Cardinal signs start things. There are four cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. They are inflection points in the wheel of the year. When the Sun enters a cardinal sign, it marks the beginning of a new season.

Thursday morning at 8:38 (EDT) the Sun and Moon meet at 16 degrees of Gemini and form a New Moon. They are joined by Venus, also at 16 degrees of Gemini. Mercury is also in Gemini at 6 degrees and Jupiter just moved into Gemini last week where it will stay through 2025. So there is a lot of Gemini energy prevailing right now. 

Late Tuesday night we will have a New Moon in Taurus with the Sun and Moon at 18 degrees. Taurus is the fixed earth sign. Earth signs experience the world through the physical senses, and Taurus is the most connected to the body. No other sign is as sensual.

Tuesday evening at around 7:46 PM (EDT) the Sun will be at 4 degrees Taurus opposite the Moon at 4 degrees Scorpio, forming a Full Moon. The Taurus - Scorpio axis deals with security, resources, and values (Taurus) and how we share them intimately with our significant others (Scorpio).

Eclipses, like all lunations, come in pairs. There is a New Moon and a Full Moon; when it is eclipse season, New Moons are Solar Eclipses and Full Moons are Lunar Eclipses. They are powerful lunations with influence that extends until the next set of eclipses. Eclipses are reset points in time, bringing opportunities for big changes. 

We are having quite a bit of astrological activity recently, starting with the spring equinox on March 20, followed by the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse on March 25, and now we have Mercury going retrograde.

Just like other lunations, eclipses occur in pairs. Solar Eclipses are powerful New Moons. Lunar Eclipses are powerful Full Moons. Their influence continues for approximately 6 months, until the next set of eclipses. Our first eclipse of 2024 happens in the wee hours of the morning on Monday, March 25. The Sun at 5 degrees of Aries will be opposite the Moon at 5 degrees of Libra. The Aries-Libra axis is about relationships.

In astrology, the new year starts when the Sun enters Aries at the Spring Equinox. The New Moon in Pisces on Sunday is therefore the final New Moon of this astrological year. It carries a sense of completion and is meant to be an opportunity for integrating the insights from the experiences of the past 12 months. It allows us to tie up any loose ends and prepare for the next cycle.

Saturday morning at 7:30 the Moon at 5 degrees of Virgo will be opposite the Sun at 5 degrees of Pisces, forming a Full Moon. Full Moons bring things into the light of consciousness. Virgo - Pisces axis themes include being of service to the greater good and using creative expression to be the artist of your life while managing details of daily responsibilities.

Today's Aquarian New Moon happened as the Sun and Moon met at 20 degrees of Aquarius. Mercury (communication/information processing/logic) and Pluto(transformation/power) are also in Aquarius and Mars(yang energy/personal drive) and Venus (how we relate to important others/values) will be joining them next week, so Aquarius energy is amplified.

There has been a lot going on in the sky these past few weeks. This past Saturday, 1.20, the Sun made its annual conjunction with Pluto. That's nothing unusual. The Sun meets up with each planet throughout the year. What makes this conjunction unique is they met up at 0 degrees of Aquarius.

The first New Moon of the year is tomorrow morning at 6:58 (EST). The Sun and Moon meet at 21 degrees of Capricorn. Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign. It is practical and industrious, ambitious and serious. In the natural chart, Capricorn is located at the top. It corresponds to noon, when the daylight is at its peak. Capricorn energy is meant to be seen by the public.

It's a little hard to believe we are at the final lunation for 2023. On Tuesday evening we will have a Full Moon in Cancer. The Moon at nearly 5 degrees (4 degrees 58 seconds of arc) of Cancer will be bathed in the light of the Sun at nearly 5 degrees of Capricorn. The timing, of course, is perfect; it offers a moment in the middle of the festivities to pause and recenter yourself on what matters to you. 

Tuesday evening we have a New Moon as the Sun and Moon meet at 20 degrees of Sagittarius. New Moons are times of planting seeds or moving towards the next thing. It might be a part of a long term plan or it can be something more compact that will take place within the Moon cycle.

Often with Mercury retrograde, we need to go back and restart something initiated during the retrograde because of new information coming to light, or new understandings gained. Mercury will resume direct motion on New Years Day. It's an interesting way to start a year. Cheers!

Early Monday morning we will have a Full Moon in Gemini as the Sun at approximately 5 degrees of Sagittarius will be opposite the Moon at 5 degrees of Gemini. Gemini and Sagittarius are social signs. Their energy is of interaction with others, usually groups. Moon in Gemini is a good placement for exploring how you communicate your emotional needs and feelings and how you share your feelings with others as a basis for connection. 

We are more than halfway through Scorpio season. I always find it interesting when the New Moon falls in the middle of a sign's time hosting the Sun.

On November 19, 2021 we started off this series of eclipses in Taurus - Scorpio. Eclipse series last for about 18 months, with usually 5 to 6 eclipses occurring during that time. We are given the opportunity to explore themes related to the axis involved, and of course, where those signs and points fall in our individual charts will determine what areas of life are likely to be affected.

This Saturday afternoon at 1:55 (EDT) we will have a Solar Eclipse at 21 degrees of Libra. Solar Eclipses are powerful New Moons. The difference is that the influence of a New Moon lasts until the next New Moon, roughly 28 days later. The influence of eclipses lasts until the next set of eclipses, approximately six months later.   

Last week on the equinox we officially entered Libra season, the time of finding balance. This Full Moon on Friday morning will offer opportunities to continue to notice where we are out of balance and what we can shift to better equilibrate ourselves.