Foreseen In SA: A Spirit Diviner’s Look into San Antonio’s Future
By Luke Bonecutter
Artwork by Alejandro Abeledo
You’ve likely heard of or interacted with astrology before–perhaps in the form of horoscopes or a curious acquaintance asking you about your sign. It's possible you're skeptical about the notion of celestial bodies in our solar system reflecting day-to-day happenings. Maybe you're someone who somewhat grasps charts but would like to know more about how to harmonize with the current or upcoming astroweather. Together, we will explore the cosmos and its most accurate placements to provide relevant information about the soon-to-be astrology of the moment. My goals are to explain a brief history of astrology to provide context for its practice, reveal how charts play a role, and to generate insights about the next three months using predictive astrology.
Since eyes have gazed upon the dark blanket above us, stories were told about our connections with the tiny glimmers of light and their groupings. Indigenous cultures such as the Aboriginal people of Australia have been looking to the stars for over 65,000 years and have long seen the astral realm as a navigational map for travel and anticipating seasonal changes. Over 4,000 years ago, Vedic astrology or Jyotish (“science of light”) was born in ancient India in the oldest Hindu scriptures, followed closely by Babylonian and Chinese astrology. These systems included complex timing calculations, predictions and omens, personality dispositions, and associations with human affairs, although the observations were uniquely adapted to each culture.
Mesopotamian beliefs particularly revolved around divinatory practice. Portents were taken as important messages from the gods to their kings. Some of these ideas traveled westward with Persian influence into Egypt, which mingled with Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy’s concepts and eventually gave way to horoscopic astrology. Here, past conventions were combined to create a visual representation of the heavens in a circular pie graph split into pieces and corresponding constellations, including planetary rulership, dignities, triplicities, and elemental associations.
The point of a chart is to capture the sky at a specific moment (usually birth time), so as to draw inferences from the interactions and significations therein. The entire zodiac belt and each celestial body can be seen in every chart, so you are made up of every star and every sign, though the planets may fall in one place or another. The night sky acts as a scrying mirror to further our own self-understanding.
Our first milestone in this journey together is ancient Greece around 325 BCE, the birthplace of Hellenistic astrology and the origin of profections and progressions, two forms of personal predictive astrology. First, a little about profections: it was believed that as we age, we travel through the twelve Houses in our charts, with our first year of life expressing themes of the 1st House: vitality, appearance, and self. Once we turn one year old, we move into the next House, and so on, until the cycle is completed. At 12 years old, we return to the issues of the 1st House.
For example, Scene In SA Magazine is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a publication since September 1999, so the year ahead will emphasize concerns related to the 2nd House: finances, resources, and assets. The second part of profection years is the “time lord,” which is simply the ruling planet of the corresponding profection House. This planet becomes activated and its movements and interactions hold more significance. Scene In SA’s 2nd House is ruled by Scorpio, so the time lord is Mars, indicating an active and engaging, possibly challenging year. I tend to view profections through a Hellenistic lens, which means I don’t use modern planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) for rulership. Mars is the ruling planet of Scorpio in classical astrology, but in modern practice Pluto takes its place, so it might also play a prominent role in this year’s production. Mars brings the intensity: it represents the fighter or the active pursuer of goals, whereas Pluto is the transformer and shines light on our relationship to control, power dynamics, mysteries, and rebirth. Good news! At the end of 2024, Mars will be transiting Cancer and Leo, which for Scene In SA will be the 10th and 11th Houses, with focuses on career, public life, community, and good fortune. This promises exciting changes such as a boost in income, enhanced reputation, and expansion of readership and sponsorship.
As a different example: San Antonio as a city is currently in its 333rd year existing as its name. It was on June 13, 1691 that Alonso de León named the mission after the Catholic saint, so this is the day I used to calculate the chart. This will be a 10th House profection year, ruled by Taurus in San Antonio’s natal sky. Our collective themes this year will highlight career and public life, so perhaps we can expect a shift in the faces of the Alamo City’s political arena. Venus is the ruling planet of Taurus, governing sensuality and richness. As opposed to the fierceness of Mars, Venus hails a time of gentleness. Many of us are called to find positions that align with our values and skills and may even attempt to find work in the public sector. Presentation, aesthetics, and public works projects will take priority this year, especially if city officials plan to keep the life-sustaining underground aquifers and tourism revenue streams healthy. In the interest of sustained growth, San Antonio cannot afford to let its population explosion outrun its necessary maintenance.
As the timelord Venus ends the year transiting through the Houses ruled by Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius, we can expect a subtle blossoming in our foundations and relationships. I feel as though this is presaging a “back to basics” strategy, starting with resuscitation of the Riverwalk and other historic sites. The creative workforce of our city is long overdue for fair contracts and compensation, and hopefully we will be able to witness the arts in full force come November 7th, when Venus moves into San Antonio’s 5th House of creativity, play, and pleasure ruled by the archer Sagittarius. My prediction is that when Venus moves into ambitious Capricorn starting December 2, there will likely be a redefining of what “service” means and how to provide community care in a responsible and harmonious way. At the end of the year, Venus the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and the Arts moves into Aquarius. I believe this signifies a more humanitarian approach to project funding.
Another ancient Greek way of predicting the year ahead is through progressions. In this practice, two charts are compared. One is moved forward a number of days equal to the age of the individual and the other is moved forward a number of days equal to that age plus one. The disparities are observed and the shifts between them can indicate what changes are in store for the year ahead.
For Scene In SA’s 25th year, the progressed chart shows one impactful difference: the Moon moves from the 6th House to the 7th House. The Moon is the luminary that represents the inner world: shadows, emotions, and daily needs and habits. I sense that this time brings more attention to nurturing intimate connections with fresh readers and less emphasis on how the publication can be routinely helpful or faithful to its intentions. Here, Luna is moving out of the watery sign of Pisces and taking the stage in fiery Aries. This may be foretelling new, prosperous bonds that generate ripple effects, as Jupiter and Saturn are both present with the Moon in the progressed 7th House. External marketing efforts may need to be evaluated and altered, but examining the “how” and “why” of an organization often benefits its longevity.
As we stumble out of the chaos of summer’s end and into the maelstrom of election season and the remainder of Fall, just know that the major astrological events occurring for the rest of 2024 mostly involve retrogrades and outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). Generally speaking, the outer planets stand for generational beliefs and shifts – when in retrograde motion, this just means their wisdom will be internalized. Pluto has regressed back into the traditional sign of Capricorn, not to move forward again until mid-November. This will be sitting opposite from the Mars in Cancer placement, which may be interpreted as a disconnect between state authority and individual needs. Along with that, Saturn in Aquarius creates a square with Uranus in Taurus. This friction hints at conflict that results in sudden change, so we may see revolution loudly clamor onto the stage, armored and ready. To prepare yourself for these possibilities, take time to assess your own relationship with power structures. How are you embodying the changes that you wish to see in your lifetime? Are you complicit in the mistreatment of people in favor of convenience, or do you uphold and defend the value of all human lives with every breath and every choice you make? ■
Luke Bonecutter (they/he) is a diviner and spiritual counselor based in San Antonio, TX on Lipan Apache, Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, and Jumanos land. They have been practicing and teaching Tarot and astrology for over 14 years. To book a session with them, please visit koalendar.com/u/mysticbardlux.
