Protecting the Sacred: Solar Eclipse in Libra 2024

New Moon/Annular Solar Eclipse @ 10 degrees Libra 04'
October 2, 2024
11:49 AM PDT 
 2:49 PM EDT 

October's New Moon in tropical Libra is an annular solar eclipse that will be visible in the southern hemisphere but symbolically potent all over the world. It carries us deep through the finality of 2024's eclipse season. Solar eclipses, especially the closer they are to totality, are the centerpieces of any eclipse pair (or sometimes trio), and they emerge symbolically in our lives weeks before and after.

More complexly, eclipses connect themes and issues over long distances of time, but for our purposes (in the now), this eclipse is also a notable turning point in the year and within the context of the lunar nodes in the Aries/Libra axis. Simply, this points to a struggle to boldly and courageously define ourselves and our self-interests in contrast to others (and with all the accompanying demands, sacrifices, and social expectations that come with any relationship).

Aries points to some uncomfortable and primal truths of life and existence, such as taking life to live (like eating) or competing with others for a space or niche in various cultural and natural economies. Sometimes, to do Aries, we must put aside politeness and risk disappointing people for what we must do. That is often an Aries dilemma, especially in the context of the lunar North Node placed there.

October's annular solar eclipse occurs in Libra along with the lunar South Node. It is both a dynamic and powerful beginning but also the release of layers of social baggage that no longer serves us. It points to a change, one that is inevitable in various relational contexts and, naturally, the emergence of realizations about some key connections in our lives. Past karmic residue is likely to emerge as critical here too and thus we are likely charting some familiar patterns and territory.

The shadow, those unconscious blindspots within ourselves and others can get notably pronounced in the following week or so. Confronting the shadow is uncomfortable because it often challenges our limited self-conceptions, can be emotionally triggering, and can sometimes touch on past trauma. In the context of Libra, that could relate to betrayal, neglect, or co-dependency issues.

There is an emerging opportunity for more realness and authenticity in new and current relationships via Venus' placement in Scorpio. Masks are coming off, and truths are getting flung into the open to be dissected, witnessed, and emotionally processed. However, a water grand trine between Venus, Mars, and Saturn eases this process, allowing for a free flow of emotional expression, creativity, and intuition.

Mars' square to the eclipse and rulership of the lunar North Node points to an inherent symbolic conflict within the eclipse symbolism but also a way forward. Mars in Cancer is protective, fiercely so, and it seeks to establish safe and secure boundaries to protect what is sacred, vulnerable, and vital. It can also point to the need for vulnerability and the bravery to do so.

We can expect a level of hashing things out with others, clashing over boundaries, needs, and desires. Yet, a new way forward is possible through conscious, open-hearted effort that allows space for freedom and independence and works cooperatively toward protecting what is sacred and valid for all involved. Reflecting and defining that may be a key to the transformative and creative potential of this Libra eclipse.

Subtle Awakening: Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces 2024

September 17, 2024
7:34 PM EDT
10:34 PM PDT

This month's Full Moon and Supermoon in tropical Pisces is also a partial lunar eclipse, which kicks off 2024's final eclipse season. A lunar eclipse is a more amplified culmination, conclusion, and crescendo within the year when critical events and processes come to a head. Eclipses can also correlate with breakthroughs and resolutions related to longstanding situations and issues.

The most dominant feature of this lunar eclipse is its conjunction with Neptune near the Aries Point. The Aries Point is about pushing past, through, and against imposed boundaries within the world and within ourselves. In its negative face, Neptune is the planet of delusion, deception, and confusion. In its more positive face, it is the planet that reveals a more expansive truth and reality and thus its association with mysticism, numinosity, and spirituality.

This eclipse can symbolize both a collective and personal challenge, via its square to Jupiter in Gemini, to push through foggy distortion and seek the more expansive truth beyond the surface level of issues and situations. Disillusionment, confusion, and even discouragement can be an aspect of this, but so can awakening to a more holistic understanding of a complex matter.

Paradoxically, we might find that "pushing through" might come about in less aggressive and more receptive ways by taking time out of the hustle to reflect and meander. Sometimes, the most powerful breakthroughs and realizations happen when we're not so focused and fixated on what we're attempting to do. Receiving and allowing change to flow through us is more of the Neptunian vibe.

There is more going on than what you can easily consume on the surface. This is also the beginning stages of a long and sometimes difficult awakening on the collective level that will be seeded over the next two years. Challenge personal and collective perceptions of beliefs and gently push through to a new level of awareness and understanding.

Mindful Refocusing: New Moon in Virgo 2024

New Moon @ 11 degrees Virgo 04'

September 2, 2024

6:56 PM PDT

9:56 PM EDT

With the onset of September synchronizing with Mercury direct and a New Moon in mutable Virgo, we are in definite transitional territory that can feel a bit liminal and uncertain. If you're in the northern hemisphere, there is that natural onset of the seasonal shift that might amplify all of this.

