There's a lot of disaffection going on in the heavens this week with retrograde Mars in Cancer forming an opposition to the Sun in Capricorn on January 15th and Venus passing under the rays of Saturn in Pisces on January 18th. It's clearly not the time to make a pitch, ask someone what they really think of you, or poke the bear because you won't like the reception you get. However, not all the planets are in an ornery mood. A Sun/Uranus trine on Monday, followed by a sextile to Neptune on Friday, shows the benefits of switching focus to those concerns that lie outside your day-to-day life—things like farfetched ideas, impossible dreams, and hopeless causes. This would be an excellent time to take them down off the shelf, blow away the cobwebs, and give them a closer look. You may discover that they still have something to say. This could result in taking up an old passion, or it might lead to something more transcendent given the positive bent of Uranus and Neptune. A lot of good has come from not getting what we want when we wanted it. Frustration can darken our mood, but it can also lift our sights too.

We live in a society that insists on moving forward. We expect to come up with solutions, power through problems, and escape tight fixes in the eleventh hour. These are signs of ingenuity, perseverance, and keeping your cool under pressure. Normally, this would work if Mars were moving forward in the sky. Unfortunately, Mars turned retrograde in Leo on December 6th—robbing you of your gumption and drive—and on January 6th, Mars will retrograde back into Cancer. This could signal a return to a relationship you know isn't good, accepting a job eerily similar to the one you just left, or repeating a behavior pattern you resolved never to repeat again. Contrary to popular opinion, progress is rarely forward-moving; oftentimes, you have to go back to where you came from. Maybe it's because dysfunction is familiar, or maybe it's because we can't escape the burden of something until we're truly tired of carrying it. Whatever the case, this backward movement isn't a sign of defeat. It's about summoning the strength and gathering the resources to break with the past, become self-sufficient, and finally make your own way.

In 2025, the modern planets—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—begin forming sextiles or trines to one another in air and fire signs. This is good news for Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius because you will finally feel like the wind is at your back. The years of being stymied, stalled, and sidelined are over, and you can expect to make the breakthroughs and headway you've longed for. However, this accelerant “masculine” energy will also bring its own problems, so you'll want to guard against manspreading, overreach, and throwing your weight around. This applies to women just as much as it does to men.

For people born under Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces, 2025 will feel like you're saying goodbye to an old way of life as you prepare to embark on a new path. This will happen a lot more quickly than you expect—especially over the summer—but thankfully, the pace slows down again in the fall, giving you an opportunity to catch your breath and do what you need to bring things up to speed for when the pace picks up again in April 2026.

A Jupiter/Saturn square is astrology's version of the Squid versus the Whale. It involves two enormously powerful entities locked in a battle for dominance. The first time these planets squared off against each other was in August 2024. Back then, it was Jupiter that was moving forward in the sky and Saturn that was retrograde. This gave Jupiter all the appeal that comes with fresh insights and new perspectives. It instantly triumphed over naysayer Saturn in Pisces, as a young voice often prevails over an old one. However, when they square again on December 24th, it will be Saturn that's moving forward in the sky and Jupiter that's retrograde—so it's Saturn's turn at the podium. Admittedly, there will be a touch of “I told you so” to Saturn's jeremiad, but the thrust of the message will be to revisit firmly held beliefs. The wonderful thing about this square taking place in Gemini and Pisces is that it's never a bad idea to change your mind as far as mutable signs are concerned. If anything, it's highly recommended.

Neptune is the planet of the imagination in Astrology. It's Neptune's job to get you to dream of something that's fuller and richer than what life has to offer you in its current circumstances. It's only by getting you to fall in love with the possibility of what could be that Neptune inspires you to reach past the reality staring you in the face and to pursue your vision. But visions are funny things. They aren't like items you can check off your to-do list at the end of the day. They defy explanation and are almost always impossible to articulate. Moreover, one person's vision can often be another person's delusion. You won't be sure which is which when the Sun forms a square to Neptune on December 18th, but there's only one way to find out, and that's to follow it wherever it leads. You'd never forgive yourself if you didn’t.

