The Waning/Waxing Moon transits Aries from Thursday, April 4, to Saturday, April 6, between the Aquarius Balsamic and the Aries New Moo Phase

Work on Paper (38) by Christine Robinson- Click here to see more of her amazing art.

ARIES, Moon of initiative and action
Energetic and fiery

The WANING MOON TRANSITS ARIES from Thursday, April 4, 1.56 pm,
to Saturday, April 6, 11.06 pm, with the ingress into TAURUS

Suitable energy for taking on challenges, participating in competitions, performing daring feats, arduous exercises, physical work, to begin new ventures, or to perform action for its own sake. Purchase of sporting gear, protective gear, hats, tools, stoves, firewood, machinery, cars, bikes, leather objects. The mood is decisive, enterprising, impulsive, militant, spirited, visionary. Honest, direct expression of feelings, strong instinct, but somewhat insensitive. Beware of emotional extremes, head strong, bossy, uncompromising attitudes, lack of empathy, antagonism, aggression, selfishness.

• In the garden Aries is traditionally considered too hot, dry and barren for growing anything. Its energy is very suitable instead for cultivating, general maintenance, pruning, pest control, weeding, and harvesting. Plants sown with the Moon in Aries will soon go to seed, due to this Sign’s notorious impatience. Suitable only for early crops.
• Healing Herbs: Burdock, Gotu Kola, Red Clover.

A note: the garden activities associated with the Moon Sign depend also on the cycle the Moon is in. The Moon transiting through a fertile or productive Sign will no be so favorable if the Phase is not a productive one, and vice-versa. For best results the Sign and Phase of the Moon have to be considered together.

Balsamic Moon

The AQUARIUS BALSAMIC MOON PHASE starts on Monday, April 1, 6.12 pm,
and ends on Friday, April 5, 7.50 pm, with the ARIES NEW MOON PHASE

The Moon is 45 degrees behind the Sun, only three and half days to New Moon. The Moon light is decreasing rapidly and the lunar energy is now being stored as nutrients in the seeds of future plants. It is also the calm before the storm of activities of the New Moon. Time for contemplation, self reflection and healing. The title Balsamic Moon is derived from the word ‘balsam’, unguent which helps to relieve pain and cure ills. During this time we could distil the essence of our past experience, from the last New Moon up to this point, reflect upon what we have experienced and learnt, getting psychologically ready for the cycle which is about to open. This is a spiritual phase, more suitable for meditation and relaxation than action.

• In the garden it is certainly no time for planting or sowing, but it is ideal for cultivation, soil conditioning, eradicating pests and unwanted plants and to prune in order to retard growth.

The New Moon

The ARIES NEW MOON PHASE starts on Friday, April 5, 7.50 pm,
and ends on Tuesday, April 9, 2.41 pm, with the GEMINI CRESCENT MOON PHASE

The New Moon is the beginning of the Waxing cycle, the sacred marriage of Moon and Sun, Yin and Yang, Night and Day. For three days the Moon becomes invisible. Astrologically we say that the Moon is now conjunct the Sun (on the same degree of Longitude along the Ecliptic). Every month the New Moon occurs in a different Sign. So the Aries New Moon in March/April is always followed by the Taurus New Moon in April/May and so on. New Moons are symbols of new beginning and represent a great time to start something or make important changes in our lives. The energy is right for everything new you would like to try.

• In the garden this is traditionally a time to begin sowing and planting because the increasing Moon light will help plants to emerge and flourish. Moisture becomes more and more available as the light of the Moon intensifies, up to the Full Moon. Traditionally however no sowing or planting are recommended within twelve hours of the phase itself.

The Waxing Moon transits Taurus from April 16 to 18, between the Aries New Moon and the Gemini Crescent Moon Phases

Watercolour #krishnafortoday

TAURUS, Moon of contemplation and contentment
Loyal and sensual

The WAXING MOON TRANSITS TAURUS from Monday, April 16, 6.50 pm,

to Wednesday, April 18, 10.02 pm, with the ingress into GEMINI

Suitable energy for practical activities, making money, business, building, engineering, woodworking, sculpting, pottery, cooking, massage, healing, meditating, contemplating, being still and content, artistic, sensual. All pleasurable activities. Purchase of beautiful objects, furniture, furnishings, clothes, flowers, art works, jewellery, land. Slow, deliberate action, motivated by the desire for security and ease. Determination, use of will power. Affectionate, sensual display of feelings, supportive and loyal. Beware of laziness, self indulgence, stubbornness, intolerance, prejudice, jealousy.

