THE PLOW

I love to walk, and recently, it’s been cold, blustery, and snowy. It hasn’t made for the easiest of walks, but I’ve found the cold to be invigorating. What I’ve noticed when walking back home is how many times the wind has blown the snow over and covered my tracks, making it look like I haven't been there before. This felt like a good metaphor for the aspects the outer planets make in 2025, which I’ve affectionately called “the plow”. If you live in a place where it snows, you’ll know that most of the time you need to go over places you’ve recently shoveled as the wind picks up or as more snow arrives. This clearing and going back is similar to the planets going direct and retrograde. 

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) spend half the year in retrograde motion, so this is nothing new. However, this year, all three planets have or will be moving into new signs. This is a dynamic change. Further, they are moving from yin signs (earth and water) and into yang signs (fire and air). What does this mean? Yin is passive energy–things are evolving and unfolding, and it’s an inward energy. Yang is result driven and an outward expression. In other words, when planets are in fire and air, we want things to get moving, we want to see progress and change. 

Pluto has been doing this back and forth motion for the last few years, but now it’s solidly in Aquarius, the fixed air sign ruled by Saturn and Uranus. Pluto will be the only outer planet that doesn’t go back into a yin sign. I think it’s important to note that both Saturn and Uranus will be going back and forth in between signs they’ve been in and then new signs, so even though Pluto isn’t leaving Aquarius, the rulers of the sign will be. Further, Pluto will go retrograde in Aquarius this year, which will slow us down so we can review, get a fresh look or perspective. 

Uranus will be going back and forth between Taurus and Gemini. Uranus entered Taurus back on May 15, 2018. Look to your Taurus house to see how Uranus has brought potent change. Perhaps you were in a rut and you weren’t even aware of it, and if you were, and liked how things were, how hard it has been to change. Taurus wants tangible, physical manifestations of what it values. It’s ruled by the sign of Venus which could be affecting your relationships or bank accounts. Uranus enters Gemini in early July, 2025, but retrogrades back into Taurus in November. 

Neptune and Saturn are currently in the watery realms of Pisces, a sign that Neptune rules. Then, Neptune and Saturn will enter Aries in April and May respectively. Saturn comes back into Pisces in September and Neptune will come back in October. Saturn and Neptune working as a team holds a bit of a paradox as Neptune is all encompassing and Saturn has to do with limits. Saturn has to do with form and Neptune has to do with formlessness. What does this mean? We can look at the sign they are moving in to get more clues.  Aries is a cardinal fire sign ruled by Mars, so what we want becomes more important. There’s a heat and intensity here. Think of a fire that is just beginning. What do you need for that fire to burn more brightly? Air. 

Visualize an arrow, the head or top part is where we are taking aim. The shape is triangular so there’s a point we are aiming towards and then there are supporting energies that buttress that intention. That’s the configuration these outer planets are making. It feels like “all systems are go” when we look at this combination. Where will it take you? If you know your chart, look at the Aries, Gemini, and Aquarius houses for insight. But, even if you don’t know your chart, just reading this may help you understand why you may feel some kind of pushing, urging energy to get something started.