Lunar Phases & Moon Planting Guide – April 2023

Lunar Phases & Moon Planting Guide – April 2023

phases of the moon

The Full Moon at the beginning of April marks the beginning of eclipse season – the period leading up to the eclipses.  Take extra care this month! 

 

Times are given in Queensland time (AEST). 

           

Full Moon:  Thurs 6 April 2023 at 2.34pm AEST at 16 Libra

A high energy time when things come to fruition or events come to a head.

Moon planting: The week following Full Moon is the best time for planting root crops.

 

Last Quarter:  Thurs 13 April at 7.11pm AEST at 23 Capricorn

A time of reorientation as the light of the Moon decreases, eventually going into the low-energy time of Old Moon just before the cycle begins again with the next New Moon.

Moon planting: The last week of the Moon cycle is the best time for weeding and composting.

 

SOLAR ECLIPSE New Moon:  Thurs 20 April 2023 at 2.12pm AEST at 29 Aries (eclipse exact at 2.17pm)

A time of renewed energy as a new cycle starts, intensified by the eclipse.

Moon planting: The week following the New Moon is the best time for planting leafy greens.

 

First Quarter:   Fri 28 April 2023 at7.19am AEST at 7 Leo

A time to take decisive action with unfolding events as the light of the Moon continues to grow.

Moon planting: The week following First Quarter Moon is ideal for planting fruiting vegetables.

 

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Pluto into Aquarius – March 2023

Pluto into Aquarius – March 2023

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pluto symbolPluto moves into Aquarius on Thurs 23 March at 10.14pm the day after the New Moon (AEST).

Pluto moving into a new sign is absolutely momentous, bringing seismic shifts in society.  You may remember the last time Pluto changed signs, in 2008, when it moved into the establishment sign of Capricorn.  This saw the Global Financial Crisis, the first black man elected President of the US, and here in Australia, the Government’s apology to the Stolen Generations.

Pluto can unearth secrets, and show us the dark side of whatever sign it’s moving through.  In Capricorn, the dark secrets of many establishments have been brought to light, the Catholic Church being just one example.

So what will this mean when Pluto moves through Aquarius?  Maybe it will expose the dark side of science, the abuses that are possible through technology – we’ve had a glimpse of that already with the Cambridge Analytica saga but my feeling is, things are only just getting started.  We now have AI developing at an exponential rate, the rise of chatbots like ChatGPT, and the potential for AI developing beyond human intelligence seems all too probable.  Ultimately though, Pluto seeks to empower us by exposing abuses of power, inviting us to step up and use our power for good.

The Universe loves its synchronicities, and in very timely fashion, the movie Everything, everywhere all at once! cleaned up at the Oscars – not that I’ve seen it but by all accounts it’s about the multiverse, a very Aquarian concept.  The arrival of Pluto in Aquarius is going to bring about a huge transformation in the way we think about all of the possibilities that technology is opening up for us – not all of them necessarily good.  In fact with Pluto, there’s always a strong chance that abuse of power can be involved.  So stay alert to the ways these new advancements either are already being used or potentially could be used.
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Blockchain can be used for many purposes, not just cryptocurrencies, NFTs and smart contracts.  Other tracking possibilities include for example the origin of all the different ingredients in the food you eat.  The fact that the blockchain can’t be tampered with takes us into a whole new level of accountability, short-circuiting any attempts at misuse of power.

It’s likely that cryptocurrency will become much more mainstream as an alternative to traditional financial systems.  Yet at the same time, Governments will want to hang onto power, so Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) will be introduced everywhere as governments try to maintain power over people and currency, indeed it’s already happening in some countries and in the pipeline in others.  The system that exists in China should be an object lesson to us all, in the way that their social credit system is tracked digitally and a person’s access to their bank accounts can be immediately suspended for any perceived misdemeanour.

Pluto in Aquarius could also manifest in the power of communities, whether these are online communities in the metaverse, or communities of real people coming together in real life.  There’s certainly scope for whole new movements to grow, around whatever causes – environmental, humanitarian, scientific – that concern that community most.  There’s also the potential for these communities to find solutions to the problems that humanity is currently facing.  As usual I’m an optimist!  But in my defence I will say that the Saturn-Neptune conjunction coming in 2026 is associated with socialism and egalitarianism, so I remain optimistic that a better future is possible!