***In the garden Taurus is considered a fairly productive Sign, especially suitable for Root Crops, like potatoes and carrots, helping to strengthen the root system and to make plants sturdier. It is also a great Sign for Flower Bulbs and other ornamental plants, being sacred to Venus. Great time to be lazy in the garden, lull in a hammock and watch the grass grow.

***Healing Herbs: Fenugreek, Liquorice, Slippery Elm.

 A note: the garden activities associated with the Moon Sign depend also on the cycle the Moon is in. The Moon transiting through a fertile or productive Sign will no be so favorable if the Phase is not a productive one, and vice-versa. For best results the Sign and Phase of the Moon have to be considered together.

The New Moon

The ARIES NEW MOON PHASE starts on Monday, April 16, 11.57 am,

and ends on Thursday, April 19, 10.13 pm, with the GEMINI CRESCENT MOON PHASE

The New Moon is the beginning of the Waxing cycle, the sacred marriage of Moon and Sun, Yin and Yang, Night and Day. For three days the Moon becomes invisible. Astrologically we say that the Moon is now conjunct the Sun (on the same degree of Longitude along the Ecliptic). Every month the New Moon occurs in a different Sign. So the Aries New Moon in March/April is always followed by the Taurus New Moon in April/May and so on. New Moons are symbols of new beginning and represent a great time to start something or make important changes in our lives. The energy is right for everything new you would like to try.

***In the garden this is traditionally a time to begin sowing and planting because the increasing Moon light will help plants to emerge and flourish. Moisture becomes more and more available as the light of the Moon intensifies, up to the Full Moon. Traditionally however no sowing or planting are recommended within twelve hours of the phase itself.

Crescent Moon

The Crescent Moon occurs half way through the first week of the Waxing cycle, when the Moon is transiting 45 degrees ahead of the Sun and looks like a beautiful crescent in the western sky after sunset. Psychologically this is an enthusiastic time, in which lots of ideas crowd our mind and we may feel that the sky is the limit. It is a slightly naïve Moon time, but also one full of hopes and dreams (the bright crescent shows now the shadowy sphere of the future Full Moon. The energy of the Moon however needs maturing at this stage and grounding. The first difficulties may appear, the first chinks in the armor; but the challenge is not strong enough yet for us to build up on it.

*** In the garden this is an excellent growing time: everything can go in now, but in particular leafy vegetables and all plants that we grow for their above the ground parts, but only when the Moon is transiting through the very fertile Water Signs or the productive Signs Taurus, Libra and Capricorn.

The Waning/Waxing Moon transits Aries from April 14 to 16, between the Pisces Balsamic and the Aries New Moon Phases

Slavic Mythology

ARIES, Moon of initiative and action
Energetic and fiery

The WANING/WANING MOON TRANSITS ARIES from Saturday, April 14, 1.25 pm,

to Monday, April 16, 6.50 pm, with the ingress into TAURUS

Suitable energy for taking on challenges, participating in competitions, performing daring feats, arduous exercises, physical work, to begin new ventures, or to perform action for its own sake. Purchase of sporting gear, protective gear, hats, tools, stoves, firewood, machinery, cars, bikes, leather objects. The mood is decisive, enterprising, impulsive, militant, spirited, visionary. Honest, direct expression of feelings, strong instinct, but somewhat insensitive. Beware of emotional extremes, head strong, bossy, uncompromising attitudes, lack of empathy, antagonism, aggression, selfishness.

*** In the garden Aries is traditionally considered too hot, dry and barren for growing anything. Its energy is very suitable instead for cultivating, general maintenance, pruning, pest control, weeding, and harvesting. Plants sown with the Moon in Aries will soon go to seed, due to this Sign’s notorious impatience. Suitable only for early crops.

