Welcome to Ghost of a Podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Lanyadoo. I'm an astrologer, psychic medium, and animal communicator, and I'm going to give you your weekly horoscope and no-bullshit mystical advice for living your very best life.

Happy 2024, and welcome back to Ghost of a Podcast. On December 30th, I dropped a very special once-a-year episode, my look at 2024, a year ahead. So I break down the astrology of what to expect from the upcoming year. Earlier that same day, I taught a class called Constellations and Crystals: Tools for 2024, where I teamed up with a gemstone specialist. We talked about the astrology of the upcoming year, the corresponding gemstones to work with, and even ethical practices of how do you even get gemstones, as well as a bunch of other stuff. That class is available for purchase on my website, so you can go over to my Shop page to check that out.

And this episode is going to function as your midweek episode. So I will not be dropping a reading episode in the middle of this week, but you are still getting two episodes this week. So just a little changeup, but just for this week.

All right. We are going to be looking at the first week of 2024, the astrology of December 31st, 2023, through January 6th of 2024. And this week starts with very good news and not good news⁠—both. Good news/bad news, okay? The good news is Mercury goes direct on the 1st at 7:07 p.m. Pacific Time. So all the things that have been going sideways on us because of Mercury being Retrograde⁠—they're gone. They're⁠—well, not magically gone, but they are dramatically gone. And yes, Mercury will remain in its Retroshade period for a couple weeks, but don't worry about it. You know what I mean? Just be glad that this new year begins with the veil of Mercury Retrograde lifted off of our heads, if you will.

The other thing that's happening on the 1st is that we have an exact square between Venus and Saturn. That will happen at exactly 5:26 a.m. Pacific Time with Venus at 3 degrees and 18 minutes of Sagittarius and Saturn at 3 degrees and 18 minutes of Pisces. Now, we will still be feeling the effects of the Mars square to Neptune that I talked about in last week's weekly horoscope. And the effects of that transit, honestly, we'll be feeling through the 6th of January.

And just a very brief recap⁠—Mars square to Neptune is exhausting. It can be quite demoralizing. It's when the ambitious, embodied energies of Mars are in conflict with Neptune, which can be very ethereal, very idealistic, and it's really not physical. And so you may be feeling a little demoralized, a little off-kilter, really tired, just off in your body, like you just don't have the juj you need or want. And even if you're not feeling that way, you're likely to be dealing with other people who are feeling that way. When some people feel demoralized or like the energy is off, they get shut down. Other people get irritated. Other people get weepy or needy. It shows up in all of us in different ways.

All to say don't take it personally. We are all going through a lot right now. That's what's real. And what that transit of the Mars square to Neptune wants us to do is turn our energy within, to be not so focused on what we're doing or proving ourselves, but instead to tend to our insides, to make sure that our ego is not out of balance with our spirituality and vice versa.

It's good to know that you'll be feeling this transit through the 6th of January, but it's especially good to know today on the 1st of January because the Venus square to Saturn is not what you want to have overlapping with the Mars square to Neptune, because Venus and Mars are both very social planets. And when both of them are going through difficulties with outer planets, like depressive Saturn or anxious Neptune, it can just make you feel really out of place with people. It can give you awkward social interactions, and it can just make you feel off. So, if that's you, if that describes you, then I would say I'm sorry, and also, don't worry about it. It's not going to last forever. It's just the transits right now.

Now, what Venus square to Saturn wants from us is it wants us to make sure that our values are being reflected in the priority of our actions because Saturn is related to the hierarchy of what we give our attention to and what we focus our actions on systematically, and then Venus is the values. So, when we talk about values, I mean that in a very "think about your values" kind of way, but also, our relationships reflect our values⁠—who we engage with and how we engage with them, what kind of conduct we accept from other people. The way we relate to the way we look and the way other people look reflects our values, for better or worse. And what we spend our money on, what we do with our resources⁠—that reflects our values.

Now, sometimes all those things reflect necessity or circumstance, of course. But when Venus squares Saturn, we are being called upon to take responsibility for what we value one way or another. And in regards to relationships, this can be particularly uncomfortable because Venus square to Saturn tends to make a person feel lonely and isolated. Saturn is like an existential vibe. It's the planet the governs that sense of how we are isolated from each other in our meat suits, the understanding of the material reality that Saturn governs over⁠—we are born alone; we die alone⁠—Saturn.

And Venus is romantic, wants everything to be nice. And so, when these two planets form a 90-degree angle, it can just make us feel lonely, make us feel off. It can kind of highlight or create problems in your close relationships, so not just the people you date, but anyone that you have a love relationship with, because Saturn is constriction. It's obligation. It's hardship. And this means that shit might go sideways. And this may be as simple as that stupid Mars square to Neptune makes one person feel really exhausted and checked out, and then the other person's like, "Oh my God. You don't care about me. You're not giving me the attention I need." And here we have a problem, right?

