Astro Forecast 1.8.25: War God Ares Takes the Reins
Retrograde Mars has just moved back to Cancer, and some things will get worse before they get better. Sorry.
What is happening?!
Hooo boy, 2025 is happening, and it is happening hard. The astrological boogaloo that mystics have been crowing about for years has finally become the present, instead of an ominous future, but it’s a bit off-putting to hear anybody trumpet their prescience about such a dire state of affairs. Instead of lobbing a cruel, “We told you so”, at skeptics and tech bros, it might be more helpful to talk about the way astrology has always been naturally connected to human society, whether or not the bulk of us believe it.
The ancient philosophy behind this practice is summed up neatly by the phrase, “As above, so below”. Dusty scholars like Claudius Ptolemy believed in both science and animism - that is, they believed living on earth required mathematics and spiritualism, logic and divination. The idea that activity in our skies mirrored activity here on Earth wasn’t particular to the Greeks, either; we have a lot of evidence that most ancient cultures used the night sky in comprehensive capacity as a calendar, road map, and Magic 8 Ball wrapped into one big starry umbrella. So when the aforementioned umbrella goes totally cuckoo with change, i.e. outer planets transit new signs, square each other, eclipse each other, etc., astrologers believe we will experience similar upheaval here on Earth. With the benefit of an historic record dating back to Babylon, we can also track particular planetary transits to significant events in human civilization, which is why we might associate eclipses in Aries with assassinations, or Uranus in Gemini with war. It’s because, without fail, Uranus in Gemini precipitates violence and massive upheaval, as it did for the United States in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries precipitating the Revolutionary, Civil, and World wars. The disruptor planet will, indeed, ingress into Gemini this summer and collide with other ominous astrology, because when everything is cyclical, everything is eventual, isn’t it?
Our socio-cultural waves, whether beneficial, a la The Enlightenment, or destructive, like The Inquisition, aren’t terribly different from the way planets meander around the sun, occasionally obscuring each other, buzzing fixed stars, and pissing each other off. In turn, planets, especially once philosophers aligned them with godly archetypes, don’t behave terribly differently from people on Earth, who meander our way through life, occasionally obscuring each other, buzzing by cities and people, and pissing each other off. We cannot separate ourselves from the universe, because we are the universe.
Fast forward to the present shit show - Los Angeles is burning, the middle of America is frozen, European governments are in free fall, Vladimir Putin has achieved a state of immortal cryo-freeze (for real, what is going on with his face), genocides are being live-streamed, the bulk of us are growing poorer by the minute, and up-jumped court jesters are waving ridiculous distractions in front of our faces, hoping to keep us blind to a very dangerous truth, which is that all these things are connected, in much the same way Ptolemy discovered over 2000 years ago. We can use this old, strange system to gain understanding, maybe even a bit of comfort, as we attempt to navigate a time period similar in wackiness to the crumbling of Rome, or the dissolution of the Qing dynasty in China. Modern people, with our material aspirations, godly technology, and reckless individualism, are about to learn a tough lesson; we are not dominant to nature, nor impervious to waves of transition in the universe, but puny and powerless in their wake.
This isn’t to say we should all throw up our hands and despair. Despite our insignificance, love, art, and beauty are still occasional companions. Cats, museums, toddlers, and lilac bushes still exist and are waiting to be touched. If we believe the purpose of life is to stack coins atop each other, follow orders, sit in boxes, consume plastic things, and tap out inanities on portable, electronic brains, then the future will probably be unpleasant, because the physical structure of that sort of living will likely crumble at it’s foundation. But if we shift our perception inward and accept that the purpose of living is more Vonnegut than Musk, and that we’re really just here to fart around and hang out with other creatures, then this upheaval feels necessary.
The world is going to do what it is going to do, but there will always be light shafts between the shadows. Those beams are the places we can see clearly, find empathy, and get back to loving each other, and we will still have benefic planets working in our favor. Venus has entered Pisces this week, and she will bestow creativity and poetic romance to us in the sign of her exaltation as, yet again, a woman does the work of calming things down. Jupiter, a.k.a. Zeus, a.k.a. everybody’s favorite big man with a plan, will ingress into Cancer this year, ushering prosperity and fortune to our homes, families and relationships, perhaps even fostering a new connectivity within our fractured society. Could this chaos, despite being destructive, foment a renewed sense of community? Crazier things have, and will happen.
Why would this affect me?
Personal planets changing signs are always going to be louder than the outer planets. Mars, as the lesser malefic planet, is often responsible for any shitty, acute issues that interrupt our regularly scheduled programming. Car accidents, fires, and injuries involving knives are classic Mars signatures, as are arguments and explosions. When he was in Leo, the consequence of this Mars retrograde played out very publicly, because Leo is a fame whore who likes to do everything in front of an audience, so he served us some very public violence with a loud, communal aftermath.
