Happy New Year, Astrum Opus subscribers! 2023 was another remarkable year, and we thank you for being the inspirational wind beneath our celestial wings.
This year, we are expanding our pool of stellar writers with the goal of sending articles to your inboxes every Wednesday. Written content will remain free to all subscribers, and we are launching cool new offerings for paid subscribers only. Stay tuned for the star-studded details with January’s New Moon post.
So, what do the starry omens have to offer us earthlings in 2024? Read below for AO’s punchy highlights, then follow us throughout the year as we examine the activations of these important cosmic happenings. We hope you’ll “heart” our articles and add your voice in the comment section. We love it!
And, of course, you can always book a reading with one of our talented astrologers to get a more personalized view!
JANUARY - MARCH
Mercury, the Astro Wizard himself, rings in the New Year on January 2, stationing direct in Sagittarius. Fortified with a bold new vision, the Messenger rides his trusty steed through the streets, shouting, “Let freedom ring!” With a whole sign square to the Moon in his Virgo home, Mercury divines a year that is loud, proud, and malleable! Look for ample opportunity to further your fervor in the months ahead as all of Mercury’s retrogrades ignite fire signs in 2024 (April 1-25, August 4-28, and November 25-December 15).
On January 20, King Sol rolls out the red carpet for Pluto’s second visit to the realm of the Water Pourer. Blessing a once-in-248-year visit to this Saturn-ruled sign, Sol knows great epochal shifts burn through the soul. Poised to usher in a new operating manual for humanity, the Lord of the Underworld will make one more trip through the scattered bones of Capricorn from September 1 – November 19 before settling into Aquarius for the next twenty years.
Seeding creative new forms in Pisces, Saturn, the Gatekeeper of Worn-Out Structures, is dreaming into reality far-out techno advancements, space exploration, and alien discourse. Authoritarian control and censorship or life-affirming cultures? Look to the fringes of society for cutting-edge solutions to intractable problems. On a more personal level, repressed, avoided, or ignored mental constructions ache to burst forth. Let the deep cathartic regeneration commence!
To get another view of Saturn’s role as host of Pluto in Aquarius, read the article Neva and Michelle wrote for The Mountain Astrologer. Reprinted here.
Hades' extreme agenda will penetrate thought and deed through mid-February as Mercury, Mars, and Venus each step over the threshold into Aquarius. Pay close attention; core secrets may whisper in twisted tongues or burst onto the scene in daring confrontations. Behold the winds of prognostication.
At long last, enter the iconic paramours Mars and Venus! After two years of relentless teasing across the zodiac, these lovers finally rekindle their spicy relationship in Aquarius on February 21. Saturn, their host, is fine-tuning the art of setting loving boundaries while immersed in Pisces. Still, not even a dreamy taskmaster can pretend that love resembles a romance novel. If you’re enveloped in the bliss of union, you can count on Kronos to provide stark reality checks to quell airy projections.
Can you handle the deep, dark truth of gut-wrenching intimacy? Proceed cautiously; the road ahead may be unfamiliar, and Mars is hot to trot. With Luna lurking in opposition, strive for the sweet spot of meeting your needs with the needs of others. Think of it as a revolutionary act that sets the pace for the next two years of their synodic cycle.
Capping off the end of a dynamic first quarter, Saturn and Mercury in the sign of the Fishes will experience a power infusion when they take turns in the heart of the Sun within a week of the Mars-Venus conjunction. Mark your calendars, sweethearts; the Ole’ Devil will reconfigure unrealistic boundaries while Hermes waxes blunt, poetic communication on February 27 and 28.
APRIL - JUNE
The second quarter of the year is a dynamic, chaotic swirl of air and fire as the season of shapeshifting commences! On March 25, Luna makes her second eclipse debut in Libra at 5 degrees. Two weeks later, on April 8, the exalted Sun will be eclipsed, totally, in Aries at 19 degrees. Ruled by Venus and Mars, the dance of autonomy and intimacy yields unforeseen changes in these “can-do” cardinal signs. One door must close so another can open. Leaders inevitably fall, relationship expectations fail us, and justice is unfairly distributed. What medicine do you need to carve a new path? What healing gifts can you offer others?
