A powerful new moon forms in the sign of Leo this week, signaling the seeding of a new cycle. Traditionally, the new moon is associated with new beginnings, but as the Sun and Moon conjoin at 2° Leo, the influence of aspects from Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto cannot be overstated. As the light of the luminaries descends into the underworld, old structures are dissolving, boundaries that have traditionally maintained social cohesion are disappearing, and behind the loudly public stories of political discord, power moves are stealthily reshaping our world.
The Sun in Leo is in its own zodiacal temple, so when the new moon forms in Leo, it is always a powerful moment. This particular new moon, however, is receiving an overcoming trine from Saturn and Neptune in the sign of Aries. It’s also making an exact opposition to Pluto at 2° Aquarius, marking a transformational moment that is as much an ending as it is a beginning.
It must be remembered that, in many ways, the summer of 2025 is a transitional season. Outer planets that have ingressed into new signs this summer will retrograde in the autumn to finalize their previous transits. What we observe now, as Saturn and Neptune transit the early degrees of Aries and as Uranus makes its pre-retrograde transit of early Gemini, is an initiatory period that I have been calling a “preview season.” The themes presented this summer may wane temporarily, but if we examine them carefully, their signatures are already legible. They will return with full force in early 2026 as these planets complete their retrogrades and make their permanent ingresses into their new signs.
The Saturn–Neptune conjunction represents the dissolution of structures and boundaries. Although Saturn archetypally defines boundaries, structures, and limitations, Neptune dissolves whatever it touches. Saturn is extremely debilitated in Aries, where it is in its fall, and is thus vulnerable to the disintegrating qualities of Neptune. The relatively simultaneous ingresses and retrogrades between Pisces and Aries only add to the richness of the archetypal symbolism. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac as well as a mutable sign, representing endings and transitional periods. Aries is the first sign in the zodiac and a cardinal sign, representing beginnings and initiating energies. The symbolic meaning of the Saturn–Neptune conjunction across the late degrees of Pisces and the early degrees of Aries, then, is striking. It signals the dissolution of an old order, an old structure, and indeed an old way of life—and, importantly, the construction and eventual emergence of a new one.
Pluto’s primordial influence intensifies the evolutionary nature of the moment. The destruction and creation principle is classically Plutonian. It is purgative in nature, transforming through the exposure, expulsion, and purification of corrupting influences. At its core, Pluto represents raw force, as well as the insatiable lust for power and control. In the sign of Aquarius, that influence is collective, social, and technological. Pluto’s transit through Aquarius will lead us into direct confrontation with techno-authoritarianism and the surveillance state (not the subject of this article, but a reality nonetheless). Through its current harmonized aspects with the Saturn–Neptune conjunction in Aries and Uranus in Gemini, Pluto punctuates the entropy of the early stages of a revolutionary era.
This lunation activates and focuses all of these archetypal energies into the socio-political landscape, as evidenced by the rapidly shifting narratives of power, corruption, domination, and control. The strain on social and governmental systems, and the testing of legal boundaries long established by the Constitution and legal precedent, cannot be denied, regardless of partisan affiliation. Lest we assume it is all one-sided, there is plenty of push and pull. Oppositions are of the nature of Saturn, which is itself oppositional. On the Leo–Aquarius axis, these tensions lie between the sovereignty of the individual or the figurehead (kings, presidents, CEOs) and the collective (representative legislative bodies, boards of directors, employees, and the citizenry). That isn’t limited to this new moon—the emerging era will be largely defined by the opposition of extremes: between rulership and representation, individual autonomy and collective authority, dictatorship and democracy. Our task is to confront the evolving manifestations of these age-old power struggles and resist the temptation to veer toward either extreme.
These transformative motifs will continue to emerge both individually and collectively. Our personal experience with them will be largely indicated by how they activate the houses in our natal charts (a horoscope post for paid subscribers is forthcoming this week). In the collective, we should expect some patterns to be visible while some will remain unseen. Pluto exposes, but it also buries. It uses both strategies to effect transformation over time. As these energies concentrate and coalesce, there will be unseen power dynamics and maneuvers, corruption, exposures and coverups, the decline of the old order and the emergence of the new, and the dissolution of social cohesion.
Hidden Power Dynamics
A new moon is the beginning of a cycle born in creative darkness. It is a seed in the soil, covered up. Unseen. It is a moment of initiation, often undetected until the new growth has already taken root and begins to emerge from below the surface.
Yes, Leo is loud, but the noise is enough to drown out or distract from stealth Plutonian power moves tucked strategically out of view. Pluto exposes, but it also buries. It reveals what has been hidden, but can just as easily conceal strategic moves or nefarious motives.
The new moon in Leo offers the cover of literal darkness, and when combined with a Plutonian influence, it provides fertile soil for secretive maneuvering—especially for the purposes of gaining or keeping power.
Corruption and Scandal
Corruption and scandal are classic significations of Sun–Pluto oppositions. When the Sun opposes Pluto, we expect revelations of corruption and coverups involving solar figures such as political leaders and authorities, CEOs, religious leaders, and celebrities. These themes are, in fact, already active, as Mercury retrograde in Leo is also opposing Pluto in Aquarius.
The Moon’s presence will only amplify the archetypal delineations as it conjoins the Sun to form the New Moon. As this energy begins to concentrate, it is likely more information will emerge, and new scandals will surface, exposing corruption, dishonesty, and abuses of power from those in the public eye or in various leadership positions.
Fall of the Old Leaders and the Rise of the New
Pluto’s transit through Aquarius promises the downfall of existing power structures, and in opposition to planets in Leo, it also represents the downfall of Leonine figures. These could be governmental or political power players, thought leaders, organizational heads, celebrities, athletes, or religious authorities. Some may fall because of scandal, some because of age or health, and still others will fall because the weight of their own corruption will bury them.
As the Moon wanes, preparing for its moment of death and rebirth, we have already witnessed the fall of some. John MacArthur, a prominent evangelical preacher, passed away. Beloved TikTok star and D-Day veteran Papa Jake passed away at the age of 102. Astronomer CEO Andy Byford resigned after a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert exposed his affair. And President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against news mogul Rupert Murdoch after The Wall Street Journalpublished a story linking Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
We must remember that the New Moon is both the ending of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one. Where old leaders decline, new solar figures will begin to emerge, along with new structures to replace those that are being dissolved and transformed by the influences of Neptune and Pluto.