Your 2020 Astrology Forecast by Tracy Allen

A pivotal year like this one will test your mettle. Rise to the occasion and do yourself proud.

2020 doesn’t appear to be a cakewalk, but that doesn’t mean you personally are going to have a hard year. I’ve laid out most of the forecast here rather than in the individual sign horoscopes because I want you to know we’re in this together! The planets are putting us through our paces, but we’re free to navigate the course as we choose. I don’t have to tell you the world is going through a difficult time. Astrology is about cycles, and we’re in the home stretch of a tough one. We can meet the challenges and grow stronger. We’re called to transform apparent problems into positives now, similar to the way oysters create pearls out of the sand that invades and irritates them. You’ll learn what you’re capable of when you align yourself with this year’s intense energy and channel it to the best of your ability instead of hiding from it or pitting yourself against it. 

The year kicks off with Saturn and Pluto coming together in Capricorn on January 12, a conjunction that will set the tone for 2020. It represents a major societal shift, and the Hermetic principle “As above, so below” applies perfectly. Important structural change is taking place on a geopolitical level, and you’re also experiencing the tremors in your own life. We’ve all been trying to hold it together (Saturn), as our primal survival instinct (Pluto) drives us to keep going. Saturn asks us how much effort we’re willing to put in, what price we’re willing to pay. There’s always a toll with the taskmaster planet. And Pluto wants us to look at how we use our power and whether we fully own it. I’s time to ask yourself what you’re working for. What does success mean to YOU? Are your goals really yours? Or are you carrying out — consciously or unconsciously — someone else’s plan for you? If your current life trajectory or career path needs to change in order for you to fulfill your unique destiny, major transits like this one can make that obvious. This year pushes us to fulfill our potential. But don’t make the mistake of assuming your potential and what you think you want are one and the same. The latter is your ego talking; the former is a higher calling — being true to yourself.

Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008, gradually shifting power dynamics, dismantling the patriarchy and jeopardizing systems that have wielded control over people’s lives. And its proximity to Saturn these last two years has spelled the destruction of the old order. But those who have been in charge for ages are fighting back. It always feels like a matter of life and death with Pluto. The south node of the moon — akin to a hungry ghost — has also been in Cap, exacerbating the fear of letting go and losing power. We should be grateful that beneficent Jupiter is part of the Capricorn planetary pack nearly all year (until December 19), because it gives us hope and courage throughout this marathon we’re running. It inspires us to run toward something rather than from something.

With so many planets activating Capricorn, this intense concentration of energy finds its outlet in the opposite sign of Cancer, where the karmic lunar north node is camped out. We’re wearing ourselves out in an area of our lives and must remember to nurture ourselves and each other. These two signs embody the parental archetypes; paternal Cap motivates us to strive for success in the world, while maternal Cancer coaxes us to tend to our feelings and our personal lives. We need a soothing, secure home base to retreat to — so seek refuge in familiar environs on a regular basis and take care of you and yours. Self-care has never been more essential!

Where the nodes go, the eclipses follow, and the series of lunations in Cancer/Capricorn that began in July 2018 will end in July 2020, soon after the nodes move into Gemini and Sagittarius (the lunar nodes move backwards through the zodiac). A story involving beginnings and endings has unfolded in a couple of related parts of your life during this period, likely triggering a series of events. Cancer wants you to nourish its domain, and Capricorn wants you to take responsibility where it rules. After the nodes change signs in May, ponder the meaning of the story. What have you learned? What do you believe? What resonates with you? Adopt the attitude that you’re a student of life and try to envision where you’re headed next.

Mercury goes retrograde three times this year, and its first backtracking phase from February 16 to March 9 could be the most confusing one, since the messenger planet will be in foggy Pisces for most of that time. About halfway through (February 25–26), just-do-it Mars will align with the moon’s south node, providing an ideal opportunity to actively cut something off once and for all. Get rid of old stuff — literal and figurative — that you don’t need anymore; you’ve outgrown it, and it’s not serving a useful purpose in your life. Then on March 20, Mars meets up with Jupiter at the same degree of Capricorn where Saturn and Pluto convened in January. This time, we feel brave enough to do what needs to be done. We have faith that it truly is what’s best for us! Use this chance to take strategic action that improves your situation. A few days later, Mars and Pluto have a rendezvous that will feel hard but necessary. You don’t love it, but you know it’s the right thing to do.

