2024 – all change!

Capricorn 2024

In case you missed it …

While the world seems hell-bent on destruction, many are trying to make sense of it all. I watched some of the live streaming of the International Court of Justice case of South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, and wondered how we had arrived here. On one level it’s good to see brutality being called out – yes, on both sides. But the cold, intellectual arguments about what the definition of genocide actually is, makes one wonder if there are parallel universes. On what planet is it OK to kill thousands of people? Not this one! Especially when we have enough suffering caused by natural disasters.

Getting worse?

War in Ukraine rages on. The US, and the UK, with support from our non-cabinet here in the Netherlands, are now bombing Yemen. Many other countries have terrible things happening, and China is having a hissy fit because they didn’t get the ‘right’ result in Taiwan. Trump is having to attend several court cases, while others exchange insults around him. Are there really only two elderly men available to be President of the US?

And butts in North America are freezing while others are under water! I hope you get thawed out and dry soon.

While Jacinda finally tied the knot, the UK has a post office scandal and meanwhile in the Netherlands, we are governmentless. Even members of the demissionary cabinet are walking away now. The latest is our last Minister of Health, who apparently, like a few others, is heading overseas. Kuipers can’t say what he will be doing yet, but the internet is in full prediction mode, with my favourite being the suggestion that he will play the bad guy in the next James Bond movie! He looks the part:)

But back to where we are. Legal measures seem to be all we have to stop this insanity. But how’s that working out for us? What a great start to a year!

But is it all we have?

Astrologers all over the globe are being asked when it will stop. What is going to happen in all these areas? Many people are ill or frightened, or both. It is a very disturbing time for many. Although there really are good things happening in the world, we rarely hear about them. The standard press carries on as usual with sensationalism, and censorship is still rife. There are many good astrologers posting on all these topics. However, although the astrology is well researched, I have an issue with the basic premise of many of these predictions.

I say this every year: Although astrology can accurately describe themes, I don’t think pure astrology is a prediction tool. Many astrologers might be clairvoyant, but this is not astrology. However my problem is that solid predictions assume we have no agency. For example: predicting, after using many different astrological techniques, that Biden will win the 2024 elections, assumes that the heavens and Biden himself (or his karma) are the only decisive factors. Maybe that’s true. But I find it difficult to believe. I like to think that what we feel, think and decide, matters!

We matter!

Yes, we do matter, even if we think we are so small in the scheme of things. We always have choice, even in dire circumstances, when it is really difficult. In these situations, kindness is sometimes a reaction, even though most of the world seems to still be in blame, retribution and punishment mode. There are some major cosmic changes coming in the next few years.

We need to use these positively, so what I always try to do with astrology, is to show what the benefits of planetary positions can be. Of course, every one of these can manifest negatively, but I think focussing on that side creates more fear, and it locks us in to old patterns of survival. If we could all be more aware of why we react the way we do, and realise it needn’t be that way, it would help to change the world. After all, as many have been saying for a very long time, we are all connected. Aren’t we all part of the cosmos?

And so to 2024 and beyond

Pluto changes his clothes

Pluto entering Aquarius is a major change that will be fully in play from the end of this year for about 20 years. As I write, we are now seeing Pluto in the very last degree of Capricorn. A powerful placement.  January 21, 2024 (UTC) heralds Pluto’s second trial run into Aquarius. This will be heavily highlighted the day before when the Sun puts Pluto firmly in the spotlight!

He will stay in Aquarius until he has his last attempt to hold onto his power in Capricorn areas, such as big business, world leadership, and all areas of authority. So from early September to mid November, it could get worse, as blaming, authoritarian, corrupt leaders will do anything to keep a grip on their positions. The good part about this is that it is now clear that this is happening, and these leaders are starting to be held to account. A glimmer of hope.

The phoenix has to die first

Pluto scrutinises and cleans out anything that is a symbol of the sign he is in. We had the opportunity to kill off all negatively occurring Capricorn issues and to start again. The phoenix rising from the ashes is a symbol of the way Pluto works. Death and rebirth. I’m hoping that we will seize these last moments when Pluto is in Capricorn for the last time – from September 2nd until November 19th, 2024 to create change. There are certainly more answers being demanded from power hungry governments and big business – not to mention Big Pharma. And more people are demanding proper research into such things as the excess deaths occurring around the globe. As I write the WEF is meeting, and worry about trustworthiness of organisations is on the agenda! Do they ever look at themselves?? So that’s a good sign, I think.

Pluto in Aquarius is an opportunity

Pluto dipped his toe into Aquarius from late March until early June, 2023. So we already have an idea of the themes that will need to be addressed. Aquarius is an air sign – a ‘thinky’ sign. It’s all about logic and intellect, not to mention technology. Aquarius is also associated with social organisations and social justice  – ‘brotherhood of man’ and the like. And equality and truth. However, it is more like-minded than like-hearted! It can be a sign of genius, but it is without heart, being opposite the sign of warm Leo. Pluto is about control but also about influence, fundamental change and transformation.
So putting these themes together we can get:

• thought control
• power of our thoughts
• power to the people
• brilliant technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• transformative groups
• innovative control
• influential logic
• demanding freedom
• deep thinking
• researching why we think what we think!

It’s up to you

All of these possibilities are available to us in both positive and negative ways. It really is up to us to make the most of the opportunities presented by the upcoming cosmic weather. So do we have positive examples already from Pluto’s brief stay here in 2023? Yes there are some, as well as some showing what we need to watch out for.

There was innovation announced for cargo shipping – the power (Pluto) of wind (Aquarius and air) which will be better for the environment.

AI can be good!

