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July 16, 2024 In Astrology, Self Growth By Ingrid Hoffman

Cliff Hanger—Full Moon in Capricorn—July 21st.

Reality is one of the possibilities I cannot afford to ignore. Leonard Cohen.

July dazzles us with a timeless expanse of placid blue sky, a glut of sport, the fizz of prosecco and picnics in the park. Stunned by sunlight, hordes of visitors amble slowly along promenades or slump, lightheaded in deck chairs on talcum beaches.

The long languid days of summer bring some relief from the hard edges of reality, yet the sky story speaks of simmering tension, dramatic cliff hanger moments and sweeping epiphanies.

Mercury makes an erratic square to Uranus from July 19^th to 24^th, the harbringer of unexpected news, upsets, sleeplessness, and nervous tension, and for some, a change of perspective. Mercury enters its shadow cycle (July 16^th– September 11^th) turning Retrograde in Virgo from August 4^th– 24^th.

Mercury Retrograde cycles correspond with upsets or delays in travel and communication, technology glitches, and an over-heated nervous system. When Mercury moves Retrograde through Virgo, the devil is in the detail, so fact-check and have that plan B.

On July 21^st, the sun in the very last degrees of Cancer illuminates the round face of the moon in the final degrees of Capricorn, signifying the culmination of a cycle. Pluto lies secreted at the heart of this lunation, an invisible reminder of painful endings, those circumstances that leave us devastated, depleted, where we feel there is nothing more we can do, but simply surrender. Pluto, now Retrograde at 0° Aquarius, charges this cosmic energy point. It is the same degree that marked a significant shift for humanity when Saturn and Jupiter conjoined at 0° Aquarius on the mid-winter solstice of 2020. This alliance of Saturn and Jupiter marked the end of an era and the precious seeding of a new vision, a new geologic epoch that will endure in the body of our earth long after this civilization has crumbled. Margaret J. Wheatley author of Restoring Sanity: Practices to Awaken Generosity, Creativity, and Kindness in Ourselves and Our Organizations says, “as a culture, we don’t honour or do well with death. Collectively, we’re approaching the dissolution and death phase… there’s too much of everything wrong, which is always the critique from every civilization that has collapsed.”

The sun slips into Leo, opposite this 0° point today, and an impatient Mars makes a trine to Pluto at the same degree, underscoring the importance of this degree point, for which the enigmatic Sabian Symbol reads: “Building survival structures within our group, both physical and institutional, provides a measure of stability.”

With this high voltage energy careening through the heavens, those of us with planets 24-29° Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius may sense a charge of energy or experience liberating or jarring “wake-up” calls that change the trajectory of our lives.

Mars, planet of war and courage has been moving close to Uranus since July 12^th and will remain in tight orb till July 19^th. This flagrant Uranus/Mars alignment has reverberated through the news and perhaps in our own lives. This is a lightning-fast, bolt-from-the-blue energy, both creative and destructive, escorting chaos and innovation.

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was intensified by the malevolent the presence of Algol, a fixed star charged with passion and potential ruthlessness, according to astrologer and fixed star virtuoso, Bernadette Brady. This energy accompanies sudden, often shocking events that ricochet through our lives, upending our ordinary routines, shattering our best laid plans, sending a shockwave of lightning bolt energy that tosses us over the cliff edge, sets ablaze those aspects of our personality that might have lain dormant for years.

In Tarot symbolism, Uranus is The Tower card that accompanies sudden destruction, upheaval as we are forced to redirect our lives and rebuild in unfamiliar ways.

The confident appointment of JD Vance as Trump’s Vice-Presidential pick embodies this Uranian energy. Vance who has a theatrical Leo sun and Venus in Leo conjunct Trump’s bellicose Mars, will be the recipient of Uranus’s awakening. He’s likely to go straight for the jugular and will be a tactical opponent (his steamy Mars in Scorpio is also activated by this Uranus transit this year.) He will also carry this ideological Uranian energy from the caul of the collective onto the political stage.

