New beginnings of all kinds, bossing up and seizing the day are just some of the themes that’ll be highlighted by the Aries Solar Eclipse on 29 March 2025.
Taking place a week after the March Equinox (20 March) – the official beginning of the astrological year – the Aries solar eclipse also paves the way for another significant cosmological reset:
- The ingress of Neptune into Aries on 30 March 2025 – a significant change after 14 years in Pisces – where it will remain until March 2039.
Expect this new six-month cycle to feel very different to recent weeks and months: less fog or malaise and more focus and oomph. Cast your mind back to the April 2024 solar eclipse and you’ll get a sense of what I’m talking about.
This vibe shift forms part of a wider trend that’ll see many of the outer planets moving into diurnal/active (fire, air) elements and signs (Aries, Gemini) during the course of 2025. The only exception will be Jupiter, which ingresses into nurturing watery Cancer in June, where it will stay until summer 2026.
While this change in pace will feel more energising, exciting and eventful, it won’t be without its hiccups and speedbumps.
SAROS SERIES
For one thing, the March 2025 Aries solar eclipse forms part of the rather challenging 9 New North saros series, which Bernadette Brady associates with disruptions of all kinds, including sudden or unexpected natural disasters, freak accidents and/or outbreaks of violence.
Given that the last time we experienced an eclipse in this series was 2007 – just before the global financial crisis – it’s also possible that any potential plot twists or complications could involve a stock market crash or economic scare of some kind, perhaps hastened due to added pressures from factors such as wars or trade tariffs.
Eclipses are, by their nature, wildcards, so it remains to be seen what precise form this is likely to take, collectively speaking. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are another possibility, especially in light of increased tectonic and seismic activity in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. I dare not even speculate when it comes to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and eastern Europe.
On an individual level, this eclipse series favours taking bold risks and participating in vigorous physical activities. However, much will depend on which house cusps Aries rules in your chart, how your luminaries are set up, as well as how strong Aries’ ruling planet Mars is for you natally. To get a general steer, head to the cheat sheet (below) and look up the sign of your ascendant to see where in your chart the luminaries will be positioned during this soli-lunar event.
BLENDING THE REAL & IDEAL
That aside, there are parallels between 2007 and now that are worth pointing out, most notably the Saturn-Neptune cycle, which are associated with the relaxing and strengthening of rules and boundaries.
Back in 2007, Saturn and Neptune made a series of fixed oppositions to each other in the signs of Leo and Aquarius – difficult energy that many financial astrologers feel was reflected in the tension between a free market, low regulatory environment and the need for fiscal discipline, on the other.
This time around, Saturn and Neptune will be on the same side of the zodiac wheel, with both planets ingressing into Aries in March and May 2025 respectively. From August 2025 onwards, Saturn and Neptune will move in and out of orb of a conjunction to each other – an aspect that is only due to perfect in 2026. However, their close encounter over the summer may give us a taste of what to expect next year.
One of the likely themes to emerge from this conjunction will be the need to combine idealism and realism in a way that enables us to authentically express our individuality without tipping into either selfishness or delusion.
In financial terms, this can represent the balancing act between loosening the purse strings, or relaxing spending rules and regulations, on one hand; but without going into debt or being too stingy or draconian when it comes to budget-setting, on the other. Something many governments and central banks are currently struggling with right now, especially when it comes to military versus domestic spending and fiscal rules.
I look more closely at how this planetary combination is likely to manifest in my new mundane astrology podcast, which you can subscribe to via the newsletter on the Astro-Insights blog.
How this manifests for you personally though, will depend strongly on where Saturn and Neptune are located in your birth chart, and which natal planets they aspect.
GETTING BACK INTO THE FLOW
Unlike the March 2025 Pisces lunar eclipse, which had a very emotional tone and feel to it, the March 2025 Aries solar eclipse takes place in Gate 17 of the HD Ajna or third-eye centre, and so will have a more intellectual overtones than one might expect for a fire sign eclipse.
In the Human Design bodygraph, the Ajna is the centre of inspiration, intuition and insight, but also of conceptualisation and ‘mind’. Its function is to help us think through things, formulate theories and concepts, as well as refine our opinions.
