The astrological new year begins on the 19th of March at the time of the Vernal Equinox when the Sun exits Pisces to enter Aries [11:06 PM EDT]. The Sun begins its annual transit of the Zodiac wheel and initiates the spring season, a season that promises renewal, rebirth, the renaissance.
More so than the 1st of January, the Vernal Equinox energetically triggers new beginnings of a new year. The spring season in the northern latitudes gives indication of birthing, evidenced in nature with the trees coming into full leaf, the flowering of the landscape, and the births in the animal kingdom. Life is coming out of its hibernation and bursting forth with vitality and energy. And so may we.
Two of the most significant energy configurations this spring season are the Jupiter Uranus conjunction on the 20th of April and Jupiter entering Gemini on the 25th of May. Major disruptions are likely to occur at these times with a sense of radical changes occurring and glimmers of light seen through the darkness. Pivot points and awakenings can seem far more evident than before.
The 21st of March has the Sun sextile Pluto and Venus conjunct Saturn. We may be gung-ho to forge ahead with our plans. We might have a sense of the paradigm shift and the impending revolution into a more autonomous, technologically advanced phase.
We do need to avoid ‘throwing baby out with the bath water’. Let’s keep in mind that our skill set developed from our past experiences has given us a certain expertise that we can effectively utilize as we step away from old boundaries and enter a new paradigm in regard to both society and our individual self.
Mars exits Aquarius and enters Pisces on the 22nd of March. The Mars entry into Pisces heightens the Neptune-ruled Stellium in the Mutable Water Sign. As the saying goes: “when it rains, it pours.” This could seem apparent both on an atmospheric level with intense precipitation from torrential rains and excess runoffs from mountain snow melting and on an emotional level where people are likely to feel exhausted, moody, and victim to circumstance.
Palm Sunday on the 24th has the two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, in a harmonious sextile aspect. Not only is this a time when we can turn inward, recognize the seed of Christ consciousness within ourselves. Venus being in Pisces, a Sign co-ruled by Jupiter, and Jupiter being in Taurus, ruled by Venus, has these two in a Mutual Reception strengthening their interaction. The weather may not be amenable to seed planting in the outdoors, but we can plant the seed of how best we might engage our spirit into action.
The 25th of March has a Lunar Eclipse at the Full Moon as the Libra Moon opposes the Aries Sun [3:00 AM EDT]. The question of the personal self in relation to the significant other can either develop into a push pull of wills or could prove effectively collaborative. The pattern for the Full Moon signature is a bucket pattern chart with all the planets in a bowl together from the Aquarius transiting planets through the Taurus transiting planets and the handle to the bucket being the Libra Moon. The importance of the maternal, feminine energy represented by the Moon cannot be discounted especially at these times with the world seemingly gone mad with wars and skirmishes here, there, and virtually everywhere. Libra also being the Sign of the peacemaker, it will be curious whether some prominent woman steps up to raise the voice of reason and compassion rather than the vitriol and rage evident in the ruling patriarchy.
For us as individuals, this Full Moon offers us the opportunity and the challenge of balancing our assertive individual interests with a consideration of the greater good and the well-being of the community.
With Venus sextile Uranus on the 28th, we could experience serendipitous encounters and extraordinary incidents that make us aware of the magic of these times during the paradigm shift. The sense of ‘being in the right place at the right time’ may be evidenced, might affirm the need for humility, and could help us recognize that these times call for us to be mindful and aware, and to participate in our lives as co-creators with the natural unfolding, an unfolding that is more attuned to asequential reality of random events and inexplicable developments rather than the old paradigm of linear, sequential reality with its beginning, middle and end.
Increasingly, we are moving into the fifth dimension where the collapse of space-time restraints give way to the past, present, future all being NOW.
The month of March ends on Easter Sunday, a Christian holy day that asserts and celebrates resurrection. So it was, so it is, and so it will be.
April begins on the 1st, a day often referred to as April Fools’ Day, with this April starting off with Mercury turning retrograde [6:14 PM EDT] for its three-week cycle before turning direct on the 25th of the month.
“Pity the fool”, as the legendary television character Mr. T would say.
