angstoic.com Astrologer, Ang Stoic
Greeting Fellow Travellers,
And welcome to one of the most consequential turning points in this astrological year. With the March Equinox only days away, we’re almost at the end, on the brink of a whole new solar cycle, so it’s hardly comforting to have a Total Lunar Eclipse on 14 March 2025 staging what can only spell a final dramatic bow for the old year. For centuries, the “Ides of March” has carried a sinister sense of subversion, looming conspiracy and betrayal, that hidden forces may surface to topple whatever illusions uphold our fragile little lives.
It’s true. With the Sun in Pisces, something is always instrumental in dissolving our big ego. This time around, that foreboding is magnified tenfold by cosmic forces emphatically conspiring to dissolve certain “known” realities. South Node lunar eclipses typically rain with a torrential undertow, promising (or threatening) to expose everything our usual busyness manages to keep concealed.
Further intensifying this meltdown, Neptune’s alignment with the Nodes has rendered everyone’s emotional membranes so excruciatingly thin and nervous systems so brittle, making us painfully sensitive to each other’s stresses and flaws. Meanwhile, the presence of Saturn so near the Pisces Sun adds a hefty gloom of ineffable cynicism—somewhat unfathomable yet deeply felt in our decisions and moods. We may lack an exact name for this kind of malaise, but as the funk seeps in, it warns us that illusions are melting away and we may not like what’s about to replace them.
Eclipses, by nature, herald the grand unraveling of once-stable frameworks, but an eclipse in Virgo—so close to the South Node—tosses a spanner into the mechanics of logic, efficiency, and the kind of meticulous effort we otherwise rely on to manage our daily lives. It harkens a letting go of rational solutions and carefully controlled systems and routines that, right now, feel hollow. By the time Earth’s shadow fully obscures the Moon on Friday, we might sense more than a subtle emotional chill: the entire scaffolding of purpose, belief, and coping capacity could shift, leaving us unsure how to tend the chaos of our endless chores.
All this, presumably, clears the path for a surprising new deal—though, as we descend into the slump of these eclipses, it’s anyone’s guess what’s about to emerge.
Beware the Weariness of the Ides
Because this eclipse falls near the Equinox and the notorious Ides of March, we sense a most dramatic, intractable threat. Traditionally, these dates have been the most undermining time of the astrological year, signaling an abrupt switch from complacency to crisis. Fueled now by this year’s Neptune/Node alignment at the anaretic of Pisces, a most antisocial air overcomes us, intensifying the sense that even our most wonderful illusions are coming undone. However stable we thought our social contracts or personal goals were, they can unravel in an instant, leaving us with a communal disquiet, if not outright cynicism.
Combine this with the soon-to-be overshadowed Virgo Moon—a moon famous for being meticulous to the point of neurosis—dimming under the Earth’s umbra, and a stark question: “Are we simply all out of steam to keep refining, patching up every damned hole?” Because instead of clarity all we get is more muck, more nonsense… a mental or spiritual lethargy sets in and the exasperating sensation that it’s all “gone to shit” becomes overwhelmingly pervasive. You might notice it as a growing lack of motivation, a creeping resignation that no amount of toil or organisation can right the cosmic tilt, or an uneasy realisation that even the best-run institutions—our public health systems, bureaucracies, agriculture and supply chains—are somehow tainted, poisoned or showing glaring inefficiencies. Some crises flare quietly, others with cataclysmic force: internal leadership collapses, hidden mismanagement exposed, but the outcome is the same—our usual “fix-it” mentality fails where rational or technical solutions can’t seem to pierce into the deeper malaise of degeneration. A foreboding apathy and hopelessness set in. Yet eclipses aren’t merely negative: by forcibly dimming the Moon’s reflective light, they act as catalysts for ultimate truth.
