Mars Retrograde in Gemini 2022-2023

Artist's conception of Mars trojan asteroids; by Pablo Carlos Budassi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Retrograde period: October 30, 2022- January 12, 2023

Mars in Gemini: August 20, 2022- March 24, 2023

Mars will increase in brightness and visibility in the night sky over the next several months as it reaches its opposition to the Sun. At this point in the two-year Martian journey around the Sun, the red planet will display an optical illusion known as apparent retrograde motion. Mars retrograde cycles occur roughly every two years (every 26 months) and repeat in the same zodiac sign every 15 years. This year's Mars retrograde will appear in the tropical sign of Gemini, a sign it is currently transiting since late August. This upcoming Mars retrograde cycle will last two and a half months. Mars will occupy Gemini for a total duration of nearly seven months! It is extremely rare for Mars to stay in this sign for so long. 

The last Mars retrograde cycle that occurred in Gemini was in January 2008, when Mars stationed retrograde initially in Cancer in December 2007, moving backward into Gemini and striking an opposition with Pluto across the Aries Point (the first degree or so of all cardinal signs: 00 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn). Pluto had also then recently moved into Capricorn. January 2008 was interestingly the buildup to the Global Financial Crisis, which impacted numerous world economies. In the U.S. horoscope, Mars is placed at 21 degrees of Gemini, and in 2008, Mars stationed direct (ended) at 24 degrees Gemini. 

This year's Mars retrograde cycle begins at 25 degrees Gemini on Oct. 30 and crosses over Mars in the U.S. horoscope, stationing direct at 8 degrees Gemini on Jan. 12, 2023. My reference to 2008 is not a prediction of a recession or event to the scale of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009. The 2008-2009 period correlated with the buildup of the Saturn/Pluto square, a cycle we just experienced the peak of in January 2020 with the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto. For more on this cycle, view my article written in early 2019. Additionally, Mars is not stationing directly on a planet in the U.S. horoscope as it did with the Sun in 2008, though it will station close to the U.S. Mars position.

However, it is interesting that the U.S. is currently facing a recession related to events correlated with the Saturn/Pluto cycle. The U.S. is additionally experiencing a Pluto return where Pluto transits back to its position at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Mars will also retrograde into a square with Neptune during this cycle. Mars will be within orb (within a certain degree range) of squaring Neptune for nearly two months and will repeat a final square in mid-March 2023 before leaving Gemini for Cancer. Additionally, Mars will be out-of-bounds for most of this retrograde cycle. Out-of-bounds refers to a planet going beyond the Sun's highest or lowest declination. It will be interesting to note the quality of world events, especially in the U.S., as this cycle unfolds. 

Mars' retrograde square with Neptune this year is a complex integration. Yet, it is not beyond our ability to work through and utilize for personal, collective, and spiritual growth. My astrological worldview sees such difficulties as serving a purpose and places our conflicts in the context of greater meaning. In this article, I will explore the potential significance of Mars' retrograde cycle in Gemini, its square with Neptune, and what insights we might uncover to best prepare for it. 

Lastly, it is important to note that not everyone will experience this cycle as significantly as others. Those with mutable sign placements in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces will note correlations more in their personal lives. Most notable would be placements such as Mars crossing or stationing on an angle of the natal chart (such as the Ascendent, Descendent, or Midheaven), or the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars. Even more, will be placements within the degrees of Mars' retrograde cycle (8 to 25 degrees Gemini with a few degrees on either side). Of course, any aspects Mars retrograde makes to natal placements can have significance.

Mars Retrograde General Meaning

Diagram of the geocentric trajectory of Mars through several periods of apparent retrograde motion (Kepler, Astronomia nova, Chapter 1, 1609)

Retrograde cycles such as those involving Mercury, Venus, or Mars often correlate with complex situational dynamics. In the case of Mercury and Mars especially, aggravating or irritating issues sometimes emerge via the reemergence of problems thought to be resolved or dealt with. This is one reason these cycles have such a bad reputation within astrology circles, though, as we will explore, there are constructive and positive potentials to these cycles. 

Mercury, Venus, and Mars retrograde cycles are significant because these planets typically move rapidly through an area of the sky and our natal chart. Thus, a transit from Mars typically lasts only a few days to a week. When Mars turns retrograde, it spends several months in a sign, three weeks at specific degrees, and passes over areas of the chart multiple times over several months. 

Mars retrograde symbolizes the emergence (or reemergence) of Mars-related themes and issues that develop more complexity in a specific sign and area of the natal chart (house or aspects to planets). There are other dimensions to this, such as revisiting unresolved issues from the past, serendipitous-type encounters, or experiencing significant life events (more so if Mars stations on or near natal placements in the chart). Yet, overall, the Mars archetype dominates a specific area of the sky and chart and develops more significance and meaning during this time. 

What Does Mars Mean? 

MOSSOT, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Like Saturn, Mars was considered by classical astrologers as a malefic planet. Malefics were traditionally believed to cause or foreshadow misfortune and destruction. Unlike Venus and Jupiter (known as benefics), Saturn and Mars had unpleasant consequences, sometimes described as inherently evil. Of course, the modern conception of this has changed; at least the vocabulary used to describe malefic and benefic planets is vastly more nuanced than classical astrology. Also, on a personal level, Mars transits rarely manifest in such a dire way.

Still, the roots of these concepts are useful because they reveal the correlation between significant Saturn and Mars events and experientially challenging situations, especially as they relate to collective/world events. The Global Financial Crisis is one good example, as is the year 2020 when Saturn and Mars aligned with Pluto in Capricorn in March of that year, the height of the pandemic's onset, global lockdowns, and various authoritarian measures. 

Mars is associated with the warrior archetype and is traditionally related to conflicts, battles, confrontations, divisiveness, and destruction. Mars can correlate with the emergence of such things; however, we need to think more deeply and archetypally about those associations. More likely, a Mars retrograde cycle would correlate with the emergence of symbolic versions of those associations.

We all know that life can be difficult and messy. There are painful things that happen to us that we can't control, but there are also painful things we could have avoided if we knew better or had more confidence in ourselves. It is inevitable that we get hurt at various points throughout our lives, and the longer we live, the more that truth becomes real. 

Occasionally, we encounter situations or people in life that try to harm, take advantage of, exploit, or dominate us. And life also requires that we afflict harm on other living things for survival or to defend our autonomy. 

There are also many dimensions to life that can feel like a battlefield that aren't literal battlefields. For example, there are moments we have to stand up for ourselves, defend someone or something else, or cut some harmful person or experience out of our lives. Ultimately, I believe those experiences have a purpose because we get stronger and wiser if we respond well to them. We become more resistant to threats in the future and better able to avoid them when we see them coming. 

We grow from painful experiences. They aren't meaningless, even if we adhere to an exclusive materialist or atheistic worldview. Pain, by the way, can result purely from free will. The challenges or difficulties that emerge under a Mars transit can be entirely self-selected. Building muscle, for example, is something that hurts but something we might choose to do. 

