Astrology: The Year 2023 in Review

March 7 Saturn enters Pisces  

brought a lessening of restrictions and more discipline in holistic views

March 24 Pluto enters Aquarius 

brought a foretaste of more socially-conscious power structures

April 20 Total Solar Eclipse in Aries

Highlighted Pluto control issues

May 5 Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio

Highlighted the volatile nature of social change

May 16 Jupiter enters Taurus

Brought a slower, more practical outlook

May 17 Jupiter square Pluto

Increased ambitious tendencies, with problems of dogmatism and fanaticism

June 11 Pluto Retrograde re-enters Capricorn

Favours more conservative, strict, rigid tendencies

June 19 Jupiter in Taurus sextiles Saturn in Pisces

Brings a period of focused, balanced productivity

Winter Review

To give a few examples of how that general mood played out, we have Greta Thunberg, who was involved in some curious incidents over the semester. There was a curious Twitter exchange with MMA practioner David Tate. There was also a most curious ‘staged police detention’ theory, and an equally curious exchange with Rebel News reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Curiouser and curiouser indeed, although I do think the police have improved their Greta removal techniques in a recent Norway protest.

Moreover, the ever-quixotic Peter Gabriel, ended speculation about an oft-announced new album by releasing first new material in over two decades. No exact date release date for the album has been given, but three songs have been released so far, all released on the day of the full moon. Additionally, Prince Harry released his autobiography, which could quite possibly be the weirdest book ever written by a royal. In the US, another president has been leaving his files at home.

Although not as numerous and dramatic as the previous semester, there were still a few significant protests, notably in Peru (over deposition of former president Castillo), Israel (over 80,000 Israelis protest against Supreme Court reform), Brazil (Bolsonaro supporters), France (retirement age pension eligibility), and Greece (major train derailment). In Canada, the results of an inquiry into the Ottawa trucker convoy occupation revealed a comedy of errors.

March 7 Saturn enters Pisces

A rare 50, 000 year-cycle comet appeared in the skies and a major earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria. As Saturn entered Pisces on March 7, 200 countries agreed to a legally-binding treaty, the UN High Seas Treaty, to protect marine life in international waters, which cover around half of the planet’s surface, have long been essentially lawless. There was also some recent heavy flooding in California and Australia, as well as a major storm, cyclone Freddy, in Malawi.

Spring Review

March 24 Pluto enters Aquarius

Near the Spring equinox, March 21, Russia and China had an important meeting, Xi,Putin reaffirm partnership in 2nd day of talks. and there was an earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  For March 24, Pluto entered Aquarius, there were major tornadoes in midwestern, southern U.S, and ex-US president Donald Trump was arrested. Also, there were U.S.airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria.

April 20 Total Solar Eclipse in Aries

There was a civil war  flare-up in Sudan that began a week earlier. Moreover, a rocket ship blew up. Super Heavy's 33 powerful Raport engines malfunctioned on ascent. Some more positive events during this period include, on April 10, Saudi Arabia makes peace proposal for Yemen after Houthi talks and on April 15, in Canada,

May 5 Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio

For the May 5 Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio, the end of the COVID emergency was declared, and there was a shooting incident in Allen, Texas

May 17 Jupiter square Pluto

May 20 Mars opposite Pluto

May 22 Mars square Jupiter

Some typical events could include a terrible India train crash and widespread forest fires in Canada. For more examples, all of the main news events for May 25 could correlate to these aspects. The Nato Resource Conference was held in Ottawa on May 23-25, 2023.

June 11 Pluto Retrograde re-enters Capricorn

We've seen an escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and an indictment of an ex-US president. Some spectacular water disasters, a Greek migrant boat sinking with 700 casualties on June 14, and a Sub-Marine exploring the Titanic wreckage had an accident causing five fatalities, June 18. These could be related to Saturn In Pisces, also Pluto on cusp of Aquarius & Capricorn, I would relate it also to Mars square Uranus, June 26, & fading Mars opposite Pluto-themes: meltdowns, watery depths, unusual, tragic

June 19 Jupiter in Taurus sextiles Saturn in Pisces

Nato works on first defense plans since Cold War.  Another Saturn in Pisces related-theme of water regulation awareness occurred on July 11 when a growing list of countries have also called for a halt to deep-sea mining, at a key moment for the fledgling industry as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meets to determine rules for mining

Summer Review

June 26 Mars square Uranus

Around June 24, reports began to emerge of major militia conflicts in Sudan, which broke out in April.

July 20 Mars opposite Saturn

A third very volatile month-long Mars aspect in a row occurred with was Mars opposite Saturn, July 20. Circumstances or people tend to thwart our will, feelings of resentment or frustration; difficult to assert ourselves; action & expressing our urges blocked; difficult to complete tasks. There was also Sun opposite Pluto, July 21, bringing issues of power and competition.

