For the first time since January 1778, the Aquarius Sun will be accompanied by Pluto.  The two will enter the visionary, innovating air sign on January 20th, following their final conjunction in Capricorn.  Pluto's last full Aquarius transit took place between April 1777 and December 1798.

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This Sun through Capricorn cycle seems custom-made for those who like to spend the final part of the year reflecting on the past and the earliest days of the new one putting aspirations into action.  Part of the planetary activity will take place in mutable signs, aiding release, and another in cardinal signs, supporting those first steps into new endeavors.  Throw in a nostalgic full Moon in Cancer on the 26th, Mercury's dance between mutable Sagittarius and cardinal Capricorn, Jupiter's station and an important new Capricorn Moon on January 11th, and the theme of clearing out the old to make way for the new solidifies.  It all gets underway on December 21st when the Sun enters industrious Capricorn under a productive, waxing Taurus Moon.

2023's Sagittarius Sun cycle will see Mercury, Venus and Mars change signs, Neptune station direct and the start of Mercury's next retrograde.  When the Sun and Mars move into optimistic Sagittarius on the 22nd and 24th, they will each quickly be squared by Saturn in Pisces on the 23rd and 25th.  Ruled by exuberant, expansive Jupiter, Sagittarius is typically a bright spot on astrology's wheel.  Its mutable fires exude warmth, amiability and a hopeful outlook.  

In 2023, the Sun will be accompanied by Scorpio's ancient ruler, Mars, as it transits the fixed water sign.  Mercury will also be moving through these immensely passionate waters from October 22nd until November 9th.  Additionally, the lunar eclipse of October 28th will be the final one in the present series of eclipses on the Scorpio Taurus axis.  Compared to the November 8, 2022 lunar eclipse in Taurus, with its t-square to Saturn in Aquarius, this one should be somewhat milder.  That said, Scorpio represents death and transformation.  Since April, the eclipses have been shifting into the initiating cardinal signs of Aries and Libra, signaling that one paradigm is dying as another is born.  Another difference in this year's Scorpio cycle is that Saturn has moved from fixed Aquarius into mutable Pisces. 

As astrology's chief diplomat, peace-seeking Libra is in for a strenuous cycle.  The quirky quincunx will be a key feature of 2023's Libra Sun transit, but transformative Pluto is also set to play a prominent role in unfolding events.  Under a quincunx, it's as if the views being expressed by one side are completely alien to the other and consequently do not compute.  Meanwhile, Pluto is about to station, amongst a series of squares from the Sun, Mercury and Mars, a Libra solar eclipse and a nodal t-square involving provocative Mars.  In short, the hallmarks of Libra, cooperation, fairness and equanimity, will be stretched to their limits as the sign of grace comes under pressure.

Jupiter is about to begin a four-month-long retrograde. Astrology's Greater Benefit, lucky Jupiter is associated with good fortune, expansion and success.  Its spheres of influence include faith, higher learning and justice.  When pondering the more punitive implications of the law, restrictive Saturn may come to mind.  But philosophical Jupiter is equally committed to fairness, equity and balance. 

The incoming kaleidoscopic skies have something for everyone.  The Sun and Mars will change signs, Mercury, Uranus and Venus will change direction and ongoing themes, such as the fixed sign squares and mutable oppositions, will see further developments.  For those who have been keenly watching the blockbusting brilliance of the fixed sign squares, Venus's second square to lucky Jupiter will take place on the 22nd.  Next, Venus will station direct on September 3rd, positioning herself for her final squares, to Jupiter on September 17th and Uranus on September 29th. 

A kind of benevolent chaos will ensue over the next couple of weeks, one as intent on overthrowing the status quo as it is on lifting spirits and creating new opportunities.  The Sun, Venus, Jupiter and Uranus will be playing key roles, and, even from orderly Virgo, Mercury and Mars will be getting in on the action.  For those who have been waiting to catch a break or who are looking for the right time to make a dramatic move, some promising possibilities are at hand. 

As Venus settles into her retrograde, Mercury will slip into his Virgo home and cross the shadow point of his forthcoming retrograde.  Interestingly enough, both Venus and Mercury will leave their retrograde shadow zones within a week of one another.

Like the year's most anticipated feature film, 2023's summer blockbuster is about to hit the celestial screen.  It is of course Venus's retrograde.  Making this retrograde all the more intriguing is the fact that Venus is transiting dramatic Leo, a setup that includes several exciting encounters with Jupiter and Uranus.  Previewing those, Venus first squared Jupiter back on June 11th and Uranus on July 2nd.  The friction from that pair in Taurus promises to drive the plot and keep it interesting.  Venus will square exuberant Jupiter next on August 22nd, during the retrograde, and again on September 17th, post retrograde.  In the case of wild Uranus, it too has two more squares with Venus, on August 9th and September 29th.  The retrograde itself will take place from July 22nd through September 3rd.  But its shadow exit point, of 28° Leo 36′, will extend its presence to October 7th.