2023 – An Overview
It’s been a wild ride since Pluto entered Capricorn back in 2008. No one could have predicted all the turmoil we’ve gone through. The astrological symbolism spoke to undermining established structures in governments, businesses, and lifestyles. In 2023, Pluto comes to the end of his journey in Capricorn and teases us with suggestions of what the next years could be like once he enters Aquarius. Pluto moves through 27-29 degrees of Capricorn. This year will be an end of an era in many ways. Pluto asks us, sometimes not so nicely, to let go of what we don’t need anymore. 2023 is a year to sort through your material, emotional, and psychic possessions and eliminate what you know has to go. It’s time to simplify your life. Pay off your debts. Be careful about making new purchases. If something sounds too good to be true, know that it is. Don’t speculate. Pluto tiptoes in Aquarius on March 24, 2023, and stays until June 6. This time period foreshadows what the next twenty years will be like. It is like reading a book or watching a drama that hints at what is to come. Pay attention to the clues you see, or intuit, from the end of March until June.
Pluto moving from earth to air will be a major change in energy from control and contraction to unlimited expansion, from the seen to the unseen. There may be more space exploration and steps taken to move people literally from the Earth to other bodies in space.Pluto leaves Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, behind and co-partners with Uranus. Since Saturn is the traditional ruler of Aquarius, he lurks in the background to make sure that things don’t get too out of hand. Use the realism of Saturn’s influence to check your boundaries and see what is constricting you. You want to pack a suitcase for a trip to the future and decide what you need to have and what can go. 2023 is a transition year when you will feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who is in her home whirled around by the tornado and not knowing where she will land.
Neptune moves from 22 to 25 degrees of Pisces. He is happy in his watery home and continues to bestow gifts of insight and compassion. It is time to put more effort into serving and volunteering to help others. Continue your spiritual practice. Neptune asks you to work on being more accepting, less judgmental and learning to receive gifts of grace. Be grateful for all that you have. Embrace solitude and let Neptune show you the difference between alone and lonely. The area in your chart that holds Pisces is full of blessings if you open to them. Neptune is still moving in harmony with Pluto, which gives an underlying aura of profound transformation to your spiritual life. Let there be meaning in all that you do.
Uranus stays in Taurus. He’s not very happy in this sign, but he’s getting used to it. He feels like he’s wearing his heavy winter clothes in the summertime. It slows him down but teaches him lessons. Uranus moves ten degrees in 2013, from 15-25. Taurus rules money. Uranus will continue to cause unexpected fluctuations in finances. Be cautious and conservative when making investments. The area of your chart that holds Taurus undergoes surprise events. The things that happen are ones you never thought could occur. Stay safe and don’t take risks.
Saturn ends his travels through Aquarius and enters Pisces on March 6. He moves from air to water. Both of these elements are frustrating for Saturn since they resist containment. Saturn finds that the boundaries he tries to set up keep dissolving. Think of water undermining a sea wall or the river overflowing its banks and flooding the land. Saturn is associated with endings, Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. This adds to the theme of 2023 which is about endings, finishing up, and discarding what is old and used up, be it material possessions, opinionated thoughts, and destructive feelings.
Saturn’s lessons change in 2023 from correcting your logical thinking to testing and trusting your intuition. It is a switch from the left brain to the right brain. You may need to take swimming lessons and practice treading water. Saturn teaches you to work on creating channels to contain the currents. Think of how you can use water in a well and how a puddle on the ground is only a benefit for ducks and toddlers. Propitiate Saturn with a routine of yoga, meditation, and spiritual gatherings. Your teachers may not be in material form so you have to feel their presence.
Saturn joins Neptune in the Pisces area of your chart. Welcome the influx of psychic and spiritual knowledge that will come to you over the year. Neptune has had free rein with no limits to enhance the wonders of Pisces. There has been growth in spirituality as well as the spread of the pandemic. Saturn will try to organize this freely flowing energy when he enters the sign. It will feel like a shock to those with personal planets in Pisces. Saturn tells you it’s time to apply and use the intuitions you received from Neptune.
Jupiter zips through Aries and enters Taurus on May 17, 2023. Use Jupiter’s help to be courageous and confident during these first months of the year. It’s an excellent time to start that new venture that you know is right for you. Jupiter contacts Chiron from February 26 – March 18. There is abundant energy for digging out the causes of current wounds. You can heal them so that they never come back to bother you. It is an excellent time for all kinds of therapy. Jupiter in Aries is a time to practice enlightened selfishness. It is a time to create a new you who can be able to help people.
