The Month Ahead: January 2023
Mercury spends the first half of the month retrograde in Capricorn, while Mars takes January to station direct after an 11 week long retrograde cycle. Gears are shifting forward... very slowly.
Introduction
Happy New Year: Welcome 2023!
Hello everyone. Welcome to the first monthly forecast of 2023. Glad you are all here to join more for another year of astrology dialogue, conversation, knowledge, and divinatory magic. In this month, we’ll be taking a look at some of the major transits for the month and taking a look at where some of the major focus will be oriented towards based on the transits, aka. the Astro Weather.
I am also excited to let everyone know that I have chosen a date for the official launch of my 2023 consultations. It’s looking like January 6th, 2023 will be the launch for my updated consultations. I will still be offering Natal, Election, Forecasting, and Horary consultations. There are a few different tiers for each of these consultations that I have added to best tailor to different knowledge groups of astrology.
For Natal Consultations, the options are now:
- Introduction to Your Birth Chart: For Brand New Beginners to Astrology, we’ll cover of the fundemental building blocks of what makes a chart, such as the Planets, their function and meanings, the Houses, the areas of life, the Signs, the quality of the experience, and the Aspects, to explore how they all interact with each other. The structure of this consultation is intended for people who have been studying astrology for less than a few months, and are curious to know more about their chart. We will outline the function each planet plays in your chart, and how they all connect to each other.
- The Core of Your Birth Chart: For Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced students of astrology. This consultation is intended to analyze the chart in the style of the Medieval and Hellenistic Astrologers, looking for the Epikratetor, vital source of energy inside the chart, the Oikodespotes, the Master of the Nativity who governs the overall chart, and the Kurios, the Lord of the Nativity who steers the life towards its goal and purpose. These roles the planets play in the chart are significant and have been used by ancient astrologers for thousands of years to get an understanding of which planetary influences steer the direction of your life, uncover the purpose, and intention behind the soul’s incarnation. We’ll do a deep dive on exploring these planets, as well as a Temperament analysis, and using the Moon + Mercury method of analyzing the nature of the soul, synthesizing the groundbreakings Medieval Islamicate translations by Dr. Ali A Olomi. This consultation’s purpose is to make sense of your life purpose, its path, and the trajectory you’re headed on. By understanding who your planetary guides are, you can better live in alignment with what makes you happy and uncovering what influences stir your soul.
- The Nitty Gritty of Your Birth Chart: This consultation is designed to explore the hidden layers of your birth chart and is intended for all students of astrology. We’ll dive into more complex topics in the chart like the Dodecatemoria, Bounds, Triplicity Lords of the houses and of the Sect Light, Pre-Natal Syzygy, and Lots as a way to uncover very specific details and information about the planets in the chart. This will give us a very nuanced understanding of how each point in the chart is truly unique and different. Techniques like the Dodecatemoria (12th Parts), the Bounds, and Triplicity Lords are unique ways of breaking up the zodiac to uncover further information about any degree in the zodiac. While charts like the Pre-Natal Syzygy can be used to uncover information about the ensoulment of the individual and more motivations for incarnation. Ancient Astrologers treat this chart in high esteem for different techniques, but it is very useful for understanding the energy surrounding the birth. Techniques like the Lots are mathematical points in the chart, calculated by finding the distance between two planets to represent very specific things in the chart. For example, sometimes there is debate over which planet represents the Father, usually the Sun and Saturn are contenders, but what the lots will do is take the distance from the Sun to Saturn, for example, and project it from the Ascendant to get a detailed look at what someone’s relationship to their father might be like. Or for love, we consult the Lot of Union and Bonds which is from Saturn to Venus, projected from the Ascendant. If there are really specific topics you want to look at, the Lots can help us, and thats what this consultation is all about!
As for Forecasting Consultations, they are a specialty of mine as I take pride in my predictive analysis being sourced from Abu Ma’shar’s On the Revolution of the Years of Nativities where he goes into depth on all the considerations you should look at when doing predictions. I have broken up different segments of this treatment of forecasting into 3 sections for clients.
- The Season Ahead: 3 Month Forecast. In this consultation, we will explore the upcoming season using some of the monthly timing techniques that will help us to narrow down important months, and even days, of when certain events promises for the year will take place. We’ll explore techniques like Monthly Profections and Monthly Revolution charts so we can be certain about what themes and topics to expect for each month. These consultations are meant to be done Quarterly since I often have returning clients throughout the year, this is a good way to check in and see what your monthly activations have in store for you.
