Monthly Astro Forecast: New Moon in Aries

The new moon in Aries falls on 5 April and brings a boost of fiery energy. Aries season is in full flow, with Mercury moving into Aries on 17 April and Venus on 20 April, just in time for the Sun to move on into Taurus on the same day. Mercury is finally moving direct and our energy is rising with the astrological new year. This is the time to take the initiative, to put the dreams and plans we've been incubating all winter into action. Wherever we have Aries in our chart, we can harness this cardinal energy to fight for what we believe in, to take action with integrity and honesty. Aries tends to be a very direct sign, there are no grey areas here, just a push to do what needs to be done and to do it now. This brings a shadow of insensitive and even blunt energy, a tendency to be impatient with those who are not as ready or willing to move as we are. Taking action may look very different depending on our individual circumstances and energy levels. The most important thing is to make the decision, to do something, however large or small it may seem from the outside. Every time we make a choice and act on it, we fan our inner flames, generating more power for our growth. Just imagine if we all focused that on meaningful change!

The first week after the new moon brings some dreamy, imaginative energy, as the Sun makes a helpful connection to mystical Neptune, followed a few days later by Venus merging briefly with Neptune in Pisces. We can open up to the magic around us and let our imagination flow. We need to stay conscious and be careful not to deceive ourselves though as the following days bring a series of connections between the personal planets and Pluto which may see shadows rising from the subconscious. Some dreams simply dissipate in the face of cold hard reality.

The second half of this lunation, from the full moon on April 19th, brings more erratic energy. The Sun meets Uranus in the early degrees of Taurus on April 23rd, challenging us once again to manifest our highest truth. In early May, the outer planet energy is intensified when Uranus and Neptune make a tense semi-square aspect, a face-off between truth and deception which has the potential to generate a collective shift. Watch out for sudden changes around this time, with pent up energy bursting out and leaking all over the place. There might be a lot of confusion around (even more than we already have - oh joy!), a need for awakening and honesty if we are to create genuine change. Mercury is on hand making productive connections to Neptune and Uranus, helping us to understand and articulate what might otherwise overwhelm.

Meanwhile, we are pulled inward and slowed down in the last week in April as both Saturn and Pluto turn retrograde in earthy Capricorn. These are subtle energies and we may not be too aware of them in our day to day lives. With practice and awareness, we can to make space for an awareness of internalised fears which have long held us back or inner structures which are transforming. So much is uncertain at the moment, and the coming lunation seems to bring more of the same. Our best results come from bringing the deep focus of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn to discipline that Aries firepower, which is both destructive and creative. So what do we destroy, and what do we create?