Welcome the Super Moon on 8/1 that reached maximum fullness at 1:32pm(CDT)!  Sun in Leo opposes Moon in Aquarius.  Super moons are closer in orbit to earth in what’s called perigee.

A rare Blue Moon happens this August meaning there are 2 Full Moons in one calendar month! The Blue Moon is August 30 with Sun in Virgo opposing Moon in Pisces.  

The New Moon each month symbolizes beginnings and wiping the slate clean and the Full Moon is a culmination and coming to fruition.  Typically these two phases are tied together as opposites or mirror images of each other, commonly thought to take place in signs 180˚ apart.

One standard assumption in astrology is that a New Moon (sun & moon in the same sign) is always followed two weeks later by a Full Moon with sun and moon in opposite signs.  Such as the New Moon is in Aries (sun & moon in Aries) and the Full Moon is in Libra (sun in Aries-moon in Libra).  This year and into the next looks a bit different. 

The spring equinox in 2023 started with a New Moon in Aries and two weeks later a Full Moon in Libra.  A second New Moon occurred later in April but was again in the sign of Aries which was followed by a Full Moon in Scorpio, setting off a chain reaction for nearly a year and a half.  This trend of the New Moon being followed by a Full Moon in one sign past the opposite of the New Moon’s sign lasts until June 2024.

For instance, this July we had a New Moon in Cancer and today the Full Moon is in Aquarius- one sign past Cancer’s opposite which would be Capricorn!  This cycle last took place July 2020-July 2021.

The monthly lunar cycle fluctuates like the ever-changing carrier and reflector of light- the moon!  How does this trend influence intention setting as cosmic seeds are planted on the New Moon and will it alter the rhythm of manifestation on the Full Moon?  More exploration is needed!

Mid-October, three planets station direct after their respective retrogrades.  Saturn turns direct in Aquarius on October 10.  Jupiter in Aquarius and Mercury in Libra turn direct on October 18.  Forward momentum sparks up after a time of introspection and mulling over decisions.  This coincides with an Aries full moon in aspect to a cantankerous yet motivating opposition to Sun and Mars in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn.  The autumnal equinox September 22 is echoed with the culmination of the full moon in Aries on October 20(9:57am, CDT).  Libra season soon draws to a close, revealing intrinsic relationship dynamics, restoring equilibrium and balance through conflict and diplomacy.  The Sun enters Scorpio October 22.

May 13, Jupiter, the greater benefic, ingresses into the sign of Pisces where he holds court in rulership.  

May 26, a total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius opposes the sun in Gemini as the earth blocks the full moon’s reflected light.  Jupiter in Pisces forms a square to sun and moon.  Dreaming big and imagining alternative solutions stirs creativity.  A mercurialness enhances changeability.  

The moon waxes full in Scorpio on April 26 at 10:31pm (CT).  Each full moon of the year has a perennially recurring name.  “Breaking Ice Moon”, named by the Algonquin, seems most befitting of the astrology of this April’s full moon!  It is the first of two “super moons” in 2021 when the moon is closer in orbit to earth, also known as “perigee”.  The next is the eclipse on May 26.

Moon in Scorpio faces off with four planets in Taurus: Sun, Uranus, Venus and Mercury.  An opposition between planets in Taurus and Scorpio receives a tense square from Saturn in Aquarius.  This fixed t-square tests solidity, which can “make or break”.  It shows where the blocks and break-throughs exist.  The full moon in Scorpio catalyzes a release of grief and trauma.

Over the last year, humanity has been writing the script as we go for how to navigate this pandemic, with many scenes, character changes and plot twists.  The full moon is closely aligned with Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus.  It contains the task of integrating limitations and rules with innovation and radicalness, “breaking the ice” so to speak.  The rules themselves change- a rocky transition indeed! 

April 26 the elements tip the balance toward earth, that’s why this time of year is known for fertility and gardening. Taurus invites earthly delights of comfort food and sensuality.

Pluto begins retrograde April 28 (CT). Coming up May 13 Jupiter ingresses into Pisces- more on this astrological event later!