Uranus pivots Retrograde from September 1^st to January 30^th, 2025, so will repeat this conjunction to Trump’s midheaven (exact in December and end of March) and square his Mars in proud Leo (end of July, early October and early May). Meanwhile, Pluto squares President Joe Biden’s moon all through this year, and volatile Uranus opposes his Scorpio sun and Venus all this year through to early 2025. The months ahead will be challenging for him.

Planets to note will be Mars, now moving through loquacious Gemini from July 20^th, ratcheting up the pervasive entitlement and exceptionalism that is rampant in social media. Jupiter, posited in Gemini, the sign of its detriment, begins a series of sobering squares to Saturn as a long-term issue may finally reach a cliff edge and we find a practical way of dealing with uncertainty, or limited personal or financial circumstances.

Saturn (self-discipline, responsibility, obstacles and authority) is still immovable at 19° Pisces till July 22^nd and continues its slow Retrograde journey till November 15^th as we wrestle with a sense of inertia, face financial hardship or loneliness, as we manage our expectations.

In the silence of space, the slow cycles of the planets reflect another facet of our human story. Upheavals yet to come, transformations yet to be fully understood, a long ending of a chapter in our life, sudden changes of fortune, shocking awakenings, or the quiet slow blossoming of something new.

As we prepare to descend into the valleys and climb the mountains that are always ahead, this full moon in the sign of the Mer-Goat reminds us to be sure-footed and patient, to prepare well. This moon signifies a culmination of a cycle, a coming to light of something that might not have been clear. As we start at the bottom and begin our climb, with love in our hearts and kindness in our actions, Howard Zinn reminds us “if we do act in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand, utopian future.The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.”

To book a private astrology session please email me directly: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

June 19, 2024 In Astrology, Relationship, Self Growth By Ingrid Hoffman

Way marker—Full Moon in Capricorn—June 22nd.

How beautiful to finally understand that solitude is a mark of self-worth… to truly accept that you, alone, are worthy of your own company—April Green.

A striking full moon in the sign of the Sea-Goat stares into the heart of the sun tonight.

On June 22^nd a rare lunistice, or lunar standstill, occurs once every 18 years when the moon is at the most extreme point in her cycle. We have reached a place of pause where we can rest in this moment, reflect on how far we have come, maybe allow ourselves to turn instinctively to what nourishes our soul. This is a time to take some time alone. Perhaps to set an intention, be clear and conscious of what it is that we long for. Capricorn accompanies a steady quality that we draw upon when we set healthy boundaries, focus on goals, harness the self-discipline to put in the hard work required. Yet, this unusual moon, warmed by the intense light of the midsummer sun, carries with her a trace of something out of the ordinary. She’s just entered the sign of Capricorn, a sign inbued with the qualities of integrity and responsibility on good days; steely ambition and calculating opportunism on days when the Devil Wears Prada. As the moon moves through Capricorn in our own birth chart, she is a steady reminder of the need to stay true to qualities like maturity, integrity, and discernment, in a world where the clapping hands of social media or a hunger for worldly power can rip us from our roots, shred our self-respect.

The moon is in her “detriment” in Capricorn. When a planet is in its detriment, also called “in exile”, it journeys circumspectly across a foreign landscape. It functions in ways that might seem strange or unexpected. It can be extremely creative and innovative as it seeks new ways to be in the world, to find its highest expression. This full moon is also “out of bounds”, another technical term that conveys a quality of energy that often correlates with feelings of being an outsider, of not fitting in, of behaving unconventionally. This lunation reminds us of the ancient archetype of the exile, the outsider who behaves differently and is a stranger in a foreign land, a feeling we may experience in situations where we feel our aloneness or differentness, when we feel unheard, ignored or misunderstood. We may feel exiled in our communities, cast “out of bounds” by the choices we have made to experience a life that does not conform to what is deemed to be “normal,” or lost and adrift in frantic activities that untether us from our faith, our values.

The astrological tempo changes, at this high-point of the year. The mid-summer solstice on June 20^th or 21^st (depending on where in the world you live) marks the sun’s still point in its passage through the heavens, the nadir of mid-winter in the south, a celebration of light here in the north. The sun, Venus, and Mercury are now moving through self-protective Cancer, a sign that contains a reservoir of emotion and vulnerability. A sign that reminds us of the comforts of home and belonging in a world where so many are displaced from the comfort of home and community by famine or war, where mass migration now has become a contentious political and moral issue.

We are halfway through this year, a year of 80 elections as more than half the world’s population go to the polls. In some countries, fragile hopes for change have already been crushed by authoritarian governments; in others, pacts have been made by opposing parties to work together in cautious coalitions; while “snap elections” deliver a cacophany of harsh rhetoric devoid of fact-checking.

As Jupiter races through loquacious Gemini, and the Nodes move through Aries (self) and Libra (other) calcified ideologies are cut and reshaped by compromise. In South Africa, a collective psychological watershed has been reached. South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa (transiting Uranus opposing his Scorpio Sun) and the former liberation movement, the African National Congress have agreed to form a government of national unity with the pro-business Democratic Alliance. In France, Emmanuel Macron’s gamble on the dissolution of parliament has provoked a political crisis that may send France moving Eurosceptic hard right. Under a confusing transiting Neptune square to Macron’s Sagittarius Mercury and sun, the astrology suggests that Macron’s flutter may not end well. Here in the UK, transiting wild-card Uranus conjunct Sunak’s sun prompted another snap election punt with an election on the symbolic day of Independence, July 4th.

“After the ecstasy, the laundry,” author Jack Kornfield reminds us as governments turn to the daily task of translating the collective hope for change into an imperfect political system. Saturn, the ruler of this moon, turns Retrograde on June 29^th, a collective ebb of the tide, an invitation to slow down to allow something new to seed and gestate over the next nine months. As Saturn moves Retrograde, it’s energy turns inward prompting us to reassess, to perhaps to respond to outer events with more maturity, more caution. Typically, the last passage of Saturn over this degree point will quite tangibly manifest what was seeded and has grown very gradually over the slow months of Saturn’s slow retrogression, so it will be in our Pisces house that we may encounter a necessary delay, an internalisation, or a phase of withdrawal. Saturn begins to form a tense square to Jupiter from 17^th to 23^rd August and again in December 23^rd to early January, requiring us all to temper our hopes with a good dollop of reality, to think clearly before adding more fuel to the narrative delivered by political performers who shock and dazzle the punters with their sociopathic rudeness and preposterously impossible promises.

Tonight, as this unusual full moon casts her light over a noisy, colourful, glittering world, she reminds us that solitude is a balm for fried and frazzled nerves. May our innate integrity steady us as we take stock of what truly matters. May we move with discernment amongst the babble of voices calling for freedom and for change. May we find the courage to question our beliefs and the beliefs that were never ours to begin with—with clarity and compassion. If we allow ourselves to be still tonight, we might hear change approaching, and if we’re hesitating at the threshold, still holding tightly to a situation that is stunting our evolution, now might be the time to step over, let go and begin again.

To book a private astrology consultation, please get in touch: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

May 22, 2024 In Astrology, Relationship, Self Growth By Ingrid Hoffman

Possible—Full Moon in Sagittarius—May 23rd.

“May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope,” wrote Emily Brontë.

All things seem possible in May. Frothy hawthorn spills along hedgerows, a diaphanous train of dazzling white. Slender spikes of foxglove thrust skywards. Daisies, bluebells, buttercups, and floaty cowslips tumble over pathways. Nature rejoices in her loveliness and as change swirls through our lives, scattering summer’s petals, May’s full moon falls in the expansive sign of Sagittarius.

Under these hope-filled moonbeams, we may glimpse what is possible as we imagine what William Ury, author of Possible: How We Survive and Thrive in an Age of Conflict describes as a balcony, a place of far-seeing perspective within ourselves.

For those whose birth charts are tuned to the “wavelength” of 2º Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini or Virgo, this lunation may hitch up a yearning for freedom, hoist a longing to sample a smorgasbord of new experience, expand horizons, dare to do differently.

In Sagittarius, we soar above the triviality of daily routine. We become explorers, adventurers, pilgrims seeking signs and finding meaning. We challenge our bodies and our minds as we reach for the stars, dream the impossible dream, and are lifted and struck by a firm belief that it will all work out in the end.

Sagittarius is ruled by portly Jupiter, who so often evokes the kind of laughter that brings tears to our eyes and softens the hard edges of the world. We invoke the buoyancy and resilience of Jupiter when we keep the faith, when we look up, when we notice the silver lining in the dark clouds of circumstance. Although popular astrology associates Jupiter with “luck” and “good things”, inconstant Jupiter, the astrological ruler of Sagittarius and Pisces, is also an archetype so often imbued with a tincture of loss and longing. Despite our prayers, despite our positive affirmations, the veils of illusion go up in flames, our lives scorched to the ground. Jupiter is the roll of the fickle dice, the ever-spinning Wheel of Fortune. In myth, Jupiter didn’t stay around long, he was always off, chasing the next conquest, taking what he wanted, when he wanted, just because he could. The shadow that stretches behind Jupiter’s cheery positivity is self-absorbed grandiosity, a cavalier entitlement, which may be highlighted as Jupiter moves through the mutable, easily distracted sign of the Twins from May 26^th to June 9^th, 2025.

Jupiter’s first aspect after changing from earthy Taurus into airy Gemini is a trine to Pluto (now moving Retrograde in Aquarius) on June 2^nd, expanding the potential for healing and renewal.

This could present as a realignment of our moral compass in a relationship power struggle, a readjustment in a situation where ethics loom large. This aspect prompts us out of a stuck place, it’s a call to make an important change, or a empowering recognition that we must free ourselves from a situation that has been stifling.

Jupiter is also associated with the Guru or the Teacher archetype and its contacts to sensitive points in our own birth chart deliver opportunities to embrace something new. This is an expansive, positive prompt if we are willing to stand on that imaginal balcony and see the world with new eyes.

“There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person” wrote Rumer Godden. As we air each room, every day, we may discover the confidence and courage to listen to the whispers of our heart’s desire.

Jupiterian themes may be prominent in our lives between May 26^th this year and June 2025 as Jupiter expands his influence across sensitive points in our birth chart and in the chart of nations. Jupiter’s presence in Gemini supports those things that require mental focus, careful choice, considered speach and attentive listening. As nature blossoms, the sun entered the sign of the Twins, on May 20^th to be joined by Venus on May 24^th. Mercury, winged messenger, also enters Gemini on June 3^rd. If we can avoid distractions, this will be a wonderful time to begin a writing project or seek new social connections. The danger here is that we may overextend our nervous system, scatter our energies, take on too much, too quickly, or too soon.

Jupiter is a complex symbol in astrology.

Jupiter’s shadow is all sparkle and shine, as arrogance and ego trick us into a false sense of our own potency and invincibility. We fall for appearances, can’t see that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes. On May 15^th, as the moon moved through self-mythologising Leo, Netflix released a three-part documentary, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal.

Ashley Madison, the Canadian social networking and dating service dubbed as a “business built on broken hearts” was launched in 2002. Pluto and the south node were moving through the expansive, opportunistic sign of Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius back then.

In the Norse, Greek, and Roman pantheons, Thor/Zeus/Jupiter were celestial sky gods. Supreme deities, elitist, autocratic. They dispensed moral and religious justice, yet from the earliest times these self-indulgent gods were exempt from their own moral injunctions. On a whim, they bestowed good fortune, dispensed justice, and claimed Droit du Seigneur with impunity.

Jupiter and Venus were conjunct in Leo (passion, core aliveness, self-expression, feeling adored) when, in 2015, the premier destination website for clandestine affairs was hacked, exposing sensitive and supposedly confidential information, detonating the private lives of more than 37 million subscribers in 40 countries. The human cost of the data leak was devastating and tragic. The promise of security, discretion and anonymity made by Ashley Madison proved to be rancid snake oil. Reputations, relationships were ruined as the shame, the stigma around infidelity ricochetted through families, places of work, and communities. The hack didn’t destroy Ashley Madison. Business is booming, reportedly now with more than 70 million users. Jupiter sells aspirational dreams to the masses. Jupiter’s unbounded exuberance is also associated with risk-taking, the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that reaches for the sky, sets the stakes high in casinos and on racing tracks, merrily rolls the dice over a lover’s tender heart. This is Jupiter the Trickster, inflated with self-importance, flying too high, too fast, too soon.

Popular astrology associates Jupiter with luck, good fortune. There’s a more nuanced approach. We may ignore Jupiter’s bounty. Good fortune may be disguised as a crisis. A loss may actually be a gain. Over these coming months, may we embrace our human foibles and contradictions tenderly as we stand together on the imaginal balcony of possibility. “May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.” John O’Donohue.

For a personalised astrology consultation, please get in touch: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

April 18, 2024 In Astrology, Relationships, Self Growth By Ingrid Hoffman

What Lies Beneath— Full Moon in Scorpio— April 24th.

It’s not the conscious changes made in their lives by men and women which really shape them… but a long, slow mutation of emotion, hidden all-penetrative—Nadine Gordimer.

All-penetrative change is inscribed across the heavens this month.

The sun slips into sensuous Taurus on April 19^th and a Scorpio full moon on April 24^th supports the transformative power of intention to clear the clutter from not only our physical space, but what is outworn and unfulfilled in our hearts, so that we can move more freely again.

This month’s lunation squares Pluto, primeval god of destruction and regeneration, emissary of hard truths. As we sort through those sentimental things that bind us to a past we have outgrown—dusty ornaments, clothes that no longer acclaim the person we have become, shoes that torture our toes, books that now offer no sustenance or new learning, beliefs that mire us in regret or resentment—this lunation offers the impetus for cathartic release. Taurus is a dependable earth sign. Although “being grounded” can seem like one of those self-help amorphisms, grounding, rooting, being in the power of now, affirms the richness of our ordinary lives. Scorpio involves a confrontation with destruction and darkness, and like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, we gain insight, healing, and renewal when we drink Scorpio’s strong medicine.

This is the month of truth or dare. Mercury turns direct on April 25^th and celestial lightning rods, Jupiter and Uranus, partner up between April 18^th-26^th at 21° Taurus, prompting us to dare greatly.

This once every 14-year union offers a powerful boost of energy, an opportunity to slice through ambiguities, renew our resolve, realign with what we truly value. Jupiter, “Optimus Maximus”, philandering god of the Romans who presided over laws and agreements, represents our search for meaning, faith and hope, yet also accompanies bloated optimism, grandiosity, and greed. Uranus, ancient sky god Ouranus, catapults us into alien territory of unexpected change, with rude awakenings, abrupt events that separate us from what once we thought we valued, often constellating a frisson of anxiety, even fear that undulates through our nervous system.

Uranus transits so often accompany a sense of alienation from bedrock aspects of life and thrust us into the unchartered terrain of choice and crisis that we’ve been doggedly resisting. Expect the unexpected with Uranus. It will shatter stability, overturn what we thought was safe and sure. Jupiter expands the bitter and the sweet, lack or largesse. This is a celestial push for concrete change and innovation.

The Sabian Symbol for this degree of Taurus is “A white dove over troubled waters”, a hopeful image of peace and calm as the waters of society churn darkly and the devastating conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, and Ukraine shape world politics for decades to come. This is a beautiful invitation to look for guidance in the signs symbols around us.

Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions occur every 14 years, but they haven’t aligned in Taurus since May 1941, when incendiary bombs plummeted from the night skies, raining death and destruction over London. On December 7^th that year, America declared war on Japan, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbour. Social structure was upturned as women left their homes to work in factories. Unspeakable horrors were inflicted on millions of people in the name of war.

This Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus coincided with a slow economic recovery after the longest and deepest depression in the US which lasted more than a decade.

Jupiter-Uranus in earthy Taurus symbolise the acceleration of extreme weather events like the flash flooding in Oman and UAE, and climate break-down which has resulted in a wet winter in Europe and UK and drought in places like Morocco. Expect to see stock markets shudder, food prices rise—Taurus is an earth-bound sign encompassing those things we value—money, property, sensual pleasure. Depending on where this conjunction falls in your own birth chart, we might ask ourselves, what is it I truly value? Is it worth my investment of time and energy?

This conjunction follows the turbo-powered solar eclipse in Aries of April 8^th (reminiscent of the solar eclipse of 2017 which also sliced a path across America, the cross point in Texas,) and the arrival of a Green Comet, unimaginatively-named 12P/Pons–Brooks which orbits the sun every 71.18 years. This space traveller sails close to the sun on April 21, 2024, and to close to our earth on June 2^nd, its ever-changing taillight, blue, its swirling outer coma, green, as it plummets across the heavens. Ancient sky watchers associated comets with the bloodshed and plague. They were “vile stars” that foreshadowed war and disaster. As the light and dark, death and rebirth symbolism of the solar eclipse on April 8^th still lingers like the fragrance of a sweet perfume, in world events and possibly in our own lives, we may invoke the symbolism of the full moon in Scorpio to clear and release anything vile and putrid from our own orbit and take a fresh look at what drains our energy, diminishes our capacity for joy and gratitude.

Major planetary conjunctions are usually easier to observe in retrospect. They represent important cultural shifts that shape our lives personally and collectively. The Pluto/Saturn conjunction of early 2020 heralded a year of restrictions, polarised viewpoints, cultural change, as authorities imposed lock-down and nature breathed out. The great Saturn/Jupiter conjunction on the winter solstice of 2020 was a pivot point that will affect us all for decades to come, and as Jupiter merged with apocryphal Neptune in April 2022, floodgates opened (Neptune was an ocean deity) and a sea of misinformation washed away familiar shorelines.

This full moon offers a moment of refuge amidst the distractions and the to-to-lists, a wonderous moment to commit to our own desires, to sense the thrilling return of joy after a period of arid disappointment or despair.

Although nothing and everything has changed around us, quite suddenly our heavy heart feels lighter with no more room for secret sorrows. Tonight, may a slow mutation of emotion flow through us.

Whatever you’re meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible—Doris Lessing.

Please get in touch if you would like to book a private astrology consultation: ingrid@trueheartwork.com

April 3, 2024 In Astrology, Relationship, Self Growth By Ingrid Hoffman

Facing our Fears—New Moon Solar Eclipse—April 8th.

Courage is found in unlikely places—J.R. R Tolkien.

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse moves across North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada. This is the day that a new moon in Aries slips between the familiar body of the Earth and the fierce light of the Sun.

Eclipses act like wild cards. They drop into our birth charts and catapult us from our place of comfort. They alter the march of world events. They dispatch a charge of volatility through the atmosphere. On Monday, April 8th, as millions of people gather in a darkening world to witness the quiver-touch of the moon as she slides over the vanishing sun, we may sense a collective effervescence that lifts our hearts even for just a brief moment.

The first eclipse of the spring falls at 19° Aries, and carries with it an initiatory quality, forged by the heat of fire. This solar eclipse also conjoins Chiron, (that tender place in our psyche where we are wounded) as well as Eris, (mythological goddess of strife and discord) and winged messenger, Mercury (now moving Retrograde), as they all move through the sign of the Ram.

This eclipse marks a decisive moment where we must be bravely honest with ourselves. It belongs to a family of eclipses in the Saros Series 8 North which astrologer Bernadette Brady interprets as “this newfound inspiration will pull the person away from his or her social life or relationship, thereby causing strain in the private life. This is a time when the person needs to be free, if only for a few weeks.”

Astrological Aries carries the heat of fire that ignites an ancient urge to battle and survive. There are five celestial bodies in Aries (plus the North Node) prompting us to engage with the archetype of the heroine/hero. As we feel the firepower, we may be inspired by those who challenged patriarchy, dared to risk, to speak out. As we imagine the fierce courage and commitment of trailblazers like Cornish-born Emily Hobhouse who exposed the horror of the British concentration camps in South Africa and was an avid opponent of the first world war, or Jane Goodall who has worked tirelessly for the welfare and survival of primates, and writer and sage, Maya Angelou, (all born as the Sun moved through the flames of Aries,) we will sense the potency of this astrological archetype.

The Sabian Symbol for this new moon solar eclipse translates as “being innocent and fearless in love” which describes so beautifully the sky story of this moment as we look out into a world that seems so dark, a world where we so often feel anxious and so helpless.

Venus enters Aries on April 5^th, kindling a spark of creativity, nourishing the flame of love that burns through the heavy weight of fear and resistance. Venus is our is our sensory detector, sensual barometer of our pleasure and our joy—a new hair style or bold new choice in clothing aligns with a change in our inner selves. In Aries, Venus trail-blazes new possibilities, new ways of empowering ourselves.

As Venus enters Aries, Netflix releases “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” which celebrates Venusian themes of sensual self-discovery, the joy and pleasure of sex, and the yearning for human connection.The sensitively portrayed connection between Nancy Stokes, sublimely embodied by Emma Thompson, and Leo Grande, captured with gentleness and complexity by Daryl McCormack so poignantly depict the daunting challenge of overcoming cultural conditioning and those judgemental voices in our heads. Psychologist Harriet Lerner writes, “when we think of fear, we think of a “fear of” something. Far more daunting is the challenge of how to conduct ourselves when anxiety is high and shame silences our authentic voices, closes our hearts to the different voices of others, or stops us from acting with clarity or compassion and courage. In today’s world, no challenge is more important than that.”

Mercury (the lens through which we view the world, how we communicate, and how we transport ourselves) moved Retrograde (April 1st―April 25^th) and conjoins Eris (goddess of strife and discord who takes a stand for what she believes in) on the day of this eclipse. As we collectively experience the first Mercury Retrograde of this year, (at 27° Aries) we may automatically think that travel plans will go awry, or our technology will be uncooperative. Yet, Mercury Retrograde in Aries demands much more that the superficial or mechanical. When Mercury moves Retrograde through the element of fire, it is vital to seek passion and meaning in our lives. Psychosomatic illnesses or a creative “block” may be the symptom that indicates the need for deeper change in our life, or a new way of embracing life’s many pleasures. Fire symbolism carries the momentum for creative re-imagining, for aligning ourselves with all possibilities and probabilities, focusing on the higher ground, and using the force of our will to get there. As Mercury moves Retrograde, we may shift our perspective, make significant life choices, respond with spontaneity and courage to a crisis, or start moving our bodies in a way that releases stuck energy.

Mercury turns direct on April 25^themerging once more from “shadow” (reaching 27 ° Aries again) on May 13^th and races into Taurus on May 15^th.

If we imagine the moon’s pale body briefly obscuring the light of the sun, we may sense, in the darkness, the soft presence of a deeper knowing, the urgent thrust of life force that compels us to move beyond our fear. Harriet Lerner writes, “It’s not fear that stops you from doing the brave and true thing in your daily life. Rather, the problem is avoidance. Avoidance will make you feel less vulnerable in the short run, but it will never make you less afraid.”

This new Moon invites us to stand expectantly at the edge of something new and to face our fears. Anne Lamott who was born under the sign of the Aries Ram asks “how do you begin? The answer is simple. You decide to.”

To book a private astrology consultation, please get in touch: ingrid@trueheartwork.com