One of my favorite branches of astrology is “mundane astrology” — the study of world events. The “mundane” descriptor comes from the Latin term for “world” (“mundus”), but also unfairly makes the whole thing sound terribly dull. It’s anything but!
Astrologically, the mid ‘20s mark the beginning of a major global shift. To be clear — this is different from the astrology of January 2020 (when Saturn and Pluto met in Capricorn, marking the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic), which blatantly screamed “foundational collapse” and the dismantling of systems.
The years 2024, 2025, and 2026 (when looked at as one cohesive period) delineate the beginning of the next global chapter following the breakdown brought on by the January 2020 Saturn-Pluto conjunction.
Why? Because that is when the three transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) will change signs. Due to their slow speeds, it’s rare to see these three planets change signs back-to-back.
In my eyes, this major shift in the mid 2020s means we’ll still be dealing with COVID-19 — as a global village — in some fashion until then. That isn’t fear-mongering. It’s just a fact. Some nations will recover much more quickly than others. But, others will need until then to return to something that resembles pre-pandemic life. I also think we will see many COVID-19-related public health measures in effect until early 2024. Astrologically, 2024 is the beginning of the “post-COVID era.”
Let’s begin the analysis.
PLUTO ENTERS AQUARIUS
WHEN: Pluto will pay a brief visit to Aquarius from March 23, 2023 until June 11, 2023. But, its uninterrupted twenty-year sojourn through Aquarius (considered the official start of the “Pluto in Aquarius era”) starts on November 19, 2024.
I discussed Pluto’s entry into Aquarius extensively in this post (read the last section, titled “A Sneak Peek at 2024” for more information). But here’s a brief summary:
Pluto empowers, warps, distorts, corrupts, deconstructs, and/or transforms the topics of the planet that rules the sign. These topics go through a death and rebirth of sorts… forever changed.
Aquarius relates to science, scientific discoveries, technological advances, outer space, political and social revolutions, social change, egalitarianism, and progressive ideas.
Therefore, the common thread with Pluto in Aquarius events includes: technological and scientific breakthroughs, redistribution of power, giving a voice to the masses, and obtaining freedom and liberation.
Some things I believe we can expect during Pluto’s upcoming transit of Aquarius:
- Significant advancements in holograms, nanotechnology, and robotics
- The next industrial revolution (Aquarius rules robotics)
- A wave of political progressivism (one thing to watch: Aquarius is a fixed sign that, prior to the discovery of Uranus, had Saturn as its ruler… with Pluto in Aquarius, the chance of authoritarian [Saturn key word!] left-wing regimes is higher than usual).
- Power struggles around — and new definitions of — intellectual property
- Political revolutions
- The emergence of new mainstream political parties (I especially see this happening in the United States)
- Significant developments relating to outer space and space travel
- New technologies that will decrease our dependence on oil (and will spearhead ecological breakthroughs)
- Decentralization of traditional power paradigms as those who have been oppressed gain more equality and power
- Major advances in epigenetics and nutrigenomics
- And, in true Aquarius form, technologies we can’t even fathom in 2020
NEPTUNE ENTERS ARIES
WHEN: Neptune will pay a brief visit to Aries from March 30, 2025 until October 22, 2025. However, it begins its uninterrupted twelve-year sojourn through Aries (considered the official start of the “Neptune in Aries era”) on January 26, 2026.
Neptune rules addiction, alcohol, art, compassion, enlightenment, fantasies, dreams, drugs, ideals, spirituality, and water.
Aries rules, among many things: action, aggression, assertiveness, courage, “doing”, leadership, and war.
It always helps to look at the events that happened the last time a planet visited a sign. The idea is not that we will have a carbon copy of events; after all, at the time, other planets were doing other things. But, we have to keep an eye on themes.
Consider these events that happened the last time Neptune was in Aries (1861 to 1875):
- Opioids (Neptune) are used to treat troops during the Civil War (Aries); many became addicted
- Formation of the Prohibition Party — essentially a war (Aries) on alcohol (Neptune)
- The Suez Canal opened, linking the Red and Mediterranean Seas
- First use of submarines in warfare
- Introduction of pasteurization — applying heat (Aries) to kill pathogens (Neptune).
- The 13th Amendment is officially ratified in the United States — compassion toward other human beings (Neptune) is turned into something actionable (Aries).
- Russia abolishes serfdom (same as above).
- The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is founded
- Formation of the International Red Cross — a pioneering (Aries) organization that helps others (Neptune).
- The HMS Challenger surveys the deepest point in the oceans
- Impressionism begins. This art (Neptune) movement is characterized by bold (Aries) colors as well as the inclusion of movement (Aries).
I believe that in the next era of Neptune in Aries, we’ll see urgent action when it comes to all things water (for example: aggressive — Aries! — water conservation efforts).
I also expect:
- a high likelihood of international conflicts over access to water and water rights;
- a new frontier of ocean exploration and discovery;
- an aggressive push to provide and prioritize mental health (Neptune) resources to the general population.
