The Astrology of the First Half of 2024 Is Electric
A charged, revolutionary zeitgeist is the theme for this action-packed first half of 2024
A charged, revolutionary zeitgeist is the theme for this action-packed first half of 2024
Note: I am currently a student of astrology, enrolled in a serious online course after four years of study via podcasts, videos, blogs, and membership in astrology communities. I humbly offer this article because astrology is an ancient, deep practice, and I have to learn much. I hope you find it useful.
General Overview
Unlike the past few years when the activities of the Heavens suggested humanity had at least January to get things in gear, the astrology of 2024 — from January 2— clearly states: It’s Go Time.
And 2024 looks rapid, transformational, expansive, and unpredictable, especially in the year’s first half. As a result, the predictions of astrologers are all over the map (and I’ve got some doozies of my own in this article!). In general, there’s a feeling of giddiness and hope that for the first time in a few years, the Universe is really offering us the energetic support to transcend many of the problems we face, personal or collective.
In studying the astrology of these next six months and putting it into the context of current events, it will be essential that people regulate their nervous systems and try to stay grounded.
There will be a lot of exciting news begging for your attention, and it won’t always be easy to ignore. You might want to set time limits for media consumption, set time aside to go offline, or even take a full “tech sabbath” day where you put away all screens.
This is because once Pluto moves into Aquarius on January 20, the first half of the year is dominated by Air and Fire, the two outward manifesting polarities. Positively, this means courage, inspiration, intuition, and enthusiasm (Fire) and ideas, communication, insight, and technological advances (Air). Negatively, it means volatility, impatience, and burnout (Fire), and arrogance, emotional distance, and cold-heartedness (Air).
In addition, April suggests explosive, expansive events and people feeling they must speak up loudly about them, often with little room to listen or budge. In addition, the more the Powers-that-Be try to crack down on this energy, the more likely there will be fireworks. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” might be April’s anthem, for better and worse.
On top of that, 2024 is another United States presidential election year where the two major parties are justifying a “by any means necessary” strategy to “save democracy.” With the rapid advance of technologies like deep fakes in this climate, it’s going to be more challenging than ever to discern truth from bullshit, and some of us are likely to get censored, shadowbanned, or beaten down by dickless donkeys for calling this out. Yes, folks, it could get ugly even while it’s also absolutely hilarious.
My advice is to consider practicing an Aquarian sense of detachment, viewing the whole thing more like a fictional drama than reality. And by “whole thing,” I mean not just the presidential election, but the likely advances in A.I., possible major shifts to economic systems including crashes to markets and the introduction of digital currencies, and disruptions to supply chains and the food we eat.
I strongly suspect that our fear-mongering “if it bleeds, it leads” media will continue contributing to our sense of dread rather than our sense of ease. When you feel your nervous system frying, consider turning off all media and going somewhere peaceful in Nature to tune your nervous system into nature’s rhythms. I speak from experience over the past few years; this works.
All that said, do not despair. If you can enter these six months prepared for all of this, tap into the more light-hearted energy that’s also available, and take whatever steps you need to prepare, 2024, unlike 2020, provides a lot of supportive energy for making significant breakthroughs in projects for those who put in the effort, especially in the first part of the year.
This relates to expanding Jupiter going direct at the start of the year, moving through Taurus until May 25, and meeting Uranus in Taurus on April 21 for its once-every-13-to-14-year conjunction. Taurus is the sign of real material security. This means something more essential than money; it’s the real things we exchange money for: food, shelter, gardens, and our core material health needs. It also relates to our core values.
Something as simple as beginning — and staying committed to — a body-enhancing routine could be the difference between riding these energetic waves to the beach and getting pulled down by them. Or, it could be making sure you take the time out of your busy schedule and this buzzing world to appreciate Soul-inspiring music or long-ass articles about it.
How I Do The Wim Hof Method: Breathing
Note: This is part one of a three-part series where an average, middle-aged dude — me — tells you my step-by-step…bryanwinchell-japan.medium.com
With all of the Air and Fire in the charts of the next six months blowing up our potential to blast off into the stratosphere, tapping into the Taurus archetype of Fixed Earth — basic goods and necessities, our core values, and connecting with — and relaxing into — the abundance of Nature — will serve as a wonderful antidote to the downsides of too much Air and Fire.
The last general point about 2024 is that, like the past few years, the first half is more dynamic than the second. If you can incorporate the simple concept that the first half of 2024 is for moving forward and the second half is a time to review — you’ll be ahead of most of your fellow humans on Earth. (I’m not sure about Venus; the humans are pretty hip and ahead of their time up there, in my experience.)