Let's think about this further. We encounter this archetype every day. Our immune systems constantly fight off viruses, bacteria, or fungi. We kill plants and animals and eat them to survive. We implement and defend boundaries forged in personal and societal relationships. We experience various forms of cultural segregation. We cannot escape participation in the inevitable destructiveness and divisiveness of life. Creation and destruction are intimately linked. Autonomous entities have to defend their autonomy. No matter how we live our lives, these archetypal experiences will inevitably involve or find us. 

The archetype of Mars describes battles, conflicts, and divisions, but it is also a planet that deals heavily with action, free will, and desire. We could say that the archetype of Mars embodies the desire to live and to defend that desire. Mars is often strongly associated with the primal aspects of the brain/psyche, our fight or flight (or freeze) responses to danger, and our aggressive, lustful, and fear-based emotions. Sexuality and sexual desire play a role here too. The Mars archetype could well represent survival and reproduction. Mars cycles or placements can relate to how we express or encounter these aspects of being human. It is a planet that embodies how we get what we want, defend it, and assert ourselves to claim space in life and protect it. 

Mars in Gemini 

Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

As ruled by Mercury, the Gemini archetype is associated with the mind. It connects significantly to various domains of the mental and linguistic dimensions, such as the flow of verbal/non-verbal communication and information. We associate this sign with curiosity, high stimulation, perceptual/intellectual diversity, restlessness, teaching, and learning. In sum, we could say Gemini represents gathering information or data to form an understanding or view of the world and the various ways we interact with or describe it.

How can the pursuit of information, or the acquisition of truth or perception, become a battlefield where words, thoughts, ideas, or speeches become weapons or enemies? This is easy for us to conceive today, where Twitter wars happen daily, and powerful institutions have essentially waged war on misinformation. Especially in the shadow of the pandemic, the acquisition and dissemination of information are perceived as dangerous endeavors. 

We hear a lot about the dangers of false or misleading information today, yet the response, such as the silencing of free speech, gets overlooked in mainstream discussions. Censorship is a well-utilized tactic of authoritarians to silence information they deem as threatening. This is not to suggest that misinformation is not a problem, but the events of 2020 have catalyzed a concerning wave of censorship and the public's acceptance of it. Regardless of whether one disagrees with the censored information, it is hard to deny that allowing powerful institutions to censor whom they decide is a slippery slope that can quickly snowball out of control. 

Linguistic information has incredible power over human beings because we rely heavily on it for survival. The human capacity for sharing information is the most complex among mammals. No other animals on the planet use language to discuss the past, present, and future with the complexity that humans do. The human brain's higher neuronal capacity (more neurons than other primates or animals) also means prioritizing our visual and linguistic advancements over other senses. Thus, our ancestors relied heavily on information shared verbally to survive effectively in natural environments. It likely all started with the question, is this safe to eat or not? 

Information is thus a powerful currency, and human societies have fought over it for millennia. Today's Twitter wars, platform bans, and censorship campaigns do not differ much from the motivations behind the Library of Alexandria's destruction, the Spanish Inquisitions, or Nazi book burnings. On an individual and collective level, confronting information that threatens our beliefs is also fraught with stress and fear because it results in cognitive dissonance. This is the psychological discomfort experienced in encountering information contradictory to what we believe to be true, and it can lead to highly irrational behavior. Human beings react to this experience with denial, rejection, hostility, or avoidance of the information, or they can choose to accept it and move through the discomfort. The latter requires some time, courage, and putting egos aside.

Mars retrograde in Gemini reminds me of a specific quote from don Juan, the Yaqui sorcerer that anthropologist Carlos Castaneda apprenticed under while conducting fieldwork in the book, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1). At this point in the book, Castaneda struggled to integrate his first experience with Peyote (what don Juan refers to as Mescalito), especially after hearing about his behavior while under its influence. 

While Castaneda recalled his Peyote experience as a playful, ecstatic interaction with a dog, the next day, he learned how he had wildly chased after the dog barking loudly, played with the dog for hours while drinking from a water bowl, and eventually peed on the dog before passing out (pg. 46-47). Castaneda explains to don Juan that

 "Peyote had produced in me, as a postreaction, a strange kind of physical discomfort. It was an indefinite fear or unhappiness; a melancholy of some sort, which I could not define exactly. And I did not find that state noble in any way." (pg. 48) 

don Juan simply replies

 "You are beginning to learn." (pg. 48)

Castaneda's struggle at this point in the book could be described as an experience of cognitive dissonance. His behavior contradicted the perception he had of himself. In fact, don Juan lectures Castaneda later about being too self-focused and missing much that is happening around him. Don Juan also explains the way in which Mescalito can pull one out of themselves to teach them, echoing the modern understanding of how psychedelic substances can allow individuals to observe their mind, thoughts, and behavior objectively. Castaneda confesses that he doesn't feel cut out for the learning that Mescalito provides

"This type of learning is not for me. I am not made for it, don Juan."

"You always exaggerate."

"This is not exaggeration."

"It is. The only trouble is that you exaggerate the bad points only."

"There are no good points so far as I am concerned. All I know is that it makes me afraid."

"There is nothing wrong with being afraid. When you fear, you see things in a different way." (pg. 48)

As a result of his discomfort and fear of Mescalito, Castaneda rejects further learning through Peyote use. He has confronted realizations that terrify him and challenge his worldview. Yet, don Juan's response that fear alters perception is the crucial point here and leads to the infamous quote. On a separate evening from the previous discussion, don Juan gives Castaneda wisdom he had memorized from his teacher while he was apprenticing to be a sorcerer himself:

"A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it." (pg. 51)

This quote refers to don Juan's earlier suggestion that "When you fear, you see things in a different way" (pg. 48). Fear can throw us off our usual route to developing a perception, either shutting down our ability to think critically and clearly or as don Juan suggests, fear can embolden respect for the knowledge we seek to have. As don Juan further on explains

"When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning."

"He slowly begins to learn--bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield."

Castaneda then asks 

"What will happen to the man if he runs away in fear?" 

"Nothing happens to him except that he will never learn. He will never become a man of knowledge. He will perhaps be a bully, or a harmless, scared man; at any rate, he will be a defeated man. His first enemy will have put an end to his cravings." (pg. 84)

Don Juan alludes to the reality that learning is a process of developing the strength to endure the cognitive dissonance experienced due to chronic disillusionment or disenchantment. When one sets out on a learning path, they will inevitably encounter information and perceptions that challenge what they expect to find. The truth is often counter to our ideals, beliefs, and expectations. And yet, to acquire true knowledge, persistence and endurance are required to push through the discomfort.

There is likely some valuable wisdom to gather from don Juan's words as we move closer to Mars' lengthy retrograde in Gemini. Mars in Gemini is a time to utilize our fear to approach information with respect or to endure cognitive dissonance and come out with altered perception and understanding. While we can relate to these issues throughout our lives, Mars' extended trip through Gemini could bring some pivotal events to the surface that deal with the need to approach knowledge as a warrior facing the battlefield. 