Various incidents around that time included: A mass shooting in Australia, a third indictment for Donald Trump, a big Tornado in South Carolina, a UPS and Hollywood writer’s strike occurred, as well as major Russian attacks in Ukraine and a big heat wave in the US.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/us/5-things-to-know-for-july-20-auckland-shooting-trump-tornado-ups-netflix/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/21/us/5-things-to-know-for-july-21-ukraine-extreme-heat-strikes-ai-e-cigarettes/index.html

On July 17,  Russia suspended its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain, once again raising fears over global food supplies and scuppering a rare diplomatic breakthrough to emerge from Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Record Forest Fire outbreaks in Canada were announced, July 24. There was a military coup in Niger on July 25. On August 4, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency due to militia conflicts.

We lost several important musicians:

Singer and social rights activist Tony Bennett passed away on July 21. Singer and social rights activist Sinéad O’Connor passed away on July 27. Singer/songwriter and social activist Sixto Rodriguez passed away on August 9. Robbie Robertson, the string-bending guitarist and principal songwriter of The Band, and indigenous rights supporter passed away on August 9.

There were a lot of interesting cultural events over the Summer that had Theosophical connections:

OZ: A New Musical freeFall Theatre Company Florida Musical about L. Frank Baum with Matilda Joslyn Gage, good run. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released. HayaoMiyazaki's fantasy epic The Boy and the Heron. Barbie film has Gnostic Wizard of Oz elements. Oppenheimer film, he was into the Bhagavad Gita.

Several major esoteric theosophical painting exhibitions:

Embracing the Esoteric-Inside Mystical Realm of Occult Art June 19,2023 Eli Anapur Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid Rubens Chagall Miró Munch Dalí Kandinsky Ernst. In London, another exhibition that brings together two artists in dialogue opened at the Tate Modern. Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life. “Another World: Transcendental Painting Group, 1938–1945” opened for the final stop of its multi-museum tour at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, where it will remain through June. The current Charmion vonWiegand show at the Kunstmuseum Basel is her first solo institutional show

Fall Review

October 8 Mars square Pluto

The oncoming Russia-Ukraine conflict was easier to predict, because the buildup was highly mediatized. I think that this is the first time that I was surprised at what occurred in the semester, as I didn't really see a Sun opposite Neptune (a T-Square with a Moon square to it) as particularly volatile (although I do find that difficult Moon aspects can be powerful in event charts). Although the Hamas attack occurred a day before an exact Mars square Pluto on October 8, a volatile aspect where pretty much anything can happen.

Perhaps the meaning of 'conflicts of a more deceptive, illusory, fantastical nature could occur' could be related to the surprise, unforeseen nature of the attack (regardless of whether it was really that unforeseeable). Moreover, a very surreptitious, mobile and swift attack on a rave music festival could be considered to fit with the Sun opposite Neptune aspect.  It was a strange twist of fate that a German-Israeli woman with esoteric interests, Shani Louk, would become an iconic figure in the Hamas-Israel war, her final IG post had Hermetic axiom 'As above, so below'. A "convinced pacifist", she refused to undergo compulsory military service. Moreover, ' seeing through any illusions, smokescreens, halls of mirrors, moon mist and gaslight' could correspond to the complicated history of the Israel-Palestine conflict in general and the massive Anti-Semitic and Islamophobia sentiments that the outbreak provoked. There's also the underground tunnel network apparently being used in Palestine.

Another possible effect of the Mars square Pluto aspect was a major Earthquake in Afghanistan.  Two more events in Canada, related to problems in discerning identity, with longstanding links to past events occurred around the same time. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were "credible allegations" of Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C.. and a former Nazi was somehow applauded in Canadian parliament in the presence of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Oct 14  New Moon Solar Eclipse in Libra

(Mars in Scorpio, water domicile,fully resourced to strive after desires; Venus in Virgo, scrutinize interactions, pinpoint problems, researching solutions).

Also in this amazing two-week period, elections in Poland, Switzerland and New Zealand brought in right-wing governments, with a left-wing candidate coming in in Argentina. In the area of artistic fantastical mysteries, on October 14, the long, mysterious saga of the theft of the red slippers from The Wizard of Oz film came to a conclusion as the accused pleaded guilty, but with many unanswered questions remaining. Moreover, the litigation that delayed Dorothy's dress has been cleared up (sort of) and now the dress can go to auction (maybe). One of my astrological questions this year was, after years of announcements of imminent release, will a new Peter Gabriel album finally happen? It did. And it hit no. 1. Coincidentally, a very astrological release scheme, which was punctually maintained up to December 1. Morevoer, the Vancouver Art Gallery has declared that 10 oil sketches supposedly done by the Group of Seven’s J.E.H. MacDonald and donated to the gallery in 2015 are fake.

The COP 28 meeting was marked by controversy and confusion as, ' many countries walked away from the talks frustrated at the lack of a clear call for a fossil-fuel “phase-out” this decade – and at a “litany of loopholes” in the text that might enable the production and consumption of coal, oil and gas to continue, although a last-minute breakthrough agreement was achieved, with "nearly every country in the world has agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” – the main driver of climate change.'One has to wonder about the timing of finalizing an agreement on the beginning of a Mercury retrograde period, December 13. Coincidentally, at the same time, US Congress voted to launch an impeachment inquiry against the president.