Yet, this New Moon points to more than a mere season change, especially as it serves as our onramp into the final eclipse season of 2024. More broadly speaking, the encroaching Saturn-Neptune alignment also touches on some major global shifts, and with the t-square alignments of the past weeks, the astrology is a little edgy.

Virgo is often caricatured as the archetype of the perfectionist, and this does emerge in relation to it. Yet, pursuing perfection is always mixed up with heavy idealism and a focus on the transcendental. Paradoxically, as an earth sign, Virgo is also highly pragmatic, and therefore seeks to ground the transcendent in the everday world.

Such can be our focus and struggle to pass through this New Moon, an attempt to integrate and implement the ideal into the real, or noticing the sharp and heavy contrast between what "should be" and what is. From there, we can make improvements that will get us further toward our goals, however big or small.

This Virgo New Moon can reflect an amplification of imperfections and where we've somehow fallen short, so be on watch for excessive criticalness, either from yourself or others. Also, another major challenge here, reflected in Jupiter's square from Gemini, can be maintaining our focus altogether or having to compromise and work between competing objectives and points of view.

Overall, a Virgo New Moon, especially one touched by Saturn and Jupiter can be a time to "get it together," prioritize and sharpen our focus for the remainder of the year. Criticalness can also be helpful in editing and throwing out excess clutter, such as diminishing habits or commitments that no longer serve our highest interests.

Pushing Through the Noise: Full Moon in Aquarius 2024

maxime raynal from France, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 27 Aquarius 15'
August 19, 2024
11:26 AM PDT
2:26 PM EDT

August's Full Moon and Supermoon in tropical Aquarius culminates in a t-square alignment with Uranus in Taurus and Mercury retrograde in Leo. Additionally, a t-square formation involving the Mars-Jupiter conjunction, Venus, and Saturn adds another layer of tension to this lunar crescendo. 

With Uranus and Mercury retrograde in the lunation picture, there can be some elements of spontaneity, instability, or even chaos. On the world stage, this could be reflected in tumultuous events, be they political clashes or natural events, or it can merely point to critical turning points in ongoing issues involving many of these elements.

On a personal level, the clash and contrast between the Aquarian and Leonian archetypes is significant. The Sun and Mercury retrograde bring about a process of creative refocusing, reconnecting, and revising the need for play, pleasure, and self-expression. This involves a compromise between subjective needs and larger societal and cultural demands, perceptions, and biases. 

Uranus, the archetype of liberation, high-level individuation, and sudden upheaval, demands a power shift personally and collectively. Alongside the lunar cycle peak, it reflects a desire to change, shift, and push through to a new level of innovation, fresh dialogue, and experience. It demonstrates a process of moving for greater authenticity and integration of conflicting points of view. 

The Mars-Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn t-square can reflect some ideological and perceptual tension manifesting in certain relationships--romantic, domestic, platonic, professional, or even sexual. A coming to a head of viewpoints and perspectives and a breaking point in resolving their incongruities. 

However, while we may not come out of this Full Moon passage with clear solutions, there is much to be learned through the experience of pushing ourselves past comfort zones, biases, and perceptual blockages. A give-and-take between speaking and listening can also take us far when encountering obstacles. Verbal and intellectual challenges can be worked through persistent effort and a willingness to compromise and change our point of view. 

Reclaiming Passion: New Moon in Leo 2024

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Nottuln, Gladbeck, Grashalm -- 2024 -- 4342” / CC BY-SA 4.0For print products: Dietmar Rabich / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nottuln,_Gladbeck,_Grashalm_--_2024_--_4342.jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

New Moon @ 12 degrees Leo 34'

August 4, 2024

7:13 AM EDT

4:13 AM PDT

August begins with a New Moon in tropical Leo alongside Mercury's retrograde station in Virgo. In its domicile in Leo, the Sun reflects an amplification of the solar and Leonian archetypes competing with the equally powerful Mercury station in Virgo. Leo's willful, playful, and creative spontaneity contrasts with Virgo's myopic and pragmatic mental focus.

Alongside a surge of creative willpower and confidence, especially stimulated by its sextile with Jupiter, this month's lunation requires some tempering of enthusiasm with careful attention to detail and realism. Due to Mercury's retrograde station, this may not be a desirable New Moon for spontaneously rushing into major decisions or thoughtlessly charging ahead with novel plans, ideas, and opportunities.

However, it is an excellent lunation for implementing a process of creative revision, especially in relation to projects, ideas, and situations that have already been mobilized and somewhat actualized. Even better, we might find this lunation correlating with a process of reflection and a return to forgotten elements of the past that could be useful in our present endeavors. Rekindling with a past passion or playful outlet is also likely.

