In the morning, we step boldly into the Last Quarter phase. The Moon in sturdy Capricorn squares the Sun, newly arrived in bright Aries. It’s time to get stuff done.
It’s the Spring Equinox. At this waning square, we’re invited to take everything we’ve learned and gained so far in this lunar cycle and put it into action.
At the New Moon in Pisces of February 27, we sailed into a crowded calendar of retrogrades, sign changes, cazimis, and (of course) eclipses.
Many of these notable events clustered around the transition from Pisces into Aries, the omega and alpha of the zodiacal round.
So here we are. This Capricorn Moon becomes one corner of a dramatic pattern–a strong T-square right across the zodiacal border. ThIs Moon squares not only the Sun, but also Venus and Mercury in Aries, and by degree, Neptune, Saturn, and the Nodes of the Moon.
In charts set in my time zone, the Sun and Moon are also angular, changing the T-square into a Grand Cross that includes the Midheaven–IC axis as well as the Ascendant–Descendant axis.
A moment of fate.
In seven days, we’ll reach our next eclipse, a partial solar eclipse with the New Moon in Aries.
This being eclipse season, we’re not meant to commit to deliberate action. Eclipses bring a kind of chaos that reveals omens rather than handing out detailed to-do lists.
Venus and Mercury, both retrograde, bring us into reflection as well. We’re exploring new landscapes, inner and outer.
Our Last Quarter project, I’d suggest, is one of orientation.
The signs we’re in a time of great change are inescapable. This is as true in astrology as it is in the news of the day. The speed of change is dizzying. The eclipse season chaos is palpable. It’s easy to get knocked off course.
So, we reorient.
Neptune at the end of Pisces signals the fading of at least some dreams. Neptune’s conjunction with the North Node of the Moon, though, tells us new dreams are being born. This is the way of dreaming–what dissolves becomes the matrix from which the new is born.
The Nodes of the Moon move backwards through the zodiac. The North Node slowly pulls away from Neptune to reach toward Saturn. What new structures are forming? We may not be able to see them yet, but we know they’re there.
This Saturn in Pisces rules the Capricorn Moon, as the Sun in Aries is ruled by Mars in Cancer. Within a matrix of ancients waters, a new fire is lit to create new structures in the world.
Where is our compass? Which way are we facing? What signs are we waiting for? What are our secret hopes?
It’s time to check your map. Consider the values and goals that light your way. Which direction is your compass pointing?
The destination isn’t visible yet. It’s over that rise and around the curve. There’s fog, too. But if we have our maps, if we know which star we’re steering by, we’ll find the way.
Denisse DeMaras
Thank you, I don’t feel so alone with your post as I struggle inside the quicksand of I don’t know. Oh and the fog! It’s easier to see the details – searching for the beauty behind and inside the devil popping up like a Jack in the box at every corner!
As the path shifts, fades and all but disappears- will we know what truly matters or be caught in fear?
“ these are the times of monsters.” I can’t remember the man’s name to credit him.
RisingMoon
This transition from Pisces into Aries is so complicated this year, marked by four retrogrades (Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Neptune) and two eclipses. The fading, shifting, quicksand is the end of Pisces plus the turn and turn about of the retrogrades. The feeling we need to DO SOMETHING is the Aries coming in. Hang in there!