Dear Stargazers,

As 2022 comes to a close, I want to thank you for your support throughout the years and wish you a joy-filled, healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year.

This year brought major changes to my life, including a local change of residence with a great deal of time spent in North Carolina. In January 2023, I will be making it my home. Astrologically speaking, a move far from my place of birth is indicated in my horoscope because the ruler of my 4th house (home) falls in my 9th house (places at a distance). The timing or trigger comes from Pluto, which spent a good deal of time squaring (action) my Moon (planetary ruler of the home).

But what about the reason for the move? Well, that's connected to the Moon as well. My daughter accepted a wonderful job opportunity here (Moon represents family and women), and I want to be close to her. 💖

With so many changes, it's been difficult to maintain a consistent routine but as I settle in, things will settle down, and these newsletters will get back to their regular weekly schedule. In the meantime, I thought I would give you a peek into 2023 and the major shifts that are ahead, so let's get to it!

✨ On December 29, Mercury stationed retrograde at 24°21' Capricorn, which means we end 2022 and begin 2023 under its introspective influence. Click here to view my 2023 Mercury Retrograde calendar.

We also end and begin it under the lagging influence of Mars retrograde. The best way to deal with Mars (action) and Mercury (perception) retrograde is to work with them. Here's how:

✨ Mars Retrograde

With its rulership of Aries (initiation) and co-rulership of Scorpio (transformation), Mars is undeniably the heavy hitter of the personal planets. That's why whenever it goes retrograde, we often experience its influence on a deeper level than we do Mercury or Venus retrograde.

While Mars is in the sign of the Twins, his energy tends to be scattered as he attempts to participate in everything that captures his interest and allows him to flex his mental muscles. Since his attention span is shorter here, Mars in Gemini tends to lost interest in many of the things he initiates but one thing is for certain: his mind doesn't sit still!

However, since October 30, Mars has been retrograde, and whenever he's moving backwards, his ability to initiate is impaired. It's difficult for him to get things off the ground, and if he does, they either fizzle out or backfire on him. His confidence, assertiveness and self-motivation tend to waiver during this time, and he can find it difficult to express passion and anger. He may also find that he hesitates to lead others or stand up for himself.

Like all retrograde cycles, this one is best used for introspection. Since it is occurring in Gemini, the sign that rules curiosity, communications, data, research, analysis and mental processes, it offers Mars a great opportunity to notice, question and reevaluate his desires, actions and modes of self-advocacy. If he takes it, and especially if he taps into Gemini's problem-solving abilities, he will emerge from this cycle with solutions and action plans that strengthen his character, enhance his odds for success and promote his evolutionary growth.

While we don't all experience Mars's trials on a personal level, we do all encounter them on a collective one. So how best to work with this cycle?

Collectively speaking, the focus is on mundane actions, which means it's best to refrain from initiating new projects, launching new programs or filing lawsuits until Mars is direct. If we must release a new product, take on a leadership role or file a lawsuit, then we need to be prepared to put in extra effort to promote our efforts, inspire confidence in our subordinates and understand we may need to file an appeal.

On a personal level, it's about reexamining the things that motivate us, make us angry and stir our passion, as well as reconsidering how comfortable we feel being in charge or standing up for ourselves. If we're lucky, we may discover that most/some/all of these things aren't much of a problem. If not, there's still time left to follow Mars's lead and delve into what we need to do to resolve it. Many times, it's simply about gaining a fresh perspective.

✨ Mercury Retrograde

Whenever Mercury is in Capricorn, we become more aware of our reputation and how our family, friends, co-workers, superiors and yes, even the public, views us. We also become more conscious of material issues, as well as our professional (and personal) ambitions.

Mercury's retrograde cycle in Capricorn offers us an excellent opportunity to review all of these matters, as well as review our achievements, reconsider our perception of worldly success, and reevaluate our relationships with authority figures. If we have been unsure of our career, life purpose or overall destiny, a productive use of this period would be to engage in some serious self-reflection to unearth what fulfills our ambitions as well as our soul.

Once Mercury goes direct on January 18, we can count on its clear-sighted nature to help us brainstorm, set goals and make concrete plans for the future.define, organize and execute our plans in a lasting manner.

And, since Mars will have already stationed direct on January 12, we should find it easier to initiate ideas and execute plans.

✨ All Planets in Direct Motion

If you feel that your life (or career) has been stagnant, the good news is that an energetic shift on January 20 is likely to bring you a breath of fresh air until April 20. During this three-month window, ALL of the planets will be moving forward in direct motion. While the absence of retrograde planets doesn't guarantee success in your endeavors, many of you will find this period of time easier to move forward without any lagging influences.

✨ Movers and Shakers

There are several MAJOR planetary shifts in 2023:

💫 Saturn in Pisces (March 7, 2023)

💫 Pluto in Aquarius (March 23 - June 11, 2023)

💫 Aries/Libra Eclipse Cycle (April & October)

💫 Jupiter in Taurus (May 16)

💫 Lunar Nodes Shift into Aries/Libra (July 17)

💫 Venus Retrograde in Leo (Jul 22 - Sept 23)

Each one of these shifts will make its influence known on a collective level, as well as on an individual one according to where it's happening in your personal horoscope and any aspects (connections) it makes to planets or personal points in your chart.

You can count on me to discuss these shifts (and sooner rather than later!) and share my insights to help you make the most of their influences, especially the ones that are likely to challenge or test you.

But for now, I'm going to close this newsletter, wish you a brilliant 2023 and say that look forward to connecting with you in the new year!