Astrology of 2024
*this will be the only public installment of this series. access full series [+more] on any of the paid tiers of my virtual community space*
Hi - Welcome
Today we are going to talk about the astrology of 2024. I want to acknowledge that things in the world continue to be difficult for many people. The United States and the United Kingdom are actively part of a World War, attacking Yemen multiple times over the last week and continuing to support the genocide of many people and countries throughout the world.
We are heading into the third week of 2024, and there are already at least 380 bills nationwide, here in the colonized United States, that target the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically those of us that sit under the transgender umbrella. Disabled people continue to struggle with little support, housing is a nightmare, addiction is under supported and demonized, we are in end stage capitalism, and living through a time of colonization and climate disaster, I could definitely go on— my point is that many people are struggling and scared and many people are in denial of the importance of this moment in collective reality we find ourselves.
Astrology can be a great tool to help support us as we move through these times, and it isn’t the only one. I trust that you will discern if this is a tool that supports you and helps you move through life, or if it fuels your anxiety, fear, and/or intrusive thoughts. If the latter, I want you to know that there are other tools to work with - I would be honored to help you find another that feels more supportive and accessible for you.
If you find yourself getting comfort and resource from astrology, then let’s get into the astro weather to prepare for the harsh weather patterns and the sunny days full of growth and healing in 2024. There are slides that go with this series, that you can access on Patreon - which I often refer to as “babetreon” because algorithms are a thing.
Okay—
I want to start with laying out some foundational pieces for this ongoing chat…
When using astrology in this way, I like to think of the planets in three groups. There are many ways to express these groups and your own experience can flavor it in ways that make sense for you.
The groups are: the collective planets/the social planets/the personal planets.
Because I’m a theater kid at heart, I chunk these out based on a play: the backdrop, the set, and the actors.
The collective planets (Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Chiron*) are like the backdrop
The social planets (Saturn and Jupiter, and in this context, the nodal axis) are like the set
The personal planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the Sun and Moon [known as the luminaries]) are the actors
The backdrop often isn’t noticed, but when the backdrop changes - the tone changes. It changes less often, but when it does its impact is felt. The planets Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Chiron all move slowly — making less aspects and shifts through the zodiac, which many astrologers believe make them more powerful in transit when they do.
Chiron has been in Aries since 2018 and will stay there until 2027, Uranus has been in Taurus since 2018 and will stay until 2026, Neptune stays in a sign for 14 years - it has been in Pisces since 2012 and won’t depart until 2026.
Pluto we have talked about a lot in this space- you may be aware that Pluto is making a major shift this year, and you also may not be aware.. either way we are going to chat about it here! Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008 and will make its final departure into Aquarius at the end of this year - a shift it has been teasing for 2 years, including the United States Pluto return, which will all come to a punctuation during a major election in the United States this coming November. We will break it down here all year during the weekly Mars Day Meetup chats — but it is a pretty big astrological time in history.
As you can see, those planets spend multiple years in a sign.
In contrast, the personal planets (or the actors) move much faster in transit. The moon spends just 2.5 days in a sign at a time transiting the entire zodiac in about 28 days, the sun mercury and Venus all spend about a month in each sign, Mars spends about a month and half to two months in each sign. I refer to these as the actors because they are constantly changing positions and making different aspects to different planets - they carry the storyline.
Somewhere in the middle we find the social planets, the set. The set changes more than the backdrop, but not as often as the actors in a scene. They give context around what the actors are doing and saying. Saturn and Jupiter are known as the social planets. Saturn spends about two and a half years in a sign and Jupiter spends about a year in each sign. Saturn entered Pisces in 2023 and will be there until 2025. Jupiter entered Taurus last year and will leave to enter Gemini in May of this year, which is a significant shift that we will definitely break down more in this series, and as we move through the weeks together in the Mars Day Meetups.
I have also heard, and resonated with, these groups referred to as the undertones, the mid tones, and the upper tones - if you are into music that may resonate more. I would love to know if anything else makes sense for you as you think about it.
Now that we have gone through the ways I will chunk out the planetary groups in this conversation, I want to go over some general themes and thoughts for 2024. Then, throughout this series and the weekly meetups, we will come back to revisit the three planetary groups in more detail, and whatever else comes up as we move along.
There is going to be a lot of information in this series, so please keep in mind that you can take or leave whatever feels relevant. Let it wash over you, sit with you, move you, inspire you, commune with you. You can revisit this information through the year, and allow your subconscious to feed you the information when it is aligned for you.
A few years ago, during my year ahead review, I mentioned that we were moving through a time of a lot of earth and water energy - meaning the outer/collective/backdrop planets were in signs that were those elements, specifically Capricorn, Taurus, and Pisces.
Earth and Water are yin energies - they move slower and are receptive. I mentioned multiple times when referring to this collective energetic signature that this energy is giving us time and space to prepare for the air and fire period coming in 2025.
This year, in 2024, we are moving out of the water/earth energy and into the fire/air collective pace. The energy of 2024 is faster than that of the last few years — it’s ramping us up to 2025 and 2026 which really speeds up as planets shift.
We introduce the air element into the backdrop and the set this year with Pluto shifting into Aquarius and Jupiter moving into Gemini. The fire energy gets activated with Mars and Mercury both going retrograde in fire signs in 2024. Plus we have the nodal axis in air and fire with the North Node in Aries and the South Node in Libra.
Another signature of the year that is speeding up the energetics, is the anoretic focus of the background planets. Anoretic refers to the first and last degrees of any zodiac sign, and it is said to be a place of focused energy - indicating strong themes and fast or pressing energies. The expression of those energies depends on the signs and planets in question, of course. But in 2024, Pluto and Neptune both spend a significant amount of time at 29°, the last degree, plus Pluto hangs out at 00° Aquarius for a while.
This can make the energy feel urgent and pressing and intense. Things may feel like they are happening fast, or there is a pressing urge to get something done or started, or like time in running out, there is an urgency to express the energies present - which will show up differently for each of us, depending on how it hits your personal natal chart.
April of 2024 really is a huge month. There is a lot going on, including a mercury retrograde, eclipse season, and the long anticipated Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus. There is a lot of really beautiful energy around that time to work with, and it also feels a little wild. We will break it all down as we go through, but just note that month in your mind… or your planner.
I hope you will feel encouraged to share any questions, comments, or wisdom you have around what comes up for you throughout this series.
In the next installment, we will go over the planets that make up the backdrop and their main things to watch for in 2024 and beyond. As a reminder, those planets are: Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Chiron.
Talk to you in a couple days!
