Festive good cheer this year is a guilt-ridden distraction from the miseries of Gaza, Ukraine, refugees, climate change and poverty, blasted constantly through the media alongside tinsel froth and gluttonous supermarket largesse for those with money.
2024 sees the continuation of Saturn in regretful Pisces for the second year, from which it exits in mid 2025. Pluto is still hovering on the cusp of Aquarius, dipping a toe in late January to late February, mid July to early September and late November to late December 2024 after which it moves fully into Aquarius until 2044.
Neptune is getting up to the penultimate degree of Pisces in 2024 in readiness for the shift into Aries in 2025. Uranus will follow suit exiting Taurus in 2025 for Gemini.
So we are still standing even more so than usual for the year end with a foot in the old and a foot in the unknown about-to-come.
Looking on the bright side: – Pluto last time round in Aquarius brought social enlightenment and a push for equal rights – the better side of Aquarius, appreciating and living side by side with difference. The emphasis on tribal identity, which reached a peak under the patriotic inclinations of Pluto in Capricorn could hopefully fade.
Astrologer Andre Barbault thought the Neptune Saturn conjunction in Aries due in 2025 would be “the most benefic configuration of the century [which] will work for the best in a splendid relaunch of civilization.” I’m not that lyrical about it though Neptune in Aries last time did oversee humanitarian advances – the Geneva Convention, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Bahai faith, and the emancipation of the serfs in Russia. It also oversaw the US Civil War with the abolition of slavery at its heart.
Uranus into Gemini, also kicking off in 2025, has a track record of key scientific and technological advances which change the face of the culture – and that comes on top of Pluto in scientific Aquarius so the tech age is likely to be moving at hyper-speed for good and ill.
Transformational Pluto is not all sweetness and light, more often than not making the sign switch over on a major war – Crimean War 1853 Pluto into Taurus. World War One 1914 Pluto into Cancer 1914. Spanish Civil War 1938 and WW11 approaches Pluto into Leo. Russia invades Hungary 1956 Pluto into Virgo., UK versus Argentina over the Falklands 1982 Pluto into Libra. Russia invades Georgia 2008 Pluto into Capricorn. The lasting effects can be positive with Pluto in Virgo leading to major medical advances, and before that in Gemini with communication advances. But it tends to have a sledgehammer action e.g the financial crash of 2008; and Pluto into Scorpio in 1984 with the AIDs epidemic, so it can leave its mark in no uncertain terms.
Uranus in Gemini from 2025 has an uncomfortable track record for the USA being in place previously over the American Revolution in 1775/76, the US Civil War in the 1860s; and the USA entering WW11 after Pearl Harbour. There was a heavy cost in all cases but the end result in each opened up a new road.
Accentuating the positive – Aquarius can be humanitarian, Neptune compassionate and Uranus, a freedom fighter.
The final Solar Eclipse in 2023 in late October which is still in effect for the first three months of 2024 was a peculiarly difficult one in a Saros series hinting at ‘immense power, anger and force’, as a crisis emerges suddenly. The Hamas attack and aftermath exploding on the back of a powerful, fated final degree Aries New Moon certainly fitted the astrology. In addition that eclipse had a yod of a highly strung Uranus sextile Neptune inconjunct the New Moon – which tends to induce a mood of hopelessness and despair, being stuck, with the advice being to wait. There was also a New Moon opposition North Node square Pluto – so control-heavy and destructive.
The April 2024 solar eclipse in Aries is inspirational and less stressful though a Mars Saturn conjunction may cause odd mishaps. The October solar eclipse in Libra is about completion and endings, so can be marginally sad, not a time to be for a strenuous push.
The lunar eclipse in October 2023 hinted at a tendency to push religious and other beliefs as an excuse for aggression with the Full Moon tied into a Mars opposition Jupiter, which is often associated with soldiers of fortune. The March 2024 Libra lunar eclipse is determined though still mired in Neptunian aggravation and delusions. The September 2024 lunar eclipse in late Pisces could be over hopeful but also shows signs of a possible move ahead.
Last but not least the one planet to make a definitive move in 2024 is Jupiter, sticking to fruitful, indulgent Taurus until 24 May and then moving into lighter hearted, chatty Gemini for a year into 2025.
