Here comes 2023! With the new year comes a full moon in emotional Cancer and a new moon in forward-thinking Cancer. P.S. Make sure to sign up for the free monthly worksheet so you can keep track of planetary events like new and full moons every month! What is a New Moon?
A new moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact same position in the Zodiac (called a conjunction). New moons are related to beginnings, have high energy, and are enthusiastic.
What is a Full Moon?
A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). Full moons are related to endings, culminations, and are emotional energy.
Full Moon in Cancer: January 6th 2023 (6:08PM ET/3:08PM PT)
Cancer is the sign the Moon naturally rules, so the full moon in Cancer elevates the Moon energy. This means we're much more emotional, especially with a full moon (which is emotional anyway).
The Cancer full moon might have us focused on matters of the home and family, and we can tend to issues and work to make improvements or eliminate problems. We need to be mindful of the feelings of others as we do though. Cancer is a subjective sign, and that is heightened under a Cancer full moon. We have to work harder at being objective, but that may be missing until the Aquarius new moon. We need to take care of emotional needs, and strengthen ourselves internally with the Cancer full moon. This can help alleviate the subjectivity and make us more emotionally secure and stable. The full moon is sextile (beneficial aspect, two signs away) transit (moving) Uranus in Taurus, and this can help us take a different approach to taking care of our emotional needs and showing support. We may carefully consider the changes we're working on, and how we can focus on the ones that will make us feel stronger internally. The full moon occurs at 16 degrees 22 minutes Cancer. Aspects to the full moon are: Conjunction: 14 degrees 22 minutes - 18 degrees 22 minutes Cancer Sextile: 14 degrees 22 minutes - 18 degrees 22 minutes Taurus or Virgo Square: 14 degrees 22 minutes - 18 degrees 22 minutes Aries or Libra Trine: 14 degrees 22 minutes - 18 degrees 22 minutes Scorpio or Pisces Opposition: 14 degrees 22 minutes - 18 degrees 22 minutes Capricorn New Moon in Aquarius: January 21st 2023 (10:19AM ET/7:19AM PT)
Aquarius is the sign of the future, and the Aquarius new moon is likely the unofficial start to the new year (fitting it is the Chinese New Year). This is because we'll be done with Mercury, Mars, and Uranus retrograde, which all carried over from 2022 into 2023 and slowed us down.
With those over, the Aquarius new moon can get us focused on the new, and what we hope to achieve over the next year. We can be willing to take chances and push outside of our comfort zones. Aquarius rules the different, the unconventional, and the unique, so we can embrace this and make progress this way. We can embrace our individuality, and what makes us different. Change can be on the mind, and changes can get started or furthered or finished. This can lead to more opportunities, and more progress. The new moon is widely sextile transit Jupiter in Aries, and Jupiter is the planet of expansion and opportunity, so that makes this new moon even better for progress and opportunity. As we embrace the Aquarius energy, and do things differently, venture outside of our comfort zone, and be objective, we can open more doors and find the way to move forward. This is especially great because Ceres, dwarf planet ruling nourishment, will turn retrograde in early February, so we'll need to make use of this new moon energy because we might slow down again quickly! The new moon occurs at 1 degree 33 minutes Aquarius. The aspects to the new moon are: Conjunction: 0 degrees 0 minutes - 3 degrees 33 minutes Aquarius Sextile: 0 degrees 0 minutes - 3 degrees 33 minutes Aries or Sagittarius Square: 0 degrees 0 minutes - 3 degrees 33 minutes Taurus or Scorpio Trine: 0 degrees 0 minutes - 3 degrees 33 minutes Gemini or Libra Opposition: 0 degrees 0 minutes - 3 degrees 33 minutes Leo Suggested Reading: The New & Full Moons page for general interpretations by house and aspects Black Moon Lilith will exit Cancer in the new year, moving to fire sign Leo in January. How does this impact us? What is Black Moon Lilith?
First, let's review what Black Moon Lilith is. It's the apogee, or highest point, of the Moon, or the farthest point away the Moon is from Earth in the Moon's orbit.
