Preamble:
The new moon can be thought of as a window in time when the Higher-Self initiates specific lessons or personal growth intentions for the coming month, and we can use the lunar cycle as a way of decoding evolutionary forces at a more granular level than the solar cycle or the transits of the slower moving planets.
For the spiritually minded person, the new moon is a time to receive the seed impulses for one’s personal evolution, and specifically those impulses toward bringing something new into conscious awareness. Each moon cycle fits into a larger cycle, which begins at the Aires new moon, and if you seriously want to track the unfolding pattern of higher-self guidance, it is a really good idea to record a log or journal of key messages and impressions received in the few hours before and after the new moon, roughly 4-5 hours on either side. During this window of time, make space to be more meditative and pay attention to your thoughts, inspirations, psychic messages and so on, as these will tend to correspond to the archetype the new moon is birthing in at the time, and correlate to the growth themes we are meant to work with during the month.
At some point in time (after a few months) you can look through your log and begin to see a key pattern unfolding, which can stimulate further insight in terms of life purpose.
Unusually, this year we get to have two consecutive new moons in the sign of Aries, giving us double the time to tune into the impulses now initiating a new cycle of emotional growth. The last new moon coincided with the equinox, and this month the energy for new beginnings continues, but the chart for this new moon is quite different.
Pluto is finally at 0˚ Aquarius! He is part of a challenging and energised grand square formation involving the New Moon, the Lunar nodal axis, Haumea and Varuna.
The New Moon chart cast for 20th April (05.12 BST/00.12 EDT) showing key symbols
For a guide to the astrological symbols click here
Most striking about this new moon chart is the Grand Square combined with a Yod formation with Varuna at the apex, representing a synergy of energy patterns generating both inner and outer change.
Astro Technicals:
Conjunctions:
Jupiter conjunct Eris in Aries
Vesta conjunct the North Node in Taurus
Mercury conjunct Uranus in Taurus
Saturn conjunct Gonggong in Pisces
Quaoar and Pholus in exact conjunction in Capricorn
Haumea conjunct the South Node
A Yod:
Saturn and Gonggong sextile Ixion both inconjunct Varuna at the Apex
A Grand Square:
Pluto square the New Moon, Vesta and the North Node, opposing Varuna and square to Haumea and the South Node
Trines:
Pluto trine Sedna in late Taurus
Saturn and Gonggong trine the South Node in Scorpio
Varda trine the New Moon in Aries
Sovereignty, self-realisation and self-mastery continue to be an evolutionary theme
With Varuna part of the Grand Square, a Yod and an ongoing T-Square with the Lunar nodes, we can expect a lot of energy to be focussed in the direction of self-awareness and self-mastery this month. Grand Squares provide a tremendous amount of tension and energy due to the nature of crisis they often induce. Now that Pluto is in Aquarius the impulse to liberate coincides with a crisis of action. This is because while Pluto was in the late degrees of Capricorn many will have been touching into the Aquarian energy already; signs don’t suddenly start and stop, they transition like a crossfade in film or music. The Aires New Moon continues to urge us all to break the old pattern and initiate into new ways and new things. Last month it was at 0˚ and this month it is at 29˚ (the anaretic degree) adding an intensification of the Aires imperative to act and move into the unknown.
[On a side note: the recent equinox which marked a shift into new pathways, new initiatives and new energy in general, also coincided with the beginning of a new round of the Mayan sacred calendar, which marks exactly 50 rounds since the Harmonic Convergence of 1987 - yet another sign that we are in an energised transitionary period ushering in new beginnings]
Pluto is in a gibbous opposition to Varuna, which means that evolutionary forces toward liberation, change, equality, technological advancement and so on, are increasingly under pressure to align with natural law principles. This feels like a good thing, because it increases the chance that new developments on the world stage are going to be positive for humanity. At a personal level, future forward impulses are going to work a lot better if we can align ourselves to natural law and the cultivation of self-realisation as an essential part of the way; if we want to participate in birthing a New Earth, we will have to follow the guidance of the Higher Will, and this may mean learning to yield and give over egocentric desires and attachments. Much like in a theatre production, everyone is given a part to play, but the part we are given and best at, may not coincide with the part we think we should be playing. This influence will be ongoing for the next few years until we synchronise with what is meant for us at an individual level.
In addition, Pluto is currently moving into square with the Lunar nodes, which is to say that the new evolutionary energy as it transitions from Capricorn to Aquarius is not going to be straight forward, right through to September this year; collectively we will no doubt chop and change from clinging to the past and then moving toward the future and back again until we each learn to feel secure with what is happening in the field. This see-sawing effect will probably express as periods of intense change and transformation followed by periods of stability, as well as periods of withdrawal to deal with internal personal issues, followed by practical grounded steps forward in the outer world.
