Full Moon in Libra

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This is tonight, the 21st March, at about 1:45 am GMT.

It's a supermoon and a pretty big deal, as it coincides nearly exactly with the spring equinox.

The equinox happens as the sun moves from the end of Pisces into 0 degrees Aries. This is the kickoff point of the whole zodiac, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere - so it's pretty intense. The symbolism is of rebirth. In this case, the sun is also conjunct Chiron in early Aries, which is about an unhealable wound to the sense of self. So it's kind of an existentially fraught rebirth – who are you, going forward? It's not who you've been, that's for sure.

Also, an equinox is a balance point between the hours of light and dark, the turning-point where the sun returns to the northern hemisphere and retreats from the southern. And few hours after the equinox, we have the moon hitting 0 degrees Libra, the sign of the scales.

Libra is rational and relationship-oriented, seeking justice and harmony between different viewpoints. As full moons symbolise culminations or endings, the symbolism here is of setting something decisively to rights, or finally deciding.

Would that it were so simple! We also have Mars and Venus, the rulers of Aries and Libra, squaring each other from fixed signs, so you can expect a bit of a standoff. And as Mercury is retrograde in Pisces and conjunct Neptune, it will be a confused, obfuscatory head-fuck of a standoff.

Still, something very important is being decided even if the lineaments of that decision are as yet unclear. I guess it's fitting that as I type this, the UK is asking the EU for an extension to Brexit, their national existential crisis. It's meant to happen in 9 days though there is still no plan in place for how, because the UK parliament is in nervous breakdown mode. And the EU is mulling over how to be fair to the UK without leaving the door open for further destabilisation and chaos. It fits the symbolism of this full moon pretty well.

In your life, expect to see plenty of tension around relationships especially – but not the usual kind. This is some breakaway stuff, with red lines being trashed and new lines being drawn, or associations ended altogether because people's values have suddenly changed completely. Uranus is in Venus-ruled Taurus, and Venus is in Uranus-ruled Aquarius – this is called a mutual reception and means these planets are working together. And what they are working for is the disruption, upending and re-balancing of old patterns of relationships. So if you think you can ride the turbulence out by sticking to your old patterns and habits, you're quite wrong - radical change and accountability are what's called for. And once you're “woke”, you can't go back to sleep. We are collectively leaving Neverland.

This is especially true with Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn conjunct the south node, laying bare the corruption underlying structures we took for granted.

The way through the turbulence at this time is via the moon in Libra: moral clarity, fairness and rationality. Don't get swamped by your sense of personal grievance. Think about what's best in the grand scheme of things, not what's only best for you. Have faith that what's best in the largest possible sense will turn out to be what's best for you personally, though it may be hard to see how at this time.

Full Moon in Capricorn

This is exact on the 28th of June, about 6 am UTC.

It's not a feel-good kind of moon. It's in Capricorn, a sign which is about authority, sobriety, responsibility. Not only is it in Capricorn, but it is also conjunct Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn.

Saturn is about maturity and earning your keep. He is also about karmic payback – he can reward, but only in proportion to the work you've put in. Not a penny more and not a penny less. There are no sudden lottery windfalls with Saturn – you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, inch by inch.

So if you've been staying on the right side of Saturn – being a grown-up, doing your work, living within your means and taking good care of what you're responsible for – you might just be rewarded here, in exact proportion to what you deserve. It's not a fun or light moon, but for you it should feel pretty OK! You'll have a sense of solid backup and you'll know you're on the right track, even if progress is a bit stalled at the moment. (Mars just stationed retrograde a couple days ago, on the 26th, so you can't expect to be barrelling ahead with anything at this time – blockages and delays are to be expected.)

If you're on the wrong side of Saturn I would expect this full moon to be a conclusive wake-up call and to feel kind of shitty. Look to where you've been evading responsibility, behaving childishly or selfishly, or enabling the bad behaviour of others. That's the stuff you have to work on.

The full moon squares Chiron in Aries, which means it could feel painful and wounding to your sense of self. Whether you're on the right or wrong side of Saturn, it's likely that you'll have to absorb a loss of some kind. The necessity of it will be clear and you're just going to have to deal with it, though it may feel like a punch in the gut.