The will to “act” and “do” heats up with the Spring Equinox and Sun’s entrance into fiery Aries.  Venus moved from romancer Pisces into lil’ punk Aries and melds with the Sun in a brazen embrace on March 26!  Aries ruling planet Mars transits Gemini.  On the same day as Venus and Sun canoodle in Aries, Mars will conjunct the north node.  Translating ideas into action pushes the cosmic schema forward.  Mars in Gemini square Mercury in Pisces is clever versatility paired with a chameleon-like trickster.  Be percipient of rash impulsivity and communication fumbles.  Nebulosity is currently in the astrological mix and lights up with Jupiter’s ingress into Pisces and eclipse season in May.

The tail end of winter finishes up as the season edges toward a spring thaw!  In February, planets in fixed signs “held in place” successful plans for the future but also persistent problems.  The fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) are known being immovable, for better or worse.  Crystal clear determination and stringent circumstances intertwine with a jarring unsettledness that mirrors Saturn in Aquarius square Uranus in Taurus.  This dynamic resonates with those who have planets and angles near 7˚-13˚ of a fixed sign.

Planetary movements into mutable signs over March bring in flexibility and versatility.  The mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) mark the end of each season, embodying adaptability before facilitating completion.  Currently, Sun and Venus reside in the sleepy and mystical water sign of Pisces.  March 3, Mars moved into verbose and agile Gemini, and March 15, Mercury enters space-cadet Pisces.  

Venus, the love planet, starts chasing after the Sun, to finally catch up with him on March 26, as she moves into a superior conjunction in the lusty sign of Aries.  Sun and Venus will both be in Aries.  But in a superior conjunction, Venus and earth are on opposite sides of the Sun.  A previous superior conjunction in Aries happened on March 28, 2013, as Venus runs on an 8 year cycle.  If a person has planets or angles close to 8˚ of a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), this sparks up a trigger in the natal chart. 

In 2013, the superior conjunction of Venus in Aries aligned with “mover and shaker” Uranus.  The Uranus-Pluto square was in orb in 2013, as societal power structures were shaking and quaking before decaying in 2020 with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction.  

Did weathering the colossal storm of the previous year increase respect, support and understanding for others where it was lacking?  The superior conjunction of Venus brings an internal sense of renewal in love and ways of relating to others.  Venus in provocative Aries shakes things up by following one’s desires instead of doing what’s proper and popular.  It is spirited and independent, starting a fire for a new conquest.  Venus is considered to be “hidden” by the Sun, suggesting that love has the power of invisibility.  

This superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun is shortly after the spring equinox, which marks equal hours of light and dark.  The spring equinox occurs when Sun ingresses into Aries on March 20 at 4:37am(CT).  The elemental shift to water and air reframes previous impossibilities to possibilities.  

Is it “safe” to say (safe- that word which solidified into popularity in 2020) people are looking for signs of hope after such a devastating year? Those silver linings are heavily pursued in an attempt to climb out of the dystopian trenches of 2020.

Astrologers look to the Great Mutation (also known as the Great/Grand Conjunction) of the planets Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius as the start of a new cycle- futuristic and radical.  Saturn and Jupiter contain more strength in the air sign of Aquarius than in the earth sign of Capricorn (which they just moved out of). 

Though this Great Mutation rings in the new year, more efforts are needed to achieve true societal and political progress.  Aquarius is co-ruled by Saturn and Uranus.  The sign of Aquarius, being Saturn-ruled, follows structure and tradition.  But, Aquarius can also embody the nonconformity of following “my rules” instead of the rules of external authority, a characteristic linked to Uranus, planet of rebellion.

Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus square off in a tense aspect (relationship) throughout 2021. A preview of the Saturn-Uranus square occurred in spring of 2020 in an “order” versus “chaos” dynamic. It’s akin to a “jailbreak” (such as from the tyranny of the last 4 years). Jupiter amplifies as Mars ignites this aspect, serving as a catalyst in January.

The tumult of the Saturn-Uranus square is a challenging dynamic, yet people are adapting to it.  Saturn holds court in rulership in Aquarius, helping to create systems and laws which reflect fairness toward the whole diverse group.  A spontaneous dynamic rumbles in 2021.  The “ice queen” of the psyche is accessed to help cope with the erratic nature of these times.  Aquarius cares for fellow humans (without the Hallmark card sentimentality) and touches on the necessity of working together to support all.