Use this New Moon in Leo to clarify your creative and purposeful focus in life. When Mercury is retrograde, there is often more time than we might think and far more room for improvisation, reconsideration, and experimentation. Especially with Mercury's backtrack through both Virgo and Leo, whatever is emerging or inspiring us now is likely to undergo some major modifications and shift of focus.

Lastly, with Mercury's station in Virgo and Jupiter's transit through Gemini, anticipate an influx of communication, information, and data with this Leo New Moon. Mercury in Virgo, however, invites us to utilize more discernment to discriminate between genuine and meaningful communications amongst all the noise and distraction.

Clearing up the channels now will allow us to articulate our creative vision, passion, and focus. In a society economically driven by attention siphoning, it is a powerful and radical act to mindfully claim your focus and redirect it toward the realization of your priorities and creative willpower. Here, we get a chance to mindfully redirect the spotlight to what matters most.

Power in the Dark: (Another) Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

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

Full Moon @ 29 degrees Capricorn 09'
July 21, 2024
6:17 AM PDT
3:17 AM EDT

July's Full Moon is the second to occur in Capricorn this year and it culminates at the tail end of Mars and Uranus' alignment in Taurus. Combined with the Full Moon's placement at 29 degrees and its conjunction with Pluto, there is some instability here, along with powerful intensity. 

A Full Moon aligned with Pluto can bring many previously subjugated, repressed, denied, or secretive elements out into the open. Known as the anaretic degree, the 29th degree of a sign symbolically suggests an "explosive" quality in which a major shift is about to take place, especially on the collective level. 

The combination of Capricorn and Pluto (in Aquarius) can suggest a transpersonal breakthrough, culmination, or achievement resulting from sustained and committed effort toward a larger cause or movement. Yet also, the shadow of this lunation can reveal hard truths or unacknowledged blind spots in relation to our objectives and ambitions in the world.

Neptune's sextile to the Full Moon suggests that opportunities for uncovering the truth and glimpsing behind the veil may be more easily accessible in the days around this lunation. Both personally and collectively, this Full Moon brings much into view, allowing us to clear the air and unload what we've been desiring to express. 

From a larger vantage point, this lunation can highlight seemingly subtle yet powerful transformations in life direction, career focus, and other future objectives. It can direct us to issues beyond our self-interest or shed more truthful light on the meaning and direction of our ambitions. Emerging signs and realizations should not be ignored. Pluto is powerful medicine, and it reflects a desire to understand better the root causes of our life circumstances and their broader spiritual context. 

Solidifying Bonds: New Moon in Cancer 2024

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Haltern am See, Westruper Heide -- 2015 -- 8306-10” / CC BY-SA 4.0

New Moon @ 14 degrees Cancer 23'
July 5, 2024
3:37 PM PDT
6:37 PM EDT

July's New Moon in tropical Cancer squares the nodal axis and aligns with the fixed star Sirius, a bright, color-changing binary star system that had immense significance in antiquity. In the northern hemisphere, the Sun's passage and further distancing from Sirius in the summer months (when it reaches the last degrees of Cancer) results in Sirius's heliacal rising (when it rises before the Sun in the predawn sky). 

In ancient Egypt, Sirius' heliacal rising correlated with the Nile River's annual flooding and marked the start of the Egyptian calendar. Sirius was also known as the "dog star" due to its presence in the constellation Canis Major and featured, via Greek cultural syncretism, as one of Orion's hunting companions (a remnant of the Egyptian's association of Sirius with Anubis, a dog-headed deity). The "Dog Days" of summer are also associated with Sirius' heliacal rising in the northern hemisphere, which corresponds with the hottest summer months (July-August). 

In the Thema Mundi, the symbolic "birth chart of the world," a chart used as a rationale for the Hellenistic astrological system, Cancer corresponds to the first house and Ascendent, perhaps connected to the enduring significance of Sirius and the Egyptian reverence for this star and the summer celebrations related to it. Sirius is actually least visible right now while obfuscated by the Sun's presence beside it. Yet, as a notable object that was related to new beginnings, fertility, and prestige, it adds some significance to this New Moon as a powerful seeding and starting point.

Especially as the last New Moon before Mercury's next retrograde cycle (August 4 through the 28th), this is the most auspicious, mobilizing, and forward-directing New Moon of summer, the only one free of the complexities and detours that often accompany Mercury's retrograde cycle. Additionally, with the Moon powerful in its home sign Cancer, this amplifies both the New Moon's potential and the Cancerian archetype. 

Cancer is classically a cardinal water sign connected with domestic and familial significance. A sign of healing, nourishment, and bonding, this New Moon favors and blesses inward, intimate, and creative endeavors and can bring us closer to people and experiences that further secure our place in the world. This is a good time to connect more deeply with family, friends, or one's chosen tribe, or may synchronisitically relate to a new beginning or transition in these areas. 

