January 1, 2023: In Ukraine numerous explosions (Mars) rock the capital, Kyiv, minutes after midnight; Ukraine fires at least 25 rockets (Mars) into Moscow-controlled parts of Donetsk killing at least 63 troops (Mars) in a makeshift training barracks; in Afghanistan an explosion outside the military airport in the capital, Kabul, causes multiple casualties; in Mexico at least 14 people are killed in an armed attack (Mars) at a prison in the northern border city, Juarez; and in Uganda at least nine people die in a shopping mall crush-stampede (Mars) in the capital, Kampala. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
After firing a short-range ballistic missile (Mars) off its east coast on December 31 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calls for an ‘exponential’ increase in the production of nuclear warheads (Pluto) and orders the development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) (Mars) to counter the United States and South Korea. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was semisextile Mars in the Sun cycle.
January 2: Syria’s military (Mars) says an Israeli air raid (Mars) kills at least two Syrian soldiers (Mars) and puts the Damascus International Airport (house 9) out of service. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was semisextile Mars in the Sun cycle.
In Queensland, Australia, two helicopters collide (Mars) on the Gold Coast killing four passengers and critically injuring three others. Progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle.
In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, thousands of protesters (Uranus) have been blocking highways for six days, threatening to snarl the domestic transport (house 3) of grains and food, as anger (Mars) simmers following the arrest of local governor Luis Camacho (Sun). Fireworks have been weaponized (Mars) and cars burned. Progressed Jupiter was semisquare Uranus in the Jupiter cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
January 3: The US House of Representatives tries three times to elect a house speaker and three times it fails. No speaker, no Congress. There’s no unity (Pluto). Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle > it’s at peak power on January 7.
In December (with progressed Saturn sesquisquare Mars in the Saturn cycle) Europe experienced unseasonal cold weather and now with progressed Mars conjunction Sun (the two hottest planets) in the Mars cycle temperatures for January have reached all time highs in a number of nations. On January 1 national records were smashed in Warsaw, Poland and Bilbao, Spain; and temperatures in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Belarus broke national records. In Switzerland, temperatures hit 20C, (should be 1C) and the warm weather has affected ski resorts across the Alps which have seen a shortage of snow. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
January 4: The US House of Representatives again tries to elect a house speaker and again fails. In America’s chart progressed Sun (politics) in house 11 (Congress) is inconjunct progressed Mars (conflict), sesquisquare (a sudden disturbance) progressed Saturn (hardline conservatives and loss) and parallel birth chart Neptune (chaos and confusion) – the cusp ruler of house 11. Progressed Moon in house 10 is inconjunct birth chart Neptune; and progressed Mercury – planet of talk and controversy – in house 10 is sesquisquare birth chart Jupiter – the cusp ruler of house 11.
Police (Mars) in Enoch, Utah, find eight family members (Moon), five of them children, dead from gunshot wounds (Mars). It was a murder, suicide by the father. Progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle.
January 5: The US House of Representatives again fails to elect a house speaker. The Republican divide showcases the destructive self-interest of Lower-Pluto. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle. The sudden disruption to the political process, disturbing political circumstances and agitation being felt by Congressmen and women showcase the sesquisquare aspect – see January 4. In Kevin McCarthy’s chart progressed Sun is sesquisquare birth chart Neptune. The agitation will result in change as existing conditions break up. The influence of Pluto could see a split in the Republican Party. Progressed Mars (strife and conflict) is conjunction Sun (politics) in the Mars cycle till January 30.
In Mexico drug cartel leader (Plut0) Ovidio Guzman, a son of jailed kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, is arrested. Nineteen suspected gang members (Pluto) and 10 military personnel (Mars) are killed in a wave of violence surrounding his capture. Furious gang members (Mars-Pluto) set up road blocks, set fire to vehicles and attacked a local airport. Progressed Pluto was parallel Mars in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle.
January 6: Kevin McCarthy suffers another embarrassing defeat as he fails by a single vote to be elected speaker of the US House of Representatives, prolonging the deepest congressional dysfunction in more than 160 years. He keeps making concessions to the hardliners that will have unknown consequences. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; and it’s a full Moon.