Jupiter slows down when he enters Taurus and moves from fire to earth. He increases material gains but with slow growth. You have a chance to improve your financial assets when you proceed with caution. Remember the phrase “slow and steady wins the race,” and let that be your mantra for the second half of 2023.
Although Jupiter is in Taurus along with Uranus, they do not meet in the same degrees in 2023. You can make measurable financial gain without fear of disruption. You want to ensure that you secure all you acquire in a safe place. It is essential to be realistic, practical, and not rely on wishful thinking
The Nodes of the Moon move from Taurus to Aries on July 12, 2023. This motion is the reverse of Jupiter’s path and keeps the element of fire in the big energy picture. The esteemed astrologer Monica Dimino had an explanation for the Nodes entering a new sign. She said that the sign the North Nodes moves into is like a desert that has been dry for the past eighteen years. The Node rains and fertilizes the desiccated soil when it enters a sign. Using this metaphor, we see that Aries will be nourished and enriched. It will be possible to make new starts, move through the world with greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and find new ways to enjoy life.
While the North Node is still in Taurus, you will feel the depth and beauty of nature, appreciate the songs of the birds in your neighborhood, and give your body the pampering and care it deserves. Plant a garden to take advantage of this gift of fertility. Jupiter and the North Node meet in June, creating an opportunity for material gain. It can be a peaceful and serene time if you cultivate inner contentment. The Node challenges Pluto in early July to give him a nudge towards implanting his changes. Once again, it is a time of endings and beginnings.
The South Node, a repository of old memories, allows you to delve into the ancient knowledge that comes from your past and from ancestral lore. When it moves into Libra, expect people who were important in your life and in past lives to reappear so that you can finish up your business with them. Sometimes they come back to be in the space of love with you.
Mercury goes on vacation three times this year. He is away when 2023 begins and returns to work on January 18, turning into direct motion at 8 degrees of Capricorn. It is a good time to edit, review, and rethink what you want to say. Gather all that you have written, published, and posted online and see if you put them into a book or pamphlet. Finish up old work before you start the new.
Mercury takes a Spring break from April 21 until May 15, leaving his post at 15 degrees of Taurus. Because he changes direction while close to Uranus, this will be a doozy of a Mercury retrograde. Hold on tight while the ground beneath you shakes, hopefully not literally. Be flexible and ride the unexpected bumps in the road. This connection can cause confusion and many unexpected delays. He resumes moving forward at five degrees of Taurus, near the North Node.
He has a Christmas vacation from December 13 to January 2, 2024. He turns retrograde at eight degrees of Capricorn, the same degree where he started moving forward at the beginning of 2023. He travels back to 22 degrees of Sagittarius. Do your holiday shopping early in December.
Mars is in retrograde motion when 2023 begins, turns direct on January 12 at 8 degrees of Gemini, and remains moving forward for the rest of the year.
Venus turns retrograde on July 23 at 28 degrees of Leo, sitting at the apex of a yod between Pluto sextile Neptune. Venus will give you some lovely surprises. Dear friends and lovers come back into your life to rekindle flames or bring closure. Be mindful of your spending and wait to buy big-ticket items. Your tastes will change once Venus turns direct. You must adjust how you handle your love life, your creativity, and your children. She resumes direct motion on September 5 at 12 degrees of Leo.
There will be four eclipses in 2023. On April 20, there is a total solar eclipse at 29 degrees of Aries. If you have planets at 29 degrees of any sign, this will be a critical few months for you as there is much activity around that degree. You are aware that something personal is coming to an end which calls you to take action. A lunar eclipse follows that on May 5, the Mexican holiday, the day of the dead, at 14 degrees of Scorpio. It’s a day for endings. In the Fall, there are two eclipses in October. The solar eclipse on October 14 at 21 degrees of Libra. Mercury is alongside helping you verbalize what you perceive in your psyche during the darkness. The lunar eclipse follows on October 28 at 5 degrees of Taurus.
2023 contains a window of opportunity from January 23 until April 21. That is the time when all the planets are in direct motion. This is a green light from the universe. Take advantage of this energy. It is a time to accomplish what you wish to do without obstacles. Don’t procrastinate, don’t be lazy, work hard and get good results.
Remember, 2023 is a year to complete projects.