Other Mars in Gemini issues might involve taking a firm stance on a particular side of a cultural issue, defending a belief, perception, idea, or set of data relating to a specific understanding of the world. It might involve fighting against some perceived misinformation or attacks to censor or silence. Critical opportunities might surface to assert our truth or perception. We're likely to see some critical collective events in the U.S. dealing with these themes, especially as Mars retrogrades over Mars in the U.S. horoscope. 

Mars Square Neptune

Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Neptune archetype represents an awareness of something greater than one's self, perhaps greater than the sum of one species or planetary biosphere. We might refer to this archetype as an awareness of God/Goddess or the Universe. However, Neptune equally relates to natural forces that can overpower humanity, such as weather phenomena, natural disasters, or viral pandemics. Is it possible to fight against or fully resist such forces? Or is it better to surrender to what happens and allow one's will to be shaped and guided? Certainly, such experiences give us a true perspective of where we stand in the universe. 

Mars in Gemini can feel overwhelmed with strategies, potential targets, or threats. The Gemini archetype represents a myriad of stimulation inundations that can complicate defining a clear action plan amid too many choices. Neptune's square adds another element of confusion or deception. It could be difficult under this cycle to know who or what to fight or defend against. We might find that certain goals are more complicated than we anticipated or that taking on a project or task requires more time and effort. 

Mars square Neptune might correlate with losing momentum, strength, or passion, a period of questioning a mission or battle. Disillusionment and disenchantment are other possibile manifestations, especially about information, data, or beliefs that initially fueled motivation toward a particular cause. Perhaps a battle strategy once thought to work is found ineffective. Dissillusionment can occur due to overestimating strength or tactical abilities. We should be aware of overinflated confidence, strength, or power. Humility and a willingness to alter a mission or strategy is a must.

Yet, Mars square Neptune can also be a time to reinvigorate our passion or mission through a vision or ideal that motivates us to act. When it comes to Neptune, surrender the usual Mars-like tactics of fighting, pushing, or asserting control. It is a time to realize we are not entirely in control. There are forces larger than we are, and we can learn from them. Humbly admit your limitations and allow your mission to be reshaped and redirected. If you feel blocked by uncertainty, fear, or loss of faith, trust that clarity will return, and taking some steps back to restrategize will help you ultimately succeed later on. 

Conclusion 

This is an exceptionally notable Mars retrograde cycle given its length, out-of-bounds status, and the long duration of its square to Neptune. This is a time best utilized to reflect deeper on our actions, choices, impulses, desires, and "battle strategies," especially as they relate to gathering knowledge and information. Anticipate a shift in the assertion of willpower and the targets/end goals you've been after. Trusting and allowing your will to be shaped and guided may be a more beneficial Mars square Neptune strategy. 

In the bigger picture, a retrograde inner planet represents a significant shift of activity in the sign and house(s) it backtracks through. Sometimes that manifests as a literal reversal of something in that area, especially if planets occupy that house and the retrograding planet contacts them. It's important to remember that this isn't always a bad thing; there can be both positive and negative reversals. While Mars can bring challenging issues to the surface, as the planet of action, it also deals with opportunities to assert autonomy, independence, and confidence. 

Mars will be retrograde for two and a half months, so life will go on as it usually does. However, we should be extra mindful of our motivations and impulses and remain realistic about the nature of our choices more than usual. Remember, this is not a time when we should halt or hold off important actions. Quite often, delays or blocks related to previously mentioned issues prevent us from moving as quickly as we anticipated, especially in the weeks surrounding the stations of Mars (Oct. 30 and Jan 12). This is a time to be patient and trust there is a larger reason for any frustrations or obstacles. Perhaps, a renewed vision for a passion, strategy, and mission is emerging now. Expand your vision of what's possible and trust that clarity will emerge if you're willing to make an effort to alter your tactics and perspective. 

1. Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (New York: Pocket Books, 1974).

Choosing to Flow: Full Moon in Pisces 2022

Photoneill, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 17 degrees Pisces 41'

September 10, 2022

3:00 AM PDT

6:00 AM EDT

September's Full Moon in tropical Pisces occurs shortly after Mercury's exact retrograde station in Libra. It features a wide, building conjunction with Neptune and a supportive sextile from Uranus. It opens up space to step back from the usual life pace and acquire a new point of view.

Occurring in mutable Pisces alongside Mercury's reverse directional change, this Full Moon has a highly transitional theme. As with all Full Moons, there is rising cumulative energy where various situations reach their fulcrum. However, more layers are shifting and weaving into the moment than are apparent on the surface.

Neptune's presence near the Full Moon is one reason for this. When Neptune is emphasized, some obfuscation and idealization can occur, though not always for nefarious reasons. Of course, with Mercury retrograding and the Moon's Neptune conjunction, exercising caution with impulsive or poorly planned decisions is necessary. Double-check your sources and reiterate questions to be clear before proceeding.

We are being made aware of those aspects of reality we don't have pinned entirely down. This might also show up in heightened dream activity, anomalous shifting events, or visionary outbursts. Especially in the two days after the Full Moon, the Moon's exact conjunctions with Neptune and Jupiter increase interest in broader perspectives and unknown horizons.

Neptune and Pisces emphasize the interconnectedness of all beings and experiences, pointing to deeper and numinous realities beyond the mundane layers. The benefit of this Full Moon lies in its subtle ability to connect us with greater meaning, purpose, and communion with the whole (universe, god/goddess, humanity, or planet). This Full Moon is a catalyst for inspiration, creative musing, and for transcending the day-to-day.

Of course, this can easily embolden escapism and naive romanticizing. Falling for a facade is another danger of this Full Moon, as so often with Neptune, look deeper than the surface and reflect on your motivations. Yet, some fantasy indulgences can be healing and help change the flow of thinking and perception. Uranus' sextile invites some excitement and a break from routine. Trust these transitional, flowing energies and carefully watch what emerges.

Thoughtful Action: New Moon in Virgo 2022

Dreamy Pixel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 4 degrees Virgo 04'

August 27, 2022

1:17 AM PDT

4:17 AM EDT

This month's New Moon occurs in the tropical sign of Virgo. It features a very close square with Mars in Gemini. The New Moon ruler, Mercury, is in the shadow of its retrograde cycle inching close to its stationary degree. The earthy pragmatism of Virgo and the tension of Mars' square can motivate tackling any project/goal requiring concrete results, but some caution and careful forethought are needed.

With the Sun now in Virgo and the lunar cycle renewing in this sign, the playful self-expressiveness of Leo gives way to more focus on self-improvement and contribution. Virgo is a sign of longing for perpetual growth, and a New Moon here can ignite or encourage a process of getting better results with anything we've devoted ourselves to perfect.

