January 2023Back to the Drawing Board
With both Mercury and Mars retrograde on New Year's day, as well as Venus in an exact conjunction to Pluto, 2023 is off to a slodgy, complicated, intense start. We may find ourselves coming back to the drawing board on plans set in motion earlier.
Things open up a bit after Mars goes direct on Jan. 12, then start to flow even more effortlessly after Mercury goes direct on Jan. 18, then lighten up a bit as we make our way through Feb., and then March is when things start rolling again, with some real forward momentum.
Read on below for January's weather...
Dec. 31
Venus conjunct Pluto
Intensity of Longing
Love and Endings. Letting go of the Love that exits from your life opens up the possibility for a stronger capacity to truly Love. What and who we love, must at some point be let go.
Under this intense transit that brings Love and Endings into a tight embrace, (also a signature of the year to come,) we see into the darkness of our own psyches. We see our motivations, our wounds, our protectors, our exiles. Spend some time being kind to these parts of yourself around the new year as they are activated. If you can, surrender into the Beauty of the pain that lets you know you Love that much.
Jan. 12
Mars goes direct
Finally, some forward movement
Things have been stalled since Oct. 30 when Mars went retrograde. This has been purposeful. Mars has given us the opportunity to mature our plans, taking more of the long view into account, understanding more about our resources and relations before charging ahead. With that new view we can now move forward with more grounded confidence.
Jan. 18
Mercury goes direct
Life Resumes
Where Mars retrograde wants us to be more effective in the use of our energy, Mercury retrograde wants us to be more thorough in our communications, and all forms of exchange. With Mercury turning direct we can get back to our lists and schedules and budgets and technology knowing we've combed through some of the excess baggage we've been carrying with us, enjoying the speed that comes from having lightened our load.
Jan. 22
Venus conjoins Saturn
Ouch
Boundaries are held. Limitations are faced. Realities are contended with. Relationships may feel perfunctory, or lacking in warmth. You may find yourself having to say "No" to someone you usually say yes to. A friend or relative may move away or not be very available to you.
On the other hand, this is a great time to tackle creative ventures that just need to be seen through to completion, even when the inspiration has passed. Time for rolling up sleeves to get 'er done.
A note to Agents of Evolution:
We have made it through three highly transformative years – 2020, 2021, and 2022. As predicted, these years have seen our collective evolution accelerate. We have one more of these massively transformative years to go before we start seeing the results of this seemingly endless rollout of tear-downs.
"When does it get better?"
The short answer is, not until after summer 2024. This year continues to require much of us as changes continue to work the very fiber of our connectedness.
That said, there are some really awesome moments to look forward to this year! I've created a handy listing of the coming year's most important transits to track.
You can download a copy of the 2023 transit guide here.
You may want to write the Mercury retrogrades and the 2 solar and lunar eclipse pairs into your personal calendar so you can be aware of them and plan accordingly.
(Mercury retrogrades are good times for review, not great times to initiate things, sign contracts, but if you have to, just build in extra time for logistical snafus. The two week period between eclipses is a great time for spiritual work and introspection – it's not a great time for big pushes in worldly activities.)
If you speak astrology, this Transit Guide will be a nice little astro-weather report for you. If you don't, the month's summary title may give you a hint of what to expect, and beyond that, not to worry, I'll translate each month as I go over the astro-weather in this monthly newsletter.
Each of us has a unique role to play in our collective evolution. 2023 is a year to shed false roles, discover your true role, and very importantly, your true tribe, from the inside, out.
May the process of healing be gentle with you and may you emerge the other side Whole, happy, connected, luminous, and deeply in Love with life!
✨
Time is my lover.
We court
around the edges
slow and fast
is not a thing with us
We romp and chatter
and stare at sunsets together
wondering about colors
and shapes
but never about tomorrow
Even yesterday is a non-topic
with us
We are never apart
even when we are
Time is with me
holding vigil
finding me again when I lose my way
Ours is an eternal affair
this thing with me and Time
Happy, Luminous New Year!