Pluto moves very slowly, and this is only the first dip into Aquarius, a tentative 11-week period during which Pluto doesn’t get any further than zero Aquarius before turning retrograde and heading back to Capricorn.  There will be another, longer dip into Aquarius next year, before Pluto eventually moves into Aquarius for good on 20 Nov 2024 (AEST).  Pluto will then stay in Aquarius till 2043-44.

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Time for balance: Aries Equinox 2023

 Time for balance

 

EquinoxThe Aries Equinox this year falls  right at the end of the lunar month, just before the next New Moon.

 

The Equinox falls on the morning of Tues 21 March in Queensland (the previous day in Europe and the Americas), as the Sun moves out of dreamy Pisces and into action-oriented Aries

 

The Equinox marks the change of the seasons, the time of year when day and night are of equal length and the seasons come to a point of balance (equi-nox is Latin for ‘equal night’).

 

It is this astronomical phenomenon that defines the beginning of Aries in the Tropical zodiac.

 

The Equinox is a point of balance, and is a perfect time to explore what might be out of balance in your own life and find a way to restore that balance, whether it’s in your relationships, your work-family balance, or any other part of your life.

 

If you like placing sticks in the ground and playing with shadows – and sundials – the Equinox is the day of the year when, wherever you are in the world, the Sun rises due east.  The Sun is directly overhead at the Equator at this time.  This happens twice a year in March (the Aries equinox) and September (the Libra equinox).

 

This March Equinox is exact at 7.24am Queensland time (AEST).

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Coming soon

New Moon        Wed 22 March 2023 at 3.23am AEST  (Queensland time) at zero degrees Aries.      

Pluto into Aquarius    Thurs 23 March 2023 at 10.14pm AEST (Queensland time)

and … 

 

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Time to ‘fess up – more on Saturn in Pisces

Time to ‘fess up – more on Saturn in Pisces

 

Saturn

OK I have a confession – I’m an eternal optimist.  Some would say over-optimistic.  It’s all that Fire in my chart!

 

I know that when I wrote my first blog about Saturn moving into Pisces, I was erring on the side of generosity, and let’s face it, optimism.  After all, Saturn gets a really bad press and it’s not always gloom and doom, it’s capable of bringing the most amazing benefits.

 

So when I wrote about Saturn in Pisces bringing new opportunities for governments to enforce strong boundaries around our oceans and waterways – and finally saying NO to all the appalling practices such as dumping raw sewage in rivers (especially UK) and toxic and/or radioactive chemicals into our waterways and oceans (name anywhere you like), I was coming from that place of optimism.  I praised Tanya Plibersek, Australia’s Environment Minister for recently saying No to a proposed coal mine development as it would be too much of a threat to the Great Barrier Reef.  This was of course wonderful, but sadly it turned out to be a one-off (with much fanfare), a bit of window-dressing to make it look like this Government was being effective in this regard.

 

The Australian government has since passed ALL the other 116 coal-mines and fracking operations that were awaiting approval – late on a Friday afternoon, which smacks of trying to bury the news and hoping no-one would notice.  When I discovered this sleight-of-hand, I was heart-sick and absolutely appalled at the devastation that would follow.

 

So my apologies to you for being WAY too over-optimistic on that score.  The truth is – the potential was there – Astrology always speaks to us about potential – but somehow at the collective level, or more accurately at the government level here in Australia, they didn’t step up and fulfill the cosmic opportunity presented to them.

 

Part of my optimism is my belief in people, that they will wake up sufficiently to actualise the potential presented to them at any given moment.  I guess it’s like holding a client in “unconditional positive regard”, a mainstay of professional counselling practice.  I hold out hope, until it’s obvious that the time for hope is over.

 

However there is some good news.  In that blog, I also spoke about Ecocide, and the growing movement to make Ecocide a crime under International Law.

 

OceanVery recently, with Saturn at the very last degree of Aquarius, about to enter Pisces, the UN announced the Global Ocean Treaty, designed to protect the world’s oceans.  This has been a long time in the making, and represents a huge achievement on the part of all involved.  It seems a very fitting image for the beginning of our Saturn in Pisces journey.