By March 31, both Saturn and Mars have moved into Aquarius (on the 21st and 30th) and will check in with each other there. They’re looking to the future and becoming more idealistic. The Capricorn planets have made us repeatedly ask, “How did I end up here?” As they transition to Aquarius, we get more interested in building toward new goals. Mars and Saturn will be in the same signs as each other from mid-February to mid-May, and this pairing is often described as driving a car with the parking brake on. You put the pedal to the metal but can’t seem to get anywhere. The message? Be smarter and more conservative in your actions. Consider the consequences. Think in terms of a long-term game plan. With Saturn — the cosmic cop — nearby, you can’t speed. Your enthusiasm is reined in, and you have to make choices.

In April, two major planetary configurations instruct you to keep walking a path of growth. A Jupiter-Pluto encounter on the 4th might feel extreme, but it promises hidden opportunities to learn and prosper. Deep wisdom can come out of this pairing, which will repeat on June 30 and November 12. And when Mars provokes devil-may-care Uranus on April 7, you could opt to break a rule to get unstuck. You need to do something different if you want to get different results! This energy hints at what’s to come in 2021 when Saturn and Uranus square off.

Lovely Venus sashays into fickle Gemini on April 3, where she’ll spend the next four months. A month later, on May 3 (and again on the 20th), she runs into trouble with Neptune, tempting everyone to don rose-colored glasses and harbor an unrealistic view of our relationships. Next, Venus pivots retrograde on the 13th for six weeks, throwing love lives into chaos and daring us to flirt with our exes. You might gloss over relationship problems during this time and wind up disillusioned. A backpedaling Venus likes to stir up trouble, especially if she’s bored and looking for variety — as she often is in the sign of the Twins. But this is a good time to reconnect with people from your past, since Gemini rules communication. Think back to mid-May to late June of 2012, the last time Venus was retrograde in this sign, to get an idea of what might happen now. Saturn and Jupiter also go retrograde in that part of May (on the 10th and 14th), giving the week a vibe of slowing down and reorienting ourselves.

In June, the first eclipse along the Gemini/Sagittarius axis occurs: a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on the 5th. An urge for adventure could trigger a leap of faith around this time. But a Mars-Neptune conjunction on June 13 hints that you’re flying blind and should aim to do something selfless, spiritual and compassionate — nothing too ambitious. Mercury’s retrograde period from June 17 to July 12 could be prickly, so be sensitive to others’ feelings and try not to take things too personally. A solar eclipse in Cancer on June 21 reminds us to up our self-care game, nurture our inner lives and look out for each other. With Neptune doing a U-turn the next day, a dream may be put on hold while you discover what it will take to incubate it successfully. After Venus’s about-face on the 25th, relationships will gradually get back on track. Mars heads into his own sign, Aries, on June 27 and will hang out there for an unusually long visit through the end of the year. More on that in a moment!

Saturn finishes his three-and-a-half-month stay in Aquarius on July 1 and won’t get back to that sign until mid-December, when he’ll bed down there for a couple of years. He’s given us a sneak preview of coming attractions; now his segue back into Capricorn tells us to keep plugging away, wrapping up old business before fully shifting gears. In the jam-packed Capricorn area of our charts, we’re all trying to maintain some semblance of order and doing the best we can. That’s what Saturn wants. And when the lunar eclipse lands in this sign on the 4th of July, it’s another indication that we should keep letting go of the baggage that’s weighing us down. Don’t hold on just to hold on. Admitting you’re not in complete control and loosening your tight grip will be a relief. After Mercury’s direct turn on July 12, you’ll have a better understanding of your emotional attachments and patterns.

Mars in Aries is slowing down in August and picking fights with multiple planets in Cap, which will generate friction. He wants to go go go, especially when he’s barreling through the impulsive sign he rules. But he keeps encountering stop signs, at which point he must come to a halt and let the more powerful Capricorn planet go first. Father issues, a fear of authority, the urge to rebel — all of these could be activated this month. On the 4th, you’ll be tempted to speed through the intersection if you’re feeling lucky, because Mars is sparring with supersized Jupiter. (FYI: They’ll battle again on October 19.) Instead, look further down the road and proceed more judiciously, without overplaying your hand. Luckily, this is an ideal time to fight for what’s right. When Mars goes up against Pluto on August 13, sidestep power struggles and use this explosive energy to transform something big. (Note that this transit will recur on October 9 and December 23.) The Mars-Saturn showdown on the 24th (which repeats on September 29) requires us to proceed with extreme caution, as circumstances or people are bound to appear in our way, generating frustration. This roadblock foreshadows September’s main event.

