Neptune

Mar 06 2023

The Astrology of 2023

I originally planned on publishing the “astrological year ahead” in January.

However, January and February had more in common with 2022 than 2023. For all intents and purposes, the new year begins in March (and not just because of the sun’s ingress into Aries on March 20th at 5:24 PM Eastern Time) because it’s a month that delivers a new moon at 0 degrees of Aries, Saturn’s entry into Pisces, and Pluto’s brief initial visit to Aquarius.

In other words, March is when a new astrological chapter begins. The shift, however, will be subtle. Remember, astrology deals with long-term cycles of transition and change.

Claims of an overnight “new life-changing reality” and “new portals that open up and help manifestations happen at lighting speed” for people of certain sun signs may make for fun TikTok content, but that’s not how astrology works. Seriously, what is with the constant mention of “portals”? Enough already.

Let’s uncover and analyze the major astrological events of 2023.

Dec 08 2021

The Astrology of 2022

A new year is almost upon us! And that, astrologically, means nothing.

Here’s what I mean: from a planetary standpoint, nothing special happens on January 1 of each year. In fact, as you’ll read in this post, 2022 is largely affected by planetary influences that started in 2021.

But, as arbitrary as terrestrial time-keeping is, it helps us break down long astrological cycles into digestible chunks.

Before we begin, I want to be clear about the perspective through which I approach mundane astrology (the study of world events through astrology).

I believe history has consistently demonstrated the resilience of nature — and the human spirit. Nothing halts evolution and progress. Life goes on. Our planet has gone through five major mass extinctions… and here we are. So, any claim that an astrological aspect or phenomenon is a harbinger for “end times” is absolute nonsense.

Even the most cursory review of the last few centuries provides countless examples of atrocities, horrors, and strife. But, we as a human race persist. We set goals, create art, develop technology, start nonprofits, go to therapy to better understand ourselves, take care of our health, fall in love, sing along to our favorite songs, have fun with friends, go on vacations, and try our best to enjoy our brief stay on this oblate spheroid we call Earth.

Of course, we all go through challenging moments. It’s okay to experience disappointment, doubt, frustration, and sadness. It’s important to not feel shame around these emotions — and even more so to be able to share them. This has especially been on my mind lately because an acquaintance and a friend both died by suicide this fall. If you are experiencing emotional distress or thoughts of self-harm, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7, free, and confidential) to speak to a crisis counselor: 1-800-273-8255.

When I analyze and write about astrological cycles, I choose a narrative that sees challenges as opportunities for learning and growth, darkness as a way to appreciate light, and moments of reckoning and “truth bombs” as important pivot points of evolution.

I don’t mean to downplay or minimize difficult and harrowing events. My Virgo moon despises toxic positivity and fairy tale forecasts that promise “an amazing year” ahead. My point is simply that humanity has an amazing capacity to adjust and overcome.

I also believe that we each energetically contribute to the overall state of the world. I want my contribution to be one that raises awareness and shows the bigger picture in a practical and realistic manner, but with a dose of measured optimism. If you’re looking for doom and gloom, fear-based predictions, rants about how “we’re all screwed,” or something to contribute to your stress and anxiety, you are in the wrong place (and I encourage you to explore why you seek that kind of information).

Let’s begin. For ease of reading, this post is divided into subsections.

Jun 03 2021

2024 – 2026: The Astrology of the Post-COVID Era

One of my favorite branches of astrology is “mundane astrology” — the study of world events. The “mundane” descriptor comes from the Latin term for “world” (“mundus”), but also unfairly makes the whole thing sound terribly dull. It’s anything but!

Astrologically, the mid ‘20s mark the beginning of a major global shift. To be clear — this is different from the astrology of January 2020 (when Saturn and Pluto met in Capricorn, marking the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic), which blatantly screamed “foundational collapse” and the dismantling of systems.

The years 2024, 2025, and 2026 (when looked at as one cohesive period) delineate the beginning of the next global chapter following the breakdown brought on by the January 2020 Saturn-Pluto conjunction.

Why? Because that is when the three transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) will change signs. Due to their slow speeds, it’s rare to see these three planets change signs back-to-back.

In my eyes, this major shift in the mid 2020s means we’ll still be dealing with COVID-19 — as a global village — in some fashion until then. That isn’t fear-mongering. It’s just a fact. Some nations will recover much more quickly than others. But, others will need until then to return to something that resembles pre-pandemic life. I also think we will see many COVID-19-related public health measures in effect until early 2024. Astrologically, 2024 is the beginning of the “post-COVID era.”

Let’s begin the analysis.

Jun 03 2020

The United States’ Birth Chart Shows A Country In Dire Need of Repair

Think back to a moment in your life when you could no longer escape a hard truth.

One that made you wince just thinking about it, but had been building for a while and continually resurfaced no matter how hard you tried to push it down.

Now, recall the exact moment when that truth could no longer be ignored or obscured. You likely felt angry, confused, deflated, hurt, pained, and shocked. But, perhaps resolute as well.

That’s what the United States is experiencing after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

The current events taking place across the country are no surprise to those of us who regularly monitor the United States’ birth chart.

There are several factors at play that I want to bring you up to speed on:

Transit Jupiter conjunct the United States’ Pluto
Transit Neptune opposite the United States’ Neptune and square the United States’ Mars
Solar arc Jupiter square the United States’ Uranus
The United States’ upcoming (but currently building) first-ever Pluto return

Apr 21 2020

COVID-19 & The Astrology of 2020: Where Do We Go From Here?

There’s lots to say about the current global situation and the many shifts we can expect over the next few years, so let’s get right to it.

For easier reading, I have divided this into sections.

What Happened, Astrologically Speaking?

The current global situation can be traced back to the January 20, 2020 conjunction (meeting) of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn.

Although the conjunction was exact on January 20 (that was the date when Saturn and Pluto were literally on top of each other), the buildup to that aspect started in November. Astrological aspects operate on a bell curve. The date of the actual aspect is the peak of the bell curve; the energy slowly intensifies during the buildup phase and slowly decreases during the decline phase.

I first posted about the Saturn-Pluto conjunction on my Instagram page in June of 2019; I described the aspect as a harbinger of “political changes and foundational collapse”.

I don’t do “doom and gloom astrology”; foundational collapse was not meant to invoke fear. It was simply a literal translation of the aspect. Saturn is about foundations; Pluto is about collapse. When these two planets meet in a conjunction (as they do roughly every 38 years), that’s the order of the day.

Establish paradigms and foundations (Saturn) collapse (Pluto). The status quo (Saturn) is transformed (Pluto). Subconscious (Pluto) fears (Saturn) surface (Pluto) and must be addressed (Saturn).

FYI: Periods when Saturn and Pluto square (are 90 degrees away from) each other or oppose (are 180 degrees away from) each other also make ripples. The most recent Saturn-Pluto opposition occurred weeks before the September 11 attacks.

Astrology reminds us to maintain perspective. Throughout human history, Saturn and Pluto have interacted with each other hundreds of times. And life has continued. Uncertain times can undoubtedly be challenging, stressful, and emotionally taxing. But, nothing is the “end of the world”.