*** Healing Herbs: Burdock, Gotu Kola, Red Clover.

A note: the garden activities associated with the Moon Sign depend also on the cycle the Moon is in. The Moon transiting through a fertile or productive Sign will no be so favorable if the Phase is not a productive one, and vice-versa. For best results the Sign and Phase of the Moon have to be considered together.

Balsamic Moon

The PISCES BALSAMIC MOON PHASE starts on Thursday, April 12, 6.59 pm,

and ends on Monday, April 16, 11.57 am, with the ARIES NEW MOON PHASE

The Moon is 45 degrees behind the Sun, only three and half days to New Moon. The Moon light is decreasing rapidly and the lunar energy is now being stored as nutrients in the seeds of future plants. It is also the calm before the storm of activities of the New Moon. Time for contemplation, self reflection and healing. The title Balsamic Moon is derived from the word ‘balsam’, unguent which helps to relieve pain and cure ills. During this time we could distill the essence of our past experience, from the last New Moon up to this point, reflect upon what we have experienced and learnt, getting psychologically ready for the cycle which is about to open. This is a spiritual phase, more suitable for meditation and relaxation than action.

*** In the garden it is certainly no time for planting or sowing, but it is ideal for cultivation, soil conditioning, eradicating pests and unwanted plants and to prune in order to retard growth.

New Moon

The New Moon is the beginning of the Waxing cycle, the sacred marriage of Moon and Sun, Yin and Yang, Night and Day. For three days the Moon becomes invisible. Astrologically we say that the Moon is now conjunct the Sun (on the same degree of Longitude along the Ecliptic). Every month the New Moon occurs in a different Sign. So the Aries New Moon in March/April is always followed by the Taurus New Moon in April/May and so on. New Moons are symbols of new beginning and represent a great time to start something or make important changes in our lives. The energy is right for everything new you would like to try.

*** In the garden this is traditionally a time to begin sowing and planting because the increasing Moon light will help plants to emerge and flourish. Moisture becomes more and more available as the light of the Moon intensifies, up to the Full Moon. Traditionally however no sowing or planting are recommended within twelve hours of the phase itself.

The Waning Moon transits Pisces from April 12 to 14, during the Pisces Balsamic Moon Phase

Nautilus Snail 1630 German artwork from Nuremberg

PISCES, Moon of compassion and universal sympathy
Adaptable and romantic

The WANING MOON TRANSITS PISCES from Thursday, April 12, 4.39 am,

to Saturday, April 14, 1.25 pm, with the ingress into ARIES

Suitable energy for sailing, swimming, day dreaming, escapism, falling in love, creative writing, especially of poetry, theater, performances, movies, concerts, music, crowds, solitude, remembering. Charity, water scrying, astral traveling, past life experiences, déjà vu, psychic awakening, bliss. Purchase of swimming gear, boats, surfboards, pets, alcohol, shoes. Action motivated by the need to accommodate fate, to go with the flow. Gentle poetical expression of feelings, romantic, changeable, ambivalent. Beware of escapism, untruthfulness, drug taking, victimization, passivity, impracticality, phobias, fatalism, lack of discrimination.

*** In the garden Pisces is a very fertile, particularly suitable for growing water plants, like Water Chestnuts and Lotus. A great time for propagating cuttings, grafting, irrigation, pruning to encourage re-growth, but not potatoes that may sprout too soon. Romantic garden walks and picnics could do well too.

*** Healing Herbs: Echinacea, Eyebright, Golden Seal and Mugwort.

A note: the garden activities associated with the Moon Sign depend also on the cycle the Moon is in. The Moon transiting through a fertile or productive Sign will no be so favorable if the Phase is not a productive one, and vice-versa. For best results the Sign and Phase of the Moon have to be considered together.

Balsamic Moon

The PISCES BALSAMIC MOON PHASE starts on Thursday, April 12, 6.59 pm,

and ends on Monday, April 16, 11.57 am, with the  ARIES NEW MOON PHASE

The Moon is 45 degrees behind the Sun, only three and half days to New Moon. The Moon light is decreasing rapidly and the lunar energy is now being stored as nutrients in the seeds of future plants. It is also the calm before the storm of activities of the New Moon. Time for contemplation, self reflection and healing. The title Balsamic Moon is derived from the word ‘balsam’, unguent which helps to relieve pain and cure ills. During this time we could distil the essence of our past experience, from the last New Moon up to this point, reflect upon what we have experienced and learnt, getting psychologically ready for the cycle which is about to open. This is a spiritual phase, more suitable for meditation and relaxation than action.

