March Madness: The Turning Point of 2025
Why this month is the most transformational of the year—A deep dive into Venus and Mercury retrogrades, Pluto in Aquarius, and why March 2025 is a game-changer.
Hi Friends,
Today’s article is somewhat of a check-in before the eclipse begins next week and things really start to shift. This week, I’ve had a few people have reach out to me expressing their nervousness and fear about the retrograde and upcoming eclipse season. I get it—there’s a lot happening this month.
And I won’t sugarcoat it: March will be unpredictable. But unpredictable doesn’t automatically mean bad. Everyone’s experience will be different because your individual natal chart is unique to you. One of the reasons I started OTHERWORLDLY was my frustration with fake astrology/spiritual accounts and overly positive blogs that don’t tell the full story.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: March is set to be the most transformational month this year. March is the turning point of 2025.
The key word is PIVOT. The universe is redirecting you toward your destiny. This could absolutely look like new beginnings. But remember, in order to welcome new chapters in our book of life, we must close old ones and turn the page. Most people fear endings, especially in relationships—but have you considered what lies on the other side? You’re limiting your growth by not giving yourself the opportunity to find out.
Keep in mind, we’re in a ‘year 9’ in numerology and the Year of the Snake in Chinese astrology, both signifying endings and closure. This is a time to surrender, release what no longer serves you, and step into the post-eclipse cycle with more clarity and fewer obstacles.
There’s no need to fear retrogrades or eclipses. If you stay flexible and embrace change rather than resist it, you’ll navigate this March Madness much more easily. Take a step back and look at the transits from a bird’s-eye view: Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, and eclipse season. The universe is giving us the opportunity to double back and check over the details before it launches us into the eclipse cycle—the retrogrades are literally leading us into the eclipse. That means they play a crucial role in this transition. Something in your life needs reconsideration or reflection before you move ahead. Think of this as a gift—the universe is easing us in!
Next week, I’ll be diving into the first eclipse of this series, so stay tuned for that. If you need a refresher on eclipses, I’ll link my popular eclipse article series at the end of this post.
Here’s what I’ll be covering today:
Venus retrograde
Mercury retrograde
A reminder of Pluto in Aquarius
Venus Retrograde
Venus retrograde is far from the worst of retrogrades. Remember, you survived the never-ending Mars retrograde! Venus is considered ‘benefic’ in astrology, meaning it typically brings positive influences, ruling over relationships, desires, art, culture, aesthetics, money, and luxury.
Not every transit or retrograde causes dramatic events in your life. Venus retrograde, in particular, can be a comforting experience. Personally, I’ve found myself reconnecting with things I once loved. I rediscovered an old trench coat from 2021 that’s now back in my rotation. I’ve been feeling nostalgic and listening to music from my childhood and LOVING IT—I don’t want to listen to anything new right now. I’ve been reconnecting with my love for make-up and using some of my older products to be more creative with my look of the day. Ironically, my friends and I have been talking about signature things that remind us of each other, and they both listed my love for make-up as one of them (there really are no coincidences in life). We’ve been reminiscing of past memories and the fun we had when we lived in the same city.
So let’s recap: fashion, music, make-up, reconnecting with old friends = all classic Venus retrograde themes. See? Retrogrades can be nice…
Venus retrograde for the most part deals with our values and relationships, so beyond the aesthetics and cultural aspects, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you’re reevaluating your connections. With Venus currently in Aries, it’s answering to Mars, a planet of action and impatience. Mars is also associated with sharp objects like knives and scissors, so take note of where you’re metaphorically cutting ties with things no longer in alignment. When you apply this to Venus retrograde, you may realise how you look at people differently now than in the past—an ex you’re no longer attached to, a friend you no longer share common ground with. This retrograde may reveal a different side of someone close to you—or a new version of yourself.
That new version of you may not be fully formed yet, and that’s okay. This retrograde is an opportunity to reflect—not just on how far you’ve come, but on your past relationship with dishonour—whether that be lack of boundaries, staying in toxic situations out of fear, returning to an unkind ex, maintaining friendships where you can’t be your authentic self, letting others make decisions for you, allowing others to persuade you to behave in a way you don’t agree with or ignoring your values to fit in. These are all examples of the ways I’ve been recognising my relationship with dishonour in the past and therefore appreciating my growth and progress in my healing, giving myself grace for all of the times I didn’t have the experience or confidence to act differently. Part of that healing was subconscious; healing happens in layers—some of it quietly, beneath the surface. Venus retrograde has helped illuminate that for me as I review the connections in my life; those who are still in my life and those who no longer align. I can feel myself on the edge of a transformation, a new version of myself. I can feel my soul wanting to grow and expand, ready and waiting for the next chapter—this retrograde is like the universe’s way of letting me know it’s time to say goodbye to the old me so I can step into my next level of growth.