We are riding a slow planetary wave at the moment; Mars opposed Pluto on November 3rd, then the big red bully went retrograde in early December, right around the time a certain person shot and killed the CEO of a morally questionable company, sparking a blaze of class consciousness that has been hibernating for sixty years. To be clear, this transit wasn’t only felt by Americans - South Korean, German, French, and Syrian governments, i.e. the ruling class, were also overwhelmed by citizen-led upheavals that perfectly encapsulated Ares’ martial approach to progress.
On January 3rd, the war monger and the death god opposed each other again, but by that time Mars was in retrograde and thoroughly pissed off, roaring as he was in the early degrees of fiery Leo. That fire, combined with Pluto’s death glare in Aquarius, manifested literally when a man detonated household explosives in a Tesla outside one of Donald Trump’s American hotels on New Year’s Day. This happened mere hours after a different man terrorized people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans by driving into people-packed Bourbon Street and opening fire, killing over a dozen and wounding many more. For many of us personally, there were tense holiday arguments and bombastic behavior between family and friends, played out digitally and collectively as internet lurkers argued over the righteousness of severing relationships. (Remember that Mars represents cutting, sharpness, severance, and violence.) It was a chaotic, angry start to 2025, just as Ares likes it.
This week, the fuckboi and war monger planet ingressed backwards into Cancer, which is not an enjoyable combination for him, or frankly, the rest of us. Mars wants action, and Cancer, ruled by the moon, wants embodiment and feelings. Mars wants to cut, and Cancer wants to soothe. This paradox manifests in an irritating fashion, because everything the reckless, red doofus does is meant to irritate; he continues to stoke conflict, but now he will do it through the moody, passive aggressive reflection of Luna and The Crab. Expect weirdness with family, likely parents; it could be as unserious as an increase in nagging about grandchildren, but it may also expose significant rifts that burbled up around the holidays. No one is saying what they truly mean, so many of us will be on the receiving end of weaponized silent treatments. Fun!
It will be a shaky, messy experience living on this planet through at least March, when we gain clarity and enter the shadow of eclipse season. Due to a lot of loud, historic activity in the sign of Aries, Mars will continue to dominate our experiences when he finally stops his backward tantrum and stations direct. Until then, track both the phases and ingresses of the moon to get an idea of how your days will go, vibe-wise, because Luna will have an outsized influence on our planet of action and fuckery.
Communication will also be unreliable, especially in the public sphere, because Neptune is moving through the final, delusional degrees of Pisces. Already we are experiencing this with geo-political news and social media, as conspiracy theories mix with plausible truths and public figures do their usual thing of lying through their teeth. This is outer planet astrology, but also a tried and true tactic of criminals masquerading as public servants; flood the airwaves with as many batshit ideas as possible in order to obfuscate more significant power grabs.
There is nothing celebratory about disasters, tribalism, violence, or murderous strongmen, but never forget that personal transformation is also a byproduct of this wild time for the stars - we, as individuals, always have a chance to grow and change in magnificent ways whenever we’re squeezed into a civilizational crucible, painful though it may be. This is the price we pay for collective revelation, and it is a price humans have paid whenever the axis of nature pivots to an unknown future.
When do I have to deal with this?
Unfortunately, we all have to slog through the debris of Ares’ bullshit until the end of February, and we’ll probably see symptoms of this aspect intensify as we get closer to him stationing direct. On a more positive front, Venus will be in lovely, dreamy Pisces until February 3rd, and because Mercury is a speedy trickster, they will only remain in steadfast Capricorn until January 27th. If you know your birth time, look to individual houses in your chart if you want to drill down on your personal experience - the house where Pisces lands will experience increased harmony and ease, the house of Cancer could see some bitchiness, and the house of Capricorn is the place to get shit done.
1.2 thru 2.3 - Venus Transits Pisces, takes a thirty-day bubble bath
THE LIGHT
The goddess in Pisces is dreamy and generous, which makes this a good time for deepening relationships, taking a still life drawing class, visiting museums, and engaging in low-key hang outs with artsy companions. Escapism like movies and books will be extra tempting during this time, but try to make those activities communal instead of isolating. As we are still in the dead season, a time for restoration and quietude, I recommend picking one day to spend in bed with a companion, doing nothing. The whole day.
THE SHADOW
Pisces traditional ruler, Jupiter, can get too big for his britches, and that can lead to frightening mental health moments when combined with yon Fishes fondness for escapism. Lay off the drugs, alcohol, and any other dopamine adjusters during this period, because the temptation to drown in such things will be overwhelming. Maybe book an extra therapy appointment, too.