There are two positions for Black Moon Lilith, Mean and True/Oscillating. The movement of Lilith is really wonky, so the True/Oscillating is the exact position while the Mean is the averaged out position. You can assess both in the natal chart (thought True/Oscillating tends to have more weight for most of us). Mean Lilith is much easier to follow for transits. The standard ephemeris on astro.com includes Mean Black Moon Lilith. Black Moon Lilith shows where we speak out, stand up, and hold firm. Lilith was Adam's first wife, and she stood up for herself to Adam in the Garden of Eden, even when it meant getting thrown out! Lilith knew her power and worth, being equal to Adam. Transit Black Moon Lilith can bring this out in all of us in general with the sign it's touring and aspects it makes to the other planets (and personally in the natal house is tours for you and aspects it makes to your natal chart). Black Moon Lilith in Leo 2023 Dates:
Impact of Black Moon Lilith in Leo:
Black Moon Lilith in Cancer has made us stand up and speak out with what we feel emotionally connected to, and have felt emotionally driven to. Cancer is more serious, and Leo wants to let loose a little and not be so caught up in emotions.
With Lilith in Leo, we can take a stand with what connects to our hearts and what we love. We may speak out loudly in Leo, and get a lot of attention for what we're saying and bringing focus toward. With Leo ruling love, love itself may come under the microscope as well, and we can demand love that's pure and sweet. We may call out toxic love more, and focus on healthy expressions of love. Leo rules celebs and influencers, so we may see more of them speaking out about different topics. Leo also rules our children, so we may see the young ones want to take a stand, or we may speak up for them. Leo rules creativity, and Lilith in Leo can be a powerful time for creative expression. We may find that creative outlets work to express what we can't say so easily, and we may use creativity as a form of protest or a way of taking a stand. Aspects by Black Moon Lilith in Leo:
I've noticed that the most important aspects that transit Lilith makes are conjunctions, and Lilith will conjunct the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Leo.
The most important conjunction is to Venus, and this happens twice, first on June 28th and then on August 8th while Venus is retrograde (appearing to move backward). The first conjunction might be getting us ready for the second, which is the big one! Venus is the planet of love, so the conjunction to Venus can bring out more love issues and focus on positive love expression. With Venus retrograde, this may expose toxic love, and something may come out (like a sex scandel, or accusations of abuse against someone prominent by their partners, feels like some sort of scandel with men behaving badly - what else is new, I know, I know, ha). Venus is also a ruler of women, so we may see more women taking a stand around the world in some way, or women's issues being more prominent around this time. With retrogrades, we could see something rolling back or returning. The first conjunction does come with Lilith conjunct Mars on June 21st, so there's a lot of energy and drive funneling into this. Mars helps us take the initiative for what we want to speak up about. Then Lilith conjuncts Mercury on July 23rd, and with Mercury ruling communication, we can be super vocal. We're speaking up, and speaking loud! Lilith conjuncts the Sun on August 17th, and the Sun shines a light, so Lilith conjunct the Sun can bring attention to issues we need to work on and what we're taking a stand with. This can feel like validation for what we're working on. Final Notes:
The last time Black Moon Lilith was in Leo was March to November 2014, so you can look back to that time to get an idea of the impact now for you. What were you focused on standing up with and speaking out with back then?
Special note if you have natal Black Moon Lilith in Leo: You will experience your Black Moon Lilith Return, which occurs when transit Black Moon Lilith conjuncts your natal Black Moon Lilith. There can be lessons that open you up more to speaking out and standing up, and you can become more aware of what you've been held back with and need to fight against. This can be a good time to get in tune with your inner Lilith. Suggested Reading: The Black Moon Lilith series: Intro to Black Moon Lilith Lilith the Witch Transit Black Moon Lilith Black Moon Lilith & Love Astrology Black Moon Lilith in Cancer: April 2022 - January 2023 Prominent Natal Black Moon Lilith When You're Cut Off From Black Moon Lilith Houses Ruled by Black Moon Lilith Black Moon Lilith in the Zodiac Signs Progressions & Black Moon Lilith Ceres, a dwarf planet ruling nourishment, is about to move from mutable sign Virgo to cardinal sign Libra on December 18th 2022. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, is also going to leave mutable sign Pisces for cardinal sign Aries on December 20th 2022. When both planets move into cardinal signs Libra and Aries, they will form a cardinal t-square as they oppose each other and both square (challenging aspect, three signs away) Pluto in Capricorn. Let the cardinal t-square games begin! What is a t-square?
