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.)

This summer and fall, we are in the last throes of the Saturn-Uranus square. This collective transit was at its height for much of 2021, but it’s back for a final wrap-up here in the second half of 2022. Squares are about tension. We are seeing both the positive and negative expressions of this tension out there in the world. In the collective, the lowest common denominator often wins out. But as individuals, we each have the power to choose toward being part of the solution instead of the problem.

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.

For the collective, whatever sign Jupiter is in reveals the path to finding vision, optimism, faith, confidence, and opportunity. Jupiter in Aries invites us to expand our world through new endeavors. Aries is bold, passionate, and assertive. Embodying these qualities will help each of us to reconnect with faith in ourselves.

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.

We are currently at the end of the yearly “Pisces Season,” the period when the Sun is traveling through Pisces. This is ending on March 20th when the Sun enters Aries (aka Spring Equinox). However, we are in a time of heightened Pisces Power during most of March and through much of April.

Pluto is returning to the place it was at the birth of the country: July 4, 1776. Pluto transits last about three years. This year of 2022 is the peak of a 3+ year event. It has actually been building since 2020.

The main themes of any Pluto transit, whether for an individual or for a country, are:

Facing the shadow

Confronting fears

Endings and new beginnings

Healing and regeneration

I’ve created an overview of the main astrological events for this year ahead. While this year is quieter than the past two years, there are still plenty of things to keep us on our toes. I aim to provide you with some ways to consciously use these energies.

Scorpio energy encourages us to investigate our deepest fears. Meanwhile, the sign’s co-rulers, Pluto and Mars, are also just finishing up a square to each other, magnifying the intensity of our focus on the shadow realm. To top it off, Mars enters its own sign of Scorpio as well (the day before Samhain), and it will be conjunct Thursday’s New Moon, pulling our attention deeper into Scorpio territory. Psychic protection is important now, as our openness and sensitivity are running high. But it is also a fruitful time to receive omens and to notice synchronicities. The veil is thin throughout the entire second half of fall. Those in the spirit realm are more able to communicate with us than at other times. This Sunday through Thursday are powerful days to do ritual and ancestral work.

I began to see that while astrology could not literally predict the future, there were always correlations between what was going on in my life and what the planets were doing in my chart. I found this awareness of my transits sometimes comforting, sometimes daunting. But there are three things that I came to understand about forecasts:

There is a reason for what is happening

There is a way through it

There is an end date

The benefit of a major Saturn transit is that it gets us real with the passing of time. We must confront the fact that we are limited by our human life spans, by the hours in the day, and by the obligations and commitments we have made. That can all sound very depressing. But looking at it another way, these limitations serve us. They help us to remember what is important. When we have a realistic relationship to time, we are able to prioritize the things that we want to accomplish before the day is through, both literally and figuratively.

Aquarius invites us to consider the benefits of being different. Many of us can connect with the feeling of being set apart from others in some way. Childhood offers plenty of opportunities to feel like the lonely weirdo, even if we don’t ultimately define ourselves as such. That is why we are drawn to stories about outsiders and orphans. We have all experienced the pain of feeling left out due to our weirdness.

Jupiter and Saturn form a conjunction on December 21st. Jupiter invites us to expand our world through new endeavors. Saturn helps us to stick with those endeavors through the challenges that inevitably come. The two together provide an opportunity to build something lasting (Saturn) based upon our inspired vision (Jupiter).

Pluto asks us to go beneath the surface of things. It is synchronistic that just recently, there was a prominent planetary alignment in the sky of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and the Moon. You may have heard about this in the news, as it was a unique opportunity for all of us to view these planets gathered close together.

Jupiter and Pluto are in range of a conjunction and will be so for the remainder of 2020. (Dates at the end of this post) Jupiter and Pluto come together about every 13 years. These two very different archetypes contrast with and enhance each other. In short, Jupiter magnifies, while Pluto intensifies.

Sometimes, a client will email me, months or even a year after their reading, to tell me: It all happened, just the way you said it would! They got the relationship/job/home that they’d been wanting.

The inner planets and the Sun have been dancing through fire sign Leo for the past few weeks. Now, in domino-like fashion, they are all spilling into Virgo within a relatively short amount of time (see dates at bottom of post).