Before we do a month-by-month breakdown of the first half of 2024, a quick note: For this article, I consumed many hours of media from various astrologers whom I respect. There are too many to name or remember, but I am grateful to all of them. However, the primary two sources are World Astrology Report (my favorite YouTube channel for mundane astrology, i.e., astrology focused on world events, which I’ve sometimes abbreviated as “WAR” in this report) and The Astrology Podcast.
The Main Events of The First Half of 2024 (Chronological)
(Most significant events in bold; links lead to charts.)
January: Build a Foundation (Jupiter (12/31) and Mercury (1/2) Direct, Mars Into Capricorn (January 4)
January 20: Transformation Over Time (Pluto Into Aquarius)
February: Deep, Challenging Relational Interactions (Mercury-Pluto Conjunction in Aquarius (February 5); Mars-Pluto Conjunction in Aquarius (February 14); Venus-Pluto Conjunction in Aquarius (February 17), Venus-Mars Conjunction in Aquarius (February 22); Sun/Mercury/Saturn Conjunction in Pisces(February 28))
March-April: Spring Into Action, Don’t Lose Your Cool! : (Eclipse Season on the Libra/Aries Axis (March 25-April 8), Mars/Saturn Conjunction in Pisces (April 10th), Mercury Retrograde in Aries (April 1 to April 25), and Jupiter-Uranus Conjunction in Taurus (April 21).
Late April-May: A Break In the Action? (Venus Joins Sun In Taurus (April 29), Mercury Into Taurus (May 15), All joining Jupiter and Uranus)
Late May-June: There’s a Buzzin’ in the Air (Gemini Season: Sun Into Gemini (May 20), Venus Into Gemini (May 23), Jupiter into Gemini (May 25), Mercury Into Gemini (June 3))
January: Build A Foundation
After Jupiter stations direct just before the New Year and Mercury stations direct on January 2nd, Mars will enter Capricorn on January 4th. Mars is our willpower, and it is exalted in Capricorn. When you combine this with Jupiter and Mercury moving forward, January is a great month to get shit done.
Capricorn rewards those who have a slow-and-steady approach. While Mars can encourage a faster style, if you can just tap into that Martian energy to get yourself started with an intention to keep at it, this transit can set you up to slay 2024 … in a good way, of course.
In some ways, January 2024 is like a reversal of January 2020, a year that many people, including yours truly, thought was going to be the start of something new but turned out to be a year of contraction. If we’d known our astrology better, we would have understood that our plans — likely charged up by Jupiter’s run through its home sign of high-minded-and-cosmically-adventurous-but-sometimes-overconfident Sagittarius in 2019 — would face some roadblocks due to a historic Saturn/Pluto/Sun/Mercury conjunction in the second week of January 2020.
January 2024, though, is an invitation to hit the ground running. If one can get a head start on the year, it could allow us to take a much-needed break in the spring when the astrological energies are at their highest, and lots of our fellow humans have turned into headless chickens strutting around like senile Mick Jaggers. No, that’s not a pretty image — so don’t be that! Get started now and be the still-human Keith Richards watching from the comfort of a beachside cabana.
Also, when Pluto enters Aquarius, where it will stay until its final dip into Capricorn in early September until mid-November, the energies might start getting a bit more frazzled, so having a grounded, steady routine will help you not only avoid the pitfalls of this new energy but can help you utilize them.
After all, Pluto in Aquarius promises wholesale transformation of global governance over its 20-year stay in that humanitarian sign, with decentralization, a flattening of top-down power, and, as those power structures resist change, a rising up of the People. Again, this won’t happen overnight, but the last time Pluto changed signs — 2008, from Sagittarius to Capricorn — the financial collapse occurred, and Americans voted into office the first Black president, so the year Pluto changes signs can often signal big changes to how Power operates.
February: Deep, Challenging Relational Interactions
One of the basics of astrological language is when the Sun makes its month-long transit through a sign, such as Aquarius, from January 20 to February 19 in 2024; this is called Aquarius Season. But the Sun often isn’t traveling alone; it often moves through a sign with Mercury and Venus, too. That’s because Mercury can never be any further than 27 degrees from the sun (no more than one sign apart) and Venus can never be any more than 47 degrees (no more than two signs apart). This means it’s reasonably common for the Sun, Mercury, and Venus to travel together through a sign, which means the archetypal expression of that sign will be expressed more broadly than if the Sun was in the sign all by itself.
Now, the fun — and more profound — stuff begins when the other planets get involved, and in the first half of 2024, the outer planets are all in the signs located in the first half of the year, which means all of the conjunctions — one of the most expressive aspects in astrology — will take place in these first six months. (For those keeping score, in 2024, we have Jupiter in Taurus, Saturn in Pisces, Uranus in Taurus, Neptune in Pisces and Pluto in Aquarius and Capricorn, not to mention important asteroid, Chiron, in Aries, and the Pluto-sized Eris in Aries).