The shadow of Virgo can lead to obsessive fault-finding, criticalness, or a desire to purge anything preventing an ideal perfect order. Mars' square can suggest heightened irritability, agitation, or frustration if things aren't quite how we expect them. There can be a feeling alongside this New Moon of being blocked or prevented from acquiring the desired momentum.

Mercury, the New Moon ruler, is drifting through its retrograde shadow, heading toward its Sept. 9 retrograde station. While there can be a feeling of haste or urgency, be wise that Mercury's retrograde is fast approaching. Remember that to do Virgo well requires careful attention to detail and rigorous thoughtfulness. Acting on impulse or via an emotional reaction could require future revisions or inconveniences.

We can, however, channel this square to more consciously directed actions and gather the momentum needed to do something well. Perhaps, some of the frustration we may experience could be showing where our shortcomings are or where we could do better. Use those volatile energies to make improvements rather than getting stuck in the emotional response. Make use of your agitation and most of all, take your time and realize the urgency will blow off soon.

Future Waves: Supermoon in Aquarius 2022

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August 11, 2022

6:36 PM PDT

9:36 PM EDT

August's Supermoon/Full Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and close to the Moon's perigee--its closest approach to the earth. A Full Moon at perigee is a more powerful Supermoon when the Moon appears notably brighter and slightly larger than usual. The Moon's conjunction with Saturn is amidst a tension-filled grand cross pattern involving Uranus, the Moon's nodal axis, and the Sun.

First, this Supermoon in Aquarius is not a comfortable integration, much like the past two weeks of the Mars/Uranus/Node alignment in Taurus. Unexpected challenges, volatile new elements, and general overall instability have likely been significant themes. Much of these developing processes come to a head alongside this Supermoon and hopefully lead to resolution or some clarity.

As with any lunation (New or Full Moon), these energies will quickly pass by. Mars is already heading out of its conjunction with Uranus and will be in Gemini late next week (though that presents its own set of challenges with its retrograde at the end of the year). Yet, for now, the storm is reaching its fulcrum.

The upside of Uranus and Mars' meetup on the Moon's North Node has been a radical (and perhaps forced) breakup with the past on several levels and an accelerated push toward the future (destiny, higher purpose, renewed calling, new beginnings. etc.). Sometimes we need a shake-up to get things moving, especially when we get set in our ways.

This Supermoon in Aquarius is, however, dominated by Saturn. The Moon conjoins Saturn and is in a Saturn-ruled sign. We must contend with some harsh limitations, restrictions, or reality-testing. Yet, the positive side is that for those areas of life in which we've fairly earned some status, achievement, or recognition, there can be a sense of "getting there" or feeling elevated due to consistency and commitment.

If you feel weighed down by the depressing or less empowering life dimensions, realize this will pass. Feeling caught between a struggle of the past versus the future is another symptom of this Supermoon. Choosing a hard line with one or another may not be so simple. Seek some compromise the best you can, but also realize that things are changing fast regardless.

Inner Light: New Moon in Leo 2022

John Samuel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 5 degrees Leo 39'

July 28, 2022

10:55 AM PDT

1:55 PM EDT

With the Sun recently shifted into tropical Leo, the next lunar cycle renews itself in this fixed, fiery sign ruled by the Sun. The Sun is in its domicile in Leo and so dominates this New Moon moment. Additionally, the New Moon's trine to Jupiter is equally significant as Jupiter stations retrograde just hours after the conjunction of Sun and Moon.

Leo is often conceptualized as an image of extravagance, confidence, and maybe even chutzpah. This is the cliche Leo, the attention-grabbing and illuminating archetype that seeks to brighten a room or gather sustenance from those around it. Yet, Leo also can represent the need to be seen and validated or the need to express innate/developed creativity and self-expressiveness.

In the northern hemisphere, when the Sun is in Leo, it is at its highest ascent and has its most influence in terms of exuding heat and vitality. Sometimes it can feel warming, energizing, and joyful, and other times oppressive, exhausting, or life-diminishing. Leo represents light, brightness, playfulness, and joy if distilled to its most positive essence.

A New Moon here represents a renewal of this capacity to cultivate these positive attributes within our lives. It could symbolize the start or renewal of a creative project or simply taking steps to brighten something up to bring more energy and vitality into some specific area.

Jupiter's trine opens up possibilities--a sense of optimism or new direction to pursue. However, Jupiter's retrograde station adds an inward turn to this New Moon in which we may not be so much externally focused. Jupiter in Aries typically wants to charge ahead and take on new challenges.

Jupiter's retrograde trine conjures an image of connecting with one's inner light, taking steps back to refocus our creativity and passion. Indeed, New Moons, by their nature, are moments to reset, recharge, and gather momentum. This New Moon may be a significant moment to implement a pathway toward building inner strength or cultivating joy more intimately rather than outwardly.

Stepping Forward: Supermoon in Capricorn 2022

Joshua Tree National Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 21 degrees Capricorn 21'
July 13, 2022
11:38 AM PDT
2:38 PM EDT

July's Supermoon occurs in tropical Capricorn, widely conjunct Pluto, square Eris, and opposing a building Sun/Mercury conjunction. While the sign of Capricorn highlights culminations related to goals, ambitions, achievements, and persistent efforts, the Sun and Mercury in Cancer draw us into intimate realms related to family, tribe, healing, and security.

A supermoon occurs when there's a Full Moon at the Moon's perigee, its closest approach to the Earth. The Moon appears slightly larger and undeniably brighter, especially for those in the northern hemisphere when the Moon rises higher than usual in the night sky. This month's Supermoon is the closest of 2022 and is ideal for soaking up that late-night lunar glow. It will be visually notable for a few days.

Since this Full Moon/Supermoon occurs close to Pluto and thus involves itself in the Pluto/Eris square, there are likely to be some breaking points, crises, or culminations surrounding various political/culture war issues which can amplify and highlight divisiveness, hypocrisy, and social volatility. That, of course, has been a significant theme of the Pluto/Eris square, which started building in 2016.

Humility is always the antidote to hubris and hyper-rationality. The Sun and Mercury in Cancer remind us of the power of inner knowing, gut feelings, and intuitive impressions. While our rational faculties help us to survive in an increasingly complex social world, we cannot rely entirely upon them because life doesn't always match up with what makes sense according to the plan, strategy, or moralistic ideal.

Balancing between the rational and intuitive and a breakthrough in that process may be a significant theme of this Full Moon. Yet, so can a culmination involving projects, tasks, and ambitions where dedication and consistency can bear fruit in tangible results or end-product. With Saturn as ruler of Capricorn, notable events in this sign inevitably bring up issues surrounding responsibility, purpose, and the surmounting of obstacles.

Lastly, Chiron is also involved in this Full Moon/Supermoon via a square aspect from Aries. Chiron tends to include issues of healing, integration, and the pursuit of wholeness. While defining ourselves and our position on various issues is critical to healthy individuation and the formation of boundaries, consider how addiction to divisiveness and tribalism can turn toxic and prevent meaningful connection.

