When the Sun blazes into Jupiter’s sector of the zodiac, spirits lift and optimism returns and abounds. 2024 is no exception, even if Mercury and Mars are due to begin their respective retrogrades and some mutable pressure points of release are in the offing. It all gets started on November 21st when the Sun enters the mutable fire sign under one of the cycle’s two Leo Moons. Planets transiting the fixed fires of Leo encourage and bolster Sagittarian aspirations. In addition to the Moon, energetic Mars in Leo will add enthusiasm to the Sun Mercury in Sag mix. Being Jupiter ruled, hopeful Sagittarius dreams big. Fittingly, this solar cycle is set against the backdrop of Pluto’s recent and final shift into Aquarius, Neptune’s station on December 7th, which sets it on course for an Aries arrival in March and Uranus’s 2025 exploration of Gemini, following a solid seven year stay in fixed Taurus. With such epoch-making changes afoot, the incoming Sun cycle presents time for examining and experimenting with the paradigmatic potentials at hand.
Mercury’s retrograde in Sagittarius runs from November 25th through December 15th, and Mars’s retrograde begins on December 6th and will end on February 23, 2025. Interestingly enough, on the 6th, Mercury will square scrutinizing Saturn and Venus will venture in futuristic Aquarius, where she will conjoin newly settled Pluto on the following day. This double-retrograde may frustrate some endeavors and serve as a healthy testing ground for others. Venus’s foray into inventive Aquarius suggests an abundance of ingenious solutions. That said, the mutable nature of Sagittarius and looming Jupiter Saturn square signal that some situations and scenarios are unworkable and that the time has come to let them go.
On December 24th the second Jupiter Saturn square will reach exactitude at 14º 01′. The two planets are in the mutable signs of Gemini and Pisces, and the intensification of their next square will build throughout the Sag Sun cycle. On December 4th Mercury will oppose Jupiter as the Sun squares Saturn, perhaps previewing the coming larger square. On the 6th Mercury will square Saturn, and on the 15th, as the Messenger stations direct, a full Moon (Sun opposite the Moon) will take place at 23º Gemini 53′. On December 7th, when Neptune goes direct, the Sun will oppose Jupiter. The retrogrades, mutable clashes and full Moon are revealing what has reached its conclusion. They are part of a larger theme of release that is being emphasized throughout this solar cycle. Simultaneously, ideas and inspiration will proliferate. For instance, the Sun will trine Mars on November 27th, there’s a new Moon at 9º Sagittarius 33′ on November 30th, the Sun and Mercury will conjoin on December 5th and on December 19th, Venus will trine Jupiter as the cycle’s second Leo Moon trines the Sagittarius Sun. Translation; things are looking up.
