Moon into Aries: A Vibrant Beginning

Saturday morning through Monday evening
Eastern Standard Time

Saturday, December 31

at the starting line

Moon enters Aries 4:49am
Moon semisextile Jupiter (Taurus) 5:37am
Moon conjunct Uranus (Aries) 6:28am
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 8:33am
Moon square Pluto (Capricorn) 7:26pm

Sunday, January 1
Mercury (Sagittarius) square Mars (Virgo) 1:05am
Moon square Sun (Capricorn) 1:15am
Moon trine the North Node (Sagittarius) 6:44am
Moon sextile Venus (Aquarius) 10:03am
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 9:45pm
Moon trine Mercury (Sagittarius) 11:57pm

Monday, January 2
Moon opposite Saturn (Libra) 2:01pm
Moon sextile Neptune (Aquarius) 3:06pm
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Taurus 5:16pm
Moon conjunct Jupiter (Taurus) 6:14pm
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 7:04pm
Moon sextile Chiron (Pisces) 9:20m

On New Year's Eve, the last day of 2011, our thoughts turn toward the year ahead––and who better to lead the way than an Aries Moon? Early Saturday morning, the Moon moves confidently into the first sign of the zodiac, fiery sign of Cardinal Fire, ready to blaze a path into the new. Watch out, world!

The Moon's aspects Saturday are classic, no-holds-barred, Aries: Joining with Uranus the trickster revolutionary, squaring off against Pluto, the alchemist who turns that infinitely fine mill of the gods, and forming edgy semisextiles with the sages Jupiter and Chiron.

New Year's fireworks

Saturday brings abundant energy, lots of drive, and possibly more impulsivity and risk-taking than optimal for New Year's Eve. This is a great day for vigorous workouts of any kind. Launching new projects should feel easy and full of fire.

Partying can also be high-energy and full of fun, as long as you stay aware you and those around you––including those other drivers out there––may feel they can do no wrong, no matter what.

This energy carries through the early hours of Sunday, New Year's, which open with a square between Mercury and Mars. This could be a time when saying too much is just ... too much. Forewarned is forearmed, so avoid arguments, pledges of eternal whatever, and verbal gymnastics of all kinds.

Interestingly, the Mercury–Mars square arrives at the same time as the First Quarter Moon, the waxing square between Sun and Moon that tests our commitment to New Moon goals. The Sun is still in steady, practical Capricorn while the Moon stakes out a corner in take-no-prisoners Aries. Are we ready to maintain the effort to reach long term goals, or is fast-talking Aries already leaving us overwhelmed and burnt out? Or maybe the mountain we chose to climb has been looking pretty rocky, and Aries energy is exactly the boost we need to make it up those first slopes. The balance is ours to find.

The Moon flows energy to the North Node Sunday, energizing our life path. A sextile to Venus brings a surge to creativity, finances and relationships. Highlighting the Mars–Mercury square, the Moon sides with Sagittarian Mercury while forming an awkward angle with Mars in careful Virgo. It's time to move forward with confidence.

Monday morning is quiet among the stars and planets, giving us a chance to recover from the weekend. In the afternoon, the Moon opposes Saturn and sextiles Neptune, energizing our dreams and visions while forcing us to find the balance between Self and Other. Then, she moves into a two-hour void of course time before stepping into sensuous Taurus.

With an Aries Moon to kick off the New Year, we'll have all the energy we need and then some. The challenge is to celebrate the transitions and transformations to come without blowing any fuses in the process. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2012!
    

Moon into Pisces: Where is our Power?

Wednesday evening through Saturday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Wednesday, December 28
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 3:09pm

Mami Wata priestess

Moon conjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 4:31pm
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Pisces 6:46pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 7:28pm
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 8:14pm
Moon conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 10:05pm

Thursday, December 29
Sun (Capricorn) conjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 2:42am
Moon sextile Pluto (Capricorn) 8:27am
Moon sextile Sun (Capricorn) 8:56am 
Moon semisextile Venus (Aquarius) 4:04pm
Moon square the North Node (Sagittarius) 7:40pm

Friday, December 30
Moon square Mercury (Sagittarius) 4:40am
Moon opposite Mars (Virgo) 8:38am
(begin void of course)

Saturday, December 31
Moon inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 1:19am
Moon semisextile Neptune (Aquarius) 2:34am
Moon enters Aries 4:49am
Moon semisextile Jupiter (Taurus) 5:37am
Moon conjunct Uranus (Aries) 6:28am
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 8:33am
Moon square Pluto (Capricorn) 7:26pm

The Moon swims into Piscean waters this evening, a time when we enter into the full, felt experience of what our transformations mean for us. Tomorrow, the alchemy of our times will be highlighted as the Sun shines its light on Pluto's shifting of our deepest foundations. The Pisces Moon allows us to feel what this means, as we also feel the depth and breadth of the support that surrounds us.