Sometimes, our addiction to conflict can require a dedicated deep dive to discover the root of our impulses as perhaps ways in which some early life imprinting taught us to equate love and affection with conflict and turmoil. Yet, other times, we can simply turn off sources that trigger such tendencies or simply choose not to engage despite how tempting. Chiron represents that switch and choice. Perhaps this Supermoon illuminates a healthier pathway forward in which releasing toxic impulses lead us to gentler and authentically loving ways of connecting.

Protect the Sacred: New Moon in Cancer 2022

Supercarwaar, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 07 degrees Cancer 23'
June 28, 2022
7:53 PM PDT
10:53 PM EDT

As June ends, we move through a New Moon in tropical Cancer. It features a dynamic square with Jupiter, both amplifying and augmenting the potentials inherent to this lunation. In the sign of Cancer, this New Moon emphasizes various inner and intimate life dimensions highlighting emotionality, intuition, and tribal connections.

The sign of Cancer is most notoriously associated with nurturance, domesticity, and protective instincts. It points us to the inward and intimate, those places and experiences we tend to keep private, sacred, and protected. Naturally, as associated with the Moon, and as a feminine sign, Cancer connects us to the archetypal mother, healer, and defender.

The desire or impulse to protect the most vulnerable, private, and sacred all come under the domain of Cancer. As this New Moon aligns with the Sun, a new beginning is being forged in the collective psyche, inviting us to step forward in strengthening fields of protection and fighting for the world's most sacred and fragile.

Jupiter's square magnifies the archetypal mother, the need to heal, help others, and fiercely protect and defend what is under threat. This connection can also amplify emotionality and intuitive awareness, as well as the desire to belong, connect, and share sacred ground with others.

One often-overlooked dimension of Jupiter is its tendency to magnify our dissatisfaction with what we currently have or the state of the world. As the planet of expansion and opportunity, one essential step in achieving or acquiring something greater requires realizing that things can be better or that we deserve more.

Consider, within reason and healthy limitations, how you can expand your capacity to heal, nourish, protect, and defend. Consider how you can step outside your comfort zone to include more within your definition of tribe or family. Reflect deeply on your dissatisfactions and what they stem from, and most importantly, what actions you need or should take to bring about change.

Moving In Flow: Full Moon in Sagittarius 2022

SeanXCurry, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

June 14, 2022

4:52 AM PDT

7:52 AM EDT

With this Full Moon, we're balancing between the archetypes of Gemini and Sagittarius. Gemini curiously seeks out the inherent diversity within the universe while Sagittaius seeks to find meaning or purpose behind it. Gemini emphasizes a multiplicity of perspectives, data points, and opinions, while Sagittarius seeks to funnel complexity into cohesive beliefs, ideologies, or philosophies.

Combined with Saturn's square-off with Mercury the past week, this Full Moon helps to focus and direct the many possibilities or information bits we've been playing or struggling with. The archetype of the Full Moon is all about completion, breakthrough, or resolution, bringing pending thoughts, plans, and anticipations to a fulcrum at the start of the week.

This Full Moon can empower faith and optimism as well as embolden zealousness and hubris. Yet, both directions can be challenged by Neptune's square to this Full Moon as it forces a questioning of the veracity of what we believe or hold faith in or whether our certainty is justified by reality.

Neptune puts pressure on all the dots we've connected and the beliefs we've manufactured in making sense of the world. As we quickly pass through this Full Moon, the best advice is to stay humble, admit what you don't know, and surrender to the endless mysteries that envelope us. And for the next few days, choosing to go more with the flow rather than enforcing a specific agenda will work more favorably.

When encountering confusing or suspicious situations, step back to gain more clarity. Neptunian energy encourages or forces a more inward perception or less rational approach to dealing with obstacles. There may be things brought up around this Full Moon that require some sacrifice or may be beyond our control, but try to look past the facade and to the deeper layers, intention, or purpose.

Clearing the Path: New Moon in Gemini 2022

Jeffrey Pang from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 9 degrees Gemini 03'

May 30, 2022

4:30 AM PDT

7:30 AM EDT

This month's final lunation is a New Moon in tropical Gemini. It seals off the first eclipse season of 2022 and transitions us to the end of Mercury's retrograde cycle in Gemini/Taurus. The combination of eclipses and Mercury retrograde have likely correlated with significant changes in plans, expectations, and routines over the past two weeks. Getting thrown off course can be frustrating, but it can also illuminate aspects of reality we might have otherwise missed or ignored.

The Gemini archetype emphasizes perception and communication--how we perceive and understand the world and the reciprocal exchange of information between ourselves and our environment. With any New Moon in Gemini, especially alongside Mercury retrograde, new insights, perspectives, and conversations are likely to emerge, all of which alter our understanding of reality.

As with any Gemini New Moon, it's important to keep an open mind and remain flexible in revising what we know and understand. Especially with a sextile from Mercury to Neptune and trine to Pluto, there are many hidden or mysterious elements to things that could come to light alongside this lunation, all of which require keen perceptiveness to capture.

The challenge presented by this New Moon lies in Mercury's stationing square to Saturn. Mercury stations direct on June 3 and will sit in close tension with Saturn (also stationing retrograde June 4) through the second week of June. As a significant feature of this New Moon, Mercury's square contrasts significantly with Mars and Jupiter in Aries' desire to confidently charge ahead and embark into new directions.

While things can feel sluggish or lack momentum, there's an emphasis on taking our time to consider details, plan ahead, and strategize over the following week rather than giving in to impulsive action or hasty decision-making. As we move into the final phase of Mercury's retrograde cycle, we're reminded to commit only to things we can give our total energy and attention to.

Mercury's square to Saturn can also exaggerate pessimism, negativity, and depressive tendencies. Remember that over the next week especially, perception can become biased in the direction of limitations and negative thinking. Perhaps some of this is important to consider since it represents a real, albeit limited, portion of reality. Yet, don't let it consume the entire picture.

Consider that the most important message of this New Moon is that while there may be much we might wish to do, learn about, or take on, we have limited capacities and time restraints. Use this New Moon to narrow the focus, prioritize what matters to you, and eliminate the clutter preventing a solid commitment to a specific task, field of interest, or project. Of course, Gemini would rather do it all, so perhaps compromise with three instead of six (or twenty)!

Trust Every Step: Total Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio 2022

Photo by Chad Woodward, August 2020

Full Moon @ 25 Scorpio 18'

May 15, 2022

9:15 PM PDT

12:15 PM EDT

This month's Full Moon is a total lunar eclipse in tropical Scorpio. It represents a powerful culmination in various life arenas. Saturn's square to the Full Moon/eclipse adds some heavy pressures, but supportive trines from Neptune, Mars, and Jupiter create positive outlets for transmuting potential difficulties.

A Scorpio Full Moon highlights emotional and psychic terrain, amplifying deep feelings, desires, and impulses. Combined with Saturn's square, a depressive and brooding element is possible alongside this eclipse, but recognize that any of these potentials will dissipate over the following days.