*** In the garden it is certainly no time for planting or sowing, but it is ideal for cultivation, soil conditioning, eradicating pests and unwanted plants and to prune in order to retard growth.

Aries New Moon aligned to Uranus, Saturn and Pluto

Firefly by Jimmy Lawlor

The Aries New Moon, on April 7, is the first of the astrological year, because of the New Moon nature as the beginning of a new cycle every month; as well as the New Moon in the first Zodiacal Sign.

The Sun and Moon are closely aligned (conjunction) to Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Sagittarius (trine) and Pluto in Capricorn (square), promising that this new cycle will be one of significant changes, positive and/or unsettling for a lot of people on the planet. This will be particularly true for Aries people born within two days of the event, as well as Librans, born between October 9 and 13; Cancerians, born between July 8 and 12; and Capricornians, born between January 6 and 10, of any year.  This could be a personally important event also for anyone with Moon, Planets or Birth Chart’s Angles between the 16th and 22nd degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn.

The prominence of Uranus brings unexpected twists to our experiences, with unforeseen changes of plans, windfalls and/or disruptions of various nature. Be prepared to alter your course of action because new circumstances present themselves or people you may have relied upon unexpectedly change their plans and outlook, veering in a complete new direction. Exciting, for sure, but also highly unsettling if you like your routine and have very set goals!  Try to keep your balance while things become uncertain or you could get stressed and alienated. The easy aspect of the Sun and Moon to Saturn (trine) could help you to keep a more level head, testing the viability of your new choices.

Pluto, on the other hand, adds intensity and wilfulness. You could feel like pitting yourself against the will of others, in an intense struggle to assert your own will. The difficult nature of this transit (square) calls however for greater caution in order to avoid destructive emotional extremes, painful separations etc.

Here is a chart of the Aries New Moon. April 7. 9.23 pm.

click to view larger image

THE ARIES NEW MOON AND FEW NATURAL AND UNNATURAL DISASTERS…

I left this post half-finished in a cyber drawer of my site for nearly a month. I became somehow overwhelmed by the number of natural and unnatural disasters that are happening at the moment. I feared to become a messenger of gloom and doom for my potential readers. I feel compelled however to publish this post now because other events have followed this disaster and they seem to be linked to a similar planetary pattern, all happening within one particular Moon cycle, the one that began with the New Moon in Aries on April 14 2010, the same day as the Tibetan quake.

Watching  the drama unfolding in North West China, after the powerful earthquake of April 14, and encouraged by Eclectic Astrology’s EH (see Recent Comments) I got inspired to explore further the astrological implications of this event (see first post).

Below are the Horoscopes to which you may like to refer to when reading this post.

*******

CHINA EARTHQUAKE, APRIL 14, 7.49 am, local time, epicentre’s coordinates.

TRANSITS TWO-WHEELS HOROSCOPE:

• THE BIRTH HOROSCOPE OF THE COMMUNIST REPUBLIC OF CHINA {21 September 1949, Peking (modern Beijing), calculated for midday, because the actual time wasn’t recorded. Alternative Charts for the birth of Communist China are: October 1, 8 am and October 1, 5.57 am, sunrise}.

• THE APRIL 14 EARTHQUAKE, 7.49 am.
  

I concentrate now on the last two wheels’ Chart.