Today's transits include a flowing sextile with Jupiter, now moving direct in nurturing Taurus. An edgy semisextile with Uranus reminds us that change is in air. A conjunction with Chiron allows us to connect fully with where we've been wounded in the past, and flow toward integration and healing.

black hole

Thursday opens with the exact Sun–Pluto conjunction, an aspect of great power and intensity. In Capricorn, we won't see flash or flamboyance, just power directed toward its goal.

It's said Capricorn is not overly concerned with means, once the ends are in sight, and we all know the saying about power tending to corrupt. Are we in trouble here?

See the Pisces Moon, sextiling this powerhouse pairing. The presence of this most sensitive of emotional antennae suggests we can explore how we feel about power, how we experience power, how we define it, and how we use it.

Sun–Pluto can certainly embody power-over: absolute obedience to overwhelming authority. And yet, power-over is a dead end when compared to power-with. The Pisces Moon reminds us we are relational beings, connected to all that is. We co-create. We are co-created. Power works best when shared, when it flows.

Later Thursday, the Moon squares the Nodes, seen in evolutionary astrology as a "missed step" on the karmic path. Have we missed seeing how connected we are? Can we take the intense, focused power of Sun–Pluto and consciously channel it into the web of all things?

These are deep matters to contemplate, and the aspects moving forward show this. On Friday morning, the Pisces Moon squares Mercury, opposes Mars, then goes void of course. Where does challenge get us? Not too far, when compared with cooperation.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Moon forms edgy aspects with Saturn and Neptune inside the void time, before surging into Aries, ready to blaze into life. This time with the Pisces Moon is an opportunity to contemplate our relationship with power before a new, fiery cycle ignites.
    

Moon into Aquarius: A New Vision

Monday afternoon through Wednesday evening
Eastern Standard Time

Monday, December 26
Moon enters Aquarius 12:15pm

spirits of Air

Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 12:53pm
Moon sextile Uranus (Aries) 1:34pm
Moon semisextile Chiron (Pisces) 3:11pm
Moon semisextile the Sun (Capricorn) 9:00pm

Tuesday, December 27
Moon semisextile Pluto (Capricorn) 12:56am
Moon conjunct Venus (Aquarius) 2:33am
Moon sextile the North Node (Sagittarius) 11:47am
Moon sextile Mercury (Sagittarius) 2:00pm
Moon inconjunct Mars (Virgo) 10:35pm

Wednesday, December 28
Moon trine Saturn (Libra) 3:09pm
Moon conjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 4:31pm 
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Pisces 6:46pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 7:28pm
Moon semisextile Uranus (Aries) 8:14pm
Moon conjunct Chiron (Pisces) 10:05pm

The Moon is shifting from practical Capricorn into visionary Aquarius now, and will complete the transition just after noon in my time zone––if you haven't already set your intentions for this New Moon cycle, wait until after she enters Aquarius, as she's currently void of course. With the Moon in Aquarius, you'll have the breathtaking clarity, scope and innovation of Uranus' sign to help support your wishes.

new worlds

The Moon transits through Aquarius over the next few days, ready to sail boldly into new territory. Aquarius is not for the faint of heart, tossing the old overboard and setting course for the future with brilliance, eccentricity, and laughter. We've turned a cosmic corner, and the horizon of the new is before us.

Today, the Moon challenges stodgy, old-fashioned Jupiter in Taurus, aligning herself instead with incendiary Uranus in Aries. Forming edgy connections with Chiron and the Sun, there's an anything-can-happen feeling in the air.

Tomorrow brings the same mix of movement and challenge as the Moon aligns with Venus in Aquarius, and flows easily with Mercury and the North Node as they point to the Great Attractor. We're in Air and Fire territory, and our connections to Earth don't feel quite as stable. The trick is entering into the creative dreaming of Aquarius without losing our groundedness––can we fly without losing our sense of direction?

Wednesday, the Moon trines Saturn and joins Neptune, shining her light on the trine between these two. This is a Yes! It is possible to combine these two powers in creative, positive ways––to manifest our dreams rather than feeling them crushed, to stay grounded and practical rather than expending energy in unrealistic castles in the air, to thread our way through the challenges of envisioning what we desire and making it real.

How? we find ourselves asking ... how can we do this? The Aquarian Moon lights the way, shining brighter in her waxing time. Explore visionary practices, both familiar and new. This is a time to step outside our comfort zone, feeling our way into something strange and wonderful.