New Moon at 22 degrees and 24 minutes of Aries on April 11 at 7:30pm in Tucson, Arizona.
Neptune is squaring my Mars in Gemini, so I apologize in advance for the prolixity.
The first New Moon of the astrological New Year in the initiatory cardinal fire sign of Aries, the ram. Aries is ruled by Mars, the masculine/yang principle, and has a spontaneous, energetic, willful force of asserting individual presence and drive. “I Am”. It’s also the sign of warrior vibes. It’s time to start something, though be vigilant that it’s not an unwarranted conflict, because sometimes Aries can have a reckless, single-minded focus that can be (mis)construed as selfish, lacking diplomacy or awareness of other. Medically, Aries is the head and Mars relates to blood, vital and sex drives, inflammatory conditions, even iron intake. Who do you want to be? What do you want to lead or even fight for? What do you stand for? A New Moon distills the inner motivations and subconscious ideas and intentions about these (Moon) and merges it with the outward reality, ego and resources (Sun) to create an experience that unfolds over the course of the lunar cycle. There are conscious free will goals and choices involved, but with those, the larger tapestry of collective and personal forces of evolution at play work together to shape the paths we inevitably walk. Planetary aspects give us insight into the bigger picture, and right now, there are several to consider.
I.e., one strategic use of the astrological game might be to understand and utilize (and in doing so stabilize) the diverse array of voices (planetary bodies) seeking expression, to find them a role, lest they act out and vehemently impose themselves on your plans and intentions—this can especially be the case when we’re dealing with the fire element. Understanding aspects can clue you into prioritizing your ingredients and hints at ways to support or temper the primary forces and styles of expression at play.
On a superficial level, we tend to identify with our Sun sign, and I could say this New Moon marks a period that is beneficial or fortuitous for Aries natives, which wouldn’t exactly be a lie, but we are so much more than our Sun sign, and there is always more going on in a lunation chart than the simple position of the Sun (outer reality) and Moon (inner reality). Aries calls us to assert ourselves, our goals, our independence, our desires, and those born with the Sun in this sign may seem to have an innate ability for this. But further detail found in the planetary aspects might tell us all how best to approach that during this specific cycle. As always, look to your personal chart to see how it uniquely interacts with the New Moon chart for specifics, but as far as the collective picture goes, do read on…
The eclipse axis (Sagittarius/Gemini) sets a critical backdrop for the overriding collective themes and trends for a roughly 18 month period. Our current hosts Gemini and Sagittarius are very much about how we relate to others within community vs. the larger cultural scale. Gemini is addicted to learning new things and is indiscriminate about the source of the information, whereas Sagittarius wants THE truth, to be the holder, preserver and teacher of dogma—the laws of nature that feed not just the local exchange of ideas (Gemini) but the global community authority, rules, and workings. Travel, communication, and education are a large part of this. Eclipses create a slow-drip see-saw effect with one side releasing deeper rooted patterning and the other inviting in newer ideas and opportunities that feel like a divinely timed call of Destiny. With the cosmic dustbin end in Sagittarius, we are called to toss outdated cultural or religious beliefs that have stagnated our growth through misunderstanding or false assumption, ideas we have accepted as a given, for whatever reason or tradition, but that now reveal themselves as cords that disharmonically bind a soul seeking expansion. It is through entertaining new ideas, casual conversations, a concerted engagement with the local environment that we unexpectedly open the door to the inspiration that touches our respective deeper callings.
Mars, as the planetary ruler of Aries, the sign of this New Moon, is the force we take cues from for this cycle. He is currently in Gemini, supportively sextile to the New Moon degree, but perhaps more importantly, is also transiting through the soil that will seed this year’s New Moon Solar Eclipse in Gemini (on June 10), that expansive portal opening that will ripple out throughout the year. In simplified terms, whatever is being seeded now will extend well beyond this monthly lunar cycle and have a direct correlation with larger, far-reaching events of the late spring/early summer period. Look to your local neighborhood, your siblings, open up, learn or try something new, involve others, even scatter your energy a little more than you normally would to ultimately get your plans off the ground. Mars is near conjunct to asteroid Psyche, so let your typically snuffed out soul knowing guide you on how to do that. And in that process of digging deep, you will find that there’s a simultaneous revisiting and ultimately slow release around what you let yourself be married to.
