It’s time to get ready for Neptune retrograde! This begins on July 4th, 2025, and the planet of spirituality, illusion, and compassion appears to move backward starting in fiery Aries.
Neptune will keep moving backward and enter Pisces on October 22nd, and it’ll end its retrograde in Pisces on December 10th. This is its last hurrah in Pisces before it officially goes back to Aries in January, and says goodbye to its home sign.
Neptune retrograde typically lasts about 5 months every year, so it’s a longer retrograde than most, and it can really turn up the fog.
Let’s go into 5 ways to use this Neptune retrograde, and the 5 zodiac signs that are most impacted by it.
Retrogrades in Astrology
The normal motion for planets in astrology is forward through the zodiac. When the planet appears to be moving backward, this is when it’s retrograde, and the energy of that body can be thrown off.
Since it’s appearing to move backward, this means the planet is basically operating in reverse with its typical energy as well.
Some planets are worse than others when retrograde (looking at you, Mercury!). Neptune spends almost as much time retrograde as it doesn’t, so the energy of it can be subtle.
Impact of Neptune Retrograde in Astrology
Neptune retrograde is fairly notorious for one thing: fog! Neptune is the planet of illusion, delusion, and imagination, and likes to obscure our view, and when retrograde, this is ramped up times ten.
It can be difficult to see things clearly, and that can impact our ability to make good decisions and put together clear plans. We sometimes think we’re being clear, but it isn’t until the retrograde is over and the fog has lifted that we realize we were actually totally off our rockers!
Neptune rules spirituality and intuition, so this is where we can get some help. If we have a solid connection to our intuition, we can look to it for guidance to cut through some of the fog.
This can be a good period for tackling karmic and spiritual baggage, and working to let it go. This can happen in an easier, more effortless way, and we can feel ready for it.
It can also be a good period for diving into your subconscious mind, and working to understand yourself better, get insights into the past, and come to some resolutions.
Impact of the 2025 Neptune Retrograde
Neptune retrograde kicks off on July 4th, 2025 in Aries, and this is the first retrograde in Aries for Neptune since it only entered Aries a short while ago (March 30th).
Neptune hasn’t toured Aries in 150 years (no joke! It was last in Aries in 1875), so none of us alive have experienced it (except for the vampires, anyway).
Neptune tours Aries until 2039, and during this time, helps us take the initiative with spiritual and creative ventures, makes us focus on our identities and what we’re showing to the world, and is a big part of the paradigm shift we’re seeing.
With Neptune retrograde in Aries, this brings in the fog, and we may have a hard time seeing clearly enough to take action in smart, responsible ways; to get a grasp of who we are; or to be willing to take the steps needed to go down a new road in life.
There’s an extra layer of difficulty thanks to Saturn, who also turns retrograde in Aries on July 13th, just 9 days later. Saturn retrograde tends to tighten the screws, limiting our options and forcing us to be as disciplined as humanly possible.
Paired with Neptune retrograde, this can mean we might be feeling overwhelmed at times, and in desperate need of breaks. Neptune retrograde tends to exhaust us anyway, so plan for more time to rest – especially once they both go back to Pisces!
Neptune retrogrades back to Pisces on October 22nd (Saturn does on September 1st), and Neptune is the natural ruling planet for Pisces, so this energy is amplified. With this being the last leg for Neptune in Pisces, this period is extremely important for releasing and closing the books.
Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and ties to endings. This might actually get started before Neptune goes back to Pisces, with the September 7th Pisces Lunar Eclipse.
This is a huge period for finishing, letting go, and coming to terms with the past. There can also be major revelations and insights, and even spiritual awakenings and enlightenment (that’s been big this year!).
To add to all of this, Neptune is going to be at two special positions almost the entire time it’s retrograde. The first is the 0 degrees Aries Point.
There are 30 degrees in every zodiac sign, 360 degrees in the entire zodiac, and 0 degrees Aries is the very first degree of the whole zodiac. It contains massive energy motivating us to take the inward and create something external and tangible.
Neptune is at 0 degrees Aries September 14th until it enters Pisces October 22nd, so there can be a lot of activity during this time. We can all feel a push to take action, and to make something real.
