As I’ve been saying for the last two years, the mid-2020s are an extraordinary astrological landscape. We’re living through a period where multiple outer planets change signs and form aspects with each other that haven’t happened in thousands of years. Yes. Thousands of years. Gulp.
And all of this is unfolding while we drink our morning coffee, shop for groceries, go to work (or try to find work), care for our families, and generally just do life. It can be hard to see the astrological forest for the astrological trees, but we are absolutely feeling this sky whether we’re consciously tracking it or not.
One feature of this era that we’re picking up acutely is the presence of anaretic Neptune and Saturn is a rare and potent energetic combination.
What Is the Anaretic Degree?
Each zodiac sign spans zero to twenty-nine degrees. The final degree—the 29th—is known as the anaretic degree, and it carries an intensity unlike any other. It represents culmination, urgency, and transition. A planet here is technically still in the sign, but it is also leaning toward the new work that awaits in the next sign.
There is a sense of “last call” energy at the 29th degree: a desire to finish unfinished business and squeeze the final meaning out of the sign before crossing the threshold.
Take Cancer as an example. Cancer tends to home, family, and nurturance with dedication throughout most of the sign. But at 29°, it feels bold Leo approaching. That bright, expressive fire activates Cancer’s instinctive need for emotional safety, prompting a final lesson in security before releasing the past and stepping into Leo’s creative expansion.
Why the 29th Degree Feels Urgent
During a planet’s time at 29°, life can speed up. Core Confidency Lifestyle captured this beautifully in the summer of 2024:
“As the planet prepares to move into the next sign, it experiences a transition phase. This can manifest as a time of significant change or upheaval, pushing individuals to evolve and adapt. The 29th degree can trigger transformative events that propel growth and development.”
“The anaretic degree is often linked to karmic themes. It suggests that unresolved issues from past experiences or lifetimes are coming to the forefront, demanding attention and resolution. This can be a period of reckoning where one must confront and clear past debts.”
Of course, the inner planets hit 29° frequently since they move fast. The outer planets, however, may sit at 29° only once or twice in an entire generation. That’s why what’s happening right now is so unusual.
We are experiencing multiple outer planets at the anaretic degree within a short window. That is rare. And it matters.
2025–2026: The Anaretic Timeline
Here’s where the outer planets have landed:
Saturn at 29° Pisces:
- April 1–May 24, 2025
- January 9–February 19, 2026 (then enters Aries)
Uranus at 29° Taurus:
- June 16–July 7, 2025
- November 8–December 2, 2025
- April 6–April 26, 2026 (then re-enters Gemini for good)
Neptune at 29° Pisces:
- March 4–March 31, 2025
- October 23, 2025–January 26, 2026 (then enters Aries)
Right now, Neptune is anaretic and in January we will have both Saturn and Neptune anaretic at the same time. This is not an everyday occurrence. The last time they overlapped was for a few weeks in October 1998; before that, January–February 1994. There were no other Saturn–Neptune anaretic overlaps in the entire 20th century.
And let’s not forget: Saturn and Neptune have not formed a conjunction at 0° Aries in roughly six thousand years.
So yes, it’s a thing.
In fact, we’re living in the era of:
“Oh wow… this is a thing.”
How We May Be Feeling It
Neptune (29° Pisces):
Are we tired of being gaslit? Tired of being gullible? Tired of pinning our hopes on fill-in-the-blank and being wildly disappointed?
Neptune raises its hand.
Saturn (29° Pisces):
Are we noticing that we can’t cut through the fog? That our responsible, problem-solving side still can’t make sense of anything? That peeling the onion of chaos only reveals… more crazy onion?
Hi, Saturn.
Uranus (29° Taurus):
Are we tired of being shocked? Is our money getting weird? Are we realizing we can’t stay the same? Are we seeing the places where fear keeps us stuck? And are we sensing a powerful current inside us that could change everything if we shift our thinking?
That’s Uranus knocking.
If you look back at the anaretic dates (in red) above, you may notice themes. Think about what was going on for you. For me, Uranus at 29° Taurus electrified my thinking. I felt creatively and mentally charged in ways I hadn’t for years.
Neptune’s return to 29° Pisces this fall brought me back to compassion. One morning, walking through the city while on the phone with a friend, a man in a wheelchair asked me for a dollar. Something in his request made me stop, give him the only bill I had, and when he said he needed to cross the street, I asked, “Do you need me to push you?”
So there I was, pushing him across a major Los Angeles intersection during morning rush hour. When he pointed to a corner, I wheeled him there, where his girlfriend greeted him with joy as she sorted her belongings in a shopping cart. I returned to my conversation on the phone, then later I took a moment to ponder that whole experience and I thought how clear he had been about what he needed and how that clarity mirrors what happens when I ask for help. I can’t fix homelessness in my city, but for that moment, I saw him. And I saw myself and I responded.
That is Neptune anaretic, boundary-dissolving compassion in real time at least in my experience.
Rick Levine’s Insight: Dissolving and Rewriting Reality
Astrologer Rick Levine (one of my favorites) often reframes the Saturn–Neptune dynamic. Saturn is not simply “reality” and Neptune not “fantasy.” Instead:
- Neptune dissolves the old reality and imagines a future one.
- Saturn tests the vision, shaping it into something sustainable—or not.
He describes this period as a portal, a threshold, a reality rewrite, a reset of the collective imagination.
This is not just a transit. It is a transition point between worlds.
What Comes Next
How we dissolve and rebuild our lives will be shaped profoundly by the energies of December and January. You may feel influenced in unusual ways. You may feel pulled toward things you can’t yet name. You may feel strange clarity or strange confusion—or both.
Trust the process.
These are anaretic times.
And anaretic times change us in ways we only understand in hindsight. God speed, as we all do this together.
So yes, it’s a thing.
“Oh wow… this is a thing.”
Neptune raises its hand.
Hi, Saturn.
That’s Uranus knocking.
These are anaretic times.
And anaretic times change us in ways we only understand in hindsight. God speed, as we all do this together.
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