So all to say be interested in what you feel and the stories you tell yourself about what it means. Be interested in the realities of your relationships and what they reflect about how you've been engaging with other people, what you've been consenting to, how you've been treating others, and the priorities that your actions betray. Maybe "betray" is the wrong word. But basically, you may tell yourself, "The most important thing to me is having people I really trust in my life," but then you may look at your life and realize you don't trust a lot of the people in your life. But you have an easy, fun time hanging out with them, as long as you keep things on the surface. So that informs you that your subconscious desire for things to go easy and smoothly is what you've been unconsciously prioritizing in your relationships over cultivating trust.

So this transit can trigger a form of self-awareness that's a little painful. Saturn asks us to take responsibility for ourselves. That's what that does. And so you can see why a lot of people will be feeling a little depressive, a little lonely. If you're feeling lonely now, that doesn't mean that it's going to affect the start of your whole new year. Don't get superstitious and weird about it. If you're feeling lonely or isolated or just aware of what isn't working in your relationships right now⁠—and when I say right now, of course I do mean on the 1st, but in the days leading up and for the rest of the week⁠—then you're right on time.

And the best thing you can do is tap into the part of Saturn that is about humility, self-awareness, and the ability to respond⁠—responsibility. If you can tap into that, this transit will help you to become more self-aware about your own participation in your relationships. That will not tell you what to do next, but it will lay the foundation upon which your ability to make a decision about what to do next will come. Honestly, unless you're perfectly certain, unless you've been cultivating the certainty for a while, I would recommend waiting until the next week to make any major decisions about your relationships because, between these two transits, it's just⁠—we're super in our feelings. We're super in our feelings.

So, unfortunately, it's not the most romantic or socially wonderful set of transits to start the new year off with. But the positive healing potential within all of this can have us basically doing this: recognizing the finite nature of our own energy. We only have so much time. We only have so much energy. And if we recognize and value our own energy, then it doesn't make sense to waste it in dynamics that aren't healthy and reciprocal. It is really valuable to be aware of what isn't working so that you can make adjustments to work on dynamics so that you can make them work better or to say, "Thank you very much, and adieu."

Whatever it is the situation needs, you can best handle it from a place of awareness. And as I always like to remind you, awareness is not consent. It's simply awareness. And this week is inviting you to be aware of your relationships, whether you like it or not.

Learn with me. Whether you missed my December 30th class, Constellations and Crystals: Tools for 2024, or you want to learn astrology, manifestation, and all kinds of other woo stuff, you can check out and purchase my classes over on my website at lovelanyadoo.com/shop. And join me on Patreon for weekly content to step up your astrology and woo game.

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Now, the other thing this transit can do is signify unexpected expenses. Venus square to Saturn can have you feeling burdened financially. Venus is your liquid resources, and Saturn is responsibilities, and it's also scarcity issues. So, if you need to make a major purchase, make sure it reflects your values and that you're getting good value. If you simply need to pay into the infrastructure of your life, again, check in with your values.

This transit is meant to trigger our own values and attitudes about money. What do you actually believe money is? How do you organize your relationship to your finances? And I'm not talking about capitalism. I'm just talking about what you've got, your money. How do you organize it? How do you feel about it? How do you spend it? How do you save it? And why? The why is a really valuable thing to know because, again, Venus is related to our values. It's the value we place on the resources we have available for barter. So, if you were ever going to wax poetic on this topic, this is a good week to do it, to really explore your motivations and your values.

One last thing I'm going to say about this transit is it is very possible that you will have to make a choice or a compromise during this transit. And if that's the case, I want to encourage you to not allow yourself to make it from a place of anxiety, which the Mars/Neptune square may inspire you to do, but instead to slow down and check in with what you value. I know I'm saying it a lot, but it bears repeating because compromise in life⁠—it's unavoidable. It's unavoidable for all of us. But if we make compromises that don't compromise ourselves⁠—sometimes by adjusting our choices and sometimes by adjusting our attitudes or our perspective⁠—it really helps to move forward without resentments, without guilt, with a clear heart and a clear conscience.

And then, my dears, we do not have another exact transit until the last day of the week. That's on the 6th of January. We have a Sun square Chiron. The Sun will be at 15 degrees and 30 minutes of Capricorn, and Chiron same exact degrees of Aries. This will be exact at 12:35 a.m. Pacific Time.

So, as we know, Chiron is related to our core wounding. And it's kind of like Pluto in that even when it's kind of easy and it's flowing well, it's still kind of difficult and painful. The Sun is our vitality, psychological and physical vitality. It's your sense of self. And so, when these two astrological forces are kind of at odds with each other in the way a square suggests, what we have is tension between our sense of self and our right or ability to belong. This can have you in a position where you are trying too hard or where you feel really demoralized, depending on your nature and depending on how this hits your birth chart.

