If you feel like everything is a mess, well, that’s because everything is kind of a mess.
We’re currently in the midst of 2022’s wildest astrology. All of the dilemmas and possibilities we’ve been entertaining all year converge to create a perfect storm. Rain is falling. Winds are howling. Electricity flickers off and then on and then off again. They say that the only way out is through. But what happens when through requires running head first into a tornado? How does one move through a quickening spiral? Not everyone is cut out to be a storm chaser. It’s smarter to go down in the basement and wait things out. But joke’s on us because the basement flooded after the last storm and it’s covered in mold. No matter which path is chosen, there’s going to be lasting impact. Permanent change. There’s no doubt that we’ll look back in the future and remember what was happening now. It will be a relief when it’s over, but first, we have to get through it.
In so many ways, we knew this storm was coming. This weather pattern was predicted months in advance. Years even. Days before, we were told to batten down the hatches and prepare for heavy rain. What we’re battling now isn’t new information. We know what’s up. This isn’t the life changing shock of March 2020. It’s the inevitable consequence of choices we’ve made since then. Some of us feel empowered while others feel devastated Some of us feel refreshed while others feel dizzy or confused. For most, it’s any and all of the above. It’s, to steal the title of 2022’s hottest film, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
I’ve struggled to write about the current astrology because there’s just so much going on. But we’re now going to get into all of it. I know I’ve been somewhat absent over the last few weeks. But hopefully this major download more than makes up for my unplanned hiatus (sometimes even the astrologer can’t fully plan for how the astrology is going to hit). Horoscopes for next week’s Lunar Eclipse will go out to paid subscribers, and there will be more goodies to come in the coming weeks. We’re back in action, baby.
(I recommend pressing play on PJ Harvey’s “This Mess We’re In” (feat. Thom Yorke) as you read about what we’re swimming in)
TL;DR summary of wtf is happening:
We’re resetting our values (Venus cazimi) to purge and clear space (Solar Eclipse in Scorpio) for things that are actually in alignment. But first! We need to slow down and listen to our thoughts long enough to know what’s actually going on in our mind (Mars Retrograde in Gemini). Things feel extremely urgent (Saturn-Uranus square), but some of what’s causing anxiety might dissolve by the end of the year (Jupiter/Neptune in Pisces). Don’t expect closure. Wrapping things up is more about letting some of the muck drift away. The climax (Lunar Eclipse in Taurus) is coming soon. It’s scary not to know exactly what’s going to happen. But why not be generous despite teh uncertainty?
If you want to dig into how all the current and upcoming astrology is hitting your particular chart, my books are now open through the end of 2022 and you can book with me here!
Venus Cazimi @ 29º Libra - October 22, 2022
Just before Scorpio Season began, Venus met the Sun at 29º Libra. We call this a Venus cazimi—from an Arabic term that literally means “in the heart of the sun.” When planets go into the heart of the Sun, it’s said that they become the most pure versions of themselves. It’s a moment of reset. A moment to become reacquainted with the essence of the archetype.
Venus meets the Sun once every 9 months or so as the love planet transitions from a morning star to an evening star or vice versa. This time around she was becoming an evening star, an aspect I like to call the crush incinerator. While Venus as a morning star is hungry, eager, in her “I want song” era, Venus as an evening star is poised, unbothered and confident what’s meant to be will work out. Two of the last three times Venus has moved into the heart of the sun while in direct motion, I’ve actually shedded the remaining detritus a crush that was no longer serving. It works! But that being said, it’s a process. When Venus transitions from a morning star to an evening star, she goes under the beams of the sun for months. Venus was last visible in the morning sky in late August, and she won’t be seen in the evening sky until mid-December. We’re still in beta testing. What needs to be articulated won’t be until mid-December. Sit with the turning until then.
Venus cazimis are also usually a moment of bliss (I hope you did something nice for yourself that day) as the Venusian principles of love, beauty and connection take center stage. But they also can bring a crisis of values. Especially if we’re not truly aligned with our desires, what we really want. This is why it’s the crush incinerator. Venus only has so much patience for dated devotion when she reaches her evening star phase.
To note: Venus moves in a very elegant pattern, meeting the Sun in the same part of the zodiac every 4 years (and every 8 years when she’s moving in the same direct or retrograde motion). This Venus cazimi relates back to two previous Venus cazimis on
October 25, 2014 (direct) &
October 26, 2018 (retrograde)
What was beginning for you back in Fall 2014 that you revisited with a different mindset in Fall 2018 and is coming back up again now in Fall 2022?
For reference: Taylor Swift released 1989 on October 27, 2014 and then released Midnights (what many are calling 1989's sister album) on October 21, 2022. During the Fall of 2018 (the reflective period), Swift was recording Lover.
Solar Eclipse at 2º Scorpio - October 25, 2022
After the Venus cazimi, Scorpio Season began quite ominously with a Solar Eclipse on October 25th. During a Solar Eclipse, the sun’s light is obscured, distorting our experience. Eclipses cut things short or speed things up, forcing us to jump much farther ahead on the timeline than previously anticipated.
