January and 2023 are here! Many of us are ready to get going and might have even started to warm ourselves up like Formula 1 race cars. But I´m sorry to say that the season hasn’t started yet. Part of that is due to both Mars (energy, drive, will) and Mercury (communication) still being in retrograde. So if you have felt a mix of frustration and restlessness you are not alone. Let´s take a look at the stars together and see what keys we can find so that we are ready when the race begins.
Hanging Out with Friends
When Mars (energy, movement) is in retrograde our energy is somewhat blocked. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of being stuck.
Good news is that Mars is in Gemini (communication) and in a good aspect to both Venus (love, relationships) in Aquarius and Ceres (nourishment) in Libra. This creates a big trine (good aspect) of air. This opens up for hanging out with friends, socialising, and having a good time. It might even feel that finally someone has opened a window and you are able to breathe again. So if invitations come your way and you are healthy, say yes and take it for what it is – a wonderful chance to take a break and meet some friends.
Mars retrograde ends 12th of January
Venus trines Ceres until the 12th of January
Mars trines Venus until 14th of January
Mercury retrograde ends 18th of January
Mars trines Ceres until the 11th of February
Do You Have Energy and Resources for That?
On one hand things seem to open up, on the other hand we do have an energy problem or situation to consider both practically with high gas, oil, and electricity prices and metaphorically speaking with nourishment being an issue.
The goddess asteroid Ceres (nourishment, food, grounding) is in Libra. When she is there we can easily get involved in other people’s lives, their situations and relationships. This is amplified with Ceres making an opposition to Juno (relationships) in the final degrees of Pisces (bottomless depths). With this you can get a lot more than what you bargained for. Not only that, Ceres is also in opposition to Chiron (healing) and Jupiter (expansion). Together they have a theme of a lot of intense healing that can create a snowball effect.
Example: You go to the cat shelter to save one cat, and you arrive home with three. That is lovely and admirable, but you also have to take into consideration that they need food and perhaps veterinary care which may cost you a considerable amount of money. And the lovely cats also need time, love, healing and so on.
Or you volunteer to help out with the local theatre group and suddenly you end up sewing costumes for the whole ensemble and the premiere is only a few months ahead.
So, before you enthusiastically jump into a project take a breath and think it over. Do you have the time and resources to do this in a balanced way? Can you share the responsibility with others? Are others, like your family and friends, supporting you in this? And finally … are you the one best suited for the project? If the answer is yes then go ahead into the adventure. But if the answer is no, then perhaps your role is to connect the ones in need to someone more suited for the job.
This also applies for more serious situations, for example when someone is leaving an abusive relationship or are dealing with depression or filing for divorce. Think about your role in the situation. Are you the friend or the professional therapist or lawyer? Playing both the role of the professional and the relative is known for being a bad idea.
As I mentioned above, Juno in Pisces can become bottomless and you can be in danger of sinking deeper into something that you did not expect. Jupiter right next to Juno expands everything. Having healthy boundaries and knowing your role is not being without compassion or love, it´s about taking responsibility. Helping someone in an emergency situation can many times be like saving someone who is about to drown. Using a life-preserver, creating a safe space between the two of you, is the best way to go, for everyone’s safety.
Juno is in Pisces until the 14th of January.
Ceres and Juno is in exact opposition on the 26th of January when they meet up at 6 degrees. At that time Jupiter is right next to Juno at 5 degrees in Aries. The opposition ends on the 8th of February.
Health and Balance
Ceres, the goddess of grain, harvest, and nourishment, is very much active when it comes to health, food and the proper functioning of the body. She is often strong in the astrological charts of cooks, gardeners, farmers, bakers, health instructors, and hygiene inspectors to mention a few of her fields of interest.
A stressed Ceres can show up as allergies to certain foods or ingredients. I smiled a bit yesterday when I had just followed up Ceres transits and saw how active she is and later the same day I heard on the news that they were calling back eggs from some egg companies because of a salmonella outbreak. That is so typical Ceres.
Ceres can also trigger complexes like mother complex, food and body complexes. Right now Ceres is in Libra, the symbol for Libra is the scales. The good side of that symbol and energy is seeking balance. The dark side of it is when we become obsessed with perfection. Social media will probably be flooded more than usual with health and diet posts, some more extreme than others. If you or someone close to you has a history with food or body complexes take extra care, be aware, talk about it, and seek professional help if needed.
Ceres is the earth mother and she comes in all shapes and forms, all beautiful in their own way. Connecting with that grounded earthly understanding will be most helpful when Ceres is in Libra. To help people to seek balance instead of the illusion of artificial perfection.
Ceres will be in Libra until the 19th of March, then she is in retrograde and will continue to move backwards into Virgo to return back into Libra again on Midsummer, the 21st of June. She will then stay in Libra until the 16th of September 2023.
Is It All About Banishing?
When it comes to dealing with allergies, health issues, and even life situations, I detect a trend in recent years. A belief that it is all about eliminating things and people from your life. Ceres’s symbol is the sickle, and with her so active it can become even more popular to go into a “removal mode.”
As someone working with health supplements and flower essences for many years, my experience is that many times it can be helpful to add things. When you add good bacteria to the intestinal flora you get some “good tummy warriors” inside. They kill fungus and you become less interested in sugar and your health improves. Or when you add the right kind of flower essence your energetic field strengthens and you become more resilient and people who would like to take advantage of you lose interest.
Of course there are times for removing things as well. Personally I am fond of cleaning and clearing myself and my space and it is a daily routine I can’t manage without. But as I have said to some of my students and clients, you cannot clean or clear yourself away from a healing process.
I believe there are some gifts to be found if we at times change removal thinking into thinking about adding things instead. On a spiritual level it can be about adding more meditation, visualisation, and ceremony into your daily life. When more power and strength become a part of your energetic body many not-so-healthy things fall away from you naturally, like bugs and parasites unhappy with a healthy environment. It takes energy to heal and sometimes that energy needs to be added.
Summary: We move into a period of intensive healing on many levels. Healing takes time and patience. In the same way that we can´t shout angrily at a plant or a tree to grow faster, can we shout to someone else or to ourselves to heal faster? Healing is a process and it has its own time. However, as Witches and Healers we know there´s always something we can do. There is, and has always been, good magick in a warm cup of tea and a listening heart and ear.
Blessed Be!
Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red
Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].