Whenever we have a full moon in Capricorn, the sun is in Cancer. The Cancer-Capricorn polarity is about emotions (Cancer) vs reason (Capricorn), emotional needs vs. duty and responsibility, being the child vs. being the adult. Issues of work-life balance often come up: the domestic sphere vs. the world of work; private self vs public persona. Family issues also come up. So I'd expect some of that stuff here.

The way forward is shown by the north node in Leo, which is about living with creativity, heart, integrity, pride in yourself and joy. These qualities may be feel hard to access under this sober, austere full moon, but please try to remember they're your goal. And to reach that goal, your heart and your sense of responsibility have to be working in concert, not at cross-purposes. Otherwise you get this:

--The current furore in the US over separation of asylum-seeker families is a good illustration of the energy at work this full moon, by the way: heartless authority (Capricon) vs. families and children (Cancer), and a wound to America's sense of national identity (Chiron in Aries). What you're dealing with in your life is hopefully less extreme, but the themes will be similar: an identity crisis of sorts, involving the conflict between your heart and your head.

We are headed into eclipse season now, a time of intensity and accelerated change. With Uranus shaking up the status quo in Taurus, it promises to be a doozy, so be ready for a bumpy ride. (It's worth noting that Melania Trump is a Taurus, and we can expect to see bizarre and rebellious behaviour coming from Taurus folk with Uranus in their sign. That weird jacket was very Uranian.)

We have a partial solar eclipse in Cancer on the 13th July, where the themes of rules vs. emotions will be revisited and intensified. We have a total lunar eclipse in Leo on the 27th July, which looks like a game-changer and a profound shock to the system. And we have a partial solar eclipse in Leo on the 11th August which looks like a proud, inflexible ego kind of vibe. There's a lot of fixed energy in the sky at the moment, meaning people aren't likely to compromise or back down, even if they're demonstrably on the wrong track. I'd avoid waving the red rag at the bull if you can help it!

It's just a harsh, strange time and people are going to be prone to unpredictable aggression. Acting with integrity and real caring are not the easy path right now, but they're the way through.

New Moon in Gemini

This is on the 13th June, around 8 pm UTC.

Gemini is a mutable air sign: communicative, changeable, social, distractable, hyper. Ruled by Mercury, planet of thought and communication, the sign is about the multiplicity of information and choice. It's important to note that Mercury was also a trickster god, patron of liars, thieves and lawyers – with Gemini, the distinction between true and false is not such a big concern.

A new moon is about new beginnings, so this new moon in Gemini is about a new start in the realm of information, communication and thinking. The symbolism here is also of an abrupt shift in values and relationships, as Venus changes signs a couple of hours after the new moon, from Cancer into Leo. It's always significant when a planet changes signs at the time of a new or full moon; it colours everything.

Venus is about love, relationships, aesthetics, values and money. In the regal sign of Leo, she's a prima donna: the queen who expects to be treated as befits her rank. She will not be slighted or undervalued or play second fiddle to anyone.

In this case she's also moving straight into a square with Uranus at 1 degree Taurus. Venus rules Taurus, which is all about physical stability, comfort and security. Uranus is in Taurus as of last month, where he will shake up all these constructs for the next 7 years, roughly. As Venus squares Uranus, we will see people abruptly exiting relationships and work situations that no longer accord with their values or make them feel good. Attractive new options may suddenly appear out of nowhere. Whether those options are real or mirages is another matter – Neptune squares the new moon, which makes for plenty of confusion and delusion about what's real and what's not. Be that as it may, people will be looking to bolt the fences and go after something shinier. (You'll know by the full moon in two weeks' time whether it's fool's gold or not.)

This Venus-Uranus square comes on the heels of a Venus-Pluto opposition last week, which exposed toxicity, power dynamics and betrayal in the realms of love and money. So odds are, someone is feeling undervalued and “done” with something: “I'm worth more than this, I don't have to take this shit!” says Venus in Leo. She's beneficially aspecting Chiron in Aries, which is about a wound to our sense of self. Overall, this looks helpful and healing. Knowing when you've settled for less, coming to understand your true worth and leaving dynamics where you've been undervalued is bound to be a good thing.