 

So yes, there is hope – always! 

 

Saturn has two and a half years in Pisces to make this hope more of a reality.

 

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Full Moon in Virgo & Saturn moves into Pisces 2023

Full Moon in Virgo & Saturn moves into Pisces

 

The Full Moon in Virgo on Tues 7 March is the Lenten Moon, the last Full Moon before Easter, so called because it falls during the Christian fasting period known as Lent.

The Full Moon in Virgo brings into focus your need for order and purity. Virgo is a very analytical sign, and as an Earth sign it is analytical in a practical way, trying to improve situations (and even people!) in its search for perfection.

The Virgo Full Moon invites you to reconcile Virgo’s attention to detail with the holistic vision of Pisces, bringing into balance the microcosm (Virgo) and the macrocosm (Pisces).

Check your birth chart to see which house is under the spotlight at 16 degrees Virgo.  The Full Moon is exact at 10.40pm Queensland time (AEST).

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SaturnOn the same day as the Full Moon Tues 7 March, just under an hour later, Saturn moves into Pisces.

Saturn brings structure, boundaries and frameworks wherever it is placed.  There’s often a feeling of taking stock of something that has gone on long enough, perhaps too long.  Saturn comes along and says ‘It’s time!’

It’s time to make those (perhaps long overdue) changes.  We can recognise this in our private lives when a Saturn transit comes along and contacts personal planets.  Here, as Saturn changes signs and finds a new way of expressing itself, its effects will be felt at the collective level.

In your personal life, Saturn represents your ability to say No, creating an appropriate boundary

OceanAt the collective level, Saturn in Pisces brings a new opportunity for governments to enforce strong boundaries – saying NO to all the appalling practices such as dumping raw sewage in rivers (UK) and toxic chemicals into our waterways and oceans.  The ocean is not a garbage tip!  In Australia, the Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has recently said No to a proposed coal mine development as it would be too much of a threat to the Great Barrier Reef.  Hopefully we’ll see many more such permits refused on grounds of ecocide.

The potential for Saturn in Pisces to crack down on environmental toxins could also apply to fracking. Neptune the ruler of Pisces is associated with gases as well as with toxins.  Fracking certainly has a hugely detrimental effect on the water supply wherever it’s carried out.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this transit of Saturn through Pisces saw life-destroying chemicals effectively banned? Chemicals such as glyphosate – its insidious, deadly effect on all life forms (including humans) is because it’s water-soluble and therefore gets into everything, including the water table.  Sounds like a good candidate for Saturn in Pisces!  Then there are the neonicotinoids which are killing massive populations of bees and other insects, many of them pollinators on whom the whole food supply chain depends.

Stop EcocideThere has been a growing movement for many years now to make Ecocide a crime under International Law.  The European Law Institute (ELI) has recently published its report on Ecocide, providing the framework for legislation in Europe.  The movement is gathering momentum in other countries too.   Saturn has two and a half years in Pisces to make this a reality!

Saturn in Pisces could also bring a stricter approach to corruption at the collective (government/business) level – goodness knows there’s plenty of it about.  Neptune can be associated with deception, anything from sleight of hand to full-blown embezzlement, bribery and money laundering.  It’s well-known how large corporations lobby and influence government policy (and even effectively purchase government contracts through party donations) all over the world.  It’s time for some clear and strong boundaries in this whole area as well.

At a personal level, the effects of Saturn in Pisces will depend to quite a large extent on what planets and houses it’s transiting in your chart.  In general terms though, Saturn in Pisces is a wonderful opportunity to manifest (Saturn) your dreams (Pisces), and get disciplined (Saturn) about your spiritual practices or artistic pursuits (Pisces).  You could also enlist the help of Saturn in Pisces to kick any addictive tendencies you may have!

If you have Saturn in Pisces in your birth chart, you’ll be coming up to your first or second (or possibly even third) Saturn Return, a significant rite of passage – a good time to book in for a reading with me

Saturn will be in Pisces for the next two years until the end of May 2025.