A t-square occurs when two or more planets oppose one another in the Zodiac, and then square a third (or more) planet. This looks like a T on the Zodiac wheel, hence calling it a t-square.
The two (or more) planets opposing one another are sort of at war, and the squared planet(s) is getting the brunt of that war. All of the energy from the opposing planets gets funneled into the squared planet, and whatever the squared planet rules gets enormous focus (often to its detriment). In your natal chart, being born with a t-square can show areas where you experience challenges that you need to work through, but can emerge much stronger. In transit, t-squares are high energy of friction, and they often propel us to take action whether we want to or not (or whether it's good or not!). T-squares occur in the same quality or modality of signs. There are 3 qualities/modalities: cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Each quality/modality has 4 Zodiac signs in it. In a t-square, 3 of the 4 Zodiac signs have planets in them, and one is missing. This is called the missing leg, and the missing sign is where we can find solutions and get out of the drama. We usually ignore the missing sign though, since we're so focused on the squared planet/sign. It's like missing the forest from the trees, or missing what's right in front of your nose. What are the cardinal signs?
The cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Cardinal signs are the signs of action, and they want to take action quickly and with ease.
The cardinal signs are also the signs of leadership since they are the very first signs of their respective elements (fire, earth, air, water). They lead the way for the other signs. This means cardinal t-squares are times of high activity, lots of action, and we're not waiting for anyone or anything. We can take the initiative and set the stage (or mess it up!). The Impact of the Cardinal T-Square of 2022 - 2023
This cardinal t-square will begin on December 20th 2022, with Jupiter moving into Aries and Ceres just moving into Libra 2 days before. The squared planet is Capricorn in this t-square.
Pluto is the planet of transformation, and is intense, unrelenting, and demanding. We can see massive transformations, changes, and frankly upheaval with this t-square. Pluto likes to tear down anything that isn't working properly and start over. Rise the ashes and all of that (annoying, I know). Pluto in Capricorn has been doing this to governments, countries, corporations, institutions, the old ways, and the status quo (ruled by Capricorn). We may see this amplified by a million during the t-square, and especially when Pluto is anaretic. There are 30 degrees in every Zodiac sign, and 29 degrees is the last degree and called the anaretic degree. The anaretic degree is crisis energy in transit, and Pluto will be anaretic in Capricorn for this t-square February 11 to March 22 2023 (Pluto actually leaves Capricorn the day after, March 23rd). That's even more unruly because Ceres will be retrograde then too, starting on February 3rd 2023 in Libra, and aggravating feelings of lack, taking away what we need, and creating problems with resources. So we can feel this t-square pretty soon, but it seems like it'll be at its worst mid-February to the end of it (March 22nd). Time to take down the status quo in an even bigger way than we have the last few years! Bad time for governments and countries (I wonder about Iran with the crackdown of protests, that may backfire), bad time for corporations (likely the tech ones since Pluto is going to move into Aquarius - you think it's bad now for social media, you just wait!), bad time for leaders/authority figures (scandals?), bad time for institutions (more scandals?). This is likely to last though, since Pluto will be anaretic in Capricorn again on-and-off until 2024. Perhaps what starts now doesn't come to a close/finish/resolution until then? (aaahhhh torturing us) Now, we don't have to look very far back in history to find a cardinal t-square in these same signs - one occured in 2012! And Pluto was also the squared planet in Capricorn (Saturn was in Libra and Uranus freshly in Aries). Going back through world events, there were quite a few prominent world leaders who were taken down in some fashion during that period (removed from office, arrested, charged). I think that's a big possibility this go around as well (who could it be this time? too many choices ha). There were really bad tornadoes in Western Australia (In June), there was a worse-than-usual solar storm (in July), and an earthquake caused a tsunami (in April). I bring these up as they seem most likely to occur again. MERS came about during that time, however Neptune seemed to have been the culprit for that (as Chiron and Lilith were the culprits in 2020 for COVID, Chiron linked up with Neptune in 2012 for MERS). Here in the US, there was the Aurora Colorado mass shooting at a movie theater. That came with Mercury retrograde in Leo, and while we will have Venus retrograde in Leo this summer, the t-square won't be around for that (though Lilith will conjunct Venus, so still be careful then!). While there's no Leo, anaretic Pluto can be violent, so we do have to be careful. The Way Out: Cancer
As stated, the way out with a t-square is through the missing sign, which is Cancer in this case. Cancer rules the home, family, emotions, and internal foundation.