On September 9, Mars turns retrograde for the first time since the summer of 2018 and will remain off the grid until November 13. Mars represents our drive, our motivation, our ability to work. When it’s retrograde, we can feel apathetic or feel like we’re trying to accomplish something but are spinning our wheels. Old anger can resurface, and we may project our aggravations onto each other. Since we don’t feel as capable of taking the initiative, we’re more prone to reacting…and overreacting. We need to accept the slower pace and reassess our approach, our motives and our goals. Figure out what fires you up and focus your energy there. The Capricorn planets are telling us to make plans, but backpedaling Mars says, “Not so fast!” We can’t execute our entire ambitious agenda during this phase, but we can redo what we did too hastily in July and August and conserve our limited energy by zeroing in on core objectives. Remember to fight fair during this period — everyone is out of sorts, not just you!

Next, Mercury does an about-face in Scorpio on October 13. Any ensuing miscommunication could have a dramatic twist and instigate strong emotions. We just got through with Mercury retrograde in Scorpio in November 2019, so look back to that period for clues. A planet’s energy is amplified when it comes to a standstill to turn retrograde or direct, and Mercury, the bringer of news, will turn direct on November 3 — Election Day in the United States. Mars follows suit on the 13th, and Neptune on the 28th. Then we get an eclipse in Mercury’s sign, Gemini, on the last day of the month. November promises to be interesting, to say the least!

The solar eclipse on December 14 falls in the sign of optimistic Sagittarius, infusing us with fresh hopes and a new vision of the future. Saturn and Jupiter both enter Aquarius (on the 16th and 19th, respectively), then align on the Winter Solstice. A Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn began the year on a serious-as-a-heart-attack note, and this Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius closes out 2020 on a much more positive note, thank goodness! It marks the end of one long cycle and the beginning of another, and we’re sure to feel like we’re finally turning the corner.

I know I haven’t made the year sound like an easy one. The fact is it’s an important one — and it can’t be both! We’re nearing the end of a long-distance race, and there will likely be a few hurdles in our path. My hope for you is that you head into 2020 determined to run a personal best and finish stronger and wiser. You’re co-writing the story of your life; it isn’t simply written in the stars.

Each day, you can choose to express the energies

embedded in the divine blueprint of your birth chart

on the highest level possible.

In doing so, you will make the world

a better place in 2020.

ARIES

March 21–April 19

You’re yearning for what’s missing in your career. Although you’ve labored to achieve a certain status or career objective, it doesn’t seem to be not enough for you. You’re afraid of messing up but need to let go of what’s not working. The pressure to live up to the bar set by someone else (like your parents) can’t be your sole motivation. Own your own power and create goals that are authentically yours. Define success for yourself. And nurture your personal life as well! You might change how you earn an income, perhaps giving up a steady paycheck to be true to your values.

TAURUS

April 20–May 20

If a sense of meaning seems to be lacking in your life and you feel like you’ve lost your way, try adopting a beginner’s mind. In your search for answers, you must first release false beliefs and false gods. Question the credo that you’ve lived by. The simple act of connecting with people in your day-to-day life can reinvigorate your spirits. With Uranus in your sign all year (especially for Bulls born between April 23 and May 1), you can’t continue to be everyone’s rock, though. You’re awakening to your own truth and marching to your own beat, not living your life according to other people’s expectations.

GEMINI

May 21–June 20

Although you’re craving passion, you might also be putting up a wall or giving away your power. The answer is to revisit your own values and realize you can take care of yourself! If a loss or crisis threatens to overwhelm you, dive deeper into your emotions instead of swimming to the surface for relief. You’re losing your psychological virginity, discovering buried treasure and becoming who you were meant to be. The lunar north node arrives in Gemini on May 5 (and remains there until January 2021), strengthening your character to the point where others will seek you out for support. Tune into your unconscious for enlightening revelations.

