Yes, you’ve made it to 2022. A bit older and A LOT wiser. Congratulations!
That said. You know growth and change is an ever-constant process. This year will deliver on significant changes and growth in your personal life and that of our collective experience. 2022 is a year of Mastery. A year of showing and using what you’ve learned and then bringing those skills into a greater level of refinement.
Since we have a lot to cover astrologically, I’ve broken up the important events into two batches. Grab your hot beverage of choice, and let’s dive into the energies of 2022.
Venus retrograde
Venus retrogrades every couple of years. When this happens, it signifies a period of personal development around topics that include our relationships, values, money, pleasures, and comforts.
The worth of something is subjective and is changeable. During Venus retrograde cycles, we have an opportunity to re-evaluate what we consider of value. Look to your relationships, how you have fun, spend money, and what you physically own to help you determine what you truly value. If you’re not comfortable with what you learn from this assessment, start to consider changes you want to make for when Venus goes direct on January 29, 2022.
Some general guidance for Venus retrograde periods:
- If possible, don’t make new commitments
- If possible, don’t acquire new possessions; perhaps a “no spend month” could work well
- Review all significant relationships. Are they nourishing in the way you need now?
- Create space for reflection and evaluation. Venus retrograde is not a time to make external changes relevant to the topics discussed above.
- Revisit your physical and emotional desires; are these desires still in alignment?
Venus retrograde in Capricorn: December 19, 2021- January 29, 2022
In addition to the above, the sign Venus retrogrades through influences the period. This Venus retrograde cycle is occurring in Capricorn and will collectively highlight where we’ve overvalued money-making, power, security, traditions, and persistence. You will come face to face with the actual cost to individual relationships and the broader society.
Have you neglected values, such as working hard towards your heart’s desires, taking unconventional approaches, and knowing when to walk away?
The last time Venus went retrograde in Capricorn was about eight years ago, between December 21, 2013, and January 30, 2014. Do you recall what was happening for you then? Though the details will be different, similar themes are likely to reappear.
Jupiter in Pisces
One of the brightest transits of the year began in the summer of 2021. Jupiter will bring luck, abundance, faith, and justice to the part of your life represented by your Pisces House. Think back to 2010, the last time Jupiter spent most of the year transiting Pisces.
When Jupiter moves through Pisces, we collectively expand our imagination, intuition and bet on what we cannot see but what we feel in our hearts. If you’ve been feeling resistance towards taking the next step towards your most fulfilling future, Jupiter in Pisces will encourage you to move forward even if you cannot see the whole path ahead.
Usually, what we have today started with a feeling or belief. As you slowly move towards your vision, don’t get discouraged by the thick fog of uncertainty and doubt. When it eventually lifts, you’ll be greatly rewarded.
Not every moment of Jupiter’s transit is positive. Its expansive nature can make us overly optimistic, indulgent, and engage in risky behaviors. Jupiter lacks balance.
Themes for Jupiter in Pisces
- The overall ability for ideas to spread quickly and easily among the masses.
- For example, religious and spiritual expansion. Taken too far can look like religious or spiritual zeal
- Advances in the film and photography and the way we interact with visual mediums
- Lots of opportunities for things to go “viral”
- Expansion of sacred knowledge
- An uptick in long-distance travel
- Opportunities for deep healing and the outpouring of compassion
- Extreme weather patterns and natural disasters involving water
Jupiter will be in Pisces until May 10th and will return briefly between October 28 to Dec.19.
Jupiter conjunct Neptune
Whatever Jupiter touches, it expands. Whatever Neptune touches, it dissolves. On April 12, 2022, Jupiter catches up to Neptune at 24° of Pisces. We’re in the territory of a massive dissolution.
Anything concrete and inflexible won’t be reliable. Boundaries can be breached easily. This may also be a period of numbing out to seek comfort in substances that can temporarily make you feel better.
The good news is that we can use this energy creatively to create a better reality. Despite what’s going on around you, dare to dream your biggest dream for yourself AND in service to humanity. Close your eyes. Allow the thick fog to settle. Feel with your heart what is yours to create. Anything is possible under this Jupiter-Neptune conjunction.
The Saturn Uranus square
The struggle for progress always involves a battle between the outdated mode of operating and the new way. In astrology, this is represented by interactions between Saturn and Uranus. Though these two planets have more nuanced meaning (as all planets do), this fight for progress, whether collectively or personally, can be told through the Saturn-Uranus squares. This series of squares dominated 2021’s major astrological themes.
