Astrology Report: January 2023

January Overview

Many of us have been feeling freed up since some of the vibes shifted last month. Both Jupiter and Neptune have stationed direct and brought a surge of optimism and relief to many. Those with prominent Aries, Scorpio, and Gemini influences…. Now it's your turn!

Mars typically zooms through each sign in about 2 months, but it's been trapped in Gemini since August of 2022 and won’t exit until March 2023. Seven whole months! And 2.5 months (Oct 30 - Jan 12) of that time has been spent with Mars mired in retrograde in Gemini. It’s been a monotonous slog in whatever areas of your life are governed by (particularly) Gemini and (quite possibly) Aries or Scorpio, too. Look to those areas and I bet your struggles for the past few months will be represented there. Validating!

Also in the stars—Capricorn season is upon us! As a cardinal, earth sign, Capricorn is great at initiating. It’s the entrepreneur; The CEO who's brave enough to make those organizational changes required to get everything done as it ought to be. What a perfect time to have been blessed with a lovelorn new SZA album (check out that Capricorn Venus!).

This month's Capricorn energy and next month's Aquarian overtones will be the last time we're able to witness Saturn in its element before it leaves Aquarius for Pisces in March of 2023 (after which it will spend roughly 27 years floating through the rest of the signs). Any workings that need long term focus and success might find favor here.

20 - 23 December : Planning for lift-off

Jupiter has been bouncing between Pisces and Aries in a direct-retrograde-direct cycle since December 2021. On 20 December at 8:33 (chart), Jupiter will enter Aries... again. This will reignite some issues that were instigated in May of 2022 in the realm of your chart governed by Aries. Here's a clip from my May report that will be relevant once more:

Jupiter in Aries is major risk-taking energy and seems to connote some fortune in being the first to do or start something. Jupiter is considered by many to be a “teacher” planet and, combined with Aries energy, this looks like trial and error wisdom oriented in the Aries aesthetic... Prominent Cardinal Sign placements (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) on the other hand, may be feeling cosmic favor for either an exciting new endeavor or the completion of something they’d started in the past and hadn’t yet finished.

We've recently been inspired to dream big. Now the stars are prompting us to give it a try and see what happens–now matter how unrealistic it may seem—especially once Mars stations direct on January 12. Use the time between then and May 16 to explode with purpose and attack your goals.

On 21 December at 15:49 (chart) the Sun will enter Capricorn, initiating the Winter Solstice. I shared some fun details about Capricorn and its' planetary ruler Saturn on the podcast. To recap briefly: Saturn is a behemoth malefic planet characterized by an unfathomable inhospitable degree of pressure that is objectively terrible and yet results in some of the most beautiful and iconic visuals in our solar system (the rings, the hexagon, and the rose for starters!). So, yeah, Capricorns live with that sort of pressure year round, but the end of the year period is our time to experience it as tourists in New Year's Resolution and end of year list form.

This season, this solstice, and the New Moon in Capricorn on 23 December are great times to manifest via planning and build energy between now and Mars stationing direct on January 12. As the energy of the month shifts into this Capricorn spirit, we're going to feel some tension between that and the Jupiter and Sagittarius influences which are expansive, broad, and optimistic. Meanwhile the Sun (which will square Jupiter in Aries on 21 December at 18:50 (chart)) is asking us to carefully consider and plan how we're behaving and where we're putting our energy.

On 23 December at 4:16 (chart) we'll have a New Moon in Capricorn which will support pre-sunrise work in service of manifestation, planning, and building energy that will supercharge future plans. The moon in Capricorn is in an overcoming square to Jupiter in Aries at this time, which further underscores the need to measure twice and cut once. Consider developing a spell and charging it with energy, plans, and intention between now and Mars' station on January 12 (after which, that spell would be even more powerful). or consecrating tools that will be used in service of future workings.

This is a great time to mention I'm planning on launching something big. Let's meet here again after the New Moon? Edit: Well, here it is :)

Mercury Retrograde

This very strange astrological year wouldn't be complete without one last Mercury retrograde to shake things up, right? on 29 December at 3:31 (chart) - Mercury will go retrograde in Capricorn (thru Jan 18) and just a few hours later will conjoin Venus in that same sign at 7:58 (chart).

As always, I feel compelled to ensure you that Mercury retrogrades aren’t the end of the world. Yes, Mercury rules communication, technology, and some travel...so things may go awry. But more likely (especially with Mars retrograde in Gemini), we will be using this time to rethink what we want to do like a big cat planning its next move. We will explode with purpose and clarity in mid-to-late-January. Look to where Capricorn is in your chart to see where issues, people, and opportunities will resurface. We'll be getting something of a re-do during this time.

Leverage the tail end of the Gemini retrogrades that are now being influenced by some productive Capricorn energy. Particularly for my Gemini placements, that thing that’s been weighing you down that has felt unescapable? NOW is the time to learn from whatever you’ve been mired in and make a plan for the future so that you can get out of this once the retrogrades clear up by Jan 18. If you don't yet know what I'm talking about, look to your chart. I promise you won't be surprised.

Get up before the sun on this day and set an intention for the next two-ish weeks of retrograde and keep to it.