CANCER

June 21–July 22

It’s said that Cancers are alternately the baby looking for a breast and the breast looking for a baby, meaning you need to be nurtured and to nurture others. While the moon’s north node travels through Cancer, you’re meant to be the breast — caring for others but also giving yourself plenty of TLC. You’re the parent people are turning to. The changes in your life are happening in and through your relationships. You’re feeling the weight of your commitments to others and also feeling alone at times. Look around and ask yourself if those who surround you are really your people. If they’re not relevant to your future, it’s perfectly healthy to move on.

LEO

July 23–August 22

A sense of purpose and wellbeing is what you hunger for. Examine how you’re using your skills, what you’re working for and who you really serve. If you haven’t been taking great care of your body, past sins may be catching up with you. Self-improvement is contingent on making the mind-body connection. Time management isn’t the be-all and end-all. Rather than trying to cram more into a day, manage your stress and balance your productivity compulsion by nourishing your spirit. Your inner life is just as important as your outer life. If this feels like a somewhat humbling process, you’re probably on the right track!

VIRGO

August 23–September 22

Deep down you just want to be happy, but it feels like there’s a price to pay. What is getting what you want worth to you? What does it mean to fulfill your potential? You may be working at love or creativity, but don’t force the issue or put all your chips on one pleasure or person. Look further afield and seek out your real tribe. There seems to be safety in numbers. Yours is a logical sign, and yet, you’re discovering a higher frequency of consciousness that suggests there’s more to the world. It’s more than okay not to have it all figured out yet.

LIBRA

September 23–October 22

You may be struggling with a parent or a difficult living situation and are craving peace and quiet in familiar surroundings. You want to feel grounded and should work on being more comfortable in your own skin and providing your own inner foundation instead of looking for someone to take care of you. Ultimately, it’s about being at home with yourself, taking responsibility for your feelings and creating your own life. Career development and the pursuit of goals will help you get out of your safe zone and mature. On a very different note, experimenting with your sexuality and finding what works for you can provide needed excitement!

SCORPIO

October 23–November 21

You’ve had so much weighing on you mentally but should try to notice exactly where your mind is going and focus it more consciously. You may be watching old movie reels of your life in your head. Remember your thoughts become your reality! It’s time to undo all that conditioned thinking. Go in search of a change of scene, different beliefs, a new guiding philosophy that empowers you. And respect others’ individuality. They’re on their own journey, so don’t try to exert control. But do strive to be an engaged community member. You’re meeting new people, and your relationships are changing. If you’re not headed in the same direction, it’s fine to part ways.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22–December 21

You’re trying to prioritize and put your money where your mouth is. If you’re preoccupied with concerns about what you need, what you lack and what you stand to lose, hard work has probably seemed like the antidote to insecurity. But if you can put aside your fierce independence and acknowledge you need other people and outside resources, you’ll find the support is there for you. After the lunar south node enters Sagittarius on May 5, you’ll be more focused on maintaining a certain image. Relationships are key to your growth, though. You might also be busy breaking habits, changing jobs and adapting to a new routine.

CAPRICORN

December 22–January 19

Goats feel under the gun and they’re trying to hold it together and not lose face. People might be projecting their problems onto you. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and reach out to others with no agenda — just because you care and you’re interested in connecting. Enjoy unexpected romance and creative inspiration if they come your way. For those of you born roughly between January 12 and January 15, you’re really feeling Pluto this year. Channel the pressure to achieve into effecting positive personal change. Let go of parts of your identity that aren’t working. You sense you’re in a starting-over phase — explore the possibilities of who you can become!

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18

Though you’re a social creature, a lot of what’s going on with you is happening behind the scenes and inside you, simmering beneath the surface. This private process has felt like the end of a chapter. It’s good to hibernate, but don’t completely isolate yourself. Find purpose in your work and in being of service. Respect your body and take better care of it. You could be questioning where you belong, and a move is possible. Release the past and old patterns. Cutting the umbilical cord will be liberating. Saturn visits Aquarius March 21–July 1, giving you a glimpse of the future, which you haven’t been able to envision lately.

PISCES

February 19–March 20

It’s normal to outgrow people periodically, and you’re going through an extended phase of questioning who your core crew is. Allow some friendships to die a natural death. Take on a more empowered role in a group — or leave it. Hang out with people who help you evolve. And bring it all back to what makes you happy. Figuring out your own story enables you to form your true tribe. Fishes born from approximately March 6 to March 11 have Neptune on their Sun this year and you’re feeling low on energy, extra sensitive, maybe even aimless. Avoid unhealthy escapism, get plenty of rest and honor your spiritual side.

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