We may need to get back to basics, get back to our roots, and focus on where we come from. We likely need to build a stronger foundation, for ourselves as individuals, but also for groups, corporations, countries. Foundations that haven't been built well can be quite shaky now. We may need to focus more on our home and family lives, and what this means for us. It may look differently, and that's not wrong. We likely need to focus on our emotional needs, and get and give more emotional support. Without support, we can flounder and struggle with what we need to do. Expand your support system, and work on giving yourself support without needing others. Strengthen yourself internally, and make sure the foundation of what you're working on is strong and secure. Acknowledge what you feel, and work through old emotional issues and patterns. Don't solely focus on the external, and don't feel like you need to be emotionally detached. At the same time, don't focus on tearing everything down haphazardly, as this may lead to things being destroyed that you actually need, still serve a purpose, or are good for you but you don't see it. In your natal chart, the location in your natal houses of Pluto gets extra focus - too much focus - while the opposite house is the one ignored, so give that more attention. If you have cardinal planets in your natal chart (and especially if you're an Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn Sun, Moon, or Rising), pay special attention! This energy can be extra strong for you, so make sure you're being mindful and paying attention. Good luck! (says the scared Libra) Suggested Reading: Ceres in Libra & Jupiter in Aries articles Ceres moves from earthy Virgo to airy Libra in 11 days, and will be in and out of Libra for a while. What does this have in store for us? Make sure to sign up for the free monthly worksheet to keep track of Ceres every month! What is Ceres in astrology?
Ceres is technically a dwarf planet (like Pluto) but in astrology, we call it an asteroid (as it was before the dwarf planet designation). Ceres is super nurturing, supportive, caring, and there for you. I describe it as a supercharged Moon (maybe mixed with a little Venus).
You can find Ceres in your own chart on astro.com (in Extended Chart Selection, click on Additional Objects, and select Ceres from the menu). Ceres in Libra 2022-2023 Dates:
General Impact of Ceres in Libra:
Ceres can work well in the sign of Libra since Libra is the sign ruling others and relationships, and Ceres is a very supportive, nurturing planet. Ceres in Libra helps us to connect more with others, to nurture the relationships and partnerships in your lives, and to feel more supported in return.
Peace and harmony can be more important, and without peace and harmony, we can feel unsupported and that we lack what we really need. Compromises can be big, and can lead the way out of trouble. Balance can also be important, and having balance in our lives can make us feel more secure and emotionally stable. We can give more attention to what we;ve been ignoring, and bring that balance into our lives. The start of this transit is a bit wonky though, as Jupiter moves into opposing Aries just after Ceres enters Libra, and they form a cardinal t-square as they square (hard aspect, 3 signs away) Pluto in Capricorn, and this lasts until March. This adds extra energy to the mix, and we may fight over support and resources. The missing sign is Cancer, the sign of emotion, home, and family, so we need to be more mindful of emotional needs, treat others kindly, and remember to compromise. The difficulty increases with Ceres retrograde (appearing to move backward) starting on February 3rd 2023 in Libra, and lasts in Libra until March 22nd. Ceres retrograde in Libra makes resources and support very difficult to get or give, and we may find that others are being stingy, or we're insecure about sharing. Issues around lack, sharing, and support likely need to be addressed, otherwise our relationships, partnerships, and alliances can suffer. Ceres leaves Libra and retrogrades in Virgo, so it comes back to Libra for a few months after that, and the final leg can help us get back on track in our relationships, use resources well, and find a way to come together. Ceres in Libra 2022-23 Aspects:
- Square Sun in Capricorn on December 22nd 2022 at 1 degree: The Sun shines a light, so more attention can be paid to areas of lack, where resources are missing or not being used well, or how we're not being as supportive or getting as much support as we need.
