Planetary news this week: January 15-22, 2024

Fasten your seatbelts! Sun illuminates the entry of Pluto into Aquarius.

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The big news of 2024 is the final transition of Pluto between Capricorn and Aquarius. Pluto dipped a toe into Aquarius in March of 2023 as a teaser of what is to come, but has been slipping back and forth between the two signs since then. This is a pretty big deal because Pluto has been in Capricorn for the past 15 years, since 2008. If all of this is new to you, or for a refresher, here is my article about Pluto in Aquarius.

This week Pluto re-enters Aquarius on Saturday, the day the Sun enters Aquarius, a double whammy of Aquarian brilliance. The Sun and Pluto are traveling in tandem all week, with the Sun gradually catching up and illuminating the last degree of Pluto by the end of the week. This suggests a buildup of intensity (Pluto is associated with deep transformation and revelation of a hidden truth), especially since we are in the last degrees of Capricorn and shedding whatever lies we have told ourselves in order to prepare for the Great Awakening of Pluto in Aquarius.

Aquarius is the sign of the collective, and that which affects us individually affects all of humanity, and the distinctions between the personal and the collective become less relevant. Under the influence of Pluto in Capricorn great masses of wealth were accumulated by a few, and under Pluto in Aquarius the values will change to become more humanitarian and egalitarian. This may sound “better” but really in astrology there is no “better” or “worse,” everything has a dark attribute and a light one. The dark side of the impersonalization of Aquarius is a dearth of compassion and human connection.

In any case, it all kicks off this week. This is a good time to declutter our belongings (I hope my husband reads this!! 🤩) as well as outmoded personality traits and beliefs. We won’t be needing them where we’re going. 💖

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Here’s what else you need to know this week. (Dates and times are for the Eastern time zone, here is a time zone converter to adjust for your locality.) Here is a link to an ephemeris if you would like to check the degrees of these planetary placements.

art by Anna Ewa Miarczyńska

Monday January 15. Today’s Pisces Moon enhances creativity and imagination. This is a great day for artists or anyone seeking to expand their inspiration and intuition. The Moon interacts with Neptune in the evening, and all day Monday a solar aspect to Neptune is building to culminate on Tuesday. Neptune helps us to peel the veil between the solidity of the mundane world and the mystical realms, and helps us to hear the voice of intuition if we pay attention. Your dreams may have special significance tonight! (Moon sextile Uranus 10:46 am, square Venus 12:47 pm, sextile Sun 8:47 pm, conjunct Neptune 9:03 pm.)

Tuesday January 16. The mystical magic of Pisces and Neptune will take a sudden shift when the Moon enters Aries early in the morning EST. Aries is a potent sign of action, and everyone is likely to seem more aggressive on Tuesday, especially with some conflicting energies which will not bring out the best in us. Issues of simmering anger will likely flare to the surface which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the fire can burn up the detritus of the past so that we can move forward more freely into the Age of Pluto in Aquarius. (Sun sextile Neptune 12:37 am, Moon sextile Pluto 4:32 am, Moon enters Aries 4:48 am, square Mercury 9:04 am, square Mars 8:13 pm.)

Wednesday January 17. More lunar activity today, but once we get through a potentially sensitive few hours in the morning we can use that Aries lunar energy to power through any challenge. There may be a seemingly small event that could have meaning for the future, so this is a good day to clarify intentions and watch for signs. (Moon conjunct Chiron 7:20 am, conjunct North Node 2:03 pm, trine Venus 8:22 pm.)

Thursday January 18. We start to really feel the power of the Sun and Pluto today as the Moon in the last degrees of Aries “translates” that alignment in the early morning. Once the Moon slips into Taurus around 8 am EST the energies begin to calm down. A harmonious aspect of Mercury to Saturn helps to instill some mental focus that may have been missing with all the fire of the past few days.

Whenever there is a period such as this, it can be helpful to spend some time rebalancing and Thursday is the perfect day for this kind of thing. (Moon square Sun 3:52 am, square Pluto 8:02 am, Moon enters Taurus 8:11 am, Mercury sextile Saturn 8:49 am, Moon sextile Saturn 4:56 pm, trine Mercury 5:41 pm, conjunct Jupiter 7:05 pm.)

Friday January 19. Friday is a “feel good” day, but also a day when we may not see things completely as they are. Optimism is a wonderful thing but so are boundaries, and boundaries are in short supply on Friday. This wouldn’t be the best day to make promises as you may find later that you can’t keep them. On the other hand, Friday is a wonderful day for heart-opening times with friends or loved ones, or for trying something new to stimulate creative juices. (Moon trine Mars 3:25 am, Mercury trine Jupiter 9:30 am, Venus square Neptune 3:48 pm, Moon conjunct Uranus 6:11 pm.)

Saturday January 20. I can’t over-emphasize the potency of this day. I hesitate to use these words because there may not be an earth-shattering event, and I don’t want to be like those evangelical prophets who keep changing the date that the world will end. But with the Sun AND Moon changing signs, in a harmonious trine aspect, just before Pluto slips into Aquarius, and both luminaries aspecting Pluto - it just feels big.

Change comes easier to some of us than others. Those of us with earth and water dominance tend to resist change more than those of us who are more airy or fiery. But we are living in a time when we can’t go back, the past is burning away and the only way forward is in front of us. Let’s make it magical! (Moon sextile Neptune 5:40 am, Sun conjunct Pluto 1:45 pm, Moon trine Pluto 1:56 pm, Moon trine Sun 1:57 pm, Moon enters Gemini 1:57 pm, Sun enters Aquarius 2:07 pm, Moon square Saturn 11:32 pm.)

Sunday January 21. Pluto enters Aquarius. But mostly, we will be experiencing the remnants of Saturday’s excitement and preparing for the upcoming Full Moon on the 25th. Meanwhile the Gemini Moon is eager to assimilate all of the information that has been gleaned with these planetary changes and likes to talk about things. If you keep a journal, Sunday will be the perfect day to see what kind of wisdom is revealed! (Pluto enters Aquarius 12:56 am, Moon sextile Chiron 7:04 pm.)

Thanks for reading to the end! I hope you have a great week. 💖 If you would like to know more about how your own chart is affected by these influences, consider a personal consultation.