With Neptune retrograde, we need to keep in mind that we have to listen to our intuition, and try to get as clear as we can. Grounding ourselves can help.
Then as soon as Neptune energy Pisces, it’ll be anaretic, and it’ll stay anaretic for the rest of Neptune retrograde (and until it goes back to Aries January 26th, 2026). Since there are 30 degrees in each zodiac sign, 29 degrees is the last degree and called the anaretic degree.
The anaretic degree is also a supercharged position, and anaretic Neptune in Pisces greatly amplifies the need to let go, move on, resolve, and understand. This is closing the books on something big in the world, and in each of our lives.
That is very important, because it leaves room for the new that comes with Neptune in Aries. You’re on the precipice of greatness – don’t run away from it!
5 Ways to Use the 2025 Neptune Retrograde
1. Assess what you’re starting, or want to get started with.
Remember that Neptune will spend some time at the Aries Point, and that we have Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all in new zodiac signs. This is a huge period of all of our lives for a new shift.
You may have already begun something new thanks to the energy of this year pushing for action quickly. If so, take some time to reflect on what you’ve done so far, on what your ultimate goal is, and on what steps you have to take.
Having a better sense of this can help you get on the right path, and stay on it. You may not make any permanent changes to your plans right now, but you can get very helpful insights.
If you haven’t started yet, then reflect on what you want to start, why, and how. Put the pieces together before you begin, and you can make strides faster.
2. Strengthen your intuition.
Neptune retrograde tends to be fantastic for connecting to your intuition and strengthening that connection, so make the most of this as best as you can. If you have blocks, work on understanding them and removing or working around them.
You may want to keep track of your dreams, which are likely to be more lucid, especially when Neptune is retrograde in Pisces. The messages are likely to be incredibly on point.
Meanwhile when Neptune is retrograde in Aries, pay attention to your gut instincts. The first inclination might be the right one (just make sure your conscious mind doesn’t get in the way).
This can be a good time to consult with things like astrology, to get a tarot reading, to see a psychic, to get some crystals and make an amulet, or to deepen your manifestation work.
3. Don’t be afraid to face what’s been hidden.
Neptune rules what’s hidden, and we often have difficulty facing it thanks to the fog. But shining a light and doing some digging can provide guidance and help us get more control.
It’s likely hidden for a reason, and you’d prefer to keep it that way and not bother. But this can only hold you back, and this isn’t the time to do that anymore.
You’ve outgrown that unhelpful approach, and are ready to deal with it. Muster up some courage, and try to be objective about what you discover.
It can be a lot less scary than you thought, and once you do it, you can be well on your way to living your best life.
4. Tackle your karma.
Neptune retrograde is a big time for karmic energy, so focus on understanding your karma better. This can come from past lives, or even from your early years of this life, or potential from your family and generational karmic baggage that is passed on.
Do the work to understand and release. Acknowledge the suffering and the pain, but don’t live in it or make it your whole life story.
Use things like shadow work, meditation, hypnosis, or past life regression to identify the baggage, and various energy clearing and cleansing to get rid of it.
5. Make rest a priority.
Neptune retrograde tends to zap our energy, and that is way more the case in Aries and Pisces, so prioritize getting plenty of rest. This can mean creating a sleep schedule or putting together a sleep ritual to help you fall asleep faster or sleep deeper.
This can also mean beyond sleep, and actually learning how to rest your mind, your heart, your emotions, and your soul. Detaching from technology, getting space from relationships, or embracing the whimsical can achieve that.
This is such a huge period for big shifts in our lives, and it might be tempting to push yourself to the brink to keep going, but it’s not going to matter much if you end up breaking down before you make any progress.
Learn how to properly rest, in every way, and you can avoid that.
The 5 Zodiac Signs Most Impacted by the 2025 Neptune Retrograde
Aries
The Neptune retrograde kicks off in your sign, Aries, and this can be the first time you’re dealing with this energy directly since Neptune first entered your sign a few months ago. You’re still adjusting to it, and that’s okay, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re still finding your footing.
But with Saturn in your sign as well, and also turning retrograde, you do have to be mindful of what you’re doing so you don’t try to take any shortcuts, look for the easy way out, or just run away from responsibilities.
If you do any of that, Saturn punishes you, and Neptune can make it so you have no clue how to dig yourself out!
