Neptune in Aries is here. I began to draft this post some time ago, as Tinseltown was ablaze. There seemed no more fitting image for incoming Neptune in Aries than the city most associated with dreams, film – and all things Neptune – to be on fire. It was a tragedy of terrible proportions, and a metaphor for things to come. Neptune in Aries may have come early to California (boundaries are not Neptune’s strong suit), but we are all going to feel the heat once Neptune leaves Pisces and enters the hottest sign in the zodiac.
And here we have it: the planet of doubt, confusion, uncertainty, fantasy, illusion and delusion in the sign of rash, impulsive, egotistical, combative, aggressive, insensitive and bullying actions. What could possibly go wrong? In this post, I look forward (!) to whatever Neptune in Aries is going to bring to the table over the next fourteen years. Yes, you read that right, fourteen years. During that time, is Neptune in Aries going to tame the beast, or unleash its worst impulses ? Read on…
Neptune in Aries: Introduction
I know this post is concerned with Neptune in Aries, but I want to remind you about Neptune in Pisces. When Neptune entered its own sign back in 2011, so many people thought it heralded a period of boundless peace, love and tranquility. We know how that worked out. It brought in a period of mass gas-lighting (a Neptune specialty), as the boundary between truth and lies became indistinguishable and facts became anything that you wanted them to be. That phase of Neptune’s transit around the zodiac is over, but outer planet transits change everything. We can’t go back.
Neptune entered Aries on March 30th this year – only 10 days ago – and that marks the start of a new Neptunian voyage through the zodiac – and already we are seeing the signs of how it’s going to work out. Every year I prepare an astrological forecast outlining the themes for the year ahead (the link to that is at the foot of this page). This year, there was so much to write about that I split the forecast into two parts. In Part One, April 2025 – just after the Neptune in Aries ingress – seemed to be the month where all hell broke loose – and this is what I had to say:
” This month, expect the dominant themes to include direct speech, assertive or aggressive communications – particularly in connection with money, values, ownership – and staking a claim. Going after things you want is a big issue this month, and so is saying what you want. Negotiation and cooperation go nowhere. Of course, those themes will apply in a global, as well as a personal sense, and they will resonate through the big news stories this month. We can expect to see a lot of dramatic, performative, ego-driven action.”
Sara Shipman, December 2024
How does my prediction bear out in reality? Right now, you may have noticed that a global trade war appears to have broken out. Does this reality, a situation that is likely to affect so many of us (one way or another) accord with the fundamental principles of Neptune in Aries? To answer that question, in the next section I’m going to go deep into the basic themes that are set to emerge again and again over the next fourteen years. And don’t forget, this current Neptune in Aries ingress is temporary. Neptune retrogrades back into Pisces on October 23rd 2025. This is the trailer, not the main event.
Neptune in Aries: Ground Rules or No Rules?
So, what are the themes we need to concern ourselves with over the next fourteen years? I’m going to repeat something I alluded to only a moment ago – the Neptune in Aries ingress signifies a new turn around the zodiac for that planet and it’s a new Neptune cycle for the rest of us too. Neptune has been reborn, Aries signals its energies have been refreshed and revitalized, so what can we expect this time around? To answer that question, we need to work from astrological first principles:
When a planet is in a sign, the sign shows how that planet’s qualities are expressed. So, when Neptune is in Aries, Neptune’s qualities, e.g. uncertainty, confusion, delusion, addiction, porosity, madness, boundary issues etc., are expressed with Aries energy, e,g, forcefully, aggressively, impatiently, riskily, impulsively, rashly and selfishly.
That is the fundamental rule. So, how does it work in practice? Let’s play the Neptune in Aries word association game. I’m going to return to the ongoing trade war – and the Neptune in Aries word game goes like this: the pursuit of trade dominance (Aries) is causing uncertainty and confusion (Neptune) in the financial markets. The risk of a trade war escalation (Aries) is causing a contagion (Neptune) of panic among investors. Neptune’s influence spreads this financial contagion globally.
it’s possible that this whole trade war situation is due to one man’s psychological (Neptune) need for dominance (Aries), though some would call it inspired (Neptune) leadership (Aries). It may appear aggressive, confusing and chaotic, but Neptune in Aries is also instinctively competitive and sees the way forwards in a different way. Maybe. What this episode is showing us, is how Neptune in Aries works on a grand and global scale. It’s a force that is greater than we are – and we simply have to react to its influence in the best way that we can. There are no longer set rules to follow.
Neptune in Aries: Misguided Actions
And speaking of aggressive (Mars) and contagion (Neptune), Measles is also doing well this year. Measles is the most aggressively contagious of diseases – a classic Neptune manifestation. It’s a serious childhood illness. Aries is the child of the zodiac, so an epidemic that affects children is a literal manifestation of Neptune in Aries. At worst, measles can kill, and it often leaves children physically impaired. Blindness is often a serious consequence of measles. I mention this because blindness is also a classic Neptune manifestation. ‘Blind children’ is another literal interpretation of Neptune in Aries.