As we start the month of April, we might find that some of our personal interests and our creative expressions are being thwarted. Our expansive sentiments could feel diminished with a sense that we have been lied to, that what has been presented as real and true is but a mirage and fabrication instead. While the liability of being crushed by the awareness of what we have been told is not the reality of a situation, we can also acknowledge that we are going through an awakening, sharpening our skills of perception, and avoiding accepting whatever is being told to us or shown to us.
Although much of the month of April will force us to temper our launching forward into new trajectories and to have machete in hand to carve our own path, delays and frustrations along the way might serve as useful braking actions, allowing for evaluation and reevaluations as we try to proceed ahead.
The Venus Neptune conjunction on the 3rd of April can have us on an idyllic Mount Olympus cavorting in a divine relationship or lost in a delusional fantasia with us entangled by a trickster. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, and these two energies together heighten the possibilities and the liabilities associated with our interpersonal connections. The either / or cannot be discounted with the likelihood of our interactions with someone being either very, very good or downright horrid, necessitating severing the contact. Finding balance between the two extremes would prevent us from being seduced by imagining a best-case scenario or the worst possible outcome. The prince or princess must be seen with its warts and character flaws as well as their beauties and intrinsic qualities.
The 5th of April has Venus exiting Pisces to enter Aries [12:00 AM EDT], a Sign of Detriment for Venus where our relationships become more self-focused than collaborative, and people tend to take on the attitude of ‘what about me?’
Venus coming into Aries triggers a Stellium in the Cardinal Fire Sign as Venus joins the Sun and Mercury in Aries. We now have a Stellium both in Aries and in Pisces. The sense of old and new can be pervasive during the first half of April. We may be hampered by our past outstanding issues, all the while that we are hankering to address the new and different.
Relationships can be dicey until the 29th of April when Venus exits Aries to enter its own Sign of Taurus. Everyone may be a little too self-centered, focused on their personal concerns to give much attention to other people’s matters while Venus is transiting Aries. ‘April Love’ can be everyone acting like Narcissus admiring their own reflection in the mirror or taking selfies of themselves here, there, and everywhere.
April 6th has Venus sextile Pluto. We may reach out to friends to plan our get-togethers later this spring or over the summer. We are also interested in contact with those people who might grease the wheels of our personal projects and ambitions.
The Aries New Moon on the 8th of April with the Sun conjunct Moon [2:21 PM EDT] is a Solar Eclipse. With the New Moon of a Cardinal Sign being the trigger for that season itself, we truly start the spring season highlighting our creative talents, accentuating our romantic interests, and expanding those involvements that appeal to us.
During these volatile times of the paradigm shift, we may feel these wild swings between expansion and contraction, between elation and despair, between the excitingly new and the resistant past.
From the expansive energies of the New Moon, we might devolve into feeling like the wind has been knocked out of our sails on the 10th of April when Mars conjuncts Saturn. Storm systems can be intense with tornados and heavy precipitation. Seas may be roiling with the liability of boating and shipping accidents. For us personally, we might feel tense, anxious, and with the wind knocked out of us. It would be a good time for us to lay low, not push the envelope, and even consider pulling the covers up over our head.
Whenever things seem to get a little too much, when we feel on overwhelm, we are likely to look for ways out. We could be looking far afield on the 11th of April when the Sun conjuncts Mercury. We may be a little more upbeat with a view towards what could be rather than what is or what was. This would be a day to give thought to travel plans to faraway places. A desire to step away from everyday reality would be an antidote to any feeling of funkiness the day before.
The second half of April can be an exciting time with various twists and turns, some of which can be extraordinarily dramatic.
The three days of the 19th through the 21st could turn up the heat, accelerate the process of transformation, with a large dose of awakening and engaging spirit into action.
The 19th of April has Mercury conjunct Venus, Mars sextile both Jupiter and Uranus both in Taurus, and the Sun exiting Aries to enter Taurus [10:00 AM EDT]. The Sun entering Taurus ends the Stellium in Aries and triggers a Stellium in Taurus as the Sun joins Jupiter and Uranus in the Fixed Earth Sign.
We are moving into a seed-planting time, a time to put implementation to our plans, and with the recognition that we are not interested in ‘same old, same old’ but rather want to engage the avant-garde, the iconoclastic, with us willing to take steps into the technological advances of the new age.
One of the most significant energy configurations of this year occurs on the 20th of April when Jupiter conjuncts Uranus. Radical changes might occur in this third week of April with various alterations to some of society’s institutions. We could see the old morphing into the new, evidence of transformations in society, but with the old formats holding on, grasping to maintain power, and trying to quash or co-op greater independence and autonomy of the freedom movements indicative of the power to the people. We might witness the last gasps of the old regimes with fear, anxiety, and terror their remaining arsenal to enforce compliance.
We could see indications of major alterations in the financial services sector as decentralized finances of cryptocurrencies vie with central bank digital currencies and the question of inherent value in fiat monies. We may witness it with alternative media increasing in viewership compared to legacy media. The rise of populism in national elections can stand against the authoritarian traits of established political parties. And in our personal world, we might join the increasing majority who have lost faith in so many traditional institutions. Yes, the revolution may not be televised but more likely lived and streaming live.
The 21st of April has the Sun square Pluto. We are looking for a new day dawning, but first we may have to release our reliance upon the old, accept vulnerability in giving up our security, and trust in the natural unfolding of the new paradigm. Are we envisioning heaven on earth or an abject hell? Do we wish to experience a utopian future of a golden age or a dystopian reality of hardship, scarcity, and despair?
We may sense a stripping away, a letting go, and a release both on the 21st with the Sun square Pluto and again with the Scorpio Full Moon on the 23rd when the Sun opposes the Moon [7:49 PM EDT].
A good spring cleaning is in order on an external level of ridding us of extraneous stuff through paring down and on an internal level in letting go of issues that we may have been consciously or subconsciously holding onto but in truth are only holding us back.
As the 12-step programs remind us: “Let Go, Let God.”
Mercury ends its retrograde cycle on the 25th. It may take us a day or two to acclimate to the change in direction, so it would be wise for us to recognize that there can still be misunderstandings, missteps and kerfuffles before we straighten out and fly right. Although Mercury will still be in the ‘shadow’ of its retrograde cycle until the 15th of May when Mercury reaches the degree at which it had turned retrograde, we’re better able to get on with our new trajectories, put our personal mark on our activities, and express more fully our creative talents.
The month of April ends with two major Sign changes.
On the 29th, Mars conjuncts Neptune. Fine tuning our clean up and clear out removes liable obstacles that would block our advancement and provides the opportunity to fill created space with personal makeovers that affirm our image and assert our presence.
Venus ends its transit of Aries to enter its own Sign of Taurus on the 29th [7:31 AM EDT], followed on the 30th with Mars exiting Pisces to enter its own Sign of Aries on the 30th [11:33 AM EDT].
Venus entering Taurus increases the impact of the Taurus Stellium as Venus joins the Sun, Jupiter, and Uranus in the Fixed Earth Sign. Mars entering Aries ends the Stellium in Pisces and gives greater thrust to our self-assertiveness.
The end of April puts more gas in our tank and give us a greater impetus to engage new beginnings for our springtime involvements.
While we could have added thrust to our actions with refined taste to our style, there are times during the volatility of the paradigm shift when we are liable to go from one extreme to the other.
And so it may be as we come into May.
The beginning of May demands that we be judicious in our actions, a characteristic that might just be hard to come by as we start the month of May.
May 1st has Venus square Pluto. Relationships could suffer as we determine whether our connections that may have served us well in the past measure up to our anticipations for our future. We could hold other people to higher standards than we had previously.
We need to avoid getting too full of ourselves, for precipitous actions could bring our intended future crashing down. Step by step would be suggested in making our springtime changes rather than excessive moves that might damage our long-term prospects.
The 2nd of May has Pluto turning retrograde [1:46 PM EDT]. Whenever Pluto changes direction, it often seems like adding a lit match to a gas infused situation. The liability of explosions, bomb blasts, and intemperate outbursts are likely. There can be the cases of too hot to handle.
This ratcheting up of the energy is fomented on the 2nd of May when Mars sextiles Pluto. If we can get a handle on the powerful energies at this time, then we could make tremendous advances in forging ahead with our goals and ambitions. The key question is the ‘if’. We are dealing with intense energies that demand caution and well-considered moves.
The Taurus New Moon on the 7th of May when the Sun conjuncts the Moon [11:22 PM EDT] gives us the strategic planning and attention to detail to harness our physical stamina. This New Moon configuration sextiles Saturn and is in orb of a conjunction with Uranus. This New Moon configuration influences the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 23rd.
Under this New Moon influence, this two-week period can be highly productive to advance our ambitions. Blending the expertise developed through experience with new technologies that streamline operations are a winning combination to successfully move ahead. We need to strategize, devise a best practices approach, utilize advanced tools and techniques, and focus on the details, all the while that we keep our end goal in mind.
The 13th of May has the Sun conjunct Uranus and Venus sextile Saturn. Incorporating a sense of the change we wish to see envisioned as already accomplished, we are able to adjust and adapt to shifting conditions. We can lay down the foundation stones of new projects, the seed plantings that this time of year encourages. Not only are we adept at initiating our projects in accord with the circumstances we encounter. We may also develop the basic formats with an eye to detail and to appearance.
We are likely operating in an effective and productive manner during this first half of May, if we prevent ourselves from racing forward and trying to go too far too fast.
A step-by-step process is fortified by Mercury exiting Aries on the 15th of May and entering Taurus [1:05 PM EDT], where Mercury adds to the Taurus Stellium as Mercury joins the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus in the Fixed Earth Sign. We are more willing to be patient, less impulsive, and giving greater credence to a practical approach.
This mid-May period highlights our worth, sense of self-value and financial position. It will be interesting to see how financial markets react to this powerful energy configuration in Taurus. Will there be more printing of fiat currency? Will national debts continue to climb? Will decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies increase in popularity and interest both with financial services companies and the retail customer?
The Mercury square Pluto on the 17th of May could raise issues of our resources in context of our future goals. Everyone might be on edge with discussions turning heated and conversations liable to turn into arguments. Let’s recognize that everyone may be playing ‘a strong offense is a good defense’ sentiment with people being touchy and liable to go off without even a moment’s notice.
The extreme volatility of these times could be evident on the 17th – 18th. Coming from the edginess of a pit bull to the docile nature of a Labrador retriever, the 18th of May be all sunshine and roses. Venus conjuncts Uranus, and the Sun conjuncts Jupiter on the 18th. Serendipitous encounters can make us aware of the magic and mini-miracles of these times. We may find ourselves upbeat and excited by unexpected developments with the sense that no matter how dark the clouds might seem, there are always sun breaks to lighten the day and uplift our moods.
On the 19th of May, the Sun sextiles Neptune. A belief in our personal destiny and acceptance of our individual journey through this earth life experience could affirm our sense that all things work out the way they are supposed to, whether we recognize that truth or not while we’re going through a particular situation.
May 20th begins a week of transitioning from a Taurus Stellium into a Gemini Stellium. The Sun exits Taurus to enter Gemini [8:59 AM EDT]. Increasingly this week, our energies may shift from taking things step-by-step to being here, there, and everywhere. We might far prefer exploration and variety than having our head down, concentrated focus, and looking straight ahead at what is right in front of us.
This latter part of May ramps up the energy and us with it.
We may be in an explorative mood, considering our options and alternatives, as the Sun trines Pluto on the 22nd, and we consider those things that we might wish to pursue in our days ahead. We could seek to be more autonomous, have our own individual projects, and engage activities that better reflect whom we have become rather than who we were.
The Sagittarius Full Moon on the 23rd when the Sun opposes the Moon [9:53 AM EDT] is also the day that the two ‘good guys’ of the planetary realm, Venus and Jupiter, are conjunct and both sextile Neptune. Late in the day, Venus exits Taurus to enter Gemini [4:30 PM EDT].
We are entering a time of considering options and alternatives but without much depth. Like a kaleidoscope, we can see a myriad of possibilities, many projects, and activities, that we could take part in. No need for us to limit ourselves right now, for our attitude is along the lines of ‘the more, the merrier’. We are not interested in any definitive commitment or long-term engagements, but rather a sampling of this, that, and the other.
The 25th of May has Venus trine Pluto. The 25th also has Jupiter ending its year-long transit of Taurus and beginning its year-long transit of Gemini [7:15 PM EDT]. Our interactions with other people may be truly meaningful with suggestions and guidance regarding our prospects and our plans. We might decide to filter our social contacts, focusing on those with depth of character, and paring down those who may seem pretentious, shallow, and narcissistic. A revolving door of ‘out with the old, in with the new’ could be part of our springtime clean up and clear out.
The entry of Jupiter in Gemini ends the Stellium in Taurus and triggers a Stellium in Gemini as Jupiter joins the Sun and Venus in the Mutable Air Sign. Jupiter is in Detriment in Gemini where our interests may be ephemeral with a tendency like a butterfly to alight briefly on one thing, only to fly off to another and then another, and with little concentrated effort.
The gift of gab may be evident over the next three weeks with conversations tending to be superficial and banal and without much insight or philosophical understanding. Our attention span might be sorely limited, especially after years of conditioning of the constant bombardment of stimuli and an attention span that has diminished to an average of 8.25 seconds, a shorter attention span than that of goldfish. Is it any wonder that much of our communication by text is reduced to initialisms [e.g. asap, fyi, imo, etc.]
Although the strong Gemini influence can have us flighty and interested in brief interchanges, the Mercury sextile Saturn on the 27th of May could provide a grounding rod where we think things through, take into account the details and the specifics, and determine a best practices approach to achieve positive results. We might also take a walk down Memory Lane and reflect where we have been in sharp contrast to where we intend to go.
From the Mercury sextile Saturn on the 27th of May, which can have us drawing upon past experiences that have developed our present expertise, we flip into altered states to end the month.
The 31st of May has Mercury conjunct Uranus. Insights, revelations, and thinking outside the box allow us to take a clearer and objective perspective as to what is going on. We might experience those ‘ah-ha’ moments when things become crystal clear. We can figure out the most effective and expeditious ways of doing things. Since the altered consciousness helps us get away from our own bias and our own personal read on things, there might be a certain vulnerability to our thinking and to our decision-making. With the energy ramped up, there may be issues associated with travel, communication, Internet, and computer problems. We are not necessarily thinking in our right mind, which can either be a benefit or a detriment.
The energies in early June seem uplifting, optimistic, and fun-loving, all good until we enter the second week of June when things could head south through the end of the spring season.
The 2nd of June has Jupiter trine Pluto, and Mercury sextile Neptune. Confident in attitude and with a sense of being divinely guided, we could make great strides in what we wish to accomplish. Blending our intuition with our critical thinking, we can determine the best course of action to successfully achieve our goals. Our optimism may know no bounds. It’s not blind faith, however, for we match our enthusiasm with rigorous forethought. With the wind to our back, this is ‘go’ time.
The thrust of good feeling and our exuberance for whatever we are choosing to engage are reinforced on the 4th of June when Mercury conjuncts Jupiter, Mercury trines Pluto and the Sun conjuncts Venus. Our enthusiasm might prove contagious with support and advocacy coming from other people. Someone might either join in the actual efforts of our endeavors or provide valuable insights as to how to tweak and fine tune our efforts.
Even though we are on the dark side of the Moon prior to the Gemini New Moon on the 6th, this first week of June provides the impetus for us to ‘line our ducks up in a row’.
Let’s not lose the possibilities of easy sledding during this first week of June. Things may get difficult for the rest of the spring season.
One of the beauties of astrology is the timing of energy cycles with its varied shifts and changes. Especially during these volatile times of the paradigm shift, it is wise to know when to advance our interests, other times when to lay back, and other times when we might need to put out the fires.
This early part of June suggests we go for the gold.
The Gemini New Moon on the 6th when the Sun conjuncts the Moon [8:38 AM EDT] is in orb of a conjunction with Venus and in orb of square to Saturn. With the New Moon having its impact on the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 21st, we may be looking to social engagements, highlighting our significant relationships, and moving ahead with our future projects. Although we might wish for greased wheels to easily move ahead, the Saturn influence will provide braking action, even to the extreme of screeching halts. Applying brakes to our actions and our decisions can prevent us going off the rails from the assumption that whatever we want we shall get, a belief and attitude indicative of our entitled conditioning. We may not like the liable starts and stops of this two-week period, but it could prove a saving grace.
June is often a time of social gatherings. June is a month of graduations, weddings, reunions. While we think of celebrations as fun events and good times with good friends, the weekend of June 8th – 9th might not match our expectations.
The 8th of June has Venus square Saturn, followed on the 9th by the Sun square Saturn and Mars exiting its own Sign of Aries to enter Taurus [12:35 AM EDT], a Sign of Detriment for Mars. Relationships and social engagements on this weekend could have us meeting up with old ‘friends’ with a tendency for people to trumpet their alleged accomplishments even to the point of one-upping one another. Any such encounter can leave us discouraged and let down. If we go there as far as a deflated attitude, we likely have fallen prey to the ‘compare and despair’ tendency. Why go there? Each of us has our own individual journey, our own personal destiny.
Pluto is the higher octave of Mars and when they are both in difficult aspect, as they are on the 11th of June when Mars squares Pluto, things can be explosive with the liability of bomb blasts, violent actions, and combustible releases of pent-up energies. This is a time when we need to be extremely cautious and mindful and avoid overreacting. It is essential that we not put ourselves in harm’s way at this time. Avoiding dangerous situations and maintaining calm amidst a liable maelstrom of turbulence and turmoil would be advised.
Whether we encounter upsetting incidents or hear of troubling events, we might feel slightly out-of-sorts, even depressed, on the 12th of June when Mercury squares Saturn. The Debbie Downers may be out in force with everyone tending to see the negatives rather than the positives. Let’s keep in mind that looking at a half glass of water, we can either choose to see the glass as half full or as half empty. Our choice, always our choice.
The 14th of June has the Sun conjunct Mercury. By focusing on where we want to go and what we want to do rather than our daily mundane possibilities, we can shake off any negative feelings and consider the wide realm of possibilities. Even if we might not know how to get to where we want to go, let’s keep in mind that we are in a paradigm shift where we are moving from linear, sequential reality into asequential reality where things can occur in the most unexpected manner. We call them magic and miracles because they are beyond the scope of our experience, knowledge and understanding.
Increasingly, we shall become aware in this new paradigm that the past, present, and future are all NOW.
June 16th is Father’s Day in the US, a day that brings up a lot of emotion regarding memories, experience, and perception of the patriarchal figure. This June 16th has Venus square Neptune. The image and mask may be removed. No matter how we ‘see’ our father or the patriarchal figures in our life, we are more likely to chip away at our various characterizations, both positive and negative, and allow the patriarchal figure[s] in our life to be human with all the positive attributes but also all the flaws and frailties of a human being. In society where the archetypal male and female characteristics are being decomposed, we are whittling away at the individual qualities of a person for an almost amorphous representation. Illusions may be revealed in our relationships, and we can remove the mask of the ego personality, but let’s not forego the essence with its spirit and soul.
The Venus square Neptune on the 16th of June is followed on the 17th by Mercury square Neptune, and Mercury conjunct Venus just after Venus [2:20 AM EDT] and Mercury [5:07 AM EDT] have exited Gemini and moved into Cancer.
This end of the spring season can be confusing at best. What seems to be might not be the reality of the situation. We could be fed a narrative totally out of sync with reality and with no true connection to our experience. We could easily fall into a world of confusion as the Sun squares Neptune on the 20th just prior to the Summer Solstice and the Sun exiting Gemini to enter Cancer and the start of the summer season.
With these varied squares to Neptune from the 16th through the 20th of June, it would be wise for us to take everything with a grain of salt and not accept anything at face value. We might feel ourselves in a whirlwind of emotion, but the more we can maintain calm and a detachment from crazy-making antics, the less impacted we shall be by the appearances that could have no basis in true reality.
We end the spring season in the northern latitudes with the sun at full glow.
Spring 2024 – a time of birthing, renewal, and time to be reborn…
