Cross another year off the calendar, folks, and flip it over to the New Year of 2023. Most people ask “will this year be better?” and my answer is mostly yes, but there will still be some rocky patches along the way. It’s just part of the journey right now.
The first rocky patch is that we start 2023 with Mars retrograde in Gemini until January 12th and Mercury retrograde in Capricorn until January 18th, so that indicates it will be a slow and somewhat confusing start to any new 2023 plans.
Be patient and know if you wait until after January 20th to begin something it will go much better than if you tee off on January 1. Trust me on this.
Mars is the “take action” planet that rules how we go after what we want. Mercury is the ruler of travel, communication, the intellect and the logical mind so it is much more advantageous to have these two planets in direct motion when you want to accomplish something. You want to align correct thought with correct action after all, right?
If either of these two planets aspect a planet or angle in your natal chart, the time line may be expanded to March so that Mars can go over the degrees it retrograded on and cross into new territory after March 18th. I know that seems so far away but it will pass quickly as time always does. Mars is in the sign of Mercury so it can be argumentative or feisty with others so choose your battles wisely with both planets in direct motion.
Pluto goes into the sign of Aquarius on March 24 but will retrograde back into Capricorn in the middle of June. We are still grinding through the last few degrees of Capricorn this entire year and Pluto still lingers on the 29th degree for a spell in 2024. It’s not over ‘til its over.
We have a total Solar eclipse on April 19, at the very last degree of Aries, minutes before it goes into the sign of Taurus, so the fixed signs will have some connection with this eclipse in the early degrees of Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio. This part of the sky likes action and also has a focus on healing arts as well. We may hear about new discoveries for medical cures and new discoveries about the cosmos, too.
On April 21, Mercury goes into retrograde motion at 15 degrees of Taurus, which is the same degree as the next eclipse on May 5. He goes direct on May 15 at 5 degrees of Taurus. This time period could also hold a few surprises with the 2 eclipses and a Mercury retrograde taking place.
The next eclipse on May 5th, the pagan feast of Beltane, is a lunar eclipse and is just shy of the 15 degrees Scorpio/Taurus axis and within 4 degrees of Uranus’ position in Taurus. This could be another rocky patch for the world as there may be some chaotic and unpredictable events happening. And three weeks later, Jupiter will conjunct the north node from May 20th through June 5th. This is another kind of extreme or exaggerated energy that will be expressed as Jupiter goes into the sign of Taurus. Jupiter’s action is mainly positive but with the north node so close it can express as a bit unbalanced, unrealistic or expressed in the extreme.
The next period of some instability is when Saturn goes retrograde at 7 degrees of Pisces on June 17th. But that may just manifest as a slowdown and regrouping of the world’s energy after the rocky eclipse and Jupiter/north node cycle described above.
Venus has her retrograde cycle on July 23 at 28 degrees of Leo. This is close to the fixed star Regulus, which often shows up in the charts of world leaders. There may be changes of status for certain leaders over the next 6 weeks of her retrograde cycle. She also rules relationships in general so be aware there may be some friction or changes in store for people with their natal Venus in Leo. The lovely goddess goes direct on September 4 at 12 degrees of Leo.
Jupiter takes its turn at the retrograde dance on the same day Venus goes direct, at 15 degrees of Taurus. Did you notice that is the third time that degree is featured this year? First with the Mercury retrograde in April, then with the lunar eclipse on May 5th and now with a Jupiter retrograde in September. Those people with planets or angles in their charts at 15 degrees of the fixed signs are in for some definite changes this year!
The early fall has Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all retrograde in the month of September but Pluto goes direct in October, Saturn follows in early November and Neptune in early December. But the energy feels much more stable to me. We still have a ways to go but it’s coming, friends, it’s coming.
The planets are spreading out and occupying more signs so they are not so bunched together as they have been since 2019. This helps us all to have more areas of life to participate and thrive in.
So fear not and just keep forging ahead with your goals and aspirations, keeping in mind the retrogrades and their cycles so you can accomplish what you want in 2023!
Namaste,
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