The ‘lucky’ Jupiter conjunction Uranus in Taurus of April 23rd 2024 falls on the same day as a Scorpio Full Moon square Pluto so there will be mixed blessings especially given the accident-prone Saturn Mars conjunction in Pisces of a few days earlier.
The amount of technological and social change that we have incoming from 2025-2032 is going to make our heads spin. Machine learning, AI, new energy sources and weapons systems and other technological applications are going to transform the world and our economy as we know it. Socially we may see a lot of democratic activism on the streets and pushback against the regressive policies implemented under Pluto in Capricorn. It’s not going to be a time for reactionary mindsets stuck in the mud. Many of these types will likely fall by the wayside as Saturn in Aries conjoins Neptune in 2025-26, which tends to bring the fall of old regimes. Watch especially Russia and China for changes.
The Aries emphasis, which will really give a push to the changes we are going to see, really starts with the April solar eclipse at 20 degrees Aries. Then comes Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Taurus in late April, before Jupiter sextiles Neptune and trines Pluto in late spring. Very dynamic, pioneering, aggressive, lots of investments into technological platforms, but can be disruptive. Markets may oscillate between crisis/panic and euphoria next year, and really for the next several years. We’re going to be creating a new world as we go along, one without any real historical precedents. By the time Saturn conjoins Uranus at 28 degrees Gemini in 2032 many of the changes underway will have been institutionalized and integrated into our societies.
Now that you’ve mentioned the Piscean emphasis of 2023/24, it’s interesting to note that 2026 will be the first year since 2002 that there will be no outer planets in Pisces. It could very well suggest that we’ll see less of a focus on religious fundamentalism, and more on rationalism, action and analysis. Already this coming year we are going to start seeing more of that air emphasis, with Pluto spending several months in Aquarius. Then Jupiter will ingress into Gemini in October, where it will turn stationary in Gemini in the exact degree and minute of the U.S. Mars in Gemini also in the fall, and will square Saturn in Pisces (similar to what happened in 1965 when the US entered into the conflict in Vietnam)…
Overall 2024 is a year of transition. Lots of mutable energy means rapidly changing events, we may even see lots of physical and information warfare, particularly once we get to the fall presidential campaigns here in the U.S…Pluto by then will have ingressed back into Capricorn, with Mars opposing it from Cancer. Mars actually goes through a retrograde cycle in late Cancer/early Leo until April 2025, so these war-like themes through much of the end of 2024, and into 2025 as well. Pluto’s record of ushering in wars might continue with this ingress. Lots of conflict, change and even some revolution, but also lots of technological change and growth. It’s going to a very interesting next couple of years, for certain.
**Jupiter actually ingresses into Gemini this spring, and squares Saturn in Pisces late summer/early fall, and again in 2025.
This year as soon as Pluto moved briefly into Aquarius Chat GPT and artificial intelligence emerged as an issue. As Pluto becomes established in Aquarius the technical/scientific advancements will continue apace. Add Uranus in Gemini into the mix and like it or not we will see head-spinning new technologies over the coming two decades.
I am SO looking forward to the outer planet shifts in next few years, with my Sun in Aquarius, North-Node Chiron Venus and also Saturn in Aries, Jupiter Uranus in Libra. Personal life and situations around me have been a relentless slog through muck flowing ever downhill, for the past many years. I’m very hopeful these changes could do me much good, and shift society’s overall unconscious orientation into directions easier for me to experience flowing alignment and harmony.
happy Christmas Marjorie and a well earned break!
Marjorie
I wish you and everyone a happy Christmas and healthy prosperous New Year
Noting that Russia, United States and the UK* will have elections next year. I’m sure there will be other countries due too.
Just reading that Russia’s electoral commission has disqualifed an anti-war campaigner from the ballot for supposedly 100 errors on her application. And that reminded that Putin is eligible again after they changed the legislation in 2020 to increase the President’s rule from four to six years and gave him the ability to run again even though he has done his allowed stints. A true reminder of what democracy (or any political system) becomes when an ethicless individual is given power.
* The UK’s could be called late and occur in Jan 2025 but seems doubtful. Nove
Reminds me of that 1995-97 era when Pluto was moving into Sag, Uranus into Aqua and then they were followed by Neptune into Aqua. Politically in Britain we had the Tories in the early 90s then the country landslid into Blairism and all that brought. The two periods are so different to me in life albeit my transits reflected that. For everything that was upbeat, shiny, opportunity-laden and new about the Blair era, I feel almost none of it was substantial or memorable.