Lastly, the New Moon's square to the nodes and trine to Saturn suggests also a time to gain perspective on all that we've accomplished and experienced this year. This is a time to reflect on and feel our way through current projects, goals, and ambitions and realistically consider what we can or cannot take on and pursue here. Ultimately, go with your instincts, intuition, and what feels right as you move ahead. 

Pushing Through the Fog: Full Moon in Capricorn 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 01 degrees Capricorn 07'
June 21, 2024
9:07 PM EDT 
6:07 PM PDT

June's Full Moon occurs in tropical Capricorn following the solstice and the Sun's ingress into Cancer. It highlights the cardinal axis and more specifically the Aries Point Axis (the first two degrees of cardinal signs and the last two degrees of mutable signs). It is also the first of two Capricorn Full Moons this year, with the following occurring at 29 degrees on July 21. 

The cardinal archetype is catalytic. This suggests a definite dynamism to this lunation that's helpful for pushing past certain boundaries and obstacles that have been difficult to breach (or that we've been too reluctant to go beyond). 

Capricorn is a pragmatic and often focused sign, and under this Full Moon, it can spotlight specific objectives and endpoints we've been trying to reach or accomplish. However, Neptune's square can show up as an unnerving lack of clarity, uncertainty, or confusion that can lead to distraction or disenchantment.

This Full Moon can bring about a brief but poignant reassessment of what we're ultimately aiming for or whether we have a clear and realistic strategy. It can represent the difficulty of articulating or grasping what does not yet have a definitive form. A dream, vision, or ideal can more harshly meet the limitations of the moment. 

Yet, a theme to consider over the next two years is that the greatest dreams that were realized were the result of a deep commitment to them. Faith is important, but more so is the consistent effort and unwavering support required to materialize what has never been realized. 

While this Full Moon can symbolize a breaking point that can deflate or collapse certain ideals, delusions, or unrealistic goals, it's also a landing point in a larger process that challenges us to keep pushing for clarity, understanding, and truth. Pushing reality's boundaries is never easy, but staying in the fog can be just as difficult. 

A Critical View: New Moon in Gemini 2024

Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 16 degrees Gemini 18'

June 6, 2024

5:38 PM EDT

8:38 PM PDT

We enter June with the New Moon in tropical Gemini. It features a prominent conjunction with Venus and a notable and challenging square from Saturn in Pisces. A New Moon in Gemini, especially with its ruler Mercury in the same sign, is a mental and perceptual reset. New ideas and conversations are beginning to emerge, and ongoing dialogues are reaching a critical testing and evaluation.

With Venus' conjunction to the New Moon, creative projects, relationships, and material affairs get especially highlighted and brought into more focus. This is a perfect starting point for beginning a challenging conversation, course, book project, research endeavor, or for improving communication skills and proficiency.

Saturn's square is a reflection of a call to take on a mental and perceptual challenge, to push ourselves further in our understanding and ability to generate more effective rapport in personal and societal relationships. Gemini's weakeness can be a tendency to get overwhelmed in excessive stimulation, facts, or data. Indecision or even moral ambivlance can ensue when entrapped in the intellectual crossfire.

This New Moon also has the benefit of helping to narrow choices, priorities, and focus. It is a time to get more realistic about objectives and relational commitments. The higher end of Gemini is also its innate curiosity and ability to comprehend complex and nuanced issues and situations. Consider also how this New Moon can assist in better understanding a different viewpoint or perspective through asking questions and opening ourselves to uncomfortable conversations.

Ultimately, the New Moon is a personal and collective starting point that can reflect the need to take on new challenges that can significantly alter our understanding of a situation or even result in a transformation of worldview. Hard work will be required of any relationship or task we take on here, but if it is worth it, we can build and sustain powerful communicative threads that will improve how we see the world.

Holding the Dream: Full Moon in Sagittarius 2024

Jernej Furman from Slovenia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 2 degrees Sagittarius 55'
May 23, 2024 
6:53 AM EDT
9:53 AM PDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Sagittarius strikes an opposition to Venus and Jupiter's exacting conjunction in Taurus, bringing a wave of potential progress and expansive opportunities, marking a significant contrast to the last several lunations, reflecting a more hopeful and optimistic moment.

The Sagittarius archetype doesn't play small, and with its ruler Jupiter aligning with Venus in her home sign, Taurus, the expansiveness of this sign is notably enhanced. The downside is a tendency to go overboard in numerous potential ways, where the problems of too much of a good thing can become undeniably apparent. 

Yet, after some restriction, restraint, and limitation, this Venus-Jupiter alignment and Full Moon may feel far more freeing. It can gift us with increased vision and perspective on a variety of life areas. Most notably, there can be an opening of opportunities and increased understanding within existing and emerging relationships, financial matters, creative projects, and collaborative endeavors. 

With Neptune's trine and Pluto's sextile to the Full Moon, there's a reassuring ability to gain clarity and perspective on issues that have been previously obscured or difficult to investigate. This alignment instills a greater degree of confidence in acknowledging the truth, and many blind spots are being momentarily illuminated now. 