Of course ChatGPT and other AI was in the news, but although this can be a threat, there is increasing evidence that this technology can be put to positive effect. In medical areas where logic is needed it can be very helpful. And it is said to stimulate creativity. There is no doubt it will change the world. However like all new innovations, it will be used for good and evil. It’s up to us to use it wisely, where it can offer amazing benefits. It is currently being tested for finding fraud and in teaching platforms such as Duolingo to explain mistakes and to practice real conversations.

Controlling Pluto

In this brief sojourn into Aquarius, we saw Pluto’s symbolism in the amount of news and meetings held to define how control (Pluto) could be set up to counter negative use of AI. But of course your definition of negative depends on who you are – think disinformation! Technology can be handy for daily life, but digital passports and banking can be used to control all of us. As can surveillance measures.

The people rise

On March 24th 2023 – the day after Pluto arrived in Aquarius – more than a million people protested against unpopular pension reforms in France. And there have been various strikes in many countries. Extinction Rebellion have been active here in the Netherlands and in April thousands of people attended XR’s ‘The big one’ in London. This shows shades of things to come, the people will be heard! Change (Aquarius) will be demanded (Pluto).

‘The people’ were also very unhappy with Boris Johnson’s behaviour during COVID and he was cornered into resigning near the end of Pluto’s trial run on June 9th. And of course in this period in the UK there was a major change in power (Pluto) for the masses (Aquarius) when King Charles III was crowned after Queen Elizabeth’s death. Whether this was seen as good, bad or neither, depends on your perspective, but it is a major change on the world stage, with Charles being a very different monarch. He has Pluto-Aquarius characteristics, and, as Prince of Wales, has indeed been very ahead of his time, and rebellious, in his need for transforming the environment.

A harbinger of the next few years

For Pluto, this is a major sign change that hasn’t happened since 1777!  (There is more on this in an earlier post – see below.) And it starts a run of outer planet changes which are also important. Neptune begins his swim through Aries in 2025, the start of a whole new cycle. Uranus wakes up Gemini areas starting in 2025 too.  The last time this happened was 1941. And Saturn also starts a whole new cycle in Aries when he puts a solid boot in Aries in 2025. This will create a whole new zeitgeist with so many of these slower planets settling in to new signs – particularly Aries, the first sign of a whole new cycle, which both Neptune (last time 1861) and Saturn (last time 1996) will enter next year.

Back to 2024 when Jupiter meets Uranus

There is one other major planetary focus this year that is worthy of note. Jupiter and Uranus will be together on April 21st. They get together about every 13-14 years. The last two times were 1997 and 2010-11. Around these meetings we feel a combination of their themes. Space, travel, politics, philosophies, faiths, and expansion for Jupiter and the unexpected, sudden changes, innovation, technology, and rebellion for Uranus, to name a few. Very near the 1997 conjunction, Dolly the Sheep was the first mammal to be cloned, and a very fitting film was released called ‘The Empire Strikes Back’!

Jupiter met Uranus in 2010-11

I had started my blog by the 2010-11 conjunction. Two things are appropriate for that time – Wikileaks and Julian Assange, a case that continues, so maybe that will be back as a highlight this year. Uranus was exposing truth in global political systems (Jupiter). And Gabrielle Giffords, a US politician who was attempting to change and innovate (Uranus) in politics was shot! (Uranus) For more on both of these events and more on Jupiter-Uranus, see the links below.

Jupiter expands what it touches, so this time will be even more ‘Uranus in Taurus’. I wrote on this back in 2018 – see link also below. We can interpret this as Jupiter affecting Uranus, e.g. huge sudden shocks, changes or rebellion in Taurean areas like banking, agriculture, the earth and our bodies. We can see this already with farmers’ protests and bio-techno innovations. Or we can apply Uranus to Jupiter and get unexpected travel, or innovative strategies, or shocks to old belief systems. Perhaps (hopefully) a wake-up call in politics. This configuration also picks up Ceres, that promotor of democracy, so this is definitely on the cards. And it definitely represents rebellion against the Jupiterian privileged classes. We can already see many of these topics heating up.

 What is means for you on a personal level

A few questions for contemplation to get you started in 2024.

Pluto in Aquarius represents our own unique way of having influence and power – where do you have power and how is it unique? Yes we all have some influence! Sometimes a positive way to use your power is just to say “No”.

Neptune in Pisces represents imagination and dreams – are you imagining what you would like? Or are all your dreams doom and gloom? Imagination is a powerful force, it is worthwhile envisioning a positive future, no matter how difficult this might seem.

Uranus in Taurus on a personal level can wake us up to what we really treasure and value in life. What do you really love and value, if you are being totally honest with yourself?

Saturn in Pisces can ground our imagination. If you have always had a dream, is it time to take practical steps towards achieving your dream goal?

And lastly that Jupiter-Uranus conjunction. Should you take that spontaneous trip? Or dare to try a new strategy? Discover other belief systems to raise your own levels of consciousness? Yes! Adventures could be on the cards if you can harness your own gifts and rebel against what others say about them.

Let’s co-create something wonderful in 2024 and beyond, together with the planets. This is turning point energy we shouldn’t squander.

Faye Blake

Other links

My Capricorn post of last year covered some of the same ground, since a few things haven’t changed. However we now have more idea about how planetary placements are operating. My Aquarius 2022 post covers Pluto in Aquarius more fully.

Uranus in Taurus will be in super-drive mode in April. My post Lightning strikes the bull from 2018 is mentioned above.

Three posts on Jupiter-Uranus coming together: Sagittarius 2010, Capricorn 2011 and Aquarius 2011.

And a summary from The Mountain Astrologer magazine from a few astrologers. There are many other good ones too!

Quote of the month

“When the whole world turns upside down, it is the soul at the bottom of everything that is trying to become known again.” Michael Meade