Extra tidbit: on February 21, 2026, Saturn and Neptune will meet at 0 degrees of Aries (a very important degree of the zodiac… literally, where it begins!). Saturn and Neptune last met — on three separate occasions — in 1989. I will delve into this aspect at a (much) later date, but it’s yet another bright neon sign in all capital letters that points to the start of a new chapter.
Oh, and by the way: over the past few months, I have received almost a dozen DMs from panicked readers who have read articles claiming that Neptune’s upcoming visit to Aries harbingers a Civil War in the USA.
I’d like to address that.
So, yes… the US Civil War took place the last time Neptune entered Aries. But, remember that we look for themes in astrological analysis; we don’t expect the same events to repeat. And, we have to look at astrological moments holistically. Yes, Neptune was in Aries at the time of the US Civil War. But, there was another astrological factor at play as well: the July 8, 1861 solar eclipse. This eclipse was two degrees away from the United States’ sun and squared the United States’ Saturn, meaning that the country’s identity (the sun) would undergo a major transition (solar eclipse) that necessitated challenging (square) the status quo (Saturn).
We won’t have that added element the next time Neptune enters Aries.
Besides, I’m of the opinion that the United States is already in the midst of an informational, philosophical, and social “civil war” (consider, for example, that despite there being no evidence, millions of Americans believe President Joseph R. Biden “stole” the 2020 presidential election).
The political division we have experienced over the last few years in the United States will be further precipitated by the upcoming Pluto return taking place in the United States’ chart (for more detail on the United States’ Pluto return, please read the section titled “The US Pluto Return: Why It’s A Big Deal” of this post).
Forget all the hand-wringing about Neptune in Aries; it’s the United States Pluto return that will bring some pretty ugly truths to the surface so we can address what has been swept under the nation’s metaphorical rug.
URANUS ENTERS GEMINI
WHEN: Uranus will dip its toe in Gemini from July 7, 2025 until November 8, 2025. However, its uninterrupted six-and-a-half-year sojourn through Gemini (considered the official start of the “Uranus in Gemini era”) kicks off on April 26, 2026.
Uranus is the planet of shakeups, revolutions, change, and technology.
Gemini is about communication, data, print media, speech, short-distance transport (cars, bicycles, scooters, etc.), transportation, writing (and writing instruments).
Events that occurred when Uranus transited Gemini from 1858 to 1866:
- First aerial (Gemini is an air sign) photograph
- Development and production of first traction engine
- Production of first gas engine
- First recording of a human voice
- Invention (and patent) of attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil
- Invention of escalator
- Invention of postcards
- Invention of quad skates
- Invention of rotary printing machine
- Invention of first practical typewriting machine
Events that occurred when Uranus transited Gemini from 1941 to 1949:
- The first test fights of many operational military jet aircraft
- Development, and patenting, of first disposable aerosol cans
- Invention of first “instant” (at that time, 60 seconds) camera: Polaroid. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which is all about speed.
- Invention of the microwave (very “Gemini,” as a microwave allows for very quick cooking)
- Invention of the hand dryer (Gemini is an air sign and also rules the hands!)
I believe this next transit will substantially accelerate the information network. By the end of this Uranus-in-Gemini transit, we may look back at Wikipedia the way we now look back at Microsoft Encarta (remember?).
Gemini rules social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok). Watch for a new one to emerge during the Uranus in Gemini era — and one that will utilize technology we don’t have at our disposal yet.
I can also see this transit greatly improving speech recognition technology.
I also expect self-driving (Uranus/technology) vehicles (Gemini/transportation) to go mainstream during this era — and for at least one form of transportation to be upended (eg: an increase in high-speed rail systems, a decrease in car ownership).
And, since Pluto will be in Aquarius (another air sign) while Uranus is in Gemini, I expect this time period to bring significant technological developments to the production of flying cars. No, we won’t be living like the Jetsons once Uranus enters Gemini. But, I think that in this time period we will hear of an existing — or new — car company allotting significant resources to bringing the first flying car to market.
THE SILVER LINING
From July of 2025 until February of 2027, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will be getting along splendidly. By that I mean that Uranus and Pluto will be in a trine (120-degree) aspect to each other while simultaneously sextile (60 degrees away from) Neptune. The three of them will be speaking the same language and supporting one another.
While they will bring major global shifts, they will do so like a well-rehearsed orchestra (as opposed to, say, an out-of-tune electric guitar). In fact, I think that a lot of the ugliness that will emerge as Pluto wraps up its transit of Capricorn (and especially in the US, where this also coincides with the United States’ Pluto return) will begin to be cleaned up during this 2024 – 2026 period.
Any time outer planets change signs, there is an initial adjustment period that can feel bumpy and unwieldy. But, we’ll be given a lot of great ingredients to work with. It’s up to us to use them wisely.