Undoubtedly, this Sagittarius Full Moon can correlate with a brief period of spiritual, psychic, and existential expansion, during which the big picture is more within our field of vision. We may be prompted to reach beyond certain inhibitions or past hesitations, expanding what's available to us and our ability to attain it. 

Sprouting Revolution: New Moon in Taurus 2024

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

Full Moon @ 18 degrees Taurus 02'
May 7, 2024
8:22 PM PDT
11:22 PM EDT 

May's Full Moon in tropical Taurus helps solidify projects, events, and current issues as well as ground potential ideas, realizations, and insights that have emerged through the eclipse season/Mercury retrograde overlap the past month or so. 

While its alignment with the now separating Jupiter-Uranus conjunction adds some unstable volatility to emerging directions and events, it reflects a collective and personal desire to move toward greater freedom, autonomy, and individuation in all we're currently involved in. 

We can consciously utilize this New Moon as a grounding point and launch pad for setting off into directions that serve more authentic needs and relieve heavy restrictions and limitations that have held us back for far too long. 

The reflections of the Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, while fading out in July, will get significantly sharpened under this New Moon and following two weeks. And with Venus, the New Moon ruler, empowered in Taurus, this is a time to augment, innovate, and define our material conditions more clearly.

This New Moon in Taurus is a powerful opening for expanding income flow, health, and bodily enhancement, as well as grounding ourselves more firmly in solid and self-affirming relationships. While the peace and stillness of a typical Taurus New Moon might get overpowered by sporadic flashes of revolution and revelation, we are definitely touching more solid ground compared to the past several weeks. 

A Deeper Power: Full Moon in Scorpio 2024

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Scorpio 18'
April 23, 2024
4:49 PM PDT
7:49 PM EDT

April's Full Moon in tropical Scorpio breaks us entirely out of eclipse season. Still, it keeps the intensity high with Pluto's square and the Full Moon's placement in the depths of the Scorpio archetypal field. With Mercury about to station direct (April 25), there can also be an inundation of high stimulation and information overload, making for an unstable, eventful, yet interesting lunation.

This Full Moon presents us with a fascinating collective crossroads, marked by the precise Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, Mercury's direct station, and Mars' impending shift into Aries. While some actions may still feel obstructed or uncertain, this lunation serves as a potent transition, inviting us to start implementing the insights, revisions, and shifts in perspective we've gathered over the past few weeks. This is a time of potential growth and change, offering a unique opportunity for personal transformation. 

With the Full Moon ruler, Mars, currently mired in the Neptunian fog and the infinite expansiveness of the Piscean void, we can easily get pulled far beyond our boundaries and intended desires under this lunation. Neptune and Pisces are seeking to redirect the ego's focus towards more transpersonal issues and concerns, and a breaking point can be reached, allowing for a more transcendent purpose or mission to emerge.

As we navigate the days surrounding this lunation, it'll be beneficial to surrender more to the flow of creative, spiritual, and even humanitarian energies. By allowing ourselves to be guided, we can better confront the forces and impulses that surpass our ego's limited perception. This is a time of challenge and growth, where we're encouraged to rise above the haze of fear and mental blockages, unlocking a more profound truth, purpose, and power. 

Be Fierce: Total Solar Eclipse in Aries 2024

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

Total Solar Eclipse @ 19 degrees Aries 24'
April 8, 2024
11:20 AM PDT
2:20 PM EDT

Solar eclipses can correlate with profound transitions in our lives, both significant beginnings and endings, which seem to unfold simultaneously. Especially for those living where the eclipse is visible, it can correlate with emotional amplification and confrontations with numerous hidden and unconscious aspects of ourselves and the external world. These can be dramatic periods, but also highly revealing and liberating, especially if we attune ourselves more inwardly to the unconscious mind.

With this eclipse, we are met with a barrage of seeming contradictions. The Aries archetype, ruled by the planet Mars, desires to assert and take willful action. As a north nodal eclipse, we are compelled forward into the future to free ourselves of numerous dependencies and unhealthy attachments. Yet, Mercury is moving deep into its retrograde cycle, bringing up the past and throwing the mind into reflection, revision, and potential hesitation. 

Additionally, Mars will be heading toward a conjunction with Saturn in Pisces that exacts within a day of the eclipse on April 10. This is not a time in which we should take careless or impulsive actions. We should be mindful that whatever we implement and launch now will not likely align with the ego's ideals and expectations. This is a time to focus our shifts more internally and trust that dramatic changes of attitude, perception, and emotional expression will eventually trickle into our external experiences. 

