2023 – Love Myself and My Life

---

As we enter the new year, this blog explains how we can align ourselves with the cosmos, take advantage of the planetary energies, and have the planets work for us.

Capricorn’s Systemic Challenge

It has been three years since the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn 12 January 2020. In my book The 2020 Makeover (p.18) I wrote:

In 2020, three conjunctions involving Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter initiate new planetary cycles that will unfold over the next three decades. It is rare that Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter travel together in the same zone of the zodiac, which is currently Capricorn.

These conjunctions are not merely events to anticipate and live through, and then be grateful that 2020 is over. They will have lasting effects at all levels of our social, political, and economic structures, including global geopolitics and our personal lives. These conjunctions set the tone for an ongoing process that will play out in ways that we cannot know in advance. Much will depend on the level of consciousness of the human players and how we choose to use the energies available to us during this time.

The two major zodiac players are Capricorn and Aquarius. Capricorn represents our collective structures, especially governments and big corporations, and our personal participation in how they are created and sustained. Capricorn is also about our climb up the mountain of life, our soul journey, self-mastery, and our position and contribution in the world.

Three Year Later – What Is Up Now?

Well, here we are three years later!

Saturn has been in a confrontive square with Uranus for the last two years. Square formations require change. First we see what is not working. This challenging transit has consistently reminded us of what’s not working in our personal and collective lives.

We have been relentlessly pushed out of our comfort zone and obliged to change, awake up, and become more real. The message is – a systemic change is needed. Superficial solutions based on past strategies, structures, and beliefs are no longer viable. It is about time that we realized and acknowledged that our current systems, attitudes, and beliefs have in fact caused our current problems.

Now that we are uprooted from our old normal, what’s next? In this blog we look for answers by examining the planetary alignments as we enter the new year 2023.

[1] Capricorn Energy Started Early This Year

December 6 – Mercury Entered Capricorn

While Mercury and the Sun are in Sagittarius, we can get excited about the future and bubble up with new ideas. Mercury entering Capricorn announces a call to action and creates a desire to take concrete steps to realize practical goals.

Capricorn is the most strategic sign of the zodiac. With Mercury in Capricorn (December 6 –  February 11), our thoughts automatically become more goal-oriented.

December 10 – Venus Entered Capricorn

Venus is about what we like and value and how we feel about things, others, and ourselves. Venus in Capricorn makes us more intentional about what we want. We are not satisfied with only material rewards. We want results that are emotionally satisfying and nurturing.

Capricorn likes clarity. Venus in Capricorn (December 10 – January 27) helps us clarify both our motivations and priorities. With clarity of purpose, we have a much better chance of attracting what we want and manifesting what brings us satisfaction.

December 21 – Solstice and the Sun Entered Capricorn

at 1:49 PM PST

Another gateway opened when the Sun moved into Capricorn at the Solstice (Winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere.) The energetic shift calls for us  to pause and attune ourselves to the Earth changes. For a few days we are invited to take a break/ a holiday from external distractions and turn inward to connect with what is enduring and eternal.

There are many ways to feel a part of the dance of life, the cycles of the seasons, and the ongoing unfoldment of creation. Whatever the activity (or non-activity), gratitude is the tune that we can sing to bring joy to ourselves and the world.

When the Sun enters Capricorn we get serious. When the Sun enters a Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) we are motivated, activated, and directed to initiate something new. With 6 out of 10 planets in Cardinal signs, there is a tremendous pressure to “do” something.

At the same time we are asking ourselves what we learned in 2022 and how that can serve us as we move into 2023.

December 23 – New Moon in Capricorn

2:16 AM PST at 2º

The Capricorn new moon set the tone for the whole month that the Sun shines in Capricorn. The energetic dynamic was created by several factors. (1) five celestial bodies (the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Pluto) were in Capricorn, (2) Chiron stationed direct less than an hour before the new moon, (3) a cardinal T-Square was formed with the Moon squaring Jupiter and Ceres, (4) Jupiter was in an exact semi-square to Uranus, (5) this was a SuperMoon, where the Moon is closer to the Earth.

The Capricorn stellium brings our attention to (1) clarifying our priorities, (2) knowing and honoring our limits, and (3) defining and respecting our boundaries. Representing the tenth stage of the zodiac, Capricorn symbolizes the development of maturity, integrity, and responsibility. We become an adult who thinks and decides for ourselves because we trust our inner guidance and do what we know is right. We become our own judge, authority, and parent.

We step into our power when we no longer need outside approval, attention, or validation. We are comfortable making our own choices that reflect our and others best interests. Capricorn’s touchstones –  self-determination, sustainable creation, and accountability –  have been guidelines for self and collective evaluation since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, and especially since Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto met in Capricorn in January 2020.

Basic themes shared by Capricorn and its ruling planet Saturn include (1) structures, (2) systems, (3) aspirations, (4) boundaries, and (5) the physical limits of time and space. Represented by the mountain goat, Capricorn’s journey is about developing self-discipline, dedication to a mission, and persevering against all odds. Its challenge is to discover, focus on, and commit to its soul mission. Succeeding in climbing the mountain of life is determined by staying the course, honoring one’s life, and never giving up.

Saturn reminds us that the clock is ticking and that we are well-advised to use the time we have on planet Earth wisely, realistically, and responsibly.

Cardinal T-square

At the new moon, Jupiter in Aries squared the Sun and Moon in Capricorn and Ceres in Libra, forming a dynamic cardinal T-square. T-squares involve at least one opposition (180°) and two squares (90º), both of which require action, a change of direction, and a shift in focus.

Each of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) have something to contribute and must work together to get what they want. Cardinal signs are initiators. Their energy, interaction, and collaboration mark new beginnings and a new phase of development. They each want and are capable of being in charge. Their challenge is to work together and not try to dominate or control a shared situation.

Jupiter in Aries urges us to be true to ourselves. The Sun and Moon in Capricorn advise patience and pragmatism. Ceres in Libra emphasizes the need for equality and fairness. In a T-square there is one missing sign, known as the empty leg, which is where to look to identify how every part can fit into the whole. In this case Cancer, advises us to pay attention to how we feel and get guidance from our gut. If we go for what feels good, is nurturing, comforting, and sustainable, we can come up with a winning formula.

Cardinal T-squares are very energizing. We feel encouraged to take initiative and to be assertive. But we must guard against being impulsive and over-extended. We must remember that we are in the midst of a fluid transition. We can look up to the summit of the mountain, but now we must focus on taking our next step

December 29 – Mercury Goes Retrograde

At 24° Capricorn (1:31 AM PST)

The Messenger of the Gods appears to move backwards until it turns direct January 19, when it turns direct at 8º Capricorn. Mercury once again crosses 24º Capricorn (the degree where it stationed retrograde) on February 6, 2023. Because of its retrograde passage, Mercury will be doubling its time in Capricorn from 3-4 weeks to more than two months (December 6 to February 11).

We usually associate Mercury retrograde with slowing down action. However, viewed from Capricorn’s perspective this can be very useful. We have time to review or create our action plan, hone our strategy, and make adjustments that align our life with our mission. Where Capricorn is in our birth chart is where we need to examine both the details and our overall vision.

Those who have planets or angles (rising, descendant, mid-heaven and nadir) between 8-24° of Capricorn will be particularly influenced by this transit.

December 29 – Mercury Conjuncts Venus

Within hours after turning retrograde, Mercury conjuncts Venus, setting the tone for the entire Mercury retrograde cycle. Venus in Capricorn directs us to make sure we are committed to what we love, that our work gives us satisfaction, and our contribution brings fulfillment. Aligned with Mars in Gemini (see previous blog), we continue to explore our thoughts and the emotional imprints that generate these thoughts.

December 31: Venus conjunct Pluto

(28º Capricorn)

When Venus and Pluto rendezvous, they begin a new Venus/Pluto cycle, which means that we better be honest about what we really want. Pluto allows no fluff, pretending, or superficiality. When we are making our new years resolutions, it is best to scratch out any fantasies, wishful thinking, or desires to be saved by some magic formula.

[2] Aries Is a Pivotal Player

Jupiter and Chiron Are Transition Planets

Both Jupiter and Chiron are transition planets orbiting between the personal and impersonal planets. They help us connect our humanness with the divine within and pave the way to open us up to Spirit. Both are currently in Aries and work together to help us find our authentic identity.

Jupiter rules Sagittarius, which is symbolized by a half-man, half-horse centaur. Chiron is a centaur himself. Both Jupiter and Chiron are connected with spirituality, teaching, and awakening to our multidimensional being. Both Chiron and Jupiter help us overcome the conflict between our humanness and our spiritual essence and integrate what was perceived as duality into wholeness.

Chiron is about healing deep wounds, and by doing so we wake up to our true essence. Jupiter expands the healing process in several ways.  First, old wounds resurface so we can identify how and why we have been controlled by beliefs, conditioning, and strategies that were acquired when we were very young, but are no longer relevant or useful. Jupiter’s wide lens helps us see the bigger picture, i.e. how we are engaged in the human process of awakening and connecting with our soul essence.

What we call our wounds come in many forms. But in the end they condense down to three essential issues (1) Our relationship with ourselves – self-love, (2) Our relationship with our human life – accepting our human incarnation and using it as a way to know ourselves and the divine, and (3) consciously connecting with Spirit and living in oneness with all that is.

Our human experience takes us on a journey that can appear at first like a detour. After our soul is born into a human body, we have to learn how to adapt to and survive in physical reality. In the process, we lose connection with our soul essence and Spirit and live in ‘divine discontent.’

Through awakening and expansion of consciousness, Jupiter helps us reconnect by embracing our dual nature and our humanness. Neptune and Pisces go straight to the divine. Jupiter invites us to look inside, to ourselves, to realize that our humanness is a divine gift, that we are connected to the Infinite because we exist. Our goal is to discover and know from where we came. Step by step we learn to love ourselves and our lives. 

December 23 – Chiron Goes Direct in Aries

On December 23 Chiron went direct at 11° Aries. The most impactful time we feel the energy of a slow moving ‘planet’ is when it changes direction. (The period of changing direction is called stationary.) Chiron goes retrograde once a year and direct also just once a year.

Chiron exposes a core issue that must be healed to claim our soul gifts and to fully pursue our destiny path. Chiron’s passage through Aries (April 17, 2018 to June 19, 2026) supports healing related to our identity and self-love. While retrograde in Aries, Chiron exposes self-doubt, fear around living our truth, and hesitancy about going after what we really want.

This time turning direct may reveal something very personal and uncomfortable about ourselves. If we feel vulnerable, embarrassed, or ashamed of something about ourselves, we are getting in touch with a major issue. By the nature of its role, Chiron exposes what our wounded ego doesn’t want to look at, but what can be the source of transformational healing. By exploring the pattern, belief, and inner conversation, we can uncover what is sabotaging our happiness, inner peace, freedom, and success in life. Healing happens as a result of realizing that our conditioning is not our true essence! 

December 20 – May 16 – Jupiter Is in Aries

For almost 5 months, Jupiter in Aries can set us off on a new big and bold adventure. Jupiter offers us opportunities from which we can design our medium to long-term plans.

With Jupiter in Aries we are not going to take months to figure out what to do. We are not going to ask for permission from any external authority. We are not going to wait for the universe to reveal its divine plan. We feel in our gut what is right for us, and we go for it.

One version of Aries is the Fool in the Tarot deck. But if we trust our instincts, we are no fool. We know when and how to act, and we don’t hesitate. We don’t over analyze or complicate things. We just do what feels right as we tune into the present moment.

The first 2½  months Jupiter is in Aries are rather quiet. There are no major interactions between Jupiter and any other planets. There are harmonious sextiles with Venus, the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn. Sextiles can present us with opportunities, but we have to recognize them and take action or they slip away. Sextiles are more like a light knock on the door, not a bang that wakes us up.

We say yes to opportunities that feel right, that energize and inspire us. We feel ‘what works for me’ in our gut.

March Is Aries Month

The Sun is in Aries from March 21-April 20. But Aries energy is already active. We can take advantage of Jupiter in Aries energy during January and February to take our next steps in healing our identity wounds and becoming empowered from within. There is going to be a dramatic burst of Aries energy in March, when Jupiter engages in a 4-stellium conjunction with Chiron, Venus, and Mercury in Aries. This is when we will witness how we have taken advantage of this transit.

To get an idea of how the cosmos is cooperating with Jupiter in Aries to empower us, we can look at the aspects it makes with other planets. Jupiter’s (1) meeting with Chiron and (2) square with Pluto are pivotal.

March 12 – Jupiter Conjunct Chiron In Aries

While Jupiter is in Aries, its most important interaction (transit) is its meeting with Chiron. The exact conjunction happens on March 12th at 14° Aries.

Jupiter and Chiron only meet in Aries once every 50 years (on average). This conjunction will impact all of us, influencing the natal house if Aries in our birth chart. Those with Chiron in Aries will be especially impacted.

The Jupiter/Chiron pair will then propel us to take decisive action, especially as Jupiter approaches its square with Pluto.

May 17 – Jupiter Square Pluto – Another Pivotal Moment

Looking forward to the catalytic month of May, summarized below are the astrological alignments that create an energetic tidal wave, which already starts March 24, when Pluto moves from Capricorn (since 2008) into Aquarius. (More about this important shift in future blogs)

Exactly as (1) Jupiter leaves Aries and moves into Taurus, (2) Jupiter squares Pluto (3) at 0° Aquarius.

Aspects at 0° announce important new beginnings. The Jupiter-Pluto square creates a potent energy that shakes us to the core.

Aquarius symbolizes the collective and our relationship with society and its cultural norms. Taurus symbolizes our individual values and personal self-worth. When these 2 giants clash, one thing that happens is that people wake up to where their individual needs are not being supported by society and its economic structures. People become more aware and vocal about the discrepancy between what public institutions promise and what they deliver.

The Jupiter-Pluto square addresses the same themes that the Saturn-Uranus square addressed the last two years (2021-2022). but the approach is completely different. The energy of the Saturn-Uranus square was slow, tedious, and frustrating. The Jupiter/Pluto square energy is quick, penetrating, and demanding. Action and a change of attitude is required NOW. We have to get the show on the road and not put off what is urgent and inevitable.

We have to get honest because it is the only way we can set ourselves free from the past and move forward. Jupiter square Pluto can set us free – or if we choose to indulge our wounded ego, we can explode with inner rage, and react in the same old hurtful ways. This square is like a cosmic ultimatum to quit being a child and mature into adulthood. It is about growing up!

It is important to remember that Pluto is about our inner work. We have to change from the inside out. Pluto is about releasing us from victimhood. Pluto does not focus on what others are doing to us, but what we are doing to ourselves.

Jupiter is what is noticed. When we learn to deal with our reactive emotions and find a level of inner peace and contentment with ourselves, our inner stance is noticed. Our presence is more radiant and impactful in a positive way. We are noticed and get attention because we are authentic. We project into the universe with magnetism.

The Nature of Transformation

Transformation requires long-term work. Inner shifts are not a result of a quick fix. Foundational transformation occurs as old patterns are released and new beliefs and ways of being and reacting are imprinted into our mind and emotional and physical bodies. The energy that was consumed in keeping us tethered to a certain way of being becomes available to use to be more productive, effective, authentic, and real. So we are well-advised to use every moment from now until the Jupiter/Pluto square  (and after!) to deal with our Aries issues.

Squares do not have to be conflictual, if we are open to inner honesty and transformation.

Maximizing Jupiter in Aries

Jupiter in Aries offers us an incredible opening for growth and self-actualization. How do we make the best use of Jupiter in Aries?

1. We watch for opportunities that knock on our door. Check your gut and say YES to those that feel right.
2. We must be willing to face some uncomfortable realizations about programs that we have identified with that are not authentic. If something you have identified with as ‘that is just the way I am’ consistently creates unsettling emotions, anxiety, fears, and inner and outer conflict that is not the real you.
3. To get to what is authentic, Chiron healing requires sensitivity, vulnerability, and self-compassion.
4. Remember we always have a say. We are participants in whatever happens in our life. Watch how you participate both consciously and unconsciously.
5. Be brave, but not reckless. Tune into, trust, and follow your intuition and instincts. Go for what feels right for you. Jupiter in Aries is our chance to get in touch with ‘The real me,’ and be directed by our heart.

Summing Up

Capricorn is about gradually attaining adulthood. Jupiter in Aries and its interactions with Chiron and Pluto are about getting current, i.e. present to who we are now as an adult, and not as a pretend adult run by childhood programming.

Aries is about getting in touch with our soul identity, our authentic playfulness, not our childish whims. Aries can fuel us with passion and excitement about our life and free us from the tethers of externally imposed demands and adopted values and goals.

Who is the adult? He/she who seeks to understand oneself and others, instead of judging or criticizing. The adults are those with a neutral (non-judgmental) mind and a compassionate heart.

We are being challenged to love ourselves and our lives. Self-love can set you free.

---