Adding to the eclipse drama, Mars and Saturn conjoin in Pisces two days later, April 10, and Mercury squats on the king’s exalted thrown in Aries the following day. It would be an understatement to say April is a dynamic month, and it is only mid-month!
When Mars and Saturn conjoin, chills run up the spine of the cosmos. Marking the beginning of a two-year cycle, these malefic planets have a way of getting to the dark heart of what ails society: a crisis of faith. Remember, it was these two cosmic troublemakers that marked the beginning of a global pandemic. Yikes. What will this new cycle foretell in the watery bounds of Pisces? What inner and outer floods will rush in? The Fishes, forever swimming in an eternal circle, know that truth is slippery, and we’ve only just begun to navigate the age of deep fakes.
Long anticipated by grazing bulls, Jupiter and Uranus join forces to shake terra firma on April 20 at 21 degrees Taurus. Echoing a resounding call for liberation, combined with the force of unpredictable innovation, a stampede ensues, and all heaven and hell break loose. Ruler Venus in Aries, conjoining Mercury retrograde, promises brash announcements that shake the status quo. In the Bull’s fixed earth sign, think of breakthroughs in environmental sciences, currency, agriculture, labor, and the arts. Conjoining once every 13-14 years (and not since 1941 in Taurus), these swift cosmic characters are charged up and ready to reach for the sky. Make like a seed. Break new ground. Open like a flower.
In the Northern Hemisphere, April showers bring May flowers. By May 15, a stellium of daffodils inhabit fertile Taurus soil. Along with a shaken Jupiter and Uranus, the Sun, Venus, and Mercury add their unique varietals. The omens suggest a time of simple pleasures, even while Mars and the North Node in Aries create havoc on the sidelines on May 18. Try to settle down and adjust to the changes that have swept through your life. Stop and smell the perfumed aroma of grace if you can, and share your booty. The lusty month of May could be the most indulgent of the year.
Jupiter takes his turn in the heart of the Sun on May 18, a double-divined rebirth just before the Sky God’s entrance into airy Gemini on May 26. Jupiter, in detriment, will spend a year in the sign of The Twins, stirring up plenty of dust particles as humanity navigates big societal changes. Count our blessings twice? Or will it be twice as much as our minds can handle? Joining forces with Pluto via trine, the airwaves are saturated with communication forms and airy innovations of all stripes. Stay curious and find ways to regulate your vagus nerve. While in Gemini, Jupiter will also square Saturn two times in 2024, adding a restless stop/go energy that will have our heads turning this way and that, pro and con.
Skipping along like a Pied Piper, Jupiter leads a bevy of inner planets into Gemini for yet another notable stellium by early June. It’s a mutable medley that features Venus Cazimi on June 4 and Mercury Cazimi on June 14. Flirtatious Aphrodite is keyed to knit together social bonds, though some relationships will bump up against Saturn’s serious tenor. Consider a thorough makeover in your communication style as Venus and Mercury hit the reset button. The Youthful Twins’ are twitching to dismantle the plastic tower of dogma as we strive to reinvent ourselves to meet the moment. Will the winds of skepticism clear the space for quick-witted inspiration and eureka moments?
June’s final breeze blows in on June 29 when Saturn steps back from his gatekeeping duties, turning retrograde at 19 degrees Pisces… just in time for a summer of relative tranquility.
JULY - SEPTEMBER
Marked by an abundance of affectionate planets forming trines and sextiles, July’s harmonious vibe gives way to three swift oppositions to Pluto as Mercury, Venus, and the Sun enter Leo on July 3, July 12, and July 23, respectively. Deep-seeded conversations that began in mid-February scurry to find meaning in the madness. Themes of control, power struggles, and balancing needs take center stage.