This transit may bring up a lot of insecurities. Chiron in Aries has so much to do with a sense of belonging⁠—belonging in your body, belonging to yourself, having a sense of agency within yourself. There's a core wounding there with your sense of agency. And with a Sun square to Chiron, it can feel like, "No matter what I do, it doesn't work. No matter how much I try, it's not moving forward." What you want to be on the lookout for is that you don't create self-fulfilling prophecies based on your biggest insecurities and fears about yourself.

This transit may kick up feelings of just being really off in your body. Now, this is different than the Mars/Neptune transit, which is just exhausting. This transit, by contrast, is very activating. And so you may feel activated in your physical system or your psychological system. Activation is a tough one because when we're activated or triggered, it's like fire under your ass. It makes you want to do something.

But when we are reacting to triggers or activation, we are often really reacting to our own psyche, like things that have happened in the past that haven't left us, that we've developed survival mechanisms around or we've developed a narrative about ourselves or others around. And so, when we act out of that place, we end up unconsciously investing in the very things we hope and wish are not true.

So be on the lookout for fear-based triggers around belonging. That might mean belonging to yourself, belonging to a community, belonging to a person, belonging on this planet. It can play out in lots of different ways. It can play out in all the ways. And no matter how it plays out, these transits⁠—and this one in particular, but all three of these transits that I'm talking to you about⁠—can help you to get clear about the choice of belonging to yourself, accepting yourself, choosing yourself.

And that doesn't mean you're perfect. That doesn't mean you don't have a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do. That doesn't mean you've done the things in the world or with the people you're close to that you wish you had all the time. You're allowed to be fucked up. You're allowed to make mistakes. You're allowed to be learning and growing. In fact, it's the only way to be. This Sun square Chiron is an opportunity for you and me⁠—for all of us⁠—to allow ourselves to be wounded, to be hurt, to be imperfect, to be fucked up, and to still be worthy and to still come back to center, to choose ourselves and to choose to try, to try to be more whole, to be a better person, to be a better partner, kid, friend, community member, activist⁠—whatever it is.

You don't need to be perfect. People are going to criticize you, especially if you're trying, especially if you're living your life with any amount of bravery. People will criticize you. And sometimes they'll be right. Sometimes they'll be right. That's real. Sometimes they'll be wrong, though. And that doesn't mean you stop trying. Every time you fuck up doesn't mean you failed. The only way to truly fail is to not try. If you stumble, if you fall, you can learn a lot about the world and yourself if you're willing, if you stay open. And the Sun square Chiron can help to connect you to your agency so that you can do exactly that.

So I don't crave this transit. I honestly don't crave any of these three transits. It's like one pain in our collective asses after another, seriously. But it's not like the Universe is torturing us. It's not like any of us is alone in this. There's a bigger reason. And it is really valuable if we try to find that reason because if there's going to be suffering, if there's going to be any amount of suffering, when you find meaning in that suffering, not only does it lessen the suffering itself, but it brings us closer to our own center.

And from that place, we are better equipped to cope with everything that is happening in this world because, fundamentally⁠—and I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating⁠—true self-care is intertwined with community care. And that doesn't mean we're doing all the things at all times, all at once. It means that there is this larger tapestry to life. Our fates are woven together.

And so, when we prioritize the kind of self-care that empowers us to show up, to cope, to collaborate, to build together, to vision together⁠—when we can do that, it strengthens the whole of the tapestry. We can lean on each other. We can be there for each other. And there's room for us all to not be there for anyone sometimes, to fuck up a lot sometimes.

The story of Chiron, that Chiron is the wounded healer⁠—it is from his wounds that he discovers his ability to heal. Without his wounds, he would not be a healer. As so many of us healers would attest to, had we lived a life of ponies and lollipops exclusively, we might not have the energy with which to bring about healing because we wouldn't have experienced anything. No shade on anyone with a life of lollipops and rainbows and ponies. We all want such things, but we don't all have it. And that's okay.

So if, this week, you are finding yourself fixated on your past, if you're having a hard time moving forward or being in the present, it's okay. It's okay. It's a call to turn within. This is a new year, and there's great value in setting an intention not to be perfect but to choose the path of progress for ourselves, our communities, and the world at-large.

And that's it, my loves. That is it. I can do a quick run-through here of the transits. On the 1st of January, Mercury goes direct. On that same day, Venus forms an exact square to Saturn. We're going to be feeling the effects of the Mars square to Neptune through until January 6th. On January 6th, we have an exact square between the Sun and Chiron.

That's it, my darlings. I hope you are taking really good care of yourself and others. And I will talk to you later on this week. Happy New Year, and buh-bye.