As a south nodal eclipse in Scorpio, there is a potential to release unhealthy attachments to crisis, drama, or excessive negativity. Combined with Saturn's square, consider ways in which certain fears or self-worth anxieties have prevented simple pleasures and joy from flowing into your life.

This eclipse can symbolize a breakthrough in releasing such blocks due to hard work and commitment in choosing to live more fully. Additionally, this lunation can correlate with breakthroughs or culminations in the consistent development of specific skills or resources, where persistence bears rewards.

While the emergence or amplification of complex difficulties is likely, supportive trines from Jupiter, Neptune, and Mars invite opportunities to shift from a myopic focus to a broader point of view. Realize there is always a bigger picture, intention, and process in which all current dramas or difficulties are ultimately embedded.

Perhaps one of the most salient insights of the moment is realizing the western cultural world is experiencing a crisis in meaning, in an inability to see anything beyond the literal. Trusting the flow of life is not a naive acceptance of things as they are but an acknowledgment that what's happening serves a greater purpose and is motivated by intention.

The way out of any eclipse crisis is a willingness to live more intentionally and choosing to rise up and away from that which is harming us. It might begin with realizing what we're worth, in a radical embrace of self-love and self-care to shift forward and onward. When in doubt the next few days, choose the most straightforward solution over the most complex. Just breathe, feel your feet on the ground, and trust every step.

Shifting Ground: New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Taurus 2022

Peter Standing / Exquisite Geological Display in Houndshope Cove

New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse @ 10 degrees Taurus 28'

April 30, 2022

1:28 PM PDT

4:28 PM EDT

April comes to an end with a New Moon and partial solar eclipse in tropical Taurus. A conjunction from Uranus and sextile from Mars adds both an erratic and playfully combative element to this New Moon. Additionally, with the Moon in its exaltation and exact conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in Pisces, there are potentially auspicious starting points under this lunation that require some insight to utilize correctly.

Solar eclipses accentuate and amplify the emergence of new potential that often accompanies a New Moon. The sense of a reset or new beginning in certain situations can feel more poignant than a typical New Moon. Also, there can be an acceleration of certain issues that have been pending or brewing for a while.

Occurring in Taurus, there's an emphasis on somatic dimensions--sensuality, fitness, or physical nourishment. Taurus also relates to tangible resources--money, possessions, or safety nets. Look for a significant fresh start with perhaps some of these topics.

Uranus' conjunction and Mars' sextile plus the eclipse energy also significantly accelerate changes. While persistent efforts will be best, there can also be sudden unexpected results and improvements on several fronts alongside this lunation. With the added Uranian element, anticipate diverting from usual routines or attempting new approaches to improving the above topics.

Lastly, as mentioned, this New Moon/eclipse occurs alongside the exacting conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in Pisces (close to Neptune, too). This is a rare alignment of these planets in a sign that empowers their strength and expression. The upside is an amplification of serendipitous or mystical encounters and experiences, probably more so on the inward level but certainly possible on the outer, too.

The downside: overly idealizing a person, situation, or object of desire and investing far too much than its worth. Also keep in mind that we've entered Mercury's retrograde shadow phase, with the actual retrograde cycle May 10-June 3. So, be cautious with major investments/risky endeavors as you branch off with emerging new directions. Read the fine print, get second opinions, and otherwise avoid impulsive actions.

With that in mind, use this New Moon/eclipse to slow your pace, go with the flow, and embrace a more "trust the moment" attitude. Actively change something up, but do so with some critical thinking or extra caution. Realize also the potential benefits of turning inward for insight, perspective, and new vision--especially over the next few weeks. Both navigational and perceptual changes are coming, so free up some mental space.

Deepening Connections: Full Moon in Libra 2022

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Lübeck, Historische Gerichtslaube -- 2017 -- 0476” / CC BY-SA 4.0

Full Moon @ 26 degrees Libra 46'

April 16, 2022

11:56 AM PDT

2:56 PM EDT

April's Full Moon occurs in tropical Libra alongside the now waning but still active Jupiter/Neptune conjunction. And as the first Full Moon past the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, it correlates with Easter/Ostara, originally a pagan celebration honoring the reawakening of life after the dormancy of winter.

With Aries season now well underway, this Full Moon's rising and culminating energies accentuate the reawakening of numerous dormant impulses and tendencies. As with all Full Moons, there is a build-up of tension, and combined with the Aries and the cardinal nature of both itself and Libra, there is likely a forceful assertiveness pervading the atmosphere.

The Libra archetype most infamously highlights various relational dynamics, most classically those dealing with romantic or other forms of intimate partnership. Libra emphasizes the diversity of ways we connect with others--discerning commonality, establishing social stability, or identifying optimal ways of getting along.

A Full Moon in Libra brings relational issues to a head and into the open. Along with a square from Pluto, this Full Moon challenges us with honesty, authenticity, and emotional depth. The shadow side of this Full Moon most likely lies in a failure to balance self-interest with empathy or surrendering our boundaries to overbearing relational demands and expectations.

However, the high road of Pluto invites us to see, acknowledge, and ultimately embrace the neglected parts of ourselves and others and, via our increased awareness, expands our ability to connect all around. Transformational dialogues, relational breakthroughs, and skillful balancing of complex interpersonal dynamics are all potentials for the next few days.

Formative Imprints: New Moon in Aries 2022

Troy Sankey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 11 degrees Aries 31'

March 31, 2022

11:25 PM PDT

April 1, 2022

2:25 AM EDT

This month's New Moon occurs in tropical Aries, joining a lineup of Mercury, Sun, and Chiron. This triple conjunction, plus the Moon, represents the dominant aspects of this lunation moment. However, conjunctions involving Venus, Saturn, and Mars in Aquarius and Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces are also dominating the picture.

With the Sun now in Aries and this New Moon further igniting the fire archetype, there is some tangible momentum and motivation behind this lunation. It represents an ideal starting point for several endeavors, especially considering Mercury's retrograde cycle starting in May. There is ample time to implement and initiate to avoid glitches or delays.

With Mars, ruler of this New Moon, currently aligning with Saturn, there is some notable heaviness or pressure alongside it. That might manifest as feeling stuck or mired in increasing difficulties, duties, or responsibilities or feeling the weight of complex relational commitments. Yet, as the lunar cycle renews itself, it represents a call to action, the emergence of a path forward, and an opportunity to take some first steps in the direction of resolution.

Chiron's presence alongside this New Moon cannot be ignored. It often correlates with an amplification of themes surrounding woundedness, disability, or physical/emotional pain. In Aries, that likely shows up as a hesitation to take action or a woundedness related to self-defense, assertiveness, or proactiveness. Yet again, a New Moon is a chance to start anew and the emergence of healing portals that can help us begin transmuting our fears into greater confidence and passion.

Ultimately, our choices shape our destiny, whether those translate into actions or attitudes that we embrace. With this New Moon, attitude is really where it all starts. If something feels overwhelming or too much to handle, remember that it need only require a willingness to take the first step, however big or small. The Aries archetype also reminds us that we each deserve a place in the world, but that often requires taking a stand to defend it.