We have another shift around this new moon, and it also involves wounded healer asteroid Chiron. Mercury, ruler of the new moon, changes signs the day before it, on the 12th June. He moves from Gemini into emotional, touchy Cancer, where he will square Chiron in Aries. Chiron is about wounds, and Cancer is easily hurt, so this means there's a lot of potential for wounding, emotional communication at this time – especially regarding family issues.

As I said though, there's plenty of potential confusion and delusion at play here, courtesy of Neptune. So if you're upset about something, please take a moment to check that your reaction is justified, and not some trumped-up wounded ego stuff. Think before you open your mouth, as it'll be easy to hurt people.

We are in for some WTF moments this month, as Neptune stations retrograde on the 18th June. This is like brain fog and distraction in warp drive. You may need to retreat from the Gemini stuff (parties, news, social media) to protect your frazzled neurons!

Things are likely to feel kind of edgy and weird leading up to the full moon. Mars will station retrograde on the 26th, and then we'll have five planets retrograde: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto – leading to delay and frustration. If going to be hard to make things happen this summer. If your progress seems to be hitting a wall, just take whatever baby steps you can and wait the blockage out. Jupiter will station direct in early July, Mars at the end of August, and Saturn in early September – things will gradually be feeling less stuck.

The full moon in Capricorn on the 28th is harsh, there's no other way to say it. The moon will be tightly conjunct Saturn in Capricorn, and this is hard, cold realism about the situation you're in. It'll be a necessary wake-up call after the confusion and delusion of this new moon, but a bitter medicine nonetheless. Chiron in Aries will be involved – very wounding to the thin-skinned, emotional sun in Cancer. Family issues and responsibilities are likely to figure heavily.

There will be blessing and help in the form of a trine to Jupiter, but I think it will be hard to appreciate that help with Jupiter retrograde – it's a behind-the-scenes sort of thing, not very obvious at all.

When conflict comes up, it's important to note that the way forward right now is shown by the north node in generous, open-hearted Leo. Venus will be conjunct the north node for the next few weeks, so if you can muster up some creativity, playfulness and love, you might as well use it! The alternative is Mars conjunct the south node in Aquarius – this looks like chilly, egocentric rage and selfishness, and it will be much easier to access than generosity and heart. Needless to say, things will not go well for you or your relationships if follow this path of least resistance.

Mars on the south node and Venus on the north node spell karmic make-or-break stuff for relationships especially. This is not an easy time. It's confusing, disjointed, abrupt. The full moon on the 28th June is a necessary dose of hard reality after the exciting mirages of this new moon, but it's not fun. The outlook into August is not easy – not terrible, but not easy.

This is to be expected after the sign shift of Uranus into Taurus last month. We are dealing with shake-ups to our sense of comfort and security, it's not supposed to be easy. Weird and uncomfortable is how we're rolling for the next while! So please keep doing your north node in Leo stuff: creativity, heart, a willingness to take risks and a sense of humour will pull you through.

New Moon in Aries

This is early tomorrow, the 16th April – around 3 am UTC.

A new moon in Aries is a slate-clearing event and a rebirth. New moons symbolise new beginnings, and Aries, as the start of the astrological year, is about birth. This is the time we see the new spring growth zooming up out of the ground in the Northern hemisphere. It's always a bit of a shock to me how fast it happens.

Shock and surprise are big factors in this particular Aries new moon. It's more zingy with sudden born-again energy than usual.

For one thing, we have Mercury in Aries stationing direct the day before the new moon on the 15th April. This represents a release of pent-up mental energy. There are still blocks on communication, as Mercury will be squaring Saturn in Capricorn for the rest of April. There will be an imperative to be very clear and correct in the way you express yourself, and to rein in your hotheadedness. But it's definitely an improvement on the Mercury retrograde scenario, which involved a ton of frustration and pent-up violence.

The most important thing about this new moon, though, is that it is tightly conjunct Uranus in Aries. And Uranus is known as “the awakener” - a planet symbolising revolution, upheaval and lightning insight. Combine that with the urgency and self-starting drive of Aries, and you get a burst of pure autonomy and bravery.