All of that sounds horrific – and it is. As I wrote some time ago about Neptune in Pisces (see the links below), this planet is not the gentle, vague, cloudy planet that many people seem to think it is. Neptune is dangerous because it prevents us from seeing or accepting (Neptune) the consequences of our actions (Aries) – and that is going to be a major issue with Neptune in Aries because willful (Aries) avoidance (Neptune) is exactly how Neptune in Aries works. And as Neptune is reality avoidant, that will have massive material consequences in the real world.
Let’s return to the measles epidemic as an example of that. Inoculations against the disease have been available for decades – yet, thanks to Neptune’s recent voyage through Pisces, misinformation about vaccinations and disease prevention have spread. Misinformation is contagious, and Neptune in Aries weaponizes this by making people double down (Aries) on delusional beliefs and practices. That principle goes beyond simply the fight (Aries) against infectious diseases (Neptune), it extends across the spectrum of activity: all action (Aries) is predicated on illusion (Neptune). Think about the implications of that.
Enthusiastic delusion may send people down the wrong path, but attempts at redirection are met with rage. Direct obfuscation; aggressive denials and blind loyalty are all part of the Neptune in Aries picture. Neptune’s job is to mask intent. During this Neptune in Aries cycle, things will not be as they seem. Actions (Aries) are predicated on falsehoods (Neptune). Objectives become cloudy (through accident or design). Actions lack direction. Initiative goes nowhere. Actions (Aries) are also used to disguise, mask and conceal (Neptune). Think about that too.
Neptune in Aries: How it’s going so far…
So far, Neptune in Aries is showing us exactly how it functions – if we choose to see it. And that is the major takeaway from Neptune in Aries: there are things happening in the world – and in your life as a consequence of that – that are blatant and ‘in your face’ (Aries) and they are being ignored or excused (Neptune). We look away (Neptune) from the challenge (Aries), rather than defending (Aries) our ideals (Neptune). In law there is a saying: ignorance is no defense, and that’s going to be tested to the hilt during this Neptune in Aries transit.
When you are confronted (Aries) by stuff that is so ‘out there’ that it beggars belief (Neptune), what can you do? As Neptune in Aries begins to unfold, the immediate (Aries) response may be to do nothing (Neptune). You may believe you can do nothing because Neptune in Aries also impacts on your ability to be effective. It foregrounds passivity and complacency as major problem areas. Bad actors (Aries) hope you won’t notice (Neptune), or may coerce you (Aries) into dependency (Neptune). Those issues are certainly being red-flagged right now.
So far the Neptune in Aries trailer has brought us the following issues and events to our attention:
- An alcoholic (Neptune) in charge of the the worlds most powerful military (Aries)
- A leak (Neptune) of military secrets (Neptune in Aries) over an unsecured network.
- A psychologically inspired trade war that could cause global economic meltdown.
- An epidemic of a serious disease that is life threatening to children is caused by misinformation and misplaced beliefs.
While those events are serious in themselves they are also symbolic of the kinds of issues that will recur while Neptune transits Aries. Potentially, this transit could also bring psychological warfare, religious warfare, use misinformation to justify acts of war, invasion and other forms of incursion. To ‘dissolve by force’ could apply to all kinds of situations, agreements and institutions, and ‘overwhelming force’ and/or ‘rapidly escalating matters getting out of control’ are going to be issues to contend with.
And we have just started with this transit. Fortunately, how transits begin is not how they end. With Neptune in Aries, we are going to see (eventually) both sides of this astrological equation. With Neptune in Aries, victims (Neptune) find the courage (Aries) to stand up and speak out. In Aries, Neptune brings ideals to the fight. A cause worth defending. An inspired campaigner who fights an inspired campaign. It may be a while before we can see the positives, but have faith. And, yes it’s okay to get mad when someone tells you that you just need to believe harder. That’s Neptune in Aries too…
Further Reading
Sara Shipman | Astrology Books
Neptune in Pisces: It’s A Seriously Bad Trip
Neptune Transits Pisces: The Big Lie
The Astrology of 2025: The Year Ahead (Part One)
Pluto in Aquarius: What Happens Next?
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© Sara Shipman 2025
Picture Credit: Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay
Yesterday 26/4/25, on holiday in Japan, I thought about Neptune in Aries while soaking in an ‘onsen’ in Shirahama, a small resort south of Osaka, known for its many hot volcanic springs. This one is over a thousand years old. Very hot water gushes out from deep underground into an outdoor pool with ocean waves crashing over the edge. Fire and Water!