Greetings!

Today we have the full moon, with the sun in Aries and the moon in Libra. Making quite the statement, this full moon is all about relating to others, yet not neglecting yourself. The icing on the cake is that this is the perfect time to be proactive, with no significant planets in astrology retrograde. When we get into the particulars, we find that this is a time of profound subtleties, so if you are good with discretion and subtleties, you can really maximize your gain. But if you’re not good with finer arts like those, this may manifest as an average full moon. Let’s take a closer look.

First, Pluto is now in Aquarius, and even though later this month it retrogrades back into Capricorn, this is still the first stirrings of its journey through the sign of the energy bearer, which will play out over the next twenty years. I have published a lot of material about this, as have most other astrologers, so there is no shortage of information on this transit. Currently, Pluto is squaring Mercury in Taurus, meaning that the two planets are not getting along smoothly. Pluto in Aquarius wants the future and wants it now, while Mercury in Taurus wants to fall back to traditional methods of communication, even though newer ones are better. Yes, you read that right: better. A text message on a smartphone is a lot better than a letter that goes through the post. Phone calls, while effective in opportune times, can sometimes be a pain in the ass if used inappropriately or flippantly. This is not a case of “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” but rather, this is a case of using new and improved techniques now that they are available. Complicating this aspect is that Mercury is conjunct with the North Node of the Moon, meaning that the way forward, spiritually speaking, is by using tried-and-true methods. Here’s the catch, though, and it’s something I am seeing a lot of right now. I am seeing a lot of people completely, absolutely resolutely devout in their beliefs to the point of being narrowminded and living with blinders on. So, the way that the North Node of the Moon impacts things is that it reminds us to stay true to principles rather than techniques. For example, the principle of communication is the same as it has always been, but now there are better techniques out there to accomplish your goals. And this means there is absolutely no reason not to adapt, but that is a soapbox for another time. Suffice it to say, the easiest way to work with this aspect is to remind yourself of the principle you are working with in any given situation in your life and treat the technique and approach secondary, completely open and adaptable to appropriate change. Hence, this is subtlety number one.

Subtlety number two lies in the triple conjunction around the sun right now. The sun is at sixteen degrees Aries, and Chiron is at almost sixteen degrees Aries. Not to be outdone, Jupiter is at twenty degrees Aries, putting it within a four-degree orb of influence that embraces both Chiron and the sun. I’m pretty sure if you’re reading this, then you know the traits of the sun in Aries, so I will skip that. Chiron in Aries is all about wounds having to do with the self and all things related to how you see yourself. As much as Chiron identifies the wounds, it also gives us the path to healing, becoming the wounded healer. Finally, Jupiter, the biggest of the planets, is the planet of spiritual growth, consciousness expansion, prosperity, and living life large. When it moves through Aries, it tells us that you should remind yourself that blessings can come at any given time from even unexpected sources. Being thankful for unknown blessings already on their way is a good approach to embracing this. Not everyone will experience this, and there will be some that suffer in the same unexpected manner. This means that some people will experience situations that happen out of the blue, and they will be full of problems. The silver lining to this is that these scenarios will be quick and dealt with quickly, too, and while they may leave a lasting mark, the event itself is brief. All of this activity is opposing the moon in Libra, so we find that most of the attention is placed on the self more than the other, but that attention is all about healing wounds, or at least it should be, in my professional opinion.

Number three is found when we look at the position of Mars in Cancer. Right now, it is at five degrees, which puts it into sextile with Mercury in Taurus, and therefore sextiling the North Node of the Moon, too. Sextiles are gently flowing, easily manifesting aspects, and when they are present, they tell us that the energy is easily conducive to change. In short, listen to your intuition to decide how to update your techniques. Even though it might be scary because it is a psychological step into the unknown, things will work out fine. You may even find turning to religion for guidance right now is worth considering. Mars is also forming a positive but dormant trine to Saturn in Pisces, telling us that how you address what we are discussing here will lay a long-term foundation for emotional, personal, and spiritual growth. For those of you that work with the western mysteries, this is a time of initiation into a new state of being, one that will be largely influenced by Pluto in Aquarius.

Subtlety number four is found in Uranus, chillin’ at seventeen degrees Taurus. It is making a minor aspect called a quincunx with this Libra moon. When this aspect is present, it tells us that with significant changes and adaptation, you can unlock a lot more potential than you dreamed possible. In some ways, this is a message from the part of your consciousness that is much more than this lifetime: now is the time to act for what the next twenty years will bring.

And finally, bringing up the rear is subtlety number five, Venus in its sign of Taurus, and being the ruler of Libra, the current placement of the moon. This one is an easy subtlety because this subtlety is love, pure and simple. Where’s your love? Does it guide your actions? Is it absent? Is it there in your techniques and approaches to things? Venus also gets along nicely in Pisces, and both Saturn and Neptune are in the sign of the fishes currently, so the Venusian influence helps offset the abrasiveness of Aries. It also helps that Mars, the ruling planet of Aries, is in the water sign of Cancer, as discussed above. This placement of fire in water helps take the edge off of all of the Aries energy as well, really softening what could otherwise be a fiery astrological season.

I’ll leave a discussion about the upcoming eclipse and the profundity of April 20th/21st for another time, as I have covered it in other writings, and I leave this discussion out because, as you can see above, there is a lot to process before you add in a future date. For now, though, reflect on these and related thoughts, and remember to work with the principles, not necessarily the methods.

Namaste,