New Moon in Taurus

This is today, the 26th April, around 1 pm GMT.

It's nice for a change. And it's simple: start something that makes you feel good and/or increases your resources. It's the right time for planting seeds.

Solid, grounded, tangible, pleasurable. These are Taurus words. Also: slow, deliberate, patient. The things set in motion this lunar cycle will grow quietly and slowly, but be very deeply rooted. It's long-term stuff and will need to be nurtured.

It also represents a radically new direction. Taurus can be habitual and complacent, but what's in development here is not the same old same old at all. We are not going back over old ground or doing what we've always done. We're in uncharted territory, consolidating the new.

New ideas and associations will be popping up all over the place. We have some intense, buzzing Mercury action going on: a mutual reception between Mercury in warrior sign Aries, and Mars, who has just moved into thinky Gemini. This is some lit-up mental energy.

Plus Mercury is getting set to station direct on the 3rd May, and he's conjunct Uranus, planet of upheaval and revolution, now and well into May. And he's very well aspected: trining Saturn in Sagittarius and also the north node. This is the beginning of our grand fire trine, full of enthusiasm and inspiration. We'll have it for much of the rest of 2017.

In short, if you can't come up with a new approach at this time, you never will. The sky is really supporting creativity, inspiration and innovation. It's a waste of this energy to keep on doing the same old shit and expecting it to work out. So take a bit of a gamble, change things up a bit, start something you feel excited about. What have you got to lose?

You may be moving on from something tough and painful, but it should be apparent at this time that progress is being made. Taurus' ruler Venus, dispositor of the new moon, is still in a tough place, but she's moving forward. She's back from her underworld journey after stationing direct on the 15th April, and she's finished tangoing with Chiron (unhealable wounds) and Saturn (limits), though she's still in range of both. So we're still feeling the effect of those aspects: deep hurt and harsh realities in love and money matters; painful limits that must be accepted.

But we are moving on from all the regret and nostalgia. Venus re-enters Aries on the 28th April, and then it's full speed ahead, and on to new vistas. And by the time of the full moon in Scorpio on the 10th May, our beautiful grand fire trine will be in full effect, and things will be shifting fast.

The north node moves to Leo the day before the full moon – and this is a big deal. For the past 18 months, with the north node in Virgo, I've been harping on about doing your Virgo – cleaning, organizing staying healthy, attending to details and everyday tasks, serving others, being humble. Virgo was the path through the fog of these weird times.

And that's still the case, now and for the next two weeks: so keep doing your Virgo! Double up on it if necessary – do the full Marie Kondo thing on your underwear...

But keep in mind, this emphasis on nitpickiness is nearly over. Once the north node shifts to Leo on the 9th May, the tone changes to something much more fun. Creativity, showmanship, romance, self-expression, bling, ego! That's what we'll be focused on for the next 18 months, and I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, happy new moon in Taurus to all. Plant a seed now, with the intention of growing something luxuriant and fantastical, because this is a powerfully fertile time.

Full Moon in Libra

This is on Tuesday the 11th April, about 7 am GMT.

The moon in Libra will be conjunct Jupiter and opposing the sun conjunct Uranus in Aries. Both these poles square Pluto in Capricorn.

This is a cardinal t-square and it's about CHANGE, ready or not. There is intense pressure, and also intense frustration here – it looks to me like being pushed through the birth canal.

Not so comfortable! You can pretty much guarantee that despite the Libran emphasis on harmony and justice, things are not going to be harmonious or just – they are going to be tense and overboard. Efforts to maintain an amicable façade will be severely tested. People who've had it up to here with appeasing and being tactful and polite – and getting shit on for their efforts – will be breaking out.

We do have the moon conjunct Jupiter for this full moon, which is usually a feel-good aspect. But in this case, the moon is also squaring Pluto, which is a feel-bad aspect. And opposing Uranus, which is a leave-me-the-fuck-alone aspect. So it really looks to me like Jupiter will magnify the emotional tensions of this full moon more than he'll mitigate them.

And the tensions have to do with self vs. others, war vs. peace: how much do we give others, how much do we appease, how hard do we try to please others at the expense of our own needs? What price social harmony? What are we actually getting out of keeping the peace, and is it worth it? Wouldn't it be easier to just quit interacting with these assholes – or to stop trying to keep them happy all the time? Or to be honest about what we feel for a change, despite the disruption it'll cause?

That kind of thing. And something I'm seeing with Jupiter in Libra (and this cardinal t-square): the energy dynamics of social interactions are highlighted, and bad social etiquette meets with less indulgence than usual. By “bad social etiquette”, I mean egotism, grandstanding, monopolising conversation, expecting attention and respect from others without giving it back. Energy and resources are feeling pretty limited these days, so people who drain us are harder to tolerate than usual.

At bottom, it's a question of our resources and our values. This is the theme of the Venus retrograde, which is in effect till the 15th April; and also of the Mercury retrograde which started on the 9th April and continues till the 3rd May. We are reassessing what we value and want, with an emphasis on what is practically feasible. Can we continue to please others at the expense of our own needs, going forward? Or do we value our own self-determination, even if it's at others' expense or costs us important relationships?

There is a balance to be struck between self and others here, and it looks tricky. Especially given the current condition of relationship planet Venus, dispositor of the full moon. She's retrograde, conjunct Chiron in Pisces and exactly squaring Saturn in Sagittarius, and this is painful.

It's an aching sense of deprivation and poverty and loss, especially regarding love and money. Real heartbreak, unattainable dreams.

Well what we can't change must be accepted, though acceptance is hard. It's time to give up waiting on a miracle - or Prince Charming, or the lottery - and to accept reality. But it's going to feel like crap.

Anyway, under the circumstances, there's not going to be a lot of energy or patience to spare for social niceties, and tempers will be frayed. Cutting people some slack is a good idea – you don't know what kind of heartache they're dealing with. Cutting yourself some slack is also a good idea. You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to please everyone, and you don't have to throw yourself into difficult situations out of a misplaced sense of obligation .