In addition, Mars has been traveling in the same sign as the Sun basically since October and while the Sun will begin to separate from Mars by February, Mars will catch up to Pluto for its almost-every-two-year conjunction on … wait for it …
Valentine’s Day. Make love, not war, suggested this astrologer in his video on the Mars transits of 2024. This could be challenging so early in an Air sign because Air signs relate to our intellect (Thinking function in MBTI). This might be a good day to stay off Twitter, folks.
Meanwhile, since Pluto is related to Power, could we see aggressive (Mars) action in regulating A.I., Internet usage or so-called disinformation? My plea to my fellow Team Human members is don’t get caught up in the energy of these few days. The last thing we want is to give Power “justification” to crack down.
However, for those who can appreciate going deep with a loved one, this is also an opportunity to air out some grievances. Just remember to hold the space and keep some of that detached, Big Picture Aquarian energy in mind while asking: What is the goal of this discussion? Am I in it only to win it, or can I see it as an opportunity to create more resonance with my loved one?
Then, on the 22nd, Venus catches up with Mars for their every two-odd-years meeting, this time in early Aquarius. The last time this happened was around the time that the war in Ukraine kicked off because Mars conjunct Venus can be about fighting for our values to the bitter end.
So again, these are some potentially treacherous energies to navigate through in the second half of February. But hey, we’re just getting started — the real fireworks are just around the corner!
March: Tensions Building
The second weekend of March is where most of the action is in the first half of the month, with a challenging Mars square Uranus on the 9th that could trigger some of the revolutionary energies which will become more prominent as we enter eclipse season toward the end of the month, go through the Mercury retrograde in Aries in early April and then reach the Big Event, the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in mid-April.
A novelist might look at this week as being full of emotional triggers, a perfect place to start a story with a bang, with a conjunction between Chiron, the Wounded Healer, and the North Node of the Moon (March 5) Mercury passing by Neptune in late Pisces (March 8), a New Moon in Pisces on the 10th not far off a conjunction with Saturn. That’s an action-packed, emotionally deep week, which I’m certain forecasts for March will focus on as we get closer.
April: Explosive, Expansive, Aaargh!
And now, 2024’s main event, April, is a month full of electric potential. What else can we call a month with a Mercury retrograde in Aries from April 2 to April 25, a powerful total solar eclipse conjunct Chiron in Aries (April 8), a Mars-Saturn conjunction (April 10), and, last but certainly not least, the once-every-13-to-14 year Jupiter/Uranus Conjunction on April 21?
Did you get all that? For the astrological curious, pay attention to your favorite astrologers in March because they’re all going to go into serious astro-geek mode, spending a lot of time digging into all of this. Don’t worry, I will, too!
In short, this looks like a time of immense energy, people standing up for what they believe in even if doing so puts them at risk, possibly stubborn refusals to hear what others who may not be aligned with you are saying, and some frustrated confusion with the Mercury retrograde.
I made this point earlier in the general comments, but it bears repeating (and is really why I took so much time researching and writing this article): Mind your nervous system and watch your mouth.
Having said that, there are, indeed, lots of things worth fighting for and too many forces that stand in the way of real progress, so this warning is more of a caution against going too far or being reckless than an admonition to stay on the sidelines.
No! Courage is the keyword for 2024 with the North Node in Aries, and far be it from me to discourage any revolutionary action you may feel like taking. Just be, well, smart about it, okay? And be sure to give yourself some time to rest, as the energies and the events will likely be exhausting most of this month, and it’s not like they will tuck you safely into bed. That’s up to you!
On a mundane level, the United States is going through its Chiron Return in 2024. With the solar eclipse path on April 8 traveling through the US, making an X in Texas with the eclipse path of October 14, 2023, it’s not hard to imagine that the immigration crisis will boil over into the national dialogue around this time. On the World Astrology Report’s “Why 2024 Will be a Landmark Year,” astrologer SJ Anderson said this could be a time when Americans are “examining and healing those wounds of war (in America).” Considering all of the blood spilled by the US Empire over the past 80 years, that’s a long overdue process, though it won’t be easy. Still, in this writer’s opinion, it’s about time.
To finish this wild month, let’s address that Jupiter-Uranus conjunction on April 21.
Because Jupiter has long been considered a “benefic” planet that “expands and affirms”¹, and because Uranus is connected with change, transformation, and liberation, Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions are associated with periods of revolutionary uprisings (Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street in 2010–11), progressive politics (all slaves freed across the British Empire in 1838–9), technological breakthroughs (Moon Landing 1969) and cultural milestones (Harry Potter’s first book released in 1997)².
