Crossing a threshold heading into 2024

Welcome to Living Balance Astrology! Last year on the day before the Total Solar Eclipse of April 20th 2023 I wrote to my site designer about a blog post for this space which has taken until now, nine months later, to bring into being. The passing of a beloved friend on January 20th has been pivotal in finally “birthing” this. I dedicate this page to her, in loving memory, and to all people who are crossing thresholds, completing major cycles or have reached the point of no return.

It’s my intention with this page to share astrological insights. My sincere hope is to reach those with whom my perspective may resonate, to help in some small way to navigate the accelerated changes and tumultuous times we’re in. I’m a bigger picture kind of person so here I’ll touch on overarching themes of the current or future planetary alignments and cycles. I also love to correlate themes of the past with what’s going on now- I find the gift of hindsight in Astrology to be very helpful!

To be clear, my area of greatest expertise is Western Tropical Astrology- I’ve studied and practiced it for over 30 years. I am also a Feng Shui consultant who is passionate about Divinatory and Metaphysical subjects, so I may occasionally weave other interests in.

That being said, before I dive into some of the potent planetary alignments happening in January so far, I’d like to touch on the numerological energy of this year. In Numerology, each year is assigned a number from 1 to 9, so by adding it up, 2024 comes to an 8 universal year. The number 8 is connected to Saturn- Capricorn’s ruling planet, resonating with Capricorn themes & vibrations.
 
These include responsibility, authority, executive ability, self-reliance, management and material freedom. 8 generally signifies a year with opportunities for financial growth, personal power, progress, or reaping rewards. It may be a year that encourages us to cultivate resilience, determination, or a practical approach. The spiritual aspect of this is stepping into greater mastery but because 8 amplifies the universal karmic law of cause and effect, being in one's integrity is essential.

Restructuring, forging new paths and creating foundations are other 8 year potentials! Turned on it’s side number 8 becomes an infinity symbol, symbolising the eternal or interconnectedness of all things. The last 8 years were 2015 and 2006.

Onto the Astrology of January thus far…
The first New Moon of the year on January 11th may well have felt like the true start of the calendar year with an emphasis on Earth signs Capricorn and Taurus. Not only were the Sun and Moon aligned (as they are at every New Moon) but Mars was in the early degrees of Capricorn, aided by Saturn, this sign’s ruler, and Jupiter in Taurus. This gave us supportive energy for staying the course or making long range plans. Pluto in the final degree of Capricorn challenges us in taking responsibility for the ways in which we shape our reality.

The Sun/Moon in a tight square to the Lunar Nodes of fate though has initiated a defining fork in the road in the larger scheme of things. In our personal lives it may help to ask some tough questions going forward, what needs to be addressed and what kind of life do I wish to create? The North node in Aries points to this being a time for honest appraisal and taking steps.
 
The world of Astrology has boomed online in recent years, perhaps accelerated by the way our world has changed irrevocably from the time of the global pandemic in 2020. In January 2020 we had an extraordinary and rare line up in Capricorn involving Saturn in an intense bind with Pluto in Capricorn, alongside the Sun opposite the Full Moon ( a Lunar Eclipse) in Cancer. Jupiter also joined the Capricorn line-up amplifying the South Node in Capricorn themes of control, hardship, regulation and constriction. The forceful pressure of this extremely concentrated and rare planetary alignment meant outmoded, obsolete patterns, constructs and limitations that could no longer be upheld, were surfacing to be transmuted.

I classify special planetary alignments like this as portals or gateways in space and time. Some gateways are cyclical like Equinoxes or Solstices, ushering in changes of season, while others open us up to new frequencies or light codes from the sun and planets in our solar system.

Planetary cycles and their repetitive patterns have been observed over millennia. An example is with the 60 year cycle used in Chinese and Oriental Astrology where Saturn and Jupiter come together every 20 years. These planets influence social , political and economic changes in their evolutionary dance together, as they merge then move apart, forming challenging angles to each other over the course of  a 20 year span.
 
At the end of 2020 at the December Solstice we had a Saturn Jupiter Great Conjunction- the coming together at the same degree. The sight of these two in the same area of the sky at 0 degrees of Air sign Aquarius was hugely significant, as not only did they merge into one very bright star, but this event also marked a new 200 era of them now being in Air signs rather than Earth.

Two days ago, January 20th 2024, a threshold was crossed with the Sun and Pluto coming together in Capricorn – another really big deal, as they came together in the very final hours of the final degree of this Earth sign- before going over that same December 2020 0 degree Aquarius point. Pluto has been moving through Capricorn since 2008, slowly but profoundly transforming the archaic models of top- down institutional or corporate structures at a global level. It first entered Aquarius last year in March for a brief sojourn then retrograded in July. It will backtrack one final time into Capricorn in September this year, finally moving into Aquarius for good in November where it will be until 2044.

Pluto's re-entry this time in combo with the Sun is an indicator to step into a greater sense of personal responsibility and inner authority. This is done individually- no one can carry your torch for you- so this is a power to create new possibilities for ourselves and the world around us.

So how to tap into or harness this dynamic energy? A good place to start is by working on being anchored to the Earth belwo while consciously connecting to and breathing into the heart. Then cultivate this focus regularly- inner power is built from the inside out .
 
The final degree and cusp of every sign can be a point of tremendous energy. It contains all the sign's potential for mastery but also urgency as it gives way to a new cycle in the next sign.

So as the Sun and Pluto crossover into Aquarius together a new era is being born, different from what we have known until now. Coincidentally, in the realm of Feng Shui, there is a remarkable shift taking place as well -an incoming 20 year cycle referred to as Period 9. The changeover from the last cycle, Period 8, has been happening for a few years now, but the official commencement is this year on February 5th. This too is indicative change which will affect people, buildings, trends, jobs and industries. I will go into greater detail about in the next post or two.

Two questions to ask yourself:

How can you align with the numerology of an 8 year?

Looking back at the last 4 years how have you changed or what in your life has fallen away?