5 important astrological shifts behind the ‘monumental transformation’ of 2025

New year, fresh hell and fledgling hope.

Renowned astrologer and Kabbalist Gahl E. Sasson, AKA the Cosmic Navigator, is illuminating the major astrological shifts coming in hot and heavy in the New Year.

Sasson told The Post, “2025 is a year of dramatic transformations and cosmic rebirth, guided by some of the most powerful astrological transits in recent years.”

He notes that this theme of rebirth is mirrored in 2025 being the Year of the Snake in the Chinese tradition, “It is the Year of the Snake, a symbol of shedding and renewal, encouraging us to let go of outdated patterns and embrace profound personal and collective change. This idea is further supported by the numerology of the year being 9, a number that is in Kabbalah associated with ending, death, transformation, and rebirth.”

Shed the dead, channel the change, can dig.

Sasson continues, “The overarching theme for 2025 is shedding shadows to reveal authentic light, a celestial invitation to release what no longer serves us and prepare for new beginnings.”

Sasson notes that while the overall theme is rebirth, 5 key transits support the writing of that story on both a personal and collective level.

Mars and Venus retrograde

We begin 2025 in the midst of a trying Mars retrograde, giving the new year something of a flaccid start. Mars is our planet of will, energy, sexuality and action, getting it done and getting it on, if you will.

When Mars is direct, the energy of the planet naturally lends itself, like a steroid to the ass cheek, to coming in hot and pushing agendas — with guns blazing and d–ks swinging.

However, when the planet downshifts, so too does the actionable adrenaline and hot-blooded pulse of our life force, as our energy is directed internally rather than externally.

Mars retrograde can feel a little defeating, triggering insecurity, impatience, defense and aristocratic levels of ennui. Common symptoms of Mars retrograde, particularly in the high drama and deep emo of Leo and Cancer, include outbursts and acting out in the name of feeling powerful.

We’ll be stuck in said mire until the planet of war finally gets its boner back on February 23rd.

From March 1 to April 12, Venus, our planet of love, beauty, wealth and worth will go retrograde, first in Aries and then in Pisces.

Exes love to exhume themselves during a retrograde and this is especially true during a Venus retrograde. Often this reappearance has more to do with challenging us to create new patterns versus falling into familiar cycles of romantic rot.

This may be a time to reconsider someone you cast aside or to resolve lingering issues that have hindered your forward momentum.

North Node in Pisces

On January 11th, the lunar nodes will transition from the Aries/Libra axis to Pisces/Virgo, where they will remain until 2026.

The lunar nodes are not planets or celestial bodies but two calculated points that lie between the sun’s ecliptic and the orbit of the moon. The position of the nodes changes signs, cycling through the entire zodiac every 19 years. The axis, or zodiac polarity, in which the nodes fall corresponds to the annual phases of the solar and lunar eclipses.

The lunar nodes are linked to the karmic, evolutionary path of the human soul. 

In almost all schools of astrology, from Vedic to Hellenistic, the lunar nodes are described as a dragon. The North Node is the mouth and the South Node is the tail.

“The Dragon urges us to master empathy, intuition and mysticism while releasing Virgo’s tendencies toward perfectionism and overanalysis,” explained Sasson,”Eclipses in Pisces and Virgo further amplify these themes, pushing us to balance the analytical with the intuitive and to embrace cleansing, creativity and spiritual evolution.”

Lilith and Vesta in Scorpio

In 2025, the pivotal asteroids Lilith and Vesta will be lending us their lessons through the murky lens of Scorpio.

Sasson shares, “These archetypes guide us into the underworld of our psyche, illuminating themes of death, resurrection and shadow work. Scorpio’s intensity encourages deep emotional and spiritual cleansing.”

Purge on!

Saturn and Neptune conjunction in Aries

Saturn, our parental planet of limits and lessons, and Neptune, our planet of dreams and delusions, will form a close conjunction in the sign of Aries in April of 2025. The last time these two kids were this close was 1989-1990 and we’ll be feeling the effects of their energetic tango for quite some time.

“This rare alignment blends the ethereal imagination of Neptune with Saturn’s disciplined structure. It invites us to manifest dreams, release illusions and embrace transformative new beginnings,” Sasson shared.

Jupiter in Cancer

On June 9, Jupiter, our gas giant planet of luck, abundance, games of chance and inclinations of excess, will set up his roulette wheel in the moody moors of Cancer for the first time in twelve years.

The zodiac’s good-timing, dice-rolling drunk uncle will remain in the sign of the crab until 2026.

Sasson explains that this transit will grant us all a much-needed dose of hope after a hellscape spring.

“As Jupiter reaches its exaltation in Cancer, it fosters a collective return to emotional security, nurturing connections and healing ancestral wounds. It calls us to find sanctuary in family, home and inner emotional landscapes,” said Sasson.

Future so bright

Sasson promises, “These transits weave together a story of universal alchemy, where we are asked to let go of the old, embrace the wild unknown and step into a more authentic version of ourselves. As the alchemical axiom suggests: As above, so below. The stars show us this is a year of monumental transformation, allowing us to enter a brighter, freer future.”

Bless up and shine on my babies, good luck out there.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience.