(27 December 2024) Another year has come and gone. 2024 was certainly eventful as Donald Trump successfully completed one of the most improbable political comebacks in US history. But as President-elect Trump prepares to be inaugurated on January 20, what lies ahead for 2025? Certainly, the events surrounding the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in July-August may well prove to be pivotal, but it’s often helpful to examine the horoscope of the New Year as reckoned by the chart cast for midnight, January 1. The resulting New Year’s chart can provide clues about significant trends for the year ahead as heavy afflictions can portend war and recession while auspicious alignments speak to technological and cultural progress.
This year’s chart looks challenging, to say the least. In the chart cast for Washington, DC the Moon (2 Capricorn) is afflicted by Mars (7 Cancer), Ketu (7 Virgo) and Pluto (6 Capricorn). It is worth noting, that this alignment is closest in the Western hemisphere (North and South America) and much wider in Europe, Africa and Asia. All other things being equal, this suggests that the consequences of this afflicted Moon are more likely to manifest in the Americas.
The Moon represents the people, the population as a whole and their emotional state. Since the Moon is a feminine planet, it also has an association with women, mothers, and fertility. This affliction therefore could bring some particular difficulties for women, perhaps relating to their reproductive rights. With Trump taking office in January, it is not a stretch to think that the debate around abortion rights could ramp up once again.
The Moon in the 5th house provides additional evidence that reproductive issues could become important since the 5th signifies offspring. An afflicted Moon in the 5th suggests conflict and suffering involving children and childbirth. By extension, it may also highlight the ongoing debate over the appropriate treatment of children seeking to undergo gender transition. While Democrats believe that children are fully capable to deciding their fate, the GOP argues that gender transitions should be banned for children under the age of 18. While these are potential trouble spots that suggest intensifying conflict, it is harder to say exactly how these issues may unfold and resolve.
More generally, the Moon affliction suggests dissatisfaction first and foremost, as if the population will be disgruntled and frustrated. That is the result of the Mars opposition to the Moon. The conjunction with Pluto (power, coercion) highlights the potential role of political matters in creating these problems. Well, it doesn’t take much imagination to expect that Trump’s first year in office will be hugely polarizing as he attempts to implement his controversial agenda. This Moon-Pluto-Mars alignment suggests that everything from tariffs to the deportation of illegals will be highly contentious and likely cause considerable political fallout for Trump.
The placement of the Moon in the 5th house from the Virgo Ascendant also highlights speculation and investing. That’s bad news for the stock market as an afflicted 5th house can cause problems for investments. The Saturn-Neptune conjunction in the summer also hints at troubles with financial markets, especially given the secondary alignments with Uranus and Pluto. Mars debilitated in the 11th house of national income also looks like a negative influence for GDP and the world economy. While a recession is not inevitable with this placement, it nonetheless makes it more likely. On that question, the mid-year Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Pisces could have a more directly negative impact on the economy. .
Jupiter’s placement in the 9th house in Taurus speaks to a possible growing interest in traditional philosophy and religious ideas. Jupiter is strengthened by the opposition aspect from Mercury in the 3rd house. Mercury is doubly significant here because it is lagnesh since it rules the Virgo Ascendant. In the Christian world, this may have already begun as more people have sought to escape unhinged woke extremism and have taken mental refuge in established churches. With the 9th house strengthened by Jupiter this year, we can expect to see this trend continue and intensify. Since Jupiter is in the 9th house for the whole world in the New Year’s chart, a religious revival could occur in many countries.