This Eclipse occurred in the first decan of Scorpio, a part of the zodiac associated with the Tarot’s 5 of Cups. The Rider-Waite Smith deck portrays the 5 of Cups as a person standing on the bank of a river, sadly observing three fallen cups at their feet. There are still two upright cups behind them of course, but they’re only focused on what has ended, which feels much heavier than the possibility of what remains. This is a card of grief and loss. In fact, the Golden Dawn literally called this card Loss.
This eclipse also occurred on the lunar south node (what the Vedics call ketu or the tail of the dragon) where things are sculpted, refined and purged. The point is to strip away excess. South node eclipses are a pore strip. South node eclipses are a vampire facial. South node eclipses take us to the monastery. There’s no choice but to let go (emotionally and materially, but also spiritually). The point is to clear space and make room, and you can’t do that if you’re hanging on too tightly to the things that just don’t work.
Mars Retrograde in Gemini - October 30, 2022 - January 12, 2023
As the Solar Eclipse in Scorpio went exact on the 25th, Mars—the ruler of Scorpio, and thus the eclipse—was slowing to a halt, about to station retrograde in Gemini. The red planet goes retrograde for two months once every two years, marking the halfway point in Mars’ synodic cycle. When a planet goes retrograde, it appears to be moving backward because it is very close to the Earth. During Mars retrograde, we can see Mars—hot, red and bright—in the night sky. Think of it as the Mars archetype (heat, action, violence, aggression, war) being brought much closer to the Earth and to our little human lives than normal. This is Life on Mars.
If Mars is action, direction and separation then Mars retrogrades are for re-strategizing our battles, re-directing our energy and reconciling our losses. Again, this is because Mars is literally closer to the Earth than usual, and we can see how this archetype affects us much more clearly than we normally can. If your desire is to trailblaze during this time than you’re going to be frustrated. The point is to go slow. Handle with care. Avoid accidents. Any path forward requires many steps backward.
Also, it’s worth reiterating this Mars retrograde is in Gemini, a place where the pen is mightier than the sword. Our minds are on fire. Words cut. Media ablaze. Look no further than what’s going on with Elon Musk and Twitter as an example of Mars retrograde frustrations. As Mars stationed retrograde, Musk was cornered into buying Twitter with money he doesn’t have. He’s now spewing nonsense (like equating Twitter with mycelium) and causing all kinds of drama, trying to make this purchase worth it. Spoiler alert: it won’t be. In the meantime, we all get a front row seat to his meltdown. Though I also predict that this period will see many of us fleeing Twitter and other forms of social media, perhaps for a sabbatical, or perhaps for good. Either way, we’ll likely be returning to social media that’s been off the radar for awhile, like Tumblr (which now allows nudity again) or (if we’re lucky) LiveJournal (just kidding, or am I?)
Mars in Gemini can be meaningless babble, but it can also be incisive or radical commentary. It can be both. (Think: Heidi Klum’s worm costume. She has five planets in Gemini.) For the next few months, the general advice might be to slow down and think before you speak, but it could also be “Just say it.” Brilliance erupts under this influence if we give ourselves space to hear what’s actually going on in our mind.
Now what exactly each of us is re-strategizing, reconciling and re-purposing is extremely personal. For reference, here are the dates of Mars retrogrades over the last ten years:
September 9 - November 13, 2020 in Aries
June 26 - August 18, 2018 in Aquarius and Capricorn
April 17 - June 29, 2016 in Sagittarius and Scorpio
March 1 - May 19, 2014 in Libra
January 23 - April 13, 2012 in Virgo
What were you forced to put on pause during these times? What did you move ahead with anyway? (and did it go well? or was it a disaster?) Obviously, Mars retrograding through each sign brings different themes and flavors, but the general vibes are often similar!
On a mundane level, you may notice that the last three Mars retrograde periods coincide with the most recent contentious US Presidential Election (2020), progressive primary wins including AOC’s upset in NY-14 (2018), and the simultaneous rise of Trump, Brexit and general global fascism (2016). The current polarizing midterm election in the United States fits right in with these other inflammatory eras.
Something else about this Mars retrograde is that for the entire 2.5 months of this transit (and really since October 12th), Mars is squaring Neptune. Mars square Neptune is an aspect of confusion, burnout and general ambivalence. Not only is the way forward undercooked, it’s also just deeply unclear. Mars is also squaring Jupiter for most of its retrograde (though the aspect does not perfect until May 23, 2023) an aspect that creates energy and enthusiasm. But with Neptune’s influence, the question really is— energy and enthusiasm for what? The advice someone gave me when I was going through a heavy Neptune transit (which I didn’t take), but I will give to you now is “Vibes not Actions.” Write that on the walls.