First thing we notice is the very close conjunction of transiting Saturn to China’s natal Sun in Virgo on the Solar Mid-Heaven as well as the opposition of Uranus in late Pisces to China’s Sun. As far as Saturn is concerned, this is the second as well as the third pass of this transit, whose first pass occurred in October 2009. What’s happening is that Saturn will reach the exact aspect in early June 2010, becoming Stationary Direct just on China’s Sun. The station of a Planet over the natal position of another is a powerful image, especially if the Sun is involved. In Mundane (Political) Astrology the Sun symbolises a nation’s sense of identity and its outward standing in the world, through the persons of its Prime Minister or King/Queen. So it looks like it is crunch time for the Chinese authorities, Saturn putting them through very serious tests for the duration of this transit (October 2009 to July 2010). Saturn is an extremely important planet in China’s Birth Chart, being very close to the Moon in early Virgo. Its Transits therefore are always likely to affect the general population, because in Mundane Astrology the Moon represents the common people. Life is hard for those in communist China; Saturn so close to the Moon testify to it. On the positive side this conjunction shows also the Chinese to be very hard-working and practical people, ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of their community (Virgo) but also ambitious and working hard not just to survive but to achieve high goals and a place of authority in the international community (Saturn).

Of course, at this moment in history, if Saturn is in the picture so is Uranus, diametrically opposed to it in the Solar Wheel. Uranus in fact is closer to its opposition to China’s natal Sun than Saturn is to the conjunction. The very first pass of this opposition occurred on April 8, six days before the Tibetan earthquake. The same transit will remain powerful until, at least the end of May, when Uranus will make his first ingress in Aries, and then again in October 2010 and January 2011.

We shouldn’t forget also that both Saturn and Pluto have recently become retrograde, portending repetition of past experiences with the necessity to explore and the potential to solve unfinished business or tie loose ends, as the saying goes. For China there are certainly lots of loose ends to tie with the Tibetan people who live in this ravaged region, a world in between modern Communist China and traditional Buddhist and Bong communities, inhabiting the rooftop of the world.

Furthermore, on the day of the quake, transiting Mars happened to be exactly on China’s natal Mars, so China was having a Mars’ Return, a two yearly event, portending potential unrest, accidents, violence, the activities Mars excels in.

I have found also a significant correlation between the transiting Lunar Nodes in Capricorn and Cancer and the Lunar Nodes in Aries and Libra of China’s Natal Chart: at the time of the disaster they were very close (just over one degree distance) to a 90 degrees, challenging angle with each other, marking an important moment in the history and destiny of this country. To make this connection even more significant the Moon, at the time of the earthquake, was transiting on top of China Natal North Node and opposed to its South Node, thus connecting the ephemeral position of the Moon on that fateful day with the Eclipses that were around when Communist China was born. As astrologers know Eclipses close to the time of an individual’s birth are focal points in their Charts, points that will become activated during a lifetime by many transits and progressions and bring about important realizations and events. The transiting Moon in Aries was also separating from an opposition to China’s Neptune and applying to an opposition to China’s Mercury, both planets being conjunct China’s South Node.

To conclude the list of transits on the day: the transiting Moon had reached a 120 degrees angle, trine, with China’s Pluto, the Lord of Death, while the transiting Pluto was in opposition with China’s Uranus, transit that will remain active, on and off, for the whole of 2010, becoming exact again in October 2010 and January 2011. The latter transit is a very important one. If we were discussing the effect of such a transit on an individual we could describe it as a life-changing influence, both planets representing the need to embrace radical changes and accept the unavoidable. The same is true for a nation’s Chart.

Finally I would like to share another fact that I discovered about this event. The New Moon of April 14 was an important date for many people in Asia, corresponding with the beginning of the New Year, in accordance to different ancient traditions. The New Year was celebrated that day in Thailand, Punjab, Nepal, Assam, Bangladesh, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Kerala and other places. The time before the festivities begin (just when the disaster struck) is dedicated in these countries to cleansing ceremonies, enacted by house spring-cleaning, the throwing of water in the streets and to each other, the washing of Buddha’s statues, the freeing of birds form cages and fish form bowls. All in order to begin the year with renewed energy and purified of the sins of the past.

I couldn’t help thinking of all the dead people in Tibet being symbolically freed from their physical shackles and liberated in the new life of the Spirit on that very important yearly New Moon in Aries, the first of the year in the first of the Signs. The image of those Tibetan monks who came to help their fallen brothers and the population of this remote parts, whose help was rejected by unyielding Chinese authorities, is a fit image, I feel, of the ‘spiritual’ dimension of this disaster, because it happened in one place in the world that we can all consider sacred, around the highest mountains the Gods used to inhabit and from where they still shine like super-natural beacons for us.