Additionally, the eclipses' exact alignment with Chiron, and wide conjunction with Mercury retrograde, and the dwarf planet Eris suggest a further amplification of wounds and vulnerabilities. If we're not careful, we can easily get swept up in the internal and external chaos of the moment and lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Yet, these symbols also speak to the ability to heal and integrate unfinished business, to learn deeply from the past and utilize our pain and suffering to motivate us toward courageous action in the world to pave the way for a new order and way of being. Reflect on what has been holding you back from your fierceness and ability to claim your destined place in life. Sometimes, going back and turning inward can counterintuitively push us further forward. 

Seeds of Hope: New Moon in Pisces 2024

Bertrand Paris Romaskevich, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees Pisces 16' 
March 10, 2024
1:00 AM PDT 
4:00 AM EDT 

March's New Moon in tropical Pisces stands at a symbolic collective and personal crossroads. This is the last New Moon until May 7 that we can utilize for the stable initation of new projects and various endeavors. Eclipse season and a Mercury retrograde cycle in April will very much destabilize preset plans and lead to a period of much revision and readjustment. 

However, the Pisces archetype itself is a more go-with-the-flow type of vibe, one in which we're unlikely to feel an urgent need or desire to make something happen if it isn't already in motion. In fact, that's a good way of conceiving of this New Moon, as a time to check in with what we're attempting to make real in the world and attune ourselves to current processes and how best to rework them over the next two months. 

Sitting at the midpoint of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction (an alignment that exacts in early 2026 as I have written about here), this New Moon also connects us more deeply with our dreams, ideals, and future expectations. Naturally, that can also bring disappointment, disillusionment, or discouragement, since the combination of Saturn-Neptune represents the merging of what we imagine and what's realistically possible. 

Perhaps it's best to think of this New Moon as a bit paradoxical experientially. There is the reality of the moment and a confrontation with its genuine limitations and yet an equally profound emergence of hope, faith, and a glimpse of something more on the horizon. 

However we are moved and shifted by this New Moon, there is a choice between locking ourselves into one end of a polarity or embracing a synthesis where we accept what's real but continue to dream and embrace exciting new possibilities. Consider what new moves and changes you can make to transform those less-than-ideal realities into more positive outcomes that can blossom further down the road. 

Rising Wise: Full Moon in Virgo 2024

Grand Canyon National Park, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Virgo 23’

February 24, 2024

4:30 AM PDT

7:30 AM EDT

February's Full Moon occurs in tropical Virgo. The Virgo and Pisces polarity both deal with idealism, yet they do so in different ways. Virgo's ideals are often more readily attainable in the so-called real world, while Pisces' interests lie more so in the abstract and imaginal.

Both Piscean and Virgoan ideals are realizable in some way, but they often need direction and a container to focus their potential. Saturn's opposition to this Full Moon can represent the awareness of such needs, or it can correlate with some discouragement or even disillusionment.

Alongside this Full Moon, we're likely to feel the weight of certain realities more than usual since Saturn's opposition to the Moon can be felt as a kind of reality test. A Full Moon in Virgo is a culmination, breaking point, or crisis in relation to our efforts to attain some ideal or make a dream or vision real in the world. Yet, along the way, we will likely encounter certain obstacles, setbacks, or limitations that dampen our spirit and idealism.

This Full Moon represents a moment to check in with the ultimate objective, dream, or vision you're trying to make real. Anything too impractical or abstract in the Piscean sense might need to be scrapped or at least heavily revised. Yet, for those dreams and objectives that continue to hold your passion, this Full Moon is simply a reality test that can be mastered through humility, determination, and commitment to growth.

Jupiter's trine to the Full Moon and waxing conjunction with Uranus also suggests that breakthroughs and new potential lie on the horizon, even amid failure or a perceived disaster. We can always use setbacks and limitations as sources of wisdom and catalysts for growth and future change. While sometimes hard, attempting to reach an ideal is ultimately worth the maturity and strength it gives you.

A New Way Forward: New Moon in Aquarius 2024

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

New Moon @ 20 degrees Aquarius 40'
February 9, 2024
2:58 PM PDT 
5:58 PM EDT 

February's New Moon occurs in tropical Aquarius and makes a square to the Aquarian modern ruler, Uranus, bringing forth an archetypal current of instability and mounting pressure to willingly initiate vital changes. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and true to its traditional Saturnian ruler, it is a sign that likes to preserve a stable awareness of the world and its future potential. 

Science and other collaborative forms of knowledge acquisition (Aquarian-like activities and institutions) seek to make predictions and thus attain some sense of certainty about the universe. However, with this New Moon, anticipate more uncertainty in relation to arising matters and new endeavors. If clinging to the Aquarian shadow, there is more resistance to letting that certainty go and a stubborn refusal to accept new ideas and possibilities. 

Aquarius is, however, a paradoxical sign (as are all astrological symbols). As we shift into this New Moon, it may be wise to consciously acknowledge where change is needed and willingly move confidently into the unknown. The high end of the Aquarian archetype is a willingness to defy the status quo and embrace a more radical or unconventional course or purpose. With Uranus' square, the less treaded pathway is more relevant now than ever. 

