renditions of these conservative ideologies will come up for society once again debate, ruminate, and redefine the dynamics of, as a collective entity.
If we see that this movement gains traction or has any staying power, my prediction is that it will experience a similar “bubble” effect that we saw in the 50’s and 60’s.
This would be supported by the sign that follows Aries. The sign of Taurus prioritizes the feminine, nurturing, nature and the environment, which gives me hope for women’s rights in the long term. Just like the progressive movements of the late 60’s and 70’s, any course correction needed would be supported by Taurus, to preserve the rights for all people. I pray that decisions made during Neptune’s time in Aries do not have lasting negative consequences on society as a whole.
What other themes can we expect for Neptune in Aries?
As Aries is ruled by Mars, I really associate this energy with singularity, vs. Pisces’ plurality. While the last 14 years has seen things like the rise of the internet and social media, Pisces energy seemed to open the floodgates of information. The online world seems to grow and multiply at an exponential rate, impossible for our human brain to actually understand. However, this energy will shift, and become more focused with Neptune now out of Pisces.
While Neptune is in Aries, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see things like:
A glorification of war and the military, a draft
the continued rise of the trad-wife, or some other rendition of a conservative Christian stay at home wife/mother
prioritization of the nuclear family
isolationism
one ‘correct’ faith over others
singularity in all forms in society. segregation, continued removal of DEI, etc.
dictatorships
AI as the ‘new god’
athletics, a rise in popularity of a new sport?
skinny obsession, regression of body positivity
athletics and military type exercise may become vogue
male loneliness epidemic will be even more of a focus
4B and women choosing to be single or celibate will continue to rise
*positive* rise in entrepreneurs, independent businesses, working for yourself, the end of corporate culture
burning down of old/antiquated systems in favor of newness or innovation
singularity could mean streamlining the endless options we have when it comes to overconsumption - so instead of 50 brands of ranch dressing, limiting it down to like, two.
one brand for things like cars or services. I hope to God that doesn’t stretch to news sources or free press.
hyper independence, survivalism
normalizing doomsday prepping and survival skills (this is a positive!)
sustainability within smaller communities, localizing food sourcing - this is an Aries/Taurus theme I think will come in the later years (2030’s)
people may be feeling a bit more impulsive, may jump into reckless investments, or tearing down systems without due process
movement toward a single world currency or rise of one type of money over all others.
a pivot from social media, de-emphasis of online subculture and a return to reality/in person socialization.
Men with buzz cuts, opting for styles that are more utilitarian.
I’m sorry that many of my predictions are a little bleak. Many of these things have already been put into motion by the powers that be. I’ve also been closely observing movies, ads and pop culture, and I have seen a slight uptick in military imagery in movies, fashion, and things like car commercials. I think this will continue into the next few years.
I hope you can see my rationalization in this list. Because Mars is masculine, and a fire sign, the energy prioritizes the SELF above all else. Mars is single-minded and focused, is a new baby, naive, and impulsive. If we’ve had Piscean sunglasses on for the last 14 years, we’ve been a little out of touch, romanticizing life and getting lost other realms like social media and video games. The Aries sunglasses are definitely a bit harsher, definitely red tinted, and might make us a little angry, a little selfish, a little quicker to judge.
I am going to be completely honest and say that these were concerns I had as far back as December of 2023 when I started writing and studying this transit. I spoke with quite a few astrologer friends, who were surprised by my take. Many of them see Neptune in Aries as a birth of a new religion or spiritual up-leveling. While that may be an outcome for people on a personal level, I don’t think that will be the primary focus for humanity, at least not in the immediate future.
If you have any positive predictions please put them in the comments!
I really tried, but my Libra ass doesn’t really vibe with Mars/Aries energy, so I tend to spiral when I think about Mars things. I have decided that I’m going to become a prepper and get a cabin in the woods, so if you like to garden and like astrology come join me.
Final thoughts on Neptune
Neptune isn’t the how, or the why.
He doesn’t make things happen.
He’s the nightmare you forget about when you wake up, the dream that leaves you nostalgic even though you can’t remember where you were.
Neptune is that feeling in the back of your mind that something is missing, or that intuitive ping that things just aren’t adding up. Neptune hides those thoughts and feelings that can never be said out loud, because doing so would fundamentally shift the reality that you’ve worked so hard to create.
Neptune isn’t just one isolated dream, or memory, or fear.
His essence is the culmination of the thousands, a collective sea of memories, hopes, and fears, all swirling together in the ether, quietly shifting the mood of the world around you.
Neptune is the illusion, where reality ends and the dreamworld begins. Dreams and nightmares go hand in hand, changing moment to moment.
Neptune is the psycho-spiritual culmination of how humanity as a collective feels and processes world events, through arts, culture, religious ideologies, and philosophy of the time.
If you made it to the end, thank you! Please let me know what you think about Neptune, if you use it in your astrology practice, and what you think this transit will bring.
xx Hannah
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