Foreseen in SA: An Astrological Look Ahead at 2025
By Luke Bonecutter
Astrology undoubtedly has many facets and layers, which may hinder one’s desire to pursue its wisdom. After all, the starry sky has been gazed upon for thousands of years by myriad cultures around the globe. Countless systems, stories, and significations are woven together to create this complex tapestry.
After studying it for nearly two decades, I consider myself well-versed in Western astrology—natal, current, event, predictive, psychological, signs and their meanings, house systems, asteroid goddesses, dignities, triplicities, nodes, planets, moon phases, eclipses, et cetera. Even then, I’ve barely covered the tip of the empyreal iceberg. While there is much to understand when we look up at the skies, I wish to enlighten you on the differences between sidereal and tropical astrology, provide insight on 2025’s first quarter including important transits and lunar cycles, and describe how best to harmonize with the upcoming astroweather.
SIDEREAL AND TROPICAL ASTROLOGY
Nearly 2,000 years ago, ancient Greek gods, goddesses, myths, and legends were immortalized by the shaping of constellations and naming the five large stars that wandered across the firmament. (Fun fact: the word “planet” comes from the Greek word planetes which means “wanderer.”) Back then, astrology and astronomy were one and the same practice that primarily focused on timing and navigation. By tracking patterns in the sky, astrologers predicted seasons, events, and harvests, and generally helped keep civilization ticking in an orderly manner.
For example, the Sun’s movement into the sign of the ram marked the vernal equinox, the beginning of the zodiacal calendar. The latitudinal tropics of Cancer and Capricorn were instrumental in this calculation, so the practice became known as tropical astrology. Each solstice and equinox was confirmed by the Sun’s ingress, or shift, into one of the cardinal signs. Spring corresponded with Aries, summer with Cancer, autumn with Libra, and winter with Capricorn. Though some of their theories were proven to be incorrect (e.g. geocentrism), the ancient Greeks contributed a rock-solid foundation to the study of astrology that we know today.
Unfortunately, aligning the earth’s seasonal cycles with the zodiac did not account for a crucial piece of information moving into the future: axial precession. You know how a top wobbles while it’s spinning? Well, the Earth does that, too. Our planet’s orientation on its axis changes by 1° every 71.6 years; Since the dawn of the Common Era, the constellations in our sky have shifted nearly 30°. Basically, what you need to know is: tropical astrology highlights seasonal changes in lieu of tracking the actual positions of the constellations. The system that accounts for this wobble and accurately depicts the arrangement of stars is called sidereal astrology.
Whereas Western astrologers by and large practice tropical astrology, jyotishas (Vedic astrologers) would use sidereal astrology to draw up your birth chart. A Western chart is most often circular and cut into 12 slices called Houses, but a Vedic chart is a square-like grid and has unique names and meanings for the planets due to separate belief systems. Vedic astrology also boasts 16 distinct divisional charts per person, each a window that represents just one glimpse at the miraculous puzzle that is you. There are other key differences as well, such as the centering of lunar mansions and nodes in Jyotish. The long-lived “science of light” from India hinges on the precise placement of planets against the backdrop of constellations, so you’ll likely see some visible differences between your tropical and sidereal charts.
You might be wondering how this discrepancy affects you. Has your Sun sign been a lie your whole life because it’s almost 30° off? Not exactly. While I highly recommend taking a peek at your sidereal chart, the tropical one is still equally valuable as a tool to further your own self-understanding. Both practices have a long history of observers and both act as divine tools to glean information about your strengths, weaknesses, motivations, natural talents, and key areas in your life. Especially if you’re skeptical about the “accuracy” of Western astrology, my hope is that you’ll be intrigued enough to learn more about your sidereal chart. History lesson aside, it’s time to shift gears and focus on the astroweather for the beginning of the 2025 calendar year.
A LOOK AHEAD
Coloring the end of 2024 is Venus – the benefic goddess of beauty, love, and the arts – entering the sign of Aquarius, resolving her vicious stand-off with opposing Mars in Cancer. This should provide some relief to our wallets, emotions, and relationships. Venus joins her friend Saturn in his home of the mystical water bearer. When two planets are in the same House, we call this aspect a conjunction. Their energies fuse and blend, resulting in a powerful new main character. Together, they emphasize defending boundaries and reinforcing self-love rituals. Expect icky power dynamics to shift, compassion fatigue to wane, and for the collective to use its voice loudly.
Adding “hopeful” and “fortuitous” to the mix is one last new moon on December 30, 2024 in the sign of the archer, Sagittarius. Ruled by the planet Jupiter, this fire sign is actively broadening its horizons and exuberantly open to new possibilities. My professional recommendation is to use this time at the end of the year to reflect on how much more accomplished you feel compared to January 2024. Be inspired by Sagittarius’s secret superpower of manifestation and hold true to your vision. Adjust your aim accordingly. Don’t budge on your personal or professional goals. You can absolutely get what you’ve been daydreaming about.
The full moon in Gemini on January 13, 2025 is sitting opposite from a lot of major players: the Sun, Ceres, Pluto, Pallas Athene, and Mercury. Fair warning: this time may have you feeling emotionally vulnerable. By nature, full moons are always opposing the Sun, but this configuration nonetheless spotlights an interesting emotional vibration: our daily needs and habits may be pulling us away from healthy relating. Especially in our committed partnerships, many of us end up parentifying ourselves, even if it’s not what we intended. This harmful pattern becomes increasingly evident with this lunation, and we would be wise to heed these rumblings. Wisdom is a hard-won, organic culmination of our experiences, and you don’t owe other people access to it. Try to put down what you were taught about being in a relationship by your role models and allow your perspective to transform. You are not a summary of all the people you know. You are not your creative intelligence. You are not what you bring to the table. You are worthy and deserving of love because you are alive.
The start of 2025 has a few other major occurrences worth diving into: the first of which is the Venus–North Node union in Pisces that starts on January 28 and lasts for 110 days until May 18. I love this moment. It feels very “yes, diva!” I sense Goddess consciousness singing Her songs on repeat to help the collective redefine our values in relationships. Exalted in the sign of Pisces, Venus encourages us to pursue what makes us truly happy. There’s also a potent Sun–Moon– Mercury conjunction in Capricorn on the same day! Could it be an omen of favorable rules and policies? Or maybe it’s indicative of finding better ways to communicate discomfort and combat disconnection?
On February 12 during the full moon, a conjunction occurs in the sign of Aquarius between the Sun, Saturn, and Mercury, with Luna joining in a couple weeks when she’s new again. I get the sense that this means all the people playing “catchup” are in for dramatic awakenings. Here comes spicy self-assertion. I strongly advise using every graceful diplomatic move in the playbook and delivering any heavy or big news extraordinarily carefully. Reinforce boundaries firmly, but with a healthy amount of respect for other people’s feelings.
Mars stations direct in Gemini on February 24, empowering intellectual action. Mercury moves into Pisces on the 27th, allowing us to more easily flow with our intuition. The day after the full moon on March 13, there is another sizable conjunction between the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and the North Node, all in Pisces. ■
Luke Bonecutter (they/he) is a diviner and spiritual counselor based in San Antonio on Lipan Apache, Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, and Jumanos Land. They have been practicing and teaching Tarot and astrology for over 14 years. To book a session with them, please visit koalendar.com/u/mysticbardlux. More links available here: linktr.ee/mysticbardlux.