Mindful Wanderings: Full Moon in Virgo 2022

Forest Wander from Cross Lanes, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 degrees Virgo 40'

March 18, 2022

1:18 AM PDT

4:18 AM EDT

This month's Full Moon occurs just before the equinox (March 20) and strikes an opposition with Neptune, Jupiter, and Mercury in Pisces. There is an energetic tension and balance at play between the myopic, earth-bound focus of Virgo and the alluring idealism of Pisces. Here, the higher road invites us to discover how both ends can find fulfillment and integration without getting lost in the forest or swept out to sea.

The Full Moon archetype often correlates with reaching a moment of completion in various situations. That can also manifest as a breaking point, crisis, or the full emergence of a potential. In Virgo, that might relate to pragmatic skills, the development of competence, and organizational strategies. It could be easy to get consumed entirely in a detail-intensive project or laboring away with a sequence of tasks.

However, the other side of this Full Moon desires transcendence. Jupiter and Neptune are getting closer to their April conjunction, a unique meet up in Pisces that doesn't occur too often. It's magnifying and expanding creative possibilities, a more nuanced sense of reality, and enlargening the ability to dream. This can be deeply nourishing, especially for those starving for some spiritual sustenance.

As the Full Moon dissipates over the next few days, the Piscean lineup comes back into complete focus. Use this Virgo Moon energy to sharpen your attention and priorities so that you can stay grounded over the coming weeks. Yet, immersing yourself in the imaginal could help augment and clarify the actual, so allow yourself some time to wander.

Something Extraordinary: New Moon in Pisces 2022

Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 12 degrees 07' Pisces

March 2, 2022

9:36 AM PST

12:36 PM EST

Our first New Moon of March (there are two this month) occurs in tropical Pisces and features a conjunction with Jupiter and (widely) Neptune. The dominating Piscean archetype stands in sharp contrast to exact alignments of Venus/Mars/Pluto in Capricorn and Mercury/Saturn in Aquarius.

The main feature of this New Moon is the pile-up of planets in tropical Pisces. While Neptune is not in a technical orb with the New Moon itself, its closeness to Jupiter reins it into the lunation picture. There may be an odd sense of rising optimism and expansion alongside this New Moon. The strangeness of that feeling is due to the somber energies dominating the background.

To overlook the seriousness of things that must be faced or dealt with, especially responsibilities and critical tasks, would draw one into the negative face of this New Moon. The combination of Jupiter/Neptune in Pisces (which will exact April 11/12) can seriously amplify all diversity of escapist or otherwise delusional tendencies in individuals and groups of people. The latter is the most likely as Pisces and its ruling planets are fundamentally transpersonal archetypes.

Additionally, collective emotions can run high alongside this New Moon and over the next month or so of Jupiter/Neptune's conjunction. Something to be extremely wary of is the tendency to get swept up in emotional reactiveness or, worse, collective delusion as a result of imagery or information which may not accurately reflect reality. Be mindful of this danger within your personal life and your interactions with the broader society and world.

However, the more positive face of this New Moon lies in the potential to bridge creative, spiritual, or visionary impulses into deeply meaningful and constructive tasks or projects. The confluence of critical conjunctions (Venus/Mars/Pluto and Saturn/Mercury) alongside a New Moon represents a series of powerful and essential beginnings that will have lasting impacts if utilized consciously.

The challenge is staying on task, especially for those deeply committed to specific deadlines and heavy responsibilities. Jupiter/Neptune's building conjunction is not so much concerned with concrete reality; in fact, it is deeply interested in that which lies beyond or otherwise supercedes our perceptible world. Such a dip in the numinous and transpersonal can be profoundly healing and inspiring but also holds the potential to be dangerous for those lacking a secure grip on their physical existences and limitations.

Yet overall, this New Moon is a dynamic transpersonal gateway, an opportunity to put into motion something that could benefit more than our personal needs or desires. While we may be led here purely by our desires for ego fulfillment, it is most likely that the end result is quite the opposite. Keep this in mind as you take those initial steps alongside and beyond this New Moon. Realize you are a part of something truly extraordinary and greater than yourself.

Getting Brighter: Full Moon in Leo 2022

Yellowstone National Park from Yellowstone NP, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 28 degrees Leo

February 16, 2022

8:57 AM PST

11:57 AM EST

February's final lunation is a Full Moon in tropical Leo. It occurs at the bendings (square the Moon's nodal axis) and features an inconjunct with Pluto and Mercury. Additionally, this month's lunation culminates alongside an exact alignment of Venus and Mars in Capricorn. It offers a humility check for excessive ego aggrandizers. Yet, for those on the opposite end (feeling unjustifiably unworthy or meek), this lunation is potentially empowering.

As with all Full Moon's, a culmination, breakthrough, or completion takes place on the personal and collective level. It highlights the polarity of Leo and Aquarius, the tension, and the complementary nature between the needs/desires of individuals and those of larger communities (groups, organizations, and institutions).

Occurring at the bendings, a powerful transition is taking place alongside this Full Moon, one that compels us deeper toward our personal and collective destinies. Leo's aim is so often playful and creative as it urges us to pursue and cultivate joyfulness. Indeed, if we truly follow our soul calling in life, we feed what makes us most passionate. Such passion radiates outward and nourishes the surrounding communities when consistently tended to.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, the archetype of purpose, values, and ego fulfillment. However, the Sun's placement in Aquarius, the sign of its fall, draws those energies toward an objective or destiny larger than one's self-interest or personal satisfaction. This isn't to say that we should ignore the need for fun, rest, or enjoyment around this Full Moon, but that most likely, the breakthroughs emerging now are directing us toward the transpersonal.

Pluto's inconjunct to the Full Moon might emerge as a burdensome inability to ignore heavy truths and realities such as systemic corruption or personal suffering as a byproduct of structural violence. Such things are beyond any individual to change by themselves, though each contribution adds to collaborative solutions. Also, Pluto's presence here can be a somewhat nagging irritation to excessive self-assuredness, in which case, humility is the answer.

Overall, this lunation can be a moment in which choosing to shine our light contributes to a larger whole. In times such as these, it's easy to feel that our creative efforts, talents, or visions are insignificant, but nothing is further from the truth. You belong here. You have a place, and what you have to bring into this world matters and is needed. When we each shine, the world gets brighter, and that's what is so critically needed.

Nurturing Truth: New Moon in Aquarius 2022

USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 12 degrees Aquarius 19'
January 31, 2022
9:46 PM PST
February 1, 2022
12:46 AM EST

January's second and final New Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and features a conjunction with Saturn and a square from Uranus. While occurring at the end of Venus and Mercury's retrograde cycles, this monthly reset might still feel slow going yet also like a critical break with the past.

