The Lunar Year in Review: 2023’s Cosmic Lessons for 2024
February 20, 2024 | Margarita Celeste
Although we’re a few weeks into the New Year, many of us are still reflecting on the year that’s just gone by. After all, the Astrological New Year only happens on the Equinox on March 21st, 2024. Thus, many of us might still be looking back, integrating and pondering on all that unfolded during 2023.
Looking over at the Lunations, there were a few important themes that stood out. Some of these themes are carried through into 2024. Here are some of the themes that we can still learn from, that are important to keep in mind as we navigate into this new chapter.
Love and Relationships – Balancing the Masculine and Feminine
Most important to reflect on is the theme of Love and Relationships. Why?
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Well, the Moon’s North and South Nodes shifted into the relationship-oriented signs of Aries and Libra on July 17th, 2023. This kicked off an 18-month cycle, seeing as the Nodes will only shift into a new pair of signs in 2025.
With the North Node in individualistic Aries, and the South Node in Other-oriented Libra, there’s a balance to be achieved. Where were we giving too much? Where could we have been taking more than we needed? In what way do we need to assert our independence whilst holding the container of the relationship as sacred and important? How can we both compromise whilst making sure that our own path is honored?
These are just some of the questions that we may be facing this year, questions carried forward from last year. In our outside lives, we may have found that certain relationships have had to abruptly come to an end, whilst other, very important, relationships began. The most important times of these were around the Eclipses of October 2023. These kicked off the themes of the next year and a half, where many of us have been navigating the tricky waters of relating. This doesn’t have to be romantic relationships, either. Any partnership, any connection, has been tested to see if it has staying power.
We’re not out of the woods just yet, either. There’s so much more to come.
This year, in 2024, we have The Eclipse over March/April and September/October. This will continue our journey and invite us all to explore whether or not a particular relationship needs to stay or go. If we are longing for a soul-based partnership, this may be exactly the time it appears. In order for us to be ready, we have to be very clear and make space so that our hearts are primed to receive all the love that we deserve.
At the same time, finding space for individual development is key. This is the hope of the North Node in Aries. We may also explore how we need to heal within ourselves the polarity of Masculine and Feminine. How we need to ensure that we’re not just out there in the world, slaying, but also having the time to come back within, to rest, receive, nourish and nurture. That we are finding that balance between peace and assertion, key themes of these energies. We’re moving past the need to people-please and learning to compromise in a much healthier way.
Last year, the planet Uranus was angled to many of the New and Full Moons, reflecting rapid and unexpected change, change that led to greater freedom in the long run. Yet, it has been a challenge to navigate these changes with a sense of groundedness and calm. We may have entered 2023 with our nervous systems feeling rather tender and triggered. This theme continues into 2024 with a few of the lunations linked to this planet of rebellion and restlessness. Now that we’re a little more familiar with his energy, we can learn to flow with the change instead of resisting it, to find a sense of stability when everything seems to be up in the air. This may include relationships, finances, our home, sense of security and even our businesses. This has been a theme since 2018, so it’s nothing new.
Whenever there’s a New or Full Moon in a fixed sign – Aquarius, Leo, Taurus or Scorpio – is when we need to be extra – aware of our high need for things to change. These are the lunations that will usher in unprecedented shifts, but ultimately, also set us free. Let’s move into these energies with excitement, eager for the liberation and freedom that this planet always brings. Moving out of our comfort zones, time and time again is where we’ll find our highest growth.
Healing Trauma & Empowering Ourselves
Quite a few of 2023’s Moons’ had a distinct Plutonian flavor. This is because Pluto, planet of death and rebirth, of the Underworld, shifted between the two signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, triggering the fixed and cardinal signs. These number eight in total, including Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, Scorpio, Capricorn, Cancer. Libra and Aries.
Thus, this intense and dramatic planet was very much present for many of our New and Full Moons in 2023. Pluto ultimately represents the ability to transcend trauma and overcome our past. To heal our wounds and make peace with those who may have hurt us. Pluto asks us to go into the darkness in the shadow, and to find our light there.
Pluto is still doing a dance between Aquarius and Capricorn this year, reflecting that these themes are going to still be relevant for many of us. Except now, we are forwarded, forwarded and prepared. We can now reach out to the right therapists, the right guides, to assist us in navigating these powerful periods of deep metamorphosis and personal evolution. The main lunations to look out for will be in the eight signs already mentioned above – that’s eight out of twelve Full and New Moons, which is a big deal.
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A big question to keep asking ourselves over 2024 is how we can heal our inner child. What do they need? Where are they triggered? What is important for us to feel safe?
Our final cosmic lesson that we are taking from 2023 into 2024 is the lesson of Balance. Where in our lives have we lacked balance lately? Where do we need to find a little more equilibrium? For some of us, the answer may be rather obvious. Maybe we’ve lacked balance in our closest relationships, where we’ve fallen into people-pleasing patterns. We all want to be liked and loved, after all. It’s wired in us to survive by being ‘nice’ even if we don’t want to be.
Yet, with the Moon’s South Node in Libra, it’s time to transcend this habit and move into the North Node’s energy of Self-Assertion. This creates the balance we need in order to be able to pour from a full cup, without resentment and martyrdom.
The other area in which we may find that we need balance is work/life. Many of us tend to burn the candle at both ends. With a society that values productivity over rest, it’s natural to be chasing goals and ambitions. 2023 has been attempting to teach us how to find a better state of balance, otherwise there’s the chance we burn out. This cosmic lesson continues into 2024, and the Eclipses of March/April may be the call to action in this regard.
Then, the balance between relationships and career – this is a big one. We might have been giving too much energy to a certain relationship in our lives, even to a marriage, for example. Now’s the time where we need to give a little more attention to what we want for ourselves, personally. It’s not selfish to have personal desires. Sure, we may take it a little too far, but we’ll know when that point is and when we need to regain more equilibrium.
A Final Note….
We’ll be getting a taste of something new in September, which the Moons’ Nodes briefly shift into the axis of Pisces and Virgo. This will bring up, for many of us, a major healing process. So, as we navigate through this new year, let’s rest assured that there’s much in store for us. We will find the right habits, routines, healers, divine connection and escapes to continue on these powerful journeys that we are all on.
Margarita Celeste is a passionate, practicing Astrology & Tarot Teacher and Consultant living in sunny Cape Town, South Africa. She has been interested in the deep symbolism of the stars and planets ever since she can remember and specializes in Relationship and Psychological Astrology.
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