The coming New Moon in the 30th and final (the so-called “Anaretic”) degree of Aries carries with it the culmination
of all that Aries is purported to represent and signify. The anaretic degrees are often said to be loaded with extra
potency, almost like a dignified ambassador of the entire sign. As Aries is the initial sign of the Zodiac, the
Cardinal Fire which ignites experience, this New Moon has the potential to serve as a powerful impulse or spark to
launch us into whatever endeavors and adventures are next.
This New Moon is also of added significance, featuring as a Solar Eclipse, when the light from the Sun is obscured
by the body of the Moon. Infusing some Cosmic humor to the mix, when the Moon obscures the Sun as an eclipse,
there is often an emphasis or heightened relevance of the Past, which is especially fitting, given that both Mercury
AND Pluto are set to station retrograde in the days following the New Moon in Aries. The juxtaposition of
Forward and Backward, Past and Future, makes this astrological phenomenon particularly curious and ripe for contemplation and possibly confusion!
Shortly after the New Moon Solar Eclipse, the Sun enters Taurus on April 20 and it will be promptly greeted with a potentially-tense alignment from Pluto in Aquarius as the small-but-significant planet at the outskirts
prepares to station retrograde on May 1.
On April 21, Mercury will officially station for its retrograde phase in the 16th degree of Taurus.
Mercury’s retrograde phase needn’t be a period of doom.
It often indicates a period when the Past (both Micro and Macro) may be more relevant or apparent;
when the Internal realms may be more significant and noticeable;
when fixity and structure may give way to plasticity and fluidity.
It is a time which affords opportunities, as well as potential challenges.
The Quarter Moon in Leo on April 27 may be especially useful as a time to check in with ourselves
as it sets the stage for the next major wave of events.
The aforementioned retrograde station of Pluto on May 1 will promptly be punctuated by an exact opposition
from asteroid Pallas moving into the sign of Leo. Being another affiliate or frequency of the Masculine Function,
Pallas may bring awareness to our experiences or memories of actions supported or stifled, of our relationships to
Male bodies and Masculine personalities, and how those experiences give us a taste of the power-dynamics
which are largely the domain of Pluto (a co-ruler of Scorpio, along with Mars).
Mars’ primary rulership is Aries, and given that this eclipse cycle will begin in the anaretic degree of Aries,
Mars may be activated or prominent for many of us during the coming weeks.
At the time of the last Full Moon (April 5), Mercury was precisely aligned with Mars in the 6th degree of
Taurus and Cancer, respectively, and as this eclipse gives way to Mercury’s retrograde phase there may be added resonance to our experience of the Mars-laden dynamics of Life.
At the time of the actual New Moon lunation, in Minneapolis, Ceres will feature near the MC opposing Neptune,
which will be in a nearly exact conjunction with the IC.
Both Neptune and Ceres carry resonance with the Feminine Function and can be thought of as octaves of Venus, and with Venus on the Descendant at the time of the New Moon Solar Eclipse, there may be a distinct shift from
Masculine to Feminine emphasis in the local experience as we shift into this eclipse cycle.
| CHIBOTaiChi | |YinYangYOGA| 