Perhaps all the busyness—tired little routines we play, perfectly curated self-images, meticulous accomplishments—doesn’t stand as the main event. The lunar meltdown, replete with its godawful bloody hue, can be a precipice to genuine self-inquiry, exhorting us to ask if what we’ve always valued still aligns with our deeper, more ineffable sense of purpose. Yes, things are changing, and we sense an ending. Thus the Ides vibe is twofold: it can shock with ugly revelations, or it can strip illusions we’ve let rule uncontested for too long.
Soul-Sickness
On the opposite side of the zodiac, we find the Sun conjoined with Saturn in Pisces, heavying the psychic atmosphere even further. Saturn’s usual gig is to impose scrutiny, structure, and unwavering responsibility, but moving through watery Pisces, that iron fist dissolves in murky currents—once-sturdy boundaries rusting and faltering before our eyes. We look to paragons and authorities with gnawing worry, realising it’s been all too easy to rely on their show of control. Now, even the illusion of stability and governance is fraying, leaving us uncertain which threads are snapping first. That uncertainty can produce a curious paralysis: we sense the world’s illusions are on the verge of collapse but can’t quite imagine what might replace them. Fear turns into terror and our worst nightmares about what might come to rule over us increasingly start to haunt us. Collectively, the Sun–Saturn alignment in Pisces casts a grave, despondent shadow. We glance at the news, social feeds, or grandiose promises, and see them failing to gain traction.
If the meltdown in Virgo warns that external details can’t be patched up, Saturn in Pisces insists on going in for an internal reckoning: those who once felt safe behind logical progress may now glimpse how flimsy that exterior comfort was. While some slip into private dread; others cling to faith in god, or some golden idol, or creative outlets, unsure if supernatural support is enough to counter such a widespread sense of decay. When all is lost, people find refuge in the most abstract of places. In older spiritual traditions, such a predicament might be framed as a “dark night of the soul”—not a clinical diagnosis, but a collective mood in which illusions vanish, leaving us to confront our deeper aches and unmasked spiritual exhaustion. It’s a state of soul-sickness, in which we realise that every pillar we relied on is struggling to keep the charade alive, and it is time, unequivocally, to face the music.
Mars in Cancer & the Aries Retrogrades: Emotional Ire, But No Real Way Forward
Complicating our next steps, Mars continues his creepy sidestep through Cancer while out-of-bounds, stirring emotional potencies without offering a clear line of attack. Normally, Mars would opt for a direct approach—fight back or push ahead. But in Cancer, all the impetus turns inward, and when angered or roused we’re sometimes seething, sometimes defensively coiled into the fetal position. Everything is personal here, in Mars’ fall. This long-standing transit has produced a global climate of moodiness or sudden spats, as folks lash out at perceived intrusions on their security. If you sense tension building at home, or watch petty arguments spinning out in your social circle, blame Mars in Cancer’s uneasy energies. Combine that with the looming Virgo Moon’s nervous meltdown, and it’s easy for frustrations to bubble over, yet no solution to materialise.
Moreover, tetchy Mars tangles in tense squares with both Chiron and Eris in Aries, amplifying what might already feel like an emotional minefield. Old wounds around identity or autonomy (Chiron) rub raw against the nasty rebellious spark of Eris, creating a tinderbox effect on both personal and societal scales. We see sudden clashes or unscripted outbursts, the kind of disputes that pull ancient resentments along class, race, gender, etc. out of hibernation. Tensions brew, families or friend groups drift toward tearful showdowns. The watery vulnerability of Mars in Cancer can’t hold its own easily against these raw Aries influences, so we’re left with a sense that any major confrontation could blow up far beyond its original scope. If the meltdown wasn’t enough, now it also threatens to flare into a conflict we can’t contain.