With this conjunction occurring in Fixed Earth Taurus, this may be the period when revolutionary changes to our monetary system flash onto the scene, or it could be another period of uprisings from farmers and other salt-of-the-Earth types against the top-down globalists. Who knows, perhaps the “two sides” that divide the People will finally unite, and, at long last, these technocratic madmen will be kindly escorted back into their ivory towers where they can pontificate all they want about their ridiculous, hubristic proposals to save the world while nobody listens anymore. A guy can dream, right?
The point here is because Uranus is associated with shock and unpredictability, and because Jupiter expands whatever it touches, making a firm prediction for what will happen around the time of their conjunction in late April is a fool’s errand, but we may as well have some fun trying. Just expect the unexpected and do your best to remain calm.
May: Chill Out Time?
Was reading all of that a bit much? Or maybe that link to the ridiculous Santa Klaus pushed you over the hedge? No, I’m not gonna link it again —you can figure out which of those links it was — because, remember, this first half of 2024 is about forward movement.
Regardless, things calm down considerably in May, so let’s keep it short. May is mid-spring, Taurus Season, and is usually a great time to get outdoors and just soak up the springtime goodness, appreciating the abundance of our beautiful planet in all of its most youthful expression.
After we get through that Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in early Taurus Season, Venus will enter her home sign of Taurus on April 29th, offering a chance for a big exhale.
These next three weeks are a great chance to reconnect with your body and connect your body to the healing powers of Mother Nature. Mercury will join the Taurus party toward the end of the month (May 16), and that could mean we’ll start talking about more practical matters after Mercury’s long run through fiery, inspired Aries.
Ah, now, wasn’t it nice to read about a chill month?
Unfortunately, folks, it won’t last.
June: There’s a Buzzin’ In the Air
According to Dan Waites of World Astrology Report, if we track the Pluto-Neptune conjunction cycle over thousands of years, we can say that our larger age is the Age of Gemini rather than the Age of Pisces or Aquarius, which is based on a looser timing known as the Precession of the Zodiacs and which, on occasion, after one too many digressions about time lords and house rulerships at your local astrology conference, has caused astrological fisticuffs to fly.
Gemini is the sign of the Trickster, and, as the first Air sign, it’s also the area of the Zodiac that signifies when, as toddlers, we first begin to really talk. Considering the rapid-yet-still-relatively-new impact on the world of Artificial Intelligence, the still-new-to-humanity Internet, and how it connects the global brain, I think pondering these times as more Gemini than Aquarius is worthwhile. Your mileage may vary, but if you do, bring your sense of humor because Gemini is an archetypal energy that loves to express itself through laughter.
And 2024 definitely has all the signs of having a very Gemini flavor once we get to June. That’s because the Sun will, of course, enter Gemini on May 20, followed by Venus (May 24), Jupiter (May 26) and Mercury (June 3rd). As I wrote in the February section, it’s not uncommon for the Sun, Venus, and Mercury to be in the same sign. Still, when you add the expansive nature of Jupiter to the situation, we’ve got a bit of a party.
And Jupiter will stay in Gemini for the rest of 2024.
In addition, in the summer of 2025, Uranus will make its first move into Gemini. Then, over the next several years it will move through it, promising a revolutionary era for communications. And last, and somewhat ominously, the United States has its natal Uranus in Gemini, and every time Uranus has transited through Gemini, the US has gone to war (Revolutionary, Civil, and World War II). (See this video or this video for more).
We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but the point is that Jupiter’s move into Gemini at the end of May 2024 could be seen as the start of an era with distinct Gemini flavors, so it’s probably good to brush up on our Gemini archetype now before we get swamped by it.
Conclusion
We made it!
It will be quite the ride, but I’ll leave you with this core belief of mine: You are courageous. More than you know. Perhaps life hasn’t challenged you enough for you to know it. Or maybe you have suffered setbacks and doubt yourself. That’s okay. Sometimes, going through periods of doubt is a way to discover our true nature.
Just do your best not to forget: We all wanted to be here for these events and knew that going through them together wouldn’t be easy. Yet, here we all are. Remember to give yourself plenty of breaks, stay involved but not overwhelmed, and love the ones you’re with.
I hope this article will be helpful for you as you navigate these topsy-turvy, exciting waters of 2024. Please feel free to leave a comment or use the links below to contact me. Thanks for reading.
(1) George, Demetra, Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1
(2) Ken Reads Jyotish, “Jupiter Uranus Conjunction” (3/1/2023). Note: While this is from a Vedic astrologer, the historical data I took from it remains consistent for Western astrology.
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