What do we hold most sacred?
With Vesta in Taurus conjunct the North Node, this month we can find useful personal direction by clarifying what we most find sacred in our lives. And the onus is on cultivating and maintaining one’s own inner flame of truth in a self sufficient way; tending to our personal spiritual inner life as a way to navigate the changing energies and the potential sudden or radical changes that may be ahead of us collectively. In the midst of an ever changing global environment, we are best served if we can harness an inner stability from which to operate.
Saturn and Gonggong conjunct in Pisces sextile Ixion in Capricorn, represents unexpected chaotic developments in the world, sometimes behind the scenes, that link directly to powerful institutions misusing power, serving as an evolutionary backdrop for personal empowerment during this time. With Saturn and Gonggong in trine with the Lunar South Node, events and revelations in the world tie directly to mis-use of power in the past, potentially causing further disillusionment with the system. We have to let this energy play out, as we each become ever more clear about our place in the world and the role we need to play. If we can master our fears, we will be able to take steps forward in new ways.
Powerful new energy arising toward making a stand for justice
With Jupiter and Eris conjunct in Aries close to the New Moon, we can expect an amplification of the freedom impulse over the next month, tying in with a crisis in action induced by Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius. A crisis doesn’t have to be a major event, so for most of us we will feel this energy in personal ways as we perhaps struggle to take initiative on causes greater than ourselves; to step up and challenge if necessary the wrong doing we see in our own environment. And with Mercury conjunct Uranus in Taurus, we may find ourselves more vocal than usual, and more active with writing letters and emails, especially when it comes to defending nature and common law principles.
Tuning into Higher-Guidance as we commit to new personal spiritual directives
Varda makes a first quarter trine with the New Moon, Vesta and the North Node, indicating that there are powerful benevolent forces available to us, guiding us forward in the most optimal ways, if we are open enough to receiving. In natural law, guidance and help is never forced on us; we have a responsibility to invite help in. The trine is a harmonious and energised aspect, emphasising that this month there is a wide open channel of information available to inspire us to take new directions in our lives. We may feel a little hesitant with the Grand Square dynamic; change and commitment are sometimes scary and we may doubt ourselves and our abilities. This is just part of the way, and we can be gentle with ourselves if we understand that fear is normal and courage is something we must nurture and cultivate in our lives. Courage is needed when we break the pattern and do something different; it is through heart knowing that we can feel more solid with the unknown.
Look back over the last 4-6 weeks and ask yourself what new impulses have emerged in your own life; what new dreams and desires do you have? Try and ground some of these ideas and inspirations into the now; whatever is being seeded during this time is not meant to be completed all at once, but will unfold with our participation over the months to come. All seeds must be nurtured if they are ever going to be strong enough to take root.
Overall we can expect the energy of the times to become more proactive toward positive change, and events in the outer world will continue to provide stimulus for both reform and revolution. For example Baroness Louise Casey’s year long review into the UK Metropolitan Police Force revealed just recently that the Met is institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic, and even went as far as to suggest it may need to be broken up in order to fix it.
Quaoar and Pholus now retrograde, are once again in exact conjunction in Capricorn not far from Ixion (lower human nature). Quaoar’s high frequency transmissions continue to beam into our personal and collective structures causing periodic sudden shifts in perspective, like water freezing in the cracks of a rock face, causing it to split apart. The outcome of which will be the release of suppressed truths and also a liberation from the past.
In personal terms I see this as an ongoing deconstruction of conditioning, in order to break free from the limitations we do not always recognise we operate within. Any structural shake ups whether in the world around us, within our own habitual life patterns and way of being, or deeper down at the foundations of unquestioned beliefs, will ultimately serve to propel us into greater self awareness and personal sovereignty.
The intensity of this influence will depend on one’s core vibration, but I suspect it is affecting all of us, even those who appear to be entrenched in the old crumbling structures.
Mars in Cancer might well mean we feel more emotional than usual, and that means potentially more reactive than is good for us. We may also feel more vulnerable and insecure while the energies of this month play out. Mars in Cancer guides us all to honour our feelings, and to go slower if we don’t feel safe enough. The energies may well feel intense so remember to take care of yourself and those around you, and give yourself permission to withdraw and have some quiet time if you need to.
The Aries nature of both last month and this month may not fill us with clear visions of where we are heading. More likely we had those visions two months ago (if at all) during the Pisces lunation. Inner-guidance this month will tend to come through a gut level sense of things; a knowingness that can point us in the right direction, and yet may not furnish us with any sense of detail. Right now all of us succeed when we agree to take action on those new impulses , much like agreeing to plant certain seeds into the soil; if we don’t know more than that, it's perfectly fine and normal; in time things will inevitably get clearer.
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