So the month this new moon ushers in is all about YOU and what you want, going forward – and it's not supposed to be the same old stuff you've always wanted. This is the time to make space for something radically new to enter your life – something which, compared to what's gone before, might look quite weird and unlikely.

To that end, I'd advise a bit of ruthless spring-cleaning – internal and external. You have to get rid of your useless old garbage before you have the space for the new and weird. I think stripping down to the essentials is the way to go here.

This is the last new moon in Aries where Uranus is also in Aries until the 2090s, so it's a big deal. On the 15th May, Uranus will enter Taurus, the sign of physical stability and possessions – at nearly the exact time of the new moon in Taurus, no less. The roughly 7-year transit of Uranus through Taurus is likely to bring a lot of turbulence to the physical structure of our lives: to our money, our possessions, and our values. If you're very attached to your possessions, your physical/emotional comfort, your habits – I think this transit will be pretty distressing for you. You won't be able to hold on to these things. We are in for a bumpy ride, and the bedrock solidities we rely on are not going to hold up so well.

This is why I think it's so important to get rid of what's inessential at this time. It's practice for Uranus in Taurus – the point is to get skilled at letting go of things.

The autonomy and go-it-alone spirit of this new moon is also good preparation for Uranus in Taurus. It's important to get very clear in yourself as to what you want and where you want to go. Having a strong core of self and being unafraid to strike out alone is crucial when the external solidities are no longer reliable.

To that end, I'd advise you to make some sort of artefact about what you want at this time. Aries is visual, so a drawing is good, or a collage made of images cut out of magazines. Put your desire (and it has to be about what YOU want, not what you think you should want or what you want for others) into some sort of concrete, visual form, and then put it away for a a few months. It's surprising how well this exercise works in clarifying what you want and opening up the paths for it to happen, and it is potent magic at a new moon in Aries.

We have a lot going on this month. Chiron shifts signs the day after the new moon, on the 17th April – he's moving from Pisces into Aries, so it's more Aries action. Chiron in Aries is about a wound to our sense of self, a feeling that we have no right to exist – and the consequent need to build the strength to be ourselves and occupy our own space in the world. I think this ties into the symbolism of the Aries new moon pretty well. It can be hard to muster up the bravery to do your own thing in spite of your insecurities. But it's what we'll be learning to do over the next 9 years of Chiron's transit through Aries.

On the same day as Chiron moves into Aries, Saturn stations retrograde. And then a few days later on the 21st April, Pluto stations retrograde. Both these planets are in Capricorn, the sign of worldly status and achievement. I think this denotes blockage and delay in our ability to forge ahead and get things done. Don't be discouraged if you hit roadblocks; use the delay to refine your plans.

We'll have a Mars-Pluto conjunction on the 26th April, and this is a bit troubling. Mars and Pluto together make a focused, brutal energy – a kind of blood lust or killer instinct. It is utterly ruthless in going after what it wants, and you can use this to your advantage, but I'd be careful and avoid angry people and conflict scenarios at this time. Violence can escalate fast, and with Pluto involved it's all-or-nothing, a fight to the death.

Mercury in Aries will square Saturn in Capricorn exactly on the same day, and it looks quite tense – it may be necessary to bite your tongue hard to avoid saying something that will trigger violence.

On the same day, though (26th April), the moon in Virgo will trine the Mars-Pluto conjunction and sextile retrograde Jupiter in Scorpio. This looks very beneficial for internal excavation work: getting to the root of your pathologies and cutting them out.

So it really looks like the best use of this month's Mars-Pluto energy (and retrograde Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto) is to focus on your internal work. Mars-Pluto allows for focused intensity and ruthlessness, and you can put this to work in culling anything in your life that needs to die – relationships, habits, addictions, attachments, whatever.

This leads in to the full moon in Scorpio on the 30th April, where the tension between holding on to our security, staying habit-bound and comfortable (Taurus) will be facing off against an uncomfortable drive for intensity and transformation (Scorpio). I'll write about it closer to the time, but it looks like more preparation for Uranus in Taurus: it's all about holding on vs. letting go.

I think the things to learn this month are: how to let go of what's inessential, which is most things. And how to be centered in yourself in the midst of instability. Both are qualities Uranus in Taurus will demand of us.