Going to Santa Fe, New Mexico for a few days to attend the Wisdom of Astrology Conference sponsored by Alan Oken. Four prominent astrologers will be presenting: Alan Oken, Laura Nalbandian, Erin Sullivan, and Jeff Jawer. The conference goes on for a week, but my schedule only allows for being there three days. I know it will be full of insights and inspirations. When I go to these things, I usually get into such an altered state that 3 days is enough. It takes me days to ground and integrate. Stay tuned.

Yesterday at the International Astrology Day conference in San Francisco, CA, I was most inspired by Greg Bogart. His talk was called “Astrology, Practical Mysticism, and Planetary Initiation.”

He discussed the many elements in the upcoming Grand Cross which I will go into more in my next post. Tune in for that. I only mention it at all because there is so much energy for change occurring right now and for the next couple of months, especially in April and this New Moon can help you set the intentions for what you want to manifest.

Now I want to focus on the New Moon in Aries on March 30. Recently, I have noticed my readership spikes a few days before a new or full moon and, being the multi-tasking, air head I am, I often don’t get to posting about it until the day before or the actual day of the event. I am setting the intention, and you are my witness, to post a week before, so that you can have the info ahead of time….hello.

Stephanie Austin in her article about this New Moon (The Mountain Astrologer Feb/Mar 2014), says this the most potent New Moon of the year since it is in the first sign of the zodiacal year. I will call the First New Moon of the astrological year. It is potent because in it represents “the energy of initiation, of breaking new ground and birthing new forms.” Are we ready to make big changes in our lives?

Most people say change is inevitable, yet hang on to the known for dear life. Bogart says, “Be the cause, not the effect of change.” The New Moon is a good time to go within and vision what you want to manifest. This is best done alone either during meditation or during quiet time in nature. But if that is not possible for you, put your earphones on and pretend to be listening to music, close your eyes and retreat. You don’t have to be alone on a mountain.

There will be a lot of upheaval in the next few months. If you are reading this I believe you are one of those people who have the intention of being a ‘light worker’, healer, or wayfinder for others. These are the times we have been preparing for. You may not have identified your area of ‘expertise’ yet. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Sometimes just being willing to listen to another person is all that is needed in the moment. Become a listener. The polarity point of Aries, Libra is about listening. Being a calming presence for others to entrain to can be an important role to play in the world. They don’t even have to know it. You can remain ‘invisible’, easier to do now that Neptune is in Pisces. In fact, in Linea Van Horn’s presentation at the conference, “The Other Side of Neptune, she suggested we learn how to cover ourselves with ‘cloaks of invisibility’.

Bogart suggests we ‘act as if we can’ when faced with doubts about our abilities. I like this. It reminds of the AA admonishment ‘fake it ‘til you make it’. I would add that acting ‘as if’ prepares you for ‘when you can’. If you don’t practice being there, you won’t be there when you are there. Sound confusing? The point is, athletes, musicians and others report that along with the hours of actual practice, they practice in their heads. Scientists have shown that the same parts of the brain are activated during the ‘real’ and the ‘imagined’ practice sessions.

We really don’t have time for the luxury of self-deprecation, doubt and playing small. Now is a moment of power. Take this pause between the breaths….this New Moon, to clarify your vision for this year then fasten your seats belts as the Grand Cross propels you forward.

I will be at The Wisdom of Astrology conference in Santa Fe on the New Moon acting ‘as if '. My intention for the year is to write more and present at conferences, not just attend them.

Today is the Astrological New Year’s Day! The Zodiac begins with Aries, which starts at the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinoxes represent a type of balance. That is, day and night are of equal duration.

On the other hand, Aries is basically the ‘open mouth insert foot’ sign. It acts first and thinks later. Often creating havoc and anything but balance. It is the sign of the pioneer, the warrior, the adventurer. Aries moves forward impetuously and is often clumsy in its movements. There is little or no self-consciousness about this, however. Aries people are often totally surprised when someone else complains about how often they ‘always drop and break things.’

It is the first cardinal fire sign and like other cardinal signs, it is thought to move ‘2 steps forward and 1 step back.’ They can be excited to start new things, but not always prepared to continue. That is the job of Taurus.

Right now, we have Uranus, Lucifer and the South Node in Aries as well. You may feel yourself chomping at the bit to make big changes in your life. Go for it! But be prepared for a little blow back. With the Moon conjunct Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn today, be on the lookout for fear to nip at your heels trying to keep you stuck in your old ruts.

The challenge, as always, is to find balance within and without. Not the same for everyone. All of us have our own balance point, which is best determined through meditation and quiet alone time. Check in to see how you feel. While fear has its place in our psyche…alerting us to real dangers, most of the time it is our ego trying to keep us from moving forward in our lives. Unless you see a tiger charging you, most fear is based on imaginary dangers.  Fear, is one of the ‘negative’ aspects of Saturn.

Remember the saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. We have adopted the slogan “Just say no.” Why adopt this: “Just try it.”

What is the purpose of being human? What is the point of your life? Why are you here? To sit, safe on the couch watching TV? I know everyone would answer my last question with a resounding and emphatic “NO!!!” So…..what are you going to DO about it? Aries says GO DO IT! NOW! You can sleep later.  See you….gotta go DO stuff now.

With so much going on astrologically, why can’t I get anything done? You might be asking yourself that question….I know I am. How come I can’t sleep at night, then can’t wake up in the morning? How come it feels like I am wading through concrete, when I try to accomplish anything?

Mars in not that happy in Libra, but retrograde, sheesh! Mars just wants to get busy and DO stuff, but retrograde in Libra, it will be best served by listening to yourself and others and take a little more time before acting. If your life is anything like mine right now….you can’t act even if you want to. Things seem to be stalled….stuck more like it. It seems to be taking a lot longer for anything to happen. But notice, it’s not just you. Seem like the whole world is moving in slow motion. Probably a good thing.

What is required is a lot more patience and trust. Try not to panic, everything will be okay, eventually. Remember to breathe!

Saturn retrograde in Scorpio, another relationship sign, is giving us another chance to see how we are emotionally triggered by past hurts especially with family members and intimate partners. It’s not about blaming, shaming or hurting back, it’s about bringing it into consciousness so that we can heal it. Sometimes we cannot resolve it directly with the people involved. All we can do is take responsibility for our own reactions and responses.

Evolutionary Astrology says that evolution occurs through the emotional body. The Virgo/Pisces axis is represented by Christianity and the global archetypes of surrender and service.

Another element at play right now is the asteroid Lucifer which is at 27° Aries opposing retrograde Mars. Lucifer is a dual archetype like all others in EA. Lucifer means ‘light bearer’ and so, shows us the way forward….but only after conscious effort. In its ‘negative’ aspect, it represents the stumbling block that keeps us stuck and prevents our forward progress. It manifests as the ‘weakest link’ in our emotional well-being.

Lucifer in Aries represents failed initiations. It challenges us by testing our resolve. How easily do we give up on our dreams, give up and get depressed? Unfinished business from past lives has a lot of emotional baggage attached. In order to move to our North Node and Pluto Polarity Point, we have to clear up that baggage and it is often very difficult to do so. Lucifer can come in and say: “Ah, what the heck, too much work to do that….I’ll just do it later.” How about next life? Just like a stack of papers on your desk, each lifetime more and more accumulates on that stack until it looks totally impossible – Lucifer at work. Lucifer wants to keep us stuck in separating desires and beliefs, unable to return to Source, our ultimate goal.

All of this is in play now.  This Full Moon forms a T Square with Galactic Center, the Heart of our galaxy. Stephanie Austin says: “Any alignment with the GC provides tremendous energetic support for releasing old beliefs and realizing our destiny”.

“A great time to let go.” Don’t you hear that a lot? ‘Let go’, what does that look like? Another one you hear a lot is ‘getting out of your own way’. Frustrating!

Probably the best thing we can accomplish is the power of self-observation. Unless you know what is ‘wrong’ you can’t change it. Being in present time is an important step in this process. Whenever you find yourself thinking about past or future, you are not actually experiencing what is available now. You can go your whole life without experiencing anything because you are always in the memory of the past or the fantasy of the future. Eckhart Tolle suggests we become the ‘silent watcher’. When you do this, the now expands.

Virgo, an earth sign ruled by Mercury is especially interested in the now. It’s attention to detail, discernment and organizational skills deal with ‘mundane’ reality. Pisces, a water sign ruled by Neptune represents fantasy, dreams, illusion, glamour etc. Since we are observing all this from the center of the chart (Earth), the message is: Keep your feet on the ground while you reach for the stars. Bring down the inspiration into manifestation.