January 7: On the 15th ballot Kevin McCarthy, after agreeing to a demand by hardliners that any lawmaker can call for his removal at any time, is elected speaker of the US House of representatives. Progressed Pluto – planet of coercion - was square Jupiter in the sky. See his chart progressed to January 7, 2023
January 8: In Brazil a mob (Pluto) of around 3,000 Jair Bolsonaro supporters, who refuse to accept his electoral defeat storm (Mars) the Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in the capital, Brasilia. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Pluto in the Sun cycle.
In Israel crowds rally (Pluto) against plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to weaken Israel’s Supreme Court (Jupiter) which they say threaten (Pluto) democracy and freedoms (Aquarius) and to expand (Jupiter) settlements in the occupied West Bank. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Pluto in the Sun cycle.
Argentina and China formalize the expansion (Jupiter) of a currency swap deal (Jupiter-house 2), allowing the South American country to increase its depleted (Saturn) foreign currency reserves (house 8). Progressed Jupiter was parallel Jupiter in the Jupiter cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
In central Senegal at least 40 people are killed and 87 injured after two buses collided (Mars) near Kaffrine. Progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle.
January 9: In America a White House lawyer says that classified documents (Mercury-house 12) from Joe Biden’s vice-presidential days were discovered on November 2 at a Washington think tank by the US president’s personal attorneys. In America’s chart progressed Moon in house 10 (Joe Biden) was conjunction progressed Mercury (documents) and inconjunct birth chart Neptune (deception and confusion).
Pope Francis (Jupiter) meets privately with Archbishop Georg Ganswein, former Pope Benedict’s closest aide, who has rattled the Vatican with a book (Mercury) describing what he says were the strains while two men wearing white lived within its ancient walls. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Jupiter cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
In Geneva, donors at an international conference pledge (Jupiter) to give more than $9bn (Jupiter) to help it rebuild Pakistan following last year’s devastating floods. Progressed Jupiter was parallel Jupiter in the Jupiter cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
January 10: In Ukraine the ferocious Russian offensive (Mars) on eastern Bakhmut and Soledar towns involving Wagner Group mercenaries (Pluto) intensifies. Progressed Pluto was parallel Mars in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle
In California the latest Pacific storm unleashes more flooding and landslides. The state has been ‘throttled’ for two weeks by an ‘incessant parade of storms’ (Saturn) bringing excessive rainfall. Progressed Pluto was parallel Saturn in the Pluto cycle.
Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, is released worldwide. See his chart progressed to January 10, 2023
January 11: In the UK Church of England Commissioners (Jupiter), who manage the church’s 10-billion-pound investment portfolio, admit it was investing in the transatlantic slave trade (Jupiter-Neptune) during the 18th century, after it committed 100 million British pounds ($121m) (Jupiter) to address its wrongs. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
At the Vatican Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell (Jupiter) dies. Pell who was found guilty and then acquitted of child sexual abuse in recent years was a conservative-authoritarian who opposed same-sex marriage, homosexuality, abortion and contraception. With the death of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI on December 31, 2022 Vatican-watchers say the church has now lost two strong conservative figures. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
In Egypt the price (Jupiter) of imported food and other goods soars as the country’s pound currency (house 2-Jupiter) plunges to a new low against the $US. The devaluation represents a drop of about 50 percent against the US dollar over a 10-month period. Progressed Jupiter was parallel Jupiter in the Jupiter cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
In Afghanistan at least 20 people (Moon) are killed after a suspected suicide bomber (Mars) detonates himself outside the foreign ministry in Kabul. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle.
January 12: For the first time in 50,000 years comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) makes its closest approach to the Sun. It’s bright green in color, will be closest to Earth on February 2 and is about 26 million miles (42 million kilometres) away. It was first spotted in March 2022 while inside the orbit of Jupiter. Its decanate location is unknown but its color green (Moon) is fortunate.
January 13: Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence announces the country will drastically slash its military (Mars) as it tries to cut costs (Saturn) in the face of its worst economic crisis in decades. The nation is bankrupt. Progressed Mars was conjunction birth chart Saturn in the Aquarian Age chart.
