Star Weather Astrology Report 12/31–1/7
©2023 Ronnie Pontiac
All times Pacific.
Friends, we have a relatively quiet week, astrologically speaking, to start 2024, a year that commences a time of great changes: Pluto enters Aquarius, Chiron will conjunct the North Node, Jupiter will conjunct Uranus and trine Pluto. Chiron conjunct the North Node indicates a rare opportunity for breaking old cycles that have caused harm. Reforms in the world of medicine will be under consideration as we realize just how dysfunctional our insurance and big pharma driven systems are. In our own lives there could not be a better time to give up bad habits and establish good ones. We can learn important things about improving our well-being and helping our bodies heal more completely than we may have thought possible.
Jupiter will be conjunct Uranus from mid-March through mid-May, exact on April 21 at 21 degrees of Taurus. There may be major wealth and success opportunities related to new tech, though there may also be disruptions related to old tech, or overly eager expansion and optimism. The last time this occurred was in 2010–2011, in the signs of Pisces and Aries. Appropriate to Pisces we had a Tsunami in Japan, the shock of a huge expansion of water. Apropos Aries we saw liberation movements in the Middle East that became known as the Arab Spring. With Pluto in Aquarius we may well see uprisings against tyranny again.
Jupiter trine Pluto last occurred in 2014 in the signs of Gemini and Cancer. Ebola made the news along with the rise of Isis. It’s deja vu all over again as there was a crisis in Ukraine due to Putin’s aggression and conflict flared up between Israel and Gaza. The division between the right and the left in America also became more severe. We can expect an expansion of all these themes but with Jupiter there is always the chance for resolution. With falling interest rates and oil prices the US stock market added another year of gains in 2014, still recovering from the collapse of 2008.
Sunday 12/31 New Year’s Eve only lunar aspects are exact. With Jupiter stationary direct yesterday optimism about the new year is possible if we make the effort. Consider it a fresh start. But with Mercury still retrograde and Venus square Saturn exact on New Year’s Day it’s best to celebrate with moderation. From the now usual winter epidemics to stress about war, the economy and politics, there are plenty of ways to get into trouble lurking about. Take care and avoid the harsh consequences of reckless disregard for self and others that Pluto in Capricorn has been dishing out since 2008. As Anais Nin wrote: “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.”
Mon 1/1/2024 New Year’s Day Venus square Saturn is exact before dawn, followed by Mercury stationary direct at 7:08 PM. The square can indicate that in the areas of romance, creativity and finance there might be a sense of pessimism that lingers, but we can remember that the past does not have to equal the future, especially if we welcome new perspectives and approaches. Focus on the humble joys of life. Cherish those you love. Treat your body with kindness. Meditation, rest and better habits can help us get more out of 2024. Mercury direct is not exactly a green light to shift into full throttled drives toward goals but it is a time to consider where we want to go next and to begin planning and having conversations that can help us get there. As the poet Tennyson wrote: “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier.’”
Tue 1/2 only lunar aspects are exact. With moon inconjunct Saturn about ten minutes before midnight getting extra rest may help us restore a sense of well being. The temptation may be to focus on pessimistic expectations for 2024, get some sleep instead. As will be explained at the end of today’s report, guessing about the future from this exhausted and bedraggled vantage is a fool’s game. We would do better to build our strengths, physically, mentally and spiritually. Let go of the chains forged in the lowered expectations and harsh consequences of Pluto in Capricorn, the depression and nostalgia of the ending zodiac cycles of Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, and the fall of Uranus in Taurus. Last time Uranus was here we had the Great Depression. We’ve had a version of it this time, though not as dramatic and widespread, as some lessons have been learned. Uranus will leave Taurus in spring of 2026, so we may have a bumpy ride getting there, but there are some supportive aspects that were not around in the 1920s that may prevent worst case scenarios.
Wed 1/3 Venus inconjunct Jupiter is exact about three hours after midnight. The dark of the moon begins at 7:30 PM. For those who may have celebrated with too much gusto the regret may persist, somewhat exasperated by the lower energy of the dark of the moon. Creative people may feel pessimistic about their work, and romance may seem to have been overly optimistic, but with so much change on the way we’re better off avoiding dark prognostications about these areas of life and looking instead at ways that we can bring more harmony, beauty and joy to our lives and the lives of others. As Maya Angelou wrote: “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.”
Thu 1/4 Mars enters Capricorn just before 7 AM. This hard working placement of Mars can be advantageous. Put some effort into simplifying and streamlining. Take the long view on ambitions, desires and defending boundaries. How would you like to make your mark in 2024? Is there unfinished business from 2023, or would it be better for us to let go of all that? Meditation can provide clarity about these matters. 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.”
Fri 1/5 only lunar aspects are exact. In January an interview about the Secret of the Golden Flower I did with Jeffrey Mishlove for New Thinking Allowed will be available. It provides some useful meditation techniques that may help us get the best out of the upcoming momentous times. Manly Palmer Hall wrote about the Golden Flower practice in July 1943. This quote by him captures one aspect of the technique: “The Chinese philosophers say in substance, there is a little door in man, which, being opened, permits the Self to fly out and go everywhere and be everything, thus losing forever its sense of limitation. In other words, when the Supersubstantial Self is perceived as the Free Soul, the birth or death of the body no longer causes a limitation on that soul.” The same process is described in the Unobstructed Universe teachings of the 1930s. The book Tamra Lucid and I are writing about them is nearly complete.
Sat 1/6 sun square Chiron is exact. Chiron can indicate issues around health but is always an opportunity for healing. Don’t ignore signs of imbalance or weakness, instead seek for ways to improve health by establishing better habits.
Sun 1/7 only lunar aspects are exact. After this day we are less than three weeks from Pluto entering Aquarius. Pluto will reenter Capricorn from 9/3 until 11/20. While some astrologers are concerned about what this may indicate for the presidential election, we will still have Uranus trine Pluto then, loosely in orb, which may give a boost to progressives. Even if Pluto in Capricorn indicates a resurgence of reactionary political power it will likely serve to inspire the progressive reorientation over the next twenty years that is typical of Pluto in Aquarius. However, this progressive movement is unlikely to resemble today’s Pluto in Capricorn progressive ideology. New generations and new tech will redefine how we approach many areas of life that have been restricted by outdated institutions and philosophies.
We have an extraordinary set of sextiles and trines from 2024 to 2027 that some astrologers call a lesser triangle, but it is nonetheless a major configuration. This lesser triangle includes Pluto in early Aquarius, Saturn conjunct Neptune in early Aries, and Uranus in early Gemini. Pluto will be sextile Saturn conjunct Neptune and trine Uranus. While Uranus will be sextile Saturn conjunct Neptune. This harmonious pattern of outer planet interactions promises a very different atmosphere than what we’ve been enduring since 2008. The progression of Pluto out of Saturn ruled Capricorn into Uranus ruled Aquarius is in itself a dramatic change. Saturn and Neptune ending their journeys around the zodiac to begin a new cycle in Aries are also dramatic changes.
Uranus leaving the sign of its greatest weakness, Taurus in 2025 is another big change that should provide relief for Aquarians and for all Aquarius associated activities and themes. Each of these planetary shifts into new signs are major indicators of transformation, landmarks of the beginning of a new era, and together they indicate the kind of quantum leap that occurs every once in awhile in the story of humanity. Five years from now, in 2028, looking back at 2023, we will be amazed at how much has changed. While many of these changes may be shocking and disruptive we can expect some very good things to happen as well. Dare to be optimistic. Prepare to ride the great wave of cultural and technological evolution. We may think of 2008–2023 as that time when the tide recedes leaving the bare sand, but the great wave is on its way. Let’s orient ourselves toward a better tomorrow. Let’s cultivate authenticity. Prepare for a thrilling ride, the first stage of which begins 1/20. Tamra Lucid and I wish you a new year of pleasant surprises. As the poet Rilke wrote: “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
If you would like inspiration from the old world to help you prepare for the new please check out my interview with New Thinking Allowed about Orpheus, the Orphic mysteries, and the Orphic hymns:
