Astrology for Friday, April 1 - April Fool's Day and the Aries New Moon

The mood has shifted as the Moon enters its New Moon Phase in Aries. It is the astrological New Year because Aries, the natural start of the Zodiac, begins a new cycle today. We have moved into a lunar growth cycle, too. Spring has sprung...time for planting above ground crops and celebration of the arrival of spring. If you know your chart (or can calculate it for free on astro.com), look to the location of Aries in your natal chart. The house that has Aries on the cusp is ready for a new cycle to begin.

Astrologically, we have some momentous things happening in such short order that it is misleading to consider only one event, as though it isn't affected by the others. Next week, Mars (God of War) and Saturn (God of Control, Limitation) will travel together in the sign Aquarius. In the Washington chart of the New Moon, this hits the United States in the financial and security oriented Second House of Money. Given the news, it isn't rocket science to see the financial effects of government sanctions on our shaky economic system. We are at a time of brutal uncertainty, and I do not fault the Biden administration. This would be true in any case. It is also not rocket science to believe the possibility that Putin's try for control of Ukraine may reach a crescendo.

We are also just a couple of weeks away from an exact conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune in Pisces, too. Right now, these two planets, both powerful in the sign of Pisces, is in the US 3rd house of communication, sextile Pluto in late degrees of Capricorn. We see the campaign of disinformation very active - expansive and illusory (Jupiter and Neptune), supported by gigantic bureaucracy (Pluto).

The New Moon highlights the 4th house, a house of devotion to the MotherLand. A new cycle is beginning there, with the voice of the people (Moon) espousing their identity (Sun in Aries). I think we will see peace offers if Ukraine will accept new boundaries (Saturn) to end war (Mars) that allow Russia to push out its boundaries (Jupiter in Pisces) following Russia's vision (Neptune).

My mentor, Steven Forrest, talks about the coming Jupiter/Neptune in Pisces conjunction as questions: What must you let go in order to claim something? (Paraphrasing!) Whether or not this scenario will happen is, of course, up to the free will of those involved - and those willing to support them.

And let's not overlook the fact that the karmic nodes of the Moon in Taurus and Scorpio are dead on square that Mars/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius. Every side is stubborn - these are all fixed signs! However, the Mars/Saturn piece cannot be ignored, but must be absorbed and resolved for the world to move on to a more peaceful place.

Interestingly, the ascendant of the New Moon chart is very close to the ascendant of the US Sibley chart. I think the perception of democracy being on the line is very similar to the perceptions that founded this country.