January 14: In Tel Aviv, Israel, more than 80,000 protesters (Uranus) rally against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing coalition government to overhaul the judiciary (Jupiter) and weaken the Supreme Court (Jupiter-house 9). New Jupiter cycle event> Jupiter is semisquare Uranus in the cycle chart.
In Tunis, Tunisia, thousands of protesters (Uranus) march to mark 12 years since the Arab Spring erupted across the region and to rally against President Kais Saied’s increasingly authoritarian drift (Lower-Pluto). Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter and parallel Uranus in the Pluto cycle.
In the UK the execution of British-Iranian man Alireza Akbari by Iran (Lower-Pluto) sparks widespread outrage (Mars-Uranus) and is described as ‘barbaric’ (Mars-Pluto). Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle.
A new Omicron variant XBB.1.5 (Mars) is spreading like a wildfire (Mars) across dozens of countries, with the UN health agency calling it the ‘most transmissible subvariant detected yet’. Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction birth chart Saturn in the Aquarian Age chart.
January 15: In Pokhara, Nepal, at least 68 people are killed when a Yeti airlines flight crashes (Mars); and in Dnipro, Ukraine, at least 30 people are killed in a Russian missile strike (Mars). Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle.
In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo at least 10 people are killed and dozens wounded in a bomb attack (Mars) during a service at a Protestant church (Jupiter-house 9). Progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle; new Jupiter cycle event > Jupiter is sextile Mars in the cycle chart.
January 16: The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting opens in Davos, Switzerland with record numbers of elite government officials and business leaders discussing the world’s economic woes > end date is January 20; and according to Oxfam’s ‘Survival of the Richest’ report (Jupiter) the world’s top 1 percent grabbed nearly two-thirds of the $42 trillion in new wealth (Jupiter) created since 2020. Their share was almost twice as much as the amount obtained by the bottom 99 percent of the world’s population. New Jupiter cycle events > Jupiter was parallel Jupiter in the cycle chart.
In Italy police (Mars) arrest Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro Sun-Pluto) after he was on the run for 30 years. There was dancing in the streets. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Pluto was parallel Mars and square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle.
(Mars turned direct on January 13 and moves to form a conjunction aspect with Sun in the Mars cycle on January 24 > end date is January 30.)
In California six people (Moon) including a six-month-old baby are shot dead (Mars) in what authorities are calling a targeted attack and ‘horrific massacre’ (Pluto). Progressed Pluto was parallel Mars in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Moon in the Mars cycle.
January 17: Russia announces it will make ‘major changes’ (Uranus) to its armed forces (Mars-house 6) from 2023 to 2026, promising to shake up its military structure and strengthen the combat capabilities of its naval, aerospace and strategic missile forces. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Mars will be parallel progressed Uranus in the Aquarian Age chart.
China’s population fell (Saturn) in 2022 by roughly 850,000 people for the first time in six decades, a historic turn that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline (Saturn) in its citizen numbers with profound implications (Pluto) for its economy and the world. Progressed Mars was conjunction and parallel birth chart Saturn in the Aquarian Age chart; and progressed Mercury in China’s chart – in house 8 (the death rate) and cusp ruler of house 5 (the birth rate) – was sesquisquare birth chart Pluto. Progressed Mercury will be opposition progressed Uranus in house 5 throughout 2023.
Wall Street banks (Jupiter) report deep falls (Saturn) in their investment banking businesses and fourth quarter profits and dealmakers handling mergers, acquisitions, and initial public offerings report a sharp drop in business activity in 2022 prompting thousands of job cuts (Saturn). Progressed Mercury was square birth chart Jupiter in the Aquarian Age chart; new Jupiter cycle event.
January 18: In Ukraine 14 people, including the country’s interior minister (Sun), are killed when a helicopter crashed (Mars) into a nursery. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
January 19: The US government hits its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit (Jupiter-house 8) amid a standoff (Pluto) between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and President Joe Biden’s Democrats on lifting the ceiling. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; new Jupiter cycle event.
In France more than a million people (Pluto) march nationwide in a wave of mass strikes (Uranus-Pluto) denouncing President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age, halting trains, blocking refineries and curbing power generation. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Sun was conjunction Pluto in the Sun cycle.