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Change is in the air with this Aquarian New Moon (pun intended as it is an air sign). Uranus' square to this lunation emerges as a dynamic symbol for a catalytic shift occurring within the collective psyche over the next few days and weeks. As Mercury, Mars, and Venus move through Aquarius this month, they also strike squares with the building Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, catalyzing some much-needed but potentially tumultuous change and instability. 

The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction peaks at the end of April and will correlate with a rising wave of cultural and political resistance to the status quo, opening new possibilities to unearth radical discoveries. This is one of the most creatively potent world transit conjunctions, and a powerful opportunity to push yourself into new adventures. 

In contrast to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction phasing in toward the latter part of this year and into 2025 and peaking in 2026 (which I have written extensively about here), the Jupiter-Uranus alignment gifts us an opportunity to rise into new potentials and break free of some restrictive patterns and blockages this year. Embrace this wave of inspiration and opportunity while the window is open. 

Mars and Venus also align with Pluto as they shift into Aquarius over the following week. While there is an opening for deeper intimacy and authenticity, a magnification of certain blindspots and pitfalls in relational interactions can become problematic. Wherever idealism and wishful thinking take over, use more discernment and realism. However, a greater awareness of true compatibility and relational needs is always useful for future interactions. 

The tarot card I pulled for this New Moon is the Five of Wands. Most versions of this card depict several men in battle, yet there is often an air of confusion and uncoordinated effort, with wands coming from multiple directions. Often, this card can symbolize the midst of conflict or a struggle to attain some desired action or goal. Harmonically, the 5 relates to the square aspect in astrology, which the New Moon receives from Uranus--a symbolic struggle or challenge. 

Aquarius and its classical and modern rulers (Saturn and Uranus respectively) also strongly correlate with an inherent conflict between an old and a new order. In the original Greek creation myth, Uranus was the first oppressive patriarch who usurped the ambitions of his progeny and was eventually castrated by Cronos (Saturn), thus losing his authority and power. 

Later, Cronos/Saturn himself meets a similar fate when deceived by his son Zeus (Jupiter) while attempting to devour his children to prevent his own inevitable dethronement. The conflict between generations and the fight against an oppressive old order is a consistent theme throughout the Western world and is embodied in the Aquarian archetype.

Perhaps it reflects a dimension of this New Moon that highlights such conflict within ourselves and our own lives and the persistence and motivation required to "stand our ground" and keep fighting for greater freedom and autonomy. Use this New Moon as a catalyst to push you further toward a unique individualistic pathway. Naturally, we will meet resistance and challenges to our ideas or personal style, but such is the price for staying true to ourselves and our dreams. 

Creating the Future: Full Moon in Leo 2024

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

Full Moon @ 5 degrees Leo 14'
January 24, 2024
9:54 AM PST 
12:54 PM EST 

Our first Full Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Leo, culminating into a dynamic t-square with its opposition to Pluto and square to Jupiter. Firstly, such a configuration during a Full Moon climax suggests the emergence of tension and the need for some significant closure, conclusion, or resolution. T-squares can feel particuarly pressing or heavy, correlating with the need to make certain choices or take important actions. 

Pluto, recently back in Aquarius, pressures us collectively and personally with a required confrontation with the deeper truth of an issue or situation. There is likely an awareness that putting off certain matters will no longer work. Pluto demands that we face reality more squarely (pun intended) and honestly, especially regarding certain objectives and prospects for the future. 

The higher integration of the Leo/Aquarius polarity is realizing the nuanced and paradoxical nature of being true to ourselves and contributing to a larger collective purpose. Where does our personal, spiritual mission intersect with the larger human or global community? Are we neglecting personal needs for some group purpose, or conversely, can we do more to expand our reach and influence? 

From the perspective of Leo, we're the main character in the drama of life.  In its shadow, this can lead to a solipsistic or narcissistic orientation where empathy and compassion for others cease, and all that matters is a personal perspective or need. A childlike world insulates us, and all criticism or opposing perspectives are silenced. Such is the growing architecture of today's social media spaces. 

Yet also, Pluto in Aquarius will awaken us to the horrors of uncritical groupthink and blind obedience to consensus. The seeming polarity of cultural narcissism and things like fascism or totalitarianism actually feed and depend on one another, and both are predicated on the eradication of authentic community and both personal and collective purpose and values. 

With this Full Moon, there is likely to be some acquisition of awareness of where we might fit into some larger collective struggle, what we can do to heal, offer solutions, or perhaps how we can delve into our creative potential and power and bring forth a new vision. Perhaps what emerges is not so complex, but rather a need to enact some change for better situating our personal lives within the context of the current collective reality (whether economic, political, or cultural) and both its limitations and opportunities for greater expansion.

