With over four decades of experience and more than 35,000 chart readings to his name, Steve Judd is one of today’s most respected and unconventional voices in astrology. Known for his sharp insight, bohemian spirit, and straight-talking wisdom, Steve has built a global following that spans generations. As the visionary force behind Shifts Happen: Because Therapy Doesn’t Do Retrogrades, a groundbreaking astrology symposium launching in May 2025, he continues to use astrology as a vital tool for navigating modern life. L’Officiel Arabia speaks with Steve to explore his journey, his vision for the future of astrology, and why the world needs cosmic perspective now more than ever.
Delna Mistry Anand: In today’s uncertain economic times, what key planetary transits or configurations are you observing and how would you say it’s affecting us on a more personal level?
Steve Judd: Right now, we’re seeing the effects of the Saturn–Uranus sextile, which is helping us bring structure to chaos while also revolutionising the way we work with limitations. This will be followed by the Saturn–Neptune conjunction in February 2025, a major global turning point. It takes place at 0 degrees Aries, the very start of the zodiac - a reset point. This alignment encourages us to bring form into our imagination, while dissolving outdated structures and beliefs that no longer serve us.
Shortly after, the Saturn–Pluto sextile on 8 March 2025 offered us a chance to transform old boundaries into something more conscious and useful, both collectively and psychologically. All of these aspects from Saturn from now through to April 2026 are the prelude to the Uranus Pluto trine that's coming up over 2026 and 2027, which both individually and collectively is going to revolutionize our attitudes towards not only community, but soft technology, and introduce a whole new way of life at the daily and yearly level into all of our lives.
Mercury retrograde has earned a terrible reputation for any chaos in our lives - from miscommunications to delays, break ups and even tech troubles. In your experience, do retrogrades indeed impact us? And how can understanding the retrogrades help?
It’s well observed that during Mercury retrograde, things often go awry - letters go missing, tech fails, travel plans unravel. While it doesn’t affect everyone the same way, it’s a reliable pattern for many. After 45 years of chart reading, I’ve come to see Mercury retrograde as a three-phase process. First, when Mercury enters its shadow and moves forward, events unfold and decisions are made. Then, during the retrograde itself, we reassess, re-evaluate, and reflect—'Did I get that right? Could I improve it?’ And finally, once Mercury turns direct again, we move forward with improvements, corrections, or deeper clarity.
So yes, Mercury retrograde affects us - but not necessarily in the disruptive way people think. If used consciously, it becomes a brilliant tool for emotional resilience and meaningful self-reflection.
As you are premiering ‘The History of Western Astrology’, what’s one surprising insight or forgotten chapter from that journey that you think holds urgent relevance for us now?
We are excited to premiere the first episode of the docuseries at the Symposium. There are two insights I’d highlight.
The first came while travelling through Greece: I realised that ancient astrologers were more focused on cosmology - the big-picture meaning of the stars - rather than personalised horoscopes. When astrology moved from Greece to Rome, it became about power: ‘How do I become emperor? How do I get rich’ That shift still influences how astrology is misunderstood today.
The second is from the Islamic Golden Age, especially in Morocco and southern Spain. Architects and astrologers worked together to design buildings that aligned with celestial light, angles and shadows. These weren’t just aesthetic decisions but they created spiritual spaces that elevated consciousness and honoured our relationship with the divine. That blending of science, soul and art is something we desperately need to revisit.
At our core, we live for hope. In times of change and transformation, what’s one daily act you’d suggest to help people realign with themselves and the wider universe?
It’s incredibly simple and deeply powerful: go outside, ideally barefoot, and stand on grass or natural ground at night. Look up at the stars. Root yourself in the Earth and lift your gaze to the heavens. This has been done for thousands of years. Humanity is the interface between the heavens and the earth. That simple act of grounding and stargazing restores balance and reminds you that you are part of something bigger.
If you could distil the theme ‘Shifts Happen’ into a single piece of advice for someone feeling stuck or overwhelmed right now, what would it be?
My advice would be clear: right now, we are in a concentrated and compressed period of change, the like of which we have never seen before and will never see again. It'll be very easy for us to collectively lose our heads, make bad mistakes and wrong choices.
Whereas the intelligentsia, by which I mean those that know of or study astrology, will realize that this is all part of a greater cycle. And as with everything astrologically, this too will pass.
Don't panic, because in time (mid-June 25 initially, and late 2026 large scale) we will retrospect and develop a much better perceptive ability to gaze forward in a way that's calm, solid and stable.
And lastly - April 30th marks Venus’s ingress from Pisces into Aries, ending a 34-day sojourn in Pisces. how do you see this shift in impacting our relationships, creative drives, and collective sense of self-worth?
It is a fact that whilst Venus has been in Pisces, particularly on its retrograde phase, it has never been more than one or two degrees away from both Saturn and the North Node. And I suggest that as this process begins to draw to an end at the time of this recording, and it will be over by the time of the second week of May, that Venus's attitude towards self-worth is causing a great deal of internal, personal self-reflection and making us all reassess, well - what is it that we really want? What is it that really has value and worth? What is it that turns us on?
I suggest that amongst the more intelligent of people, the greed and the desire for power that's been so strong over the millennia is now beginning to wane. Instead we are looking more for words like authenticity, dignity and integrity in terms of self-worth. This is the start of the new lingua franca of what I call the emerging consciousness revolution.
Steve’s upcoming symposium Shifts Happen (May 2nd to 5th, 2025) delves into the role of astrology in times of social and geopolitical upheaval. He speaks with clarity and candour on astrology’s cultural significance, and the psychological value of pattern recognition in an age of crisis.
Visit @SteveJuddAstrology on YouTube or Instagram for more information about “Shifts Happen” including how to attend in person or to join the livestream. Bitly link to the ticket site: https://bit.ly/3Se8LXD OR https://buytickets.at/stevejuddastrology/1667880/r/press
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