Meanwhile, a stationing Mercury will soon join Venus retrograde in Aries—a sign that typically wants action now. But with these planets reversing, communication and relationship matters fall into cyclical, repetitive loops. We revisit old arguments or old desires, but can’t break through into new ground. If the meltdown in Virgo saps your willingness to micro-manage every detail, you could find yourself drifting into these old relational tangles without the impetus to solve them. Or you might attempt a bold Aries approach—like an overdue confrontation—only to watch it deteriorate into more misunderstandings that highlight how exhausted everyone is. The sum effect is frustration, internalised irritation and a sense of “treading water,” which only heightens the sense that this meltdown is unstoppable.
The Great Global Shakedown
Meanwhile, the hideous Pluto sits unaspected on the outer fringes of Aquarius, snickering madly from beyond the grave, yet looming large at the failing state of all long-standing parties and affiliations of power, building force like a silent revolutionary jackhammer, poised to unleash abrupt institutional falls or unmask entire systems’ moral decay without so much as a cosmic courtesy call. By the time these cataclysmic reveals register, most of us—already grappling with this total lunar eclipse meltdown—will be too drained to muster much more than a resigned shrug. Any desire to react or reorganise our own revolt fizzles in the face of deep existential fatigue.
Still, a fleeting trine from Uranus in Taurus to the eclipsed Virgo Moon briefly dangles promising sparks of grassroots skirmishes, innovations, and do-it-yourself societal fixes. Under normal skies, we might adopt these game-changing ideas with gusto, but with Virgo’s rational framework overshadowed, sapped by a spiritual dryness, we might feel that no attempts at any methodical tweaking can assuage the soul-suffering. Instead of rallying to new potentials, we slump under the weight of what feels like soul-level depletion. When mutable-earth Virgo is stressed this severely—especially under a soul-sapping eclipse near the South Node—it struggles to bend; instead it snaps into a full-scale purge, heartlessly discarding illusions and routines, and possibly even real gems in the frantic bid to flush out the system. There’s a ruthless neuroticism here: flush the proverbial baby out with the bathwater if it means ending the grind of empty busyness.
Surrendering to the Sacred Pause
So is this doom? Possibly for certain illusions. But eclipses often tear away superficial comforts so we can glimpse what truly matters. That dryness you feel may be the signal to drop the scripts that never fed your soul. If everything feels pointless, the key might be acceptance: yield to the lull, let illusions rot rather than scrambling to fix them. Talk to a confidant or counsellor if the gravity feels unbearable. Listen to the hush for clues about what your deeper self actually craves. Sometimes the only way forward is not a plan but a pause, letting new currents stir underneath your emotional rubble. It’s a simple case of less is more and nothing is everything.
The lunar meltdown, hence, becomes a portal. Worn-out routines and hollow beliefs can perish, making space for an unforced, wholly unfiltered sincerity to shine through. In amongst all the minutia of life, we need to find faith. A time may come, once the dust settles, when you sense a twinge of renewed purpose—no longer driven by compulsion or fear. Indeed, the cosmic blueprint doesn’t end with this overshadowed Virgo demolition of the old order: an Aries Solar Eclipse waits just two weeks ahead, set to jolt us back into a warrior stance, pushing for front-line action and raw independence. It spells every man, woman, and baby for itself, but before that fiery beginning, this infernal meltdown is your dark chrysalis—an initiation, rather than an end. Let go of those worn-out illusions. Let go of the illusions about illusions. Let your soul’s suffering be heard. And when the Aries spark arrives, you’ll be clearer about what deserves your energy—and what never did.
Below are links to my empowering horoscopes, crafted to guide each zodiac sign through the thick eclipse fog. If you yearn for a little clarity—or just a way to navigate the meltdown until something fresh emerges—then these readings are your medicine. Read your Sun and Rising, and if you have planets or points in Virgo. May you have a restful Eclipse, many blessings xx
ARIES: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
TAURUS: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
GEMINI: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
CANCER: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
LEO: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
VIRGO: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
LIBRA: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
SCORPIO: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
SAGITTARIUS: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
CAPRICORN: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
AQUARIUS: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
PISCES: Virgo Lunar Eclipse Reading
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