Clearing the Way: New Moon in Capricorn 2024

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

New Moon @ 20 degrees Capricorn 44'

January 11, 2024

3:57 AM Pacific

6:57 AM Eastern

Our first New Moon of 2024 occurs in tropical Capricorn and is highly supportive of stepping out and initiating some formative moves in critical endeavors. Especially if you've felt impeded the past few weeks, this Capricorn lunation is a focal point of dynamic renewal that synchronizes intentions and willpower for future goals and ambitions.

With Mercury clear of its retrograde cycle and as we shift into the waxing lunar phase these next two weeks, you'll find that several obstacles will be lifted, and enthusiasm will rise. However, in the dark of the Moon, it's also possible to feel at a decisive crossroads where narrowing options and possible pathways are needed.

With the New Moon squaring the Moon's nodal axis, this also represents a decisive junction where it can be just as important to hone in on a strategy as it is to take deliberate actions. Additionally, while Mercury is direct, there may be some lingering need for reflection and recharging. Inward shifts are as powerful as those we make happen in the external world.

The most powerful aspect of this New Moon is a trine with Uranus, suggesting that the new doors opening are potent portals for accessing greater freedom and liberation from oppressive circumstances. There is more choice here than pressure to act, but the path is clear for those seeking to integrate fresh routines, experiences, and possibilities.

Emerging Vision: New Moon in Sagittarius 2023

dsearls, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 20 degrees 40' Sagittarius

November 12, 2023

3:32 PM PST

6:32 PM EST

December's New Moon in tropical Sagittarius occurs alongside Mercury's retrograde station. The Sagittarius archetype's fiery and often faith-based enthusiasm is slightly dampened by the decreased momentum, detours, glitches, and hesitations that tend to magnify alongside Mercury stations. Rather than a powerful ignition point, this lunation acts more like a crossroads, but it does bring forth a potent spark of inspiration that can be mindfully directed.

Mars' wide conjunction with the New Moon also adds to the paradoxical nature of this lunation moment, where the desire to assert, charge ahead, and take a proactive approach might clash with various obstacles and uncertainty. Mercury's retrograde station in Capricorn especially highlights the need to take a step back to restrategize and make revisions to a larger goal, objective, and game plan over the following few weeks.

However, the need for greater clarity or retreat might be obscure in the heat of the moment, especially where excitement for a new opportunity or pathway can be considerably powerful. Additionally, Neptune's square to this New Moon is another indication for caution with impulsively leaping into uncharted territory or seeking especially to dominate others with ideas, perceptions, and beliefs.

Rather, this New Moon invites us to embrace some humility and suggests taking extra time to contemplate and rework new directions, plans of action, and emergent ideas and points of view. The following weeks are more of an invitation to slow down the pace, reflect, and look inward to better grasp the next steps and endpoints. However, the New Moon's trine to the North Node suggests that we will glide more gracefully into our greater purpose with less ego, urgency, and hubris.

As a potentially helpful image for this New Moon, fully embrace whatever vision, inspiration, or exciting impulse emerges but take your time in fully directing it toward its ideal application or objective. Consider also that potentially hidden or unacknowledged directions, ideas, or pragmatic solutions have yet to be revealed, and by willingly embracing the detours, they will gradually come into focus.

Directed Curiosity: Full Moon in Gemini 2023

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

Full Moon @ 4 degrees Gemini 51'
November 27, 2023
1:16 AM PST
4:16 AM EST 

November's Full Moon in tropical Gemini is also our transition into the final Mercury retrograde cycle of 2023, starting alongside the New Moon in Sagittarius December 12/13. Featuring a t-square with Mars and Saturn, this Full Moon carries a challenging integration and suggests taking time to integrate and process culminating thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and incoming data and information. 

The Gemini/Sagittarius polarity deals archetypally with our personal and cultural conceptions of the everyday world and how we navigate it. Additionally, in relation to Gemini and its ruler Mercury, communication and information dissemination are highlighted, bringing all these themes into a fulcrum. Considering Mercury's retrograde station in just two weeks, it might appear that there's more than a usual amount to think about, reflect on, and process. 

As a mutable air sign, the Gemini archetype is notorious for overthinking or bringing extra options to the forefront. However, Saturn and Mars' hard aspects to this Full Moon relate to the need to clarify, limit, solidify, and set boundaries. As such, this Full Moon is likely to bring about some tension related to how we see and understand the world, likely through a clash or incongruity with competing worldviews. 

Leave some extra space for making revisions and adjustments to anything finalized or conclusions drawn alongside this lunation as a lot can change and get reshuffled over the following month. Thus, moving through this lunation might be easier with some flexibility and an open mind. Closemindedness, dogmatism, and an inability to accommodate alternative perspectives can represent this lunation's shadow end, leading to unnecessary disputes or misunderstandings. Strive to listen more and understand rather than being on the defensive.