After the convergence of Mercury and Venus retrograde, many paths have altered, perceptions changed, and new/renewed attractions have emerged. Venus retrograde's "change of heart" attribute has likely shown up in numerous ways, deeply altering the nature of our desires and relationships.

This New Moon might feel like a gradual thaw as things take their time getting back to normalcy. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and along with Saturn's conjunction, this New Moon supports taking initial steps toward building a more solid and sustainable future. The Aquarian archetype imbues this lunation with a sense of looking forward, onward, and collaboratively at what lies ahead.

However, Uranus' square adds an element of chaos into the flow, deeply challenging ideas, knowledge, and collective visions that have entrenched themselves in the broader culture. This New Moon is the beginning of the end of many group-think mentalities and a challenge to integrate radical perspectives into mainstream narratives.

Step through this New Moon with caution, a willingness to tackle a challenge, and an openness to alternative routes as they emerge down the road. While new potentials are emerging, especially those that can dramatically liberate us from the past, they will take some time. Therefore, nurture your emerging vision and be willing to let it change and evolve. Nothing quick or easy will come from this New Moon, only what is true and lasting.

Feeling into Truth: Full Moon in Cancer 2022

Dzikra Imron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 degrees Cancer 51'

January 17, 2022

3:49 PM PST

6:49 PM EST

Our first Full Moon of 2022 occurs in the tropical sign of Cancer and includes an opposition from Pluto in Capricorn. Additionally, this lunation occurs at the confluence of two inner planet retrogrades: Mercury and Venus. Combined with the sometimes nostalgic nature of Cancer and the backward motion of retrograde planets, many features from the past can emerge alongside this lunation vying for completion, resolution, and awareness.

It might feel as if a lot has suddenly come to a standstill, snag, or moment of indecision. We're also moving into the peak of the lunar cycle, which can dissipate building momentum and crises over the following two weeks. Use this lunation for careful reflection, revision, and reconsideration. The retrograde flow is helpful for a review and contemplation of directional changes rather than forcing things to happen.

Pluto's opposition to this Full Moon represents the intrusion of collective and personal shadows, urging us to acknowledge blindspots and neglected realities. Cancer's intuitive and emotional nature combined with Pluto's opposition can heighten sensitivity and bring forth unexpressed feelings and impulses. The emergence of uncomfortable truths and perceptions is also likely when Pluto dominates.

The Cancer archetype highlights the need and desire for connection, kinship, nurturance, and belonging. Pluto's opposition can shed light on how our access to those dimensions has been blocked or stifled due to fear, ignorance, or culturally systemic factors. Yet, the other face of Pluto is the freedom and empowerment that comes from facing the darkness, embracing honesty, and speaking our truth.

While a potentially difficult Full Moon, the bright side to this lunation is its ability to deepen our most critical bonds and bring to light a more honest perception of events and situations that have been building for some time. It is hard to ignore the truth when it becomes so painfully obvious. For some, this is liberating and even validating. The fruits of dedicated shadow work and keen investigation are ready for harvest. It's time to acknowledge all that you've gotten right as much as you've missed.

Expanding What's Possible: New Moon in Capricorn 2022

Bijay chaurasia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 12 degrees Capricorn 20'

January 2, 2022

10:34 AM PDT

1:34 PM EDT

2022's first lunation is a New Moon in tropical Capricorn. A supportive trine from Uranus in Taurus creates a potent New Moon for initiating pragmatic changes, innovations, and breakthroughs on several levels. Additionally, this New Moon's softer aspects are welcome given the complex astrology of the past months.

The tropical sign of Capricorn has been the backdrop for the most challenging astrology of our lifetimes and what Nicholas Campion described as the "first-ever global crisis in human history” (1). As past crises were isolated to specific regions of the planet, 2020's pandemic had a worldwide reach (with some countries faring better than others).

With Venus retrograde and Pluto in Capricorn (widely conjoined or co-present the New Moon), this lunation connects us to deeply embedded issues in personal and collective relationships. It renews, reconnects, and revitalizes individual and collective purpose, mission, and destiny. And it can correlate with taking initial steps toward gaining greater freedom and autonomy.

In the seasonal model of the northern hemisphere, the sign of Capricorn symbolizes the height of achievement and manifestation in the physical world. Thus, it has direct symbolic correlations to experiences of success, worldly power, and authority. With a New Moon in this sign alongside the dynamic astrology of the moment, this lunation is a critical beginning point for planting seeds that will blossom into tangible and concrete realities.

As we step through this New Moon and into the New Year, consider in what ways you can claim more authority over yourself and your life. Consider the power you have as a co-creator of this world and the inherent purpose you deserve to realize. Ultimately, if the physical world is made of consciousness, then as we expand our consciousness, we expand what's possible in the realm of matter.

1. Zahrt, Jenn. “Through A Glass Darkly: Nicholas Campion On Astrological Reforms and Current Research.” The Mountain Astrologer. December 2020/January 2021, 47.

Breaking the Shell: Full Moon in Gemini 2021

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 degrees Gemini 29’

December 18, 2021

8:36 PM PST

11:36 PM EST

This final lunation of 2021 is a Full Moon in tropical Gemini. Out of all of the zodiac signs, Gemini knows well the inherent messiness of a universe imbued with nuance. If you're majoring in Gemini in this life, you realize that as you go. Every story has two sides--a counter-narrative to what "everyone knows" to be true.

When Gemini comes rushing into the collective psyche, as it is right now, it quickly points out the shortcomings of our carefully constructed worldviews. Perhaps it brings us facts, challenging questions, or a rebuttal. We might not be entirely wrong, but we probably don't have every detail of the universe covered.

As this Full Moon rises, it brings a sense of culmination, climax, or completion to a perception, conversation, or understanding about "reality." With Neptune's wide square, and the Sun's opposition (from its alignment with the galactic center), there is the potential to glimpse deeply into some semblance of the truth.

There is equally the potential to realize that whatever semblance of the truth you had previously was wrong, or merely begin to question things in light of personal experiences, intuition, or upon hearing another side to the story. Humility will prevent things from getting messier than they already are. Yet, Jupiter's trine adds more to the story, perspective, and belief, ideally expanding awareness and perception.

Let's add Venus stationing retrograde while conjunct Pluto (and quincunx the Full Moon). All of that lofty, big picture stuff, the revealing facts and details, have to share the stage with the nitty grittiness of our everyday relations and interactions. We might be realizing how imperfect things are in a particular relationship or how flawed someone or something we idealized actually is.

And that's okay. Getting more grounded in reality is healthy and keeps us sane. Talking things out honestly or checking in with our feelings and reactions to relational triggers will help to deepen those connections that truly matter. The more we have idealized the things and people we love, the harder it will be, but not impossible to integrate the emerging truths.

These mutable lunations remind us how quickly our perceptions can change based on new input and information. Truth is what it's all about, however elusive it might seem at the moment. Yet, as we clear out the ideological clutter, alter or put aside certain beliefs, we can get closer to our heart path. And there is where destiny truly unfolds.

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." --Khalil Gibran