Amid the push and pull, Mars and Uranus lock horns on July 15 at 26° Taurus. Mars stomps about showing his worth as the Mr. Fixit Supreme, albeit in a confrontational manner. Make way for the unexpected severing that shakes up stable resources. Sharpen your focus and chop your way through conundrums and calamity.
As Leo season fixes its rays on August’s orbital oscillations, encircle the 18th on your calendar. The Gods revel in a wild soirée as Mercury shines Cazimi at 26 degrees Leo. Shake your mane, perform stand-up comedy, sing out a heartfelt tune, and then step aside for the unfolding story of the “Great Conjunction.”
Not so hidden in the excitement is the opening square between Jupiter and Saturn on August 19. It’s the first hard aspect between these two Giants since they sparked the “age of air” in December 2020 at 0 degrees Aquarius. Practice healthy skepticism while remaining receptive to edgy influxes of creativity. Different is better than better. The only way to get your message across may be by wielding Mars’s needle to pop the comfort bubbles that envelop your expression.
Embroiled in an awkward mutable T-square dance, Saturn loses grip. Poor coordination and clumsiness prod a fallen Aphrodite in Virgo, while Jupiter, wrestling with Mars in Gemini, goads us to practice more often. Overconfidence rarely looks graceful. Adaptation is the key that stimulates flourishing growth.
If not completely wind-blown by now, the third quarter of the year ends with a splash of water, the first lunar eclipse at 25 degrees Pisces on September 17. It’s the beginning of a 2-year eclipse cycle in the Pisces/Virgo axis, though there’s more flip-flopping ahead.
Numinous whale songs, undetectable to the human ear, slyly murmur fish tales to come. Ruler Jupiter is slowing to retrograde in early October. Attune to the subtle emotional energy that breathes in liminal spaces. Surrender to the mystery. This eclipse portends coming attractions that will unfold in late 2025/2026.
OCTOBER - DECEMBER
On Oct 2, the gods bestow a grand annular solar eclipse, the final one in Libra at 10 degrees, conjunct Mercury and square Mars. What a way to bid adieu. Ruler Venus, deep in exile in Scorpio, is engulfed in a water trine to Mars in Cancer and Saturn, Libra’s exaltation ruler in Pisces. Justice cannot account for emotional ambiguity. Letting go rearranges our sense of harmony. What must be given up in the name of love?
Halting travel plans on October 9, Jupiter shifts gears at 21 degrees Gemini, embarking on a 117-day recalibration within the ever-changing realms of Hermes’s mutable airspace. What entrenched thought patterns or braggadocious rhetoric demand a second look? Jupiter's humbling retrograde serves as a fitting quality assessment. Let the sagacity of silence untangle the cacophony in a world that seldom pauses its incessant chatter.
The big story in November, of course, is Pluto’s entrance into Aquarius on November 19. Farewell, Pluto in Capricorn! You’ve done your job stripping away outdated institutions, and now it’s humanity's job to build foundations of equitable systems.
December’s holiday merriment begins with Mercury’s final retrograde in Sagittarius and an epic Mars retrograde at 6° Leo on Dec 7, returning to Cancer for a 3.5-month stay. Fire is extinguished as Ares’s trailblazing fury takes a step back. Laden, with the weight of a burnt-out star, Mars attracts a myriad of debris. Amidst the remnants of egoic pride and defensiveness, we must ponder: What are we willing to sacrifice, and what treasures are truly worthy of a new beginning?
And finally, on Christmas Eve, when we dare to celebrate peace on Earth, a restlessness visits the mutable signs once again when Jupiter squares Saturn for the second time in 2024. From his superior throne in Pisces, Saturn imparts a formidable catalog of aspirations for such high dreams while Jupiter frolics in holiday bliss.
Perhaps measured ingenuity and enlightened self-possession can provide the perfect threshold for the new year.
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