1.6 thru 2.23 - Mars in Cancer, Retrograde (bleh)
2.23 thru 4.17 - Mars in Cancer, Direct (slightly less bleh, still annoying)
THE LIGHT
The best thing I can say here is that, if you had deep-seated trauma to work out with your family, you will probably get the opportunity to do just that during Ares’ moonwalk. Old antagonists could also make surprise appearances, reactivating past anger and irritation, because for some reason that girl from high school STILL pisses you off. Once he stations direct, the energy will feel more activating and useful, which means that instead of sulking over the past, you’ll be more engaged in current issues; things like health, living arrangements, and power struggles within families or close knit groups could get much needed attention.
THE SHADOW
Family conflict is never fun, nor is excavating a painful past. Peripheral relationships will also feel the heat of Ares, but he will be made soggy and ineffectual by Cancer’s passive wetness. The Crab really enjoys a good cry. Tough conversations at work or in public will take on sneaky, vague framing, and even normally straightforward people may shy away from direct confrontation during this time. Sometimes this transit manifests very literally as accidents in or around water, so don’t accept that invitation to test out your billionaire friend’s submarine, and don’t let any family members do it, either.
1.8 thru 1.27: Mercury ingresses into Capricorn, finally calms down
THE LIGHT
Finally, our technology and communication gremlin is out of free-wheeling, bad-joke-telling Sagittarius, which means people should become much more succinct in their messaging. We will also feel less compelled to say yes to everything as we grow more discerning under Capricorn’s saturnine influence. Sagittarius has a hard time staying in one lane, which resulted in all kinds of idiots talking out of their asses last month. Like, why was Juan from accounting giving you feedback on graphics? The time for dilettantes is officially over, because Capricorn prefers focused mastery to amateur dabbling. Shut up and make another spreadsheet, Juan.
THE SHADOW
Capricorn tightens up our speech and focus, but The Sea Goat can also make us seem cold and transactional when we aren’t paying attention. You will hear a lot of NO in this moment, because many of us over-committed when Mercury was skipping through Sagittarius. Directness is usually appreciated, especially when we’re strapped for time, but sometimes we can come off sounding harsh or dictatorial when we respond to a heartfelt, emoji-laden text with, “can’t talk, working.” Efficiency and timelines are important, but don’t be a dick about it.
A Tarot Snapshot…
On Monday, 1.6, we opened the week up to discover the Chariot reversed, and is there any more perfect a tarot representation of Mars gone retrograde in Cancer?! The Chariot is Cancer’s major arcana correspondence, and we can expect delays, setbacks, and bad actors from the past to spark massive frustration. Pink tourmaline shows up as a companion pull to remind us to practice compassion with ourselves and others. It isn’t just you - Mars is messing with everybody right now.
Tuesday, 1.7 hit us with more synchronous tarot via the Six of Cups reversed. Nostalgia for things that never were, difficult autopsies of the past, and familial disharmony are often indicated by this minor arcana. Sodalite suggests an approach of logic and rationality to combat the heat of interactions this week, particularly when speaking with those close to us.
The High Priestess reversed always shows up to tell us that we are missing obvious cues, or being bamboozled by false information on Wednesday, 1.8. We cannot trust the accuracy or motives of our sources at the moment, so we have to lean on intuitive common sense. Tiger’s Eye brings laser focus to creative projects and social activities, so learn to read between the lines of what people are saying.
Thursday, 1.9 brings The Fool to the party, which could indicate either a brand new outlook, or a brand new catastrophe. Onyx is a stone of duality - it helps us to hold grief and peace simultaneously, which could be a clue as to Thursday’s vibes. The Fool is associated with Uranus, known to disrupt and disassemble old, broken systems, so it seems likely that the breaking of something important is engendering our new approach.
The Nine of Wands appears as a test of faith or desire for courage on Friday, 1.10, and the card’s association with fire sign Sagittarius continues the tragic theme of the week. Iolite is a stone of clarity and insight, however, often guiding us where we need to be, even when the path is fogged over. Much like the High Priestess on Wednesday, this card wants us to rely on inner strength over external chatter.
Saturday, 1.11, brings the familiar image of a chatty con artist with The Magician reversed. While an upright Magician supplies us with useful knowledge and tools, his reversal is simply a scam. Someone today will present a solution that sounds too good to be true, and that’s because it is. An accompanying emerald has dual meaning; Western traditions associate emerald with love and devotion, but according to ancient Hindu systems, emerald was useful for seeing truth and cutting through deception.
The Emperor is another card with Mars association through the sign of Aries. Whenever he shows up, we can expect noise from authority figures and others in power, usually exerting some kind of paternal power for the our protection or the common good. Green aventurine is the companion crystal for Sunday, 1.12, and it can bring luck to financial or romantic endeavors. As a heart opener, we may need to rely on this stone to remain receptive to whatever decrees or regulations The Emperor is about to enact.
Thank you for writing such a detailed, but yet easily understandable interpretation of the current Astrology. As a noobie, I have troubles keeping everything straight. There’s so much complexity in Astrology!
Thanks for sharing this