 

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Lunar Phases & Moon Planting Guide – March 2023

phases of the moonLunar Phases & Moon Planting Guide – March 2023

 

 

Full Moon:  Tues 7 March 2023 at 10.40pm AEST at 16 Virgo

A high energy time when things come to fruition or events come to a head.

Moon planting: The week following Full Moon is the best time for planting root crops

 

Last Quarter:  Wed 15 March 2023 12.08pm AEST at 24 Sagittarius

A time of reorientation as the light of the Moon decreases, eventually going into the low-energy time of Old Moon just before the cycle begins again with the next New Moon.

Moon planting: The last week of the Moon cycle is the best time for weeding and composting.

 

New Moon:  Wed 22 March 2023 at 3.23am AEST at 0 Aries

A time of renewed energy as a new cycle starts.

Moon planting: The week following the New Moon is the best time for planting leafy greens.

 

First Quarter: Wed 29 March 2023 at 12.32pm AEST at 8 Cancer

A time to take decisive action with unfolding events as the light of the Moon continues to grow.

Moon planting: The week following First Quarter Moon is ideal for planting fruiting vegetables.

 

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New Moon in Pisces 2023

12Pisces glass

New Moon in Pisces 2023

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New Moon in Pisces:  Mon 20 Feb 2023 at 5.05pm AEST at 1 Pisces

Full Moon in Virgo:  Tues 7 March 2023 at 10.40pm AEST at 16 Virgo

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Skywatching 
Venus can be seen as the Evening Star, gradually becoming brighter and higher in the evening sky over the next month.
Venus is approaching Jupiter and will be alongside it at the beginning of March.

Mars (the red planet) is visible overhead at sunset.
Mercury can be seen faintly as a Morning Star low in the sky before sunrise, but will soon disappear into the Sun’s rays.

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The New Moon in Pisces on Mon 20 Feb brings the opportunity for a renewed focus on spirituality and the desire to transcend our 3D reality.  Pisces has a strong sense of divine homesickness, a spiritual longing to return to source and merge into oneness.  This New Moon is a great time to begin a new cycle of spiritual practices!

Pisces is also associated with imagination and creativity.  This is an excellent time to begin a new cycle of creative pursuits, such as art, photography or music, essentially anything that takes you into that right-brain space of timelessness!

Pisces is also highly idealistic, bringing more compassion into the world.  However its downside is illusion and deception, making us prone to being deceived (and deceiving ourselves!).  Be careful of falling under some kind of glamour (spell) under the influence of this New Moon, seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses!

This New Moon is a great opportunity to begin a new cycle with regard to any escapist tendencies that you’re aware of, including any form of addiction. The Piscean urge to transcend reality can express negatively as escapism which in its most extreme forms can develop into addictive patterns of behaviour.  This is a great opportunity to focus on transforming these into more creative or spiritual pursuits.

Wherever you have 1 degree of Pisces in your chart is the area of your life that will be affected by this New Moon – for example, if it falls in your 10th house, this signifies the beginning of a new cycle in your career or professional life.

If your birthday falls close to this date (within a day either side), this is the beginning of an important new cycle for you, especially with regard to your sense of identity and your purpose in life.

The New Moon is exact at 5.05pm Queensland time (AEST).  Remember to set your New Moon intentions within 24 hours of the New Moon.

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New Moon in Aquarius marks Chinese New Year 2023

New Moon in Aquarius marks Chinese New Year

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11Aquarius1New Moon in Aquarius   Sun 22 Jan 2023 at 6.53am AEST at 1 Aquarius

Full Moon in Leo   Mon 6 Feb 2023 at 4.28am AEST at 16 Leo

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Skywatching    Venus can be seen as the Evening Star, close to Saturn at the New Moon, then gradually becoming brighter and higher in the evening sky over the next few months. 
Jupiter and Mars (the red planet) are also clearly visible in the night sky.
Mercury can now be seen as a Morning Star, low in the sky before sunrise, brightest around 30 Jan.