January 20: A dispute (Mars) over tanks (Mars) roils (Mars) and splits (Pluto) a meeting of defense ministers (Sun) from nations aiding Ukraine when Germany rebuffs (Pluto) requests for its Leopard tanks to be used against Russian forces. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
France will boost military spending (Mars-Jupiter) by more than one-third in the coming years in order to deal with the great ‘perils’ of this century. New Jupiter cycle event > Jupiter is sextile Mars in the chart.
In Lima, Peru, tensions flare as police (Mars) and protesters (Uranus-Pluto) clash in anti-government demonstrations (Uranus) that are spreading across the country. Progressed Pluto was parallel Uranus in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
In the UK Church of England bishops (Jupiter) apologise (Jupiter) to LGBTQI+ people (Uranus) for the rejection (Pluto) and hostility (Mars) they have faced, with the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledging that the religious body was still ‘very divided’ (Pluto) on the issue. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; new Jupiter cycle event > transition phase of cycle ends January 28.
January 21: In California eleven people are shot dead after a gunman (Mars) opens fire with a semiautomatic weapon (Mars) in the city of Monterey Park. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle.
In Tel Aviv, Israel, an estimated 110,000 people (Pluto) pack the streets, in one of Israel's biggest anti-government protests (Uranus) in the past decade; in Spain, thousands of people pack into central Madrid to protest against the Socialist government (Sun-Neptune) and accuse it of undermining the constitution (Jupiter-house 9); and in Portugal, thousands of people take to the streets of Lisbon to give animals a voice (house 6) as the constitutional court (Jupiter) ponders if mistreating pets should be classed as a crime (Pluto-house 12). Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter and parallel Uranus in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
January 23: In California seven people are shot dead in a mass shooting (Mars-Pluto) at two locations in the coastal northern city of Half Moon Bay. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
January 24: Atomic scientists set the ‘Doomsday Clock’ at 90 seconds to midnight saying threats (Pluto) of nuclear war (Mars-Pluto), disease (Saturn), and climate volatility (Saturn) have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion (Mars) of Ukraine, putting humanity at greater risk (Mars-house 5) of annihilation (Lower-Pluto). In the Pluto period of the Age of Aquarius progressed Mars was conjunction birth chart Saturn, parallel birth chart Uranus and parallel progressed Pluto in the Aquarian Age chart; and progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle.
In an interview Pope Francis (Jupiter) says ‘being homosexual isn’t a crime’. He criticises laws (Jupiter-house 9) that criminalise (Pluto) homosexuality as ‘unjust’, saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity and in the US more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books, despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle; and progressed Sun was semisquare Jupiter in the Sun cycle.
January 25: The US announces it will supply Ukraine with 31 Abrams tanks (Mars) and Germany says it will supply Kiev with 14 Leopard 2 tanks. Berlin also clears the way for other European countries to send German-made tanks from their own stocks. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
January 26: Israeli troops (Mars) raid the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank killing 10 Palestinians; Russia fires a barrage of missiles (Mars) and drones across Ukraine killing at least 11 people; and in northern Somalia the US military (Mars-house 6) kill Bilal al-Sudani, a US designated ISIS leader, and 10 of his associates. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
The US Department of Justice says it has dismantled the website of a major ransomware network called Hive (Pluto) that’s responsible for extorting (Pluto) and attempting to extort hundreds of millions of dollars (Jupiter) from more than 1500 victims worldwide. Progressed Pluto was square Jupiter in the Pluto cycle.
January 27: In occupied East Jerusalem at least seven people are killed by a gunman (Mars) at a synagogue. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
In Memphis, Tennessee on January 7 Tyre Nichols is beaten (Mars) during a traffic stop and on January 10 he dies in hospital. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun and Moon in the Mars cycle. On January 20 the five police officers involved (Mars) are fired from their jobs. Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle. On January 26 they’re charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression; and on January 27 a video of Nichols’s arrest is released by the Memphis Police Department (and America braces for strife). Progressed Mars was conjunction Sun in the Mars cycle; and progressed Sun was parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
January 30: In Peshawar, Pakistan, at least 100 people are killed in a bomb attack (Mars) targeting policemen (Mars) praying at a mosque. Progressed Sun was conjunction and parallel Mars in the Sun cycle.
Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge
