All Times Pacific: Astrology Report Jan 1, 2023-Jan 8
Friends, 2023 begins with mostly good aspects, one of the best weeks we’ve seen in awhile, astrologically speaking. 2022 was a challenging year following two other very challenging years. Pluto in Capricorn began in 2008 with the swoon of the world economy. Historically this placement of Pluto has indicated extreme weather, economic crisis, pandemics, loss of the familiar, depressions, and in general the somber mood when Saturn and Pluto get together. Kronos and Hades, not perhaps our first choice of drivers for fifteen years of our lives. But the hard lessons learned can help us become more soulful and more aware. While most are pessimistic about the future, another characteristic of Pluto in Capricorn, in spring we get three months of Pluto in Aquarius. A glimpse of what comes next when twenty years of Pluto in Aquarius begins in 2024. Capricorns, the lessons you’ve learned on the hot seat have helped you understand what you really care about, who really cares about you, and what you really have to offer. If you have planetary placements in the first degrees of Aquarius this spring gives you a taste of what the future may have in store. You may already see doors opening to a new life.
Sun Jan 1 Mercury sextile Neptune is exact, intoxicating, romantic, dreamy, reflective, nostalgic, for some a reason to over do it on New Year’s Eve but for writers and other creative people a time of great inspiration. Let the feelings overflowing or the thoughts running away with you find their place in creativity. Venus conjunct Pluto is still strong and with us most of the week. Put that powerful energy into art, romance, transformative reforms or repairs, and rediscovery of joy in the little things. Appreciate what you count on. A good time to fix things before they cause problems. As Mark Twain wrote, “New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”
Mon Jan 2 sun square Chiron is exact in the morning. This aspect indicates those who abused common sense too severely on New Year’s Eve may face consequences not only for themselves but for the collective. We’re about to find out over the next month or so what the impact will be of travel, holidays and the covid situation in China. Make the extra effort to address problems in the area of health. Venus enters Aquarius at 8:09 PM. This can be a chilly placement. Aquarians are known for loving humanity but not individual humans quite so much. In matters of creativity and romance, freedom and informed experimentation are favored. Attractions to the new and strange are possible. New tech could make life more harmonious. Having a consideration of the common good may help clarify matters.
Tue Jan 3 only lunar aspects are exact. Anais Nin wrote, “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticising, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.”
Wed Jan 4 Venus sextile Jupiter is exact about an hour after midnight, a fun and sometimes lucky aspect, try to find some time to enjoy the beautiful, the romantic, the artistic, the musical. A good aspect for creative abandon, really going for it. You can edit later. But beware false optimism and unnecessary risk caused by the need to have a little fun.
Thu Jan 5 sun trine Uranus is exact, a potentially liberating aspect, but with Mercury retrograde there could be detours and delays, some of them might be productive, those that are not can at least teach us patience. Take a breath. Let go of last year. There’s a new year stretching out before you like a blank page or canvas. We cannot underestimate the shadow of fear and gloom afflicting billions of people. Even those in full denial carry within them the dread of uncertainty at a level that did not exist in say 2018, although if you look back you may see the gloom slowly gathering since 2008. Everything in our world has an expiration date, but also a birth date, and endings and beginning follow each other throughout our lives. Take a moment to feel a little bit of freedom, and to look at the future with a little wonder instead of the chronic dread that so many suffer. As Maya Angelou wrote in “On the Pulse of Morning,” “Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need / For this bright morning dawning for you / The horizon leans forward / Offering you space to place new steps of change.”
Fri Jan 6 only lunar aspects are exact. As the great Stoic Seneca wrote, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Sat Jan 7 sun conjunct Mercury retrograde is exact a couple of hours before dawn. With the trine to Uranus tomorrow, this Mercury retrograde indicates a golden opportunity for writing, communications, creative activities, especially those requiring dexterity. Sometimes we can put too much ego into communications during this aspect. Be sure to listen as well as express yourself.
Sun Jan 8 Mercury retrograde trine Uranus is exact in the mid afternoon, give some thought to how you could free yourself in a way that would make the future look brighter. Another great aspect for unbridled creativity, but also for liberating conversations, resolving old problems, or taking a surprising new approach. New tech can help you get the word out more effectively. Above all imagine and relish a fresh start. As Mary Shelley wrote in a short story, “The beginning is always today.”