With HD Gate 17 activated by the luminaries, we are not only being asked to assert our own agency and take action in situations, but also to be strategic about it i.e. to develop a plan of action.
This includes gathering data or doing research, as well as structuring and organising our thoughts and ideas into more formal stratagems and coherent strategems. Here, there is a need to be discerning about what we choose to include, and what we disregard. In other words, clarifying what is possible and workable versus what isn’t – a task that Saturn (realism) and Neptune (vision, imagination) can probably assist us with.
In the I Ching, Hexagram 17 talks about the merits of following a tradition, be it philosophical, educational, economic or exercise-based like yoga, and the paradoxical freedom and simplicity that can arise from choosing to adhere to a particular school of thought or discipline. For one thing, it rules out the paralysis that can arise from having too much choice; for another, a tried-and-tested method alleviates the need for ‘beta testing’ because that’s already been done for you.
The promise of this eclipse gate is that, by laying the groundwork and looking before we leap, we stand to rediscover our path and purpose again, allowing us to leave behind the state of shock and paralysis we may have experienced over the last six months, and move back into a state of flow.
After a trying few months of confusion, fear and doubt, this will no doubt be music to many people’s ears.
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Interestingly, the Sabian symbol for the 10th degree of Aries is:
A man teaching new forms for old symbols
In many ways, this speak to the idea of adopting an existing system or tradition of Saturn/Hexagram 17, but giving it a modern spin or personal slant, perhaps through updating existing terms or examples so that they are more relevant and relatable.
Here, a good example of someone who successfully managed to do that is Henry Corbin, a French philosopher, theologian, and professor of Persian Platonism and Sufi mysticism, whose influence on archetypal psychology, spiritual hermeneutics and New Age mysticism often goes unrecognised but cannot be underestimated.
An Aries, with a Sun-Mercury conjunction, Corbin helped to ignite a renaissance in eastern Platonism and Persian mysticism, but in a way that was radically individualistic and postmodern, whilst still remaining true to the original Sufi and hermetic/alchemical teachings.
I plan to write a lot more about him, and his inspiring theory of the creative imagination and its role in facilitating mystical and visionary experiences, in a separate podcast episode about Neptune’s ingress into Aries.
PERSONALISING THE UNIVERSAL
For our purposes, what is relevant here is that Corbin emphasised individual perception over ‘meta’ concepts like archetypes, believing that being determines seeing.
Corbin believed that we’re only able to perceive universal phenomena such as symbols, archetypes or spirit beings like angels, through the individual filter of our own Ajna or mind’s eye, which, in turn, is coloured by our unique life experiences, and chosen tradition or belief systems.
Central to Corbin’s understanding of how this occurs is his concept of ‘orienteering’ – which asserts that we do not exist in ordinary, three-dimensional space but actually spacialise a world around us, much like an astrology chart. In other words, we construct our own view of reality – a perspective of the world that is completely unique to us.
We also have the ability to perceive universal spiritual realities and other-dimensional beings if we learn to master our visionary functions, i.e. awaken the third-eye. But the way we see them will be particular to us. Thus, one person may see a lightbeing as an angel or spirit guardian, while somebody else might interpret the same entity as a Zoroastrian fravashi, for example.
Through rigorous spiritual practices, and by harnessing the discerning capabilities of gate 17, we are also better able to distinguish genuine metaphysical reality from fantasy. Here, Corbin was an absolute stickler about differentiating between the ‘imaginary’ and the ‘imaginal,’ a distinction that resonates quite nicely with the Saturn vs. Neptune dichotomy.
Such ideas have now become commonplace in both the New Age lexicon and Jungian circles (Jung called it ‘active imagination’). However, these concepts actually have their roots in neoplatonic and hermetic philosophy, and were preserved in places like Persia after the rise of Christianity, and then reintroduced to the west during the Italian Renaissance, sparking a renewed interest in magic, healing and humanism, eventually paving the way for the Enlightenment. In this sense, Corbin’s work speaks not just to spiritual seekers, but to artists, inventors and designers too, for we are talking about the creative imagination and its ability to access the world of images, archetypes and symbols as well.