With Venus and Mercury both in Aries, the Universe is asking you to get over the past, be clear on where you stand with people, be clear on where you stand with yourself, and move tf on—it’s time to upgrade.
Mercury Retrograde
Mercury, the planet of communication and information, has moved into Aries this week. Aries, as the first sign of the zodiac, is direct and impatient—it doesn’t have the wisdom and patience of Pisces, the final sign. It’s naïve, innocent, transparent and gets to the point. Communication styles now will be a little more blunt—don’t take it personally! Just watch your words and try not to get argumentative, Aries loves a debate.
You may have already noticed communication mishaps and tech issues this week—Mercury retrograde is making its presence known. The official retrograde begins on March 15 at 6:46 AM GMT.
Mercury rules transport, travel, siblings, cousins, neighbors, and technology. These areas may experience glitches during this period. Mercury can be known as the trickster, so of all the retrogrades, I find this one to be a little annoying but not malicious—it’s kind of like a little brother that wants to play pranks to annoy you. Expect delays with your travel, disruptions in your routine, technical errors (please back up anything important before next week), communication errors or issues with speaking/presenting.
Virgo and Gemini (ruled by Mercury) will feel this retrograde the most, as well as Aries and Pisces, since Mercury will retrograde from Aries back into Pisces.
So Venus is in Aries, Mercury is in Aries. Both planets will meet in the sky just before the eclipse begins—do I need to make it any clearer that these retrogrades are connected to this eclipse season?! If that wasn’t enough, the first eclipse will be a lunar eclipse in the sign of Virgo…which is ruled by? Mercury.
Start reviewing, start reflecting, start journaling. Keep track of the narratives that are playing out for you as we creep further into the eclipse. Read my previous article on Venus retrograde if you haven’t already, to see which past years had similar themes.
A Reminder of Pluto in Aquarius
This week I had the pleasure of attending the FutureWeek conference to discuss AI’s impact on media and advertising—an industry I’ve built my career in. It was fascinating to hear insights from leaders in the field discuss their opinions on AI and how it will change the industry drastically within the next 5 years.
I was excited to hear Doug Shapiro speak, and one of the facts he shared is definitely my most memorable take-away from the event: for every 15,000 hours of Hollywood-produced content, 300 million hours of content are uploaded to YouTube annually.
That’s an insane statistic. But if you think about it, the biggest companies in media are not media companies; Apple, Meta, Google and Amazon are the leading players. Some of these platforms have allowed us to become the Creators and content creation disruption is going to continue to define the next 5 years of the industry. As Doug puts it, GenAI exacerbates the disruption that is already underway.
You may be thinking, how does this relate to astrology? Firstly, everything is astrology. Secondly, I wrote an article on Pluto in Aquarius and how it will bring us major technological advancements, rapid evolvement in AI and a rise of digital communities as ‘power’ falls in the hands of the people.
The key thing here is: democratisation. AI allows for the democratisation of knowledge and that is what Pluto in Aquarius brings. Pluto represents power structures and transformation, Aquarius represents technology, communities and social justice. We are seeing the effects of Pluto in Aquarius right in front of us with the way media products are being democratised. The Creator media economy accounts for an estimated 15% of the global media market and that will only increase as we further into this transit over the next 15-20 years.
If you found this interesting, I may write a follow-up piece to my original Pluto in Aquarius article, focusing specifically on AI.
Final notes
I feel like I say this in every one of my articles, but as always, I didn’t intend for the article to be this long but there’s just so much to cover this month! I hope this helps ease any fears about the retrogrades and gets you excited for eclipse season. This could be the start of an incredible new chapter for you.
Here’s my three-part eclipse series—some of which cover the Pisces/Virgo axis that we are about to revisit:
Thank you once again for a deep and interesting article. I was pondering last night, as I went to the first social event I'd been to in months, that in my past I used to do so much that now I really struggle with. I felt I was regressing. Then I realised, when I walked in the dark fog back to my car, I am not regressing, I am realising. All those times I did this or that years in my past, they weren't the real me. The real me is someone who is anxious by social gatherings that may not be 'safe' and the old me was someone who suppressed that because I was following rules about who I 'should' be based on the expectations of others. Your comments about Venus Retrograde reflected that realisation and that now, actually, if that is who I am, then that is fine. And I can move forward with that. 🙏🏻