The difference between a square and an opposition in astrology is that with a square, the differences between the planets can potentially be hashed out, whereas with an opposition, the differences are often irreconcilable. On December 12th, Venus will form an opposition to Mars in the sky. It won't be easy to accept that you've gone as far as you can go with a relationship, partnership, or collaboration. Now, does this mean that things are absolutely over? For some people, the answer will be yes; and perhaps this end has been long overdue. It may even elicit audible sighs of relief. But for those who want to continue in a different vein, this week's Venus/Mars opposition allows you to revisit what brought you together in the first place. If you are willing to tear up the old contract (or scorecard), then cosmic configurations on December 13th and December 19th offer a rare chance to refashion an entirely new agreement—one that's more suitable to who you are now.

Mars retrograde on December 6th throws your entire life into reverse. Not only will this thwart all future progress for the time being, but it looks like you'll be drawn back into a recent crisis you survived, disaster you averted, or accident you walked away from. It's kind of like making a last-minute escape from a burning building only to realize that you forgot something valuable and must now go back to retrieve it. People will warn against doing such a thing, and a big part of you will agree with them; however, Mars, named after the Roman god of war, has a strict “no person left behind” policy. This pertains to any loved one in need, situation in peril, or karmic obligation you've yet to fulfill. The way that Mars retrograde works is that it will flood your horoscope with an overriding anxiety and remorse that won't let up until you do what should have been done all along. You may not act right away, but you will eventually, and if you weren't a hero before, you will be by the time Mars comes out of retrograde on February 24th.

On November 25th, all the gremlins come out to play. This is when Mercury turns retrograde, and its reverse direction will release a Pandora's box of glitches, debacles, and fiascos into your day-to-day life. These could manifest as automobile breakdowns, computer malfunctions, or your coffeemaker suddenly calling it quits. It's bound to be a headache, but as long as you take it all in stride and keep your sense of humor handy, you'll be OK. But Mercury retrogrades aren't always bad. Sometimes they can bring the most unexpected opportunities if you keep your ear to the ground. Who knows? You might wind up inheriting a better car, getting a price break on a new computer, or being gifted a fresh coffeemaker by a friend who was somehow given two. Stranger things have been known to happen. Mercury comes out of retrograde on December 15th.

You may feel a lot like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz. Yes, your feet are bruised and blistered, but you stayed the course—despite the allure of poppy fields, abduction by flying monkeys, and the bittersweet discovery that the Wizard you pinned your hopes on was a fake. So what do you have to show for all this? The realization that the answer you've been looking for has been with you all along. And it's not the knowledge that three clicks of the heels will spirit you home; it's the understanding that you have to be behind the choices you make. You have to be in your own corner. People will talk you out of things, circumstances can thwart you, and even the Stars may be misaligned. But if you're in your own corner, then things will turn out right eventually. It's why we travel these meandering yellow brick roads—because sometimes it's only by getting lost that we discover our life's true purpose. This is something you'll see for yourself when the Sun in Sagittarius forms a sextile to Pluto in Aquarius on November 21st.

What's on is off – and what was off is back on again – when the Sun opposes Uranus on November 16th. You'll see recent reversals reversed, done deals revisited, and final judgments overturned – all in an attempt to get things “right.” A lot has changed since April 20th, when Uranus, the planet of revolution and change, conjoined Jupiter in Taurus, sending shockwaves through everyone's horoscopes. You, like everyone else, were thrown off balance by the upsets but took them in stride and eventually made peace with them. Now, all of this will be subject to change yet again, and you don't know if you're up for it. This is a good time to remember that there's always a greater design at work when Uranus is involved. As Albert Einstein once said: “God does not play dice with the Universe.” Admittedly, that's something you're going to have to take on faith given all the craziness, but there really is logic in the absurdity if you search for it.