New moon April 18th

The New Moon on 18th April falls on the final degree of fire-sign Aries seeding the realisations of recent weeks as readiness for action and drastic decision. Aries can be impatient, over-identified with its agenda or careless of others’ needs, so stay focused on the bigger picture and let those seeds be surrounded by stillness and sacred patience as you plant your intent through them. Within hours the new moon moves into Taurus and within a couple of days the sun joins it there. Mercury and Mars are already in Taurus, bringing a focus over the next weeks on grounding, nourishing and stabilising the new growth.

Take time for the fresh information revealed through the recent eclipse ‘portals’ to integrate and open up new perspectives around any backlog of frustration, confusion or inner conflict. Chiron (healing or re-wounding) is in a special position at this new moon without any major connections with other planets, meaning it can act like a joker in the pack or a loose cannon. Keep awareness of healing in the air; bring sadness, desperation or lack of forgiveness back to Source and Chiron will liberate energy that has been long bound up in ancient pain. If we identify with the wound or stuckness and lose sight of the power of the Witness at this time the jumpstarting jumpy new energy may backfire! Our inner work is the alchemy for the outer world’s wounds.

Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you – Jean-Paul Sartre

Now that my heart is open it can’t be closed or broken - Lhasa

Thus the new downloads can shift the direction of what has been brewing over the last year or more towards enriching and unrealised outcomes, if we can hold the tension of not knowing yet how to manifest our Intent. Stay with the flow, steady and attentive to subtle perceptions within the not-knowing. The answers are coming through this process of emptiness which releases the momentum of past experience pushing us towards repetition, and suddenly anything is possible. Here is a commentary from the ‘I Ching’ which catches the profuse rich energy of this time:

Hexagram 3 ‘Sprouting’ The hexagram figure shows arousing new energy confronting unknown risks. Clouds and thunder. Strip away old ideas. Abundant new possibilities are being born. Stay where you are and let everything come into view. Set up structures and ideas that can weave things together. This is a stirring time. It releases many new possibilities. There is heavy work to be done. Things are full to overflowing. The atmosphere is the dusky light before daybreak. Things are coming at you from all sides. Don’t try to soothe and pacify them. Install your helpers and give everything a place. This chaotic profusion is in accord with the time. It is the beginning of a new world.

The new moon coincides with major points of ebb and flow in the cycles of both Jupiter and Pluto. You may feel that the direction of the wind has changed and things start to be within reach that were like chasing rainbows only a short time ago. Jupiter (expansion, progress, opportunity, optimism) has been retrograde in Leo since last December 8th backtracking over the ground it originally covered during September – December 2014. During its backward period (as seen from earth) things can feel stuck, unproductive, claustrophobic, as if all exits are barred.

Finally Jupiter turned to move forward on April 8th bringing a sense of renewed opportunity, freedom of expression and creative expansion that should go hand in hand with the revolutionary spirit of Uranus as they spark each other off speeding forwards in fire signs Leo and Aries from now until July. Extraordinary opportunities are in the air.

Neptune brings its own mixture of magic and illusion/confusion into this seeding as it whispers in the ear of Venus (resources, relationships) influencing her confrontation with Saturn, the Rule maker. Venus is poised exactly on the feisty bright red star Aldebaran, the watcher of the East, the eye of the Bull. With the pressure of harsh limitation on one side and shifting illusions on the other she needs all the power of the true watcher’s eye to perceive what’s going on from a perspective beyond the hypnotic story-line.

While Jupiter brings a fresh breeze of confidence, visions and solutions Pluto turning retrograde on April 16th takes questions of power and control back underground for deeper deliberation and doubtless shadowy manoeuvres. As Jupiter is moving forwards towards the place it occupied last December, Pluto is retrograding back to where it was last December; that month was a pivotal point revealing processes to which we will be returning during the summer. It is worth looking back to uncover any missed clues to our own unfolding within the greater picture.

Pluto ends its backward journey on 25th September just before a lunar eclipse that falls on significant points in both the 1821and 1974 national charts of Greece…

This chaotic profusion is in accord with the time. It is the beginning of a new world – I Ching

Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today – James Dean