When a New Year begins with a Virgo Moon and Mercury going direct, it can be tempting to pull out that long list of never-ending goals and get stuck in, because let’s be honest, Capricorn Season loves a goal. My suggestion, though, is to just take a pause and make sure you’ve blown away last year’s cobwebs before thinking about the year ahead. 2023 ended on a pretty heavy note for a lot of people, with waves of fatigue and intensity – so give yourself some time to just be (if that’s what you need). In the astro world, the New Year technically only begins with Aries Season on March 20th anyway, so enjoy this lingering pause…
In fact, why can’t this whole year be a bit of a pause? 2024 is an “8” year which, being ruled by Saturn, is all about karma and a sense of abundant wholeness. What goes around, comes around – and all that jazz. Don’t be fooled though, even though it’s a Saturn year, it’s not about more work, more hustle, more more more. This year, less is more. What if your main goal this year was to just come home to yourself? To focus on kindness, compassion and creativity as a form of “religion” or practice? Well, you bet the planets are going to consistently nudge us in that direction this year.
If last year was about taking leaps and getting comfortable with saying no, then this year sees this theme continue, but in a way that feels softer and more approachable. Those boundaries are planted firmly now, and if they’re not, you’ve still got time to do the work. Saturn will keep moving through Pisces until early 2026, so let yourself get lost in your imagination a bit. Create for creation’s sake. Make art, tell stories around the braai, play music and don’t worry about monetising from it. Just unleash that creative soul hiding within. You know the one I mean – that little voice that keeps urging you to let yourself play.
‘STARS’ photographed by Shauna Summers, courtesy of DTS
Of all the years to explore, experiment and express yourself, this is the one! First up is Pluto guiding the way. On January 21st, Pluto is plunging into Aquarius until 2043 -with a brief tease back into Capricorn during its Retrograde Season from September 2nd until November 19th. Pluto is no joke and that brief hiatus will ensure all the old out-dated structures and systems are left behind before we move forward with a clean slate, once and for all.
The Lunar Nodes are still moving through Aries and Libra and so that push and pull of walking your own path but making sure it meets up with others along the way, will remain centre-stage. On March 25th we have the Libra Lunar Eclipse and this one is going to be like a little tap on the shoulder, reminding us to scale back on commitments that don’t fit with how we want to move through the year. We’re not here to do it all alone, we’re here to share the load, to process everything happening in the world together and, damn do we need some collective healing ‘round about now. During this first Eclipse, both Venus and Mars will be in Pisces, so compassion will hopefully start to flow out. Kindness is medicine for all. Next up is the Aries Solar Eclipse on April 8th where little doors might start to open, leading us down paths of courage with like-minded souls dotted along the way.
Speaking of courage, on April 21st we have the much-talked about Jupiter – Uranus conjunction. That’s right, the planet of expansion and the planet of surprise are going to be snuggling up to usher in whatever changes we need. This only happens once every 14 years, and with it being in Taurus, we’re looking at big shifts in the foundations of society. Political breakthroughs, radical social change, financial leaps…good timing, right? The world needs it. On a personal note, wherever you have Taurus in your natal chart will get a shake up too. Perhaps that’s a career change, or maybe the end of a toxic relationship. It might not be comfy, but removing stagnant energy never is – oh man, will it feel good afterwards!
The Zodiac photographed by Jakub Pabis, courtesy of Pexels
This is just in time, because on May 26th, Jupiter shimmies over to Gemini, and that marks the start of a lightness entering our year. Gemini is an Air sign and is mutable energy (flexible and flowing), so those claws that might have got stubbornly stuck with all of last year’s Earth energy, are about to be peeled away and encouraged to take flight in new directions. Until June 2025, Jupiter will be reminding us to broaden our horizons, to use our voices to help drive real change, to exchange ideas and to come back to communication as an art form. Ghosting is out this year and so is small talk; the stars are encouraging us to come back to real honest conversations – DMC’s (deep, meaningful conversations), if you will. Storytelling that takes time, not a mere status update. This is what will help make our year feel more abundant in true ‘8 year’ form as we’re all about that real-life connection this year as we cut through the superficiality.
Open-mindedness and positivity will also take us far in 2024. Look at what you’re consuming on the daily and change it up – as you try to avoid getting roped into the neverending doom-scroll. Jupiter in Gemini wants you to send a postcard when you travel this year. Even a letter to your lover. Let’s go old-school and romanticise life a bit and rediscover passions from your childhood and share them with others. Join a club and embrace that sense of community. Boozy book club, anyone?
Then, come September 18th, when we have our first Pisces Eclipse, giving us a glance at what’s to come when the Nodes move into Virgo and Pisces in 2025. It’s a Lunar Eclipse, so don’t hold back on sharing your creations from the year. On October 2nd, we’ll have our final Libra Solar Eclipse, so it’s a perfect moment to reflect on all the work you’ve done on letting go of people-pleasing and not feeling guilty for chasing the glimmers and rejecting the triggers. Also, this year continues to focus on prioritising your emotions and taking care of yourself. Lest you forget.
This wouldn’t be an accurate guide to the astro of the year without mentioning the pesky Retrogrades, right? The chatty planet Mercury will be causing mischief three times this year, and unlike last year where she retrograded in Earth signs, this year she’ll be setting things alight in the Fire signs. Firstly from April 2nd to 25th in Aries – so watch your words during this time – secondly from August 5th to 28th in Leo. Eek, everyone is going to be easily offended. Finally, from November 26th until December 15th in Sagittarius, so double check those December vacay plans don’t go astray.
Astrology spread by Ekaterina Bolovtsova courtesy of Pexels
Lunar Cycle by Farzad Mohsenvand, courtesy of Unsplash
To end the year, just for fun, Mars is going Retrograde which only happens once every two years. From December 7th until February 24th the planet of action is going to have us slowing right down, first in the sign of Leo before moving back into Cancer, which isn’t such a bad thing actually. Like we said, this year is about coming home to what really matters, so spending the festive season with your family or chosen family, sounds like the perfect way to wrap up the year to avoid burnout and to slowly ease into the following year.
And so we come full circle, just like an ‘8 year’ loves to do. Find the synchronicities this year, spread compassion and let those airy winds of change help you transition to where you know you’re supposed to go. Less triggers and more glimmers. Here’s to 2024, where less is most definitely more.
Written by: Siobhan Lumsden