From November 25th to December 15th, 2024, Mercury will be retrograde in the adventurous and philosophical sign of Sagittarius. This Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius invites you to embark on a journey of introspection and re-evaluation, particularly in relation to your belief systems and perspectives on the world.

Mars, the planet of action, passion, and drive, is preparing to go retrograde from December 6, 2024, to February 23, 2025. We are in the pre-shadow October 4 - December 6. The retrograde will take Mars on a two-sign tour, beginning in early Leo before backtracking into Cancer's nurturing waters. 

Mercury, the planet of communication, will be retrograde from August 4th to 28th, 2024. This retrograde takes place across two signs, Virgo and Leo, neatly dividing the retrograde in half. Mercury Retrograde times offer us an opportunity to take a step out of the momentum of everyday life so that we can get perspective. We just need to remember to stop pushing forward.

Wherever Jupiter is transiting, we are asked to take the leap into new territory in order to reap the benefits. Jupiter requires us to let go of tried-and-true approaches in favor of embracing the unknown. It’s time to explore our growing edges and to move beyond them. While Jupiter is in Gemini, we are are invited to take leaps into the unknown and explore those growing edges within Gemini’s terrain: communication, learning, curiosity, and adaptability.

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction will be exact on April 20th. Its influence began in mid-March and will run through May 25th, when Jupiter then leaves Taurus for Gemini (dates below). This is a transit that affects the collective. And it is cyclical, meaning that Jupiter and Uranus come together roughly every 14 years. They occupy different signs each time they come together, however, and will also occupy a different place in your birth chart.

We’re in the midst of Aquarius Season, where the celestial energies encourage us to embrace our uniqueness, express our genius, and instigate change. In the realm of astrology, Aquarius reigns as the sign of innovation, originality, and forward-thinking. As we immerse ourselves in the Aquarian currents, let's explore how we can harness this dynamic energy to propel our personal growth and transformation.

In 2024, the planets speak to us of endings. Saturn and Neptune continue through Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. Uranus spends its final full year in Taurus. And Pluto wraps up its time in Capricorn. A time of endings makes way for a season of new beginnings.

This year is a good time to clear the way for new seeds by creating the most fertile ground possible in our lives. It’s time to clear our gardens of weeds, get rid of the clutter, and create a hospitable environment for the new vision that we want to bring into being.

With the upcoming eclipse of October 14th, the shadow side of Libra is more likely to show up. The invitation is to become aware of our own Libra shadow behaviors, and to release them. Within our closest one-on-one relationships, we need to push ourselves to be honest about what might be bothering us, and what we want—even if it upsets the lovely Libran illusion of peace.

The sign of transiting Venus shows us where to focus our energy in order to find pleasure, connection, and abundance. Venus is spending a total of four months in Leo (6/5 - 10/8/23). This is giving us plenty of time to reflect on our needs for play, romance, and creative expression. These are the things that bring joy, that make life worth living.

Jupiter magnifies the themes of the sign that it’s in, so this year ahead will be a time in which the areas of health and money are front and center. Jupiter brings abundance and opportunity. We will be given the chance to improve our health and grow our resources.

But with any Jupiter event, we are asked to take the leap into new territory in order to reap the potential benefits. Jupiter requires us to let go of tried-and-true approaches in favor of embracing the unknown. We can release attachment to our habits that keep us stuck regarding health and finances, if we are willing.

The Aries Eclipse of April 19th features the sun and moon next to (conjunct) Jupiter in Aries. Jupiter magnifies what it touches, and so this solar eclipse / new moon in Aries is especially potent. It’s also notable that this is the second new moon in Aries in a row–a somewhat infrequent event. So, we are getting an extra dose of Aries energy. Aries themes are:

• Starting something new

• Facing fears

• Taking action

• Owning desires

Pluto is not only about destruction. It is also about regeneration. To rebuild something better is possible. Under Pluto in Capricorn, there is still time to do this work. During the second half of 2023, and September - November of 2024, we will see the death rattle of outmoded structures. At the same time, we have an opportunity to birth something out of the ashes. Throughout Pluto’s transit through Aquarius, we are likely to see innovative solutions to some of the problems that have become undeniable during Pluto in Capricorn.

Saturn enters Pisces on March 7, 2023, and will reside there until 2026 (see complete dates at bottom of post). Wherever Saturn lies, it is where we are called to do the work of going to the next level–whatever that is for each of us in our current state of growth. It’s time to mature, get out of our comfort zone, and focus our efforts. With Saturn in Pisces, we are invited to put our efforts toward our spiritual lives through the Piscean practice of surrender.

The year of 2023 is a year of big shifts and changes. The top three events are:

Pluto exiting Capricorn and entering Aquarius

Saturn exiting Aquarius and entering Pisces

Jupiter entering Taurus

Pluto is exiting Capricorn for the first time in over 14 years and entering Aquarius. Saturn, which takes 2 ½ years to move through a sign, is exiting Aquarius and entering Pisces. Those two events alone, occurring close together in March, mark the opening of a new era.

Sagittarius is the archetype of the free-spirited wanderer. The emphasis is on possibilities, not realities. While we can certainly err on the side of being unrealistic during a Big Sadge Time, it feels that in this particular instance, a reprieve from the heaviness of Scorpio is more than warranted. We all need to breathe a collective sigh of relief as planets start entering Sagittarius.

The current eclipses are lighting up the Taurus/Scorpio polarity. Taurus is about stability, security, and groundedness. Scorpio is about intimacy (with ourselves and others), authenticity, and passion. The light and the shadow of both signs will be available during this period. The work is to become aware of the Taurus and Scorpio traits within us.

Although Libra is often associated with relationships, there’s more to it than that. Libra is the sign of creating peace and harmony within ourselves. It’s about the ways that we try to find balance in our lives. During the time when Mercury Retrograde is in Libra (and during the post-shadow), we will be shown what is out of balance in our lives, so that we might attempt to bring it to rights.

Uranus is stationing retrograde on August 24th. When one of the outer planets stations, the period of about two weeks before and after that date are marked by a magnification of that planetary archetype in our lives and in the collective. Whether or not you are going through a personal Uranus transit, you will be experiencing Uranus archetype strongly as it reverberates through the collective. (And, if you also happen to be going through a personal Uranus transit in your chart, it will be magnified.)

Every Mercury Retrograde has a pre-shadow and post-shadow period. The pre-shadow begins about two weeks before the retrograde, and the post-shadow ends about two weeks after Mercury stations direct. I often get asked how to use these times. Are the shadow periods just “Mercury Retrograde lite”? No. I’ve come to realize that, like any other planetary cycle, they go more smoothly for us when we align with the energies at play.

Jupiter and Neptune together in this sign are amplifying the Pisces archetype. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and often is associated with endings. That is why, during Pisces times, we are asked to let go of things. It might be a relationship that is no longer healthy (or never was). It might be a job situation that has become untenable. It might be a belief that guided us in the past, but no longer reflects who we are.

Often we don’t understand the loss at the time. It can be hard to accept that we need to let go. But Pisces teaches us to trust that we are being guided and cared for, even if we can’t perceive it at the time.