2024 The Year Ahead

The coming year is going to be momentous. 2023 passed by at a rapid rate and 2024 will be just as fast-paced, even chaotic at times. It is a complex year with many exciting and challenging astrological shifts. 2024 is a year of significant endings and it will be the beginning of a new era. We will see some disposed of their power, whilst others will take up their position.

We are at a cusp point, a threshold, as the scene is set for the next few years and the trend of the next two decades begins.

This year brings a lot of potential for unexpected outcomes and we may get plenty of surprises. We have a potent combination of wild card planet Uranus joining with expansive Jupiter in mid-April. The two eclipse seasons could coincide with the appearance of visible comets in April and October. Uranus brings potential for more plot twists as it connects with Pluto from July to November and Neptune from June to December.

This is a year when choosing how you want to navigate these major shifts and changes will not only determine the kind of personal experience you have but will also profoundly influence the way we move forward as a group, as humans, and as souls.

There is a choice to be made now as individuals can experience the rise in their own empowerment or they can continue to subscribe to being a victim to outside forces.

Rediscover your authentic self-expression and reunite with your true power this year.

There is an emphasis on the way we identify as humanity, as a group and as individuals. We may need to consider what being human is all about as we are faced with a contrast and departure from our expectations. Possibilities that have been purely fiction or theoretical up until now will be presented to us, and we may have to either reclaim our humanity or lose it.

We start the year with all the slower and generational planets at the end of their respective current position. Uranus in Taurus, Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Capricorn. These final degrees of a zodiac sign are powerful points of focus known as an anaretic degree.

This is a place of finality and completion.

With this as the predominant energy it can feel like there is no way out of the current scenario. It seems as if we have come to a place where what has been set in motion has to be fulfilled with no alternative option ahead. This phase is extremely uncomfortable or disheartening and a good deal of trust and faith is required to endure the pressure. The release will come with the shift in energy as the planet finally moves into the first degree of the next sign. We have to wait until 2025 for Uranus and Neptune to transition but Pluto is finally making the move this year.

Pluto moves into Aquarius for the next 20 years

The big themes for this year are going to bring a shift to who has the power and who exerts control over others. It is also time to tap into our spiritual energy and create a direct connection to the source of our power. Pluto is about bringing hidden power dynamics to the surface and there is always a release required as it changes the scenery for the next phase of growth.

We will see a re-organisation of power structures as the old establishment makes way for the new social order. This may not be an easy or peaceful transition for some areas of the world as upheaval and unrest become widespread.

It is especially important to stay connected and grounded and maintain inner peace during these upheavals.

Pluto moves into Aquarius on 21st January. It makes a retrograde for a final visit to Capricorn in May and then transits back into Aquarius in November where it stays until it moves into Pisces in 2043. Pluto was last in Aquarius in the late 1700 which was a time for revolution and a new form of governance in many countries. Pluto creates the destruction of whatever is no longer relevant, clearing the path for a new and improved version. 

As Pluto moves into Aquarius let your mind and heart be open so you can respond to the changing world with clarity and compassion.

Aquarius is the sign of the water bearer, symbolising the flow of new knowledge and ideas to mankind. It is a fixed-air sign that holds humanitarian ideology and advanced social systems as its Utopian model. Aquarius represents the evolved human with equality and fairness at its core. Aquarius is also the sign of the collective, of humanity and the greater good. We can expect the existing control and authority to make way for the bigger social group and the ruling minority will have to relinquish their hold on the masses.

We will have to let go of our familiar ways of being and lifestyles as we adapt.

The changes and modifications that this era will bring are going to happen slowly over the next couple of decades. Even though we often resist change and evolution this is a time of importance as it is not possible to maintain the structures of society because they are now more harmful than good and the upgrade is necessary and will, eventually become normal until they also become obsolete over time. 

The primary meaning of Pluto is power. Who or what holds the power? Is it your unconscious beliefs or fears? Does something or someone have power over you? Aquarius in simple terms is the “common man” and it represents the collective as a human race. This is a time when the term “people power” can take on huge significance. What we get is down to us. We can use our ability to imagine and create our world. The experiences we have depend on how we respond and react. It is up to us as individuals to take responsibility and dream our preferred future into reality. 

Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Taurus 

Jupiter expands and increases the groundbreaking, inventive, and unpredictable energy of Uranus from late March to late May. This conjunction occurs about every 14 years but they haven’t met in Taurus since 1941. In the sign of material security, practicality and resources we can expect to see changes in our financial system, our food supplies and agriculture. There may be an introduction of a new banking or monetary system. As the planet of opportunity and expansion works with the innovative planet, Uranus there is an increase in invention and inspiration. There may be shifts in the supply chains or a food revolution as a more “hands-on” approach to food becomes desirable. Jupiter can bring some balance and benevolence to Uranus in Taurus themes. It may not be to everyone’s taste to consume high-tech synthetic “food”. The sensory sign of Taurus loves the real earthy experience and is prepared to put in the work to provide for its needs. This dynamic may bring a more home-based or rustic approach to providing basic commodities. 

 

Jupiter enters Gemini

From 25th May this most positive planet moves into air sign Gemini for the remainder of the year and into mid-2025. In a Mercury-ruled sign, there will be an increase in all things to do with communication, ideas and media. This has an excitable energy. Things may get said in the moment and have to be revoked. Saturn in Pisces will make a challenging aspect to Jupiter here during August and December. This restrictive influence suggests there may be limitations placed on movement, trading or social media connections. There may be sudden fluctuations in the financial sector. These months are likely to bring a mix of lively communication with lots of optimistic speculation, and then a backlash as the stern Saturnian influence keeps this in check. Gemini is a dual sign and this can be about mixed messages or duplicity. Things may need to have two sides to make sense. This could prove a frustrating time with a lot of words spoken but not much action. Be aware of promises that can’t be fulfilled or deals, contracts or commitments that are over-optimistic. There is fun and frivolity with this placement but any practical follow-up may be in short supply. 

Mercury Retrograde in Fire Signs 

1st April – 25th April in Aries 

5th August – 28th August in Virgo/Leo

26th November – 15th December in Sagittarius

This year the Mercury retrogrades will focus our attention on spiritual matters, creativity and our drive or ambition. During these phases, we can reflect on how we can rework and resolve any obstacles to the free flow of ideas and self-expression. 

Mars Transits through Capricorn to Leo

During 2024 Mars will journey through half the zodiac signs. On February 14th it makes a conjunction with Pluto. On 11th June it is halfway and Square with Pluto. By the 3rd of November, it is opposite Pluto. This Mars-Pluto dynamic represents a power play or desire to dominate. We are likely to see some powerful and combative moves at these points in the year. This cycle is a follow-on from the square of last October and the conflict that escalated at that time is still playing out.

This energy can bring an attempt to annihilate whatever stands in the way of a desired outcome.

When Mars starts its retrograde in Leo on 6th December there will be some frustration with those aims through January and until Mars starts forwards again in late February 2025. This retrograde phase brings a further two oppositions with Pluto on 31st December and 26th April 2025. This can be a time of prolonged conflict with one side holding on to the original plan and not wanting to give up control or its influence. 

Saturn in Pisces with Neptune 

Saturn transits through Pisces for the whole of this year and it is starting to get closer and have an influence on Neptune in this sign. Neptune is the planet of the unseen world, dreams, fantasy and imagination. It helps us to see beyond the physical world. Saturn keeps our feet firmly on the ground and holds us to physical reality. There may be a sense of disillusionment as if reality has overpowered our hopes and aspirations. The sign of Pisces can represent giving up personal power to a greater entity. This can be a spiritually uplifting experience or it can be a form of victimhood – a result of having gone along with the wishes or desires of another.

This year can be an awakening to the limitations and restrictions that are a result of having given one’s power away.

Communication systems may become more organised and regulated over the next couple of years. Beliefs and spiritual practices can become more like a cult or overbearing doctrine. This can also provide a positive reality check on where we have been deluded and misled. A lot of misrepresentation is revealed at this time. The extent of the deception, when discovered, may cause depression or shock at first. There is the potential to bring more of the soul expression into the physical, material world. This is about being embedded in our humanity and also connecting to the spark of divinity. To use the Saturn/Neptune in Pisces energies constructively, take the time to imagine your future in a very real way and manifest your dreams and the world you would prefer.

Rediscover your authentic self-expression and reunite with your true power this year.

As Pluto moves into Aquarius let your mind and heart be open so you can respond to the changing world with clarity and compassion.