Taken in conjunction with the Sabian symbol for this eclipse, we could see Corbin’s pioneering, Aries-like approach as a blueprint for how we can ‘customise’ or re-interpret perennial symbols and/or creative concepts in a way that remains true to their original meaning, but also allows for a more personalised or contemporary understanding. And, more crucially, avoids the descent into the inflation and selfishness that could be a potential downside of the Neptune in Aries zeitgeist.
KEY ASPECT PATTERNS
At the time of the March 2025 Aries solar eclipse, a minor grand trine aspect pattern will be forming between Saturn, Mars and Uranus – all traditionally masculine (and malefic) planets.
Naturally, this should give us all pause, especially after the negative expressions of Mars-Aries energy we witnessed in the six months following the last Aries solar eclipse, as well as the potentially explosive characteristics of the 9 New North saros series. Just think of incel culture, and the assassination attempts, killing sprees and outbreaks of violence we saw over the summer of 2024 in the US, Australia and UK. Interestingly, the topic also seems to have become newsworthy again during this Aries season, thanks in part to the release of the TV drama, Adolescence.
Having said that, I think we can be cautiously optimistic. Joined together via a series of positive aspects, this favourable combination of masculine planets seems to be asking us to try and balance our actions and initiatives so that they harmonise the desire for change/novelty/innovation with the need for restraint and responsibility.
In other words, planning any reforms or changes BEFORE acting so that you avoid collateral damage. In the context of Gate 17, this means harnessing the vision/foresight and planning/organising abilities of the Ajna faculty for design or change management purposes. Or, in astrological terms, utilising the prudence of Saturn and the wisdom of experience to identify and eliminate any potential snags or downsides, along with the innovative, problem-solving qualities of Uranus to come up with clever workarounds to minimise any negative impact on your bold and courageous Mars-like plan of action.
The fact that this mini grand trine takes place in earth and water signs should bring some comfort, helping us to stay grounded and practical, despite the fiery Aries-like urge to ‘move fast and break things’ so characteristic of this eclipse.
As far as Mars as a symbol for angry young men goes, the hope here is that this aspect pattern can help mitigate any of the destructive energy unleashed by the eclipse, so that teen boys and young men can learn from more positive male role models (represented here by Saturn, the teacher) how to constructively channel their puer energy in a way that isn’t violent, disruptive or anti-social (which Mars and Uranus can be when negatively aspected) but instead enables them to express themselves authentically.
I should also mention that this aspect pattern carries echoes of last year’s cosmic configuration between Neptune, Uranus and Pluto, with Uranus as the common denominator. You may want to think back to any plot twists, aha moments or behavioural changes you set in motion last September to see if there are any links to now.
LAST-MINUTE TWEAKS
Adding the brakes to matters will be Venus and Mercury.
Both the inner planets will still be retrograde until early April. This means that, before you set out on your six-month eclipse journey or implement your plan of action, you may want to revise your values, recalibrate your inter-personal communication style or reconsider any decisions you may have made in haste during the last eclipse.
Perhaps you turned down an opportunity you’d now like to revisit, or are more open to hearing a viewpoint or suggestion that you previously dismissed?
I should also say that, by the time we reach the March 2025 Aries solar eclipse. Venus will have retrograded back into Pisces – the sign of her exaltation, so she should be far less combative. From here, she will join forces with Saturn to add a charming, pleasant and socially-aware element to proceedings, and provide some much-needed feminine perspective on how we navigate that mini grand trine.
In this way, Venus can help us to cast a refining and relationship-oriented eye over our chosen course of action, helping us to consider the wider picture, such as our operating environment and/or other’s needs before executing. You could say Venus and Mercury are offering us the opportunity of a last-minute polish and prep to help you remove any errors and put the final touches to your masterplan, product or presentation before launch day.
Although potentially annoying for impatient types, these retrograde planets may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise, slowing you down so that you don’t miss any bright ideas, crucial information or fine print in a business contract that in your Martian haste or tunnel vision, you might otherwise miss and later kick yourself for not seeing.