The three exact alignments of 2021’s Saturn-Uranus square:
- Feb. 17, 2021
- Jun. 14, 2021
- Dec. 23, 2021
Groups standing up against oppression and harsh treatment by those in power, in big and small ways, is one way the Saturn Uranus square played out. We saw this in politics, business, science, and the environment. The fight for significant progress continues, and the Saturn-Uranus squares’ energies will be with us this year as well.
What does this mean for you in 2022?
This year, we won’t see an exact square between Saturn and Uranus, but they get pretty close between August and November 2022.
The Saturn-Uranus square highlights a dynamic inner struggle to claim your individuality and freedom on an individual level. This year you’ll experience greater courage and stamina to face some tough decisions while still amid chaos. You’re equipped to handle whatever comes your way, and you have more options than you realize. Don’t wait for perfect timing this year because it may not come.
A final note on working with the challenges of Saturn-Uranus square. There is great potential for the release of creativity. Use this energy to break out of stagnation, and you will discover a concurrent release of creative energies.
As we progress towards a better future, the old slowly falls away; what do you want to take its place? What will be your creative contribution?
Mercury Retrograde
If you’ve ever experienced computer glitches, miscommunications, or travel delays, that seem to follow a regular timeline of every few months, you already are familiar with Mercury retrograde periods.
Mercury retrogrades very regularly, about 3-4 times a year. It’s natural as your circadian rhythms and occurs when Mercury is closest to Earth.
Mercury only appears to move backward from our perspective. It’s like when you are passing a car. Although you are both moving in the same direction, the other vehicle appears to be moving backward.
Mercury’s domain is all things communication and transportation. When it goes retrograde, our thinking, perceiving, writing, and speaking may be a bit wonky. The wonkiness may extend to electronic devices we use for these activities. Delays with public transportation or issues with your car are also possible experiences of Mercury retrograde.
I believe this is the universe’s way of asking us to slow down, review, reflect, reintegrate, and reorganize before moving forward once more. It’s not a time to seek new information but a great time to digest what’s already in front of you.
What to do when Mercury goes retrograde?
No matter what sign Mercury retrogrades through, general themes repeat. Here are some recommendations to align with this energy.
- Review and reflect. Double and triple-check anything important that you put into writing. If you can avoid it, signing any important documents is not advised unless you’ve already done your due diligence.
- Revise. Mercury is moving over old territory in the sky, which provides an excellent opportunity to revise anything that you’ve come to see in a new light. In the area of communication, this is also a perfect opportunity to revisit anything you’ve said in the past that you want to take back.
- Retreat. If possible, make more space in your day-to-day to slow down or pull back a bit.
- Reset. Mercury retrograde periods also provide opportunities to re-establish an intent. You may return to something you started when Mercury was direct or decide not to move forward with it when Mercury turns direct.
- Resource. The best thing you can do for any Mercury retrograde period is to help the mind settle. My favorite tool for doing so is journaling. A journal is a great place to empty your head and reflect on how your thoughts impact your feelings. Mercury retrograde periods can bring up a lot of frustration and overwhelm. Allow your journal to be a resource into which you can channel these feelings.
Mercury Elemental Year 2022
Since February 2021, we’ve been in the Mercury elemental years of air. Each time Mercury stations retrograde, it will do so in air signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Think of this as a yearly master class in Mercury’s approach in one of the four elements fire, earth, air, or water.
Although Mercury retrograde will begin in an air sign, ultimately, it will station direct in an earth sign. This is in preparation for the Mercury Elemental Years of Earth in 2023.
Each Mercury retrograde period straddling two different elements brings in an additional challenge.
You’re being asked to navigate two very different approaches to all things under Mercury’s domain. Taking things slowly while also being adaptable will be crucial. Your ability to discern the subtle changes in your perception is honed as you rely less on external cues.
| 2022 Mercury Retrograde Periods | ||
| DATES | SIGNS | DEGREES |
| Jan. 14 to Feb 3 | Aquarius & Capricorn | 10°Aqu to 24°Cap |
| May 10 to Jun. 2 | Gemini & Taurus | 5°Gem to 26°Tau |
| Sept. 10 to Oct. 1 | Libra & Virgo | 9°Lib to 24°Vir |
| Dec. 29 to Jan. 17, 2023 | Capricorn | 24° to 8° Cap |
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