When Neptune entered Aries in March of this year (2025), it provided inspiration to Aries: the first sign of the zodiac, the sign of self, beginnings and initiation. Neptune glamorizes what it touches so Aries felt as though anything was possible with drive and initiative. So many dreams, so little time!

Now comes Saturn, the planet of contraction. It entered Aries this yesterday and met up with Neptune to put the brakes on too much idealism, too much “self,” too little understanding of the “other.” Saturn in Aries is considered detriment; Saturn prefers the opposite sign of Libra so that fairness and a balance of self/others is achieved.

What happens when Aries drive meets Saturn restriction?

Aries gets frustrated and angry.

Ruled by Mars, the glyph for Aries is the glyph for male: the circle with arrow projecting outward. Aries angry will project outward which can cause arguments. Mars is the God of War for this reason. Historically men, armies, and countries went to war to eject people from land. War takes; it doesn’t give.

Hanging people for their religious views isn’t really in the realm of Aries but with Neptune hanging around in Aries, zealotry is added to a naturally competitive sign. Religion and violence have been historical bedfellows, and the combination is so challenging because neither bargaining nor reason can be employed. I’m on a mission of something heighted whether it’s to save humanity or reclaim a land or fight for a community.

Aries fighting for a cause beyond the self is unstoppable because this sign does not have embedded fear. Moon in Aries especially will not back down even if the face of overwhelming odds. That can be a very good thing that leads others to overcome unfairness and obstacles.

Saturn in Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries: Lockdown to Breakout

Lockdown:

When Saturn entered Aquarius in 2020, the governments of the world agreed on a common mandate: lockdown. The lockdown, or restriction of social interaction, was due to an illness crossing the globe.

Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac ruling social groups, social consciousness and social movements. Social interaction was contracted by Saturn.

When Saturn entered Pisces – the 12th and last sign of the zodiac- in 2023, the emotional effects of lockdown became apparent with rise in emotional, mental, and spiritual illnesses. Physically distant from others, we become emotionally and spiritually disconnected. Isolation combined with Neptune’s transit in Pisces dissolved shared reality. Mutable consensus reality is a tactic of negative forces which helps separate humans from each other benefitting only a few.

How does one feel a part of the whole, a part of community and life on Earth, when we can’t agree that the sky is blue?

Existential crises are not just for philosophers. Today if a political figure states the moon is made of cheese, it must be debated which both angers and isolates all sides of the Cheese-or-Rock debate. All that is achieved is separation.

Breakout:

Saturn now in Aries will retrograde into Pisces before staying in Aries in 2026. During this time, we may have a very unstable set of “selves” trying to break out of the existential isolation into a new self, one aligned with true feelings, beliefs, and purpose.

Aries is the beginning: we’re beginning a collective new sense of self. Self wants to have an identity. Self wants to be noticed. Self wants to be number one. Self is the center of our stories.

Saturn doesn’t promote self, it promotes discipline. Discipline of self is key to making it through this transit without causing wars both personal and collective.

Any successful person – from corporate executive to athlete to artist – knows that discipline is essential to success. The Genius Myth where one comes out of the womb and writes operas or leads masses to enlightenment doesn’t truly exist (but we can argue it of course).

The movie Amadeus was highly influential as you still hear some talk about greatness versus “mediocrity.” That’s Aries and Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) – I can’t be a painter unless my work looks like Leonardo da Vinci. This is negative Saturn in Aries, competition as a demotivator rather than a motivator. It’s low self-esteem that prevents us from growing in the unique way we each are programmed to grow.

Aries like the other fire signs (Leo and Sagittarius) is meant to be positive. Positive doesn’t mean putting a positive slant on a negative situation; positive means the deep belief that one is the directing one’s own life. Aries is about self-dominion – being the captain of one’s own ship, being the driver on one’s road trip through life – and feeling good about it.

Saturn in general doesn’t bring feelings of joy to astrologers. Yet, we seem to need – in this country at least – a bit of Saturn-in-Aries discipline of self. Sure, let’s argue about whether the moon is made of cheese but for the purpose of understanding rather than creating a faux-debate where one insists the moon is cheese simply to win an Aries-driven competition.

And if the moon is truly made of cheese, we can all share in an moon-sized quesadilla.