Stay focused and do things right, and you can get through this period of these two retrogrades in your sign. Those of you born March 23rd and sooner can feel it strongest.
Once Neptune goes back to Pisces, you can feel your energy levels dip down, and you may want more time to yourself to both rest and release. This is important, and you need to make sure you’re ready for the transit of Neptune in your sign.
Pay attention to your dreams, and to the messages all around you. There is a lot for you to take in, and to understand, before you move forward.
Continuing to hold on to baggage that is only weighing you down and holding you back is not the way to go. Don’t resist loosening your grip and giving yourself permission to live better.
You don’t deserve to keep punishing yourself by not letting go. If you’ve put in the work, you’ve earned the right to free yourself and move into the next phase of your life.
Pisces
Neptune will retrograde back to your sign, Pisces, October 22nd until the retrograde ends. Neptune has been in your sign since 2011, and this is your last dance together.
Neptune is also your ruling planet, and when your ruler retrogrades, this can throw you off, so you’ve had to deal with Neptune in your sign and ruling you for a while, and its retrograde causing a lot of problems for you.
The Neptune fog might rear its ugly head one last time, but there is a chance for you to experience major enlightenment and move through it with greater ease.
With Saturn also in your sign by then, you do have to make sure you’re being smart, disciplined, ethical, and responsible with whatever you do. You’ve already learned so much from Saturn, and should be very aware of how to navigate its energy too.
When Neptune is retrograde in Aries, use that opportunity to focus on stability and security in your life. If you can make small improvements there, this can help when Neptune comes back to your sign.
You’re almost through this, and you can emerge with a much better handle on who you are and what you’re capable of, and free from some of the chains around you.
Those of you Pisces Suns born March 18th or later likely feel the impact of this Neptune retrograde most when it’s in Pisces, and really for the rest of the time Neptune is in Pisces. Rest, release, and listen to your inner guide.
Libra
The start of Neptune retrograde occurs in Aries, and this is opposite your sign, Libra. Oppositions can bring developments that feel outside of your control, or that you’re not fully consciously aware of.
That makes it important for you to learn how to be more flexible, to go with the flow, and to be quick on your feet. Press pause when you can, and let things slide off of your back when you can’t.
It’ll be more important for you to maintain peace and harmony in your life, as well as balance, with Neptune in Aries. It’s very Libra, so you likely do anyway, but it’s even more important now.
Try to avoid too much chaos and instability, and bring serene energy in small ways each day.
Cancer
The start of Neptune retrograde in Aries is square, or three signs away, your sign, Cancer. Squares can be challenging energy of internal friction, demanding you look within for answers and solutions.
For you, this might focus on your ultimate goals, where you hope this major shift will lead to eventually. You want to make sure you’re going to end up where you want to be.
You do have some help from Jupiter, who is now in your sign and giving you some beneficial energy, making Neptune in Aries easier to handle, and presenting you with opportunities to get started with enthusiasm and excitement.
What you begin now can lead to big success, and while it can take time (say 5-6 years), there is potential for rewards to come much sooner (say 1-2 years) if you do things right.
Neptune retrograde can give you a chance to make sure of that by assessing your approach, your plans, and your motivations so you put yourself on the best path.
Capricorn
Like with Cancer, Neptune retrograde in Aries is square your sign, Capricorn, but Neptune wants you to turn inward even more and connect with your emotions and foundation.
You can do the hard work to understand yourself better, to figure out your emotional needs, and to strengthen your core. You may try to do this on your own, but it might be a situation where you do need to lean on your support system too.
Your ruler, Saturn, turns retrograde in Aries shortly after Neptune, so this is extra strong for you, and it’s important you take the right approach. Saturn might try to throw you off, so try to stay focused and don’t give in to pessimism.
Give yourself breaks where you can, and allow yourself to have some comfort. This can go a long way.
Good luck with Neptune retrograde!
The 2025 Neptune retrograde promises to be an interesting one, and we have to handle this well so we’re moving with the paradigm shift instead of against it.
The future is at our doorstep, and we need to embrace it without all of the baggage holding us back. Neptune retrograde is a chance to do that.
Related article: Your Ultimate Guide to ALL 2025 Retrogrades