The 2020s have been depressingly chaotic so far. It has to change in some way and I’m sure it will be upbeat as we both away from the earth of Capricorn/Uranus to fire and air. Personally I fear that the Aqua age will continue to encourage people to be distant, impersonal and lacking intimacy – my chart values those things. But there is change coming, no doubt about it.
On a separate note, I get some hard aspects from Uranus next year. Apart from inconjuncts, I haven’t seen a hard aspect from the outers in 5+ yrs and everything has been quiet and smooth (boring). I’m interested to see if it stays that way when Uranus hits.
For whatever reason, I don’t find Uranus transits too bad, GD. Perhaps it’s my natal Uranus/NN conjunction but I find it often awakens one to situations which have stagnated, gone on for far too long and are no longer serving us. I think that one of the dangers of Pluto in Aquarius will be the increased atomisation of society – according to statistics, Generation Z are far less likely to be in long term relationships than their parents generation.
Agree with VF, GnarlyD. Uranus can be very enlightening, with ‘lightbulb’ moments where you wonder why you didn’t change something ages ago. Or new interests and passions, intriguing coincidences and so on.
As for the Pluto in Aquarius era – on the positive side it may promote more awareness of the power of socialising, community actions, and so on. And perhaps the power of lasting friendships too – often just as important to us as our more intimate relationships, and very precious as the years unfold. I hope Aquarius can show everyone how many kinds of love there are.
Thanks VF, Jane – merry Christmas to you both (assuming that’s your thing!)
I’m not worried about the Uranus transits, just interested to see how they shake things up. And trying to be careful of what I wish for! I have good natal mars in aqua trine uranus so more than comfortable with just cutting off and shifting into something new when the inspiration requires. Trying to think back to when I’ve been affected by uranus before …
What abbout Uranus opposite natal Uranus – the midlife crisis – how was that?
Uranus squares my MC-IC … I decided to quit the job I was doing. Had been trying to make it work for a few years and it wasn’t going to improve. Once I made the decision, I would like to have left without fanfare but had to go through all the leaving do/gift/goodbyes rigmarole.
Next year, Uranus opposes my natal Mars with Algol stirring the pot, but trines my Sun within a degree. As Neptune becomes anaretic it opposes my Pluto. Uranus is transiting the 7th, Neptune the 5th. All fun on the home front, I imagine! Wish I could say it’s been quiet….I’ve just finished two years of Pluto on my Sun.
I can empathise JB. Until these recent years, my life always had some major transits happening and always turmoil. We must be similar age as I have Neptune due opposite Pluto next year
If you have a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, we definitely are.
I’ve had similar turmoil on and off in the last 40 years (kicked off by a Saturn-Pluto conjunction exactly square my Sun), and the next dollop of potential woe is Neptune approaching a transit of my 6th house.
I have a Uranus transit conjunct my natal Taurus Mars coming up later in 2024, and repeating passes at that. I’m usually fine with Uranus transits, have natal Uranus conjunct Ascendant/Moon and had trUranus 10th house squaring that much of last year without ill effects. But I must say trUranus conjunct my Mars does make me a bit worried – that’s a long time to be mindful of not having accidents! Hopefully just some restlessness and we’ll see what else…
So… I got a little confused, Gnarly: you value impersonal, intimateless, and distant relationships (difficult to believe, and you were probably saying something else), but are hoping that that will change, although it won’t, because you think Pluto in Aquarius will continue in that vein?
Sorry when I wrote “I fear that the Aqua age will continue to encourage people to be distant, impersonal and lacking intimacy – my chart values those things” – I mean I value intimacy and closeness but fear PinA will create a world of people who don’t. My experience has been that if you try to be personal (let alone even intimate) with people who aren’t – they panic and switch off. That makes it really hard to deal with them.
Thanks Marjorie. Happy Christmas
From September 2024 to April 2025 Mars is in Cancer (with a month or so interval in Leo around this time next year).Stress all round especially for the USA.
Blitzkrieg was last solar eclipse of October ..for me personally . Thanks for 3mnths more effect ..since I was searching how long it will last