- Trine Venus in Aquarius January 6th 2023 at 3 degrees: Venus is the natural ruler of Libra, so this helps with our connections. We can be extra supportive and encouraging of the people we care about, and work to improve our relationships with relative ease. - Trine Sun in Aquarius on January 26th 2023 at 6 degrees: This helps shine a light where resources are being used well, or on a way to use resources better. We can feel more supported, and more secure. - Opposite Jupiter in Aries on February 5th 2023 at 6 degrees: This is a big one since Ceres retrograde begins two days before opposite Jupiter, so it's very strong at the onset of Ceres retrograde. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, so in opposition to Ceres, we may find that we either have too much, an excess (and it's not being used well), or we don't have enough and there's extreme lack (abundant lack). We may be depriving others or ourselves of something that is actually important. We need to be mindful of purposeful cruelty. - Trine Mercury in Aquarius on February 15th 2023 at 6 degrees: This can help with communication, ideas, and plans, and we can focus on resources, finances, and nurturing energy in a positive way. - Opposite Mercury in Aries on March 19th at 0 degrees: This can be a challenging aspect as Ceres is still retrograde, and communication may be difficult. We may get bad news, lack information we need, and make poor decisions. This is amplified by the fact that both planets are at the 0 degrees Aries Point, a special position of higher energy. There can be some struggle over the self versus others in some way, and we have to avoid a zero-sum game. - Opposite Sun in Aries on March 20th 2023 at 0 degrees: This adds to the previous aspect, coming the day after and also at the 0 degrees Aries Point. It seems like there will be some sort of important decision and action around this time impacting resources, finances, or support. - Square Mercury in Cancer on June 27th 2023 at 1 degree: Ceres is no longer retrograde now, but there may still be some challenges with communication, ideas, and plans. We need to open up our minds. - Sextile Mercury in Leo on July 13th 2023 at 6 degrees: This brings better energy for communication and ideas, and we can focus on ideas to improve or increase support and make use of resources. - Sextile Sun in Leo on August 7th 2023 at 14 degrees: Helpful attention can be brought to support, resources, finances, and we can feel more comfortable, secure, and stable. - Sextile Venus Retrograde on August 16th 2023 at 18 degrees: This time, Venus is retrograde, but with a beneficial aspect, this can help us find new, different ways and approaches to improving support, making use of resources, or having better finances. - Square Pluto in Capricorn on September 10th 2023 at 28 degrees: The final aspect is challenging one, and we may feel like fighting over power and control of resources, finances, and support. Compromise becomes important, though it may be difficult to embrace. Final Note:
This tour is very interesting! We need to be extra mindful of the cardinal t-square at the start, the opposition to Jupiter at the retrograde, and the square to Pluto to end the transit. We're being challenged to put our money where our mouth is, to show support in more tangible ways, and to consider others, not just ourselves.
Suggested Reading: Transit Ceres in the Houses and Transit Ceres Aspects 2022 closes out and 2023 begins with not only Mars retrograde, but also Mercury retrograde! This one comes fully in earth sign Capricorn, and the 2023 Mercury retrogrades will be in the earth signs. What will this retrograde do for us? And if you want to keep track of planetary happenings every month (like Mercury retrograde), make sure you're signed up for the free monthly worksheet! The Basics - What is Mercury retrograde?
A retrograde occurs when a planet appears to be moving backwards from our vantage point here on Earth. It isn't actually moving backwards, it just appears that way. Mercury turns retrograde most often, about 3-4 times per year, and lasts for several weeks. When a planet retrogrades, what that planet rules tends to be thrown off, along with what the sign it's retrograding in rules.
With Mercury retrograde, we experience a shadow and a storm. The shadow period starts when Mercury first hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn direct at, and ends when it last hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn retrograde at. Most people don't feel the effects of Mercury retrograde until it enters the storm period though. The storm period of Mercury retrograde is when Mercury is moving at its slowest, less than 40 minutes per day. Mercury is a fast-moving planet and hates it when it's moving slowly. There's usually two storm periods, one around the time Mercury turns retrograde, and one around when it turns direct. Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn 2022-23 Key Dates:
Mercury Retrograde Effects:
The Mercury retrograde in Capricorn first and foremost tackles our goals. We may question our goals, feel insecure about what we want or how we'll get there, and this can cause delays and unexpected issues.