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At last we have a sense of forward movement now that Mars and Mercury have gone direct, a welcome relief after all the frustrations of the past few months – in fact once Uranus turns direct the day after this New Moon, all of the main planets will be in direct motion!
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The New Moon in Aquarius on Sun 22 Jan is an opportunity to begin a new cycle in authenticity.  To what extent are you really being true to yourself?  Do you feel free to be true to yourself?  Aquarius is a sign associated with freedom, authenticity, and equality at both the individual and collective level.  It is strongly non-conformist, needing to be different and unique, free of society’s expectations, a natural rebel (I can hear all the Aquarians cheering!!!)  It is also focused on social responsibility, connection at the level of mass consciousness and global humanitarian concerns.

Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, is stationing at the time of this New Moon (see below) so there is a double dose of Uranian energy, an added impetus with this New Moon to break free of any restrictions – anything that’s holding you back – and be really true to yourself.   Also, with Uranus close to the North Node, there’s an invitation to wake up to your spiritual path and life purpose.  This New Moon is aligned with Pluto which provides an invitation to step more fully into your personal power. It’s a powerful combination!

Aquarius is an air sign, loving to debate ideas, the more original, inventive and zany the better. Aquarians are very sociable and tend to be known as the party animals of the zodiac!

The New Moon is exact at 6.53am Queensland time (AEST) at one degree of Aquarius.  Remember to set your New Moon intentions within 24 hours of the New Moon.

If your birthday is close to this date (within a day either side), this is the beginning of an important new cycle in your life in terms of your sense of identity and your purpose in the world.

Wherever you have one degree of Aquarius in your birth chart, this indicates the area of life that will be most affected by this New Moon – for example, if this New Moon falls in your 10th house, this signifies the beginning of a new cycle in your career or professional life.

This New Moon marks Chinese New Year.  Like many traditional cultures, the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar.  This New Moon brings the beginning of the Chinese Lunar Year of the Rabbit.

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Uranus goes direct on Mon 23 Jan 2023 at 14 degrees Taurus.  Uranus is the Great Awakener, shaking up any sense we have of security or permanence (and how!).  Uranus takes us into unexplored territory, and as it turns direct again for the next 7 months, that’s where we’re heading.  Uranus brings new insights and a higher level of awareness, and accompanying changes, yet it can also be disruptive, shaking things to their very foundation – sometimes even bringing down the whole structure in the urge to bring about revolutionary change.  In the words of Leonard Cohen “there is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”.  The more conscious we can be, and the more open we are to the changes that the Universe is demanding of us, the less disruptive this energy is likely to be.  If your birthday is around 5 May (within a day either side), you’re likely to be feeling this energy very strongly!
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Friday 13th – a day sacred to the Goddess!

Friday 13th – a day sacred to the Goddess!

 

GoddessThere are several reasons why Friday 13th is a day sacred to the Goddess.
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The number 13 has always been associated with the Goddess – there are 13 lunar months in the year, as opposed to 12 solar months. 
 
Friday is the day of Venus, the sensuous feminine aspect of the Goddess. You can see the connection in Romance languages like French (Friday = Vendredi), Italian (Venerdi) – in English the word Friday comes from the day of Freya (Frija), the Teutonic equivalent of Venus.
 
So Friday 13th is a day doubly sacred to the Goddess ❤️  My father always said it was a lucky day for him.
 
It became “unlucky” for many reasons – when the patriarchy suppressed the old Goddess religion, 13 was rebranded as unlucky. That to me is the most obvious and ancient answer!  Then there’s the Last Supper – with Judas seen as the 13th person there (12 disciplines plus Jesus = 13, so Judas was known as the 13th).  Then too in the persecution of the Knights Templar, their Grand Master Jacques de Molay and 60 knights were arrested on Friday 13 October 1307, a day which became infamous.  They were later executed, most of them burned at the stake.
 
So remember Friday 13th is a day doubly sacred to the Goddess ❤️
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Full steam ahead: Mars goes direct

Full steam ahead: Mars goes direct

 

Mars 2

After 10½ weeks retrograde, Mars finally goes direct again on Fri 13 Jan at 8 degrees Gemini.

If you’ve been suffering the frustration of stalled projects and the feeling of getting nowhere fast, things will start to move again now, slowly at first.

Things should ease over the next few weeks as Mars starts to pick up speed again.

Follow this link to recap the energies of Mars retrograde

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