Saturn - Uranus Square - all of 2021 and 2022
OK so to review: The Venus cazimi was a values crisis, the Solar Eclipse in Scorpio was a deep clearing, and Mars Retrograde in Gemini is a necessary pause filled with overthinking and burnout. Got it. But that’s … not all! What’s making this moment extra prickly is that we’re getting a major activation of the Saturn-Uranus square, an aspect that has dominated the astrology of the last two years. Saturn is the planet of structure, discipline and responsibility. Uranus is the planet of disruption, instability and innovation. When Saturn and Uranus come into hard aspect, we’re forced to sit in a deep tremor between regulation and reinvention. On October 23rd, Saturn stationed direct at 18º Aquarius, and over the next few months will make its final pass through the fixed air sign until it moves into Pisces on March 7, 2023.
Saturn has been in Aquarius since March 2020, giving structure to technology, as well as to our social lives. In fact as Saturn first entered Aquarius on March 21, 2020, everyone was concerned with social distancing (the most Saturn in Aquarius phrase to ever exist). Friend groups have shrunk. Group chats have been solidified. Connection comes with intention. The world wide web in its Saturn Return (widespread use began in 1993). We’re thinking before we tweet and using Zoom. Meanwhile, Uranus has been in Taurus since May 2018 pushing us out our comfort zone when it comes to money, food systems and the literal Earth. As a climate disaster approaches, we’re faced with Bitcoin and Beyond Meat.
There’s so much to get into as far as Saturn-Uranus but the main theme of this ongoing aspect is the constant adjustment and readjustment we face in learning how to exist in a post-2020 world. We want routine and structure but it feels like everyday, there’s a new variable thrown into the mix. There’s no going back to 2019 (who actually wants to do that?) but what are we actually working with in the present? What will we have to work with in the future? The Sun, Venus and Mercury are all currently in Scorpio making hard aspects to both Saturn and Uranus, building tension and making us feel like we have to “have it all figured out” now. But what if we just sat in the discomfort a little longer instead?
Lunar Eclipse in Taurus - November 8, 2022
On November 8th (yes, the day of the US Midterm Elections), there is a Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. This Eclipse is conjunct Uranus and square Saturn bringing the tension and upheaval we’ve felt for the last two years with the Saturn-Uranus square to an absolute boiling point. Eclipses along the Taurus-Scorpio axis have been shaking up what we thought was an absolute given since November 19, 2021 (when we had the first Eclipse on this axis.)
Taurus and Scorpio are fixed signs. Both set in their ways, they’d rather not deal with the upset, calamity and disruption that eclipses tend to bring. Eclipses along this axis ask us to challenge our ideas of security (Taurus) and secrecy (Scorpio), push us toward indulgence (Taurus) and extremes (Scorpio), and complicate what it means to find comfort (Taurus) and protection (Scorpio). Though there are still a couple more Eclipses left along this axis set to go exact next year, this one feels like the thesis statement of all that’s been building in the Taurus and Scorpio parts of our chart. It’s best to expect the unexpected with this one, and with all that’s at stake both personally and globally, having no clear vision of what’s coming likely feels super destabilizing.
But this Eclipse also falls at 16º Taurus, in Taurus II—a part of the zodiac associated with the Tarot’s 6 of Cups. In the Pamela Colman Smith illustration, the 6 of Cups shows a man feeding two beggars at his feet. I pull this card every time I’m feeding a friend’s cats. I’ve also pulled it when attending a dinner party. It’s a card about taking care and being taken care of. I think it’s wise to look to this Lunar Eclipse with the hope that what’s coming is some unexpected generosity. Keep yourself open to receiving it, and also give some if necessary.
Jupiter in Pisces - October 28 - December 20, 2022
On the bright side (? yes, somehow, there is maybe a glimmer of something sweet and hopeful in this time), Jupiter re-entered his domicile of Pisces on October 28. Jupiter has been dipping in and out of Pisces for all of 2021 and 2022, and this final two month sojourn might help bring some of the dreams we’ve been plotting since Spring 2021 to fruition.
Jupiter was previously in Pisces through these dates:
May 13 - July 28, 2021
December 28, 2021 - May 10, 2022
What dreams and schemes were coming to the forefront at these times that are coming back around again? Remember: more than anything, Pisces is a visionary. So you might look back on those dates and think “I didn’t get much done then.” But what were you thinking about doing in those times? What was keeping you afloat? Pisces is imagination. A glass always half full. And yes, the twin fish is sometimes more content to live in fantasy than to bring anything into reality. This current period of Jupiter in Pisces is also complicated by the planet’s co-presence with deluding Neptune. So yes, some of the visions might have felt more like a bad trip. But with Jupiter spending the next two months in Pisces, it’s a good time to lean on those dreams anyway, to not worry about how exactly you’ll make them happen, to luxuriate in the hot tub of the fantastical.
Early next year (by the end of March 2023 to be more precise), there will be an undeniable vibe shift. Saturn changes signs, then Pluto, then Mars finally leaves Gemini (for the first time since August 2022). There will be different problems, sure, but the current mess we’re in will likely be a distant (though difficult) memory. Trust that that change is coming, and until we get there, keep making room.