- The Year Ahead: Annual Forecast. This is a client favorite of mine, and it is my favorite consultation to do with clients. This consultation is intended to be done on your Birthday, but it can be done at any point in the year, such as the New Year! In this consultation, we will review what this year of your life (from birthday to birthday) has in store an the overarching themes and changes that will take place. This means we will explore your Firdaria Periods, Annual Profections, Solar Return, important Monthly Profections (not a full treatment on the months), and finally Transits that will bring the themes of the year to fruition. Predictive astrology allows the birth chart to become alive, and we can see which specific parts of the charts are active at this moment in time, and it will allow you to deepen your relationship with your chart. Your Birth Chart is a personal clock, and in this consultation, we’ll be examining your timing.
- Timing Out Life Cycles with Astrology. This consultation is intended to build a narrative of the individual’s lifespan using techniques like Zodiacal Releasing and Primary Directions as a way to understand where the trajectory of the individual’s life will go. Zodiacal Releasing is a technique I’ve been working with over the past 3 years, and its been such an incredible tool for timing out important changes in people’s circumstances, but also their willpower and actions in the world. This technique is handed down to us from Vettius Valens in the 2nd Century CE, who discovered it from an astrologer named Abraham. Through the work of people at Project Hindsight, like Chris Brennan, they have reconstructed this technique and presented it to us today. In this consultation, we’ll be using the Lot of Fortune and Lot of Spirit as a way to time out these different chapters in the individuals life.
- The Saturn Return Sessions: It’s been a requested service of mine for a while, but I wanted to wait until I was done with this Saturn in my 9th house transit to clearly understand more about the nature of Saturn and learn its lessons, and I am excited to present the Saturn Return Sessions for people who are going through their first Saturn Return, at 28-30 years old. This consultation is solely dedicated to the planet Saturn. The first Saturn return is an important transition in people’s lives often marked by foundational and structural changes that act as an entrance into adulthood. Saturn takes 30 years to go around the Sun, and so the 30 yr mark for people is the first full revolution around the Sun Saturn has done since birth. In this consultation, we’ll explore what lessons and guidance Saturn is making evident through The Saturn Return Chart, the Minor Period of Saturn, the Solar Return of the Exact Transit of the Saturn Return, and Profection Years that encompass this 3 year long time period. This will give us a robust understanding of what foundational changes are being set up for the next 30 years. Saturn does not have to be scary, but engaging with the energy of this planet requires effort, discipline, and taking on the mantle of responsibility.
I hope to see new and returning faces in consultations for 2023! If you ever have any questions about scheduling, sliding scale for pricing, times, and gift certificates for friends/family, feel free to email me at astrobymax@gmail.com
All consultations will be available at
Major Transits for January 2023
Jan 1st: [12:24 AM ET] Venus conjoins Pluto at 27º39’ Capricorn
Jan 2nd: [9:09 PM ET] INGRESS: Venus enters Aquarius
Jan 4th: [4:07 AM ET] Venus in Aquarius sextiles Jupiter at 1º36’ Aries
Jan 6th: [6:07 PM ET] LUNATION: Full Moon at 16º21’ Cancer
Jan 7th: [7:56 AM ET] SYNODIC CYCLE: Mercury Cazimi at 16º56’ Capricorn
Jan 9th: [10:21 AM ET] Venus in Aquarius trines Mars at 8º11’ Gemini
Jan 12th: [3:56 PM ET] STATION: Mars stations Direct at 8º07’ Gemini
Jan 18th: [8:11 AM ET] STATON: Mercury stations Direct at 08º07’ Capricorn
Jan 20th: [3:29 AM ET] INGRESS: Sun enters Aquarius
Jan 21st: [3:53 PM ET] LUNATION: New Moon at 01º32’ Aquarius
Jan 22nd: [5:12 PM ET] Venus conjoins Saturn at 24º47’ Aquarius
Jan 22nd: [5:53 PM ET] STATION: Uranus stations Direct at 14º56’ Taurus
Jan 24th: [8:30 PM ET] Sun in Aquarius sextile Jupiter at 4º47’ Aries
Jan 26th: [9:32 PM ET] INGRESS: Venus enters Pisces
Jan 29th: [8:45 PM ET] Sun in Aquarius trines Mars at 9º53’ Gemini
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