Others may cause this, voicing concern about what we want, and this leads us to doubt ourselves. We need to be honest about our motivations, whether this is really good for us or not, and whether or not the person has an ulterior motive. Capricorn rules our direction, so Mercury retrograde in Capricorn can make us uncertain of the direction we're going in as well. We may feel like the path we're on isn't right, but this may just be insecurity. We need to work on being grounded with our focus, and not make any quick, sharp changes. Do your homework before actually changing your track. Capricorn is the Zenith of the Zodiac, the highest sign, so Mercury retrograde in Capricorn can bring some downfalls from a high place (sometimes literally lol). We may see some prominent figures engulfed in scandal, and our elders can have more issues (there's likely going to be a prominent older person who passes). Capricorn is also the sign of responsibility, and is ruled by restrictive Saturn, so Mercury retrograde in Capricorn can make us feel the weight of our responsibilities more, and we may have to work within the limitations we have. Find some small amounts of space to get a break where you can. Mercury retrograde in Capricorn is excellent for picking back up old goals and giving them a second chance. This could be a great time for success with those old goals you didn't think you'd get again. This retrograde ia also great for reconnecting with mentors, parents, or bosses, basically any authority figures, and you can glean more from them or from your relationship with them. Mars is also retrograde for most of this Mercury retrograde, and in the sign of Gemini, which Mercury naturally rules. This unfortunately makes communication much worse since Mercury and Gemini rule communication, and it can be a very challenging time for anything ruled by Mercury/Gemini (young people, short travel, electricity, tech, education, etc.) There can be some unexpected news with Mars and Mercury retrograde overlapping. Bad news? Hard to say! The retrograde begins with Mercury conjunct (aligned with) Pluto in Capricorn, though it doesn't go exact. Pluto is powerful, unrelenting, and transformative, so we can go into the Mercury retrograde in Capricorn with dominating energy, wanting to take control and exert power and authority. This may not work out so well though, and there can be some consequences as a result of that with Capricorn. But it may seem like something gets torn down, Pluto-style, and built back up again. The retrograde ends at 8 degrees Capricorn, and a few days before on January 12th, Mars retrograde also ends at 8 degrees, but in Gemini, and 8 degrees has been a hot spot (Jupiter retrograde started in July at 8 degrees Aries and Mercury retrograde last started in September at 8 degrees Libra). This means if you have anything at 8 degrees in your natal chart, the planet or body is getting enormous focus, and has been since July. It may seem to ramp up in January with the retrogrades ending at that position, so focus on how you can use the energy of that planet or body in a positive, healthy, productive way. Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn 2022-23 Aspects:
During the retrograde, Mercury will make 4 major aspects to the other transit (moving) planets. They are:
The Moons of Mercury Retrograde:
The Moon travels through both signs Mercury naturally rules during this retrograde. The Moon is in Gemini (ruled by Mercury) January 2nd 2023 (9:44PM ET/6:44PM PT) to 5th (9:15AM ET/6:15AM PT), which can increase scattered, unfocused energy and a need for a mental outlet.
The Moon is in Virgo (ruled by Mercury) January 10th 2023 (10:16AM ET/7:16AM PT) to 12th (9:57PM ET/6:57PM PT), and this increases anxiety and stress. The Moon doesn't tour Capricorn while Mercury is retrograde in Capricorn (thankfully!), but does enter Capricorn the day after the retrograde ends, which can keep our attention focused on whatever passed during the retrograde. Final Notes:
This retrograde will be at the anaretic degree when it goes back to Virgo, September 23rd to 24th. The anaretic degree is crisis energy in transit, so this may trigger some important events and developments, and energy may run high. With Virgo, we're extra overwhelmed, axious, and need to give ourselves a break. There may also be health issues.
The retrograde starts at 24 degrees Capricorn, so those of you Capricorns born January 12th - 17th may feel the start of the retrograde most. The retrograde ends at 8 degrees Capricorn, so those of you Capricorns born December 27th - January 2nd may feel the end of the retrograde most. For the rest of you, check the house(s) Mercury will be retrograding in your own natal chart, and any aspects Mercury will make during its retrograde to your natal planets, to fully understand how it will impact you personally. If you have Mercury retrograde in your natal or progressed chart, you may not feel the worst of this. Those individuals generally don't experience the difficulties of the retrograde because it feels more natural to them. Of course, chances are everyone else around them doesn't have the same aspect, so they can still experience difficulties brought on by others. If it's in your natal chart, check out this article about Mercury retrograde in the natal chart. Suggested Reading: The Mercury, Venus, & Mars Retrogrades page for interpretations Neptune retrograde is going to end in just a few days, and will then be back moving forward in its home sign of Pisces until June 30th 2023. What does this turn direct have in store for us? P.S. Make sure you're signed up for the free monthly worksheet so you can keep track of planets like Neptune every month! Neptune in Astrology
Neptune is the planet of spirituality, intuition, imagination, compassion, empathy, what's hidden, and karma. It connects to what's not visible on the surface and is beyond the tangible physical world.
In transit, Neptune dissolves. When this is beneficial, the dissolving makes way for the new, shines a light on what we've been missing, improves intuition, and helps us be creative. When this is challenging, this can be foggy energy and we have a hard time seeing what's really there. What is direct in astrology?
A planet or body in astrology is called retrograde when it appears to be moving backward through the Zodiac from our view here on Earth. When the planet or body is no longer appearing to move backward, this is called turning direct, and the planet or body is now or will be moving forward.
Most planets/bodies move forward as their normal motion, so this can be helpful. The issue when a planet or body is turning direct (or retrograde) is it slows way down and hovers in the same spot, called stationing. This can be frustrating because we're not really moving in any way. We're not going backward or forward, we're stalled and waiting for things to pick back up. If the planet/body is making any aspects, these aspects are intensified because they are continuous while the planet/body is stalled. Neptune Direct: December 3 2022 at 7:15PM ET/4:15PM PT
Neptune has been in Pisces for some time now, and this is the sign that Neptune naturally rules. Neptune retrograde in Pisces has brought out extreme foggy energy. Neptune retrograde is normally foggy on its own, and retrogrades in Pisces are normally foggy on their own, so combine the two and it's fog city!
With Neptune retrograde ending, the fog begins to lift. We can start to see what's been hidden and obscured all of this time. Sometimes this is a good reveal, and we're relieved and happy and informed. Sometimes this is challenging, and we're mortified and have to scramble to fix things. The turn direct is square (challenging aspect, 3 signs away) Venus in Sagittarius, so we may have some troubles with others around this time. There may be issues in relationships that we haven't dealt with that are revealed, and our dealings with others may be fraught with subconscious issues, motivations, and desires getting in the way. We need to be more open, compassionate, understanding, and channel our empathy. A gentler hand may be more helpful than an angry one. Venus rules compromise and mediation, so perhaps we need to come together and find some middle ground. The Neptune direct is also widely opposite Ceres in Virgo. Ceres is a dwarf planet that rules nourishment, so Neptune opposite Ceres might bring challenges to having what we need, our resources, and security. There may be something that feels out of our control that is getting in the way, and we may not have an easy answer to solve the problem. On the flip side, the answer may be right in front of our faces, but we're not seeing it and need to stop deluding ourselves. We may also be prone to giving too much, and letting out boundaries be breached. We need to recognize that healthy boundaries are a good thing, and we're not really helping ourselves or others by not having them. I'm also concerned about things like polluted lands and water since Neptune rules toxins and Ceres rules food and agriculture. Hopefully nothing like that happens but humans aren't very good about avoiding that, now are we? Neptune Direct 2022 Aspects
The turn direct occurs at 22 degrees 39 minutes Pisces, so major aspects are:
Conjunction: 20 degrees 39 minutes - 24 degrees 39 minutes Pisces Sextile: 20 degrees 39 minutes - 24 degrees 39 minutes Taurus or Capricorn Square: 20 degrees 39 minutes - 24 degrees 39 minutes Gemini or Sagittarius Trine: 20 degrees 39 minutes - 24 degrees 39 minutes Cancer or Scorpio Opposition: 20 degrees 39 minutes - 24 degrees 39 minutes Virgo Look through your natal chart and see if you have any planets or bodies located at these positions. This aspect will be strong for you right now, and likely for the next month. Suggested Reading: Use the interpretations from the Transit Neptune page for information about potential impact |
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