2-9 January Starting the New Year off on a Good note

Happy New Year! Our first weekish of 2023 will be largely positive, though grounded in that planning mindset. We’ll have Venus entering Aquarius on 2 January at 20:10 (chart) and sextiling Jupiter exactly just a few days later on 4 January at 3:07 (chart).

These transits mean that we are going to be thinking about the bigger picture, particularly about how our actions that we're planning for ourselves will scale and impact others and contribute to the greater good.

On 6 January at 17:07 (chart), we have a Full Moon in Cancer which is involved in a natural opposition with the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn. The moon loves being in Cancer—it is its Domicile—and we think of full moons as natural climaxes that are sometimes associated with strong emotions.

For those of you following the cycle of this month, this lunation might be well served by trying to generate or internalize the feelings of what you’ve been planning. Take what’s been put on the paper and actually try to digest and feel and incorporate it into the physical or energy body. This lunation could also be a great last time to charge whatever tools you may be using to explode with purpose and energy in the mid-to-late January phase where we are officially free of retrogrades.

This lunation will illuminate natural tensions between the areas of your life governed by Cancer and Capricorn. These tensions aren't always bad, but they can be intense and strong. Look to do any workings associated with this moon during the day as the astrology will lead to more favorable outcomes.

The following morning on 7 January at 6:56 (chart) brings a Mercury Cazimi. Cazimis are moments where planets find themselves in the heart of the Sun's rays, bringing prominence and focus to their significations. Mercury Cazimis are times to either receive transmissions or emit them.

Look to where Cap is in your chart (I hope you’ve done that already!) and that is where you might want to either make some blessed transmission or make yourself open for a little while in the early morning hours of 7 January to receive a message from a deity, guides, or the unknown.

12-18 January: No, it’s actually really really over

On the 12 of January at14:56 (chart), Mars stations direct in Gemini. It's over folks!

Mars typically zooms through each sign in about 2 months, but it's been trapped in Gemini since August of 2022 and won’t exit until March 2023. Seven whole months! And 2.5 months (Oct 30 - Jan 12) of that time has been spent with Mars mired in retrograde in Gemini. It’s been a monotonous slog in whatever areas of your life are governed by (particularly) Gemini and (quite possibly) Aries or Scorpio, too. Look to those areas and I bet your struggles for the past few months will be represented there. Validating! As Eric & I shared on the podcast, it's been a pretty brutal brain fog for those of us with prominent Gemini placements.

This is actually really going to be a very notable feeling for many of us—ESPECIALLY those with prominent Gemini placements. To some extent, those with prominent Aries and Scorpio placements will also be feeling relief and action (finally!) for the Scorpio and Aries placements in their chart.

Mars goes retrograde every two years for 8-10 weeks. So, this isn’t like those half-yearly retrogrades like the outer planets have. And it isn’t fast like the Mercury retrogrades which mutable signs like Virgo and Gemini have learned to live with. This is a malefic planet that represents drive, our ability to act, our fury and our passions—both good and bad. Mars in retrograde represents an absolute quagmire for our ability to act.

Look to where Aries, Scorpio, and Gemini appear in your chart. You’ll likely find an area of your life where you’ve felt overwhelmed, listless, bored, unable to act, plagued by roadblocks and confusing mystery setbacks.

This Mars retrograde was a defining transit of 2022 and the effects of this cannot be overstated! If you’re following along with astrology and learning. Take note of how/what you’ve felt at this time so that in two years when Mars returns here, you’ll know what to expect!

But wait, there's more! (For Geminis!)

Gemini’s this is really going to be an 9 of Wands moment for you. There's been a ton of struggle and brain fog. It's been, frankly, exhausting. Mars stationing direct on January 12 will bring a ton of relief, but Gemini's in particular will have 6 more days to go with this transit.

If you are a Gemini rising or have any planets in Gemini in your chart, you'll need to hang in there just a little longer until 18 January at 7:12 (chart) Mercury will station Direct in Capricorn until mid-February.

Do yourself a favor—take January 18th off from whatever you need to do and do something that tickles your inner Gemini. Go to a cafe and talk to a stranger. Head to a local bookstore. Lay in bed and watch a thousand YouTube video tutorials for skills you don't need. Make a burner Reddit account and argue with some folks about issues you literally don't care about it. You (we!) deserve it! You (we!) made it!

Housekeeping

If you have already heard the January 2023 report, you've already heard the news, but starting next month, we'll be using a "monthly" format that follows the Gregorian calendar months instead of using the new moon to new moon format. While we love our spiritual approach to telling the story of the astrological cycles, it's become a bit impractical and makes our work difficult to find and engage with for people who are new to it.

So, look for a slightly longer than usual February report which covers the tail end of January. We'll also be adding more information for magic practitioners and spiritually minded individuals to be able to use the astrological tides to strengthen their connection to the source.

See you next time!

Notes on process:

All referenced times are CST (but will be relevant within an hour or two for anyone in North America); Find exact times for your location by using a Transit calendar like this.

I use traditional Hellenistic and modern techniques within a Western/Tropical astrological framework and calculate using Whole Sign Houses.

Astrologer Chani Nicholas has a fantastic and equitably made tool to generate your whole sign house (different than some other apps) natal chart with Whole Sign/Fixed houses that is free to use here.

For more information about astrology, witchcraft, and other pagan paths, visit the Pathways of the Pagan discord channel here.