Asteroid Juno (marriage, commitments) is stationing retrograde in Sagittarius directly across from Mars/Psyche in Gemini and trine to the New Moon. This very well can literally bring up marriage or commitment issues past and present (personal or business) but at its core is really about long-held ideas, patterns, expectations and assumptions around these topics. What is seeded now, intentionally or not, will prove to shatter old mental and behavioral shackles, perhaps ones you didn’t even know were there. The impulsivity of fiery and independent Aries works to dismantle what inhibits and fortify what supports autonomy and authenticity. One way to use this productively is to transform and evolve co-dependent tendencies into more interdependent ones. It’s a process, and this lunar cycle is getting the ball rolling by illuminating the truth around this picture. Saturn in Aquarius trine to the North Node in Gemini will ensure that this can be done in a way that is not only built to last, but perhaps something that is better done in more gradual stages, as it will feel very new and daunting. Implementation of change will take some deliberate work, my friends.
Master illusionist Neptune in Pisces is in a challenging T-square with Mars and Juno. Shout out to those having some weird and perhaps negative dreams in recent nights when that Mars square was more exact. Lethargy-inducing Neptune is all about the subconscious, mind-altering substances, shamanic or dream states, visions, the psychic realm. Soul growth will require an extreme level of heart-centered discernment to correctly feel into what is false and what is true. Misconstrued spiritual messages or guidance, fears fed by nightmares or conspiracy theories, old contracts with plant medicines, false timelines, illusory limitations projected by ghosts of the past, secret sabotage by self or others can be falling away right now, and it may seem rather confusing to identify whether what you see presenting in front of you is something hidden that is finally leaving or something part of the long-yearned-for path you’ve been waiting to follow. Aries energy invites us to give ourselves permission to reset and liberate from old assumptions, regardless of how persuasive the hold has been. Mid-existential crisis, a phone call with my mother recently reminded me that what may initially seem to be fear of loss or failure might in fact be the stepping stone to the feeling of genuine excitement of pursuing a dream that can for the first time become a reality. The way through the Neptunian fog may simply be to let Mars and his fearless passion lead you. He is, after all, receiving an optimistic trine boost from Jupiter.
I don’t normally focus so much on the asteroids, but I feel they help explain the specific impact of this New Moon’s elephant-in-the-room: Venus (near conjunct the New Moon in Aries) being squared by Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is the destroyer, God of the Underworld, death/loss and rebirth, and he’s challenging Venus (love, beauty, abundance) to reinvent herself. The New Moon is directly exposing Venus in this process, and in fact, we can take asteroids Psyche and Juno (detailed above) to be facets of Venus. Putting it all together, fight (Aries) for what you love and desire (Venus) by stripping away and re-aligning in the manner described earlier in this report. Maternal asteroid Ceres (agriculture/nurturing) is also conjunct this New Moon, so on the most practical level, what feeds you and how do you nurture yourself and others? How can you better and more fearlessly assert those gifts and abilities into what you spend your time doing, in what you share with others? The present influence of Venus and Ceres can be fabulous for implementing new dietary or financial changes, and that will ripple out with wider influences and consequences. Jupiter in Aquarius is trine Venus, so what networks, what paradigms, what systems, what groups of people are you feeding and proliferating with your personal habits and attention, and do those choices align with your well-meaning intentions? This is a time when individual choices shape the collective reality in a very big way. Use this window to your advantage to recalibrate and unite with like-minded souls who champion your unique qualities. May your true passions lead you in this way to find a higher probability of lasting success and satisfaction in pursuits that not only resonate to the deepest levels being but also further a more harmonious and collective vision that genuinely fosters personal authenticity.
